ONE LAST TIME . . . heroes of olympus

25

KAT HOPED THE taxi could take them all the way to the top.

Naturally, it didn't. The cab made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road, and halfway up they found the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking the way.

"Far as I can go," the cabbie said. "You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you."

"We're sure." Leo was the first one out, paying the cabbie as the rest of them got out.

Kat grimaced when she saw what was happening. The wheels were sinking into the road like it was made of quicksand. The road was hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should have been soft, but already Kat's shoes were starting to sink. Gaea was messing with them. She'd fucking liked these shoes as well.

"Keep the change," Leo said. "And get out of here. Quick."

The driver didn't argue. Soon all they could see was his dust trail.

The view from the mountain was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns — grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. All these normal people living normal lives — the kind Kat had never known.

"That's Concord," Jason said, pointing to the north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way . . ."

He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

"Okay, Google Maps," Kat muttered.

"Jason?" Piper touched his arm, elbowing Kat with her free arm. "You remember something? You've been here?"

"Yes . . . no." He gave Piper an anguished look. "It just seems important."

"That's Titan land." Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."

But Jason looked toward the foggy basin with such longing that Kat felt uneasy. Why did he seem so connected with that place — a place she'd grown up knowing was evil, full of bad magic and old enemies? What if Jason came from here? Everybody kept hinting Jason was an enemy, that his arrival at Camp Half-Blood was a dangerous mistake.

No, Kat thought. Ridiculous. Jason was their friend.

But was he? She wanted to be his friend, but she didn't want to be his friend. Y'know?

"Hey, guys," Leo said sharply. "Let's keep moving."

Kat noticed the problem. She let out a squawk of anger, frowning at her muddied boots.

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbled. He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed the shoes to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

Leo snorted. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

"That's varsity thinking, Valdez." Hedge nodded approvingly. "But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."

"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper asked.

Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, Kat had thought it was a cloud, but it wasn't. Something was burning.

"Smoke equals fire," Jason said. "We'd better hurry."

Sure, Kat liked to work out. She'd been training for years to be in good shape, and she kept that up because she wanted to look better than everyone else. But climbing a mountain when the earth was trying to swallow her feet was like jogging on a flypaper treadmill.