ONE LAST TIME . . . heroes of olympus

37

SADLY, KAT'S MAMA wouldn't let her drive to Vancouver by herself. But she did let her fly over there the day after she got her license, so that was nice. She guessed.

Well, she was excited to see Frank again. It's been a while — she visited him just before she went to the Wilderness School because she felt she'd deserved a break after fighting in a war. His home was nothing like hers in New York: quiet, peaceful, a mansion in the woods. She could never live here permanently, unless it was with the right people, but she could appreciate it.

The airplane landed at 3 pm on December 28th. Kat had been shaken awake by the steward and hastily put her seatbelt on. Once the plane touched the ground, she heard the intercom that it was all clear for her to leave, so she got up and thanked the steward and the pilot before leaving with her backpack and suitcase.

She walked the path to the Zhang mansion alone, which she didn't mind because she needed some time for herself anyway to stop and smell the flowers or whatever. The snow crunched under her feet, the woods was full of pine trees and leafless tress, and she occasionally saw an animal run by. This was paradise. Maybe better than being on a mostly deserted island, the sand under her toes and the ocean in front of her. Normally, that was paradise for her, but she has history in this house. Her legacy would live on by her handprint on this mansion, even if the Mikhailov legacy ended with her, and they'd turn out to be forgotten over time.

Eventually she made it to the house, her face breaking out into a grin as she approached the place. It was still the same as before; one constant that would always be in her life.

When she knocked on the door, she was met with a pleasant surprise; Emily Zhang was at the door, beaming when she recognized Kat.

"Kat!" she brought Kat into a hug, which she instantly reciprocated. She fucking loved Frank's mom. "It's been so long! Your birthday just passed, right?"

"Yeah," Kat's grin widened, if it was possible. She needed this. "Sixteen. Got my license and everything."

Emily brought her into another hug. "Congratulations! Oh, I remember when you and Frank were little and made your little box cars and tried to drive them around."

Kat scrunched up her nose but she said, "I guess I knew I'd be a good driver even then." She stepped out of Emily's embrace, as much as she wanted to stay in it. Viktoria Mikhailova had never been much of a cuddly-touchy person, so Kat didn't know where she inherited that from considering she didn't think her papa was that kinda way and her uncle wasn't that type of person. But Emily was happy to hug her or sling her arm around her shoulders and she appreciated that. In some ways, Emily had raised her more than Kat's mama had.

"Where is he, anyway?" She asked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you. I didn't expect you'd be here."

"My commander let me come home for the holidays," Emily explained. "And while you're here, I want to talk to you about your quest."

Kat frowned. "Did mama tell you about that?"

"Yes." Emily nodded solemnly, and Kat almost felt the pressure of the Mikhailov name on her shoulders. "I need to tell you some things, but you cannot tell anyone. Not even your superiors."

"Not even mama?"

"Well, her, yes, but whoever runs your—"

"KitKat?" Kat turned to see her best friend standing at the end of the hallway, a smile lighting up his features.

"Foo Foo Bear!" She bolted down the hallway and leaped at him. He barely caught her, nearly staggering into one of his grandmother's statues, but she helped right them when her feet could touch the ground, and good god he'd grown taller since she'd seen him last. He was at least as tall as Jason now.