When we step over the threshold, Jason immediately collapses. I don't feel much better. From the second we landed, that feeling had come over me. The uneasiness. But inside the house, I feel like a full-on intruder. I feel unwelcome.
Leo catches Jason. "Hey! None of that, man. What's wrong?"
"This place..." Jason shakes his head. "Sorry, it came rushing back to me."
"So you have been here." Piper says.
"We both have." Thalia tells us, her expression grim. "This is where my mom took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, told me he was dead. He just disappeared."
"She gave me to the wolves." Jason murmurs. "At Hera's insistence. She gave me to Lupa."
"That part I didn't know." Thalia frowns. "Who is Lupa?"
An explosion shakes the building. Just outside, a blue mushroom cloud billows us, raining snowflakes and ice like a nuclear blast made of cold instead of heat.
"Maybe this isn't the best time for questions." Leo suggests. "Show us the goddess."
Once we're inside, Jason seems to get his bearings. He leads us to an outside courtyard, which I immediately recognize from my dream.
It looks different though. One of the spires is much bigger, and the other much smaller. The bigger one, I realize, looks like a massive stone body bag. I grip Leo's hand tighter. He gives me a reassuring squeeze. I'm so glad he's here. I'm absolutely terrified.
In the smaller spire, I can just make out Hera. Leo pulls me forwards, dropping into the reflecting pool and approaching the cage.
"Hola, Tia. Little bit of toruble?" He asks.
She crosses her arms and sighs. "Don't inspect me like I'm one of your machines, Leo Valdez. Get me out of here!"
Thalia steps up next to us and looks at the cage with distaste. Or, more likely, she's lookng at Hera. "We tried everythng we could think of, Leo, but maybe my heart wasn't in it. If it was up to me, I'd just leave her in there."
"Ohh, Thalia Grace," Hera says. "When I get out of here, you'll be sorry you were even born."
"Save it!" Thalia snaps. "You've been nothing but a curse to every child of Zeus for ages. You sent a bunch of intestinally challenged cows after my friend Annabeth-"
"She was disrespectful!"
"You dropped a statue on my legs."
"It was an accident!"
"And you took my brother!" Thalia's voice cracks. "Here. On this spot. You ruined our lives. We should leave you to Gaea!"
"Okay." I step forwards. "Thalia, I get it. But now isn't really the time. You should help your Hunters."
Thalia clenches her jaw. "Fine. For you, Theo. The one good thing Hera has ever done. But if you ask me, she isn't worth it."
She turns and leaps out of the pool and storms from the building."
Leo turns back to the goddess. "Intestinally challenged cows?"
"Focus on the cage, Leo." She grumbles. "And Jason, you are wiser than your sister. You and Theo... I chose my champions well."
"I'm not your champion, lady." Jason tells her. "I'm only helping you because you stole my memories, and you're better than the alternative. Speaking of which, what's going on with that?" He nods to the other spire that is steadily growing out of the earth.
