ENTRAPPED ₂

7

AS THEY CLIMBED THE ICY STAIRCASE, ZETHES STAYED BEHIND THEM, HIS BLADES DRAWN. Ethan had the strong urge to cut his throat before he could blink, but he decided that the action may ruin the hospitality of the place.

He wasn't really worried about Leo, because he didn't care about him and he didn't believe Cal was a threat. With Leo's attitude, he would probably have a new friend by the time they were done.

Piper reached out and brushed fingers with Jason. He pulled away, his eyes distant. Her mouth twisted into a frown.

Ethan had no idea what was going on with those two. Jason Grace had clearly never known Piper McLean in his life, but she acted like she wanted to gut herself in front of him. It was pathetic in every way, because Ethan could acknowledge that Piper was pretty. She could do better than a lost boy with a shitty haircut, in Ethan's humble opinion.

Piper definitely wasn't Ethan's type, but he thought that, if he weren't dating Madeleine, then she would like her. Madeleine had always had a thing for pretty, doomed girls. She had a thing for everything doomed. It was why she liked Ethan. Her savior complex was always coming in clutch.

Gods, he loved her. Thinking about her made his throat hurt.

They reached the top of the stairs. Before they could stop, Zethes poked Jason in the back with his icy sword. This annoyed Ethan, though he couldn't decide why.

They walked down a massive hall decorated with frosty tapestries. Freezing winds blew back and forth.

Ethan glanced at Jason. He looked angry all of the sudden, his mouth pulled into a frown, his eyebrows drawn together fiercely. Ethan was not expecting it and was more than a little surprised. He was supposed to be the angry one.

"Hey." Piper touched Jason's arm, then carefully removed her hand. "You still with me?"

Jason looked at her like he didn't know her. "Yeah... yeah, sorry." He glanced at Ethan. He looked like he had been stretched thin over a rope, forced to hang.

For the first time, Ethan genuinely wondered if he was, indeed, the key to finding Madeleine. No one had looked at Ethan like that in a long time.

At the end of the hallway, they found themselves in front of a set of oaken doors carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a carving of a bearded wind god, blowing ice and snow from his mouth.

The princess turned. Her brown eyes glittered as they raked over Jason. Ethan was tempted to tell her to get a room, but he decided that he didn't want to destroy their hospitality just yet.

"This is the throne room," the girl said. "Be on your best behavior, Jason Grace. My father can be... chilly. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun."

Jason looked uncomfortable. "Um, okay," he said. "But really, we're just here for a little talk. We'll be leaving right afterward."

The girl smiled. "I love heroes. So blissfully ignorant."

Piper rested her hand on her dagger. "Well, how about you enlighten us? You say you're going to translate for us, and we don't even know who you are. What's your name?"

The girl sniffed with distaste, and Ethan stepped forward. Of course he had clicked the pieces together; minor gods were his territory. Especially minor gods with a bad history.

"This is Khione," he said. "Daughter of Boreas, goddess of snow."

Khione raised her eyebrows at Ethan. For a moment, she looked genuinely impressed. "Well, Ethan Nakamura. I've heard much about you. I see the rumors are true." She took a step forward and put her hand on his chin. The air between them was freezing cold. "Is it true that your girlfriend is dead? Many would like to have a piece of you."