𝕺𝖕𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖘 𝕬𝖙𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙 - 𝕱𝖊𝖒𝕺𝕮 𝖃 𝕷𝖊𝖔 𝖁𝖆𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖟

Kiera

I had hoped the taxi could take us all the way to the top.

No such luck. The cab made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road, and halfway up we 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. He offered me a hand a pulled me out of the back seat.

I had a bad feeling about what was wrong with the cab, and when I looked down I saw I was right. The wheels were sinking into the road like it was made with quicksand. Not fast—just enough to make the driver think he had a transmission problem or a bad axle—but I knew different.

The road was hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should have been soft, but already my Adidas were starting to sink. Gaea was messing with us.

While my friends got out, Leo paid the cabbie. He was generous—hell, why not? It was  Aphrodite's money. In New York? That would get you robbed.

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

The driver didn't argue. Soon all we 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 I had never known.

"That's. . .is that Concord," Jason asked, pointing north. "I feel like I know this area."

"Hold on," Leo said, looking at me with a grin. "Let me ask my google maps girlfriend."

I glared at him. "Don't you—"

"Where is Concord?" Leo asked.

"Due directly north—will you stop!"

Jason nodded. "So Walnut Creek is beow 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."

I looked over there. A shimmer seemed to form around San Francisco, and I frowned. There was only one thing that shimmered like that in mid-day. The Mist.

"Jason?" Piper asked. "You remember something? You've been here?"

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

"That's Titan land," Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, Jason. This is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get. Just as Jackson. She's the one who had to—"

"That's enough." I said quickly.

"Why? I can't brag that one of my cupcakes held the sky?" Coach grinned and his teeth were blue.

Leo ran a hand through his curls. "Kie, why does this never come up in conversations."

"Well—"

He held up a hand. "When we do  have time."

I opened my mouth and shut it. Leo pursed his lip and tried to move, but his shoes were one embedded in the dirt.

"Hey, guys," he said. "Let's keep moving."

I looked down, and my feet were covered ankle deep. "Damnit! I just got these shoes!"

I tried to move, but I couldn't pull my feet out and I almost fell face first, but Leo had caught me. He grabbed under my arms and righted me before thinking on how to remove me from the dirt.