Andromeda Jackson

Piper

"Leo?" I yell.

Sure enough, there he is, sitting atop a giant bronze death machine and grinning like a lunatic. Even before he lands, the camp alarm goes up. A conch horn blows. All the satyrs start screaming, "Don't kill me!" Half the camp runs outside in a mixture of pajamas and armor. The dragon sets down right in the middle of the green, and Leo yells, "It's cool! Don't shoot!"

Hesitantly, the archers lower their bows. The warriors back away, keeping their spears and swords ready. They make a loose wide ring around the metal monster. Other demigods hide behind their cabin doors or peep out the windows. Nobody seems anxious to get close.

I can't blame them. The dragon is huge. It glistens in the morning sun like a living penny sculpture—different shades of copper and bronze—a sixty-foot-long serpent with steel talons and drill-bit teeth and glowing ruby eyes. It has bat-shaped wings twice its length that unfurl like metallic sails, making a sound like coins cascading out of a slot machine every time they flap.

"It's beautiful," I mutter. The other demigods stare at me like I'm insane.

The dragon rears its head and shoots a column of fire into the sky. Campers scramble away and heft their weapons, but Leo slides calmly off the dragon's back. He holds up his hands like he's surrendering, except he still has that crazy grin on his face.

"People of Earth, I come in peace!" he shouts. He looks like he's been rolling around in the campfire. His army coat and his face are smeared with soot. His hands are grease-stained, and he wears a new tool belt around his waist. His eyes are bloodshot. His curly hair is so oily it sticks up in porcupine quills, and he smells strangely of Tabasco sauce. But he looks absolutely delighted. "Festus is just saying hello!"

"That thing is dangerous!" an Ares girl shouts, brandishing her spear. "Kill it now!"

"Stand down!" someone orders.

To my surprise, it's Andy. She and Jason push through the crowd, flanked by Annabeth and that girl from the Hephaestus cabin, Nyssa.

Jason gazes up at the dragon and shakes his head in amazement. "Leo, what have you done?"

"Found a ride!" Leo beams. "You said I could go on the quest if I got you a ride. Well, I got you a class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!"

"It—has wings," Nyssa stammers. Her jaw looks like it might drop off her face.

"Yeah!" Leo says. "I found them and reattached them."

"But it never had wings. Where did you find them?"

Leo hesitates, and I can tell he's hiding something.

"In...the woods," he says. "Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more problems with him going haywire."

"Mostly?" Andy asks. She's looking more and more worried the longer the conversation goes on. She's twisting a piece of her black hair between her fingers anxiously as she looks at the dragon.

The dragon's head twitches. It tilts to one side and a stream of black liquid—maybe oil, hopefully just oil—pours out of its ear, all over Leo.

"Just a few kinks to work out," Leo says.

"But how did you survive...?" Nyssa is still staring at the creature in awe. "I mean, the fire breath..."

"I'm quick," Leo says. "And lucky. Now, am I on this quest, or what?"

Jason scratches his head. "You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, 'festus' means 'happy'?"

Andy neary chokes. "You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?"

The dragon twitches and shudders and flaps his wings.

"That's a yes, baby!" Leo says. "Now, um, I'd really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the—um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous."

Jason frowns. "But we haven't planned anything yet. We can't just—"

"Go," Annabeth says. She's the only one who doesn't look nervous at all. Her expression is sad and wistful, like this reminds her of better times. "Jason, you've only got three days until the solstice now, and you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. This is certainly a good omen. Go!"

Jason nods. Then he smiles at me. "You ready, partner?"

I look at the bronze dragon wings shining against the sky, and those talons that could shred me to pieces.

"You bet," I say.

"So...it's settled, then?" Andy asks. "We're riding the flying dragon?"

"Of course!" Leo beams.

She doesn't look happy.

"What is it, Andy?" Jason asks her.

Instantly, I don't like the way he looks over at her with so much concern. I know it's stupid to feel jealous over that, but Andy is really pretty, and she seems pretty tough too. How could I compete with that?

"I don't do well with flying," she admits. "The sky is Zeus's domain, and, well...like I said, he doesn't like me."

"Well, Festus is my domain." Leo insists. "You'll be fine up there. Come on."

Andy starts to protest, but Leo takes her hand and drags her over. He helps her up on the dragon, and takes his seat in front of her. Jason and I hop on behind them, and Festus soars up into the sky.

Flying on the dragon is the most amazing experience ever.

Up high, the air is freezing cold; but the dragon's metal hide generates so much heat, it's like we're flying in a protective bubble. Talk about seat warmers! And the grooves in the dragon's back are designed like high-tech saddles, so we aren't uncomfortable at all.

Of course, you wouldn't be able to tell any of that by looking at Andy. She's been so tense since we first took off, clutching Leo like her life depends on it.

Leo shows us how to hook our feet in the chinks of the armor, like in stirrups, and use the leather safety harnesses cleverly concealed under the exterior plating. We sit single file: Leo in front, then Andy, then me, then Jason, and I'm very aware of Jason right behind me. I wish he would hold on to me, maybe wrap his arms around my waist, maybe a little less intensely than Andy is doing with Leo, but sadly, he doesn't.

Leo uses the reins to steer the dragon into the sky like he's been doing it all his life. The metal wings work perfectly, and soon the coast of Long Island is just a hazy line behind us. We shoot over Connecticut and climb into the gray winter clouds.

Leo grins back at us the best he can with Andy clinging to him. "Cool, right?"

"What if we get spotted?" I ask.

"The Mist," Andy says through gritted teeth.

She doesn't offer an explanation, so Jason speaks. "It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they spot us, they'll probably mistake us for a small plane or something."

I glance over my shoulder. "You sure about that?"

"No," he admits. Then I see he's clutching a photo in his hand—a picture of a girl with dark hair.

I give Jason a quizzical look, but he blushes and puts the photo in his pocket. "We're making good time. Probably get there by tonight."

I wonder who the girl in the picture is, but I don't want to ask; and if Jason doesn't volunteer the information, that isn't a good sign. Did he remember something about his life before? Is that a photo of his real girlfriend?

I ask a safer question. "Where are we heading?"

"To find the god of the North Wind," Jason says. "And chase some storm spirits."