Eye of Hecate

Leo

When I see how well Piper, Ozzy, and Hedge are being treated, I'm thoroughly offended.

I imagined them freezing their hindquarters off in the snow, but the Hunter Phoebe set up this silver tent pavilion thing right outside the cave. How she did it so fast, I have no idea, but inside is a kerosene heater keeping them toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Piper and Ozzy look back to normal, decked out in new parkas, gloves, and camo pants like Hunters. They and Hedge and Phoebe are kicking back, drinking hot chocolate.

"Oh, no way," I say. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"

Phoebe sniffs. "Boys," she says, like it's the worst insult she can think of.

"It's all right, Phoebe," Thalia says. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate."

Phoebe grumbles, but soon Jason and I are also dressed in silvery winter clothes that are incredibly lightweight and warm. The hot chocolate is first-rate.

"Cheers!" says Coach Hedge. He crunches down his plastic thermos cup.

"That cannot be good for your intestines," Ozzy says.

Thalia pats Piper and Ozzy on the back. "You guys up for moving?"

Piper nods. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah."

Ozzy nods too. "You guys are really good at this whole wilderness survival thing."

"I feel like I could run ten miles." Piper agrees.

Thalia winks at Jason. "She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one."

"How'd you heal me up so quickly?" Ozzy asks. "I've always needed to sleep and eat a huge meal after overusing my magic."

"Some nectar." Phoebe tells her. "Works like a charm every time."

"What?" I demand, rushing to Ozzy's side. "No, she's not a demigod! That could've killed her!"

Thalia frowns. "A regular mortal can't drink any nectar. It would've burned her up."

Ozzy looks at her hands. "I'm fine. Maybe it's my magic. Maybe it protected me."

"Maybe." Thalia frowns, unconvinced. "Well, let's get a move on."

It takes Phoebe exactly six seconds to break camp, which I cannot believe. The tent self-collapses into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum. I want to ask her for the blueprints, but we don't have time.

Thalia runs uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain, and soon I'm regretting trying to look macho, because the Hunters leave me in the dust.

Coach Hedge leaps around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing us on like he used to do on track days at school. "Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo—"

"Let's not," Thalia snaps.

So we run in silence.

I fall in next to Jason at the back of the group. "How you doing, man?"

Jason's expression is enough of an answer: Not good.

"Thalia takes it so calmly," Jason says. "Like it's no big deal that I appeared. I didn't know what I was expecting, but...she's not like me. She seems so much more together."

"Hey, she's not fighting amnesia," I say. "Plus, she's had more time to get used to this whole demigod thing. You fight monsters and talk to gods for a while, you probably get used to surprises."