Eye of Hecate

Leo

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

No such luck. The cab makes lurching, grinding sounds as it climbs the mountain road, and halfway up we find the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking the way.

"Far as I can go," the cabbie says. "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." I'm the first one out. I have a bad feeling about what's wrong with the cab, and when I look down I see I'm right. The wheels are sinking into the road like it's made of quicksand. Not fast—just enough to make the driver think he has a transmission problem or a bad axle—but I know different.

The road is hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should be soft, but already my shoes are starting to sink. Gaea is messing with us.

While my friends get out, I pay the cabbie. I'm generous—heck, why not? It's Aphrodite's money. Plus, I have a feeling I might never be coming off this mountain.

"Keep the change," I say. "And get out of here. Quick."

The driver doesn't argue. Soon all we can see is his dust trail.

The view from the mountain is pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo is 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've never known.

"That's Concord," Jason says, pointing to the north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way..."

He points west, where a ridge of golden hills hold back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

"Jason?" Piper touches his arm. "You remember something? You've been here?"

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

"That's Titan land." Coach Hedge nods toward the west. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."

"Even Egyptians know the West is bad news." Ozzy notes, looking over the city uneasily. "That's why we're on the east side of the river. The west is considered the Land of the Dead."

But Jason looks toward the foggy basin with such longing that I feel uneasy. Why does Jason seem so connected with that place—a place Hedge says was evil, full of bad magic and old enemies? A place that Ozzy is comparing to the Land of the Dead? What if Jason comes from here? Everybody keeps hinting Jason is an enemy, that his arrival at Camp Half-Blood is a dangerous mistake.

No. Ridiculous. Jason is our friend.

I try to move my foot, but my heels are now completely embedded in the dirt.

"Hey, guys," I say. "Let's keep moving."

The others notice the problem.

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbles. He pops his hooves free from his shoes, then hands the shoes to me. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

I snort. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

"That's varsity thinking, Valdez." Hedge nods approvingly. "But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."

"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper asks.

Jason points toward the peak. Drifting across the summit is a plume of smoke. From a distance, I thought it was a cloud, but it isn't. Something is burning.