Eye of Hecate

Piper

"Jason!"

I keep calling his name as I hold him, though I've almost lost hope. He's been unconscious for two minutes now. His body is steaming, his eyes rolled back in his head. I can't tell if he's even breathing.

"It's no use, child." Hera stands over us in her simple black robes and shawl.

I didn't see the goddess go nuclear. Thankfully I closed my eyes, but I can see the aftereffects. Every vestige of winter is gone from the valley. No signs of battle, either. The monsters have been vaporized. The ruins have been restored to what they were before—still ruins, but with no evidence that they were overrun by a horde of wolves, storm spirits, and six-armed ogres.

Even the Hunters have been revived. Most wait at a respectful distance in the meadow, but Thalia kneels by my side, her hand on Jason's forehead.

Thalia glares up at the goddess. "This is your fault. Do something!"

"Do not address me that way, girl. I am the queen—"

"Fix him!"

Hera's eyes flicker with power. "I did warn him. I would never intentionally hurt the boy. He was to be my champion. I told them to close their eyes before I revealed my true form."

"Um..." Leo frowns. "True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?"

"I unleashed my power to help you, fool!" Hera cries. "I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place, and even save these miserable Hunters from the ice."

"But mortals can't look upon you in that form!" Thalia shouts. "You've killed him!"

Ozzy shakes her head in dismay. "That's what your prophecy meant. Death unleash, through Hera's rage. Come on, lady. You're a goddess. Do some voodoo magic on him! Bring him back."

I half hear their conversation, but mostly I'm focused on Jason's face. "He's breathing!" I announce.

"Impossible," Hera says. "I wish it were true, child, but no mortal has ever—"

"Jason," I call, putting every bit of my willpower into his name. I cannot lose him. "Listen to me. You can do this. Come back. You're going to be fine."

Nothing happens. Did I imagine his breath stirring?

"Healing is not a power of Aphrodite," Hera says regretfully. "Even I cannot fix this, girl. His mortal spirit—"

"Jason," I say again, and I imagine my voice resonating through the earth, all the way down to the Underworld. "Wake up."

He gasps, and his eyes fly open. For a moment they're full of light—glowing pure gold. Then the light fades and his eyes are normal again. "What—what happened?"

"Impossible!" Hera says.

I wrap him in a hug until he groans, "Crushing me."

"Sorry," I say, so relieved, I laugh while wiping a tear from my eye.

Thalia grips her brother's hand. "How do you feel?"

"Hot," he mutters. "Mouth is dry. And I saw something...really terrible."

"That was Hera," Thalia grumbles. "Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon."

"That's it, Thalia Grace," says the goddess. "I will turn you into an aardvark, so help me—"

"Stop it, you two," I say. Amazingly, they both shut up.

I help Jason to his feet and give him the last nectar from our supplies.

"Now..." I face Thalia and Hera. "Hera—Your Majesty—we couldn't have rescued you without the Hunters. And Thalia, you never would've seen Jason again—I wouldn't have met him—if it weren't for Hera. You two make nice, because we've got bigger problems."

They both glare at me, and for three long seconds, I'm not sure which one of them is going to kill me first.

Finally Thalia grunts. "You've got spirit, Piper." She pulls a silver card from her parka and tucks it into the pocket of my snowboarding jacket. "You ever want to be a Hunter, call me. We could use you."

Hera crosses her arms. "Fortunately for this Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite." She assesses me, as if seeing me clearly for the first time. "You wondered, Piper, why I chose you for this quest, why I didn't reveal your secret in the beginning, even when I knew Enceladus was using you. I must admit, until this moment I was not sure. Something told me you would be vital to the quest. Now I see I was right. You're even stronger than I realized. And you are correct about the dangers to come. We must work together."

My face feels warm. I'm not sure how to respond to Hera's compliment, but Ozzy steps in.

"Yeah," she says, "I don't suppose that Porphyrion guy just melted and died, huh?"

"No," Hera agrees. "By saving me, and saving this place, you prevented Gaea from waking. You have bought us some time. But Porphyrion has risen. He simply knew better than to stay here, especially since he has not yet regained his full power. Giants can only be killed by a combination of god and demigod, working together. Once you freed me—"

"He ran away," Jason says. "But to where?"

Hera doesn't answer, but a sense of dread washes over me. I remember what Porphyrion said about killing the Olympians by pulling up their roots. Greece. I look at Thalia's grim expression, and guess the Hunter has come to the same conclusion.

"I need to find Annabeth," Thalia says. "She has to know what's happened here."

"Thalia..." Jason grips her hand. "We never got to talk about this place, or—"

"I know." Her expression softens. "I lost you here once. I don't want to leave you again. But we'll meet soon. I'll rendezvous with you back at Camp Half-Blood." She glances at Hera. "You'll see them there safely? It's the least you can do."

"It's not your place to tell me—"

"Queen Hera," I intercede.

The goddess sighs. "Fine. Yes. Just off with you, Hunter!"

Thalia gives Jason a hug and says her good-byes. When the Hunters are gone, the courtyard seems strangely quiet. The dry reflecting pool shows no sign of the earthen tendrils that brought back the giant king or imprisoned Hera. The night sky is clear and starry. The wind rustles in the redwoods. I think about that night in Oklahoma when me and my dad slept in Grandpa Tom's front yard. I think about the night on the Wilderness School dorm roof, when Jason kissed me—in my Mist-altered memories, anyway.

"Jason, what happened to you here?" I ask. "I mean—I know your mom abandoned you here. But you said it was sacred ground for demigods. Why? What happened after you were on your own?"

Jason shakes his head uneasily. "It's still murky. The wolves..."

"You were given a destiny," Hera says. "You were given into my service."

Jason scowls. "Because you forced my mom to do that. You couldn't stand knowing Zeus had two children with my mom. Knowing that he'd fallen for her twice. I was the price you demanded for leaving the rest of my family alone. "

"It was the right choice for you as well, Jason," Hera insists. "The second time your mother managed to snare Zeus's affections, it was because she imagined him in a different aspect—the aspect of Jupiter. Never before did this happen—two children, Greek and Roman, born into the same family. You had to be separated from Thalia. This is where all demigods of your kind start their journey."

"Of his kind?" I ask.

"She means Roman," Jason says. "Demigods are left here. We meet the she-wolf goddess, Lupa, the same immortal wolf that raised Romulus and Remus."

Hera nods. "And if you are strong enough, you live."

Ozzy blinks. "So...I was right. Jason is Roman. Not Greek."

"But..." Leo looks mystified. "What happened after that? I mean, Jason never made it to camp."

"Not to Camp Half-Blood, no," Hera agrees.

I feel as if the sky is spiraling above me, making me dizzy. "You went somewhere else. That's where you've been all these years. Somewhere else for demigods—but where?"

Jason turns to the goddess. "The memories are coming back, but not the location. You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"No," Hera says. "That is part of your destiny, Jason. You must find your own way back. But when you do...you will unite two great powers. You will give us hope against the giants, and more importantly—against Gaea herself."

"You want us to help you," Jason says, "but you're holding back information."

"Giving you answers would make those answers invalid," Hera says. "That is the way of the Fates. You must forge your own path for it to mean anything. Already, you four have surprised me. I would not have thought it possible..."

The goddess shakes her head. "Suffice it to say, you have performed well, demigods. But this is only the beginning. Now you must return to Camp Half-Blood, where you will begin planning for the next phase."

"Which you won't tell us about," Jason grumps. "And I suppose you destroyed my nice storm spirit horse, so we'll have to walk home?"

Hera waves aside the question. "Storm spirits are creatures of chaos. I did not destroy that one, though I have no idea where he went, or whether you'll see him again. But there is an easier way home for you."

Ozzy sighs and slumps her shoulders. "I guess this is goodbye for now, guys."

"What?" I ask. "You're not coming?"

"I'm not a demigod." Ozzy smiles weakly. "I did my part. I think I did a pretty good job with that whole giant revenge thing, but I can't go back to your camp."

Leo wraps his arms around her, and Jason and I do the same. 

"It won't be the same without you, Oz." Jason says. 

"I can't believe you can't come." I admit. It's true. I've only known Ozzy for a matter of days, but now I can't imagine more life-threatening quests without her, especially after seeing how much giant-butt she can kick.

Jason and I let go, but she and Leo hug each other tight for a few more seconds. When they let go, they're both teary-eyes. 

"Here," Ozzy holds out her hand, and we each give her one of our hands. One at a time, she draws a small hieroglyph on our palms. "If you ever need me, just say my name into your hand. Wherever you are, I'll find you."

"It won't wash off?" Jason asks. 

The symbol glows for a moment, then fades. 

"No," Ozzy laughs half-heartedly. "It won't. If you're ever in Brooklyn, give me a shout."

"What are you doing?" Hera asks, looking mystified. 

"Saying goodbye." Ozzy replies. "To my friends. Like a normal human."

"There's no need for goodbyes." Hera tells her. "We Greeks aren't done with you yet, Osiria Kane. Just like Jason, you will have your turn to unite two great powers. It's just not your turn yet."

Ozzy frowns. "What-"

"As you have done me a great service, so I can help you—at least this once." Hera interrupts. "Farewell, demigods, for now."

The world turns upside down, and I almost black out.

When I can see straight again, I'm back at camp, in the dining pavilion, in the middle of dinner. We're standing on the Aphrodite cabin's table, and I have one foot in Drew's pizza. Sixty campers rise at once, gawking at us in astonishment.

Whatever Hera did to shoot us across the country, it isn't good for my stomach. I can barely control my nausea. Leo isn't so lucky. He jumps off the table, runs to the nearest bronze brazier, and throws up in it—which probably isn't a great burnt offering for the gods. The only one who doesn't look nauseated in the slightest is Ozzy, who has her wand and staff drawn, eyes wide. I get the feeling she's not used to being teleported against her will.

"Jason?" Chiron trots forward. No doubt the old centaur has seen thousands of years' worth of weird stuff, but even he looks totally flabbergasted. "What—How—?"

The Aphrodite campers stare up at me with their mouths open. I figure I must look awful.

"Hi," I say, as casually as I can. "We're back."