The Girl With The Dark Side (A Jason Grace Love Story) ON HOLD

Chapter Four -Calais and Zethes-

I stared into his eyes, blue like a cloudless sky. His blue eyes pierced my unique burgundy eyes. He leaned in, his eyes flickering to my lips. I met him halfway. I felt his soft lips on mine, kissing me slowly.

The memories of me and him came through my head like a slideshow. I felt the sparks, bombs and fireworks I felt when we were together before. I pulled away and leaned on his chest. I fell asleep listening to his heartbeat.

When I woke up, I saw some things that look like venti, but more solid. Calais and Zethes, Boreads the sons of Boreas.

“Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing,” Zethes said, brushing his hair out of his acne-covered face, “we will have to destroy you painfully.”  

“Destroy!” Cal agreed, with a little more enthusiasm than Leo thought necessary.   “Wait!” Piper said. “This is an emergency landing.”

  “Awww!” Cal looked so disappointed, Leo almost felt sorry for him.   Zethes studied Piper, which of course he’d already been doing.

  “How does the pretty girl decide this is an emergency, then?”   “We have to see Boreas. It’s totally urgent! Please?”

  She forced a smile, which I figured must’ve been killing her; but she still had that blessing of Aphrodite thing going on, and she looked great.

  She was using charmspeak, Leo was believing every word. Jason was nodding, looking absolutely convinced. But I was never convinced since I am immune to charmspeak.  

Zethes picked at his silk shirt, probably making sure it was still open wide enough. “Well ... I hate to disappoint a lovely lady, but you see, my sister, she would have an avalanche if we allowed you—”  

“And our dragon is malfunctioning!” Piper added. “It could crash any minute!” 

Festus shuddered helpfully, then turned his head and spilled gunk out of his ear, splattering a black Mercedes in the parking lot below.

  “No destroy?” Cal whimpered.  

Zethes pondered the problem. Then he gave Piper another spasmodic wink.

  “Well, you are pretty. I mean, you’re right. A malfunctioning dragon—this could be an emergency.”

  “Destroy them later?” Cal offered, which was probably as close to friendly as he ever got.

  “It will take some explaining,” Zethes decided. “Father has not been kind to visitors lately. But, yes. Come, faulty dragon people. Follow us.”  

The Boreads sheathed their swords and pulled smaller weapons from their belts—or at least I thought they were weapons.   Then the Boreads switched them on, and I realized they were flashlights with orange cones, like the ones traffic controller guys use on a runway.

  Cal and Zethes turned and swooped toward the hotel’s tower.

  Leo turned to us friends. “I love these guys. Follow them?”   Jason and Piper didn’t look eager. But I think it was our best bet to getting to Aeolus.

 “I guess,” Jason decided. “We’re here now. But I wonder why Boreas hasn’t been kind to visitors.”

“Pfft, he just hasn’t met us.” Leo whistled. “Festus, after those flashlights!”

  As we got closer, I worried we’d crash into the tower. The Boreads made right for the green gabled peak and didn’t slow down.  

Then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance easily wide enough for Festus. The top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth.

  “This cannot be good,” Jason muttered, but Leo spurred the dragon downward, and we swooped in after the Boreads.   We landed in what must have been the penthouse suite; but the place had been hit by a flash freeze.  

The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, huge draped windows, and lush oriental carpets.   A staircase at the back of the room led up to another equally massive hall, and more corridors branched off to the left and right.

  But the ice made the room’s beauty a little frightening. When I slid off the dragon, the carpet crunched under my feet.  

A fine layer of frost covered the furniture. The curtains didn’t budge because they were frozen solid, and the ice-coated windows let in weird watery light from the sunset.

  Even the ceiling was furry with icicles. As for the stairs, I was sure he’d slip and break his neck if I tried to climb them.  

  “Guys,” Leo said, “fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in.”   “Not me.” Jason looked uneasily at the staircase. “Something feels wrong. Something up there ...” Festus shuddered and snorted flames. Frost started to form on his scales.

  “No, no, no.” Zethes marched over, though how he could walk in those pointy leather shoes, Leo had no idea.

“The dragon must be deactivated. We can’t have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair.”   Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth.

  “’S’okay, boy.” Leo turned to Zethes. “The dragon’s a little touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I’ve got a better solution.”

  “Destroy?” Cal suggested.   “No, man. You gotta stop with the destroy talk. Just wait.”

  “Leo,” Piper said nervously, “what are you—”     “Watch and learn, beauty queen. When I was repairing Festus last night, I found all kinds of buttons. Some, you do not want to know what they do. But others ... Ah, here we go.”