The Lost Heroine (Heroes of Olympus/Kane Chronicles crossover) [2016]

Chapter 20: Leo

I had to do him again! Sorry!

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THE FIRST THING I NOTICED: COLD. It seems obvious, but the second I jumped through the portal, way-way-below-freezing winds (I know, very technical names) blew around me. I felt them through my winter coat, which I'd been wearing for a while. Then I hit the ground, stumbled, and landed on Frank's back.

"Valdez!" Frank groaned, shoving me onto the frozen ground. "Gods, man! You're not as scrawny as you were!"

"Is that a compliment or not?" I asked. He grunted in reply.

I looked around. Fierce winds blew snow from every direction. Next to the portal was a stone sphinx.

Calypso came out of the portal. She stumbled, but landed on her feet.

"You all right, Sunshine?" I asked her.

"Yeah, just..." She shivered. "Cold."

"Knew it. Hang in there." I extended my fingers, waiting for them to ignite. Frank took a step backward.

But my hand didn't catch fire. I frowned. "What?" I tried again. I focused all my energy on my fingertips, willing them to burn. They didn't oblige.

"Something wrong, Leo?" Calypso asked.

"I can't get them to catch! My fire isn't working!"

Hazel stood up and brushed snowflakes off her coat. "Leo, your flames are out?"

"Yeah! I don't know why!" I was panicking. The last time my fire had gone out was during my first quest, when we met Midas. Piper and I had been turned into statues. I did not want to repeat that experience.

Calypso was still shivering, so I reached into my tool belt, which still worked, and pulled out two pairs of safety gloves. She gave me a grateful kiss and put them on. I blushed, but I was pretty sure no one could tell because my cheeks were already raw with frostbite.

Jason tried to control the winds and calm them down. "I can't," he said. "Khione is in control. She's messing with us."

Hazel attempted to summon a jewel, and Frank tried to turn into a bulldog, but both of their powers were down, too. Percy's power was useless because there wasn't any water around.

"What do we do now?" I groaned.

Behind us, a cold, horribly familiar voice drifted across the frozen wasteland. "Hello, my friends," Khione said. "It's so kind of you to join us. Come, reunite with your friend."

I spun around to face the smiling ice goddess. "You," I snarled. "You little--" I swore at her in Ancient Greek. "What have you done with Piper?" I demanded.

"I will show you soon enough," Khione said, still smiling coldly.

Jason marched up to her. "Tell me what you did to my girlfriend, or Zeus help me, I'll--"

"Patience, Jason Grace," Khione interrupted, holding up a hand. "There's no need to make a big scene."

"No need?" Jason exploded. "You kidnapped my girlfriend!"

"Indeed," Khione said, grinning broadly. "And though I hardly think the girl was worth the trouble, I will gladly show her to you."

When I first saw Piper, I had a sudden flash of deja vu. It was exactly like when Tristan McLean was kidnapped by Enchiladas (sorry, Enceladus), except without the bulldozers and purple bonfire. Piper was chained to an icy rock. Her chin rested on her chest, but she was still conscious. She looked terrible. Her face was raw with frost bite. Her hair was coated in ice and stuck out in all directions. She was tied by the wrists and ankles, and there was a gag in her mouth. Her eyes were puffy from crying. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt and Khione's wolves flanked her on either side. When she saw us, she made a desperate noise and struggled to escape her bonds, but Khione snapped her fingers and a wolf snarled and bit her on the leg. She fell silent.