Daughter of Pluto | Wattys2017

XII

AIMEE DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE LEO, but she was starting to think that hanging out with Cal the hockey jock might be the least dangerous option in this place.

As they climbed the icy staircase, Zethes stayed behind them, his blade drawn. The guy might've looked like a disco-era reject, but there was nothing funny about his sword. Aimee figured one hit from that thing would probably turn her into a Popsicle.

Then there was the ice princess. Every once in awhile she'd turn and give Jason a smile, but there was no warmth in her expression. She regarded Jason like he was an especially interesting science specimen—one she couldn't wait to dissect.

If these were Boreas's kids, Aimee wasn't sure she wanted to meet Daddy. Annabeth had told her Boreas was the friendliest of the wind gods. Apparently that meant he didn't kill heroes quite as fast as the others did.

Jason worried that he'd led his friends into a trap. If things went bad, he wasn't sure he could get them out alive. Without thinking about it, he took Aimee's hand for reassurance.

She raised her eyebrows, but she didn't let go.

"It'll be fine," she promised. "It's just a talk, right?"

At the top of the stairs, the ice princess looked back and noticed them holding hands. Her smile faded. Suddenly Jason's hand in Aimee's turned ice cold—burning cold. He let go, and his fingers were smoking with frost. So were Aimee's.

"Warmth is not a good idea here," the princess advised, "especially when I am your best chance of staying alive. Please, this way."

Aimee gave him a nervous frown like, What was that about?

Jason didn't have an answer. Zethes poked him in the back with his icicle sword, and they followed the princess down a massive hallway decked in frosty tapestries.

Freezing winds blew back and forth. Aimee wasn't affected like the others,the cold has never bothered her.

Nico's picture was still in her pocket, though she didn't need to look at it anymore. The image had burned itself into her mind. It was bad enough not remembering her past, but to know she had a brother out there somewhere who might have answers and to have no way of finding him—that just drove her up the wall.

In the picture, Nico looked nothing like her. They both had black hair, but that was it. His eyes were a black-brown. His complexion was more tan and he looked a lot more lively.

Still, Nico looked so familiar. Hera had left her just enough memory that she could be certain Nico was her brother. But Annabeth had acted completely surprised when she'd told her, like she'd never heard of Nico's having a sister other than Bianca. Did Nico even know about her? How had they been separated?

Hera had taken those memories. She'd stolen everything from Aimee's past, plopped her into a new life, and now she expected her to save her from some prison just so she could get back what she'd taken. It made Aimee so angry, she wanted to walk away, let Hera rot in that cage: but she couldn't. She was hooked. She had to know more, and that made her even more resentful.

"Hey." Piper touched her arm. "You still with me?"

"Yeah ... yeah, sorry."

She was grateful for Piper. She needed a friend other than Jason, and she was glad she'd started losing the Aphrodite blessing. The makeup was fading. Her hair was slowly going back to its old choppy style with the little braids down the sides. It made her look more real, and as far as Aimee was concerned, more beautiful and perfect for Jason.

She was sure now that they'd never known each other before the Grand Canyon. The friendship between her and Piper,and the relationship she had with Jason was just a trick of the Mist in Piper's mind. But the longer Aimee spent with her, the more she wished it had been real.Piper had her back and was there to pick her up when she need help...like an older sister.

Aimee had no idea what was waiting for her back in her old life—or who might be waiting. But she was pretty sure her past wouldn't mix with Camp Half-Blood. After this quest, who knew what would happen? Assuming they even survived.

At the end of the hallway they found themselves in front of a set of oaken doors carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man's bearded face, blowing wind. Aimee was pretty sure she'd seen maps like this before. But in this version, all the wind guys were Winter, blowing ice and snow from every corner of the world.

The princess turned. Her brown eyes glittered as she looked at Jason, and Aimee was sure that Jason felt like he was a Christmas present she was hoping to open.

"This is the throne room," she said. "Be on your best behavior, Jason Grace and Aimee Di Angelo. My father can be ... chilly. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun."

Aimee rolled her eyes and guessed this girl's definition of fun was not the same as her.She nudged Jason.

"Just listen to our mind link,I'll translate for you,"Aimee whispered to Jason who nodded then turned away to look at the Princess.

"Um, okay," he managed. "But really, we're just here for a little talk. We'll be leaving right afterward."

The girl smiled. "I love heroes. So blissfully ignorant."

Aimee and Piper rested their hands on their weapons. "Well, how about you enlighten us? You say you're going to translate for us, and we don't even know who you are. What's your name?"

The girl sniffed with distaste. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you don't recognize me. Even in the ancient times the Greeks did not know me well. Their island homes were too warm, too far from my domain. I am Khione, daughter of Boreas, goddess of snow."She stirred the air with her finger, and a miniature blizzard swirled around her—big, fluffy flakes as soft as cotton."Now, come," Khione said.

 The oaken doors blew open, and cold blue light spilled out of the room. 

"Hopefully you will survive your little talk."