Daughter of Pluto | Wattys2017

XXXV

AIMEE REALLY HOPED THE TAXI COULD TAKE THEM all the way to the top.

No such luck. The cab made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road, and halfway up they found the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking the way.

"Far as I can go," the cabbie said. "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." Leo was the first one out,he pulled Aimee out by her hand. They both looked down at the tires of the car. The tires were sinking into the road like it was made of quicksand. Not fast—just enough to make the driver think he had a transmission problem or a bad axle—but Aimee knew different.

The road was hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should have been soft, but already Aimee's shoes were starting to sink. Gaea was messing with them.

While her friends got out, Aimee paid the cabbie. She was generous—heck, why not? It was Persephone's money. Plus, she had a feeling she might never be coming off this mountain.

"Keep the change," she said. "And get out of here. Quick."

The driver didn't argue. Soon all they could see was his dust trail.

The view from the mountain was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was 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 Aimee had never known.

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

He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held 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 touched his arm. "You remember something? You've been here?"

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

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

But both Aimee and Jason looked toward the foggy basin with such longing that Leo felt uneasy. Why did they seem so connected with that place—a place Hedge said was evil, full of bad magic and old enemies? What if they came from here? Everybody kept hinting That they were an enemy, that their arrival at Camp Half-Blood was a dangerous mistake.

No, Leo thought. Ridiculous. Jason and Aimee were their friend.

Aimee tried to move her foot, but her heels were now completely embedded in the dirt.

"Hey, guys," Leo said looking down at his own stuck feet. "Let's keep moving."

The others noticed the problem.

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbled. He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed the shoes to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

Leo snorted. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

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

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

Aimee pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, Leo had thought it was a cloud, but it wasn't. Something was burning.
"Smoke equals fire," Jason said standing next to Aimee. "We'd better hurry."

Climbing a mountain when the earth was trying to swallow her feet was no problem for Aimee.All the years of living in a muddy place were starting to pay off.
Even though the wind was cold and sharp,Leo had rolled up his sleeve. Aimee could tell that he wasn't doing too well with climbing a mountain. She was glad that Aphrodite had given her some more comfortable shoes, but she wished she had some sunglasses to keep the sun out of her eyes.She fiddled with the charm on her necklace as she followed behind Jason,she was bored of walking. She wanted some action.