Invisible ― Jason Grace

xx. arion's filthy mouth

RIDING A SUPERSONIC HORSE was a little like flying with Jason—mainly because it was absolutely terrifying and Camilla was certain she was going to die any second. 

It seemed like only minutes before they zipped into a narrow bay. The water turned the consistence of shaved ice in blue sticky syrup. Arion came to a halt on a frozen turquoise slab. 

A half a mile away stood Hubbard Glacier—at least, Camilla assumed it was Hubbard Glacier. Purple snowcapped mountains marched off in either direction, with clouds floating around their middles like fluffy belts. In a massive valley between two of the largest peaks, a ragged wall of ice rose out of the sea, filling the entire gorge. The glacier was blue and white with streaks of black, so that it looked like a hedge of dirty snow left behind on a sidewalk after a snowplow had gone by, only four million times as large. 

As soon as Arion stopped, Camilla felt the temperature drop. All that ice was sending off waves of cold, turning the bay into the world's largest refrigerator. The eeriest thing was a sound like thunder that rolled across the water. 

"What is that?" Frank gazed at the clouds above the glacier. "A storm?" 

"No," Hazel said. "Ice cracking and shifting. Millions of tons of ice."

"You mean that thing is breaking up?" Frank asked. 

As if on cue, a sheet of ice silently calved off the side of the glacier and crashed into the sea, spraying water and frozen shrapnel several stories high. A millisecond later, the sound hit them—a BOOM almost as jarring as Arion hitting the sound barrier. 

"We can't get close to that thing!" Camilla yelped. 

"We have to," Percy said. "The giant is at the top." 

Arion nickered. Stop jabbering on like a bunch of scared little bitches and let's get moving! I'll get us to the top of this motherfucker!

"Jeez, Hazel," Percy said, "tell your horse to watch his language." 

Hazel tried not to laugh. "What did he say?" 

"The P.G. version?" Camilla said. "He said he can get us to the top."

Frank looked incredulous. "I thought the horse couldn't fly!"

Somebody tell this baby-man motherfucker to shut his gods-damn mouth before I boot him the fuck off my back! I swear to the gods I'll stomp this fucker to death with my supersonic hooves. Soon as Hazel gives me the word you fuckers'll see what I can do. I'm the fastest fucking horse in the world!

"Arion!" Camilla gasped. 

"Dude," Percy told the horse, "I've gotten suspended for saying less than that. Hazel, he promises you'll see what he can do as soon as you give the word." 

"Um, hold on, then, you guys," Hazel said nervously. "Arion, giddyup!" 

Arion shot toward the glacier like a runaway rocket, barreling straight across the slush like he wanted to play chicken with the mountain of ice. 

The air grew colder. The crackling of the ice grew louder. As Arion closed the distance, the glacier loomed so large, Camilla felt dizzy trying to take it all in. The side was riddled with crevices and caves, spiked with jagged ridges like ax blades. Pieces were constantly crumbling off—some no larger than snowballs, some the size of houses.

When they were about fifty yards from the base, a thunderclap rattled Camilla's bones, and a curtain of ice that would have covered Camp Jupiter calved away and fell toward them.

"Look out!" Frank shouted, which seemed a little unnecessary. 

Arion was way ahead of him. Watch this, fuckers! In a burst of speed, he zigzagged through the debris, leaping over chunks of ice and clambering up the face of the glacier.