Daughter of Wine

Callida

When I see how well Piper and Hedge are being treated, I am one hundred percent jealous. Phoebe had set up a silver tent pavilion right outside of the cave. Inside is a kerosene heater keeping them toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Piper looks back to normal, decked out in a new parka, gloves, and camo pants like the Hunters. She and Hedge and Phoebe are kicking back, drinking hot chocolate.

"Oh, no way." Leo says. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"

I can't help but agree. This tent is nice. 

Phoebe sniffs. "Boys." She says it like it's the worst insult in the world. 

"It's alright, Phoebe." Thalia tells her. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate." 

Phoebe grumbles, but soon the rest of us are also dressed in silvery winter clothes that are incredibly lightweight and warm. The hot chocolate is the best I've ever had. While we sip on the warm drink, Phoebe gets to work on my arm. She puts some sort of cream on it that takes the burning away, and gives me a piece of ambrosia. The wound immediately begins to fade into a dope-looking scar.

"Cheers!" Says Gleeson. He crunches down on his plastic thermos cup. 

"That cannot be good for your intestines." Leo tells him. 

Thalia pats Piper on the back. "You up for moving?" 

Piper nods. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles." 

Thalia winks at Jason. "She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one." 

"Hey, I could run ten miles too." Leo offers. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it." He gives me a wink, which I completely ignore. 

After Phoebe breaks camp, We run uphill through the snow. Now, I'm a pretty active person. I spend my days sword fighting and running and capturing flags and climbing lava filled rock walls and all sorts of things. But running in the snow is a whole new ballgame. It's really tough. I'm just glad I'm not Leo, who is being left in the dust. 

Thalia runs next to me, slowing down to keep pace. I share my headphones with her. We're listening to Metallica. "How are you doing?" 

"Oh, you know me." I grin. "I'm always great." 

She frowns. "I mean really." 

I sigh. "You know I'm not a talk-about-my-feelings person." 

"But you should." She insists. "I promise it helps." 

"Honestly, T, if I talk about my feelings, I might fall down and cry and never get up." 

She gives me a warm smile. "But you might feel better. Tell me one thing that's bothering you." 

I glance back to make sure no one can hear. "I've been having nightmares." 

"About?" 

"A dirt woman telling me that my friends are going to die. And Hera, she told me I was going to meet these guys before it happened. She said I was going to meet my fate, and T, I know it sounds crazy but..." My voice drifts off. To say it aloud sounds dumb. 

"But what?" 

"But when I first make eye contact with that kid, there, Leo, the son of Hephaestus, I felt... weird." 

She frowns and glances back at him. "Him, really?" 

I shake my head. "I don't know. It was like, a tingle in my spine." 

She's thoughtful for a few moments. "It could be nothing. It could be something. Only time will tell."

"Thanks, that's really helpful." 

"You know these things aren't obvious until after the fact." She gives me a knowing look. "You're a very happy person, Calli. You take everything lightly. But I get the feeling that it's going to get harder to do that. You should be able to talk about your feelings. I promise, it's not a sign of weakness." 

My gut wrenches. "I know it's not... I just... I don't want to burden other people with my problems." 

She smiles. "It's not a burden. You make everyone feel special. They can do the same for you sometimes."

I do my best to smile back, but it's forced. I know I should listen to her advice, but it's just not me. I don't like talking about my feelings. I prefer to stay the life of the party and make other people feel good and happy and better. "Okay, Thalia."

"That Leo kid." She glances at me with a grin. "You said you felt tingly when you looked at him?"

I roll my eyes. "Not like that." Leo gave me a weird feeling. Like he's important to me. He is cute, and he's funny, and he seems sweet, but I don't even know him. And I mean, come on. He's Leo. He's the goofy mechanic kid. 

"He's a lot like you, you know." 

"Thalia."

"Yeah?"

"Stop it."

She grins but says nothing. 

We reach the summit, and Leo seems to be so lost in thought that he nearly jogs right off of the mountain. I catch him quickly and pull him back. Thalia gives me a grin, and I feel my cheeks burn. 

"That," He chokes, "is a really large rock." 

He's not wrong. Night has set in, and a full moon shines and the stars are incredible. Above us, hovering in the sky, is a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It has to be at least as wide as a football stadium, and just as tall. The sides are rugged cliffs riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind bursts out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ring some kind of a fortress. 

The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island is a narrow bridge of ice that glistens in the moonlight. 

Then, I realize the bridge isn't exactly ice, because it isn't solid. As the winds change direction, the bridge snakes around, blurring and thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail of a plane. 

"We're not seriously crossing that." Leo says. 

Thalia shrugs. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."