Daughter of Wine

Jason

I first see the angel at the ice cream cart. 

The Argo II anchored in the bay along with six or seven cruise ships. As usual, the mortals don't pay the trireme any attention, but just to be safe, we hop on a skiff from one of the tourist boats so that we look like part of the crowd when we first come ashore. 

At first glance, Split seems like a cool place.Curving around the harbor is a long esplanade lined with palm trees. At the sidewalk cafes, European teenagers are hanging out, speaking a dozen different languages and enjoying the sunny afternoon, The air smells of grilled meat and fresh-cut flowers.

"What do you think it's like?" Calli asks, standing beside me. 

In the summer sunshine, her skin seems to glow. Hey eyes look like the palest green I've ever seen, and her chocolatey waves shine brightly down her back. She chose to wear a pair of black jean shorts with her black tank top that has a skull and crossbones on it, like a pirate flag. She's such a happy, sunny person, the all-black look doesn't seem to fit her, though it does look good. 

Calli is a gorgeous girl. There's no denying that. She's strong, powerful, funny, and incredibly smart. I'd never tell anyone, but when we first met her, I had a bit of a crush on her. Of course, I absolutely adore Piper, and the crush is gone, but sometimes I find myself examining the curve of Calli's lower lip, or the rosiness of her cheeks, or the tip of her button nose. She's got so many gods in her bloodline, I can't help but wonder if somehow Aphrodite is mixed in there too. I wouldn't be surprised. 

"What do I think what's like?" I ask her. 

She nods her head to a group of teengers, sipping coffees and laughing. "Being normal. Drinking coffee in Croatia with your friends, not worrying about monsters or crazy Earth goddesses who murdered your mom."

She looks almost jealous of them. 

"I bet it's boring." I tell her pointedly, and she laughs, a beautiful sound too. 

We keep walking. Beyond the main boulevard, the city is a hodgepodge of medieval castle towers, Roman walls, limestone town houses with red-tiled roofs, and modern office buildings all crammed together. In the distance, gray-green hills marche toward a mountain ridge, which makes me a little nervous. I keep glancing at that rocky escarpment, expecting the face of Gaea to appear in its shadows. 

Nico, Calli, and I are wandering along the esplanade when I spot the guy with wings buying an ice cream bar from a street cart. The vendor lady looks bored as she counts the guy's change. Tourists navigate around the angel's huge wings without a second glance. 

I nudge Nico and Calli. "Are you seeing this?"

"Yeah." Nico agrees. 

"Maybe we should by some ice cream." Calli offers. 

As we make our way toward the street cart, I worry that this winged dude might be a son of Boreas. At his side, the angel carries the same kind of jagged bronze sword the Boreads had, and my last encounter with them hadn't gone so well. 

But this guy seems more chill than chilly. He wears a red tank top, Bermuda shorts, and huarache sandals. His wings are a combination of russet colors, like a bantam rooster or a lazy sunset. He has a deep tan and black hair almost as curly as Leo's. 

"He's not a returned spirit." Nico murmurs. "Or a creature of the Underworld."

"No." Calli agrees. "I doubt they would eat chocolate-covered ice cream bars."

"So what is he?" Nico wonders. 

"He looks kind of like a Boread." Calli replies, sounding just a bit nervous. I forget that she had her own experience with the Boreads, on her own, before we found her.