A Quest of Eight; A Heroes of Olympus Fanfiction

Snow Palace

Y/n's POV

Riding on Festus the dragon was actually kind of amazing amazing. The air was a bit cold, but the dragon generated heat, so I was quite warm. And the groove in Festus' back were like saddles, making it a pretty comfortable seat. We all sat in a single file with Leo up at the front, me right behind him, Jason following after me, and Piper at the back. We shot over Connecticut before I even knew what was happening, which meant this would hopefully be a quick journey.

"This is cool, right? Tell me how cool this is," Leo requested. 

"It's pretty cool," I agree and keep my eyes trained ahead. I had been afraid of heights for forever, but being a daughter of Poseidon in Zeus' territory made the fear 100 times worse.

"What if we get spotted?" Piper inquired. 

"We wont," I assure her. "There's this thing called the mist. It's basically a barrier that blocks the mortals from seeing some things like our weapons and powers and stuff. Granted, a few people can see through it, like Rachel. But if anyone does catch sight of us, they'll think we're a plane or something. Now, the real question is, where are we heading?"

"To find the god of the North Wind," Jason answered. "And to chase some storm spirits." The plan seemed simple enough. First, we had to find Boreas. Second, we had to find the storm spirits that attacked at the Grand Canyon. And finally, we had to find out who the storm spirits worked for so that we could free Hera. 

...........................................

We didn't run into any problems until we entered Quebec. We were approached by two brothers who introduced themselves as Cal and Zethes. They almost looked like storm spirits in a way, but they were more solid, or, more human. And they told us we couldn't pass unless we had an emergency landing. Piper, however, convinced them that Festus was going to malfunction any moment, so they led us to a spot on the floor of a hotel. I hopped off of Festus' back when we landed, and Festus let out a snort, causing smoke to shoot out of his nose and melt the frost covering the floor.

"Whoa who whoa," Zethes muttered. "You can't have that thing ruining our place. Do something about it. Now." Leo shrugged and leaned over to push a button on Festus' leg, which caused the dragon to turn into a suitcase with a handle and wheels. Immediately after though, the two brothers drew their swords and pointed them at Leo. My sword was out just as quick, aimed at the nearest of the brothers. "I thought that the smell of fire was coming from the dragon. But since the dragon is now a suitcase, I realize its coming from you, demigod." 

"Leo doesn't have any fire," I promise. "He's just been working with oil." 

"No. It's him," Zethes insisted. Before he could do anything though, a woman appeared out of the doorway at the top of the nearby set of stairs. 

"I am Khione, daughter of Boreas," Khione introduced. "My father would like to see the one called Jason." The four of us then tried to head up the stairs, but with a wave of her hand, Khione ordered for Zethes to pull Leo and I back. "Fire is bad for Boreas. I could smell it on you from all the way over there. And water and snow, while part of the same discipline, are quite the opposite of each other. Tell me, demigod, have you discovered any cool new powers lately?" The way Khione said the word 'cool' made me believe that she was talking about some sort of ice powers, which I did not have.

"Sorry, but I can't control ice or snow. Just water," I state, still confused by her question. "Jason, Piper, you two go ahead. Leo and I will be fine down here."

Jason nodded. "Okay. We'll be back shortly."

"What was that all about?" Leo questioned as Piper and Jason disappeared into Boreas' chambers.

"I have no idea," I confess and rub my hands over my arms to keep them warm. "She must think I'm someone else, because I've only ever been able to control water." After a while, Jason and Piper finally reemerged, and Leo turned Festus back into a dragon.

"Come on guys," Jason urged. "We need to go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed." For a good few minutes after we got back into the air, all was silent. However, Leo soon spoke up.

"There's something I've been thinking about for quite a bit, so I need to know; If Zeus and Poseidon are siblings, would you and Jason be related?" Leo implored.

"Well, technically, all demigods are related one way or another," I tell Leo. "But since our fathers are brothers, we're more related than most demigods are to each other. I believe it makes Jason my cousin." For another few moments, no words were exchanged, but that all changed when I glanced over and saw that we were thousands of feet in the air. On instinct, I leaned closer to Leo and wrapped my arms around his waist to make sure that I wouldn't fall off of Festus. 

Leo frowned. "You okay?" 

"I'm afraid of heights," I admit and tighten my grip on his waist. "And I hadn't noticed how high up we were until now."

Leo laughed and focused his attention back to steering the dragon. "You're welcome to hold onto me for as long as you need. I don't mind." I thanked Leo quickly and leaned my head against his back to avoid looking down again, and that's when I noticed his scent: oil, a hint of Tabasco sauce, and the smell of a snuffed out flame.