~•♡•~

"shut up, me."

i focused my attention back on leo, who had randomly uttered those words. i turned to piper, who was just as confused as i was, before i turned back to leo.

"what?" piper asked.

"nothing. long night. i think i'm hallucinating. it's cool."

it was not very cool. leo was our designated dragon-driver, and if he was hallucinating, i felt about as safe as i did crossing the interstate alone.

our silence conveyed that all.

"just joking." leo decided upon our reactions. he was not joking, but i let that slide. i would have to make him sleep sometime later.

"so, what's the plan? you said something about catching wind, or breaking wind, or something?" leo asked.

as we flew over new england, jason began laying out a plan. find a wind god names boreas and grill him for information ("boreas? is he the god of boring?" leo chimed in). second, find the venti from the grand canyon ("can we just call them storm spirits? venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks." also a helpful remark per leo), and finally, we have to figure out who the storm spirits work for so we could find hera and free her.

"so, you want to look for dylan, a nasty storm dude, on purpose." leo questioned.

"i agree." i said. "he threw leo off the skywalk, sucked coach hedge into the clouds, and was the reason i was free falling through the grand canyon."

"yeah, basically." jason said as though the events listed were normal. "well... there may be a wolf involved too. but i think she's friendly. she probably won't eat us, unless we show weakness."

i gulped. i'm not a fan of carnivores bigger/stronger than a medium-sized dog. and no, festus does not count. tabasco oil is vegetarian, and he is a machine.

jason told us of his dream about the big wolf lady, and a burned out house with stone spires in the swimming pool (that does not sound like a very fun summer home).

"uh-huh." leo nodded. "but you don't know where this place is."

"nope." jason nodded.

"there's also giants." piper chimed in to ease the mood. "the prophecy said the giants' revenge."

"hold on. giants? more than one? why can't it just be one giant?" leo pouted.

"i remember some greek stories." i admitted. "an army of giants..." i gulped. "the siblings of the titans."

nobody mentioned my ancestry, thankfully.

"great." leo muttered. "of course, with our luck, it's an army. know anything else about these giants?"

i shook my head, and turned to piper. "you did some research on that movie with your dad. know anything?"

"your dad's an actor?" jason quipped.

leo chuckled. "i keep forgetting about your amnesia. heh."

i smacked the back of his head for making jason feel bad, and leo rubbed the spot.

"yeah, her dad's tristan mclean."

"uh- sorry. what was he in?"

how jason could forget even those abs, i will never know.

"it doesn't matter." piper chimed. "the giants- well, there were lots of giants in greek mythology. but, if i'm thinking of the right ones, they were bad news. huge, almost impossible to kill. they could throw mountains and stuff. and..." piper looked at me nervously before quickly glancing down. "they were related to the titans."

"let's not dance around my lineage, okay guys?" i sighed. "i already got kicked out of the hermes cabin. i don't need to feel weird with you guys, too."

"HERMES DID WHAT?!" piper shrieked.

"anyway." i cleared my throat. we would also have to talk about that later. "more about the giants?"

"they rose from the earth after kronos lost the war- the first titan war- and they tried to destroy olympus."

"how did titans and giants lose to the olympians?" i snorted. "they could throw mountains, but not smush a few gods?"

piper managed a light chuckle.

"chiron said it was happening again." jason said. "the last chapter. that's what he meant. no wonder he didn't want us to know all the details."

i sighed. i don't like being out of the loop, so now i guess i'm going to have to use keen intuition, spying, and thievery to piece together what chiron is hiding.

leo whistled. "so... giants who can throw mountains, and may or may not be aruna's uncles. friendly wolves that may or may not eat us. evil espresso drinks. gotcha. maybe this isn't the time to bring up my psycho babysitter."

"huh?" i questioned as i yawned and wiped my eyes. friendly reminder; two hours and ten minutes of sleep in 48 hours? not good for you.

"is that another joke?" piper asked.

leo went on about tía callida, who was actually hera, and how he'd seen her at camp. he specifically swerved his flame abilities, which i made a mental note to ask him about, and i had a feeling that had to do with what i had seen.

which, leo went into. sort of.

he left out the fire, and just said that the machine shop collasped. i supposed this wasn't a total lie- that much fire would have resulted in a collapse anyway, even if i didn't see it.

leo specifically didn't look at us. i knew why, because i often did the same thing, mostly when i used to be in therapy.

he told us, also, about a strange woman in earthen robes who appeared asleep, and seemed to have some knowledge about the future.

the only way i could comfort him without feeling bad was a small shoulder squeeze.

i think we passed over all of massachusetts before piper finally spoke up.

"that's... disturbing." was all she uttered.

"'bout sums it up." leo nodded. "thing is, everybody says don't trust hera. she hates demigods. and the prophecy said..." leo faltered and i sighed.

"i'll die if we unleash her rage. i know." i said. "no point in dancing around things, so let's clear the air; i am a half-titan that is not supposed to exist, and chances of death for me are rather high."

leo gulped. "then... why are we doing this? why are you even here?"

this was the first time someone had said why  are you even here? and not meant it as an insult. every time i had ever heard that, it was from bullies. never, in my whole life, was it said with a protective tone.

i did not blush. i am the seldom type to blush.

"she chose us." jason said. "all four of us. we're half of the eight who have to gather for the great prophecy."

"this is how we get things going." i said as i assured leo. "this is how we fulfill the great prophecy, one step at a time."

"besides," jason continued. "helping hera is the only way i can get back my memory. and that dark spire in my dream seemed to be feeding on hera's energy. if that thing unleashes a kind of the giants by destroying hera-"

"not a good trade-off." piper agreed. personally, i would argue because hera is about as useless as an expired can of pinto beans. but, i did not vocalize this because i did not want to risk being smited.

"at least hera is on our side- mostly. losing her would throw the gods into chaos."

again, i would argue. zeus would probably just marry one of his other million lovers from the past, and the other olympians would move on. i imagine dionysus would resume his alcoholic habits, demeter would grow like, a carrot, and poseidon would continue to cause some tsunami's.

"she's the one who keeps peace in the family." didn't she throw leo's dad down a mountain for being ugly? "and a war with the giants would be even more destructive than the titan war."

this, i could agree with.

jason nodded. "chiron also talked about worse forces stirring on the solstice, with it being a good time for dark magic, and all- something could awaken if hera were sacrificed in that day. and this mistress who's controlling the storm spirits, the one who wants to kill all the demigods-"

"might be that sleeping lady." leo nodded. "dirt woman fully awake? not something i want to see."

"i don't much want to see any of this, to be honest." i admitted. "if i had my way, i would be eating fajitas and then, i would take a nap."

"amen." leo sighed.

"but who is she?" jason asked. "and what does she have to do with the giants?"

good questions. great questions, really. were they answered? no, of course not.

we stayed in silence, and leo's mood began to wash over me. i felt his fear, his shame, his embarassment. i had a feeling he'd never shared the story behind his mother's death with anyone, in any capacity.

his body began shaking, and i knew it wasn't from the cold. leo always had an unnatural temperature, and festus was warming everything in a ten-foot radius.

"it's okay." i found myself whispering to him. my words seemed to have some effect, because leo untensed very suddenly.

"you two should sleep." piper said to us. "you've clearly had a long night."

sleep sounded like a dream, even though it was usually something i didn't partake in. leo yawned, and turned to face piper. once more, his curls tickled my nose.

"promise you won't let us fall off?" leo pleaded.

"beautiful people never lie." piper grinned. leo smiled weakly before slumping forward for his nap.

piper extended her arms, and i leaned back, leaning myself on her. she wrapped his arms around me, and i placed my hands on top of hers. my porcelain skin looked nearly transulent next to piper's radiant copper.

i shuffled a bit, nestling my head on her chest as i closed my eyes.

then the dreams began.

~•♡•~

i sat in my old bedroom at my dad's old apartment in el paso. the walls were painted grey, and the roof, black. my glow-in-the-dark moon, planets, and stars hung in the air, providing a dim light in the middle of the night.

i sat on my bed, which was honestly a sorry excuse for one. it had been hand-built and not very well, made out of old pallets my dad stole from behind some grocery stores, with a mattress from the street and blankets from goodwill. the pillows were not pillows, because we couldn't afford them, but rather different wads of clothes and rags.

i didn't have much other furniture. i had an old bookshelf, also from the street, filled with my old astrology and astronomy books. i was always a space kid, from a very young age, which now makes sense.

the last piece of furniture- a desk my dad got from a school dumpster. it was always where i sat for homework and art. my special spot.

i used to love living here, no matter how poor we were.

i walked down the small, thin hallway, and saw my dad working at the table, probably dealing with the debts owed.

"daddy?" my voice was that of a child's, a child around age six. he looked up at me, his dark eyes puffy with rings of red from crying and black from exhaustion. he had somewhat curly hair with weird straight pieces- an unfortunate product of being mexican-korean. his eyes were shaped lile almonds and he had a scruffy, patchy black mass on his chin. his nose was small and round and his complexion was the color of masa.

"hey, kiddo." he smiled. "you have amother bad dream?"

the dream dissolved. i was somewhere i also knew very, very well.

grandpa and grandma's house.

i didn't want to be here. i hated here more than just about anywhere in the world.

i was fifteen now. i was taller than i was the last time i was here, when i was eight. i was stronger than i was. smarter. older.

none of that erased the fear i felt.

it was that day again. grandma had just left to get sugar. dad said he had to go to the cornerstore real quick; we were out of beer. he left me here, as always, with nobody but grandpa.

i was now an outsider looking in. i walked down the dim hallway, where the ceiling light always flickered because grandma and grandpa never tried fixing it.

i gazed in horror at all of our family photos. dad fishing with his grandpa, me as a toddler holding a dandelion, me again as a seven year old next to grandma, grandpa, and dad.

the last one- me, four years old, in the arms of my grandpa on a camping trip i took with him.

i shoved the photo off the wall.

i continued walked, by trembling worsening by each step. i couldn't hear it yet, but i would. i stared at the only closed door in the whole house, the only red door. i never understood why that door was red.

i hated it all the same.

i stopped in front of it. now i could hear it.

my hands lingered on the doorknob. my eyes watered, with tears slipping down.

i am the seldom type to cry.

the dream vanished again before i opened the door.

now, i was somewhere new. it was night here, a breeze carrying the scent of lilies with it. the land was barren of trees and shrubs, only blaneted in pale green grass that ruffled with the breeze.

i looked up. the sky was blank of the moon, with only a few stars. still, the land was lit but not from my natural night vision.

"the moon... where-"

i spun around just as she materialized. she wore brilliant white robes that left her arms bare and her feet entire covered. her hair was ivory, down to her hips, and her eyes silver just as mine were. she had a full frame, with obvious curvature, and a kind smile on her face. her skin was as pale as mine, and she held a billowing cloak around her. atop her head- a crown with a crescent on it's side, almost resembling horns.

she stopped short about three feet away from me. she was literally glowing with the divine radiance of the moon itself, her face regal, her left hand holding her flaming torch with a sense of importance i would never be able to possess.

"m-mom?" i whispered as i wiped my tears away.

she nodded. "hello, daughter." her voice was deep, kind, and authoritative, kind of like hey, sweetheart! i'm the boss bitch here! love your shoes!

oh, another thing?

SHE WAS SEVEN AND A HALF FEET TALL.

"i- i don't understand." i whimpered. "why... how..."

"come." selene waved me over. "walk with me, child."

i obliged. standing next to her, i felt tiny.

but also at home.

"why is it night here?" i asked her.

"because, i dwell in the ancient lands." selene answered. "and there, it is night. it was merely coincidence you chose to slumber right as i began looking for you."

"why didn't you ever look for me before?"

"you never sleep when it is night in the ancient lands." selene said to me. "and when you choose to sleep, it is only ever shallow, where i cannot exert my power."

"the power to..."

selene chuckled. "there is much you have to learn." she said. she looked at me, her silver eyes meeting mine.

"one of my powers was a hold over dreams." selene said. "when i was the reigning lunar deity, it was my job to raise every night after my brother, helios, had ended his period. it was under my light that mortals slept, and as they worshipped me, thanked me for their slumber and dreams, i gained more and more control over it."

she never said raise the moon. i finally understood why.

artemis is the current main lunar deity. she pulls the moon up, just as apollo pulls the sun up.

such was not the same with helios and selene. helios and selene were the sun and moon.

now i knew why i hadn't seen the moon in the sky. she was standing right next to me.

"i expect you have powers akin to mine, daughter." selene said as he elegantly long legs strode in the grass. "as all demigods, you inherited a few abilities, courtesy of me. the moon travel you performed was astounding, seeing as you had never done it before."

i gulped. "you... were watching me?"

"yes. i always have been."

i stopped dead in my tracks. selene walked a few more steps before she stopped, and turned to face me.

i clamped my fists in rage as i stared down at my shoes, not daring to meet her face.

"why didn't you protect me?" i pleaded as hot tears race down my cheeks. "so many times... so many things..."

i forced myself to look up.

"why the hell did you allow that to happen to me?! i could be normal if you had just been a decent mother, and stopped it! it was all i ever would have askes of you! just that!" i screamed at her.

selene stared solemnly.

"i could be normal- or at least somewhat normal- if none of that had ever happened! what is wrong with you?! why the hell would you just sit idly by as my life was detiorated year after year!"

selene looked away, back to the sky.

"your friends need you. awake." she whispered.

~•♡•~

i heaved for air as i shot up, which irritated my dehydrated throat and made me violently cough.

everyone else was already awake, and they looked at me weirdly. i could hear a few snippets of conversation just before i was forced awake by dear old mom, but none of it made much sense. leo gave me a water bottle (how did i not see it earlier? what a sneaky bitch.), and i quickly chugged it down.

"um, you okay?" leo asked. his cheeks were red, but i didn't have the energy to read why.

"fine." i huffed. "what are we talking about?"

"nothing!" leo squeaked.

"wind." jason shrugged, unsure of himself.

"snacks?" piper tried.

i rolled my eyes. they were worse at that collectively than leo and i were together by long shot.

i looked to the horizon. the sun was setting, which meant that i had actually been asleep for several hours.

i didn't notice, considering i never woke up feeling well-rested, and it felt like only a few minutes in my dreams.

"we're here." piper said.

i looked down. a cliff overlooked a river, a city atop it. blankets of snow stretched across the plains. it almost looked medieval, with the high walls and tightly packed buildings. in the center- an actual castle.

oh, how i wanted to run through those halls with a flowey dress and ethereal glow.

"tell me that's quebec and not santa's workshop." leo said.

"you'd fit right in!" i beamed.

"very funny."

"that's quebec city." piper confirmed. "one if the oldest cities in north america. founded around 1600 or so?"

"your dad do a movie about that, too?" leo said as he turned back, and raised an eyebrow at piper.

"nah, she just has more than one braincell, unlike you." i replied.

"i read sometimes, okay?" piper sighed, though i could still hear a hint of amusement in her tone. "just because aphrodite claimes me, doesn't mean i have to be an airhead."

"yeah, we can leave that to drew." i smirked.

"feisty!" leo said to both of us. i turned back to piper and gave her our usual fistbump before i turned forward again. "so you know so much, what's that castle?"

"a hotel, i think."

"you're fuckin' with me, right?" i deadpanned.

"language." piper sang out. "but yeah. look."

she pointed down, towards a grand entrance lined with doormen, valets, and porters taking bags. luxury cars idled by, and people ine elegant fashion hurried in to escape the cold.

"the north wind is staying in a hotel?" leo asked as he scratched his head. "that can't be-"

"hold up guys!" jason interrupted. i looked below, and saw what appeared to be two angry angels holding some worrysome swords.

"we got company."

~•♡•~