CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
THE TRIALS OF TREACHERY

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KIT DEMPSEY WAS THE calm before the storm, the eerie silence that lingered right as the first thunder cloud rumbled overhead. With Midas laughing in his face and Lit rocking back and forth on his heels like a bloodhound eager to be set off his leash, Kit had no other choice but to reign back his anger, to channel it into the harsh grip on his sword. When Midas spoke, Kit's eyes narrowed, but that was the only sign he was in there, watching and waiting.

"Gold trumps fire, I'm afraid," the King's words were taunting, prickly as they attempted to worm their way beneath Kit's skin. "In this room, my power dampens all others; fire... even charmspeak. Which leaves me only two more trophies to collect."

Kit scoffed, eyes narrowing. At his side, Jason was breathing shakily, voice wavering as he shouted at the door, "Hedge! We need help here!"

Midas decided to entertain the call for a moment. The group waited, listening for the tell-tale signs that Gleeson Hedge was running in for a fight. However, it soon became clear there was nothing. Hedge didn't charge in. It was like he'd never been there to begin with. Kit and Jason only had each other.

Midas' grin was radiant, like a cat who'd gotten the cream. "No goat to the rescue? How sad. But don't worry, my boys. It's really not painful. Lit can tell you."

For an instant, Jason caught Kit's eye, nervous but determined. When Kit just nodded back, the first cracks appearing in his calm demeanour, Jason exclaimed, "We choose combat. You said we could choose to fight Lit instead."

Midas let out a sigh, shoulders slumping with obvious disappointment, but he didn't disagree with their request as he leaned back in his throne to address them. "I said you could die fighting Lit. But of course, if that's what you wish."

Lit's smile was sadistic as he stepped into the spotlight. His eyes were locked on Kit, his first target. "I'm going to enjoy this," he cackled. "I am the Reaper of Men!"

Kit raised his sword at the same time as Jason summoned his own weapon. With his javelin now in hand, he mocked, "Come on, Cornhusker!"

"Oh, gold weapon," Midas gasped in approval. "Very nice."

For a moment, Lit stared between the two boys like he couldn't decide which one he hated the most. Was it Kit with his dark eyes and sneer, who moved like he knew every one of Lit's weaknesses? Or was it Jason, with his windswept blonde hair and typical 'I'm the main character' bravado? In the end, it didn't matter. Lit was so eager for a fight, he decided to take them both on at once. He charged with a surprising amount of speed, prompting Kit and Jason into position.

Jason dodged the first hit as Kit raised his sword to block Lit's oncoming one. Metal shrieked in protest as it collided. Lit almost immediately drew back, then came at him from a different angle. Again, his speed was a surprise for Kit, who was awfully unsteady on his feet as he narrowly dodged being stabbed in the ribs. He feigned to the right, but Lit chased after him, slowly but surely backing Kit into the corner.

It was then that Jason intervened, allowing Kit a moment to breathe while he matched Lit hit-for-hit. Kit was surprised by how confident he was. It was like Jason had only needed that minute to observe Lit's fighting style, to see the pattern in his movements, before he came back swinging with a new sense of understanding.

"What is that style?" Lit growled as Jason's javelin pricked his bicep. "You don't fight like a Greek."

"Legion training," Jason didn't deny it. Kit's stomach sunk as the boy continued. "It's Roman."

Roman? Holy fuck...

"Roman?" Lit glanced between the two boys as Kit forced himself to move closer to Jason, to stand like a united front despite the voice in Kit's head that screamed for him to run his sword through Jason, the Roman demigod, instead. "What is Roman?"

Once again, Kit and Jason found their eyes meeting, Jason nodding once. Where Jason went for Lit's sword, the weapons clashing as the son of Midas struggled against the hit, Kit aimed for his now-exposed ribcage. Lit gasped as the sword pierced through the material of his night-shirt, stumbling back and almost landing on his ass in front of a frowning Midas. Clearly, this was not how the King had expected the fight to go.

"News flash," Jason sneered at Lit, who forced himself back up and charged towards them again. "While you were dead, Roman defeated Greece. Created the greatest empire of all time."

"Impossible," Lit retorted. "Never even heard of them."

He looked between Kit and Jason like his whole world had been flipped on its axis. Kit and Jason were total opposites. Kit fought like a Greek born-and-bled. Every parry, every block of his sword, every feign. Even the expression on his face was Greek. It was one of a soldier whose only good quality was how quickly he could overpower his enemy. As for Jason, he came out with tricks that even Kit didn't know. He moved like he was the javelin, not the demigod who held it. Kit and Jason were both so different that even Lit could see it. Nonetheless, they stood side-by-side in the face of death, like this was where they belonged.

Jason spun on one heel, smacking Lit in the shoulder with the butt of his javelin. Both the shock of it and the momentum allowed Kit to get closer, blood spilling down Lit's chest from a shallow slash cut by Kit Dempsey's hand.

"Oh, dear," Midas stared down at his son lying at his feet. "Lit?"

"I'm fine," the boy groaned, indicating that he definitely wasn't fine but was too proud to admit it.

Jason and Kit shared a knowing smirk as Jason said, "You better help him up."

Lit's eyes went wide with realisation. "Dad, no," he cried, scrambling to get away, but it was too late. Lit was still glowering as gold encased his body, capturing the expression right down to the sneer pulling at his lips.

"Curses!" Midas screamed. "That was a dirty trick, demigod. I'll get you for that." He turned back to his son, now free to pat his already golden shoulder. "Don't worry, son. I'll get you down to the river right after this prize."

As Midas stormed towards them, Kit's lips tugged into a vicious kind of smile. He moved to meet the King halfway, Jason following right behind. "I told you that you'd pay for what you did to him," he said, momentarily glancing at the frozen figure of Leo. "How does it feel, King?"

Midas growled and picked up the pace. Jason feigned to the right to get the old man to follow, allowing Kit to swing behind him and shove him into the coffee table that Jason moved aside to reveal. Kit dived at him then, Midas narrowly dodging a sword through the heart by kicking at Kit's ankle. He let out a groan as his back slammed into the floor, but much like Midas, he didn't stay down for long. He was up on his feet, breathing heavily when Jason cornered the King on the other side of the room.

"Ow! What are you doing?" Midas cried, clinging to his ears as electricity began to crackle overhead. "My power is supreme here!"

Clearly, that wasn't the case. Kit's wide eyes met Jason's furious stare, the blonde boy warning him, "You might wanna move, Kit."

Kit didn't stop to second-guess himself. Shoving through the doorway that lead to a staircase, he'd only just gotten out of the way when a clap of thunder was heard overhead. In the other room, Jason and Midas exchanged words he couldn't hear, then a roaring sound arose like electricity had struck the roof. Kit stumbled away with ringing ears, ducking down low until the sounds of crashes and shrieks slowly but surely died down into a faint sizzling hiss.

It was then that Kit pushed through the door, wide eyes taking in the wreckage Jason had created. The ceiling had been ripped off, allowing rain to pour down on the burnt couch, Midas' toppled throne, and the King himself trapped beneath his own chandelier. Kit raised a hand to shield his eyes from the rain, shivering as his clothes began to soak through.

"Gods, Jason," he breathed out. "What have you done?"

Jason remained quiet, staring at Midas as the man cursed and wriggled around like a worm.

Suddenly, the front door burst open, almost falling off its hinges as Hedge tumbled into the room with his club held high.

"What'd I miss?" he asked, frowning at the chaos.

The sound of his voice sparked annoyance in Jason, who whirled on him with an incredulous stare. "Where were you? I was screaming for help!"

Hedge lowered his club, raising his free hand in a surrendering gesture that had Kit rolling his eyes. "I was getting a snack. Sorry. Who needs killing?"

"No one now," Jason sighed. "Just help Kit grab Leo. I'll get Piper."

The indication that the group was about to leave sparked something in Midas. He began to wail like an animal, slamming his hands against the side of the chandelier. "Don't leave me like this," he spat at them, to which Kit laughed.

Behind Midas, his victims were beginning to return back to flesh. With the rain beating down on their bodies, the process sped up, their faces twisting with rage. Kit spied Zoe with her betrayed eyes, his barber's lips pulled into a vengeful sneer, a whole mob of men with swords who tightened their grip on the weapons eagerly. Undoubtedly, they'd band together to send Midas back where he belonged, allowing Kit and the others to get free.

Jason had grabbed a rug and was dragging it towards Lit's figure. The boy had also started turning back, his face fleshy but frozen. Jason went to cover him to slow the process, but the petty part of Kit wasn't finished with him. He marched over, Jason pausing to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Kit?"

Once, twice, and a third time for good measure, Kit slammed his boot into Lit's face. The only damage he managed to do through the layer of gold was to shatter his nose, but it was enough to satisfy Kit's frustrations. Ignoring Jason's amused smirk, he leant down to spit on the boy, then nodded like an artist observing his work.

"Okay, now you can cover him."

Shaking his head, Jason did just that. Then he grabbed hold of Piper's waist in one arm, the bag of spirits in his other, and said, "Let's get out of here. I think these guys want some quality time with Midas."

The screams started the second they stepped onto the porch. With Leo's body curled against his, Kit smiled. 

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

WHEN LEO VALDEZ WOKE up, he was shocked to find himself in Kit Dempsey's arms, his head resting against the glowering boy's shoulder. For a second, he was confused. How did he end up here? Why hadn't Kit shoved him to the ground or something for falling asleep on him? And... where were they? The last thing he remembered was Midas' mansion, then everything went cold and dark. Wherever they were now definitely wasn't a mansion. It was some sort of cave where the air was just as cold as Kit Dempsey's heart.

It was safe to say that Leo was disorientated and, quite frankly, really freaked out.

"What the...?" he trailed off before he could get the words out, clinging to his throat as he coughed and spluttered. It felt like he hadn't spoken, let alone had any water, for years. Even breathing hurt. He opened his mouth to try again but was interrupted by Kit all but shoving a canteen of what looked to be Gatorade into his hands.

"Drink," he commanded, leaving no room for an argument.

Leo frowned but did as he was told, nose scrunching up at the flavour. It was grape. Leo had always hated that one. But he had to admit, he wasn't coughing nearly as much now that he'd downed more than half the canteen. Instead, he felt... fuzzy. It didn't make any sense but neither did anything in Leo's life right now. Despite clearly being asleep for a while, he was exhausted, and boy was he freezing. Throw a little bit of nausea in there, and Leo was one step away from vomiting on Kit's lap. Just the thought had him regretfully pulling out of the boy's arms. Who knew what Kit would do if Leo chucked on him...

"What happened?"

Kit glanced at something across the room before speaking. "What do you remember?"

Leo scoffed. "I wouldn't have asked if I remembered anything."

Kit's eyes narrowed but with another pointed stare behind Leo, he sighed and forced down whatever scathing remark he was going to make. Instead, he took the blanket that had been around his own shoulders and tucked it around Leo, prompting the younger boy's face to flush pink beneath the firelight.

"What are you...?"

"You need to keep warm," Kit shrugged. "Midas turned you into one of his statues."

"Oh..."

Was it bad to say he was disappointed? Just a little bit?

"Wait, what?"

Kit smirked, then quickly gave him a rundown of what had happened with Midas. Leo tried to summon his fire after Piper's charmspeak failed, prompting the so-called King to lose his fucking shit and add them to his collection of gold humanoids. Kit and Jason had chosen to fight Lit, who lost massively to them, allowing Jason to defeat Midas with his freaky sky powers, and now they were here. The thing that Kit had been looking at earlier was actually a who. Across the cave they'd decided to settle in, Jason and Hedge were trying to wake Piper, who was this close from catching hypothermia with the shitty weather. It was a wonder that Leo himself was even remotely okay.

"Jesus..." Leo breathed out once Kit was finishing explaining everything. "You know, I think that's the most you've ever said in one sitting."

At that, Kit rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Valdez."

"I'm proud of you, Christopher."

"Seriously? That again?"

The brief instant of amusement faded into a look of such gratitude that Kit had to forcefully avert his eyes from Leo's face. "But on a real note, thanks, man. For, you know, un-goldifying me. Appreciate it."

Kit, who shifted uncomfortably from the sudden fondness in the way that Leo looked at him, shrugged like it was nothing. Which, Leo supposed, it wasn't to him. "I didn't do it for you," he said, but both of them knew he was lying. "I did it because Jason told me to."

Leo snickered, his cheeks rosy. "I don't believe you, but okay. I think you just wanted to hold me close."

Kit scoffed. "This isn't a rom-com, idiot."

Before Leo could retort, there was a gasp on the other side of the cave. Piper woke up gasping for air much like Leo. "Oh, god," she stammered through chattering teeth. "H-He turned me to gold."

"You're okay now," Jason was quick to assure her as, much like Kit, he wrapped his own blanket around her.

For a moment, the group sat in silence, shivering in the howling wind. The cave was warm enough with the fire flickering against the rocky walls, but it didn't offer nearly as much protection as Kit would've liked. Regardless of the elements, anything could sneak up on them out and they wouldn't notice until it was too late. The thought made him uneasy. Leo frowned as Kit laid his sword across his knees.

"L-Leo?" Piper stammered at last. "K-Kit? You... there...?"

"Present and un-gold-ified," Leo confirmed at the same time as Kit mumbled 'I'm here.' Leo grinned at him before continuing, "I got the precious metal treatment, too, but I came out of it faster. Dunno why."

"We had to dunk you in the river to get you back completely," Kit explained upon noticing Piper's frown of confusion. "Which, as you can probably guess, didn't really turn out as we expected..."

"You've got hypothermia," Jason said with a sigh. Leo had to smother a laugh. "We risked as much nectar as we could, and Coach did a little nature magic--"

"Sports medicine," Hedge corrected, glowering. "Kind of a hobby of mine. Your breath might smell like wild mushrooms and Gatorade for a few days, but it'll pass. You probably won't die... probably..."

"Wow, nice pep-talk, Coach," Kit deadpanned. Hedge didn't miss the mocking tone. With narrowed eyes, he turned to Kit. "I'm sure Piper's feeling super assured by that."

"Why, you--"

Despite being weak and disoriented, Piper still managed to interrupt him, her words pointed as she asked, "How did you beat Midas?"

Which brought around the story again, this time told by Jason. Hedge snorted at the end, throwing back his head with a laugh, "Kid's just being modest. You should've seen him, and Dempsey too, I guess... Hi-yah! Slice! Then Jason, boom! With the lightning--"

"Coach, you didn't even see it," Jason scoffed.

"Yeah, you were outside eating the lawn," Kit added.

Fortunately for him, Hedge didn't notice this particular jab, "Then I came in with my club, and we dominated that room! Afterward, I said to them 'Kids, I'm proud of you. Well, mainly Jason, but you weren't too bad, Dempsey. If you could just work on your upper body strength--"

"Coach," Jason cut in, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Yeah?" Hedge turned to him.

"Shut up, please."

"Sure," the satyr shrugged and sat down on the other side of the fire.

Kit gaped at him incredulously. "Oh, so when Jason gives you attitude, it's fine, but when I do it–"

"I just don't like you," Hedge cut him off like it should've been obvious.

This time, Leo was unable to hold back his laughter, shoulder shaking against Kit's. However, with just one glare from the boy, Leo was quick to shut up, slinking down with a sheepish grin.

"Leo, can you stroke the fire?" Jason asked, frowning once he put his hand on Piper's forehead to check her temperature.

"On it!"

The fire roared brighter than before, the scent of smoke staining the air. Kit leaned his back against the wall with a sigh, allowing his eyes to slip shut for a moment as he listened only vaguely to Jason and Piper murmuring to each other. If he thought hard enough, he'd almost believe he was back in Camp Half-Blood, surrounded by his siblings around the campfire. The orange flickers behind his eyelids would range in colours; pink, green, purple, each hue reflecting off his sisters' faces as they huddled together, his brothers smirking in the background while they threw taunts at the other cabins. Kit would've been quiet, just like he was now, but content.

Kit Dempsey couldn't remember the last time he ever felt like that and he wasn't lying to himself.

At last, he forced his eyes open, gaze zeroing in on Jason, who was explaining to Piper their new location. "I harnessed the storm spirits to bring us this far. They didn't like it, went a little faster than I wanted, almost crashed us into a mountainside before I could get them back in the bag. I'm not going to be trying that again."

"But why are we here?" Piper frowned.

"Hey, that's what I asked him," Leo grinned.

For a second, Jason caught Kit's eyes. He, too, had questioned Jason's motives on the way over, as the only one who was conscious enough to do so. Jason hadn't said much, but Kit was surprised to find he trusted him. He didn't know when it happened; perhaps it was during their altercation with Medea, or maybe it was hearing him apologise to Leo about Festus. Hell, maybe it was even them fighting together against Lit, entrusting their life in the other's hands. But as Kit had come to find, trusting Jason Grace, trusting any of them, wasn't that bad. It unsettled him enough that he couldn't meet Jason's eyes without feeling sick.

Jason cleared his throat before continuing. "That glittery wind trail we saw yesterday? It was still in the sky, though it had faded a lot. I followed it until I couldn't see it anymore. Then... honestly, I'm not sure. I just felt like this was the right place to stop."

"'Course it is," Hedge defended. "Aeolus' floating palace should be anchored above us, right at the peak. This is one of his favourite spots to dock."

"And you didn't mention that before?" Kit scoffed.

The satyr shrugged. "I thought you'd already know that, cupcake."

"Maybe that was it," Jason interrupted, distracted, eyebrows furrowed together. "But I don't know. Something else, too..."

"Midas did say the Hunters were heading West," Piper recalled, a soft look forming on her face that Jason bowed his head to. "Do you think they're around here?"

"I don't see how anyone could survive on the mountain right now," he let out a pained sigh. "The storm's pretty bad. It's already the evening before the solstice, but we didn't have much choice except wait out the storm here. We had to give you some time to rest before we tried moving."

Then, of course, they started their lovey-dovey it's-so-obvious-you-like-me-but-you're-too-shy-to-show-it rubbish that had Kit rolling his eyes and turning away. Leo winked at him through the firelight but Kit remained stoney-faced, staring into the heat of the flames and accepting the burn.

Eventually, Leo turned away in defeat and pulled out some cooking supplies. Not soon enough, the scent of burning meat patties filled the air, tugging subconsciously at Kit's empty stomach. He hadn't eaten properly for days, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was beginning to feel the effects. Reluctantly, he scooted closer to Leo, ignoring the boy's amused nudge against his elbow.

"So, guys," he turned back to the others. "As long as you're cuddled up for story time, something I've been meaning to tell you." Now, that caught Kit's interest. He raised an eyebrow, weary of what he had to say. "On the way to Omaha, I had this dream. Kind of hard to understand with the static and the Wheel of Fortune breaking in, but--"

"Wheel of Fortune?" Piper interrupted, voicing the same confusion that Kit felt.

Leo merely shrugged like the answer was obvious. "Look, the thing is, my dad... Hephaestus spoke to me."

Kit had already suspected that Hephaestus cared enough about his son to reach out. Ares had certainly never saved something Kit loved for him like Hephaestus had when he answered Leo, but the verbal confirmation was like a kick in the gut, one that never failed to hit Kit where it hurt. Every time it felt like the wound was closing over, someone always reopened it. Perhaps this was Kit's punishment for taking the wrong side in the war; a reminder that he'd never have what his heart so desperately wanted, and maybe he deserved that kind of pain.

"I don't understand," Piper said once Leo finished his story. In total honesty, Kit hadn't been listening, so he filled in the blanks with his own assumptions. "If demigods and Gods have to work together to kill the giants, why would the Gods stay silent? If they need us--"

"Ha!" both Hedge and Kit laughed at the thought. "The Gods hate needing humans. Just ask Dempsey over there. They like to be needed by humans, but not the other way around. Things will have to get a whole lot worse before Zeus admits he made a mistake closing Olympus."

"Even then," added Kit. "It might be too late. Zeus is nothing if not proud. He'd rather we die than admit he was wrong."

Almost like a warning, thunder rumbled overhead. Kit rolled his eyes at the sound, unphased despite Jason's looking of warning. He was used to it by now, would even go as far as to say he got a kick out of pissing the Gods off. Well, mainly Zeus, but let's not forget Ares...

"Look, I'm not surprised you cupcakes haven't heard of the Giant War," Hedge muttered as the last of the thunder died down. "The Gods don't like to talk about it. Bad PR to admit you needed mortals to help beat an enemy. That's just embarrassing."

"There's more, though," Jason insisted. "When I dreamed about Hera in her cage, she said Zeus was acting unusually paranoid. And Hera, she said she went to those ruins because a voice had been speaking in her head. What if someone's influencing the Gods, like Medea influenced us?"

For a vicious moment, the thought left Kit feeling satisfied. He wasn't sitting with Leo and the others anymore, but with Luke and Ethan, with Kronos. They were celebrating something, spirits running high. Kit wanted to see the Gods controlled. He wanted to see them bowing down to mortals, realising what it meant to be the one that was forgotten, kicked around, used... like they weren't the parents of demigods, but some kind of stranger. That was how Kit always felt, ever since his mother died and he was left to the hands of a father he'd never known, a father he would continue to drift away from. Even now, with Luke and Ethan dead and gone, the same feelings lingered. At the thought of someone whispering in Zeus' head, entrapping Hera, he smiled.

At the familiar pull on his lips, he lowered his head, hand tightening around the blade on his lap.

Once again, he'd completely missed whatever Leo said, but he didn't dare ask the boy what he said. Guilt, hot like acid, sizzled in his stomach, threatening to burn right through him. Leo would know the second he met Kit's eyes that for just one moment, Kit's heart had told him to run the sword through Leo and to go join dirt woman. To play a hand in the Gods' destruction.

Leo would never look at him the same way again.

"Chiron was the same back at Camp," Jason recalled to whatever Kit missed. "He mentioned a sacred oath not to discuss... Coach, you know anything about that? Or Kit?"

When Kit remained tight-lipped, Hedge shrugged. "I'm just a satyr," he said. "They don't tell us the juicy stuff. Especially an old--"

In a smile that reminded them of Kit, Piper said, "An old guy like you? But you're not that old, are you?"

The air was light, teasing, saving for the dark whole that was Kit's place in the corner. When he closed his eyes, he saw Camp Half-Blood again, his siblings around him. They were laughing, whispering, but Kit was no longer content. He was forgotten in the corner, stuck in his own head, and nobody noticed a thing.

They never did, not until he struck them with a knife in the back.

He spent months going back and forth between camp and Kronos. No one even thought to question him. Heck, he doubted they even picked up on it. They didn't care about him or what he did. Just as long as he was ready to raise his sword when the time was right.

Resentment, like a punch to the gut, warred with his guilt.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the fire, Hedge gave them a warning glare. "I'm one hundred and six..."

Leo coughed, struggling to hold down a laugh. "Say what?"

"Don't catch your panties on fire, Valdez," the satyr grumbled, cheeks flushing red both from the heat and embarrassment. "That's just fifty-three in human years! Still, yeah, I made some enemies on the Council of Cloven Elders... I've been a protector for a long time, but they started saying I was getting unpredictable, too violent. Can you imagine?"

"Wow," Piper blinked, Jason and Leo nodding along with her. "That's... so hard to believe..."

"Eh, not really," Kit rebuked, ignoring Hedge's outraged glare. "It makes sense."

"Dempsey, you are on thin fucking ice--" Hedge cut himself off as Kit grinned, realising what he was doing. Instead, he forced himself to remain calm, to force down whatever remark he was going to make. "Yeah, then finally, we get a good war going with the Titans – which you'd know all about, Kit – and do they put me on the front lines? No! They sent me as far away as possible, the Canadian frontier, can you believe it? Then, after the war, they put me out to pasture! The Wilderness school... Bah! Like I'm too old to be helpful just because I like playing offence. All those stupid flower-pickers on the Council... talking about nature..."

"I thought satyrs liked nature," Piper frowned, trying her best not to look at Kit's face.

"Shoot, I love nature," Hedge agreed. "Nature means big things killing and eating little things! And when you're a, you know, vertically challenged satyr like me, you get in good shape, you carry a big stick, and you don't take nothing from no one! That's nature."

When no one disagreed, he turned to where Leo was sitting in front of the skillet. "Anyway, I hope you got something vegetarian cooking, Valdez. I don't do flesh."

"Yeah, Coach," Leo nodded. "I got some tofu patties somewhere here. Piper's a vegetarian too. I'll throw them on in a second."

The new scent of tofu was pleasant in the air, prompting some of the tension to fall from Piper's shoulders. At last, she turned her gaze away from Kit, allowing the boy to slink into the shadows unnoticed. He leaned a hand against the wall, feeling the cold rock beneath his skin, a reminder he wasn't there anymore, he was out, he didn't have to be the bad guy...

Leo's shoulder brushed against his as he wandered up to Kit's side. Several minutes had passed. The food was long since cooked, Kit's plate cooling in Leo's hand while the others eagerly dug into their own. Leo's free hand planted itself on his shoulder, knuckles brushing against his neck. Kit's skin crawled from the sensation. Part of him wanted to chop Leo's hand off. The other part of him wanted to pull him closer.

"You alright?"

"If I told you I was, would you believe me?"

"No."

"Then what do you think?" His tone was biting, but Leo was stubbornly unphased. It angered Kit, so much that he blurted out, "You know, I don't care about the Gods. If it wasn't for this stupid quest, I'd never even think about helping them against Dirt Woman. I probably would be with Dirt Woman right now, because that's who I am, Leo. I'm not some sort of hero. I want the Gods to suffer."

"Kit--"

"So stop looking at me like that," he growled, but Leo refused to glance away. Instead, his eyes seemed to narrow, challenging him. "I can't handle it anymore."

With that, he shoved him away, snatching his plate with one hand and re-emerging into the light. After a moment, Leo followed him, planting himself further away than before. They spent the next minutes eating in silence. If Jason and Piper noticed the tension, they didn't show it.

Well, until the end. Kit's heart dropped when Piper said, "We need to talk. I don't want to hide anything from you guys anymore."

Just as quickly, he relaxed. He had a feeling he knew what this was about.

"Three nights before the Grand Canyon trip, I had a dream vision. There was a giant in it. He told me that my father had been taken hostage. He told me I had to cooperate, or my dad would be killed."

Frowning, Jason voiced, "You mean Enceladus? You mentioned that name before..."

Hedge whistled with realisation. "Big giant. Breathes fire. Not somebody I'd want barbecuing my daddy goat."

Jason gave him a look as if to say 'would you stop talking for once?' then turned back to Piper. "Go on. What happened next?"

"Well, I tried to reach my dad, but all I got was his personal assistant, and she told me not to worry..."

"Jane?" Leo recalled the name. "Didn't Medea say something about controlling her?"

Piper nodded, looking close to tears. "To get my dad back, I had to sabotage this quest. I didn't realise it would be the three of us -- well, four now with Kit. Then, after we started the quest, Enceladus sent me another warning. He... he told me he wanted you dead. He wants me to lead you to a mountain. I don't know exactly which one, but it's in the Bay Area." She sniffled, the first tear trailing down her face. "I could see the Golden Gate Bridge from the summit. I have to be there by noon on the solstice, tomorrow. An exchange."

For a moment, no one said anything. Kit watched Leo and Jason, waiting to see how they'd react. He wondered if Jason would play the hero, would rise to the threat of danger that Piper posed, or would he stay the lovesick fool who would look into her eyes and ignore all the warning signs?

When he breathed out "God, Piper. I'm so sorry" Kit figured it was the latter.

"No kidding," Leo added. "You've been carrying this around for a week? Piper, we could help you."

Piper frowned, sharing Kit's thoughts and agreeing with them. "Why don't you yell at me or something? I was ordered to kill you!"

"Aw, come on," Jason said. "You've saved all of us on this quest. I'd put my life in your hands any day."

"Same here," Leo said. Neither of them looked at Kit. "Can I have a hug too?"

Piper bristled, shouting, "You don't get it." At least Kit had understood, but they seemed oblivious to what she was really trying to say. It frustrated her. "I've probably just killed my dad telling you this..."

"I doubt it," Hedge scoffed around a large bite of his burger. "Giant hasn't gotten what he wants yet, so he still needs your dad for leverage. He'll wait until the deadline passes, see if you show up. He wants you to divert the quest to this mountain, right?" When Piper nodded slowly, as if uncertain whether or not to reveal the truth, he continued. "So that means Hera is being kept somewhere else. And she has to be saved by the same day. So you have to choose; rescue your dad, or rescue Hera. If you go after Hera, then Enceladus takes care of your dad. Besides, Enceladus would never let you go even if you cooperated. You're obviously one of the eight in the Great Prophecy."

Kit scowled and started throwing stray pieces of bark into the flames, feeding the fire higher and higher, until smoke pooled around the roof of the cave like a thunder cloud. The shape only made him angrier.

"So we have no choice," Piper muttered, utterly miserable. "We have to save Hera, or the giant king gets unleashed. That's our quest. The world depends on it. And Enceladus seems to have ways of watching me. He isn't stupid. He'll know if we change course and go the wrong way. He'll kill my dad."

"He's not going to kill your dad," Leo shook his head stubbornly. "We'll save him."

"We don't have time," Piper cried, leaning her head into her hands. "Besides, it's a trap."

"We're your friends, Beauty Queen," Leo ignored her. "We're not going to let your dad die. We just gotta figure out a plan."

Glowering at the new intensity of the fire, Hedge mumbled, "It would help if we knew where this mountain was. Maybe Aeolus can tell you that. The Bay Area has a bad reputation for demigods. Old home of the Titans, Mount Othrys, sits over Mount Tam, where Atlas holds up the sky. I hope that's not the mountain you saw."

"I don't think so," Piper said after giving it some thought. "This was inland."

At the familiar names mentioned by Hedge, Jason frowned, clutching his temples as if they pained him. Kit turned his gaze to him, curious enough to pause in feeding the flames. "Bad reputation... that doesn't seem right. The Bay Area..."

"You think you've been there?" Piper asked, resting a gentle hand on the side of his face.

Leaning into the touch, Jason stammered, "I... don't know. Hedge, what happened to Mount Othrys?"

Hedge took his time in answering, eating up both his burger and the paper plate before speaking, "Well, Kronos built a new palace there last Summer. Big nasty place, was going to be the headquarters for his new kingdom and all. Weren't any battles there, though. Kronos marched on Manhattan with traitors like Kit, and tried to take Olympus. If I remember right, he left some other Titans in charge of his palace, but after Kronos got defeated in Manhattan, the whole palace just crumbled on its own."

"Hedge, I swear--"

Jason cut off Kit with a sharp intake of breath. For once, it wasn't directed at him and the mention of his choices. Instead, it was stone cold, like realisation had struck.

"No..."

"What do you mean?" Leo voiced uneasily.

"That's not what happened."

"Then what happened?" Kit asked, thinking back to the palace he'd only been to a handful of times. Each time was like walking to his death. "What do you know, Jason?"

But Jason wasn't listening anymore. He was staring out the cave entrance, pale-faced despite the heat of the room.

"Do you hear that?" he breathed out.

At first, there was nothing. Kit wanted to roll his eyes and press him for answers, but the second he opened his mouth, he was cut off by the telling howls of wolves in the distance. The sound was vicious and out for blood, and it was coming right for them. Kit was up on his feet in seconds, sword at the ready.

At last, he would have the fight he wanted.