𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 》 JASON GRACE ¹

ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᵗʷᵉⁿᵗʸ ᵗʷᵒ

''FAR AS I CAN GO.''

Noelani deflated. She had hoped the taxi would be able to take them all the way to the top. Although, she had seen this coming, the cab had made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road, and halfway up they found the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking the way.

The cabbie turned around to look at them all. ''You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you.''

''We're sure,'' Leo was the first one out. He had a bad feelign about what was wrong with the cab, and when he looked down, he was right. The wheels were sinking into the road like quicksand. Not fast — just enough to make the driver think he had a transmission problem or a bad axle — but Leo knew different.

The road was packed with dirt. Not reason at all should it have been soft, but already Leo's shoes were starting to sink. Gaea was messing with them. While his friends got out, Leo tipped the cabbie. He was generous — heck, why not? It was Aphrodite's money. Plus, he had a feeling he might never be getting off this mountain.

''Keep the change,'' he said. ''And get out of here, quickly.''

The driver didn't argue. Soon all they could see was his dust trail.

The view from the mountains was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns — grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. All these normal people living normal lives — the kind Noelani had never known.

''That's Concord,'' Jason said, pointing to the north. ''Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those trees. And that way...''

He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. ''That's Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco.''

''Jason?'' Noelani touched his arm, recognizing the symptoms. ''You remember something? You've been here?''

''Yes... No,'' he gave her an anguished look. ''It just seems important.''

''That's Titan land.'' Coach Hedge nodded towards the west. ''Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get.''

But Jason looked towards the foggy basin with such longing that Noelani felt uneasy. Why did Jason seem so connected to that place — a place Hedge said was evil, full of bad magic and old enemies? What if Jason came from there? Everybody kept hinting Jason was an enemy, that his arrival at Camp was a dangerous mistake.

No, Noelani shook her head. Ridiculous, Jason was their friend. She was just letting her left-over feelings from their argument cloud her judgement. Just because she didn't want to be around him, didn't mean that there had to be some old, cryptic reason why.

Noelani tried to move her foot, but her heels were now completely embedded in the dirt. ''Guys, we should keep moving.''

The others noticed the problem.

''Gaea is stronger here,'' Hedge grumbled. He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed them to Leo. ''Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice.''

Leo snorted. ''Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?''

''That's varsity thinking, Valdez,'' Hedge nodded approvingly. ''But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can.''

''How do we know where the giant is?'' Piper asked.

Jason pointed towards the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, Noelani almost thought it was a cloud, but it wasn't. Something was burning.