The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)

to defeating Gaia. It could heal the rift between Greek and Roman demigods. Leo figured there had to be more to it than just symbolism. Maybe Athena’s eyes shot lasers, or the snake behind her shield could spit poison. Or maybe the smaller figure of Nike came to life and busted out some ninja moves.
    Leo could think of all kinds of fun things the statue might do if
he
had designed it, but the more he examined it, the morefrustrated he got. The Athena Parthenos radiated magic. Even
he
could feel that. But it didn’t seem to do anything except look impressive.
    The ship careened to one side, taking evasive manoeuvres. Leo resisted the urge to run to the helm. Jason, Piper and Frank were on duty with Hazel now. They could handle whatever was going on. Besides, Hazel had insisted on taking the wheel to guide them through the secret pass that the magic goddess had told her about.
    Leo hoped Hazel was right about the long detour north. He didn’t trust this Hecate lady. He didn’t see why such a creepy goddess would suddenly decide to be helpful.
    Of course, he didn’t trust magic in general. That’s why he was having so much trouble with the Athena Parthenos. It had no moving parts. Whatever it did, it apparently operated on pure sorcery … and Leo didn’t appreciate that. He wanted it to make sense, like a machine.
    Finally he got too exhausted to think straight. He curled up with a blanket in the engine room and listened to the soothing hum of the generators. Buford the mechanical table sat in the corner in sleep mode, making little steamy snores:
Shhh, pfft, shh, pfft.
    Leo liked his quarters okay, but he felt safest here in the heart of the ship – in a room filled with mechanisms he knew how to control. Besides, maybe if he spent more time close to the Athena Parthenos, he would eventually soak in its secrets.
    ‘It’s you or me, Big Lady,’ he murmured as he pulled the blanket up to his chin. ‘You’re gonna cooperate eventually.’
    He closed his eyes and slept. Unfortunately, that meant dreams.
    He was running for his life through his mother’s old workshop, where she’d died in a fire when Leo was eight.
    He wasn’t sure what was chasing him, but he sensed it closing fast – something large and dark and full of hate.
    He stumbled into workbenches, knocked over toolboxes and tripped on electrical cords. He spotted the exit and sprinted towards it, but a figure loomed in front of him – a woman in robes of dry swirling earth, her face covered in a veil of dust.
    Where are you going, little hero?
Gaia asked.
Stay and meet my favourite son.
    Leo darted to the left, but the Earth Goddess’s laughter followed him.
    The night your mother died, I warned you. I said the Fates would not allow me to kill you then. But
now
you have chosen your path. Your death is near, Leo Valdez.
    He ran into a drafting table – his mother’s old workstation. The wall behind it was decorated with Leo’s crayon drawings. He sobbed in desperation and turned, but the thing pursuing him now stood in his path – a colossal being wrapped in shadows, its shape vaguely humanoid, its head almost scraping the ceiling twenty feet above.
    Leo’s hands burst into flame. He blasted the giant, but the darkness consumed his fire. Leo reached for his tool belt. The pockets were sewn shut. He tried to speak – to say anythingthat would save his life – but he couldn’t make a sound, as if the air had been stolen from his lungs.
    My son will not allow any fires tonight
,
Gaia said from the depths of the warehouse.
He is the void that consumes all magic, the cold that consumes all fire, the silence that consumes all speech.
    Leo wanted to shout:
And I’m the dude that’s all out of here!
    His voice didn’t work, so he used his feet. He dashed to the right, ducking under the shadowy giant’s grasping hands, and burst through the nearest doorway.
    Suddenly, he found himself at Camp Half-Blood , except the camp was in ruins. The cabins were charred husks. Burnt fields smouldered in the moonlight. The dining pavilion had collapsed into a pile of white rubble, and the Big House was on fire, its windows glowing like demon eyes.
    Leo kept running, sure the shadow giant was still behind him.
    He weaved around the bodies of Greek and Roman demigods. He wanted to check if they were alive. He wanted to help them. But somehow he knew he was running out of time.
    He jogged towards the only living people he saw – a group of Romans