The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)

he said. ‘The letter says two people. I’ll take Hazel up there and watch her back. Besides, I don’t like the look of those steps. If Hazel falls … well, I can use the winds to keep us both from coming down the hard way.’
    Arion whinnied in protest, as if to say,
You’re going without me? You’re kidding, right?
    ‘I have to, Arion,’ Hazel said. ‘Jason … yes. I think you’re right. It’s the best plan.’
    ‘Only wish I had my sword.’ Jason glared at the coach. ‘It’sback there at the bottom of the sea, and we don’t have Percy to retrieve it.’
    The name
Percy
passed over them like a cloud. The mood on deck got even darker.
    Hazel stretched out her arm. She didn’t think about it. She just concentrated on the water and called for Imperial gold .
    A stupid idea. The sword was much too far away, probably hundreds of feet underwater. But she felt a quick tug in her fingers, like a bite on a fishing line, and Jason’s blade flew out of the water and into her hand.
    ‘Here,’ she said, handing it over.
    Jason’s eyes widened. ‘How … That was like half a mile!’
    ‘I’ve been practising,’ she said, though it wasn’t true.
    She hoped she hadn’t accidentally cursed Jason’s sword by summoning it, the way she cursed jewels and precious metals.
    Somehow, though, she thought, weapons were different. After all, she’d raised a bunch of Imperial gold equipment from Glacier Bay and distributed it to the Fifth Cohort. That had worked out okay.
    She decided not to worry about it. She felt so angry at Hecate and so tired of being manipulated by the gods that she wasn’t going to let any trifling problems stand in her way. ‘Now, if there are no other objections, we have a robber to meet.’

XXVII
     

HAZEL
     
    H AZEL LIKED THE GREAT OUTDOORS – but climbing a two-hundred-foot cliff on a stairway without rails, with a bad-tempered weasel on her shoulder? Not so much. Especially when she could have ridden Arion to the top in a matter of seconds.
    Jason walked behind her so he could catch her if she fell. Hazel appreciated that, but it didn’t make the sheer drop any less scary.
    She glanced to her right, which was a mistake. Her foot almost slipped, sending a spray of gravel over the edge. Gale squeaked in alarm.
    ‘You all right?’ Jason asked.
    ‘Yes.’ Hazel’s heart jackhammered at her ribs. ‘Fine.’
    She had no room to turn and look at him. She just had to trust he wouldn’t let her plummet to her death. Since he could fly, he was the only logical backup. Still, she wished it were Frank at her back, or Nico, or Piper, or Leo. Or even … well,okay, maybe not Coach Hedge. But, still, Hazel couldn’t get a read on Jason Grace.
    Ever since she’d arrived at Camp Jupiter, she’d heard stories about him. The campers spoke with reverence about the son of Jupiter who’d risen from the lowly ranks of the Fifth Cohort to become praetor, led them to victory in the Battle of Mount Tam, then disappeared. Even now, after all the events of the past couple of weeks, Jason seemed more like a legend than a person. She had a hard time warming to him, with those icy blue eyes and that careful reserve, like he was calculating every word before he said it. Also, she couldn’t forget how he had been ready to write off her brother, Nico, when they’d learned he was a captive in Rome.
    Jason had thought Nico was bait for a trap. He had been right. And maybe, now that Nico was safe, Hazel could see why Jason’s caution was a good idea. Still, she didn’t quite know what to think of the guy. What if they got themselves into trouble at the top of this cliff and Jason decided that saving
Hazel
wasn’t in the best interest of the quest?
    She glanced up. She couldn’t see the thief from here, but she sensed he was waiting. Hazel was confident she could produce enough gems and gold to impress even the greediest robber. She wondered if the treasures she summoned would still bring bad luck. She’d never been sure whether that curse had been broken when she had died the first time. This seemed like a good opportunity to find out. Anybody who robbed innocent demigods with a giant turtle deserved a few nasty curses.
    Gale the weasel jumped off her shoulder and scampered ahead. She glanced back and barked eagerly.
    ‘Going as fast as I can,’ Hazel muttered.
    She couldn’t shake the feeling that the weasel was anxious to watch her fail.
    ‘This, uh, controlling the Mist,’ Jason