Daughter of Wine

Piper

I push between the Boreads, which is like walking through a meat freezer. The air around them is so cold, it burns my face. I feel like I'm breathing pure snow.

I try not to look down at Jason's frozen body as I pass. She try not to think about my friends below, or Leo shot into the sky to a place of no return. I definitely try not to think about the Boreads and the snow goddess who are following me.

I fix my eyes on the figurehead. I try not to look at Calli, frozen in concentration.
The ship rocks under my feet. A single gust of summer air makes it through the chill, and I breathe it in, taking it as a good omen. It's still summer out there. Khione and her brothers do not belong here.

I know I can't win a straight fight against Khione and two winged guys with swords. I'm not as clever as Annabeth, or as good at problem solving as Leo, or as crazy as Calli. But I do have power. And I intend to use it.

Last night, during my talk with Hazel and Calli, I had realized that the secret of charmspeak is a lot like using the Mist. In the past, I had a lot of trouble making my charms work, because I always order my enemies to do what I want. I would yell Don't kill us when the monster's fondest wish is to kill us. I would put all my power into my voice and hope it's enough to overwhelm my enemy's will.

Sometimes it works, but it's exhausting and unreliable. Aphrodite isn't about head-on confrontation. Aphrodite is about subtlety and guile and charm. I decide I shouldn't focus on making people do what I want. I need to push them to do the things that they want. A great theory, if I can make it work...

I stop at the foremast and face Khione, channeling Calli and her ability to irritate just about anyone. "Wow, I just realized why you hate us so much," I say, filling my voice with pity. "We humiliated you pretty badly in Sonoma."

Khione's eyes glint like iced espresso. She shoots an uneasy look at her brothers.

I laugh. "Oh, you didn't tell them!" I guess. "I don't blame you. You had a giant king on your side, plus an army of wolves and Earthborn, and you still couldn't beat us."

"Silence!" the goddess hisses.

The air turns misty. I feel frost gathering on my eyebrows and freezing my ear canals, but I feign a smile.

"Whatever." I wink at Zethes. "But it was pretty funny."

"The beautiful girl must be lying," Zethes says. "Khione was not beaten at the Wolf House. She said it was a...ah, what is the term? A tactical retreat."

"Treats?" Cal asks. "Treats are good."

I push the big guy's chest playfully. "No, Cal. He means that your sister ran away."

"I did not!" Khione shrieks.

I look at Calli. What would she say right now?

"What did Hera call you?" I muse. "Right—a D-list goddess!"

I burst out laughing again, and my amusement is so genuine, Zethes and Cal start laughing too.

"That is très bon!" Zethes says. "A D-list goddess. Ha!"

"Ha!" Cal says. "Sister ran away! Ha!"

Khione's white dress begins to steam. Ice forms over Zethes's and Cal's mouths, plugging them up.

"Show us this secret of yours, Piper McLean," Khione growls. "Then pray I leave your friend on this ship intact. If you are toying with us, I will show you the horrors of frostbite. I doubt Zethes will still want you if you have no fingers or toes...perhaps no nose or ears."

Zethes and Cal spit the ice plugs out of their mouths.

"The pretty girl would look less pretty without a nose," Zethes admits.

I've seen pictures of frostbite victims. The threat terrifies me, but I don't let it show.

"Come on, then." I lead the way to the prow, humming one of my dad's favorite songs—"Summertime."

When I get to the figurehead, I put my hand on Festus's neck. His bronze scales are cold. There's no hum of machinery. His ruby eyes are dull and dark.

"You remember our dragon?" I ask.

Khione scoffs. "This cannot be your secret. The dragon is broken. Its fire is gone."

"Well, yes..." I stroke the dragon's snout.

I don't have Leo's power to make gears turn or circuits spark. I can't sense anything about the workings of a machine. All I can do is speak my heart and tell the dragon what he most wants to hear. "But Festus is more than a machine. He's a living creature."

"Ridiculous," the goddess spits. "Zethes, Cal—gather the frozen demigods from below. Then we shall break open the sphere of winds."

"You could do that, boys," I agree. "But then you wouldn't see Khione humiliated. I know you'd like that."

The Boreads hesitate.

"Hockey?" Cal asks.

"Almost as good," I promise. "You fought at the side of Jason and the Argonauts, didn't you? On a ship like this, the first Argo."

"Yes," Zethes agrees. "The Argo. Much like this, but we did not have a dragon."

"Don't listen to her!" Khione snaps.

I feel ice forming on my lips.