“We’re not seriously crossing that,” Leo said.
Thalia shrugged. “I’m not a big fan of heights, I’ll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus’s fortress, this is the only way. ”
“Is the fortress always hanging there?” Piper asked. “How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?”
“The Mist,” Thalia said. “Still, mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it’s a trick of the light, but actually it’s the color of Aeolus’s palace, reflecting off the mountain face. ”
“It’s enormous,” Jason said.
Thalia laughed. “You should see Olympus, little brother. ”
“You’re serious? You’ve been there?”
Thalia grimaced as if it wasn’t a good memory. “We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile. ”
“That’s reassuring,” Leo said. “Jason, can’t you just fly us up there?”
Thalia laughed. Then she seemed to realize Leo’s question wasn’t a joke. “Wait … Jason, you can fly?”
Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. “Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I’m not sure I’d want to try. Thalia, you mean … you can’t fly?”
For a second, Thalia looked genuinely afraid. Then she got her expression under control. Leo realized she was a lot more scared of heights than she was letting on.
“Truthfully,” she said, “I’ve never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge. ”
Coach Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumped onto the bridge. Amazingly, it held his weight. “Easy! I’ll go first. Piper, come on, girl. I’ll give you a hand. ”
“No, that’s okay,” Piper started to say, but the coach grabbed her hand and dragged her up the bridge.
When they were about halfway, the bridge still seemed to be holding them just fine.
Thalia turned to her Hunter friend. “Phoebe, I’ll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I’m on my way. ”
“You sure?” Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Leo and Jason, like they might kidnap Thalia or something.
“It’s fine,” Thalia promised.
Phoebe nodded reluctantly, then raced down the mountain path, the white wolves at her heels.
“Jason, Leo, just be careful where you step,” Thalia said. “It hardly ever breaks. ”
“It hasn’t met me yet,” Leo muttered, but he and Jason led the way up the bridge.
Halfway up, things went wrong, and of course it was Leo’s fault. Piper and Hedge had already made it safely to the top and were waving at them, encouraging them to keep climbing, but Leo got distracted. He was thinking about bridges—how he would design something way more stable than this shifting ice vapor business if this were his palace. He was pondering braces and support columns. Then a sudden revelation stopped him in his tracks.
“Why do they have a bridge?” he asked.
Thalia frowned. “Leo, this isn’t a good place to stop. What do you mean?”
“They’re wind spirits,” Leo said. “Can’t they fly?”
“Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below. ”
“So the bridge isn’t always here?” Leo asked.
Thalia shook her head. “The wind spirits don’t like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it’s necessary. Like now. They know you’re coming. ”
Leo’s mind was racing. He was so excited he could almost feel his body’s temperature rising. He couldn’t quite put his thoughts into words, but he knew he was on to something important.
“Leo?” Jason said. “What are you thinking?”
“Oh, gods,” Thalia said. “Keep moving. Look at your feet. ”
Leo shuffled backward. With horror, he realized his body temperature really was rising, just as it had years ago at that picnic table under the pecan tree, when his anger had gotten away from him. Now, excitement was causing the reaction. His pants steamed in the cold air. His shoes were literally smoking, and the bridge didn’t like it. The ice was thinning.
“Leo, stop it,” Jason warned. “You’re going to melt it. ”