Act III — The Sky Meets The Sea

Part II — I suddenly see him standing there. A beautiful stranger, tall and fair. I wanna stuff some chocolate in my face!

"One more time," Anthony demanded. "What the hell happened?"

Leo slumped against the mast. His head still throbbed. "I don't know. It's fuzzy." Anthony was staring at him. Leo wouldn't have admitted, but he was scared of the guy. So he tried harder to explain. "I—I... it's like I was watching myself do things. I couldn't control it."

"Long story short," said Andy, "you blew up some stuff. You attacked some Romans. It was bad."

Anthony knelt next to Leo. "Leo," he said calmly, "did Octavian trick you somehow? Did he frame you, or—"

"No. The guy was a jerk, but he didn't fire on the camp. I did."

Frank scowled. "On purpose?"

"No!" Leo squeezed his eyes shut. "Well, yes—I mean, I didn't want to. But at the same time, I felt like I wanted to. Something was making me do it. There was this cold feeling inside me—"

"A cold feeling." Anthony's tone changed. He sounded almost... scared.

"Yeah," Leo said. "Why?"

From below decks, Piper called up, "Anthony, we need you."

"Frank, I'll be back. Just... watch Leo," Anthony said walking off with Andy Jackson.

Leo and Frank stared at each other. "So," Frank said. "Your name isn't Sammy?"

Leo scowled. "What kind of question is that?"

"Nothing," Frank said quickly. "I just… Nothing. About the firing on the camp... Octavian could be behind it, like magically or something. He didn't want the Romans getting along with you guys."

Leo wanted to believe that. "Look," he said, "I should talk to Festus and get a damage report. You mind...?"

Frank helped him up. "Who is Festus?"

"My friend," Leo said. "His name isn't Sammy either, in case you're wondering. Come on. I'll introduce you."

Fortunately the bronze dragon wasn't damaged. When they reached the bow of the ship, the figurehead turned a hundred and eighty degrees to look at them. Frank yelped and backed away. "It's alive!" he said.

"Yeah. Frank, this is Festus. He used to be a full bronze dragon, but we had an accident."

"You have a lot of accidents," Frank noted.

"Well, some of us can't turn into dragons, so we have to build our own." Leo arched his eyebrows at Frank. "Anyway, I revived him as a figurehead. He's kind of the ship's main interface now. How are things looking, Festus?"

Festus snorted smoke and made a series of squeaking, whirring sounds.

"Ugh," Leo said. "Could be worse, but the hull is compromised in several places. The port aerial oars have to be fixed before we can go full speed again. We'll need some repair materials: Celestial bronze, tar, lime—"

"What do you need limes for?"

"Dude, lime. Calcium carbonate, used in cement and a bunch of other—Ah, never mind. The point is, this ship isn't going far unless we can fix it."

Festus made another click-creak noise that Leo didn't recognize. It sounded like AY-zuhl.

"Oh—Hazel," he deciphered. "That's the girl with the curly hair, right?"

Frank gulped. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Leo said. "According to Festus, her horse is racing along below. She's following us."

"We've got to land, then," Frank said.

Leo studied him. "She's your girlfriend?"

Frank chewed his lip. "Yes."

"You don't sound sure."

"Yes. Yes, definitely. I'm sure."

Leo raised his hands. "Okay, fine. The problem is we can only manage one landing. The way the hull and the oars are, we won't be able to lift off again until we repair, so we'll have to make sure we land somewhere with all the right supplies."

Frank scratched his head. "Where do you get Celestial bronze? You can't just stock up at Home Depot."

"Festus, do a scan."

"He can scan for magic bronze?" Frank marveled. "Is there anything he can't do?"

"You should've seen him when he had a body."

Behind them, the stairs creaked. Andy and Anthony climbed back up.

Leo's heart stumbled. "Is Lena—?"

"She's resting," Anthony said. "Piper's keeping an eye on her, but she should be fine. What's the situation with the ship?"

Leo told Anthony about the damage and the supplies they needed. Festus began to whir and squeak. "Perfect." Leo sighed with relief. "Everything we need in one place. Frank, why don't you turn into a bird or something? Fly down and tell your girlfriend to meet us at the Great Salt Lake in Utah."

Once they got there, it wasn't a pretty landing, but it was the best Leo could do. "Good job, Festus," he praised. "Take us toward the south shore."

A loud clump-clump-clump shook the hull. A tan stallion appeared on deck with Hazel Levesque on his back.

"How the hell—?" Leo's question died in his throat. "We're in the middle of a lake! Can that thing fly?"

The horse whinnied angrily.

"Arion can't fly," Hazel said. "But he can run across just about anything. Water, vertical surfaces, small mountains—none of that bothers him."

"Oh."

Hazel was looking at him strangely—like she was searching for something in his face. It made him feel uneasy and self-conscious. Leo led the way down the hall. He'd built the ship with four cabins—it was the best he could do in such short term, but he guessed it didn't matter—most of them would be sharing a cabin anyway.

On the way, they passed Lena and Piper's room. The door was open. Piper sat at the side of her berth, holding Lena's hand while she snored with an ice pack on her head. When they reached the mess hall, they found the others—Andy, Anthony, and Frank—sitting dejectedly around the dining table.

"So we've landed," Andy said. "What now?"

Frank plucked on his bowstring. "Figure out the prophecy? I mean... that was a prophecy Ella spoke, right? From the Sibylline Books?"

"The what?" Leo asked. Frank explained. "And you didn't tell the Romans the truth because you didn't want them to get hold of her?"

"Ella's sensitive. She was a captive when we found her. I just didn't want..." Andy sighed. "It doesn't matter now. I sent Tyson an Iris-message, told him to take Ella to Camp Half-Blood. They'll be safe there."

"Let me think about that prophecy," Anthony said, "but right now we have more immediate problems. We have to get this ship fixed. Leo, what do we need?"

"The easiest thing is tar. We can get that in the city. Also, Celestial bronze and lime. According to Festus, we can find both of those on an island in the lake, just west of here."

"We'll have to hurry," Hazel warned. "If I know Octavian, he's searching for us with his auguries. The Romans will send a strike force after us. It's a matter of honor."

Leo felt everyone's eyes on him. "Guys, I don't know what happened. Honestly, I—"

Anthony raised his hand. "We've been talking. We agree it couldn't have been you, Leo. That cold feeling you mentioned... It must have been some sort of magic, either Octavian or Gaea or one of her minions. But until we understand what happened—"

Frank grunted. "How can we be sure it won't happen again?"

Leo's fingers heated up like they were about to catch fire. "I'm fine now," he insisted. "Maybe we should use the buddy system. Nobody goes anywhere alone. We can leave Piper on board with Lena. Send one team into town to get tar. Another team can go after the bronze and the lime."

"Split up?" Andy said. "I don't like splitting up. That sounds like a really bad idea."

"It'll be quicker," Hazel put in. "Besides, there's a reason a quest is usually limited to three demigods, right?"

Anthony raised his eyebrows, as if reappraising Hazel's merits. "You're right. Seven demigods in one place will attract way too much monstrous attention. We shouldn't travel in groups larger than three. No sense alerting more of Gaea's minions than we have to."

Andy didn't look happy about it. She crossed her arms and glanced at Anthony with an accusing look. "As long as you're in my group."

Hazel smiled. "Oh, that's easy. Frank, you were amazing, turning into a dragon! Could you do it again to fly Anthony and Andy into town for the tar?"

Frank opened his mouth like he wanted to protest. "I—I suppose. But what about you?"

"I'll ride Arion with Sa—with Leo, here." She fidgeted with her sword hilt, which made Leo uneasy. "We'll get the bronze and the lime. We can all meet back here by dark."

Frank scowled.

"Leo," said Anthony, "if we get the supplies, how long to fix the ship?"

"With luck, just a few hours."

"Alright," he decided. "We'll meet you back here as soon as possible, but stay safe. We could use some good luck. That doesn't mean we'll get it."

Riding Arion was the best thing that had happened to Leo all day. He sat behind Hazel, one arm around her waist. The close contact made him a little uncomfortable, but it was the only way he could stay on board. Arion thundered onto the beach. He stomped his hooves and whinnied triumphantly. Hazel and Leo dismounted. Arion pawed the sand.

"He needs to eat," Hazel said. "Gold. Go on, Arion. Thanks for the ride. I'll call you." Just like that, the horse was gone—nothing left but a steaming trail across the lake.

"Fast horse," Leo said, "and expensive to feed."

"Not really," Hazel said. "Gold is easy for me."

Leo raised his eyebrows. "How is gold easy? Please tell me you're not related to King Midas. I don't like that guy."

Hazel pursed her lips, as if she regretted raising the subject. "Never mind."

That made Leo even more curious, but he decided it might be better not to press her. He knelt and cupped a handful of white sand. "Well... one problem solved, anyway. This is lime."

Hazel frowned. "The whole beach?"

"Yeah. See? The granules are perfectly round. It's not really sand. It's calcium carbonate."

Hazel knelt next to him and helped. "We should've brought a pail and shovels."

"We could've made a sand castle."

"A lime castle." Their eyes locked for a second too long. Hazel looked away. "You are so much like—"

"Sammy?" Leo guessed.

She fell backward. "You know?"

"I have no idea who Sammy is. But Frank asked me if I was sure that wasn't my name."

"And—it isn't?"

"No! Jeez."

"You don't have a twin brother or..." Hazel stopped. "Is your family from New Orleans?"

"Nah. Houston. Why? Is Sammy a guy you used to know?"

"It's nothing. You just look like him."

They finished filling the bag in silence. He stood and scanned the island. "Festus said there was Celestial bronze close by, but I'm not sure where—"

"That way." Hazel pointed up the beach. "About five hundred yards."

"How do you—?"

"Precious metals," Hazel said. "It's a Pluto thing."

"Handy talent. Lead the way, Miss Metal Detector."

The sun began to set. Finally Hazel turned inland. And just over the dunes, they saw the woman. She sat on a boulder in the middle of a grassy field. She had curly black hair and a bony frame.

"Aunt Rosa?" Leo asked. It didn't make sense, but this woman looked exactly like his aunt.

"Is that what you see?" the woman asked. "Interesting. And you, Hazel, dear?"

"How did you—?" Hazel stepped back in alarm. "You—you look like Mrs. Leer. My third grade teacher. I hated you."

The woman cackled. "Excellent. You resented her, eh? She judged you unfairly?"

"You—she taped my hands to the desk for misbehaving," Hazel said. "She called my mother a witch. She blamed me for everything I didn't do and—Who are you?"

"Oh, Leo knows," the woman said. "How do you feel about Aunt Rosa?"

"Nemesis," Leo guessed searching his feelings. "You're the goddess of revenge."

"You see?" The goddess smiled at Hazel. "He recognizes me. I'm not affected, you see? I am called Nemesis in both Greek and Roman. I do not change, because revenge is universal."

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked. "What are you doing here?"

"The gods are in terrible shape. It always happens when a civil war is brewing between you Romans and Greeks. The Olympians are torn between their two natures, called on by both sides. They become quite schizophrenic, I'm afraid. Splitting headaches. Disorientation."

"But we're not at war," Leo insisted.

"Um, Leo..." Hazel winced. "Except for the fact that you recently blew up large sections of New Rome."

Leo stared at her. "Not on purpose!"

"I know..." Hazel said, "but the Romans don't realize that. And they'll be pursuing us in retaliation."

Nemesis cackled. "Leo, listen to the girl. War is coming. Gaea has seen to it, with your help. And can you guess whom the gods blame for their predicament?"

"Me."

The goddess snorted. "Well, don't you have a high opinion of yourself. You're just a pawn on the chessboard, Leo Valdez. I was referring to the player who set this ridiculous quest in motion, bringing the Greeks and Romans together. The gods blame Hera—or Juno, if you prefer! The queen of the heavens has fled Olympus to escape the wrath of her family. Don't expect any more help from your patron!"

Leo's head throbbed. "So why are you here?"

"Why, to offer my help!" Nemesis smiled wickedly.

"Your help," Leo said.

"Of course!" said the goddess. "I enjoy tearing down the proud and powerful, and there are none who deserve tearing down like Gaea and her giants. Still, I must warn you that I will not suffer undeserved success. Good luck is a sham. True success requires sacrifice."

"Right now," he said, trying to control his anger, "all I want is some Celestial bronze."

"Oh, that's easy," Nemesis said. "It's just over the rise. You'll find it with the sweethearts."

"Wait," Hazel said. "What sweethearts?"

"You'll see. Perhaps they will teach you a lesson, Hazel Levesque. Most heroes cannot escape their nature, even when given a second chance at life. Now, about your brother Nico, you don't have much time. Let's see... Oh, yes, after today, six more days. Then he dies, along with the entire city of Rome."

Hazel's eyes widened. "How—what—?"

"And as for you, child of fire and hammer." She turned to Leo. "Your worst hardships are yet to come. You will always be the outsider, the seventh wheel. You will not find a place among your brethren. Soon you will face a problem you cannot solve, though I could help you—for a price."

Leo realized fingers on his left hand were ablaze, and Hazel was staring at him in terror. He shoved his hand in his pocket to extinguish the flames. "Um, what sort of price are we talking about?"

The goddess shrugged. "One of my children recently traded an eye for the ability to make a real difference in the world."

Leo's stomach churned. "You... want an eye?"

"In your case, perhaps another sacrifice would do. But something just as painful. Here." She handed him a fortune cookie. "If you need an answer, break this. It will solve your problem."

Leo's hand trembled as he held the fortune cookie. "What problem?"

"You'll know when the time comes."

"No, thanks," Leo said firmly. But he slipped the cookie into his tool belt.

"Very few gods will be able to help you on the quest. Most are already incapacitated, and their confusion will only grow worse. One thing might bring unity to Olympus again—an old wrong finally avenged. Ah, that would be sweet indeed, the scales finally balanced! But it will not happen unless you accept my help."

"I suppose you won't tell us what you're talking about," Hazel muttered. "Or why my brother has only six days to live. Or why Rome is going to be destroyed."

Nemesis chuckled. "Oh, it's all tied together, Hazel Levesque. As for my offer, Leo Valdez, give it some thought. You're a good kid. A hard worker. We could do business. But I have detained you too long. You should visit the reflecting pool before the light fades. My poor cursed boy gets quite agitated when the darkness comes."

And like that, she was gone.

"Who is Aunt Rosa?" Hazel asked.

"Long story," Leo said. "She abandoned me after my mom died, gave me to foster care."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well..." Leo was anxious to change the subject. "What about you? What Nemesis said about your brother?"

"I was born a long time ago. Then I died during World War II."

"What?"

"Nico... he found me in the Underworld. He brought me back to the mortal world and convinced the Romans at Camp Jupiter to accept me. I owe him for my second chance at life. If Nemesis is right, and Nico's in danger... I have to help him."

"Sure," Leo said, his head spinning. "And what Nemesis said about him having six days to live, and Rome getting destroyed... any idea what she meant?"

"None," Hazel admitted. She climbed one of the largest boulders to get a better view. Leo tried to follow and lost his balance. Hazel caught his hand. She pulled him up and they found themselves atop the rock, holding hands, face-to-face.

"Um, thanks." He let go of her hand, but they were still standing so close, he could feel the warmth of her breath. She definitely didn't seem like a dead person.

"When we were talking to Nemesis," Hazel said uneasily, "your hands... I saw flames."

"Yeah," he said. "It's a Hephaestus power. Usually I can keep it under control."

"Oh." She put one hand protectively on her denim shirt and backed away.

Nemesis was right. He might be part of a group of seven, but he was still isolated. The seventh wheel.

"Leo?" Hazel asked gently as if reading his thoughts. "You can't take what Nemesis said to heart."

He frowned. "What if it's true?"

"She's the goddess of revenge," Hazel reminded him. "Maybe she's on our side, maybe not; but she exists to stir up resentment."

"We should keep going," he said. "I wonder what Nemesis meant about finishing before dark."

Hazel glanced at the sun, which was just touching the horizon. "And who is the cursed boy she mentioned?"

Below them, a voice said, "Cursed boy she mentioned."

At first, Leo saw no one. Then his eyes adjusted. He realized a young woman was standing only ten feet from the base of the boulder. Her wispy hair was somewhere between brown and blond and gray, so it blended with the dry grass. She wasn't invisible, exactly, but she was almost perfectly camouflaged until she moved.

"Hello," Hazel said. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" the girl answered. Her voice sounded weary, like she was tired of answering that question.

Hazel and Leo exchanged looks.

"Are you the cursed kid Nemesis mentioned?" Leo asked. "But you're a girl."

"You're a girl," said the girl.

"Excuse me?" Leo said.

"Excuse me," the girl said miserably.

"You're repeating..." Leo stopped. "Oh. Hold it. Hazel, wasn't there some myth about a girl who repeated everything—?"

"Echo," Hazel said.

"Echo," the girl agreed. She shifted, her dress changing with the landscape.

"I don't remember the myth," Leo admitted. "You were cursed to repeat the last thing you heard?"

"You heard," Echo said.

"Poor thing," Hazel said. "If I remember right, a goddess did this?"

"A goddess did this," Echo confirmed.

Leo scratched his head. "But wasn't that thousands of years... oh. You're one of the mortals who came back through the Doors of Death. I really wish we could stop running into dead people." He immediately regretted that. "Uh... sorry, Hazel. I didn't mean it that way."

"That way." Echo pointed toward the far shore of the island.

"You want to show us something?" Hazel asked. She climbed down the boulder, and Leo followed.

"So... you have to repeat everything?" he asked.

"Everything."

Leo couldn't help smiling. "That could be fun."

"Fun," she said unhappily.

"Blue elephants."

"Blue elephants."

"Kiss me, you fool."

"You fool."

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"Leo," Hazel pleaded, "don't tease her."

"Don't tease her," Echo agreed.

"Okay, okay," Leo said. "So what were you pointing at? Do you need our help?"

"Help," Echo agreed emphatically. She gestured for them to follow and sprinted down the slope.

They found the problem—if you can call a mob of good-looking girls a problem. Echo led them down into a grassy meadow shaped like a blast crater, with a small pond in the middle. Gathered at the water's edge were several dozen nymphs. They were all crowded together in one spot, facing the pond and jostling for a better view.

"What are they looking at?" Leo wondered.

"Looking at," Echo sighed.

"One way to find out." Hazel marched forward and began nudging her way through the crowd. "Excuse us. Pardon me."

"Hey!" one nymph complained. "We were here first!"

"Yeah," another sniffed. "He won't be interested in you."

"Uh, demigod business," Leo said, trying to sound official. "Make room. Thanks."

The nymphs grumbled, but they parted to reveal a young man kneeling at the edge of the pond, gazing intently at the water. He was one super good-looking dude and he seemed fascinated with his own reflection.

Hazel inhaled sharply. "He's gorgeous." Around her, the nymphs squealed and clapped in agreement.

"I am," the young man murmured dreamily, his gaze still fixed on the water. "I am so gorgeous."

"He is sooooo hot!" said another girl.

"Narcissus?" Leo guessed.

"Narcissus," Echo agreed sadly.

"You had your chance, Echo!" said one nymph. "He dumped you four thousand years ago! You are so not good enough for him."

"For him," Echo said bitterly.

"Wait." Hazel clearly had trouble tearing her eyes away from the handsome guy, but she managed it. "What's going on here? Why did Echo bring us here?"

One nymph rolled her eyes. "Echo was a nymph like us, a long time ago, but she was a total chatterbox! Gossiping, blah, blah, blah, all the time."

"I know!" another nymph shrieked. "Like, who could stand that? Just the other day, I told Cleopeia—you know she lives in the boulder next to me?—I said: Stop gossiping or you'll end up like Echo."

"Totally!" said another. "As punishment for blabbing, Hera cursed Echo so she could only repeat things, which was fine with us. But then Echo fell in love with our gorgeous guy, Narcissus—as if he would ever notice her."

"As if!" said half a dozen others.

"Now she's got some weird idea he needs saving," said a nymph. "She should just go away."

"Go away," Echo growled back.

"I'm so glad Narcissus is alive again. He's like the best! And he's in my territory." The whole mob began arguing while Narcissus stared at the lake, ignoring them.

"Hold it!" Leo yelled. "Ladies, hold it! I need to ask Narcissus something." Leo knelt next to the handsome dude. "So, Narcissus. What's up?"

"Could you move?" Narcissus asked distractedly. "You're ruining the view."

Leo looked in the water. The metal reflecting Narcissus was a sheet of hammered Celestial bronze, roughly circular, about five feet in diameter. "Right, great view," Leo said. "Happy to move, but if you're not using it, could I just take that sheet of bronze?"

"No," Narcissus said. "I love him. He's so gorgeous."

"Man," Leo said to Narcissus. "You do realize that you're looking at yourself in the water, right?"

"I am so great," Narcissus sighed. He stretched out a hand longingly to touch the water, but held back. "No, I can't make ripples. That ruins the image. Wow—I am so great."

"Yeah," Leo muttered. "But if I took the bronze, you could still see yourself in the water. Or here..." He reached in his tool belt and pulled out a simple mirror the size of a monocle. "I'll trade you."

Narcissus took the mirror, reluctantly, and admired himself. "Even you carry a picture of me? I don't blame you. I am gorgeous. Thank you." He set the mirror down and returned his attention to the pond. "But I already have a much better image. The color flatters me, don't you think?"

"Oh, gods, yes!" a nymph screamed. "Marry me, Narcissus!"

"No, me!" another cried. "Would you sign my forehead?"

"No, sign my skin!"

"No, sign my boobs!"

"No, sign my—"

"Stop it!" Hazel snapped.

"Stop it," Echo agreed.

"You're all ridiculous," Hazel said. "He's so full of himself! How can you possibly like him?"

"Like him," Echo sighed, waving her hand in front of his face. Narcissus didn't even blink.

"I am so hot," Narcissus said.

"Narcissus, listen. Echo brought us here to help you. Didn't you, Echo?" said Hazel.

"Echo," said Echo.

"Who?" Narcissus said.

"The only girl who cares what happens to you, apparently," Hazel said. "Do you remember dying?"

Narcissus frowned. "I... no. That can't be right. I am much too important to die."

Leo stood. "It doesn't matter. The point is you're alive again, man. You have a second chance. That's what Nemesis was telling us. You can get up, and get on with your life. Echo is trying to save you. Or you can stay here and stare at yourself until you die again."

"Stay here!" all the nymphs screamed.

"Marry me before you die!" another squeaked.

Narcissus shook his head. "You just want my reflection. I don't blame you, but you can't have it. I belong to me."

Hazel sighed in exasperation. She glanced at the sun, which was sinking fast. "Leo, could we talk for a minute?" She led the way until they were out of earshot. "Nemesis was right," she said. "Some demigods can't change their nature. Narcissus is going to stay there until he dies again."

"No," Leo said.

"No," Echo agreed.

"We need that bronze. If we take it away, it might give Narcissus a reason to snap out of it. Echo could have a chance to save him."

"A chance to save him," Echo said gratefully.

The sun was just about down. Nemesis had mentioned that Narcissus got agitated after dark, probably because he couldn't see his reflection anymore. "Hazel," Leo said, "your power with precious metal... Can you just detect it, or can you actually summon it to you?"

"Sometimes I can summon it. I've never tried with a piece of Celestial bronze that big before. I might be able to draw it to me through the earth, but I'd have to be fairly close. It would take a lot of concentration, and it wouldn't be fast."

"Be fast," Echo warned.

Leo cursed. "Alright. We'll have to try something risky. Hazel, how about you try to summon the bronze from right here? Make it sink through the sand and tunnel over to you, then grab it and run for the ship."

"But Narcissus is looking at it all the time," she said.

"All the time," Echo echoed.

"That'll be my job," Leo said. "Echo and I will cause a distraction. Are you willing?"

"Willing," Echo said.

"Great," Leo said. "Now, let's hope we don't die."

Leo psyched himself up for an extreme makeover. The goggles weren't exactly sunglasses, but they'd have to do. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He used some machine oil to grease back his hair.

"What in the world are you thinking?" Hazel asked.

"I try not to think," Leo admitted. "It interferes with being nuts. Just concentrate on moving that Celestial bronze. Echo, you ready?"

"Ready," she said.

Leo took a deep breath. He strutted back toward the pond, hoping he looked awesome. "Leo is the coolest!" he shouted.

"Leo is the coolest!" Echo shouted back.

"Yeah, baby, check me out!"

"Check me out!" Echo said.

"When I smile the girls go wild!"

"Wild!"

"Sweet and undefeated! That's me. Narcissus is weak!"

"Weak!"

The crowd of nymphs scattered in surprise. Leo shooed them away as if they were bothering him. "No autographs, girls. I know you want some Leo time, but I'm way too cool. You better just hang around that ugly dweeb Narcissus. He's lame!"

"Lame!" Echo said with enthusiasm.

The nymphs muttered angrily. "What are you talking about?" one demanded. "You're lame."

Leo adjusted his goggles and smiled. He flexed his biceps, though he didn't have much to flex. "You know how ugly Narcissus is? He's so ugly, when he was born his mama thought he was a backward centaur—with a horse butt for a face."

Some of the nymphs gasped. Narcissus frowned, as though he was vaguely aware of Leo.

"You know why his bow has cobwebs?" Leo continued. "He uses it to hunt for dates, but he can't find one!"

One of the nymphs laughed. The others quickly elbowed her into silence. Narcissus turned and scowled at Leo. "Who are you?"

"I'm the most beautiful man in the world! I'm Leo Valdez, person of the week in every Greek opinion poll. Narcissus is a loser! He's so lame, when you look up lame on Wikipedia, it's got a picture of Narcissus—only the picture's so ugly, no one ever checks it out."

Narcissus knit his handsome eyebrows. His face was turning from bronze to salmon pink. For the moment, he'd totally forgotten about the pond, and Leo could see the sheet of bronze sinking into the sand. "What are you talking about?" Narcissus demanded. "I am amazing. Everyone knows this."

"Amazing at pure suck," Leo said. "If I was as suck as you, I'd drown myself. Oh wait, you already did that."

Another nymph giggled. Then another. Narcissus growled, which did make him look a little less handsome.

"That's right!" continued Leo. "Team Leo for the win! He comes, he sees, he conquers!"

"He is funny," a nymph ventured.

"I am so awesome!" Leo bellowed.

"So awesome!" Echo yelled back.

"And cute, in a scrawny way," another nymph said.

"Scrawny?" Leo asked. "Baby, I invented scrawny. Scrawny is the new sizzling hot. And I GOT the scrawny. Narcissus? He's such a loser even the Underworld didn't want him. He couldn't get the ghost girls to date him."

"Eww," said a nymph.

"Eww!" Echo agreed.

"Stop!" Narcissus got to his feet. "This is not right! This person is obviously not awesome, so he must be..." He struggled for the right words. "He must be tricking us." Realization dawned on his face. He turned back to the pond. "The bronze mirror is gone! My reflection! Give me back to me!"

"Team Leo!" one of the nymphs squeaked. But the others returned their attention to Narcissus.

"I'm the beautiful one!" Narcissus insisted. "He's stolen my mirror!"

The girls gasped. One pointed. "There!"

Hazel was at the top of the crater, running away as fast as she could while lugging a large sheet of bronze.

"Get it back!" cried a nymph.

Probably against her will, Echo muttered, "Get it back."

"Yes!" Narcissus unslung his bow and grabbed an arrow from his dusty quiver. "The first one who gets that bronze, I will like you almost as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!"

"Oh my gods!" the nymphs screamed.

"And kill those demigods!" Narcissus added, glaring very handsomely at Leo. "They are not as cool as me!"

Leo could run pretty fast when someone was trying to kill him. Sadly, he'd had a lot of practice. He overtook Hazel, which was easy, since she was struggling with fifty pounds of Celestial bronze. He took one side of the metal plate and helped her.

"Call Arion!" he gasped.

"Already did!" Hazel said.

They ran for the beach. They made it to the edge of the water and could see the Argo II, but there was no way to get there. It was much too far to swim.

Leo turned. The mob was coming over the dunes, Narcissus in the lead, holding his bow like a band major's baton. "Oh, man," Leo muttered, summoning fire in his free hand. "Straight-up fighting isn't my thing."

"Hold the Celestial bronze." Hazel drew her sword. "Get behind me!"

"Get behind me!" Echo repeated. The camouflaged girl was racing ahead of the mob now. She stopped in front of Leo and turned, spreading her arms as if she meant to personally shield him.

"Echo? You're one brave nymph."

"Brave nymph?" Her tone made it a question.

"I'm proud to have you on Team Leo," he said. "If we survive this, you should forget Narcissus."

"Forget Narcissus?" she said uncertainly.

"You're way too good for him."

The nymphs surrounded them in a semicircle.

"Trickery!" Narcissus said. "They don't love me, girls! We all love me, don't we?"

"Yes!" the girls screamed.

"Kill them!" Narcissus ordered.

Arion raced out of nowhere, circling the mob so quickly he created a sandstorm, showering the nymphs in white lime, spraying their eyes.

"I love this horse!" Leo said.

The nymphs collapsed, coughing and gagging. Narcissus stumbled around blindly, swinging his bow like he was trying to hit a piñata.

Hazel climbed into the saddle, hoisted up the bronze, and offered Leo a hand.

"We can't leave Echo!" Leo said.

"Leave Echo," the nymph repeated with a smile.

"Why?" Leo asked. "You don't think you can still save Narcissus..."

"Save Narcissus," she said confidently. And even though it was only an echo, Leo could tell that she meant it. She was determined to save the guy she loved—even if he was a completely hopeless moron.

"Leo, come on!" Hazel called.

"Yeah," he said, his throat dry. "Yeah, okay."

He climbed up behind Hazel. Arion took off across the water, the nymphs screaming behind them, and Narcissus shouting, "Bring me back! Bring me back!"

As Arion raced toward the Argo II, Leo remembered what Nemesis had said: Perhaps they'll teach you a lesson.

Echo—invisible to her brethren, cursed to love someone who didn't care for her. A seventh wheel. Leo vowed never to forget her. She deserved at least one person who saw her and knew how good she was.