LEO'S POV

I blame Hazel for us getting lost, and I am sticking to that story.

Like seriously, for a girl with underground senses, she wasn't much good in Rome. She kept leading us around and around the city, getting dizzy, and then doubling back.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just…there's so much underground here, so many layers, it's overwhelming. Like standing in the middle of an orchestra and trying to concentrate on a single instrument. I'm going deaf."

Peri nodded reassuringly to Hazel. "I know what you mean. I can sense bronze and gold above ground, but below the earth taints the smell way too much. There must be a huge underground tunnel system below this city or something."

As a result, we got a tour of Rome. I honestly couldn't complain at first. If I pretended, it was almost like we were two normal couples on vacation in a beautifully structured city with no troubles in the world. Peri was ooh-ing and ahh-ing at all the sights, and it was nice to see her so excited about something that wasn't combat.

The Forum was okay, but it was mostly ruins overgrown with bushes and trees. It took a lot of imagination to see it as the bustling center of Ancient Rome. I could only manage it because I'd seen New Rome in California.

We passed big churches, freestanding arches, clothing stores, and fast-food restaurants. One statue of some Ancient Roman dude seemed to be pointing to a nearby McDonald's.

On the wider streets, the car traffic was absolutely nuts—man, I thought people in Houston drove crazy—but we spent most of our time weaving through small alleys, coming across fountains and little cafés where sadly I was not allowed to rest.

Frank seemed happy to plod along like a big sheepdog (hmm, I wondered if he could turn into one of those, or even better: a horse that I could ride), but I started to get impatient. Walking around aimlessly was making my feet sore, the day was sunny and hot, and the streets were choked with tourists.

"I never thought I'd get to see Rome," Hazel said. "When I was alive, I mean the first time, Mussolini was in charge. We were at war."

"Mussolini?" I frowned. "Wasn't he like BFFs with Hitler?"

Hazel stared at me like I was an alien. "BFFs?"

"Never mind."

"I'd love to see the Trevi Fountain," she said.

"There's a fountain on every block," Leo grumbled.

"Or the Spanish Steps," Hazel said.

"Why would you come to Italy to see Spanish steps?" I asked exasperatedly. "That's like going to China for Mexican food, isn't it?"

Hazel rolled her eyes, but Peri erupted into laughter. "Aww is Leo the Lion getting cranky?"

I pouted, wiping sweat from my brow. "Yes."

Hazel turned to Frank and grabbed his hand. "Come on. I think we should go this way."

Once she was out of earshot, Peri leaned closer to me, a frown gracing her features. "I don't think she's got a clue which way to go."

"I don't think she's got a clue period," I grumbled with irritation, eliciting a giggle from the blonde. The sound made the corners of my mouth upturn. She hooked her arm in mine, and I let her drag me along after the pair.

Hot, sweaty, and sore or not, there's no one else I'd rather be here with. I can only imagine how miserable I'd be if I were the third wheel right now. I'm grateful for her presence, in more ways than one.

Peri glanced up at me and smiled, though I definitely caught the hint of a blush on her cheeks. "Geez what are you staring at?"

"The gorgeous view of course," I stated plainly, even if it made my heart rate increase.

Her blush darkened and she muttered something along the lines of "You love making me red in the face, huh?"

I just couldn't help myself. She was too cute like this.

After walking forever, Hazel stopped in front of a church. At least, I assumed it was a church. The main section had a big domed roof. The entrance had a triangular roof, typical Roman columns, and an inscription across the top: M. AGRIPPA something or other.

"Latin for Get a grip?" I speculated.

"This is our best bet." Hazel sounded more certain than she had all day. "There should be a secret passage somewhere inside."

Tour groups milled around the steps. Guides held up colored placards with different numbers and lectured in dozens of languages like they were playing some kind of international bingo.

I listened to the Spanish tour guide for a few seconds, and then reported to my friends, "This is the Pantheon. It was originally built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to the gods. After it burned down, Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it, and it's been standing for two thousand years. It's one of the best-preserved Roman buildings in the world."

Frank, Peri, and Hazel stared at me dumbfounded.

"How did you know that?" Hazel asked.

"I'm naturally brilliant."

"Centaur shit," Peri laughed. "He must've eavesdropped on a tour group."

I grinned. "Maybe. Come on. Let's go find that secret passage. I hope this place has air conditioning."

Of course, no AC.

On the bright side, there were no lines and no admission fee, so we just muscled our way past the tour groups and walked on in.

The interior was pretty impressive, considering it had been constructed two thousand years ago. The marble floor was patterned with squares and circles like a Roman tic-tac-toe game. The main space was one huge chamber with a circular rotunda, sort of like a capitol building back in the States. Lining the walls were different shrines and statues and tombs and stuff. But the real eye-catcher was the dome overhead. All the light in the building came from one circular opening right at the top. A beam of sunlight slanted into the rotunda and glowed on the floor, like Zeus was up there with a magnifying glass, trying to fry puny humans.

I was no architect like Annabeth, but I could definitely appreciate the engineering.

"The Romans had made the dome out of big stone panels, but they'd hollowed out each panel in a square-within-square pattern." I breathed in awe. "Not only does it look cool, but I'm willing to bet it also made the dome lighter and easier to support."

Peri spun around slowly, taking in the beauty of this ancient building from every angle. "Wow. It's pretty spectacular." She turned to me with a smile. "Dang, Leo you sure know a lot about—"

"Boring nerdy crap?" Frank offered, and I scowled at him.

"Ohhhh!" Hazel exclaimed. "That's what is known as the sick burn, right, Peri?"

Peri facepalmed. "Sorry, Leo, I've been trying to teach them how to roast but as you can see they've got their timing all wrong." She glared at Frank and Hazel who retreated to another part of the cathedral.

Before I could say anything, she grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's look for this secret passageway."