Leo's Pov ~

After having that talk with Wyatt...It's made me think playing with fire isn't bad...But I also promised myself I wouldn't ever play with fire again. But things change, it's weird really, I've always thought laughing and hiding everything would make me feel better, and for a while, it did. But that's not the case, I need to try and open up to others more, but I can't, after so many years just joking around and suppressing everything, it's become second nature.

We were almost to the woods, when I heard Tía Callida's voice: It wasn't your fault, little hero. Our enemy wakes. It's time to stop running.

"Hera," I muttered, "You're not even here, are you? You're in a cage somewhere."

There was no answer. But Wyatt asked me what I was talking about. I decided to tell him it was nothing, he shrugged and then we continued.

Now I understood something. Hera had been watching me, my entire life. Somehow, she'd known that one day she would need me. Maybe those Fates she mentioned could tell the future. I wasn't sure. But I knew I was meant to go on this quest. Jason's prophecy warned us to beware the earth, and I knew it had something to do with that sleeping woman in the shop, wrapped in robes of shifting dirt.

Something I should probably mention to Wyatt...But I think he just wants to live a life without fighting, and since he has one arm, I think he deserves to live a couple years without fighting.

We were at the edge of the woods, I'm glad Wyatt is here, because I remember Will Solace had told me: No one should go in the woods alone, definitely not unarmed. I don't have anything, and the same goes for Wyatt, but we both can do things with...Fire, but his is stronger, so I'll let him handle that.

We plunged into the woods. "So, Leo. This dragon, you got a plan on how we're going to catch it?" Wyatt asked me.

I shrugged, "I was hoping you could just keep it distracted and then I could just watch...I guess."

Wyatt groaned, "Great, nice plan."

Every plan Leo makes is great, what is he talking about?

I laughed and kept walking, "Look out for huge foot prints, like dragon kind, you know." I don't think I should be talking to someone who can kill me in an instant like this, but I can't help it, I've been this way for a long time.

I'm not sure how Wyatt was walking through all this without light, but I needed fire, so I summoned some in my palm. Flames danced around my hand, Wyatt glanced over to me, "That all?" He raised his eye brow. He acted like this was normal.

I grinned, "I don't want to start a forest fire, but if you insist."

Wyatt just summoned a blazing white fire ball. "I can put it out anytime, a little more fire won't hurt." Wyatt smiled and looked at his hand, he seemed to get lost in thought.

I wonder what else he's been through. I shouldn't push him. Or maybe I should? Either one is fine, but he is the strongest demi-god alive, should I take my chances? Nah, I like the way things are between us, I don't want to ruin that, since I don't really have any friends besides Piper, and Jason.

Anyway, at the bottom of a clearing, I saw my first trap—a hundred-foot-wide crater ringed with boulders. I have to admit it was pretty ingenious. In the center of the depression, a metal vat the size of a hot tub had been filled with bubbly dark liquid—Tabasco sauce and motor oil. On a pedestal suspended over the vat, an electric fan rotated in a circle, spreading the fumes across the forest. Could metal dragons smell?

The vat seemed to be unguarded. But Leo looked closely, and in the dim light of the stars and his handheld fire, he could see the glint of metal beneath the dirt and leaves—a bronze net lining the entire crater. Or maybe see wasn't the right word—he could sense it there, as if the mechanism was emitting heat, revealing itself to him. Six large strips of bronze stretched out from the vat like the spokes of a wheel. They would be pressure sensitive, Leo guessed. As soon as the dragon stepped on one, the net would spring closed, and voilà—one gift-wrapped monster.

I edged closer. And then I put my foot on the nearest trigger strip. As I expected, nothing happened. They had to have set the net for something really heavy. Otherwise they could catch an animal, human, smaller monster, whatever. I doubt there was anything else as heavy as a metal dragon in these woods. At least, I hoped there wasn't.

Me and Wyatt picked our way down the crater and approached the vat. The fumes were almost overpowering, and my eyes started watering. I remembered a time when Tía Callida (Hera, whatever) had made me chop jalapeños in the kitchen and I got the juice in my eyes. Serious pain. But of course she'd been like, "Endure it, little hero. The Aztecs of your mother's homeland used to punish bad children by holding them over a fire filled with chili peppers. They raised many heroes that way."

A total psycho, that lady. Man was I glad I was on a quest to rescue her.

Tía Callida would've loved this vat, because it was way worse than jalapeño juice. I looked for a trigger—something that would disable the net. He didn't see anything.

"So...Now what?" Wyatt asked. He looked a bit tired and bored.

I had a moment of panic. Nyssa had said there were several traps like this in the woods, and they were planning more. What if the dragon had already stepped into another one? How could we possibly find them all?

"We have to look for traps like this one. Maybe the dragon set one off." I told Wyatt.

He nodded, "Alright, lead the way then."

I continued to search the net, but I didn't see any release mechanism. No large button labeled off. It occurred to me that there might not be one. I started to panic—and then I heard the sound.

It was more of a tremor—the deep sort of rumbling you hear in your gut rather than your ears. It gave me the jitters, but I didn't look around for the source. I just kept examining the trap, thinking, Must be a long way off. It's pounding its way through the woods. I gotta hurry.

I checked on Wyatt, he was on gaurd, "Hurry it up, I don't want have to take you back without your ride." He said and looked left and right.

"I know! I know!" I exclaimed and kept looking for something that might be a release mechanism somewhere on this thing.

I was feeling a little hopeful since Wyatt was here, but then I heard a grinding snort, like steam forced out of a metal barrel. Dammit, I kind of thought we had more time.

I turned my head slowly to see two red eyes staring at Wyatt, no. Not at Wyatt, the thing in his hand, fire. I realized I had some too, so I extinguished the flames. Wyatt did the same, even without the fire, I could see the dragon fine.

It was about sixty feet long, snout to tail, its body made of interlocking bronze plates. Its claws were the size of butcher knives, and its mouth was lined with hundreds of dagger-sharp metal teeth. Steam came out of its nostrils. It snarled like a chain saw cutting through a tree. It could've bitten me in half, easy, or stomped me flat. Either way it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, except for one problem that completely ruined my plan.

"You don't have wings," I said.

Wyatt looked back at me, "Seriously!?"

The dragon seemed to be thinking the same thing, it tilted its head, like asking us why aren't we running away in terror. Easy answer, the god of mortals is with me and I'm not scared of it.

Damn this dragon is awesome! I examined it more, "You're amazing! Good god, who made you? Are you hydraulic or nuclear-powered or what? But if it was me, I would've put wings on you. What kind of dragon doesn't have wings? I guess maybe you're too heavy to fly? I should've thought of that."

Wyatt backed up to me and asked, "Does you plan involve that trap the dragon's about to walk into?"

I shook my head, "No."

The dragon inched forward, Dammit, "No!" I shouted. The dragon snarled again.

"It's a trap, bronze brain," I said. "They're trying to catch you." Wyatt chuckled but then shut up, "Sorry."

The dragon opened its mouth and blew fire. A column of white-hot flames billowed over me and Wyatt, this is more than I ever tried to endure before. I felt as if I were being hosed down with a powerful, very hot fire hose. It stung a little, but I stood my ground. When the flames died, I was perfectly fine. Even my clothes were okay, which I didn't understand, but for which I was grateful. I really liked my army jacket, and having my pants seared off would've been pretty embarrassing. Especially since Wyatt is here, plus I didn't want to go back to camp looking like that.

Wyatt looked over to me, he seemed to be in disbelief, like he couldn't believe someone else could survive a fire blast like that.

I grinned, "Like I've told you, we're not so different, you and I."

I'm going to try and add three chapters for each person, maybe a little more for Wyatt, but other than that, everyone will get some chapters, meaning this will continue all the way to the blood of Olympus. I have one more day before I go camping, so I'll try to get another chapter up tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

Rilurz~