***Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed or added this story to their follows/favorites! Here is Chapter 14, from Leo's POV, which is seriously fun to write. Chapter 15, from Frank's POV, will be up by Monday, April 28.***

XIV. LEO

Once again, Leo made the mistake of being simply too good. He should have learned his lesson in Rome when he'd discovered the lock and tunnel in the Pantheon. Now, he was stuck behind an invisible barrier, completely cut off from his friends. And, not to sound like a wimp, but he really didn't want to go down the creepy new tunnel of doom by himself.

As it turned out, he didn't have to. Piper and Annabeth both passed through the barrier as if it wasn't there. Unfortunately, like Leo, neither of them could get out again.

"Is this another test?" Leo asked, pushing with all his weight against the barrier, which did nothing. "Because if so, I think we're failing."

"Of course!" Annabeth said suddenly. "It is a test. This was another part of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Only Greeks can go into the temple."

"But I'm Greek," Percy protested. "Why can't I get through the barrier?"

"It's the tattoo," Annabeth said. "The barrier won't let someone pass with a Roman tattoo."

"Oh." Percy looked like he'd been smacked between the eyes. "Okay. I—I guess that makes sense."

"Good thing you two have the chest and the basket," Frank said to Piper and Annabeth.

"Yeah, that's lucky," Leo said. He caught Jason's eye and knew they were thinking the same thing—that maybe it wasn't luck, maybe, like with the cornucopia, someone was pulling the strings. But whether it was Hera or Gaea, Leo decided he didn't like being manipulated.

"We'll wait for you guys here," Jason said.

"Thanks for worrying about me, bro," Leo said, grinning. Jason rolled his eyes.

"There's no point in all of you staying, though," Piper said. "We could be gone a while. Someone should check on the ship."

Hazel glanced over her shoulder toward the bay where the Argo II was anchored. "Why don't Frank and I go check on the ship? We can make sure it's ready to go in case we need to make a quick getaway. Then Percy and Jason can stay here and wait for you guys to come back."

"That works," Percy said. Frank nodded in agreement.

"Alright, fire guy," Piper said to Leo. "Lead the way."

"Yes, ma'am." Leo summoned a handful of fire for light, then ducked through the jagged entrance and into the tunnel.

Leo's fire could only do so much. It was bright enough to see, but not bright enough to see very far, and without Hazel's flawless underground senses, Leo kept running into the walls every time the tunnel twisted and turned. Which it did every few feet.

"Can we just get to the end already?" he muttered.

As if the tunnel were saying, "Well, you asked for it, buddy," when Leo came around the next curve, he saw a rectangular doorway straight ahead. He extinguished the fire in his hand as they crept closer to the door. There was a low rasp as Piper and Annabeth drew their swords. Leo patted his toolbelt, which was still securely fastened at his waist, then moved cautiously into the doorway until he could look out and see—nothing.

The tunnel opened into a small, rounded room, almost like a grotto. In the center of the room was a stone altar with two torches in heavy-looking candle holders on either side. That was it.

"Huh," Leo said. "That's anti-climactic."

"Don't complain," Piper said as the three of them walked towards the altar. "I was expecting a monster."

"Then you're in luck," a cold voice said.

The woman was standing in front of the doorway they had just come through, blocking their only escape route. She was wearing a long, silver dress and a matching veil that hid her face. The effect creeped Leo out; she looked like a faceless ghost. Then, she raised her veil and Annabeth gasped.

"You recognize me?" The woman was clearly a goddess, she was beautiful, but her eyes were as cold and hard as diamonds. Leo had absolutely no idea who she was, but Annabeth seemed to understand.

"You look like them," Annabeth said.

"Like who?" the goddess hissed, her eyes turning frostbite cold. "Say their names."

From her tone of voice, Leo didn't think saying these names sounded like a great idea, but Annabeth said, "Artemis and Apollo. Your children. You're Leto."

"My children," Leto said. "Nasty, ungrateful brats who did nothing to stop Hera from torturing me. But Gaea has promised me revenge on Zeus's queen. And on Zeus himself, for abandoning me."

"Koios recruited you," Annabeth said. Her voice shook, but her sword was steady as she raised it. "We heard him in Tartarus, saying you would join the fight against the gods."

"And my father was correct," Leto said. "But first, Gaea has asked me to prevent you from taking Demeter's weapon. As spiteful Hera was the one who arranged your little quest, I informed the earth mother that I would be happy to destroy you."

"That's a little harsh," Leo said.

"You would fight against your own children?" Piper asked. "That's horrible!"

Leto's eyes widened and Leo saw the spark of insanity in them. Her voice was dangerously soft as she said, "Horrible? You want to talk to me about horrible? Hera cursed me because I was loved by Zeus. She forbade me from having my children anywhere on the earth. It was only when I found the floating island of Delos that my children were able to be born. I have suffered, demigods. Because of Hera. But have my children ever taken revenge on that wretched goddess? No. They sit in council with her on Olympus. They care nothing for the pain of their mother. So I will care nothing for their pain when Gaea destroys Olympus forever."

"You should win an award," Leo said. "Most Cheerful Goddess."

Leto hissed like an angry cat. "I am not a goddess, fool. I am a Titan. And you are about to die."

She raised her hands and two giant scorpions appeared on either side of her. Their barbed tails curved over their backs, dripping poison that sizzled against the stone floor. Leo decided he didn't want to be stung by one of those things.

"I would love to watch you die painfully," Leto said, "but I have business elsewhere. And remember, demigods, when you reach the Underworld, it is Hera who is to blame for your demise." And on that happy note, she disappeared in a flash of silver light.

"We've trained for this," Annabeth said. Her voice was calm, which was not the emotion Leo was experiencing as the ten-foot-long scorpions advanced on them. "We can handle these things. Leo, distract one. I'll distract the other and Piper, you sneak around and cut off their tails. That will take away their main weapon and then we should be able to kill them."

The scorpions darted forward. Leo and Annabeth dove out of the way as Piper dodged between the monsters. Leo couldn't believe the scorpions didn't turn on her, but apparently they weren't very smart. One went after Annabeth and the other came after Leo. He backed away slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on the scorpion's beady black eyes and watching its barbed stinger in his peripheral vision.

"Nice scorpion," he said softly. Slowly, he reached into his toolbelt. Immediately, the tool he wanted was in his hand. Leo clutched the glass bottle; he would only get one shot at this. "You're from the desert, you like heat, right? Try this!"

Leo threw the glass bottle of gasoline at the scorpion and immediately rolled to the side as the tail struck right where he had been standing, leaving a three-foot-deep crater in the floor. The glass shattered, spilling gasoline all over the floor beneath the scorpion and soaking its underbelly. Leo quickly shot a couple fireballs from his hands and the gas ignited. The scorpion gave a high-pitched squeal as the flames engulfed it, then it exploded into fiery chunks of monster dust.

"Ugh," Leo said, brushing the burning dust off his arms and shirt. The flames were already dying as the gasoline was used up. He heard a shout and turned just in time to see Annabeth duck and plunge her sword into the other scorpion as Piper cut off its tail. That scorpion, too, burst into golden dust.

Leo walked over to the girls. "Leto's going to be disappointed."

Annabeth snorted. "If she really wanted us dead, she should have stuck around to make sure the scorpions killed us."

"Glad she didn't, though," Leo said.

"This," Piper said, wiping monster dust off her sword before sheathing it, "has been a very long day."

"It has," Annabeth agreed. She frowned. "Actually, it really has. We got to the ruins about eight this morning, right?"

"Yeah," Leo said. "And?"

"Well, when we got back out on the hill, it looked like late afternoon. We weren't in the tunnels that long."

"Time moves differently in magical places, though," Piper pointed out. "And even if we spend all day in Eleusis, it's only July 23rd. We still have plenty of time to get to Athens."

"Which is only about fifteen miles away," Leo added.

"Yeah," Annabeth said, though she still looked uneasy, "yeah, you're right."

"Let's check out this altar," Piper said.

The three of them approached the altar. It was a long, low marble slab, carved with a frieze that depicted Demeter doing things like teaching a guy Leo assumed was Triptolemus (the dude Frank, Hazel, and Nico met in Venice) how to farm properly and searching for her daughter, Persephone, when she was kidnapped by Hades. The torches set in the metal holders on either side of the altar were shaped like ears of corn, which Leo thought was an odd choice. But then, he wasn't big into farming.

Piper had taken the kalathos basket out of her bag and was holding it uncertainly. "Should we set these on the altar?"

"I guess," Annabeth said. She got out the kiste chest. Together, she and Piper placed them on the altar.

And nothing happened.

"Okay," Leo said. "What's Plan B?"

"Helen said we should wait to open these until we were in front of Demeter's altar," Piper said. "We're in front of the altar now. Maybe we should open them."

"This isn't going to be like Raiders of the Lost Ark, is it?" Leo asked. "You know, we open these boxes and golden light comes out and melts our faces?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. "Let's hope not."

"On three," Piper said. "One—two—three."

She and Annabeth flipped open the containers and all three of them instinctively cringed. Fortunately, no face-melting light came out, but when he looked into the boxes, Leo was a little let down. The kiste chest contained some small, random looking objects, while the kalathos basket was empty.

"Maybe we should light the torches," Annabeth suggested. "We could use the extra light to see if there's a clue about what to do next on the frieze or something."

"Oh, I wouldn't recommend that," a new voice said.

Leo, Piper, and Annabeth whipped around as another woman appeared from the tunnel doorway. But this woman was wearing a golden dress and had dark hair piled on top of her head and held in place with wheat stalks.

"Demeter," Annabeth said.

"Indeed." The goddess smiled as she approached them. "You have done well to retrieve my kiste and kalathos. It has been far too long since they have sat upon my altar here. Now, the only thing left to do is move the objects from the chest into the basket. When you have done that, you will unlock the weapon."

"That's all we have to do?" Leo asked incredulously.

"You've passed my tests," Demeter said. "The hard part is over. Now, daughter of Athena, you first."

Annabeth reached her hand into the chest and pulled out a golden snake, which formed a circle because it was swallowing its own tail. "The Ouroboros. It represents immortality and rejuvenation."

Demeter nodded. "Correct. Much like plants, which grow and die and leave behind their seeds to grow again." Annabeth placed the snake into the basket and Demeter looked at Leo. "You next, son of Hephaestus."
Leo stuck his hand in the chest and pulled out the first thing he touched, which was a small, speckled egg. "Is this a 'which came first, the chicken or the egg' thing?"

"Actually, yes." Demeter raised her eyebrows, looking impressed. "The egg, like the Ouroboros, is a symbol of rejuvenation and continuation."

"Cool," Leo said, setting the egg gently in the basket, in the center of the serpent ring.

"Now you, daughter of Aphrodite," Demeter said.

Piper pulled a much stranger object than a snake or an egg from the chest.

Leo cleared his throat. "Okay, that looks like—you know what, I'm actually not going to say what body part that looks like."

"Please don't," Piper said. Her face was bright red as she quickly transferred the object into the basket with the serpent and the egg.

"These are all symbols of fertility and longevity, children," Demeter said calmly. "No reason to be embarrassed."

"I disagree," Leo muttered.

"And the final items." Demeter gestured to Annabeth.

Looking a little nervous now, Annabeth reached into the chest again. She frowned. After a moment, she lifted her closed fist from the basket. She opened her hand to reveal six small seeds. "Pomegranate seeds?" Annabeth asked. "To represent Persephone?"
Demeter's face puckered like she'd just bitten into a lemon. "To remind me of the months when my daughter is kept locked away from me in the Underworld. But also to remind me of the time when she will return and the flowers will grow again."

Annabeth tipped the seeds into the basket. Piper closed the lid.

"Now what?" Leo asked.

"Now," Demeter said, "you may take the torches."

Leo thought he had misheard her. "That's the great weapon? Corn-cob shaped torches?"

"Impressive, aren't they?" Demeter said, completely serious. "With these, you will strike fear into the hearts of Gaea and her giants."

Or they'll die from laughing at us, Leo thought, but he wisely kept his mouth shut as Piper and Annabeth each plucked one of the torches out of the candle holders.

"Thank you, my lady," Annabeth said. She zipped the torch into her backpack and Piper followed suit.

"You are welcome. But be warned, they will only work once. Do not light them until the end."

"How will we know it's the end?" Piper asked.

Demeter looked at her solemnly. "Because you will be out of all other options."

Leo gulped. Piper and Annabeth looked pale. "That sounds promising," Leo said.

"Don't give up," Demeter told them. "There is still time to stop Gaea and her sons. But you must work together." Suddenly, her form changed. A wreath of gold leaves appeared in her hair and her dress changed to white with a golden belt—Leo realized this must be her appearance as Ceres, her Roman form. The goddess pressed her fingertips to her head and then resumed her original form, with the gold dress and wheat stalks in her dark hair. "I have spent too much time here. I must return to Olympus. But I can give you one final warning: Be careful when you exit the tunnel. You won't like what you find on the other end. Farewell, demigods. And good luck."

They averted their eyes as Demeter disappeared in a flash of light.

"What does she mean we won't like what we find on the other end?" Leo asked.

"I don't know," Annabeth said. "But we need to get back to the others now."

Without another word, the three of them ran for the tunnel, making their way back through the darkness as quickly as they could, terrified of what they might find when the tunnel ended.