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Chapter no 7 – LEO

The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus #3)

โ€Œโ€œWho is Aunt Rosa?โ€ Hazel asked.โ€Œ

Leo didnโ€™t want to talk about her. Nemesisโ€™s words were still buzzing in his ears. His tool belt seemed heavier since heโ€™d put the cookie in thereโ€” which was impossible. Its pockets could carry anything without adding extra weight. Even the most fragile things would never break. Still, Leo imagined he could feel it in there, dragging him down, waiting to be cracked open.

โ€œLong story,โ€ he said. โ€œShe abandoned me after my mom died, gave me to foster care.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m sorry.โ€

โ€œYeah, wellโ€ฆโ€ Leo was anxious to change the subject. โ€œWhat about you?

What Nemesis said about your brother?โ€

Hazel blinked like sheโ€™d gotten salt in her eyes. โ€œNicoโ€ฆhe 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 Nicoโ€™s in dangerโ€ฆIย haveย to help him.โ€

โ€œSure,โ€ Leo said, though the idea made him uneasy. He doubted the revenge goddess ever gave advice out of the goodness of her heart. โ€œAnd what Nemesis said about your brother having six days to live, and Rome getting destroyedโ€ฆany idea what she meant?โ€

โ€œNone,โ€ Hazel admitted. โ€œBut Iโ€™m afraidโ€ฆโ€

Whatever she was thinking, she decided not to share it. 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.

Hazelโ€™s eyes glittered like gold.

Gold is easy,ย sheโ€™d said. It didnโ€™t seem that way to Leoโ€”not when he looked at her. He wondered who Sammy was. Leo had a nagging suspicion that heย shouldย know, but he just couldnโ€™t place the name. Whoever he was, he was lucky if Hazel cared for him.

โ€œUm, thanks.โ€ He let go of her hand, but they were still standing so close, he could feel the warmth of her breath. Sheย definitelyย didnโ€™t seem like a dead person.

โ€œWhen we were talking to Nemesis,โ€ Hazel said uneasily, โ€œyour handsโ€ฆI saw flames.โ€

โ€œYeah,โ€ he said. โ€œItโ€™s a Hephaestus power. Usually I can keep it under control.โ€

โ€œOh.โ€ She put one hand protectively on her denim shirt, like she was about to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Leo got the feeling she wanted to back away from him, but the boulder was too small.

Great, he thought. Another person who thinks Iโ€™m a scary freak.

He gazed across the island. The opposite shore was only a few hundred yards away. Between here and there were dunes and clumps of boulders, but nothing that looked like a reflecting pool.

You will always be the outsider,ย Nemesis had told him,ย the seventh wheel.

You will not find a place among your brethren.

She might as well have poured acid in his ears. Leo didnโ€™t need anybody to tell him he was odd man out. Heโ€™d spent months alone in Bunker 9 at Camp Half-Blood, working on his ship while his friends trained together and shared meals and played capture-the-flag for fun and prizes. Even his two best friends, Piper and Jason, often treated him like an outsider. Since theyโ€™d started dating, their idea of โ€œquality timeโ€ didnโ€™t include Leo. His only other friend, Festus the dragon, had been reduced to a figurehead when his control disk had gotten destroyed on their last adventure. Leo didnโ€™t have the technical skill to repair it.

The seventh wheel.ย Leo had heard of a fifth wheelโ€”an extra, useless piece of equipment. He figured a seventh wheel was worse.

Heโ€™d thought maybe this quest would be a fresh start for him. All his hard work on theย Argo IIย would pay off. Heโ€™d have six good friends who would admire and appreciate him, and theyโ€™d go sailing off into the sunrise to fight giants. Maybe, Leo secretly hoped, heโ€™d even find a girlfriend.

Do the math,ย he chided himself.

Nemesis was right. He might be part of a group of seven, but he was still isolated. He had fired on the Romans and brought his friends nothing but trouble.ย You will not find a place among your brethren.

โ€œLeo?โ€ Hazel asked gently. โ€œYou canโ€™t take what Nemesis said to heart.โ€ He frowned. โ€œWhat if itโ€™s true?โ€

โ€œSheโ€™s the goddess of revenge,โ€ Hazel reminded him. โ€œMaybe sheโ€™s on our side, maybe not; but she exists to stir up resentment.โ€

Leo wished he could dismiss his feelings that easily. He couldnโ€™t. Still, it wasnโ€™t Hazelโ€™s fault.

โ€œWe should keep going,โ€ he said. โ€œI wonder what Nemesis meant about finishing before dark.โ€

Hazel glanced at the sun, which was just touching the horizon. โ€œAnd who is theย cursed boyย she mentioned?โ€

Below them, a voice said, โ€œCursed boy she mentioned.โ€

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 dress was a Greek-style tunic the same color as the rocks. Her wispy hair was somewhere between brown and blond and gray, so it blended with the dry grass. She wasnโ€™t invisible, exactly, but she was almost perfectly camouflaged until she moved. Even then, Leo had trouble focusing on her. Her face was pretty but not memorable. In fact, each time Leo blinked, he couldnโ€™t remember what she looked like, and he had to concentrate to find her again.

โ€œHello,โ€ Hazel said. โ€œWho are you?โ€

โ€œWho are you?โ€ the girl answered. Her voice sounded weary, like she was tired of answering that question.

Hazel and Leo exchanged looks. With this demigod gig, you never knew what youโ€™d run into. Nine times out of ten, it wasnโ€™t good. A ninja girl

camouflaged in earth tones didnโ€™t strike Leo as something he wanted to deal with just then.

โ€œAre you the cursed kid Nemesis mentioned?โ€ Leo asked. โ€œBut youโ€™re a girl.โ€

โ€œYouโ€™re a girl,โ€ said the girl. โ€œExcuse me?โ€ Leo said.

โ€œExcuse me,โ€ the girl said miserably.

โ€œYouโ€™re repeatingโ€ฆโ€ Leo stopped. โ€œOh. Hold it. Hazel, wasnโ€™t there some myth about a girl who repeated everythingโ€”?โ€

โ€œEcho,โ€ Hazel said.

โ€œEcho,โ€ the girl agreed. She shifted, her dress changing with the landscape. Her eyes were the color of the salt water. Leo tried to home in on her features, but he couldnโ€™t.

โ€œI donโ€™t remember the myth,โ€ he admitted. โ€œYou were cursed to repeat the last thing you heard?โ€

โ€œYou heard,โ€ Echo said.

โ€œPoor thing,โ€ Hazel said. โ€œIf I remember right, a goddess did this?โ€ โ€œA goddess did this,โ€ Echo confirmed.

Leo scratched his head. โ€œBut wasnโ€™t that thousands of yearsโ€ฆoh. Youโ€™re one of the mortals who came back through the Doors of Death. I really wish we could stop running into dead people.โ€

โ€œDead people,โ€ Echo said, like she was chastising him. He realized Hazel was staring at her feet. โ€œUhโ€ฆsorry,โ€ he muttered. โ€œI didnโ€™t mean it that way.โ€

โ€œThat way.โ€ Echo pointed toward the far shore of the island.

โ€œYou want to show us something?โ€ Hazel asked. She climbed down the boulder, and Leo followed.

Even up close, Echo was hard to see. In fact, she seemed to get more invisible the longer he looked at her.

โ€œYou sure youโ€™re real?โ€ he asked. โ€œI meanโ€ฆflesh and blood?โ€

โ€œFlesh and blood.โ€ She touched Leoโ€™s face and made him flinch. Her fingers were warm.

โ€œSoโ€ฆyou have to repeat everything?โ€ he asked. โ€œEverything.โ€

Leo couldnโ€™t help smiling. โ€œThat could be fun.โ€ โ€œFun,โ€ she said unhappily.

โ€œBlue elephants.โ€ โ€œBlue elephants.โ€ โ€œKiss me, you fool.โ€ โ€œYou fool.โ€

โ€œHey!โ€

โ€œHey!โ€

โ€œLeo,โ€ Hazel pleaded, โ€œdonโ€™t tease her.โ€ โ€œDonโ€™t tease her,โ€ Echo agreed.

โ€œOkay, okay,โ€ Leo said, though he had to resist the urge. It wasnโ€™t every day he met somebody with a built-in talkback feature. โ€œSo what were you pointing at? Do you need our help?โ€

โ€œHelp,โ€ Echo agreed emphatically. She gestured for them to follow and sprinted down the slope. Leo could only follow her progress by the movement of the grass and the shimmer of her dress as it changed to match the rocks.

โ€œWeโ€™d better hurry,โ€ Hazel said. โ€œOr weโ€™ll lose her.โ€

They found the problemโ€”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 waterโ€™s edge were several dozen nymphs. At least, Leo guessed they were nymphs. Like the ones at Camp Half-Blood, these wore gossamer dresses. Their feet were bare. They had elfish features, and their skin had a slightly greenish tinge.

Leo didnโ€™t understand what they were doing, but they were all crowded together in one spot, facing the pond and jostling for a better view. Several held up phone cameras, trying to get a shot over the heads of the others. Leo had never seen nymphs with phones. He wondered if they were looking at a dead body. If so, why were they bouncing up and down and giggling so excitedly?

โ€œWhat are they looking at?โ€ Leo wondered. โ€œLooking at,โ€ Echo sighed.

โ€œOne way to find out.โ€ Hazel marched forward and began nudging her way through the crowd. โ€œExcuse us. Pardon me.โ€

โ€œHey!โ€ one nymph complained. โ€œWe were here first!โ€ โ€œYeah,โ€ another sniffed. โ€œHe wonโ€™t be interested inย you.โ€

The second nymph had large red hearts painted on her cheeks. Over her dress, she wore a T-shirt that read:ย OMG, I <3 N!!!!

โ€œUh, demigod business,โ€ Leo said, trying to sound official. โ€œMake room.

Thanks.โ€

The nymphs grumbled, but they parted to reveal a young man kneeling at the edge of the pond, gazing intently at the water.

Leo usually didnโ€™t pay much attention to how other guys looked. He supposed that came from hanging around Jasonโ€”tall, blond, rugged, and basically everything Leo could never be. Leo was used to not being noticed by girls. At least, he knew heโ€™d never get a girl by his looks. He hoped his personality and sense of humor would do that someday, though it definitely hadnโ€™t worked yet.

At any rate, Leo couldnโ€™t miss the fact that the guy at the pond was one super good-looking dude. He had a chiseled face with lips and eyes that were somewhere between feminine beautiful and masculine handsome. Dark hair swept over his brow. He mightโ€™ve been seventeen or twenty, it was hard to say, but he was built like a dancerโ€”with long graceful arms and muscular legs, perfect posture and an air of regal calm. He wore a simple white T-shirt and jeans, with a bow and quiver strapped to his back. The weapons obviously hadnโ€™t been used in a while. The arrows were covered in dust. A spider had woven a web in the top of the bow.

As Leo edged closer, he realized the guyโ€™s face was unusually golden. In the sunset, the light was bouncing off a large flat sheet of Celestial bronze that lay at the bottom of the pond, washing Mr. Handsomeโ€™s features in a warm glow.

The guy seemed fascinated with his reflection in the metal. Hazel inhaled sharply. โ€œHeโ€™s gorgeous.โ€

Around her, the nymphs squealed and clapped in agreement.

โ€œI am,โ€ the young man murmured dreamily, his gaze still fixed on the water. โ€œI amย soย gorgeous.โ€

One of the nymphs showed her iPhone screen. โ€œHis latest YouTube video got a million hits in like, anย hour. I think I was half of those!โ€

The other nymphs giggled.

โ€œYouTube video?โ€ Leo asked. โ€œWhat does he do in the video, sing?โ€

โ€œNo, silly!โ€ the nymph chided. โ€œHe used to be a prince, and a wonderful hunter and stuff. But that doesnโ€™t matter. Now he justโ€ฆwell, look!โ€ She showed Leo the video. It was exactly what they were seeing in real lifeโ€”the guy staring at himself in the pond.

โ€œHe is sooooo hot!โ€ said another girl. Her T-shirt read:ย MRS. NARCISSUS. โ€œNarcissus?โ€ Leo asked.

โ€œNarcissus,โ€ Echo agreed sadly.

Leo had forgotten Echo was there. Apparently none of the nymphs had noticed her either.

โ€œOh, notย youย again!โ€ Mrs. Narcissus tried to push Echo away, but she misjudged where the camouflaged girl was and ended up shoving several other nymphs.

โ€œYou had your chance, Echo!โ€ said the nymph with the iPhone. โ€œHe dumped you four thousand years ago! You areย soย not good enough for him.โ€

โ€œFor him,โ€ Echo said bitterly.

โ€œWait.โ€ Hazel clearly had trouble tearing her eyes away from the handsome guy, but she managed it. โ€œWhatโ€™s going on here? Why did Echo bring us here?โ€

One nymph rolled her eyes. She was holding an autograph pen and a crumpled poster of Narcissus. โ€œEcho was a nymph like us, a long time ago, but she was a total chatterbox! Gossiping, blah, blah, blah, all the time.โ€

โ€œI know!โ€ another nymph shrieked. โ€œLike, who could stand that? Just the other day, I told Cleopeiaโ€”you know she lives in the boulder next to me?โ€”I said:ย Stop gossiping or youโ€™ll end up like Echo.ย Cleopeia is such a big mouth! Did you hear what she said about that cloud nymph and the satyr?โ€

โ€œTotally!โ€ said the nymph with the poster. โ€œSo anyway, as punishment for blabbing, Hera cursed Echo so she could only repeat things, which wasย fineย with us. But then Echo fell in love with our gorgeous guy, Narcissusโ€”as if he would ever notice her.โ€

โ€œAs if!โ€ said half a dozen others.

โ€œNow sheโ€™s got some weird idea he needs saving,โ€ said Mrs. Narcissus. โ€œShe should just go away.โ€

โ€œGo away,โ€ Echo growled back.

โ€œIโ€™mย soย glad Narcissus is alive again,โ€ said another nymph in a gray dress. She had the wordsย NARCISSUS + LAIEAย written up and down her arms in black marker. โ€œHeโ€™s likeย the best! And heโ€™s inย myย territory.โ€

โ€œOh, stop it, Laiea,โ€ her friend said. โ€œIโ€™mย the pond nymph. Youโ€™re just the rock nymph.โ€

โ€œWell, Iโ€™m the grass nymph,โ€ another protested.

โ€œNo, he obviously came here because he likes the wildflowers!โ€ another said. โ€œThose are mine!โ€

The whole mob began arguing while Narcissus stared at the lake, ignoring them.

โ€œHold it!โ€ Leo yelled. โ€œLadies, hold it! I need to ask Narcissus something.โ€

Slowly the nymphs settled down and went back to taking pictures. Leo knelt next to the handsome dude. โ€œSo, Narcissus. Whatโ€™s up?โ€

โ€œCould you move?โ€ Narcissus asked distractedly. โ€œYouโ€™re ruining the view.โ€

Leo looked in the water. His own reflection rippled next to Narcissusโ€™s on the surface of the submerged bronze. Leo didnโ€™t have any desire to stare at himself. Compared to Narcissus, he looked like an undergrown troll. But there was no doubt the metal was a sheet of hammered Celestial bronze, roughly circular, about five feet in diameter.

What it was doing in this pond, Leo wasnโ€™t sure. Celestial bronze fell to earth in odd places. Heโ€™d heard that most pieces were cast off from his dadโ€™s various workshops. Hephaestus would lose his temper when projects didnโ€™t work out, and heโ€™d toss his scraps into the mortal world. This piece looked like it might have been meant as a shield for a god, but it hadnโ€™t turned out properly. If Leo could get it back to the ship, it would be just enough bronze for his repairs.

โ€œRight, great view,โ€ Leo said. โ€œHappy to move, but if youโ€™re not using it, could I just take that sheet of bronze?โ€

โ€œNo,โ€ Narcissus said. โ€œI love him. Heโ€™s so gorgeous.โ€

Leo looked around to see if the nymphs were laughing. Thisย hadย to be a huge joke. But they were swooning and nodding in agreement. Only Hazel

seemed appalled. She wrinkled her nose as if sheโ€™d come to the conclusion that Narcissus smelled worse than he looked.

โ€œMan,โ€ Leo said to Narcissus. โ€œYouย doย realize that youโ€™re looking at

yourselfย in the water, right?โ€

โ€œI am so great,โ€ Narcissus sighed. He stretched out a hand longingly to touch the water, but held back. โ€œNo, I canโ€™t make ripples. That ruins the image. Wowโ€ฆI amย soย great.โ€

โ€œYeah,โ€ Leo muttered. โ€œBut if I took the bronze, you could still see yourself in the water. Or hereโ€ฆโ€ He reached in his tool belt and pulled out a simple mirror the size of a monocle. โ€œIโ€™ll trade you.โ€

Narcissus took the mirror, reluctantly, and admired himself. โ€œEvenย youย carry a picture of me? I donโ€™t blame you. I am gorgeous. Thank you.โ€ He set the mirror down and returned his attention to the pond. โ€œBut I already have a much better image. The color flatters me, donโ€™t you think?โ€

โ€œOh, gods, yes!โ€ a nymph screamed. โ€œMarry me, Narcissus!โ€ โ€œNo, me!โ€ another cried. โ€œWould you sign my poster?โ€

โ€œNo, sign my shirt!โ€ โ€œNo, sign my forehead!โ€ โ€œNo, sign myโ€”โ€

โ€œStop it!โ€ Hazel snapped. โ€œStop it,โ€ Echo agreed.

Leo had lost sight of Echo again, but now he realized she was kneeling on the other side of Narcissus, waving her hand in front of his face as if trying to break his concentration. Narcissus didnโ€™t even blink.

The nymph fan club tried to shove Hazel out of the way, but she drew her cavalry sword and forced them back. โ€œSnap out of it!โ€ she yelled.

โ€œHe wonโ€™t sign your sword,โ€ the poster nymph complained.

โ€œHe wonโ€™t marry you,โ€ said the iPhone girl. โ€œAnd you canโ€™t take his bronze mirror! Thatโ€™s whatย keepsย him here!โ€

โ€œYouโ€™re all ridiculous,โ€ Hazel said. โ€œHeโ€™s soย fullย of himself! How can you possibly like him?โ€

โ€œLike him,โ€ Echo sighed, still waving her hand in front of his face. The others sighed along with her.

โ€œI am so hot,โ€ Narcissus said sympathetically.

โ€œNarcissus, listen.โ€ Hazel kept her sword at the ready. โ€œEcho brought us here to help you. Didnโ€™t you, Echo?โ€

โ€œEcho,โ€ said Echo. โ€œWho?โ€ Narcissus said.

โ€œThe only girl who cares what happens to you, apparently,โ€ Hazel said. โ€œDo you remember dying?โ€

Narcissus frowned. โ€œIโ€ฆno. That canโ€™t be right. I am much too important to die.โ€

โ€œYou died staring at yourself,โ€ Hazel insisted. โ€œI remember the story now. Nemesis was the goddess who cursed you, because you broke so many hearts. Your punishment was to fall in love with your own reflection.โ€

โ€œI love me so, so much,โ€ Narcissus agreed.

โ€œYou finally died,โ€ Hazel continued. โ€œI donโ€™t know which version of the story is true. You either drowned yourself or turned into a flower hanging over the water orโ€”Echo, which is it?โ€

โ€œWhich is it?โ€ she said hopelessly.

Leo stood. โ€œIt doesnโ€™t matter. The point is youโ€™re alive again, man. You have a second chance. Thatโ€™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.โ€

โ€œStay here!โ€ all the nymphs screamed.

โ€œMarry me before you die!โ€ another squeaked.

Narcissus shook his head. โ€œYou just want my reflection. I donโ€™t blame you, but you canโ€™t have it. I belong to me.โ€

Hazel sighed in exasperation. She glanced at the sun, which was sinking fast. Then she gestured with her sword toward the edge of the crater. โ€œLeo, could we talk for a minute?โ€

โ€œExcuse us,โ€ Leo told Narcissus. โ€œEcho, want to come with?โ€ โ€œCome with,โ€ Echo confirmed.

The nymphs clustered around Narcissus again and began recording new videos and taking more photos.

Hazel led the way until they were out of earshot. โ€œNemesis was right,โ€ she said. โ€œSome demigods canโ€™t change their nature. Narcissus is going to stay there until he dies again.โ€

โ€œNo,โ€ Leo said. โ€œNo,โ€ Echo agreed.

โ€œWe need that bronze,โ€ Leo said. โ€œIf we take it away, it might give Narcissus a reason to snap out of it. Echo could have a chance to save him.โ€

โ€œA chance to save him,โ€ Echo said gratefully.

Hazel stabbed her sword in the sand. โ€œIt could also make several dozen nymphs very angry with us,โ€ she said. โ€œAnd Narcissus might still know how to shoot his bow.โ€

Leo pondered that. The sun was just about down. Nemesis had mentioned that Narcissus got agitated after dark, probably because he couldnโ€™t see his reflection anymore. Leo didnโ€™t want to stick around long enough to find out what the goddess meant byย agitated. Heโ€™d also had experience with mobs of crazed nymphs. He wasnโ€™t anxious to repeat that.

โ€œHazel,โ€ he said, โ€œyour power with precious metalโ€” Can you just detect it, or can you actually summon it to you?โ€

She frowned. โ€œSometimes I can summon it. Iโ€™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 Iโ€™d have to be fairly close. It would take a lot of concentration, and it wouldnโ€™t be fast.โ€

โ€œBe fast,โ€ Echo warned.

Leo cursed. He had hoped they could just go back to the ship, and Hazel could teleport the Celestial bronze from a safe distance.

โ€œAll right,โ€ he said. โ€œWeโ€™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.โ€

โ€œBut Narcissus is looking at it all the time,โ€ she said. โ€œAll the time,โ€ Echo echoed.

โ€œThatโ€™ll be my job,โ€ Leo said, hating his own plan already. โ€œEcho and I will cause a distraction.โ€

โ€œDistraction?โ€ Echo asked.

โ€œIโ€™ll explain,โ€ Leo promised. โ€œAre you willing?โ€ โ€œWilling,โ€ Echo said.

โ€œGreat,โ€ Leo said. โ€œNow, letโ€™s hope we donโ€™t die.โ€

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