S T A R   W A R S

C H A P T E R   T E N

( welcome to rome )

⟶⭑🌣⭑⟵

          IT TOOK THEM longer than they all expected. As they worked, Percy kept glancing at the sea, waiting for Chrysaor and his pirate dolphins to return, but they didn't. Aurora was very glad to see that monster get sent away to who knows where.

Leo got back on his feet, thanks to a little nectar. Aurora, with her healing magic, tended to Jason's wounds, but he wasn't as badly hurt as he looked. Mostly he was just ashamed that he'd gotten overpowered again, which Aurora eased by making a joke about the amount of times he'd been hit over the head in his life.

They returned all their own supplies to their proper places and tidied up from the invasion while Coach Hedge had a field day on the enemy ship, breaking everything he could find with his baseball bat.

When he was done, Percy loaded the enemy's weapons back on the pirate ship. According to him, their storeroom was stocked with treasure that Percy didn't even bother touching.

"I can sense about six million dollars' worth of gold aboard," Hazel said. "Plus diamonds, rubies—"

"Six m-million?" Frank stammered. "Canadian dollars or American?"

"Leave it," Percy said. "It's part of the tribute."

"Tribute?" Hazel asked.

"Oh." It clicked in Aurora's head. "Kansas."

Jason grinned. He'd been there too when they'd met the wine god, along with Piper. "Crazy. But I like it."

Finally Percy went aboard the pirate ship and opened the flood valves. He asked Leo to drill a few extra holes in the bottom of the hull with his power tools, and Leo was happy to oblige.

The crew of the Argo II assembled at the rail and cut the grappling lines. Piper brought out her new horn of plenty and, on Percy's direction, willed it to spew Diet Coke, which came out with the strength of a fire hose, dousing the enemy deck. Aurora thought it would take hours, but the ship sank remarkably fast, filling with Diet Coke and seawater.

"Dionysus," Percy called, holding up Chrysaor's golden mask. "Or Bacchus—whatever. Your enemies trembled at your name . . . or your Diet Coke, or something. So, yeah, thank you."

It looked like the words were hard for him to get out, but he managed not to gag. "We give this ship to you as tribute. We hope you like it."

"Six million in gold," Leo muttered. "He'd better liked it."

"Shh," Hazel scolded. "Precious metal isn't all that great. Believe me."

Percy chucked the golden mask aboard the vessel, which was now sinking faster, brown fizzy liquid spewing out the trireme's oar slots and bubbling from the cargo hold, turning the sea frothy brown.

Percy summoned a wave, and the enemy ship was swamped. Leo steered the Argo II away as the pirate vessel disappeared underwater.

"Isn't that polluting?" Piper asked.

"I wouldn't worry," Jason told her. "If Bacchus likes it, the ship should vanish."

Aurora didn't know what would happen, but she knew that they'd done all that they could have done. She had no faith that Bacchus would hear them or care—he was known for not caring—much less help them in their battle against the twin giants, but they had to try.

As the Argo II headed east into the fog, Aurora watched the frothy water with a frown. She remembered the first time she'd fought with Chrysaor, and she was glad that she had friends with her this time to help her out, unlike the last time when she was against him alone. 

After their bout with the pirates, they decided to fly the rest of the way to Rome. Jason insisted he was well enough to take sentry duty, along with Coach Hedge, who was still so charged with adrenaline that every time the ship hit turbulence, he swung his bat and yelled, "Die!"

They had a couple of hours before daybreak, so Jason suggested everyone try and get a few more hours of sleep.

Aurora hadn't argued, instantly linking her hand with Percy's and pulling him belowdecks to his cabin, which was the only one with its door still intact after the dolphins broke in. Percy settled down on his bed and brought Aurora down with him, Percy leaning against the headboard while Aurora leaned against his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist. They sat like that in silence for a moment, just letting the events of the day sink in, before Aurora finally spoke.

"Don't think like that," she said suddenly, and she felt Percy stiffen beneath her.

"Think like what?" he asked, and she knew he knew what she meant.

Aurora turned to look at him, resulting in her straddling his lap again. But she was too worried about Percy to get flustered at their position. "Like how you're thinking right now."

Percy frowned. "How am I thinking?"

"You're thinking that you aren't strong enough to lead us all because you got beat by an ancient monster who happened to be your half brother," Aurora said seriously. "You're thinking that you aren't good enough to protect us all and keep us all safe. You're thinking that you don't feel powerful, and that you're a fraud. That you aren't as great as everyone thinks you are."

Percy blinked in surprise. Aurora had completely read his mind. She didn't know how she found it so easy to read him, but she was glad she was able to. It made conversations like these easier to have. 

"How do you know all that?"

"Because, Percy, I've felt that way before," Aurora admitted, her fingers messing with his camp necklace. "When I was first chosen as Centurion, I felt so powerless and so useless. Like I wasn't good enough to lead all the people in my cohort. I thought that I was a failure, especially after the first war game with me as a leader. Our cohort got pounded to the ground and I blamed myself for it, and all it did was bring me down."

She swallowed thickly. She hadn't even told Jason or Reyna about these feelings. "But . . . then I learned something. Dakota, bless his stupid soul, taught me how to think differently. He told me that my failures weren't failures at all. They were learning moments that were placed in my life to help me grow. My losses were meant to help me grow stronger as a person and a leader. I only started to believe in myself when I realized this, and now look at me.

"I may still think I'm useless sometimes, and that I'm not good enough, but I don't let those hold me back anymore. Because I know that those small little moments of failure, of fear, of disappointment, were learning moments for me to become the person I am today." Aurora met Percy's eyes and gave him a sincere smile. "What happened today and during the attack were small moments to help you grow, Percy. They weren't failures, they were teaching moments. The Fates placed them in your life for a reason, so you would become the best leader you could ever be.

"So don't think you aren't good enough to lead just because you got disarmed by a thousand year old dick. Don't think you aren't strong enough to protect us because you got knocked down by shrimpzilla." Percy managed a chuckle. "You are good enough, strong enough, and heroic enough. Don't ever think you aren't. Percy, I will follow you because I know you are a good leader who leads with his head and his heart, and because I know you learn from your mistakes."

She brushed som hair from his face. "Plus, think of all the good you've done. You stopped a war from starting between the gods by saving Zeus's lightning bolt. You saved your camp by getting the Golden Fleece. You rescued a goddess and Annabeth from the Titan Atlas. You defeated an army of monsters and saved your camp again. You took down Kronos and protected the world from destruction. And you saved the golden eagle standard of Camp Jupiter's legion and helped us defeat the giant's army." She cupped his face. "So, if you ever start thinking you aren't good enough, look back on those moments where you led people and saved thousands of lives. You can do this. You can lead us. I know it. Annabeth knows it. Sarah knows it. We all do."

Percy brought Aurora into a kiss, which made her cheeks heat up. She never got tired of kissing him. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he pulled her closer to him, causing her to smile into the kiss. 

When he finally pulled back, he leaned up and kissed her forehead softly. "What did I ever do to deserve someone as amazing as you?"

"Absolutely nothing." And with that, Percy connected their lips again, kissing her nearly breathless.

⟶⭑🌣⭑⟵

The next morning, Aurora woke up in Percy's arms, a bright smile on her face. Percy was already awake when she woke up, his eyes shining as he ran his fingers through her hair, pressing kisses to the top of her head every once in a while. Aurora smiled up at him and he kissed her nose, causing her to giggle.

"I should get going before anyone walks in on us," she said.

Percy nodded and let her go, but not before pulling her in for another kiss. "Okay. I'll see you soon."

Aurora nodded and slipped out of Percy's cabin, making her way quickly to her own. She shut the door behind her and changed out of the clothing she'd been in the day before, opting for a simple tank top and athletic shorts with some running shoes for the day. She braided her hair as per usual and went through the rest of her morning routine before walking up onto the deck, her heart racing in her chest at what she saw.

The sky was brilliant blue, as if the stormy weather had never happened. The sun rose over the distant hills, so everything below them shone and sparkled like the entire city of Rome had just come out of the car wash.

Aurora looked down at it with a feeling of homesickness. Everything she remembered about Rome was coming to the surface as she stared down at the city that she was born in, a sad smile lifting her lips.

The city had no regard for the limits of geography. It spread through hills and valleys, jumped over the Tiber with dozens of bridges, and just kept sprawling to the horizon. Streets and alleys zig-zagged with no rhyme or reason through quilts of neighborhoods. Glass office buildings stood next to excavation sites. A cathedral stood next to a line of Roman columns, which stood next to a modern soccer stadium. In some neighborhoods, old stucco villas with red-tiled roofs crowded the cobblestone streets, so that if Aurora concentrated just on those areas, she could imagine she was back in ancient times. Everywhere she looked, there were wide piazzas and traffic-clogged streets. Parks cut across the city with a crazy collection of palm trees, pines, junipers, and olive trees, as if Rome couldn't decide what part of the world it belonged to—or maybe it just believed all the world still belonged to Rome.

It was as if the city knew of Gaea. It knew that the earth goddess intended on razing all human civilization, and this city, which had stood for thousands of years, was saying back to her: You wanna dissolve this city, Dirt Face? Give it a shot.

In other words, it was the Coach Hedge of mortal cities—only taller.

Aurora leaned against the railing, the others moving to where she was. She began to point out places she remembered. "That's Villa Borghese, the park that my mom used to take me to with my sister. And over there is Villa Torlonia, the park that my stepdad proposed to my mom at. Oh, and there is Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina, a restaurant that we used to go to every Friday night." Aurora sighed. "And there is my old neighborhood . . ."

Percy slipped his hand into her own and Jason gave her a supportive smile. 

"We're settling down in that park," Leo announced, pointing to Villa Borghese. "Let's hope the Mist makes us look like a large pigeon or something."

Aurora wasn't very good at manipulating the Mist, but she knew the power of suggestion and the power of manifestation. She thought over and over again: Don't look at me, and hoped the Romans below would fail to notice the giant bronze trireme descending on their city in the middle of morning rush hour.

It seemed to work. Aurora didn't notice any cars veering off the road or Romans pointing to the sky and screaming, "Aliens!" The Argo II set down in the grassy field and the oars retracted.

The noise of traffic was all around them, but the park itself was peaceful and deserted. To their left, a green lawn sloped toward a line of woods. An old villa nestled in the shade of some weird-looking pine trees with thin curvy trunks that shot up thirty or forty feet, then sprouted into puffy canopies. They reminded Aurora of trees in those Dr. Seuss books her mom used to read her when she was little.

To their right, snaking along the top of a hill, was a long brick wall with notches at the top for archers.

To the north, about a mile away through the folds of the city, the top of the Colosseum rose above the rooftops, looking just like how she remembered. That's when Aurora's heart started racing even faster inside her chest. She was actually here. She promised herself she would never step foot in Rome again, but here she was, in the heart of the old Roman Empire. 

Aurora pointed to the base of the archers' wall, where steps led down into some kind of tunnel.

"That's the Tomb of the Scipios," she said, swallowing thickly.

Percy frowned. "Scipio . . . Reyna's pegasus?"

"No," Aurora said, shaking her head. "They were a noble Roman family. My stepdad used to tell me all about them and the way Rome was when they were alive. Um, I believe one of the most well-known ones was Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. He was a general, statesman, and one of the main architects of Rome's victory against Carthage in the Second Punic War."

"Wow . . ." Annabeth trailed off, spinning around as she looked at the city. "This place is amazing."

Jason nodded. "I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but . . ."

Nobody bothered finishing that sentence. Looking at her friends' faces, Aurora could tell they were just as much in awe as she was. They'd made it. They'd landed in Rome—the Rome. Her birthplace.

"Rory, I can't believe you were born here," Leo said in amazement. "And you still remember everything about it?"

Aurora nodded. "Yeah. You never forget a place like Rome."

Everyone agreed instantly.

"Plans?" Hazel asked. "Nico has until sunset—at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today."

Percy shook himself out of his daze. "You're right. Annabeth . . . did you zero in on that spot from your bronze map?"

Her gray eyes turned extra thunderstorm dark, which Aurora found intimidating as hell.

"Yes," she said carefully. "It's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should—"

"Take me along," Sarah finished. "Yeah, you're right."

Annabeth glared daggers at her. "That's not—"

"Safe," she supplied. "One demigod walking through Rome alone. I'll go with you as far as the Tiber. We can use that letter of introduction, hopefully meet the river god Tiberinus. Maybe he can give you some help or advice. Then you can go alone from there."

They had a silent staring contest, and Aurora waited for one of them to back down. Everyone was quiet, the tension growing until Annabeth finally sighed.

"Fine," she muttered. Sarah grinned triumphantly. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?"

Hazel blinked, as if coming out of a trance from watching the Sarah/Annabeth Show. "Um . . . hopefully, if I get close enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?"

Frank beamed. "Absolutely."

"And, uh . . . Leo," Hazel added. "It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."

"Yeah," Leo said, "no problem."

Frank's smile turned into something more like Chrysaor's mask.

Aurora wasn't a genius when it came to relationships—she'd only been in one before—but even she could feel the tension among those three. Ever since they'd gotten knocked into the Atlantic, they hadn't acted quite the same. It wasn't just the two guys competing for Hazel. It was like the three of them were locked together, acting out some kind of murder mystery, but they hadn't yet discovered which of them was the victim.

"I'll go with them," Aurora said. "I know these streets better than anyone. That, and Nico might need some Apollo healing magic when we find him."

The others nodded and Aurora noticed the tension between Frank, Leo, and Hazel dissipate a bit. Piper drew her knife and set it on the rail. "Jason, Percy, and I can watch the ship for now. I'll see what Katoptris can show me. But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It'll take all of us to fight the giants."

She didn't say the obvious: even all of them together wouldn't be enough, unless they had a god on their side. Aurora decided not to bring that up.

"Good idea," Percy said. "How about we plan to meet back here at . . . what?"

"Three this afternoon?" Jason suggested. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris-message."

The others nodded in agreement, but Aurora noticed several of them glancing at Annabeth. Another thing none of them wanted to say: Annabeth would be on a different schedule. She might be back at three, or much later, or never. But she would be on her own, searching for the Athena Parthenos.

Coach Hedge grunted. "That'll give me time to eat the coconuts—I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull. Sarah, Annabeth . . . I don't like you two going off on your own. Just remember: behave. If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over."

The idea of getting grounded when they were about to risk their lives was so ridiculous, Aurora found herself smiling.

"We'll be back soon," Sarah said. She looked around at the group, a certain look in her eyes that conveyed the emotions that they all felt. "Good luck, everyone."

Leo lowered the gangplank, and Sarah and Annabeth were first off the ship. After a few minutes of collecting everything they could need for their journey, Hazel, Frank, Leo, and Aurora were ready to go. Percy took Aurora's hand and pulled her aside before they left.

"Listen, if you need anything or if something bad is happening, give me a sign, okay? Switch our swords or send up a flare or something," he said, looking directly into her eyes.

Aurora nodded. "Of course. Stay safe, okay? Rome is dangerous, especially for a Greek." She pushed up onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I'll be back. I promise you that."

"I'll be here, ready to help if you need it." They shared one last kiss before Aurora had to head off with the others. 

The four shared a nervous look before walking off of the ship and into the streets of Rome. Here goes nothing.

⟶⭑🌣⭑⟵

Things went wrong immediately. 

Hazel, despite having good underground senses, wasn't much help when it came to walking around Rome. It was a good thing that Aurora was there, because if she hadn't been, Hazel would have led them around and around the city in circles. 

"Sorry," Hazel said after Aurora took over in guiding them. "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."

Aurora, wanting to ease the girl's pain, took them on a tour of Rome. Her old home. She answered any questions that they had for her (other than why she had to leave) and showed them the places that she remembered going to the most. Frank followed Hazel around like a big sheepdog while Leo kept up casual conversation with Aurora.

The day was hot, the streets were choked with tourists, and Aurora kept seeing random monsters here and there that kept popping up.

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. Aurora could only manage it because she'd been in Rome before and she'd seen New Rome.

They 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, car traffic was absolutely nuts, just like how she remembered. They spent most of their time weaving through small alleyways, coming across fountains and little cafes where Aurora hated that they couldn't rest.

"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?" Leo frowned. "Wasn't he like BFF's with Hitler?"

Hazel stared at him like he was an alien. "BFF's?"

Aurora laughed. "Best friends forever," she explained. "And yeah, that's kind of what they were. Not really, but close."

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

Aurora pointed to a street that she remembered well. "If we take that street, we'll end up there. Maybe after we defeat the giants and save Rome we can see it."

"And the Spanish Steps?" Hazel asked.

Aurora nodded. 

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

"You're hopeless," Hazel complained.

"So I've been told."

Aurora laughed again. She enjoyed Leo's company. "Okay, they're called the Spanish Steps because the Spanish embassy was at the base of the stairs in the square—Piazza di Spagna."

"You're like a walking encyclopedia for Rome," Leo said.

"I know."

Hazel took Frank's hand and nodded forward. "Come on. I think we should go this way."

Frank gave Leo a confused smile and cheerfully let Hazel drag him along.

After walking forever, Hazel stopped in front of a familiar temple. The main section had a big domed roof and the entrance had a triangular roof, typical Roman columns, and an inscription across the top: M. AGRIPPA.

"Latin for Get a grip?" Leo speculated.

"This is our best shot," Hazel said, sounding 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 bingo.

Aurora looked around with a sad smile. "This is the Pantheon. It was originally built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to the gods. When it was burned down, Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it, and it's been standing here for two thousand years. It's one of the best-preserved Roman buildings in the world. My stepdad brought me here when I was five and showed me around."

Frank, Hazel, and Leo stared at her.

"How did you know that?" Hazel asked. "I mean, I know you grew up here, but how do you remember?"

Aurora swallowed thickly. "My stepdad was a professor here at a college for history and mythology—ironic, I know. He taught me a lot while I was here."

Leo grinned and nudged her shoulder. "That's pretty cool. Come on. Let's go find that secret passage. I hope this place has air conditioning."

It did not.

On the bright side, there were no lines and no admissions fee, so they just muscled their way past the tour groups and waked on in.

It looked just like how she remembered. 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 Jupiter was up there with a magnifying glass, trying to fry puny humans.

Looking at all the architecture made her mind float toward Annabeth. She wondered how the blonde was doing on her Mark of Athena expedition. She was worried for the blonde whom she'd become quick friends with throughout the voyage to Rome. 

Hazel stopped in the middle of the room and turned in a circle. "This is amazing. In the old days, the children of Vulcan would come here in secret to consecrate demigod weapons. This is where Imperial gold was enchanted."

"But we're not here because of that," Leo guessed.

"No," Hazel said. "There's an entrance—a tunnel that will lead us toward Nico. I can sense it close by. I'm not sure where."

Frank grunted. "If this building is two thousand years old, it makes sense there could be some kind of secret passage left over from the Roman days."

Aurora looked around, trying to see if there was anything she could spot that looked like an entrance to a tunnel. She then focused on Leo, who looked like he was thinking hard. "You can sense machinery, right? It's a Vul—sorry, a Hephaestus thing?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah . . ." His eyes zeroed in on a statue of the Virgin Mary. "Over there."

He marched confidently to the shrine, the other three following behind him. It was shaped sort of like a fireplace, with an arched recess at the bottom. The mantel was inscribed with a name, like a tomb.

"The passage is around here," he said. "This guy's final resting place is in the way. Raphael somebody?"

"He's a famous painter," Aurora said offhandedly. 

Leo shrugged, not interested. He studied the tomb for a moment. "Hold on . . ." He looked around as if making sure they weren't being watched.

Most of the tour groups were gawking at the dome, but one trio made Aurora feel uneasy. About fifty feet away, some overweight middle-aged dudes with American accents were conversing loudly, complaining to each other about the heat. They looked like manatees stuffed into beach clothes—sandals, walking shorts, touristy tee shirts and floppy hats. Their legs were big and pasty and covered with spider veins. The guys acted extremely bored, and Aurora wondered why they were hanging around.

They weren't watching the four, but Aurora wasn't sure why they made her nervous. Maybe she had a hatred for tourists after growing up in Rome?

Leo slipped around the side of the tomb. He ran his hand down the back of a Roman column, all the way to the base. 

"Heh," Leo said. "Not very elegant, but effective."

"What is?" Frank asked.

"The combination for a lock." Leo felt around the back of the column some more. "The lock face itself has been ripped out—probably vandalized sometime in the last few centuries. But I should be able to control the mechanism inside, if I can . . ."

Leo placed his hand on the marble floor. Aurora watched in fascination as he felt for the inner workings of the flooring. She'd only witnessed something like this once or twice before when it came to the Vulcan campers at camp. She couldn't help but find it interesting beyond belief. It was kind of like how she could find an injury and heal it even if it wasn't external.

On the floor next to the wall, one section of marble tile slid under another, revealing a dark square opening barely large enough to wiggle through.

"Romans must've been small." Leo looked at Frank appraisingly. "You'll need to change into something thinner to get through here."

"That's not nice!" Hazel chided.

"I think he was referring to Frank's buff shoulders. Not fat shaming," Aurora eased, placing a hand on Hazel's shoulder.

"We should go get the others before we explore. That's what Piper said," Frank muttered.

"They're halfway across the city," Leo reminded him. "Besides, uh, I'm not sure I can close this hatch again. The gears are pretty old."

"Great," Frank said. "How do we know it's safe down there?"

Hazel knelt. She put her hand over the opening as if checking the temperature. "There's nothing alive . . . at least not for several hundred feet. The tunnel slants down, then levels out and goes south, more or less. I don't sense any traps . . ."

"How can you tell all that?" Leo asked.

She shrugged. "Same way you can pick locks on marble columns, I guess. I'm glad you're not into robbing banks."

"Oh . . . bank vaults," Leo said. "Never thought about that."

Aurora laughed. "Looks like you'll end up with that six million in gold anyway."

"Forget I said anything." Hazel sight as Leo and Aurora high-fived. "Look, it's not three o'clock yet. We can at least do a little exploring, try to pinpoint Nico's location before we contact the others. You two"—she pointed to Leo and Frank—"stay here. Aurora, come with me. We may need some light."

Aurora nodded. "Of course."

Hazel looked at the boys. "Wait until we call for you. I want to check things out, make sure the tunnel is structurally sound. I'll be able to tell more once I'm underground."

Frank scowled. "We can't let you two go by yourselves. You could get hurt."

"Frank, we can take care of ourselves," Hazel said. "Underground is my specialty and Rory here has some amazing offensive powers. It's safest for all of us if we go first."

"Unless Frank wants to turn into a mole," Leo suggested. "Or a prairie dog. Those things are awesome."

"Shut up," Frank mumbled.

"Or a badger."

Frank jabbed a finger at Leo's face. "Valdez, I swear—"

"Both of you, be quiet," Hazel scolded. "We'll be back soon. Give us ten minutes. If you don't hear from us by then . . . Never mind. We'll be fine. Just try not to kill each other while we're down there."

Leo and Frank begrudgingly agreed and moved to block the entrance. Hazel and Aurora shared a look before dropping down into the hole. Immediately, Aurora's vision was dark. She could feel the walls around her and hear Hazel's breathing, which signaled that she wasn't alone.

"Could you shed some light?" Hazel's voice called from the darkness.

Aurora nodded, despite knowing Hazel couldn't see her, and allowed the energy she'd soaked up from the sun during their walk to flow through her body and toward her hands. The skin of her hands and forearms began to glow, turning her skin a warm orange like she'd placed a flashlight beam to her palm. She could faintly see the veins in her hands, but she didn't care. The light filled the tunnel instantly, allowing her to see a stunned Hazel and the stone tunnel that stretched out in front of them. Just as Hazel had predicted, it slanted down, then leveled out and went south.

"Well, it only goes in one direction," Aurora sighed.

Without a word, they began walking through the tunnel. They made their way down the corridor, the two of them side by side so Hazel could guide and Aurora could shed some light. They kept up small conversation to fill the silence, sometimes stumbling or tripping over loose pebbles and stones. After about a hundred feet or so, they turned the corner and found themselves facing a door.

It was interesting, to say the least. Much more complicated than anything Aurora had ever seen in her life. The entire door was coated in Imperial gold. A mechanical sphere about the size of a bowling ball was embedded in the center. The sphere was constructed from five concentric rings, each inscribed with zodiac symbols—Taurus, Scorpio, Pisces, et cetera—and seemingly random numbers and letters.

"What in the world?" Hazel mumbled, studying the door with wide eyes.

"Dii mei," Aurora managed, holding her hands closer to the door to see what else it might have had on it. "This looks like something Vulcan himself would build."

Hazel chewed her cheek. "What do you think is behind it?"

"Nothing good." Aurora placed her hand against the door, the gold sizzling slightly from how hot her hands were getting. She tried to feel for anything bad—plagues hidden behind the doors, monsters, musical maniacs, anything that correlated to something her father could have caused. There was nothing. "Nothing is behind this door that I can feel. We should probably go back and get the boys."

"Hi."

Aurora jumped in surprise while Hazel whirled around, trying to swing her spatha. The corridor was too small for a blade like Hazel's, though, saving whoever was behind them from a beheading. Aurora turned to see Frank and Leo standing behind them, Leo's finger flickering with a candle-like flame.

"What are you doing here?" Hazel demanded.

Leo gulped. "Sorry. We ran into some angry tourists."

Aurora frowned. "Eidolons?" Leo and Frank nodded. "I thought Piper made them promise to stay away."

"Oh . . ." Frank said. He had a tone that made Aurora want to scream in frustration. "Piper made them promise to stay off the ship and not possess any of us. But if they followed us, and used other bodies to attack us, then they're not technically breaking their vow . . ."

"Gods, I hate technicalities," Aurora mumbled.

"Great," Leo muttered. "Eidolons who are also lawyers. Now I really want to kill them."

"Technically they're already dead," Aurora pointed out. "Which is another reason I hate technicalities."

"Okay, forget them for now," Hazel said. "This door is giving me fits. Leo, can you try your skill with the lock?"

Leo cracked his knuckles. "Stand aside for the master, please." He leaned in close to study the door and frowned. "These letters are Greek."

"Well, lots of Romans spoke Greek," Hazel said.

"I guess," Leo said. "But this workmanship . . . no offense to you Camp Jupiter types, but this is too complicated to be Roman."

Frank snorted. "Whereas you Greeks just love making things complicated."

"Frank," Aurora warned.

"Hey," Leo protested, ignoring Aurora. "All I'm saying is this machinery is delicate, sophisticated. It reminds me of . . ." Leo pondered for a moment. "It's a more advanced sort of lock," he decided. "You line up the symbols on the different rings in the right order, and that opens the door."

"But what's the right order?" Hazel asked.

"Good question. Greek spheres . . . astronomy, geometry . . ." Leo's eyes widened. "Oh, no way. I wonder . . . what's the value of pi?"

Frank frowned. "What kind of pie?"

"He means the number," Hazel guessed.

Leo nodded. "Um, anyway, it's used to measure circles. The sphere, if it's made by the guy I'm thinking of . . ."

Hazel and Frank stared at him blankly.

"Never mind," Leo said. "I'm pretty sure pi is, uh, 3.1415 blah blah blah."

"Yeah. Um . . . 3.1415926535897932384626 and so on," Aurora said absentmindedly. When she turned, the other three were looking at her strangely. "What? It's the only thing I can remember from my year of schooling before I was taken to camp."

"The number goes on forever," Leo explained further. "But the sphere has only five rings, so that should be enough, if I'm right."

"And if you're not?" Frank added.

"Well, then, Leo fall down, go boom. Let's find out!"

He turned the rings, starting on the outside and moving in. He ignored the zodiac signs and letters, lining up the correct numbers so they made the value of pi. Nothing happened.

"Try expanding the numbers outward," Aurora suggested.

"I'm stupid," Leo mumbled, nodding. "Pi would expand outwards, because it's infinite."

He reversed the order of the numbers, starting in the center and working toward the edge. When he aligned the last ring, something inside the sphere clicked. The door swung open.

Leo beamed at them. "That, good people, is how we do things in Leo World. Come on in!"

"I hate Leo World," Frank muttered.

"I love Leo World!" Aurora said happily.

With that, the four walked into the room, not expecting what would come next.

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A U T H O R S   N O T E

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Aurora's in Rome. If you're wondering why she knows so much, that's because she learned a lot of stuff while living in Rome from her parents and Apollo and that stuff hasn't left her brain because she's been living with Roman influence her whole life. So if it seems like she's a walking Rome encyclopedia, that's kind of because she is. I want her to be more in touch with her Roman roots and not be afraid to admit she was born there, which is why she's spitting out facts left and right.

Also, I wanted her to come with the Leo Trio because I want her to have moments where she is fighting without Percy to show how strong she is by herself. Of course I love her with Percy, but she needs some time to herself with other people for their relationship to work well. Just like how Percy needs his time without Aurora. I don't want this story to be just about them and their relationship, okay? That's next book's story!

Please comment and vote!

Love you all!

~ a.h.