𝐎𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒༄ • Jᴀsᴏɴ Gʀᴀᴄᴇ

Chapter 37

"So...you have to repeat everything?" Leo asked her, a slight wickedness to his tone. 

"Everything." 

He smiled. "That could be fun." 

Oh no, Freya thought, but internally she was laughing. 

"Fun," she said unhappily. 

"Blue elephants." 

"Blue elephants.""

"Kiss me, you fool." 

"You fool." 

"Hey!"

 "Hey!" 

"Leo," Hazel pleaded, "don't tease her." 

"Don't tease her," Echo agreed. 

"Okay, okay," Leo said, though he looked like he was barely restraining himself. 

"So what were you pointing at?" Asked Freya. "Do you need our help?"

"Help," Echo agreed emphatically. She gestured for them to follow and sprinted down the slope. Freya could only follow her progress by the movement of the grass and the shimmer of her dress as it changed to match the rocks. 

"We'd better hurry," Hazel said. "Or we'll lose her."  

They found the problem—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 water's edge were several dozen nymphs, like the ones at Camp Half-Blood, these wore gossamer dresses. Their feet were bare. They had elfish features that reminded her of Leo, and their skin had a slightly greenish tinge. She didn'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. Freya had been around a lot nymphs', but she'd never seen them with phones. She wondered if they were looking at a dead body. If so, why were they bouncing up and down and giggling so excitedly? 

"What are they looking at?" Leo wondered. 

"Looking at," Echo sighed. 

"Let's go find out," Freya surged forward and started to push through the crowd. 

Hazel was hot on her heals, saying, "Excuse us. Pardon me." 

"Hey!" one nymph complained. "We were here first!" 

"Yeah," another sniffed. "He won't be interested in you."

"Who's "he"?" Asked Leo. 

The nymphs' payed him no mind, instead clamoring together like they did seconds ago and pretending as though they weren't there. Freya cleared her throat and tried her best imposing look. "We're demigods. Let us through, please." 

The nymphs didn't look happy, but they let them through the crowd to reveal a young man kneeling at the edge of the pond, gazing intently at the water. Her first thought was, woah. The guy had a chiseled face with lips and eyes that were somewhere between feminine beautiful and masculine handsome. Dark hair swept over his brow. He might've been seventeen or twenty, it was hard to say, but he was built like a dancer—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 hadn'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 Freya edged closer, she realized the guy'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. Handsome's features in a warm glow. The guy seemed fascinated with his reflection in the metal.