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Leo XXIV

"Leo XXIV," Poseidon read.

APHROS LOOKED LIKE HIS BROTHER, except he was blue instead of green and much, much bigger. He had Arnold-as-Terminator abs and arms, and a square, brutish head...Even his hair was bigger—a massive globe of blue-black frizz so thick that his lobster-claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to swim their way to the surface. Poseidon grinned as he read the last part.

I guess he's the one who teaches physical combat. Percy thought.

"Is that why they named you Aphros?" Leo asked as they glided down the path from the cave. "Because of the Afro?" Poseidon's eyebrows furrowed at that. What?

"Who asks that?" Travis said with a laugh.

"I was just trying to break the ice," Leo explained with a grin.

"Neither of the two are good with jokes. Trust me, I tried." the god of the sea said, rolling his eyes.

Percy made a face. He could only imagine what kind of 'funny' jokes his dad told to get on the fish centaurs good side.

Maybe that's why he doesn't go to their territory. he thought. He told so many lame jokes that they told him to never come back.

Aphros scowled. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Leo said quickly..."So what are you guys, exactly?"

"Ichthyocentaurs," Aphros said, like it was a question he was tired of answering.

"Uh, icky what?"

"Fish centaurs. We are the half brothers of Chiron."

"Oh, he's a friend of mine!"

Aphros narrowed his eyes. "The one called Hazel told us this, but we will determine the truth. Come."

"And how's he going to do that?" Annabeth asked, feeling uneasy.

The demigods dreaded finding out.

Leo didn't like the sound of determine the truth. It made him think of torture racks and red-hot pokers.

Hestia looked aghast.

"You think they would do that to children?!" she exclaimed.

Tucking his pen behind his ear, Leo shrugged. "I've had monsters who possessed my body, turned me into gold, tried to eat me, and slash me into pieces. I've never been tortured before, but it's not off the table."

Fates... Hephaestus thought, face paling. The thought of any of his children being tortured made him feel sick, so for Leo to have mentioned this as a future possibility made his stomach lurch.

He busied himself with a few lose screws that materialized in his palm.

He followed the fish centaur through a massive forest of kelp. Leo could've darted to one side and gotten lost in the plants pretty easily, but he didn't try. For one thing, he figured Aphros could travel much faster in the water, and the guy might be able to shut off the magic that let Leo move and breathe. Inside or outside the cave, Leo was just as much a captive.

"What a happy thought," Nico said dryly, his voice not betraying the current anxiety he was feeling. He twisted his skull ring and bounced his knee. He couldn't help but remember that they took Hazel and she never came back to the boys' prison. Where did she go? Was she still being interrogated?

I hope she's alright. Nico let out a shaky sigh.

Also, Leo had no clue where he was.