chapter sixteen; Double Date
LEO WAS amazed that he was able to drag Jinx along with him and Frank and Hazel. Sure, he loved teasing Frank about Leo's nonexistent relationship with Hazel, but he wasn't pleased knowing that he'd be three wheeling them.
So, with the help of Jinx, in his mind they were on a double date walking down the streets of Rome.
Being there with Jinx was like a nice little add-on. She had this child-like astonishment towards everything she saw that she then tried to hide, but Leo was paying a seriously creepy amount of attention to her.
"No offense," Jinx faltered when they all turned to look at her. "But are you sure you know where we're going?"
Hazel's face took on a pained expression, "I'm sorry."
Sweat dripped down the back of his neck. Leo was getting impatient. He didn't care that Hazel was trying her best, or that he was with Jinx. His feet hurt and he wanted to take a break.
"Gods." Leo muttered, yanking Jinx's body from going into oncoming traffic.
She placed his hands back, "thanks." And then she went back to looking at a random statue.
"I'd never thought I'd get to see Rome." Hazel admitted. "When I was alive, I mean the first time, Mussolini was in charge. We were at war."
"Mussolini?" Jinx whispered, staring at an ice cream stand.
"Wasn't he like BFFs with Hitler?"
Hazel paused and looked at Leo. "BFFs?"
"Never mind."
"I'd love to see the Trevi Fountain," she said.
"There's a fountain on every block." Leo retorted, gesturing to the fountain they just passed and the one in the distance.
"Or the Spanish Steps." Hazel continued.
"Why would you come to Italy to see Spanish steps?" Leo asked. "That's like going to China for Mexican food, isn't it?"
"No." Jinx rolled her eyes. "I've been to China before." Though it wasn't on purpose.
Leo looked at her and they locked eyes for what felt like the longest time.
There was a lot of that happening. A lot of unsaid things happening between them. And Leo questioned every single one. He understood that she was a fragile person, and that he was someone that didn't openly express their feelings.
That whatever was going on or would go on, they would need to communicate. Something they both needed to work on.
He snapped out of it when Hazel said, "you're hopeless."
"So I've been told."
Hazel turned and grabbed Frank's hand, "come on. I think we should go this way."
Leo looked at Jinx expectantly.
"What? Do you expect me to take your hand too?" She scoffed, turning away. "No thanks."
He knew he should be hurt, but he anticipated for this to happen. Instead of being hurt, he smiled and fell into step with her.
Hazel stopped in front of a building that he suspected was a church and Leo wanted to cry in relief. His feet felt like they were on fire, which was weird because he's immune to fire.
Jinx collapsed on the steps, "I cheated getting here." She said before anyone else could start talking.
"What d'ya mean?" Leo asked.
"I mean, whenever I got too tired I froze everyone and just relaxed. But I'm really glad we finally stopped."
Hazel squinted at her, "did you eat a gelato?"
"Yes." Jinx muttered truthfully.
Hazel sighed and looked back at the building. "This is our best bet. There should be a secret passage somewhere inside."
Secret passages made Leo both nervous and excited.
"This is the Pantheon. It was originally built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to the gods. After it burned down, Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it, and it's been standing for two thousand years. It's one of the best-preserved Roman buildings in the world." Leo told them after listening in on a conversation.
They all stared at him, blinking in surprise and just general shock.
"How did you know that?" Hazel questioned.
Leo smiled cockily, "I'm naturally brilliant."
"Bull." Frank rolled his eyes, "he eavesdropped on a tour group."
Jinx's lips curled downward. From what Leo understood, she despised tourists, which was ironic because they were technically considered one.
But Leo's smile widened, "maybe, come on. Let's go find that secret passage. I hope this place has air conditioning."
Jinx was in no way an athletic person.
She felt the slightest guilt watching Leo struggle to keep up with them and Hazel's slight hesitation in sense of direction. That's the only reason she decided to tell them that she cheated walking there. In fact, she's had a three hour break where she sat down in an air conditioned café and ate gelato.
Now, they were walking into a place crawling with people and no AC. Her worst nightmare.
Strangers that smelled bad and whenever she'd brush against them by accident, their skin was sticky with sweat. It made her gag. She felt claustrophobic. Jinx couldn't even take the time to admire the beautiful interior design of the building, instead she wanted to get out as soon as possible.
As much as she didn't like physical touch, she felt the need to grab ahold of something, rather someone, that was familiar to her. Jinx slipped her hand into Leo's clasping it tightly, her eyes tracking the strangers close to her.
Leo seemed to get the hint that she was uncomfortable because he didn't make a witty remark about their intertwined hands.
"There's an entrance—a tunnel that will lead us toward Nico. I can sense it close by. I'm not sure where." Hazel said.
Jinx believed in her abilities, but it was hard to pay attention when she felt like the dome was about to crash down on her.
She couldn't help but feel useless.
Jinx didn't know why she accompanied them, but deep down she knew it was because she was secretly happy that those three trusted her enough to have her by their side. Without worrying that she was going to stab them in the back, which she's thought about when Jinx figured it'd be easier to leave the group of demigods than to join them on their death quest. Though, she had a feeling Nico would rein hell on her if she left the group.
"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." Frank mumbled, staring at the giant place.
That didn't make Jinx feel any better. And it didn't make her feel any better that Leo moved forward without thinking, dragging her right along.
Leo had started whispering things to himself, and Jinx really considered the thought of letting go of his hand and running back to the Argo II.
But it was the confident stride that made her grip his hand tighter and try to keep up.
He walked straight for the statue of the Virgin Mary sitting on a red marble altar.
"The passage is around here." Leo told them. "This guy's final resting place is in the way. Raphael somebody?"
"Famous painter, I think." Hazel piped in.
Jinx squinted at the statue. "Raphael is a way famous guy." She said. At one point in her life, Jinx had a minor obsession with paintings from the Renaissance era, but then fell into a rabbit hole of just Raphael and his paintings. "He was incredible."
Leo looked at the shrine-like thing hungrily, as if he wanted to ruin its beauty.
It'd be such a shame for something like this to go to waste, Jinx thought.
"Hold on."
Leo being so obviously uneasy made Jinx more uneasy.
From what she could tell, Leo didn't showcase his emotions much like the rest of the demigods, but the look on his face as he scanned the crowds of people made goosebumps litter her arms.
When Jinx looked up and tried to see what he was seeing, she couldn't. Maybe she wasn't a demigod long enough to spot the sort of things he could, but that didn't mean she didn't feel the odd shift in mood from him.
Leo glanced at her and let go of her hand, then looked at the tomb. She understood what he had to do, but he didn't have to make it so visible. She wasn't some kid he was babysitting or needed care.
"Heh," Leo said from the side of the tomb, running his hands across it. "Not very elegant, but effective."
"What is it?" Frank asked.
"The combination for a lock." He mumbled back distractedly. "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..."
Jinx's heart ached at the thought of someone vandalizing something so beautiful and peaceful.
She blinked and watched as Leo unlocked something. It was like watching a magician show, blinking once and the trick's already been done.
Jinx would probably never say it out loud, for fear of bloating his ego, but she was truly amazed with what he could do.
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 said, looking at the small square. He then glanced at Frank, "You'll need to change into something thinner to get through here."
Jinx let out a small gasp that erupted into quiet laughter. That was the moment she felt her sudden anxiety lift, thought it wouldn't be long after that it comes back, and hits harder than a wave crashing against the shore.