If Hazel woke up the rest of the crew every time they had a problem, they’d just start arguing again, feeling more and more hopeless.
She had to make Percy and Annabeth proud of her. She had to take the initiative. She couldn’t believe her only role in this quest would be what Nico had warned her of—removing the obstacle waiting for them in the House of Hades. She pushed the thought aside.
“We need some creative thinking,” she said. “Another way to cross those mountains, or a way to hide ourselves from the numina. ”
Nico sighed. “If I was on my own, I could shadow-travel. But that won’t work for an entire ship. And honestly, I’m not sure I have the strength to even transport myself anymore. ”
“I could maybe rig some kind of camouflage,” Leo said, “like a smoke screen to hide us in the clouds. ” He didn’t sound very enthusiastic.
Hazel stared down at the rolling farmland, thinking about what lay beneath it—the realm of her father, lord of the Underworld. She’d only met Pluto once, and she hadn’t even realized who he was. She certainly had never expected help from him—not when she was alive the first time, not during her time as a spirit in the Underworld, not since Nico had brought her back to the world of the living.
Her dad’s servant Thanatos, god of death, had suggested that Pluto might be doing Hazel a favor by ignoring her. After all, she wasn’t supposed to be alive. If Pluto took notice of her, he might have to return her to the land of the dead.
Which meant calling on Pluto would be a very bad idea. And yet…
Please, Dad, she found herself praying. I have to find a way to your temple in Greece—the House of Hades. If you’re down there, show me what to do.
At the edge of the horizon, a flicker of movement caught her eye—something small and beige racing across the fields at incredible speed, leaving a vapor trail like a plane’s.
Hazel couldn’t believe it. She didn’t dare hope, but it had to be…“Arion. ”
“What?” Nico asked.
Leo let out a happy whoop as the dust cloud got closer. “It’s her horse, man! You missed that whole part. We haven’t seen him since Kansas!”
Hazel laughed—the first time she’d laughed in days. It felt so good to see her old friend.
About a mile to the north, the small beige dot circled a hill and stopped at the summit. He was difficult to make out, but when the horse reared and whinnied, the sound carried all the way to the Argo II. Hazel had no doubt—it was Arion.
“We have to meet him,” she said. “He’s here to help. ”
“Yeah, okay. ” Leo scratched his head. “But, uh, we talked about not landing the ship on the ground anymore, remember? You know, with Gaea wanting to destroy us and all. ”
“Just get me close, and I’ll use the rope ladder. ” Hazel’s heart was pounding. “I think Arion wants to tell me something. ”
HAZEL HAD NEVER FELT SO HAPPY. Well, except for maybe on the night of the victory feast at Camp Jupiter, when she’d kissed Frank for the first time…but this was a close second.
As soon as she reached the ground, she ran to Arion and threw her arms around him. “I missed you!” She pressed her face into the horse’s warm neck, which smelled of sea salt and apples. “Where have you been?”
Arion nickered. Hazel wished she could speak Horse like Percy could, but she got the general idea. Arion sounded impatient, as if saying, No time for sentiment, girl! Come on!
“You want me to go with you?” she guessed.
Arion bobbed his head, trotting in place. His dark brown eyes gleamed with urgency.
Hazel still couldn’t believe he was actually here. He could run across any surface, even the sea; but she’d been afraid he wouldn’t follow them into the ancient lands. The Mediterranean was too dangerous for demigods and their allies.
He wouldn’t have come unless Hazel was in dire need. And he seemed so agitated. … Anything that could make a fearless horse skittish should have terrified Hazel.
Instead, she felt elated. She was so tired of being seasick and airsick. Aboard the Argo II, she felt about as useful as a box of ballast. She was glad to be back on solid ground, even if it was Gaea’s territory. She was ready to ride.
“Hazel!” Nico called down from the ship. “What’s going on?”
“It’s fine!” She crouched down and summoned a gold nugget from the earth. She was getting better at controlling her power. Precious stones hardly ever popped up around her by accident anymore, and pulling gold from the ground was easy.
She fed Arion the nugget…his favorite snack. Then she smiled up at Leo and Nico, who were watching her from the top of the ladder a hundred feet above. “Arion wants to take me somewhere. ”
The boys exchanged nervous looks.
“Uh…” Leo pointed north. “Please tell me he’s not taking you into that?”
Hazel had been so focused on Arion, she hadn’t noticed the disturbance. A mile away, on the crest of the next hill, a storm had gathered over some old stone ruins—maybe the remains of a Roman temple or a fortress. A funnel cloud snaked its way down toward the hill like an inky black finger.
Hazel’s mouth tasted like blood. She looked at Arion. “You want to go there?”
Arion whinnied, as if to say, Uh, duh!
Well…Hazel had asked for help. Was this her dad’s answer?
She hoped so, but she sensed something besides Pluto at work in that storm…something dark, powerful, and not necessarily friendly.
Still, this was her chance to help her friends—to lead instead of follow.
She tightened the straps of her Imperial gold cavalry sword and climbed onto Arion’s back.