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Leo could totally relate He wanted to scream that he’d lost his mom too His whole life had been one on, Festus He’d nearly killed hio II Now he’d fired on the Roman camp, most likely started a war, and ht now," he said, trying to control his anger, "all I want is some Celestial bronze"

"Oh, that’s easy," Nemesis said "It’s just over the rise You’ll find it with the sweethearts"

"Wait," Hazel said "What sweethearts?"

Nemesis popped a cookie in her mouth and sed it, fortune and all "You’ll see Perhaps they will teach you a lesson, Hazel Levesque Most heroes cannot escape their nature, even when given a second chance at life" She s of your brother Nico, you don’t have much time Let’s see…it’s June twenty-fifth? Yes, after today, sixwith the entire city of Rome"

Hazel’s eyes widened "Hohat--?"

"And as for you, child of fire" She turned to Leo "Your worst hardships are yet to come You will always be the outsider, the seventh wheel You will not find a place a your brethren Soon you will face a probleh I could help you…for a price"

Leo sers on his left hand were ablaze, and Hazel was staring at him in terror

He shoved his hand in his pocket to extinguish the flames "I like to solve my own problems"

"Very well" Nemesis brushed cookie dust off her jacket

"But, uoddess shrugged "One of my children recently traded an eye for the ability to make a real difference in the world"

Leo’s stomach churned "You…want an eye?"

"In your case, perhaps another sacrifice would do But so just as painful Here" She handed him an unbroken fortune cookie "If you need an answer, break this It will solve your problem"

Leo’s hand trembled as he held the fortune cookie "What problem?"

"You’ll knohen the time comes"

"No, thanks," Leo said firh it had a will of its own, slipped the cookie into his tool belt

Ne and cracked it open "You will have cause to reconsider your choices soon Oh, I like that one No changes needed here"

She resealed the cookie and tossed it into the basket "Very few gods will be able to help you on the quest Most are already incapacitated, and their confusion will only groorse One thing ed Ah, that would be sweet indeed, the scales finally balanced! But it will not happen unless you accept my help"

"I suppose you won’t tell us what you’re talking about," Hazel muttered "Or why oing to be destroyed"

Ne her sack of cookies over her shoulder "Oh, it’s all tied together, Hazel Levesque As for ood child A hard worker We could do business But I have detained you too long You should visit the reflecting pool before the light fades My poor cursed boy gets quite…agitated when the darkness cooddess climbed on her motorcycle Apparently, it was drivable, despite those Pac-Man–shaped wheels, because Neine and disappeared in a mushroom cloud of black smoke

Hazel bent down All the broken cookies and fortunes had disappeared except for one crumpled slip of paper She picked it up and read, "You will see yourself reflected, and you will have reason to despair"

"Fantastic," Leo gruo see what that means"

Chapter 7

"Who is Aunt Rosa?" Hazel asked

Leo didn’t want to talk about her Ne in his ears His tool belt seemed heavier since he’d put the cookie in there--which was i extra weight Even the ined he could feel it in there, dragging hi story," he said "She abandoned ave me to foster care"

"I’e the subject "What about you? What Nemesis said about your brother?"

Hazel blinked like she’d gotten salt in her eyes "Nico…he found ht me back to the mortal world and convinced the Romans at Camp Jupiter to accept ht, and Nico’s in danger…I have to help hih the idea ave advice out of the goodness of her heart "And what Ne six days to live, and Ro destroyed…any idea what she meant?"

"None," Hazel admitted "But I’, she decided not to share it She cliet a better view Leo tried to follow and lost his balance Hazel caught his hand She pulled hi hands, face-to-face

Hazel’s eyes glittered like gold