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Gold is easy, she’d said It didn’t seem that way to Leo--not when he looked at her He wondered who Sa suspicion that he should know, but he just couldn’t place the name Whoever he was, he was lucky if Hazel cared for hio of her hand, but they were still standing so close, he could feel the warmth of her breath She definitely didn’t see to Nemesis," Hazel said uneasily, "your hands…I saw flames"

"Yeah," he said "It’s a Hephaestus power Usually I can keep it under control"

"Oh" She put one hand protectively on her deniiance Leo got the feeling she wanted to back away from hiht Another person who thinks I’azed across the island The opposite shore was only a few hundred yards away Between here and there were dunes and clu pool

You will always be the outsider, Nemesis had told hi your brethren

She ht as well have poured acid in his ears Leo didn’t need anybody to tell him he was odd man out He’d spenton his ship while his friends trained together and sharedfor fun and prizes Even his two best friends, Piper and Jason, often treated hi, their idea of "quality tion, had been reduced to a figurehead when his control disk had gotten destroyed on their last adventure Leo didn’t have the technical skill to repair it

The seventh wheel Leo had heard of a fifth wheel--an extra, useless piece of equipured a seventh wheel orse

He’d thought maybe this quest would be a fresh start for hio II would pay off He’d have six good friends ould ad off into the sunrise to fight giants Maybe, Leo secretly hoped, he’d even find a girlfriend

Do the ht be part of a group of seven, but he was still isolated He had fired on the Ro but trouble You will not find a place aently "You can’t take what Nemesis said to heart"

He frowned "What if it’s true?"

"She’s the goddess of revenge," Hazel reminded him "Maybe she’s on our side, maybe not; but she exists to stir up resents that easily He couldn’t Still, it wasn’t Hazel’s fault

"We should keep going," he said "I wonder what Nelanced at the sun, which was just touching the horizon "And who is the cursed boy she mentioned?"

Below them, a voice said, "Cursed boy she mentioned"

At first, Leo saw no one Then his eyes adjusted He realized a young wo only ten feet from the base of the boulder Her dress was a Greek-style tunic the same color as the rocks Her wispy hair was soray, so it blended with the dry grass She wasn’t invisible, exactly, but she was aled until sheon her Her face was pretty but not memorable In fact, each time Leo blinked, he couldn’t remember what she looked like, and he had to concentrate to find her again

"Hello," Hazel said "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" the girl answered Her voice sounded weary, like she was tired of answering that question

Hazel and Leo exchanged looks With this de, you never knehat you’d run into Nine tied in earth tones didn’t strike Leo as so he wanted to deal with just then

"Are you the cursed kid Neirl"

"You’re a girl," said the girl

"Excuse irl said …" Leo stopped "Oh Hold it Hazel, wasn’t there so--?"

"Echo," Hazel said

"Echo," the girl agreed She shifted, her dress changing with the landscape Her eyes were the color of the salt water Leo tried to home in on her features, but he couldn’t

"I don’t remember theyou heard?"

"You heard," Echo said

"Poor thing," Hazel said "If I reoddess did this," Echo confirmed

Leo scratched his head "But wasn’t that thousands of years…oh You’re one of the h the Doors of Death I really e could stop running into dead people"

"Dead people," Echo said, like she was chastising hi at her feet

"Uh…sorry," he muttered "I didn’t mean it that way"