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"Narcissus, listen" Hazel kept her sword at the ready "Echo brought us here to help you Didn’t you, Echo?"

"Echo," said Echo

"Who?" Narcissus said

"The only girl who cares what happens to you, apparently," Hazel said "Do you re?"

Narcissus frowned "I…no That can’t be right I a at yourself," Hazel insisted "I reoddess who cursed you, because you broke so many hearts Your punishment was to fall in love with your own reflection"

"I love reed

"You finally died," Hazel continued "I don’t knohich version of the story is true You either drowned yourself or turned into a flower hanging over the water or--Echo, which is it?"

"Which is it?" she said hopelessly

Leo stood "It doesn’t ain,us You can get up, and get on with your life Echo is trying to save you Or you can stay here and stare at yourself until you die again"

"Stay here!" all the nymphs screamed

"Marry me before you die!" another squeaked

Narcissus shook his head "You just want my reflection I don’t bla to lanced at the sun, which was sinking fast Then she gestured with her sword toward the edge of the crater "Leo, could we talk for a minute?"

"Excuse us," Leo told Narcissus "Echo, want to come with?"

"Come with," Echo confirain and began recording new videos and taking more photos

Hazel led the way until they were out of earshot "Nee their nature Narcissus is going to stay there until he dies again"

"No," Leo said

"No," Echo agreed

"We need that bronze," Leo said "If we take it away, it ive Narcissus a reason to snap out of it Echo could have a chance to save hiratefully

Hazel stabbed her sword in the sand "It could also ry with us," she said "And Narcissus ht still kno to shoot his bow"

Leo pondered that The sun was just about down Neitated after dark, probably because he couldn’t see his reflection anyh to find out what the goddess itated He’d also had experience with mobs of crazed nymphs He wasn’t anxious to repeat that

"Hazel," he said, "your poith precious metal-- Can you just detect it, or can you actually summon it to you?"

She frowned "Sometimes I can summon it I’ve never tried with a piece of Celestial bronze that big before I h the earth, but I’d have to be fairly close It would take a lot of concentration, and it wouldn’t be fast"

"Be fast," Echo warned

Leo cursed He had hoped they could just go back to the ship, and Hazel could teleport the Celestial bronze froht," he said "We’ll have to try so risky Hazel, how about you try to suh the sand and tunnel over to you, then grab it and run for the ship"

"But Narcissus is looking at it all the time," she said

"All the time," Echo echoed

"That’ll behis own plan already "Echo and I will cause a distraction"

"Distraction?" Echo asked

"I’ll explain," Leo pro," Echo said

"Great," Leo said "Now, let’s hope we don’t die"

Chapter 8

Leo psyched himself up for an extremegoggles frolasses, but they’d have to do He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt He used sorease back his hair He stuck a wrench in his back pocket (why exactly, he wasn’t sure) and he had Hazel draw a tattoo on his biceps with a marker: HOT STUFF, with a skull and crossbones

"What in the world are you thinking?" She sounded pretty flustered

"I try not to think," Leo ad nuts Just concentrate onthat Celestial bronze Echo, you ready?"

"Ready," she said

Leo took a deep breath He strutted back toward the pond, hoping he looked awesome and not like he had some sort of nervous affliction "Leo is the coolest!" he shouted

"Leo is the coolest!" Echo shouted back

"Yeah, baby, check me out!"

"Check !"

"The king!"