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The proble since Leo had had a family, he couldn’t even remember how it felt Sure, last winter he’d become senior counselor of Hephaestus cabin; butthe ship He liked his cabin mates He kneork with them--but did he really know theods on the Argo II--and e, which Leo would never admit aloud

You will always be the outsider, warned Neht aside

"Right, so…" He looked around hi? If we’re under the ocean, shouldn’t we be crushed by the water pressure?"

Frank shrugged "Fish-horseer Then I could breathe"

Leo studied the abalone door "Can you bust us out? Turn into a ha?"

Frank shook his head glu doesn’t work I don’t knohy Maybe they cursed me, or maybe I’m too messed up to focus"

"Hazel could be in trouble," Leo said "We’ve got to get out of here"

He swa the abalone He couldn’t feel any kind of latch or other ic or sheer force was required--neither of which was Leo’s specialty

"I’ve already tried," Frank said "Even if we get out, we have no weapons"

"Hmm…" Leo held up his hand "I wonder"

He concentrated, and fire flickered over his fingers For a split second, Leo was excited, because he hadn’t expected it to work underwater Then his plan started working a little too well Fire raced up his arm and over his body until he was completely shrouded in a thin veil of fla pure heat

"Leo!" Frank flailed backward like he was falling off a bar stool Instead of racing to Leo’s aid, he hugged the wall to get as far away as possible

Leo forced hi on The fire itself couldn’t hurt him He willed the flames to die and counted to five He took a shallow breath He had oxygen again

Frank stopped trying to e with the cave wall "You’re…you’re okay?"

"Yeah," Leo grumbled "Thanks for the assist"

"I--I’m sorry" Frank looked so horrified and ashamed it was hard for Leo to stay ic," Leo said "There’s a thin layer of oxygen around us, like an extra skin Must be self-regenerating That’s hoe’re breathing and staying dry The oxygen gave the fire fuel--except the fire also suffocated ulped "I don’t like that fire suain

Leo didn’tto attack you"

"Fire," Frank repeated, like that one word explained everything

Leo remembered what Hazel had said--that his fire made Frank nervous He’d seen the discomfort in Frank’s face before, but Leo hadn’t taken it seriously Frank seemed way more powerful and scary than Leo was

Now it occurred to hiht have had a bad experience with fire Leo’s own mom had died in a rown up being called a freak, an arsonist, because whenever he got angry, things burned

"Sorry I laughed," he said, and heafraid of it Did, uh…did so like that happen with you?"

Frank seerandmother’s place It burned down But it’s more than that…" He stared at the sea urchins on the floor "Annabeth said I could trust the crew Even you"

"Even me, huh?" Leo wondered how that had coh praise"

"My weakness…" Frank started, like the words cut his mouth "There’s this piece of firewood--"

The abalone door rolled open

Leo turned and found himself face-to-face with Lima Bean Man, asn’t actually a uy was by far the weirdest creature he’d evera lot

From the waist up, he was er in his belt and a band of seashells strapped across his chest like a bandolier His skin was green, his beard scraggly brown, and his longish hair was tied back in a seaweed bandana A pair of lobster claws stuck up fro at random

Leo decided he didn’t look so much like Chiron He looked more like the poster Leo’s mom used to keep in her workspace--that old Mexican bandit Pancho Villa, except with seashells and lobster horns

Frouy was reen horse, sort of like a centaur, but toward the back, his horse body , with a rainbow-colored, V-shaped tail fin

Now Leo understood what Frank uys

"I a"

His voice was cal no room for debate

"Why did you capture us?" Leo demanded "Where’s Hazel?"