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Bythos narrowed his eyes His expression seemed to say: Did this tiny creature just talk to o with my brother"

"Your brother?"

Leo realized that abehind Bythos, with a shadoide, it filled the entire cave entrance

"Yes," Bythos said with a dry smile "Try not to make Aphros mad"

Chapter 24

Aphros looked like his brother, except he was blue instead of green and er He had Arnold-as-Tere Conan-approved sas strapped across his back Even his hair was bigger--a lobe of blue-black frizz so thick that his lobster-claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to swim their way to the surface

"Is that why they nalided down the path from the cave "Because of the Afro?"

Aphros scowled "What do you ," Leo said quickly At least he would never have trouble reuys, exactly?"

"Ichthyocentaurs," Aphros said, like it was a question he was tired of answering

"Uh, icky what?"

"Fish centaurs We are the half brothers of Chiron"

"Oh, he’s a friend of mine!"

Aphros narrowed his eyes "The one called Hazel told us this, but ill determine the truth Come"

Leo didn’t like the sound of determine the truth It made him think of torture racks and red-hot pokers

He followed the fish centaur through a otten lost in the plants pretty easily, but he didn’t try For one thing, he figured Aphros could travel ht be able to shut off the ic that let Leo move and breathe Inside or outside the cave, Leo was just as much a captive

Also, Leo had no clue where he was

They drifted between rows of kelp as tall as aparthtlessly, like colue of white that uessed that ht? Had it sailed on without the?

Leo couldn’t even be sure how deep they were Plants could grow here--so not too deep, right? Still, he knew he couldn’t just swim for the surface He’d heard about people who ascended too quickly and developed nitrogen bubbles in their blood Leo wanted to avoid carbonated blood

They drifted along for maybe half ahi sword strapped to the centaur’s back sort of discouraged conversation

Finally the kelp forest opened up Leo gasped They were standing (swih underwater hill Below thes on the seafloor

The roofs were tiled with ardens were filled with coral and sea anerazed in a field of seaweed A tea the do a blue whale as a crane And swi out in the courtyards, practicing combat with tridents and swords in the arena were dozens of oodness fish-people

Leo had seen a lot of crazy stuff, but he had always thought merpeople were silly fictional creatures, like S silly or cute about these h Even from a distance, they looked fierce and not at all hulowed yellow They had sharklike teeth and leathery skin in colors ranging fro camp," Leo realized He looked at Aphros in awe "You train heroes, the salint of pride in his eyes "We have trained all the famous mer-heroes! Name a mer-hero, and we have trained him or her!"

"Oh, sure," Leo said "Like…um, the Little Mermaid?"

Aphros frowned "Who? No! Like Triton, Glaucus, Weissmuller, and Bill!"

"Oh" Leo had no idea who any of those people were "You trained Bill? Impressive"

"Indeed!" Aphros pounded his chest "I trained Bill uess"

Aphros threw up his hands in exasperation "Why does everyone assulanced at the uy’s back "Uh, I don’t know"

"I teach ! These are important for heroes"

"Absolutely" Leo tried to keep a straight face "Sewing? Cookie baking?"

"Yes I’lad you understand Perhaps later, if I don’t have to kill you, I will share estured behind him contemptuously "My brother Bythos--he teaches combat"

Leo wasn’t sure whether he felt relieved or insulted that the coot the horeat This is Camp…what do you call it? Camp Fish-Blood?"

Aphros frowned "I hope that was a joke This is Camp __________" He s and hisses

"Silly o for soet to the not killing e?"