SAFE . . . reyna ramirez-arellano

62 - bull man

THE HERCULES GUIDE to the Mare Nostrum didn't help much with snakes and mosquitoes.

"If this is a magic island," Briar grumbled, "why couldn't it be a nice magic island?"

They tromped up a hill and down into a heavily wooded valley, careful to avoid the black-and-red-striped snakes sunning themselves on the rocks. Mosquitoes swarmed over stagnant ponds in the lowest areas. The trees were mostly stunted olives, cypress, and pines. The chirring of the cicadas and the oppressive heat reminded Briar of her and Piper's shenanigans in Arizona. Man, they really were the chaotic ones.

So far they hadn't found any river.

"We could fly," Jason suggested again.

"We might miss something," Briar said. "Besides, I'm not sure I want to drop in on an unfriendly god. What was his name? Etch-a-Sketch?"

"Achelous." Jason was trying to read the guidebook while they walked, so he kept running into trees and stumbling over rocks. "Says here he's a potamus."

"He's a hippopotamus?" Briar asked incredulously. "I fucking love hippos."

"No. Potamus. A river god. According to this, he's the spirit of some river in Greece."

"Since we're not in Greece, let's assume he's moved," Reyna said. "Doesn't bode well for how useful that book is going to be. Anything else?"

"Says Hercules fought him one time," Jason offered.

"Hercules fought ninety-nine percent of everything in Ancient Greece." Reyna rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah. Let's see. Pillars of Hercules . . ." Jason flipped a page. "Says here this island has no hotels, no restaurants, no transportation. Attractions: Hercules and two pillars. Huh, this is interesting. Supposedly the dollar sign — you know, the S with the two lines through it? — that came from the Spanish coat of arms, which showed the Pillars of Hercules with a banner curling between them."

"I didn't ask you to become a genderbent Annabeth, Jay," Briar drawled. "You finally get along and now you're acting like a fucking know-it-all."

"I'm acting like you during our countrywide quest," Jason countered.

Briar's eyebrows furrowed. "Which one?"

"Six months ago."

"I've been calling it the Amnesia Adventure," Briar offered.

"Children, focus," Reyna scolded. "Anything helpful?" she asked Jason.

"Wait. Here's a tiny reference to Achelous: This river god fought Hercules for the hand of the beautiful Deianira. During the struggle, Hercules broke off one of the river god's horns, which became the first cornucopia." Jason read.

"Corn of what?" Briar asked.

"It's that Thanksgiving decoration," Reyna said. "The horn with all the goodies spilling out? We have some in the mess hall at camp. I didn't know the original one was actually some guy's horn."

"And we're supposed to take his other one," Briar sighed. "I'm guessing that won't be so easy. Who was Deianira?"

"Hercules married her," Jason said. "I think . . . doesn't say here. But I think something bad happened to her."

Briar remembered what Hercules had told them: his first family dead, his second wife dead after being tricked into poisoning him. She was liking this challenge less and less.

They trudged across a ridge between two hills, trying to stay in the shade; but Briar was already soaked with sweat. The mosquitoes left welts on her ankles, arms, and neck, so she probably looked like a smallpox victim. She really needed a skincare day.