We're halfway across the green when Leo freezes. His face pales, as if he's seen a ghost.
"What's wrong, Leo?"
He takes a minute to answer, as if my words aren't registering properly. "That old lady..." He seems genuinely afraid. "What's she doing here?"
I look towards where he's looking, but see nothing. "What old lady?"
"Dude, the old lady. The one in black. How many old ladies do you see over there?"
I look harder, but really, I don't see anyone. Maybe he's messing with me. Or maybe he really does see something. "I think you've had a long day, Leo. The Mist could still be playing tricks on your mind. How about we just head straight to your cabin now?"I try to gently coax him along with a hand on his back.
He looks back again, as if he couldn't believe what he was looking at. I wonder if this old lady meant something to him. He's clearly afraid of her.
Eventually, he chuckles. "Just messing with you." He pulls a clump of gears and levers out of his pockets and starts fiddling with them. A nervous habit. He was not messing with me. "Let's go see Cabin Nine. I'm in the mood for a good curse."
When there's not a curse going on, I love cabin nine. People seem to like me, and it's a mechanic's dream. There are machine parts everywhere, power tools decorating the walls, and lots of secret levers and switches that do all kinds of things.
As we approach, Leo whistles. "Wow, they've got a steampunk theme going on huh."
Inside, the cabin is basically empty. Leo looks amazed, admiring the inside like a kid in a candy store. I thought he was going to go for the celestial bronze power saw, or the drill with intuitive bits. But he goes straight for the weed whacker.
"What's the god of forges and fire want with a weed whacker?"
"You'd be surprised." A familiar voice makes me jump. Jake Mason, the head counselor for the Hephaestus cabin, appears from behind a camouflage curtain. His full body cast and puffy bruised face make him look like the Pillsbury Doughboy. "I'm Jake Mason. I'd shake your hand but..."
"Yeah," Leo says casually. "Don't get up."
Jake smiles, before wincing like it hurt. "Welcome to Cabin Nine. Been almost a year since we had any new kids. I'm head counselor for now."
"For now?"
I take this as my time to interrupt. "So, where is everybody, Jake?"
"Down at the forges." He sounds jealous. "They're working on, you know, that problem." My heart wrenches in my throat. I love the Hephaestus kids, but they don't know my secret. I avoid talking to them about it at all costs.
"Oh..." Change the subject. "So, you got a spare bed for Leo?"
He looks back at Leo, as if studying him. "You believe in curses, Leo? Or ghosts?"
"Ghosts?" Leo shrugs it off. "Pfft, nah. I'm cool. A storm spirit chucked me down the Grand Canyon this morning, but you know, all in a day's work, right?"
Jake nods, ignoring Leo's comment. "That's good. I'll give you the best bed in the cabin. Beckendorf's."
"Woah, Jake." I wasn't expecting that at all. "You sure?"
"Bunk 1-A please." Jake calls out.
A circular section of floor spirals open like a camera lens, and a full sized bed rises up out of it. It has a built in gaming station, a mini fridge in the base, and multiple control panels on the sides. I've never seen this before.
