Riding Arion is the best thing that has happened to me all day, which isn't saying much because my day has sucked. His hooves turn the surface of the lake to salty mist. When I put my hand on his side, I can feel his muscles working like a well-oiled machine. I finally understand why they measure cars in horsepower. Arion is a four-legged Maserati.
Ahead of us is an island, a line of sand so white, it could be pure table salt. Behind that rises an expanse of grassy dunes and weathered boulders.
I'm sitting behind Hazel, one arm around her waist. Theo is behind me, gripping me for dear life. She seems to be enjoying the ride, and she insisted on riding in the back, because if any of us are going to be okay falling off, it's her, but I think she's regretting her decision now.
Before we left, Percy pulled us aside and told us Hazel's story. He made it sound like he was doing us a favor, but he looked at me like he was saying, If you mess with my friend, I will personally feed you to a great white shark.
Arion thunders onto the beach, stomping his hooves and whinnying triumphantly, like Coach Hedge yelling a battle cry. We all dismount, and Arion paws at the sand.
"He needs to eat." Hazel explains. "He likes gold, but-"
"Gold?" Theo asks.
"He'll settle for grass. Go on, Arion. Thanks for the ride. I'll call you."
Just like that, the horse is gone, nothing left but a steaming trail across the lake.
"Fast horse." I note.
"And expensive to feed." Theo adds.
"Not really." Hazel shrugs. "Gold is easy for me."
I raise my eyebrows. "How is gold easy? Please tell me you're not related to King Midas. I don't like that guy."
Hazel purses her lips, as if she regrets raising the subject. "Never mind."
Theo kneels down and picks up a handful of the sand. "Well, one problem solved, anyway. This is lime."
Hazel frowns. "The whole beach?"
"Yeah." I say, kneeling down next to Theo. I take some of the lime from her hand. "The granules are perfectly round. It's not really sand. It's calcium carbonate." I pull a ziploc bag from my toolbelt and Theo fills it up with the lime.
"We should've brought a pail and shovels." Theo notes.
The idea cheers me up so much, I even smile. "We could've made a sand castle."
"A lime castle."
Our eyes lock, and I'm reminded of how much I adore Theo. She looks gorgeous here on the beach. I wish we had gotten the chance to have a beach day at camp. Her eyes shine in the sun, and her wavy hair falls around her shoulders like water in a waterfall.
She grins back at me, her eyes shining. She's just perfect. She's funny, full of love and joy, she can make light of any situation, and she's so smart. I love working with her. Building the ship with her was amazing. I was considering the mechanical aspect of the ship, but it was her idea to install the sound system in the mess hall, and to add the photos of Camp Half-Blood, and all the other things that make it like a home. She made this ship comfortable. She gave it life.
Theo freezes, suddenly staring at the lime with complete terror. She drops it and stands up quickly. "That's enough."
"Theo." I stand too, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looks like she's seen a ghost. "You okay?"
She nods, taking a shaky breath. "Yeah, just, you know... mom. I'm fine."
That doesn't make me feel better. Then I look up and see Hazel is examining me closely. "You are so much like-"
"Sammy?" I guess, rubbing Theo's back comfortingly.
She falls backwards. "You know?"
"I have no idea who Sammy is. But Frank asked me if I was sure that wasn't my name."
"And... it isn't?"
"No! Jeez!"
"You don't have a twin brother, or..." She stops. "Is your family from New Orleans?"
"Nah, Houston. Why? Is Sammy a guy you used to know?"
"I... It's nothing. You just look like him."
I can tell she's uncomfortable, and I notice Theo is giving her a strange look. Is she jealous? I'll have to tease her about that later. I can't help but look at Hazel for a moment longer though. She is pretty. I've never had girls look at me. Now I have a girlfriend and Hazel can't keep her eyes off me. The cup runneth over! But that's no way for me to be thinking.
I scan the island. Bleach white dunes, blankets of grass, and boulders encrusted with salt like frosting. "Festus said there was Celestial Bronze close by, but I'm not sure where-"
"That way." Hazel points up the beach. "About five hundred yards."
"How do you-"
"Precious metals." Hazel says. "It's a Pluto thing."
Theo examines her more closely. "Handy talent." She nods her head up the beach. "Lead the way Miss Metal Detector."
