In Pursuit of Lost Echoes

005

                                                                                             Leo 

"Who's Chiron?" asked Piper.

"Good question, I'll try to introduce you as soon as possible." said Astraea, rubbing her forehead in frustration. 

The wind started picking up again, and the sky got cloudier. A gentle breeze blew and Leo could swear we could smell strawberries, with a small hint of the ocean. 

"Astraea" the voice of a running Annabeth sounded in the background. "I'm going to take Piper from here." she says bending down, and trying to catch her breath.  

"Are you sure?" asks Astraea hesitantly, eyeing the blonde, "because I have no problem continuing the tour by myself." 

"Yes, there's a few things I want to talk to her about." said Annabeth, giving Piper a glance that Leo didn't understand. He felt Piper tense next to him.  Astraea nodded in agreement.

"Lets go repair boy, I'll show you a better tour of the Hephaestus cabin." Astraea says waving at him to follow her. Leo shot her a grin trying to keep up with her. From the side he could see Annabeth shaking her head, as she folded her arms in a joking matter. 

Leo thought his tour was going great. That was until he learned about the dragon. Everything Astraea was showing him was so amazing, it should've been illegal. Real Greek warships moored at the beach that sometimes had practice fights and flaming arrows and explosives? Sweet! The woods were stocked with dangerous monsters and no one should go there alone? Nice. And this camp had Astraea here. Leo didn't understand the whole related-to-the-gods business, but hoped that didn't mean that they were cousins. That would suck! 

Astraea showed him the cabins and the sword arena once again, but more in depth, giving her full attention to Leo. 

"Do I get a sword?" Leo asked. 

Astraea glanced at him like she found the idea disturbing. 

"What?" Leo asked, scoffing dramatically. 

"Nothing," Astraea says smiling slightly, "you'll probably make your own, seeing as how you're in cabin nine." 

"Yeah, what's up with that? Vulcan?" 

"Usually we don't call the gods by their Roman names," Astraea said. "The original names are Greek. Your dad is Hephaestus." 

"Festus?" Leo heard somebody say that before, but he was still dismayed. "Sounds like the god of cowboys." 

"He -phaestus,"  Astraea corrected, trying to hide her smile. "God of blacksmiths and fire."

Leo heard that too, but he was trying not to think about it. The god of fire.. seriously? Considering what happened to his mom, that seemed like a sick joke. 

"So the flaming hammer over my head," Leo said. "Good or bad?"

Astraea took a while to answer. "You were claimed almost immediately, Annabeth told me. That's usually good." 

"But that Rainbow Pony dude, Butch- he mentioned a curse."

"Ah.. look, it's nothing. Since cabin nine's last head counselor died-"

"Died? Like, painfully?" Leo asks, eyes widening. 

"I should let your bunkmates tell you about it." Astraea said sheepishly, twirling her braids in-between her fingers. 

"Yeah, where are my home dawgs? Shouldn't their counselor be giving me the VIP tour? Not that I mind you doing it." Leo sent her a flirtatious and dramatic wink.