In Pursuit of Lost Echoes

006

                                                                                                 Leo

"How did he die?"Leo asked. "I mean Beckendorf."

Astraea trudged ahead. "Explosion, Beckendorf, Percy and I blew up a cruise ship full of monsters. Beckendorf didn't make it out." she said, her voice slightly wavering. Leo regretted asking, he never wanted to be the reason Astraea Jackson cried. 

But there was that name again- Percy, Percy Jackson, Astraea's brothers Annabeth's missing boyfriend. That guy must have been into everything around here, Leo thought. 

"So Beckendorf was pretty popular?" Leo asked. "I mean-before he blew up?"

"He was awesome," Astraea agreed. "It was hard on the whole camp when he died. Jake-he became head counselor in the middle of the war. Jake did his best, but he never wanted to be the leader. He just likes building stuff. Then after the war things started to go wrong. Cabin nines chariots blew up. Their automatons went haywire. Their inventions started to malfunction. It was like a curse, and eventually people started calling it that- the Curse of Cabin Nine. Then Jake  had his accident-" 

"Which has something to do with the problem he mentioned," Leo guessed. 

"They're working on it," Astraea said without enthusiasm. "And we're here." 

The forge looked like a steam-powered locomotive has smashed together into the Greek Parthenon and they fused together. The building sat at the edge of the stream, with several waterwheels turning  series of bronze gears. Leo heard machinery grinding inside, fires roaring, and hammers ringing on anvils. 

Leo and Astraea stepped though the doorway, and a dozen guys and girls who'd been working on various projects all froze. The noise died down to the roar of the forge and the click-click-click of gears and levers. 

"Hi guys," Astraea smiled waving at the working kids. "This is your new brother, Leo- um, what's your last name?"

"Valdez." Leo looked around at the other campers. Was he really related to all of them? His cousins came from some big families, but he'd always just had his mom-until she died. 

Kids came up too and started shaking his hands and introducing themselves. Their names blurred together. Leo knew he'd never keep everybody straight. Too many of them. Too overwhelming. And all of them looked different, the only thing they all had in common was that they all shared a sad kind of seriousness. Their shoulders slumped like life had beaten them down pretty hard. Several looked like they have been physically beaten up too. Leo counted two arm slings, one pair of crutches, an eye patch, ace bandages, and about seven thousand band-aids. 

"Well, all right!" Leo said. "I hear this is the party cabin." 

Nobody laughed. They all just stared at him. 

Astraea patted Leo's shoulder lightly. "I'll leave you guys to get acquainted. Somebody please show Leo to dinner when it's time?" 

"I got it." one of the girls said. Nyssa, Leo remembered. She wore cameo pants, a tank top that showed off her buff arms, and a red bandanna over a mop of dark hair. Except for the smiley-face band-aid in her chin, she looked like one of those female action heroes, like any second she was going to grab a machine gun and start mowing down evil aliens. 

Astraea was about to walk off when Leo mustered enough courage and grabbed her hand. It felt cold and soft in his large and rough palm. His face instantly turned red. 

"I'll see you again today, right?" He said hoping he didn't sound too desperate. 

Astraea smiled lightly, her eyes twinkling with mischief, "Of course, don't stress Valdez." She gave Leo one last smile, and walked off.