absquatulate━━HEROES OF OLYMPUS

: ̗̀➛ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑𝟎

━ONE problem solved: the hatch above them closed automatically, cutting off their pursuers. It also cut off all light, but Leo, Evan and Frank could deal with that. Leo just hoped they didn't need to get out the same way they came in. He wasn't sure he could open the tile from underneath.

At least the possessed manatee dudes were on the other side. Over Leo's head, the marble floor shuddered, like fat touristy feet were kicking it.

Frank must have turned back to human form. Leo could hear him wheezing in the dark.

"What now?" Frank asked.

"Okay, don't freak," Leo said. "I'm going to summon a little fire, just so we can see."

"Thanks for the warning."

Leo's index finger blazed like a birthday candle. In front of them stretched a stone tunnel with a low ceiling. Just as Hazel had predicted, it slanted down, then leveled out and went south.

"Gods, I hate tight spaces." Evan sounded panicked.

"Well," Leo said. "It only goes in one direction."

"Let's find Hazel," Frank said.

Leo had no argument with that suggestion. They made their way down the corridor, Leo going first with the fire. He was glad to have Evan and Frank at his back, tall and strong and, in Frank's case, able to turn into scary animals in case those possessed tourists somehow broke through the hatch, squeezed inside, and followed them. He wondered if the eidolons might just leave those bodies behind, seep underground, and possess one of them instead.

Oh, there's my happy thought for the day! Leo scolded himself.

After a hundred feet or so, they turned a corner and found Hazel. In the light of her golden cavalry sword, she was examining a door. She was so engrossed, she didn't notice them until Leo said, "Hi."

Hazel whirled, trying to swing her spatha. Fortunately for Leo's face, the blade was too long to wield in the corridor.

"What are you doing here?" Hazel demanded.

Leo gulped. "Sorry. We ran into some angry tourists." He told her what had happened.

She hissed in frustration. "I hate eidolons. I thought Duksa made them promise to stay away."

"Oh..." Evan said, like he'd just had his own daily happy thought. "Duska made them promise to stay off the ship and not possess any of us. But if they followed us, and used other bodies to attack us, then they're not technically breaking their vow...."

"Great," Leo muttered. "Eidolons who are also lawyers. Now I really want to kill them."

"Okay, forget them for now," Hazel said. "This door is giving me fits. Leo, can you try your skill with the lock?"

Leo cracked his knuckles. "Stand aside for the master, please."

The door was interesting, much more complicated than the Roman numeral combination lock above. The entire door was coated in Imperial gold. A mechanical sphere about the size of a bowling ball was embedded in the center. The sphere was constructed from five concentric rings, each inscribed with zodiac symbols—the bull, the scorpion, et cetera—and seemingly random numbers and letters.

"These letters are Greek," Leo said in surprise.

"Well, lots of Romans spoke Greek," Hazel said.

"I guess," Leo said. "But this workmanship...no offense to you Camp Jupiter types, but this is too complicated to be Roman."