DIVINE » l. valdez

v

❝heard you were tough, but you don't look it❞

They stepped to the center of the pool. No spirits tried to stop them. The giant monitor walls stayed dark. The drain hole was easily big enough for a person, and a maintenance ladder led down into the gloom.

Jason went first, disappearing into the sewers. Hina glanced worriedly waiting to hear from Jason. Leo grabbed Hina's hand before he approached the drain hole, and climbed down.

Leo called up, letting the girls know it was safe. Next, Hina climbed down the ladder. She waited to be hit with the stench of the sewer but it never came. The ground was almost completely dry except for a trickle of water running past them.

There was a brief struggle to help Piper climb down with her injured foot, but eventually all four demigods stood together.

"Are all sewers this nice?" Piper wondered.

"No," Leo said. "Trust me."

Jason frowned. "How do you know—"

"Hey, man, I ran away six times. I've slept in some weird places, okay? Now, which way do we go?"

Hina frowned, interlocking her hand with Leo's in support.

Jason titled his head as if listening to the wind. He pointed south, declaring, "That way."

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked.

"There's a draft blowing south," Jason said. "Maybe the venti went with the flow."

They didn't get very far before Piper yelped in pain and tumbled. She would have fallen flat on her face if Jason hadn't caught her.

"Stupid ankle," she cursed.

"Let's rest," Jason decided. "We could all use it. We've been going nonstop for over a day. Leo, can you pull any food from that tool belt besides breath mints?"

"Thought you'd never ask. Chef Leo is on it! Come Sous Chef Ina!"

Leo ushered Hina a few feet away so Jason and Piper could talk privately. He lit a small fire, humming as he rummaged through his backpack.

Hina stared into the fire, finally able to think about what the sleeping woman had told her before they crashed.

'Their lives for hers'. It seemed insane. She couldn't sabotage the quest, but would she even make it the end of their mission?

Leo seemed to sense her distress and stopped slicing peppers to crouch beside Hina.

"It's not your fault. It's been a hectic day, it's okay if you can't heal Piper," his voice was soft, contrasting against the crackling fire. His hands hovered over Hina's shoulders as if debating pulling the girl into a hug.

She shook her head. "But it is. I should have known Piper needed help, and I wasted my energy on trying to heal myself. I was selfish and stupid," Hina scolded herself.

"You did the right thing. That metal beam landed on top of you, it's okay to heal yourself after that," Leo reassured, leaving to finish cutting the peppers. Hina stayed sitting for a minute before she helped Leo dump the peppers into a frying pan next to some tofu.

"Yeah, baby! Almost there." Leo cheered, stirring the sizzling food. Hina poured salsa onto the four plates and piled corn chips beside.

"Watch this, Ina!" Leo called, showing off as he flipped the food using the pan. Hina smiled softly, appreciating his efforts to cheer her up.