Return of the Disgraced Archangel

Mission

     Leo ended up with Hazel. He wasn't entirely sure it was for the best, considering how she kept looking at him. Like she knew him from somewhere.

     They were riding a horse who ran like he was on ketamine, running faster than the speed of sound. Arion, Hazel had called him. The horse's hooves turned the surface of the lake to mist. Leo put his hand against the horse's side and felt the muscles working like a well-oiled machine. For the first time, he understood why car engines were measured in horsepower.

     In front of them was an island. A line of sand so white it could have been pure table salt. Or Columbian cocaine. Either one worked. Behind the shore lay grassy dunes and rocky, weathered boulders.

     Leo sat behind Hazel, one arm around her waist. The close contract made him a little uncomfortable, but it was the only way he could stay on the horse.

     Before they left, Percy had pulled him aside and explained Hazel's backstory. It sounded like he was doing Leo a favor, but the tone of his voice sounded more like, 'I don't care that you're fireproof, you hurt her and I'll burn you alive in Hell.'

     According to Percy, Hazel was from the 1940's and had only been brought back to life a couple of months ago. Explained why she had no idea who Iron man was. But he still found it hard to believe. He had met revived ghosts before, and they weren't like Hazel. They were cold, and seemed like they were alive a long time ago. Hazel, not so much.

     Arion stopped on the beach. He stomped his hooves and whinnied triumphantly, which reminded Leo of Coach Hedge. Leo and Hazel dismounted as Arion pawed the sand.

     "He needs to eat." Hazel explained. "He likes gold, but-"

     "Gold?"

     "He'll settle for grass." She turned to Arion. "Go on, I'll call you when we're done."

     And just like that, he was gone, a trail of mist left in his wake.

     "Fast horse. Expensive to feed though." Leo said.

     "Not really." Hazel said. "Gold comes easy to me."

     Leo raised his eyebrows. "How is gold easy? Please tell me you're not related to King Midas. I really don't like that guy."

     Hazel pursed her lips, like she regretted bringing up the topic. "Nevermind."

     Leo became more curious, but decided it wouldn't be best to push it. He knelt down and scooped up a handful. "That's one problem solved, at least. This is lime."

     Hazel frowned. "The whole beach?"

     "Yeah, see?" He held up the handful of lime. "The granules are perfectly round. It's not really sand. It's calcium carbonate." He pulled out a ziploc bag and started to fill it with lime.

     Suddenly he froze. He remembered all the times the Earth goddess Gaia had appeared to him in the ground—her sleeping face made of dirt or sand. He imagined her face swirling in the lime, smiling sweetly with her eyes closed.

     "Run away, little hero. Without you the ship can't be fixed." She said.

     "Leo?" Hazel asked. "You okay?"

     Leo took a shaky breath. Gaia wasn't here. He was just freaking himself out. "Yeah." He said. "Yeah, I'm fine." He resumed filling the bag.

     Hazel knelt down next to him and helped him. "We should have brought a pail and some shovels."

    That made Leo smile. "We could've made a sand castle."

     "A lime castle."

     Their eyes met for a second too long.