ᴾʰᵒᵇᵒᵖʰᵒᵇⁱᵃ [ᴶᵃˢᵒⁿ ᴳʳᵃᶜᵉ]

vii.

Aza had never been the biggest fan of horses; at Camp, she struggled with horseback riding and flying on pegasi, and Aza didn't like things that didn't come easily to her, so she insisted on blaming the animals instead. But riding on Hazel's horse, Arion, was exhilarating. It was clear the two had a bond - the horse moved swiftly, its hooves pounding against the salty surface of the lake as Hazel easily guided it.

Aza found herself quickly liking Hazel, and it was clear Percy did as well. The son of Poseidon had pulled she and Leo behind to quickly explain her past - she was a daughter of Pluto who had died in the 1940's, and had been brought back from the Underworld a few months prior.

Part of Aza hoped that if Hazel could escape the underworld, Bianca di Angelo could too. Both were daughters of the lord of the dead - they held some semblance of power over it. But she knew Bianca had made peace with her decision. She was happy where she was, but every time Aza saw the pain in Nico's eyes, she desperately wished the girl would once more walk the mortal plane.

The island came into view quickly - a line of white sand that reflected uncomfortably into Aza's eyes. She raised a hand to shield her vision - behind the stretch of beach was an expanse of weathered boulders and gentle hills of green grass.

She jumped off Arion first, kicking up dusty white sand. Aza wrinkled her nose in distaste, glaring at the beach - the last thing she wanted was sand in her shoes. Hazel and Leo followed after her, and the horse pawed expectantly at the sand, whining slightly. Hazel sighed, rubbing the side of the horse's neck, "He needs to eat. He likes gold, but-"
"Gold?" Leo asked, shaking his head.

"Gold?" Aza echoed, furrowing her brows.

"He'll settle for grass," Hazel decided, and she patted Arion's side, "Go on. Thanks for the ride. I'll call you."

When Aza blinked, Arion was gone and all she could see was a misty trail across the lake. She raised her eyebrow and nodded, impressed by his speed. Leo knelt down, cupping a hand of white sand, "Well... one problem solved, anyway. This is lime."

Aza's eyebrows rose, and she sighed, "Oh, lime." She felt embarrassed, thinking that he had needed the fruit.

Leo looked at her, tilting his head. His eyebrows shot up and his eyes realized in realization - the boy laughed, clapping a hand on Aza's shoulders, "I did say not to question genius." Aza rolled her eyes, and she began scooping up handfuls of sand as Leo opened a Ziploc bag he pulled from his belt.

She glanced up at Leo as she released the sand, her brows furrowing as the boy froze, staring at the sand with glassy eyes. She reached a hand forward and placed it on his shoulder, "Leo?"

He shook his head, plastering a smile on his face. Aza's lips tightened in concern, but the boy shook off her hand and began to scoop sand into the bag, "I'm fine." Hazel knelt down and began to help the three, "We should've brought a pail and shovels."

Leo's smile returned, though Aza could tell it was still slightly forced, "We could've made a sand castle."

"A lime castle." Aza watched as the two locked eyes, and her brows furrowed - Hazel was dating Frank, but there was... something between Leo and her, Aza just couldn't figure out what. She didn't know if Hazel knew that Aza could feel her fear pulsing in waves, amplifying whenever she locked eyes with the son of Hephaestus.

Hazel looked away first, "You are so much like-"

"Sammy?"

Hazel fell backwards into the sand, resting her palms behind her back, "You know?" Aza felt a smothering pulse of fear, like a cloth had been placed over her mouth. She sucked in a breath, closing her eyes and forcing herself to breath slowly. She opened her eyes after Leo said, "I have no idea who Sammy is. But Frank asked me if I was sure that wasn't my name."