~ { Shadow and Beauty } ~

Hecate

{Kiara}

Kiara thought Hazel had never looked so happy. Well, except for maybe on the night of the victory feast at Camp Jupiter, when she'd kissed Frank for the first time... but this was a close second.

   As soon as she reached the ground, she ran to Arion and threw her arms around him. "I missed you!" She pressed her face into the horse's warm neck. "Where have you been?"

   Arion nickered. Kiara wished she could speak Horse like Percy could, but she got the general idea. Arion sounded impatient, as if saying, No time for sentiment, girl! Come on! Or that was what she figured from all the way up at the deck.

   "You want me to go with you?" Hazel guessed.

   Arion bobbed his head, trotting in place. His dark brown eyes gleamed with urgency.

   Kiara couldn't believe the horse was actually here. He could run across any surface, even the sea; but Kiara had guessed he wouldn't follow them into the ancient lands. The Mediterranean was too dangerous for demigods and their allies.

   He wouldn't have come unless Hazel was in dire need. And he seemed so agitated... Anything that could make a fearless horse skittish terrified Kiara.

   But Hazel looked so happy and excited, Kiara didn't want to pop her bubble. Besides, Hazel was strong. She would be fine, Kiara hoped.

   "Hazel!" Nico called down from the ship. "What's going on?"

   "It's fine!" Hazel crouched down and summoned a gold nugget from the earth. She was getting better at controlling her power. Precious stones hardly ever popped up around her by accident anymore, and pulling gold from the ground was easy.

   She fed Arion the nugget... his favorite snack. Then she smiled up at Leo, Kiara and Nico, who were watching her from the top of the ladder a hundred feet above. "Arion wants to take me somewhere."

   The three exchanged nervous looks.

   "Uh..." Leo pointed north. "Please tell me he's not taking you into that?"

   A mile away, on the crest of the next hill, a storm had gathered over some old stone ruins—maybe the remains of a Roman temple or a fortress. A funnel cloud snaked its way down toward the hill like an inky black finger.

   Hazel suddenly looked nauseous. She looked at Arion. "You want to go there?"

   Arion whinnied, as if to say, Uh, duh!

   She tightened the straps of her Imperial gold cavalry sword and climbed onto Arion's back. "I'll be okay!" she called up to Nico, Kiara and Leo. "Stay put and wait for me."

   "Wait for how long?" Nico asked. "What if you don't come back?"

   "Don't worry, I will," she promised. Kiara hoped it was true.

   She spurred Arion, and they shot across the countryside, heading straight
for the growing tornado. And soon, she was out of view.

   "She'll be okay," Kiara said, mostly to convince herself.

   "I hope so," Nico said.

   "Maybe we should wake the others now," Leo suggested. "We could use some rest. At least, until Hazel comes back."

   Sleep sounded good, but lately Kiara had been having more trouble falling asleep. She didn't know how the rest of the crew of the Argo II managed to sleep through even a numina attack. Her mind had been more scrambled with Percy and Annabeth falling into... It was so depressing she couldn't even finish the thought.