“We still should have enough time to reach Rome.”Hazel scowled. “When you say should have enough…”Leo shrugged. “How do you feel about barely enough?”Hazel put her face in her hands for a count of three. “Sounds about typical for us.”

“Annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger. “A bounty on our heads . . . as if we didn’t attract enough monsters already.”“Do we get WANTED posters?” Leo asked. “And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?”Hazel wrinkled her nose. “What are you talking about?”“Just wondering how much I’m going for these days,” Leo said. “I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason, maybe . . . but am I worth, like, two Franks, or three Franks?”

“Leo,” Hazel gasped, “I can’t—my arms—”“Hazel,” he said. “Do you trust me?”“No!”“Me neither,” Leo admitted.”

“I never thought I'd get to see Rome," Hazel said. "When I was alive, I mean for the first time, Mussolini was in charge. We were at war.""Mussolini?" Leo frowned. "Wasn't he like BFF's with Hitler?" Hazel stared at him like he was an alien. "BFF's?""Never mind.""I'd love to see the Trevi Fountain," she said."There's a fountain on every block," Leo grumbled."Or the Spanish Steps," Hazel said."Why would you come to Italy to see Spanosh steps?" Leo asked. "That's like going to China for Mexican food, isn't it?""You're hopeless," Hazel complained."So I've been told.”

“I can’t believe how much this place has grown,” Hazel muttered. The taxi driver grinned in the rearview mirror. “Been a long time since you visited, miss?”“About seventy years,” Hazel said. The driver slid the glass partition closed and drove on in silence.”

“Aphrodite,” [Annabeth] said. “Venus?” Hazel asked in amazement. “Mom,” Piper said with no enthusiasm. “Girls!” The goddess spread her arms like she wanted a group hug. The three demigods did not oblige. Hazel backed into a palmetto tree.”

“You speak horse?" Hazel asked."Speaking to horses is a Poseidon thing," Percy said. "Uh, I mean a Neptune thing.""Then you and Arion should get along fine," Hazel said. "He's a son of Neptune too."Percy turned pale. "Excuse me?”