XXXVII

Leo grows impatient as Hazel’s underground senses falter amid Rome’s layered ruins. After touring the city with Frank and Hazel, they arrive at the Pantheon, where Hazel feels a strong pull toward an entrance that might lead to Nico.

Inside, Leo admires the structure and recalls the site’s history, while Hazel notes its past as a secret consecration place for Vulcan’s children. Trusting his mechanical intuition, Leo discovers Roman numerals and ancient Celestial bronze gears behind a column and uses them to open a concealed floor hatch near Raphael’s tomb.

Hazel scans the passage, detects no immediate life or traps, and descends alone to ensure structural safety. Leo and Frank cover the opening and wait, drawing uneasy attention from three American tourists whose behavior feels off.

As they wait, Frank admits anxiety over his life-tethered firewood and his family losses; Leo reciprocates with the story of his mother’s death, establishing mutual trust. Their reflection on weaknesses and balance is cut short when the tourists’ eyes turn gold, revealing eidolons intent on killing Leo.

Realizing the danger and that the possessed hosts won’t hesitate to harm themselves, Frank transforms into a snake and drops into the hatch. Leo follows, abandoning the open chamber as the eidolons advance, shouting for Valdez’s death, and the two boys retreat into the tunnel toward Hazel and Nico’s presumed location.