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ix<br />
Leo<br />
LEO DIDN’T WANT TO COME OUT OF THE WALL.<br />
He had three more braces to attach, and nobody else was skinny enough to fit in <strong>the</strong> crawl space.<br />
(One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> many advantages <strong>of</strong> being scrawny.)<br />
Wedged between <strong>the</strong> layers <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> hull with <strong>the</strong> plumbing and wiring, Leo could be alone with his<br />
thoughts. When he got frustrated, which happened about every five seconds, he could hit stuff with his<br />
mallet and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r crew members would figure he was working, not throwing a tantrum.<br />
One problem with his sanctuary: he only fitted up to his waist. His butt and legs were still on view<br />
to <strong>the</strong> general public, which made it hard for him to hide.<br />
‘Leo!’ Piper’s voice came from somewhere behind him. ‘We need you.’<br />
The Celestial bronze O-ring slipped out <strong>of</strong> Leo’s pliers and slid into <strong>the</strong> depths <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> crawl space.<br />
Leo sighed. ‘Talk to <strong>the</strong> pants, Piper! ’Cause <strong>the</strong> hands are busy!’<br />
‘I am not talking to <strong>the</strong> pants. Meeting in <strong>the</strong> mess hall. We’re almost at Olympia.’<br />
‘Yeah, fine. I’ll be <strong>the</strong>re in a sec.’<br />
‘What are you doing, anyway? You’ve been poking around inside <strong>the</strong> hull for days.’<br />
Leo swept his flashlight across <strong>the</strong> Celestial bronze plates and pistons he’d been installing slowly<br />
but surely. ‘Routine maintenance.’<br />
Silence. Piper was a little too good at knowing when he was lying. ‘Leo –’<br />
‘Hey, while you’re out <strong>the</strong>re, do me a favour. I got this itch right below my –’<br />
‘Fine, I’m leaving!’<br />
Leo allowed himself a couple more minutes to fasten <strong>the</strong> brace. His work wasn’t done. Not by a<br />
long shot. But he was making progress.<br />
Of course, he’d laid <strong>the</strong> groundwork for his secret project when he first built <strong>the</strong> Argo II, but he<br />
hadn’t told anyone about it. He had barely been honest with himself about what he was doing.<br />
Nothing lasts forever, his dad once told him. Not even <strong>the</strong> best machines.<br />
Yeah, okay, maybe that was true. But Hephaestus had also said, Everything can be reused. Leo<br />
intended to test that <strong>the</strong>ory.<br />
It was a dangerous risk. If he failed, it would crush him. Not just emotionally. It would physically<br />
crush him.<br />
The thought made him claustrophobic.<br />
He wriggled out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> crawl space and went back into his cabin.<br />
Well … technically it was his cabin, but he didn’t sleep <strong>the</strong>re. The mattress was littered with<br />
wires, nails and <strong>the</strong> guts <strong>of</strong> several disassembled bronze machines. His three massive rolling tool
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