The beach pulsed with heat—sun scorching, breeze light and salt-sticky. Waves crashed and retreated in a steady rhythm, the sand grooved with footprints and the drag of towels.

Percy was out deep, diving straight into the current like he wanted to fight Poseidon himself. “That all you got?” he shouted at a wave before disappearing under it. Water slapped him like a freight train, but he popped up grinning.

Annabeth watched from the edge of a sand fort she half-built, half-dismantled. “Idiot,” she muttered, flipping a page in her book without looking down.

Jason sat nearby, elbows on knees, shades on, saying nothing. Calm. Focused. Probably tracking Piper’s every move without even turning his head.

Will was stretched under the umbrella like he’d been poured there. “You know we’re technically on break, right?” he said lazily.

Nico didn’t respond. Just tugged his hoodie tighter over his head and scowled at a crab. “It’s too bright. It’s offensive.”

Frank was pacing, tossing a frisbee from hand to hand like he was waiting for someone to tell him what to do. Occasionally he glanced at Hazel, then quickly looked away, ears red.

Leo?

Leo was chaos wrapped in sunshine. Laying out on a towel like he was posing for a calendar shoot, running sunscreen down the sharp lines of his abs with slow, practiced ease. His brown skin caught the light in a way that made more than a few people turn their heads. A couple of girls giggled behind their sunglasses.

He didn’t even flinch. Didn’t look up.

“She’s not out yet?” he asked, sounding bored but smiling like he knew exactly what he was doing.

“She’s thinking about it,” Hazel called back, just outside the changing room. “Don’t rush her, Leo.”

Piper threw a hand on her hip, cocked her head. “She never shows skin, like ever. And now she’s actually thinking about stepping out here with all of this going on?” She waved an arm at the beach, the crowd, the spotlight waiting to land.

“She’s braver than I am,” Hazel added. “I’d turn right back around.”

Piper grinned. “But she won’t. Not today.”

They were right. The door behind them stayed closed And you—you were the girl hiding in there

Leo’s smirk deepened.