The Tyrant's Tomb

“It’s always dark underground,” Hazel said. “Besides, during the
daytime, lots of kids will be at the carousel. I don’t want any of them getting
hurt. At night, the place will be deserted.”
Meg plopped down next to us. Her hair now looked like a distressed
elderberry shrub. “So, Hazel, can you do other cool underground stuff?
Some people were saying you can summon diamonds and rubies.”
Hazel frowned. “Some people?”
“Like Lavinia,” Meg said.
“Oh, my gods!” Lavinia said. “Thanks a lot, Meg!”
Hazel peered into the sky, as if wishing a giant eagle would come and
snatch her away. “I can summon precious metals, yes. Riches of the earth.
That’s a Pluto thing. But you can’t spend the stuff I summon, Meg.”
I leaned back against the roof tiles. “Because it’s cursed? I seem to recall
something about a curse—and not because Lavinia told me anything,” I
added hastily.
Hazel picked at her veggie wrap. “It’s not so much a curse anymore. In
the old days, I couldn’t control it. Diamonds, gold coins, stuff like that
would just pop up from the ground whenever I got nervous.”
“Cool,” Meg said.
“No, it really wasn’t,” Hazel assured her. “If somebody picked up the
treasures and tried to spend them…horrible things would happen.”
“Oh,” Meg said. “What about now?”
“Since I met Frank…” Hazel hesitated. “A long time ago, Pluto told me
that a descendant of Poseidon would wash away my curse. It’s complicated,
but Frank is a descendant of Poseidon on his mom’s side. Once we started
dating…He’s just a good person, you know? I’m not saying I needed a fella
to solve my problems—”
“A fella?” Meg asked.
Hazel’s right eye twitched. “Sorry. I grew up in the 1930s. Sometimes
my vocab slips. I’m not saying I needed a guy to solve my problems. It’s just
that Frank had his own curse to deal with, so he understood me. We helped
each other through some dark times—talking together, learning to be happy
again. He makes me feel—”
“Loved?” I suggested.
Lavinia met my eyes and mouthed, Adorable.
Hazel tucked her feet underneath her. “I don’t know why I’m telling you
all this. But yes. Now I can control my powers a lot better. Jewels don’t pop