““Hey.” [Leo] squeezed her hand, though Hazel sensed nothing romantic in the gesture. “Machines are designed to work.” “Uh, what?” “I figure the universe is basically like a machine. I don’t know who made it, if it was the Fates, or the gods, or capital-G God, or whatever. But it chugs along the way it’s supposed to most of the time. Sure, little pieces break and stuff goes haywire once in a while, but mostly . . . things happen for a reason. Like you and me meeting.” “Leo Valdez,” Hazel marveled, “you’re a philosopher.””
![“Aphrodite,” [Annabeth] said. “Venus?” Hazel asked in amazement. “Mom,” Piper…” quote by Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/684/rick-riordan-27_amazement_aphrodite-annabeth-said-venus-hazel-aske_422068.jpg)
