The Blood of Olympus (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 7: Hazel

Chapter 7: Hazel

 

            HAZEL HAD NOT BEEN ANTICIPATING A crying fest.

            She had been fighting back her emotions while in the sickbay, and it had been hard. Her friends felt discouraged, and she was alarmed to see even Annabeth looked ready to give up. Everything seemed to be falling to pieces, and Hazel didn’t want to cry.

            Annabeth was already weeping against Percy’s hair, her body shaking as she gasped for air. Everyone stood in stone silence, most of them looking at the ground or biting their lip.

            The silence seemed to last years, and finally it was broken. A shuddering gasp escaped Leo’s lips, and suddenly he was broken. He slid to the floor, lying in a crumpled heap, tears streaming down his cheeks. The look in his eyes was indescribable. The pain piled up, and Hazel knew he had been hiding the pain for a long time.

            Slowly, like her feet were made out of pudding, Hazel walked forward. She bent down, her face inches from Leo’s. His breathing was unsteady, and he sobbed for breath. She had never expected to see someone as happy as Leo break down so violently. It was like a bullet to the brain. It was unexpected and full of hurt.

            “Hey,” Hazel whispered, putting her hands on Leo’s shoulders. For a moment, it was just them two. “Leo, please don’t cry. Everything will be okay. I promise.”

            Even Hazel couldn’t convince herself that things would be okay. Even if Percy wasn’t paralyzed, the fears would still be present. The Titans were back, reclaiming their places on earth. They were preparing to rule once more, and they were so convinced Gaea would win the war.

            Tartarus had nearly killed Annabeth and Percy. Hazel could only assume that Tartarus had taken some kind of humanistic form. She was beyond worried, wondering how the god of the pit could have terrified Annabeth so much.

            The Romans were after the Greeks. Even if the seven defeated Gaea, there might not be a home to return to. There was no telling who would be killed and who would survive. The only person to stop it was Reyna with the Athena Parthenos, assuming she survived.

            And Gaea was sending enemies after the seven. She already ordered for Percy to be killed and to deliver Piper to Mount Olympus. There was no telling what else she had up her sleeves. She had spent so long planning, which was terrifying. In only thirteen days she would awake. If she were to wake up, it would be game over. Nothing would matter anymore. Demigods would cease to exist. The gods would fall. Human civilization would crumble. Chaos would prevail, along with the Titans and horrible monsters that lurked Tartarus.

            It was hopeless. Everything was falling apart, and nothing else mattered. Hazel would die anyways. There was going to be a monster to kill her finally, and there was no telling if it would be today, or tomorrow, or even the next day. Why should she even try?

            And suddenly Hazel collapsed, her body falling against Leo. Tears flooded her eyes, and she gave a wail. She couldn’t control her emotions, feeling them spiral out of control. She wept like a baby, holding onto Leo so she wouldn’t completely lose control.

            Centuries could have passed, but Hazel wouldn’t have noticed. She was bawling her eyes out with Leo, the two of them sobbing and hugging on the floor of the sickbay. She could have cried for thirteen days straight. Gaea could have ended the world in that second, and Hazel would have been too busy crying to pay attention. Her emotions had been crushed.