Metallophobia: Fear of Metal
Aurelia hated blind trust.
She didn't exactly believe in it. Life had been cruel to her. Her mother, the person who was supposed to raise you, care for you, and love you, failed at that job. Her relationship with Reyna and Hylla was built off shared blood and shared trauma—trust was needed for them to survive. It took her months before she was able to trust Jason. It took Percy being an absolute idiot for her to trust him.
Did Aurelia fully trust Hazel and Frank? She wanted to believe she did, but if it came down to the safety of their camp or her life ... she wasn't as sure. Not because she believed them to be unloyal, but because she believed them to be too naive and inexperienced in this area of demigod life.
But staring at her older cousin, the one who fought to keep her alive, the one who taught her how to read and write, the one who would hold her hand whenever she used to zone out, Aurelia knew that a lot of blind trust was going to be needed today.
Hylla felt desperate, and when they were left in the room without her other Amazons, her anger had disappeared only leaving behind her hopelessness.
Hylla's desperation mixed with Hazel's unease and distrust, was bothering Aurelia.
"Ari," Hazel murmured, trying to convey a look of distress—not very subtly. It was almost like Hazel was trying to say that they should run for it.
"Forget about escape," Hylla advised Hazel. "Of course, we'd respect you for trying. But we'd have to kill you." Aurelia gave a small hum of amusement as she noticed the small quirk in Hazel's lips at Hylla's words.
"Thanks for the warning," Hazel grumbled.
Hylla shrugged. "It is the least I can do. It may be the only thing I can do for you."
Aurelia pursed her lips. "Is our little side quest really in vain? There is no aid you can offer?"
Hylla studied the necklace she'd taken from Percy. "It's complicated," she said. "Amazons have always had a rocky relationship with other demigods—especially male demigods. We fought for King Priam in the Trojan War, but Achilles killed our queen, Penthesilea. Years before that, Hercules stole Queen Hippolyta's belt—this belt I'm wearing. It took us centuries to recover it. Long before that, at the very beginning of the Amazon nation, a hero named Bellerophon killed our first queen, Otrera."
Aurelia shared Hazel's shock. "You mean the lady—"
"—who just left, yes. Otrera, our first queen, daughter of Ares."
"Mars?"
Hylla made a sour face. "No, definitely Ares. Otrera lived long before Rome, in a time when all demigods were Greek. Unfortunately, some of our warriors still prefer the old ways. Children of Ares ... they are always the worst."
"The old ways ..." Aurelia had heard rumors about Greek demigods. Octavian actively believed (and tried to convince her) that they existed and were secretly plotting against Rome. A part of her believed that there must have been out there—especially after the people she had met on Circe's Island. Percy felt like one of those people—but Percy was the opposite of the evil and scheming person Octavian claimed Greeks to be.
Hazel was shocked. "You mean the Amazons are a mix ... of Greek and Roman?"
Hylla continued to examine the necklace—the clay beads, the probatio tablet. She slipped Reyna's silver ring off the cord and put it on her own finger. "I suppose they don't teach you about that at Camp Jupiter. The gods have many aspects. Mars, Ares. Pluto, Hades. Being immortal, they tend to accumulate personalities. They are Greek, Roman, American—a combination of all the cultures they've influenced over the eons. Do you understand?"
Hazel looked at Aurelia for help but the daughter of Pavor's eyes were unfocused, and she stared at Hylla's makeshift throne. "I—I'm not sure," Hazel admitted. "Are all Amazons demigods?"
The queen spread her hands. "We all have some immortal blood, but many of my warriors are descended from demigods. Some have been Amazons for countless generations. Others are children of minor gods. Kinzie, the one who brought you here, is the daughter of a nymph. Ah—here she is now."
The girl with the auburn hair approached the queen and bowed. "The prisoners are safely locked away," she reported. "But ..."
"Yes?" Hylla asked.
Kinzie swallowed like she had a bad taste in her mouth. "Otrera made sure her followers are guarding the cells. I'm sorry, my queen."
Hylla pursed her lips. "No matter. Stay with us, Kinzie. We were just talking about our, ah, situation."
"Otrera," Hazel guessed. "Gaea brought her back from the dead to throw you Amazons into civil war."
Aurelia studied Hylla—the slight sag in her shoulders, the slight darkness underneath her eyes. Hylla met her glance for a quick second, her expression not betraying any emotion before she looked back at Hazel to answer her. "If that was her plan, it is working. Otrera is a legend among our people. She plans to take back the throne and lead us to war against the Romans. Many of my sisters will follow her."
"Not all,"Kinzie grumbled.
"But Otrera is a spirit!" Hazel said. "She isn't even—"
"Real?" Aurelia finished. "You cannot truly believe that, Hazel."
Hylla nodded. "We worked with the sorceress Circe for many years. I know a returned soul when I see one. When did you die, Hazel—Nineteen twenty? Nineteen thirty?"
"Nineteen forty-two," Hazel said. "But I wasn't sent by Gaea. I came back to stop her. This is my second chance."
Hylla glanced at Aurelia who nodded in confirmation. "Your second chance ..." Hylla gazed at the rows of battle forklifts, now empty. "I know about second chances. That boy, Percy Jackson—he destroyed my old life. Our old life. You would have hardly recognized me then. I wore dresses and makeup. I was a glorified secretary, an accursed Babrie doll."
Kinzie made a three-finger claw over her heart—a ward off evil.
"I looked exactly the same as I do now,"Aurelia murmured. "Maybe thinner." Hylla gave an amused hum at that as she looked at her cousin with sadness and nostalgia.
"Circe's Island was a safe place for us and Reyna," she continued. "Despite our parentage, on both the godly and mortal sides, we still managed to survive. I wanted to protect Reyna and Aurelia from more violence. Then Percy Jackson unleashed the pirates. They kidnapped us, tortured my primita ..." Hylla paused, closing her eyes as if trying to stop tears. Aurelia felt her grief, and guilt.
"Reyna and I learned to be tough," Hylla said, "but it wasn't quick enough to save Aurelia from being harmed. It was quite unbelievable, really. Reyna and I ... we were strong, and good with weapons, but Aurelia ... her mental and emotional strength is a trait I can only hope to have half of. The past four years, I've wanted to kill Percy Jackson for what he made us endure—what he forced her to suffer through."
"But Aurelia and Reyna rose to two of the highest positions at Camp Jupiter," Hazel said. "You became queen of the Amazons. Maybe this was your destiny."
"Reyna and I choose to believe it," Aurelia murmured.
Hylla fingered the necklace in her hand. "It doesn't matter if I choose to believe it. I may not be queen for much longer."
"You will prevail!" Kinzie insisted.
"As the Fate decree," Hylla said without enthusiasm. "You see, Otrera has challenged me to duel. Every Amazon has that right. Tonight at midnight, we'll battle for the throne."΅
"But ... you're good, right?" Hazel asked.
"The best," Aurelia praised.
Hylla managed a dry smile. "I am good, yes, but Otrera is the founder of the Amazons."
"She's a lot older," Hazel objected. "Maybe she's out of practice, having been dead for so long."
"I hope you're right, Hazel. You see, it's a battle to the death ..."
Aurelia closed her eyes, trying to keep tears from falling. Otrera is a minion of a Gaea, just like Phineas. And just like Phineas, she can't exactly be killed. Not Hylla. She couldn't lose Hylla too.
"Even if you kill her," Hazel reasoned, "she'll just come back. As long as Thanatos is chained, she won't stay dead."
"Exactly," Hylla said. "Otrera has already told us that she can't die. So even if I manage to defeat her tonight, she'll simply return and challenge me again tomorrow. There is no law against challenging the queen multiple times. She can insist on fighting me every night, until she finally wears me down. I can't win."
Aurelia opened her eyes., once again gazing at the throne. She imagined Otrera sitting there with her fine robes and her silver hair, ordering her warriors to attack Rome. She imagined the voice of Gaea filling this cavern.
"If there is a will, there is a way," Aurelia murmured, looking at her cousin. "We just need to find that way."
"Don't Amazons have ... special powers, or something?" Hazel asked.
"No more than other demigods," Hylla said. "We can die, just like any other mortal. There is a group of archers who follow the goddess Artemis. They are often mistaken for Amazons, but the Hunters forsake the company of men in exchange for almost endless life. We Amazons—we would prefer to live life to the fullest. We love, we fight, we die."
"I thought you hate men," Hazel mused.
Hylla and Kinzie both laughed. Aurelia's lips quirked upward a little.
"Hate men?" Hylla gave Kinzie and Aurelia a look like, why would she ever think that? "No, no, we like men. A lot. We just like to show them who's in charge. But that's besides the point. If I could, I would rally our troops and ride to my sister's aid. Unfortunately, my power is tenuous. When I am killed in combat—and it's only a matter of time—Otrera will be queen. She will march to Camp Jupiter with our forces, but she will not go to help my sister. She'll go to join the giant's army."
"We killed Phineas," Hazel looked at Aurelia for support. "Maybe we can stop her. Maybe we can help."
Hylla shook her head. "You can't interfere. As queen, I must fight my own battles. Bsides, your friends are imprisoned. If I let them go, I'll look weak or Otrera will claim I favor you because of my relation to Aurelia. Either I execute you four as trespassers, possibly I can spare Aurelia if she pledges to the Amazons, or Otrera will execute you all when she becomes queen."
The feeling of defeat filled the room and Aurelia longed for her necklace.
"So I guess, we're all dead," Hazel said sadly. "Me for the second time."
In the corner cage. The stallion Arion whinnied angrily. He reared and slammed his hooves against the bars.
"The horse shares your despair," Aurelia murmured, not even sparing a glance at the beautiful stallion. She still found it strange—her ability to understand animal's emotions.
"Interesting," Hylla said. "He's immortal, you know—son of Neptune and Ceres."
Hazel blinked. "Two gods had a horse for a kid?"
"Long story."
"Oh." Hazel was very embarrassed, and her face was slowly reddening.
"He's the fastest horse in the world," Hylla said. "Pegasus is more famous with his wings, but Arion runs like the wind over land and sea. No creature is faster. It took us years to capture him—one of our greatest prizes. But it did us no good. The horse will not allow anyone to ride him. I think he hates Amazons. And he is expensive to keep. He will eat anything, but he prefers gold."
"He eats gold?" Hazel said, her emotions nervous. She knelt and pressed her hand against the floor. Immediately, the stone cracked. A chunk of gold ore the size of a plum was pushed out of the earth. Hazel stood examining her prize.
Hylla and Kinize stared at her. "How did you ...?" Hylla gasped. "Hazel, be careful!"
Hazel approached the stallion's cage. She put her hand between the bars and Arion gingerly ate the chunk of gold from her plum.
"Unbelievable," Hazel said. "The last girl who tried that—"
"Now has a metal arm," the queen finished. Hylla studied Hazel with interest, sending a glance at Aurelia who hadn't reacted, just recalling Hazel's familiarity with the horse when they arrived and the knowledge that Hazel just plainly loves horses. "Hazel ... we spent years hunting for this horse. It was foretold that the most courageous female warrior would someday master Arion and ride him to victory, ushering in a new era of prosperity for the Amazons. Yet no Amazon can touch him, much less control him. Even Otrera tried and failed. Two others died attempting to ride him."
Aurelia waited for the fear to appear, for a shadow to appear on his kin, but Hazel emitted no fear—like she could never imagine the horse ever hurting her, or anyone for that matter. He nuzzled her arm, murmuring contentedly.
"I would feed you more, Arion." Hazel glanced pointedly at the queen. "But I think my friend and I are scheduled for an execution."
Hylla was in disbelief. "Unbelievable."
"The prophecy ..." Kinzie said. "Is it possible ...?"
The gears were turning inside Hylla's head. Aurelia's lips turned upward—the gleam in Hylla's eyes was exactly like Reyna's whenever she had a plan. "You have courage, Hazel Levesque. And it seems Arion has chosen you. Kinize?"
"Yes, my queen?"
"You said Otrera's guards are guarding the cells?"
Kinzie nodded. "I should have foreseen that. I'm sorry—"
"No, it's fine," the queen said, looking at her cousin, who was having a similar train of thought. "It would be embarrassing for Otrera if her followers failed in their duties—if, for instance, they were overcome by outsiders and a prison break occurred."
Aurelia and Kinize both smiled. "Yes, my queen. Most embarrassing."
"Of course," Hylla continued, "none of my guards would know a thing about this. Kinize would not spread the word to allow an escape."
"Certainly not," Kinzie agreed.
"And we couldn't help you." The queen raised her eyebrows at Hazel and Aurelia. "But if you somehow overpowered the guards and freed your friends ... if, for instance, you took one of the guards' Amazons cards—"
"With one click purchasing enabled," Kinize, "which will open the jail cells with click."
"If—gods forbid!—something like that were to happen, you would find your friends' weapons and supplies in the guard station next to the cells. And who knows? If you made your way back to this throne room while I was off preparing for my duel ... well, as I mentioned, Arion is a very fast horse. It would be a shame if he were stolen and used for an escape."
Aurelia's face had stretched into a large grin, so large Hazel could see her teeth—Hazel never realized how perfectly straight and clean Aurelia's teeth were.
"Queen Hylla," Hazel said. "I—I'm not much of a fighter."
"There are many kinds of fighting, Hazel," Aurelia said. "We can be quite resourceful. Besides, you have me as well."
"And if the prophecy is correct," Hylla said, "you will help the Amazons nation achieve prosperity. If you succeed on your quest to free Thanatos, for instance—"
"—then Otrera wouldn't come back if she were killed," Hazel said. "You'd only have to defeat her ... um, every night until we succeed."
Hylla nodded grimly. "It seems we both have impossible tasks ahead of us."
"Trust is so strange," Aurelia murmured. "Blindly, we shall both go—relying on the success of the other." She looked at her cousin. "You will win, as many times as it takes. For your sake, for Reyna's sake, for my sake, for the sake of your nation, and for the sake of my camp."
Hylla held out Percy's necklace and poured it into Aurelia's hands. "I hope you are right, primita. But the sooner you succeed the better, yes?"
Aurelia slipped the necklace in her dress pocket as Hazel shook the queen's hand. Aurelia stared at her cousin, before finally enveloping her in a tight hug.
"I hope to see you again," Hylla murmured. "Tell Reyna I love her."
"You will tell her," Aurelia said, "when you join us on the Feast of Fortuna to defeat the giants. There is no reason to hope. I will see you again. Next time on the battlefield."
"I always wished for your collectively," Hylla murmured as she pulled away. "I never understood how you always managed to be so confident and level-headed through everything."
"Live long enough and I will teach you."
Hylla held back her smile. "This conversation never happened," she told Kinzie. "Take our prisoners to the cells and hand them over to Otrera's guards. And Kinize, be sure to leave before anything unfortunate happens. I don't want any of my loyal followers held accountable for a prison break. Goodbye, Hazel Levesque. If we all die tonight ... Well, it would have been good to have met you. I love you, Aurelia—and I am happy to see you again."
"I love you too, Hylla," was the last thing Aurelia said before Kinzie ushered her and Hazel away and towards their impending doom.
[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
The second that they had left the throne room, Aurelia began to think of some of the things she was most afraid of. So far the list included the giant Polybotes, the titan Krios, and the memory of her mother's death. Little shadows were now violently appearing on her arm, creeping up higher on her neck and peaking out from underneath her sleeves.
"What is happening to your skin?" Kinzie asked when she noticed the splotches.
"I am trying to generate enough fear so that when it comes to a fight and I do not have my necklace, I will be able to paralyze the guards."
Fear and surprise flashed through both Kinzie and Hazel. Another black spot appeared on Aurelia's hand. "Thank you. That is helpful."
The Amazon jail was at the top of a storage aisle, sixty feet in the air. Kinzie led them up three different ladders to a metal catwalk, then tied both Aurelia and Hazel's hands loosely behind their backs and pushed them past several crates of jewelry.
A hundred feet ahead, under the harsh glow of fluorescent lights, a row of chain-link cages hung suspended from cables. Percy and Frank were in two of the cages, talking to each other in hushed tones. Next to them on the catwalk, three bored looking Amazon guards leaning against their spears and reading little black tablets.
"Get moving, girls!" Kinzie ordered, loud enough for the guards to hear. She prodded the two in the back with her sword. Both of them walked slowly. There was no plan exactly. The bonds were tied so that they would break easily, but that still left them empty handed against three trained warriors, and they had maybe a few minutes before they were thrown in a cage.
They passed a pallet of crates marked 24-Carat Blue Topaz Rings, then another labeled Silver Friendship Bracelets. An electronic display next to the friendship bracelets read: People who bought this item also bought GARDEN GNOME SOLAR PATIO LIGHT and FLAMING SPEAR OF DEATH. Buy all three and save 12%.
These were the moments that Aurelia wished the rumors Octavian spread about her were true. This would be a great time to be able to control someone's actions, not just influence their emotions.
Aurelia was still trying to focus on fears, trying to believe in enough power when she felt realization hit Hazel. Hazel stopped walking.
"What is it?" Kinzie hissed. "Keep moving! They'll get suspicious."
"Make them come here," Hazel muttered over her shoulder.
"What?"
"Why—"
"Please," Hazel whispered, glancing at the daughter of Pavor. "Trust me."
The guards frowned in their direction.
"What are you staring at?" Kinzie yelled at them. "Here are the last two prisoners. Come get them."
The nearest guard set down her reading tablet. "Why can't you walk another thirty paces, Kinzie?"
Kinzie was panicking a little. "Um, because—"
"Ahhh," Aurelia groaned, falling to her knees. "I ... I can not walk anymore. I am nauseous. It hurts!"
It was pathetic. Aurelia felt pathetic doing it. Sure, there was a small aching in her body where her fearful memories rested on her, so her pain wasn't entirely faked. It was just very over exaggerated. But this was the moment of blind trust.
Blind trust in whatever Hazel was planning to do. Blind trust in that whatever this plan is it will enable them to escape. Blind trust in the faith of this quest, because if they fail to escape, they will fail to free Thanatos and fail to save Camp Jupiter and stop Gaea. Lots of blind trust was at work.
Hazel followed her lead, falling to the ground as well. "We can't do it ... Amazons ... too ... scary."
"There you go," Kinzie told the guards. "Now, are you going to come take the prisoners, or should I tell Queen Hylla you're not doing your duty?"
The nearest guard rolled her eyes and trudged over. Aurelia had no clue what Hazel's plan was, but she was just going to play along.
The first guards grabbed Aurelia's arm. "Fine. I'll take custody of the prisoners. But if I were you, Kinzie, I wouldn't worry about Hylla. She won't be queen much longer."
"We'll see, Doris." Kinzie turned to leave and Aurelia listened until her steps receded down the catwalk. Any day now, Hazel.
The guard, Doris, tried pulling on their arms. "Well? Come on."
Aurelia made herself go heavy, refusing to move. She could feel Hazel's focus and concentration on something in the distance. "Not ... feeling so good."
"You are not throwing up on me," Doris growled. She turned yanking the two of them to their feet, but both girls went limp, like kids throwing fits in a store. The boxes next to them began to tremble. Aurelia finally realized how many precious jewels and metals were surrounding them.
"Lulu!" Doris yelled to one of her comrades. "Help me with these lame little girls. I grab this one, you take the other."
Amazons named Doris and Lulu, Aurelia thought. What a cruel life the Fates have sentenced them to. And what a cruel verbal lashing they will receive after this.
The second jogged over. She tried lifting Hazel, but the daughter of Pluto yelled, "Ooooh!" and flattened herself against the catwalk. Aurelia made a similar noise, following her lead.
Doris started to say, "Oh, give me a—"
The entire pallet of jewelry exploded with a sound like a thousand slot machines hitting the jackpot. A tidal wave of silver friendship bracelets poured across the catwalk, washing Doris and Lulu right over the railing.
They would have fallen to their deaths but Hazel was kind—she summoned a few hundred bracelets, which leaped at the guards and lashed around their ankles, leaving them hanging upside down from the bottom of the catwalk, screaming like lame little girls.
Aurelia was first to break her bonds and she looked at the two dangling Amazons. More dark marks appeared on her skin and she allowed her powers to work, harvesting those emotions and pouring them back into Doris and Lulu. "Hand me your key cards before my friend drops you to your deaths."
Hazel had turned to the third guard after breaking her bonds, and picked the spear of one of the fallen guards. "Should I kill you from here?" Hazel snarled. "Or are you going to make me come over there?"
The guard turned and ran.
Hazel looked at Aurelia who flashed her two Amazon cards. She raced over to the cages and swiped a card. The doors popped open.
Frank stared at Hazel and Aurelia in astonishment. "That was ... amazing."
Percy nodded. "I will never wear jewelry again."
"Except this." Aurelia tossed him his necklace. "Our weapons and supplies are at the end of the catwalk. We should hurry. Pretty soon—"
Alarms began wailing throughout the cavern.
"Yeah," Hazel muttered. "That'll happen. Let's go."
A/N: I love Hazel's powers.
And I loved writing Aurelia and Hylla's relationship. All of them (add Kinzie & Reyna into the mix) are QUEENS!
Thanks for reading my story. I have a little over 600 reads in this book, and I appreciate all of you! <<33