I know it's been ages. Please don't kill me!

HAZEL

Hazel sighed and stared at the unconscious bodies of Frank, Jason and Nico. She was pissed off, mainly with herself for letting down her guard, as well as the others. Or maybe because the boys had been left out of battle almost immediately, while the girls had been left to fight the birds...

Things had gone like this: The truth is that Coach Hedge had been there as well, but he was too busy shouting "DIE ANIMALS! I'M GONNA BEAT YA PUNKS, COME TASTE SOME COACH HOOVES!" most of the time, which obviously just made one of the black owls to lift him in the air, cursing and kicking the air (summing it up, Coach was not usefull at all). Piper had to kill the beast to let Coach free, and he freefell hard to the mossy floor. As soon as the owl turned to dust, Hazel felt a tugging sensation in the back of her head— she sensed gold, it had appeared suddenly. She summoned it to her left palm, the other hand holding her cavalry sword to defend herself. The cold metal placed itself in her open hand: it was a golden figure. Hazel hastily put it in her pocket to examine it later; an idea was pushing it's way onto her mind. She lifted her hands and sensed for more gold. Surely enough, she sensed more pieces of metal, but this time they were 'flying' in circles around her. The owls must have a piece of some metal inside them, she thought. Piper screamed when one monster tore the skin of her arm. Anger washed over Hazel. She charged the owls and furiously killed two with one slash of her sword. Cool! she congratulated herself. With her will, she made the pieces of gold introduce themselves into her pockets, including the one of the owl Piper had killed. They were three monsters left, but this time, Hazel knew what to do: she threw her sword to the the grass, she raised her hands and concentrated. The daughter of Pluto made the three 'flying' figures crash at her will. Once, twice... the owls screeched and tried desperately to fly away from each other, but Hazel had control now. She slammed the metal figures in their stomach together repeatedly until the owls turned to dust with a screech. The gold figures flew directly into Hazel's pockets.

Piper gasped "H—Hazel! how did you do that?"

Hazel shrugged and lied "I slashed like crazy, didn't you see me?" for some reason she didn't want Piper to know about the golden figures yet. Not until Hazel examined them. Piper seemed to believe her. They placed the guys under the trees for the second time that day and fed them tiny squares of ambrosia while Coach sat in the moss pouting. Piper observed Jason with a worried expression while she chew some ambrosia. Hazel checked up on Frank and her brother Nico. She looked around to see if Leo was nearby, but he wasn't. Hazel started to worry, because it had been quite a while and he hadn't shown up. As if reading her thoughts, Piper said "Hazel, would you mind searching for Leo? He shouldn't be far, and we need to repair the Argo fast. We must be going."

Hazel quickly stood up and walked into the woods. She meant to examine the golden figures before she went for Leo. She sat under a nice— was it an oak? well, under an oak, and she took out the colored metal figurines one by one. She choked. The first one showed Jason. His burnt hair stood up straight. His hands were closed over something over his chest... a sword. His own sword was trespassing his chest. His own sword was killing him. Hazel quickly put it away as she felt the tears filling her eyes.

She took out a second one and gasped when the deformed figurine of Frank reached her view. He seemed to be in the middle of a transformation, his face— half animal, half human— was contorted with pain. She gasped, kissed the figurine of Frank, and put it away in her jacket.

The third, well... she didn't know what to do. Piper had her eyes open wide in horror, and her lips were sewed closed. The stitches crossed her face, giving her a terrifying look. Gaea really was sarcastic. The charmspeaker's lips forced closed, and her hands tied behind her back. As if Piper could do nothing. Hazel's vision blurred with tears. "Piper..."

Taking out the fourth, she met 'her own' gaze, but a shudder went down her spine. Golden Hazel was smiling. Smiling. Her eyes were blank, but her pursed lips formed a smile that Hazel couldn't stand to see in her own face. Terror shook her chest, and all her limbs felt like they had been electrocuted. She couldn't stand it anymore and put the figure away.

Before taking out the fifth, Hazel shut her trembling eyelashes closed. The air around her felt heavy. Cold. She was finding it hard to breathe. She knew there were three figures left: Percy, Leo, and Annabeth. This had to be an ironic coincidence, she thought darkly; besides Frank, Percy Leo and Annabeth were the people she cared about the most.

Gathering herself together, she reached into her pocket for another golden figurine and opened her eyes. Oh, gods... Leo... Hazel collected all her willpower not to throw the tiny statue as far as possible. She forced herself to hold it hard in her hand and look at it again. Leo's face was... well, definitely not a face. It was more like a bunch of robotic engines instead of a forehead, cheekbones, mouth and chin. The only 'human' aspect it held were the eyes. Except for the fact that they were full and black. And his right arm seemed to be something more like a stick. The place where a hand should be was occupied by a spanner. And the torso... Leo's right side was, well... right. But his left side and leg were also a mixture of human limbs and machinery. Hazel didn't know what to make of this. The simple thought of Leo harmed and deformed beyond the repairable made her feel like fainting. But she had to be strong. These things were only figurines. Nothing else. She couldn't let herself be scared by one of Gaea's dirty tricks.

Oh, but it is not a trick, daughter of gold... Gaea's voice purred inside her mind. It is a warning... More like a cost-free peek to the events that are near to come... But, where are my manners? Go ahead! Feel free to see what is just about to happen to your precious greek leaders...

Go away, she spat, but almost subconsciously she had already taken out the figurines of Percy and Annabeth. Her chest felt as if she had been hit with a spear. The two figurines had embedded into a terrifying scene. Annabeth holding what looked like the dead and mutilated body of Percy. Both of them looked awfully thin and full of deep injuries. Annabeth's expression reflected madness and despair, and she was crying black tears. Her hair was cut uneven in an almost military short length. And even though she seemed to be still alive, her torso was pierced by a hole the size of a cannon pump.

Hazel put a hand to her mouth and sobbed uncontrollably. You're a demon, she mentally hissed to Gaea.

Oh, but I'm more than that. The reply came quick and sharp. I'm the mother of demons. Gaea's laughter pierced Hazel's mind, provoking an almost unbearable pain.

Go away!

Not until you see this, Gaea purred. And with that, Hazel's mind spun into flashes of a vision:

Percy and Annabeth sleeping, Percy covering Annabeth with his jacket… Annabeth knocked out on the stone floor… Percy followed by a shadow… A creature slashing… Percy's face covered in blood.

Percy and Annabeth shouting… at each other.

Percy being dragged away.

Torture. Pain.

Annabeth embraced by the Shadow. Skeletons. Death…

"STOP!" Hazel pleaded out loud and Gaea's hideous voice came back.

I see that little peek to the pain about to come was enough to make the walls of your courage fall…

Hazel was about to plead again, when a voice made way sharply into the mental conversation. Go away, stupid Dirt-Face.

Esperanza's boy, you little— Gaea started.

Just leave. NOW. The voice commanded.

And with that, Gaea was gone and, through her tears, Hazel saw the familiar and worried face of someone crouching in front of her.

"Hazel…"

"Leo…" Hazel whispered, and in an instinct, she tackled the boy in a hug while she let the tears flow. "Thank you… thank you."

Please drop a review if you can :) I really need the encouragement to continue this story :)

Love you all!
xBookEaterx