The House of Hades (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Hazel

Hazel poked at her sandwich. It looked really good, but she didn’t feel hungry. Her stomach felt oddly full. Maybe it was because a war was raging inside of her.

Everyone around her felt so far away. Frank didn’t eat his pizza, he stared at it with such a loathing expression it was sad. Leo didn’t even order anything; he paced around and looked up at the screen. Nico casually ate since he had an appetite after being trapped by Ephialtes and Otis. Jason slouched in his chair, looking rejected, though Hazel didn’t know why. Piper kept her eyes on her hands. Coach Hedge was the only one making noise. He was at the helm singing some random theme song that involved a lot of killing, which didn’t do Hazel’s stomach any favors.

“Look,” Leo said suddenly. He stopped his pacing. “I think the Romans are retreating. Yeah, they are.”

On the screen the Romans were retreating. The last two Romans were Reyna and Octavian. Reyna stood in her full battle armor, Argum and Argentum at her side. Octavian stood a few feet behind her, hesitating, watching the Greeks with weary eyes. With one last betrayed look from Reyna, she flicked her hand. She walked up to where Octavian was, said a few brief words, then they walked out of sight together. Reyna looked confused and angry. Octavian just looked bloodthirsty.

“They need to plan again,” Jason said flatly, his voice empty. “They’re going to retreat and probably go back some point tomorrow.”

“When do you think Buford will arrive?” Piper asked, lacing her fingers together.

Leo hesitated. “Um, I don’t know. Maybe tomorrow will be the earliest… I don’t know. Buford travels at a steady pace, but I have some doubts.”

“Leo, calm down,” Nico ordered. His voice was slightly weak from his horrid week, but other than that he looked much better. “Buford will get to camp. And Lacey will be okay. Got that?”

“Yes.” Leo saluted.

Piper looked up from her hands. “I know she’s going to live. I was told.”

“Can we discuss other matters at hand?” Hazel suggested. She could feel the tensions rising ever so slightly. “When are we going to arrive at Greece?”

Leo’s eyes darted to the helm. “Maybe late tonight or early tomorrow… Ever since we got the new spheres installed we’ve been going so much faster. I know you haven’t noticed much.”

The turbulence rocked the Argo II for a moment. Hazel clamped her mouth shut. The rocking reminded her of the sea. She felt ready to be sick. She felt unsteady for a moment. Then when everything ran smoothly again, she exhaled and randomly took a bite of her sandwich. It was good, but it didn’t exactly help her uneasy stomach.

“Is there anything we can do while waiting?” Frank asked, eyeing Hazel as she threw down her sandwich.

“We can clean up,” Leo said doubtfully. “There’s not much to clean, though.” His voice was dull, expressionless.

“I don’t think we can clean up,” Coach Hedge called from the helm, alarm coloring his voice. “Cupcakes, I think we have trouble.”

Hazel pulled out her spatha. She hesitantly crept her way up the stairs and peered out the threshold. “What kind of trouble, Coach?”

Then she saw him. He had ashy blond hair that shimmered golden in the sunlight that danced around him. He wore a loose toga and his hair was messy. His eyes were a very light blue, a shade lighter than the sky. Wind blew around him. The wind wasn’t normal air. It had a strange… heaviness to it.