The House of Hades

Chapter 11- What's up with all the funerals?

If you remeber the ending of the last chapter, you'll get the title. You'll aslo hate me for what I've done. But, Hye, Hazel didn't stay dead right? Anything can happen. Hey, isn't that a song?

Disclaimer- As much as I pray to Apollo, these characters aren't mine. Sadness envokes me. Grief is over-powering. It is done.  (Apollo kid stuff goin on there. Poetry and whatnot, you know.)

~M~

Piper

Piper was more confused then Leo and Frank. They didn't move an inch. Jason stepped foward, towards Hazel, then stepped back. Nico ran and gave her a giantnormus hug.

"Gosh Nico, who knew you were a hugger?" Hazel laughed lightly.

Piper didn't get it. Hazel was dead, in the black jewel shroud. Leo ran over, finally, and joined Nico in the hug. Frank followed his lead. Then Piper. Lastly Jason, until Hazel was complaining she couldn't breath. They sat her down in a chair.

"I died, went to the Underworld," Hazel explained after she was questioned. "I went to Elysium, this time." She fumbled. "Then, I saw a spirit. It looked familar. It was a boy, with black hair and green eyes. It was Percy. Then, I was transported to Pluto's, I mean Hades's, palace. He explained my wish had been granted. I didn't know what wish though. And then I was here. What was that iris message about?"

Piper was astounded. The other Demi-gods were too. Hazel said she had seen Percy. They all had just seen Percy die. No-one spoke.

Surprisingly, it was Leo who eplained it to Hazel.

As Leo went on, Hazel looked more and more terrified. She finally covered her mouth with her hand, when Leo ezplained the death.

"No, no," Tears rushed forward. "Was it my wish to live again? Or did Percy wish for his friends to be okay?"

Piper felt like Minotaur poop. Percy was dead. Annabeth was alone. And Hazel was alive. 1/3. Not a great score, one out of three.

"Hazy, it's okay." Leo cooed. Hazel wrapped her arms around him.

Frank growled.

Piper felt bad for Frank but, that itty bitty Aphrodite part of her screamed YES!!! They had nicknames. Hazy. How adorable!

Then Piper mentally smacked herself. "Stop it." she murmured to herself. She accidently used charmspeak.

Leo and Hazel got up, their arms interlocked. Leo glanced at Frank, got wide eyes and tried to pull his arm away. Hazel didn't let him. She just held tighter.

Frank turned away. Leo obviously was trying to stop but, Hazel pulled him to the cabins.

Leo mouthed "Sorry!" to Nico and Frank before he desended the steps with Hazel.

Frank stomped over to the stern of the ship. In his gray pullover hoodie and faded jeans, he looked so lost. Piper felt bad but, she knew Leo deserved to date someone too.

"So, Nico, do you, um, like Leo?" Jason forked. He stumbled over every word.

"I'm fine with him, I guess. He's kinda funny and Hazel likes him. I'm just wary of anyone getting near my sister."

''About that," Jason coughed. He explained to Piper the arguement Leo, Nico and he had gotten into.

"So, who is Bianca?"

Nico exhaled. "My sister."

"Anything else?" asked a voice. Leo had creeped up behind them. "Hazel was tired and took a nap. So, anything else you wanna say?"

"Okay, first, wake up Hazel. Get Frank. You need to know more about Percy."

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10 minutes later, everyone had gathered. Hazel claimed she barely knew anything about Bianca. She seemed a bit huffy about it too.

"Ok, let's start with 12 year old Percy." Nico recounted Percy's harrowing first journey with Grover and Annabeth. Nico was so descriptive, Piper could image it in her eyes.

"Now, one year later, Percy woke up and..............." Nico continued with Percy's second quest. The half-bloods ahd been amazed before, but know they just stood in awe.

"Here's where Bianca and I come in."

Nico explained what happened almost 4 years ago. Then he neared the end.

"And, after the skeletons died, I got angrier. I just ran into the forest. I found the Labyrinth enterance. I could hear Percy looking for me but, I didn't want to see him." Nico said bitterly. "I was such an idiot."

Piper wanted to console him but, couldn't find the words. She was awe-struck.

"Then, the Labyrinth................"

"And lastly, the war." He looked at us. "Listen carefully to EVERYTHING I say. You won't believe me."

Jason snorted.

"Okay................." Nico told a rich tale of the war. He sounded as if he had been stalking everyone there, the details were so, so, detailed.

"And that leaves us here. Anything to say, Grace?"

Jason walked away. Everyone else seemed to be coming out of a trance.

Percy Jackson, Piper realized, really was the greatest demi-god of all time.