The Return of Leo Valdez (After Blood of Olympus)

38- Hazel

Hazel didn't want to approach Frank's body.

The sight of his corpse from a distance made Hazel tear up. She feared that if she got any closer, she wouldn't be able to take the pain.

The best thing to do was move on, but, Hazel felt like she couldn't even turn around. It was like she was frozen on the spot, just staring at the limp body on the hot Texas ground.

Hazel heard a groan of someone on the ground below her.

She glanced down and saw Reyna, who was beginning to wake up.

How could she tell her? Hazel thought to herself. How could she tell her that Frank is dead?

Reyna opened her eyes and blinked several times. "Where am I? What happened? Are the scorpions dead? Am I dead?" Reyna's voice was dry, raspy and sleepily, like someone's when they just woke up from a 100 year old nap.

"The fight is over," Hazel said reassuringly.

"We won?"

Hazel nodded. Reyna sighed with relief, then furrowed her eyebrows. She pointed a bony, weak finger at Frank's body.

"What's that?" Reyna asked, clearly clueless.

"That's...um...Frank. He's dead," Hazel tried to say, but her tears kept getting in the way.

"Oh," Reyna said hanging her head.

"We need to move on," Hazel said, tears running down her face. "We should continue heading west and then north to Camp Jupiter-" Hazel looked down at Reyna. She kept blankly staring Frank, completely oblivious to what Hazel was saying.

"I just never thought I would have to pick another praetor so soon," Reyna said as if she was in a trance.

"But we just need to move," Hazel said, just wanting to get out of Texas. So much bad has happened here. She saw a grave that stirred the worst memories and now Frank was dead.

Why does everything and everyone I love have to go wrong? Why can't I live peacefully and happily? Hazel thought. Because I'm a demigod, Hazel finally decided. Life would never be easy.

Reyna nodded in agreement. "I agree," she said. "We need to keep moving."

Hazel snapped back into reality and quickly nodded.

So, Hazel and Reyna began gathering up any supplies that may have been thrown around and weapons that the skeleton warriors left behind from the fight. They must have sunk into the ground after the fight without Hazel noticing.

As Hazel began stuffing Reyna's little pocket campsite into a bag, the daughter of Bellona spoke up.

"I wonder what's happening at camp?" She asked.

Hazel stopped what she was doing and looked at Reyna. "Yeah I wonder too."

"Do you have a drachma?" Reyna asked. "Maybe we could Iris message them."

Hazel thought for a moment. How could they possibly make a rainbow? The ground below them was dry and cracked, like rain hasn't touched it since in a thousand years.

Hazel quickly dismissed the idea and the two girls began searching for scraps, trying completely to avoid Frank's body.

"We should give him a proper burial," Hazel said whilst moving things around in her backpack, to create more room.

"Yes," Reyna said. "It's a shame really. He would have probably wanted to be buried next to his mom. We can't do that, it's too far away."

Hazel sighed. "I guess we'll just have to bury him where he died."

Reyna nodded and stood up. She brushed off her pants, the dry dirt flew up and now became part of the wind, completely free to go wherever it wanted, no longer grounded by the earth.

"Now all we need to do is find shovels."