Heirs of Olympus

Chapter 6

Hazel and Frank walked back towards the docks at Delos. Talking with Artemis and getting her advice about the tactics of Octavian and the Romans with regard to their 'allies' and the siege engines worried both of them. Camp Half Blood doesn't stand a chance unless Reyna can turn the legions' loyalty back to her and even then it is no guarantee. The goddess could only tell them what was happening, not what to do to stop the madness and save everyone.

Hazel stepped away from Frank and Artemis for a moment while they discussed specifics of the siege situation and who Octavian had allied the legions with in his mad quest for power. Looking down the hill she saw Leo walking slowly, obviously chewing over whatever Apollo told him, but the blonde god was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly she heard a plaintive melody, haunting in its tones, with a metallic base like no music the daughter of Pluto had ever heard. Following her ears she rounded the corner and saw Apollo himself tinkering with a small box that was the source of the music Hazel had heard.

She wasn't sure whether she should disturb him, but this might be her only chance. Stepping closer she cleared her throat nervously. "Lord Apollo?" she said gently.

Hazel's eyes widened nervously as she found herself looking directly into the deep blue eyes of the God of the Sun, Prophecy, and so much more. Gone was the sulky teenager they had seen earlier when they arrived and he was whining about destroying them to absolve himself of his father's rage. The being in front of her now was very different. He was weighted down with a terrible burden and it seemed that somehow, someway, her presence made him face it and that was not something he wanted to do.

Apollo sighed heavily. "I cannot give you the answers to your questions that you seek Daughter of Pluto" he said, sadness clear in his voice.

"Milord?" Hazel said confused. "This is not about the Physician's Cure" she assured him. Her voice suddenly froze at the look he gave her.

"Do you think I do not know you want answers about the potion you drank?" his voice had an otherworldly echo to it. "Forces greater than you can imagine are moving, game pieces are shifting across the board Hazel Levesque and what the end result will be no one, not even the Fates are certain."

Hazel feels ice in her veins, a fear colder than the black oil in Alaska that killed her in her first life. This was something else.

"I can tell you this...you will have your answer, one way or another, in less than two days" Apollo sighed and his voice suddenly sounded much more like the teenager from earlier. "Leave me child...the burden of knowing can be too much even for the God of Prophecy."

Hazel looked at the eternal teenager with sadness and wondered whether the judgement of Zeus was really so cruel and unfair. Her father was responsible for the dead and the ultimate judgement of the souls of demigods and mortals and even served as the jailor for the immortals in Tartarus, but she had never felt that he was unfair. Hard? Yes. Firm? Yes. But cruel? No. She knew better. Pluto and his Greek form of Pluto were Necessary. Of all the Olympians, he was the one who truly took his responsibilities the most seriously. Maybe this fight had finally woken up the rest of them to the fact that they had duties to fulfill and dangers to face. Depending on demigods to fight and die for the Olympians with little appreciation or kindness had led them to a place where they kept repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Something had to wake them up.

Hazel headed back down the trail and saw Frank and Artemis finishing up. Leo should be here and they can finally leave.

Jason walked up on on deck for some fresh air. He looked over and saw Piper and Annabeth talking while keeping an eye out for monsters during their shift on guard. He should be relaxing, but he was full of too much energy and he wasn't exactly sure why. The mission to Delos was a success and they were off to find Asclepius to make the "Physician's Cure" that would help them in their fight with Gaea.