The Demigod Games

Chapter Fourteen

Hazel grumbled inaudible words as another gem appeared in front of her. After all that she had been through, she thought her curse had finally been uplifted, but it seemed as if Pluto cursed her once again to create more drama, or an advantage for her in the games. "Hold on," she stopped Nico, holding one arm out in front or her.

She jogged over to the gem, although the sun was scorching hot and she was sweating profusely, and shoved the gem away in bush. "Do you think anyone will find that?" Nico asked, brushing a piece of black hair from his eyes.

"I pray that no one will," Hazel replied. "It's only the second day and so many are dead, I don't want more to die on account of me."

"Don't say that," Nico took a tiny sip of his water. Nico went back after what had happened at the cornucopia and retrieved what was left without Edward of Clarisse noticing him. All he got was a filled, plastic bottle of water. "It's not your fault."

"Isn't it though?" Hazel blurted out, stopping in her tracks. "Where-ever I walk, these things appear. Maybe I should just stay here and ward people off. You know, wait until I die of dehydration."

Nico latched onto Hazel's tanned arm and pulled her forward. "There is no way in the name of Hades that I'm going to lose you after what happened to..."

"After what happened to Biana, I get it-"

"No you don't!" Nico shouted, tears coming to his eyes. It had only been a few years since his sister had passed away and even the thought of her could make Nico break down to pieces in matter of seconds. "It's my fault Bianca died! I was so young and..."

"You couldn't have saved her," Hazel patted his back, comforting him. "It wasn't your fault. And it won't be your fault if I die either. It'll be my own. Understand?"

"You're not that much older than me," Nico grumbled.

"I was born in 1928, that's a few years before you," Hazel laughed easily.

Nico scowled, looking off into the sun, then whipping his head around in the opposite direction, towards his shadow. "Did you hear that?"

"It sounds like...."

"It sounds like Zeus and Poseidon arguing."

--

Thalia grunted swears under her breath as she trekked beneath the hot sun. She swore it was more than a hundred degrees out at that moment, with no shade and no cloud in the sky. Nothing to block the heat from taking every ounce of water in the bodies of the tributes.

Thalia Grace hadn't seen another tribute in hours. She hadn't even needed to fight yet, not that she was looking for someone to rough up with. There was nothing but desert and a few cacti for miles beyond miles.

She had no way of telling the time except for the position of the sun.

Suddenly in the distance, a shadow came into view. Thalia squinted her eyes to get a better view, but it was no use. She had two choices: run away or attack. Not having the energy to run, Thalia inched closer and closer to the source of the dark shadow. Whoever or whatever it was, Thalia was sure it would be no match for her.

The sun brought light upon the person, and Thalia could see the sea foam eyes gazing into her soul. Before she saw the person's hair, she thought it was Percy for a second. That didn't even make her let her guard down. She was a bit surprised to see it was the girl who looked too much like Percy, Lara.

Thalia had a couple of conversations with Lara earlier, but none that established a friendship or even an alliance. There was something about that girl that Thalia didn't trust. Maybe it was the determination that rested in her eyes or maybe it was her possible powers that Thalia had witnessed from Percy.

Still, Thalia didn't know just how powerful this Roman demigod was. She looked threatening with her bow and arrow slung over her shoulder. Lara strode across the desert without a care in the world. She looked so cocky and unafraid of whatever challenges she was going to face. The sight of Thalia didn't even faze her.

They walked directly towards each other. Thalia had no purpose of doing so, she was only confronting her for the sake of her curiosity. She had no interest in hurting her. Lara however, had different motives. "Thalia," Lara addressed the daughter of Zeus curtly.

"Lara," Thalia said, an edge to her voice.

"I think we both know what's going to go down right now," Lara began to load her bow with an arrow.

Thalia put her hands up in surrender. "I'm not looking for trouble."

"Then why are you here?" Lara held her bow down, still loaded, but pointed towards the ground.

Thalia Grace shrugged. "Maybe I wanted to see what you were up to."

"Does that mean you don't see me as a threat?" Lara asked, her facial expression hardening.

"I don't see you as a threat," Thalia snorted. "Why would I? I have a clear advantage in these games."

"You think so?" Lara's voice was tense. Her teeth ground as she stared at the daughter of Zeus.

"You're no threat," Thalia repeated, grinning. "Let's see. You're a daughter of Neptune, right?" Lara nodded slowly. "Where are we? Oh that's right, in the middle of the desert. What are we lacking in the middle of a desert? Hmm, perhaps water."

Lara's shoulders released their tension. "You're mistaken." Saying that, Lara dropped her bow and extended her arms out in front of her. Water spout out of nowhere and swirled around her. She rose a couple of inches off the ground. Thalia, taken by surprise, didn't do anything by marvel at what the daughter of Neptune was doing considering there was no source of water anywhere close. "The human body is made out of ninety percent water. Water lives inside of me. Water live inside nearly every living thing. I can summon water from anywhere."

Thalia leant back to avoid getting water splashed on her face. The girl was incredibly unintelligent for wasting her powers on something as stupid as showing off. To generate that amount of water, the girl must have been wasting away most of her energy. Two can play that game, Thalia thought to herself. Without even moving a muscle, Thalia sent a bolt of lightning only a few inches away from Lara.

The daughter of Neptune stopped immediately, frightened by Thalia's powers. "How?" Lara was bewildered with Thalia's powers.

"I'm a daughter of Zeus. You're no match for me," Thalia laughed, then threw her knives and backpack out of the way.

Lara kicked her bow aside, leaving them both defenseless with the exception of their powers. "Bring it on."