The Mark of Athena (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 53- Hazel

Chapter 53

Hazel

     Hazel walked back onto the catwalk. The pouring rain hit her, and the air was cold. Her friends scanned the ground even though it was shrouded in clouds.

     “What’s going on?” Frank asked, holding his arm up to shield his face.

     “The storm is pretty bad,” Annabeth replied, leaning over the guiderail, her clothes dripping wet. “We might have to go on the water.”

     “Remember the last time we had a storm?” Leo asked. “We nearly died.”

     “Still,” Annabeth remarked grimly. “Either we drown or get knocked out of the sky. If we almost drown, perhaps Seaweed Brain will save us.”

     “Sure.” Percy grinned. “This water is refreshing, may I say. But seriously- even though I hate the sky, it’ll get us to Greece faster.”

     “True,” Leo agreed. “And we need to get to Greece pronto.”

     “Maybe we should go as fast as we can.” Hazel looked at the storm clouds that were the same color as Annabeth’s eyes. A brilliant lightning strike lit up the sky, and thunder echoed in open air.

     “I agree.” Leo tore his eyes from the sky and went inside.

     “I think that was lovely,” Piper commented. “I mean, when do we get to see a lightning strike right in front of us without hitting us?” She walked inside.

    Quickly, Hazel went inside. She changed into comfortable clothes and watched the dark sky. She knew it was night, but she didn’t feel tired. Her friends didn’t either because they never went to bed. They stayed up all night, doing nothing in particular.

     The rain eventually faded into a light drizzle. The dark clouds remained, like watching the Argo II as it flew noiselessly through the air. The whole ride was smooth, unlike the whole trip, which was full of chaos.

     “So, what are we going to do once we get to Greece?” Jason asked.

     Annabeth’s eyes sparkled. “Well, of course we should look around. Then we have to watch our backs. Gaea is ready to kill us.” She looked around nervously. “She can take on a human form now, so she must be very powerful.”

     “How powerful is powerful?” Hazel asked quietly.

     Annabeth looked flustered. “Actually, she must be so powerful that she’s about to surpass the gods. That’s just a guess.”

     “Wise Girl’s guessing?” Percy clapped his hands on his cheeks and gasped with exaggerated slowness.

     “Oh, shut up.” Annabeth looked at the gloomy sky. “Maybe the sky is crying. Maybe it feels bad for us.”

    “Yeah, I doubt Ouranos is just putting so much sympathy on us.” Percy smiled. “Get real. I doubt the sky is crying.”

    “You’re an idiot.” Annabeth seemed to be enjoying this. “Please, Percy, just go along with my delusional thoughts for once.”

    “Very funny,” Hazel laughed. “You guys like teasing each other.”

    “That’s my job,” Annabeth admitted. “Who else would do this? I’m perfect at the job. I’ve been called intimidating.”

    “True that,” Leo called.

    “Are we actually ready for Greece?” Percy asked, looking nervous.

    “I think so,” Frank said. “After everything we’ve been through. Most teenagers will never be able to go through this in their lifetime.”

    Piper smiled. “I don’t think I can go through too much, either. It will be fun to see Greece, though.”

    “I agree.” Leo nodded. “Who else gets to see Greece? Ah, nobody but us. Because we are VID, you see.”

     “What’s VID?” Percy asked.

    “Very important demigods,” Leo answered with a smile. “We are important, aren’t we? We were chosen by Hera herself!”

    “That’s not a good thing,” Annabeth muttered under her breath. “I mean, the gods rely on us to save the world.”

    “I feel special,” Piper mused.

    Leo shrugged. “I like being known, you know?”

     Hazel nodded. Her friends were taking a dangerous turn in this conversation by cursing the gods.

     Thankfully Jason changed the subject. “How do you think our camps are? They have campers fighting for their lives, and they don’t know how we are.”

     “Camp Half-Blood must be lonely. I bet the Stolls are the only happy ones,” Percy said. “Connor and Travis must have stolen my wallet while I was gone!”

     Smiling, Annabeth pulled a wallet from her pocket. “I decided to keep this safe for you, Kelp Head.”

     Percy took his wallet. “Thanks, Wise Girl.”

     Again, Hazel smiled. Her friends were perfectly at ease. There was no fighting, no injuries, just laughs, smiles, and jokes.

     It was like the war had gone quiet.

    Her eyes widened. “Guys, maybe we’ve been seeing this the wrong way. Maybe… maybe the enemy has gone silent.”       

     “Maybe,” Annabeth said.

     “No!” Hazel looked around frantically. “This time, we don’t know when Gaea’s going to strike!”

     Her friends went pale. And she knew she was right.

     Gaea had gone silent. And when she was going to make a move, the demigods would not know. So she was in charge.

     That is going to change, Hazel thought as she clenched her fists. My friends are strong and ready for this.

     The seven determined demigods looked out the window, pretending that the sky was crying, even though it wasn’t.

A sad, sweet ending, eh? It was a hopeful chapter, I think.

Leo: So, only 3 more chapters to go?

Me: Yeah. Next will be Jason, then Piper, then Annabeth. Then the end, along with a probably gushy author's note.

Leo: Haha, sounds like you!

Ricky: Shh! I have fangirls after me because there's 5 days left!

Me: HI RICK RIORDAN!

*fangirl attack!*

This chapter is dedicated to thunderbird32!

Question: Who is taller: Connor or Travis?

Thanks for reading! 53 chapters down, 3 to go, with 5 days left. Plus, I probably won't update tomorrow because I'm going to a friend's house, so I think I'll finish this by this weekend.