The House of Hades (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hazel

Leaning over Nico, Hazel carefully made sure he was asleep before going to her room. The blankets were purple, reminding her of Camp Jupiter, but that just made her feel bad. And she was already feeling awful.

Once her door was locked, she broke down. The feelings were pressing down on her, making her feel just so guilty. She could have run over and cut the cobweb from Annabeth’s foot, except she had been too slow. She could have stopped Percy and Annabeth from falling. She could have saved her friends.

They were gone.

While she sat on the cold ground, crying her eyes out, she wished that she had all her friends. Now it felt like there was a gaping hole in her heart.

She must have cried herself to sleep, because when she awoke there was screaming on deck. Clumsily, she grabbed her spatha and ran on deck.

Right when she got on deck, she was attacked by bugs. Not just any bugs, but small black spiders. She screamed as they knocked her down, her chin slamming into the ground, making her jaw throb.

“What is this?” she asked, nearly sobbing with fear.

“They must be Arachne’s little helpers!” Piper screamed from somewhere else on deck. “Please, let us go,” she begged, charmspeak flowing powerfully into her words.

Coach Hedge then started pounding on the spiders. At one point, his cudgel slammed into one of the ballistae cannons.

Boom! The whole park shook as cannons went flying, blowing up a tree. Heat and light flowed everywhere.

“Mars almighty,” Frank cried out. “Coach, watch where you swing that thing, you could blow up the whole park!”

By that time, mortals swarmed where the cannon lay, making a small crater in the ground, some screaming, others gaping in wonder like it was a UFO, and police officials started to lead the people away.

Fire engulfed from Leo’s hands as he rushed around, spraying the spiders in flames. One flame caught on Hazel’s pant leg.

“Ahh!” she shrieked. Her hand clamped over her pocket where Frank’s firewood was. “Somebody help me!”

Coach Hedge got a bin of water and dumped it over her head, soaking her from head to toe.

“Hazel, holy Hephaestus, I’m so sorry!” Leo said, running over and inspecting her as if to see if she had any fire on her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “What about the others?”

Leo’s face fell.

The others weren’t doing fine, being attacked by the spiders, screaming and trying to fight.

Nico yelled, “Stop!” He ran around, looking panicked.

Hazel wasn’t surprised when the spiders started talking.

“Lady Arachne is most upset about you taking the Athena Parthenos,” one spider whispered. “She has fallen into Tartarus, and will be after Annabeth Chase.”

Hazel’s jaw dropped. She knew Arachne had fallen into Tartarus, but this new dangerous fact could change everything. Arachne was after Annabeth.

“Surrender the statue,” the spider continued. “The gods will fall anyways. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase will die soon, very soon.”

“Get off this ship,” Jason said, walking next to Hazel. “You’re obviously not telling the truth.”

The spider sighed. He was bigger than the rest- perhaps a size of a rat. “Such a shame, Lady Arachne said if you do not cooperate that we would have to kill you. Gaea has what she needs- two demigods, a boy and a girl. You are useless.”