The Demigod Games (PJO/THG)

14 - Through the Forest

-Hazel

Oh, how I longed for these little strawberry baked buns they made at camp.

Walking through the forest in a semi-comatose state, I daydreamed about inhaling their sweet sugary scent, letting it fill my nostrils and diffuse warmth through my body. I felt the delicious pastry enter my mouth and treat me with a taste from the heavens. Then I thought back to the place associated with it.
Camp.

A wave of sadness and fear washed through me, tightening my lungs and forming a weight in my stomach. I remembered the fresh scent of morning dew on grass, the familiar sound of kids of all ages laughing happily, the touch of ancient oak wood, solidly holding together our cabins, all of those feelings as a distant memory. I'd left camp twelve hours ago, but already I wondered if I'd ever see it again.

A sharp snap tugged me out of my reverie. It was a branch, breaking under my weight. I sighed and continued walking through the seemingly infinite forest, trying to convince myself we knew where we were going.

Wherever we went, the birds stopped singing, curious to see what kind of new arrivants were passing by. It seemed strange to me humans were extraordinary to them - had they never encountered any before? Could this place really be deserted of all civilization?

To my left, Frank spoke, interrupting the eerie silence around us. "We've been walking non-stop for two hours. You need a break?"

"No, I'm fine," I responded in a determined voice. I wasn't going to stop until I found something, anything that could give us a hint about our location.

We continued for a few more hours, marching through the same landscape repeating itself on and on - oak trees, elm trees, magnolias, pines, you name it. It seemed like every tree in the world had fancied having a gathering in this place.

Occasionally, Frank morphed into eagle form and soared through the canopy, flying miles ahead to try and spot the edge of the forest. But every time, he returned with a disappointed face.

Eventually, while Frank was on another soar through the sky, I lost my nerves. I sat down on a rock and wailed like a toddler, crying for camp, for food, for someone to rescue us, probably looking stupid, but I couldn't care less. I'd had enough of this... joke, enough of being toyed around by the gods like a plastic doll. I was sure they were looking at me and laughing together, somewhere up there. Oh, look, there's Hazel, stuck in a forest! They'd say. I bet you my trident that she's never getting out of there alive.

Hazel had even tried an iris message, to alert Chiron and the others about where they were but somehow even that refused to work.

"Dad!" She yelled at the sky. "Why aren't you helping us? Where are you? Where am I? Answer, you little piece of Underworld snot!" Her sadness had turned into anger. Anger against the gods for doing nothing. Against Percy for jumping into that portal and leaving them with no choice but to follow. Against herself, for being stupid enough to jump unprepared.

Then it came. She'd prepared herself to it, and braced for the impact.

You are worthless, Hazel. A drop of water amongst an ocean. A pebble onlooking a mountain. I can crush you with a simple gesture. You are nothing. Nothing. The voice echoed in her mind, hammering her eardrums, and she thought she could hear a distant cackle, slowly fading away.

There it was again. The voice. Neither male nor female, hardly human, it's sound like nails on a blackboard. The voice assaulted her like a wave, crashing onto the beach then disappearing, any trace of its existence vanishing. And Hazel almost managed to forget about it, until it came striking again.

Suddenly, she heard an eagle cry approaching, and the voice disappeared, leaving her nimble. Relieved not to be alone anymore, she saw Frank hover graciously above the ground, then spread his wings to slow his descent and morph back into human form, hardly making a noise upon touching the floor.

There was something different about him this time - but what?
Then realization hit her like a hammer. Frank wasn't wearing his usual deceived expression. He was grinning.

"What?" She asked, a half-smile forming on her face.
"Guess what?" He challenged. Hazel was starting to grin stupidly too, contaminated by Frank's joyfulness.
"Houses! Streets! People!" He exclaimed. "Hazel, we're not alone!" Unable to hold it back anymore, Hazel threw herself into his arms out of joy, then kissed him ferociously, the weight that had been hanging on her stomach disappearing into thin air.
Frank cupped Hazel's face into his hands and looked at her in the eyes. "We're going to get through this," he claimed, stating it like a fact, leaving no option for debate. "We'll get back to camp, and I'll buy you some of those strawberry buns." She nodded, the simple thought of it melting her heart.

Then they separated and started marching, holding hands, towards their fate.

Author's Note:

Hey there! Sort of a long chapter I left you with right there :) Please vote and comment if you liked my story, and subscribe to my profile the_odyssey_ if you like me! Then again, I'd totally understand if you don't. I mean, this is a free country, so you're allowed to do whatever you want. Then again, that's unless you're in Korea or something. That's not a free country. But I guess you're still free to subscribe to me in Korea, right? I mean, unless I'm censored in Korea. I hope I'm not. Is Wattpad even available in Korea?
Ok, ok, I'll stop. Sorry.

Anyways, see you around!

-uLySse_