Silence is Golden (Percy Jackson AU)

Chapter 19- Hazel

As far as on the spot plans, Hazel thought Leo's plan was half decent. It took him probably five minutes to formulate the odds and ends and unexpected happenings, it must have taken Hazel all of four seconds to ruin it all.

Leo had angrily explained his idea, which was fairly simple and hard to mess up. When Frank pointed out there was no way that Leo and Hazel could make it all the way through the Monsters undetected, Leo's eyes flashed and he requested ten dollars.

And he bought flashlights from a nearby store.

So they were about to fight a gang that had Guns, knives, and fists, with flashlights.

"It's like laser tag," Leo said flicking the light on and off to check if it worked, "Except you get points for blinding people instead."

They were standing in an alley nearby the warehouse that the Monsters were in. Frank had shone Leo the phone map and his eyes grew twice their size. He didn't elaborate why but Hazel thought that she heard something about technological geniuses.

Hazel was currently holding the phone staring at the screen warily. Frank and Piper were helping Leo build his escape plan device and every once in a while she could hear Leo scold one of them, or a sparking of wires.

Hazel bit her lip. The red dots of the Monsters were milling around inside the warehouse like a huge meeting. There were two green dots in a back room close together, labeled "hostages", very helpfully. Hazel hoped her step brother was one of those, but it was impossible to find out until they opened the back door.

Her eyes flicked to the other mass of color. She scrolled across town to the other warehouse. The red color formulated like blood. It made her queasy, one line green dot was in a back room with one other red dot. Hazel knew whatever was going on in there she didn't what to know. She looked at the one mysterious icon standing right outside the door to the warehouse, a silver star labeled, Zoë Nightshade.

Hazel hoped Thalia was okay. Hell, she hoped she, herself, would be okay. Thalia didn't stick around long enough to explain who her friend was, or how she knew about the Monsters. Her only clue was the icon name.

Please, be okay. Please, be okay...Hazel repeated the chant silently in her head. She wished desperately she could rewind the clock, back to last night. Maybe she could've had Nico stay home, or stuck around just to make sure everything was okay. She could've shoved Thalia out the door, or tripped and fallen down the steps breaking her arm and had to go to the hospital.

"Okay, We're ready." Leo said, the anger that had inhabited his features had disappeared. He couldn't see but behind him Piper was looking at him cautiously, like he might be the thing that blows up and not the metal ball in his hands. Frank gave her a small smile, but Hazel could sense his distress.

Maybe, if she could turn back the clock, she could have said goodbye.

***

Leo made the signal, a quick flash off the light off the wall. Frank and Piper crept towards the back of the warehouse, silent as mice which was surprising considering Frank's size.

Hazel glanced at Leo. They knelt next to a stack of milk carton crates out of view of any one not looking specifically for them.

She was worried for him. He'd never seemed to jumpy before. She tried to dismiss it as his ADHD, but something kept bugging her. A little voice in the back of her mind reminding her that he'd wished Piper had left him to die.

His back was rigid like he was awaiting the worst. Hazel wondered if he was still completely angry with her about the secret.

"I can feel you staring." Leo said coarsely.