𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓! [pjo]

IV; cult activities

───cult activities

.・゜゜・───・゜゜・．

Hazel felt that she had just introduced two nuclear bombs, and she was scared of Callahan getting caught in the crossfire.

    When she had first seen Percy and Callahan stumbling up the median, Percy with an old lady on his back and Callahan with a limp, Hazel thought they were Roman gods. They both looked the part, radiating power and beautiful even covered in grime and dirt.

    Before those two showed up, Hazel thought Nico was the most powerful demigod she would ever meet. Then, Percy controlled the Little Tiber, he had a bronze sword, he was carrying a goddess on his back, and everyone was calling him the graceus. He was definitely the son of the sea god, with windswept black hair, sea-green eyes, and a tan complexion. Could he really lift her curse?

    Callahan Lee was a different subject. She was gorgeous, with her black and pink hair and sweet smile. She didn't talk a lot and she wasn't nearly as powerful as Percy, but you wouldn't be able to tell from the way she carried herself. No, her power was more in the way that she never stumbled over cracks or holes, her shirt was ripped in all the right places, her ankle had been sprained not broken, even when falling from that height, and her hair looked good, filled with twigs as it was. Hazel could see how she was the daughter of luck.

    Percy and Nico shook hands, and Nico nodded at Cal. She smiled back. Percy stood in front of Cal, half-shielding her from Nico's view, and regarded Nico warily. If the two boys started fighting, things could get really ugly, real fast.

    When Hazel first met Nico, she didn't think of him as scary. It was hard to, with his messy black hair and sloppy clothes. His pure black sword, 'Stygian Iron' was serious business and Hazel learned not to underestimate him very quickly.

    Percy scowled "I--I know you." Callahan stepped next to him.

    "Yeah" she said "I don't know how, but I know you."

Nico raised his eyebrows, "you do?" he turned to Hazel for an explanation.

Hazel hesitated. Something about her brother's reaction wasn't right. He was trying hard to act casual, but when he had first seen Percy and Cal, Hazel had noticed his momentary look of panic. Nico already knew them. She was sure of it. Why was he pretending otherwise? Hazel forced herself to speak.

"Um...Percy's lost his memory." She told her brother what had happened since Percy had arrived at the gates. "So, Nico..." she continued carefully, "I thought...you know, you travel all over. Maybe you've met demigods like Percy before, or..."

Nico's expression turned as dark as Tartarus. Hazel didn't understand why, but she got the message; Drop it.

Fank approached them. He reached the shrine. "Hey, Nico..."

"Frank." Nico smiled. He seemed to find Frank amusing, maybe because Frank was the only one at camp who wasn't uneasy around the children of Pluto.

"Reyna sent me to get those two," Frank said.

"Did Octavian accept you?

" "Yeah," Percy said. "He slaughtered my panda."

"He...Oh. The augury? Yeah, teddy bears must have nightmares about that guy. But you're in! We need to get you cleaned up before evening muster." Hazel realized the sun was getting low over the hills. How had the day gone so fast?

"You're right," she said. "We'd better—"

"Frank," Nico interrupted, "why don't you take Percy and Callahan down? Hazel and I will be along soon."