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The dark-skinned girl curled into herself as she collapsed on the sand, her chest heaving with the force of her sobs.
It was just after midnight and the rest of the camp was asleep. The only source of light came from the various lanterns hung from the cafeteria to the beach. The waves crashed against the shore, but Hazel was far enough away that the water didn't touch her.
She was so confused and she just wanted everything to go away.
"Oh, what have we here? Looks like a traitor to me."
"Go away, Evan."
"Funny, that's what I was about to tell you. Your kind don't belong here."
Hazel flinched, but stood her ground. "We have as much right to be here as you do."
The son of Ares smirked. "Am I scaring you, little girl? And here I thought Romans were supposed to be brave."
Evan took a step towards the young demigod and shoved her hard, snickering as she hit the ground. "Stay out of my way." And with one last glare, he was gone.
Her hands were still bleeding from trying to catch herself on the sharp gravel since she hadn't bothered to treat them. She knew that she was probably risking infection, but she didn't care. She was used to the harsh treatment from Camp Jupiter, but even then, it was all to train you. She knew that there was no true animosity from any of the other campers towards her. Evan, however, definitely hated her. She could see it in his cold eyes. She shuddered, tears once again falling down her cheeks.
"Hazel?"
She looked up to find a familiar figure clambering out of the ocean, miraculously dry. His shockingly green eyes peered at her in concern as he hurried towards her.
The young girl tried to force a smile. "Hi, Percy."
"What's wrong? Are you okay?"
His frantic questions made her lips curve and she nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just being stupid."
Percy frowned and slipped onto the sand beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Come on, Hazel. You aren't stupid. What happened?"
She bit her lip, but started to speak and everything just poured out. How she missed Nico and how Evan had pushed her and how she was scared she wasn't good enough for Frank. When she was done, it was silent and she felt Percy stiffen.
"I'm going to kill him."
He started to stand up, but Hazel grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "No, Perce, it's the middle of the night. It's okay. I'm not hurt!"
"You're bleeding! And even if you weren't, it still wouldn't be okay! Evan is a bully and I've wanted to punch him for quite some time. No one is allowed to hurt you. Not on my watch." He spoke with a fierceness that Hazel recognized from whenever someone upset Annabeth and the daughter of Hades sighed.
"Percy, please. I need you more than he does."
The hero softened and settled next to her again, pulling the young girl into his arms and kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry. Evan won't hurt you again. I promise."
Hazel smiled and reached up to pat his cheek. "Thank you." She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting the sound of the waves lull her to sleep, knowing Percy wouldn't let anyone hurt her.
"I love you, little sis."
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When she woke up, Hazel was in her bed, wrapped up in the covers. She sat up in confusion when her eyes were drawn to a sleeping figure in the corner, cramped into a chair in an uncomfortable position.
"Oh, Percy." She smiled and stood up, lacing up her shoes and closing the door softly behind her.
The camp was buzzing with energy as the teenager made her way towards the cafeteria, keeping her eyes peeled for any of her friends. She smiled, her stresses having been significantly lowered thanks to her pseudo big brother.
"I thought I told you to stay out of my way, traitor."
Hazel froze, dread filling her veins like ice.
"And now I'm telling you to stay away from her before you get hurt," a new voice chimed in and a warm arm fell across her shoulders.
Percy.
She sighed in relief and he pulled her closer to him.
"Ooh, got the so-called hero of Olympus to fight your battles for ya, huh?" Evan mocked, his eyes hardening at the arrival of the son of Poseidon.
Percy just smiled. "Jealous? Leave Hazel alone, Evan. You're just begging to start a fight with me. And I'm definitely not afraid of some overconfident son of Ares. Especially since I already beat your father at his own game."
"Don't talk about my father," Evan growled before smirking. "And whatever happened to that little blonde whore? Annabeth? Going for the younger ones now, yeah?"
Hazel's heart dropped to her stomach as Percy's eyes turned cold. She knew as soon as Evan started talking about Annabeth that things were going to get physical. His arm dropped from around her shoulders and she watched her friend's fists clench angrily. He started to shake and she backed away from him silently, watching as Evan's cruel sneer grew.
No one noticed that the waves were crashing roughly against the sand. No one except Hazel. She wanted to tell him to stop, but she knew that it wasn't just about her anymore. It was about Annabeth. And ever since Tartarus, there was nothing Percy wouldn't do to protect his girlfriend. So she watched as the water got faster until a small swirl was materializing. By now, Evan was catching on and a small crowd was forming around the pair. She cringed internally as the water wrapped around the son of Ares, completely encasing him.
"Percy! Stop!" A familiar voice shrieked through the chaos and a blonde blur was suddenly standing in front of Percy, her hands pressed against his face. "It's okay. I'm right here, Perce. You have to stop. You're going to kill him."
Annabeth's voice was calm, her eyes locked on her boyfriend's as she talked to him quietly. Slowly, the water slowed enough to drop Evan on the ground at the couple's feet as he gasped for breath. Percy's clouded expression disappeared as he tugged the girl into his arms, burying his face in her hair as her arms locked around his neck.
She ran her fingers through his dark curls, whispering into his ear.
Hazel stepped forward cautiously, lowering her hand to the boy's arm. He pulled away from Annabeth to look at her, a small smile crossing his features. "Sorry, Hazel. You shouldn't have had to see that."
She shook her head. "Thank you. I'm sorry he said those things."
"It's not your fault. I love you, little sis." He kissed the top of her head and hugged her to his free side, keeping Annabeth close to him.
The daughter of Hades grinned. "Love you too, big bro."
Annabeth's eyes twinkled as she reached over to grab Hazel's hand. "Thank you."
Hazel smiled as she watched the pair walk away, arms wrapped around each other and laughing to themselves.
Yep, she loved those two.
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