"I can't believe that we're on guard duty again." Frank said with a sigh, leaning up against the wall. He looked over at Hazel and smiled. She was so beautiful. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to be friends with her. Especially when she vouched for him to get into the legion. "Shouldn't we be like…part of some plan or something?"
"You heard Reyna, Frank." She said with a laugh. "Even though there's something going on, the tunnel needs to be guarded. Besides, how likely is it that something will attack us?"
"I'm not worried about something attacking us." He said, watching cars drive by. He kept his hand on his bow and his spear on his back as he kept watch, but after a moment he slung it around his middle. "I'm worried about dying of boredom." He said quietly before looking over at Hazel again who smiled back and then turned toward the street again. Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, he carefully shuffled over and kissed her on the cheek.
"Frank!" She said, her cheeks bright red. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. "Frank, we're on guard duty." She said, pulling away from him.
"Just one." She pulled away from him again, so he concentrated and shrank down to a small puppy. He looked up at her and whimpered a little, gazing up at her with chocolate brown puppy dog eyes. She tried to ignore him at first, but she eventually looked down and saw him.
"Oh, that is so not fair!" she said in a slightly whiny voice. "Fine, but do not lick my face. And if I get fleas, then we're done." Frank changed back and slipped a hand to her hip before placing his lips on hers. He closed his eyes a moment just as there was the sound of a car honking. They pulled apart quickly and looked at the street. There was something darting around the cars, but Frank couldn't tell what it was. He stood in front of Hazel a little and drew his bow, notching an arrow. Another car honked and swerved a little just as two monkey like things popped out. Frank fired his arrow, but they dodged around it and shoved Frank back. He quickly stood up and notched another arrow, but saw that they were running around Hazel. He aimed, but he didn't want to hit Hazel, so he took the spear off his back and looked for an opportunity. Hazel had her sword drawn, swinging to try and hit them, but she couldn't land a blow. They finally stopped and then pushed Hazel into the street.
"Hazel!" Frank shouted as he strapped his spear to his back again. He transformed into an elephant and quickly grabbed her in his trunk, yanking her back to safety. He transformed back and ran over to her, crouching down. "Are you okay?" He said, helping her up. She nodded and took deep breaths, trying to calm down. After a moment, her eyes widened and she quickly checked her pockets.
"No, no, no, no." She said quietly, reaching into all of her pockets. "Frank, oh my gods. Frank, they took it. They took the wood. Frank, I'm so sorry. Maybe we can go after them." Frank felt like he was going to throw up, but he took a deep breath and shook his head.
"No. Go and tell Reyna and Percy and Jason what happened. I'll try and follow them." He turned to leave, but she pulled him back and kissed him tightly on the lips.
"I'm sorry, Frank." He brushed her hair back behind her ears and kissed her again. "Please, be careful."
"Everything's going to be fine. I promise." He smiled at her a moment before turning and taking off, quickly changing into an eagle. He followed the roads at first, watching for any honking or interruptions when a car swerved and crashed into another one. He flew a little bit lower and looked closer, finally seeing the two monkeys dodging around the cars. They turned into a more grassy area and Frank swooped down, picking up a tree branch in his talons. He shot his wings back for an extra burst of speed and dropped it on them, knocking them off their feet. He landed and changed into a gorilla. What better to fight a monkey then another monkey, right? He ran at them, but they took off toward some trees, quickly swinging from branch to branch in an attempt to escape. Frank leaped and grabbed the branches quickly giving chase, changing from a gorilla to a smaller monkey. He managed to pick up speed and eventually snagged the tail of one of the monkeys, yanking it down from the trees.
It let out a screech and then leapt, its partner turning around to help him. Frank, still in smaller monkey form fell back under the weight and raised his hands in defense. When the other one came close he quickly changed back into a gorilla and grabbed them by their tails. He swung one into a nearby tree and the other he slammed into the ground. The laid on the ground in a daze while he roared and pounded his chest. With a few grunts he slammed his fists into the ground, the monkeys smashing into two clouds of dust. Breathing a little heavily, he changed back and crouched down, looking for his lifeline. The little piece of wood that was keeping him alive. Finally, he found the small wrap of cloth and grabbed it, a little frantically unwrapping it and finding the small chunk of wood that was keeping him tied to this world. He breathed a sigh of relief and tucked it into his pocket before leaning up against a tree, trying to catch his breath. He couldn't express how lighter he felt knowing it was safe.
After another moment, he made his way out of the trees and quickly transformed into an eagle, flying back toward camp. Thankfully, he wasn't far, so he could cut off the search party they probably called for him. He finally swooped back into the tunnel and changed back, making his way into back to camp to tell people he was okay. He walked out of the tunnel and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. A second later, arms flew around his neck and he felt a warm body press up against his.
"Thank the gods." She said quietly, holding herself close to him. Frank wrapped his arms around her middle and took a deep breath, soaking in her smell. Hazel pulled away a little and looked at him.
"Frank, you were gone so long and I started worrying that maybe they—" Frank silenced her by pressing his lips to hers for a moment.
"I told you that everything was going to be okay, didn't I?" He said, reaching into his pocket and producing the small bundle that held the firewood inside. He took her hand and placed it in her palm, closing her small fingers around it. "I trust you, Hazel. I trust you and I love you." Hazel's eyes widened for a moment as they seem to absorb the words that left his mouth. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came. Frank looked her in the eyes trying to not show how much her hesitation worried him. After a moment, she smiled at him and slipped her arms around his neck.
"I love you, too, Frank."