Chapter 2

Hazel

After her encounter with Captain America a week ago, Frank and Hazel had been staying at Camp Half-Blood. Hazel sat on her bed in the Hades cabin. She was deep in thought, and admittedly a little nervous. She couldn't sleep at all.

She had hoped Steve wouldn't be too curious and ask too many questions, but of course he probably did. Hazel guessed she shouldn't be too surprised. You don't show someone a giant monster that shouldn't exist and tell them to forget it, which is exactly what she did. She knew she should've used the Mist, but she didn't, and that's going to come back to bite her.

Hazel mostly stayed in the camp where the only modern technology was in the Hephaestus cabin, and no one understood their gadgets. Still, she felt like the odd one out in modern times. Everyone belongs here, and she doesn't. She feel like a kindergartener trying to do high school math. Hazel doesn't belong here, and she never has.

Steve Rogers was from 1940s too, and she didn't know how to feel about that. She knew he couldn't know about demigods, yet Hazel longed for someone to empathize with. Steve would know how it felt like, not to belong in this generation. Yet, she couldn't tell him. The best thing to do would be to forget about him, because she could probably never see him again and keep her secret.

Deciding she needed some fresh air, she summoned Arion and went through the borderline of Camp Half-Blood where there's more space to run than in the woods. Hazel welcomed the rush of adrenaline that came with riding. She felt as if she left all of her troubles behind. She rode until the sun came up, and despite her lack of sleep she felt refreshed. She fed Arion a gold nugget before heading back into camp, him following hesitantly.

"I see you've enjoyed a good night's sleep." Said a voice from the shadows.

"Nico, I'm fine, alright? I just needed some fresh air." Hazel told him.

"I have a right to be worried about you! You haven't slept properly in at least a week!" Nico exclaimed.

"Says the person who could turn to shadow at any moment!" Hazel argued.

"I'm just looking out for you." He said.

"Well I don't need your protection. I can take care of myself!" She yelled.

Arion snorted, as if to agree with her.

"Just try and get some sleep. Please."

"I'm sorry. I'm just... stressed right now."Hazel whispered.

"I know." Nico said softly. "Frank told me what happened with Captain America."

"What do you think I should do?" She asked.

"Just do what you think is best. If you think Steve Rogers would be good for you, and you trust him, talk to him." He said.

"I can trust him. He's a soldier." The daughter of Pluto said confidently.

"Then go talk to him. If he won't tell anyone, tell him about your past... and what recently happened. He'll understand how you feel about..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"I know. I'll go find him today." She said.

"Do you even know where he is?" Nico asked.

"No, but I can track him with his shield." Hazel said. "Don't tell the others where I'm going."

"As long as you don't get into trouble." He promised.

Hazel was pretty confident that Captain America's shield was one-of-a-kind. She reached out with her senses and felt vibranium. She could tell where it was, but she couldn't tell exactly where it was, if that made any sense. She could track it down, but she couldn't pinpoint the location on a map, basically.

She climbed onto Arion and headed off to wherever Steve's shield was. Apparently Arion knew where she wanted him to go, because in no time they reached a small cafe and Arion slowed down. Mortals didn't stare at her wondering how she had super speed, so the Mist had covered it up.

When Hazel entered the cafe, she saw there were only two people in the building. One being the man behind the counter, and the other was Steve Rodgers. She quietly approached him, as he was facing the other way. He turned around once he sensed the demigod's presence, and stared at her for a minute before he finally said something.

"Hazel." Steve said.

"Can we talk?" Hazel asked. "Privately?" She added, eying the employee in the cafe.

"Of course." He replied.

They went outside into the alleyway, and Hazel finally mustered the courage to speak.

"W-Whatever I tell you, promise you won't tell anyone no matter what."

"I won't." He said.

"Promise." Hazel insisted.

"I promise," Steve said. "But you have to answer my questions."

"Okay, please don't think I'm crazy but-"

Hazel was cut off by a woman with fiery red hair.

"Rodgers, you're late." She said.

"Natasha, why are you here?" He asked, his tone indicating annoyance

"You didn't show up. I came to fetch you." Natasha said.

"I'm in the middle of something." Steve told her.

"Well, who's this?" The woman asked sarcastically, turning to Hazel. "Trying to get a girlfriend, finally? I hate to break it to you, but she's a bit young."

"Nat, she was the girl who fought the thing." Steve said.

"Is Hazel Levesque your real name?" Natasha asked, her focus trained on the daughter of Pluto.

"Y-Yes." Hazel stuttered under her glare.

"Hmm... that's strange, because the only Hazel Levesque we have on record died in 1942." She said, her voice threatening.

"Uh..."

Hazel didn't know what to say. She felt like she was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Unless, you were somehow from that time, but that's impossible, isn't it?" The woman asked in the same tone.

Hazel then realized she could use the Mist. She would make it seem like she was never here, and then talk to Steve Rogers uninterupted. Well, hopefully interupted. She just had to make sure Steve would not tell anyone, but Hazel doubted he would because he seemed like a man of his word.

When she had finished manipulating the Mist, she summoned Arion again. She fed him a gold nugget before climbing onto him.

"To Camp Half-Blood." She murmured.