CHAPTER NINE

HAZEL

"Good morning, Ms. Levesque." Alecto, her maid, sauntered into the room, her summery, chirpy voice luxuriously pouring into the grand suite and awakening Hazel for the day. Hazel drowsily observed the tray of breakfast Alecto had set by her goose-feather luxury comforter, taking in the freshly baked bread, the fruit parfaits, smoked salmon with creme fraiche, Caprese quiche and a cappuccino with some elaborate foam art.

"Good morning, Alecto," Hazel sleepily murmured, rubbing her eyes. Her mouth was a little dry from the dehydration that came with the cocktail she drank last night but no hangover, thank God.

Alecto head over to her windows to open up her draperies to reveal the cement streets of Hong Kong. Summer was still sprung all over the city. The trees were fragrant with cherry blossoms, everyone had pots of flowers on their stoops, an old Gwen Stefani song, which always reminded her of cruising around Meriweather in the vintage Jaguar convertible they kept there, wafted out of an open window a few stories above.

"By the way Hazel, Rachel has sent a voice message saying she's here. Would you like me to prepare an extra plate for her?"

"Yes, that would be great," Hazel exclaimed as she sat up groggily in her bed and repositioned the plus pillow beside her. "And get another coffee for her as wells. God knows Rachel's going to want her coffee."

Alecto nodded as she straightened out the ivory mink blanket and strode out of her room to answer the door to let Rachel in. As she did that, Hazel ran a hand through her untamed tresses and reached over for the steaming cup of cappuccino. She sipped it, savouring the milky taste.

"S'up bitch," Rachel cawed out as she came into her room, uninvited. Rachel looked like she had just got out of bed as well, as she had shown up in her custom-made Oscar De La Renta babydoll dress and the random sandals she had just thrown up. Her hair was roughly combed and as a frequent worrier over her own appearance, Rachel only had lipgloss and mascara on.

"Did you literally come here in your pyjamas?" chuckled Hazel as Rachel hopped onto the edge of Hazel's bed and plucked a grape off the stem before chucking it into her mouth.

"Fuck yeah, I did. We have shit to discuss," Rachel proclaimed arrogantly, "And by the way, white looks so good on your skin."

Hazel glanced down at her Wildfox sweater- which was new, cashmere and all, so it was pretty snug and comfortable to sleep in.

"I wish I could get as tan as you," Rachel continued on, sighing as Alecto proceeded to bring Rachel her breakfast. Even at Hazel's own home, Rachel dominated commands as she silently dictated Alecto into pouring her a cup of cafe noir.

"You're pretty tan too," Hazel noticed as she took a bite of the caviar, cracker and cheese combination she put together.

"Fake tan, baby," Rachel said, poking into her yolk of her egg benedict. "Anyway, guess what I did yesterday."

"Um...took Piper to Leo's house to crash?"

"After that, with Annabeth."

Hazel's eyebrows knitted. "Are you telling me you were so upset about Percy you hooked up with her?"

Rachel rolled her eyes and scoffed. "What? No! God, no. I'm thinking...of a game that I might've started with our newest pet project." Rachel's green gaze glimmered like a soft pond that was a watercolour painting by Monet or some shit.

Dread filled Hazel. She felt cold all of the sudden, despite the summer morning outside and the hot coffee scalding her hands. "Wait...Rachel...you don't mean…"

A devilish smile curled up on Rachel's naturally pouty lips, "Yes, I do."

"That's cruel, Rachel. I know Percy had hurt you but you've been friends for so long. We promised we'll never play with anyone outside of the circle."

"So?" Rachel growled, "Fuck that. Rules are meant to be broken and Percy has to be taught a lesson, Hazel. Don't you think?"

Hazel bit her lip. "I...I don't know, Rachel. The Games are deadly, you know that."

Rachel's face grew serious. "I know but we can handle it. It won't happen like last time."

"Someone killed themselves last time, Rach. You can't let it become like last time."

Rachel sighed, stirring her coffee with a sterling spoon. "I'm sorry about Bianca."

"I know," Hazel replied tersely, "It's just...it's very sensitive right now. It's not your fault. You never knew they would react that way and Bianca would take it like that."

Rachel nodded grimly, slicing her egg in half and placing it delicately in her mouth. "Annabeth is going to my player."

Hazel arched her eyebrows before sipping on her coffee. "Betting on the new girl? What makes you think she has what it takes?"

Rachel tucked the flyaway strands of her red hair behind her ear before elaborating: "Well, she's his type."

"Anyone who's hot on legs with a vagina is Percy's type."

"But he isn't her type," Rachel completed slyly, with that evil-making glint in her forest gaze. Rachel played with the hollandaise sauce before licking the fork up of the taste. "You know?"

Realisation sank into Hazel. Having been on the Elite list for so long, Hazel was not a stranger to decoding Rachel's penchant for mind games and manipulative schemes. It was what made Rachel Queen Bee of HKIS and being her friend meant arranging your personality into suiting the environment. It was all a goddamn game and it was all about how good your mask was concealing your true selves. Hazel's mask was desperately craved for- a spot on the Elite List, a member of the Inner Circle, BFFs with Piper Mclean and Rachel Dare. Hazel's mask was an equestrian prodigy, a shoo-in for Princeton, a straight A student and Hong Kong's resident partier. Sometimes putting on the mask was fun- you had fabulous clothes and you get to attend fabulous parties, drinking fabulous alcohol and talking to fabulous people, but it could get exhausting to constantly wear a mask to ace this game. Nonetheless, Hazel understood what Rachel meant and could see Rachel's strategy from here.

"Oh, damn. That just got interesting."

Rachel's laugh tinkled out, "I know right? I'm so ready to take him down." Rachel finished half of the egg benedicts before setting it on Hazel's dresser for Alecto to collect. She sank into Hazel's soft mattress, her red hair fanning across the white sheets, "Percy Jackson is finally going to get what's coming to him."

"A-fucking-men," cheered Hazel, finally happy Rachel saw the light and truth about Percy Jackson. He was never going to change into the boyfriend she wanted him to be without a little bit of a wakeup call. "Has Annabeth came around with the plan?"

"Not yet," Rachel admitted, looping her cherry red hair around her finger and twisting it over and over. "But I think I know how to get her to say yes."

"No one can resist you, Rach."

Rachel laughed once more and adjusted the strap of her babydoll dress. "True, to be fair. But hear me out: Dakota's party this weekend. She'll never know what hit her."

"You're such a bitch," Hazel chided her but placed an arm around the redhead to pull her close into a hug. Rachel giggled into her embrace, hugging her back. Rachel smelled her usual expensive scent- that Chanel Cristalle smell of spicy basil and jasmine, reminding Hazel of being in a spa or a facial specialist centre. "But I fucking love you for it."

"Of course," Rachel pretended to be dramatic by sighing airily, "How else would I ever maintain my Number One Spot?"

"Lame," retorted Hazel. "Anyway, what do you want me to do about Annabeth?"

Rachel's grin was pure venom. "This is where you're coming in."

"So you came here for a favour, didn't you?"

Rachel shrugged and finished the last of her black coffee, the black and gold Bvlgary ring on her pinky finger sticking out. "Guilty. But did I mention I also came here for the free coffee and your chef's lovely food?"

"You're gross," Hazel accused playfully, teasing tinging her tone. "But what do you need?"

"Well, I want you to personally go to her place to invite her for Dakota's." Rachel said, "It'll look like I'm trying to buy her if I do it so…"

"Okay, done," Hazel confirmed. "Where does she live again?"

"I'll text you the details but remember, don't ever say that I ask you to invite her."

This time, Hazel rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course, duh. I'm not retarded."

"Cool. It's a plan. By the way, invite Leo with you."

"Why?"

"Because he'll convince her it's one hell of a party she cannot miss and also, it makes sense because she left a bunch of her old clothes at his place last night so…" Rachel trailed off excitedly, jumping off Hazel's bed to refill her cup of coffee.

"But wouldn't you be letting him in on your plan to take Percy down?"

"Well, he wouldn't know that you're going there for that. He'll just think we're inviting her to a party, that's all," Rachel concluded with confirmation in her tone; she was starting to sound more confident about her plan. "Sounds good?'

"Sounds fantastic."


LEO

"I don't understand why I have to deliver it in person," whinged Leo immediately as he clambered into the car. Hazel had messaged him this morning inquiring if Annabeth had left her clothes at his place and when he said she did, she asked if he could accompany her to go and deliver it to her.

Thus Hazel had booked an Uber to his place, waiting for Leo to show up with the freshly laundered clothes of Annabeth Chase- the clothes she had accidentally left when she changed out of her vomit-stained top and jeans. Leo looked showered and well-rested, as his night of going was cut short by Hurricane Piper, looking sophisticated and smooth in a Ralph Lauren long-sleeved polo shirt and Brook Brothers trousers. He was almost presentable.

"Because that's nicer, Leo," Hazel huffed, removing her Dior Aviator sunglasses and propping it up her head. After Rachel had left for her yoga class (Rachel was essential in maintaining her zen-like aura, if not she would go insane), Hazel got dressed for the day, sporting a classic white shirt, khaki trench, skinny black pants, and a pair of bright red Hunter boots that only Hazel's lithe horse-riding body could pull off. "We want her to feel welcomed."

"'We'?" echoed Leo, "Is this one of you and Rachel's weird Initiation rituals you're pulling on her again? I thought we're past that."

"God, no. Is it so hard we're just trying to play nice?"

"Yes," Leo answered without a doubt as he sipped on the Perrier offered by the driver.

Hazel laughed sharply, "We're actually trying though. Rachel wants us to fill the ranks before it gets eaten up. And we better do that before school starts."

"True," Leo agreed, "Don't want some lowly social climber to be part of the List."

"Exactly," Hazel replied curtly as the Uber slowed to accommodate the traffic jam. They reverted their attention back to their phones. Leo was currently checking his feed, aimlessly scrolling through his Instagram as he stole sneak peeks at Hazel. She looked super good today. With her frizzy hair tamed into a ponytail, she was super composed and sophisticated and those lingering feelings from sophomore year became surfacing.

The thing was that he and Hazel dated for a little bit a year ago but it was pure cotton-candy fluff; nothing serious and substantial and they parted on relatively good terms. Nonetheless, he wasn't sure if this stemmed from genuine attraction for Hazel or if he was just lonely.

Despite all the money he had, there was this sad feeling of loneliness that came with it. His father was rarely home and his mother had passed away from a very young age, Nyssa was in college all the time and though he had his friends, he felt like none of them understood him in the way he wanted them to. To them, he was the class clown, the entertainer, the one with the jokes but was there more depth to him than that.

As the iron-wrought gates to Emerald Villa squeaked open, their custom town car passed through slow enough for Leo to admire the designs the steel arched into. With high trees, beautifully mowed down patches of green, Annabeth's neighbourhood looked like it was straight of Worchester, New York.

"We're here," The uber driver proclaimed, pulling up to on the rich gold stucco and cobbled driveway. They eventually halted in front of a splashing fountain and a forty-foot-wide townhouse faced in brick and marble, with a regal-looking, peacock-blue front door. Peonies and ivy vines flocked the cobblestone edges. In the driveway, Leo could spot the gleaming new car- a 2017 Porsche Panamera.

"So new money," Leo snorted, shaking his head.

"Oh please, don't turn your nose up at it," Hazel scoffed at him, affronted. Oh right. Leo forgot that once upon a time Hazel was relatively new money. It was always a touchy subject with her and Nico since they were frequently reminded that their bloodline was not as noble as the rest of them.

"Does she know we're coming?" Leo asked as they stepped out of the car. Hazel slid her sunglasses back down on her cute button nose.

"Um no."

"Oh, great."

"Shut up," Hazel said as she pressed the bell. Immediately, they both picked up sounds of dogs barking and a female voice asking them to keep quiet- Annabeth's.

"No, Yankee! Down boy, down," Annabeth was saying as she unlocked the door. Her eyes widened when she noticed them standing in their doorway, "Leo, Hazel, why you're here?"

"I swear we don't usually rock up to people's houses uninvited," was the first thing that came out of Hazel's mouth, "But you left your clothes at Leo's." Leo held up the bundled clothes.

"Oh," Annabeth blinked, "Shit." Annabeth looked out of place in the massive mansion behind her with the sweeping staircase and the enormous antique crystal chandelier, especially in a tattered San Fran sweatshirt and Billabong shorts.

"Yeah. After everything that went down last night, we thought we gave it to you. Piper didn't mean to puke on you. And I swear, our nights are usually not that crazy."

"No, it's okay. Things happen, right?" Annabeth took the clothes from Leo with a shy smile and ran a hand through her silken blonde hair, "Do you guys wanna come inside?"

"If you don't mind," Leo shrugged nonchalantly, smiling at the Shih Tzu bouncing at Annabeth's hells.

"Is that your dog?" Hazel cooed, "Oh my God, it's so cute!"

"Yeah, meet Yankee." Annabeth bent down to rub its head before leading them past the foyer and into the living room.. Boxes were still littered everywhere but it didn't hide the fact that it was a very posh mansion. The whole place smelled like Lemon Pledge and lavender.

"Are your parents home?" Hazel inquired casually, "Moms always love me." Her statement was true, Leo could contest. Moms go crazy over Hazel's star-studded resume of being a horse-riding champion and one of HKIS's scholars. Leo, on the contrary, was every father's nightmare.

"Um, no. They're working," Annabeth confessed as she set down on a silken slipper chair near the room's second fireplace.

"Oh okay," a devilish grin then appeared on Leo's face. "I guess that means we can kind of do whatever we want right now?"

Annabeth laughed uncomfortably, "I don't wanna risk it. They were kind of mad about how late I came back last night."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. If we've known it would get you in trouble-"

"Nah, it's okay," Annabeth shrugged, smiling tightly, "I'm sure they'll get over it. Do you want anything to drink?"

"Not really-" Hazel began to say as Leo shot in, "Yep definitely. Some coffee would be great." Hazel shot him a look of death.

"I think I can whip up some coffee. I used to be a barista back in San Francisco."

"Wow, that's cool. So you can make some dope lattes, huh?" Leo asked. To his surprise, Annabeth laughed.

"I guess." She headed to the kitchen, where Leo and Hazel were bombarded by the gleaming marble countertops and modern steel chairs. Leo noticed a pot of tea brewing by the corner and boxes of cereal strewn across, realising the stark difference of how Annabeth take his breakfast as compared to the feast his chef would usually prepare for him- truffle-infused gold-leaf bacon and scrambled eggs with caviar and Brazilian coffee roasted for him until perfection.

"Anyway, it's a good thing your parents aren't too mad because there's going to be a penthouse party at the Ritz-Carlton this weekend," Hazel said, checking the screen of her phone as Annabeth began to pour some coffee beans into the machine.

"Um...I don't know. The thing is I don't know if I should risk it, since I'm already on their bad side," Annabeth answered glumly; Leo could see from the stormy clouds of her eyes that her mind was racing with calculations. "And Hazel, Leo, um. Y'all are really nice but I don't know if I fit in with your whole world-"

"Don't be silly," Hazel laughed, grinning eerily, "Piper and everybody love you. Percy, especially."

"A little too much," Leo yearned to snort.

"Whatever," Hazel rolled her eyes at him. Annabeth poured milk into their coffee and served it to them. Leo took a sip. It was warm and toasty, soaking his soul into a hot bath.

"It's the party of the year, Annie-"

"Don't call me that."

Leo cracked a smile. Snappy. He liked her. She was going to give Percy a damn hard time, especially if Percy was as engrossed with trying to get her as he was when he last saw them together. "Alright, Annabeth. But you should really come. It's the party of the year, the back-to-school extravaganza. And you'll finally meet the whole crew."

Annabeth tugged at the strands of her blonde hair. "That sounds really fun but my parents-"

"Shouldn't be a problem," Hazel stepped in firmly. "Just sneak out. I mean, not to be a bad influence or anything, but you're not ten anymore. You should be able to go whenever you want to go out. You need to experience the Hong Kong's nightlife. Take a risk, you know. Live a little."

Annabeth pursed her plump lips and glanced down at the tiled floor. Hazel gulped down her coffee as she and Leo exchanged looks. She knew that Annabeth was on the fence about it- after all, the blonde girl had never done anything like this. She was used to her old suburban way of life. She spoke before she could think about it for another moment, "You know what? You're right."

"Cool." Hazel tossed her river of dark hair and sent Leo a small smirk, her accent lacing over her words. "We'll pick you up on Saturday, okay?"

Leo swore Annabeth looked like she was going against her better judgement but she said: "Okay."


AHH thanks so much for the reviews guys! they were so lovely! let's try...100?