X-Hazel

Hazel slammed the door of the Apollo House shut furiously, muttering to herself, "Why me? Why can't it be someone like Ace or Stephen or Meredith? Why does it have to me versus Terra? Why me?"

She clenched her fists angrily and marched over to her bed above Meredith's. She leaped into the bed and ducked under the blanket with her head on the tip of the pillow.

Hazel didn't know why this calmed her down a lot, but it did. The way the stuffy air filled her lungs- it made her feel calmer; when her skin started to get feverish from the heat- she got less tense, and how uncomfortable her feet were. It calmed her down a lot.

Just stay calm, Hazel. Holly's voice rang through Hazel's brain. Stay focused on being calm- not crazy.

Hazel slapped her hands over her ears and exclaimed, "GET OUTTA MY HEAD, HOLLY! I DON'T NEED YOU ANYMORE, WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT? APOLLO, I HATE YOU FOR DOING THIS TO ME! WHY'D YOU DO THIS TO ME, ANYWAY?"

Her lip started to tremble and she broke down, sobbing into her sheets miserably. It was all too much. The war from last August, Holly's death, her dad, Jason, Reyna, Percy, Ace, the wolves, Lupa and the fact that Romans had to get along with their enemies from back to the Trojan War to defeat Terra and the giants, which seemed impossible. Greeks couldn't along with Romans to save their lives.

And Leo. Gods, which made Hazel's head hurt whenever she thought about him. Hazel liked Leo. Frank obviously didn't like him at all, and Hazel didn't want to make him mad by (Possibly) dating the son of Hephaestus (That concept was starting to confuse Hazel. Were Vulcan and Hephaestus the same people, or was it two people?). Hazel couldn't even ask him out because A) She didn't have the guts, and B) It was clear that he had too much going for him. Holding a relationship while saving the world? Not easy.

Hazel wasn't good at feelings- she was only good at being a fierce fighter. Romans didn't have time for feelings. They had their priorities. Feelings didn't make the list.

Suddenly the door opened, and Hazel popped out from under her burden of blankets to see a muscular boy her age with curly bronze hair, chocolate brown eyes, tan skin, and a handsome face.

Bobby looked at Hazel with a raised eyebrow. "Crying?"

"Oh, five gold stars for you." Hazel croaked sarcastically, her hand sweeping her nose.
"That doesn't sound like a good comeback when you just got done bawling your eyes out." Bobby replied.
"I didn't bawl my eyes out." Hazel told him.
"Yeah, sure."

Bobby mockingly started fake-crying, wailing, "OH ACE, WHY MUST YOU HURT ME? MY HEART IS BROKEN! YOU BUG ME SO MUCH I CRY WHILE EATING A TUB OF BEN AND JERRY'S ICE CREAM WHILE WATCHING Cyber Bully! WHY, ACE, WHY?"

Hazel threw a pillow at him, even though she was laughing loudly. Bobby had always made her feel better; especially after Holly had died.

Bobby caught it right before it could hit him in the face, an amused grin on his face.

"I don't say that." Hazel told him with her nose high in the air.
"Sure, Hazel, sure." Bobby replied, his nose in the air too just to mock her. "So, what were you really crying about?"

Hazel's eyes stung. She swung her feet over the bed and looked at the ground, shrugging. "Um… Well, you know that girl with the blonde hair who I argued with?"

Bobby nodded slowly. "That was a good girl-fight."
"Thanks." Hazel laughed, swinging her legs back and forth. "Anyway, well, she kinda hit me hard on being Percy's girlfriend and all-"
"You mean you like him?"
"No, no, no! It was just like a slap across the face. Percy's just a really good friend and all."
"I'm getting it… Go on."

Hazel went on with the Greeks, the whole Leo situation, Terra and how the Greeks and Romans had to cooperate to stop her and the giants- Even Holly. She felt like she was letting it all out, and she felt better saying it to Bobby.

Bobby just nodded and stayed silent, listening to Hazel with a concerned expression. It made Hazel feel a bit embarrassed, because Romans weren't exactly people to "let out their feelings".

After she was done, the son of Mercury smiled warmly. "Hey, you aren't messing up. It's them. They just barged in without permission, and they broke an oath from back to the Civil War."

"Wait- what in the name of Jupiter are you talking about?" Hazel asked curiously.

"Well, the Civil War wasn't just for the mortals of the United States," Bobby explained. "It was for demigods, too. They were forced to take sides, and it was bloodshed. I don't know who won, but after the war, the gods made the Greeks and Romans stay apart so a war worse than the first one. Now I guess this is so important, that we have to unite to stop Terra."

Why does Bobby know this, and not me? Hazel thought. Does Reyna know, because she's the one Lupa trusts most? If she doesn't, how does Bobby?

"How do you know this?" Hazel asked him.
"Dreams." Bobby answered, and Hazel got suspicious.
"What kind of dreams?"
"The past. I see some flashes of the past all the time in my dreams. Most of them aren't all that good."
"Then why haven't you told anyone then?"
"It would just freak them out, probably."
"Good point. Shoulda thought of that…"

Then Bobby asked, "So do you feel better?"

Hazel bit her lip. Did she? She did, but she thought that he would tell, and then the whispering would happen again- and Hazel did not need that right now. So that added more worry, and that didn't make her feel better at all.

"Yeah," Hazel lied. "It did."
"Good." Bobby grinned.

"Hazel?" Percy called from outside. "Hazel! Come back here! We aren't done with our meeting!"

Hazel rolled her eyes and shouted back, "Who said it was a meeting- you? After all, you are a stupid Greek!"

Bobby's hands slapped over his mouth to avoid blowing his cover from laughing.

"HAZEL! GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!" Percy shrieked.
"Who said I have too? Frank?" Hazel screamed back.
"Me!"
"I'm not trusting a Greek!"
"Well you should; considering that we'll have to be partners!"
"Ha-ha! Over my dead body!"

Bobby mouthed, "I'm just gonna go…"
"Bye." Hazel mouthed back, waving shortly.
"See you later- maybe."

Bobby climbed up onto Ace's bed, and knocked on the wall. A trap-door opened up, showing an endless tunnel that had sunlight streaming through small holes.

Hazel stared incredulously as the darkness swallowed Bobby up. Had that been there the whole time?

"HAZEL!" Percy shouted impatiently.
"Fine, I'm coming!" Hazel shouted quickly. "I'm gonna bring my dagger just in case anything goes whack!"
"There won't!"
"Oh, you won't be saying that for long, Jackson!"
"Just get out here!"
"I know kung-fu, just to let those Greeks know!"

"We've got the message!" Leo shouted at her from outside.

Hazel jumped down from her bunk and marched out of the Apollo House to face the Greeks and give them a piece of her mind.

When she got outside, she got sacked from the side by someone right next to her.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Hazel screamed at the top of her lungs before duct tape went over her mouth by Percy.