Chapter XI HAZEL
"We are now in Greece, the home of the gods." Leo said triumphantly as he docked the Argo II and land came into view. Hazel wasn't sure where exactly in Greece they were, but if the Greek demigods knew, that should be enough.
"Well, technically, Leo, the home of the gods is now America-" Piper started,
"Could you please just let me enjoy it for two seconds?"
The Argo II was in bad shape. Huge claw marks ran up and down the deck from where the dragon had stood. Scorch marks and burnt areas covered the ship, partly from the dragon, but mostly from Leo. Upon seeing this, Leo groaned,
"Yeah, I'm in serious regret mode right now."
Jason laughed and then said,
"I'm sure we can fix it, especially with that handy dandy tool belt of yours."
"Now you're making me sound like Bob the Builder."
Jason tilted his head, considering this,
"I was thinking more along the lines of Handy Manny, Bob's Mexican counterpart, but that works too."
Today was not Leo's day.
So, it was decided that half of the group would stay and help Leo repair and the rest would go off in search of Nico. Hazel wasn't too sure how well that would work. They couldn't ask random strangers,
"Hey, has gigantic dragon holding an Emo-looking boy flown past here lately?"
Yeah, that would go down real well.
Still, going out and doing something would be better than sitting around and worrying. So, Piper, Frank and Hazel went out in search of Nico while Jason, Leo, and Coach Hedge stayed behind to repair the ship.
"Wait!" Leo called after them.
"What about the Athena Parthenos? We still need to return that thing."
Piper pursed her lips in thought and then said,
"Well, we'll have to return in at night, since i think if humans saw us just strolling in with a forty foot statue, they might get suspicious. I don't think even the Mist could make that invisible."
Jason looked up then,
"I think the Roman demigods should return it." he said.
Everyone turned to look at him and he shrugged,
"We stole it in the first place, didn't we? To break Athena's spirit? We should be the ones to return it."
As Hazel set foot onto Greece. she had to fight the urge to run. It must have been some instinctive feeling that she did not belong here.
"Calm down." she ordered herself.
"The Greeks are your friends. You have a brother who is Greek! This is going to be fine."
Only Piper looked truly comfortable. She lead the way with a confidence that she'd probably ben born with; the confidence of a daughter of Aphrodite. They made their way to the nearest city, which happened to be Athens.
Now Hazel felt really out of place. Statues of the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare stared down at her everywhere she looked. The Romans had basically demoted Athena into Minerva, taken away her role as the goddess of warfare, so it felt weird to be seeing Athena with weapons.
Well, nothing could have been weirder than discovering that Athena actually had children. Hazel smiled as she remembered Annabeth vainly trying to explain the origins of her birth to the Roman demigods. Eventually she'd just let it go and let them think what ever they wanted.
Hazel's smile faded as she remembered where her two friends were at this moment. This was Athens, the home of Athena. Annabeth deserved to experience this with them. Hazel just hoped that when the statue was returned, they'd get some help in this fight against Gaea.
After a morning of walking around in ninety degree heat and discovering nothing, the trio flopped down on a bench in the park.
"I don't think Nico is in Athens." Piper said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. Frank nodded his agreement, but Hazel didn't want to give up looking. This was the nearest land from where Nico had been taken.
"Can we just look for a bit longer please?" Hazel said desperately.
Piper glanced at her and then nodded wearily. They stood up and set off again.
Awhile later, the group approached the Parthenon, and just gazed at it in awe.
"I wish I had a camera." Frank said suddenly.
"Why?" Hazel asked.
"To prove to the rest of Camp Jupiter that we actually got to see this, and didn't get blown up."
Hazel smiled weakly. With the Romans marching on to attack Camp Half-Blood, any sign of reconciliation between the two groups would have been welcome.
"It's truly something, isn't it?" a tourist said somewhere off to their left.
Piper, Frank and Hazel all looked over and saw a man with a cane looking at the Parthenon. He was clearly blind, but acted as if he could see the monument as clear s day.
"But I wonder what a son of Mars and a daughter of Pluto are doing here." he said with a grin.
They all froze and the man laughed.
"I mean no harm to you, young demigods. I am Teiresias, the prophet of Thebes."
Piper's eyes widened and then she said,
"I know this story! You accidentally saw Athena bathing once, right? So she blinded you, but your mother pleaded with her, so she gave you the gift of prophecy to compensate."
Teiresias gave a graceful nod of his head,
"That is correct, daughter of Aphrodite."
Hazel jumped forward and said,
"Then maybe you could help us!"
"What do you seek?"
"My brother, Nico di Angelo. He- he was captured yesterday and we're looking for him.
Teiresias tilted his head to the side, thinking,
"The boy is a son of Hades, yes?"
Hazel nodded and then the prophet said,
"I have an idea as to where he might be, but it is a place that you would never find. And it is a place from which he most likely won't return from."
Hazel swallowed to clear the lump in her throat and nodded resolutely.
"Right." she shakily.
"Thank you, Teiresias." she said, hurriedly walking away, Piper an Frank close behind her.
It was only when she was back in her cabin, all alone, that Hazel let herself cry.
