Hazel
Hazel was having a nice day until the dream about her brother.
When Annabeth and Percy ran off towards the beach, they had no idea that anyone was watching them. Clarisse was in favor of actually going to the beach to spy on them, but Chiron refused to let that happen. Of course, some campers sneaked out after them anyways.
"Frank, why don't you stay in the Ares cabin? Clarisse, could you show him the way?" Chiron instructed more than asked.
"Sure, Chiron. C'mon, Frank," Clarisse said, leading Frank out of the room.
"Will, could you show Hazel the Hades cabin, please?" Chiron asked.
"Yep. Come on, Hazel." Will and Hazel headed off towards one of the newer block of cabins.
"You have to stay in cabins determined by your godly parent?" Hazel asked worriedly, thinking about how she'd be isolated from the others.
"Yeah. It's not so bad, really. Hades is now more… respectable than he was before we battled Kronos' force. That was mostly because Nico proved himself, convincing his dad to show up with an army of undead skeleton warriors at the last minute," Will explained.
"So, tomorrow, you're going to rest here before you head off to Rome. You can do almost anything you want during the day, and there's going to be another council meeting tomorrow night," he continued.
They arrived at the Hades cabin. Hazel had to admit that it looked impressive—obsidian black with a skull on the wall, and torches burning green fire.
"Dinner's at 7:30. You can do whatever you want until then," Will said as he left the cabin.
She still had about two and a half hours until dinnertime, and she was beat, so Hazel decided to get some sleep.
There were only four beds in the cabin. One of them was obviously Nico's. It was the only bed which had been used. There were pictures up there, too—mainly of him and Bianca, him and Percy, him with Percy and Annabeth. Not for the first time, Hazel felt the heartbreak of having her brother missing.
Trying to put all thoughts of her brother out of her mind, she moved on to unpacking. It didn't take long. She didn't have that many items to bring along: her spatha, some fresh clothes, Frank's stick, and some nectar and ambrosia.
It took Hazel a while to fall asleep, and when she did, she had one of her worst dreams yet.
Nico lay sprawled out on a dirt floor, manacles binding his hands and feet. He had dark circles under his eyes, and most of his body was covered with blood. He had a long scratch on the inside of his right arm that ran from his forearm to his wrist. Blood trickled down it in a continuous stream. His cheek was covered with dried blood.
Hazel looked around and saw… dirt. All around them. Dirt floor, ceiling, and walls. There was not a door as far as she could see.
A slight tremor shook the room, and Nico was on his feet in a flash. His eyes seemed to watch a section of the wall that seemed no different from the other walls. Soon, though, Hazel saw she was mistaken, as that part of the wall swung open to reveal two undead warriors. Hazel suspected that, because they were on Gaea's side, Nico couldn't control them. Either that, or he was too tired to.
One made a chattering sound. Somehow, Hazel understood what it was trying to say: "Walk." Unsteadily, Nico rose to his feet and walked out the door. Watching him, Hazel realized that he was limping. She desperately wanted to be on Arion again and cut the spirits down with her spatha. Of course, that wouldn't work in a dream, so Hazel had to settle for following her brother.
The warriors kept their spears pointed at Nico. They weren't worried about him running forward; that was the direction they wanted him to go. The dirt walls stayed in a straight line and forced Nico from wandering.
Finally, they arrived in a large room. The walls were made out of dirt, but, unlike in Nico's cell, there were plants growing out of the wall. A brazier to Gaea was there, and fruits dangled from the ceiling. There was a table in the middle of the room. A large figure, even bigger than Alcyoneus, sat opposite the door.
The skeleton warriors bowed low before the figure.
"We brought the prisoner, my lord," a skeleton warrior hissed.
"Tie him to the chair," the giant commanded.
The warriors did as he asked, dragging Nico from the floor and onto the chair, binding him with more chains.
"Leave now," the giant ordered, and the skeletons did as they were told.
The giant turned towards Nico and smiled, showing his many, rotten teeth. Hazel shivered. This wasn't a friendly grin; it was more like an 'I'm going to kill you' grin.
"Now, son of Hades, it is time that I formerly introduce myself," the giant said. "I am Porphyrion, king of the giants, bane of Jupiter or Zeus; whichever you prefer."
Nico said nothing, but stared at the giant.
"I am prepared to offer you a deal," Porphyrion continued. "You will tell us everything you know about the demigods' quest. You will tell us their plans. Tell us everything, and you can join us. Gaea has planned everything out carefully; we will win. You will be rewarded. If you refuse to give information… well, there are ways to solve that issue."
Still Nico said nothing, so Porphyrion kept talking.
"Let me inform you of what we already know," he said. "Perhaps that will help speed up your decision. The Greek and Roman camps are fighting. They can barely keep from killing each other. There is no chance of them winning. They plan on going to Greece. The only thing we don't know is when they are leaving. Your sister is dead."
Nico's eyes widened, and shock crossed his face briefly before hiding his emotions again. Porphyrion continued.
"Yes, she died trying to stop the Greeks and Romans from fighting. She was killed in a battle that occurred between the camps."
Porphyrion continued talking in a sympathetic voice.
"Do you remember what it was like back at those camps? You were never respected because your father was the Lord of Dead. If you join us, it doesn't have to be like that. You will be welcome, Nico. Join us, and all you wish will come true."
Nico hesitated, and then made up his mind.
"Go to Tartarus, Porphyrion," Nico said, his voice hoarse, as if he hadn't used it for several weeks.
Porphyrion sighed. "At least here will be the place to die, where so many others lied down their lives for the emperor. Your blood shall taint the sand. Well, then, if you're sure…" He gestured towards the doors and the skeleton warriors came back in.
"I hope you enjoy our hospitality. It seems you'll be with us for quite a while," Porphyrion chuckled as the warriors unlocked Nico from the chair and started dragging him out of the door, bruising him up even more in the process.
Porphyrion waited for a moment after Nico had left, and then he turned and faced Hazel directly.
"Do you see, daughter of Pluto? There is no hope. Give up on him."
"Never," Hazel said, her heart beating faster and faster.
Porphyrion grinned. "That is a shame indeed." He drew his spear and thrust it directly at Hazel's heart, ripping Hazel from her dream.
Hazel woke up, sure she was an inch from dying. She was breathing heavily, and she felt as if she might throw up any minute.
Just then, Frank entered the cabin. "Hazel, it's time for din—Hazel, are you okay? Hazel? Hazel?"
"Frank… go get… Percy," Hazel panted.
Frank nodded and sprinted out of the cabin just as Hazel leaned over the side of her bed and threw up.
Less than a minute later, Annabeth, Percy, and Frank all rushed back into the cabin.
"Hazel, what's wrong?" Percy asked. "Do you want some nectar or something…"
"No. I—It's Nico. I know where he's being held!"
