Welcome everyone to chapter 25!

This chapter is like so short, you'll miss it if you blink. Just as a warning: my own heart broke a bit writing this chapter

I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!

Notes:

I know the shroud burning is kinda a Greek thing but I can't remember what the Romans do

What Annabeth says at the end is in Greek and means: You will always be in our hearts. May you rest in absolute peace

The five demigods continued down the tunnel.

They weren't sure where it led so they were surprised when they came to the entrance where they had come in. They climbed out, wincing as the bright sun shone into their eyes.

"Guys look." Annabeth gasped. The four others looked to where Annabeth was pointing and saw a faint shine like the sun had reflected off something purple. Looking closer, they saw the purple move and sway.

"Amira," Jason said, voicing all their thoughts.

"Split up. Meet here in thirty minutes." Annabeth quickly said. In silent agreement, they all split up. Leo and Piper as one pair, Annabeth went with Jason, and Nico went alone. Thirty minutes passed fast. The five looked around as far as they dared to venture but eventually, they all met back up at the park.

"We missed her," Piper announced dejectedly as a greeting as they all gathered back together.

"What?" Jason demanded.

"We missed her. We got so close. I had her in my arms but she managed to get away. We tried but she's just too slippery." Leo said. Nico growled in frustration and kicked the bench they were next to, knocking it down from the strength.

"That m*therf*cking stupid piece of G*dd*mn f*cking sh*t!" He almost screamed.

"Let's just get back to Camp. Frank and Murtagh will be waiting." Annabeth said. They managed to catch a cab and they all climbed in. She told the driver where to go and they started off. The ride was silent and depressing, them all thinking of their failed mission while attempting to hold back their tears. No one said anything. The sadness and depression in the air were almost choking.

"Oh, gods. Guys... what are we going to tell Frank?" Piper asked, breaking the silence. No one said anything, not having thought of that.

"I don't know." Annabeth sighed, wiping away a tear. "We'll have to figure something out."

The cab dissolved back into silence. It took another fifteen minutes to reach the trail leading to Camp Half-Blood. The driver was confused as to why she was dropping off a bunch of teenagers in the middle of the woods but brushed it away once they paid her. After the cab left, Nico, Annabeth, Piper, Leo, and Jason all started up the hill, the Athena Parthenon standing high above the trees. When they reached Half-Blood Hill, all five hearts sunk as they saw Frank and Murtagh waiting for them.

"What's wrong?" Frank greeted, seeing their expressions.

"Where's Amira?" Murtagh asked at the same time, confused why she wasn't with them as she had been the whole reason for their mission.

"We, uh, we ran into some trouble," Jason said, not meeting their eyes.

"Wait, where's Hazel?" Frank frowned as he noticed the missing person. Nico said nothing and left to his cabin. "Guys, what happened?"

"Frank, come with me. There's something you should know." Piper said quietly. Frank's face dropped but he followed the daughter of Aphrodite as she led him away.

"What happened to you all?" Murtagh asked the remaining demigods. Annabeth sighed.

"Our mission failed and Amira- she ambushed us and got away. We'll explain it all later." With that the daughter of Athena left to her cabin, exhausted. Jason then followed her example, leaving Leo with Murtagh.

"You're not the only one who cares about her," Leo said suddenly, his eyes looking away into nothing.

"What?" Murtagh asked, confused.

"You're not the only one who cares about Amira."

"I know that."

"Yeah but there are different ways to care for someone and sometimes you don't get to choose. You're not the only one who misses her and wants her back. We all do but with all that's happened and what's going on... If you somehow do manage to find her just know that something changed in her. She's not the same anymore."

Leo turned and walked down to his cabin, leaving Murtagh alone on the hill.

Tears fell as Hazel's shroud burned.

Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Leo, Nico, and Frank stood around the fire and watched as it blazed. It was grey with the symbol of Pluto in the middle. Not a single eye was dry as the demigods stood in an attempted silence, the sound of gasps or stiffs cutting through. Until that moment, they all felt as though it may have possibly been a bad dream. But now, watching the fire burn...

Jason stood with his arms around Piper, who was crying heavily into his chest. Leo was silent as tears slipped down his cheeks, Annabeth the same. Frank looked like he was trying to remain strong but the tears flowing in streams and the occasional sob that escaped betrayed him. Nico… the son of Hades hadn't said a single word since returning to Camp Half-Blood. In fact, he hadn't even left his cabin until that moment. He stood off to the side in the shadows, watching silently with an emotionless expression. He wasn't currently crying but his eyes were very red and there were obvious tear stains on his cheeks as though he had been crying for hours.

Hazel's death sat upon them as though Atlas had given them each the sky. Hearts were broken beyond repair. Hazel... she had always been the sweetest and most innocent of the small family. She brought smiles and good-natured teasing to her friends. The way she would get flustered and fan her face when a dirty joke was made, her sweet smile, the gentle mother-like nature she had for everyone she knew, her curly brown hair a beautiful mess, her dark skin looking so warm under the sun...

Leo wondered silently to himself if his funeral had been like Hazel's was at the moment: heartbreaking, horrible, and the silent utterly deafening. Hazel's absence was going to leave a hole in their lives like their heart had been ripped out.

Annabeth felt as though she should say something but didn't want to ruin the moment. So instead she stood silently, feeling the heat of the fire on her face. She could still hardly believe that Amira had done something so evil and heartless. In her mind, she cursed the purple-haired Rider with every curse she could imagine. Slowly, one by one, the small group left to return to their respective cabin until Annabeth stood alone.

"Tha eisai panta stis kardies mas, Hazel. Boreíte na xekourasteíte stin apólyti eiríni." She whispered into the night air.

Annabeth continued to watch the flames until they turned to nothing but ashes, sparks drifting into the night sky and fading away to nothing.

And that concludes the twenty-fifth chapter of A Strange and Different Land!

Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue the story. Please feel free to leave a review. Criticism, advise, complements or corrections are welcome.

Have a good one and I'll see you later!