Warning: Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero' and 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed as long as you inform me about it.
A/N (I recommend reading this): I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.
Keep in mind it would be hard to be original with Hazel's and Frank's Flashbacks in this story. Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book
Sorry for reposting this chapter, but I had to add something at the end.
Hazel's POV Part IX
Even before I got on the boat, I felt queasy.
I kept thinking about Phineas with steam coming out of his eyes, his hands crumbling to dust. Percy had assured me that my past doesn't matter now, and that it's the actions I was talking now that matter. But it was hard for me to believe when I was the one who started it all.
As we sped down the Columbia River, I tried to forget. I helped Ella make a nest out of old books and magazines we'd liberated from the library's recycling bin.
We'd hadn't really planned on taking the harpy with us, but Ella acted like the matter was decided.
"Friends," she muttered. "'Ten seasons. 1994 to 2004.' Friends melt Phineas and gave Ella jerky. Ella will go with her friends."
Now she was roosting comfortably in the stern, nibbling bits of jerky and reciting random lines from lines from Charles Dickens and 50 Tricks to Teach Your Dog.
Percy was at the bow told us about his flashback and what he remembered out of it while still controlling the boat. Frank was at the center bench, our shoulders touching, which made me feel as jittery as a harpy.
I remembered how Frank stood up for me in Portland, shouting, "She's a good person!" like he was ready to take on anybody who denied.
I remembered the way he had looked on the hillside in Mendocino, alone in a clearing of poisoned grass with his spear in hand, fire burning all around him and the ashes of three basilisks at his feet.
A week ago, if someone had suggested that Frank was a child of Mars and legacy of Neptune, I would have laughed. Frank was much too sweet and gentle to be a child of Mars and I would never guess his family ancestry would make him a descendant of Neptune. I had always felt protective of him because of his clumsiness and his knack for getting in trouble.
But after we left camp, I started to see him differently. He had more courage than I'd realized. He was the one looking out for me. I had to admit that the change was kind of nice.
Although right now Frank doesn't seem as heroic arguing with Percy about his flashback as the river widened into the ocean and the Pax turned north.
"Wait, so Halcyon was like Phineas?" Frank asked.
"No, no. At least not pure evil. Halcyon was punished for defying the fates to save a life," Percy said.
"But he let people get killed by his curse."
"Halcyon had no control over what the leucrotas did," Percy said. "They were supposed to be reminders that his voice would only bring pain, but being actual monsters they were, I guess they got restless and hungry waiting for their next meal so they decided to attract their own prey, and over times of seeing so many people dying trying to save him that he gave up hope to the point he just let it be."
"Then how are you alive?" Hazel asked.
Percy frowned. "That part is hazy."
"But wait, what about when you tried to cut off your hand?" Frank asked.
"Percy wasn't trying to cut off his hand," I said.
Percy and I ended up explaining how Percy is mostly invulnerable except for one part of his body, which according to Percy he now knows was under his armpit.
"So you're really are invulnerable," Frank said. "That explains a lot. Except, why did you keep fending off attacks when your only vulnerable spot is protected?"
"Reyna told Percy to keep his blessing a secret," I explained.
"Greek blessing, Achilles' mark. Iliad. Makes one invulnerable. Except for one spot—their life line. Multiplies powers. Also tires the user out quicker. Only obtained when someone survives a swim in the Styx river," Ella muttered.
"Seriously?" Frank asked. "No offense but it sounded more like a curse than a blessing."
Percy shrugged. I never thought of it that way, but now that I have, Frank was right. The Mark of Achilles was more of a curse than a blessing.
At this point I started to feel bad. Percy and Frank were willing to risk so much for me and yet they didn't know why I was dead in the first place.
The sky started to darken, the sea turning the same rusty color as Ella's wings. June 21 was almost over. The Feast of Fortuna would happen that evening, exactly seventy-two hours from now.
Frank brought out sodas and muffins he scavenged from Phineas' table and gave them to us. He must of noticed that I was in a down mood and figured it was still about what Phineas said.
"It's okay, Hazel," he said quietly. "My mom used to say you shouldn't try to carry a problem alone. But if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay."
I took a shaky breath. I was afraid to talk—not just because I was embarrassed. I didn't want to black out and slip into the past. But I knew I couldn't hide it anymore.
"You don't understand," I said. "I'm… I'm not just an escapee, I did something horrible."
I felt like the dam had broken. The story flooded out. I explained how my mother had summoned Pluto and fallen in love with the god. I explained my mother's wish for all the riches in the earth, and how that had turned into my curse. I described my life in New Orleans—everything except my boyfriend Sammy. Looking at Frank, I couldn't bring myself to talk about that.
I described the voice, and how Gaea had slowly taken over my mother's mind. I explained how we had moved to Alaska, and how I had helped raised the giant Alcyoneus, and how I had died, sinking the island into Resurrection Bay.
I knew Percy and Ella were listening, but I spoke mostly to Frank. When I finished, I was afraid to look at him. I waited for him to move away from me, maybe tell her she was a monster after all.
Instead, Frank took my hand. "You sacrificed yourself to stop the giant from waking. I could never be that brave."
I felt my pulse throbbing in my neck. "It wasn't bravery. I let my mother die. I cooperated with Gaea too long. I almost let her win."
"Hazel," Percy said. "You stood up to a goddess all by yourself. You said it yourself, if you didn't stop Gaea when you did, the Giant War would have restarted here in the United States while the rest of Olympus was dealing with World War II."
Percy paused for a moment. "Nico didn't find you in Elysium, did he?"
"No. I didn't go to Elysium." My mouth felt dry as sand. "Please don't ask…"
But it was too late. I remember my descent into the darkness, my arrival on the banks of the River Styx, and my consciousness began to slip.
"Hasel?" Frank asked.
"Slip Sliding Away," Ella muttered. "Number five U.S. single. Paul Simon. Frank, go with her. Simon says, Frank, go with her."
I had no idea what Ella was talking about, but my vision darkened as I clung to Frank's hand.
I found myself back in the Underworld. Only this time, Frank was with me, by my side.
We stood in Charon's boat, crossing the Styx. Debris swirled in the dark waters—a deflated birthday balloon, a child's pacifier, a little plastic bride and groom from the top of a cake—all the remnants of human lives.
"Wh-where are we?" Frank stood at my side, shimmering with a ghostly purple light as if he'd become a Lar.
"It's my past." I felt strangely calm even though I had no idea why Frank was here. He wasn't even born yet when I made my descent. "It's just an echo. Don't worry."
The boatman turned and grinned. One moment he was handsome African man in an expensive suit. The next moment he was a skeleton in a dark robe.
"'Course you shouldn't worry," he said with a British accent. He addresses me, as if he couldn't see Frank at all. "Told you I'd take you across, didn't I? 'Sall right you don't have a coin. Wouldn't be proper, leaving Pluto's daughter on the wrong side of the river."
This must be Charon, I thought as I realized his skeleton form looked exactly how Gwen described him. I'm not surprise I didn't recognize him until now. Back then I didn't think much of him other than the fact he gave me a free ride across the Styx.
The boat slid onto a dark beach. I led Frank to the black gates of Erebos. The spirits parted for us, as if sensing I was a child of Pluto. The giant three-headed dog Cerberus growled in the gloom, but he let us pass. Inside the gates, we walked into a large pavilion and stood before the judges' bench. Three black-robed figures in golden masks stared down at me.
Frank whimpered. "Who—"
"They'll decide my fate here in the underworld," I explained. "Watch."
Just as before, the judges asked me questions. They didn't have too. I guess because even after death some spirits lie to try to get to the field of their choice. So instead of asking me questions, they simply looked into my mind, pulling thoughts from my head and examining them like a collection of old photos.
"Thwarted Gaea," the first judge said. "Prevented Alcyoneus from waking."
"But she raised the giant in the first place," the second judge argued. "Guilty of cowardice, weakness."
"She is young," said the third judge. "Her mother's life was in the balance."
Naturally, like I did with all my memories, I went along with the memory. Frank was here, I might as well show him how my judgement went.
"My mother." I found the courage to speak. "Where is she? What is her fate?"
The judges regarded me, their golden masks frozen in creepy smiles. "Your mother…"
The image of my mother Marie Levesque shimmered above the judges. She was frozen in time, hugging me as the cave collapsed, her eyes shut tight.
"That's your mom?" Frank asked in amazement.
The judges ignored Frank as Charon did. I guess because Frank wasn't actually there during the actual events and yet I somehow pulled him in, I'm the only one that can hear, see, and talk to him.
"An interesting question," the second judge said prior to my question about my mother. "The division of fault."
"Yes," said the first judge. "The child died for a noble cause. She prevented many deaths by delaying the giant's rise. She had the courage to stand against the might of Gaea."
"But she acted too late," the third judge said sadly. "She is guilty of aiding and abetting an enemy of the gods."
"The mother influenced her," said the first judge. "The child can have Elysium. Eternal Punishment for Marie Levesque."
"No!" I shouted. "No, please! That's not fair."
The judges tilted their heads in unison. Gold masks, I thought. Gold has always been a curse for me. I wondered if the gold was poisoning their thoughts somehow, so that they'd never give her a fair trial."
"Beware, Hazel Levesque," the first judge warned. "Would you take full responsibility? You could lay this guilt on your mother's soul. That would be reasonable. You were destined for great things. A path that is unheard of for children of Pluto to follow. Yet your mother diverted your path. See what you might have been…"
Another image appeared above the judges. I saw myself as a little girl, grinning, with her hands covered in finger paint.
The image ages. I watched myself growing up—my hair becoming longer, my eyes sadder. I saw myself on my thirteenth birthday, riding across the fields on my borrowed horse. Sammy laughed as he raced after me: What are you running from? I'm not that ugly, am I? (I'm getting this feeling I'll be explaining that to Frank later). I also saw myself in Alaska, trudging down Third Street in the snow and darkness on my way home from school.
Then the image aged even more. I saw myself at twenty. I looked so much like my mother, my hair gathered back in braids, my golden eyes flashing with amusement. I wore a white dress—is that a wedding dress? Not only that, but I was smiling warmly, and I knew I must be looking at someone special—someone I loved.
The sight didn't make me feel bitter. I didn't even wonder whom I would have married. Instead I thought: My mother might've looked like this if she'd let go of her anger, if Gaea hadn't twisted her.
"You lost this life," the first judge said simply. "Special circumstances. Elysium for you. Punishment for your mother."
"No," I said. "No, it wasn't all her fault. She was misled. She loved me. At the end, she tried to protect me."
"Hazel," Frank whispered. "What are you doing?"
I squeezed his hand, letting him know silently that this was my choice.
Finally, the second judge sighed. "No resolution. Not enough good. Not enough evil."
"The blame must be divided," the first judge agreed. "Both souls will be consigned to the Fields of Asphodel. I'm sorry, Hazel Levesque. You could have been a hero and brought back honor to your father."
I passed through the pavilion, into yellow fields that went forever. I led Frank through a crowd of spirits to a grove of black poplar trees.
"You gave up Elysium," Frank said in amazement, "so your mother wouldn't suffer?"
"She didn't deserve Punishment," I said.
"But… what happens now?"
"Nothing for eternity," I said.
"At least until your brother finds you," Frank said.
I nodded as he was right.
We drifted around aimlessly. Spirits around us chattered like bats—lost and confused, not remembering their past or even their names. Nico told me there was a ritual that gives the spirits back their memory when summoned that only a child of Pluto with powers over the dead can perform. But as soon as they return to the fields they came from their memories seemed to vanish.
And yet I can remember everything that happened down here. Perhaps that was because I was the daughter of Pluto.
"Remembering made my afterlife harder," I told Frank, who still drifted next to me as a glowing purple Lar. "So many times I tried to walk to my father's palace…" I pointed to a large black castle in the distance. "I could never reach it. I can't leave the Fields of Asphodel."
"Did you ever see y0ur mother again?"
I shook my head. "She wouldn't know me, even if I could find her. These spirits… it's like an eternal dream for them, an endless trance. This is the best I could do for her."
Time was meaningless, but after an eternity, Frank and I sat together under a black poplar tree, listening to the screams from the Fields of Punishment. In the distance, under the artificial sunlight of Elysium, the Isles of the Blest glittered like emeralds in a sparkling blue lake. White sails cut across water and the souls of great heroes basked on the beaches in perpetual bliss.
"You didn't deserve Asphodel," Frank protested. "You should be with the heroes."
"This is just an echo," I said. "We'll wake up, Frank. It only seems like forever."
"That's not the point!" he protested. "Y0ur life was taken from you. You were going to grow up to be a beautiful woman. You…"
His face turned a darker shade of purple. "Y0u were going to marry someone," he said quietly. "You would have a good life. You lost all that."
I swallowed back my sob. It hadn't been this hard in Asphodel the first time, when I was on my own. Having Frank here with me made me feel so much sadder. But I was determined not to get angry about my fate.
I thought about that image of myself as an adult, smiling and in love. I knew it wouldn't take much bitterness to sour her expression and make me look like Queen Marie. I deserve better, my mother always said. I couldn't allow myself to feel that way.
Anger leads to grudges, and grudges always lead to children of Pluto becoming threats instead of heroes, I thought to myself.
"I'm sorry, Frank," I said. "I think your mother was wrong. Sometimes sharing a problem doesn't make it easier to carry."
"But it does." Frank slipped his hand into his coat pocket. "In fact… since we've got eternity to talk, there's something I want to tell you."
He brought out an object wrapped in cloth, about the same size as a pair of glasses. When he unfolded it, I saw a half-burned piece of driftwood, glowing with purple light.
That's when it dawned to me. "Is that the burned stick Phineas mentioned?"
"Yeah," Frank replied. "This is my lifeline—my Achilles heel, I guess you could say."
Frank started telling me how the goddess Juno had appeared when he was a baby, how his grandmother snatched the piece of wood from the fireplace. "Grandmother said I had gifts—some talents we got from our ancestor the Argonaut who was the grandson of Neptune. That, and my dad being Mars…" I shrugged. "I'm supposed to be something. That's why my life can burn up so easily. Iris said I would die holding this, watching it burn."
Frank turned the piece of tinder in my fingers. Even in his ghostly purple form, he looked so big and sturdy. I figured he would be huge when he was an adult—as strong and healthy as an ox. I couldn't believe his life depended 0n a stick.
"Frank, how can you carry it around with you?" I asked. "Aren't you terrified something will happen to it?"
"That's why I'm telling you. I thought of following Percy's example and putting it somewhere on me that is well protected, but this might be safer." He held out the firewood. "I know it's a lot to ask, but would you keep it for me?"
My head spun. Until now, I'd accepted Frank's presence in my blackout. I'd led him along, numbly replaying my past, because it seemed only fair to show him the truth.
But now I wonder if Frank was meant to experiencing this with me, that if by being the legacy of Neptune—even through ancient blood—he was the one who my father foretold would wash away my curse instead of Percy, and in return he's entrusting his life line to me. But still, I had to be certain.
"Frank," I starts to say, you know who I am. I'm Pluto's daughter. Everything I touch goes wrong. Why would you trust me?"
"You're my best friend." He placed the firewood in my hands. "I trust you more than anybody."
That's when a shadow fell over us.
"Our ride is here," Frank guessed.
I'd almost forgotten I was reliving my past. Nico di Angelo stood over me in his black overcoat, his Stygian iron sword at his side. He didn't notice Frank—as expected—but he locked eyes with me and seemed to read my whole life.
"You're different," he said. "A child of Pluto. You remember your past."
"Yes," I said. "And you're alive."
Nico studied me like he was reading a summary of a book as if deciding whether or not I'm the one he's searching for but wanted to be sure.
"I was once told I would bring a sibling back from the dead and help her live their destiny that was cut short and continue bringing honor to our father. With Death gone missing, I took it as a sign to search for such a sibling. And it appears I have found one."
"Wait—you're saying you're here to bring me back from the dead?" I asked. "Is that possible?"
"With Death missing, yes. But we must do this without any of the spirits noticing. Otherwise, the other spirits might try to do the same," Nico said as he held out his hand. "So how about we bring you back from the dead, sister."
