XXXVIII

FRANK

Frank hated seeing the others fly off to battle Gaius and get all the glory while he was stuck back here. But he had promised himself no harm would come to Hazel, and so he was here. Hazel hadn't stirred since the others had left, leaving Frank to pace the cafe.

Something felt wrong. Maybe the fact that Festus hadn't returned yet. Or maybe the fact that a knife had suddenly appeared at Frank's neck.

"Stay still, or breathe your last, boy," a voice spoke from behind him, spitting out the last word as if it were a curse. He felt hands grab him by the neck and force him down. He struggled but the hands were too strong, even for him. "HAZEL!" he shouted before he felt something hard hit his head and he blacked out.

Frank woke up tied to a chair and a cloth bag over his head. He struggled but the bonds were too tight. He strained his ears to hear if anyone else was in the room, but from the silence he decided he was alone. An uncomfortable tightness was present around his neck and, with a shock, Frank realised he was collared. He growled at the humiliation.

As he struggled, Frank realised he might be able to transform into something small to escape. He focused hard and felt his body change. His arms melted into his torso and his legs gelled into one. His neck elongated and scales erupted on his skin. He slithered out of the collar and cloth bag and over to the door. He transformed back into a human and opened the door from inside. Apparently, they hadn't thought he'd be able to escape.

No such luck. Outside the door, an armoured girl with a spear in hand was standing guard. Frank groaned inwardly. Amazons. They'd already kidnapped him before, along with Percy and Hazel. Did they have no end to their kidnappings?

The girl whirled around and shouted when she saw Frank. She ran towards him, spear outstretched. As fast as he was, the spear grazed Frank's shoulder. He winced in pain but grabbed the spear and forced it into the ground. The girl wielding the spear was propelled forward and landed in a pile of empty cartons.

Before she could react, Frank began running in the opposite direction. He didn't have his bow with him; they evidently kept it somewhere more secure. Damn Amazons, Frank thought to himself as he ran. Suddenly, three more Amazons rounded the corner ahead of him, holding bows but they hadn't nocked arrows yet. Frank kept on running and barrelled straight into them. He groaned in pain as his injured shoulder made contact.

Frank sent the three Amazons sprawling. As he struggled to get up, he heard a familiar voice shout, "FRANK!" Turning around, he saw Hazel running towards him, along with another woman he recognised. "Queen Hylla," Frank said through gritted teeth as she neared him. "Frank Zhang," the queen responded with a slight bow of her head. Hazel helped Frank to her feet as the three Amazons he had collided with struggled up.

"Why was I captured?" Frank growled at Hylla. "We needed to talk to Hazel," she responded calmly. "YOU DON"T JUST KIDNAP SOMEONE IF YOU WANT TO TALK TO THEM!" Frank shouted out. He felt a sword appear at his neck. "Angela, don't be silly. Put that down," Hylla said as calmly as if Frank hadn't just shouted at her.

"You're free to go now, Zhang. And you, Hazel," Hylla said, turning to Hazel with a smile. "I need my bow," Frank snarled. One of the girls behind him handed him his backpack and bow. Hazel whistled behind him. He turned around in confusion. Nothing happened.

Then suddenly, a blur tore through the warehouse. It slid to a stop in front of Hazel. Arion. Hazel stroked the horse's snout lovingly and Arion nickered. She bent down and summoned a gold nugget from the ground and fed it to Arion.

"Ready, Frank?" Hazel said teasingly from Arion's side. Arion pawed the ground as if to say, Yeah, can you handle me? Frank gulped. "I'd rather just fly..." he trailed off. He heard the Amazons behind him start snickering and he steeled himself. "Never mind," he muttered and climbed onto Arion's back behind Hazel.

Hazel raised a hand to Hylla, a gesture she mimicked. Hazel patted Arion's flank and whispered something to him. Arion whinnied and galloped out of the warehouse. Frank shut his eyes and shoved his face into Hazel's back, not trusting himself to keep his breakfast in. He could feel air rushing by him and the G-force pulling his cheeks back. He felt a change in Arion's running and looked down and saw- the sea. He shoved his face back into Hazel's back.

As they rode, Frank realised it was past noon. And judging that he'd been kidnapped just after dusk...Jason and the others had been alone for nearly 20 hours!

"Frank!" Hazel shouted from ahead of him. He gingerly raised his head. "Yeah?" he managed to say. "There are two huge ships ahead!" Two? Frank sat up and saw that she was right. Alongside the first ship they'd seen, there was another one. Frank's heart leapt when he saw it. It was the Argo II, only way bigger and more sinister. Cannons and ballistae lined the deck and the hull, whilst the sails were with emblazoned with an image of an Omega sign broken in half. Both ships seemed to be still. And ahead of them, sprawled the entire city of Rio de Janeiro. And above the city, loomed the 38 meter tall statue of Christ, the Redeemer.

Arion raced towards the ships. "That one!" Frank shouted, pointing to the one he'd seen earlier. Arion whinnied and drew alongside the ship. He scampered up its hull as if it were horizontal, making Frank grab him and scream. As soon as Arion stopped, Hazel jumped off, her spatha in hand. Frank morphed his backpack back into a quiver and began following Hazel.

"Where did that other ship come from?" Hazel asked as she ran across the deck. "I don't know," Frank replied, a bit wary as they hadn't come across any guards yet.

"WAIT!" Hazel suddenly shouted and stuck out her hand. Frank stopped in mid-step and flailed his arms as he tried to step back. He looked to Hazel questioningly but she seemed intent on the empty space ahead of them. She reached out a hand and waved it. Ripples spread out in the air, something Frank had thought he'd never see. As the ripples cleared, Frank realised there were indeed guards on the ship. About a dozen of them stood right there with their guns pointed at straight at Frank and Hazel's chest.

He heard Hazel curse beside him. He pushed her behind him but the guards weren't making any threatening move. Frank warily began moving his hand towards the quiver but all of a sudden the guards collectively cocked their rifles and aimed them at Frank again. Frank dropped his hand. He and the guards stood watching each other. As if acting on an invisible signal, they suddenly split in half and one of them gestured to Frank. Frank warily began walking forward, holding Hazel's hand. He knew he couldn't afford to get into a fight with them. Even though he may be able to take them all if he managed to transform, there was a chance Hazel could get killed in the close-quarters fighting. And he couldn't afford that.

"Frank," Hazel whispered from behind him. "I'm so sorry. I should have seen them." She was crying silently. "It's ok," Frank growled back, though he was honestly disappointed in her.

As Frank cleared the line of guards, they again closed ranks and started hoarding him and Hazel forward. As Frank rounded a corner, he thought of making a run for it. But he changed his mind when he saw what was ahead.

About a dozen more guards stood there, their guns at the ready. But that wasn't what had made Frank stop. Gaius stood calmly amongst a group of thick poles, smiling his creepy smile. Seriously, why did he have to be so cliché? "Hazel!" he announced cheerily, completely ignoring Frank. "How good of you to join us." "Where are Piper and the others?" Hazel growled back at him.

Gaius laughed and gestured towards three of the poles. "Not really the 'pride of Olympus', are they?" Frank walked forward, bile creeping up his throat. What he saw chilled him to the bone. Each pole was a tree trunk. And to each pole was tied one of the demigods.

Piper. Nico. Annabeth.

But where was Jason? "Where's Jason?" Hazel asked worriedly, realising it at the same time. Gaius chuckled again. "Oh, he chose the sea-view." Frank rushed forward to grab Gaius' throat but Gaius easily sidestepped him. Frank slipped and went sprawling till he hit the railing of the ship's prow. As he hit it, he heard a slight groan. He looked back and saw Jason tied to another, much thinner pole reaching out over the sea. "JASON!" Frank shouted, but Jason seemed pretty much unconscious. There was blood running down his cheek, and his blond hair was tousled and dirty.

Frank felt Gaius haul him to his feet. He shoved him back towards Hazel. "Great place to start the war, don't you think?" Gaius said. "Under the shadow of their greatest hero," Gaius said, gesturing to the huge statue of Christ which loomed over Rio de Janeiro. "Uprooted by their worst enemy. The mortals' vengeance will bring Olympus crashing down. And I, I will give them their greatest weapon."

"An annoying voice?" Hazel snarled from beside Frank. "No, Hazel. Sight. I will give them sight. Open their eyes. I shall bend the mist and allow the mortals to see the world as it is. An ugly, desolate, forsaken world. And, together, we will make it better. Join me, Hazel," Gaius suddenly said, reaching out to her.

Despite himself, Frank stole a look at her expression. Despite the defiance on her face, Frank saw her eyes soften, and her shoulders relax. His words couldn't be having an effect on Hazel, could they? "Why don't you just shut up, creep?" Frank growled at him. "So naïve, Frank. Clinging to your old ideals. Wake up and smell the coffee, Zhang. There's been too many wars. They're weakened. You're on the wrong side," Gaius said to him.

There was something about his words. So tru...Frank shook his head, snapping himself out of his reverie. "SHUT. UP." Frank growled at him. Gaius shrugged his shoulders. "Very well." Rough hands grabbed Frank and tied his hands behind his back. He struggled, but the man was too strong. He felt a needle prick his neck, and realised he'd been sedated, to prevent him using his powers. Groggy and shaky, Frank felt himself be tied to one of the trees. Beside him, he saw the same treatment with Hazel. He felt angry but too weak to do anything.

Gaius walked up to him and patronisingly patted his cheek. "Now, if you excuse me," he turned around and squared his shoulders majestically. "I have a civilisation to destroy."