When Leo, Piper, and Annabeth (who forced Percy to stay behind and rest up) heard a commotion coming from up ahead, they wasted no time rushing to join the fight. Leo stopped in his tracks when he realized what happened.

"Frank? Where's Hazel?" Leo's voice wavered and his heart plummeted. No. Please no.

The archer trembled as the girls practically had to drag him away. In front of them was a Cyclops with a bloodied mouth, licking his lips and fingers as if he had just eaten a delectable meal.

"She-" Frank choked out a sob, trying to wipe the tears from his face, though it only smeared blood across his cheeks. "She didn't make it. She's gone, Leo."

Leo felt like he short-circuited. He might as well have been a robot saying "does not compute" because he just couldn't understand what went wrong. Hazel was super powerful and stuff! And she was the only demigod on the ship who actually listened to him and treated him like a friend when the rest were too busy with their adventures. And now she was dead? How?

"No way," Piper said with uncertainty, "You probably just hit your head or something. She can't really be…"

She didn't get a chance to finish before the Cyclops smacked his lips with content and started talking to himself. "Now where did that boy go? Maybe he got scared and ran when I ate his friend. I'll have to find him! Like a game. Hide-and-Seek is fun."

Piper cupped a hand to her mouth to stop from screaming. Annabeth pushed them all down under a partially fallen tree so the leaves could serve as cover. She rubbed Piper's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the daughter of Aphrodite while surveying Frank for any major injuries. His awkward posture revealed that he probably hurt his back, and there was some blood at his mouth from a bitten lip. Leo passed Frank the last of his ambrosia, feeling numb with shock and grief.

"W-what now?" the boy asked quietly.

"I don't know. I think we should leave."

"Retreat? What about avenging Hazel?" Leo hissed.

"I think that's a bad idea. We should get Percy and get out of here. Unless we want to risk more casualties, we should get out of here."

Frank's voice rose a little as he replied, "Hazel isn't- wasn't just a casualty, Annabeth. She was our friend!"

"And what about Jason?" Piper added, "We can't leave without him."

"For all we know Jason is just as dead as Hazel!" Annabeth cried, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Oh," came a big, booming sound, "So that's where the little demigods were hiding."

Leo gazed up as a shadow towered over them. One huge eye stared down as it brushed leaves out of the way until all four of them were visible.

"Cyclops," he said, his voice low, "Run."


Hi all! Sorry this chapter was a bit shorter again, but I hope you enjoyed it! :D

Also, sorry about the whole Hazel thing last chapter! Y'all probably think I'm a cruel author doing that to HAZEL of all characters, but in the wise words of Hamilton, "Just you wait!"