A/N: Sorry if some of this seems a bit rushed, I wrote about 90% of this at 9:30 at night! As you can see, this chapter is veeeery long, but it has a lot of action in it, and it's a very important part of Hazel's backstory!

The Guardian

6 years later

Hazel's pov

"Happy Birthday Hazel!" My Mom exclaimed while setting a green iced cupcake with a blue candle on the table in front of me. I blew out the candle, stopping quickly to make a wish. "I can't believe that you're twelve already!"

I smiled politely; a bit embarrassed that Mom was treating me like an eight year-old. I know that I should've been glad that Mom was home, but I couldn't think about that just now.

"You really should've invited some of your school friends over!"

I stared into my cupcake. Being a dyslexic, ADHD student makes it kind of hard to make friends. I had lied to Mom so that she won't do anything that would embarrass me more.

"What's wrong Hazel?" Mom asked concernedly.

"It's just that, well, I kind of whished that Dad would show up."

Mom's face fell. I knew that I had crossed a line bringing Dad up, but I couldn't help it. Dad had left when I was a baby, and Mom never talked about him.

Mom sighed. "Hazel, I need to talk to you about that. Remind me tomorrow morning, okay? You need to get some sleep."

"After I eat my cupcake?"

Mom smiled. "Of course."

I quickly scarfed down my cupcake, then climbed our wooden stairs up to my room. I relaxed while staring at the emerald green walls. There was a queen sized bed pushed against the far wall. There was a window across from the door, and a dresser across from the bed.

I went over to the window and stared out over the New York skyline. It all looked so peaceful, the little lights flashing on and off.

I went through my normal routine, changing into a t-shirt and sweatpants, using the bathroom, and brushing my unmanageable curly reddish brown hair. Exhausted, I climbed under the covers and fell asleep.

I woke up to find my mother standing over me, her face tight with worry and anxiety.

"Hazel, you have to leave. Right now."

"What?" I asked, pinching myself to make sure that this wasn't a dream. It wasn't.

"No time to explain. The monsters are here." Mom exclaimed, stuffing clothes from my drawers into a blue backpack.

"Have you gone insane Mom?" I asked, sitting up.

"Here. Put this on." Mom threw me a dark t-shirt and black jeans. "You've got to run away."

"Where?"

"Anywhere. Someone will find you, but don't trust anyone. The person will have a letter."

Mom handed me the backpack. "There's food, water, a bedroll, and some clothes. Hang on a second, I've got to go get something."

While Mom was gone, I hurriedly put on the shirt and jeans. I slipped a jean jacket over everything, and quickly tied my hair back with a schrunchie.

Mom entered the room with something I'd never thought that she'd hold- a bow and a sheath of arrows. Mom was highly against weapons.

"You'll need these." Mom said, handing them to me.

"But I've never done archery before!" I answered.

"Trust me; I have a feeling that you'll be a natural." Mom exclaimed. "Now, hurry, you've got to go!"

"No! I'm not leaving!" I insisted.

"Please." I noticed for the first time that Mom was crying. "You have to leave now."

Mom led me to the back door, the one that we never used. She opened the door.

"Run, and don't stop until you're far away from here." Mom exclaimed, still crying.

"I love you Mom." I said, hugging her. I noticed that I had started to cry too.

Mom hugged me back even harder. "Me too. Now, go!"

I ran out the door, looking back to see mom in the doorway. She quickly closed the door.

I notched an arrow, not knowing where these instincts were coming from. I looked around, debating where to run. I heard something growl from behind me, so I decided that forward was my best option.

I ran around the city, cutting corners and ignoring stop signs. The few people who were out this late at night surprisingly didn't notice my bow and arrow.

Still hearing the noise behind me, I kept running, until I made my way into an ally. When I was convinced that whatever was behind me was gone, I sat down on the ground and broke down crying. I didn't even try to fall back asleep.

It was like that the next day too. I ran around New York, finally finding an ally that seemed fairly safe. I was just slipping my backpack off of my shoulders when I heard a noise behind me. I turned around to see a boy with black hair and sea-green eyes. Immediately, I notched an arrow, pointing it at his chest.

Then I noticed that he was holding a sword.

Jack's pov

I didn't sign up on this quest to get an arrow pointed at my chest. When I entered the ally, I instantly knew that the girl that I found was the one that Chiron sent me to find.

I stared at the girl and noticed something strange about her; I just couldn't put my finger on it. She had a strong spirit, that I could tell. She had reddish-brown curly hair tied back in a tight ponytail. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were a crystal blue. She was wearing a dark shirt, a jean jacket, and jeans. A backpack was slung over her shoulders, and she was holding a silver bow.

"Look, I don't want to hurt you…" I started, keeping my grip on the handle of my sword.

"And why should I believe that?" The girl interrupted.

"Here, I'll drop my weapon if you drop yours."

"Ok, but what if I drop my bow, and then you kill me with your sword?" She exclaimed.

"Touché." I replied. "Ok, I'm going to drop my sword now." I released the hilt, watching the weapon fall to the ground. "There, I'm unarmed. Shoot me."

Faster than lightning, an arrow was speeding toward my chest. It's a good thing that I have good reflexes, or I'd be a Jack-kebob. "I didn't mean literally!"

The girl had another arrow loaded, ready to fire. Her eyes were still wary, but for the first time, I detected a hint of sadness in them.

"Why won't you trust me?" I asked, knowing very well that the girl could kill me in two seconds.

She hesitated for a second, seemingly deciding whether to answer me or let the arrow fly.

"My Mom told me that the person who would help me would bring a letter."

Then, the stupid person that I am, remembered the note that Chiron had given me. "Oh. Here it is!" I pulled the folded piece of paper out of my shirt pocket and tossed it to the girl.

Slowly, she lowered her bow and picked up the note. When the girl had finished reading, she looked up, clearly bewildered. "What do you know about this?"

I shrugged. "I never opened the letter."

I took a step forward, relieved when I didn't get impaled. I guess that the letter did the trick.

When I got within an arm's length from the girl, she passed me the letter. "I'll set up camp."

The letter said:

Dear Hazel,

If you are reading this letter, that means that Jack did his job. Trust him.

We have been keeping an eye on you for years. We know about your…special powers.

Stay with Jack.

-Chiron

"It sounds like you're a child of the big three." I said, turning to the girl. She had out a bedroll, some food, and was now gathering sticks to make a fire.

"What do you mean?"

"That must be what Chiron is talking about with the "special powers"."

The girl nodded. "So, you're Jack?"

"Yep." I answered. "You must be Hazel."

She nodded, finishing her pile of sticks.

"Here, do you want me to light the fire for you?" I asked, crouching across from Hazel.

"No thanks, I can do it." She held out her palm, and a fire lit in the center. Hazel placed her hand against the sticks, and in no time, a steady blaze had started.

I scrambled backwards a couple of steps in shock and fear. "What's wrong?" Hazel asked.

"Nothing, it's just that, well, you're definitely not a child of any of the big three. In fact, only certain children of Hephaestus have power over fire. Any chance that you're good with mechanics?"

Hazel shook her head. "I tried fixing my bike once. It didn't end well."

I moved closer to the fire, getting over my initial shock.

"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" Hazel asked, changing the subject.

"Well, I'm a son of Poseidon. My Mom…well…once my sister Alexia was born; she got really angry all of the time. My step-dad hurt her, along with Alexia. So, I ran away from it all. That's when I found Camp Half-Blood, where we're going right now."

"I know all about family problems." Hazel answered. Her reddish-brown hair glowed in the firelight, making her look very attractive.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I had promised myself long ago that I wouldn't fall in love.

"So, I just told you all about myself, how about your story now?" I asked.

"Okay, it's kind of short. Do you know Sarah Anderson?"

"She's a singer, isn't she?" I answered.

"Yeah, she's my Mom."

I wasn't expecting that, but now that I think about it, I should have noticed the resemblance earlier. My Mom had taken Alexia and I out to a restaurant on my 11th birthday, and Sarah Anderson was playing there. The only reason that I remember that is because that day was probably the last time that I was happy for about a year.

Hazel shared her mother's reddish-brown hair and crystal blue eyes, along with her pale skin, but the resemblance ended there. I remember her Mom having straight hair, while Hazel has messy curls. Hazel's hair was in a messy ponytail, while her mother's had been carefully arranged around her shoulders.

"For the past six years, she hasn't been around a lot. In the last year or so, I'd be lucky if she's home two nights a week. This week, I got lucky, because she came home for five nights in a row for my birthday."

"Happy Birthday." I said half-heartedly.

"Thanks. Anyway, just one night ago, Mom woke me up in the middle of the night. Apparently, monsters were mobbing the street in front of our house. I wanted to stay and help Mom, but she insisted that I run. She gave me a backpack with provisions, a bow, and a sheath of arrows. Then she told me not to trust anyone unless they had a letter. That's why I almost killed you a couple of minutes ago."

"I finally see why." I laughed. "So, are we going to eat?"

"Sorry!" Hazel answered, laughing along with me. "I have bread, trail mix, some energy bars, and some soda. We might as well eat it all, because we're close to camp, right?"

"Yeah. It'll just be a couple of hours, as long as we don't run into too much trouble." I answered as Hazel set out the food.

We both ate in silence, to hungry to strike up a conversation. When we had both finished, I spoke up.

"I'll take first watch." I exclaimed as I got up to retrieve my sword, which I had almost forgotten about.

"Ok, wake me up when you're tired." Hazel answered, stretching out on the bedroll.

The rest of the night passed peacefully. Once or twice I thought that I heard something rustling, but soon, everything faded into silence.

Eventually, the sun rose and I shook Hazel awake.

"Come on, we've got to get moving."

Hazel groaned, sitting up. When she realized where she was, she rolled up the bedroll, stuffing it into her backpack. Finally, she slung her bow and sheath of arrows over her shoulder.

"Let's get going." Hazel exclaimed.

We both cleaned up the camp, making sure that there was no evidence of our stay. Finally, when we had finished, we started moving.

"Let's see, we could take a taxi, the subway, or we could walk." I exclaimed as soon as we were about fifty yards from the ally.

"Do you have any money?" Hazel asked.

"No mortal money, if that's what you mean." I answered.

"There's no money in my backpack, but I'll check again." Hazel exclaimed, sitting down on a bench. "Wait, yes!" She held up two subway passes triumphantly.

"Now all we need is a subway map." I said.

"Here's one." Hazel answered, digging around in her backpack. "So, where do we need to go?"

"Northport. That's the closest station." I answered, sitting down next to Hazel.

"Ok, the closest station to us is Penn station." Hazel went on to explain which stops we'd have to transfer at.

"Let's go!" I said, standing up.

It took about fifteen minutes to walk to the station, and another five to scan our passes and wait for the train. The blinking overhead signs said the wait would be three minutes.

"Hey, do you see those rats too?" Hazel asked, pointing across the tracks. The rats would look normal, since it was a New York subway and all, but they were triple the size of regular rats.

"Yeah, let's hope that the train comes soon. They're kind of freaking me out." I answered.

Suddenly, we heard a screeching noise come from the tunnel to our right. A train appeared, its breaks squealing. "Here we go!" Hazel said, walking toward the doors.

When they opened, we both found seats toward the back of the train. Nervously, Hazel kept on looking over her shoulder, like someone was following us. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I've just got this weird feeling…" Hazel looked over her shoulder again. I put my hand on top of hers. "We'll be fine." I exclaimed. For a second, our eyes met, but we both quickly looked away. I took my hand back.

The rest of the ride passed in silence, as did the next two. Finally, we got on the last train.

"We're almost there." I said, relieved.

"Honestly, I didn't expect the ride to be so peaceful." Hazel answered.

"I know, no monster attacks." I exclaimed. "Yet."

Finally, when the doors opened, we both made our way back out into the open. I could see Half-Blood hill in the distance. "We're almost home." I exclaimed, starting to walk forward.

"Wait." Hazel said, grabbing my arm. "There's something following us."

We both turned around to find a scary sight. Six ghostly spirits wielding huge swords were indeed following us, drifting through buildings.

"Monsters?" Hazel asked, notching an arrow.

"Yep." I answered, drawing my sword.

"Run?"

"Run."

We both took off, not daring to look back. Once in a while, Hazel would turn around; shooting an arrow, but the arrows would just pass through the spirits.

"Ok, that's obviously not working, what do we do now?" Hazel asked.

"We're just 100 yards from the boundary. We'll be safe there." I answered.

Of course, the ghosts HAD to be faster than us. I guess that's the life of a demigod. They eventually caught up to us about 10 yards away from the boundary.

"Looks like we're going to have to fight." I exclaimed.

"Yeah. The only problem is that our weapons won't work."

A light bulb went off in my head. "Hey, do you think that you can still summon fire?" I asked.

"Maybe, I can try." Hazel answered.

We both stood back to back, waiting for the ghosts to catch up to us. When the lead one got within four yards, Hazel fired. Literally.

Turns out that whatever gas the spirits were made of were seriously flammable. The lead ghost evaporated, dropping its spear.

Unfortunately, every time that Hazel would take out a ghost, another one would take its place. Hazel was tiring out fast, but the spirits were just growing stronger. It would be just a matter of time before we'd be overwhelmed.

Suddenly, I heard Hazel let out a cry of pain. I turned around to see her collapse to the ground, hugging her side, her face twisted in agony. The tallest spirit smirked, her sword gleaming with a green liquid.

"It looks like your little friend doesn't have long to live." The lead spirit said in a voice like crinkling paper. She held out her sword. "It's a deadly poison."

Oh no.

"You see, that girl has a special destiny. She is destined to be killed by Nosi."

If at all possible, my heart started beating even faster than it was before.

"Now, little hero, you have a choice." The lead Nosi scoffed. "You could run now. We'd spare you and your little camp. We just want the girl. Of course, we'd finish her off for you! No one would blame you, and you would live to see tomorrow. Or, you could do the heroic thing and try to save your little girlfriend here. You'd both die. It's your choice!"

"Jack, go!" Hazel yelled through clenched teeth. "I'll be fine!"

I did some quick calculations in my head. Fighting wasn't an option, there were too many Nosi. Plus, Hazel had about five minutes to live, tops. That only left on option. Run.

Blasting water at the Nosi, I hurriedly scooped Hazel into my arms and made a beeline for the boundary. I barely felt the swords swiping at my back. My entire being was focused on getting Hazel to safety.

Finally, we crossed the border. Glimpsing the volleyball courts about 60 yards away, I franticly called out, trying to get the attention of a couple teens playing a game. When one of them turned towards us, I collapsed, Hazel spilling out of my arms. Then the world faded into darkness.

Hazel's pov

"I've managed to drain most of the poison out of her system. She'll be fine, but I'll keep her overnight just in case." I heard a masculine voice say.

"Very good, Mr. Martell. I'll leave her to you. Let me know of any changes." Another, more formal voice replied.

I groaned, blinking my eyes open. I found myself lying on a cot in a room full of kids, all injured in some way. By the foot of my bed were a red haired boy and a man with…was that a horses body? Anyway, they both turned towards me.

"Good, you're awake." The red haired boy said.

I tenderly touched my side, wincing as I felt the heavy bandages wrapped around my waist. "Is Jack ok?"

I then noticed that he was sitting on the edge of the bed next to me. "Yeah, I'm fine." He laughed, coming over to the edge of my bed. "You almost died though. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was thrown out of a truck, run over, and then the truck backed up and drove over me again." Jack laughed as I cracked a smile, which morphed into a wince.

"We should probably leave you to rest, Mrs. Anderson." The horse man exclaimed, starting to herd Jack away.

"Wait." I replied. "Can I talk to Jack in private for a second?"

"Of course. " The horse man answered. "Call for us if you need anything."

The boy and horse man left, leaving Jack and I alone.

"Jack, I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone about… what the nosi said." I whispered.

"Hazel, don't be stupid. We should at least tell Chiron, he could help protect-"

I cut Jack off. "Jack, I don't want to be protected. I want to be a normal girl-"

It was Jack's turn to cut me off. "No!" He yelled angrily. "I won't let you die like Alexia, especially when I can do something about it!"

Jack turned around, and I couldn't tell if he was going to punch something, break down crying, or both.

Shocked, I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Jack had been so calm whenever I had seen him. Also, he didn't tell me that his sister had died.

After what felt like an eternity, Jack turned back around. "Sorry." He exclaimed, wiping away a tear. "I promise."

"Thanks Jack." I replied, trying to pack as much feeling as I could into those two words. I could tell that Jack got the message, because he smiled.

"We are going to tell Chiron about your fire powers, right?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, that would be a bit hard to hide." I replied, smiling back.

"Should I go get him?"

I started to nod, but suddenly, my muscles wouldn't work. I started to panic, but my eyes were closing and my body was going limp. What happened next was frightening.

"Flame's daughter shall fall

To her father's enemies, and the call

Of Poseidon's lost sons and their final breath

Will lead her astray, to certain death

And as her home goes up in flames

Nothing will ever be the same." I heard myself say in a voice that was anything but mine.

A couple frightening seconds later, I regained the use of my muscles, sitting up so fast that the bandages circling my waist were doused with fresh blood. I opened my eyes to see Jack, his face as pale as a sheet.

"I think that was a prophecy…" he trailed off.

The horseman and boy burst back in, probably hearing my change of voice.

"Is everything all right?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Jack lied. "I should probably be going-"

He was cut off again as the three stared at something above my head. Looking up, I saw a glowing gold harp floating above me.

"All hail Hazel, daughter of Apollo."