Hey guys! Sorry for the its a day later than you expected, was a bit busy. The next one should be up by on wednesday or thursday though :) Hope you enjoy this chapter, we finally find out who the spy is... and its not just one person who's betrayed them ;)
BTW GUYS IM REALLY FED WITH THE LACK OF REVIEWS. I put a lot of effort into this, but it don't get any feedback, I don't even know if anyone likes it or is reading it. So yes, after the next chapter is posted on Wednesday, I want to get at least 2 more reviews, and then I will post the next chapter.
Hazel
"Amelia?" Hazel gasped. "You're the spy?"
Amelia stood before them, her usually pretty features scrunched up in a snarl. Her brown hair hung loose around her shoulders, the hooded cloak which had been concealing her identity now off her, lying limp in Hazel's grasp.
Hazel knew Amelia. Fifteen years old, daughter of Demeter, from camp Half-blood. Hazel had led her into battle, when they had killed the giant Tityos.
But none of this made sense. Amelia didn't have enough access to information to have dealt this big a blow to the camps. Also, Amelia was nice, this just wasn't normal.
Amelia almost broke free from Hazel's grip, but Frank lunged forward, now in human form, and pulled her back.
"Get off me!" Amelia growled.
Percy stepped forward. "Why would you do this Amelia? Why would you betray us?"
"As if you ever gave me information anyway," Amelia said scornfully. "You think your so high and mighty, but you don't understand anything."
"Tell us what you've told the giants," Frank said firmly.
"Never," she spat.
As Hazel realised they would have to take Amelia back to camp, she heard a call in the distance. Swooping down on them was an eagle, but not like the one Frank turned into. No, Hazel recognized this one. It was a roman eagle.
The eagle flew to them, claws out-stretched. The eagle clawed Hazel in the face, and she cried out, letting go of Amelia. The eagle picked up Amelia, before soaring upwards again. Frank tried to shoot an arrow at the eagle, but it swerved right, narrowly dodging.
Percy cursed. "What do we now?"
"We go after them." Frank and Percy looked at Hazel.
"But we know Amelia's the spy, we won't let her back in camp, so-" Frank was interrupted by Hazel.
"There's another spy. I'm sure of it."
"What?" Percy asked, his face turning bitter. Hazel understood. The revelation of Amelia's betrayal had been disheartening, that a demigod would work for giants, but the possibility there are might be more demigods like that- it was hard to think about.
"Amelia didn't have access to a lot of battle plans, she tended to stay in the back- which makes sense because she wanted a low profile, but it means she wouldn't have enough information, not enough to cause the havoc it has back at base. No. I think there's someone else, a person with a high rank, and I also think they're roman." At Frank's confused expression, she continued to explain. "Roman, because-"
"Because of the eagle. The roman eagle," Percy finished.
Hazel nodded. "Exactly. It would have taken a high-ranking roman to send that. And I think they're the spy."
"Well come on then!" Immediately Frank turned into an eagle, and Hazel and Percy hopped on, as Frank followed the eagle, which was now a speck on the skyline. Hazel ignored the uneasy feeling in her head, but she knew Percy and Frank felt it too.
"The spy," Percy said hesitantly, talking over the whistling wind, "if you're right, then it seems like it's going to be a roman praetor."
Hazel had reached that conclusion as well, but she hadn't wanted to say it. She felt Frank tense beneath her.
"And its obviously not Frank," Percy added quickly. Hazel nodded in agreement. She trusted Frank completely, with all her heart, and she knew the seven did as well. All of the seven trusted each other, and they knew Frank would never betray them. But that only left…
"Reyna," Hazel finally said. "But no. I don't believe that. Reyna can't have betrayed us." Reyna had a head injury, and was unconscious, but Hazel knew that could be a disguise, a cover, how easily the giants could play that trick, have Reyna, seemingly helpless, listening at the heart, and then every night, telling them the giants everything. But Hazel didn't believe it. She trusted Reyna. "There must be some other explanation."
Percy nodded, and Frank cawed in agreement.
They were catching up with the eagle in front of them, which seemed to be slowing down. Hazel could just about see Amelia on the back of it, and it seemed as if she was unaware of Hazel, Frank and Percy following her. Suddenly the eagle swerved downwards, Frank following. In front of them was a giant cliff face, littered with caves and ledges. The eagle came to rest at a cave at the bottom. Amelia swung her legs off the eagle, before running into the darkness. The eagle flew away immediately.
Frank came quietly to a stop outside the same cave, and transformed back into a human once Hazel and Percy had got off him. Together, they entered the cave.
It was dark, but slowly Hazel's eyes adjusted. The cave was vast, with little pools of water everywhere, and rocky spires protruding from the ground, some hanging precariously from the ceiling, ready to impale them. Their footsteps echoed loudly, but Hazel could hear discussion coming from further down the cave.
Running now, Hazel approached a large, dry area at the back of the cave. The walls were smooth, and stone columns lined the circular room. In the middle was a basin, filled with water. Standing around it was Amelia, talking rapidly. Opposite her, tracing a finger in the small pool of water was a small, hooded figure.
As they walked in, Amelia looked up at them, and gasped. "How did you get here? You couldn't have possibly followed the eagle!"
The hooded figure snarled. "You fool, Amelia! Zhang can shape-shift." Hazel was too stunned to say anything. That voice, of course she recognized it. "No matter. We will easily deal with them now. And then I shall deal with you later."
The hooded figure turned towards them, and, raising his pale hands slowly, took down the hood, to reveal the snarling face of Octavian.
Of course, Hazel thought. Octavian was the spy. Hazel wasn't even surprised by the slimy little eel, and only felt anger building up in here. Octavian was high enough to hear all plans, and disgusting enough, terrible enough, to betray them to the giants. No wonder he had kept such a low profile ever since he had got here, Hazel realised. He hadn't made any trouble in a week- at least not openly.
"Octavian," Percy snarled. "You backstabbing, rotten fish. What have you done?"
"What have I done?" Octavian laughed. "Oh, only help the giants. How do you think Tityos was able to ambush you Hazel? How do you think Erebus was able to capture you? How do you think the giants knew exactly which area to strike your camp, to weaken you?" Octavian grinned, showing his pointy teeth.
Frank clenched his fists, and made his way forward, but Hazel put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.
"Why Octavian? Why would you do this?" Hazel said harshly.
Octavian curled his lip at her in disgust. "Because the Romans are weak, and the Greeks are even weaker. I offered to help you back to the path of power, but now, you would rather have your stupid heroes. Well, the giants have power. They recognise my ability. With them, I will finally get what I always wanted. I will be in charge of all demigods!"
"And you, Amelia?" Hazel asked.
Amelia tossed her hair, smiling sycophantically at Octavian. "I was never recognized at camp half-blood. But Octavian- I saw him one night. I approached him, and he told me about the endless possibilities the giants offered. Him, and me, we will rule. Octavian deserves more power than any of you, and I will always be there to help him, and I will be recognized." Octavian looked slightly uncomfortable at Amelia's speech, but said nothing.
Hazel looked at Amelia gazing at Octavian. She realized that Amelia had feelings for Octavian. The thought slightly repulsed Hazel, because she knew Octavian would never have feelings that way. He was using her.
Percy laughed in derision. "You think the giants will actually keep their promise to put you in a position of power. They never do. They're using you." At that Octavian scowled.
"As if you'd know anything Jackson."
Frank raised an eyebrow. "You do realise you've outworn your usefulness to the giants. Now we know that you're the spy, you won't be let back into the camp. You won't be able to spy anymore."
Octavian grinned widely. "Of course. Which is why we can't let you out of this cave alive. You won't have the chance to tell your friends back at camp who the spies are. We'll continue to spy on you, feeding the giants information."
Percy drew his pen out of his pocket, uncapping it so it grew into a glowing blade. You know the two of you can't beat the three of us, Octavian."
"True… but its not just the two of us." Octavian smirked.
The water in the basin between Amelia and Octavian started to glow. Hazel felt the ground beneath her feet tremble, as she heard heavy footsteps behind her. She turned round to see a giant half human half bear. He had the shape of a giant human, but his face elongated in the snout of a bear, and shaggy brown hair covered most of his body. Hazel knew this giant, from Frank's recollection of the night-time raid of the giants' base. Agrius, the bear giant.
"Demigods of the seven," Agrius growled. "It will be a pleasure killing you."
Octavian must have sent for the giant. Of course, Hazel thought, it should have been obvious. A messenger from the giants' side would have had to have come to receive the demigods' plans from Octavian. The basin of water, now glowing, must have been Octavian's way of communication.
Hazel drew her spatha, her cavalry sword. Despite the fact she wasn't on Arion, she had practised using the sword without a sword, and now used the sword's long reach to her advantage while on the ground. Agrius lunged forward at Hazel, who was closest, moving surprisingly quickly for a bear-giant. Hazel nearly had no time to leap out of the way, Agrius's claws missing her face by an inch. Hazel swung round her sword at Agrius's back, slamming him forward. Percy jumped forward too, stabbing Agrius in the stomach. It barely penetrated his thick hide. While Agrius bellowed, from the corner of her eye, Hazel saw Octavian whip out a small dagger, Amelia holding a short sword like the one Frank used when he wasn't using his bow.
Octavian leapt forward, his dagger aimed at Percy's back. Frank jumped forward, pushing Octavian back with a sweep of his sword to where Amelia was standing. Instantly Frank was engaged in a two to one combat with Octavian and Amelia. Hazel knew Frank could deal with them. Now she and Percy had to deal with this giant.
Hazel stumbled backwards as Agrius charged at her. She pointed her sword at him, and the giant had to swerve at the last second to avoid it, driving him straight to the reach of Percy's whirling sword.
While Agrius was distracted for the moment, Hazel thought desperately. Who was Agrius the nemesis of? She vaguely remembered a story, of conflict between Agrius, and another god… Hazel shut her eyes for a second, which was a bad idea in the midst of battle. She was relying completely on Percy to distract the giant. It was a goddess, that she was sure of, but which one? Not Athena, not Hera… Aphrodite and Demeter! Now she realized why she had remembered the story, because it was so unusual. Agrius was enemies of both Aphrodite and Demeter. Hazel smiled. Now if she could just manage to get Aphrodite and Demeter to help kill the giant…
Hazel was to distracted to notice the claw soaring through the air at her until the last second. Cursing, she ducked, before leaping up with an uppercut. She slashed the giant at his neck, which was softer than the rest of his body. Blood leaked from the wound as Agrius growled in rage.
"You shall pay for that demigod."
Immediately he lunged at Hazel, who narrowly jumped out of the way. Agrius again aimed at her, and Hazel was trapped in a terrifying game of Cat and Mouse. Luckily, Percy soon intervened. Once Percy was battling with the giant, Hazel at once took her chance.
"Percy cover me! I think I know how to beat this guy, but we need help!"
"Make it quick," Percy shouted amidst the clashing of swords. "I won't be able to hold him off long!" Percy slashed vivaciously at the giant, pushing him backwards, but this energy faded, and soon the advantage was with the other man.
Aphrodite, Demeter, Hazel thought, please help. We won't be able to kill this guy without you, and I know you hate him. Please… Hazel projected her thoughts upwards, praying they would hear her.
"Not… going… to be able to… hold him… off… for longer," Percy huffed between sword strokes. He was right up against the wall now, beng pressed further and further by the giant.
Hazel shrieked as Percy's sword skittered to the ground, and Agrius raised his hand for the final strike. Just as it came down, Frank lunged forward, deflected it with his sword. Hazel saw that Frank had pushed Octavian and Amelia to the corner of the cave, a boulder now trapping their way out. It would hold them back for at least a few minutes before they managed to move it.
Hazel joined in with the fight. Her and Frank worked together, in the unit like they had practised back at camp Jupiter. Percy's sword had skid beneath some rocks, and wasn't reachable. Hazel knew it would return to Percy's pocket in a couple of minutes, but till then Percy was unable to fight.
Hazel noticed Frank had a large gash on his cheek, bleeding heavily, most likely inflicted by Octavian's dagger. Agrius managed to place a hit just below the cut, and Frank cried out in pain. Grinning, Agrius slammed him backwards. Gasping, Hazel ran to where he lay on the floor. That was a bad mistake. From behind Agrius kicked her spatha away, and in the same movement, pushed Hazel to the ground, defenceless.
Hazel realized they couldn't defend themselves. Her and Percy didn't have weapons, and Frank was temporarily disabled by his wounds. Just as Agrius prepared to kill her, a vine crept up from a crack in the wall of the cave, and tied itself around Agrius' leg, jolting him backwards. Demeter, the god of plants and agriculture! Hazel grinned. They had heard her.
Light shone into the cave, bright. Hazel could smell the flowers, the perfumed scent in it. Aphrodite's light. Like a spotlight it focused on Agrius, who was roaring, trying to break free from the vines that were tied around his legs and arms, holding him to the cave wall. As the light turned on him, his eyes went glassy. He sighed in relief. It was odd to watch, but Hazel knew she had to use the moment. Aphrodite was making his senses go dull by using her power over emotions, and Demeter was holding him back to the wall. She knew it would only last for a matter of seconds. She grabbed for her sword, her fingers curling around the hilt. She could feel the light fading already, the vines retreating. Desperately, she lunged forward, the light blinding her. Her sword sailed straight into Agrius, in the soft area around his heart. He bellowed, and broke free of the vines, and smashed his paw into the right side of Hazel's head, before falling down, collapsing into dust.
Hazel lay on the cold stone floor. Her head felt fuzzy and warm with blood. She could hear Percy and Frank's shouts. Frank! He must have woken up! The last thing she felt were hands trying to lift her up as her vision faded, and all she could see was black.
Hope you enjoyed that! I always felt Octavian was evil, and it seems within his character to manipulate to, and thats why Amelia is! Next chapter in a couple of days, now please review! 2 more reviews!