AN. Okay! So here is chapter Nineteen! Okay, so I'm not sure if anyone has had a story yet about if someone closed the doors, but I'm NOT copying! This chapter is Beta'd by the AMAZING Cuteypuffgirl! SHE IS AWESOME AND I LOVE HER WRITING! GO check her out!

Coffee

Chapter Nineteen: Closing the Doors

Hazel's P.O.V

We entered Greece a few hours ago and are now nearing the Doors of Death;

The last two days were a breeze; bit of wind, but not too bad.

Piper has been pretty quiet; she left the boat a few times to get supplies but hasn't talked much.

Frank has been Iris messaging Gwen. Every time he leaves the dining area (where he talks to her) he always has a big smile on his face. He tells me she's doing well and says a few words about his conversation before going back to the dining area to eat.

I've been steering for quite a while and have only slept a little. I've eaten enough, but spent almost all the time steering. Some may find it tiring, but for me, it's perfectly customary now.

Piper walks up next to me and smiles. She seems so excited to see Jason. Frank is looking forward to meeting up with Gwen in a few days. And me? Well, I think that I've talked enough about whatI'mexcited for. Well, if you haven't gotten the picture yet, I'm excited to see Leo.

I can't wait to save Nico because he is probably the only one who can help me because he spent so much time trying to save Bianca. I wish I had met Bianca before she reincarnated, but from what I get from Nico, she was only a good person when she was in the Lotus Casino and for a few weeks afterward. He explains it as – well – that she had just started to float away from her body until only the nergative parts of her were left. He says he misses the Bianca he knewbeforethe Lotus Casino. He said when he was trying to bring her back to life, he was trying to bring the old Bianca back, not the person she turned into. He says he still loved her, but the old Bianca would never leave him just to "catch a break".

Nico is very touchy about that part of his life and doesn't like to talk about it. I am good at picking up emotions and I know Nico really misses her. I don't know what it's like to have siblings, and I'd be the same, I know I would. I haven't lost a sister or a brother, I've lost everything else. A mother, a friend, and the boy I love. Nico has also lost a mother, but he alsolost his sister: the closest person that he's ever had.

I can still see in his eyes that he's looking for her. He looks sad whenever someone says her name. I know that the biggest thing on his mind is trying to find ways to get Bianca back. He thinks that if he gets her back, he won't get back the Bianca who will leave him the second she starts to feel uncomfortable and then will only come back to talk to someone else, he will be expecting the old Bianca. The one that actually loves him and cares about him and will spend time with him and his "Mythomagic."

I pity him, because I can see in his eyes that he really wants his sister back even though he knows in his heart that she isn't coming back. When he talks about her, it makes me want to lie on the floor and sob, because he talks about her like she was the best person in the whole world and doesn't seem to realize that she really is kind of horrible. I feel terrible for saying that but, on some degree, it's the truth.

I miss Nico dearly and can't wait to see him. I need him. He's my brother. We don't love each other yet, we've only known each other for a couple of months, but we know we can trust each other. He really is a good person and I really like him and respect him, and he is one of my closest friends.

He, Piper, and Leo are my dearest and most trusted friends, and I hope they know that. I still don't trust Frank completely, but he is a good person and I know he's trying to change. I'm warming up to Jason, Percy, and Annabeth, and I know that they are perfectly amazing people.

Coach Hedge...should I say more? Well, all the people on the ship are good and honest people and I'm glad to be a part of them. I also have a new respect for life. Piper and Frank are to blame for it. Piper has really helped me with being able to accept things. She hasn't even realized it, but she has helped me a lot. Frank . . . well, his choosing to change is a big step forward.

Piper shoots a smile at me. I can see that she is shaking with delight. After today she'll have Jason back. All of us are more upbeat, I guess. Frank walks up the stairs with the biggest smile on his face.

"Gwen bought a kitten! Her name is Magnolia," Frank announces cheerfully.

"That's great!" I say. Frank nods happily. He and Gwen are so cute together!

"How far are we away from the doors?" Piper asks.

"About . . . half an hour," I say.

A grin appears on both Frank and Piper's faces. Piper jumps up and down and hugs Frank which in turn makes him jump up and down, which makes me laugh. This is what we've been waiting for; this is what we've wanted to do since the Argo II set out.

Then suddenly my vision goes fuzzy. The prophecy says to storm or fire the worldmustfall. I gulp and my stomach starts to hurt.

"Piper, can you take the wheel, I don't feel so good," I say, clutching my stomach.

"Are you okay?" Piper asks, walking over and taking my elbow, concerned.

"I don't know. I just have a feeling that something bad is going to happen. The prophecy says that the world is going to fall. It says that some of us may lose our lives," I say.

Frank walks over. "We'll be okay. I know we will. We made it this far."

"But it's been so easy! The last two monster attacks have been from you!" I say.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Piper says. "I know we will. Haze, I think you should take a nap or get something to eat."

"I wouldn't mind a drink of water," I say. My anxiety level grows higher.

"I'll get it!" Frank says, hurrying down the stairs before I can protest. Piper sits me down on the floor.

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" she asks.

"Not really. No monsters have been attacking us and I feel out of shape. All that I've been doing is steering the ship, and I think I may have put on a few pounds. What if Leo doesn't like me anymore? He thinks I still . . . okay. Piper, I've been having dreams where Leo has been crying because he thinks that I'm still with Frank...I don't know how he got that, but if he thinks that what if he doesn't love me anymore? What if he gave up on me? What happens then?" I ask.

"Hazel Levesque, that boy loves you more than life itself! I know this; Leo has been coming to my room and talking to me! I have heard hours and hours about how pretty your face is and how hot you are, so don't think for one second that that boy doesn't love you! And if he thinks you and Frank are still together, tell him you're not. Convince him that you love him. Make a new beginning. Let your start your adventure over again. You may even find that you like it better this time around. Take it from a daughter of Aphrodite, he loves you and would do anything for you! Even let you borrow his tool belt and youknowhow protective he is about that. He loves you even more. So don't you dare give me 'What if he doesn't love me anymore?' because even if you have put on a tiny bit of weight, Leo will love you no matter what," Piper says.

I hear a gasp behind me and I turn to see Frank holding a glass of water.

"Here," Frank says, handing it to me. "She's right, I've seen . . . I've seen the way he looks at you. He deserves you more than me. He loves you more than me."

I hug both of them and wipe a tear from my eye. "You are the most best friends I could ever ask for. Thank you." Frank nods and Piper smiles.

I drink the water and go to a bench and lie down. I look at Piper and she see that she's talking with Frank. She holds the directions to the doors in her hands. She starts with the wheel. Over the last few days I've been teaching her to steer the ship. She picked it up fast. She is pretty good at it too, I must admit.

My eyes grow heavy. Drowsiness washes over me and my eyes snap shut.

I have the same dream again. Starting with Leo crying and saying the names of the future children he wants to have and the outburst with me and my mom.

It's the same dream every time. It never changes. Not a single word or object is out of place. I know it can't be true, because I don't hate my mother that much. Sure she was terrible, but I never hated her . . . not that much. I miss her, in fact.

She was never meant to be a mother but I'm glad that she cared about me a little at the end. I don't like her either, but she's my mother and no matter how horrible she treated me, I still loved her. I don't know if she loved me at all, but I loved her despite that. I only ever saw the good in her, and when she was extra terrible, I still did whatever I could to find the good in her. I was too naive to realize that she couldn't love me. Not with Gaea in her head. But I loved her, and I still do. Sometimes I do want to scream at her. She bloody well deserves it, but I wouldn't yell this much. I know that I've said it over and over again, but I truly loved her, and I know, even if it was only slightly and if it was even only at the end, she loved me too.

I don't know if that's true or not, but I like to believe it is. I like to believe my mother was a good person. And she would have been if she was brought up differently, and Gaea wasn't in her brain. I loved her so much, and I know she onlyjustloved me. I didn't care then, just as long as she had just a little bit of love, that's all I needed. I'd choose to see the good in her. No matter what I did I wanted to see the good in her. It's all I could think about and everything I ever wished for. All I wanted was a mother who cared. That's all I needed. Everyone bullied me. Everyone. All I ever wanted was someone who loved me, and no one did. No one did except my mother, even if it only was at the end, she still loved me a bit and that's all I need and all I want.

My eyes open wide to the feeling of someone shaking me awake. I look into the happy eyes of Piper McLean, who is almost jumping up and down with excitement.

"What?" I yawn.

"We're here, Hazel. The house is huge. We brought the Argo II inside of it. We're in the House of Hades. We're at the Doors of Death," she says. She jumps up and down with excitement and when Frank comes around to talk to me, she throws her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek then runs to the steering wheel and starts to squeal. Frank looks both shocked and pleased at the same time.

"There are so many monsters. It's scary. I mean like . . . hundreds" Frank says.

"All we need to do is close the doors. That's all, and get back on the ship. We don't need to kill all the monsters, just a few. Just enough to get to the doors. And Frank, don't play dead," I say.

Frank nods. We look ahead of us at a squealing and happy Piper. Frank and I look at each other, then back at the over-excited daughter of Venus – erm, or Aphrodite as the Greeks call it.

I wonder why she's so excited? We're about to go and fight monsters! Frank is uneasy and he's a child of Mars! I stand up and walk across the deck to look over the edge.

The sight takes my breath away. It's beautiful. A valley with birds and flowers and hot springs; trees of the colors purple, orange, red, and green. The grass is perfect and looks so soft. The sun is high in the sky. A mother deer and her baby are making their way across a cobblestone path, and eating some vegetables that are growing from the ground.

It is . . . oh, my gods. This is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my entire life! And at the end of it all, there's a gate hanging wide open. It seems to be pulling me. A group of horses trot along the tree line. I need to be there! I want this! I want this as my home! I put my foot over the edge.

"Hazel! What are you doing?" Piper asks, pulling me back.

"Look . . . look how beautiful it is!" I say.

"Hazel, there's nothing there. It's just a cavern filled with monsters," Piper says.

"No, it's not! It's a valley with animals and hot springs and birds and trees and . . . and horses!" I say.

"Hazel, this place is just like Siren's Bay," Piper starts explaining. "Do you remember the story of the Odyssey? Some of the crew mates listened to the sweet call of the Sirens and then saw their deepest desires. The crew mates wanted it so much that swam out to it. But when they reached what they wanted most of all, it turned into three horrendous ladies smiling evilly at them, and then death came upon them when they hit the rocks. The difference between Siren's Bay and here is they make you believe that you need what they're showing you. It's not real, Hazel. Look again, but use the blood of the gods, not your eyes."

I take a deep breath and look again, more closely this time. I see a cavern . . . there are hands reaching out of it . . . little glints of sunlight are poking out. A monster slowly leaves the cavern and growls, fangs bared.

"I . . . I don't like it!" I say.

"Hazel, snap out of it! This is real life! You've seen much worse!" Frank says. I bite my lip hard, drawing blood. I shut my eyes. I open them again. I see the monster. I breathe out. Frank's right, I have seen much worse.

"Alright, here's the plan: We'll move the ship right above the doors and then get a ladder down and we'll fight the monsters that get in our way. Piper, you steer the ship while Frank and I distract the monsters. All of us should try and reach the doors, but our main priority is making sure the person heading for the doors isn't hurt, got that?" I instruct. "If the plan works, none of us should get hurt because we'll stay on the ship."

Piper and Frank nod. And Piper heads to the wheel. I get my spatha from under my pillow and Frank gets his bow. Piper starts to move us forward. A slimy hand comes up. Frank hits it with an arrow.

The closer we get to the doors, the harder it gets. Monsters begin popping up everywhere. I fight with my Spatha and make sure no monsters hurt us. I dodge a hand and quickly cut it, blood and guts spilling everywhere.

Frank shoots at more and more hands. It gets hectic. All of a sudden a hand pops out of nowhere and digs its moldy fingers into my shoulder. I scream and start to slash at it as much as possible with tears streaming down my face. I hit it harder and harder until the hand looks limp and falls off of the deck. I can feel venom moving through my body. The gash on my shoulders starts to bleed. The pain is so vivid I almost pass out.

We get closer to the doors. I try to ignore the pain but it hurts so much. I cut through more hands and monsters but my eyes are cloudy and it's hard to focus. I look at Frank. He has a look of panic in his eyes. Time seems to slow down. No one is going for the doors!

I run and jump over monsters and avoid as much as possible. My shoulders bleed and ache, but I ignore it. I need to close the doors. I look at Piper. She has tears in her eyes and is fighting monsters with nothing but her hands. Her face is bleeding and she has cuts that will soon turn into scars.

I call her name; she looks at me. I throw my Spatha to her and she catches it. She starts to fight as best as she can. I turn my head and jump for the ladder. Arrows fly past my head and hit monsters. I look behind me to see Frank holding his bow. I smile and climb down the ladder. The doors are so close now. I reach my hand out. A big arm swats me away. I scream. Another arrow flies at it and hits its target. I push myself forward, gritting my teeth in determination.

I need to close the doors! My shoulder starts to sting in pain. My nose starts to bleed and my brain feels dizzy. I can't . . . I can't do it! I need help. I can't do this by myself. Arrows keep flying past me. No, I need to. I need to save Leo. I need to close the doors for Leo.

Leo.

I reach my hand out and touch the doors and I start to push. I see my life flash before my eyes. I see my mother being possessed. I push on the door harder. I see Sammy and me riding horses. I keep pushing. I see myself getting bullied. I start to kick the doors. I see myself moving to Alaska. I slam my leg into the doors. I see myself dying. I push on the door with all my strength. I see myself being brought back. I push with both my hands. I see our quest. I kick the door even harder. I see the Argo II. I start to use my whole body to close the doors. I see Leo's face for the first time. I see our first kiss. And now I see him dying. All of my anger is now directed at the door and with one final push, and –

– it's closed.

I put my hands back on the ladder, but for only a brief moment. All my strength is gone. My eyes close. I can't hear anything. My hands slowly let go of the ladder and I start to fall, down, down, down.

I see Percy and Annabeth. I open my eyes. No, I actually see Percy and Annabeth! Annabeth screams my name as I drop farther and farther.

Why, Father? Do I have to die again? Right now? Please father, let me have a longer life. I have been fighting this long and wanting this for so long. All I want is to live. I don't want to be back in the Underworld. I don't want to be stuck for the rest of eternity. My eyes close again. I'm going to die. I'll be back on that bench again, thinking of everything I did wrong.

Well, at least I'll be with Leo. . . I'll finally be with Leo. I let myself go. I have no chance in surviving now. Absolutely zero.

Goodbye, Piper. Goodbye, Frank. Goodbye, everyone.

I start to silently sob which takes up even more energy. I know that I'm dying. I know that I have to chance in surviving. Goodbye, world.

My eyes open to a strong arm around my waist. I expect to see an eagle or a bird that might be Frank, but what I see is a blond superman.

"Jason?" I ask. He nods, and I black out completely.

I must be dead.

AN. Okay, so no next chapter unless I get reviews! I won't post, and I have the next chapter. So anyway, REVIEW!