Alright! After an annoyingly long hiatus (I'm sorry people!) I am back with another chapter! :)
Thank you thank you THANK YOU to all my fantastic reviewers! 99 reviews! This is amazing, I never expected this much support! We might even break 100 reviews this chapter O_o Just...thank you. Thank you so much. ^u^
In response to a guest review: (Guest Demigod) Oh my god. I am literally smiling ridiculously and I can't believe it. I'm really honored and shocked and happy that you want to make a movie out of my story. It's absolutely unbelievable. Just...thank you. I'd love it if you could, go on right ahead. :) Please send me the link when you're finished so I can share it on the next chapter! I just...I can't believe this is real! *blush* Thank you again!
And as for your idea about Hazel, well, we'll just have to wait and see, no?
So, special shout-outs to Guest Demigod (for making me faint with shock and happiness), AmbushImagine (who found this story good enough to threaten to kill me - three times - if I didn't update it), I Need To Change My Name (for - embarrassingly since I'm so predictable - correctly guessing the characters), and of course to every other reviewer and silent reader that finds this story interesting enough to keep coming back to read. I love you all.
Alright! On to chapter 16!
Hazel was confused.
She could see, but there was nothing TO see.
She could hear but there was nothing TO hear.
She could breathe but there was nothing TO breathe.
It was strange.
She was floating...floating in this void of darkness and misty memories. Everything seemed blurred together. She remembered regaining consciousness for the slightest second, the worried voices fussing over her, the light kiss to her forehead, the liquid seeping down her throat and filling her to the brain with burning energy,
She knew what had happened...but where was she?
Hazel had to assume that she was either dead, which was unlikely considering the fact that she had seen the Underworld before and it was nothing like this, or she was in some kind of coma, and this was her mind.
Quite a sad thought, considering the fact that there was nothing here.
She recalled the day's events. The monster. The key. The doorknob. The drill. The stupid, stupid glass of water.
She was disappointed.
Disappointed in herself, so much that it was a constant ache in her heart that just wouldn't seem to stop, forget the fact that she was in a coma. She remembered what happened and it was killing her inside, even more so than the wound itself.
She was utterly useless.
She was scared, helpless, powerless, and useless.
She had failed to slay the monster, and let it almost take her life!
She was a FAILURE.
Hazel blinked violently as tears threatened to pour.
She was useless.
Maybe she would be better off dead...
She could live peacefully in her father's kingdom, wouldn't have to worry about keeping up with the six powerhouses that were her friends, and finally be accepted for who she was.
Frank could find another girl. Someone better than her, someone who deserved a wonderful boy like him.
They could find someone stronger to rescue Percy and take her place, and they would live happily. Without her.
It stung, but Hazel knew she was right. She would be better off not burdening her friends, not dragging them down with her.
She would have to give up, and let her father claim her.
It was Thalia who was forced to share the dreadful news.
Five minutes of anxious pacing, one drachma and a rainbow later, the daughter of Zeus was staring into the face of her blonde friend.
Annabeth was sitting on a couch, her arms around her brothers as she was mid-storytelling when the Iris-Message came through.
"Annie."
"Thals."
"We have a big problem."
"How bad?"
"...Hazel's been critically injured and is in a coma. She's going to die if we don't do something."
"No."
"Yes."
"We're on our way."
Hazel suddenly found herself looking at an image. A video clip, if you will. It was like a demigod dream, but worse.
They were at what she assumed was the dracanae hideout, and her eight friends - including Percy! - were fighting this terrible dark monster. It was the monster she had fought on steroids, she decided. That, or he was the 'master' the creature was talking about.
Hazel realized something was wrong. This couldn't be happening right now...could it?
Looking closer, she realized that all of the six had tears, horrible angry tears in their eyes.
Percy screamed something that she couldn't comprehend, until it dawned on her-
"You killed her! You fucking monster, you killed her!"
Jason, Leo and Piper added in with an outraged, "You're going to pay."
"You killed her. A life for a life. You're finished."
"Y-You monster! You killed her! You killed my friend!"
Frank looked the angriest of all. "You fucking bastards took her. You killed her and took her away from me. YOU KILLED THE GIRL I LOVED!" He screamed. "YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HAZEL!"
Hazel realized with a sudden jerk that they were talking about her. They were angry - no, not angry, a simple word like that could not fathom the pure unadulterated rage they had - because she had died.
She felt a lump in her throat. She was both horrified and slightly sickened at the sight in front of her.
The six demigods rushed at the creature, using all the power they had. They slashed and burned and stabbed and attacked him with every move, every shred of power they could muster. Their rage was all too apparent as they had no regards for their own lives as long as they took the monster down with them.
Hazel could only watch in growing horror as her friends, no, her family tore themselves apart to try and avenge her.
The tears wouldn't stop.
"Oh my god."
"Hazel...why!? What did she do to deserve this!?"
"No..."
The seven demigods crowded around the hotel bed anxiously as they stared in horror at Hazel's comatose body.
The daughter of Pluto looked completely horrified, her expression twisted into one of fear and agony that was heartbreaking to see. Her entire torso was a bloody, mangled mess that made one sick to the stomach. Bandages covered her stomach and her face was full of scrapes and bruises, supposedly from being thrown around like a rag doll.
"I...I think I know of a way to save her."
Everyone stared at Annabeth with growing hope.
"NO!" Hazel couldn't help but scream as the monster began to fight back.
Piper was the first to fall, as a horrible sword of pure darkness was about to kill Jason and sacrificed herself to save him. The girl could see the haunted, devastated look in Jason's eyes as he watched the daughter of Aphrodite die in his arms.
They kept fighting, and Hazel was forced to watch as each one died.
Annabeth - Speared with a dark tendril and flung against the wall.
Leo - crushed by a massive shadowy hand in a single instant.
It was like a horror movie, except this could be REAL. If she died, she would be dooming her friends to THIS.
Jason - black tendrils of shadow grabbed his arms and legs and pulled him into the very shadows themselves, and making him disappear forever.
Thalia - the lightning she summoned turned black and was used against her, and finally stabbed with another accursed tendril while she was in shock.
Nico - his army turned against him and chopped his head off.
Percy and Frank were the last to fall. Their rage for killing their friends made even Hazel back away in fear.
"You killed them. You killed them all. I'LL MURDER YOU! I'LL KILL YOU YOU BASTARD!"
A titanic wave of water encased the horrible monster, and at the exact same time a giant dragon, the size of a school bus, and different from his usual dragon, leapt at the monster.
A flash of horrible, horrible black light and the two fell, their lifeless bodies hitting the ground with a horrible thud.
Hazel cried out in horror.
"We need to contact Apollo."
Realization hit every one of the seven demigods.
"How do you know he'll help?"
"He owes Percy. If Apollo can't save her, no one can."
"Who should go back to Olympus? We don't have enough time!"
"We'll have to think of something. Try constructing a sacrifice to Apollo. He loves horrible music, instruments, and art supplies."
"I'm on it."
"...Are you sure this is going to work?"
"No. But it's the best chance we have of saving both Hazel and Percy."
"If that's the best we can get, I'll take it. Me 'n Leo will keep working on the snake tracker...thing. I don't really get it but it might work."
"Go ahead."
Piper placed a hand on a boy's shoulder.
"Frank, are you ok?"
"No. I'm not."
Percy groaned in agony as he awoke, his every muscle and skin cell screaming in pain.
"Weak. You barely lasted 15 minutes."
Percy tried to focus on the voice but found it too difficult. The only reason he was still up was because his arms were shackled to the wall. His vision was blurry and he couldn't feel his legs anymore. Not good.
"Most medieval soldiers could last days or more, before letting death take them. It was a matter of honor not to reveal anything."
The boy tried to protest. "I haven't given up any information."
The snake woman hissed. "Because we aren't looking for any. You are here simply because of our amusement. If we wanted knowledge out of you we'd have gotten it long ago."
Percy found he couldn't really protest. He had a feeling he was only alive for their amusement at the moment.
"But anyhow. Perhaps you would like an update on your...friend's little quest? I'm sure you'll find it fascinating."
Percy felt his heart leap in fear and hope. They were coming...
But if the dracanae wanted him to know about it, something horrible must've happened.
The son of Poseidon waited in barely concealed anticipation.
"Our lord sent one of his minions after your little friends. From what I hear from my lady Sess, it didn't turn out well for your friends. The small one with the curly hair...what was her name, Amber? Well...she's not doing too good."
Percy felt rising fear grow in his chest. "No."
She hissed in delight. "Oh yesssss. It seems like she will be joining her father very soon."
"She'll make it." Percy refused to believe otherwise. "She's strong, stronger than you think."
"She could be the strongest person alive and it wouldn't make a difference. Our lord's power is now in her body, torturing her mind and weakening her will. She will fall soon enough."
Dun dun dun! I hope that was enough for you guys, both a Hazel AND a Percy POV! Looks like the poor girl is in quite a lot of trouble though... O_o Will she survive? Will she fall? Even I'm not certain...and I'm the author! ^^'
This chapter was surprisingly angsty. I know you guys were hoping for a happy reunion with the rest of the gang, but one does not recover from a freaking drill through the stomach that easily...
Anyone with questions, comments, or criticism, just let me know in a review and I'll be happy to reply, I love hearing from you all! :)
Only two thousand words ._. I'm sorry people, but I was kinda rushing to get this one out, plus I thought the dracanae's line was a good stopping point ;)
Thanks for reading! Review!