I haven't so much to say but…

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Chapter 26 – The golden whistle

HAZEL

Leo didn't get any better.

Hours went by, but Hazel didn't care. She sat next to Leo's bed in the sickbay, tried to comfort him, make him calm down, but it just didn't work. He shivered, sweated, and sometimes even cried. Hazel had almost given up hope.

"I saw her." He repeated for the thousand time, and looked into Hazel's eyes. They were like shattered glass, broken and maybe even unfixable. "She was there-The fire-My fault…"

Hazel asked herself over and over again who Leo meant with saying "ghoul-woman". Speaking of her had made him go… She refused to think the word insane, but it was exactly what had happened to him. He had gone insane.

"It wasn't your fault." Hazel said. "Your mom's death wasn't caused by you, Leo."

Leo didn't seem to hear her.

"I can get her back. I just need to make a deal. Swear upon the river Styx. I'll get my mom back, I just need to help ghoul-woman-"

Hazel froze.

"What did you say?" She said, hope surging through her. "Ghoul-woman? Who is that? Tell me, Leo."

"Ghoul-woman. Likes ghosts. Have my mother's spirit." Leo muttered.

Likes ghosts?

Suddenly it dawned on Hazel who this ghoul-woman was. All color drained out from her face.

"Melinoe." She whispered. "Oh, no. Please no."

But Leo's eyes lit up.

"Melinoe! It's her! I need to get mom back from Melinoe-"

"No, Leo." Hazel whispered. "You can't make a deal with Melinoe. No."

"I know how to do it. I just have to dream of her again, she will speak to me-"

"Stop it!" Hazel almost screamed. "You're not going to make a deal with Melinoe!"

Everything fell into place. Hazel understood know. Khione and Melinoe were working together, they was planning on killing the demigods on the Argo II. Khione worked for Gaea too, but Gaea didn't know about her and Melinoe. Melinoe didn't cooperate with Gaea. She just wanted Pluto to get knocked of the throne of the Underworld, so she could be able to be outside her cave in daylight too.

And Khione… Well, Melinoe supposedly had promised her a reward if she helped her. Khione was playing on both Gaea's and Melinoe's side. Melinoe couldn't fight the demigods in daytime, so Khione did that for her. Melinoe would appear in their dreams instead.

"Leo. Leo, listen!" Hazel said and clenched his hand harder. Leo stopped mumble and met hazel's gaze. "Tell me exactly what Melinoe told you in your dream."

"Why?" He asked and frowned. "My mom-"

"This will help getting her back." Hazel hated that she needed to lie to him, but it was the only way. "Come on. All the details."

Leo started to tell her, and for every word Hazel became surer of that it was Melinoe. She wasn't happy about it, but now she at least knew who the enemy was.

"Wait here, Leo. I'm back in a moment." Hazel said. She rose and ran to the door, where she bumped in to Nico.

"Nico!" She said breathlessly. "I've got news-"

She told Nico, who's eyes grew bigger and bigger for each word.

"We have to tell the others! If it really is Melinoe-Well, we have to try to fight her."

Hazel nodded. They ran up to deck, where everybody was standing and staring at the helm, trying to figure out what all the buttons were needed for.

Coach Hedge turned.

"What's up, cupcakes? How's Valdez?"

Hazel felt a little guilty for just leaving Leo there, but this was really important.

"You need to know something."

"So what you're saying is that the goddess of ghosts and the goddess of snow are working together, and it was Melinoe who did this to Leo?" Piper asked. She had a fire in her eyes.

Jason looked grim.

"Well, how do we fight them? Khione will keep freezing stuff on the ship and Melinoe will try to make us all go mad."

"First, how do we cure Leo?" Hazel asked impatiently. "He isn't getting any better."

The coach shrugged.

"How do you cure someone who has gone insane and sees the ghost of his mama?"

Everybody looked angrily at him, especially Hazel. She trembled with rage.

"Don't you get it?! Leo thinks he can make a deal with Melinoe in a dream so he can get his mother back. What do you think she is going to ask for?! We got to cure him! He-I-"

"Hazel, it's oka-" Jason started.

"No, it's not okay. We need to help him." She said and stormed back in.

Hazel left the others, she felt them staring at her back while she ran back to the sickbay. She felt like it was all over, they had too many enemies, and everything was going just wrong. She didn't care that getting angry on the others would just tear the group apart, and that was exactly what Khione and Melinoe wanted them to do.

Leo didn't seem to notice that she came back. He was muttering about an oath, a deal, a way to get back his mother. Hazel sat down on the chair next to the bed and put her head in her hands.

Why did everything have to be so… Dark? That was exactly what everything was. It was just wrong and dark…

It's always darkest before the dawn.

Automatically, Hazel's hand took out the golden whistle from her pocket. Was it worth it? Maybe she would need it later. Maybe it would get worse. No one was dying, for example.

It struck Hazel how selfish that was of her. Her problems weren't that terrible. If she used the whistle now, it would be mostly to solve her own issues. Maybe they would have much bigger problems in the future, and then they were screwed if she used the whistle now.

Still, Leo looked horrible. Dark lines circled his eyes, and he looked terrified all the time. He needed to get better.

Slowly, Hazel moved the golden whistle to her lips, but suddenly she heard a panicked voice in her head.

Don't do it! Stop!

She knew it was Khione, and hearing her that angry and scared almost made Hazel smile. She instantly knew that if she blew the whistle, that voice would leave her alone. Khione didn't want her to use the whistle? Guess it was settled then.

Without any hesitation, Hazel blew the whistle. It didn't make a sound, but she felt how it grew warmer in her hands. Warm light filled the room until Hazel couldn't see a thing. Leo didn't say a thing.

Then the light died. Everything looked exactly like before. Hazel blinked, confused, a few times before she saw what had changed.

Leo was unconscious again, but he looked like he was asleep. He started to move and then opened his eyes. For a second, they were glowing gold, but then they got the normal brown color back.

"Leo!" Hazel ran to him. He blinked a few times.

"H-Hazel? What happened?" Leo asked, frowning. "I remember dreaming of-Oh, right. You need to know about ghoul-woman, she-"

"I know." Hazel said calmly. "It's Melinoe. How are you feeling? Headache? Anything?"

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you." He grinned, and Hazel felt how her whole body relaxed. Before she could stop herself, she lunged forward and kissed him.

Leo pulled away almost immediately.

"What about Frank?" He asked uncertainly.

Hazel bit her lip and looked away. She didn't want to think of Frank, she just wanted to be with Leo. But she couldn't just start a new thing with Leo without first had the whole Frank-thing figured out.

She almost expected Khione's voice give her a stupid advice, but then she realized that snow goddess would finally leave her alone.

Hazel looked at Leo, his brilliant brown eyes, that cute, goofy smile of his, those oily black curls. Just like Sammy. Just as amazing as Sammy.

She took a deep breath.

"We're over." Hazel said. She regretted it as soon as she said it, but she couldn't ignore her feelings for Leo anymore.

Leo's eyes widened.

"Really? Like… Over over? Over so we can-"

Hazel felt warm and dizzy. Leo's eyes were hopeful, happy, but still unsure. Just like she felt. But she needed a break from Frank, and she liked Leo, she really did. But in the back of her head, she couldn't stop thinking: what if I only like him because he is so much like Sammy?

Leo regarded her. For every second, he lost a little of that hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"I-" Hazel swallowed. "You have to understand, Leo, I can't just-I don't want-"

His face fell, but he masked it within a few seconds. He grinned, but it looked a little false.

"I get it. Uh, I just wondered."

Hazel's heart ached. Leo looked down and started to fiddle with some mechanic pieces. She wanted to kiss him again so badly, but she couldn't just jump into a new relationship now. But then she remembered what Frank had done, how hurt she had been, and she looked at Leo. Leo would never do anything like that. Sammy would never do anything like that.

Hazel felt herself smile.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

Leo raised his head. His eyes glowed.

"Am I secretly dating a Metal Detector or what?" He asked and grinned one of those goofy, annoying but cute smiles.

"Shut up, Repair Boy." Hazel laughed and kissed him one more time.

What about that, huh? :) Hope you liked this chapter! I enjoyed writing it. I'm a big Lazel shipper too, you know! ;)