His phone rang.
Frank looked up from his Calculus homework.
Unlike most teenagers, he was not terribly dependent on his phone, and nowhere near addicted to it.
(Interestingly, all of his friends were not incredibly interested in modern mobile phone technology.)
Hence, he tended to leave it on while studying.
People rarely called or texted him anyway.
He picked it up, glancing at the caller ID.
Hazel.
He answered.
'Hi, Hazel.'
Her voice was shaky as she replied.
'Frank, can you please come over? Now? I...It's...it's to do with what I left behind in New Orleans...'
Dread pooled in his stomach.
She sounded scared.
Could...could the gang that killed her mother have decided to target her?
Or...or had had the man who'd killed her decided to get revenge on Hazel?
Shouting to his grandmother that he was going out (good manners be damned, even if he was going to get a lecture for it later, Hazel needed him), he grabbed his phone, wallet and a jacket and ran.
Nico answered the door, after carefully looking through the peephole to ascertain his identity.
He looked anxious and angry.
'She's in the living room.'
Frank had barely stepped inside the house when Hazel barrelled into him and flung her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.
'Thank you.' Her voice was shaky, but she sounded as if she was thanking him for giving her the world.
He hugged her back, and tried for a light tone.
'Your wish is my command, milady.'
She didn't laugh, but she looked up and gave him a wan smile.
He returned it, hesitantly.
'Hazel...what's happened?'
She bit her lip, and led him into the living room, pulling him onto the couch. Nico followed, but did not sit, pacing instead.
'The...the man who killed my mother, he goes by Alcyoneus, the one that I...' She took a deep breath. 'The one that I...stopped...he...he's come out of his coma, and recovered...' She reached out and gripped Frank's hand so tightly that it hurt, but he didn't flinch. 'And...and he...he escaped from the hospital, even though he was under police guard...' Her voice grew softer, smaller. 'A policeman came, about an hour ago...and...and told me that they think he's come here...to...to...' She looked up at Frank, eyes fearful, tears welling in them. 'To...to get me.'
Red flashed across his vision.
How dare that man try to hurt his Hazel! Frank would not allow it. He would not. He would kill the man with his own bare hands if that was what it took to keep her safe, he would...
He took a deep breath, and pulled back from those terrifying thoughts.
Nico, though, seemed to share similar beliefs, because he was pacing ferociously and muttering what sounded like threats under his breath.
Frank took another deep breath, and glanced down at Hazel, who was valiantly trying to fight back tears, curled into herself. Terrified, because at the end of the day, as strong and brave as she was, she was a fourteen-year-old girl with a full-grown man, a (former?) gang member, out to kill her.
He reached out and wrapped an arm around her.
'You're safe right now. We're going to keep you that way.'
Hazel burrowed further into him. He felt her tears wet his shirt.
'I thought I was safe here, Frank! The...the police told me that since I left New Orleans...and...and since...Sammy ...the gang didn't care about me anymore...but now he wants to get me...that's what he was telling his doctors...and...and apparently he isn't quite right in the head anymore because of what I...what I did...and...' Her voice grew softer, almost as if she was ashamed. 'I'm really scared, Frank.'
He held her even closer and rubbed her back, not caring that her brother was right there and might skin him alive later for it.
'Of course you are! But we've got you! Nobody's going to hurt you.'
Hazel sniffled, and started drying her tears.
'You're the best, Frank.'
He smiled wanly.
'Don't let Nico hear that.'
A ghost of a smile appeared on her face.
'From now on, you're not leaving your house or your school alone. Nico and I can walk you to and from school every day, I'm sure the others will be happy to walk with you in the mornings when I have archery practice...' He paused. 'Why haven't the police assigned you any protection or something?'
Nico rolled his eyes.
'They don't think he'll make it all the way to Olympus. He's on the run all the way from New Orleans.'
Frank felt irrationally angry at the police. This was their job, and they weren't doing it properly.
From Nico's tone, he agreed wholeheartedly.
'It's unwise to not consider and plan for all probable outcomes.'
A thought hit him. He took a deep breath, and spoke as gently as possible.
'Hazel, does...does your father know?'
She nodded slowly.
'Yes, because he's my guardian, he was notified...But, he's overseas at the moment...'
Nico scowled.
'As if that man cares. He won't come back, he's too busy spending time with his girlfriend and running his business. Maybe if we're lucky we'll get a Christmas card this year.'
His voice was heavy with sarcasm.
A spark of anger flashed across Hazel's face.
Frank knew that while her opinion of her father wasn't great either, she thought much better of him than Nico.
But she didn't say anything.
Instead, she simply reached for Frank again, laying her head on his chest, her breathing still shakier than usual.
Frank held her close, and Nico sat down on her other side, running his hands through her hair.
They stayed there for a while, until Hazel's breathing steadied and slowed, and she started snoring lightly.
The two young men exchanged a glance over the top of her head.
He's not going to hurt her. I won't let him.
AN: Please don't kill me...