Chapter XIII: Hazel
Hazel appreciated the silence.
She and Leo had left the Argo II for a suicide mission. To get help from Chiron's wife. Ex-wife. It didn't make any sense. Wasn't Chariclo supposed to hate Chiron then? The crew were convinced that Chariclo might help them because they knew Chiron. To Hazel, it sounded like a very absurd idea. On the other hand, myths about Chiron said that he was immortal, and really wise. He apparently had been training heroes for years. He had to know what he was talking about.
Hazel had always imagined Sparta as some sort of fairy castle. Golden blocks, silver dust. She had always wanted to see Sparta. Now as she walked along the thorny brambles, she took it back. She had scraped her left knee and a thorn had gone right through her index finger of her right palm. Leo made no attempt to engage in conversation. He was lost in his own world. Neither of them knew where the Palace of Leademon was. Annabeth had described it in detail for them.. A huge and beautiful white castle that stretched out for 1,300 ft.
Leo grabbed her shoulder, jerking back her conscience back to the present.
He pointed right in front of them. It fit Annabeth's description perfectly except there was nothing beautiful about it. The castle was covered in moss and gravel. Vines grew around the pillar of the palace. Standing right in front of it, was a centaur. Her head was raised and she seemed to be addressing one of her courtiers. To the left, were masses, literally masses of centaurs. They all were positioned in lines , kneeling down.
She felt Leo take a breath beside her. "I'm betting the centaur there is Chariclo. Chiron said something about her reign. All those centaurs must be kneeling down to her. She's like a queen." Hazel says.
"She doesn't look the least bit female," Leo contradicts.
Hazel shoots him a glare. "What?! I was considering all possibilities. There could be a king."
"I doubt it." she replies, "I'm going to walk in."
"Go ahead. They'll kill you where you stand. "
"Then what do I do?" she asks.
"You could try putting your hands up."
"Can you please be a bit helpful?" Leo lapsed into silence. Hazel rolled her eyes and then, slowly and carefully, crept out of the bushes into the direct vision of the court. "Hi," she says nervously.
That was a mistake. The minute she stepped out, the centaurs imprisoned her and Leo and brought them in front of the lead centaur.
"I brought the prisoners. Found 'em lurking behind the bushes. God knows what mischief they were up to." Hazel's captor says with an Irish accent.
"Thank you Duncan," the centaur's voice was clear and melodic.
"Yes ma'am," he replies and walks away.
"Dumbcan?" Leo snickers. Hazel kicks him. "Chariclo?"
She tries for a more formal start. "And what would young demigods like you want with me?" Hazel refuses to be thrown aback. She tells Chariclo the story from the start. She explains the quest and Gaea and then tells her about Chiron. Hazel think she saw Chariclo's grim face waver but its gone in a second. At the end, Chariclo's face is set in a hard, cruel line.
"Did Chiron really think there was a chance that I would help you?" At Hazel's nod, she continued. "Do you know how he abandoned in the gallows on his journey to success? How he tore me apart? How hard its been to move on?"
"Only insufferable weaklings like you would fail in doing that. We've all lost people we love and we've all learned to move on. What makes you so special?" Leo spits out. His voice is raw with pain. Hazel kicks him again. She locks his eyes in hers and mouths "Are you trying to get us killed?" He looks away and doesn't say anything.
Chariclo is fuming with anger. "There's no chance I will help you. You are a talented little demigod and I might have helped you if you weren't connected to him." Chariclo manages to add enough venom to that one word to poison an elephant. "I'm sorry" "You can tell Chiron of my hate for him perhaps, fifty years later"Chariclo says "And you can prepare that speech in your cell!" All her courtiers break out into unpleasant laughter.
"Please" Hazel pleads "We have to defeat Gaea or else she'll destroy the world! Please…"
"I was once like you. A noble, brave, intelligent and pretty girl. Fighting her way through this wretched Earth. I wish you luck in finding some good for I have found none"
"You're nothing like me." Hazel finds all her anger "We both had good and evil cast into our lives. The difference is I chose to look for the good and you refused to. You are nothing like me." she repeats.
That was it. Chariclo screams and then breaks down. A centaur runs towards her while another approaches to drag both of them to their cells. Hazel can't even fight back. Her world is swimming around. her temple hurts. Finally she lets herself fall unconscious.