Chapter XVI: Leo

Leo doesn't have much to contend with in his cell.

Night has passed and Leo can't get a wink of sleep. Hazel lay unconscious until she began to stir at sunrise. Since then, all she could do was curse Chariclo.

"I'll murder her!" She is yelling."Stupid centaur! That…."

"Language," he mutters.

"What are we going to do? We're stuck in a cell and there's no getting out!" She says, frustrated.

"Let's calm down and think a bit." He says.

"What a brainstorm! Oh, I've just been sitting and sulking and not thinking of a way to escape," she replies sarcastically.

"Thank you!" Leo tries to sound cheerful because he knew it would annoy her. Hazel glares at him and for the hundredth time, it seems, she stalks off to one corner and sits down. After an hour of silence, a guard walks in with their greasy lunch.

"Not again," Leo mutters under his breath. The guard walks into Leo's cell first. She looks almost worried. Leo gets up to receive the packed lunch.

"Ok pets, eat...eat and die!" As she turns to leave the cell, Leo makes a dash for an imprint of the master key. He takes the imprint on a small piece of celestial bronze that he had pulled out of his tool belt. When the guard leaves the cell, Leo quickly crafts it properly and inserts it into the lock. The door swings open soundlessly. Hazel stares at him open mouthed. He rushes to her cell and unlocks the door.

Together they both make a dash for it. Getting out of the dungeon was hard. There were twists and turns everywhere. Thankfully , Leo had been conscious while being dragged out of the court. He guided both of them through the cells, past the guards and finally to the main gate.

There was a buff centaur guard , standing at the exit. His expression was amused. "Oh boy, you both got spunk. No one's ever tried escaping."

Hazel doesn't even try to reply. She plants a kick right at his head. It comes to him as a surprise and he fell backwards. Hazel jumps across him and leaves Leo no choice but to follow her. He walks faster to catch up with Hazel, still lost in his thoughts. Leo bangs against Hazel , realizing that she had stopped abruptly. He peered over her shoulder to see what she was looking at. The centaurs were havoc. They were running all over the place with weapons.

"They're preparing for battle," Hazel murmurs.

"Against whom?" Leo asks "The rest of the seven? Knowing them, they would have already sent rescue forces."

The centaurs form a circle with Chariclo in between, who holds a gun poised at 45 degrees. The opponents come into vision. Forty men wearing rags and holding clubs charge inside. The most unnerving thing about them was their one eye. "We ask for your prisoners. Mother Gaia needs them for her sacrifice. You have a choice. Peacefully hand them over or face war." The leader says.

Chariclo gulps. "I will not be blackmailed. They are my prisoners."

"Charge!" The leader growls.

According to Leo, Hazel and him are cowards. To hide behind the rocks while two armies tore each other apart. At the same time he didn't exactly want to walk out there.

"Dont you think we should stop the fight? I mean this can get serious," Hazel questions.

"What? And say 'My friends, enemies, evildoers, please let us cease this fight. You both can have half of us each if you swear to cease this utterly terrifying ..." Leo dramatizes. "Um..can you think of a synonym of war that sounds long and smart?"

Hazel ,as usual, ignored him. She keeps on muttering, "Arimpasi"

"Have you memorized the entire Greek mythology?" Leo asks.

"No. Only upto K" She replies.

"Thats not funny." He says.

"That's why no one's laughing."

The battle isn't looking good. The centaurs are scattered. A couple of them are lying dead. The Arimpasi are fierce. They ripped apart the centaurs like play dolls. Chariclo kept on firing at the Arimpasi. Another centaur, whom Leo recognized as Dumbcan , had sliced an Arimpasi through his waist. However, it wasn't enough. One of the few remaining Arimpasi cut his way through to Chariclo. Her gun was stuck. A centaur rushed to block his mistress. The centaur deflected the strike and parried it. The Arimpasi stabs the centaur straight through its chest, making it dissolve into ashes 's eyes are wide with fear as the Arimpasi saunters forward, a long blade in his hand, raised to strike.

Hazel nudges Leo in the shoulder. "I think I've got an idea."

Leo quirks an eyebrow. "It better be a good one, Levesque."

She nods. "Just follow my lead." Hazel jumps up. "Hey, you one-eyed freak!" She shouts , waving her hands around. "Try to come and get me!" The creature looks up from Chariclo, locking his gaze with Hazel's. "Yeah, you!" She repeats. He narrows his eyes, brandishing his knife in his hand.

"Get to Chariclo while I try to kill this dude," Hazel hisses to Leo.

"That's your brilliant plan? To commit suicide while dancing like a chicken? For someone who nearly killed us?"

She ignores him. "Listen, do you want to get out of here or not? It's one way or another." Without giving him a chance to answer, she runs at the Arimpasi, her sword raised.

Leo sighs and hurries to Chariclo. "You're gonna pay for this, " he mumbles to the centaur. He grabs her hand, or hoof, and pulls her up.

"Thank you, child," she says, nodding gratefully at Leo.

"Where is your little friend?"

Leo glares at her.

"Trying to kill that mental dude."

"Young language," she mutters. "I suppose I'll have to help her, won't I?"

"Don't think so," he says through gritted teeth. "He's already half-dead." He glances at Hazel battling the monster, her hair all over face, her expression full of determination as she slices its arm off. She dodges its strike and drives her hand into its eye. Her spatha leaves a large gash on its bruised back. It howls in pain as she gives one last stab at the chest, and it disintegrates. Hazel kicks the remaining pieces of its armor while the rest of the Arimpasi step back in fright One of them howl and rushes back into the woods. The others follow it.

Hazel grins at Leo. Her face hardens as she turns her face to Chariclo.

Chariclo sighs "Ok, you have my gratitude. I'll do whatever you want."

"I thought so. Well, we need your centaurs to fight against Gaia. We need armoury, weapons, Greek fire, transportation and food and water." "That's it?" Chariclo asks, sarcastically

"Yeah, tha-" Hazel's words are cut by a huge explosion. Leo squints his eyes. He sees a big fire and smoke billowing out from somewhere further from the forests. The whole place smells of barbequed flesh.

"That looks bad. We should take a look."