Sorry I updated a couple hours later than usual...

Here's chapter five. There will be a reader's question at the end of this chap though, so read through :)

Piper

Piper hated feeling helpless. And yet, here she was, forced to just stand there and do nothing, and just watch as her friends tore her apart. She wasn't stupid; she'd noticed how Leo was faking his cheerfulness earlier, at breakfast. Piper didn't want to confront him just yet; she'd give him some time to cool down, and maybe own up to his mask of joking and laughter by himself. But to be honest, that wasn't really Piper's top priority. Getting out of the clutches of the fury spirit, Lyssa, was.

But right now, right here, Nico was looking like he'd been slapped. His dark eyes were wide open and his mouth kept opening and closing, like a fish's. Piper would've found that funny on the normally reserved son of Hades, but the situation was too serious. Hazel, surrounded by the Furores, had whispered something to Nico, who immediately got a kicked-puppy look on his face. Piper didn't think Nico would appreciate him being compared to that, but it was true. Right at the moment, Piper didn't see the tough-guy-son-of-Hades Nico. She just saw a hurt fourteen-year-old. What did Hazel say?

Piper was restrained against the wall facing Hazel, so she could only lip-read brief snatches of phrases. But it was enough to make Piper feel chilled inside. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if, say, Jason or Aphrodite said the same kinds of things to her as Hazel was saying to Nico. You're a shame… no one likes you… creepy death kid… danger… Solace only tolerates you because Chiron asked him to… Piper gave a silent gasp of indignation. How dare Lyssa make Nico go through that? Nico survived Tartarus by himself, went through two wars and a truckload of emotional pain, just to be taunted by an insane (literally) goddess that Piper had never even heard of before she kidnapped them?! Piper's blood boiled. Lots of things in the demigod world—heck, same with the mortal world, for that matter—weren't fair. Piper was living proof of that. But to put them through this physical and emotional torture, not for the greater good, but because a vengeful goddess decided she wanted revenge? That was just sadistic, to borrow Jason's phrase. Piper felt like a whirlwind of fury was rising inside her, getting higher and higher… until poof! It disappeared as quickly as a popped balloon as she gaped at Nico.

It looked like Nico had had enough. The kicked-puppy look was gone, replaced by a very angry, very determined demigod, child of a very powerful god… He shot out his palms and a massive wave of inky darkness circled Hazel until only the cloud of darkness could be seen. Nico's eyes—cold, calm, calculating—terrified Piper. She imagined that this was what Percy had looked like when choking Akhlys, that goddess in Tartarus, on her own poison. Now she understood why Annabeth had been so frightened. Just then, Nico muttered something under his breath in ancient Greek, and suddenly… the dark wave retreated, though now Piper caught glimpses of white in between the tendrils of black. Hazel stood in the same spot, same pose, same expression… or was it? Suddenly, Piper realized: the Furores were gone! Somehow, Nico had managed to trap the spirits in the cloud of darkness, effectively subduing them. With a wave of his sword, Nico removed the Furores.

Utterly transfixed, Piper watched as Hazel's expression changed from cruelty to confusion, and then horror as she realized what she'd done.

"Nico! Oh gods! Schist!" Hazel ran to Nico and tried to hug him. But Nico, with a look of pure fear on his face, stepped back involuntarily. Piper could only watch sadly as Hazel slumped to the group and tears trickled down her face, while Nico blearily tried not to sink down to the ground and stay awake. The effort to dispel the spirits had obviously taken its toll on him. Piper wondered if the store of ambrosia onboard the Argo II was still in the ward.

"Idiotic Hades demigod!" growled Lyssa. "Those Furores will take WEEKS to reconstruct! I do have others—" (The demigods all sighed) "But… ugh!"

"Sorry to ruin your plans, Rabies Lady," Leo said sarcastically. Lyssa had let the restrained demigods off the wall and enabled them to talk once it was clear Hazel and Nico wouldn't be doing any more "dueling".

"Aargh! Don't call me that!" screeched Lyssa.

"Why shouldn't he?" Jason's eyes flashed. "You probably just traumatized four of us in the space of two days!" Piper nodded angrily, for once, too upset to talk. (She was also afraid that if she spoke, she would break down.) Percy wasn't though. He had no problem with voicing his opinions.

"What do you WANT from us? Revenge?" Piper could almost imagine Lyssa nodding.

"Yes, you worthless sea spawn," Lyssa started, but Annabeth interjected.

"Don't talk to us that way!" Annabeth glared at nothing in particular, as Lyssa still wasn't showing herself.

"I hate you," Frank cut in quietly, from Hazel's side, where he was stroking her hair softly. "I. Hate. You. I HATE YOU!" he screamed very uncharacteristically, jumping up. For the first time, Piper truly saw how Frank could be a terrifying son of Mars in that one moment. "HOW DARE YOU PUT HAZEL THROUGH THIS?!" Before Lyssa could respond, Jason jumped in. (Thin wisps of smoke clung to his clothing.)

"And Nico—Nico's been pulled out of time, fought wars, been in freaking Tartarus, and forced to admit his sexuality by some god in order to help a quest—a quest he wasn't even originally part of—succeed! He doesn't deserve this!" Jason's hair was crackling with electricity.

Lyssa did not sound happy, even by goddess standards. (Cases in point: Hera, Athena…) "FRANK ZHANG, JASON GRACE! YOU TWO HAVE JUST VOLUNTEERED YOURSELVES FOR THE NEXT DUEL, ABOUT RIGHT NOW!" Piper reached desperately for Jason, but an invisible force—Lyssa—zoomed her away and anchored her to the wall. Again. Piper was really getting to hate walls. But before Lyssa could seal their mouths shut as well, Hazel looked at Frank and screamed desperately,

"Frank! Turn into something! You might be able to resist the Fur—!" Hazel didn't finish the word before Lyssa's magic zapped her speech, but Frank had already heard enough. He instantly began transforming, his nose turning into a snout, black hair growing all over his body, a small tail forming. A black bear!

The Furores reached Frank-as-a-black-bear, but just like with Nico, couldn't seem to get past Frank's paws. Jason, on the other hand, was already encased in a shell of Furores and marching angrily at Frank with no hesitation whatsoever.

For a second, Piper (foolishly) allowed herself to believe that Hazel's plan for Frank had worked. But then Lyssa laughed, and Piper's heart sank.

"Ha—you naïve demigods! I am, as Mr. Valdez said, 'Rabies Lady'! I am the daughter of Ouranos and Nyx, the goddess of rage and fury, the essence of madness, but most importantly, the spirit of rabies! Rabies!"

Frank realized his mistake and began trying to change back into human form, but Jason sent a strike of lightning Frank's way. The smell of singed fur filled the air, and Frank lost his concentration. From the corner of her eye, Piper saw Hazel squeezing her eyes shut, as if the sight was too much to bear. Piper had to keep watching, though. She had to make sure Jason—and Frank—would be okay.

"It's almost like the all-powerful son of Jupiter was influenced by me!" chuckled Lyssa. Piper wanted to sucker punch Lyssa, but she was stuck to the wall. Meanwhile, Frank tried unsuccessfully to change back to human form, and Lyssa laughed again. That laugh was now on the list of Top Ten Things Piper Hated Most, right up there with Gaea, annoying goddesses, and merciless monsters. "Say hello to rabies, Frank Zhang, so-called praetor of New Rome!" trilled Lyssa. Gods, I hate her! thought Piper. Judging by the looks on the others' faces, they felt the same.

Instantly, a swirling storm of grayish Furores (they were larger and seemed more… wild than the white Furores) overtook Frank in his bear form. And this time, they didn't stop. Frank growled. A mad glint in his eyes, together with a foaming mouth and constant head shaking were proof of Lyssa's intensely horrific powers.

Even when possessed, Jason knew enough to run away from the mad bear that was once Frank Zhang. But as Frank the bear advanced, trapping Jason in a corner of the room, Jason had no choice but to repeatedly shoot lightning at Frank, but to no noticeable effect. Piper felt tears tracing lines down her cheeks, and a quick glance showed that Hazel, Annabeth, hell, even Percy was crying, too. Leo wasn't crying, but he was watching with a tight mouth. Without his usually cheerful expression, he actually looked menacing. And Nico… Nico was shooting a concerned glance at Hazel.

Suddenly, a powerful blast from Jason sent Frank flying across the room, dazed. The white Furores left Jason, and the gray Furores left Frank (Piper let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding) and dissolved into the air. But enough damage had already been done in the space of a few short minutes. Piper wondered if she would ever be the same again. Probably not, she decided.

I'm sorry, but Lyssa was the spirit of rabies. What did you expect?

READER'S QUESTION: Who do you want to send into a coma? (Yes, I am asking this. Seriously.)

Please vote only once (through reviews or PM)

CHOICES:

-Frank

-Nico

-Leo

I might update in 2-4 days for the next chapter, but then again I've been saying that for the last, what, three chapters? And I ended up updating earlier :) But I'm serious this time... or am I? Muwahaha...