Frank was surprised about how easily they had found her. Nico was still standing in the doorway, eyeing the girl, Hazel. Hazel began to stand up in pure amazement, only to be pulled down. Frank glanced down. On her chocolate colored ankle was a large manacle with a chain that was attached to the ground, keeping her trapped. Annabeth and Percy came into the room, shaking off the fact that Hazel was in fact, there, and was being held prisoner. Nico surged forward, his hands inspecting the manacles.

"Nico?" Hazel whispered, her voice hoarse. "You..." Her eyes found the rest of the group. "Who are they?"

Percy put his hands out, showing he had no weapons in hand. "We won't hurt you. In fact, we came to save you." Frank tuned out of the conversation when his eyes came across a large wooden door on the right side of the room, shoved in the back, as if it were an afterthought when they were building the castle. Like the door they just came through, this door was also covered in magic runes.

Nico sighed, and unsheathed his sword, bringing it down on the chains. They shattered, a manacle still wrapped around her foot, but no longer connected to the ground. Hazel gathered Nico in a hug, to which he gladly returned. Frank was flabbergasted. He couldn't imagine Nico touching anyone, much less hugging them. He seemed too closed off, too distant. But, Frank thought, he hadn't seen his half-sister in ages. They broke apart.

"We'll have to get the rest of the chain off later," Nico told her. "I don't know if a spell was cast on them or not."

Hazel stepped towards the corner door, her legs wobbly. "We have to save him." Frank looked at the door, confused. Nico grabbed her shoulder.

"Who?" Nico huffed. "Hazel, we have to go. If we don't leave soon, Thorn will wake up and then we won't have a chance to get out."

Hazel blinked. "Thorn? The torturer? But he has blood magic. How did you get past him?"

Percy smiled. "You have to thank your brother for that one." Hazel nodded, then glanced back at the door.

"We have to free him," Hazel muttered.

"Who?" Frank finally spoke up.

"I don't know. He showed up seven years ago," Hazel told them. "I don't even know his name. But he took the blame for something I did a week ago- I haven't seen him since." Her voice cracked. "I didn't even know his name," she repeated.

Percy sighed. "We should find this guy. He might complete the 'magic number' thing?" He looked at Hazel. "Then, we'll get you out of here."

"Oh, you will be doing nothing of the sort." Hazel gasped, eyes full of fear, and looked past the group. They turned. An imposing man stood tall, a pointed grey beard on his chin, will cold, analyzing eyes. "Hello, druids. I don't want you touching my pets."

The group stood staring at King Minos himself, while Hazel was still too fearful to move. Minos stepped closer, grabbing Hazel's arm, and shoving her down. Nico growled, and lunged at him. The king toppled over, but was smiling the whole way down.

"Guards!" Minos cried. Frank saw Jason's jaw tighten. Percy pulled Hazel up, giving her to Piper.

"Get her out of here. We'll meet you at Rachel's." Piper nodded, and begun taking Hazel out of the room, only to be bombarded by several guards. They all grabbed for their weapons, pointing them at the eight. Frank, understanding the dire situation, tried to shapeshift. With a grunt, he remembered the runes.

Minos laughed. "You can't use your magic now, druids. Those runes will make sure that you are as powerful as normal humans."

Nico's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing, Minos?" His tone was dangerous, and Frank had to stop a shudder.

"Why, only adding to my workforce. But, some of you..." he paused. He pointed at Hazel, Frank, Nico, Percy, and Piper. "Guards! Put those five in the dungeons!"

"Yuck," Percy muttered. The cell was a decent size, if it weren't for the smell of excrement and mold. Dirt covered the floor, with a large bench pushed on one side of the room. Runes covered about every inch of the room, so Frank didn't see them getting out too soon. Piper, who decided to sit on the bench with Hazel, was trying to charmspeak the guards, but it seemed ineffective, and she quickly gave up.

"What do you think the others are doing?" Frank asked, not directed to anyone in particular. He had wondered if their friends had come up with an elaborate plan or were just going to wing it. With Annabeth though, Frank guessed it was most likely the former.

Surprisingly, Frank got his answer. "Minos probably has them working already," Hazel said. Her gold eyes twinkled even in the dire situation, and Frank realized that she was probably glad to get out of that room, or even have a new face to talk to.

Nico looked up at Hazel. "What did Minos have you doing?"

Hazel avoided her brothers eyes. "I don't know how long it's been, but when Minos found out about my magic, he used me to get his kingdom out of debt. The manacles allowed me to use my powers without escaping."

Nico's eyes burned, as did Percy's, but to Frank's surprise, Percy was the one who answered. "You mean they kept you locked in that room," he said, desperately trying to keep his voice calm for the young girl. "To make Mirar wealthy?!"

Piper looked at Hazel, her eyes searching for any sign of fear from Percy's tone. When she found none, she glanced at the group. "We need to get out of here."

That was something they all agreed on, no charmspeak needed. They sat in silence. "Hazel," Frank said, a plan formulating in his mind. "Your magic. What is it?"

Hazel blinked. "Uh- Mostly gem magic. But I'm an earth elementist, too."

Frank nodded. "And if you can use your powers with the manacles on-"

"-and since they didn't take the manacles off," Percy said, catching on to the plan. "We can get out of here!" He slapped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry," he whispered.

Nico shook his head. "No wonder Annabeth calls you Seaweed Brain." He looked at the group. "Hazel, do you think you can? I'll help." Hazel bit her lip, then nodded.

"Yeah." She closed her eyes, as did Nico's, and at first nothing happened. Suddenly, their eyes flew open, Hazel's gold eyes more vibrant than ever, and Nico's onyx ones like coal. The earth shook.

"Alright," Nico said. "That's good. Now focus on the door." Hazel's brow knitted, and the ground shook again, but this time harder, and more focused on the door's overall radius. By now, Frank was standing with his arms spread, trying to balance himself. If Hazel could do this level of earth magic when she just got out of captivity, then Frank would love to see what she could do when she was fully rested and nourished. The door shattered.

"Quickly!" Yelled Piper. They were on their way.

Frank was surprised about how easily they found the others. Down the hall, hidden away in the same room that Hazel was in, was Reyna, Annabeth, and Jason.

"Percy!" Annabeth said. Her eyes widened. "Close the door!" Nico, quick to Annabeth's word, shut the door without a second thought. Frank glanced through a small hole in the stone. Minos, and a few knights, were standing in front of the door. Frank quickly grabbed a crate full of priceless metals, pushing it in front of the door. Jason, getting the hint, helped. Soon, all of the boxes were blocking the door. Piper glanced at the door in the corner.

"Let's go," she said.

Reyna stepped close to the door, squinting. "Annabeth, do you know what these runes mean?" Annabeth came up next to her, examining the door.

Annabeth blinked. "Wow. These- these are strong. These look like runes that block magic, but allow you use it."

"Okay, so we're good," Percy said. "We can use our powers in there." Annabeth nodded. She placed her hand on the doorknob, twisting it. The door swung open.

It was a lot bigger than Frank anticipated. A large underground bunker stood before them, at least 40 feet tall, with a large covered mass in the middle of the room. Tools were scattered around everywhere, grease and oil making some areas of the floor slick. A pile of old, tattered blankets were in one corner, but they looked as if they hadn't been slept on in a while.

"What's that?" Piper asked, pointing to the covered object. Annabeth shook her head, at a loss for words. Percy walked forward and grabbed the sheet, pulling down, hard.

They gasped. A large warship, two-hundred feet long, with long oars lining each side, now was seen in the room. A tall mast stood high, doubling the size of the ship. The trireme's most noticeable feature, however, was the lack of a masthead. It must of been forever, gaping at the large ship.

"Come on," Nico said, even though he was still amazed with the trireme.

"Who are you?" Frank jumped. He turned around. Coming from behind the ship, a short, scrawny boy stared at them. His skin was tan, his nimble fingers playing with a few springs. His brown eyes sparkled and his mouth was shaped in a mischievous smile. Frank could've sworn he saw Piper stiffen out of the corner of his eyes. He was wearing a dirty, grease covered tunic, a tool belt strapped around his waist. He laughed. "Come on, no one's gonna talk?"

Hazel ran forward, hugging the boy. "You're okay!" She pulled back. "Why did you say that it was your fault-"

"Oh, you know," He told her. "Have to be a gentleman." He faced the rest of the group. Frank saw his hesitation to speak when he saw Piper, but spoke anyways. He stuck his hand out. "Leo Valdez, humble blacksmith."

Reyna shook his hand. She glanced at the trireme. "This ship... Who built it?"

He grinned, proud. "I did. Took me awhile, but Minos wanted it built." Frank noticed how his eyes dimmed a bit when saying Minos' name, but his usual twinkle was back in a split second- so fast, Frank thought he'd imagined it.

Hazel smiled. "Leo! We can leave! These people, they saved me. They took down Thorn, too. We can be free!" Leo glanced at Piper, who had been silent this whole time.

"Hazel-"

"Don't worry," she said, excitement in her voice. "They have magic. We don't have to worry anymore!"

Leo hesitated, but nodded and grinned. "Well, how can I say no to that?"

Reyna stepped forward. "Leo, we have reason to believe you are part of a prophecy. Come, sit."

Later, the nine sat in a circle, Reyna telling Leo and Hazel of the prophecy. "I'll help in anyway I can," Hazel said, determined.

Leo stood up and faced his ship. "You know, I have this giant warship now, and nothing to do with it. And since Minos doesn't have Hazel anymore, it'll probably gather dust in this old bunker." He turned back and grinned, a maniacal glint in his eyes. "Need transportation?"

Jason smiled. "Of course." He pushed himself up. "Reyna? Let's get ready to head out."

Frank was impressed. The ship, or the Argo ll, as Leo called it, was beautiful. The deck was barren, except a control panel, to the likes of which Frank had never seen before. The next level down were all the cabins and rooms, along with a large dining area. The final level was mostly empty space, except a medical room and a large room at the end of the space, which Leo said was the engine room. Frank didn't know what an engine was, and by the looks on the others faces, they didn't either.

"We should tell Rachel, before we go," Annabeth said, after they made it back on deck. They nodded.

"Not so fast, druids." A voice rumbled through the room. "You won't make it off the ground."

Reyna's eyes widened. "The sorceress!" The nine's eyes were darting around, trying to find the source of the voice.

Nico's eyes screwed shut. He let out a yelp. "Nico!" Hazel yelled. She ran over to the necromancer.

"Why try to oppose me?" Leo looked worried, scared. Frank thought that after being down here so long, he probably hadn't had action like this in a long time. The sorceress cackled. "You fight a losing battle."

Leo ran to the controls, his hands flying so fast, Frank could barely see them. "Leo!" Percy yelled. "Hurry up!" Leo shook his head, trying to go even faster, if that was possible. "Come on, come on," he muttered. Reyna ran to the side of the boat, accompanied by Jason, quickly looking for the sorceress overboard. Nico was panting, now on the floor of the deck.

The ship rumbled. Frank was about to yell to Leo that the sorceress was about to destroy the ship, but when he looked over he was smirking. Frank was confused. What was he doing? The ship stopped rumbling. Reyna and Jason, still at the edge, stepped back in surprise. Frank looked overboard. The were rising. Frank blinked.

Leo walked down to the middle of the deck. "And that, ladies and gentleman, is how we do things in Leo-world." He gave a winning smile.

Jason shook his head. "That- that was amazing, Leo."

Annabeth was muttering something unintelligible, but Frank assumed it was something about physics and gravity. "How did you do that? How are we flying?"

Leo tsk'ed. "If you must know, a lot of complicated machinery. Minos wanted to make fast getaways, and something flashy. This is what I came up with."

Nico was in a more relaxed state now, but unconscious. Percy walked over to the siblings. "What happened?"

Hazel shrugged. "My best guess is the sorceress's power. He has more control over the earth than most people, and with her magic, I guess it was overriding his systems."

Piper came over to him. She reached in his pockets and came out with the healing vial. She handed it to Annabeth. "Here. I don't know to much about that stuff, so I don't know how much to give him." Annabeth nodded, crouching to reach Nico.

Jason walked over. "Meeting in the mess hall. One hour."

This chapter has been edited for your reading entertainment. (:

I don't want to have too many 'story introduction' chapters, since this story will be huge. So, apologies if this chapter was a bit of a mess. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Also, I wasn't too sure for the POV for this chapter since I'm not too comfortable writing from Frank's pov, but if you think it needs improving or you liked the pov, I'd like to know!

A quick thank you to stars-sailor, seriously. I honestly didn't know when I could get another chapter out, since finals are coming up and all, and just life in general, but your review made my day. So, thank you!

And, no, I asked. I (sadly) don't own PJO or HoO. Oh, well. I'll try to persuade them better next time.