Welcome to Greek meets Roman! I will try to revise and edit as much as possible. Disclaimer: The characters and places you know belong to Rick Riordan, everything else is mine.

A reminder: THEP is Texas Hold-Em Poker and DH is Hazel's actual dying body.

Thanks for all the followers, favorites, and reviews!

Previously - Hazel POV

The fourth player kept staring at me, even as I was getting up from the table. I ignored her, thinking that it was a dementia thing that was affecting her.

However, my ignorance would prove to be near disastrous in the near future.

In the very near future.

Hazel POV
Reno, Nevada

Now, I could finally get the cure now that I won! I waited for Trivia to arrive after I left the THEP table, but she didn't come. Fortunately, the quest members and Nico were all in the same place checked on the quest.

I got impatient and yelled, "Trivia, where are you!?"

Mortals gave me disgusted looks, but I didn't care. I had to get Trivia's attention. Gods were known to have short attention spans, and I didn't want Trivia to forget about my situation and my cure. I was not going to die.

Trivia suddenly appeared in a shower of purple dust. The goddess put her hand on my shoulder and exclaimed, "That was impressive, Hazel Levesque. Your second manipulation of the Mist during that game; no mortal noticed you. I bet my own children would be jealous."

I blushed at the compliment. (Hey, not every day a goddess compliments you!) "But never yell at or for me." Trivia bent down, pushing my chin up with her index finger. "I will come at my own time, you understand?"

"Fine. How will I get the cure?"

Trivia glared at me. "In a hurry, aren't you? Give me some respect. I'm about to save your life."

"Because one of your creatures poisoned me!"

The goddess' eyebrows shot up in anger. She snapped her fingers, dragging me to where the other demigods and DH were. I kept gravitating towards my corporeal form, the one barely alive due to Trivia's intervention. What was she doing? Was she returning me to my body? No!

"Hazel Levesque, you will treat me with respect as you do with any other god, or I will return your soul to your body and let you rot and die. You are lucky I am not killing you directly for your insolence. I am saving your life. Remember it."

I bowed to her, my head as low as my knees. "I am sorry, Lady Trivia. Where will I procure the cure?" There was no sarcasm or hidden comments.

Trivia pointed to the money-to-chips exchange shop. "Go there and exchange all the chips for money," she ordered, pointing to the concession stand next. "Buy from there 'The Vampire Cure'. Once they ask you what that means, say 'Poisoned in 10'. They'll will give it to you. You got it?"

I nodded. "But aren't they mortals? Why would they give me the cure if I only say those words?"

Trivia sighed and sat down on a bench. "I should explain. I am friends with Fortuna, goddess of luck, so any casinos are her domains. We were good friends, so she gifted me with any casino after I returned from my banishment. I chose this one, partly because I wanted to be far away from the Gods. Anyways, the mortals in my service will know what you want."

"Lynn's story actually happened?" I asked. I thought it was some sort of sob story to explain why she left Trivia's side. "That's who I called the leader of the empousa," I clarified.

"Oh! Sapphire! Sapphire," Trivia grumbled. "She was a terrible empousa. Always switching sides, from Zeus to Kronos to our current enemy. By the power of Trivia, may Sapphire the empousa never step on Earth again!"

The ground rumbled violently from her curse, but the mortals didn't seem to feel it. I made the mistake of not sitting down, making me sway a bit.

I sat down on the same bench and asked, "What did you do?"

She sighed. "I banished her to stay forever in the pits of Tartarus. If an empousa crosses me, I wave it off. They are lesser creatures, and too many of them leave my side. But siding against the enemy at this time!? Unacceptable! Especially during a great prophecy."

"But why at this time? What makes the enemy so bad?" I hoped Trivia's state would get her to divulge information about the enemy other than it was a her.

"After my exile, Zeus and Olympus never saw me the same way. I was the source of jokes for decades! They pushed me to the Underworld and the other minor gods: my 'kin.'" Trivia made air quotes. It was clear she considered herself as equal, not minor, to the Olympians.

"I defected to the Titans last year, so Zeus demanded high prices for 'compensation' when I came back. The minor gods, including me, were laughingstocks! If anybody got a hold that any group of empousa joined the enemy, I could be expelled out of the gates of Olympus."

"But you don't have any control over them? How could they hold you accountable?" I asked.

Trivia frowned. "That doesn't matter. I once controlled them, so I am the deity who they answer to. The Olympians will blame me."

That was terrible logic, but Olympus was terrible. "Who's the enemy?"

Thunder rumbled above before Trivia opened her mouth. The sky wasn't even covered with clouds!

Trivia sighed. "It seems even Zeus can sense us here. He has told us to never say the enemy's name, even though he doesn't know them! Let me make the wards stronger." She waved her hand, and a white circle surrounded us like a soundproof bubble.

Such clever phrasing. "Zeus doesn't know, but do you know who the enemy is? Or not?"

Trivia put a hand on her chest and laughed. "I like you, Hazel Levesque. I invaded Sapphire's mind just before she exploded."

I blinked, instinctively distancing myself. "You can invade minds?"

Trivia waved me closer. "Don't be scared. Invading minds is like reading minds, except we don't care to be careful about the recipient. And invading minds is the only way to access memories."

"Did you ever invade my mind?"

Trivia shook her head. "Oh sweetie! I will never invade your mind as long as you stay to your path. And you haven't suffered the pain of an invaded person!"

"Wait," I interrupted. "If invading minds hurts a lot, how come Sapphire wasn't hurt?"

Trivia glared at the ground. "I did invade her mind, but her conscience was guarded by someone." Oh no. The enemy cared enough to protect the mind of an empousa?

"You are thinking correctly. Sapphire's mind was protected by the enemy." Ugh. Gods need to know about privacy.

"Do you know who the enemy is?" I asked.

Trivia started explaining. "Well, I tried to purge the enemy's presence from her mind, but their power was too strong. The enemy isn't a minor deity, and their power signature was unknown to me."

"So it isn't an Olympian. Is it a Titan?"

"No. I know the signatures of most of them, and I am sure they will stay hidden after Kronos' defeat."

At this point, I was running out of deities who wanted to destroy the Olympians. The only ones left were a primordials! "Who is it then?"

Even Trivia looked troubled. "She is some powerful deity, a very ancient one. A primordial, most probably. I don't know the exact one, but I have my suspicions. We may have lost the war before it even began if my suspicions are correct. Just remember that they're a female primordial."

The end of this part of the conversation. Back to the thing that actually concerned my life. "Got it. Now that I have the chips, what happens? Do you have the cure?"

Trivia stared at me. "You do remember what I said to you at the start? Do you?"

What was she talking about? The past hour was a whirlwind for me.

"You forgot. Listen carefully." Trivia pointed to the money-to-chips stand. "Exchange all your chips for money over there." She pointed to the concession store. "Go there and ask for 'The Vampire Cure'. Once they ask you what that means, say 'Poisoned in 10'. They'll give it to you."

"Got it?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Make sure you look of age. We don't want you getting escorted out before you get the cure. The Mist only works when you concentrate to maintain it."

"Oh." I looked down, and I did look my normal age instead of 21. When I looked up, Trivia and her shield had disappeared. Again!? She was a weird deity.

I adjusted my age, went to the money-to-chips stand, and exchanged the chips for money.

I walked to the concession stand. I asked a server, "Uh, can I have the Vampire Cure?"

"What's that?"

Did he know what I was talking about? I could just go back and ask Trivia for the cure directly. "I got poisoned in 10. Terrible injury in my arm. Can I have the cure now?"

The server tapped some patterns onto the counter while asking, "Are you sure you need it? "

Oh my gods. I needed the cure! It was a matter of life or death, not anything the mortal should have been involved in. "Of course it is! I need it now! And who are you to question me?!"

The server raised an eyebrow and gripped a glass threateningly. Before anything else could happen, a middle-aged black woman came out of the backdoor. Finally, some authority to talk to. After whispering to the server, she introduced herself. "Hi, my name is Fayola. I am the manager. What do you need?"

"The Vampire Cure, whatever it's called. An empousa poisoned me."

"Ah that. We have just the thing for you. You will survive past 10 minutes." That was some weird wording, but I agreed anyway.

A new customer arrived, clearly not wanting a Vampire Cure. The server sighed in relief. "Let me deal with him. You can deal with the bitch."

Did he just say what I think he said? That was so disrespectful! (AN: I think I made Hazel a Karen!) I summoned a few coins to hit him in the knees, making the server trip. He glared at me, but left me alone with the manager.

Fayola raised her eyebrows. "Oh, a daughter of Pluto? Haven't seen those in a while! This is exciting. Come to the back!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the back of the store before I could respond.

Fayola opened the door.

Whoa! It was a full blown arcade room, probably the size of a basketball court. And it was filled to the brim with games and prizes and counters and colors! It was astonishing. How did this room fit in a casino? There must have been some magic involved.

It had no traces of it being a back room of a concession store, or that it was behind a casino. There were disco balls on the ceiling and flashing lights were everywhere, on the cabinets, the ceiling, the games, even the ground! A perfect place for birthday parties. Mine was in half a year. But why were there only four people playing?

I admit it was a bit childish, but I ran to the first game I saw, forgetting about a quest. In my defense, you don't really have fun in Camp Jupiter. There was a yellow ball with a mouth, and it was supposed to swallow small white balls while escaping colored ghosts. All in a maze! I played around with the red controller and lost pretty early. It was electrifying! The game was called Pac-Man.

I didn't want to spend my time on only one game, so I went to the next one. There was a three-armed claw on the top and stuffed animals on the bottom. Octavian would love this! Too bad he won't get one from me. I tried moving the red controller, but the claw didn't move or climb down. Did it malfunction?

I looked under and saw 25 cents were required to play it. I took a quarter out and put it in the slot. A timer counted down from 15 seconds. I moved the red stick to where a panda was. I was practically kissing the counter to see what was going to happen! The claw dropped down, but grabbed an owl instead of the panda and dropped it in a bin.

It's still a stuffed animal! I grabbed the owl and hugged it tightly. The smell was heaven, and it was very fluffy.

I heard a chuckle behind me. Fayola smiled and chuckled, beckoning me to the only other door in the room. I don't know why I followed her willingly, but it just felt right. Trust your gut, right?

"Did you really miss arcade games that much?" Fayola asked.

I was about to say arcade games didn't exist in the 40s, but I didn't want to reveal my secret. How would she react? Would she give me the cure? "Um, actually, I've never played arcade games before."

Fayola stopped abruptly. "You've never played Pac-Man? Or any other game?" I shook my head. "How?"

"Can we talk about it in private?"

"Sure." Fayola opened the door to what looked like a normal office.

"I was born in the 1940s. They didn't have all these games back then. And in the short time I've been here I haven't played arcade games," I explained.

"So, you're immortal? You don't have an aura of a goddess, but how? You aren't a daughter of Juventas, the goddess of youth?"

I grimaced, but told her my secret. She felt trustworthy. "My name's Hazel and I'm from New Orleans. I died in 1943 to stop an immortal being. My half-brother got me out of the Underworld a year ago. I've been stuck in Camp Jupiter since, so these arcade games looked so exciting."

"But that's against the ancient laws! Hades would never-" Fayola sighed. "Oh. A spawn of Pluto freed you, that's why. If you were anybody else, you and your brother would be killed and put into the fields of Punishment. Consider yourself lucky."

I backed away, a bit scared of her. Fayola sat down on a chair, gesturing for me to sit down on the opposite one. I sat down slowly.

"Sorry for scaring you," Fayola apologized. "It's just that my sister and her daughter died in Alaska much before their time. We were close, and I wish my sister could have died as an old woman. And it's once in a millennia a dead was brought back to the living from Pluto without getting caught. I'm just jealous that you got to live again, but my sister and her daughter couldn't."

"I get it." I only got to live again because Nico and I were children of Pluto. Fayola started sniffling a bit, almost crying. I wanted to hug her, but we weren't close and it seemed a bit weird.

Fayola sat up and wiped her tears. "Well, since you told me your story, it's only fair I tell mine. My name is Fayola Dufour. I lived in New Orleans as well and raised my niece when my sister worked. After they died, I felt lost. I wandered West and West until I reached the Peppermill Casino."

It was nice knowing a fellow NOLA resident. I hadn't met one since I came back from the dead. "I first worked as a dealer, a mortal job. I applied to this place. Fortuna was the interviewer! She found out I was one of her lost children."

"Lost children? What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, but I swore an oath to keep it a secret, and I will. Only Fortuna will tell you. Anyways, I got the job, and worked here till I was in my 60s."

How did she look 40 if she worked here till her 60s? Is there an anti-aging cream? Was she blessed by Juventas? "When I was the most experienced worker, I was appointed to serve as the guardian of the Casino."

"Casinos have a guardian? That would be expensive. Also, are you immortal?"

Fayola smiled at me wistfully. "Sometimes I wish I had your curiosity. The youth has to fight and go on quests. I am just happy to stay here, guarding the Peppermill Casino.

An ancient law dictates that sacred places shared between multiple deities must have a guardian. This place is sacred for Fortuna and Trivia. The previous guardian saw my potential, so they decided to retire and live as a mortal. Apparently. I think he was just tired of staying in one place.

Trivia and Fortuna interviewed me again and found I was fit for the job as guardian. I became younger, and they turned me partially immortal. Now, I protect the casino and its magic. Quid pro quo."

The daughter of Fortuna crossed her arms. "I know you and 4 other demigods are in this building for some reason. Trivia told me that I should let you find me, but that isn't enough. Care to explain?"

"We are on a quest to join forces the Greeks for a great prophecy," I explained. Did she know the Greeks?

"Ugh! Those wild brats!" Fayola groaned. "The Greeks, they always take everything for granted and preen like they're the center of attention!"

"You know the Greeks?"

"This city is a hotspot for demigods. I don't know why. The last time I saw a Greek was in February. And you are here for the same thing as them. The cure for the empousa's poison."

Fayola stood up. Was she going to kick me out? "Wait, wait. Just give me the cure and I'll be out of here. I promise."

Fayola chortled and patted my head. "Slow down, girl! I can give you the cure. But, everything has a price. You know the drill. How much money do you have?"

I sighed and grabbed money out of my bag. "How much do you need?"

Fayola's eyes widened, and grabbed the money off my hand. She brought the cash to her nose and sniffed it! Did she think it was counterfeit?

Fayola grimaced and scratched her head. "My apologies. Children of Fortuna are more addicted to money than others. Really weird."

She gave me back my money. "How much money do you need?" I asked.

Fayola's gaze was at my hand holding the money. I hid it away, not wanting her to steal it or know how much I have. I was not going to be scammed!

"I will need 305 dollars!" she demanded, holding her hand out.

My eyes bulged. Was she kidding? I only had 330 dollars from gambling! That would mean I only had $25 left! "No! That's too expensive. I won't pay you that much. How about 250?"

Fayola's eyes twinkled. "The price is 305 dollars, Hazel. It won't decrease."

"How about 275?"

"It's still 305. Be happy I'm leaving you with 25 dollars to spare."

"Wha-? How did you know?"

"I am the daughter of fortune. I could tell you who in the casino is gambling their salary and life away and who stole their parent's credit card to gamble. I could even make a lucky person win the jackpot."

"Cool. So, how about 290?"

"I'll be nice. Give me 300 or leave it. And you can still win games in the casino. I know how you won that money, daughter of Pluto."

"Deal." I counted and took out 200 dollars. I held the money back from Fayola. "But only after you give me the cure."

"Fine." She groaned. She opened the door to the casino, and I followed her outside. I would miss the arcade room. We passed the unwelcoming server and arrived at the soda fridge. Fayola opened the door and grabbed a soda bottle, one I didn't recognize. The label said Venenum, poison in Latin.

Fayola crossed her arms. "Well, give me the money!"

I vehemently objected. "Of course not! That's poison! It's going to kill me!"

Fayola rolled her eyes. "It won't kill you. I promise."

"How do you know? How about you try it first, if it's so safe?"

"I can't try it! It will burn anyone that doesn't have the poison coursing through their veins. Give me the money."

Why would I trust her? A demigod I only met 15 minutes ago. For all I know, that bottle was just a coke with a new label.

But, she was my last choice. If I didn't trust her, I would die. And I trusted Trivia, and she told me to trust Fayola.

I hesitantly gave her 300 dollars, and took the bottle. Fayola squealed and said, "Thank you. This place takes a lot to maintain. Trivia and Fortuna protect this casino from monsters, but the prices are killing us. And I can't conjure up usable money."

"I have a proposition for you, Fayola. I'll conjure up your sister's and her daughter's soul for 10 minutes the Underworld if you give me back 50 dollars." That money was enough for two day's worth of food for all four of us.

Fayola's eyes lit up. "You would do that for me? Nobody would ever do that for me. Not even my own mother!"

I felt a bit guilty that I was basically stealing 50 dollars, but we would need the money. And Fayola was previously manipulative. I could always ask Trivia to help her later. I faked a smile and replied, "Of course I would."

Fayola squealed and hugged me, eliciting some stares from the server and other customers.

"So what do I need to do? Give you their names, or more?" Fayola asked.

I pointed to the counter. "First, you put the money on the counter. You tell me their names, I'll tell you where they are and summon their souls, and then I'll leave with the 50 dollars. Understood?"

"Yes! Here's the money!" Fayola grabbed the 50 dollars and dropped in on the counter. "And anytime you are traveling in the future, this is a safe place for your group. The least I could do."

I grabbed the cash and put it in my bag. Romans weren't the one to back out of promises, so I asked, "What are the names?"

"Marie Levesque. And Hazel Levesque. Do you know where they are?" I was so preoccupied that I didn't pay attention to the names at first.

There is a kind of book that keeps track of all the dead in the Underworld. It automatically updates every time a dead person comes, so I just accessed that. Marie Levesque was in Asphodel, and Hazel Levesque escaped the Underworld.

Marie Levesque. Hazel Levesque. My mom.

Fayola was my aunt.

This had to be false!

My eyes widened, and I took my bag and ran away. I could hear her calling my name, but I was too shocked. Fayola was my aunt! Tears escaped my face until I reached the group where Trivia was there already.

She seemed pleased at first, until she saw my angry face.

"Fayola was my aunt, and you never chose to tell me that? How could you?! She really cared about my mom! And you never told her!" I screamed, sobbing.

Trivia came over here, hugging me. She rubbed my back soothingly. My screams reduced to sobs, and finally to whimpers.

I finally looked up and asked, "Why?" Why didn't you tell us? Was this why you chose me?

"I chose you because we needed you on this quest, and also because you reminded me of Fayola. You both have the short fuse, the caring heart, and the determination. You would be a perfect choice. I thought you wouldn't offer her to find your mother, so your reaction caught me off guard. You shouldn't have known that she was your aunt though. Fate is fuzzy nowadays."

Trivia clapped, gesturing me to DH and the others, who were all at the same place. "I revealed myself to them, and they know you should come soon," she said. "Now, where is the cure?" I got the bottle out of my bag and placed it on a table.

Trivia's eyes widened, holding the bottle delicately. "I never knew Fayola had that much. I will ask her later. But for now, I'll tell you how to save yourself."

"I will release my hold on the poison, so this must be done quickly. You will have to make your dying form drink 1/3rd of the cure. This will expel the poison from your bloodstream. Then, pour 1/4th on the wound so it will close and any remnants will leave. Once you are healed, I will release your soul and you will be back in your body. Any questions?" Trivia asked.

I eyed the cure warily asking, "Are you sure the poison is safe? And I'll be fine afterwards?" Trivia held the bottle close and closed her eyes. She opened them and nodded.

"The cure is safe. You will feel lightheaded afterwards and might need to eat some ambrosia. Your left arm will not be usable till tomorrow, though," she assured me.

"Well, here goes nothing," I said, getting the bottle and heading towards DH.

I waited for Trivia to give the signal, and she just gave me a thumbs-up. I touched DH to steady her, but my hand passed through. I jumped up in surprise and exclaimed, "I still can't touch her!"

The goddess rolled her eyes. "It will work. Now do it quickly, I released my hold."

I eyed her warily, but continued my task. I doubted the plan, but this was the best option. DH's mouth was already open, so I poured the correct amount in her mouth. DH's body lost her green touch, and the arm looked better. My light green veins looked normal again.

With this successful attempt, I poured 1/4th on the wound itself. After some time, I saw the wound close slowly all the way till it became a new scar.

Everything worked!

I jumped up in the air hooting and cheering, before reminding myself I was in public.

I looked back at Trivia wanting to say goodbye. "Well, I guess this is goodbye, Lady Trivia. I hope to see you again."

She laughed and hugged me. "This is not goodbye. We shall see each other in your dreams, and I will guide you in your travels."

She stopped hugging me, and put her hands out. "I have one last thing for you. I will give you my blessing over the Mist, so it will be easier in your travels."

I looked up in shock exclaiming, "You would really do that? For me?"

Trivia genuinely smiled at me. "Of course I would. Now, get ready," she ordered.

I stood up straight. "I, Trivia, goddess of the Mist, give Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, my blessing over the Mist. I Benedicat eam!" She shouted.

Purple wisps of smoke came out of her hands and towards my body. At first, the blessing felt like I was going to get burnt, but after that I felt a surge of energy. After it finished, I blinked, and collapsed unceremoniously. That surge of energy did nothing.

Trivia helped me get up, explaining to me. "That's normal for any half-blood that receives a blessing. Anything else you want to ask me?" she asked.

"You'll tell Fayola the truth about me?" I asked.

Trivia smiled saying, "Sure. She does deserve it. Also deserves some questions about the amount in that bottle."

"Also," I added. "Fayola needs more money for the shop, too. Protection from monsters isn't enough."

"I will take it up with Fortuna. But, now I shall return your soul to your body. And don't forget to practice the Mist!"

She clicked her fingers, gravitating me to DH. I promised I would before I entered DH's body and became reunited.

We were reunited! YES!

I opened my eyes, feeling really lightheaded. My left arm felt really heavy, but that was expected.

Nico noticed my being awake, and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back, the smell of death calming me. He held my shoulders staring at me. "You're alive. Hazel, you're alive!"

I hugged each of them, even Octavian, and apologized for their worrying.

Now, the questions started. "How did you survive? The empousa's poison kills anyone within minutes." Reyna asked.

My stomach rumbled. I smiled sheepishly, standing up with Nico's help. "Can we eat? I didn't eat at all."

Jason smiled. "Yeah, we didn't eat either. I saw a pizza place nearby. Let's go there."

The pizza place was cozy. Fitting for the biggest small city. We ordered a pizza each because this was 3PM and the empousa fight used our energy. Carrying me for miles must have been tiring.

After I ate a slice of the pizza, I clasped my hands and leaned over the table.

"I'll tell you how I survived. It started after Lady Trivia summoned my soul in a dream…"

5 pizzas, hundreds of questions, and a little trick of the Mist later, we boarded a train.

Next destination: Salt Lake City.

Here is the eighth chapter of Greek meets Roman! No cliffhanger this time.

Summary: Trivia tells Hazel that the casino, sacred between her and Fortuna, has a guardian called Fayola. Hazel bargains with Fayola each other for the cure, but Hazel loses most of the money she got from gambling. Hazel is successfully cured and the demigods are going to Salt Lake City. Fayola is Hazel's aunt!

I apologize and take full credit for any mistakes in casino gaming or the Peppermill Casino. Trivia will appear in Hazel's dreams later on in the quest.The arcade wasn't that descriptive, but it wasn't a main plot point of the story. Fayola's name means Lucky in Yoruba.

Hazel did not have a childhood in the 21st century. She was stuck in Camp Jupiter since she got revived. She deserves a normal childhood, like arcades and games. Who doesn't? We all have that inner child in us. Hazel also deserves a birthday party at an arcade.

Does Trivia know who the enemy is? Will Hazel have any side effects from the empousa's poison? What dangers await the Romans at Salt Lake City? What will happen between Thalia and Nico in Cleveland? Will Annabeth awaken or remain comatose? How are the other Greeks handling the incapacitation of two demigods?

Okay, but does Trivia know who the enemy is? And do you guys want to know who are Tyche's lost children? The Greeks are revisited next chapter.

Have a great day and let's all Mystify!