Chapter 11 Intermission Hazel

I stood there in the viewing area watching children of Apollo wheeling in both Piper and my boyfriend Frank. Frank wasn't as knocked out as he should've been. He was moving around on the stretcher with his eyes closed. He was kicked to high heaven by Piper, so anybody else would be in a coma. I taught Piper everything I knew, and she was a tremendous fighter, but I didn't see this outcome. I couldn't believe that Frank had lost. As Piper was brought down to the infirmary, I saw her dirt-filled face marked with scratches and bruises. Despite all that, she still had the beauty of her mother, and a subtle grin was stuck permanently on her resting face. Even unconscious, she knew she won.

I was stuck on the couch watching them go into the infirmary, knowing that I wasn't allowed in. Annabeth, Thalia, Clarisse, Leo, and Calypso were all at my side, with Cassius floating next to me. Leo was messing with his new shield. His clothes were filled with oil stains and his face full of smears. It was a normal getup for him, but I couldn't help but notice the number of cuts he had accumulated from his training. Clarisse was right next to him and didn't have any new scars, but the number of old ones made Leo's skin look like a newborn. She really did a number on him.

She rested on the couch with us, but her height was still noticeable. Of course, she reminded me of Frank as they shared the same godly parent and were tough as nails. There were some differences though. Frank's facial expressions were gentle, while Clarisse looked like she had a permanent sneer. She seemed as if she was already tired of sitting on the couch watching other people's fights.

Calypso had the same expression; she wasn't even in the tournament and had to live vicariously through Leo. That thought alone made me sad knowing that I was the one who sent him to the loser's bracket.

Thalia was the only one who looked cheerful. Well, more cheerful than usual. She was the only one who thought it was funny that Jason was stuck in the doghouse. She sat next to Annabeth drinking nectar since her wounds never truly healed, the number of arrow holes in her legs would make any mortal puke. I guess she didn't care for the infirmary. If I had to be honest, Thalia scared me the most in this tournament. I barely knew her, and she had quite the history. Daughter of Zeus, Artemis's most trusted companion, and a well-round fighter with a mastery of bows and spears. None of that would scare me by itself but seeing her chugging dangerous amounts of nectar without any concern was enough to stay away. She could be as strong as Jason or even stronger. Best to keep my distance for now.

Jason was still on the balcony for the time being. I couldn't see his face from where I was looking. Only his back as he leaned on the balcony railing. The back of his armor was untouched from his match and I bet the rest of his armor was the same. I knew he wasn't hurt from the outside but from the inside. He was stuck in that balcony alone with his thoughts for a while.

Leo and Calypso were kind enough to spill the beans on what happened before Piper's match. Apparently, Jason and Piper got into a huge argument on if Piper was strong enough to win the tournament. It was none of my business, and there was probably some information missing, but I'm proud of Piper. Knowing that this win meant so much to her.

Annabeth watched the last stretcher make its way towards the infirmary. Her eyes looked like a grey sea. Still waters that haven't changed, no matter the dilemma.

"I know we're in a tournament, but seeing my friends coming through on stretchers isn't my idea of a good time."

Leo nodded in agreement. "I'm happy for Piper sure, but why aren't we just celebrating our time here? We're not fighting to the death, but we're still fighting each other. For what?"

"It makes me think that we're fighting for someone else's amusement." Calypso said suspiciously.

Annabeth's expression didn't change during the conversation. She was always focused on the task at hand.

"Trust in Reyna. I know she's hurting right now, but there is a reason for all of this, I'm sure."

"Like the prize?" Leo added. "Man, I don't know if I want it or not."

"We don't even know what it is." Clarisse said.

"Winning is part of the prize and that's enough for me. Which fight is next?" Thalia asked.

"Nico di Angelo vs Katie Gardner." Annabeth answered as she got up and made her way towards the balcony. Jason was just there moments ago, but he seemed to disappear. Where did he go?

Knowing that he was gone, I walked towards the balcony as Cassius followed behind. With three of us in tow, we saw the arena being cleaned out as Katie Gardner was standing there tying up her armor.

Cassius leaned towards me. "I haven't seen her before, is she Roman?"

"No, she's from Camp Half-blood. Daughter of Demeter." I answered back.

"Ceres? Well, bless her harvests and may she have glory in battle."

"I'm sorry but who are you?" Annabeth asked.

I was taken aback. I thought Cassius made his appearance know to everyone here, but I guess he just showed his ghostly self to me. Lares tend to hide for a little bit, but Cassius did seem shy.

I introduced Cassius to Annabeth. "Oh, this is Cassius. Cassius this is Annabeth. I met him recently and invited him to the viewing area. Is that all right to you?" I asked.

Annabeth eyed him for a bit. Not knowing what to do with him. Polite indifference seemed to be the route.

"Only a few people can be up here, but I'm not running this show. Do what you want." Annabeth said with disinterest.

She turned to Cassius as she tried and failed to shake his hand.

Cassius had a heartfelt laugh. "Sorry, materializing physically has always been tough. It's nice to meet you Annabeth."

"Uhh, likewise. Enjoy your stay here."

We all watched the arena being cleaned as Katie was summoning more plants in the arena. She wore wooden armor with branches and sticks protecting her midsection. Prepping the arena before the fight didn't seem fair, but the extra greenery looked fantastic with all the new flowers. Nico used shadow travel and arrived a little late to the arena. He still wore his leather jacket but had some armor under it as well. Pale moonlight was reflecting off his Stygian iron sword as he entered the battlefield. Nico looked tired. He wasn't in the viewing arena after Will's fight with Thalia. I wonder where he was. I would be rooting for him if I wasn't swarmed with thoughts about Frank in the infirmary.

There wasn't too much to clean when it came to Frank's fight against Piper. I knew my fight against Leo was up there when it came to property damage. The last thing to clean up was the glaring hole in the wall left by Piper's Katoptris. The blade itself was left on the ground. I hope someone would bring it back to her. It was her go-to weapon of choice.

I turned to Annabeth and I saw her smiling. The corner of her lip curled upwards as her posture improved. She saw something below that caught her attention.

"Hmm, that might help out in my next match." Annabeth whispered to herself.

I wasn't the only one who heard that as Clarisse laughed from the couch. She seemed to be looking for a fight.

"Something to help you against me after Nico's fight?" Clarisse asked. She said it jokingly, but it was still a loaded question.

Annabeth turned towards her with no hesitation. A slight annoyance on her face. As if she was mad at herself.

"Talking to myself works best alone. Just ignore what I said. It wasn't meant for you."

"So, it was for your next opponent then? Do you think you'll just beat me easily, wise girl?

Uh-oh, I didn't know the history of these two, but I heard they were friends. Competition can bring out the worst in people, especially children of Ares. Annabeth didn't turn her back to Clarisse. She actually went straight to her. Face to face. Both didn't budge at all.

"Clarisse." Annabeth said in a low voice. "I know you think you're stronger than me, but I just came out of two great prophecies and Tartarus alive, while you were stuck in three-hour lectures in the middle of nowhere Arizona. So back off."

Clarisse smiled. "You forget? I was in that camp civil war as well. I could take a five-year break from being a badass, you'll still be years behind me in a fight."

Annabeth turned her back towards the balcony. She was done with the argument.

"You bark like Cerberus without the bite. Prove it on the battlefield."

Clarisse took a long look at Annabeth. Staring her down. Annabeth looked back and didn't flinch or changed her gaze. Those grey seas were as still as they ever been.

Clarisse sneered before grabbing Leo from the couch.

"C'mon, you tool. It's time to train."

I thought Leo would protest but he was used to being carried away at this point. He was concerned for Calypso though.

"Babe, you're not coming?"

Calypso sat at the couch unbothered. "I've seen her whoop your butt plenty of times. I'll pass on that."

Clarisse and Leo made their way towards the practice range and left us in silence.

Percy was the one who broke it as he walked into the viewing arena with heaps of garbage on his shoulders and a banana peel on his head. He passed Clarisse and Leo as they both held their noses around Percy.

"Ugh, Prissy. Move!" Clarisse said shoulder checking Percy. He didn't seem to notice or care.

"Geez, you think the benefits of being a child of the sea would include bath time." Leo said clutching his nose as he and his mentor walked away.

Everyone seemed to snicker a bit, but I didn't. The poor thing has been through enough.

Percy walked towards Annabeth and started to shake. The garbage started to fall on Annabeth's feet.

"Percy! What the hell." Annabeth yelled.

"That's what you get for setting me up with Terminus. I gotta take a shower right now.

"Don't they need your stellar mic skills though, Kelp Head?" Thalia asked.

"Nope, I'm banned from commentary. Thank the Gods." Percy said as he walked towards the back.

"And now I have to clean up too. Good job, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said wiping the dirt off her shoes.

"My pleasure, wise girl. Ugh, now I know how Travis feels. Karma's a Hera." Percy retorted.

Thalia laughed it up as Annabeth started to follow Percy to the washroom. Separate washrooms, I hope. Don't want a repeat of what happened on the Argo II months ago.

I sat on the couch as I could hear the match starting.

Thalia threw the bottle of nectar into the trash. "So, the next match's theme is plants vs zombies. What a bore."

"On the contrary, I would like to see what Katie could do." Calypso said. "I was hoping to talk about gardening with her after the fight as well. Seeing as she's an expert." I didn't know she was into nature as well. Calypso could do it all.

"You're obviously here for your brother, right Hazel?" Thalia asked.

I didn't respond right away. I would always be there to help Nico, but there was something on my mind that was bothering me. Nico could handle himself in this fight. Frank needed me.

I stood up from the couch and walked towards the infirmary without a word. The only one who followed me was Cassius. I didn't mind it as he was following me from behind.

"Hazel, are you ok? I haven't seen you like this before."

I ignored him for now. My mind was consumed by my own thoughts of Frank's health.

The door of the infirmary wasn't locked but it was guarded by two children of Apollo. Since two praetors were in there at the moment. Security was higher than usual.

I didn't try to explain what I was doing as I stared both of them down and they opened the door for me. They didn't want to mess with a child of Pluto. Cassius and I ran through with no hesitation downstairs. The area was dimly lit as we walked downwards. There were plenty of tents for individual patients. It was easy finding the praetor's tents as they were more grandiose than the others. I walked past a few before seeing a huge tent with the Mars symbol on it. I knew Frank was there.

I turned to Cassius. He had been a great friend so far, but I had to see Frank alone.

"Cassius, Frank is a good friend of mine and I'll introduce him to you soon, but I need to see him alone. Thanks for coming this far with me."

Cassius wasn't bothered. "I can tell that he's more than a friend Hazel. Please. Make sure he's in good health. I'll be around."

With that, Cassius disappeared with a poof as I entered the tent.

Frank was bedridden but awake. His face was bruised and his legs were cut up, but he smiled the moment he saw me enter the tent. On the other side was Chiron in his wheelchair talking to Frank before I entered. He understood why I was there immediately and wheeled himself away.

"We'll pick up this conversation later. Rest well."

As he passed by, he whispered to me.

"Keep a close eye on him, Hazel."

The moment Chiron left the tent, I ran towards Frank and hugged him right then and there. Frank winched the moment I was on him, so I let go slightly.

"Oww, Hazel. I appreciate it but can you let go?" Frank asked slowly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Frank, this is all my fault." I spoke.

"You trained her well and even gave her some good advice in the end. No need to be sad about it. The kick really did a number on me though." Frank laughed.

"No that's not what I meant. I should've helped you more when it came to setting this whole stupid Ludi Decem celebration. You worked with Reyna and Chiron sure, but you were the one who did all the heavy lifting. You've been overworked and nobody cares enough to help."

"Wait, is that what you're worried about?" Frank said in a shocked tone. He acted like he wasn't overworking himself. It was like he was ignoring everything that was happening to him.

I took Frank's hand and grasped it. "Take better care of yourself. You're working and fighting like it's your last days as a praetor. Why?"

Frank closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The last time I saw him like this was when he met his father Mars for the first time during Wargames. He was anxious yet focused on the task at hand rather than the whole picture. He was tunnel visioning hard.

Frank exhaled. "I'm trying this hard because it's my first big moment as a praetor. I've been skirting by these past few months as a praetor. Now, with everything on the line. I have to prove myself.

I screamed at Frank. "You already proved yourself against Gaea! We all did. Don't we deserve a break, Frank? For once in our lives."

Frank squeezed my hand. "I can't stop, no matter what. I don't know if it's because I'm a praetor now or if I was always like this. The hard work doesn't stop, it just pays off."

"It's both, you know."

We turned to where we heard that voice and we saw Jason entering the tent. He was back in his normal clothing with a gladius on his side. Lantern light reflecting off his weary face.

"You were always the hardest worker, which is why you're praetor. You weren't raised up on the shield like me and Percy, but I think that's better honestly. You were chosen for your decision-making, not just your fighting skills."

Frank smiled slightly. "Thanks, Jason."

I tried to steer the conversation as I addressed Jason. "How's Piper doing?"

"Dead asleep." Jason said as he sat right next to us. "I'm a terrible boyfriend. I kept treating her like a glass vase. So close to breaking. I don't know if she'll forgive me. If she doesn't, I don't blame her."

I punched him in the arm. "Of course, she's going to forgive you. She just wanted to be respected after everything you both went through."

Jason was silent. Not responding to my encouragement. We both stood in silence for a while. Moments like these are so fleeting. I appreciate us just sitting together.

Another person entered the tent. I thought it was Piper who woke up, but I was shocked when I saw them limp towards us.

The golden armor was gone. Instead, there was only a white linen tank top as well as linen pants. It was the first time in a long time since I saw her without a weapon on hand or concealed. She was at her most vulnerable. Her braided ponytail swayed behind her as she held her folded praetor's cape in her hand."

With scars and guarded eyes. Reyna made her appearance.

The three of us were shocked enough, as she moved in silence and sat next to Jason. Taking the remaining space of the bed. It was crowded enough but Frank didn't seem to mind.

"Well, don't all speak at once." Reyna said without humor.

Jason was the first to speak out. "How are you feeling?

Reyna turned to us. "I feel like puking."

I let out a small laugh but stopped myself. I thought Reyna would give me death stares, but she didn't seem to notice.

"I was ready to die. I thought about Scipio when I had to put him down. I thought it was the same Roman death. I deserved it."

Reyna got up from her seat. "But it didn't happen, I was denied a noble death. Now I don't know what to feel. Happiness or sadness. I have no clue."

She turned to Frank. "Now both praetors are in losers. Glory to Rome. What a joke."

Frank coughed before responding. "Actually, you're still in winners Reyna. Kahale was the one who yielded. Don't you remember.?"

Reyna stood motionless. Trying to piece together her own memories. Was she that knocked out?

Reyna didn't try to remember as she moved on to the next thing.

"I came here to apologize to both of you." She said regarding Frank and Jason.

"I put too much strain on you for the tournament. I should've listened to you and never ran it in the first place. From now on, I'll work alongside Chiron and manage it with him. You can rest up for your next fight."

Frank was not satisfied. "What about your fight? You're up against Thalia for the next round."

Reyna didn't try to hide her troubled look. She was more fearful than I ever saw her before. Despite that, she still moved on.

"Jason, I haven't been treating you like a friend these past months. I want to rebuild what we had and not what we could've had. You know what I mean?"

Reyna looked like she didn't want to say more. She almost stopped herself. Her eyes were turning red, but she didn't stop.

"I don't want my ambition to take over anymore. I convinced myself that winning the prize was for the legion, but I wanted to win it myself. To prove that I was the strongest when I should've just made Rome stronger."

Reyna was struggling to continue. I wanted to speak but Frank put his hand on my shoulder. He wanted her to continue, to let her feelings out.

"Kahale was right." Reyna spit out. "I put myself before the legion. Before my friends. I don't want to second guess anymore. I want to be a true friend to all of you."

Jason did not say a word as he stood up immediately and gave her a heartfelt hug. Reyna looked to be on the verge of tears but held it together.

"I'm so sorry, to all of you."

I got up and joined them in the hug. Frank tried but failed as his injuries didn't allow him. We were there together for a long time. We completely missed the last two matches of the night, and that was fine. We sat there talking for hours. We talked about the future, we reminisced about past failures and successes, and we had fun just being around each other. We weren't half-bloods that night, but just a couple of teenagers. It was the first time I felt normal. The first time in years.