I thought I'd have another chapter out before this one but whoops.

Oh look, the first chapter doubling as a sneak peek for a new story I'm publishing. Everything about the new story will be at the end.

Story #26: Magician Hazel Never Tells

Maybe it was because they're the newbies of New Rome. Maybe it was because they're the losers of New Rome. Maybe both.

It was definitely because Octavian wanted a good laugh.

Hazel and Frank didn't want to put on a magic show for the children of New Rome, but here they were on a stage in the town's amphitheatre with many kids filled in the theatre seats. There are miscellaneous props scattered around Hazel and Frank. Fake wands and boxes to pretend to pull things out. To top things off, she and Frank were in matching magician ensembles. Long-tailed tuxedos with ruffled white shirts, bright red bow ties, and top hats.

They looked ridiculous. The kids laughed the moment they walked on stage. Even Nico, who was sitting in the back row blending into the shadows, decided to watch.

Hazel doesn't get the butt of the joke. Pluto's daughter from New Orleans doing a magic show? Hilarious.

Now nobody will ever take them seriously.

But still, she and Frank went through with it. Bailing would've been worse. Besides, she had to prove herself as Pluto's daughter and he was on probatio. It's not like they could've said no.

So here they are, making each other disappear and performing card tricks. Frank just shuffled a deck and fanned them out, putting on a full-stretched smile trying to hide his embarrassment from the cards that fly to the ground during his stunt. His face reddens, matching his bow-tie as he looks away from the crowd, worsening when he and Hazel lock eyes. When he quickly diverts his eyes, a grin tickles on Hazel's face as her cheeks heat. She nearly fans herself but stops when she hears the kids making cooing playground noises. Now her face burns for another reason.

"Pick one," Frank encourages, still avoiding her gaze.

"This one!" Hazel exclaims for the show as she pulls out a card in the middle.

Hazel wasn't sure what to do when she looked at her card, but it wasn't a typical one in the deck. No number, no suit.

It's her mother. Queen Marie smiling at her. What a sick joke.

Immediately, Hazel shoves the card back into the deck. Frank is taken aback by her abrupt gesture, especially since he didn't instruct anything yet for the show. Laughing continues when Frank jumps and he drops more cards. Hazel looks away, eyes towards the ground as her heart does a small pitter-patter. She can feel Frank looking at her with concern. Her heart pounds deeper as she glances at him slowly picking up the cards and shuffles them.

"Is this your card?" Frank asks, picking one.

Hazel's almost relieved when it's not her mother but her face drops even further when it's Gaea trying to entice her with her soft, hypnotizing, lullabied voice.

"You all belong to me. Surrender. Return to Earth."

Hazel's mouth dries hearing her voice again. Her lungs get heavy in her chest as if they're filling with black oil again. Her knees shake as her body numbs.

Gods, she can't blackout here. Not in front of Frank and all the kids.

"Yes!" Hazel exclaims, snapping back to the show. She fans herself as smiles to cover her small episode. Sometimes remembering isn't for herself but to make others smile. Besides, seeing the kids clap for a trick she's making up is worth it.

Frank doesn't buy it. He looks at her questioningly as he puts the cards on the table behind him. Hazel thinks he wants to stop the show. She even notices Nico leaning forwards in his seat. Light catches his face and she sees his brows etched in concern.

"For our next trick, we'll be needing this," Hazel walks closer to the front of the stage and takes her hat off her head.

Hazel shakes her hat around, expecting a thumping sound for the rabbit but she pauses when it's jingling. The sound sends chills through her body since it never meant good things. Cautiously, Hazel glances inside and grips the brim of the hat tighter so she doesn't drop it. Instead of the rabbit, there's a pile of rubies inside.

"Bring valuables from the Earth. Use your powers, child. Bring my most valuable possession to me."

Hazel isn't sure how this happened. She knows the gems appear when she's anxious and she's nothing but an entity of nerves, worsening with flashes of memories flooding her mind. She can't pull those jewels for everyone to see. They know they're cursed. They knew she's cursed. Nico once told her that she can make something good out of all the damage and misery she's caused but she doesn't know how.

No stupid magic show can fix anything, especially her reputation. Her mother had to die and she tried to save her. It felt like she ruined the ending of a book she was in the middle of reading because the pages burnt on her fingertips.

"No … it wasn't her fault…" Hazel mutters automatically. "She was misled. She loved me. At the end, she was trying to protect me."

"Hazel, what are you doing?" Frank asks, now standing next to her.

Hazel looks up and feels her grip on the hat loosen. She's about to blackout but stops when Nico jumps out of his seat. He runs down the aisle of the theatre towards the stage. Hazel catches him twisting his skull ring which wakes her up. As skeletons animate before them, the children scream and scurry out as Hazel turns and sprints backstage.

Once she's out of the spotlight and the chaos has faded, she sits on the ground, sighing as she runs her hands through her hair. Hazel hears footsteps approaching and she turns, expecting Nico but it's Frank. Her heart pitter-patters again. She can't help but think that he's happy the show has to end earlier than scheduled.

"Are you okay?" Frank asks, taking a seat beside her.

"I am now," Hazel responds. "I hate magic shows."

Frank laughs a little, in one breath. He knows she's been through a lot before coming to Camp Jupiter and he's been through enough to know not to ask for any information.

"We're friends, Hazel," Frank reassures her. "We can share this burden, even if I don't know all the details. You don't have to carry it all by yourself."

Frank doesn't pry further and Hazel couldn't be more grateful for that response instead of prodding. Again, he knows. Hazel doesn't ask but she knows Frank wouldn't understand everything. Fear is confusing because it wants the best for its host but the person has to let it happen, no matter the cost.

Hazel can't help but smile at him. "Maybe one day, Frank. If I ever decide to open up, it'll be to you."

Wait for SoN, Frank, just wait.

And for my new story, which is a WandaVision fic:

A Magician Never Tells - During a Westview magic show, Wanda takes a new role as the magician's assistant. She'll be the one cutting Vision, the magician, in half. During the show, she's hesitant for reasons like the memories intruding into her mind.