The Son of Neptune

XXX
Hazel

‘HAZEL.’ PERCY WAS SHAKING HER SHOULDER. ‘Wake up. We’ve reached Seattle.’

She sat up groggily, squinting in the morning sunlight. ‘Frank?’

Frank groaned, rubbing his eyes. ‘Did we just … was I just -?’

‘You both passed out,’ Percy said. ‘I don’t know why, but Ella told me not to worry about it. She said you were … sharing?’

‘Sharing,’ Ella agreed. She crouched in the stern, preening her wing feathers with her teeth, which didn’t look like a very effective form of personal hygiene. She spat out some red fluff. ‘Sharing is good. No more blackouts. Biggest American blackout, 14 August 2003. Hazel shared. No more blackouts.’

Percy scratched his head. ‘Yeah … we’ve been having conversations like that all night. I still don’t know what she’s talking about.’

Hazel pressed her hand against her coat pocket. She could feel the piece of firewood, wrapped in cloth.

She looked at Frank. ‘You were there.’

He nodded. He didn’t say anything, but his expression was clear: he’d meant what he said. He wanted her to keep the piece of tinder safe. She wasn’t sure whether she felt honoured or scared. No one had ever trusted her with something so important.

‘Wait,’ Percy said. ‘You mean you guys shared a blackout? Are you guys both going to pass out from now on?’

‘Nope,’ Ella said. ‘Nope, nope, nope. No more blackouts. More books for Ella. Books in Seattle.’

Hazel gazed over the water. They were sailing through a large bay, making their way towards a cluster of downtown buildings. Neighbourhoods rolled across a series of hills. From the tallest one rose an odd white tower with a saucer on the top, like a spaceship from the old Flash Gordon movies Sammy used to love.

No more blackouts? Hazel thought. After enduring them for so long, the idea seemed too good to be true.

How could Ella be sure they were gone? Yet Hazel did feel different … more grounded, as if she wasn’t trying to live in two time periods any more. Every muscle in her body began to relax. She felt as if she’d finally slipped out of a lead jacket she’d been wearing for months. Somehow, having Frank with her during the blackout had helped. She’d relived her entire past, right through to the present. Now all she had to worry about was the future – assuming she had one.

Percy steered the boat towards the downtown docks. As they got closer, Ella scratched nervously at her nest of books.

Hazel started to feel edgy, too. She wasn’t sure why. It was a bright, sunny day, and Seattle looked like a beautiful place, with inlets and bridges, wooded islands dotting the bay, and snowcapped mountains rising in the distance. Still, she felt as if she were being watched.

‘Um … why are we stopping here?’ she asked.

Percy showed them the silver ring on his necklace. ‘Reyna has a sister here. She asked me to find her and show her this.’

‘Reyna has a sister?’ Frank asked, like the idea terrified him.

Percy nodded. ‘Apparently Reyna thinks her sister could send help for the camp.’

‘Amazons,’ Ella muttered. ‘Amazon country. Hmm. Ella will find libraries instead. Doesn’t like Amazons. Fierce. Shields. Swords. Pointy. Ouch.’

Frank reached for his spear. ‘Amazons? Like … female warriors?’

‘That would make sense,’ Hazel said. ‘If Reyna’s sister is also a daughter of Bellona, I can see why she’d join the Amazons. But … is it safe for us to be here?’

‘Nope, nope, nope,’ Ella said. ‘Get books instead. No Amazons.’

‘We have to try,’ Percy said. ‘I promised Reyna. Besides, the Pax isn’t doing too great. I’ve been pushing it pretty hard.’

Hazel looked down at her feet. Water was leaking between the floorboards. ‘Oh.’

‘Yeah,’ Percy agreed. ‘We’ll either need to fix it or find a new boat. I’m pretty much holding it together with my willpower at this point. Ella, do you have any idea where we can find the Amazons?’

‘And, um,’ Frank said nervously, ‘they don’t, like, kill men on sight, do they?’

Ella glanced at the downtown docks, only a few hundred yards away. ‘Ella will find friends later. Ella will fly away now.’

And she did.

‘Well …’ Frank picked a single red feather out of the air. ‘That’s encouraging.’

They docked at the wharf. They barely had time to unload their supplies before the Pax shuddered and broke into pieces. Most of it sank, leaving only a board with a painted eye and another with the letter P bobbing in the waves.

‘Guess we’re not fixing it,’ Hazel said. ‘What now?’

Percy stared at the steep hills of downtown Seattle. ‘We hope the Amazons will help.’

They explored for hours. They found some great salty caramel chocolate at a candy store. They bought some coffee so strong Hazel’s head felt like a vibrating gong. They stopped at a sidewalk cafe and had some excellent grilled salmon sandwiches. Once they saw Ella zooming between high-rise towers, a large book clutched in each foot. But they found no Amazons. All the while, Hazel was aware of the time ticking by. 22 June now, and Alaska was still a long way away.

Finally they wandered south of downtown, into a plaza surrounded by smaller glass and brick buildings. Hazel’s nerves started tingling. She looked around, sure she was being watched.

‘There,’ she said.

The office building on their left had a single word etched on the glass doors: AMAZON.

‘Oh,’ Frank said. ‘Uh, no, Hazel. That’s a modern thing. They’re a company, right? They sell stuff on the Internet. They’re not actually Amazons.’

‘Unless …’ Percy walked through the doors. Hazel had a bad feeling about this place, but she and Frank followed.

The lobby was like an empty fish tank – glass walls, a glossy black floor, a few token plants and pretty much nothing else. Against the back wall, a black stone staircase led up and down. In the middle of the room stood a young woman in a black pantsuit, with long auburn hair and a security guard’s earpiece. Her name tag said KINZIE. Her smile was friendly enough, but her eyes reminded Hazel of the policemen in New Orleans who used to patrol the French Quarter at night. They always seemed to look through you, as if they were thinking about who might attack them next.

Kinzie nodded at Hazel, ignoring the boys. ‘May I help you?’

‘Um … I hope so,’ Hazel said. ‘We’re looking for Amazons.’

Kinzie glanced at Hazel’s sword, then Frank’s spear, though neither should have been visible through the Mist.

‘This is the main campus for Amazon,’ she said cautiously. ‘Did you have an appointment with someone, or -’

‘Hylla,’ Percy interrupted. ‘We’re looking for a girl named -’

Kinzie moved so fast Hazel’s eyes almost couldn’t follow. She kicked Frank in the chest and sent him flying backwards across the lobby. She pulled a sword out of thin air, swept Percy off his feet with the flat of the blade and pressed the point under his chin.

Too late, Hazel reached for her sword. A dozen more girls in black flooded up the staircase, swords in hand, and surrounded her.

Kinzie glared down at Percy. ‘First rule: males don’t speak without permission. Second rule: trespassing on our territory is punishable by death. You’ll meet Queen Hylla, all right. She’ll be the one deciding your fate.’

The Amazons confiscated the trio’s weapons and marched them down so many flights of stairs that Hazel lost count.

Finally they emerged in a cavern so big it could have accommodated ten high schools, sports fields and all. Stark fluorescent lights glowed along the rock ceiling. Conveyor belts wound through the room like waterslides, carrying boxes in every direction. Aisles of metal shelves stretched out forever, stacked high with crates of merchandise. Cranes hummed and robotic arms whirred, folding cardboard boxes, packing shipments and taking things on and off the belts. Some of the shelves were so tall they were only accessible by ladders and catwalks, which ran across the ceiling like theatre scaffolding.

Hazel remembered newsreels she’d seen as a child. She’d always been impressed by the scenes of factories building planes and guns for the war effort – hundreds and hundreds of weapons coming off the line every day. But that was nothing compared to this, and almost all the work was being done by computers and robots. The only humans Hazel could see were some black-suited security women patrolling the catwalks, and some men in orange jumpsuits, like prison uniforms, driving forklifts through the aisles, delivering more pallets of boxes. The men wore iron collars round their necks.

‘You keep slaves?’ Hazel knew it might be dangerous to speak, but she was so outraged she couldn’t stop herself.

‘The men?’ Kinzie snorted. ‘They’re not slaves. They just know their place. Now, move.’

They walked so far that Hazel’s feet began to hurt. She thought they must surely be getting to the end of the warehouse when Kinzie opened a large set of double doors and led them into another cavern, just as big as the first.

‘The Underworld isn’t this big,’ Hazel complained, which probably wasn’t true, but it felt that way to her feet.

Kinzie smiled smugly. ‘You admire our base of operations? Yes, our distribution system is worldwide. It took many years and most of our fortune to build. Now, finally, we’re turning a profit. The mortals don’t realize they are funding the Amazon kingdom. Soon, we’ll be richer than any mortal nation. Then – when the weak mortals depend on us for everything – the revolution will begin!’

‘What are you going to do?’ Frank grumbled. ‘Cancel free shipping?’

A guard slammed the hilt of her sword into his gut. Percy tried to help him, but two more guards pushed him back at sword point.

‘You’ll learn respect,’ Kinzie said. ‘It’s males like you who have ruined the mortal world. The only harmonious society is one run by women. We are stronger, wiser -’

‘More humble,’ Percy said.

The guards tried to hit him, but Percy ducked.

‘Stop it!’ Hazel said. Surprisingly, the guards listened.

‘Hylla is going to judge us, right?’ Hazel asked. ‘So take us to her. We’re wasting time.’

Kinzie nodded. ‘Perhaps you’re right. We have more important problems. And time … time is definitely an issue.’

‘What do you mean?’ Hazel asked.

A guard grunted. ‘We could take them straight to Otrera. Might win her favour that way.’

‘No!’ Kinzie snarled. ‘I’d sooner wear an iron collar and drive a forklift. Hylla is queen.’

‘Until tonight,’ another guard muttered.

Kinzie gripped her sword. For a second Hazel thought the Amazons might start fighting one another, but Kinzie seemed to get her anger under control.

‘Enough,’ she said. ‘Let’s go.’

They crossed a lane of forklift traffic, navigated a maze of conveyor belts and ducked under a row of robotic arms that were packing up boxes.

Most of the merchandise looked pretty ordinary: books, electronics, baby diapers. But against one wall sat a war chariot with a big barcode on the side. Hanging from the yoke was a sign that read: ONLY ONE LEFT IN STOCK. ORDER SOON! (MORE ON THE WAY)

Finally they entered a smaller cavern that looked like a combination loading zone and throne room. The walls were lined with metal shelves six storeys high, decorated with war banners, painted shields and the stuffed heads of dragons, hydras, giant lions and wild boars. Standing guard along either side were dozens of forklifts modified for war. An iron-collared male drove each machine, but an Amazon warrior stood on a platform at the back, manning a giant mounted crossbow. The prongs of each forklift had been sharpened into oversized sword blades.

The shelves in this room were stacked with cages containing live animals. Hazel couldn’t believe what she was seeing – black mastiffs, giant eagles, a lion-eagle hybrid that must’ve been a gryphon and a red ant the size of a compact car.

She watched in horror as a forklift zipped into the room, picked up a cage with a beautiful white pegasus and sped away while the horse whinnied in protest.

‘What are you doing to that poor animal?’ Hazel demanded.

Kinzie frowned. ‘The pegasus? It’ll be fine. Someone must’ve ordered it. The shipping and handling charges are steep, but -’

‘You can buy a pegasus online?’ Percy asked.

Kinzie glared at him. ‘Obviously you can’t, male. But Amazons can. We have followers all over the world. They need supplies. This way.’

At the end of the warehouse was a dais constructed from pallets of books: stacks of vampire novels, walls of James Patterson thrillers and a throne made from about a thousand copies of something called The Five Habits of Highly Aggressive Women.

At the base of the steps, several Amazons in camouflage were having a heated argument while a young woman – Queen Hylla, Hazel assumed – watched and listened from her throne.

Hylla was in her twenties, lithe and lean as a tiger. She wore a black leather jumpsuit and black boots. She had no crown, but round her waist was a strange belt made of interlocking gold links, like the pattern of a labyrinth. Hazel couldn’t believe how much she looked like Reyna – a little older, perhaps, but with the same long black hair, the same dark eyes and the same hard expression, like she was trying to decide which of the Amazons before her most deserved death.

Kinzie took one look at the argument and grunted with distaste. ‘Otrera’s agents, spreading their lies.’

‘What?’ Frank asked.

Then Hazel stopped so abruptly that the guards behind her stumbled. A few feet from the queen’s throne, two Amazons guarded a cage. Inside was a beautiful horse – not the winged kind, but a majestic and powerful stallion with a honey-coloured coat and a black mane. His fierce brown eyes regarded Hazel, and she could swear he looked impatient, as if thinking: About time you got here.

‘It’s him,’ Hazel murmured.

‘Him, who?’ Percy asked.

Kinzie scowled in annoyance, but when she saw where Hazel was looking, her expression softened. ‘Ah, yes. Beautiful, isn’t he?’

Hazel blinked to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. It was the same horse she’d chased in Alaska. She was sure of it … but that was impossible. No horse could live that long.

‘Is he …’ Hazel could hardly control her voice. ‘Is he for sale?’

The guards all laughed.

‘That’s Arion,’ Kinzie said patiently, as if she understood Hazel’s fascination. ‘He’s a royal treasure of the Amazons – to be claimed only by our most courageous warrior, if you believe the prophecy.’

‘Prophecy?’ Hazel asked.

Kinzie’s expression became pained, almost embarrassed. ‘Never mind. But, no, he’s not for sale.’

‘Then why is he in a cage?’

Kinzie grimaced. ‘Because … he is difficult.’

Right on cue, the horse slammed his head against the cage door. The metal bars shuddered, and the guards retreated nervously.

Hazel wanted to free that horse. She wanted it more than anything she had ever wanted before. But Percy, Frank and a dozen Amazon guards were staring at her, so she tried to mask her emotions. ‘Just asking,’ she managed. ‘Let’s see the queen.’

The argument at the front of the room grew louder. Finally the queen noticed Hazel’s group approaching, and she snapped, ‘Enough!’

The arguing Amazons shut up immediately. The queen waved them aside and beckoned Kinzie forward.

Kinzie shoved Hazel and her friends towards the throne. ‘My queen, these demigods -’

The queen shot to her feet. ‘You!’

She glared at Percy Jackson with murderous rage.

Percy muttered something in Ancient Greek that Hazel was pretty sure the nuns at St Agnes wouldn’t have liked.

‘Clipboard,’ he said. ‘Spa. Pirates.’

This made no sense to Hazel, but the queen nodded. She stepped down from her dais of best sellers and drew a dagger from her belt.

‘You were incredibly foolish to come here,’ she said. ‘You destroyed my home. You made my sister and me exiles and prisoners.’

‘Percy,’ Frank said uneasily. ‘What’s the scary woman with the dagger talking about?’

‘Circe’s Island,’ Percy said. ‘I just remembered. The gorgon’s blood – maybe it’s starting to heal my mind. The Sea of Monsters. Hylla … she welcomed us at the docks, took us to see her boss. Hylla worked for the sorceress.’

Hylla bared her perfect white teeth. ‘Are you telling me you’ve had amnesia? You know, I might actually believe you. Why else would you be stupid enough to come here?’

‘We’ve come in peace,’ Hazel insisted. ‘What did Percy do?’

‘Peace?’ The queen raised her eyebrows at Hazel. ‘What did he do? This male destroyed Circe’s school of magic!’

‘Circe turned me into a guinea pig!’ Percy protested.

‘No excuses!’ Hylla said. ‘Circe was a wise and generous employer. I had room and board, a good health plan, dental, pet leopards, free potions – everything! And this demigod with his friend, the blonde -’

‘Annabeth.’ Percy tapped his forehead like he wanted the memories to come back faster. ‘That’s right. I was there with Annabeth.’

‘You released our captives – Blackbeard and his pirates.’ She turned to Hazel. ‘Have you ever been kidnapped by pirates? It isn’t fun. They burned our spa to the ground. My sister and I were their prisoners for months. Fortunately we were daughters of Bellona. We learned to fight quickly. If we hadn’t …’ She shuddered. ‘Well, the pirates learned to respect us. Eventually we made our way to California where we -’ She hesitated as if the memory was painful. ‘Where my sister and I parted ways.’

She stepped towards Percy until they were nose to nose. She ran her dagger under his chin. ‘Of course, I survived and prospered. I have risen to be queen of the Amazons. So perhaps I should thank you.’

‘You’re welcome,’ Percy said.

The queen dug her knife in a little deeper. ‘Never mind. I think I’ll kill you.’

‘Wait!’ Hazel yelped. ‘Reyna sent us! Your sister! Look at the ring on his necklace.’

Hylla frowned. She lowered her knife to Percy’s necklace until the point rested on the silver ring. The colour drained from her face.

‘Explain this.’ She glared at Hazel. ‘Quickly.’

Hazel tried. She described Camp Jupiter. She told the Amazons about Reyna being their praetor, and the army of monsters that was marching south. She told them about their quest to free Thanatos in Alaska.

As Hazel talked, another group of Amazons entered the room. One was taller and older than the rest, with plaited silver hair and fine silk robes like a Roman matron. The other Amazons made way for her, treating her with such respect that Hazel wondered if she was Hylla’s mother – until she noticed how Hylla and the older woman stared daggers at each other.

‘So we need your help,’ Hazel finished her story. ‘Reyna needs your help.’

Hylla gripped Percy’s leather cord and yanked it off his neck – beads, ring, probatio tablet and all. ‘Reyna … that foolish girl -’

‘Well!’ the older woman interrupted. ‘Romans need our help?’ She laughed, and the Amazons around her joined in.

‘How many times did we battle the Romans in my day?’ the woman asked. ‘How many times have they killed our sisters in battle? When I was queen -’

‘Otrera,’ Hylla interrupted, ‘you are here as a guest. You are not queen any more.’

The older woman spread her hands and made a mocking bow. ‘As you say – at least, until tonight. But I speak the truth, Queen Hylla.’ She said the word like a taunt. ‘I’ve been brought back by the Earth Mother herself! I bring tidings of a new war. Why should Amazons follow Jupiter, that foolish king of Olympus, when we can follow a queen? When I take command -’

‘If you take command,’ Hylla said. ‘But, for now, I am queen. My word is law.’

‘I see.’ Otrera looked at the assembled Amazons, who were standing very still, as if they’d found themselves in a pit with two wild tigers. ‘Have we become so weak that we listen to male demigods? Will you spare the life of this son of Neptune, even though he once destroyed your home? Perhaps you’ll let him destroy your new home, too!’

Hazel held her breath. The Amazons looked back and forth between Hylla and Otrera, watching for any sign of weakness.

‘I will pass judgement,’ Hylla said in an icy tone, ‘once I have all the facts. That is how I rule – by reason, not fear. First, I will talk with this one.’ She jabbed a finger towards Hazel. ‘It is my duty to hear out a female warrior before I sentence her or her allies to death. That is the Amazon way. Or have your years in the Underworld muddled your memory, Otrera?’

The older woman sneered, but she didn’t try to argue.

Hylla turned to Kinzie. ‘Take these males to the holding cells. The rest of you, leave us.’

Otrera raised her hand to the crowd. ‘As our queen commands. But any of you who would like to hear more about Gaia, and our glorious future with her, come with me!’

About half the Amazons followed her out of the room. Kinzie snorted with disgust, then she and her guards hauled Percy and Frank away.

Soon Hylla and Hazel were alone except for the queen’s personal guards. At Hylla’s signal, even they moved out of earshot.

The queen turned towards Hazel. Her anger dissolved, and Hazel saw desperation in her eyes. The queen looked like one of her caged animals being whisked off on a conveyor belt.

‘We must talk,’ Hylla said. ‘We don’t have much time. By midnight, I will most likely be dead.’