The Son of Neptune

XXXI
Hazel

HAZEL CONSIDERED MAKING A RUN FOR IT.

She didn’t trust Queen Hylla, and she certainly didn’t trust that other lady, Otrera. Only three guards were left in the room. All of them kept their distance.

Hylla was armed with just a dagger. This deep underground, Hazel might be able to cause an earthquake in the throne room, or summon a big pile of schist or gold. If she could cause a distraction, she might be able to escape and find her friends.

Unfortunately, she’d seen the Amazons fight. Even though the queen had only a dagger, Hazel suspected she could use it pretty well. And Hazel was unarmed. They hadn’t searched her, which meant thankfully they hadn’t taken Frank’s firewood from her coat pocket, but her sword was gone.

The queen seemed to be reading her thoughts. ‘Forget about escape. Of course, we’d respect you for trying. But we’d have to kill you.’

‘Thanks for the warning.’

Hylla shrugged. ‘The least I can do. I believe you come in peace. I believe Reyna sent you.’

‘But you won’t help?’

The queen studied the necklace she’d taken from Percy. ‘It’s complicated,’ she said. ‘Amazons have always had a rocky relationship with other demigods – especially male demigods. We fought for King Priam in the Trojan War, but Achilles killed our queen, Penthesilea. Years before that, Hercules stole Queen Hippolyta’s belt – this belt I’m wearing. It took us centuries to recover it. Long before that, at the very beginning of the Amazon nation, a hero named Bellerophon killed our first queen, Otrera.’

‘You mean the lady -’

‘- who just left, yes. Otrera, our first queen, daughter of Ares.’

‘Mars?’

Hylla made a sour face. ‘No, definitely Ares. Otrera lived long before Rome, in a time when all demigods were Greek. Unfortunately, some of our warriors still prefer the old ways. Children of Ares … they are always the worst.’

‘The old ways …’ Hazel had heard rumours about Greek demigods. Octavian believed they existed and were secretly plotting against Rome. But she’d never really believed it, even when Percy came to camp. He just didn’t strike her as an evil, scheming Greek. ‘You mean the Amazons are a mix … Greek and Roman?’

Hylla continued to examine the necklace – the clay beads, the probatio tablet. She slipped Reyna’s silver ring off the cord and put it on her own finger. ‘I suppose they don’t teach you about that at Camp Jupiter. The gods have many aspects. Mars, Ares. Pluto, Hades. Being immortal, they tend to accumulate personalities. They are Greek, Roman, American – a combination of all the cultures they’ve influenced over the aeons. Do you understand?’

‘I – I’m not sure. Are all Amazons demigods?’

The queen spread her hands. ‘We all have some immortal blood, but many of my warriors are descended from demigods. Some have been Amazons for countless generations. Others are children of minor gods. Kinzie, the one who brought you here, is the daughter of a nymph. Ah – here she is now.’

The girl with the auburn hair approached the queen and bowed.

‘The prisoners are safely locked away,’ Kinzie reported. ‘But …’

‘Yes?’ the queen asked.

Kinzie swallowed like she had a bad taste in her mouth. ‘Otrera made sure her followers are guarding the cells. I’m sorry, my queen.’

Hylla pursed her lips. ‘No matter. Stay with us, Kinzie. We were just talking about our, ah, situation.’

‘Otrera,’ Hazel guessed. ‘Gaia brought her back from the dead to throw you Amazons into civil war.’

The queen exhaled. ‘If that was her plan, it is working. Otrera is a legend among our people. She plans to take back the throne and lead us to war against the Romans. Many of my sisters will follow her.’

‘Not all,’ Kinzie grumbled.

‘But Otrera is a spirit!’ Hazel said. ‘She isn’t even -’

‘Real?’ The queen studied Hazel carefully. ‘I worked with the sorceress Circe for many years. I know a returned soul when I see one. When did you die, Hazel – 1920? 1930?’

‘1942,’ Hazel said. ‘But – but I wasn’t sent by Gaia. I came back to stop her. This is my second chance.’

‘Your second chance …’ Hylla gazed at the rows of battle forklifts, now empty. ‘I know about second chances. That boy, Percy Jackson – he destroyed my old life. You wouldn’t have recognized me back then. I wore dresses and make-up. I was a glorified secretary, an accursed Barbie doll.’

Kinzie made a three-fingered claw over her heart, like the voodoo gestures Hazel’s mom once used for warding off the Evil Eye.

‘Circe’s island was a safe place for Reyna and me,’ the queen continued. ‘We were daughters of the war goddess, Bellona. I wanted to protect Reyna from all that violence. Then Percy Jackson unleashed the pirates. They kidnapped us, and Reyna and I learned to be tough. We found out that we were good with weapons. The past four years, I’ve wanted to kill Percy Jackson for what he made us endure.’

‘But Reyna became the praetor of Camp Jupiter,’ Hazel said. ‘You became the queen of the Amazons. Maybe this was your destiny.’

Hylla fingered the necklace in her hand. ‘I may not be queen for much longer.’

‘You will prevail!’ Kinzie insisted.

‘As the Fates decree,’ Hylla said without enthusiasm. ‘You see, Hazel, Otrera has challenged me to a duel. Every Amazon has that right. Tonight at midnight, we’ll battle for the throne.’

‘But … you’re good, right?’ Hazel asked.

Hylla managed a dry smile. ‘Good, yes, but Otrera is the founder of the Amazons.’

‘She’s a lot older. Maybe she’s out of practice, having been dead for so long.’

‘I hope you’re right, Hazel. You see, it’s a battle to the death …’

She waited for that to sink in. Hazel remembered what Phineas had said in Portland – how he had had a shortcut back from death, thanks to Gaia. She remembered how the gorgons had tried to re-form in the Tiber.

‘Even if you kill her,’ Hazel said, ‘she’ll just come back. As long as Thanatos is chained, she won’t stay dead.’

‘Exactly,’ Hylla said. ‘Otrera has already told us that she can’t die. So, even if I manage to defeat her tonight, she’ll simply return and challenge me again tomorrow. There is no law against challenging the queen multiple times. She can insist on fighting me every night, until she finally wears me down. I can’t win.’

Hazel gazed at the throne. She imagined Otrera sitting there with her fine robes and her silver hair, ordering her warriors to attack Rome. She imagined the voice of Gaia filling this cavern.

‘There has to be a way,’ she said. ‘Don’t Amazons have … special powers or something?’

‘No more than other demigods,’ Hylla said. ‘We can die, just like any mortal. There is a group of archers who follow the goddess Artemis. They are often mistaken for Amazons, but the Hunters forsake the company of men in exchange for almost endless life. We Amazons – we would prefer to live life to the fullest. We love, we fight, we die.’

‘I thought you hated men.’

Hylla and Kinzie both laughed.

‘Hate men?’ said the queen. ‘No, no, we like men. We just like to show them who’s in charge. But that’s beside the point. If I could, I would rally our troops and ride to my sister’s aid. Unfortunately, my power is tenuous. When I am killed in combat – and it’s only a matter of time – Otrera will be queen. She will march to Camp Jupiter with our forces, but she will not go to help my sister. She’ll go to join the giant’s army.’

‘We’ve got to stop her,’ Hazel said. ‘My friends and I killed Phineas, one of Gaia’s other servants in Portland. Maybe we can help!’

The queen shook her head. ‘You can’t interfere. As queen, I must fight my own battles. Besides, your friends are imprisoned. If I let them go, I’ll look weak. Either I execute you three as trespassers, or Otrera will do so when she becomes queen.’

Hazel’s heart sank. ‘So I guess we’re both dead. Me for the second time.’

In the corner cage, the stallion Arion whinnied angrily. He reared and slammed his hooves against the bars.

‘The horse seems to feel your despair,’ the queen said. ‘Interesting. He’s immortal, you know – the son of Neptune and Ceres.’

Hazel blinked. ‘Two gods had a horse for a kid?’

‘Long story.’

‘Oh.’ Hazel’s face felt hot with embarrassment.

‘He’s the fastest horse in the world,’ Hylla said. ‘Pegasus is more famous, with his wings, but Arion runs like the wind over land and sea. No creature is faster. It took us years to capture him – one of our greatest prizes. But it did us no good. The horse will not allow anyone to ride him. I think he hates Amazons. And he is expensive to keep. He will eat anything, but he prefers gold.’

The back of Hazel’s neck tingled. ‘He eats gold?’

She remembered the horse following her in Alaska so many years ago. She had thought he was eating nuggets of gold that appeared in her footsteps.

She knelt and pressed her hand against the floor. Immediately, the stone cracked. A chunk of gold ore the size of a plum was pushed out of the earth. Hazel stood, examining her prize.

Hylla and Kinzie stared at her.

‘How did you … ?’ The queen gasped. ‘Hazel, be careful!’

Hazel approached the stallion’s cage. She put her hand between the bars, and Arion gingerly ate the chunk of gold from her palm.

‘Unbelievable,’ Kinzie said. ‘The last girl who tried that -’

‘Now has a metal arm,’ the queen finished. She studied Hazel with new interest, as if deciding whether or not to say more. ‘Hazel … we spent years hunting for this horse. It was foretold that the most courageous female warrior would some day master Arion and ride him to victory, ushering in a new era of prosperity for the Amazons. Yet no Amazon can touch him, much less control him. Even Otrera tried and failed. Two others died attempting to ride him.’

That probably should’ve worried Hazel, but she couldn’t imagine this beautiful horse hurting her. She put her hand through the bars again and stroked Arion’s nose. He nuzzled her arm, murmuring contentedly, as if asking, More gold? Yum.

‘I would feed you more, Arion.’ Hazel glanced pointedly at the queen. ‘But I think I’m scheduled for an execution.’

Queen Hylla looked from Hazel to the horse and back again. ‘Unbelievable.’

‘The prophecy,’ Kinzie said. ‘Is it possible … ?’

Hazel could almost see the gears turning inside the queen’s head, formulating a plan. ‘You have courage, Hazel Levesque. And it seems Arion has chosen you. Kinzie?’

‘Yes, my queen?’

‘You said Otrera’s followers are guarding the cells?’

Kinzie nodded. ‘I should have foreseen that. I’m sorry -’

‘No, it’s fine.’ The queen’s eyes gleamed – the way Hannibal the elephant’s did whenever he was unleashed to destroy a fortress. ‘It would be embarrassing for Otrera if her followers failed in their duties – if, for instance, they were overcome by an outsider and a prison break occurred.’

Kinzie began to smile. ‘Yes, my queen. Most embarrassing.’

‘Of course,’ Hylla continued, ‘none of my guards would know a thing about this. Kinzie would not spread the word to allow an escape.’

‘Certainly not,’ Kinzie agreed.

‘And we couldn’t help you.’ The queen raised her eyebrows at Hazel. ‘But if you somehow overpowered the guards and freed your friends … if, for instance, you took one of the guards’ Amazon cards -’

‘With one-click purchasing enabled,’ Kinzie said, ‘which will open the jail cells with one click.’

‘If – gods forbid! – something like that were to happen,’ the queen continued, ‘you would find your friends’ weapons and supplies in the guard station next to the cells. And who knows? If you made your way back to this throne room while I was off preparing for my duel … well, as I mentioned, Arion is a very fast horse. It would be a shame if he were stolen and used for an escape.’

Hazel felt like she’d been plugged into a wall socket. Electricity surged through her whole body. Arion … Arion could be hers. All she had to do was rescue her friends and fight her way through an entire nation of highly trained warriors.

‘Queen Hylla,’ she said, ‘I – I’m not much of a fighter.’

‘Oh, there are many kinds of fighting, Hazel. I have a feeling you’re quite resourceful. And, if the prophecy is correct, you will help the Amazon nation achieve prosperity. If you succeed on your quest to free Thanatos, for instance -’

‘- then Otrera wouldn’t come back if she were killed,’ Hazel said. ‘You’d only have to defeat her … um, every night until we succeed.’

The queen nodded grimly. ‘It seems we both have impossible tasks ahead of us.’

‘But you’re trusting me,’ said Hazel. ‘And I trust you. You will win, as many times as it takes.’

Hylla held out Percy’s necklace and poured it into Hazel’s hands.

‘I hope you’re right,’ the queen said. ‘But the sooner you succeed the better, yes?’

Hazel slipped the necklace into her pocket. She shook the queen’s hand, wondering if it was possible to make a friend so fast – especially one who was about to send her to jail.

‘This conversation never happened,’ Hylla told Kinzie. ‘Take our prisoner to the cells and hand her over to Otrera’s guards. And, Kinzie, be sure you leave before anything unfortunate happens. I don’t want my loyal followers held accountable for a prison break.’

The queen smiled mischievously, and for the first time Hazel felt jealous of Reyna. She wished that she had a sister like this.

‘Goodbye, Hazel Levesque,’ the queen said. ‘If we both die tonight … well, I’m glad I met you.’