Of Greeks And Romans (Leo Valdez x Reader)

XLIII

Hazel

Hubbard Glacier. That was where Y/n had said Thanatos was. Thankfully, Hazel knew where that was. It was a popular location in Alaska, so it shouldn't be too hard to get to. Their biggest problem so far was that it was still so far away.

Still, Hazel didn't know what Y/n was up to and whether or not she fully trusted her. She said she had business to take care of in Portland. What exactly had she done to get Phineas to tell her the location. Perhaps she had actually gave him one of those harpies? It gave her a sick feeling in her stomach.

The three of them looked at the spit where Y/n had disappeared. She had flashed into a bright white light, and just like that, she was gone.

"Well," Frank said, staring at the spot where Y/n had dissapeared. "That's encouraging."

Hazel nodded. "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 café and had some excellent grilled salmon sandwiches.

But they found no Amazons. All the while, Hazel was aware of the time ticking by. June 22 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 backward 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."