The Legacy of a Demigod

Hello's and Goodbye's

[Hazel's POV]

If the giant had run away screaming, Hazel would've been grateful. Then they all could have taken the rest of the day off. Clytius disappointed her.

When he saw the goddess's torches blazing, the giant seemed to recover his wits. He stomped his foot, shaking the floor and almost stepping on Annabeth's arm. Dark smoke billowed around him until Annabeth and Y/N were totally hidden. Hazel could see nothing but the giant's gleaming eyes.

"Bold words." Clytius spoke from Leo's mouth. "You forget, goddess. When we last met, you had the help of Hercules and Dionysus. the most powerful heroes in the world, both of them destined to become gods. Now you bring... these?"

Leo's unconscious body contorted in pain. "Stop it!" Hazel yelled. She didn't plan what happened next. She simply knew she had to protect her friends. She imagined them behind her, the same way she'd imagined new tunnels appearing in Pasiphaë's Labyrinth.

Leo dissolved. He reappeared at Hazel's feet, along with Y/N and Annabeth. The Mist whirled around her, spilling over the stones and enveloping her friends. Where the white Mist met the dark smoke of Clytius, it steamed and sizzled, like lava rolling into the sea. Leo opened his eyes and gasped. "Wh-what...?"

Annabeth and Y/N remained motionless, but Hazel could sense their heartbeats getting stronger, their breath coming more evenly. On Hecate's shoulder, Gale the polecat barked with admiration.

The goddess stepped forward, her dark eyes glittering in the torchlight. "You're right, Clytius. Hazel Levesque is not Hercules or Dionysus, but I think you will find her just as formidable."

Through the smoky shroud, Hazel saw the giant open his mouth. No words came out. Clytius sneered in frustration. Leo tried to sit up. "What's going on? What can I-"

"Watch Y/N and Annabeth." Hazel drew her spatha. "Stay behind me. Stay in the Mist."

"But-"

The look Hazel gave him must have been more severe than she realized. Leo gulped. "Yeah, got it. White Mist good. Black smoke bad." Hazel advanced. The giant spread his arms. The domed ceiling shook, and the giant's voice echoed through the room, magnified a hundred times.

'Formidable?' the giant demanded. It sounded as if he were speaking through a chorus of the dead, using all the unfortunate souls who'd been buried behind the dome's stelae. 'Because the girl has learned your magic tricks, Hecate? Because you allow these weaklings to hide in your Mist?'

A sword appeared in the giant's hand. a Stygian iron blade much like Nico's, except five times the size. 'I do not understand why Gaea would find any of these demigods worthy of sacrifice. I will crush them like empty nutshells.'

Hazel's fear turned to rage. She screamed. The walls of the chamber made a crackling sound like ice in warm water, and dozens of gems streaked toward the giant, punching through his armor like buckshot.

Clytius staggered backward. His disembodied voice bellowed with pain. His iron breastplate was peppered with holes. Golden ichor trickled from a wound on his right arm. His shroud of darkness thinned. Hazel could see the murderous expression on his face.

'You,' Clytius growled. 'You worthless-'

"Worthless?" Hecate asked quietly. "I'd say Hazel Levesque knows a few tricks even I could not teach her." Hazel stood in front of her friends, determined to protect them, but her energy was fading. Her sword was already heavy in her hand, and she hadn't even swung it yet.