A Tale of Romans and Slaves | PJO/HOO

Chapter 16: Hazel

I watched him go.

I couldn't help but feel sad, even though I didn't know him very well. I guess it was the fact that he had taken time out of his day to speak to me, which no one but Nico and Bianca has done. Well, except for Sammy.

No, I thought, shaking my head. Don't think about Sammy.

I didn't feel like reading, which was unusual. Reading was my one escape, my one break from reality. But tonight, all I really wanted to do was talk to someone.

But Bianca was with Lady Persephone and Nico was wherever Nico goes. He always disappears right after dinner, and no one knows where he goes. Bianca likes to tease him, saying that he has a 'girlfriend', but I don't think that's true. 

I stood up and walked towards the manor. The sun was setting, coloring the sky with brilliant shades of orange and pink.

I walked up to my room. I was bored, and The Princess And The Slave didn't seem exciting anymore.

I decided to go to the kitchens. That's what I always did when I was bored. When in doubt, eat.

I started the walk. The manor was eerily quiet, seeing as all the slaves were in their cell blocks and not doing their jobs.

Suddenly, someone grabbed me, covering my mouth with their hand. I grasped their arm and tried to pull them off me, but they were too strong. I started to panic.

"Got her," My captor whispered to his companion.

"Then let's go," The other one said.

My eyes widened. Why were they kidnapping me? Didn't they know that I was my father's bastard daughter? I was worth nothing!

What the hell are you thinking? I thought angrily to myself. Who cares why they were kidnapping me, all that mattered was that they were kidnapping me!

And I knew no one was going to come save me.

Panicked, I bit my captor's hand. He released me with a stream of curses.

"HELP!" I screamed as I tried to run. But my captor tackled me, stopping that attempt. So I rolled over, forcing him to come with me, and punched him in the face. Then I grabbed his sword and jumped up.

I could hear the footsteps of guards running towards us, and I kept screaming, brandishing my sword at them. They tried to run, but it was too late.

"Please!" One of them sobbed as the guards burst into the hallway. "We just needed some money!"

"Save it for Lord Hades," One of them said as they hauled him and his accomplice to his feet.

"You okay?" Frank asked. I hadn't noticed him walking towards me, but he was standing right in front of me.

"Yeah," I replied, and I dropped the sword.

"Good," He replied. "Do you want to be escorted back to your room?"

I nodded.

"Okay," He said. He told the others where he was taking me, and then we walked through to my room.

"Can you stay?" I asked quietly once we got there.

He looked taken aback. "Yeah, of course."

We sat down on my bed, and I let myself process what had just happened. In the course of ten minutes, I had been grabbed, fought with a grown man, and saved myself from being kidnapped. For the first time in my life, I felt strong.

We sat in silence for awhile. It was slightly awkward, but comfortable at the same time. Just having him there was giving me a sense of security.

After around an hour or so, an equite came to us. My father wanted me. 

Frank and I followed him to the Great Hall, where my father was waiting, along with all of the equites, Lady Persephone, Bianca, and Nico.

My assailants were kneeling on the ground, their hands tied.

"Now that everyone is here," My father said. "Let the trial begin."

He cast his gaze on the men on the floor. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kronos, and this is Oceanus," The guy who had grabbed me said.

"Why did you attack my daughter?" My father asked. I noticed Lady Persephone's eyes flash with anger. She hated it when my father called me his daughter. It was a reminder that he had had a child with another woman. 

"We needed money," Kronos said. "We're escaped slaves. We were going to use her ransom to pay for a boat ride to Egypt."

"But why did you try to grab her, and not my legitimate daughter, Bianca?" 

"Because she was too well guarded," Oceanus said. "The bastard had no one guarding her."

"Very well," My father said, leaning back in his chair. "I've heard enough. Take them to the colosseum for a public execution."

The two men started screaming for mercy and struggling against their bonds, but it was no use. They'd be dead in two to three days.

"Equites, stay," My father ordered. "Everyone else, leave."

I followed orders, walking back to my room. Nico and Bianca followed, and I talked to them for awhile before they left for bed. 

I tried to do the same, but I couldn't. Not with everything that had just happened. I didn't feel safe.

After about an hour, someone knocked on my door. I froze.

"Hazel?" I recognised his voice, and I relaxed. "It's Frank."

"Come in," I said, and he did. "Why are you here?"

"Your father ordered that you should have someone guarding you," He said.

"And you're the unlucky guy?" I asked.

"I volunteered," He replied.

I stared at him. 

"And it's not going to work like the other guarding roles," He said. "You're not going to get a new guard every rotation. It's just me during the day."

"Don't you need to sleep?" I asked.

"You're not going to have a night guard," He said. "Seeing as you don't leave this room. But we are going to get you a better lock for the door."

"Oh," I said. "Okay. So I assume you have to go now?"

"Yeah," He replied. "But I'll be back in the morning."

"Okay," I said. "Goodbye, Frank."

"Goodbye, Hazel," He replied, and then he left, locking the door behind him.

Surprisingly, I fell asleep after that.