A Tale of Romans and Slaves | PJO/HOO

Chapter 22: Frank

"Checkmate."

I stared at the gameboard, then up at her, then back down at the game board.

"Wha-," I stuttered. "How-"

Hazel giggled, a huge smile on her face. "I guess you could just say that I'm the queen of chess."

"I demand a rematch," I said defiantly.

"So I can destroy you again?" She asked, eyes glittering.

"So I can destroy you is more like it," I muttered as I set up the board. She laughed again.

"In your dreams, maybe," She giggled.

I scrunched my nose at her, which made her laugh harder.

It had been a week since I became Hazel's personal guard, and I was loving every second of it. Unlike all of my other guarding positions, Hazel talked to me, and almost always included me in her activities.

"Your move," Hazel instructed after she moved her piece.

That game went as well as the first. As did the game after that one. Eventually, it got to a point where I just gave up.

"How'd you get so good at this?" I asked.

"I play with myself all the time," She said. "It's good for making strategies."

The lunch bell rang before I could respond. Hazel ate with her family, while I ate with the other equites. I escorted Hazel to her dining room, and then I took off to mine.

"There you are!" Nathan greeted me as I sat down. "We were just arguing about the correct way to stab someone."

"I'm telling you, you stab them in the heart!" Bryce said.

"The neck is easier," Nathan replied. "No bones, faster death!"

I blocked out the rest of their conversation. I wasn't fond of the topic of death.

After I finished my lunch, I rushed up to the di Angelo family's dining room. Sure, I liked my fellow equites, but Hazel was better company.

But when I opened the door, I was surprised to find the room empty, apart from Lady Persephone, who was sitting in her chair next to Lord Hade's at the head of the table.

I opened my mouth to ask where Hazel was, but she answered me.

"She's not here," She said, taking a sip of her wine.

I just stood there, not knowing what to do. Eventually, I asked, "Where is she?"

"With my husband," She growled.

Oh no. It was common knowledge that Lady Persephone hated Hazel with all of her heart, and she especially hated it when Lord Hades showed Hazel any affection.

"Sit," Lady Persephone instructed, pointing at a chair across from her. "She'll return, and then you can get back to your duties."

I awkwardly sat. Lady Persephone kept guzzling down wine, and I just played with my fingers. To say it was tense would be an understatement.

"Do you know how it happened?" She asked suddenly. I turned to her, confused. But she wasn't looking for an answer.

"Nineteen years ago, Hades and I married," She started. I could tell from her breath that she had drank too much. "A year and a couple months later, I gave him a daughter. The most beautiful girl who'll ever walk the earth."

I stared at her, confused as to where she was going with this.

"A year later, he had to go off and help the king in a war against the Greeks," She said. "He left me heavy with a child. A month later, I gave birth to a son. I knew that Hades would love him just as much as I did when I presented him to him.

"When Hades returned a year later, I was so excited to show him his son, his beautiful son, his heir," Tears were rolling out of Lady Persephone's eyes. "So, imagine my shock when he already had a child in his arms."

She took another gulp of wine. "And the way he looked at her, with more love than he ever looked at our daughter, our beautiful daughter, was enough to make me hate the girl on sight."

She turned to me. "I mean, wouldn't you? If your husband returned from war with another woman's child in his arms?"

I opened, then closed my mouth. I had a feeling that she wasn't in a mood to listen to me right now.

"Her mother was a slave!" She spat. "A slave that my husband had taken from a Greek lord. She didn't even survive childbirth!"

Just then, the door opened, and Lord Hades, Lady Bianca, Lord Nico, and Hazel walked in. I stood up immediately, thankful for the end of the conversation.

"Hi Frank," Hazel said happily as I walked up to her. "My father just showed us the most beautiful quilts. You have to come see them!"

She smiled up at me, her eyes glittering in that way they did when she was happy.

"Okay," I said. "That sounds good."

Her smile widened, and she took my arm. Then, together, we walked out of the room, leaving her spiteful step-mother behind.