Spirit of the Panther (House of Hades/Frank Zhang Fanfic)

VII. Turtles

We had left Venice two days later. I sat on the deck, leaning against the railing. Frank stood beside me. We were hanging out, having a grand old time.

The weasel showed up not too long after Venice though. Gale was one of Hecate's pets and smelled terrible. I didn't want to hate on Gale, as she was one of Hecate's followers.

I knew why Gale was here. She was going to see how it went with Hazel. Hecate wanted Hazel to deal with something magical. I couldn't do it because Hazel had to learn. She couldn't learn if I did everything for her.

Slowly everyone came up to the deck. Hazel came over and stood beside me. Gale scampered up and down the railing, passing gas, but the smell was luckily swept away by the wind.

I spotted white cliffs in the distance. Hecate wanted Hazel to do something. I had been training Hazel for the past couple of days and she had been doing well. She was getting the hang of it. But Hazel still didn't know how to use the Mist correctly. I still believed in Hazel completely. She would do just fine.

Frank wrapped an arm around my waist. I looked over at him. He has changed since coming back from Venice. He looked like a football player now. His shoulders were broader and he had more confidence. I liked the new Frank.

I looked at Hazel. "Are you doing again?"

She nodded. "I'm doing alright. You?"

"Alright," I replied. "Have you tried manipulating the Mist?"

Hazel shook her head. "I can't seem to get the hang of it."

"You have to do what people want to see," I said, "not what you want to see. That's the trick of the Mist. You must see what others see and use that against them."

Hazel knitted her eyebrows. "That doesn't make sense, Ezzy."

"It will soon, Hazel," I said. "Trust me on this one."

I looked at the sea. I suddenly had a bad feeling. Something was going to happen. I didn't know what but I knew I couldn't stop it.

"Something's going to happen," I said. "I can feel it."

Frank looked at me. "I'm sure it's going to be fine, Ezzy. I'm pretty sure it's nothing."

"No," I said. "Trust me on this one, Frank. My senses are saying something's gonna happen and it's not good."

Frank held me tighter. "It's going to fine, Ezzy. Whatever it is, we'll get through it."

I bit my lip and silenced myself. I couldn't tell what was about to go down but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Just as I was about to say something, the boat lurched forward. Frank and I tumbled into each other. I landed on the ground with a groan.

I rolled onto my side and pointed at Frank. "I told you! Whatcha gonna say now?"

I heard the snapping of poles. I stood up and almost fell over.

"Ahh!" Leo screamed. "It's eating the oars."

What? I asked myself as I stumbled over to the railing. There was a giant turtle the size of an island. The shell was a dome of craggy black and brown squares.

Its head lifted from the water. Its golden eyes were the size of wading pools with dark slits for pupils.

I put my fingers in my mouth and whistled. Sasha appeared not too long afterward and swooped down. Sasha stayed on the deck long enough for me to climb on her back.

Sasha took off and circled the giant turtle. Sasha would swoop down and claw at the turtle as I cast spells. Streaks of wonderful colors shot at the turtle and would make the turtle furious.

"Can the ship fly?" I heard Piper ask.

"With half our oars broken off?" Leo replied. "I'll have to try something else."

I turned to the Argo II and reached out. The boat lifted out of the water. The turtle roared in anger and snapped its jaws.

"Ezzy! There!" Nico yelled from below. "Can you get us to those straits?"

I nodded my eyebrows knitting. "Get ready and hold on tight, guys! It's going to be a bumpy ride!"

I sent the boat flying across the water. The boat was skipping across the water like a rock. The turtle roared in anger and went after the ship. Sasha and I flew after them, keeping pace with the turtle.

The turtle stopped as soon as it couldn't fit into the entrance. The Argo II had come to a safe stop in the straits.

Sasha and I landed on the ship's deck. I slipped off Sasha's back and we rested our foreheads together. I murmured a thank you to her before taking a step back.

The group gathered around me. They all looked surprised and they looked at me with large eyes.

"How did you do that, Ezzy?" Hazel asked.

I shrugged. "I did it because I could. I wanted you guys to be safe and I knew we couldn't get away from the turtle."

"But the ship is really heavy," Piper stated. "How did you do that?"

I shrugged again. "I guess it was the Spirit I got in Tartarus. She helps me?"

"It's a she?"

I nodded. "Her name is Idla. She was a former follower of Hecate's. She's a wanderer and comes and goes as she pleases, though she stays close by."

Piper was about to say something when an arrow landed a few inches from her face. Her eyes widened and she let out an ear piercing scream.