One Shots (HoO)

As I ran, I felt as adrenaline kicked in; filling my veins with the sensation of a brand-new acquired power.

Being praetor is even more difficult than what it sounds like; I have a lot of responsibilities lying on my shoulders. The part I enjoyed most is preparing new strategies for war and whatsoever. When it came to reunions and dealing with documents I got extremely bored, so I tend to escape with some of my friends from the Fifth Cohort. I’m just not good when it comes to protocol… I often doubt my skills as a praetor…

Now we were playing hide and seek, and that’s why I’m running so fast. Of course I had a special advantage while playing; I could transform into any animal that I see around and with a little luck my friends aren’t able to find me.

I stopped on my tracks and checked if someone was following me. Surely enough I see my persecutor closing in and I understand that it’s my time to work my magic. I scanned the surroundings, looking for the nearest animal. I saw none and had a crazy idea: what if I transformed into a ladybug?
I’ve never tried to transform into someone as small as a ladybug, but being insignificant is exactly what would help me right now.

I closed my eyes concentrating, imagining my limbs shortening and my torso shrinking. I concentrated in the red and black color of a ladybug, its body shape and its small wings.
I felt like all my energy got canalized at once, and soon enough I was standing on top of a leaf, full ladybug mode on.

Dakota appeared soon enough, frantically looking for me.

“Come on out, Frank! You’re literally the last one standing! You better not be hiding yourself as an iguana again or I’ll have to punch your face…”

He went on walking and babbling, not even paying attention to the bright red color of my carcass.

I was about to fly away towards the goal I was supposed to reach so I didn’t have to be the one chasing the others when I heard it. I heard the sound that terrified me most: the angry voice of praetor Reyna.

“I’M GONNA KILL HIM, HAZEL. YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO STOP ME!”

“Calm down, Reyna. He’s probably just sick and resting in his cabin.” hypothesized Hazel, even though I knew she was sure I was indeed playing with my other comrades.

“Please, Hazel. No one believes that, not even you.” She responded, while rolling her eyes.

Just as I was thinking at how things couldn’t get any worse, something shoddier happened: as Dakota returned, Reyna caught a glimpse of him and immediately called him.

“Oh, hey Reyna!” I could see as thick drops of sweat sled down his forehead and neck. “I would love to stay and chat with you and Hazel, but I’m actually in a hurry. I really need some Kool Aid right now. So bye…”

Reyna grabbed at his arm tightly, like a crab that was trying to secure its prey.

“What’s the rush?” she asked mischievously. “You can go drink your juices after you tell me where is Frank… WHERE ON EARTH IS FRANK?”

A pack of fauns that were chilling nearby stampeded away from their spot, terrified by Reyna’s harsh tone.

“I don’t know, Reyna… He should be at his cabin.”

“No, I know he’s not there and I know you’re lying. I don’t need Aurum and Argentum to decipher when someone’s lying.” she spat.

Hazel let out a nervous laugh. “Oh come on, Reyna. He’s probably telling the truth.”

“Hazel, you’re only saying that because you definitely don’t want me killing your boyfriend with my own hands.”

Hazel snorted, but I could also see the droplets of sweat sled down her neck.

I thought about flying away, but I literally couldn’t find a way of moving my wings. I felt that if I flied, Reyna would surely spot me.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice that Reyna came to sit just beside me, on a large boulder that lied alongside the plant I was in.

I was about to move away when she spotted me. OH FOR GODS’ SAKE!

“Mmm…” she muttered. “Look at this ladybug, Hazel.”

“Wow, yeah… Is definitely a healthy ladybug… Really colorful.”

“Yeah, I love the red it has. It’s Kool Aid-red.” said Dakota.

Reyna stared blankly at Dakota. “Dakota, you’re dismissed.”

“THANK YOU!” and he ran faster than I’ve seen him run in his entire life
.
“I’ve been in Camp Jupiter for a long time now, and I’ve never seen a ladybug roam this area…”

Hazel’s eyes widened in shock as she stared straight at me. “So… Are you implying that Frank is that ladybug?”

“That’s exactly what I’m implying.”

“Come on, Reyna… I’ve never seen Frank turn into an insect… I don’t even think he’d turn into a ladybug…”

I tried to fly away towards my cabin, but Reyna grabbed me when I was midair.

“We’ll find out now.” she clasped at one of my wings and started pulling it.

“WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, REYNA? YOU CAN’T HURT A LADYBUG!” and she tried to get me away from Reyna’s hands but Reyna was way faster.

“YOU ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU KNOW IN YOUR HEART THAT IT’S FRANK!”

“OF COURSE NOT!” she said, but I could clearly hear the doubt that was laced with her voice. “I say it because I’m against ladybug abuse!”

“That’s not even a thing!”

“Of course it is a thing, Reyna!”

“Well, excuse me, president of the Organization Against Ladybug Abuse, but I’m about to unmask your little boyfriend!”

She started pulling harder and harder. The pressure was almost unbearable. I could hear Hazel shrieking.

It was time to reveal my true self. I concentrated and soon enough I was back to normal, but as I came back to my full size I knocked Reyna out of the boulder and onto the floor.

I knew I was in trouble when I saw the expression of both women that stood beside me. They were both extremely upset.

Hazel’s fists were clenched. Reyna gritted her teeth. I was about to die. There’s nothing scarier than two angry females.

“I want to hit you in the face right now.”

“Come on, Reyna! It’s only a little dirt in your cape… Nothing a good amount of water and soap cannot repair!” I tried to joke, but neither of them seemed to be in the mood for lame jokes right now.

“It’s more than that, Frank! You were absent for the reunion of the senate again!”

Reunion. Of. The. Senate. I totally forgot about that…

“Oh… I’m sorry Reyna, I truly forgot. It’ll never happen again, I promise!” I urged.

“Yeah… Like you promised last time…” she sat down, frustrated. “Look Frank… You’re one of my closest friends and I really appreciate your skills… But being praetor means more than just dealing with battle strategies, that’s just a small part of what the praetor job is all about.”

“I know, I’m sorry…”

“Reyna…” Hazel was the one talking this time around. “May I excuse myself?”

“Surely”

“Haze…” I started, but Reyna shot me a warning look.

“She’s upset, Frank. She could’ve sworn that you weren’t the damn ladybug, but I knew best.”

“What can I do to fix things, Reyna?”

“Well, Frank. Firstly, I need you to take your responsibilities as a praetor even more seriously. All of it, not just the parts you like. With great power comes great responsibility. You can ask both Percy and Jason about that… I know we can do this together.”

“I will, Reyna. I promise I’ll be more responsible from now on.”

“Of course you will… If not I’ll be obligated to turn you into a ladybug… Permanently.”

“Haha… Not funny, Reyna.”

She chuckled. “As to how to fix things with Hazel… I’m giving you the rest of the day off. Use your imagination to prepare the best date you can think of.”

She turned around, already on her way, but she suddenly stopped on her tracks.

“Oh, and Frank… Always remember. If you believe in yourself, then we believe.” And she left.

I spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about what to do in order to make Hazel feel better.
I soon found out that I wasn’t gifted at planning romantic dates, so I decided to do something simple: I was taking her to a picnic under the stars.

As I reached the Pluto cabin, I noticed that it was empty and immediately knew where she was.

I climbed the cabin and went to the rooftop, where I was sure she would be.

There she was, hugging herself. She was cold.

I took off my jacket and put it around her, doing my best at warming her up.

“Leave me alone, Frank…” she said, her voice little.

“Come on, Haze. Don’t be upset at me… I know I was being childish when I ditched my responsibilities… I swear I couldn’t remember about them.”

Silence followed. I soon understood that I was supposed to do the talking.

“Please, talk to me… You know I’m not the best when it comes to words…”

More silence. I stood up; ready to leave, but she grabbed my arm.

“Don’t leave… I’m not solely upset by you ditching your responsibilities… It’s more than that.”

I sat beside her, close enough so that our arms were touching.

“What is it, then?” I asked softly.

“You have a habit a hate… A habit of doubting yourself…”

I was the one silent now.

“We believe in you so much… Even Nico spends an awful amount of time talking about what a good praetor and boyfriend you are. The problem with you is that from time to time you let your insecurities rule over you… You tell yourself that you’re not good enough for being a praetor…”

“It’s just part of who I am, Haze… I know it’s not a good thing… But I can’t help being this way…”

“Oh, I know that. I’m not the most secure of persons myself… But I try to be better each passing day. Remember what you did at the House of Hades? You proved yourself a praetor and a leader. You can do everything a praetor is supposed to, even the protocol stuff. Just let me in; just let me help you with whatever I can.”

In that moment I understood why Hazel had the power of bringing jewels from beneath the earth… She was a jewel herself… And I was the luckiest dude because of having her by my side.

“I promise you I’ll try my best to continue believing in myself… I promise you I’ll always let you in so that you can help me bear my burden. I promise…”

She closed the distance between us and touched her lips to mine. We stood that way for a few moments, savoring each other’s lips.

It was always that way with us. Our relationship was based on emotions rather than in physical affection.

“So… You came to take me on a date?”

I nodded.

“Let’s go on, then.”

The sky was unusually full of stars. Constellations seemed to be in complot with me, creating the most beautiful scenario for our humble impromptu date.

We were lying on a blanket, side by side with our arms intertwined.

Our relationship was as effortless as breathing. We were two young souls that were simple; two persons that knew how to appreciate life’s simplest things.

At one point, I stopped looking at the stars and started looking at Hazel.

Her chocolate skin looked absolutely flawless under the light of the stars. Her curls were even wilder than usual, but in my opinion they looked better that way.

Being with Hazel made me stronger; it brought the strength that lied inside me. She was the antidote for my doubts and my bad habit of overthinking. She was my jewel.

“What are you staring at?” asked Hazel, blushing.

“I’m looking at you.”

“Why would you be looking at me when the sky is so breathtakingly beautiful?”

“Believe me, Haze. You’re far more beautiful than the shiniest of stars.”

She hugged me tighter.

In that moment I knew that I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life… Yeah, I was young and all that… But I just knew she was the one.

We were outside her cabin.

“Goodnight, Haze.”

“Goodnight, Frankie.”

She stepped on her tiptoes so that I could kiss her lips. She stepped inside her cabin and I turned around, on my way to my own cabin.

Inside there I had various pictures in little frames. I had one picture of my mom and I, when I was just a kid. I had one of my grandmother sitting down in her favorite armchair, a serious expression plastered in her face. Then there was one of Hazel and I, we were both wearing party hats; it was from Camp Half Blood’s New Year’s party.

There stood the three most influential women of my life. The women that made me stronger. The ones that motivated me to keep going each passing day.

I also had the log that was connected to my lifeline… But I wasn’t worried anymore…

What kept me alive was way stronger than what threatened my life.

Notes