A/N: Curiosity my Brazilian father made me realize after I'VE been living SIX years in Italy: tiramisu (the Italian dessert) can be broken down in tira-mi-su, which means "lift me up". The sheer number of calories could be efficient in helping someone feel more energized, but some legends say that what it was supposed to 'lift' is a bit more... NSFW. This chapter is made of two requests, one of like, 2y or 3y ago that I kept postponing (for lack of published chapters more than anything) and a more recent one. Enjoy! (if anyone has any request for a Will's or Leo's chapter, now it's the moment to do it)

Hazel's Flashback

FRIDAY, 17th February

To say Hazel was surprised to feel her phone vibrating constantly in her jacket as soon as she got home from school was an understatement. She pulled it from her pocket and tried to see what was happening, just to open a group chat she was sure she wasn't part of even five minutes before. There were at least thirty new messages and they kept coming.

Pluto's garden, who in the world are those people?

Check the members; do you remember how to?

Following Hannah's instructions, she managed to find the list of the group members and could feel her eyebrows raising in surprise.

Ok, Niel and Sierra as administrators is not a surprise.

I can guess they are the ones spamming the chat. Who else?

Nico, ok. Frank, yes. Lucy, makes sense. Oh, Reyna as well.

So, the ones who helped assemble my furniture?

Who is Adam?

Do we know an Adam?

I can't remember being introduced to an Adam since I got here.

I can promise the only Adam I ever knew was in second grade and I doubt it's him.

Opening the chat, she skimmed over the messages, ignoring Lucy and Niel provoking each other, Sierra half-flirting with Reyna, Frank and Adam, whoever he was, the three times Reyna left the group chat just to be added back by Sierra, and the six times Nico tried to leave the chat and was dragged back by the two administrators.

They are easily the most chaotic group I'd ever seen.

Which begs the question: who thought making a group chat was a good idea?

There has to be a reason.

As if reading her mind, Sierra changed the name of the chat to 'Save the Date: 02/18'.

Save the date? Is someone getting married?

Is that what save the date means?

Usually? There has to be another meaning, no one is that crazy to marry tomorrow.

... Well...

Yes, I realize they are crazy, but even they can't be that bad.

SATURDAY, 18th February

Adam, as Hazel had discovered the day before, was Reyna's boytoy, in Sierra's words. When he parked in front of her building, she recognized him as the guy that went as Reyna's date to the play. Hazel could already see the praetor in the passenger seat and Lucy waving at her from the backseat. It was a good thing Adam could drive, so they didn't have to squeeze eight people in Niel's car. Lucy moved away from the window so Hazel could enter, wordlessly handing the demigod a candy before she could even buckle in. Hazel raised her eyebrows in a silent question and Lucy thrusted the candy in front of her a second time.

"Try this one, it's really good. Adam had it in the car."

She's surely treating him casually for someone she just met.

That must mean he must be nice to talk to.

She accepted the candy and was caught by surprise with the sudden explosion of flavor. Lucy saw her expression and nodded.

"I know, that was my reaction as well. And guess what, his mother makes them. How cool is that?"

Reyna turned around to check on them, nodding to Hazel's empty hands.

"Can we go? Don't you need your uniform?"

"No, Sierra said she would take care of it. Hopefully, she was being serious."

"You don't have to worry about her pulling your leg, she adores you. Oh, and like you already know, this is Adam. Adam, that's Hannah."

He nodded at her through the rearview mirror, already re-entering the road.

"Nice to meet you; shall we go then?"

"Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Yes, I know. Regina, I played at that field at least three times in the last two years, I know where I need to go."

Lucy leaned closer to whisper in her ear.

"I need your advice on what to gift Felix."

"Why do you want to gift him anything?"

"Because the original plans had Niel picking me up, so I begged Felix to switch with me. And he did, so I need to show my appreciation for his heroic sacrifice."

Frank almost sacrificed his life once to free a god, but somehow I think this sacrifice will be as taxing as that one.

***

Sierra clapped her hands to gather everyone's attention.

"Alright, listen up, you rascals! Except you, Hannah, you're a doll and I'm thrilled you're here."

She could feel a blush rising from her neck and felt grateful it didn't show easily on her dark skin.

"The teams were already set on the group chat, and so were the rules. We chose this field because they offer different paint colors so we can keep track who hit who. I also printed and laminated the points chart, in case SOMEONE tried to gaslight everyone else about the rules previously agreed on."

Sierra's pointed glare at Niel was unnecessary in Hazel's opinion, everyone knew it'd been directed at him.

"We rented it for two hours, which is plenty of time for several rounds. We will start with pairs, and later switch to quartets to retrieve the flags."

Hazel knew her brother not always joined Capture the Flag, and wondered if he would go all out this time.

"Now, time to change clothes, get your armor and weapons. Little advice, don't be upset when I mercilessly crush every single one of you. Let's go!"

***

"Shh, take cover!"

Hazel hurried to hide behind a tree at Sierra's words. While she'd expected some adrenaline, she had no idea paintball would be that exhilarating. As promised, Sierra had taken care of both their uniforms, a leopard print sweater set. Even though it looked new, Sierra refused any payment for it, saying she was just happy they were matching, camouflaged, AND stylish. They made a better team than Hazel had originally predicted. While she was as terrible in archery as most Big Three kids, the same could not be said of her ability with a paintball gun. And Sierra's advice at the beginning was not without base; she was vicious with the gun in her hand. Unsurprisingly, the team of Niel and Nico partially dressed as pirates used as many underhanded tactics as they could, frequently laying low on traps or splitting to attack on two fronts.

"Ok, we move fast and light. If we move behind those bushes, I think we'll keep out of their sight. Wild and free?"

Hazel smiled at the slogan Sierra had chosen for them.

"Wild and free. Go!"

***

Niel was frowning, looking at the points chart over Sierra's shoulder.

"That can't be right, you counted wrong."

Lucy was in front of them, grinning smugly.

"Give it up, Barnacle! Just accept your ship is sinking and admit the Seventies bested you!"

Apparently, Lucy took personal offense to Niel's comments on their uniform, colorful tie-dye shirts Lucy had found in a second-hand store. Truth be told, even Hazel was surprised with the points Lucy Frank made during that round. Wondering how they had done, she looked at her boyfriend who, feeling her gaze, gave her a wink and a secretive smile.

Oooohhh, is that how it is?

Was that a challenge? Was he challenging you?

If that's how he wants to play, he should know what he's asking for.

***

She heard as much as felt the impact of a paint bullet on her back, quickly followed by other two on Sierra's back. Alarmed, Hazel turned around to search for the source of their attack and before she could position her weapon, she felt another two shots hitting her straight in the chest. Despite the armor absorbing part of the impact, it was enough to make her grunt in pain. Sierra had also turned in time to be hit once more on her helmet. Hazel recognized the red paint as the same time she saw Reyna and Adam stepping into view, dressed in camouflage jackets, with their guns still raised and pointed at the girls.

For being so big, he moves way too quietly.

I agree. I would expect it from Reyna, but he's a surprise.

Well, he did say he was familiar with this field.

"Really, Reggie!? Isn't a headshot a bit of an overkill?"

Reyna seemed to think it over, before smirking and lowering her gun just enough to shoot Sierra's thigh. Although Hazel knew her fair share of cuss words, she was pretty sure there were even some foreigner words in Sierra's gasps of pain. Reyna was still smiling.

"What? I thought you said headshot was overkill, so I aimed lower. Why are you still complaining?"

"Because I don't have any extra layer on my leg, you sadistic b-"

***

"Ok, people, let's vote. Should we move to quartets?"

At everyone's nods, Sierra's hands shot up in air.

"Dibs of Felix and Lucy!"

What? I thought she would get Reyna? Or Niel?

I agree, I did not expect her to choose them.

While Hazel was still trying to understand Sierra's motivation, Lucy started pulling her away so their team could strategize. Frank looked as puzzled as she felt.

"Not that I'm not grateful, but why did you choose us? Certainly, Niel or Regina would be a better asset, they are both very good."

Sierra patted his shoulder in comfort.

"I know, Tiger; but I also know Niel and Reggie CANNOT cooperate. While you two could easily work with either of them and make them better, those two will tear each other apart. I'm partially sacrificing my team's potential to make sure the opposing team implodes due to internal conflict. Reggie is too bossy and Niel too rebel. By the time they can reach a truce, we'll already have won some rounds."

Hazel felt her jaw drop together with her teammates'.

That... could actually work.

We knew she was smart, but I wasn't expecting her to be so cunning.

***

"Really, Adam, thanks again, you're an angel!"

When he found out the two girls were supposed to have a sleepover, he offered to stop by Lucy's house so she could grab her overnight bag before driving both girls to Hazel's building. He waved away her concerns and held his hand outside the window, with the candies Lucy had become addicted in their short time together.

"It was no trouble; you girls have fun."

Cradling the candies against her chest almost in devotion, Lucy joined Hazel in entering the building.

"If I ever get a boyfriend, he better have candy at hand to feed me just like Adam. Regina sounds like a lucky girl."

***

When Lucy had discovered Hazel's (and partially Hannah's) ignorance on sci-fi and fantasy movies Lucy considered 'classics', she'd compiled a list to bring her friend up to speed. The one chosen to start their sleepover was Star Wars, with a bucket of popcorn between the girls and Lucy holding a plush that Hazel now recognized as the Millennium Falcon. Probably sensing two movies on a roll was more than the daughter of Pluto could endure, they moved to the kitchen, where Lucy made good of her promise to teach Hazel how to prepare her family's recipe of tiramisu. Working together to assemble the dessert layers, their light-hearted discussion about the movie dulled down into a comfortable silence.

One of the first things I plan to do after you leave is to invite Lucy for another sleepover, this time just us.

I think that's a great idea. I'm having fun playing a mortal life but I still feel guilty it's on your expense.

Don't feel so bad, you actually expanded my world much more than I would've done by myself. I certainly wouldn't have befriended Lucy.

There is no way to be so sure, you already shared classes. Who is to say an opportunity wouldn't have appeared?

I guess. But if I had to bet on probabilities, I would choose having you help me.

I'm glad you can feel it as help, and not something negative.

"Can I ask you something?"

Hazel looked at Lucy, to find the other girl not meeting her eyes.

"Why do you feel like you need to ask permission?"

"Because it's really personal."

"Well, in that case, you can ask and I can choose not answer."

Lucy sighed heavily and looked up to meet Hazel's eyes.

"Fair enough. My question is, if you and Nanni are siblings, why don't you live together? And no offense, but even in our shared class, you didn't sit close to him at the beginning of the year. I clearly remember him sitting all alone."

She remembers him sitting alone? Even I don't remember him in my classes until you came around.

"You were paying attention to him since the beginning of the year?"

"Not really. Zeke, a guy from the class I share with Nanni on Wednesday tried to pick on him on the first week of school. But since he barely reacted, apparently it wasn't fun enough. That's why I noticed we actually shared three classes during the week and he was always alone and barely paying attention. Did you guys have an agreement about pretending not to know each other or something?"

"It's... a bit more complicated than you might think."

I know we had discussed what to say if anyone asked about your relationship with Nanni, but what about Lucy?

What about her?

Should we give the shortened version or do you want to tell her a little more?

I get what you mean. I want her to be my friend, and in a way, I want her to know me.

"You know you don't have to share if you're feel uncomfortable."

"It's not only that, it's just... a bit long."

"Well, we do have all night."

Help me out?

Don't you remember what I told you?

I do, but that's still your story. You should be the one to share with her, I'm just... the means.

You're much more than that.

"A couple of years ago, I'd moved with my mom to Alaska."

Lucy's hand smacked against the table, smashing the biscuit she'd been holding.

"Alaska!? I knew you were not from here originally, but how come you never told me you came from Alaska!?"

"Lucy, we've been friends for barely three months now. It's not unexpected that you don't know my whole life."

"Wait, three months?"

Hazel could see their friend thinking back and doing the math in her head.

"Oh, my God, you're right. It feels much longer. Anyway, Alaska."

"I lived there for about ten months with my mother, and we had no contact at all with my father."

"Divorced?"

"Never married. I'm not sure if it could be classified as an affair since I don't actually know for how long my father has been married to his current wife."

"Ok, let's call it a fling. Was your mother moving to Alaska to put distance between you and your father?"

"Considering I'd never met him until this year, that's unlikely."

Another biscuit was squished against the table, except this one had already been dunked in coffee, which made a mess. Lucy made a face while accepting the paper towel Hazel was handing her.

"You'd never... you know what? I will shut up now and let you tell your story."

"I had just turned twelve and I'm not sure why my mother decided to move to Alaska; she certainly never felt the need to explain herself to me. We lived there for about ten months. And answering the question I can see you want to ask: I didn't love and didn't hate living there. Sure, it was cold and there wasn't much to do, but my mother would usually leave me alone for hours, so I would spend my time outside school reading, drawing or people watching on the diner close to our apartment. I made friends with the staff and some fisherman that would stop by after their fishing trips. I actually still have a seal plush the waitresses gifted me while I was in the hospital, one of the few things I kept from my time there."

Hazel could see Lucy open her mouth to ask about the hospital, but remembered her promise and closed it just as fast. Smiling in acknowledgement and thanks, Hazel kept relaying Hannah's words as faithfully as she could.

"Anyway, I'm not sure where my mother was working or with what. I just knew she would stay out for hours and it was quickly consuming her. She started to get thinner, her hair was dry and breaking at the tips. She started having trouble sleeping and then having trouble waking up. Whatever it was, it was slowly destroying her and she refused to tell me or search for any help. I would later steal money from her purse to pay the bills and buy groceries. Took her a long time to want out of whatever it was; and when she did, she kept alternating between begging me for help and forgiveness, and then pushing me away and saying I didn't understand and how dare I try to control her life."

Hazel remembered when Hannah first told her the details about her past and how impressed she was with the resilience the mortal had shown. Lucy had abandoned her task of assembling the tiramisu and was focusing only on listening.

"One day, she had a... you could call it a mental breakdown. Her ramblings weren't making any sense and her eyes were constantly unfocused. She sounded paranoid, insisting THEY were coming for her, whoever they were. When she left the house, she didn't even grab a coat, so I got one for her and followed my mother for almost an hour trying to get her to put it on. She finally did and seemed to be listening to me, so we started to go back to our apartment. I don't know exactly what, but not even ten minutes later something startled her; if it was something real or inside her head, I will never know, but it put her back in that paranoid state and she bolted."

Hazel finished putting the last layer of mascarpone before reaching for the cocoa powder. Noticing what she wanted, Lucy handed it to her, still not saying a word.

"I went back and asked for help in searching for her. Luckily, one of the fishermen I'd befriended accepted to help me and we drove around searching for my mom. We asked around and one person had seen my mother, and managed to point us in the right direction. When she saw us approaching, she started to run and tried to hide in one of the dozens of caves you could find close to the city. I asked Ben, the fisherman helping me, to stop for a moment so I could try and calm down my mom."

Hazel covered the dessert with saran wrap and put it in the fridge, buying time so Hannah could choose her next words.

"She really was not okay. I'd seen her slowly descend, but I hadn't seen how low until that day. Whoever she was, she wasn't my mother anymore, and I wasn't sure if she was still somewhere inside that shell. Still, I wanted to try and save her. I remember approaching her and she started going deeper in that cave. You likely didn't know, but the average number of earthquakes in Alaska is about 1000 each month, with varying magnitudes."

Lucy's sudden intake of breath let them know she could imagine where the story was going.

"I was just about lucky enough to be inside a cave during one of those. It wasn't particularly strong, but I think that cave wasn't that sturdy to begin with, so part of it collapsed on top of me and my mom. That part is based on what people told me. Ben was still outside waiting for us and saw what happened. He got others to dig us out of there and they rushed us to the hospital. They didn't say it in so many words, but I think my mother was already dead. And I was in a coma."

"I do have a fleeting memory of my mother yelling my name and reaching out for me the moment the ground started to shake, but that could easily be just a memory my brain fabricated based on my feelings. It surely had time for it. I spent almost two months in a coma and came really close to lose my mind. I was conscient, but I couldn't move or speak with anyone. Constantly hearing the doctors and nurses walking around me, talking about my situation, my case, like I wasn't even there. A couple of the waitresses visited me in the first week, that's when they left the seal plush I have. Trying to yell for anyone to realize I was aware, to tell me what had happened, where was my mother, what was going to happen to me. Being stuck alone inside my own mind was an experience that, even if I tried, I don't think I could explain exactly how..."

Lucy's hand suddenly covered theirs, in an attempt to offer comfort and strength.

"How desperate I was feeling, how alone and lost. I could almost feel my mind unravelling a bit more with each passing day. Some people describe as just falling asleep, but I didn't have their luck. When I finally woke up... that's when things got worse, as if they weren't bad before. I had to relearn everything I'd taken for granted until then. People usually first think of relearning to walk, but they don't expect the first thing is to relearn how to breath. It's like your body forgets absolutely everything it ever learned since being born. It took two tries to get me off the ventilator and the panic of not being able to breath because you simply don't know HOW is..."

To buy some time, Hazel got up and started getting all the dirty dishes, with Lucy helping her move it all to the sink, where they worked together to wash and rinse.

"Anyway, I also didn't know how to use my mouth or throat to eat or drink. Speaking was a whole other issue, that one took a couple of months to somewhat return. Communicating with the nurses was a nightmare in itself, because not only I could not speak, I also could not write. Even pressing the button to call someone took usually four to six tries and they kept it by my hand, it wasn't far from me at all. Almost any motor skills were inexistent, from bigger ones like sitting up to smaller ones like picking up an object. Relearning all that was... a test both of patience and of will. The staff from the rehab center kept complimenting my progress, saying I was making an almost miraculous recovery, but I promise it didn't feel like it."

That was the part Hazel most felt sorry for Hannah. Walking around Asphodels for seven decades had been hard, but after a while, it was just more of the same. She never had to relearn every single basic survival skill from scratch.

"Reading was another headache to relearn. Even when could read the word, sometimes I would forget what it actually meant until someone said it out loud. Reading comprehension was a challenge I was not expecting to face. Because I was actually conscious during my coma, I thought my brain hadn't turned sluggish, but that wasn't the case. Since I had spent months inside my own head with no reflection on the outside world, sometimes I didn't realize I'd miss a step or two. Like I wanted to ask a question, and a minute later I was angry no one was answering me. Except I'd never asked the question, I thought it and simply forgot to connect my brain to my mouth to actually speak the words."

Finishing with the dishes, they moved to clean the table from any cocoa powder, crumbs and mascarpone that had fallen.

"And obviously, I had to relearn how to walk, jump and all those things; but before that, I had to actually regain at least part of the weight I'd lost. It's hard to recover your muscles when you don't have any protein or fat remaining in your body. I know I'm one of the lucky ones, that several people that wake up from comas might never recover completely. Maybe it's because I was young, or because I refused to give up on my life. In the end, in six months I had recovered almost completely. Then came the second problem I'd refused to think about until that moment. How to pay the hospital bill and where I should go after I got discharged."

Lucy filled their mugs with the tea they had prepared and then forgotten, heating up quickly on the microwave and taking both mugs back to the living room, joining Hazel in the couch.

"When I asked the nurse if they knew of any number, I could call to figure things out, I learned most of it had been taken care of. Who did it also left me a letter saying that I had a brother, and I should transfer here to meet him. It also listed an apartment, a trust fund, some money, and documents, along with the flight ticket. My physical therapist offered to give me a ride since I had no one and she didn't want me alone just before the flight. During the months I was in coma and bound to the hospital, our previous apartment had been cleared and rented to other people. Except for the plush and some clothes donated by a nurse with a daughter three years older than me, I had nothing else to bring with me."

Hazel could relate coming back to life with absolutely nothing on her, depending on other people's kindness. She'd been luckier than Hannah, because that first person had been her brother, not hospital staff.

"When I finally arrived, the one picking me up at the airport was an assistant, who drove me to that other apartment you saw. Gave me a thick folder with the rest of my documents, a list of important addresses, like school, then left. The lawyer was supposed to visit me later and take me to introduce me to my brother. Except he never came and all the calls I made either went unanswered or to an assistant promising to pass along the message. I don't know if they never passed the message or if the lawyer just couldn't be bothered. Since I didn't know any other way to contact him or my own father, I gave up on meeting this so-called brother. I was also busy enough trying to catch up with school so I wouldn't stay behind."

That was the part they had crafted along with Nico, after he had to improvise when their father asked how they'd met. They decided to create an explanation that felt almost true, which made it easier to remember and almost believe once they repeated a couple of times over.

"I once brought the letter to school; I don't remember exactly why. I think I thought of showing it to the principal or the counselor and ask them for any advice on what to do. Nanni saw it on my desk during our shared class and recognized the name, since it was the same firm that his father had assigned to take care of him. I wanted to ask for another method of contacting the lawyer, and explained why it was so important. When he learned what my letter contained, along with the only information I had about my father, that he was in the mining business, he did the math about him being my half-brother."

Judging by Lucy's lack of reaction or suspicion, it seemed like their fabricated tale was more believable than they'd thought.

"I went to Los Angeles with him because he wanted us to confront his father, who turned out to also be mine. He recognized me and knew who I was, but that's about it. I don't know if he tried to explain or justify himself for not bothering to check on me or if the lawyer had done their job. I know Nanni had plans to confront him, but I doubt he gave my brother any satisfactory answer. He doesn't look like someone who feels the need to explain himself, even when he should."

When almost a minute in silence passed, Lucy seemed to realize the story was finally over.

"So when you told me you were siblings..."

"I had only known myself for a few weeks."

Lucy nodded, putting down her mug on the center table and pulling her legs up to hug her knees.

"That's why you don't live together, your relationship is still too awkward to go all out."

More than awkward, it was too indirect, having Hazel and Nico in between. They had never discussed it, but the daughter of Pluto knew Hannah would constantly think of what she could do so they would become closer once the demigods left.

"Something like that, yes."

"I wouldn't have guessed; you guys look close. It's clear how much you care about each other; I would even say love each other."

Hazel shrugged, also putting down her now empty mug.

"Maybe because we have no one else, that's why we were so quick to hold on to one another."

Lucy remained in silence, and Hazel allowed her time to absorb everything.

How do you feel?

I don't know. Normal? I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be feeling.

I don't think you're 'supposed' to feel anything in specific. Whatever you feel is valid.

Except for you, this is the first time I try to explain what happened to me. More than that, I'm shocked that Lucy managed to keep quiet.

I agree. Except for tests, I never saw her keep quiet for so long.

"Do you know about Nanni's life? Why he reached the stage he was in before we became closer to him?"

Being in the dark about Nanni's past almost as much as Lucy, the dark-skinned girl shook her head.

"I know some facts, but no details. We haven't had the chance to discuss his past more deeply. We haven't even discussed mine."

"What? Then who did you talk to, beyond me?"

"No one?"

Lucy blinked. She then opened and closed her mouth twice before finding her words.

"Oh. I feel... honored. And a bit pressured."

"Why pressured?"

"Because I feel I should somehow help you more, but I don't know how?"

"Lucy, you listened. For now, that's all the help I needed."

***

After the second movie, the girls moved to Hazel's bed, settling under the comforter and facing each other, with just the side lamp on Lucy's side on.

"Can I ask another personal question?"

"Go on."

"Will you ever tell me about before you moved to Alaska? Or do you prefer to keep it private?"

"Yeah, I will, one day. Just-"

"Not today, I get it. One surprising revelation at a time."

SUNDAY, 19th February

When Hazel finally woke up, she was alone in bed. Forcing herself to get up, she checked the bathroom, but finding it empty, she moved to the kitchen. The scene she met gave her pause.

Oh, she's a truly morning person. Why am I not surprised?

"Hannah, good morning! Do you want a smoothie? It's banana, apricot, and kiwi. Do you have any ginger? I searched for it but didn't find any. I put some pancake batter on the side, should I prepare some for you? What do you put on top, jam? Do you have syrup? Oh, we could try to put the remaining mascarpone from yesterday. It should taste good, I think. Do you have frozen berries? We could add those. And I was thinking what we should do for lunch, we could-"

Hazel raised a hand to interrupt her friend.

"Lucy, I woke up less than a minute ago, my brain is barely working. How long have you been awake?"

"Little over an hour?"

"Just... why?"

***

"Considering you told me yesterday how you left the hospital on donated clothes; I'm still trying to compare that Hannah with this Hannah full of brand clothes."

"I told you, that's my step-mother. When we visited them for winter, Nanni left first and then she took me shopping."

It had already four days since the boxes full with the clothes Persefoneia had bought them arrived. Seeing five boxes filled to the brim with clothes didn't inspire her with courage to organize them. Luckily, once Lucy learned what the boxes on the living room corner contained, Hazel barely had to utter some words before the black-haired girl had offered to help her put it all away.

"Was she trying to compensate for your father's actions?"

"I... don't know? She sounded more the type to criticize than to compensate his actions. I think she just loves shopping and couldn't pass the opportunity to redo my whole wardrobe."

"If she ever needs another wardrobe, please drop my name, will you?"

***

After lunch, they were again washing the dishes together, occasionally flicking water on each other.

"In the end, have you considered my idea of getting a pet to keep you company?"

"Actually, yes. We- I mean, I was thinking of getting a ferret."

Lucy passed a soapy plate, looking pensive.

"A ferret? I don't think I know anyone with a ferret, so I'm not sure how they are as pets. Do you know someone with a ferret?"

"No, but I have been searching about it on and off for the last weeks. Can I show you later some sites I have saved?"

"Gladly. Have you decided if you want a male or female?"

"I haven't, but what worries me a bit is several sites advising to get at least two, so they can play together and keep each other company."

"I know you're not having money troubles anymore, but how much does a ferret cost?"

"I was actually thinking of getting one from a shelter."

"Oh, I didn't even know there were shelter ferrets, even better."

"Speaking of pets, how are your hamsters?"

Lucy clapped her hands, accidentally spraying water and soap on both girls' faces.

"So glad you asked!"

Flashback over, back to the present

MONDAY, 20th February

"Miss Longoria, will you please get Ms. Bridget?"

"Right away, sir."

While the teacher and other students crowded around the girl who had fainted, Hannah left the classroom to fetch the school's nurse. Luckily, the hallways were empty, so she was almost at the infirmary in just a couple of minutes. Too focused on her task, it took her a fraction of a second more to understand her feet had slipped from under her. By the way she realized she was falling, she couldn't break her fall enough and felt her head slamming against the floor. White flashed in her vision and she closed her eyes, noticing in a second the pain irradiating from her left elbow and hip.

"Hey, you okay?"

She could feel someone squatting by her side, moving so she would lie down.

"Percy? What are you doing here?"

"Skipping class, don't tell Annabeth. What are you doing here?"

"I came to get the nurse."

He helped her sit up, keeping a hand on her back for support.

"You came for the nurse before getting hurt? I didn't know you were prophetic."

"No, someone fainted in my class, the teacher sent me here. Help me get up, please?"

"Not here."

"What?"

"Let's scoot closer to the lockers before getting up. Unless you want to slip again and hit your head in a different part?"

She could see he was smirking at her.

Now it's not the time to be funny!

"I won't fall again."

"Hazel, check your hand, see how it's oily?"

She did, noticing he was right.

"What is this?"

"An anticipated senior prank, the whole middle section of the hallway is slippery, even after they cleaned it. However, the sides are safe."

Holding on to his hand, she allowed Percy to pull her to the side, before using that same hand to pull her up. The sudden movement highlighted all the aches over her body and made her head pound.

"How is the head?"

"What do you think!?"

"I think I better walk you to the nurse."

She glared at him, inexplicably annoyed by his help.

"Why are you looking at me like the prank was my fault? I'm a Junior, in case you forgot."

***

The nurse had instructed Percy to help Hazel keep the ice packs in place before leaving to attend the student who had fainted. Hazel closed her eyes, positioning the ice pack on her elbow while Percy tried to adjust the one to her head for the fourth time.

"Just choose a position and keep it!"

"Someone is grumpy."

"If you offered to help, then help!"

"I can't believe you're bossing a praetor around."

"You stepped down."

"True, but I'm still a Hero of Olympus."

"So am I."

"Yeah, but are you two-times Hero of Olympus?"

"Just to warn you, cockiness is not a good look on you."

"What do you mean, I look good in anything."

"Whoever told you that, lied."

"How dare you accuse Sally Jackson of being a liar, she's the most honorable woman there is."

Despite the pain and now the cold numbing her skin, her mouth twitched in humor.

"There it is, someone is feeling better."

She finally opened her eyes to see Percy with a boyish smile.

"You're impossible, I don't know how Annabeth puts up with you."

"I'm good at making her laugh."

She raised the eyebrow not covered by the icepack in mockery, but she knew he was partially right.

I know you said it to make fun of him, but he doesn't look good.

Hazel could see what Hannah meant. Percy had dark bags under his eyes and his shoulders sagged in exhaustion.

"You look tired, like minutes away from collapsing."

"I feel like minutes away from collapsing."

The words escaped her mouth before she could think them over.

"Are you having nightmares about Tartarus again?"

He looked at her in surprise.

"What? No! It's because we stayed up all night gaming. I was actually skipping class to take a nap. Or get an energy drink."

He gave her a look that seemed to search for more than she wanted him to see.

"The Hypnos cabin blocked those nightmares, remember?"

Grimacing, she turned her head away from him, hoping he wouldn't see more in her face.

"Oh, right."

She managed to count to five before Percy spoke again.

"Hazel? Why was your first guess Tartarus?"

Nico is gonna kill me.

Maybe Percy won't figure it out?

"Not stupid decisions, not mortal nightmares, not demigod nightmares, but Tartarus?"

She tried to look nonchalant.

"Just because you seemed really, really tired."

"Is Nico having the dreams again? How many? Since when?"

You were saying?

That was even faster than I expected.

"No, he had just one, nothing to be concerned."

"Did he have just one or did he just admit to one?"

Well! He certainly seems to know your brother.

Right now, I wish he didn't. Nico will be furious with me.

When she didn't offer an answer, he used his free hand to poke her arm.

"Are you hoping I'll stop asking so you won't implicate yourself?"

She nodded, doing her best to give him puppy eyes despite the icepack he was holding against her forehead taking away some of its effectiveness.

"Please?"

Percy sighed.

"Only because it's you."

A/N: Percy treating Hazel like a little sister, I love it! The beauty of asking myself "can I make a cave collapse on Hannah because of an earthquake? Does Alaska even have caves or earthquakes?" just to find there are over 600 caves and an average of 1000 earthquakes/month. In case the description wasn't clear, Hannah's mother was having drug problems (I wasn't clear on purpose, because Hannah herself hadn't and still hasn't realized). I won't dwell on which drug because that's not the important part, I just wanted to make her mind get consumed the same way Gaea did with Hazel's mother.

But the coma part was... heavy to write, especially the recover. I initially had planned to put her in coma for seven months (to equate with Hazel's seven decades in Asphodels), but shortened because the recovery road was LONG (thank you random Quora user who described it so clearly). When FeatheredTerror asked me to elaborate on Hannah's past, I did NOT expect to write over 2400 words on it alone.

And yes, I headcanon that Percy is not the only Big Three kid to not have a gift for bow and arrow. Jason, Hazel and Nico are all described with having fight styles where they get close and personal. Even Jason rarely uses his javelin to throw, I mostly remember he using it to have more weapon to impale on his enemies. Thalia is the exception, and that's because of her oath to Artemis more than her own gift. And yes, getting shot close-range in paintball on an unarmored part of your body does hurt like a b-