CHAPTER FIVE: FOR YOU I RISK IT ALL

( mark of athena )

✲*'。

EZRA MIN HAD NO IDEA how long she had been stuck between Hazel. The actual ride itself was awkward as hell; with Ezra cushioned between Hazel and Leo and for the what seemed like the umpteenth time she regretted not whistling for Eddie.

She had her hands awkwardly clutched in her lap as Arion thundered onto the beach, stomping his hooves and whinnied triumphantly, like Coach Hedge yelling a battle cry. Despite the circumstances and her company, Ezra couldn't help the bright smile that engulfed her at the sound.

"He needs to eat," Hazel explained as she watched the way Ezra began to run her hands through Arion's mane. It was strange; in the last few days as Percy began to regain his memories, Hazel had heard all about his girlfriends, The Mins— primarily Ezra.

Ezra Min had been a name that Percy Jackson couldn't keep from uttering every few minutes. He spoke of a cold, callous girl, with a soft core, determined to protect her loved ones, even at the expense of her own sanity. It was hard not to miss the longing in his voice, the pure, soft love that seeped from his entire being just as he spoke her name.

Ezra Min had been described perfectly; she was  cold, she was crass but most importantly they were was a certain softness to her hard exterior. Whether it was with her sisters, or the comfort of Percy's arms or Annabeths words, there were a whole other side to the blind demigod standing before her.

Hazel had seen the cut throat protectiveness that lingered inside of Ezra Min. She had seen it in the way Ezra was so delicate with Melanie, with Annais her own sister. It made Hazel feel .... Well it made her feel nostalgic for Nico. The only other person who had treated her like that.

"He likes gold, but—" Hazel began once more, carefully watching the way Ezra began to coo at Arion before Sa- Leo interrupted her.

"Gold?" Leo asked.

"He'll settle for grass. Go on, Arion. Thanks for the ride. I'll call you."

Just like that, after one more rub, the horse was gone—nothing left but a steaming trail across the lake.

And with that, Ezra Min's walls were back up, fortified and impenetrable as disconnected her cane from its holster by her hip, as she made her way back to the demigods she unwittingly trapped herself with.

"Fast horse," Leo began, "And expensive to feed."

"Not really," Hazel sighed, like she was bored of this already. "Gold is easy for me."

Ezra leaned against her cane, raising an eyebrow at the incredulous tone in Leo's voice. "How is gold easy? Please tell me you're not related to King Midas. I don't like that guy."

"What a shame Leondias," Ezra tutted as Leo squawked at her indignation. "Midas and I get on great."

And there was the sarcastic facade Percy had spoken up about. Before Leo could attempt to reply, Hazel sighed loudly, already regretting raising the subject. "Never mind."

"Well...one problem solved, anyway. This is lime." Leo piped up, eyes narrowed as he watched the daughter of Hera bend down to inspect the ground with her hands.

"The whole beach?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah. See? The granules are perfectly round. It's not really sand. It's calcium carbonate." Leo murmured, just in range for Ezra to keep an ear out for the idiot in case he did anything stupid.

When she didn't hear any chatter from the fool, Ezra was on her feet, cane out in front of her as she marched over to the son of Hephaestus. The last thing she needed was the boy dying; Mel would actually kill her and feel guilty prompting two seconds after.

That was a train wreck Ezra wanted to avoid thank you very much.

"Leo?" Hazel asked. "You okay?" As Ezra charged over, her body tense as her muscles remained relaxed. There was no chaos.

So what was it?

Ezra cocked her head to the side as she listened to Leo take a shaky breath. Whatever it was, it had been mental.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, fine," He murmured as he began to rummage through something.

Ezra sighed as she listened to Hazel speak again. "We should've brought a pail and shovels."

The idea cheered to seem cheer Leo up, for when he spoke up again his tone was noticeably cheerier. "We could've made a sand castle .... and buried Ezra in the sand."

"Touch me and I'll chop your hand off." Ezra sweetly stated, her words ignorant to Leo and Hazel. "Don't move I'm going to scale above." She murmured, walking aimlessly ahead, giving Leo and Hazel a chance to sort out that tension.

As much as Ezra wanted to kick his ass for hurting her sister she wasn't callous. Whatever Hazel wanted from Leo, it wasn't an emotional connection. If it had, relation to Annais or not, Ezra would have made her stance clear by cutting off Leo and Hazel's fingers.

Not that anyone had to know that...

The moment she heard movement from behind her, Ezra charged ahead, pulling on the tether connecting her to Leo. The fool couldn't die, not before she had the chance to kill him herself.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked before he could stop himself.

Ezra was well and truly going to kill him.

"Aunt Rosa?" he asked.

"Is that what you hear?" the woman asked, shocking Ezra Min to her very core. It couldn't be ... surely not she was dead. "Interesting. And you, Hazel, dear?"

"How did you—?" Hazel stepped back in alarm, unintentionally grabbing the tense Ezra's arm as a display of silent support. "You—you look like Mrs. Leer. My third grade teacher. I hated you."

The female's voice cackled. "Excellent. You resented her, eh? She judged you unfairly?"

"You—she taped my hands to the desk for misbehaving," Hazel said. "She called my mother a witch. She blamed me for everything I didn't do and— No. She has to be dead. Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm assuming Ms Min knows," the woman said. "Don't you dear?"

It was the condescending tone that ignited Ezra Min's blaring temper. Growling, she charged forward, drawing out Kronos' scythe, ignoring the bated breath escaping Hazel's lips as Leo fought to tug her back. "You'd better shut up Nemesis or I'll happily kill you like I did Khione!"

"You see!" The goddess stated once. "She recognizes me."

Nemesis cracked another ... what was that a cookie? "You will have great fortune when you least expect it," she read. "That's exactly the sort of nonsense I hate. Someone opens a cookie, and suddenly they have a prophecy that they'll be rich! I blame that tramp Tyche. Always dispensing good luck to people who don't deserve it!"

Ezra's nose wrinkled in disgruntlement as Leo spoke up from beside her. "Uh...you know those aren't real prophecies, right? They're just stuffed in the cookies at some factory—"

"Don't try to excuse it!" Nemesis snapped. "It's just like Tyche to get people's hopes up. No, no. I must counter her." Nemesis paused for a moment before continuing on. "You will die painfully when you most expect it. There! Much better."

"That's horrible!" Hazel said. "You'd let someone read that in their fortune cookie, and it would come true?"

Nemesis sneered. "My dear Hazel, haven't you ever wished horrible things on Mrs. Leer for the way she treated you?"

"That doesn't mean I'd want them to come true!"

"Bah." The goddess resealed the cookie and tossed it in her basket. "Tyche would be Fortuna for you, I suppose, being Roman. Like the others, she's in a horrible way right now. Me? I'm not affected. I am called Nemesis in both Greek and Roman. I do not change, because revenge is universal."

"What a pity," Ezra drawled, leaning heavily on the scythe, her threat clear.

"What are you talking about?" Leo, for once wisely intervened. He didn't think Percy Jackson would be too impressed if he brought Ezra back covered in bruises. "What are you doing here?"

Nemesis opened another cookie. "Lucky numbers. Ridiculous! That's not even a proper fortune!" She crushed the cookie once more, the sound grating on Ezra's nerves.

"To answer your question, Leo Valdez, the gods are in terrible shape. It always happens when a civil war is brewing between you Romans and Greeks. The Olympians are torn between their two natures, called on by both sides. They become quite schizophrenic, I'm afraid. Splitting headaches. Disorientation."

"But we're not at war," Leo insisted.

"Um, Leo..." Hazel winced. "Except for the fact that you recently blew up large sections of New Rome."

"And lets not forget you injured bear boy! He won't take too kindly to that." Ezra smirked, flashing her teeth making Leo gulp. He wasn't out of the woods with the daughter of Hera. Leo had a suspicious feeling that if she could, Ezra would have happily broken all his limbs in a heartbeat.

Thank Hades his girlfriend was the kindest of the Mins.

"Not on purpose!"

"I know..." Hazel said, "but the Romans don't realize that. And they'll be pursuing us in retaliation."

Nemesis cackled. "Leo, listen to the girl. War is coming. Gaea has seen to it, with your help. And can you guess whom the gods blame for their predicament?"

From beside her, Leo gulped. "Me."

The goddess snorted. "Well, don't you have a high opinion of yourself. You're just a pawn on the chessboard, Leo Valdez. I was referring to the player who set this ridiculous quest in motion, bringing the Greeks and Romans together. The gods blame Hera—or Juno, if you prefer! The queen of the heavens has fled Olympus to escape the wrath of her family. Don't expect any more help from your patron!"

Ezra cocked her head to the side, staring in the general direction of where she thought Nemesis to be sitting. The goddess had the perfect chance to reveal her parentage, set off Hazel, chance creating a spark that would drive the seven apart. What was she playing at?

"So why are you here?" Leo asked, summarizing what she had just been thinking. Ugh, they were in sync now.

"Why, to offer my help!" Nemesis smiled wickedly.

"Your help," Leo said.

"Of course!" said the goddess. "I enjoy tearing down the proud and powerful, and there are none who deserve tearing down like Gaea and her giants. Still, I must warn you that I will not suffer undeserved success. Good luck is a sham. The wheel of fortune is a Ponzi scheme. True success requires sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?" Hazel's voice was tight. "I lost my mother. I died and came back. Now my brother is missing. Isn't that enough sacrifice for you?"

"Lets not mention the fact my sister died in my arms, protecting me from a blow that was meant for me." Ezra snarled out. "What more could you want!"

"Right now," Leo said, trying to control his anger, "all I want is some Celestial bronze."

"Oh, that's easy," Nemesis said. "It's just over the rise. You'll find it with the sweethearts."

"Wait," Hazel piped up in confusion at the abrupt changed in subject . "What sweethearts?"

"You'll see. Perhaps they will teach you a lesson, Hazel Levesque. Most heroes cannot escape their nature, even when given a second chance at life." Nemesis cackled. "And speaking of your brother Nico, you don't have much time. Let's see...it's June twenty-fifth? Yes, after today, six more days. Then he dies, along with the entire city of Rome."

Hazel's eyes widened. "How...what—?"

"For you child of ... chaos, your trials only begin. You will be dealt the harshest of cards all thanks to that sister of yours making such a choice." Nemesis spoke, making Ezra's stomach drop at the thought. What did the goddess mean? What was she to face?

And most importantly, what had Penelope done?

"And as for you, child of fire." She turned to Leo. "Your worst hardships are yet to come. You will always be the outsider, the tenth wheel. You will not find a place among your brethren. Soon you will face a problem you cannot solve, though I could help you...for a price."

Ezra winced as she smelled smoke. Great now the over sized elf was on fire.

"I like to solve my own problems." Leo hissed.

"Very well." Nemesis brushed cookie dust off her jacket.

"But, um, what sort of price are we talking about?"

The goddess huffed. "One of my children recently traded an eye for the ability to make a real difference in the world."

Ezra's stomach churned at the very thought as Leo spoke. "You...want an eye?"

"In your case, perhaps another sacrifice would do. But something just as painful. Here." She paused, most likely to get something for Leo if Ezra was guessing correctly. "If you need an answer, break this. It will solve your problem."

From beside her, Ezra could feel the way Leo's hand trembled as he held the item Nemesis had handed him. "What problem?"

"You'll know when the time comes."

"No, thanks," Leo said firmly.

Nemesis cracked another cookie before she spoke again. "You will have cause to reconsider your choices soon. Oh, I like that one. No changes needed here."

"Very few gods will be able to help you on the quest. Most are already incapacitated, and their confusion will only grow worse. One thing might bring unity to Olympus again—an old wrong finally avenged. Ah, that would be sweet indeed, the scales finally balanced! But it will not happen unless you accept my help." Nemesis cackled, at the very thought.

"I suppose you won't tell us what you're talking about," Hazel muttered. "Or why my brother Nico has only six days to live. Or why Rome is going to be destroyed."

Nemesis chuckled. "Oh, it's all tied together, Hazel Levesque. As for my offer, Leo Valdez, give it some thought. You're a good child. A hard worker. We could do business. But I have detained you too long. You should visit the reflecting pool before the light fades. My poor cursed boy gets quite...agitated when the darkness comes."

Ezra huffed as she listened to way Nemesis disappeared. Just great. From nearby, Ezra cocked her head to side as she listened to Hazel speak. "You will see yourself reflected, and you will have reason to despair."

"Fantastic," Leo grumbled. "Let's go see what that means."

As they walked on, Ezra charged ahead, oblivious to what exactly Leo and Hazel spoke about. Her mind was elsewhere, lingering on a certain sisters anniversary was just around the corner. What had Penelope done to warrant a warning from Nemesis. Penelope had always been the most careful to not anger the gods, given who her father was. She never wanted to draw attention to herself.

The only way she would have ... would have been to protect her family. What had Penelope done?

✲*'。

PEOPLE HAD ALWAYS KNOWN Ezra Min was the most lethal of her sisters. Whether it be from her brutal force in her sparring lessons, where on more than one occasion she had broken a demigods leg, or arms ( whatever limb took her fancy really ). Ezra Min was deadly, a force to be reckoned with it, even when she seemed most at peace.

Penelope had always known her sister was special, had seen the potential her sister harness. She had been the first to see the raw anger, the talent everyone wanted to ignore, only seeing her sisters disability.

Penelope had been the one to her change her life, that was something Ezra would decree to her dying day.

Like any other demigod, Ezra Min suffered hardships, like any other demigod, Ezra Min bled for the gods, completely whatever quest was required of her. Penelope had always been diligent, watching whenever Ezra dipped away, hiding away into herself whenever the world got to be too much.

Penelope had made a vow that she would protect her sister, her daughter, her best friend until her dying breath. It was a vow she had made on the river Styx, whatever the consequences be damned.

So when Penelope shoved her sister aside, and took the lethal strike, she died with a smile on her face. When she faced her judgment, she did so with a smile on her face.

Penelope would risk it all for Ezra.

And it was a choice she would make over and over again.

✲*'。

Authors note; I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!! I know I promised a 7K chapter but it felt better to break it up and well I'm just after testing positive for rona so be expecting some updates over the next few days. See you all soon!!