Chapter Text
When Hazel opened her amber eyes, she knew straight away that something wasn't right. She climbed out of bed and tiptoed over to the bathroom, glancing nervously across the cabin at the sleeping form of Nico. Luckily, her brother was not a morning person, and he seemed pretty dead to the world.
Her trip to the bathroom revealed exactly what was wrong. It wasn't unexpected; she'd been briefed by her friends about it. Annabeth and Piper had both had theirs during their quest on the Argo II, and the three of them had spent an evening in Hazel's cabin, snuggled up in blankets, talking about it. So Hazel knew what to expect. But her friends weren't with her now. Suddenly, she felt…alone. And scared.
She was faced with a choice. Deal with it by herself, or ask someone for help. But who?
Frank? He'd be very caring, but probably not much help since he'd never been through it.
Nico? Probably the same.
Will? As camp medic, he'd know what to do. But he was still a boy. And despite him being Nico's boyfriend, they weren't particularly close. That would be awkward and embarrassing.
Chiron? The old centaur was very wise…but perhaps not the right person to help with this.
Mr D? No way in Hades.
Hades? She wasn't supposed to bother him with anything, being resurrected and all. Let alone something like this.
Panic began to set in. None of her girlfriends were here. She wanted Piper or Annabeth. She'd even have settled for Reyna. She took deep breaths to calm herself. You're a praetor, she told herself. You can do anything.
Luckily, all her clothes had survived, including her underwear. She got dressed and stuffed a wad of toilet roll in her pants, and then crept out of the cabin.
She knew she had to get her hands on some pads. The plan was to sneak into the infirmary and grab some without anyone noticing. And if she happened to run into any of the Apollo girls, she might tell them. Maybe.
When she got there, she found the place completely deserted. With camp being so quiet right now, nobody needed healing today, it seemed. Glancing round in determination, she decided her best bet would be the girls' bathroom cupboard.
She was right. There was a full pack in there. Heaving a sigh of relief, she unwrapped one. Now it was time to figure out how to use the thing. Which way round did it go? Did that matter? Was it too far forwards? Backwards?
After a few minutes, she decided it would have to do. If she wasted any more time, she'd miss breakfast, which would lead to unwanted questions. Not to mention she was starving. She chucked the wrapper away, washed her hands and stuffed the rest of the pads into her pockets. Then she walked over to the dining pavilion, trying to get used to the extra bulk in her underwear. It made her feel like a baby wearing a diaper.
She was so distracted that she walked into something large and solid.
'Oops, so sorry…oh, it's you.'
The large and solid something happened to be her boyfriend.
'Good morning to you too,' Frank laughed. 'Sleep well?'
Hazel and Frank had arrived for their visit at Camp Half-Blood the previous afternoon. She'd been so looking forward to it, but now she just wanted to go home. It was awful timing, being away from her comfy praetor's house and having to share the Hades cabin with Nico. She loved him very much, but she'd rather have the privacy right now.
'Earth to Hazel?'
Frank was looking expectantly at her. She realised she'd never answered his question.
'What? Oh. Yes, yes I did. You?'
'Mostly. I bet your cabin is much quieter than mine.'
Frank stayed with the Ares cabin when they were here. They didn't give him any trouble because they knew he could turn into a fire-breathing dragon at any time, but they were still a rowdy bunch.
'Hazel…are you okay? You seem worried.'
Hazel chewed her lip. Some comfort from her boyfriend would be nice. They'd had their secrets exposed to each other before, like the fact that she was supposed to be dead, and his life had been tied to a piece of wood – which he'd entrusted to her. Surely this wasn't much worse.
'Well…the thing is…I'm…'
She wanted him to know. But the words wouldn't come out.
'You're…?'
She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes, instead focusing on his large feet.
'Well…'
'…Well?'
'Feeling homesick,' was what decided to come out of her mouth.
Frank raised an eyebrow.
'Homesick? You mean you miss Camp Jupiter?'
Hazel knew he was having trouble believing this, after they'd been on quests halfway across the world and Camp Half-Blood was like a second home to them.
'Yes, that's right,' she said anyway, silently cursing herself. 'I mean…do you think they'll be okay without us?'
'We've been through this. The centurions have it all under control and it's only for a few days.' He patted her shoulder. 'And they can Iris-message if they need to. So there's no need to worry.'
'You're right. I'm being silly.' She shook her head and forced her lips into a smile. 'Breakfast, then? I sure am hungry.'
'Okay.' She still hadn't met his eyes, but she could sense that they still had an inquisitive look about them. She felt terrible…even though she hadn't technically lied. She did miss Camp Jupiter. She just couldn't tell him why.
They walked to breakfast hand-in-hand, guilt nibbling away at Hazel's insides. She didn't know if or how she'd be able to tell Frank now. She'd have to own up to having lied to him, after everything they'd been through together. After everything he'd done for her. She felt sick. There was nothing for it now but to try and get through it alone.
Somehow, Hazel made it through the morning. She tried to act as natural as possible with Nico at breakfast, telling him all about how things had changed at Camp Jupiter since he'd been there. All the time, though, she was secretly worrying about how in Hades she was going to hide the fact that she was bleeding when they were sharing a bathroom. How much did Nico know about it? Would he figure out what was going on?
After breakfast, the campers headed to their activities. First they practised archery, which Frank, of course, loved so much that he forgot all about her 'homesickness' for a couple of hours. Then it was sparring with the Ares cabin, which was enough to keep anyone's mind occupied. Not concentrating could result in your limbs becoming detached from your body. Hazel cleared her mind and let her training and experience take over.
Afterwards, most of the group headed to the showers. Hazel didn't join them – she would definitely be showering in her own cabin. Nico's cabin.
It was at lunchtime when things started to go wrong. She'd ended up having second and third helpings of dessert thanks to her weird new cravings and sudden increased appetite. A few minutes later, pain flared up in her lower gut, making her wince. Oh no. She'd completely forgotten about what Annabeth and Piper had told her about that. Why hadn't she picked up any pain medication when she was raiding the infirmary cupboards?
'Hungry?' Nico asked, his amused eyes darting to her multiple empty plates.
'Mmm.'
She had been hungry – but she certainly wasn't any more. It felt like she was being stabbed repeatedly with a very sharp sword, and she knew what that felt like.
'Are you…okay?' her brother asked. Concern was now flickering across his face. She must have had a pained expression.
'Y-yes. Well, no. I think I've made myself a bit sick,' Hazel confessed.
'Ah. I've been there. Too many Happy Meals.' Nico shook his head fondly at his sister. 'I can walk you to the infirmary if you like. Will can sort you out in no time.'
'Oh, um, that's kind but…I think I'll go on my own.' Hazel planned to sneak in and out of the infirmary unnoticed as she had done earlier. 'I don't want to bother you too much.'
'Okay…if you're sure.' Nico still looked a little worried, like he sensed something was off, but he understood the need to do things alone. 'I'll see you later then.'
'See you.' Hazel got up and began to waddle back towards the infirmary, feeling sick, tired, and disgusting, like she'd wet herself. She hated it. And she hated having to go through it alone.
When she arrived, it seemed equally as deserted as before. This time, she headed for the little walk-in storage cupboard containing the medicine cabinets. Now…where would painkillers be? It seemed to be pretty well organised. She flicked her eyes along the rows, trying to find something that might be useful. She'd only reached the third row down when…
'Hazel?'
Startled, Hazel jumped and spun round. She'd been so busy looking for painkillers that she hadn't heard the door. Feeling like she'd been caught doing something forbidden, she looked nervously up into the piercing blue eyes of Will Solace.
'Can I help you?' Luckily, he didn't seem angry. Just curious.
'Uhhh…' She wrung her hands together behind her back. 'I…I need medicine.'
'I gathered.' He swept his eyes over her, making her feel that she was being x-rayed. Could he tell just by looking at her? She didn't want to know. 'What kind of medicine?'
'Um…well…'
'What seems to be the problem? If you give me an idea, I can find the right medicine to treat you.'
That was the last thing Hazel wanted to do.
'Ohh…it's nothing.'
Will's eyebrows crept up into his blond hair.
'You need medicine for…nothing. Somehow I doubt that.'
'Um…stomach ache?' It wasn't technically a lie.
'Ah, well why didn't you say so. How bad is it?'
'Very.'
'Do you feel like you're going to be sick? Or is it just painful?'
'Oh…no. I don't feel sick. It just hurts. A lot.'
'Say no more. I have just the thing.'
He reached up onto a high shelf for some strong painkillers. It was probably a good thing he'd found her, Hazel decided, since she wouldn't have been able to reach up there anyway.
He handed her the tablets, and for a moment, their fingers brushed together. Hazel thought she saw something flicker across his face. But a moment later, it was gone.
'Take those and you'll feel better in no time. And if you don't, come back and find me. Okay?'
'Okay.'
She stood awkwardly while he rummaged in another cupboard and grabbed her a bottle of water.
'Here. So you can take them straightaway.'
Hazel obeyed, unscrewing the cap, popping a couple of tablets from the pack, and gulping them down. Will nodded approvingly.
'That should do the trick. And Hazel?'
'Uh, yeah?'
His blue eyes softened.
'It's okay to ask for help, you know.'
Hazel felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She shuffled her feet, embarrassed.
'Oh…uh…yeah. Sure. Sorry.'
'Don't worry about it. See you around camp?'
'See you.'
She felt him watching her as she made her way to the door. Well, that couldn't have been any more humiliating, she thought as she began the walk back across camp.
When Hazel got back to the Hades cabin, she made a beeline for the bathroom and quickly discovered it was a good thing she wasn't squeamish when it came to blood. That would have been a disaster. The painkillers seemed to be working, but she didn't feel like doing any more camp activities. In fact, her bed looked rather inviting. She changed back into her pyjamas and crawled beneath the covers, feeling sorry for herself. It wasn't long before the drowsiness from the medication went to her head and she drifted into an uneasy sleep.
Will, of course, knew exactly what was going on with Hazel. A quick glance in the girls' bathroom cupboard had confirmed his suspicions. And what kind of healer would he be if he didn't do something?
He had sent out two notes. They each had the same hastily scribbled message:
Come to infirmary ASAP. It's about Hazel!
He wasn't all that surprised when his boyfriend popped up out of the nearest shadow, but nothing could have prepared him for a very large and powerful cheetah to come bursting in, nearly ripping the door off its hinges.
'What the…' Will stood open-mouthed as the cheetah morphed into a very out-of-breath Frank Zhang in front of his very eyes. 'Whoa. Guys…when I said ASAP…a brisk walk would have been fine.'
'Where's Hazel?' Frank glanced around worriedly.
'Has she been sick?' Nico demanded.
'Is she injured?' Frank asked.
'Is she okay?' they both shouted in unison, backing Will towards the wall.
Will gave a nervous chuckle, wondering if this whole thing was a little overboard.
'Guys, calm down. She's fine. She's just on her period. That's all.'
Nico and Frank seemed to deflate with relief. Then a look of understanding passed across Nico's face.
'So that's why she said she felt sick earlier. And she was already gone from the cabin when I woke up. She's been acting weird all day.'
'Yep.' Will explained about Hazel's trip to the infirmary for medication and how he'd used his powers to sense what was going on. 'When I touched her hand, I knew straight away. I'm guessing she's been acting secretive with you both?'
Nico nodded. Frank gave a tiny nod too, a troubled expression fixed on his face.
'This morning, she seemed upset about something. But she said it was homesickness.' Frank plonked himself on one of the beds, which groaned under his weight. 'Why didn't she tell me the truth?'
'She was probably too embarrassed. Not to mention scared. It is her first time.'
'Oh my gods!' Frank clapped a hand to his forehead. 'Her first time! As her boyfriend, I need to be there for her!'
'Me too!' exclaimed Nico. 'I'm the closest thing to family she's got.'
'And you will be there for her. I've got an idea. Let's all do something to support Hazel. I'd better go first and explain what's happening to her, and make sure she feels okay with it all.'
'How do you even know so much about this, Solace?' Nico said with an amused smirk. 'You're dating me.'
'I'm a doctor, of course,' Will replied as if it should be obvious. 'And I'm head counsellor to my sisters. They go through it every month, and it's impossible not to notice when I share a cabin with them.'
'Makes sense,' muttered Frank. 'So…what can Nico and I do?'
Nico frowned thoughtfully.
'Well…even though my boyfriend is the best doctor in the whole world…'
'You're a little biased, di Angelo,' said Will with laughter in his eyes.
'Am not.'
'Are too!'
'Am not!'
'Are too!'
Frank cleared his throat. 'Um, guys. We have a real problem here.' Will and Nico were an adorable couple, but he couldn't stand the thought of his beloved Hazel suffering any longer than she had to.
'Yes, right,' said Nico. 'Well…Will can cover all the medical stuff, but what we really need is a girl. Someone who knows and understands what it's really like. And I'm not talking just anyone. One of Hazel's closest friends.'
'And just how do you plan on getting someone here?' Will asked with raised eyebrows.
'Don't worry, I'm not thinking of shadow-travel. I have an idea, but I'll need some help.'
'I look forward to hearing what that is,' Will smiled proudly at his boyfriend. 'Now, what about you, Frank?'
Good question, Frank thought. He loved his friends' ideas and thought they were perfect. But his surprise had to be the most special and comforting of all. What he wanted to do in that moment was find Hazel and give her a bear hug. A literal bear hug. One where he enveloped her in his warm, soft embrace and let her know how much he loved her. Perhaps he could do that. Or…something similar.
'Do you think Chiron will let me use his computer for a bit of internet research?' he asked.
'I can't see him saying no to a praetor of Camp Jupiter,' said Nico, grinning.
'Awesome. I think I have an idea, but I need to find out the best way to do it.'
Nico and Will smiled.
'You don't have to tell us if you don't want to,' said Nico.
'Well…' Frank grinned. 'You can probably guess that my powers will be involved.'
'Sounds like we've got a plan,' said Will. 'Now, after I gave Hazel the medication, I'm going to guess she went back to your cabin, Nico?'
'I haven't seen her around, so I think you're right,' Nico replied. 'She might be taking a nap.'
'That's good. The medicine will make her drowsy, so she'll be out for a while. Gives us time to get everything ready.'
'I'll go and find Chiron,' said Frank.
'And I'm off to Cabin Fourteen,' Nico declared. 'I'll have to be quiet so I don't wake Hazel up.'
'And I'm staying right here,' said Will. 'Meet back in an hour or so? Then we'll go and get Hazel.'
'It's a plan.'
They all fist-bumped, the same steely determination in their eyes. Hazel had been struggling on her own, and there was no way in Tartarus they were going to let that happen.