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Hazel always thought it was counterintuitive that she had wings.
Why should she be blessed with such beautiful things when she was cursed?
Her wings used to be pretty, but that was when she was younger. Before Gaea controlled her mom before she first met her dad, and before she first summoned a gem.
She honestly didn’t remember them well, but she kept a few of their feathers once when her mom had cleaned them. She had found them right before they moved to Alaska.
When she found those feathers, her wings were no longer beautiful. Her wings were nothing but skin held between bones, with a few broken black and gray feathers hanging on to the skin. They were ugly to look at, nothing to take joy in. They were something to hide, something no one should ever see.
She never knew anyone else whose wings had become like hers. They were broken, like her.
As Hazel died, she wished she could see her beautiful wings again. Instead, her broken ones wrapped around her mom and her as her mom wrapped her beautiful wings around her. The island sank and fell apart around them.
Her wings didn’t get better in Elysium. They stayed the same, leaving her alone with her memories. But her wings first started getting better when Nico rescued her from death.
She knew that Nico wasn’t planning on saving her, but he didn’t leave her there alone.
After that, her wings started to morph back into what they looked like in those feathers she found so many years before, in another lifetime.
Hazel never saw Nico's wings, and he never saw hers. They might be related, but some things can’t be shared with someone you just met and found out you are related.
Hazel’s wings were starting to become bright reddish-brown with darker vertical streaks and some white feathering on the underparts. But they were still broken, looking weak. They barely looked a quarter as strong as they once were.
But she didn’t show off her wings to other members of the legion. She kept them folded on her back when she was out and about and never opened them unless she was in Pluto's Shrine alone.
She always went to the bathhouse when no one else was there, which was normally around 2 or 3 in the morning, and it was okay. She was a daughter of Pluto, so being alone was normal to her. No one was there to mock her wings or ask questions, and she would forever be grateful for that.
No one ever asked why neither child of Pluto showed their wings., but Hazel knew that they wondered why and would whisper behind their backs.
But they didn’t understand how much it hurt as she sat with Nico and talked on the roof of Pluto's Shrine, watching the demigods and legacies fly with their wings.
The first time Hazel ever saw someone else with broken wings was when Nico passed out on the Argo II. It was after Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus. Nico blamed himself and tried to help, even when his body couldn't keep up.
Hazel had dragged him to the infirmary alone, since Jason, Frank, Piper, and Leo were fighting off another monster attack.
The infirmary wasn't as nice as the one at Camp Jupiter, but it was enough. She knew it was bad when she could drag her brother; she didn’t consider herself weak, but she shouldn’t have been able to drag a passed-out twelve-year-old boy on her own.
Once she got Nico to the infirmary, she looked around for the unicorn draught, avoiding the nectar and ambrosia. She remembered what Annabeth and Percy said about the healing god food used in emergencies when demigods are seriously hurt.
After pouring a little unicorn draught into Nico's mouth, he started to wake up. A few minutes later, he tried to sit up and winced, revealing a gash on his lower chest.
Hazel had him remove his shirt, and that was when she saw it. She just stared at Nico’s wings; they were nothing but skin held between bones with a few broken black and gray feathers hanging on to the skin, just like hers.
Nico tried to hide his wings, but Hazel whispered, "I’m not the only one."
Nico looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Your wings," Hazel whispered. "Mine were like that. They are a bit better now, but barely." She pushed her jacket to the side to show a bit of the damaged feathers that peeked from behind her shirt.
Nico was quiet before shaking his head. "It's nice to know I’m not alone," he whispered with a smile.
Hazel nodded and smiled before handing him some bandages for the gash. That was the first and the last time she ever saw Nico’s wings, and they didn’t talk about wings again until after the war.
After that, Hazel spent more time observing the wings of the other members of the Seven.
Piper's wings were sandy brown overall, with large dark spots on the wing coverts, like a dove.
Leo's wings were bright white with red accents on the wingtips, like a crane's.
Frank's wings were dark brown, with paler undersides on the flight feathers, like a vulture's; Hazel personally thought they were the most beautiful wings she had ever seen.
Jason's wings were brown with pale golden-cream and white spots and streaks, shaped like an eagle's.
All of their wings looked beautiful and healthy, and they proudly displayed them. This was in stark contrast to Nico and her, who kept their wings hidden.
The only one whose wings even looked somewhat similar to hers was Leo, because his feathers seemed looser and fell out more often. Hazel had seen him throw his white feathers over the side of the Argo II with Buford several times, but she had never said anything because it wasn’t her place.
Hazel never saw Nico with his wings open, and she knew why. She kept her wings hidden, too, and she understood the pain that came with them.
After they saved Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus, Nico left with Coach Hedge and Reyna. Hazel found herself sitting on the rigging of the Argo II, finally understanding why Nico liked it so much.
In the dark, she could stretch her wings, and it felt like she was flying—or at least, it felt like she imagined flying would feel.
She had never tried to fly; her wings were never capable of that.
So, whenever it was Hazel's turn for night watches, she would climb into the rigging and stretch her wings, imagining that she was flying or sometimes that she was riding Arion.
As she looked out over the darkened sea and wished that someday she would truly soar through the skies.
Hazel never thought her wings would ever get better enough that she could fly, but she was wrong.
After the Second Giant War, they did.
The bright reddish-brown feathers with darker vertical streaks got brighter, and the white feathering on the underparts looked beautiful.
They were stunning, and the first time Hazel saw them like that, she cried.
She had never thought they could look so beautiful.
Hazel stood in front of a mirror in the Praetorium, her wings fully extended. They were no longer the broken, skeletal remnants they once were.
They were whole, vibrant, and full of feathers.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked at them, turning around to look at them better.
She had endured so much in her life, and she finally had something beautiful to show for all of it.
Hazel did some research into her wings and figured out that they had the same pattern as a screech owl, specifically a red morph. This made sense since the screech owl is a sacred bird to Hades and Pluto.
She shared this revelation with Nico one night as they sat on the roof of the Hades' cabin, a year after the defeat of Gaea.
Nico nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. My wings used to be gray with dark vertical streaks and smaller, darker barring."
Hazel hesitated before asking, "Are they still broken?"
Nico didn’t respond immediately. He just looked up at the stars, lost in thought. After a while, he asked, "If my wings got better, would you be happy for me?"
Hazel nodded. "Yeah, I would. You deserve to be happy."
Nico smiled at her. "I'm glad your wings got better. You deserve that, too."
Hazel smiled back and took his hand. "You know, it's weird for a child of Pluto or Hades to have wings."
Nico nodded. "It's not like we can use them."
Hazel laughed. "Yeah, it's not like Zeus would like it."
Nico chuckled. "He wouldn’t."
The two of them sat quietly on the roof, looking at the stars above.
As Hazel stood in the Praetorium, getting ready for the dance later that night, she smiled. This was the first time she was ever going to show her wings in public.
She chose to wear a cream-colored, sleeveless formal dress featuring a square-neck backless bodice with a full waistband. Thin straps secured the bodice at the nape of her neck before lacing it into a corset back. The corset tied into a dainty bow against the open back of the gorgeous dress. The fabulous long skirt opened in a side slit with every step, and the side pockets added a practical touch.
She wore tan high heels, completing the look. The dress was modest, but it still had an open back to show off her wings like she wanted. Piper had done her makeup and hair, enhancing her natural beauty with a touch of elegance.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Hazel took one last look in the mirror before answering it to find her boyfriend waiting for her.
Frank just stared at her. "You look amazing, Hazel. Like a literal goddess."
Hazel blushed at Frank's words. "Thank you. You look amazing as well."
Frank blushed and took her arm, leading her to where the dance was taking place in Camp Jupiter’s mess hall.
The hall was adorned with twinkling fairy lights and streamers in purple and gold, giving it a magical ambiance.
Percy was dancing with Annabeth, spinning her around with a wide grin on his face, and she was spinning him around in return, their laughter echoing through the hall.
Leo was dancing with Calypso, dipping her dramatically as she laughed and smiled, her cinnamon hair flowing around her like a waterfall. The two of them seemed lost in their world, moving effortlessly to the music.
Nico was sitting with Will, smiling and laughing with him, their hands occasionally brushing against each other as they shared a private joke.
Piper was laughing and talking animatedly with her Greek and Roman siblings, her wings fluttering slightly with excitement.
Meg was grinning and chatting with her siblings as well, her infectious energy spreading to those around her.
Most of the demigods had their wings out—wings of white, brown, black, gray, and so many other colors spun around the dance floor and the surrounding area.
Only Nico kept his wings hidden, and Hazel understood why.
It had taken her a long time to be proud of her wings and to understand that she was broken, but everyone was in their way, and she was still healing.
Frank took Hazel's hand and spun her around. "Your wings are beautiful, Hazel," he whispered.
Hazel smiled and pulled Frank into a kiss.
Yes, she was born blessed with beautiful wings and was born cursed, but she had learned from her experiences.
She wasn't perfect and would never be fully healed, but she was getting closer to belonging to herself, with the help she had gained from her brother, her friends, her boyfriend, and herself.
Hazel spent the rest of the night dancing, feeling happier and freer than ever before.