The Return of Leo Valdez (After Blood of Olympus)

55- Hazel

"Frank!" Hazel screamed as she watched her boyfriend collapse to the ground.

A million thoughts screamed through Hazel's head. Why would he do that? Isn't he dead?

Hazel ran to Frank's side. "Frank, wake up!" She called shaking him, tears streaming down her face. "You can't be dead!"

"Hazel," Reyna said softly, bending down and placing her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "I think he's dead."

"No!" Hazel screamed. "He can't be!"

Hazel couldn't see a thing. Everything was blurry from the tears the clogged her eyes. Reyna was nothing more than a splotch of purple and brown.

"You know how his stick works," Reyna said. Hazel could hear the cracks in her voice, like she was trying to hold back her tears that she knew would never be contained.

"No," Hazel said wiping her eyes. After all that they've been through, Frank would not have just died right then and there, in her safe place. How could he kill himself right in her safe place?

"Why did he do that?" Hazel asked, face still hot with tears.

"I-I don't know," Reyna said, no longer trying to hide the tears.

Hazel heard something stir beneath her. Her heart skipped a beat. "Frank?" She whispered to herself. She looked down, and there he was, slowly blinking his eyes.

"Frank!" She screamed as she wrapped her arms around him. Happy tears now fell to her chocolate brown skin. "You're alive!"

Frank nodded slowly and he tried to sit up.

Reyna just stared. She was stunned. After working up some courage to move, she put her hand on Frank's shoulder and guided him down to his back. "You need to rest, Praetor," Reyna said, voice crackling and cheek stained with tears.

"Why did you almost kill yourself Frank?" Hazel asked. "How are you not dead?"

"I-I-" Frank's voice was raspy.

"You don't need to talk now," Hazel reassured, taking note of his difficulty. "Just rest."

Frank laid on his back for a couple seconds, just staring up at the sky, speechless.

"When I was falling out of the sky-"

"Which time?" Reyna snarked.

"The last time," Frank said, attempting to sound humorous, but his voice was raspy and weak. "When I passed out, I met Hades-"

"You met Hades?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah," Frank answered. "He told me the only way to break your curse was to sacrifice a part of myself, and I think I did the trick."

Hazel was stunned. "So-so you cured me?" She asked.

Frank shrugged. "I don't know. I hope so, because dying hurts."

Hazel laughed as kissed him softly on the cheek. "But there has to be some cost," Hazel mentioned.

"Maybe it has to do with the stick," Frank suggested. "I didn't die, maybe something is just gone. Hades said I needed to sacrifice something, he just didn't know what."

"Well maybe you should test it. Try and transform into an animal," Hazel suggested.

Hazel looked down at Frank. He closed his eyes and she knew he was focusing. His nose was crinkled and his forehead creased, but nothing was happening.

"I think I lost my shapeshifting ability," Frank said.

Hazel nodded. "Are you okay?" She asked, hoping Frank wouldn't be upset.

"I'm okay because it helped you, Hazel."

Hello I am back from my hiatus! Finals were fun yay! *sarcasm sarcasm* I am back because it's summer! So if anyone is confused, Frank's power is tied to his stuck so when he sacrificed himself he sacrificed his power to save Hazel's. It's kind of like a power for a power trade. I know it doesn't make sense, but hey, at least he's alive!