December 6th
Hazel was almost bouncing with excitement. Today she was shopping for Frank, her Secret Santa and her boyfriend.
From the first time she saw his name on her piece of paper, she knew exactly what she was getting him. A brand new set of arrows. He had been complaining about his old ones and how they were waring down and she had already planned on getting him them anyway.
"I'm heading out," Hazel called from the front door of the little house Frank and her had been given at Camp Jupitar.
"Wait!" there was the sound of something falling and Frank came sliding into the entryway with his socks.
Hazel giggled as her boyfriend steadied himself against the wall.
"I'll come too," he suggested.
Hazel tried not to frown, "But I'm shopping for my Secret Santa."
"I need to shop for mine too!" Frank insisted.
"But we can't know who's each other's is," Hazel said softly.
Frank shyly rubbed his neck, "I know but I don't know what to get my person."
"Maybe you can ask Leo for help," Hazel suggested, slowly opening the door behind her, allowing an exit for her to open.
"He set up the game."
"But-" Frank protested.
"I'll see you tonight," Hazel stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.
They kissed for a minute, making sure Frank knew that she loved him but just didn't want him to shop with her this time, and then they were apart again.
"Bye," Hazel waved and walked out the door.
"Bye," Frank said and the door closed behind her.
Hazel sigh with relief as the door closed. That was a close one.
With a skip in her step, the daughter of Pluto walked through camp and out the entrance. She waved to the campers on guard and walked off into a little city that was built right nest to the highway of Camp Jupitar.
Hazel spent at least five minutes in the beginning of her mission, getting distracted by all the beautiful Christmas decorations and the lights flashing all around her. She forgot what she was supposed to be doing for a few minutes until she walked past a hunting shop and she finally remembered what she had gone to do.
I would never get out of the Lotus Casino, she thought to herself with a laugh.
She walked into the little shop and saw that it must have been a popular because there were at least twenty men roaming around the tiny shop, making it feel a little crowded.
Hazel squeezed past men in camo outfits and bright orange jackets until she reached the front desk. The man up front was lean and had strawberry blonde hair that seemed to be mostly coming from his chin and under his nose and not his actual head.
"Excuse me," Hazel said politely as she approached the desk.
"What do you need?" the man asked in a thick Wisconsin accent.
"I was wondering where arrows would be," Hazel said, fidgeting with her fingers. "You know, for a bow and arrow."
"Yeah, yeah," the man stepped out from behind the desk and gestured for her to follow him.
They walked past coats and hats and boots until they got to the back of the store.
"Here, yar," the man said and walked back towards the front again.
"Thank you!" Hazel called after him.
She turned to face the back wall and saw different bows lining the wall to her left and there were a few men standing there, talking and testing the bows themselves. Down her right was a whole section of arrows and nobody was there. Perfect.
Hazel walked down the little aisle created by the wall of weapons and the different lines of shelves of shoes until she reached the spot where the bows were no longer shown and arrows took their place. She didn't really know what she was looking for she she just started looking at them and reading the little descriptions under some of them.
"Ah, that's a good one."
Hazel jumped and turned at the sound of a voice behind her.
A boy around twenty-two was standing in the shoe aisle, looking at her and the arrows behind her. He had brown hair and slight freckles on his semi-pale face and his outfit didn't seem to match the ones the other shoppers were wearing.
"This one?" Hazel asked, turning back to the arrow she had just been examining.
"Yes," the boy replied walking right up next to her to examine the arrow as well.
"It's my go to for archery."
"Is it good for fighting?" she asked, turning to him. "Hypothetically."
"If fighting is what you're looking for," the boy held up and finger and walked along the wall until he found an arrow that seemed a bit thicker towards the tip.
"This one is heavier on the tip so it drives through the victims easier," he said, handing the arrow to Hazel.
She examined the arrow even though she had no archery experience.
"I think he'll will like this," she decided, grabbing the arrow in her hands.
"Does your boyfriend like archery?" the boy asked curiously.
"Yes," Hazel told him, "we are doing Secret Santa with our friend group and I got him so I thought a new arrow would be good."
"So, does he really like archery and do it a lot?"
"Yes."
"Does he like more fighting and army like archery?"
Hazel thought for a minute, "yes."
"And you thought getting him an arrow or two would be enough?"
Hazel looked up at the boy and was shocked to see humor in his eyes.
"Do you even know your boyfriend?" he asked with a laughed.
"Y-yeah," Hazel said, taken a back.
"Really?" he questioned. "If you thought a lousy arrow would be a good gift, I don't think you know him as much as you think you do."
Hazel looked at her feet. She had thought it was a good gift. She thought she knew Frank. Did she? Had she really known him? He hadn't told her about his life stick for years and after his transformation at Venice he had become different. Did she really know him?
"You know what," the boy said and Hazel looked back up at him.
"I think I have the perfect gift for him. . ." he said with a smile that kind of looked a bit like a smirk but Hazel couldn't tell.
"What?" she asked. He knew more about archery than her so maybe he did know what Frank wanted.
The guy thought for a moment. "You know what? You said you're doing Secret Santa right?"
"Yes?"
"Then you'll be getting him three gifts, correct?"
"Yes."
"Alright then," the strange guy leaned on the shoe aisle shelf. "Buy that arrow and come back for your second gift and I'll help you find something."
"Okay," Hazel agreed.
"Now, listen Hazel," the guy said, leaning in close. "I need you to swear this on the Styx for me, alright?"
"I swear it on the Styx," Hazel said without hesitation.
"Perfect," he said with a smile. "I'll see you before December twenty-fourth."
They smiled at each other one last time before Hazel went up to the front to pay for the arrow.
As she left the building a thousand thoughts struck her. She had been talking to him for so long and he had such a familiar feeling to him that she hadn't found it weird at first but now in the fresh air, on her way back to camp, she realized how strange it was.
How did he know she needed the second gift before the twenty-fourth? And how did he know she was shopping for her boyfriend? How did he know her name?
And most importantly, How did he know about the Styx?