Chapter 38 - Candles
published: Wednesday, 16 October 2019

Tck, tck, tck.

Annabeth muffled a grumpy groan with her pillow as she rolled into her other side.

Tck, tck, tck.

Someone was knocking on her door. They had to go away. She wasn't ready to wake up yet.

"Psst, Annabeth," someone hissed.

Realising that her short beauty sleep was over, Annabeth groaned as she flopped out of bed and stumbled over to the door.

"Mmph, Hazel?" she slurred sleepily. "What?" Her frizzy-haired friend was at the door, with Piper at her side. Both were dressed and freshened up, which made Annabeth feel like a disgusting slob.

"We need to come in," Piper insisted, shoving past her as they slipped inside and shut the door behind them.

"Are we under attack?" Annabeth demanded.

Hazel shook her head.

"Any imminent danger?" she continued.

"No, but—"

Annabeth snorted. "Then why the hell did you wake me up?"

"Frank's planning to propose to me," Hazel exploded frantically.

Annabeth felt her jaw drop as she sat down on her bed suddenly. "Oh my gods," she whispered. "Oh, of course," she said again, this time with an irritated tone. "How did I not realise this?"

"Not the point," Piper reminded her. "Hazel doesn't know what to do."

"I saw the speech on his desk," Hazel explained worriedly. "Do I ask him about it? I'm afraid he'll get mad at me for finding out. I'm sure he wanted it to be a surprise."

Annabeth studied Hazel's face. "Yes or no?"

Hazel blinked. "What?"

"Yes or no?" Annabeth repeated. "That's the question, isn't it? Do you want to marry Frank or not?"

Piper and Hazel exchanged looks.

"I don't know," Hazel admitted. She sighed. "I love Frank, I really do. But we're so young — what if we're making a mistake?" she said in bewilderment. "What if I'm wrong about this?"

Piper grabbed Hazel's hands. "Don't care about the future. That isn't your worry," she said firmly. "All that matters is now." Piper swallowed. "As hard as it is to admit, in a week's time, we could all be dead. If that happens, will you regret that you didn't marry Frank when you had the chance?"

Annabeth stared at the back of Piper's head. Something about her words struck a chord with her. If she died next week, would she regret anything?

Percy.

The first thing that slipped into her mind was Percy.

It set off alarm bells and Annabeth had to hold in her panic. She couldn't believe that she was still having thoughts like these. Percy had cheated on her, and yet he'd returned and somehow burrowed his way back into her heart.

Damn you, she added silently in her head towards him. Why do you have to be so...Percy?

Annabeth hesitated. For all their tension and moments of quiet, they'd never once brought up the issue of him kissing Rachel before he disappeared. He probably didn't even know she knew.

Annabeth wondered if he regretted it. Or if he was just waiting to get back to Rachel at camp. The thought of it actually, physically pained her.

"Yes," Hazel's sudden answer shattered Annabeth's thoughts like glass. The matter at hand swamped her once again, and Annabeth inhaled sharply once she comprehended Hazel's words. "Oh my gods," Hazel gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth. Her arms relaxed as she cried, "Oh my gods, I want to marry Frank!"

"That's great!" Piper exclaimed delightedly.

"No! How did I not know?" Hazel said desperately. "It just snuck up on me — hell, I love him so much — what?" She buried her face in her hands.

Piper soothed her by patting her on the back. "Times like this expose our priorities. You want to marry Frank, and now you know."

"I do," Hazel said softly, a reluctant smile growing on her face. "I really do."

Annabeth found herself swept into a group hug, and she couldn't help the joy she felt for Hazel and Frank. They'd get their happy ending — at least two of them would.

^^^^^

"Hey, you're in luck," Annabeth announced as she hopped up onto the deck. "It's our turn to be on patrol. You guys can take a break."

Frank and Jason, who'd previously been sitting at the bow of the ship — talking and standing guard — turned around to see the two girls walking up to switch out with them.

The sun was setting — another day past, and they were getting closer to camp.

"Sure you don't want us to take over?" Jason asked Piper.

Piper smiled. "No, it's fine. Besides, Percy's been on babysitting detail for two hours now, and I think you should go make sure that he hasn't died of boredom." She leaned over and gave Jason a peck on the cheek as he passed her.

"Oh, and Hazel's looking for you in the mess hall, Frank," Annabeth called out as she swung out to sit on the bow of the ship.

Frank felt his eyebrows shoot skyward. He'd been trying to talk to her since last night, when the gods had left to find the others. She'd been avoiding him, so he was no doubt relieved to know that she was feeling okay now.

He muttered a quick 'thanks' to Annabeth before he hurried down the steps. Was Hazel alright?

Frank stopped short when he stepped into the mess hall.

Candles of all shapes and sizes decorated the cabinets, tables, chairs, and shelves. The darkness that the night cast on the ship was illuminated by the dim light of the flames.

A soft breath escaped Frank's mouth as his gaze roved over the room to land on Hazel. Her hair was done up in two braids, and she was holding a piece of paper in her hand as she shyly looked at him.

"Hazel," Frank breathed. "What..."

As he trailed off, Hazel took a deep breath and angled her gaze to the piece of paper in her hands.

"Frank's Proposal Speech," she read, an arched eyebrow and an expectant look averting to him.

Frank could've sworn that his heart stopped altogether. "Oh my gods," he rushed forward in a flurry of panic and fear. "No, that's Leo — it's not mine — I'm sorry —"

"Frank," Hazel interrupted, a lilting laugh brightening up the atmosphere. "Relax." She set the piece of paper down on the floor as she walked up to him.

Frank felt tears well up in his eyes as Hazel slowly got down on one knee. Both of them erupted into teary laughs.

"Oh my gods," he murmured, still in disbelief. This was really happening.

"Frank," Hazel said shakily, her hands clasped in front of her. "How do I even start?" she said feverishly. "Gods, I can't even put into words what I feel for you. 'I love you' isn't enough to encompass my feelings for you, but it's all I have right now, so it'll have to do."

"I love you," Hazel managed between sniffles. "Frank, I love you so, so much. You are one of the reasons why this life is worth living. You were the first person to really accept me for who I was, to not care what other people whispered about me." She took in a shuddering breath. "When I died, I never expected to be granted this second chance. And then this second chance turned into the best thing that's ever happened to me, because I've been given the amazing opportunity to fall in love with my—" She wiped at her eyes. "—to fall in love with my best friend."

"We might be young, but we aren't like other people," Hazel said with a trembling voice. "I don't want to spend another day wasted being distant from you. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life loving you, until the day I die. And even after that."

Tears glistened on Hazel's cheeks, and Frank couldn't help those that spilled from his eyes either.

"Oh, Hazel," Frank knelt down in front of her, chuckling with watery eyes. He entwined his fingers in hers. "I love you too. I'll always love you — in this life, and in whatever comes next. It doesn't matter where we end up, because this isn't something that will fade or change over time. No matter what happens, I will always love you."

Hazel leaned forward and they shared a loving kiss, their lips brushing briefly for a moment.

Frank released her right hand and with trembling fingers swiped the ring from his back pocket. "Good thing I had this handy, huh?" Frank choked out as he presented her with his family ring.

Hazel used the back of her hand to brush away her tears.

"Hazel Levesque," Frank said shakily. "Will you do me the honour of making me the happiest man in the world; will you marry me?"

"Yes," Hazel cries. "Yes, Frank, yes, of course, I'll marry you!" She flung her arms around his neck and smashed her lips into his.

They spun around for a few moments as they stood up, Frank steadying her until they drew apart, gasping for breath and crying joyfully.

They simply shared in each other's presences for a few minutes before they slowly made their way above-deck.

Frank was the first to emerge through the stairwell, pulling Hazel up after him. Their friends were gathered in front of them, impatiently and excitedly awaiting their news.

"We're engaged!" Hazel cried, leaping up to hug her friends. There were yells of happiness and laughs between them. The seven of them shared a group hug, and Frank found himself being congratulated by everyone.

He was near delirious was elation. I'm really marrying Hazel, Frank thought giddily.

When they drew away, Frank got the chance to take in his friends' smiles.

"So, any concrete plans for a wedding?" Percy asked. Jasper was cradled in his arms, and his green eyes were sparkling brightly. Annabeth was stood at his side, and their close proximity made Frank add to the back of his mind to ask Percy about them soon.

"A soon as possible," Frank explained, and Hazel gave a murmur in agreement.

"We don't want to waste another day," Hazel assured him.

Leo chuckled. "Okay, this is gonna sound crazy, but how about tomorrow?"

There was a stunned silence where Frank stared at Leo like he was crazy.

"We're surrounded by Greek islands," Leo protested. "And we've got over a week before we have to be back at camp. When else are you going to get an opportunity like this?"

Frank turned to Hazel, whose hand still hadn't left his. "What do you think?" he asked quietly.

A smile broke across her features, and in that moment, Frank reminded himself that he'd landed the most beautiful woman in the world.

"I think it's perfect," Hazel breathed.

"Kythira is on our route back," Annabeth suggested. "The island dedicated to Aphrodite. It's quiet, remote; perfect for a small wedding like this."

Hazel frowned. "What about monsters?"

Percy shook his head. "Don't worry about that. I'll make sure the sea creatures don't let anything past the island shores."

Hazel turned back to face Frank, and they shared a smile.

"We're getting married tomorrow," he murmured incredulously. "I can't believe it."

Hazel squeezes his hand comfortingly. "Well, get used to it," she whispered, grinning madly at him.