Hazel charged for the Empousa, not slowing down as she swung her sword in an upwards ark, the air whistling as the sharp blade cut through. The Empousa hissed as she ducked to the side, faster than I would've thought possible for someone with a metal leg.

It was only when Frank started ushering people out of the cafe, that I realised Hazel wasn't focused on killing the Empousa at the moment--she was focused on keeping her away from Frank and the civilians running out the doors.

My knees buckled, and I shifted to a kneeling position, keeping my eyes on the fight. Sunlight reflected off Frank's sword, the gladius. I glanced at it, and a part of me yearned to grab the weapon. I didn't know why, but a part of me was just screaming at my brain to pick up the weapon, despite Frank's previous warnings.

Looking down at the flat side of the blade, I could see my reflection in the blade, my dark skin looking almost golden in the reflection. Sucking in my breath, I picked up the weapon. It was heavy--and made me wonder how Hazel was lasting so long in a fight with such a weighted weapon. Staring into the golden sword, I stifled a scream when a golden lyre appeared over my head in the reflection.

A part of me wanted to just drop dead, but then I remembered that two teenagers who were decidedly younger than me were battling an Empousa, so a floating lyre probably wasn't the weirdest thing that happened today.

Peeking over the counter, I watched as the last customer ran out of the doors. Frank turned around, an arrow already nocked at his bow, when the weapon was hit out of his hands. Frank yelped, rolling to the side when the Empousa escaped from Hazel and lunged for him.

"Amina--the gladius!" Frank called out, before cursing. Hazel rolled her eyes, despite being locked in battle with a monster. "She's mortal Frank, she can't--" Hazel's words faltered when I tossed the sword into the air. Immediately, I regretted it. How was Frank going to catch a flying sword? But my questions were answered when he somehow did. A hand clasped tightly around the handle of the weapon.

Hazel turned her head to face me, "we need to talk." She decided, eyebrows furrowed. Her gaze remained on me for a few more seconds before the Empousa got her attention again.

It was clear that Hazel worked better with a sword, though Frank was still fairly good. The two parried, their movements harsh and steady. I couldn't understand how the Empousa was still alive, especially with two demigods locked in battle with her.

At one point, the Empousa knocked Hazel's weapon out of her hand, eliciting a strangled yelp from the brunette. Frank continued on fighting, swinging his sword and avoiding the Empousa's attacks all the same.

Hazel screwed her eyes shut, hands raised in concentration. Her fingers danced in the air with an elegance I once saw Wanda Maximoff hold in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The brunette then opened her eyes, her irises seemingly brighter than before. With a quick flick of her hand, what looked like gems came up from the ground, specks of dirt decorating the jewels as they suspended in the air around Hazel, who had thick fog surrounding her person.

Flashes of monsters appeared in the foggy air, different scenarios always with the same characters: Hazel, Frank, and the Empousa.

Hazel smiled, though it was strained. It seemed as if the magic she was performing was rejuvenating her, but at the same time cost her. No longer was she the shy yet bold girl, she was now a confident witch-like demigod. "You may serve Hecate, but how much immunity do you have against her own domain?" mused Hazel.

She thrusted her arms forwards, the fog surging forwards, a thin layer of it surrounding the Empousa. The monster's expression was one of amusement, before she seemed to realise the gravity of the situation, and started trying to slash her way out of the fog. It seemed to work--as it started to disappear.

But Hazel's expression told me otherwise.

I could see flashes of Frank and Hazel in the air surrounding the Empousa, a cloudy version of Hazel seemed to have been sparring the Empousa. The monster lunged and attacked, her claw-like hands going through Hazel's fog-body every time, though it didn't seem like she noticed.

The jewels that were previously suspended in the air shot through the air, pelting the Empousa before falling back and the cycle continued. That was when it finally dawned on me what the 'fog' was. It was the Mist.

I remembered hearing about it--a powerful type of magic under Hecate's domain, the Mist could alter what mortals and some demigods see, it was what was used to hide the Greek world of monsters from any mortals who could've witnessed a battle. The news report had said that Hecate had fallen sick, so she couldn't cast the Mist across the world anymore, though it was clear that didn't mean the Mist was just gone.

Seeing that the Empousa was distracted, Frank ducked under the precious jewels, before swinging his sword in a wide sideways ark, the blade making a clean cut through the Empousa's neck. Before the head fell to the ground, the monster exploded in a burst of golden dust.

As soon as she was dead, all the gems fell back to the ground, sinking into the earth. The Mist lifted, the cafe looking a lot more clear than before. Hazel took a breath, making her way over to my side of the counter, though she ignored me.

When Frank vaulted over the counter, Hazel raised an eyebrow at him. "Why didn't you stab Kelli?" asked Hazel, sounding more curious than annoyed. Frank shrugged, sliding his sword into his backpack, which must've morphed back at some point.

"Percy always looked cool doing it."