Chapter 33 || Hazel

                                    

                                          
Hazel loved night walks, even in palaces that she somehow agreed to stay in. Her shoes made barely any sounds against the black tile floors, her reflection dancing in each square like a gentle reminder of who she was. A spy. An agent. A sister. A friend. A daughter. A girlfriend.
                          
"Oh, Frank..." she whispered to herself as she made it outside to where a small apple tree was. Sitting under it, she picked up an apple on the floor, a small worm already inching its way towards the red fruit. "I wonder where you are now..."
                          
The fond memory of Frank rolling around on the floor with her, inching forward like a worm while shifting constantly from human to insect came racing back to her as his cute little face came into her view.
                          
"Frank! Stop!" she laughed as he tickled her.
                          
"No! You look so cute! Like a little caterpillar!"
                          
"When I'm laughing?" Hazel tried to sustain her giggles, but to no avail.
                          
"Yes!" Frank chuckled, tickling her even harder. "It's super cute, Haze!"
                          
"And I'm not cute when I'm not laughing?" Hazel made a mock pout.
                          
"I... I didn't mean that. I meant..." Frank's face was beet red.
                          
Hazel laughed before pecking him on the lips, a teasing smirk plastered on her face. "Gotcha."
                          
"Hello, Hazel Levesque. What are you doing out here?" a voice caught her attention.
                          
There was Apate, dressed in all her beauty. Sitting down, she scanned over Hazel. "Admiring the apples, are we? They are rather beautiful, but don't be deceived by their looks..." Both of the girls watched as the worm inside of one shriveled up and died. "It's lethal as much as it is delicious."
                          
Hazel shivered as she glanced at the goddess. "So... what are you doing out at night?"
                          
"My mother is Nyx and my father is Erebus," Apate responded. "My time of liveliness is at night. You may wonder why some of the best pranks of all time are planned at night. It's only then do I give my full blessing for plans to work."
                          
"And how do I know you aren't lying? You are the goddess of trickery, Lady Apate."
                          
Apate chuckled lightly. "Young demigod, I mean no harm. Sure, you can distrust me or trust me, but sometimes, the trickery comes with the distrust of sincerity."
                          
Wise words said by a goddess no one knew as evil or good.
                          
"Did you... have siblings?" Hazel asked.
                          
Apate tensed slightly, but answered her question nonetheless. "Of course, I did, Hazel dear."
                          
"Could you... I dunno... name one that you miss the most? I'm kinda missing mine." Hazel sheepishly looked away.
                          
"My twin sister, Aletheia. She was always honest, a good girl, and proper like all girls the Olympians favored. I had a slick tongue to get me out of any circumstance, a rebellious presence, and I was not proper at all. It wasn't a surprise when Aletheia got her own facility and I didn't. She was always better and I had to live with that sense of insecurity. It's why we never speak and never will speak," Apate said tensely, her jaw tightening.
                          
Hazel frowned at the goddess's chosen words. "What do you mean? Aren't you happy for her?"
                          
"Of course," Apate sighed. "I am very happy for her, but at the same time... I was hurt by her. It's the reason I drove myself to isolation in this palace. She took off without a trace and didn't even bother to say hello once in a century. She built an empire in which I was not welcome. Surely, I did the same. Sibling rivalry ends quicker in mortal lives. In godly lives, it lasts forever until someone backs down. They may never back down at all."
                          
"Oh..." Hazel murmured. "Well... I guess I understand why you're so guarded now..."
                          
"It's strange." Apate turned to face her. "I've never found this feeling inside of me for more than a millennia ago. Trust. Sincerity. It goes against everything I ever wished for, yet it's everything I ever wanted."
                          
"What?" Hazel asked.
                          
"Honesty, daughter of Hades. Honesty. One sincere sentence to remind me that my sister didn't leave me completely in the dust. Only then will I be correct again. Only then will trickery be used correctly. Goodnight, Hazel. I hope you don't stay up too late."
                          
Apate disappeared into a shadow, leaving Hazel sitting on the bench above the poisonous apple tree. Watching as the worms died, Hazel frowned, looking at the plants around her. Full of deceit. Everything around her stood for trickery. At least, everything she saw at the moment. Her wheels were turning as she thought about everything Apate had said.
                          
Honesty, daughter of Hades. Honesty. One sincere sentence to remind me that my sister didn't leave me completely in the dust.
                          
One sincere reminder.
                          
It's lethal as much as it is delicious.
                          
It went against everything Apate stood for, yet she wanted it so badly. Everything Apate had stood for deceit. Every speck of love Apate felt was full of deceit. All her desires were full of trickery...
                          
Hazel paused.
                          
Apate's desires. Hazel's previous statement was wrong. Apate's desires weren't all full of trickery like the plants were. There was only one true desire. Only one honest desire. For her sister to show a sign.
                          
Hazel's golden eyes scanned around the garden before the landed on the words engraved in the trunk.
                          
I want people to stop seeing the world as harmless. There are so many harmful things that are hidden in the world.
                          
She stopped by a bush with beautiful flowers. However, when Hazel would look side to side, she could see that the flowers weren't flowers, they were monster heads.
                          
People need to see that not all beautiful people are as beautiful as they seem on the inside. "Perfect" people are the main tricksters.
                          
Then, it clicked. All of these plants were symbols for Apate's desires. All of these plants were tricks like her desires... Except one.
                          
It hit her like a brick to the head.
                          
The Night Leaves were her one honest desire. Only when that one honest desire was achieved could the Night Leaves finally be distributed.
                          
"Cancel the delivery of Interrogation Device 4. I request a showing of Agent Aletheia at Apate's Palace ASAP."