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Annabeth gave one last stare in Percy's direction before following Hylla out the door. For a reason she couldn't quite put her finger on, C.C. was really creeping her out.
"Don't worry dear." Hylla broke the awkward silence that had befallen them as they left the room. "C.C. will take good care of your friend over there. A little trim to his hair and some new clothes and he'll look absolutely perfect! I'm not so sure you'll be so easy to fix however."
"What do you mean?" Considering all the events swirling around in her head, Annabeth could care less about how she looked. Tyson was dead. Thaila's tree was dying. Clarisse was on a death quest with no one to back her up. Chiron was suffering for a crime he didn't commit. At this point, how her hair was styled was the absolute last thing on Annabeth's mind.
Hylla didn't seem to agree however. "Your hair is a rat's nest. Your clothes our burned, ripped, and caked with mud. Wounds run all over your body. And look at your terrible posture. Show some pride, fellow female! Stand up straight and walk with dominance. Show that you're not one to be trifled with!" Her smile was bright as day as she slapped Annabeth in the back, forcing her to stop slouching.
"Ouch!"
"Sorry, dear. Oh joy, look! We appear to have reached our destination!" Hylla dragged Annabeth into a marble temple where a breathtaking dolphin fountain stood towering above them, water spewing out of its mouth. Up a few floors were balconies facing in all directions. It was a truly magnificent sight. Hylla gave a call, "Sister!" A girl about Annabeth's age came walking down the stairs form the upper floor.
"Yes, Hylla?" Her voice had a cheerful sound but Annabeth caught the hateful undertones, skillfully hidden under a mask of happiness. Why would she not like her own sister?
"We have a guest. A V.I.P. to be precise. Give her the full treatment. Hair, skin, clothes, and all of that need to be completely redone."
"Yes, sister." The girl turned once on her heels and gave a whistle. Multiple girls, all around Hylla's age came in. Annabeth found herself being pushed onto a chair and her belongings being taken away. Hylla's sister and three others took out pure golden combs and began to gently brush away at Annabeth's hair. Two girls began to contemplate different outfits for her. They seemed to have only just begun her makeover when a fellow attendant, also Hylla's age, came in to the temple. Calmly she spoke,
"We have ourselves a Code Red. Hylla will fill you in for all the details." The girls that had been tending to Annabeth got up to leave. Only Hylla's sister remained, unmoving, as the others shuffled out.
Annabeth looked at the backs of the leaving attendants before looking at the remaining girl. "Code Red… is that a monster attack?"
"No. A Code Red is an escaped animal. A monster attack is a Code Run-around-in-fear-and-do-absolutely-nothing-while -Lady-C.C.-gets-rid-of-it."
Annabeth threw her head back and laughed, before turning back to look at her. "Why aren't you helping out?"
The girl stared at her for a few seconds before turning away. "Everyone here thinks that I'm useless. I'm not a magic protégée like my sister. They all tell me to stay out of their way when something like this happens."
Realization flooded Annabeth like a blown up dam. "That's why you don't like your sister." The girl turned away, almost as if she was ashamed. Annabeth had millions of questions for her, but there was one that was much more important than any of the others. If she didn't ask this question and get an answer, she wouldn't get answers for any of her other question either. "What's your name?"
The girl jerked her gaze back towards Annabeth, eyes wide with shock, before turning away again. Annabeth repeated herself "What's your name?"
"Reyna."