Grey clouds drifted across the sunshine. Suddenly, cold washed over the scenery. A raven sat on the edge of a dark bench of the Seattle park, fluffed to keep itself warm.

No one noticed the eerie shadows gather in a big mass, because they were all too busy leaving the suddenly freezing park.

Tourists scattered from the suddenly freezing park, leaving the shadow travelers well concealed. A boy and girl tumbled out of the collected darkness. The boy sat where he dropped, falling hard on the cobblestone. Dark hair fell in black eyes, but a pale smile played on his unmarred lips.

"Do you think anyone will notice?" Nico asked, leaning up against a stone bench. The startled girl jumped and turned towards him.

She spoke too quickly, as if she were nervous. "Um, notice what?"

"The fact that I just kidnapped the former praetor of New Rome and took her to see her sister."

Reyna laughed. "It's not kidnapping if I ask you to."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is it, now? I can fix that," he said, not smiling.

Reyna shook her head, her eyes shining. When Nico and she went on their trip, she had grown used to his sense of humor. She even knew she had changed: after she gave up her praetorship, she had lightened up and unwound herself. God, she hated that job.

"I'll have Hylla put you in a jumpsuit," she warned.

"No thanks."

"Really? I think you'd look cute in a collar." She wasn't really messing around, but that's what made it funny, right?

"Really, I'm okay." Nico had an unusually animated expression of pleading.

"Do you want to come?" she asked.

"Can I?"

"Sure, why not?" Reyna looked at him, confused. "You scared?"

"No," he said, getting to his feet. He looked off into the distance, and Reyna tried to follow his worried gaze. "How long will it take?" His voice snapped her back into the present, and she found that his onyx gaze was boring into her.

"I don't know. Depends on what kind of mood she's in." Reyna looked back to where Nico had been looking, but only saw the side of a chocolate factory. "But apparently, she means business. Whatever she's worried about has been a big problem lately." Reyna began to walk briskly out of the park.

"Why didn't she contact Percy, or Frank?" Reyna glanced at Nico. The way he said Percy's name was different. Strained, or in pain.

"She thought it would be better to tell someone she trusted. Still, she's pretty worried that it could affect New Rome, and even Camp Half-Blood." Reyna had been Iris-messaging her sister daily, and Hylla had been begging her to come see her.

"Is it thieves?"

Reyna shook her head. "She wouldn't be worried about it. The Amazons take security very seriously. In other words, any thief would be chopped into pieces and hung to dry on one of those fish racks over there." Nico chuckled as they passed by a fishery. "It must be something bigger," she continued, "like a reanimated Titan."

"We would know by now," said Nico.

"I said like," she said, glancing at the younger boy. "It probably isn't a Titan, but Jove knows."

"Zeus," Nico corrected, a slight smile twisting his features.

"Jupiter, actually." Reyna marched on, not looking in her companion's direction. They walked up the steps to Amazon Inc. headquaters.

A young girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen, stood on the many steps to the huge warehouse. She studied them, grey eyes flashing.

She must be Athena's daughter, thought Reyna.

"Hello," Reyna said, reaching a hand out to shake. "I'm Rey-"

"I know who you are." The girl stared hard. "Your sister will see you now."

In almost no time at all, Nico and Reyna were standing in Hylla's throne room, watching her pace back and forth, hands tearing at her hair.

My sister has battled an army of regenerating monsters and won, escaped from a maddened sorceress's island, and managed to protect me all of these years. Reyna's mind was on overload. If she's this worried about something... The younger sister's mind went on overload.

"Reyna," the Queen of the Amazons spoke, her face between her hands. "This is a very serious matter."

"No, really." She crossed her arms. Reyna's view of serious danger had changed, hanging around Percy Jackson. That dude was crazy. Hylla glared at her sarcastic sister. Reyna sighed, unfolding her arms. "What is it?" she made sure she sounded irritated.

"Just something that could possibly threaten the Roman civilization- and Greek, too, I suppose- very seriously."

"We've been over the serious part." Reyna was actually getting impatient now.

"Shut your smart mouth." Hylla smoothed her chocolate hair, swept into an updo.

Reyna giggled, crossing her arms. She exchanged a smirk with Nico. "All right, but maybe you should tell me what it is that is so serious?"

"It's not something to laugh about."

"You're making it laughable," Reyna retorted. Nico raised an eyebrow.

"No!" Hylla screamed, making the two half-bloods jump. She now tore at her hair, staring at them with wild eyes. "Two worlds have converged!" Black pupils darted to all the corners of the room.

"Um," Reyna said, looking sideways at the guards, who were standing still as if nothing had happened, "maybe we should speak in private?"

"No use," Hylla said, dissmissingly waving her hand. The Queen settled onto her throne. "They already know."

"Oh," said her sister, looking at the son of Hades, who had not said a word yet. "I just-"

"No!" Hylla yelled, sitting crookedly on her throne. "I cannot speak of them- they'll cut out my tongue!"

Reyna figured it might be time for a sisterly pep-talk. "Hylla- listen," she began tentatively, "you're the girl that has fought off regenerating mon-"

"Silence," Hylla interrupted. Reyna stared. Her sister had always liked hearing about herself. What in Olympus could be wrong?

"I cannot speak of them- they have magic, they won't let me-"

"Okay," Nico said, taking a step forward. Immediately, the guards rushed him.

"No!" Reyna planted a spinning back-kick into a brunette's mouth, knowing full well that Nico could defend himself against the other one. Sure enough, he punched her hard- in the mouth.

Slam. The guard Reyna had been fighting shoved her spear into her jaw. Florescent lights swam before Reyna's eyes.

"Please," Hylla said, sighing amidst the commotion, "stop this nonsense." Action halted, and the female guards begrudgingly went back to their posts.

"Shame, that one's a keeper," muttered the brunette as she cattily stalked back to her lane, giving the boy the twice-over. Reyna fought a surge of annoyance.

It was probably because her head hurt from where she had hit her. Nico reached down.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." She got to her feet unassisted.

Hylla rested her head on her arm. What was wrong with her? Reyna wondered. "I thought it would be different, with you."

"What?" She looked at Nico, who looked just as bewildered as she. Pity jarred her stomach as she noticed his lip swelling.

"The curs-" Hylla grasped her throat, gagging and choking. "They put-" she coughed, and retched, sinking to the floor. Reyna ran to her side, steadying her. "Can't speak," she said, after it was over.

"They put a curse on you," Reyna said, "so you can't speak of them, whoever they are." She thought for a minute. "And you've not tried writing?"

Hylla shook her head. "Fingers burn. Literally- they start smoking."

"Oh." Reyna was lost for words. "I wish I could-" But Hylla never found out her sister's wish. All the lights went out in the Amazon headquaters, and Reyna tightened her grip on her sister's shoulders.

They heard the panic spread throughout the safeheaven. In the darkness, Reyna could barely make out Hylla's features.

"They're here," she said, her dark eyes wide.