Reyna stared up at the ceiling. She glanced at her shaking hands. It wasn't from the coffee. For the twentieth time in the last minute, Reyna looked at the door.
Everything in the room became clear to her. The bed underneath her was newly made. The bed on her right was still a mess. Jason should have known to clean the bed. It would have made life easier for the maid.
There was a table across from her. Their bags were underneath the bed. Reyna wanted to wear her armor, but she knew it wasn't the time. Yet.
The air conditioner kicked on, and Reyna almost jumped out of the bed. Her eyes shot towards the window. The curtains were moving slightly because of the air conditioner. A shaky breath left her.
Reyna's nerves were running wild. Truthfully, she didn't know what to think. When the praetors first approached her, she was proud. They trusted her to go solo on a mission even if it was only for a short amount of time.
The mission may not have seemed that important at first. Reyna assumed that Ceres just wanted a break from her fellow immortals, and she thought the praetors also assumed that. When Reyna found the flyer, everything became real and serious.
That's why the mission was so important. All Reyna wanted to do was prove herself. Being a daughter of Bellona was hard enough. Everyone assumed that she was the best fighter at Camp Jupiter. Reyna had already broken an arm trying to prove it.
This mission was her chance. Everyone would think she deserved her rank. They wouldn't keep whispering behind her back. Her mother would be proud of her, and she would actually take time out of her day to talk to Reyna.
Reyna closed her eyes. Two years of training had led up to this. Of course, there was the training with Circe, but that didn't count for much. Magic wouldn't help her. The Romans would turn on her if they knew.
It took a few moments to clear those thoughts from her mind. Reyna sighed deeply. The mission came first. She needed to stay focused on it. Her mind could no longer wander.
There was a knock on the door. Reyna's eyes snapped open. Her hand moved to the dagger underneath her pillow. She grabbed it, but after a few moments, she forced herself to let go.
"Housekeeping," a woman called as there was another knock. Reyna stood and contemplated whether the woman was really housekeeping or not. She walked towards the door and opened it. A fist slammed into her face.
Reyna fell back in pain and surprise. She tried to sit up as the door slammed shut. A woman kicked her in the face. Reyna's nose shattered on impact.
A knee slammed into her neck. Reyna gasped in shock and hit the woman's knee. The pain overtook her other senses and made it hard to think. Breathing was almost impossible.
A glance up showed that the woman was the same one from yesterday. The woman looked down at her and spoke, "We have some questions that you are going to answer. Understood?"
"I'll answer," Reyna choked out. The woman dug her knee into Reyna's neck more. The daughter of Bellona hit the woman's knee as desperation took over. No acting was required.
"Did I give you permission to talk?" the woman hissed. "You think that you can just break into our room with no consequences? If it was up to me, I would flay you alive."
"I'm sorry," Reyna cried. She gasped as the woman lifted her knee. After a moment, she slammed it back into Reyna's throat. That caused the daughter of Bellona to flip. She tried pushing the woman's knee away.
"Why did you steal it?" the woman demanded. "Give me the truth or else."
Reyna almost broke her cover right there. She couldn't breath, and a panic attack was inevitable. Reyna finally managed to speak, "Wanted to join."
The knee lifted her from neck. Reyna started coughing and gasping for breath. A hand grabbed her face and gripped it tightly.
"How did you find out about us?" the woman demanded. Reyna was too busy coughing to answer. She felt the knee start to press into her neck again. No lie came to mind.
"I just found it!" Reyna said quickly. Apparently, the woman didn't find the lie satisfactory enough. She slammed her knee back into Reyna's neck.
"Don't lie to me," the woman hissed. Reyna went into another coughing attack which almost turned into hyperventilating.
"Enough!" a man snapped. The pressure moved from Reyna's neck. She gasped in agony and tried to breathe. Her gaze moved to the man standing over her.
All she saw was a business suit that was as black as his hair. He looked down at her. Light blue eyes met her black ones. The man spoke, "How did you just find it?"
"Broke into room," Reyna wheezed. She coughed miserably. "I saw the flyer, and it caught my interest."
"How do you know ancient Greek?" the man asked. Reyna looked up at him. Since she could breath, it was easier to think.
"Picked it up from the classics," Reyna answered. "Library gets me out of the house. I don't have the best relationship with my parents."
The man nodded and held his hand out. Reyna slowly took it. She was pulled to her feet. It was still hard to catch her breath, and her nose was bleeding pretty badly.
"I'm sorry about my friend. She can be quite aggressive. Now, would you like to join us? You would have to turn your back on your family," the man said.
"I'm ready," Reyna answered. A black bag was thrown over her head. Before Reyna could freak out, she was thrown to the ground. Her arms were tied behind her back.
"This is just a precaution," the man informed her. He snapped his fingers. Someone, presumably the woman, pulled Reyna to her feet.
The bag made it impossible to see. Reyna felt ready to freak out, but she took a deep breath. Her sight wouldn't help her. All she had was her hearing.
"Walk forward," the woman ordered. Reyna hesitantly took a step forward. After the woman shoved her, she decided to speed up. A door closed behind her.
"Right," the woman said. Reyna made a right turn and walked a few more feet. "Stop."
Reyna stopped walking. To her right, she heard the humming of a vending machine. An elevator dinged, and she was thrown inside. Reyna hit the ground hard and rolled onto her back.
"I'll cooperate," Reyna said. The panic in her voice was only partially from acting. "You don't have to do this, okay?"
"Everyone goes through this," the man explained. He sounded like he was standing right over her. Reyna felt two hands gently help her to her feet. "It is a test, but I think you will pass."
"I could just slip a knife between her ribs," the woman muttered. "That would save us the trouble of wasting our supplies."
"I prefer if the knife was kept in your sheathe," Reyna said quickly. She closed her eyes and was glad that she didn't need to hide the fear on her face.
"Keep it civil," the man hissed to the woman. "We have a new recruit here. I don't want you scaring her off."
Reyna closed her eyes and almost sighed in relief. The man sounded like a leader, and he bought her story. There was a chance that he was just faking it. Reyna closed her eyes tightly and tried to avoid negative thoughts.
After a minute of silence, the elevator opened. Reyna was pulled to her feet and dragged in between the two. She felt them turn left. From the mental map in her head, she knew they were heading towards a side exit.
A door opened. Chilling wind knocked Reyna back to her senses. She lifted her head and heard a car pull up next to them. Reyna heard the door open, and she was thrown inside. The door closed behind her.
Reyna struggled to get into a sitting position. She tried to getting out of the ropes, but it was no use. The rope was cutting into her wrist, and she couldn't do anything about it. The passenger door opened, and someone sat in the car.
"This the newbie?" another woman asked. She had a southern drawl. "Doesn't look like much."
"Better than the one you found," the man answered. "How long did he last? Two seconds?"
"You think some kid is going to last longer?" the woman questioned. The man didn't answer. The only sound from the car was the radio and someone's fingers tapping along to the song.
Reyna closed her eyes and finally managed to sit up. Her eyes closed. They were going to some unknown place. A part of her thought she was going to her execution.
"What's your name?" the man asked. Reyna took deep breaths and tried to calm down.
"Reyna," the daughter of Bellona replied. "Are you going to kill me?"
"No," the man answered. "My name is Ezekiel. We are taking you to our base. If you still want to join, you must pass the test. If not, we throw the bag back over your head and bring you back to the hotel."
"What does this entire thing entail?" Reyna questioned. "The flyer was vague."
"Your answers will come," Ezekiel promised. "If you pass the test."
Reyna closed her eyes again. She shifted and tried to calm herself. Something told her that if she failed the test, she would die.