"You should have something to drink," a voice said. Reyna heard the words, but they didn't register. She was still starting at the ground and probably had been for the past hour. Her only thought was of Hylla. "Reyna."
After a few moments, Reyna slowly looked up. Mrs. Minerva stood in front of her. A cup of hot chocolate rested in her hand. Mrs. Minerva held the cup out, and after a moment, Reyna slowly took it.
It had been two hours since Mrs. Minerva had found Hylla unconscious on the sidewalk. Her story was that Hylla had been hit by a car. Something in Reyna's gut told her that was a lie. Her sister's injuries just didn't equal a car accident.
"How is she?" Reyna slowly asked. Her mouth felt dry. She swallowed painfully and took a sip of the hot chocolate. As Reyna lowered the cup, she saw Kinzie pacing nervously.
Kinzie wasn't taking the news well. There was dried tears in her eyes, and some dried blood on her hands. Her fist was clenched so tightly that it caused her fingernails to draw blood. Reyna didn't know what to say to her to make her feel better.
"She's still in surgery," Mrs. Minerva answered. Reyna nodded and looked back at the ground. She was grieving, but her mind was also racing. Hylla, without a doubt, had been attacked by the criminal she went to find. If Mrs. Minerva found Hylla, she had to have seen the mask.
If so, why hadn't Mrs. Minerva reported them? Did Hylla manage to hide the mask? Truthfully, Reyna doubted it. At the moment, she didn't care. All she wanted to do was find the person who did this and make them pay.
"Reyna, may we talk alone?" Mrs. Minerva asked. Reyna looked up at her teacher, and saw something in her hand. She stared at Hylla's mask. After a moment, it was shoved back into Mrs. Minerva's purse.
"Yes," Reyna replied. As she stood, her fight or flight instincts kicked in. It didn't make sense though. Why had Mrs. Minerva not reported them? She was too smart to not connect the dots.
It only took a few moments to reach a quiet part of the hallway. Reyna took deep breaths to help clear her mind. When she was fully focused, she looked at Mrs. Minerva and spoke, "Why haven't you reported us?"
"I didn't just learn about it today," Mrs. Minerva explained. "I have known since the first day you were in my class. You couldn't stop thinking about how a criminal was stupid enough to attack you when you had a sword."
Reyna stared at her teacher for a long time. Her mind had already connected the dots, but she couldn't believe it. If Mrs. Minerva was Athena, that meant Annabeth was Wise Girl, which meant that Reyna's other friends were her enemies.
"And, you just read people's mind without their permission?" Reyna questioned. Her plan was to surprise Athena with her questioning. Reyna needed to stay in control of the conversation. If she didn't, Athena could turn the conversation in her favor.
"I can't shut it off," Athena replied. "When I first received the power, I thought that I was going crazy. I heard all of these voices, but I had no idea where they came from. There is no way to stop it. Now, you are thinking about making a break for it, but you can't because of Hylla."
"Stay out of my head," Reyna snapped. She didn't care if Athena couldn't turn it off. Her mind was her own. She wouldn't let anyone else control it again. "Find a way to turn it off."
"Is it because of Circe?" Athena asked. Reyna's heart instantly stopped. Her breathing increased, and she took a step back. Athena grabbed her shoulder and gripped it. "I will not control your mind."
"Don't talk about her," Reyna snapped. Memories tried to crawl back from the deepest recesses of her mind, but she forced them back down. There was no way she was going to remember the days before she came to America. "You don't know what she did."
"Reyna, I want to be your ally," Athena said. "And, you can stop worrying about Annabeth. She is not Wise Girl. I found someone on the streets who needed a cause, so I gave them a cause as Wise Girl."
"Explain why they have the same eye and hair color as Annabeth," Reyna hissed. She tried to focus back on the conversation. Athena had thrown her off by mentioning Circe, and that was probably her plan.
"Those are not uncommon features," Athena replied. "She is not Wise Girl. Do you really think she could do all of her honors classes if she was a hero?"
Reyna finally nodded and took a deep breath. If Annabeth was Wise Girl, that meant Reyna hated her, and there was no way that could happen. It was easier to believe that Annabeth was not Wise Girl, and she might even be in the dark about her mother's past. Besides, Athena had no reason to lie.
"Your sister was attacked by Atlas," Athena stated. "Atlas was a prisoner at Tartarus. He escaped when we went on the field trip there. Somehow, Atlas poised as the guard that went with the bus on the way out of the prison and back to the checkpoint. Once he stepped off, he was long gone."
"We believe that he is planning on breaking out his friends, but we do not know when," Athena continued. "That is why I am talking to you now."
"Why would Atlas attack my sister?" Reyna interrupted. "Since there was a call, that had to be a planned attack. Why my sister?"
"I believe she was the first one there," Athena replied. "Atlas would have attacked whoever arrived first and he would have attempted to kill them. He may have also been trying to draw out one of the Olympians. We all know that he escaped, but it hasn't become knowledge to the public."
"How did you know where Hylla was?" Reyna questioned. She took a sip of the hot chocolate to calm her nerves. It took her a moment to rub her eyes with her injured hand.
"I was responding to the call," Athena replied. "I interfered as fast as I could. I am only sorry that I was not able to get their sooner. Now, there is something I must ask you. Are you working with your mother?"
Reyna stared up at her. She remembered the glances that her mother kept giving her. After a moment, Reyna spoke, "No. I don't know even who she is other than the name Bellona."
"If you are working with your mother, I will have to throw you and your sister into the jail," Athena stated. Reyna's eyes narrowed, but she forced a nod. "The other Olympians have been curious about you and your sister. About three months ago, they tasked me with finding out your identities."
"But, you haven't told them yet," Reyna assumed. Athena nodded. "Why?"
"I am saving you two from prison," Athena replied. "We need everyone with powers that we can get. A breakout of the prisoners is inevitable. That allows me to approach the other Olympians and convince them that we must give Praetor and Amazon a clean slate. You two will probably be forced to sign an agreement to not maim anymore criminals."
Reyna nodded slightly. There was no way that she could change her ideals overnight. She would also have to restrain herself, which could be more dangerous. Thankfully, Athena didn't seem to know that. Reyna spoke, "I will try my best."
"I know," Athena replied. Her eyes flickered up. She seemed to focus on someone else. Reyna turned and was instantly hugged by her girlfriend. It took her a moment to hug Thalia back.
"I came as soon as I could," Thalia whispered. She moved her mouth near Reyna's ear and didn't break the hug. "How is Hylla doing?"
"I don't know," Reyna muttered. She rested her on Thalia's shoulder. All of her worry came crashing back into her like a wave. "She is still in surgery. The doctors won't tell me anything."
"Hylla is going to be fine," Thalia promised. She pulled away and grabbed Reyna's hand. "Have you had any sleep?"
Reyna looked away without responding. She had stayed up most of the night studying. When Hylla left, there was no way Reyna would go to sleep. Thalia gently grabbed her face and looked into her eyes.
"You look exhausted," Thalia commented. She nodded to Athena and led Reyna away. Reyna glanced back at her teacher and gave her a small nod. After that, she allowed her girlfriend to lead her away.
"I'll stay by your side," Thalia promised. "Do you want anything to eat or drink first?"
"You have to go to school," Reyna mumbled. It almost made her mad that she just melted in Thalia's arms. When it came to grief, Reyna liked to shut herself off and deal with it by herself. With Thalia, that just didn't happen.
"I've only missed two days of school," Thalia countered. "I can miss another day. Besides, you shouldn't be alone right now."
Reyna finally just nodded and allowed Thalia to lead her away. It was also good to distance herself from Athena. She couldn't have her teaching reading her mind. At the moment, all Reyna could think of was vengeance.
Without a doubt, Reyna would find Atlas. It didn't matter that he was a dangerous supervillain. Reyna was going to get revenge, and no one was going to stop her. She really didn't care who Atlas was.
"You okay?" Thalia questioned. "You look really mad."
"Tired," Reyna said. It was a half truth. She kissed Thalia one more time as they made their way to the lobby. Reyna sat down next to Thalia, and she rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. Despite her worry and anger, it only took a few minutes to fall asleep.
