Heh, sorry that I took forever again... But at least this update was faster than the last one?

Thank you, the six people who reviewed last chapter! If it weren't for you guys telling me someone wants to know what happens to Reyna in this story, Part 10 probably would still be sitting in Doc Manager unfinished. Just saying, encouragement is important! If other people are actually interested in this story, you guys should review too! Or at least follow it... How else will I know that my time wouldn't be better spent putting this story on permanent hiatus and doing something productive with my life? (Let's be honest, my time would be better spent that way... But I'm invested in this fic, so as long as other people still are, I'll keep working on it. :))

Mini-lecture aside, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Anna Marie and the plot.

Exit Safety

Since I've been injured, Bobby volunteers to take over my watch so I can sleep through the night. When no nightmares or monsters come, I think my luck's finally turning around . . . but when I wake up the next morning, I know that was wishful thinking. It wasn't luck that kept the nightmares at bay; it was Nemesis. She was maintaining balance. Otherwise, the pain shooting through my body, coupled with nightmares, would be too much Styx for even me to handle.

Besides the obvious ache of hydra acid, I also feel shivery for some reason, but I'm not about to sit around and wait for the guys to show up. After all, I still don't know what our plans for this morning are. I get to my feet to go looking for them, but as soon as I stand, my vision tunnels. It takes every ounce of my willpower not to pass out. By the time I can see again, the guys are in front of me and frowning.

"Reyna," Jason says with exaggerated patience, "what are you doing up?"

As ready as I am to collapse, I'm not about to admit how crappy I feel. Instead, I manage to straighten up and shrug, ignoring the pain that travels from my shoulders to my waist. "It's morning, isn't it?" I say. "That means it's time for us to get moving."

"Reyna, don't you think—?"

"Look, I'm not even a real part of this quest," I interrupt, swaying slightly. "You guys have a destination in mind, and you probably want to get there and back to camp as soon as possible. There's no way in Tartarus that I'm going to hang out here and recover or whatever when you guys need to be moving on. I'm not going to slow you down. Don't worry about me. I can handle it."

There's a moment when the boys exchange glances, and I think they're going to try to get me to sit by force. Then Bobby grins. "Oh, we're not going anywhere today, Reyna, but it's not because of you. Dakota chugged three gallons of Kool-Aid last night, just to show me he could. He has a wicked sugar hangover."

I frown. "Stop making excuses to try to make me feel better."

Dakota squints at me. "Wha' excuses?" he mumbles. "Why'z eve'yone u' so early? Where'z th'ambro-sha? I've gotta-awful headache."

Bobby gestures at Dakota. "See?" he says, looking annoyed. "It's not an excuse." In the back of my mind, I wonder if Bobby had to cover more than my watch shift last night.

Meanwhile, I cross my arms. "Dakota could travel like that," I say, "and so can I." Just then, another shiver racks my body.

Worry passes across Jason's face. "Reyna," he says slowly, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I say stubbornly. "It's just kind of cold this morning."

"It's 80 degrees," Bobby points out, "and you're sweating."

"You probably have a fever, Reyna," Jason tells me anxiously. "You really need to relax. Sit down again."

"I—"

"Reyna!" he says exasperatedly. "Sit back down, or we'll make you!"

Sighing loudly, I sit down, carefully hiding what a relief it is not to be supporting my whole weight with two comparatively small legs. I feel shaky, sick, and pained, and a day of recovery sounds like a pretty good idea. Of course, it's not like I'd tell them that.

"You guys are so demanding," I say.

"Yeah, yeah." Bobby rolls his eyes. "You'll thank us later."

I don't mention that if I didn't have to save face, I would be thanking them now.

I do, however, manage to ask for some nectar without sounding like I desperately need it. Instead I make it seem like I'm putting their minds to rest about the fever.

I'm pretty sure that the boys see right through me . . . But if they do, they don't say anything. Dakota just hands me the canteen of godly beverage (after taking a swig for the headache he's still nursing) and promptly starts complaining about his dwindling Kool-Aid supplies. Bobby responds, telling Dakota that we're staying in the woods as long as possible just for that reason. Apparently, he thinks that if Dakota is deprived of Kool-Aid for long enough, he'll kick the habit. Dakota retorts that he doesn't want to stop drinking Kool-Aid, no matter what Bobby says, because Kool-Aid is awesome and delicious and great, and an argument starts almost immediately. I have to admit, it's pretty nice of them not to focus their attention on my injuries.

Maybe they know me better than I thought.

"How did Gaea find out?" Austin demanded, scrambling for his sword. Kayla reached for her quiver, Anna Marie lifted her arm-length knife, and Reyna pulled out her dagger.

"She's Mother Earth," Piper said, running forward to meet the first monster. "My guess is, she overheard part of our discussion. From now on, we should hold all war meetings on the Argo II."

"That's fine to say now," Austin grumbled, slashing through a few beasts himself, "but why didn't anybody think of that before last night?"

Reyna frowned. "There was a surprise attack on our camp before last night, Austin," she said. "People were thinking of other things."

For a few seconds after that, there was relative silence. Then, "I know that," Austin mumbled. "I'm sorry if I—"

"Duck!" Reyna shoved him to the ground, so a monster's sword whistled just over his head instead of through his stomach. She stabbed upward, dispatching the beast, and then looked hard at the son of Apollo. "There's no need to apologize," she said curtly. "You didn't do anything wrong. Focus on the fight."

"Right." There was a pause as they scrambled to their feet and took out a few more monsters. Then Austin said, "Thanks, Reyna."

"No problem, Austin," she said (rather quickly because she was dodging a spear at the same time and was conserving her breath). "Just doing my job."

"She's really super duper good at her job," Anna Marie butted in, looking at Austin. Her words brought a smile to Reyna's face before she could stop it. "Reyna saved me too."

"And me," Dakota volunteered. "Speaking of which, now I need to return the favor. Does anyone have a sw—?"

"Dakota!" Reyna scolded. "You only have one leg! You're staying in bed, or I'll make you!"

Dakota grumbled, but he didn't move, so Reyna figured it was safe to spread her defensive barrier to all four cots without worrying that Dakota would try to get up. At the same time, she kept an eye on Austin, Kayla, and especially on Anna Marie. That was a little hard, since she only had two eyes to begin with and she had to keep at least half of one on the monsters she was fighting, but she managed. After all, Reyna and Will had volunteered Austin, Kayla, and Anna Marie to make sure they were safe. No way was she going to let them get hurt now. Reyna didn't bother watching Piper, though. She was one of the seven, after all. The daughter of Aphrodite could take care of herself.

Reyna could take care of herself, too, which was why she was so confused when Piper sliced her way into place beside her.

"What are you doing?" Reyna demanded. "Go help Anna Marie!"

"I'm not here to protect you," Piper said. "We all know you can do that yourself. I just need to talk to you. Who are we sending out of here, and how are they going to leave?"

"What?"

"There are at least a hundred monsters here, and more coming our way," Piper informed her. "No matter how well we fight, we can't handle that many forever. Someone has to get out of here and bring reinforcements." She frowned. "Preferably more than one someone."

Reyna only thought for a second before answering. "Kayla," she said. "She's great with a bow, but that's not the best weapon for close-range fighting like this. And . . ." She hesitated. "Anna Marie. She's not a bad fighter, but—"

"I don't think so," Piper said, interrupting Reyna again. "The monsters came the same way we did. If Kayla and Anna Marie want to get back to camp, they're going to have to go through the entire horde. The pegasi will reduce the risk, but there are plenty of flying monsters here too. If they're going to make it, they'll need another fighter."

Reyna instantly knew Piper was suggesting her. "But—"

"There's no time to argue!" Piper insisted, so forcefully Reyna wondered if she was unintentionally using charmspeak. "Austin and I can handle this! We're not incompetent, you know."

"I know!" Reyna said. "It's just . . ." She trailed off so the others wouldn't hear what she was worrying about. If she hadn't been here, Austin would be dead, and Dakota probably would have followed. If she left now, who would protect them?

"The faster you get going, the sooner you'll be back here," Piper said, as if reading her mind. "And you don't have to accompany Kayla and Anna Marie all the way to base—just until they get past the bulk of the army. They can handle themselves after that, and you can come help fight again." She flicked her multi-colored eyes toward Reyna, and the praetor was surprised to see a fierce fire in them. "I'll watch the others' backs until then. Everyone will be fine, Reyna. But only if you get moving right now."

Reyna only hesitated for another moment. As much as she didn't like to admit it, the others would be in good hands with the daughter of Aphrodite—at least long enough for Reyna to return. There was only one thing left to do. Reyna whistled and waited for Scipio and his friends to make their way through the army.

By nightfall, my fever's mostly gone (I think). We're all hopeful that we'll be ready to set off in the morning.

"Thanks for agreeing to wait, Reyna," Dakota says as we eat dinner. "That was one gods-awful headache."

"Hangover," Bobby corrects.

All of a sudden, the excuses they're making for me don't seem so thoughtful anymore. "You guys don't have to keep doing that," I say in annoyance.

"Doing what?" Bobby asks innocently.

"Acting like we're not waiting because of my back," I say. "I know we are. Anyone want to tell me otherwise?" I wait for a moment, but no one speaks up. They all look pretty shocked at my outburst.

A frown starts to spread across Jason's face. "We thought you wanted—"

"I did," I interject. "I didn't want to admit that I was kind of a wreck this morning, and I appreciate what you guys did. Really, I do. It's just . . . It kind of feels like we're lying to ourselves to keep pretending Dakota's sugar addiction is what's holding you up."

"Holding us up?" Jason asks carefully.

"Well, yeah," I say. "You're the ones with the important quest. I'm just some demigod you found in the woods."

"What are you suggesting?"

"Leave me behind!" I say, throwing my arms in the air to accentuate my point. "Isn't it obvious?"

Dakota frowns. "I thought you said you felt better?"

"I do," I say, not mentioning that "better" means my back only aches instead of burning, "right now. But I felt better last night too. What if I wake up tomorrow morning and I'm a mess again? Are you just going to sit around and lose another day?"

"Of course," Jason tells me. "We're not leaving you behind, Reyna. We're taking you back to the legion with us, remember?"

"So leave me a map!" I retort, crossing my arms. "I could travel there on my own."

"No way!" Jason says. "And let you stay here by yourself, while you're injured?"

"And what if you're completely healed tomorrow?" Bobby adds. "You still want us to leave you behind then? Come on, Reyna! Be reasonable."

"I am being reasonable," I say in exasperation. "If I really am better tomorrow, of course I'll keep going with you! But if I'm not, there's no reason to keep waiting for me and my stupid injuries. I've been on my own before."

"Not going to happen," Jason tells me firmly. "We'll wait as long as it takes." Bobby and Dakota nod in agreement.

"Okay, say you wait this time," I say. "What if I get hurt again? Are you going to waste more time on me?"

"Yes!" Jason says, practically shouting now. "We're sticking together! Don't you get that? We waited for Dakota each of the three times he got stabbed in the shoulder, didn't we?"

"Actually, I was all for leaving him behind the third time," Bobby mutters, and Jason shoots him a glare nearly as deadly as my own. I just ignore him.

"Yeah," I say, "but I'm not Dakota."

"No, you're not," Bobby says reflectively. "Dakota's only saved my life once. You've done it—what? Four times now?"

"And it's only been a week," Dakota adds. "Although Bobby's lying about how many time I've saved his life. I've done it at least two and a half times."

"How can you half save someone's life?" Bobby demands.

"Don't you remember? It was that time when we were nine, and you were dared to eat that snake, and I said—"

"Gods, Dakota, I don't need to relive that day," Jason says. Then he turns to me. "Reyna, Bobby's got a point. You've probably saved my life more times alone than all of us put together have saved yours."

"I have," I say reluctantly.

The hint of a smile runs across Jason's face. "Keeping score, are you?"

"You started it," I shoot back childishly, before I can help myself.

This time, the grin stays. "See? Bobby too. And don't even get me started on Dakota . . ."

"Hey!"

"Actually, I've saved Bobby's life more times than Dakota's," I say matter-of-factly.

"Ha!" Dakota smirks triumphantly.

"But Bobby's killed more monsters than you," I add, not having any idea if it's actually true. The grin drops off Dakota's face and moves to Bobby's.

"See?" Jason says. "Another reason I need you to stick around. You actually keep these two in check."

I shrug. "I used to have guinea pigs," I say impishly and impulsively. "There's not much difference between the two."

Jason actually laughs at that, and it even pulls reluctant smiles out of Bobby and Dakota. The topic of leaving me behind drops, and I don't mind because I've reached a decision.

If they're going to be so insistent on keeping me around, I figure it'd just be a waste of energy to keep arguing. Besides, what Jason said was true. Someone had to look after them. They were the absolute worst at watching each other's backs.

I'm all for getting moving again the next morning, but Bobby reports that I still have a fever, and Jason insists that we wait another day. I'm starting to feel almost claustrophobic, being in the same place for so long, but Jason won't let me argue, so I settle for leaning against a tree and frowning at him.

Eventually, he gets tired of my glare. "Come on, Reyna," he sighs. "Are you actually convinced that you're in any shape to walk for a whole day without collapsing?"

"Yes," I say emphatically. "I've done harder things in worse condition."

That pulls him up short. "You have?"

I know instantly that I've made a mistake. I try to stall for time. "Well . . ."

"Reyna! Don't stall. What are you talking about?"

Aw, Styx. "Oh, you know," I stammer. "Just . . . Watch out!"

"Wha—?" But I've already lunged and tackled him to the ground, just as a dracaena's net sails over our heads. If I hadn't helped him, he'd be tangled in Celestial bronze and easy prey for the four hellhounds that are approaching.

"I told you we needed to get moving," I growl, scrambling to my feet and drawing my dagger. "Now look what's happened!"

I slash through the first hellhound, dodge a dracaena strike, and whirl around. "Bobby? Dakota?"

"Over here!" I find them surrounded by a couple bull-like monsters . . . and just as I see them, one rams into Bobby, pushing him to the ground—and knocking his weapon out of his hand. It only ends up about five feet away from him, but Bobby can't even move an inch with the bull snarling over him. Dakota is too busy trying not to get eaten to help, so it's up to me. I glance at Jason, since the last time I'd seen him he'd been sprawled on the ground, but he's up and doing a pretty good job against the hellhounds. That's all the confirmation I need. I sprint across the clearing and chuck my knife at the bull. It just bounces off him—Holy Styx, he's made of bronze—but at least it shifts his attention away from Bobby. I scoop his sword off the ground, noticing that he picks up my dagger at almost the same moment, and step forward to fight the bull.

And Jason thought I wouldn't be able to walk without collapsing? Idiot.

Once Scipio and two other pegasi arrived, Reyna swung onto his back and skimmed over a few monsters' heads—taking them out with her dagger as she flew—before reaching Anna Marie and Kayla. "Jump on!" she yelled. Kayla pulled herself onto a pegasus without question, even though she looked confused, but Reyna saw something like apprehension in Anna Marie's eyes. She frowned. "What's wrong, kiddo?"

Anna Marie bit her lip. "I . . . I've never ridden a pegasus before, Praetor."

Oh, gods. How could Reyna have forgotten? Legionnaires didn't learn how to ride pegasi at Camp Jupiter. She made a snap decision. "No problem, kiddo," she said. "Climb on behind me."

Anna Marie looked starstruck as Reyna pulled her on. After all, she was riding a praetor's pegasus. Reyna hid a smile and whirled Scipio around. She locked eyes with Piper, nodded once, and then whizzed forward. Kayla followed.

"Where are we going, Reyna?" she yelled.

"Back to camp!" Reyna answered. "You guys need to get reinforcements! I'm just here to help you get through the army an—Dragon on your right!"

Kayla turned and fired off three arrows faster than Reyna could have shot one. The monster burst into dust.

"Wow," Anna Marie said with obvious admiration.

Reyna laughed, and then took down a few monsters of her own. They flew over the heads of Gaea's army, and even though it was a little disheartening to see how many monsters there were, Reyna was pleased at how well Kayla's pegasus was dodging attacks. He was nearly as skilled as Scipio, able to avoid monsters without slowing down. Already, the monsters below them were thinning out. At this rate, the girls would be safely on their way to the main camp in no time—

And then Reyna saw something that made her pull Scipio up short. She cursed.

Kayla shot ahead of her before realizing that Reyna was stopped. "What is it?" she asked, turning her pegasus around. "What's wron—?" Kayla saw what Reyna was looking at. "Oh, Styx."

It was a hole in the ground. A relatively small hole, but still big enough to fit a large monster . . . which was exactly what was happening. Every few seconds, a monster would come clambering through, then move to join the fray. Reyna was pretty sure she saw one of the monsters that she had just dispatched climb out, confirming what she had already suspected.

They had found the secret exit out of Tartarus.

Reyna could have sat there, dumbstruck, for hours—for once, she had been hoping she was wrong—but then a giant bird nearly knocked her out of the sky. She sliced it into pieces and regained her senses.

"Kayla," she said slowly, "you need to go back to Piper and Austin. Tell them I'm not going to be getting back to them after all, so they need to watch each other's backs, monitor the injured, fight as well as they can, and be careful as hell."

Kayla frowned. "Reyna, what are you—?"

"After you tell them," Reyna continued, "follow Anna Marie." She turned and looked at the seven-year-old legionnaire. "Anna Marie," she said, "you have to keep going on Scipio. Once you get to camp, find Annabeth. You know Annabeth, right?" Anna Marie nodded solemnly. "Tell her I sent you, and that you have to talk to her right that instant, as soon as she finishes killing whatever monster she's fighting. Once she's done, pull her out of the fight and tell her that she needs to send reinforcements to Austin and Piper. Then ask her about Frank because . . ." She took a deep breath. She didn't want to scare Anna Marie, but this needed to be done. "Because if Gaea overheard our plans to bring the injured here, she might have heard Frank's plan to scout out her camp too. And tell her Frank doesn't need to scout any longer . . . because we've found the exit he was looking for."

She focused back on Kayla. "While Anna Marie's talking to Annabeth, you have to find Nico di Angelo," she said. "Annabeth's told me she's not entirely sure how he managed to close the Doors, but he would know exactly what to do. Tell him that he's got to come back with the other reinforcements so he can close this exit too. Make sure he brings whatever he needs."

"Reyna," Kayla said hesitantly, "while we're doing all this . . . what exactly are you going to be doing?"

"You really need to ask?" Reyna said. "I'm going to be plugging up this hole the hard way—by killing any monster that tries to come out."

"But that's crazy!" Anna Marie cried. "The monsters will just keep coming—and this end of the army is going to turn around and face you too! You can't fight all that alone!"

"Sure I can," Reyna said calmly. "It's my job."

"It's not your job to get yourself killed," Kayla frowned, raising her voice too. "Let me stay with you! Anna Marie can deliver all the messages—"

"No," Reyna said shortly. "You guys have to be as fast as possible. Austin and Piper need backup as soon as possible, but they also need to know that I'm not going to be that for them. You have to split up, even though . . . Don't you see? It's dangerous enough that you guys aren't going to be together. It's dangerous enough that you're going to be flying around by yourselves, easy targets for Gaea. I want you to go together, but there simply isn't time. That's why you need to deliver your message to Austin and Piper right now, Kayla. You have to catch up to Anna Marie as soon as possible—you guys have to protect each other. You have to make sure my message gets through. It's the only way we can get some reinforcements, close this exit, and even the odds once and for all."

Kayla shook her head. Reyna thought she saw her eyes glittering, but Kayla didn't cry. She just said, "Sometimes I think you take your job too seriously for your own good, Praetor Reyna. I'll take them your messages . . . but you be careful as hell too, all right?"

Before Reyna could think up a reply, Kayla was gone.

Anna Marie looked at Reyna seriously. "You'll be all right, won't you, Praetor Reyna?"

Reyna thought of the truthful answer—Since I'm fighting an endless army, probably not—and cast the thought aside. "Sure, kiddo," she said, forcing a smile.

"In that case . . ." Anna Marie looked ashamed, but she whispered, "I still don't know how to ride a pegasus."

"Don't worry about it," Reyna said. "Just hold onto his mane, and Scipio will make sure you don't fall." She patted her pegasus's muzzle. "Take care of Anna Marie, all right, boy?"

He whinnied. Reyna may not have been a daughter of Neptune, but she could still understand what her horse was thinking. "Stop it," she scolded. "You are not staying with me. You want to help, you get Anna Marie back to the main camp so she can bring some fighters back with her." He whinnied again, more reluctantly this time. "Good boy," she said, softening her voice and running her fingers through his mane. "You've been great, Skippy. The best pegasus a praetor could hope for." Scipio's eyes widened in alarm, but before he could whinny again, Reyna slid off his back and dropped to the ground, taking out a monster before she'd even caught her breath. "Go on, you two!" she yelled up at them. "Be safe!"

"You too, Praetor Reyna!" Anna Marie answered. "But I know you'll be okay," she added, "because you're really super duper good at your job. So I'm not worried." She smiled trustingly, and then Scipio turned around and flew off toward camp.

Reyna wanted to watch them to make sure they were okay, but she had to turn around to keep herself from getting killed. She stationed herself in front of the hole, stabbing monsters as they came through. She was determined not to let any past her—Austin and Piper had enough monsters to fight as it was.

Her tactic worked for a while, but then the rest of the army seemed to realize that none of their brethren were joining them. About fifty monsters turned in confusion and caught sight of a lone demigod who was stupid enough to stand against an endless army. With confident smirks on their faces, they charged.

Reyna raised her dagger to block a sword strike, twisted around to kill a monster that was climbing up, and then spun around again to finish off her attacker. When she saw a Laistrygonian lift a bronze ball to throw at her, she ducked so that it hit the next monster trying to reach the surface instead, sending him toppling back into Tartarus. Then she killed the Laistrygonian who had tried to hit her, blocked a hellhound's teeth with her dagger, dodged an empousa's swing so that she dissolved a Cyclops instead, and kicked a second hellhound into the exit, therefore taking out both him and the humanoid monster that was about to pull himself out. To her surprise, Reyna already felt herself getting tired, feeling old injuries she barely even remembered receiving. The shoulder that flesh-eating horse had bitten that she'd never gotten healed . . . That arrow that had pierced her leg, but that she'd almost immediately forgotten about as she'd searched for Hylla in the infirmary tent . . . A cut on her arm where a dracaena had slashed while she'd been protecting Arnold and Carlos days ago . . . Even bruises and scrapes she'd sustained while protecting the others in the Agora just now . . .

For a split-second, Reyna doubted herself. She was a decent fighter, but when she was constantly surrounded by four monsters at a time, all of which were singularly focused on her, the going wouldn't be easy. She almost wished she had let Kayla stay with her—if she had someone to stand back-to-back with, the fight would be a hell of a lot easier—but then she cast the thought aside, shaking off her injuries at the same time. She didn't have time to wish for help or worry about old wounds if she wanted to avoid getting any new ones. Besides, Reyna knew she had chosen the best course of action possible. At least this way, she could be reasonably certain that Anna Marie and Kayla (and hopefully Austin and Piper too) would be safe. She just hoped she was as good at her job as Anna Marie kept saying . . .

Because otherwise, she was screwed.