Chapter X: In Which Curiosity Kills the Wolf

Reyna watched the clouds dump buckets of rain outside the magical force that surrounded First Legion. She was supposed to be sleeping right now but…

She couldn't exactly sleep. It started happening a few days before Jason disappeared and it was worse when Percy had arrived. Now that he had left, it was back to getting four hours of sleep.

Reyna flashed her high power flashlight into the wet darkness. Despite the Second Titan War being over, why are there still monsters and demigods disappearing? It was peculiar; every couple of weeks, a demigod disappears. It always happened during the worst weather.

Before Jason disappeared, Lupa had ordered that no more running patrols were to happen. It was like a CSI case, the disappearings stopped. Until Jason disappeared.

Reyna ran her hand over the barrel of her shotgun, Carpe Scientia. She was the only one in First Legion to use a modern weapon instead of a normal one. She does have a sword, always on her if she ever ran out of Imperial Gold bullets (which were rare). Her ability wasn't only limited to shotguns, she could use almost any type of gun. She was currently working on a sniper rifle.

She yawned, flashing her light across the terrain; her light passed the moat that Percy had been 'tested' in. Something about the Neptune spawn bothered her.

It's not so much that he's a spawn of Neptune, he's something. He already knew how to fight and if Bobby wasn't lying, he spoke Ancient Greek.

Reyna's mind started to work out the possibilities; so many theories went through her mind that she didn't notice the sound of something squishing in the rain.

It was near the cluster of trees that almost overlapped the moat. Her light showed a pile of mud that looked like it was moving.

"What the-"Reyna's sharp eyes noticed that it seemed to be climbing the tree. "What kind of monster is that?"

Reyna took a shot; it rang her ears and echoed in the wet night. Damn, I really need to build a silencer on this. The whole legion must be awake.

The Imperial Gold bullet splattered some of the mud and destroyed part of the tree. The mud still kept crawling up the trunk, though at a slower pace.

Reyna scowled. "Monster's too spread out for a single shot. If it's so disperse, there must be a single, bulge where the nerve ganglia are…" She scanned the mud monster. It was a tan, moist brown and had grass, twigs and rocks in the mud, signalling that it travelled a distance.

She spotted a purple-greenish bulge near the centre before it was covered in the mud again.

As she took aim, the bulge suddenly shifted to the left. Reyna scowled and aimed again. The bulge kept moving. Frustration was making her arm shake. The mud monster was near the leaves. If it gets into camp, who know what damage it could do with its increasing mass.

"Damnare. It's too fast for a simple pile of mud." She took a deep breath and relaxed. The shaking of her arm dropped enough for her to get one shot.

BAM! The bullet hit its course, killing the monster and splattering the mud everywhere.

Reyna wiped the mud from her face. "Blergh. This monster tastes horrible." With her adventures with Jason and the others, Reyna had tasted quite a few monsters. This was by far the worst.

It started to rain harder, washing the mud away. Reyna wasn't too badly soaked since little rain came in the magical barrier, just enough to water the Ceres' Centuria's plants. She went from just a bit damp to completely drenched.

But now, it was if there were no barriers that would mean monsters could get into the fort. Or closer that is. Reyna remembered reviewing the blueprints of the fort. The walls were made of ten feet thick, infused with magic from the Trivia Centuria.

Though the magic made Reyna uneasy, no matter how much Dakota bargained for her, Alice wouldn't tell her what happened if the granite blocks broke. For all they knew, everyone in a half mile would turn into plants. Something that would please the fauns here.

"I've gotta tell Lupa." She muttered. As soon as she took a step, a way of intense nausea slammed into her. Her vision blurred and she stumbled, falling to the ground.

Her muscles were stiff and she couldn't move. It was getting hard to breathe. I must not panic. Emotions just ruin the possibilities. The damn mud from that monster must be poisoned. I wonder how long do I have…

Reyna could just barely twitch her fingers, and they were still wrapped around the trigger of Carpe Scientia.

Reyna started to panic when she began to lose feeling in her body.

Her vision went black and she felt nothing.

June scowled as Reyna didn't respond at all. She was alive of course, but for how long?

What would Gwen do if she was here? June cracked her knuckles, thinking back.

Reyna was brought by one of the patrolling campers, Julian. He said he had come to investigate why Reyna started shooting, and to possibly help her if needed.

June checked Reyna's vitals again. They're slow, like she's paralyzed. I've given her some anitvenom but that isn't going much progress.

June bit her lip, if Jason ever returns and finds Reyna like this or worse, I'd be dead.

June went to the medicine cabinet. It's a good thing Gwen kept some nectar outside of the mini refrigerator. If this doesn't work…

June took a hypodermic needle and filled it with nectar. Nectar was a very potent thing to use for healing. It raises the temperature of the body, if used too much, you'd burn up. It wasn't pretty, or so June had been told.

Someone came in to the Infirmaria where June and Reyna was. June didn't pay attention to whoever it was. She pulled her pink hair into a pony tail and released the nectar into Reyna's blood stream.

June didn't expect Reyna to jump, what she did expect however, was her puking.

Reyna took deep, erratic breaths as she puked her stomach contents into the trash June was holding. It felt like she was under water for the longest time.

"What time is it?" she asked, laying her head on the pillow. June tilted her head.

Reyna looked troubled. "The afternoon? How long was I out?"

June scratched her cheek. "A day? What happened?"

June wiggled her fingers. "I was poisoned. Great." Something occurred to Reyna.

"I want you to get Dakota for me. Now." June nodded and left the Infirmaria,

Reyna rubbed her forehead. She felt like she was a punching bag for the Mars Centuria. Her throat was like straw was stuffed down it and she ached everywhere.

Her stomach lurched and she puked into the trashcan. Groaning, she lied back on the bed.

There was a knock at the door. Reyna mumbled a 'come-in' and Dakota waltzed in. His blonde hair was styled in the bedhead style, or he just probably woke up, Reyna concluded when she saw that he was still wearing his pyjamas pants. His First Legion purple shirt was wrinkled.

"You called? Jeez, Reyna. You look like you got puked on by a Hydra. What happened?" Reyna resisted the urge to fix her hair. Dakota was not one for being subtle, at least with conversation.

Reyna quickly explained what happened the night, being interrupted by puking. When she was done, Dakota was confused. "What do you need me for?"

"I need you…to bargain with the nymphs and dryads to move their trees either away from the walls or inside the camp. That...monster was climbing the tree. I'm sure that dryad is very disturbed." Dakota had the best bargaining skills out of the whole camp. He could convince a hellhound to act like a puppy.

Dakota considered it for a moment. "What do I get out of it?"

Reyna closed her eyes. "Trading Centuria shower privileges, teaming up for the next game of Sabotage? What do you want?"

Dakota smiled innocently. "How about you do my math homework for the entire term? School is about to start soon."

Reyna scowled. "Two and a half weeks."

"Three." If Reyna concentrated enough, a feat with the way she felt, she could barely hear the smooth undertone to his voice. That was a key feature about Mercury kids.

Reyna was too exhausted to fight it. "Three weeks and a day."

"Three weeks and I join you in this investigation. Don't act so surprised." He scoffed at her. "I've known you since we were three. I can see how you want to figure out why this is happening."

Reyna sighed. "Fine. But you better have those trees moved before I recover." She didn't need to say the 'or else'. She was a Praetor; she had no need to sound threatening.

Dakota nodded. "Alright. Don't die; Jason would not be happy when he returns."

"Why are you acting like he will?" she said bitterly. She ignored the pang in her sore heart.

"Because, it's Jason. He wouldn't leave like that unless he was forced too. You gotta keep your trust in the good boys. Like Percy."

"Percy, a good boy? He's been causing trouble every other week since he was here." Reyna retorted.

Dakota shrugged. "Whatever you say." He turned and left the room.

Reyna sighed. There was an intuition in her mind that told her life wouldn't get any easier from now on.

The sunlight burned Reyna's retinas as June opened the curtains. She felt better, not perfect but at least she stopped puking her guts out.

"Can I leave today?" June nodded and gave her a glass of water.

"Thanks," Reyna swallowed the water in three gulps. "You did great without Gwen." She complimented. June blushed and nodded. June pointed to a bundle of clothes on the cot next to Reyna.

Reyna changed into a pair of black capris and a purple tank. She combed her brown hair and put it in her usual high ponytail. She thanked June before leaving the Infirmaria at the Forum. The Forum had all of the 'important' buildings. The Artes building, the Infirmaria, Armamentarium, Tricliniaria, the Pyram, the stables and the arena.

First thing was to see if Dakota kept his end of the bargain. She walked by the Neptune Caput tabernaculum and paused. Her mind began to wonder if Percy wasn't as innocent as he acted.

She decided to see if Percy left anything inside, at night, of course. Sneaking around in daylight would attract attention, even for a Praetor.

Reyna twisted the jewel bracelet Jason gave her before the battle at Mount Orthys. That was a bad time for First Legion. Everyday demigods died and disappeared. She almost had a panic attack when he gave it to her. Even though Reyna could accept the death of a toddler, she couldn't even stomach the idea of Jason or one of her close friends dying. Especially for parents who had basically ignored them for almost all of their lives.

She shook the dark thoughts from her mind and walked to the Mercury Caput tabernaculum. She knocked on the flap and waited. "Dakota? Are you in there?"

She heard a few curses and Dakota opened the flap, his eyes were groggy. "Reyna, darlin'. How are you?"

She ignored the term of endearment, and its feelings. "Yeah. Fine. Did you do what I asked?"

Dakota looked confused for a moment before nodding. "Pain in the groin to do it. Those dryads drove a hard bargain."

"Where did they move?" she questioned.

"Almost all of them moved inside the camp. I would watch out for your area. You got some new roommates."

Reyna made a face. "Right thanks."

"So, what's the plan?" Dakota asked, she blinked. The plan? The plan…

"I'm going to go to the library and see what I can find." Dakota nodded.

"What am I going to do?" Reyna thought about it.

"I want you to go see Nereus."

Dakota's eyes widened. Reyna noticed how a clear blue they were. "B-but he's impossible to catch! Myths say that he changes shape!" he spluttered.

Reyna smirked. "You're a clever demigod. Set a trap, bribe him. I'm sure you'll come up with something."

Dakota thought about it. "What question do you want me to ask?"

Reyna's voice didn't bring good feelings to Dakota as she answered. "I want you to ask what is waking up."

"Hazel! I need to talk to you!" Reyna shouted into the entrance of the Vulcan Centuria. She looked at the remains of the Centuria's work. Broken swords, sculptures, weapons littered the ground, making it a hazardous zone filled with sharp, unclean objects.

After a few minutes, Reyna was about to give up when Hazel poked her head out. Her face was grimy and her red hair was in a braid. She scowled at Reyna. "What do you want? I'm busy."

"Is it true you have a tunnel system that leads to every place in the camp?" She questioned. Hazel's face remained the same except for a flicker of uncertainty in her brown eyes.

"What of it." Hazel never trusted any of the Minerva or Mercury demigods. She hated not knowing what they were really planning. For all she knew, whenever they asked for a new sword, they could be planning a Centuria war. Somnia and Somnus were one rivalry, despite having similar powers. Victoria and Invidia were another.

Minerva, Mars, Mercury and her own Centuria were considered neutral. Whoever could earn their alliance was who they sided with. Hazel remembered the two years it was Minerva verses Mars. That was a difficult year.

"Do you have a tunnel that leads to the Neptune Caput Tabernaculum?" Hazel didn't like where this was going. Maybe she plans to get rid of Percy?

"Yea. Why?"

"Later this week, I want you to let me use the tunnel."

"Why?" She saw that Reyna had paused. "Look, if you can't tell me then don't bother asking." She started to climb down the hole.

"Wait!" Reyna looked around to make sure no one was in the range. "It's about Jason and Percy. I think Bobby was right that something was happening."

Hazel tilted her head. "And why do you want to go into Percy's tent?"

"He might've left something, like a journal or a clue as to why and how he got here."

Hazel sighed through her nose and closed her eyes. Anything that involved one of the smartest and cleverest people in First Legion was soon to be bad news. "What do I get out of it?"

Reyna sighed, clearly frustrated. It was easy to forget that everyone wanted something in return. "What do you want?"

Hazel was surprised that Reyna let her do that so easily. Reyna wasn't known for her willingness to her cooperation when it came to favours. Hazel thought about it.

"Next three games of Sabotage, you'll make an alliance with us." Reyna hesitated for a moment and held out her hand.

"Fine, but we get our gladiis sharpened." Hazel shook her hand.

"Deal." Hazel's hand was callused and rough but Reyna could tell that she took a great deal in her hands.

Hazel went down in the hole, she paused momentarily. "Reyna, I hope you know what you're what you're getting us into. The wolves won't hesitate to eat us if we-you don't be careful."

Reyna's voice was quiet. "I know, Haz. I just want to know what's happening and if the world needs saving again."

Reyna closed her eyes to clear her mind. She was risking a forty-eight hour patrol, not being there to train the strategic class. Forty-eight hours of no sleep, constantly standing on your feet and risk injury from the wolves in charge.

Reyna was torn between figuring out what is happening and just to do nothing until it was too late. Jason always told her that she had two sets of minds. One to figure out the plan and one to set out to do the plans, no matter the cost. Praetors weren't supposed to break rules, but enforce them.

She sent a prayer to Janus that she was doing the right thing.

She opened the top book on the pile of books she had collected in the library. Skimming it for any sign of the monster she had killed.

Nothing, absolutely nothing. She clenched her teeth. A forty-eight hour punishment, just to know the library had nothing she needed. What she could access anyways.

Reyna looked up at the forbidden floors of the library. She could see it, but even with her Praetor privileges, she could not access the three top floors.

Only Lupa, high rank wolves and the Top Praetor could. She was none of those.

A plan began to form in her mind. What is forbidden is what is needed.

She smiled and felt hot, moist breath on the back of her neck. There was a lowly growl. Why are you here? A voice she recognized spoke in her mind.

Crap.

Well, Wassup my demigods, gods, nymphs, dryads and fauns? This chapter is so short compared to the others ._.". How was it? Did you expect to be back at First Legion? By the way, if any of you guys have predictions, did i meet them or did i do the complete opposite?

School's almost out. (Four more days...) Expect more chapters the coming weeks.

Did anyone go to the Rick Riordan and James Patterson appearance? I didn't but i watched it online.

I will admit it. I started to cry with joy when i saw the cover and heard the first pages of The Son of Neptune. I am that much of a Aphr-Venus girl when it comes to this beloved series. Any predictions for The Son of Neptune?

You guys are quite shy with reviews, aren't you? I'm not complaining or anything. I adore every review i get. Around VIII: In Which Togas Are Breezy, we reached fifty reviews. So i thought to myself, if the amount of reviews stays the same, we might reach one hundred by Chapter XVI.

So, can you guys do it? One hundred reviews by Chapter Sixteen? (Not forcing you guys or anything)

Reviewer Question: Any plans for the summer, what do you think of The Son of Neptune, or what do you think will happen at First Legion while our group is gone?

PS: Did anyone get The Son of Neptune reference? Kudos to you if you did!