Reyna waited impatiently as Octavian sliced open the purple teddy's stomach. He stared at the stuffing for a few, dull minutes.
"I cannot find anything related to you, Reyna, but only what I said to Jason a while back."
"Which was?"
"That he will fall to a personal issue and that a shadow child is to relieve and torment him."
"How do you relieve someone and then torment them?" Octavian shrugged, the start of a smirk crossing his thin lips. "Try another toy. I need to know."
"Reyna-" She glowered at him. Octavian sighed. "Alright, alright…" He turned to the pile of soft toys and picked a lion. Stuffing spilled onto the altar and Octavian studied it intently.
Octavian straightened his back after a couple of minutes.
"Well?" Reyna asked impatiently. He turned to look at her.
"It's hard to tell."
"Liar." Reyna snarled, her hand shooting to the hilt of her knife. Her dogs growled threateningly. Octavian glanced at them nervously. "What. Did. It. Say?" He didn't answer. "Octavian!" She snapped.
"It was the same again." The dogs' growls became more threatening. "And that you will be tested."
"Tested? By what? Who? Tested how?"
"I'm not sure." Octavian said. The dogs ceased growling and sat on their haunches. They looked round to the entrance as Jason moved through the door.
"Hey." He grinned. Reyna forced a smile back, releasing the tight and bone crushing hold she had on her knife. Jason noticed. "Everything OK?" He asked.
"Reyna wanted to know the future of Camp Jupiter." Luckily, the dogs remained silent, glaring at Octavian.
"Anything good?" Jason asked, stopping next to Reyna.
"Hard to tell." Octavian shrugged. "I'll keep looking." He turned back to the dissected lion toy.
"OK." Reyna tugged on his hand. He looked at her quizzically.
"Come with me." Reyna ordered Jason. He followed, Reyna's dogs trotting at their heels. Octavian watched them go, almost relieved.