After leaving a few orders for her legionnaires, Reyna and Messoria were off again, this time landing in San Juan. Reyna tried to hide how on edge everything made her feel, and instead walked forward, navigating the familiar streets until she reached her childhood home, all the while images of dead Huntresses and Amazons, and glimpses of her childhood flashed across her eyes. She hadn't noticed that Messoria had taken ahold of her hand, and she didn't make any moves to remove it.

Reyna approached the door, trying to avoid looking upwards. "Those are ghosts." Messoria mumbled to herself. "No wonder you're so freaked out by this place."

"Thank you, for saying that aloud." Reyna grumbled, knocking on the door.

Upon opening the door, the girl in camo pants revealed that she had a very threatening gun pointed at their faces. Reyna did not hesitate to offer her hand. "Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, Praetor of New Rome, I wish to discuss things with your Queen."

The girl immediately lowered her gun, paling slightly at the realization that she had just had a gun pointed at her Queen's younger sister. "Come with me,"

Reyna tried not to hesitate noticeably as she reentered her old childhood home. Messoria followed along, linked by their hands, but Reyna was sure she had squeezed all of the blood circulation from the Reaper's hand.

The girl led them to the fireplace. "Oh wait I know this, is this the part where we throw the powder into the flames and shout out where we want to go?" Messoria asked, smirking at Reyna as the younger girl stiffened.

"Just go through the fireplace and follow the hallway, you'll reach Queen Hylla at the end of the hall." She stated simply. "I apologize for my rude welcoming, we've had quite a few monster attacks in the last few weeks."

"I understand." Reyna assured. "Thank you…"

"Meg,"

Reyna smiled gracefully. "Thank you, Meg."

The girl nodded and returned to her post by the door. Reyna briefly wandered why there was only one guard, but when she remembered the last time she was here, she realized that perhaps Hylla doesn't have the bodies to spare with backup.

She followed the hallway hesitantly, there were still scorch marks every few paces and Reyna tried not to think of how those scorch marks got there. She remembered Thalia leading her down that hallway, Phoebe at her side. She knew that Phoebe had died, and that set the many faces of the women that had died here flashing across her eyes.

Reyna slowly entered the room that Hylla occupied. It was like looking in a mirror, that is, if the mirror showed her an older version of herself. Hylla had aged quite a bit in the last year. Reyna knew from firsthand experience that it was stress that caused her premature worry lines.

Upon noticing the door opening, Hylla glanced up from the many files before her. A nymph stood next to her, skin like honey and startling green eyes. She held out a file to her Queen and turned to Reyna and Messoria. Hylla's own brown eyes widened slightly. "Hello sister, what brings you here today of all days?"

Reyna couldn't bite back her sarcasm as she replied: "I missed Christmas, thought I'd drop by."

Hylla laughed. With the way her voice crackled as she did so, Reyna could tell that it had been a long time since she had last laughed like that. As her own amusement died down, her eyes dropped to Reyna and Messoria's clasped hands and on instinct, Reyna nearly through her hand away. "No, really Reyna. What are you doing here in San Juan? It must be important, knowing how much you hate this place."

Reyna took the chance to approach Hylla. The room was large, and she had felt like she was shouting at her sister, and these things are not something to be shouting. "Well, er, the world's in danger yet again."

Hylla's eyebrows shot up and the corners of her mouth shot down. "Reyna-"

"Hylla, New Rome is under attack, or well, it will be. Your doorman, or woman I should say, told us of the frequent monster attacks you've been dealing with? Well, we know why. Thanatos is angry and is waging war. We stole his key piece away from him and now we have to defend against his army of Reapers to keep him from essentially destroying all life on Earth." Reyna moved about as she spoke, making her proposals as if she were talking to the Senate back home. "Hylla, we need everyone we can get to aid us."

Reyna wasn't sure just how Hylla was going to react, and honestly Hylla probably didn't know herself. A mixture of emotions shuttered across her face like one of those disjointed clay-mations on TV. Grief, sorrow, worry, anger. Reyna immediately felt guilty for even asking. She wanted to laugh and say "No worries, changed my mind we'll just be going now, see you never." But she knew that she couldn't do that. She needed her sister now, as much as she hated to admit it.

"Reyna," Hylla sighed, her eyebrows drew down and her lips even further south. "I don't have the manpower to spare."

Reyna winced. She knew this would happen. "Hylla, we're desperate-"

And then Hylla blew up, just like their father. Gods, just like their father. "Well why did you let things get that way? You think I'm in a so much better position? I can't come to your aid all the time Reyna! I have my own people to worry about!"

Reyna cringed. "You think I had a choice in the matter? I had nothing to do with this, it's the Gods. Hylla, New Rome is going to be destroyed, in fact it's prophesized, but that doesn't mean that we'll lose. I've seen these monsters, I've fought them, they're impossible-"

"So send my people off to die then!" Hylla glared holes in Reyna's forehead. "This is outrageous-"

"I don't want anyone to die! We need the numbers to prevent more deaths! I have an army of children, you are the Queen of the Amazons, Hylla you've got power that we desperately need! Without you, the Reapers can get Pandora's Box-"

"You have Pandora's Box?" Hylla shrieked. "Reyna, are you crazy?"

"I do what is necessary." Reyna stood taller, her chin lifted. "I do what I have to. That's what a leader does Hylla, I know the consequences, the casualties, they'll be on my shoulders. But without you Hylla, our failure, it will be carried with you." Reyna willed the tears that began to well up away, she swallowed the lump in her throat and squared her shoulders. "I've lost many soldiers myself. I know your grief, don't think that you're alone in what you feel. I've fought two wars as Praetor, neither of them my fault. My decisions have cost lives, but those casualties ultimately saved billions. Very well, Hylla, if you don't wish to send aid, we will not expect your cooperation. Consider this the termination of our alliance between New Rome and the Amazons."

"That's extreme, sister."

"Don't belittle me!" Reyna shouted. "Do not patronize me. I've come to you for aid on behalf of my people, and on behalf of your people you have decided against it. You know just as well the politics behind this! The Senate, whether I try to stop them or not, will terminate our alliance anyway. Unlike you, I must cooperate with fellow leaders. And I have to tell you Hylla, when the Senate demands our alliance to be broken, I can't say that I'll defend you."

Reyna did not wait for Hylla's reaction, she did not wait for dismissal, she did not wait to say goodbye, instead, she turned on her heel and stormed from the room, too angry and disappointed to think any further on her past here in this place. She could only think of the dismal future.

It took her a moment to realize that Messoria had not followed her, and therefore she had to wait, outside of her childhood home, beneath a banana tree for her transportation home. Messoria was only a few minutes behind her, but that was long enough for Reyna to know she had stayed to discuss things further with her sister. She didn't care that her leaving in such haste was childish, she didn't care that her professionalism was slowly diminishing the longer this quest has eaten at her. She didn't care.

Instead, in silence, they melted into the shadows together and stepped across the Little Tiber. Reyna marched in silence, watching as her soldiers began to erect watch towers around the perimeter of New Rome. Camp Jupiter was nearly deserted, all of their supplies and people having been moved to the castle, Reyna once again felt lonely. Messoria stood beside her, but she seemed much further away to Reyna.

"I think she'll send reinforcements." Messoria shrugged. "She's your sister, she loves you, you know."

"Sure feels like it." Reyna grumbled. She needed to focus. "We have to get back."

Messoria shrugged. "I don't see a point. Without Nico taking over, what's the point in resisting? They'll level us completely."

Reyna rubbed at her temples. "I know," She whispered.

"Reyna, for the Gods' sake take a nap or something!" Messoria groaned. "It's like nine PM and we've been up for hours. Don't you think we deserve some sleep?"

Reyna shook her head, marking something on her map. "You go to sleep then."

"Not until you do!"

"Why me?"

"Because you're kind of the mastermind behind all of this, Annabeth gave up for the night, and you've been functioning for far too long. Gods help me if we all die because Ms. Sleep-is-for-the-weak over here takes a cat nap at the wrong time, I will personally haunt you in the depths of Tartarus. Assuming he doesn't rise as well." Messoria grumbled, glaring at Reyna with a slight pout. "Because you're obviously stressed-"

"Oh really?"

"And you're all emotionally upset and such."

"Emotionally upset?"

"See? We both need sleep. Come on I just barely got away from death and you recovered Pandora's freaking Box. Sleep!"

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Fine, but only for a couple of hours."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll wake you up at the crack of dawn, the moment the sun touches the horizon you shall be up and functioning and not tired at all." Messoria glared. "Go!"

Reyna glared back before curling up in the corner on an armchair and Messoria passed out on the floor at her feet. Reyna's dreamed included dragons, blood, and fire. It was not a pleasant dream, especially since she was sure that her dreams were more prophetic than fiction.

"Should we wake her?" A deep voice rumbled, it seemed to rattle the walls.

"No, you idiot! Do you have any idea how hard it was to get her to go to sleep in the first place? Let her sleep as long as we can get away with." An agitating voice that most definitely belonged to Messoria hissed. "Anyway, any word on Nico? You seen him around yet?"

"No, he's just up and disappeared. He's probably just hiding from us."

Reyna yawned and stretched, feeling her joints pop. She shouldn't have slept on the armchair. "Time is it?"

"About eleven thirty." Messoria answered with a smug smirk. "Told you, you needed sleep."

Reyna jumped to her feet. "Eleven thirty? Messoria!"

"Yes?"

Reyna couldn't bring herself to glare any longer at her stupid face. Reyna knew she was right, she was already feeling better. "We have things to do."

"I have the fourth and fifth cohort spread about in New Rome, the second and third cohort are within the walls of the castle ready to fight, and I have the first cohort on the battlefield around the castle. The Huntresses arrived late last night, Thalia should be up here any minute now, but they're manning the watch towers, we have runners waiting at each tower to deliver the message at any moment. Clarisse told me that the Greeks were dispersed according to their cabins, putting their various abilities to use. The Ares kids and the Athenians are waiting down with the first cohort, and we have the Apollo kids dispersed between the medical teams and aboard the walls, manning the archery and artillery stations. Things like that. The trenches are just about done, I have to say Annabeth is really efficient in getting those things done." Zhang reported, he had been the deeper voice.

"Good, good." Reyna rubbed at her temples. "The Amazons won't be coming."

"They will be, just you wait."

"They're not coming." Reyna snapped. "Don't argue with me."

"I'm not your subordinate!"

"Yes, but we're in a tall tower and you no longer have wings so shut it."

Messoria looked immensely offended, but it slowly ebbed away to amusement instead. "Okay, I can deal with that."

"Anyway, preparations for invasion are almost in place." Zhang nodded. "We need to finish up the trenches and finish gathering together our allies, but we're about as prepared as we're going to be."

"Very well," Reyna sighed. "We're going to need to start setting fires soon."

"We'll handle that when it comes."

"Okay, Frank, I suppose you'll be finalizing the preparations? I need to deal with Nico di Angelo."

"Hey Reyna," Messoria called vaguely.

"Not now,"

"No, Reyna, look."

Reyna blanched, no, not yet, they're not ready. Reyna rushed to the window beside Messoria, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw. It was an odd blue glow on the fields, though it looked more like a field of millions of souls. "What in the Gods' names is that?"

Messoria set a hand on Reyna's shoulder and set her jaw. "It's Hades' army."

"And that means?"

"All of the dead souls still on his side, so I'm assuming Elysium, the Isles of the Blessed, and whatever souls he could scrounge up from the Fields of Asphodel. I don't know if you noticed, but- That's billions of people."

"If they can fight we're set!" Zhang called.

"No, you don't understand." Messoria turned to him. "Think about all of those soldiers down there who have lost comrades and loved ones…"

Zhang paled. "Oh gods,"

Reyna stared down as her soldiers began to take notice, some dropping their weapons, others running towards a specific point in the crowd. They were starting to notice. "Do you think-?"

"Probably." Messoria said softly. "But that doesn't mean he'll be staying."

Reyna grit her teeth. "Good."

"We have to find Nico." Messoria mumbled beneath her breath. "We have to convince him before Thanatos reaches us."

"Oh gods,"

"What?" Messoria and Zhang chorused.

"What if Bianca di Angelo is down there? Nico, he'll- He'll be devastated, or elated. Or, I don't know, but can you imagine trying to convince a kid to become a god after all of his old wounds have reopened?" Reyna stammered. "I mean, it just reminds us all of our own mortality, but Nico, he has to go on to take the throne."

Messoria shook her head. "He's probably already noticed them by now. He's the son of Hades."

Reyna groaned. "It's just one thing after another with this isn't it?"

Messoria shook her head. "Sorry my family is such a pain."

"But are they really your family?"

Messoria sent her a lopsided smile. "Nah,"

A/N Shorter than usual, but what can I say? Middle of midterms and this is more of a transition chapter than anything else. Things are about to go down and basically I'm going to put everyone through absolute agony :D I like that! Review maybe?