Hello my dear readers, it's been too long! And now... THE NEXT CHAPTER!

Chapter 13

Reyna woke up with a stiff back. She rolled over and found herself on the bed in her cabin. Sitting up, the blanket that had been covering her had slipped off, and Reyna wondered when she had hopped into bed. Last she'd remembered, she'd fallen asleep on the ground, and yet here she was snuggled up in the blankets! Just before she could think more, the most delicious aroma wafted through the cracks in her door; Reyna felt her mouth water. Shrugging off the remaining blankets, she walked out of her cabin and down the hallway in search of the source of the enticing aroma.

Walking into the main sitting room, Reyna was surprised to see her dogs happily eating out of a pair of chrome dog bowls while Stefano dunked his little metal head into a much smaller bowl. Even more surprising was Leo, standing near one end of the table. He muttered something towards the golden dish, and to Reyna's amazement, a plate of hot steaming food suddenly appeared! The smell of the savory food made Reyna's stomach growl. Loudly. Leo turned to see a flustered praetor holding her stomach sheepishly.

"Uh… I'm hungry?" she tried.

Leo threw his head back and let out a deep, booming laugh. "Por supuesto, mi reina. Right this way!" He waved her over, and with a dramatic bow, pulled out her chair. Reyna fought hard to keep her stoic face, but her lips twitched. Moving gracefully over, she sat down in the chair. Leo practically galloped to the other side of the table and sat down to his own breakfast as Reyna peered at the food.

"Pineapple pancakes?" she muttered, almost disbelievingly.

"Sure, since we are in the pineapple capital of the world! Plus, there are some carnitas for a side if you want." he offered.

"Very astute." she murmured, beginning to eat.

Leo smiled and said nothing, and they finished their breakfast together in silence. When they were done, Reyna walked closer to Leo and held out her hand. He almost blushed until he noticed the pocket watch.

"Oh! Thanks! I was wondering where that went." he said lightly, taking it back.

"No problem." she said dismissively, "So I was talking to Victor…" Leo frowned instantly. Reyna thought is strange, but shook it off.. "And he found something. Do you know what a Cherufe is?"

Leo looked stunned before saying, "Yeah, I do actually. My mother… she used to tell me stories…" he trailed off.

Reyna looked equally stunned. "What is it?"

"A creature from volcanos, a man of magma, un hombre de fuego." Leo recited. "Remember how there all those old stories of young girls being sacrificed to a volcano? Well, that's where they were going. These things live in a volcano and they can make it erupt… and unless the villagers feed them, then they destroy everything. It was an old legend from Chile, and one of my favorites as a kid." he finished with an ironic smile.

"Well, that explains why I've never heard of it; I'm Puerto Rican, not Chilean."

Leo chuckled. "And I'm Mexican, but stories are stories! Anyone can enjoy them with enough imagination!"

Reyna bit her lip and looked uncertainly at him; Leo instantly felt nervous. "What?"

"That almost sounded…. intelligent." she managed with a straight face.

Leo rolled his eyes. "No need to sound so surprised." he said dryly. "Anyways, is that what we're facing? A cherufe? Damn, now I'm not nearly as excited for this quest."

"Why not? Isn't there someway we can stop it, something in the story?" Reyna inquired.

"No, none that I've ever heard of. The legend says that the sun god's daughters were stationed at the mouth of the volcano to try and protect against any damage the monster might do… otherwise…"

"We're on our own." Reyna finished. "What else is new?"

Leo gave a twisted smile and stood up, walking over to the hallway. "Very true, reina. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get ready to leave. Did Vicky-Poo give us any hints at where this cherufe is?"

Reyna bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from glaring. He's just teasing… lighten up… "H-He said something about Mauna Loa, and that there might be a cherufe living there." she said, cursing herself for stuttering.

"Mauna Loa," Leo mused, muttering to himself as he opened the door to his room and shut it with a loud thud, leaving Reyna alone with her dogs and Stefano. Her dogs had finished their meal and clanked over to Reyna to be pet, while the bird flew towards Festus and perched on the dragon's head. Reyna giggled at the sight of menacing Festus and the adorable canary perched on top of his head; It was a living oxymoron! Her dogs nudged her hand, and she indulged a few moments with her hounds affectionately stroking them, until she snapped her fingers and walked back to her own room.

Closing the door behind her, Reyna turned and began to unpack her bags; not really putting anything away, more like looking for what she would need. Sorting through her stuff, Reyna quickly slipped her ring back onto her finger and the coin in her pocket; Jason's words rang through her head… "All you have to say is…" Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Reyna also grabbed a small imperial bronze knife and slid it on the inside of her jeans. Changing her shirt to a red tank top, Reyna brushed out her raven hair before quickly braiding it back. Double checking her weapons once more, Reyna opened her door and walked out into the main sitting room. Leo was nowhere to be seen. Walking over to plate, she examined the shining gold surface. Looking over her shoulder, Reyna leaned down towards the plate and whispered, "Jellybeans."

Instantly, the plate was piled high with all colors of the candy: Reyna's favorite. Smiling to herself, she took a large handful and walked over to the couch, sitting down and eating her delicious treat. Halfway through, she heard the door open, and moments later, Leo strode into the room, wearing a new white t-shirt and jeans, along with his tool belt and suspenders. Reyna felt a warmth in her chest as she looked him over; no matter how simply he was dressed, Leo could make it work. Leo, in the meantime, hopped over the couch and plucked a few jellybeans from her palm and popped them into his mouth. Smacking his lips, his eyes looked her up and down, and he said cheekily, "Hey good lookin', what's cookin'?"

Reyna rolled her eyes and protected her remaining jelly beans from his ravenous hands and tried to his ignore his eyes on her. "You should wear red more often, you look good in it." he said smoothly.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why should I?"

Leo laughed. "Because red is the blood of angry men! Er… women! It looks great on you, and it also kinda reminds me of you: strong, powerful, and passionate." Leo tried to disguise his voice on that last word. Unfortunately for him, Reyna saw the way his eyes slightly smoldered on the last little bit, and felt her heart skip a beat. "And I also really like red jellybeans," Leo added, trying to snatch a few.

As his wrist stretched before her eyes, Reyna noticed something there that wasn't there before. "What is that on your wrist?" she questioned, looking closer. "Is that a tattoo of a hammer?"

Leo removed his arm and smile sheepishly. "Yeah, it's a gift."

"You got a tattoo for a gift?"

"It's more than just a tattoo. Hopefully, it won't need to be anything more, but today that seems unlikely." he stated, his eyes fixed on the candy. Suddenly, he darted forward and tried to grab the jellybeans, only ending up holding part of Reyna's slender wrist. Her skin was so soft… and he jerked away like he had been burned, hoping that his sudden departure would keep her from noticing the blush on his face. "Heh, sorry."

Reyna waved him away, trying desperately not to let him see her own coloring. "It's okay. I think I'll leave Aurum and Argentum behind on this one; I don't want them getting hurt."

Leo nodded in agreement, and walked down the staircase to put her dogs into a stable, leaving Reyna to finish her jellybeans in silence. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself as she frantically wondered why Leo was getting that blushing/ridiculous reaction from her. She had to remind herself that the only one who should even come close to getting that sort of reaction from her was Victor; Victor, and no one else. And yet, here was Leo, making her blush like a schoolgirl! But it would go away, she thought, after this quest. If they lived, then they would go back to their regular lives. For Reyna, back to New Rome and to Victor. For Leo, back to… wherever. For some reason, this made Reyna's chest hurt, like an invisible weight was pressing down on her; She had a reason to go home, Leo did not. Jason's coin burned in her pocket as she thought of what rash decisions Leo could make; The most dangerous kind of man was the one who had nothing to lose.

Speaking of said man, she was worried that she didn't hear much noise from below; her dogs didn't take kindly to strangers. Standing up and walking down the stairs, Reyna didn't hear screams of terror…. she heard laughing. Now an all new level of concerned, Reyna burst through the stable door to see Leo playing with Aurum and Argentum. Her mouth fell open in shock; her vicious metallic hounds were running around and yipping like puppies! Romping around and wagging their tails, leaping into the air and barking joyfully… and there in the middle of it, was Leo. Speaking of him, he looked up and saw her standing there, and instantly gave a sheepish smile.

"Heh, sorry. They just wanted to play." he muttered.

Reyna raised an amused eyebrow. "Oh, I guess they like you then. Usually, they rip off arms rather than playing." she responded. Leo gave a ridiculously big smile.

"Well, I guess I'm just special! After all, who can resist… this!" he said, and dramatically flexed his arms. Reyna rolled her eyes and shoved him backward, partly to get him focused, and partly to stop him from showing off his strong arms and her blush.

Gods dammit, Reyna thought to herself. "Come on, Valdez, we've got some stuff to do today! We can't waste time." she said indifferently.

Leo nodded and whistled to the hounds, who both bolted into one of the larger stables. Closing and locking the door, Leo now turned to Reyna and gestured toward the door with an eccentric flourish. "Shall we, mi reina?"

Reyna gave a half-smile and walked out the door with Leo. Instantly, the bright Hawaiian sun made her glad she had worn a tank top, less glad that she had worn jeans. Lucky for her, the tropical breeze the floated along the mountain they were anchored cooled her slightly, and now she turned to Leo, who seemed to know where he was going. "So where are we headed?"

"We'll follow this road down to the nearest town, and then catch a tourist bus up to Mauna Loa. I planned it out with Festus last night," he explained, seeing her look of surprise. "It's only a couple of miles, not too long of a walk."

Reyna smiled slightly. "Do I give the impression I can't walk two miles? Or have you not seen Roman training?"

Leo laughed loudly. "As a matter of fact, I have seen it; it's pretty intense. And no, you don't look incapable of anything, mi reina." Reyna smiled wider at the compliment, and Leo dramatically pointed at her. "Aha! She can smile! And here I thought I was the only funny one!"

Reyna snorted. "You? The only funny one? Please, even Octavian is funnier than you."

Leo put a hand on his chest. "Ay! Como me duele! Why do you hurt me in such a way?"

"Because he makes a fool out of himself without meaning to, while you have to work at it."

Leo laughed again. "True enough, mi reina. But I didn't know you had a sense of humor, even if it's drier than the Sahara Desert; I thought I'd be the only one talking on our paseo."

"Pobrecito." Reyna responded, barely covering her giggles.

Leo stopped. "You speak Spanish? And you never told me?" he said with a false trace of hurt in his tone.

"Nunca me preguntas, you never asked." she said, happily slipping back into her home language. Leo smiled brightly and they began to converse in Spanish for the rest of the walk. Reyna was pretty fluent, with only minor screwups here and there. Leo felt elated to be talking in his native tongue with someone again; They had more in common than he originally thought, and now he smiled at being able to share something more personal with a girl like Reyna. A girl like Reyna… totally gorgeous, smart, strong, and out of my league.

All too soon, they reached the town and arrived at the bus stop, only to find the bus was just about to leave. Chasing frantically after it, they managed to get it to stop and quickly boarded; Leo payed for Reyna and they chose seats next to each other. A smiling blonde woman stood at the front of the bus, and once they had started to rumble along, she went up to the microphone and began to speak. "Hi everyone! My name is Celeste!" she said in an overly perky voice. "Welcome to our tour of the big island! Our next stop will be the largest volcano above ground; Mauna Loa! Did you know that this volcano is only dormant, and may still erupt at any time?" she questioned eagerly.

Reyna looked ready to vomit, and even Leo felt a little sick from the sugary tone. It was obvious she was just catering to the tourists. "Fascinating." Reyna mumbled under her breath.

A fat tourist in the front raised a sweaty, meaty arm. "How long is this ride going to be?" he asked loudly in a nasal tone; Reyna cringed at his voice. But Celeste smiled through it.

"We are about twenty minutes away! How about a story to pass the time?" Someone farted in the back row. "Wonderful! Let's go with an ancient legend, shall we?" Celeste clapped her hands together and her blonde hair seemed to glow brighter. Her tone dropped slightly as she began to talk; neither of the pair was expecting it.

"Long ago, there used to be a huge monster that lived under the volcano. He was known to violent tantrums and would erupt and destroy the island and the villagers. Unless the natives would sacrifice a virgin girl twice a year, then the evil being would destroy everything!" Leo and Reyna were both listening intently now; Celeste seemed to notice this and smiled at them. "Of course, this all just folklore. But legend says that the sun god finally chained the monster at the bottom of Mauna Loa, instructing two of his daughters to watch over the dangerous thing and make sure it never escaped. Some say that they are still there to this very day…" her voice trailed off.

Leo now knew this girl wasn't human; this was no coincidence, she was here for them. He quickly looked over her shining blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and honey-tanned skin. Where had he seen that before? Before he could think further, Reyna touched his arm and leaned in towards him. "Leo, she's not human." she muttered, further messing with his mind by whispering in his ear; her breath tickled his neck, and Leo suppressed a shudder. "Do you think she can help?" Leo moved his head slightly out of her reach to clear his thoughts.

"I don't know." he murmured, staring once more at their tour guide. The pair was in silent thought for the rest of the time, observing their perky tour guide as she spouted off more pointless facts. Finally, the bus arrived, and Leo and Reyna waited until everyone else had left before standing up.

"Well well well, never thought I would see a Roman and a Greek together." came an amused voice. Celeste. Both demigods whipped around to see the golden toned woman laugh. "I know who you are, and why you're here. And I'm here to guide you."

Reyna raised an eyebrow. "And we should trust you because?"

Celeste smiled brightly. "I'm Celeste, daughter of Apollo, or Phoebus. My sister, Solange, and I guard the cherufe you're looking for." Seeing their looks of incredulity made her smile brighter. "Oh yes, we know exactly why you're here, and who you are. A boy came here earlier and told us he was waiting for you at the top. What a darling lad, coming all the way from New Rome!"

Reyna felt the color drain from her face; Leo felt his hands curl in anger. "And who is our visitor, exactly?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"He called himself Victor, and he's waiting up there with Solange. Since I'll be your guide at Mauna Loa," she said, exiting the bus and gesturing for them to follow her, "Please follow me this way!." she merrily chirped and briskly set off up the path.

Oooh so Victor is here now? My my, Leo better learn to control his temper! But maybe he can help them a bit as they set off to collect the first shard? Who knows? Oh wait...

Read and Review, por favor, and I shall see you again soon!

Lilypad009