Reyna was surprised to open her eyes and find herself on an airplane. She wasn't surprised to find handcuffs around her wrists. They were extremely tight and digging into her skin. Reyna slowly lifted her hands and tried to clench her fist. Her muscles refused to move, and it was impossible to make a fist.

Fear shot through her. There was no way she could lose feeling in her hand. She needed to be able to grab and hold onto a sword. Reyna tried to clench her fist again and took deep breaths. After a moment, Reyna slowly checked her surroundings.

Reyna was alone, but she could hear numerous voices all around her. A quick glance around showed that the plane was filled with Amazons and Hunters. If they had been on the ground, Reyna would have attempted some kind of breakout. If she could find the right supplies and a parachute, she might still attempt to escape.

"Hey," a voice greeted. Reyna jumped in surprise and looked at Vera. The Amazon regarded her with cold eyes and sat by her. "Do you know how much groveling I had to do just to receive this assignment? I had to pretend like I actually cared about these idiots in here."

"Why?" Reyna asked. She shifted and slowly rubbed her arm. Her gaze focused on Vera, and the Amazon sighed. Vera looked around to make sure that no one was listening to them. She leaned in closer to Reyna.

"I am sick and tired of that witch," Vera answered. "She walked into our base like she owned the place. The witch is a pompous little bitch, and she's changed Queen Hylla for the worst. At first, I thought the queen was just going through some issues from losing her girlfriend, but I think the witch has something to do with it."

"I can't believe Hylla would go to Circe for help," Reyna muttered. She glared at the seat in front of her. "When you and your rogue Amazons attacked me, Hylla must have felt insecure in her position, so she went to Circe. Great."

"Doris really only talked about attacking you," Vera grumbled. She crossed her arms and sighed. "Then, she had a meeting with some mysterious woman and suddenly decided to drive a knife through your heart. I wonder who that person could have been."

Reyna didn't say anything. She looked out the window and tried to think. Hylla had played right into Circe's hands, but what did Circe have to do with the shield? Why would she want it? Or, was she using the shield as a distraction?

"Praetor, do you have a plan?" Vera whispered. She looked around. "You're kind of stuck on a plane and surrounded by Amazons. It's not looking that good for you. Did I mention that we were on a plane?"

"I'll be fine. I have a plan," Reyna said. She was lying through her teeth, but she sounded completely confident. It was a nice skill to have. "The most important thing is getting a message to Annabeth and Piper. I was told that we are headed to Death Valley."

"I can do that," Vera said. She glanced around and smirked. "Idiots are sleeping. I can probably send an Iris message to them. That Athena girl is Annabeth Chase, right? Whatever. I'll figure it out. Oh, Hylla thinks I hate you. Let's keep it that way, cause I still do."

"Fair enough," Reyna said. She watched Vera stand. Her eyes moved to look back at the bandage on her forearm. "Vera, I am sorry. I didn't know that was your sister, and I acted on instinct."

"You killed my sister," Vera hissed. She turned back towards Reyna and watched her. The Amazon shook her head. "There is nothing you can do to fix that. Nothing."

Reyna sighed and stared ahead. She rested her head against the seat and slowly closed her eyes. The ache in her ribs wasn't as bad, but she still couldn't grip her fist. It was like one injury had been replaced by another. Reyna shifted and sighed again.

"Sister," a voice said. Reyna stiffened, and she slowly opened her eyes. It was surprising to see a tray of food. Hylla sat the tray of food down and spoke, "Hungry?"

Reyna looked away and didn't answer. She couldn't admit that there was a gnawing feeling in her stomach. It would admit weakness, and she couldn't do that in front of her sister. Reyna glanced at the food and looked away again. She finally spoke, "Yeah."

Hylla sat by her and passed her a fork. Hylla spoke, "A few of the Amazons were worried about me giving you a real fork. They insisted that I give you a plastic one. I'm sure I don't really have to worry about you stabbing anyone with that, right?"

"I only want to stab two people with it," Reyna muttered. She glanced down at her handcuffs and slowly started to eat. Reyna sighed almost sadly. This wasn't how things were suppose to be. She wasn't suppose to be on the opposite side of her sister. "Why does Circe even want me?"

"I know that you think she is evil, but Circe has only been trying to help me," Hylla began. She looked at Reyna. "She told me that I couldn't let you find the shield. You would die if you found it. Reyna, I can't let that happen to you. I have to protect you."

"Do you really believe her?" Reyna snapped. She turned towards Hylla and glared. "She lied to her attendants all the time on her island! Why would you even think to believe her? She is just using you for her gain. Hylla, all you have to do is remember our time on her island."

"When Circe told me about what will happen, she swore on the River Styx that what she was saying was true. Circe is telling the truth," Hylla insisted. "I don't want my little sister to be upset with me, but it's a preferable alternative to you being dead."

To keep from yelling, Reyna took a deep breath. She looked down at her bandaged forearm and spoke, "Why are you just going to allow Mars to start a war? I know the shield is somewhere with Circe."

"Reyna, what are you talking about?" Hylla questioned. "You know that she doesn't have it, and you have no proof that she has even been thinking about it. Annabeth and Piper are very capable of finding the shield on their own. You can't be there."

"Why not? Reyna asked. She took another deep breath and regretted it as her ribs ached. Her voice was starting to raise, but she didn't want to alert anyone else on the plane. It would only make it harder to think of some kind of escape plan.

"Something huge is going to happen. Circe has been preparing for this event for months, and it seems to scare her," Hylla began. "She knows that someone or something is going to attack the Olympians. If they think you are a threat, they will kill you. If you retrieve the shield Reyna, you look like a threat."

"So, Annabeth and Piper will look like threats when they find the shield, but you don't care about them, do you?" Reyna questioned. She looked at her sister. Hylla held no love for Greeks, but she had a friendship with Piper and Annabeth. This person next to Reyna couldn't be her older sister.

"They're not my little sister," Hylla said. She gently touched Reyna's shoulder. Her hand moved to Reyna's face, and she gently placed a thumb to the scar on Reyna's eyebrow. It was one that Reyna had received from rogue Amazons. "I know you would sacrifice yourself in an instant to save the world, and that is your fatal flaw."

"It's not a fatal flaw," Reyna snapped. She shoved her sister's hand away. "It's something that all Romans learn. No person is bigger than the legion. If you have to sacrifice yourself for the legion, you will do that. If I have to sacrifice my one life to save many, I will."

Reyna looked down at her bandaged forearm. Her eyes moved to her hand, and she slowly tried to clench her fist. After a few moments of struggling, her fist refused to fully close. Hylla grabbed her hand and helped her make a fist.

"We gave you some ambrosia and nectar. You lost a lot of blood, but you look a lot better," Hylla commented. "Think about what I said. I know you hate Circe, but you have to think with your head instead of your heart. That is something you excel at."

"When did you start talking to Circe?" Reyna muttered. She looked away from her sister and tried to look out the window. They were definitely in the air. Was Circe just showing off by taking her own private plane to their destination?

"Circe approached me before your birthday. I ignored her, until the rogue Amazons attacked you. I realized that I needed some help, so I got in contact with Circe," Hylla answered. She looked up and turned around. Hylla seemed to nod. "Speaking of Circe, she wants to talk to you."

"And?" Reyna asked. She hissed as Hylla pulled her to her feet. Reyna tried to pull away, but her sister had an iron grip. The Amazon dragged her towards a door. The door opened, and Circe smiled at both of them.

"It is a pleasure to see you, Reyna. We have much to discuss," Circe said. Reyna glanced at her sister before slowly stepping into the private cabin. Hylla left the two alone, closing the door behind her. Reyna slowly looked at Circe, who immediately grabbed her by her shirt and shoved her into a chair.

There wasn't much Reyna could do besides hiss in pain. She glanced around the cabin. There was a table next to her along with a few chairs. A few bottles of wine were to Circe's right. Reyna's sword was laying in the corner of the room.

Circe poured herself a glass of wine. She offered a glass to Reyna. Silence passed between the two of them for a few moments. Reyna watched Circe and tried to control her anger. The witch smiled at her, but there was something cold and dangerous in her eyes.

"We should get one thing straight," Circe began. She sat the glass down and suddenly grabbed Reyna's face. She slammed her head into the table and gripped her face. Reyna grabbed Circe's arm and tried to force it away. "Your sister and Thalia are nothing more than puppets to me. Something larger than any of us is going down Reyna. There are only a few people who know what is happening, but they will soon be dealt with."

"Why are you wasting your time with me then? I don't anything about this event that is suppose to happen." Reyna hissed. She gave up on trying to shove Circe's arm away and just focused on glaring at her. "Why do you want me here? Why go through all of this?"

"Hylla told me that you opened that very special box," Circe answered. "That box held a piece of Kronos' blade. I helped track down a few pieces myself. The cycle must continue. Is that understood?"

"Cycle?" Reyna asked. She was completely confused. The soothsayer had been talking about some kind of cycle, but Reyna didn't know what that meant. Everything was so confusing. Circe's hand let go of her face and moved to the vial around her neck.

"I do not know how you got this, but it does not belong to you," Circe whispered. Her voice had charmspeak in it. Reyna closed her eyes tightly and dug her elbow into her ribs. The pain gave her something to focus on. "Why don't you tell me where you got it, praetor?"

"You can try to fight it, but resistance is futile. I easily overpowered the charmspeak that the daughter of Aphrodite was attempting to use, until your sister came back into the clearing. I have made a spell that has Hylla and Thalia completely wrapped around my fingers. A brute like you would not understand, but you should know that they are always under my power," Circe continued. Her voice was a whisper.

"It sounds like you're expending too much power trying to keep the two of them under your control," Reyna commented. "That would be the only reason that your charmspeak broke when Hylla came back into the clearing. So, what is your plan?"

"To do whatever I want," Circe said. She turned her back to Reyna and poured herself another glass of wine. "I don't understand why mortals drink this. They waste away their bodies and lessen the amount of time they have left in their pitiful lives. Do you know what I am going to do with you, for the rest of your pitiful life?"

"It doesn't matter," Reyna said. She studied Circe and shifted. Circe studied the glass as if she was contemplating what it was. She sat the glass down and sighed. Reyna shifted again, and her eyes moved towards her sword. It would be a painful lung, but she could do it. "Why steal the shield?"

"It is my gambit," Circe answered. Reyna watched her for a moment and went to lung for her sword. A hand grabbed her by her jacket and slammed her into the table. Flames appeared in Circe's hand, only inches away from Reyna's face. "It is a distraction, and I would dare say it is working to perfection. You should be focused on the present, demigod. If you keep playing with fire, you are going to get burned."

"Stop," a voice ordered. Reyna let out an involuntary breath as the flames disappeared, and Circe pulled her hand away. The grip on Reyna's jacket tightened, and she was slammed back into her chair. Her eyes slowly moved to look up at the person who had stopped Circe. Green eyes swept over her like she was nothing, before they moved to Circe.

"Rhea, I was not expecting you. I thought you were busy," Circe said. She nodded her own greeting before glancing back at Reyna. "I was just dealing with this demigod here. She is a disrespectful, little worm, but she shouldn't be a threat."

"So, this is the demigod that stole the vial from me," Rhea commented. Reyna looked at Rhea, but she didn't change her facial expression. Rhea had given the via to Reyna and made her promise to protect it. What was really going on? "May I have a few moments alone with her?"

"Of course," Circe said. She looked at Reyna and smiled evilly. Circe stepped out of the room and locked the door. Rhea waited for a few moments and then walked to Reyna's side.

"We have much to discuss," Rhea whispered. She looked around one more time and placed a hand to Reyna's shoulder. Some of the pain in her ribs melted away at the touch. "There is not much time, Reyna. You have to trust me."