Chapter 26

As soon as Damien could stand by himself they continued on, he was in a fresh tee and they had given him some nectar, he still felt pretty rough but he could see how anxious the others were to finish the journey.

As they crossed the bridge the sun was setting, casting the metal bridge in a pinkish light, Damien looked out across the water, rippling in the slight breeze. His pace slowed as his head began to spin a little, he grasped the rail as the horizon seemed to tilt

"Damien?" Reyna had turned to see him, leaning to one side hands grasped on the railing, she moved back to his side, Hazel close behind her

The two girls steadied the taller demigod, Hazel inspected his eyes and then peeked at his wound

"The bleeding has stopped finally" she dropped his tee back down "Probably the blood loss and the head injury aren't the best mix, he needs more rest"

Reyna felt guilty, she had caused all of this, he was barely able to walk in a straight line and now it was slowing all of them down, she looked at her watch, the memorial opera house was closing in less than an hour

"We won't make it to the Memorial before it closes" she said looking past the bridge to where more building stood tall "We will have to rest for the night, there should be a few hotels on the way"

She looked back up to Damien who seemed to be trying to focus his eyes on her but was having a hard time doing it, he still swayed slightly even with Hazel holding onto him. She took his arm and hooked it round her shoulders, letting some of his weight fall on her, she nodded to Hazel

"Let's get a move on" she ordered, forcing Damien to move his feet "Come on Damien, we can rest soon"

He gave her a lazy smile "I'm hungry" he slurred "Anyone else hungry?"

Reyna rolled her eyes but smiled a little, even half conscious he was still trying to make jokes, she looked up at him, seeing him watching her with half closed eyes, he didn't look away when he saw her eyes upon him, his eyes aglow in the setting sun, Reyna swallowed, for the first time in a very long time she felt nervous under his intense gaze.

The trio got some strange looks as they made their way through the skyscrapers, two girls dragging along a semiconscious guy, with a few bruises and cuts on his face, one older guy had stopped them to see if they were okay, looking quite concerned about the way Damien looked like he was going to collapse at any given moment, Hazel had used the mist to make it look like Damien was drunk rather than beaten.

The continued on, this time Hazel kept control of the magical mist and concealed Damien's injuries, instead making him and Reyna look like a couple walking together, not that Hazel would tell Reyna that, she would probably be demoted back to Probatio.

They soon found a hotel, Damien looked up at the red bricked building, it had pale bricks around all of the windows, the name ran down the side of the building 'The Mosser' it seemed to be the quietest hotel around, and had a few exit routes that Reyna could see.

The three entered and Hazel went up to the front desk, she used the mist to get them a room, she handed over a few golden coins, making them seem like American dollars. The concierge smiled kindly at her and handed over a room card, gesturing towards the elevators wishing them a pleasant stay. Hazel thanked him and helped Reyna get Damien through the doors, once they were in she allowed the mist around them to drop, she took a deep breath and lent against the wall, pushing the button, the magic had taken a lot out of her and she was ready for some much needed rest.

Reyna all but dragged Damien into the small room, she moved to the double bed and lowered him onto it as best she could, he groaned slightly and looked up at the two girls

"Only one bed? Lucky me" he mumbled before his eyes closed and head rolled

Both girls shared a look, Hazel repressed a smirk, Reyna just shook her head and sighed, looking back down to Damien's sleeping form

"Should we let him sleep with a head injury?" she asked the shorter girl

Hazel shrugged "I'm not sure, I think with a head injury we have to wake him every couple of hours" she said as she moved back to the door "I'm gonna check the perimeter and grab some food from the place next door"

Reyna nodded "Stay safe, any signs I want you back here immediately"

Hazel smiled "Will do Praetor" she closed the door softly behind her

Reyna turned back to Damien, he was sprawled out on the bed, leg hanging over the edge, she moved to his side and gently adjusted his position and pulled a pillow underneath his head, letting her fingers linger in his hair.

Once she realised what she was doing, she moved away to the other side of the room, sitting by the window, looking out on the street below, the street lights illuminated the pedestrians she looked out and saw the neon signs lining the buildings as far as her eyes could see. She couldn't remember the last time she was in a mortal city, the last time she had been out of Camp Jupiter she had been riding across the oceans to meet the seven and retrieve the Athena Parthenos… it hadn't really been a vacation.

She leaned her head against the cool window pane, she was beginning to get tired, she could really use a hot chocolate right now. She longed to be back in her bed back at the camp, she glanced over to the luxurious double bed in the middle of the room, it looked cosy and inviting. Too bad Damien was taking up most of the room, even if he wasn't she had to stay alert and on guard, she would not let Damien get hurt because of another monster.