"I don't see any armies," Hylla began. She looked around the small clearing they were in. There was definite signs of battle and a few bodies on the ground. Arcadia tried to kneel next to one of the bodies, but she ended up just collapsing to her knees. Hylla moved towards the goddess but was waved away.
"There is a trail of destruction going from our base," Arcadia commented. She looked towards the right and then moved her eyes to left. Hylla followed the gaze and saw a cave in the distance. Arcadia frowned. "No fire. Some must have stayed behind."
"Would they burn the base, if they left?" Hylla questioned. Arcadia nodded and slowly got back to her feet. She started to walk towards the cave. Hylla followed and stared as she saw even more bodies from the battle. Poorly armored barbarians littered the grass. "Don't tell me that cave is where the base is."
"Just the entrance," Arcadia responded. Hylla shook her head and quickly followed behind the goddess. The two made it towards the cave and stepped inside. Hylla only saw a wall in front of her, and there was drawings on the wall. A few bodies were laying at the entrance.
Hylla frowned and looked around. There had been a definite battle between the two sides, but there was no more barbarians around. The barbarians were either attacking in waves or were just going to starve out the Sixth Legion. For both of those plans to work, the army had to be right there. Where did the barbarians go?
"I can't sense the imperator anywhere," Arcadia muttered. She walked further into the cave and spoke in Latin. The Mist cleared away to reveal a door. Arcadia opened the door and stepped into the base. After taking a deep breath, Hylla followed behind.
As Hylla stepped into the room, two arrows flew by her face. Arcadia caught a third one that would have hit Hylla right between the eyes. Arcadia spoke, "Lower your weapons! Where is the imperator?"
Hylla couldn't see down the hallway, as the lights were turned off. After a moment, they turned on, to reveal three members of the Sixth Legion. All three of them wore armor that was covered in blood. Two held bows with notched arrows.
The only one without a bow raised their hand and slowly removed their helmet. Sparta stared at them and slowly limped towards them. She spoke, "Arcadia? We've been trying to get in contact with you for almost a day. Where were you?"
"Being held hostage," Arcadia answered. She looked back at the entrance and nodded. "This is good work. Where is the imperator?"
"Not here. We haven't seen her, ever since she left with you," Sparta replied. Her eyes moved towards Hylla. "We received a message that we were under attack. Bristol and Aquitaine took a bulk of the legion to smash through the barbarians and meet Sven. We were holding out here."
"Why hasn't the Council stopped this?" one of the other demigods questioned. They walked towards Arcadia. "The barbarians have been coming in waves. We barely held the door the last time, and our injuries are multiplying."
"I don't know," Arcadia admitted. She looked around the base. "How long has it been since the last attack? We found signs of battles but no barbarians."
"A hour or two," one of the other demigods replied. Sparta nodded her agreement and slowly put her helmet back on. It seemed like she was practically out on her feet. One of the demigods steadied her. "Aurora and I are the only ones uninjured."
"We need to go," Hylla interrupted. She looked at Arcadia. "Reyna probably found her way to the rest of the legion. Can we send a message to them?"
"Yes. In the imperator's office," Arcadia replied. She motioned down the hallway. Hylla took off, not waiting for the goddess. "You three keep an eye on the entrance. I do not like the fact that the barbarians seemed to have vanished into thin air."
Hylla walked down the hall and slowly looked around the Sixth Legion base. Most of the doors were closed, and it seemed like the doors were locked. Hylla heard Arcadia behind her, and she stepped to the side. Arcadia walked past her and made a right turn. Hylla followed after the goddess.
"You still can't sense my sister anywhere?" Hylla questioned. Arcadia shook her head. Hylla frowned and looked down. Why couldn't Arcadia sense where Reyna was? The only job that the goddess had was to protect the imperator. How could Arcadia fail at the one job that she had?
"No," Arcadia said. She stopped at a door and opened it. After a moment, Hylla stepped inside and looked around the office. There was a fountain in the corner of the room, and it seemed to be the place where Reyna sent messages. Hylla turned her attention towards the desk at the back of the room, and she slowly walked towards it.
Other than a pill bottle at the corner of the desk, there was no personal items in the entire office. Hylla placed a hand to her desk and looked to her side. There was a large bookcase that was full of files. Her other side held a few filing cabinets. Hylla spoke, "Where does Reyna sleep at?"
"Step outside and to the right," Arcadia replied. She grabbed coin and tossed it towards the fountain. Hylla stepped outside of the office and turned to her right. She opened the door and stepped into her little sister's room.
Hylla didn't quite know what she was expecting from the room. There was no decorations on the walls, and the walls were a dark purple. A bed in the corner of the room wasn't made, and it looked like it hadn't been made for days. A half empty closest was on the other side of the room, and there almost seemed to be more armor pieces in the closest than clothes.
Hylla sighed and walked towards the bed. She sat down and looked at the picture that rested on a small bedside table. Reyna and her were looking at the camera with awkward but genuine smiles. Hylla remembered the day that they had taken the picture. It was the day that Reyna and Hylla had finally reconnected after a few years apart. The two had actually sat down somewhere and talked. At the end of their conversation, Reyna insisted they take a picture.
"I'm going to find you, and I'm going to protect you," Hylla swore. She placed the picture back on the table and slowly stood. Arcadia walked into the room. Hylla looked up. "What is our next step to find Reyna?"
"The imperator has not touched the hilt of her dagger for help. I tried to send her a message, but she did not answer. They could be in the middle of a battle," Arcadia answered. "We must find the rest of the Sixth Legion, but if they are in battle, we will have to fight off our attackers. You will need armor."
Hylla nodded and felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. She stumbled slightly and frowned. Despite all of her worries, she had plenty of sleep the night before. There was no reason for her to be tired, but her eyes were growing heavy. Hylla blinked a few times and tried to stay awake. Instead, her knees went weak, and the world disappeared into darkness.
When Hylla opened her eyes, she was sitting in a chair. There was voice all around her. Hylla blinked a few times and looked around the restaurant. It was the same restaurant in the picture that she had just been looking at. People sat all around her, but none of them paid attention to her. Hylla looked down at herself. What had happened to her?
Hylla heard the chair next to her move. She quickly turned her head and stared at the woman that sat by her. The woman looked at the menu and spoke, "It's not a bad place, but I heard the food is terrible, except for the bread."
Hylla threw the table to the side and grabbed onto the woman's neck. She slammed her directly into the wall and spoke, "You tried to kill me and my wife. What do you want?"
"Guess I won't be trying that bread," the woman commented, and she looked at the flipped table. A smile came to her beautiful face. At the moment, Hylla just wanted to punch the woman in her perfect features. "If I really wanted to kill you, I would have hit you in the heart instead of the shoulder. I do not miss my targets."
"What did you do to me?" Hylla snapped. It almost felt like she was in a dream, as no one was reacting to her throwing the table. "And, what do you want with me?"
"Let go of me. Then, we can talk," the woman answered. She smiled, but there was something dark and cold in her eyes. "I came to talk to you about your sister. She is safe, if you're wondering."
After a few moments of deep breaths, Hylla let go of the woman. She backed a few feet away and started to pace. Hylla spoke, "My sister is with the Sixth Legion."
"Was," the woman corrected. Hylla turned on her and glared. "The Council, Seva, called for Reyna and one of her centurions to meet at a temple. Seva handed Reyna over to Eris, and you can imagine that Eris wasn't gentle. We rescued her."
"Arcadia already told me that Eirene is working against us. You're part of her assassins. Why would you turn against her?" Hylla snapped. She looked down and felt her gut twist. There was no doubt in her mind that Eris had tortured Reyna. Hadn't Reyna been through enough?
"Eirene's one goal has only been to bring peace to the world. For the longest time, she wanted to destroy the Olympians. Suddenly, she decided that all demigods needed to die. When she woke my friends and I from our slumber, she told us that we were to kill the demigod leaders. We intentionally did not do what Eirene wanted. Without demigods, this world will fall," the woman explained. "My name is Beleza, by the way."
"Where is Reyna?" Hylla asked. Beleza studied her for a moment and smiled slightly. "You said that you rescued her. Where is she?"
"At our base," Beleza answered. She sighed sadly. "I understand how it feels, Hylla. The only you want to do is protect your younger sibling, but it is as if the world is out to stop you. Everything that you do to try and protect them, but it's never enough. Reyna is hurt badly, but our doctor is on it."
"You speak like you have experience," Hylla began. Beleza looked at her and smiled, but there was no happiness there. It was all sadness. Hylla studied Beleza, and for the smallest moment, she saw herself in the assassin in front of her.. "Is that why you joined Eirene? Because you lost someone?"
"My younger brother," Beleza said. She looked down and closed her eyes. "Our father was a rich businessman, and he cared more about his company than his own children. I was a trouble child, being a demigod. I got shipped away to an all girls boarding school. My little brother was left alone with our uncle."
"My uncle abused my little brother, in so many different ways," Beleza said. She opened her eyes but didn't try to wipe away her tears. "Venus knew about it, but she never told my father. She never told me. It wasn't until I was sent home unexpectedly that I learned of the abuse. I walked in on it, and the last thing I remember is seeing the pure horror and fear on his face. He was helpless against my uncle."
"You killed your uncle," Hylla guessed. From the cruel smile on Beleza's face, Hylla knew that death came only after justice was dealt. She didn't blame the woman in front of her. Hylla would have done the same thing.
"The Olympians do not care for their children," Beleza said. She looked up at Hylla. "They use us and then throw us aside. The same thing happened to all of my friends, and it happened to your sister. It is time for new blood, and we want your sister to help us. If she doesn't want to help, we will deliver her back to you."
"You'll have to excuse me for thinking that you're lying," Hylla said. Beleza nodded and sighed. Hylla watched the assassin in front of her. "If you really want Reyna to work with you, I want a message from her as soon as she wakes."
Beleza studied her for a few moments. A small smile came to her face, but there was no reading her emotions. Hylla clenched her fist and tried to keep her calm. Beleza nodded and spoke, "Can you shift it?"
Hylla wanted to ask what Beleza meant, but before she could ask, the world shifted. Hylla blinked and found herself standing outside. A look around showed that she was in a garden. There was the sound of a fountain behind her, but Hylla was more focused on the two people in front of her.
The woman on the right was not someone that Hylla recognized. She seemed to hear them and glanced back at them. Her pale eyes focused on Hylla, and a small smile came to her face. Hylla's eyes moved to the person on the left. It took a moment for Reyna to turn around and stare at Hylla.
At the moment, Hylla didn't care about anything else than her younger sister. She rushed forward and pulled Reyna into a tight hug. Reyna hugged her back tightly and buried her head in Hyllla's chest. Hylla glanced to her right, but she saw that Beleza and the other woman were gone.
"I'm going to find you," Hylla promised. She pulled away and grabbed her sister's face. Reyna slowly looked up. "You have to promise me that you will keep it together, please. If they threaten me, you can't listen to them. Don't let them force you to do their bidding."
"You're the only person that I have left," Reyna said. Hylla stared down at her little sister. Part of her thought this was just a dream. Everything in front of her could have just been something made up by Beleza and her friends, but as Hylla looked into Reyna's eyes, she saw the confusion, fear, and chaos in there. "I cannot lose you. I won't."
"I'll be fine. I'm worried about you," Hylla whispered. She kissed Reyna's forehead and pulled her close. Reyna buried her face in Hylla's chest and let out a muffled cry. Hylla held onto her little sister tightly and didn't let her go. "We're in this together, Reyna."
Reyna nodded slightly and didn't respond. Hylla just continued to rub her sister's back. Her only wish was that the dream would never end. She wanted to just stay there with her sister till the end of time. Hylla closed her eyes and spoke, "I love you."
"I love you too," Reyna mumbled. She pulled away and wiped her eyes. Reyna slowly looked up. "I think I'm going to wake up soon. Everything is starting to fade away. I don't know what I'm going to do yet. I just need time."
"Keep yourself safe. I don't know if we can trust these assassins or not," Hylla whispered. Reyna nodded and closed her eyes. It tore Hylla's heart apart to see how shaken her sister seemed. Hylla looked down and took a deep breath. "What did Eris do to you?"
Reyna shook her head, and Hylla felt the world starting to slip away. The colors in the garden turned a shade of gray. Hylla knew that Reyna was waking up, but she wasn't ready to leave her sister yet. Reyna spoke, "She broke me."
"I'm going to tear her apart," Hylla promised. She gripped Reyna's shoulders. "You're going to be okay. Focus on taking care of yourself. Please just keep yourself from the darkness."
"I've never gotten away from it," Reyna admitted. Hylla tried to speak, but the dream slipped away into darkness. Hylla closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, she found herself laying on a cot. Voices were talking all around her, but all Hylla could think about was her sister.
Hylla needed to find Reyna. She needed to save her sister from the assassins. It didn't matter what the assassins claimed, as whatever they did would only upset the Olympians. Reyna needed to be protected from the backlash of that. She needed to be protected from herself.
Hylla thought that Reyna had separated herself from the darkness in her head, but it seems like that was wrong. Why didn't Reyna tell Hylla that? How was Hylla suppose to help her little sister, if the truth was being hidden? How was she suppose to save Reyna from herself?
It took a few moments for Hylla to roll onto her back and glance around the tent that she was in. The room was full of members from the Sixth Legion, and all seemed to have some kind of injuries. Arcadia was overseeing everyone, and her eyes focused on Hylla. The goddess slowly limped towards her.
"How are you feeling?" Arcadia questioned. Hylla waved away the question and slowly sat up. Nothing hurt, but she still didn't know why she had just passed out, unless the assassins wanted her to talk to Reyna. They could have caused Hylla to black out and hijacked her dream, but they couldn't be that powerful. "We need to talk. Alone."
Hylla nodded and slowly rolled out of the cot. As she did, she saw one unarmored figure sitting in the corner of the room. Hylla stared at Annabeth. It seemed like Annabeth was in the middle of an Iris message. Hylla studied the daughter of Athena for a very long moment. She finally forced herself to look back at Arcadia.
"Reyna is somewhat safe. I had a dream," Hylla began. Arcadia quickly looked at her and winced in pain. "I'll tell you about it, once we are by ourselves."
Arcadia nodded and led her out of the tent. Hylla followed behind and focused on the ground. Somehow, she was going to find Reyna. It didn't matter who Hylla had to tear through. She would find her little sister, and no one was going to stop her.