"Just put the card into the machine," Bellona hissed. She glanced at the line behind them. Impatient mortals were waiting behind them, and some were on their phones. Others were almost glaring at them. Bellona glanced back at Athena. The goddess of wisdom was staring at the card reader in front of them. After a moment, she finally inserted the card into the machine.
The machine immediately started beeping. Athena pulled the card out and almost looked flustered. Bellona moved closer to the goddess and spoke, "Just pay with cash. Don't you have mortal cash?"
"No," Athena whispered back. "Hestia handed me this weird card and told me to pay with it. She wanted some special brownies to give to the mortal who watches the elevator that leads to Mount Olympus. Hestia believes that he deserves a special treat, but she did not tell me how to use this infernal machine."
"Ma'am, do you need help?" the mortal at the counter asked. She was eyeing the line behind them nervously. Athena looked up and almost looked ready to smite the mortal on the spot. How dare some random mortal ask the great goddess of wisdom if she needed help? Well, that was what Athena's eyes said, and Bellona didn't have time for it.
"We do," Bellona said. She snatched the card from Athena and handed it to the mortal at the counter. The mortal smiled and helped them insert the card. Athena studied the machine for a moment, as it was asking for some set of numbers.
"You can press the green circle," the mortal suggested. Athena nodded and did as she was told. The machine beeped, and the mortal pulled the card out of the machine and handed it back to them. Athena pocketed the card and took the bag of sweets. They left the bakery.
"Hestia dabbles too much with the mortals," Athena muttered. She glanced around the street and walked across. Bellona followed behind and remained silent. The only reason she went to the bakery was to try and clear her head. Her youngest, most fractured daughter was in the hands of Eris, and the string of her eldest daughter was with Eirene.
"We need to talk," Bellona said. She stopped at the door of the Empire State Building. Athena looked at her and frowned. "Eirene and Eris are working together. I know it's sounds unbelievable, but that is why I came to you. Tyre is already waiting on Mount Olympus, and I heard that Lupa is here as well. We all know the truth."
"Eirene is working with Eris," Athena said. A deep frown came to her face, and she seemed to think. "How do you know of this?"
"Arcadia told me," Bellona responded. Athena instantly shook her head. "I know what you're thinking, but she claims that Lupa, Lelantos, and Sally Jackson would know what happened. Her wounds were also caused by Kronos' sword. Who was the last one to have that?"
"Zeus gave the sword to Eirene," Athena stated. "If the sword was physically taken from her, she would have told us. If she stored it away, she might not have known it was taken. How do we know for sure that it is Eirene?"
"That is what Sally Jackson claims that she saw. She went to Camp Half-Blood and then Camp Jupiter to warn them. Lupa was escorting her. We can probably grab her and take her to Mount Olympus, so she can tell her story," Bellona explained. She walked into the lobby of the Empire State Building.
"Do you think those two are connected to the assassins?" Athena questioned. After a moment, Bellona nodded. Athena sighed softly and walked towards the front counter. Instead of the normal, male security guard, there was a woman. The woman glanced up at them.
Bellona frowned. She knew that the security guard was a mortal, but he was also tied to Mount Olympus. If the Olympians thought that Mount Olympus was in trouble, they would send the security guard away. Magic around the door protected the security guard from the outside world and the dangers of it. So, where was the security guard?
"Hestia asked for me to deliver this to the security guard," Athena began. She studied the woman for the reaction but didn't get one. The woman nodded and motioned towards a picture on the counter. It was small and almost hidden away, but she could see a picture of the security guard and a little girl.
"His kid is sick and in the hospital. Poor girl came down with something terrible," the woman answered. She sighed sadly. Bellona felt an odd power coming from the woman, which meant she could see through the mist. Athena nodded and awkwardly held onto the bag of sweets.
The woman studied them with soft, brown eyes. She ran a hand through her black hair before throwing her hood over her head and focusing back on her phone. If it wasn't for the fact that the woman's jacket had the same logo as the first security guard did, Bellona would have been concerned. Instead, the goddess turned towards Athena and spoke, "Reyna is in trouble. According to Arcadia, Eris has her."
"Not anymore," a voice said. Bellona quickly turned and stared at Eris. The goddess smiled cruelly. "I was kind of saddened really. It only took a few broken bones for your daughter to break down."
Bellona grabbed Eris and slammed her into the wall. She spoke, "What did you do to Reyna?"
"Nothing that you haven't been doing," Eris responded. That stupid smile was still on her face. Bellona glared angrily. "I know I'm not the only one who has slapped her around a little. You enjoyed it, didn't you? I can see it in your eyes."
"Where is my daughter?" Bellona hissed. She didn't know why Eris thought that she could just walk into Mount Olympus, but she didn't care. Athena grabbed Bellona and pulled her away. Bellona glared at the goddess of wisdom, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eirene watching them.
"We made a mistake," Eirene began. She looked around the lobby. "I made a mistake. Those assassins that attacked the demigod leaders were my doing, but the same assassins are planning to do much worse. Your daughter is with them."
"You're lying," Bellona snapped. She turned towards Eirene. The goddess of peace looked almost like she regretted her decision. Athena was watching everything emotionless. "Reyna would never work with the assassins."
"Well, I think she would. In fact, I know she is going to. They have Hylla's string," Eris said. Bellona stared at the goddess and felt a pit in her stomach twist. She had given Hylla's string to Eirene, to keep it safe. Bellona was a fool. "We all know what Reyna would do for her sister. The only question is how long do we have before Olympus is burned to the ground."
"I told Lord Zeus what I did, and he agreed to meet with Eris and I. We are going to explain that we did what we thought was right, but we made a mistake. Now, Burza has Kronos' sword, and I fear what she is going to do with it," Eirene explained.
"Burza has Kronos' sword?" Athena questioned. Her eyes were wide, and she shook her head. "Did she take it from you, or did you give it to her?"
"I gave it to her," Eirene whispered. She buried her face in her hands. There was no missing the regret in her voice. "I thought I was doing the right thing. Then, she disappeared with the rest of the assassins."
Bellona closed her eyes and shook her head. Why would they give Burza one of the most powerful swords in the world? The former praetor was insane, charismatic, and powerful. She was suppose to be dead, but since she wasn't, the last thing that she needed was Kronos' sword.
"Burza was the perfect Roman; therefore, she had to die. I convinced Zeus of that. We set the ambush for her and her army, and we led them to their deaths.," Athena stated. Bellona shook her head. A Greek goddess should never interfere with Roman affairs, yet, Athena did it all the time. "Burza reminds me of Reyna, but she may be more dangerous."
"Our plan worked with Burza. Is that why we thought it would work with Reyna?" Bellona asked, more to herself than anyone. Regret hit her hard, and she looked down. "We pulled away the help from Camp Jupiter and allowed it to fall. We hoped that Reyna would be killed defending her home. Instead, we helped further her descent into madness."
Bellona looked down at the ground. Her vote was the deciding one to put the plan into action. It was one of the hardest decisions that she had ever made, but at the same time, there was no way that they could allow Reyna to be used as a vessel for Ouranos. If Reyna had to die to save the world, that was how it would be.
In the end, it didn't matter. Reyna survived the assault on Camp Jupiter and managed to destroy Ouranos but not before making decisions that vilified her. Reyna could never find out about their failed plan though. There was no telling how she would react, but it wouldn't be pretty.
"When haven't you ruined your daughter's life?" Eris chimed in. Bellona turned and clenched her fist. Athena shot her a sharp look and then looked at the two goddesses standing opposite of them. Eris was watching them with that crazy grin. Eirene only stared at the ground. "That's a very terrible thing to do to your youngest, if I do say so myself. Guess that is the evil of being able to make your own decisions."
"Eris, we are looking for forgiveness, not anger. We must do everything that they say," Eirene said. Eris sneered but seemed to relax. Eirene glanced at the security guard, but her eyes truly never left the ground. "Can we have the key for the sixth hundredth floor?"
The security guard looked up. Her gaze focused on Athena, and after a moment, the goddess of wisdom nodded. The security guard tossed a keycard towards. Bellona and then went right back to her phone. Bellona almost rolled her eyes. Mortals these days weren't focused on what was in front of them. They always missed the little clues that led to something important.
Athena glanced back at Bellona. There was clear distrust in her eyes, and Bellona agreed with it. Why would Eris and Eirene be allowed on Mount Olympus? The two of them had been working against the Olympians. They couldn't just be forgiven for their crimes, could they?
"They are going to sell out their assassins for their own safety," Athena muttered. She shook her head. "We have to work with them though. If Burza has Kronos' sword, we know where she is going. She's going to march right up to Mount Olympus to finish what she started."
"Burza can try whatever she wants. She won't make it pass the doorman over there. Even if she does, how is one person going to storm Mount Olympus? It would never work. Send a message to the rest of the Olympians. Get them back here and soon," Bellona whispered.
Athena nodded and stepped into the elevator. Bellona waited for Eris and Eirene to walk towards the elevator, and she followed behind them. Was this all a trick? Would Eris and Eirene distract them, so Burza could strike? Bellona looked back towards the security guard, who was still on that damned phone.
"Make sure no one else enters Mount Olympus today," Bellona ordered. The security guard looked up and nodded. Underneath her hood, her eyes shined. Something told Bellona that the security guard was a lot more intelligent than she was letting on. "If they insist on visiting, let me know."
The security guard nodded again and looked back at her phone. A small smirk came to her face. Bellona studied the security guard, and the doors of the elevator closed. Bellona looked back at the two other goddesses. She just hoped that they weren't about to make the worst decision of their immortal lives.