One Day A Week

by NEIWIS

Reyna and Nico always do their best to spend one day a week together. Everyone thought it would be good for both of them. No one realized the trouble that the two demigods would get into. Between beating up Girl Scouts, "accidentally" maiming bullies during capture the flag, and saving children from a Shtriga, it's a surprise the two have time for movie marathons.

38. Banshee Part Two

As far as Nico knew, the plan was to get Chiron and a few close friends to help for the search with Piper. They wouldn't draw too much attention or create any panic. It took Leo about five minutes to open his big mouth and tell the entire camp. Chaos had taken over the camp, and somehow, Chiron had managed to separate all of demigods into search parties of five. They were all searching the forest.

Nico, even though he was able to get some healing from Will and the other children of Apollo, wasn't allowed to participate in the search party. Instead, he was sitting at a table and just waiting for some kind of news. Reyna was sitting on a table near him and speaking to some Roman through an Iris message. The entire conversation was in Latin, but he could tell they were talking about the Banshee.

Annabeth was standing in the middle of the room and looking down at a table. She was studying Arria's notebook and mixing together something that smelled as foul as the water balloons that had been made for the last prank week. She also kept saying weird things like they needed to drink it.

"What does the notebook say about Banshees?" Nico asked. He felt completely useless just sitting there. He wanted to get out there and help with the search party or do anything that didn't involve just sitting there. "Does it tell us how we can help Piper?"

"It says there is two ways to fight a Banshee. The first is to kill the person being possessed, rip their heart out, and offer it as a sacrifice to the gods. The second is to take the blood of the person being targeted and drink it in this concoction. So, it is Piper or Drew that is being targeted?"

"Well, Drew was speaking in Gaelic, but Piper was the one who was possessed. That doesn't really narrow down our choices though," Nico said. He glanced at Reyna, who was still deep in her conversation with her fellow Roman. "Piper did say she was having dreams and heard screaming."

"Nico, I have a question," Annabeth whispered. Her voice was a lot more quiet than before. Nico was forced to lean in, and when Annabeth motioned him closer, he almost rolled his eyes. Nico finally leaned in closer. "I know that Reyna and Arria are dating, but can we trust Arria?"

"Are you really going to ask that with Reyna ten feet away?" Nico whispered back. Annabeth glanced up and then looked back at Nico. There was a sad look to her eyes, and he realized that Annabeth really didn't want to ask the question. She had to think it was necessary though.

"I get a really bad feeling from her," Annabeth whispered. She pointed to the notebook and leaned in closer to Nico. "I tried to ignore it, but I just get this really bad feeling down my spine whenever she is near. When I talked to Percy about it, he agreed. Jason did too."

"Annabeth, we really shouldn't discuss this right now," Nico whispered back. Annabeth nodded and looked down. "We'll talk about this later, when we're alone. If Arria does anything to hurt Reyna though, I will hurt her worse. You know that."

"You're a good friend to Reyna. She's lucky to have you," Annabeth said. Her eyes grew sad for a moment, and then, she forced a smile to her face. "I'm lucky to have you too. Now, I have another question. If you were Piper, where would you go to be alone?"

"The forest definitely, but I'm not sure what area," Nico answered. He heard the door open, and Arria walked into the room. She was holding a few vials in her hand, and she carefully placed them onto the table. There looked to be blood in the vials. "Do we want to know?"

"A child of Venus is being targeted, but we don't know who it is," Arria answered. She kept her eyes focused on the table and kept her arms behind her back. "The best thing we can do is make a vial with all of their blood and drink it. It will allow us to see the world as they do."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked. Arria's lip twitched, and her gaze turned on Annabeth. "You seem to be an expert on Banshees. How did it get into the camp in the first place? The barrier should have kept it out."

"As far as I know, your barrier is to keep out monsters, yes?" Arria asked. Annabeth nodded. "The Banshee is not so much a monster as she is a spirit. It is one that we cannot see, without this. You could hear the Banshee mourn, but this is not a time of mourning."

"Arria, you said that four members of the Inquisition were attacked," Reyna interrupted. She looked back at them. "Who are they children of? Itlina here says that it isn't a coincidence that the Banshee went from the Inquisition to this camp. There has to be a connection."

"Other than their leader, I don't know," Arria answered. She sighed and looked back at the table. "The only connection would be parentage, but as far as I know, there is no children of Venus in the Inquisition."

"Praetor, would it be possible to get blood from one of the attacked members?" Itlina asked. Nico glanced at the man in the Iris message. He was in a rocking chair and didn't seem like he would be getting up anytime soon. Nico had that in common with him.

"It would take more time that we have," Reyna said. She crossed her arms and winced in pain. "There has to be some kind of connection we are missing. Four members of the Inquisition were attacked, and Arria thinks it was a trap. That person is also sending the Banshee after Piper and Drew. What's the missing piece?"

Nico sighed and leaned against the wall. He didn't really like puzzles, especially when they didn't have all of the pieces. Nico stared ahead. How did the Banshee even manage to get into the camp? Why would it target two completely separate groups?

"How would you be able to control a Banshee?" Annabeth asked. She looked Arria, who only shook her head and seemed to be lost in thought. "If we can find out how to control the Banshee, we can figure out how to find the person. Could an immortal control it?"

"Immortals would stay Greek or Roman with their creatures," Itlina interrupted. Nico glanced back at the Iris message. "This sounds very personal. Have the children of Venus angered anyone lately?"

"There was Drew's fight with Clarisse, but Clarisse wouldn't go this far," Annabeth answered. "Why don't well just add a little of all of the blood to each vial and drink it? We don't have to worry about narrowing it down."

"It won't work. It had to be only one type of blood per drink, and well, we will fall unconscious after drinking it. You will be able to see that person's perspective, for only a few minutes. It is a trick that spies would do, and the secret was heavily guarded," Arria explained.

"A spy trick?" Annabeth questioned. She nodded, but Nico could see the look in her eyes. Annabeth nodded again. "That doesn't help us any then. Should we all just drink a vial and hope for the best?"

"That's the only thing we can do, without knowing more. We will all be unconscious for a few minutes. If the Banshee is targeting someone, they will be following right behind them. You can't see them normally, only the victim can."

"Sounds like we'll be exposed," Annabeth said. She opened one of the vials and poured it into the glass. Annabeth handed the cup to Arria. "You go first. You obviously know what you're doing."

"Which is why I should go last," Arria said. She glanced at the cup. "There can be side effects, but I know how to handle them. I will drink my glass after all of you do. If none of us see the Banshee, we know Piper is the target."

"We will be exposed," Reyna commented. She glanced at the Iris message and spoke in Latin. Itlina nodded and ran a hand through the message. Reyna slowly stood. "Someone should stay awake. I volunteer myself. Itlina told me this can be very draining, and I'm nowhere near one hundred percent."

Nico glanced at his best friend. They met eyes, and he glanced down at Reyna's tattoo. She gave him a small nod, and Nico nodded to show that he understood. Reyna would share her strength with them.

Annabeth nodded slightly and grabbed one of the vials. Nico watched Arria pour blood into another one, and she held it out towards him. Nico took a deep breath and grabbed the vial. He closed his eyes and downed the entire thing in one gulp.

Instead of tasting like death, it tasted really sweet and a little bitter, like chocolate. If Nico didn't know the ingredients, he would have asked for seconds. Nico shivered and felt his eyes starting to get heavy. He laid his head back and blinked. When Nico reopened his eyes, he was laying in the infirmary.

Nico tried to sit up, but it felt like his body refused to move. He tried to move his eyes, but nothing happened. Nico couldn't even blink. Part of him started to panic, but then, he realized he was literally seeing things through the eyes a child of Aphrodite. A face appeared over his.

"Your eyes are tinted a weird color," Clarisse said. She sneered down and then glanced to her side. "Chiron, is that part of the ritual that you were talking about, or is it the Banshee taking hold? I can put Drew out of her misery."

"It's the ritual," Chiron answered. He sighed deeply and appeared over Drew's face. "Whenever one of you find something out, one of you must report to me. We haven't been able to find Piper yet."

Nico wanted to speak, but he couldn't Instead, his view changed as Drew sat up. Her head turned to the side, and Nico stared at the creature in the corner of the room. The old lady was sitting against the wall and staring at him.

The old lady had a green cloak wrapped around herself that was covering a bloody and white dress. Hair covered her face, but Nico could see how red her eyes were from crying. Tears freely flowed down her face. That had to mean Drew was the target, but why target Drew? Who would do that?

"Where is she?" Drew demanded. The Banshee shook her head and only started to cry more. Then, she let out a loud wail. Nico wanted to cover his ears, and thankfully, Drew covered hers. It didn't do much to block out the noise. "You have to tell me. Where is she?"

"What is she even saying?" Clarisse demanded. She appeared in Nico's vision and glared. "This is just a waste of time. We could be doing anything else right now. Instead, we're distracted by Drew speaking a weird language."

"Where is Piper at?" Drew demanded. The Banshee's wail stopped, and her eyes focused on Drew. The Banshee shook her head and looked to her right. Nico frowned. If the Banshee was referring to the entire camp, that direction was towards the forest and a cave or two. "I have to save her."

Was this how the Banshee was going to drive Drew insane, by not letting her save Piper? Drew spoke, "You know where Piper is. She's been missing since last night! Where is she?"

Why did Drew say that Piper had been missing? Piper had helped carry Drew in, before she attacked Nico and Reyna. Nico felt like he was missing a big piece of the puzzle. He knew that Banshees warned of death, but according to Arria, they had gotten twisted around and instead tried to kill people. What if this Banshee was trying to warn them though?

Nico thought back to the injuries that the members of the Inquisition had. One had deep claw marks on their back, but the Banshee didn't have any nails. She could have tried to drown the other member, but it didn't explain how another had their throat torn open. It didn't seem like something that the Banshee would have done.

"You have to talk to me. You can't keep mourning," Drew snapped. The Banshee only shook her head. It didn't seem like the Banshee was a monster that wanted to kill people. Nico frowned. He just needed that last missing piece to the puzzle.

Nico sighed and felt the world around him starting to slip away. He tried to close his eyes tightly and was grateful that they did. Nico opened his eyes and stared down at the table. It seemed like he had fallen face first into the table when he fell unconscious.

Nico heard a choking noise, and he barely resisted the urge to lift his head from the table. He turned his head slightly and glanced around the room. Annabeth was laying on the couch with the vial resting on her fingertips. Arria was sitting in a chair near Nico and still seemed to be unconscious as well. Her head was resting on her hand, so someone must have been nice enough to not let her slam face first into the table.

A glance up showed that a cloaked figure had Reyna pinned to the ground. It looked like they were digging a forearm into Reyna's throat. Reyna tried reaching for her sword, which was only a few feet away. The cloaked figure placed a hand over her mouth and dug a knee into her side. The sound of Reyna's cry was muffled by the hand.

"Dear little Roman, you need to go to sleep," the cloaked figure whispered. It sounded like a male voice. Reyna reached out for her sword again, but her fingertips were barely moving. Her other hand was pinned underneath the man's leg. "Go to sleep, little Roman. You won't be harmed tonight."

Nico wanted to jump to his feet and tackle the man, but something told him to wait. Reyna's hand stopped reaching for the sword, and her eyes slowly closed. The man hummed to himself for a few more seconds and then lifted his forearm. He slowly stood.

The man was about twice the size of Nico, and he was built like a Greek statue. The man lowered the hood of his cloak, and Nico stared at the burns on the right side of his face. The man looked around the room, and Nico forced his eyes shut. He heard footsteps move towards him, and it took all of his willpower to not tense.

The footsteps moved away, and Nico opened his eyes slightly. The man stopped by Arria and hummed to himself. He grabbed her right arm and seemed to study her tattoo. Arria groaned and started to open her eyes. The man placed a knife to her throat.

"If you say a word, I will kill everyone in this room," the man whispered. He moved the knife, and Arria nodded slightly. She slowly leaned back in her chair and looked at the man. "Do you remember me? Do you remember what you did to me? To my family?"

"I remember you screaming," Arria said softly. She glared up at the man. "I remember your wife and child begging for mercy. I remember the flames licking their skins, as they begged the immortals for mercy. You should have died from your wounds."

"But, I didn't," the man snapped. Nico glanced around the room again. He met Annabeth's eyes and realized that she was conscious as well but pretending not to be. It didn't seem to matter though. The man and Arria were solely focused on each other. "Bellona is not her to protect you, nor is your little Inquisition."

"You used the Banshee to attack them, to draw me out," Arria whispered. The man nodded and smiled. Arria glared hatefully. "That was you as Piper the, wasn't it? You used Felika's magic to appear as her and convince us it was a Banshee."

"You're half right," the man whispered. "I did use those lessons that Felika gave me to appear as the demigod. The Banshee is here though, to warn of the death of the child of Aphrodite. Unlike you, I am merciful. I will leave the location of where she is for you friends, if you agree to come with me."

"Never," Arria said. The man glared and suddenly punched Arria in the face. He slammed her face into the table and then slammed her into the ground. The man pinned Arria and raised his fist. Nico looked away. He could see Annabeth was watching. She was the closest to the two of them, but she wasn't moving an inch.

Annabeth seemed to be debating with herself, and after a few seconds, she finally jumped to her feet. The man looked at her and reached for his dagger. Nico was already on his feet and kicking the dagger away. The man slowly looked in between them.

"Where is Piper?" Annabeth demanded. The man shook his head and didn't say a word. "You are going to tell me where Piper is, and then, you're going to tell me what Arria did to you."

"She murdered my family," the man snapped. He slowly stood and backed away from Arria. Nico looked down. Arria was blinking rapidly and had turned on her side. The back of her head was bleeding, probably from the chair busting it open. The man suddenly kicked Arria in the temple, and she collapsed the ground.

Annabeth grabbed the man and slammed him into the wall. She placed her sword to his neck. The man took a shaky breath. There was tears in his eyes. Nico stared at the scene in front of him and backed away. Annabeth spoke, "How?"

"She broke into my house late at night," the man whispered. He closed his eyes. "My wife heard our daughter crying and went to check on her. It wasn't until my daughter screamed in terror that I rushed to upstairs. They were tied to my daughters bed and had gasoline over them."

The man stopped talking, and more tears streamed down his face. He took a few deep breaths and continued, "I tried to rush to their side, but something slammed into the back of my head. I fell into unconsciousness, and when I woke, she lit the match. I was forced to watch as my child and wife were burned alive. Then, she stuck my face in the smoldering ashes of my family. I was left for dead in the fire."

Nico stared at the man in front of him. He slowly looked down at Arria. There had to be a reason that Arria had done that, right? Annabeth spoke, "You hurt my friend, so I will offer you a deal. If you tell me where Piper is, you can leave this camp unharmed. Do not ever enter this camp or attack my friends again. Understood?"

"She must pay," the man began. Annabeth lowered the sword and stepped away. She blocked the path to Arria. After a moment, the man bowed his head. "Your friend is at a cave in the forest. I marked it with a white cross. She is mostly unharmed. Please, do not let that murderer go free."

"We'll handle her. Go," Annabeth ordered. The man nodded once and left the room. Annabeth took a deep breath and slowly looked at Nico. He could only stare back at her. Annabeth stepped over Arria and moved to Reyna's side. After a moment, Nico joined her.

Annabeth gently grabbed Reyna's shoulder, and Reyna's eyes snapped open. She took deep breaths and tried to sit up. Reyna cursed and rested her head back against the ground. A few coughs escaped, and her eyes slowly focused on them.

"How are you feeling?" Nico asked. He glanced back at the door. Reyna groaned a response and slowly sat up. She coughed again and rubbed her throat. "What happened to you?"

"Someone cloaked attacked me," Reyna wheezed. She rested her head in her hands and groaned once again. "I heard the door open and turned. The only thing I remember after that is being choked into unconsciousness. I hate people today."

"Isn't that everyday?" Annabeth teased. Reyna rolled her eyes and looked around the room. Her eyes focused on Arria. Reyna tried to get to her feet, but Annabeth stopped her. "We'll take care of Arria. We just wanted to make sure you were still breathing."

"It's going to take more than that to kill me," Reyna said. She sat back against the wall. Annabeth nodded and moved towards Arria's side. Nico slowly looked back at Reyna. "Do we know where Piper is?"

"Yeah," Annabeth answered. She stared down at Arria and seemed to be thinking. "She's in a cave in the forest. The man marked it, so all we have to do is find the mark. He escaped before I could stop him."

"The man sent the Banshee after Piper then?" Reyna asked. She let out a deep sigh and tried to relax. Nico looked at her and then back at Annabeth. How were they going to tell Reyna about Arria? Could they?

"He sent the Banshee after Drew and tried to use the distraction of Piper disappearing to kill Drew," Nico lied. He looked down at the ground. "I think he just stepped into the wrong room, and you heard him."

"Bad luck on his part, right?" Reyna asked. It sounded like she was smiling. "How's Arria doing? The head wound looks pretty bad from here."

"She'll live," Annabeth responded. She slowly stood and took a deep breath. Nico looked up and focused on Reyna's face. Her attention was solely on Arria. "Nico, you should go get a child of Apollo. I'll get Chiron."

"We'll be right back," Nico promised. He looked at Reyna, and she gave him a thumbs up. Nico couldn't force a smile to his face. He just walked out of the room, and Annabeth followed him. "We have to tell Reyna."

Annabeth motioned for Nico to follow. After a moment, the two of them walked further away. Annabeth spoke, "Do you really want to be the one to tell Reyna that her girlfriend is a murderer? We don't have any proof, other than what the man said."

"Do you believe him?" Nico asked. Annabeth looked at him. Her eyes seemed to ask him the same question. Nico looked down at the ground. Truthfully, he did believe the man. That much emotion couldn't be faked. "What are we going to do?"

"We can't do anything, Nico. It's clear that Arria has the protection of Bellona. We need solid proof, and then, we can go to Reyna about this. I know you agree with me, since you lied to her," Annabeth said. Nico looked down and nodded slightly. "Let's focus on finding Piper first. Then, we'll worry about everything else."