Reyna woke with a beating heart. She quickly looked around. Reyna relaxed slightly as she saw she was laying near the campfire. Romans were still sleeping around her.
The daughter of Bellona painfully sat up. Her mind ran through the party that had been two days earlier. It was a celebration, but there was a somber tone to it. The demititans did not attend at all.
The demititans had left the day before. The only one who had stayed was Ulysses, and that was just to get final instructions from Chiron and the Greeks. They had been calling the shots.
Reyna didn't like it, but there was nothing she could do about it. Frank was close friends with Annabeth which meant the Romans pretty much bent to their will. The demititans never had a say in the first place.
The Amazons were too battered and distracted to do anything. The Hunters went along with Annabeth. Reyna was starting to regret giving up her position of praetor.
The Roman camp had been disassembled the night before, and they had slept under the stars. Reyna brought her knees to her chest despite the pain that it caused. Her mind returned to the party.
The Greeks had treated her nicely, but there was an edge to the way they acted. Leo was the exception. Of course, Nico treated her the same as always. Hazel and Frank didn't seem to mind her presence.
Reyna sighed tiredly. She stood and bit her tongue as pain flared in her chest. It was the only wound that wasn't responding to nectar, ambrosia, or unicorn powder. Reyna knew it was because of the weapon that had been used.
Reyna walked away from the Roman camp. She needed to clear her head and forget the nightmare. As she walked, Reyna glanced up at the hill.
The barrier that protected Camp Half-Blood from the outside world had been destroyed during the battle. Children of Hecate would wake up every morning and make a barrier that only lasted twenty four hours. They would have to find a permanent solution soon.
"Reaper," a voice greeted. Reyna turned to look at Athena. The goddess of wisdom studied her before tossing her an object. Reyna caught it.
At first, Reyna thought it was brass knuckles. She stared as she realized that it was. Reyna saw a small button on the back of it. She spoke, "What is this?"
"You earned my aegis, but you had to resign your position of praetor. This is my gift to you. Since you will have few allies, you need all the friends you can get," Athena explained. She was wearing a long, white dress.
"Why is everyone calling me a reaper?" Reyna questioned. "Chiron said it like an insult. You say it like its a title."
"It is a title," Athena answered. "It was originally meant to strike fear into the hearts of those who were being tracked. Mortals twisted the definition around, albeit only slightly."
Reyna nodded. She pressed the button on the brass knuckles. In a second, it turned into a bronze shield. Reyna spoke, "Thank you for the gift, but I think you came here for more than that."
"We must speak of the other champions," Athena said. She looked around. "Clotho and Lachesis are both in the process of choosing. I believe that Lachesis has narrowed the champion down to a Greek."
"Do you have a guess on who?" Reyna questioned. She crossed her arms. Athena shook her head. "What's the difference between me and the other champions?"
"Are you familiar with the term archangel?" Athena questioned. Reyna frowned and shook her head. "The Christian religion uses the term for the head angels. When Lachesis finds a champion, that is the title they gain."
"There are men who try to fight their destiny. They learn what will happen to them, and they will do anything to avoid it. A champion of Lachesis finds these men and cuts them down," Athena explained. "The blade of Lachesis is dipped in the River Styx to represent the hate that the men who are running from their destiny have."
"What do you mean running from destiny?" Reyna questioned. Athena didn't answer. "What about Clotho's champion?"
"Their blade is dipped into the River Lethe," Athena answered. She looked at the sky. "You have a a few hours."
"Till what?" Reyna asked confused.
"You are the champion of Atropos. Your patron will want to know what the Olympians say at their meeting," Athena responded. Reyna nodded. "You will want to prepare yourself. The other Olympians will not take kindly to you."
"I'm use to it," Reyna muttered. "It doesn't matter what I do. It's never good enough for anyone."
Reyna glared the ground. Athena studied her. Reyna looked up and spoke, "Any suggestions?"
"Keep your temper in check no matter what anyone says. They hold no respect for you until you prove yourself to them," Athena began. "Find your allies and embrace them. If someone asks you for a favor, you should do it."
"Does my mother hate me?" Reyna asked. Athena shook her head. Reyna looked around. "The Greeks hate me though. Your daughter especially."
"She has lost a lot over the years. Losing her father was the catalyst for releasing all of her pent up anger, and that anger is being directed at you," Athena explained. "I would have a long conversation with all of your friends. They must understand what will happen."
"They'll hate me even more," Reyna muttered. "Why bother?"
"They are your friends," Athena answered. "Even if they are mad at you, they will forgive you in time. Now, I must go."
"Thank you," Reyna said. "For everything."
"We all need friends," Athena commented. She placed a hand to Reyna's shoulder before walking away. Reyna walked towards the hill and sat by the tree. She stared out into the distance lost in thought.
Reyna sat there for a long time reflecting over everything that had happened to her since her birthday. She still didn't know how to feel. Reyna had a new duty though. She sighed and closed her eyes.
Reyna's thoughts were interrupted by someone walking up to her. Reyna opened her eyes and looked up at Annabeth.
"Are you feeling better?" Annabeth asked. There was something scary about the intensity in her eyes. Reyna was too tired to notice.
"I don't know," Reyna admitted. She wanted to tell Annabeth about what had happened, but something stopped her. "It's a lot to take in. How are you?"
"I know what's on the paper in your pocket," Annabeth said. Reyna stared at her. "If you touch either one of them, I will find a way to kill you."
"You don't understand," Reyna began. Annabeth glared at her angrily. "I have to."
"You are going to sell them out, so you can keep your life!" Annabeth snapped. She grabbed Reyna by her shirt and pulled Reyna to her feet. "How could you?"
"They cheated death," Reyna began. Annabeth's glare intensified. Reyna glared back. "Atropos wants those escaped souls returned."
"What about Hades? He won't just allow you to kill Hazel," Annabeth whispered. She tightened her grip.
"Atropos will get what she wants. How did you find out about the paper?" Reyna demanded. Annabeth didn't answer. "You went through my pockets?"
"You can't be trusted," Annabeth snapped. "I did what I had to do."
"After everything I have done, this is the bullshit I get?" Reyna snapped. She shoved Annabeth away. "Do not think that you can shove me around Chase."
"I am a dangerous enemy," Annabeth warned.
"If you think you can scare me, you are sadly mistaken," Reyna whispered. "I am more dangerous than you could ever imagine. You do not want me as an enemy."
"Are you dangerous because Atropos took pity on you and let you live?" Annabeth snapped. "Hylla rescued you from Doris. While you were fighting Enyo, we distracted her, so you could take the advantage. Kronos was the one who destroyed Ouranos."
"What were you doing when Doris attacked me?" Reyna demanded. "What were you doing while I found the location of the shield, and I was getting hell beaten out of me by Circe? What were you doing during this entire war? All you did was rescue your mother, and that had more casualties than the other two rescue missions combined!"
"Did it have as many casualties as the temple of the Fates?" Annabeth questioned. Reyna punched her in the face. Annabeth fell back. Reyna grabbed her shirt and pulled her up. She slammed Annabeth into the tree.
"Don't you dare say another word," Reyna warned. "Don't you fucking dare. I know how many people died. I have nightmares of it every other night."
"I would gladly trade my life for all of those that had died," Reyna hissed. She felt two hands grab her and pull her away from Annabeth. Percy threw her backwards.
"Get your hands off of her!" Percy yelled. Reyna glared from her position on the ground. She gripped the brass knuckles that Athena had given her. Reyna forced herself to put it in her pocket and stand.
"You are not welcome here," Annabeth stated. Percy grabbed her arm and gripped it. "Chiron agrees with us."
"I'll be gone soon," Reyna promised. She glared at them and walked away. Reyna stared at the ground angrily as she walked.
Reyna could feel anger boiling in her chest. She needed to punch something to get rid of the anger. Reyna took deep breaths and placed a hand to her ribs. The bones were mostly healed, but she worried they wouldn't heal properly.
"Praetorian prefect is a nice title," Jason commented. Reyna turned to look at him. He looked like he had just woken up. "How are you?"
"Fine," Reyna muttered. She just wanted to go back to bed. Jason watched her. Reyna remembered Athena's words. "I'm sorry for trying to kill you."
"You were just doing what you thought was best," Jason said with a shrug. "I'm sorry as well. No hard feelings, right?"
Reyna smiled slightly and nodded. Jason smiled back. He fixed his glasses. Reyna spoke, "I'll see you later Grace."
Jason nodded. Reyna walked away. Her mind focused on the meeting she had to attend with the Olympians. It seemed a little unreal.
Athena's advice ran through her head. Reyna was so distracted that she ran right into Frank. She stumbled back in surprise.
"Sorry," Reyna said. She placed a hand to her chest painfully. Frank looked at her in surprise.
"It's fine," Frank responded. He smiled at her. "I got a message from Atropos. It asked for me to allow you to go to Mount Olympus. I figured I couldn't deny the request."
Reyna nodded. She spoke, "When can I leave?"
"As soon as you need to," Frank answered. Reyna nodded. "Stay safe and try not to anger anyone."
"I'll stay safe," Reyna promised. "Make sure the Amazons don't leave before I get back."
"You're welcome to accompany the Amazons back to their base," Frank said. Reyna nodded gratefully. "Dismissed."
Reyna smiled at him and walked away. She placed a hand to her lip. The stitches would be taken out soon, and the wound would scar.
Reyna sighed and did her best to prepare herself for the meeting. She had no clue what it would bring. There was a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Reyna tried to ignore it, but she could tell something was going to happen.
