Annabeth took a deep breath and looked around the clearing they were sitting at. The Sixth Legion's camp was only about a hundred feet away, but that was already too close for Artemis. The goddess refused to move another inch, and she was having her Hunters set up their own camp. Bellona was trying to talk to Artemis, but it seemed like no progress was being made.
It took Annabeth a few moments to look away from the goddesses. She looked around at the armies, and a small smile came to her face. The Hunters were preoccupied with building the camp. Surprisingly, the Amazons from Greece were helping them.
Everyone from Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter was mixed together. The demigods weren't separated by their Greek or Roman parentage. They were mingled together. There seemed to be no divide. Considering they didn't have many demigods to work with, that was a good thing.
There was one person standing off to the side, and that was Sparta. A bandage was covering the fresh stitches on Sparta's face. The Roman had completely refused any type of healing, and since she wasn't able to open her mouth, no explanation was given.
"Annabeth, can you escort Sparta back to the Sixth Legion camp and inform them that we are here?" Bellona asked. Annabeth quickly turned towards the Roman goddess of war. She nodded even quicker. Annabeth didn't want to anger Bellona anymore than she already had. The last thing she needed was some kind of curse put on her.
"Sparta, let's go," Annabeth said. It took Sparta a few moments to walk towards her. Annabeth turned and started walking into the forest. It didn't take long for her to see movement in the trees. A demititan seemed to be watching them from a treetop. After a moment, they melted back into the shadows.
Annabeth just continued to walk. As they reached the entrance of the camp, she saw someone waiting for them. They were wearing a full set of armor. Their helmet had a red plume, which Annabeth assumed had some kind of importance.
"Annabeth Chase, it is a pleasure," a woman said. She took her helmet off. Despite the fact that she had probably been wearing her helmet for the past few hours, her hair was completely perfect. From her black hair, brown eyes, and near perfect features, Annabeth assumed the woman was a child of Venus. "My name is Aquitaine. It will be a pleasure to show you around the camp."
"It's nice to meet you," Annabeth said. Aquitaine smiled brightly. Her eyes moved over to examine Sparta, but no emotion came to her face. Annabeth found it interesting. She doubted that Aquitaine didn't care for Sparta, so she got the feeling that she was dealing with someone who knew how to control themselves.
"The imperator is not back yet, but my fellow centurion and I can discuss a few things," Aquitaine said. She led them inside the camp. Annabeth slowly looked around. Everyone was standing around, but they were all doing something. Some sharpened swords. Others polished their armor.
"We should stop by the infirmary first," Annabeth suggested. "I think your doctor will want to look at Sparta, and it would be good to see what supplies you have."
"Of course," Aquitaine said. She gave Annabeth a bright smile and led them towards the infirmary. Upon stepping inside, Annabeth was met with a cold glare. Arcadia watched her.
Annabeth quickly looked around the infirmary. She saw Leo laying in a bed. There was bandages covering his hands and legs. He was covered in dirt, mud, and blood, but it didn't seem like he was seriously injured. Annabeth took it as a good sign that Leo was drooling a bit in his sleep.
"What happened to Sparta?" Arcadia demanded. Annabeth's attention turned from Leo to the goddess. Arcadia tried to stand, but another woman simply pushed her down. "Get your hands off of me, Avaris."
Avaris rubbed her forehead. She spoke, "Annabeth Chase, I'm sorry for Arcadia. I'm sure you met her before. Your friend, Leo, was brought back by that son of Pluto. I healed him as much as I could, and he should be able to walk, if he isn't too exhausted from what he endured. Now, what did happen to Sparta?"
"Sparta saved my life and was injured in the process," Annabeth answered. "We had a child of Apollo look over her, but she refused any healing. There are stitches in her face, and she won't be able to talk."
Avaris grabbed Sparta and sat her down. She gently removed the bandage and checked over the wound. Avaris spoke, "You should be able to fight, but you shouldn't speak for a few days. It will scar, so do you want to be healed?"
Annabeth looked away from the wound. It started at Sparta's mouth, went across the right side of her face, and ended at the bottom of her ear. Out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw Sparta shake her head. Avaris sighed and muttered something about children of Mars and scars.
"Avaris, I was wondering what supplies you had," Annabeth said. Avaris looked at her and walked towards a clipboard. She grabbed it and held it out. Annabeth took the clipboard and looked it over. The Sixth Legion was well stocked on everything, and it seemed like they were ready for war.
"How did you get here so quickly?" Arcadia asked. She suddenly turned away and had a coughing fit. After a moment, she spat out ichor and something that looked green. Annabeth stared as she recognized the color.
"Bellona and Artemis brought us," Annabeth answered. She walked towards the goddess. Arcadia glared at her and looked away. She laid her head back and took a pained breath. "What happened to you?"
"Arcadia was poisoned by Boudica, and we do not know what the poison is. I have thought of everything that I know, but it is nothing that I have seen before," Avaris explained. She sounded exhausted.
"It's Greek fire," Annabeth said. The tent fell silent. Avaris turned and stared at Annabeth. Arcadia seemed shocked as well. "That's what it looks like, before it is burned."
Avaris seemed to think about it. She finally nodded and walked towards a duffel bag. It took her a few moments to open it and look inside. Avaris grabbed five bottles and stood. She spoke, "I need you three to leave the tent."
Annabeth nodded without comment. She turned around to leave. The tent flap opened, and Reyna stepped inside. Annabeth stared for a moment, and Reyna met her eyes. A tense silence filled the tent.
Before anyone could say a word, the tent flap opened again. Sarah walked into tent carrying someone over her shoulders. Avaris directed Sarah to a bed, and the demititan laid the person on it.
Annabeth walked towards the person and examined them. Through mud, dirt, and bruises, Annabeth saw the once beautiful face of a girl from Camp Jupiter. It was clear she had been through a ton of punishment.
"She was at the temple of the Fates. I thought she was dead," Reyna whispered. The daughter of Bellona looked down. "We gave everyone else the best funeral that we could."
"Too many," Sarah commented. The demititan looked at Annabeth. It seemed like she wanted to say something. Instead, Sarah sighed and walked out of the tent. She almost looked like she had given up.
"We should go to the meeting," Reyna said. Annabeth looked at the daughter of Bellona. The two studied each other uneasily. Over the past month, Annabeth had gone through a roller coaster of emotions with Reyna. At the moment, she didn't know how to feel.
"Imperator, you should let me see your back," Avaris said. Reyna slowly looked at Avaris and shook her head. "Imperator, the bandage must be changed."
"Fine," Reyna muttered. She slowly walked towards an unoccupied bed and sat down. Pain showed on her face. "What happened to Sparta?"
"Boudica," Sparta answered. She barely moved her lips, and it was clear that she was in pain. "Annabeth saved my life."
"Thank you," Reyna said to Annabeth. The two studied each her for a moment. Reyna finally looked away. "Aquitaine, can you get Bristol and everyone else we need for the meeting?"
"Of course, imperator," Aquitaine answered. She bowed and walked out of the tent. If there was something Annabeth didn't like, it was the fact that people were bowing to Reyna. They were dedicated to her, and that was extremely dangerous.
"You two leave," Avaris said. She looked at Annabeth and Sparta. "The imperator and Arcadia will join you soon. I have patients to attend to. Go."
Annabeth stepped out of the tent. It took a few moments for Sparta to follow. The first person Annabeth saw was Hylla. The queen of the Amazons did not seem too pleased to see her. Thankfully, Kinzie was rubbing Hylla's shoulder and talking to her.
After a few moments, Hylla walked towards Annabeth. The expression on her face wasn't hard to read. It was pure anger. Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, but Hylla grabbed her by her jacket and pulled her close. The queen of the Amazons spoke, "Where is Boudica?"
"Dead," Annabeth answered. Hylla released the grip on her jacket and shoved her back. She crossed her arms. As Kinzie walked over to them, Hylla seemed to relax slightly. "I'm sorry about what Boudica did."
"Did you know what she was going to do?" Hylla demanded. Kinzie leaned on Hylla and watched Annabeth. There was something extremely dangerous in Kinzie's eyes, and for the first time, Annabeth stared to realize how much of a threat the Amazon could be.
"I knew that Boudica was going to punish Reyna. I didn't know what she was specifically going to do," Annabeth answered. Hylla closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You let this happen to my little sister," Hylla said. She took another deep breath. "I am done, Annabeth. I am done working with Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. After this is over, our relationship will go back to how it was before we were trying to stop Gaea from rising."
"Hylla, we just need to talk this over," Annabeth said. It would be bad if the Amazons just cut off communications with Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. They needed all the allies they could get.
"There is nothing to talk over," Hylla snapped. "You knew that Reyna was going to be punished, and you did nothing to stop it! Reyna and you were friends. You stabbed her in the back by not defending her."
Annabeth bit her tongue. She would just allow Hylla to rant and calm down. Words would make the situation worse. Kinzie only rubbed Hylla's shoulder and remained silent. They all heard footsteps. Annabeth turned to see Bellona.
"Mother," Hylla said. Bellona placed a hand on Hylla's shoulder and spoke to her in Latin. It seemed to calm Hylla down, and she took a deep breath. "We'll see you two at the meeting."
The two Amazons walked away without another word. Annabeth rubbed her forehead. She looked up at Bellona. The goddess of war simply looked around the camp.
"Should I head to the meeting?" Annabeth asked. Bellona didn't respond. The goddess seemed to be staring out in the distance. Annabeth waited for a response. She finally received a small nod. "I am sorry about what happened to Reyna. No one deserves to have that happen to them."
"Then, why did it happen to my daughter?" Bellona questioned. Before Annabeth could respond, Bellona turned and walked to the infirmary. Annabeth sighed and closed her eyes. She needed to try and keep everyone in balance. That was the only way they could win.
