"Do not move your arms too much," Darriah ordered. She slowly finished wrapping bandages around the daughter of Athena. Annabeth Chase was holding strong, but Darriah could feel how badly the girl was shaking. Being flayed was not something Darriah ever wanted to experience, especially now that she was seeing the results.
"Do you know what is wrong with Reyna? She wouldn't do this," Annabeth said. Darriah remained silent. She didn't know the praetor on a personal level, but she knew how dedicated Reyna was to Camp Jupiter. If Reyna truly thought that Annabeth was a threat, this entire situation was a possibility. It didn't make sense that Reyna would not go to the Senate first though.
"We will figure this out," Darriah promised. She finished the bandages and stood. Pain burned in her stomach for a moment, but she bit her lip. The stab wound was nothing more than a distraction. "Wait here. I will restrain and wake the praetor. The three of us will head to the Senate and tell them what happened. Hopefully, they hadn't already driven a nail in."
"Driven a nail in?" Annabeth asked. Darriah looked at the Greek and didn't answer. Attacking an ally of Camp Jupiter was like attacking a fellow Roman. If the Senate had found Livia guilty already, they would be swift in the execution of her punishment. Darriah would not allow her daughter to take the fall.
Darriah walked back to the room that praetor was in. Reyna was laying on her back and had one hand to her face. It seemed like she was feeling the gash in her temple. Her hand slowly moved to her forearm and the dagger that was lodged into it. A soft groan escaped Reyna, and instead of grabbing the dagger, she moved her hand back to her face.
The praetor either thought she was alone or was struggling to come back to complete consciousness. Darriah would not take any chances though. She grabbed some of the spare rope from the ground and knelt next to Reyna.
"Praetor, can you hear me?" Darriah whispered. Reyna groaned and blinked a few times. Her eyes slowly met Darriah's, and for a moment, there was confusion on her face. Her eyes widened. Before Reyna could move, Darriah used her knee to pin both of Reyna's arms.
"You can't let Annabeth roam free," Reyna said. Darriah roughly tied Reyna's wrist together. Then, she removed the dagger from Reyna's forearm. The praetor cried out in pain and tried to move her arm.
"Don't," Darriah ordered. She looked down at Reyna and quickly bandaged her arm. Darriah pulled the praetor to her feet. "We are going to the Senate, and you are going to tell them what you did. How dare you frame my daughter?"
"She would have been fine," Reyna said. Darriah shook her head and shoved the praetor forward. Reyna stumbled and collapsed to her knees. She placed both hands to her forehead. After a moment, Darriah walked towards her. It angered her to no end that her daughter was being used as a pawn, but she had to be careful.
"I will help you walk," Darriah said. She just needed to get the praetor to the Senate, to explain what was going on. As Darriah grabbed onto Reyna's arm, an elbow slammed into her stomach. Darriah was thrown over Reyna's shoulder, and she hit the ground hard. Her stomach burned in pain, and she growled in anger.
Reyna reached out for the dagger but seemed to be seeing double or triple. Her hand finally grabbed the dagger. Darriah stood and and slammed her knee into Reyna's temple. The praetor collapsed like a brick. Darriah shook her head angrily and knelt next to Reyna.
"Severe concussion. Damn it," Darriah whispered. She examined the praetor. A string of curses left Darriah, and she closed her eyes. It took a few moments for her pain to subside. Now, she would have to carry Reyna to the Senate meeting and make sure that Annabeth didn't pass out along the way.
Darriah could respect someone who did everything to defend their home. The praetor had taken things too far though. Poisoning their allies and even her fellow praetor was beyond forgivable. Darriah didn't know how Reyna was going to explain her actions, and she didn't care. She just needed to make sure her daughter was safe.
As Darriah's hand brushed Reyna's temple, a chill ran down her spine. Darriah recoiled and slowly looked around. The room felt darker than before, and she could feel an odd weight pressing down on her chest. Darriah slowly stood and stared down at Reyna.
"Someone should have warned the Trojans," a voice whispered. Darriah froze and slowly turned around. She stared at the man that stood in the corner of the room. The shadows wrapped around his face, but Darriah would recognize him from anywhere.
"Daniel," Darriah whispered. She stared at him and blinked a few times. Daniel was the father of Livia, but he was dead. Darriah still wasn't over his death, so what kind of cruel trick was this? "Who are you?"
"No one warned the Trojans, but we will warn the Romans," Daniel said. He stepped out of the shadows. His body seemed solid, and his voice was real. The kindness in his eyes was still there. "I warned the praetor of the new Trojan Horse: the demigods sent between the camps."
"Who are you?" Darriah repeated. She grabbed the dagger from the ground and held it out in front of her. Daniel studied her with a sad expression. "Who are you? Why are you taking his form?"
"We came to warn you, mother," another voice said. Darriah slowly turned around. In the opposite corner, Octavian was standing there. His pale eyes were full of sadness and regret. Darriah slowly walked towards her son. She reached a gentle hand out and pressed it to his face. Her heart lifted as she touched solid skin. "You must listen."
"You're dead," Darriah whispered. She lowered her hand and stared. Octavian pulled her into a hug and held her close. "How are you doing this?"
"We cannot watch our home be destroyed," Octavian whispered. "We warned the praetor of the Greeks. We showed her that she could not trust the Greeks. They have been manipulating us for far too long, but the praetor is weak. She wants to draw a confession from Annabeth Chase. No. Annabeth Chase must die."
"Why would the Greeks attack us?" Darriah questioned. She looked down at Reyna. The praetor had been one of the biggest advocates for the Greeks, so what evidence had been presented to turn the greatest supporter of the Greeks against them?
Darriah had seen the evidence of course. There was a few battle plans that were apparently signed by Annabeth. She held a dagger that belonged to Aristonicus: a rebel who swore to free Greece from Roman occupation. His dagger was rumored to be able to put a god to sleep, causing their powers to cease. One swipe to Terminus would cause all of the protection he provided Camp Jupiter to disappear.
There was also the blueprints of Camp Jupiter, and it held hidden paths and tunnels that only high ranking Romans knew about. It begged the question of was it an inside job. Was someone helping Annabeth Chase? Was someone framing her? Was it a bit of both?
"I showed her," Octavian whispered, and even thought that was the voice of her son, Darriah knew that it wasn't him. What was happening to her? "Do you want your home to be destroyed?"
"Who are you?" Darriah asked. Octavian brushed her temple, and flashes of images ran through Darriah's skull. All she saw was death and destruction. She could hear screams all around her and pleas for mercy. Darriah collapsed to her knees as it all became too much for her.
"We cannot let the camp burned. Annabeth Chase destroyed before, and she will destroy again," Daniel snapped. "She will soak our world in blood. We must stop her. Confessions are only needed to confirm guilt. We know she is guilty. Her world must burn, before ours is flooded by blood."
"The praetor is going to lose her will. She is too weak to fight the Greeks. She must be handled," Octavian whispered. "The praetor will stop you. She must be killed."
Darriah tried to speak, but she received another flash. This time it was more clear. Reyna and her dogs had Annabeth cornered. Words were exchanged, but Darriah couldn't understand what was said. Eventually, Reyna turned and left.
"The praetor will let her live," Octavian whispered. "We know this, and we tell you. Please do not let our home be destroyed."
"I won't," Darriah whispered. She blinked a few times and tried to think, but her focus was on the fact that Annabeth Chase was going to destroy her home. She had to handle the girl and handle her now. Darriah's gaze focused on the dagger. All she had to do was slit Reyna's throat and then slit the throat of that traitorous Greek. Or, she could make it look like they killed each other.
Darriah could hear Octavian and Daniel willing her on. She studied the dagger and brought it to Reyna's neck. The praetor didn't stir. A hand suddenly grabbed Darriah's shoulder, and she snapped back to focus. The dagger fell from her hand.
"What happened?" Diana asked. Darriah slowly looked at the goddess. She couldn't just tell Diana that a war was going to happen. That wouldn't work. The goddess could very well take the side of the Greeks, and that would spell disaster for Camp Jupiter.
"I found the praetor torturing Annabeth Chase," Darriah answered. She slowly stood. "I believe the praetor has played a hand in the poisoning of the Greek camp."
Diana looked down at Reyna and didn't say a word. Her eyebrows came together in what could have been confusion or anger. Diana finally spoke, "We must bring this before the others. Help Annabeth Chase. I will bring the praetor."
"Of course," Darriah said. She grabbed the dagger from the ground and slowly stood. Darriah turned and left the room. She made it to Annabeth's side and studied her. The Greek looked ready to pass out on her feet.
"Is everything okay?" Annabeth asked. Darriah nodded and placed a hand to Annabeth's shoulder. Her other hand slid the dagger into her waistband.
"Everything is under control. We need to get you to the infirmary," Darriah said. She would take care of Annabeth's arm and stay close to her. When the coast was clear, she would eliminate the threat to Camp Jupiter, once and for all.