Crossing the Little Tiber for the first time was as important as it was symbolic. It meant washing away the past and starting anew. The river swept away old sins, curses, and even blessings, so everyone started on equal footing. The Little Tiber would only work with the blessing of its guardian. For a long time, it had been the god Tiber. When he faded, the river found a new guardian in the wolf goddess Lupa. It was with Lupa's blessing that one could be baptized in the waters and come out with a blank slate.
Reyna wished she could step through the waters for the first time again. If she did, the gods would have to follow ancient laws and forgive her. They would be forced to hold off on punishing her for what she had done, but Reyna had already waded through the waters once. In the eyes of the gods, it washed away her patricide and everything she did with the pirates. Everything she did after was now hanging over her head like a guillotine.
Reyna buried her face in her hand and took a pained breath. As she felt panic grip her chest and begin to steal her breath, a hand gently rubbed her back. Arcadia spoke, "Are you ready?"
"No," Reyna whispered. She slowly lowered her hand and looked up at Arcadia. The goddess watched her carefully. "I don't know if I can go to Olympus. I don't know what they're going to do."
"Imperator, we cannot continue to push this off. It will only make things worse," Arcadia said. She sat by Reyna and sighed. "Unless, you truly don't think you can handle it. If you think you are going to spiral again, we won't go. It's okay."
"You're right. I'm just scared," Reyna admitted. She closed her eyes. "I'm scared they are going to do something that is going to push me over the edge. They hate me."
"If the Olympian try anything, I will protect you," Arcadia promised. She rubbed Reyna's back once again. "What makes you think they will do anything to punish you or disrupt the peace? They are still recovering from a war themselves. The minor gods were barely sent retreating."
"You know how petty and vindictive they can be," Reyna muttered. She looked up and took shaky breaths. "I just need to stay calm. Things will be okay."
"Things will be okay," Arcadia promised. She stood and offered a hand. Reyna slowly took the hand and was pulled to her feet. Reyna hobbled forward a few feet, and Arcadia gently wrapped an arm around her, keeping her upright. "Imperator, you really need to stop walking."
"I know," Reyna muttered. She closed her eyes. "I'm ready."
Reyna didn't open her eyes immediately. She waited for a minute to pass. Then, she forced her eyes open. They were standing outside the throne room of Olympus. Reyna looked around and could see that there was a few minor gods cleaning up the rubble around the throne room and restoring the bridge. Reyna wasn't sure if they had sided with or against the Olympians.
Reyna groaned softly as Arcadia practically carried her towards the throne room. Arcadia wasn't allowing her to put any pressure on her knee, and without Arcadia there, Reyna probably would have already face planted. As they made it towards the entrance of the throne room, the goddess pulled away.
The door to the throne room opened, and Reyna found herself face to face with Athena. The goddess of wisdom motioned for her to come inside. Reyna glanced at Arcadia and tried to calm herself down. She slowly did an awkward hobble inside the throne room, trying to avoid putting any pressure on her injured knee. Arcadia followed behind her, and instead of following them, Athena left.
Reyna slowly looked around the throne room. It was covered in cracks, burn marks, and scratches, but the thrones were completely intact. Reyna moved her gaze to the only Olympian in the room: Zeus. Her gaze moved to the golden blade that sat in Zeus' hands.
"My daughter was going to use this blade to destroy me," Zeus commented. He examined Kronos' blade. It was stained with both blood and Golden Ichor. Zeus looked directly at Reyna. "Until, you killed her. Why?"
"I know what to expect from the Olympians," Reyna replied. Her gaze moved towards the ground and to the scarred part of the floor. It was where she had fallen from Mount Olympus. It was the moment that she had realized she was not strong enough to defeat Ouranos by herself. Was it the moment when she looked the darkness in the eyes and realized there was no going back?
"Yet, the Olympian do not know what to expect from you," Zeus stated. He placed the sword on the arm of his throne. "When Ouranos was defeated, we wanted to punish those that worked with him. You convinced us not to, but in the end, they attacked us once again."
"Because of how you treated them," Reyna said. She felt Arcadia standing behind her, and it allowed her to relax. Arcadia wouldn't let Zeus do anything to her. "This isn't something that happened because of one thing you have done. For as long as you have been in power, you have treated the minor gods terribly. They've been lashing out, whether it be helping Kronos or Ouranos. Helping the peacekeepers was just all of the anger finally exploding."
"You would know much about anger exploding," Zeus commented. Reyna glared. "We listened to you, because we did not realize Kronos was in your head. That is why I declared you an enemy of Olympus."
"I did what I had to," Reyna said quietly. "If I didn't allow Kronos to use me as a vessel, Ouranos would have won. What would have happened to you?"
Zeus smiled, but there was nothing happy about it. He spoke, "After you handled Metis, we discussed how to punish you. Eirene was the one who said we should leave you alone. Were you ever working with Eirene, and do not lie to me."
"Never," Reyna said. She clenched her fist. "I assume she just wanted you to focus on me, so she could bring her peacekeepers back and bring you down. It almost worked, until I saved you."
"It would be the third time that you saved me," Zeus commented. He closed his eyes. "If you hate the Olympians so much, why do you continue to save us?"
"I don't think the world is ready for change," Reyna answered. "I saved you from Ouranos and Metis because it was my duty. When I saved you from the peacekeepers, it was because I didn't know how they would rule. They could have been better or worse than the Olympian. It was not a chance I could take, so I didn't. Why do you hate me, or is that just because I allowed Kronos to use me as a vessel?"
"You are untethered from reality," Zeus stated. He stood and studied Reyna. His gaze moved towards Arcadia for a few moments. "Being a champion of Fates means that we cannot track you as we could to a normal demigod. Prophecy and words from an augur are nothing more than putty in your hands. There is nothing that can stop you, other than your family."
"Don't you dare threaten my sister," Reyna snapped. She took a pained step forward. "If any of the Olympians threaten my sister again, I will show you what kind of monster I really am."
Zeus nodded and closed his eyes. He spoke, "I was not threatening your sister. I simply stated that family is the only thing that can stop you on your path. The fact that you took that as a threat to your sister is all I need to know."
"The Olympians have been threatening me and my sister at every turn. What else should I expect?" Reyna asked. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She remembered her recent talk with Rhea, and she remembered what Quirinus had warned her about. Reyna sighed. She was tired of fighting with the Olympians and having to worry about watching her back. "I don't know what you want from me."
"There is nothing to keep you in check," Zeus stated. "You may have what you think are the best intentions, but you also have something very dark inside of you. It was brought to light when you fought Ouranos and you haven't been able to bring it under control. If something were to happen to your sister or a member of the legion, how do I know that you would not blame the Olympians or the camps and try to eradicate them?"
"You worry about the unknown," Arcadia interrupted. The hand that was pressed to Reyna's back was shaking slightly. "You worry about the things that the imperator may do, but you ignore the fact that she has sacrificed everything to save the Olympians. Shouldn't someone be judged by their actions instead of what they might do?"
"Do you really want us to judge Reyna by what she has done?" Zeus asked. The words felt like a punch to Reyna's gut, and she looked away.
"I think the good that the imperator has done outweighs the evil," Arcadia stated. Reyna glanced back at the goddess and gave her a grateful look. Arcadia gave her a nod. "Reyna should no longer be an enemy of Olympus, so what needs to be done?"
Zeus didn't answer. Reyna couldn't tell if it was because he was thinking of an answer or just wanted to make her squirm. Reyna slowly shifted herself, trying to get any pressure that she could off of her leg. Everything ached, but she was going to face whatever happened on her own two feet.
"You're worried that no one can keep me in check," Reyna said. She looked down. "Threats are going to get us nowhere, but there is a way that I can be killed. What if I tell Chiron how to kill me? If I snap and start to destroy this world, Chiron will know how to stop me. He can tell anyone at Camp Jupiter or Camp Half-Blood how to kill me."
"Why not just tell an Olympian?" Zeus asked. Reyna met his eyes, and a humorless smirk came to her face. Zeus nodded. "If you tell Chiron and keep yourself to Rome, I will tell everyone that you are no longer an enemy of Olympus."
"I'll keep my business in Rome, unless one of the camps needs help. It doesn't matter who the threat it," Reyna said. She hoped that Zeus understood what she was implying. The Olympian studied her for a few moments. Then, he closed his eyes and nodded.
"Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, you are no longer an enemy of Olympus," Zeus stated. Reyna felt an odd chill run down her spine, and she bit back a cry of surprise. "Any crimes that you have committed against the Olympians have been wiped clean, as long as you hold up your end of the deal."
"I'll send Chiron a message as soon as we are back at our training base," Reyna promised. She closed her eyes. "I know I made a lot of mistakes, Zeus. I know the Olympians think I am a monster, but I just did what I had to do. I'm not going to apologize for it."
"I just want the demigods to be safe. They've had enough wars, and they have suffered enough for the mistakes of the Olympian," Reyna stated. She knew that Zeus could smite her on the spot, but she also knew that he was weary, maybe even scared, of her. Reyna glanced down at her sword. Then, she closed her eyes and sighed tiredly.
"Perhaps, I have been unfair," Zeus stated. Reyna slowly looked at him. "A clean slate, imperator. That is what I offer."
"I'll accept the offer," Reyna said. She glanced around at the other thrones. Some of them, like Artemis, wouldn't be friendly with her for a long time. Aphrodite seemed to have her back since the beginning. Others, like Athena, were confusing to Reyna. She didn't know how Athena felt about her, as it seemed like the goddess changed her opinion every time they met.
"There is one more matter I need to discuss," Zeus said. Reyna looked up, but Zeus wasn't looking at her. His gaze was focused on Arcadia. "I need to speak to my daughter."
"I can step out," Reyna began. She glanced back at Arcadia, but the goddess shook her head. Reyna slowly looked back at Zeus.
"We kicked you out of Olympus Arcadia, but you have more than earned your way back. Come back home and stand at my side. Be with your family," Zeus said. Reyna glanced back at Arcadia. The goddess stared at Zeus, and her eyes were wide in surprise. After a moment, Arcadia looked down.
"It's your choice," Reyna whispered. "I know how much you want to get back to Olympus. You will be welcome to visit the Sixth Legion anytime."
"I'm already with my family," Arcadia said. Zeus frowned. "I appreciate the offer, but I've spent most of my immortal life with the Sixth Legion. It is my home, and I will not leave them now."
Zeus nodded and remained silent. Reyna glanced back at Arcadia, but she couldn't read the goddess' expression. Reyna glanced back at Zeus. Was his offer genuine, or was he just trying to take power away from Reyna? Was Arcadia thinking the same thing?
"You two are dismissed," Zeus said. He settled back in his throne and closed his eyes. His right hand gripped Kronos' sword. Reyna took a few steps backwards and turned around. Arcadia helped her walk out of the throne room.
No words were said between the two, until Reyna blinked and found herself in an office. Reyna collapsed into the nearest chair, and Arcadia help her prop her leg up. The goddess sat by her and spoke, "You finally made peace with them."
"Something like that," Reyna muttered. She stared down at the desk. They were at their training base, looking for a new place to settle. There was plenty of old, abandoned bases and buildings in their territory, so it was just a matter of finding a safe place. The rubble would be cleared out from their old base, and all of their items would be cleared out. Then, it would be abandoned.
"The Olympians don't like or trust me," Reyna muttered. She looked up at the ceiling. "When have they ever though?"
"Imperator, you must let go of your anger," Arcadia warned. Reyna closed her eyes and nodded. "You are no longer an enemy of Olympus, so it will be easy to shove them to the back of your mind. You must focus on your relationship with the camps."
"It's so hard to let go of the anger," Reyna admitted. She opened her eyes. "I'm trying, but it is so hard. I feel like if I stop being angry, I'm not going to feel anything."
"You will," Arcadia promised. She gently grabbed Reyna's shoulder. "I'm here for you."
"You didn't go back to Olympus," Reyna whispered. She took a shaky breath and leaned back in her chair. "Why?"
"I meant what I said to my father. I am with my family now," Arcadia stated. She looked at Reyna. "It wasn't until I met you that I realized family is not those who share your blood. Family is the people that fight by your side and would lay their life down for you. If it came down to it, I would trust you more than my father. You would fight by my side and lay your life down for me. My father would just use me as a shield."
"Well, you're stuck with me for the next eternity," Reyna commented. Arcadia laughed and sat by Reyna. The two of them sat in comfortable silence, and for Reyna, she felt relaxed. Things were looking up. The road ahead would still be hard, but together, they would make it work.