When I first started Reyna's Party, I never knew it would snowball into a trilogy and then be followed by two more stories. I wasn't sure what the end goal would be, but we are finally here. This is the final chapter of this saga, and I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, reviewed, or even just read my stories. Your support means so much, and I just hope that you enjoy this final chapter.
As Reyna stared down at her hand, she slowly tried to make a fist. Her hand wouldn't fully close, and a sigh escaped her. She kept hoping that one day she would be able to make a full fist, but that was nothing more than just a dream. Her gaze moved from her hand down to her knee. Reyna stared at the scar that looked like a frowning face. Well, it looked like a smiling face if she tilted her head and looked at it from another angle.
Reyna gently felt her knee. There was still aches of pain here and there, but her knee was mostly back to normal. She did have a small limp whenever she walked, but the doctor told her that would probably be permanent. It didn't affect Reyna's walking speed or her fighting style, so she wasn't that upset. It could have been worse.
Reyna focused her gaze back on her laptop. She looked through reports for the newest trainees of the Sixth Legion. They were starting to get back to full strength, but the trainees would have a lot that they had to do before they earned a plate for their helmet and a new name. Reyna closed her laptop and slipped it into her backpack. She slowly stood.
Technically, Reyna wasn't suppose to be doing any work. Arcadia had demanded that she take the day off, and Reyna reluctantly agreed. That didn't mean she wasn't going to keep her things with her in case someone needed something.
Reyna stepped out of her office and made her way down the hall. Most of the doors in the hallway were open, revealing freshly made beds and nearly spotless rooms. Reyna continued to walk down the hall and made it towards their cafeteria. Almost every member of the Sixth Legion was in the room and all talking among themselves.
If anyone had told Reyna that the hardest part of war was the peace, she wouldn't have believed the. During the wars, it was so easy to focus on her anger and use that to fuel her. All she had to do was focus on her next step and shove all of her thoughts aside. With peace, all she could do was focus on her thoughts.
The past six months had been so hard. Most nights were filled with nightmares, whether it be from the thing that had happened or could have happened during the wars. There was a few nights she woke screaming. Other nights she didn't sleep at all. When she didn't get enough sleep, things started to turn from bad to worse.
Lack of sleep meant her mood would turn on a dime, and she was quick to anger. The voices would act up, and she would hear them more when there was silence. If Reyna went a day or two without sleep, depression would hit her like a brick. Things had hit a breaking point three months ago, after Reyna had a full week of either terrible sleep or none at all.
Arcadia and Reyna had gotten into a huge argument, and Arcadia forced Reyna to find a therapist. It was something that she had been avoiding ever since she was told by Atropos to find and talk to one. Reyna thought she could talk to anyone about her problems, and it would be fine. It turned out she needed someone who knew how to help her work through her feelings.
Along with sessions that talked through some of Reyna's trauma, the therapist had given Reyna more pills, and while she initially hated it, things started to stabilize as she regularly took them. She still had her off days, but it was starting to get better. That was all that mattered.
Reyna snapped out of her thoughts and grabbed a sandwich. She nodded a greeting to her centurions. Aquitaine was looking over files from Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. She had been visiting the camps twice a month, to help out where she could. Aquitaine glanced up at Reyna and bowed her head.
Bristol nodded towards Reyna before focusing back on his plate of food. His eyes also focused on files for training. Sparta was sitting across from them and polishing her various weapons. Arcadia was nowhere in sight, but she said that she had business to attend to.
"Imperator," a voice called. Reyna turned and watched a messenger hurry towards her. He made it towards her and bowed. "There is a woman who is asking to see you. She is in the visitor's room."
"Did she give you a name?" Reyna questioned. She adjusted the backpack on her shoulder. The messenger shook his head. "I'll go see her. Dismissed."
The messenger bowed and hurried away. Reyna tucked her sandwich into her backpack and started to walk towards the meeting room. There wasn't many people who made an unannounced visit to the Sixth Legion base, so she was slightly concerned. Her hand moved down towards her red sword.
Reyna stopped outside the meeting room and pushed it open. When she stepped inside, she stared in shock at the goddess in front of her. Bellona slowly turned around and stared back at her. Neither broke the silence for a few minutes.
"Reyna," Bellona finally said. Reyna just stared at her mother. She didn't know what to say. Considering Bellona had spent the last six months in Tartarus, she looked pretty good. Reyna certainly didn't expect to see her mother so soon.
A plethora of emotions ran through Reyna, and she wasn't able to pick one to focus on. Reyna could still feel the sting from her mother's slap. She remembered the anger and embarrassment of it happening not once but twice. Most of all, Reyna remembered how her mother treated Reyna and Hylla's strings like they were toys.
"You look well," Reyna said finally. It was the most she could say without yelling or breaking down into tears. She had been so upset when she watched her mother's execution, but none of that changed what her mother had done. Reyna crossed her arms. "How long have you been out?"
"I just got out," Bellona replied, but she didn't go into details. "I wanted to find you and apologize to you about what I said and did. I was so worried about what the Olympians would do to you that I didn't think about how my own actions hurt you. I'm sorry."
Reyna wasn't quite sure what to say. She finally walked towards her mother and hugged her tightly. Bellona returned the hug without hesitation. Reyna spoke, "I'm still pissed that you slapped me. I'm mad about what you did with our strings, but I'm trying to let go of that anger. It's going to be hard, but I will forgive you."
"I need to earn your forgiveness back," Bellona whispered. She kissed Reyna's forehead and pulled away. "You look much better."
Reyna remained silent. Bellona gently lifted her chin and studied her eyes. Bellona spoke, "I am sorry, Reyna. I do care for you. How can I prove that to you?"
"I just need time," Reyna whispered. Bellona looked down but nodded. She squeezed Reyna's shoulder gently. "You should go back to Olympus and let them know you got out, unless you already did."
"I came here first," Bellona said. She held out her hand, and a small box appeared in it. Reyna slowly took it. "I remembered what today was."
"Thanks," Reyna began. Her mother smiled and started to glow brightly. Reyna closed her eyes and looked away. When she reopened her eyes, she just stared at the ground. Seeing her mother had gone a lot better than she expected. Reyna studied the box and slipped that into her backpack as well.
Reyna shook her head and left the meeting room. While the day wasn't suppose to involve any work, she found her mind drifting. She was going to Camp Half-Blood the next day, just to hang out with Nico. It would be good to show her face around the camp.
Camp Half-Blood was back to normal. The barrier had been restored and was now stronger than before, thanks to Hecate. All of the cabins were rebuilt, and they were true to their word on building the demititans a cabin. Reyna was also true to her word by telling Chiron how to kill her. He swore not to tell anyone unless there was no other choice, and she believed him.
Camp Jupiter was back to normal as well, but Reyna still couldn't bring herself to visit them. It still hurt too much. Hopefully, she would be able to find the courage to go back there some day. Until then, she was content to talk to the praetors through Iris messages and send Aquitaine to visit the camp. Reyna wasn't upset at the camp, but the thought of being there brought back too many memories.
Reyna sighed and walked out of the meeting room. She walked towards the stairs and climbed up them, until she made it towards the roof exit. Reyna stepped outside and walked towards the edge of the building. She sat down on the edge of the roof.
From the few messages that Sarah had sent, the demititans were back to normal. Apparently, Sarah had been visiting the Amazon base a lot more often and had found a new girlfriend. It was nice that someone was able to get over their grief and move on.
Reyna pulled out her sandwich and started to eat it. Her gaze focused on the forest around them. To her right, there was a huge training field. On her left, there was stables and a place for animals. Under Caesar, the Sixth Legion had stayed in the shadows and hidden. Their base entrance had been hidden in a cave.
Reyna wanted to change all of that. There was no need for them to hide their secrets, if they were trying to be friends with their neighbors, and the new Council required that they have friends. All of the clans or armies in Rome had a vote they could use, and the Council would make sure the vote was followed.
It had been easier than Reyna thought to gain true allies, once she agreed to meet the surrounding clans face to face. A lot of fear around the Sixth Legion stemmed from the fact that they had been ghosts. The other clans didn't know much about them, other than what the stories said. Reyna meeting them face to face seemed to help a lot with dispelling the fear.
Reyna slowly finished her sandwich and grabbed the box that her mother had given her. She opened the box and stared at the small vial that was inside. Reyna frowned and raised the vial towards the sunlight. Her eyes widened as she slowly recognized the clear liquid that was inside. It was water from Juturna's spring. The water was the same one that she used to save her sister instead of healing her hand. If Reyna had the chance to go back, she wouldn't change her choice. Saving her sister was the most important thing. Why had her mother given her water though?
"Use it for your hand or save it for the future," Reyna read. She stared at the note inside of the box. Her eyes then moved towards the vial. It seemed like there was only a few droplets of water inside, so could it really heal her hand? Reyna closed her eyes and sighed.
Reyna forced her eyes open and slipped the vial onto her necklace. It would be wise to save it for later. She had been living with a weak hand for almost a year now, and as much as she wanted to have full use of her hand back, there was no telling what the future hold. If there was even a chance the vial could save someone in the future, she would save it. Reyna let go of the vial and studied the dog tags that were hanging from her necklace.
"I hope you're proud of me," Reyna whispered. She pressed the dog tags against her forehead. "I did my best to stay true to myself."
Reyna forced back a few tears and allowed the cool breeze to hit her face. She should have been happy. Most of her relationships had been repaired or set back to how they were before. Annabeth and Percy actually talked to her when she was at Camp Half-Blood. Reyna had an accidental run in with Thalia while hunting a monster not too long ago, and Thalia didn't try to rip her throat out.
Reyna just wished she could go back to how things were before the war though. She wished that she had been able to save all of those demigods. Reyna closed her eyes and tried not to dwell. She had fought so hard for what she had, and the only thing she could really do was enjoy it.
"Happy birthday," a voice said. Reyna slowly turned and looked at Hylla. Her older sister smiled and sat next to her. Reyna smiled slightly and looked back at the horizon. "Did you think I would forget?"
"No," Reyna answered. She brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. "I just didn't think that we would celebrate, with me being immortal and all."
"You're not getting out of it," Hylla said. She looked at Reyna with clear concern in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Just depressed," Reyna muttered. She shrugged and stared at the ground. Hylla wrapped arm around her and pulled her close. Reyna rested her head against her sister's chest and closed her eyes. "I don't know why."
"I just want you to know that I am here for you," Hylla whispered. Reyna nodded gratefully. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. "Kinzie is here too. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not," Reyna said. She pulled away from Hylla and slowly stood. "I love you."
"I love you too," Hylla said. She stood as well and wrapped an arm around Reyna once again. "Don't regret the things that you did Reyna. You saved this world more times than anyone can count, and the Olympians haven't tried to smite you. Things have worked out."
"I know," Reyna said. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You guys planned a party, didn't you?"
"We did," Hylla said, and Reyna could just hear the grin that her sister had. Reyna opened her eyes and looked at Hylla. "Besides, no one knows how to party like the Amazons."
"You obviously haven't partied with enough Romans," Reyna said. She smiled and looked back out at the horizon. In the end, she had done terrible things, but it was worth it. This world was worth fighting for. Reyna couldn't keep doubting what she had done and why. She needed to move forward.
"A world worth fighting for," Reyna said. She looked back at Hylla and smiled. "And, a family worth fighting for. I wouldn't have it any other way. Now, let's get to the party. If anyone sings to me though, I will throw them off the roof."
Hylla laughed and rubbed Reyna's shoulder. Reyna heard the door behind them open, and she turned around. Arcadia stepped outside and spoke, "Are you two coming?"
"Yeah," Reyna answered. She turned around and looked out at the horizon one last time. Then, she wrapped an arm around her older sister and started to walk inside. Arcadia smiled and led the way. Reyna knew that the future was going to be hard, but she also knew that with family by her side, everything would turn out fine.