Reyna could literally kill Percy. She could just grab the son of Neptune and squeeze his neck until he didn't move anymore. Instead, she just stared at the Kraken. Just the head of the beast looked like it was ten feet tall, and its tentacles had to be almost twenty feet long. It could wrap its tentacles around the stupid cruise ship and crush it.
The easiest thing to do would be to shadow travel out of there, but they couldn't do that. The old, seniors demigods, that Percy tricked her into seeing, were off of the ship. They were long gone. There was no telling how many mortals were on the ship though, and there was no way Reyna would just leave them to die.
"I can talk to it," Percy began. Reyna closed her eyes and took deep breaths. Percy was a friend. She could not just murder a friend. Good people didn't murder their friends. "It's a sea creature. I can talk to it and kindly ask it to leave us alone.
"What happens when it decides to murder you?" Reyna snapped. Percy watched her for a few moments and didn't say a word. Reyna looked down and sighed. "Fine. Just be safe, Percy. If something happens to you in the water, we won't be able to help."
"I'll talk to the captain and see if he has any weapons, in case this turns bad," Reyna said. Percy nodded and left the room. Reyna took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. Memories tried to run through her head, but she couldn't focus on it. She just needed to stay focused on the path ahead.
Reyna glanced at Nico, and he gently grabbed her shoulder. She nodded to him, and they walked out of the cafeteria. As they walked, Reyna noticed they only ran into one or two crew members. They didn't run around in a panic, but they were speed walking to their next destination.
Reyna turned the corner, and she bumped into one of the crew members. They backed up quickly and started to speak in another language. Reyna wasn't quite sure what they were saying, but it sounded like they were rapidly apologizing. Reyna tried to say something, but they finally bowed and hurried away.
As they turned the corner, Reyna caught sight of their neck and the tattoo that was on it. The tattoo was the mark of an owl. Reyna slowly looked at Nico, and he was staring at her. Nico spoke, "They were speaking Italian. They were apologizing."
"It wasn't that big of a deal," Reyna began. She looked back behind her. "They sounded scared."
"They begged for you not to tell him," Nico said. Reyna looked down. Maybe, the crew member was having issues with the captain of the ship, or there could be more to the story.
"Nico, let me talk to the captain alone. Stay in the shadows," Reyna said. Nico gave her a confused look. "Please just trust me on this."
"I always trust you," Nico said. Reyna nodded to him and started to walk. Nico followed, but he kept a respectable distance between them. As they walked, a wave rocked the ship once again, and Reyna had a strange feeling of weightlessness. A glance out the window showed they were a few feet above the water.
"Forget about the captain. Help Percy," Reyna said. Nico looked at her and then back out the window. He turned and ran down the hall. Reyna felt the ship crash back into the water, and she stumbled into the wall. Reyna took a few deep breaths and hurried down the hall. She made her ways towards the helm of the ship.
Reyna knocked and stepped into control room. Marius was standing at an old fashioned wheel that had a console of buttons on each side of it, and his gaze was focused on the Kraken. It had yet to grab onto the ship again, which meant it wasn't ready to throw them back to shore. Wilfred was standing right next to Marius.
"It's a Kraken," Reyna reported. Marius slowly turned towards her. Reyna studied him. Marius had blonde hair and pale, gray eyes. Reyna slowly looked at his right forearm, but the suit covered it. "Percy is going to try and talk it down, but I don't know if that will work. Do you have any weapons on the ship?"
"A few cannons," Marius answered. He glanced at Wilfred. The older man nodded and walked past Reyna. After a moment, the door behind Reyna closed. She glanced behind herself and saw Wilfred blocking the door. "I am sure the son of Poseidon can handle the monster. Even if he can't, there is no one on this ship besides us and a few of the workers."
"There are easier ways to get in contact with me," Reyna commented. She studied Wilfred. The bodyguard held out his hand, and a war hammer appeared in it. Reyna tensed. With the war hammer in his hands, she recognized Wilfred quickly. He was the same man who hunted Cerberus. It took her a few moments to look back at Marius. "What do you want?"
"To have a chat," Marius replied. He sat down in the captain's chair and studied her. Reyna's eyes glanced back towards the window. Percy was standing on a wave and seemingly talking to the Kraken. Hopefully, his talk went better than hers was going to go. "I have heard so much about you, praetor. I was just wondering who could have caught the eye of my little bird."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Reyna said. Her hand rested on her sword, and she stayed in a tense position. Her gaze moved back and forth between Marius and Wilfred. She really hoped Nico would be done helping Percy soon.
"Don't play dumb, praetor. Felika told me all about you," Marius said. Reyna's full attention went to him. "Ricardo did as well. They all spoke highly of you."
"You're going to leave Arria alone," Reyna snapped. There was no way she could pretend to not know who he was anymore. She walked right towards Marius and stared evil directly in the eye. "I will not let you lay a hand on her."
"Arria. It is a fitting name," Marius said. He nodded to himself. "Do you know why she calls herself Arria?"
"I don't give a shit," Reyna answered. "What do you want with me?"
Marius closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He spoke, "I do not normally tolerate disrespect. You should learn to respect me, Reyna."
"You own slaves," Reyna snapped. She clenched her fist and glared at the man in front of her. For a year, she had only known him as Arria's master. Arria never described what he looked like, and she never said his name. Reyna just knew it in her gut though. She knew that if she lifted Marius' right sleeve, she would see a tattoo of an owl clutching a sword. It was the same owl he burned into the skin of all of his slaves.
"Slaves imply that they are people," Marius said. Reyna stepped forward, but she heard Wilfred move. Reyna tried to keep her temper. She could not afford to fight the two of them. "I give new life to all of them. Some gather respect and strength in my arena. Others are given a chance at a new life. Arria wouldn't even be alive, if it wasn't for me. She owes me."
Reyna glared at the ground. She knew that she broke up with Arria, but that was only because of Nerva. Reyna still loved Arria, and she was going to protect her. Reyna also knew her temper was only a few seconds from exploding. Marius stepped closer to her and moved his mouth to her ear.
"I want you to deliver a message to my little bird," Marius whispered. "Tell her to enjoy the moment. I am coming for her."
Reyna's sword was already half out of its sheathe before Marius could finish his sentence, but a heavy weight slammed into her elbow, causing something to snap. Reyna yelled in pain, and the momentum of the hit caused her to stumble. Marius kicked her legs out from under her, and Reyna hit the ground hard.
The heavy tip of the war hammer pressed against Reyna's chest and kept her pinned to the ground. She gripped her elbow and tried to breath properly. Her arm was on absolute fire. Marius knelt by her.
"I am coming for Arria, unless you want to make a deal," Marius said. Reyna glared up at him, but the pain was causing her to see stars. "You helped capture Felika, and the Inquisition has been having a field day with her. They have already disrupted a few of my operations wit knowledge from her. I want Felika back."
"If you convince them to release Felika back to me, I will give you Arria's contract," Marius said. Reyna stared at him, and the war hammer lifted her from her chest. She backed up and slowly sat up. Reyna cradled her arm and glared at Marius. "Did Arria ever tell you that she was only born to be sold for a small fortune?"
"I'm not releasing Felika," Reyna wheezed. She felt lightheaded, and the pain was overwhelming. "I don't care what you say."
"You know of Nerva, correct? She is Arria's sister and the only one that their mother actually cared for. Their mother had a nasty addiction, and she couldn't support that and Nerva. Her solution was to make a deal with me. She seduced a war god and gave the child to me to raise as my property. Arria is the culmination of all of the lessons that my family has learned. She is the ultimate servant. Why do you think that your mother is so insistent on holding onto her?" Marius asked.
"In the end, Arria belongs to me. Her mother and I made a contract, and that contract is one of the most important things in my world. For me, Felika is more valuable than that contract. I am a man of my word, Reyna. If you convince the Inquisition to release Felika, I will give you Arria's contract. I will leave Arria alone and never seek her out again. My allies will not either. That I promise on the River Styx," Marius said.
Reyna looked down and grabbed her dagger. She suddenly lunged upwards, and her dagger grazed Marius' neck. Reyna's legs were kicked out from underneath her, and her broken elbow was twisted behind her back. Reyna yelled in pain.
"I do not tolerate disrespect," Marius whispered. His voice had taken on a much more sadistic tone. Reyna felt a dagger press against her bottom lip. Marius dug his dagger into her lip. Reyna tensed and refused to cry out. Moving her mouth would only end with more damage.
"I do not take pleasure in any of the things that I have to do. This is simply business," Marius said. He lowered the dagger. "Keep that as a reminder of the generous offer that I have made to you today. When you decide to accept it, all you have to do is release Felika. Arria's contract will be sent to you shortly after."
Marius stood and walked out without another word. Reyna slowly rolled onto her back and cradled her arm. Wilfred grabbed her face a moment later. He spoke, "Take this mercy while you can, praetor. I want nothing more than to end your miserable little existence. Sooner or later, I will."
Wilfred let go of her and walked away. Reyna laid her head back and gripped her elbow. She took pained breaths and slowly sat up. Reyna made it to her feet and stumbled towards the wheel. Her gaze focused on the door where the two had went. Then, she looked at the Kraken.
Her eyes widened as she saw a large creature made of bone attacking the Kraken. It seemed like Nico had brought back some kind of large shark. Percy looked like he was controlling the water to almost shackle the Kraken. It didn't seem like it was doing much though. Reyna looked down at the controls. Marius said there was no one else on the ship, besides a few workers.
Reyna looked around for any kind of button that would sound an alarm, and after a moment, she started to press random buttons. It wasn't until she clicked on the tenth button that an alarm sounded throughout the ship. Reyna looked around for an intercom and walked towards it.
Reyna flipped on a switch and watched a light near the microphone turn on. She leaned in close to the microphone and spoke, "This ship is being evacuated. Make your way to the main deck. Nico, shadow travel the workers out of here and tell Percy to get out of here as well."
After letting go of the intercom, Reyna slowly walked towards the captain's chair and sat down. Her arm burned in pain, and she held it close to her stomach. Everything hurt, and all she wanted to do was curl up and cry in pain. Instead, she slowly grabbed Unicorn powder from her pocket and poured it on her lip wound.
The wound immediately burned, and Reyna swore. She pressed her fingers against her mouth and felt that the Unicorn powder wasn't closing the wound. She slowly grabbed her shirt and wiped the rest of the powder form her wound. Reyna slowly stood and walked towards the wheel.
Reyna studied the wheel in front of her. She gripped the wheel with one hand and started to turn it towards the right. After a moment, she used her foot to help her turn the wheel. While the cruise ship looked like a modern one, the wheel was similar to that of a pirate ship. Reyna wouldn't be surprised if the ship's wheel belonged to one of Marius' ancestors and had been passed down through his family. It was a shame that it was going to be destroyed.
Reyna didn't know how long Percy could hold out, but she wanted to give enough time for everyone to evacuate. Reyna watched the ship slowly turn. It had been moving perpendicular to the Kraken. Now, it was going to be heading straight for it. They were still going rather slow, so they needed to speed up.
Staring at all of the buttons near the wheel only caused Reyna more confusion. After a few moments, she pressed all of the buttons once again and pushed a few of the clutches forward. The ship sped up. It also made a few odd noises, but she just ignored those.
Reyna focused on straightening out wheel, so it continued its path towards the Kraken. After adjusting the wheel and making sure it couldn't move anymore, Reyna turned and ran from the room. She ran down the hall and made her way up the stairs, towards the main deck.
When she made it towards the main deck, she found that Nico was gone. Hopefully, he had taken the workers as well. Reyna leaned against the side of the ship, and she started to realize that she was actually insane and did not think this plan through.
Her arm was broken, and the pain was staring to set in. Jumping down from the cruise ship would end in either death or a lot of broken bones. Her luck was pretty bad that week, so maybe, it would even out with her not breaking something in the fall.
"I thought I was the crazy one," Percy yelled. Reyna turned and saw the son of Neptune stumble onto the deck. He looked exhausted. Reyna glanced up and saw that the cruise ship was close to the Kraken, and they only had seconds before impact.
Percy seemed to realize it to, and he ran towards the side of the ship. They both looked at each other and exchanged looks. Reyna swore and jumped over the side of the ship with Percy. She felt the son of Neptune grab onto her and wrap his arms around her waist. The two hit the water, and the cruise ship collided with the Kraken a moment later.