One Day A Week

by NEIWIS

Reyna and Nico always do their best to spend one day a week together. Everyone thought it would be good for both of them. No one realized the trouble that the two demigods would get into. Between beating up Girl Scouts, "accidentally" maiming bullies during capture the flag, and saving children from a Shtriga, it's a surprise the two have time for movie marathons.

69. The Movie Set

Thank you for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews.

If there is any characters you want to see more of, let me know.

---

"You guys are literally insane," Piper said. She was staring down at her laptop and watching the video of the cruise ship colliding with the Kraken. Apparently, someone had been flying a drone over the water, and the drone happened to pick up on everything. That meant Nico got to watch his best friend turn a cruise ship straight towards the sea monster and barely jump off of the ship in time.

"Someone is lucky that Percy was there," Nico commented, and he looked at Reyna. She was laying down in the seat of the limousine and almost looked like she was asleep. One of her arms rested behind her head, and the other rested on her stomach. Nico focused on the splint on Reyna's elbow.

Since everything with the cruise ship ultimately went up in flames and was a trap in the first place, the attempt to distract Reyna from her break up with Arria had moved on to plan b. Nico just prayed this one would be enough to satisfy their friends. Plan c involved either a museum trip or pulling a prank on Reyna. Both would end in disaster.

"I think she fell asleep," Piper said softly, and she closed her laptop. Nico nodded his agreement. They were only two days removed from their adventure on the cruise ship, and Nico just wanted to have a nice vacation. It would be nice to see a movie being filmed. Nico never had the chance to go on a movie set, and Piper seemed more than happy to have someone join her.

There was one terrible part about it though, and that was the part where they flew on Tristan McLean's private plane. Reyna kept teasing Nico about how Zeus might decided to strike down the plane, since Nico was a son of Hades. Nico had been tense the entire ride, and when the plane finally landed, he practically ran off of it.

Nico sighed and studied Reyna. They had talked about Marius and the things he had said on the cruise ship. Nico looked down at the ground. Marius was Arria's former master, and he offered to give Reyna Arria's contract, if she convinced the Inquisition to free Felika. Reyna didn't want to go into further detail and seemed to be thinking over the offer.

"I think Percy kept telling her it was reckless," Nico commented. He looked up at Piper and smiled. She returned the smile. Nico had used shadow travel to rescue the five crew members that were aboard, and they all just kind of stared at him waiting for directions. They had taken the crew members, all slaves, to Mars' Rest and handed them off to Fabion. He promised to take care of them

"Who is Percy to lecture me on being reckless. Has he met himself?" Reyna asked. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Reyna blinked a few times, as if trying to remember where she was. "So Piper, I'm not too well versed in movies. What does your dad even look like?"

Piper moved over to their side and showed them her laptop. There was a picture of a younger Piper sitting on an older man's shoulders. A second man stood by them. Piper pointed to Isaac that was off to the side and spoke, "That's my father. The other one is my grandpa."

"You were a cute kid," Reyna commented. She glanced up at Piper. "You're pretty beautiful now though."

Nico had been taking a sip from his soda, and he ended up choking on it. He stared at Reyna. She was just laying there, apparently not realizing what she had said. Piper seemed confused as well. Reyna laid her head back.

"Reyna, you took pain medicine today, didn't you?" Nico asked. Reyna gave him a thumbs up. An understanding look came to Piper's face, and she placed her laptop to the side. "How tired are you?

"Pretty tired," Reyna whispered. She rubbed her eyes and groaned softly. "Why did I get medicine again?"

"A slaver shattered your elbow," Nico replied. Piper gave them a look of concern, but Nico just waved it off. "And then, you rammed a cruise ship into a Kraken."

"I did, didn't I?" Reyna asked. There was a small, tired grin on her face. Her eyes slowly closed again. "Bastard deserves to has his ship taken underneath the water. Too bad he wasn't on board still."

"Should I be worried?" Piper asked. Nico shook her head. "So, this is actually normal for you guys? I thought Annabeth was just joking."

"Weird things tend to happen near us," Nico said with a shrug. "Hopefully, we can have a nice, relaxing few days."

"I actually used vacation time, so I have four days off, starting today," Reyna said. Her voice was much clearer than before, even though she looked to be seconds from falling asleep again. The limousine came to a stop, and Piper stuffed her laptop into her backpack. She looked rather uncomfortable.

The door opened for them, and Nico, with the help of Piper, practically dragged Reyna out of the limousine. Reyna grumbled something and pulled away from them. She looked around and rubbed her eyes.

"Miss McLean, if you'll follow me," a woman said. Piper glanced back at them and almost look like she wanted help. Nico nodded towards her and led Reyna towards Piper.

"You can just call me Piper," the daughter of Aphrodite said. They started to walk towards a building. As they walked up the stairs, Nico saw what looked like a group of protesters outside of the building. A glance at the signs showed it was about the environment.

Nico couldn't focus on it too much, since he was leading Reyna forward. He was worried that if he stepped away, Reyna would end up getting lost. They really needed to cut her off from any kind of pain medication.

"How many of those pills did you take?" Nico asked. Reyna glanced at him and shrugged. "You know that there are instructions on how many to take, right?"

"I thought I was suppose to take the whole bottle," Reyna said. Nico stopped walking and stared at her. Reyna laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "It just makes me really tired, Nico. I'm fine."

"Which is why you called Piper beautiful?" Nico asked. Reyna let out a sigh and nodded. "Anything new between you and Arria?"

"Other than the fact that she keeps avoiding me?" Reyna asked. She looked down and shook her head. "I don't know what to do, Nico. I'm trying to keep calm, but I can feel the anger growing and growing inside of me. I am going to snap, and it will end with me punching Nerva in the face."

"We will figure this out," Nico promised. He looked down as well. "Why don't we just tell our friends that you're being bribed?"

"They will want to know what Nerva is bribing me with, and they will learn the truth," Reyna muttered. She kicked the ground, and they heard someone call their name. Nico looked up, and he saw Hedge running towards them. The Satyr slammed into both of them and pulled them into a tight hug.

"Hedge. Arm," Reyna said quickly. Hedge quickly let go of them, and Reyna placed a hand to her elbow. Hedge examined Nico, and upon not finding any splints on him, he pulled Nico into a tight hug and didn't let go.

"I didn't know you two were going to be here," Hedge said. He smiled at them and finally let go of Nico. He gently grabbed Reyna's uninjured arm and patted her on it. "I was just stopping by to see Mellie. I have to go though."

"We'll see you later," Nico said. Reyna nodded her agreement. Hedge gently hugged Reyna. Then, he turned and pulled Nico into another tight hug that lifted him from his feet. "Alright. You can let me down now."

"Keep him up there," Reyna said. Nico glared and took the time to look around. They were standing near a few makeup stations, and it looked like the movie was being filmed on the other side of the room. Reyna's attention seemed to be on Piper, who was talking to someone who was probably her father, if her father was acting as a homeless man. "Coach, any idea what the protesters outside were for?"

"Well, there is a volcano not too far from here. The crazies outside think that the movie being filmed here is going to set off the volcano and cause it to erupt," Hedge explained. He finally let go of Nico, and Nico practically hid behind Reyna.

Piper walked towards them and had a confused look on her face. Another man followed behind Piper. He wore a black suit that was tattered and torn in multiple places. His beard went down near his chest, and his hair was stuck up on his head in all kinds of different directions. Nico glanced at Reyna, who was staring at him.

Nico elbowed his friend and spoke in a whisper, "It's not nice to stare."

"He's really hot," Reyna whispered. Nico blinked a few times and looked at her. Reyna was just staring at the man. A small frown came to Nico's face. He would never judge Reyna's taste in men or women, but them man in front of them was a disaster. Soot practically covered his face, and he looked like he got into a fight with a dumpster and lost.

Hedge exchanged a glance with Nico, and all Nico could do was shrug. Piper spoke, "This is my dad's costar: Isaac. He says that my dad wants to see me, so I'll see you guys in a few. Hedge, can you show them where catering is?"

"Of course," Hedge answered. Piper turned and followed Isaac away. As they turned a corner, Reyna blinked a few times and seemed to snap out of something. Nico glanced at her. This was the last time he was going to let Reyna anywhere near pain pills.

Hedge glanced at them and started to walk away. Reyna and Nico followed behind. As they made their way to the catering area, Nico stared at the large amount of food in front of him. Hedge led them to the front and grabbed two plates. He shoved the plates into their hands and spoke, "Get whatever you want."

Nico looked around at all of the food. A lot of it looked pretty fancy. He slowly grabbed a little bit of everything. Others looked at him, but upon seeing the badge around his neck, they went back to minding their own business.

"Nico, tell me the truth," Reyna said. Nico glanced at her. "Percy invited us on that cruise ship, and Piper invited us here. Everyone has been asking me how I've been doing. Are they worried about me?"

"They are," Nico answered. He followed Reyna toward a table and sat down. "Break ups are hard Reyna, and normally, you learn why two people broke up. No one knows why you and Arria broke up, so they are worried about you. I keep telling them that I don't know, and they assume it is so bad that you won't even talk to me about it."

"I can't just tell them that I am being bribed," Reyna muttered. She closed her eyes. "I don't think this can get any worse."

Out of the corner of Nico's eye, he saw someone walk into the cafeteria. The man seemed to draw the attention of everyone in the room. Nico didn't recognize the man immediately, but he did recognize the person following behind. As Mellie saw them, a smile came to her face.

"Tristan, this is Nico and Reyna. They are Piper's friends," Mellie whispered. The man, apparently Tristan McLean himself, nodded and studied them for a few moments. He was handsome, and it was easy to see why Aphrodite was attracted to him. "Where is Piper at?"

"You were looking for her," Nico began. Tristan watched them and frowned. Reyna slowly looked at him. Nico met Reyna's eyes. All he wanted to do was eat all of this fancy food, but a bad feeling was settling in his gut. "Your costar was bringing her to you."

"I don't remember asking my costar for anything," Tristan began. He nodded and frowned. "I'll find my costar and asked her how she knew Piper was coming today."

Tristan turned and left. Mellie waved at them once again and followed after Tristan. Nico glanced at Reyna and spoke, "Her. Tristan's costar is a female."

"Yeah," Reyna muttered. She sighed and stood. The two of them hurried out of the cafeteria and searched around the movie set. They were in a large building, and everyone there seemed to be focused on the movie that they were filming. As they walked around, they didn't find Piper anywhere.

When the two demigods stepped out of building, the only thing they found was that half of the protesters had left. Some of them were standing around and looking at their phones. Reyna took off her visitor's badge and slipped it into her pocket. Nico did the same, and they both walked towards the small group of protesters.

"Can you believe them?" Reyna asked. She looked at the building and shook her head. "I can't stand it."

"Neither can we," one of the girls agreed. "They are just throwing off the entire balance of the island. Isaac is right."

"I never did hear what Issac said we would do about it," Reyna said. She glanced at Nico. He just watched quietly. Nico was worried that he would open his mouth and ruin their chances of figuring out what was going on.

"Well, the letters to the producers aren't working, and we even tried to contact the local news. They laughed in our faces when we told them the disruption in the environment would cause the volcano to explode," the girl said. She looked behind her, and Nico did as well. There was a mountain, maybe the volcano they were talking about, only a mile or two away from them. "Isaac said we need to give the island a sacrifice."

"He's going to throw something, or was it someone, into the volcano, but we weren't invited," another boy said. Nico stared at Reyna, and she stared back. "We'll just have to ask Alicia how it went."

Reyna nodded and stepped away. She slipped out of the crowd, and Nico moved to the side. She exchanged a look with him, and they quickly started to walk. Nico spoke, "There is no way that Isaac is the same one, is he?"

"We can't take the chance," Reyna answered. She swore. "So, these mortals were told that the filming of the movie is disrupting the environment and is going to make the volcano explode. That doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't," Nico agreed. He stopped walking and looked up at the volcano. Reyna did as well. "Let's go find Piper, and let's try not to fall into the volcano."

---

When the two of them finally made it up the volcano, it was not exactly what Nico was expecting. There was thirty protesters, all around the age of thirteen or fourteen, standing forty feet away from the edge of the volcano. Most of them held signs about saving the environment. All of them looked normal, but what kind of normal person tried to throw someone into a volcano?

"I don't have a plan," Reyna admitted. Her gaze was focused on Isaac, who was standing near the edge of the volcano. Isaac was standing over Piper and had a hand on her shoulder. Piper was on her knees and staring at the ground. There was a gag in her mouth, and she looked scared.

"All of you have believed in me ever since I came here," Isaac said. He looked around and smiled. "You have all helped me get back to my full strength, and now, it is time that we save your hometown. The island spirits talked to me and told me what this island wants."

"Split up," Nico whispered. Reyna glanced at him and nodded. Nico moved to the left of the crowd, and Reyna moved to the right. The two of them made it near the front of the crowd. Piper's eyes shot between them, and Nico tried to give her a comforting look.

"This girl is the daughter of Tristan McLean! I left her father a note that warned him what would happen if they did not cease filming and leave immediately. Instead of listening to me, they continued to film another scene! There is only one thing to do now! We will appease the volcano god," Isaac said.

Nico looked around. The crowd was all nodding and seemed entranced. Nico glanced at Reyna, and she was blinking rapidly. She almost looked unfocused. Nico frowned and looked back at the crowd of protesters. He realized all of them were female. They all had a blank look, like they were under a spell, or charmspeak.

Reyna finally shook her head and looked at Nico. She gave him a look that told him to stay there. Then, Reyna walked out of the crowd. Isaac slowly looked at her, and Reyna spoke, "Let her go."

"Did the producers send you?" Isaac asked. His eyes focused on Reyna's sword. "Or, did the goat send you?"

"Let the girl go and step away from the volcano," Reyna ordered. She took a few steps closer. Isaac smiled and shoved Piper to the ground. Piper caught herself and barely kept from going into the volcano. "Release them from your spell."

"Oh no. I can't do that," Isaac whispered. He smiled and walked closer to Reyna. After a moment, Reyna met his eyes and slowly let go of her sword. Isaac placed a hand to her face and looked her up and down. "I don't normally like my prey so old, but for you, I can make an exception."

"Leave her alone," Piper said. She had taken off her gag. When she tried to stand, she winced in pain. Nico glanced over at Piper, but he didn't see any visible injuries. She still seemed to be struggling to stand though. "Just leave this place."

Nico could feel the charmspeak that Piper was trying to use. It even caused Reyna to take pause. Isaac sighed in annoyance and rolled his eyes. He grabbed Reyna's face and spoke, "Stay with me. Don't listen to that witch."

"Reyna, don't listen to him," Piper said. Reyna closed her eyes and seemed to be struggling. Isaac laughed, but it sounded like it was full of anger. He turned back towards Piper.

"You stupid witch," Isaac snapped. He stalked towards Piper and grabbed her shirt. Isaac pulled Piper to her feet. "I have held this island under my control for years. That goat and his god spawns will not stop me. Am I understood?"

Nico took a step forward, and Isaac seemed to notice him. Reyna closed her eyes tightly, and when she reopened her eyes, she looked focused. Isaac growled and moved towards Piper's side with unnatural speed. He grabbed her and threw her near the edge of the volcano. Piper landed on her feet but crumbled and slipped into the volcano. She barely caught onto the edge.

Nico rushed forward to help, but he suddenly found himself in Isaac's grip. Nico stared as he was lifted from the ground. Isaac had moved even faster than before. A glance over showed that Reyna had grabbed onto Piper's arm and was starting to pull her up.

"Think I can get three for one?" Isaac asked. Nico's eyes widened, and Isaac threw him right into Reyna. Nico slammed into his best friend, and they both tumbled over the edge. Nico had the sensation of falling for a few seconds, and something suddenly grabbed onto his jacket.

Nico took a few deep breaths and stared down at the magma. It was hundreds of feet below him, but that didn't make him feel any better. He glanced up and saw that Piper had grabbed onto his jacket. Reyna was holding onto Piper's arm with one hand, and the edge of the volcano with the other.

Nico quickly realized that the only thing keeping the three of them from falling into the volcano was Reyna's arm, but it was the same arm with a broken elbow. So, Nico wasn't too surprised when Reyna's hand slipped from the volcano a moment later, and he had the strangest sensation of falling. His brain froze for a few moments, and Piper grabbed him. She was yelling something at him. Nico snapped to attention and heard Piper yell, "Shadow travel!"

Nico grabbed onto Reyna's jacket and closed his eyes. At first, nothing happened. Then, he felt a tug in his gut and felt the heat on him increasing. Nico heard the shadows scream, and he slammed into something solid. His eyes snapped open, and he stared down at the dirt.

"Piper? Reyna?" Nico asked. He slowly looked up. Piper was staring at the ground and looked petrified. Reyna was laying on her back and kicking the ground with her foot. She was clearly in pain and was gripping her elbow tightly. "We need to go."

"Oh no we don't," Isaac said. He appeared over them and placed a knife to Nico's throat. He grinned. "That was a neat trick. Where did you learn it?"

"What are you?" Piper asked. She slowly sat up. Her eyes focused on Nico and then Isaac. "What do you want?"

"Your people call me an Incubus," Isaac sneered. He hummed and started to twist the knife. Piper was staring at him and had grabbed onto her dagger. Reyna was in a half sitting position and watching them. Her hand gripped her elbow. "But, these females have been calling me Isaac."

"What do you want?" Piper demanded. Nico slowly moved his hand to his sword. While Isaac kept moving the knife, he wasn't trying to cut into Nico's neck, and all of his attention seemed to be on Piper.

"Your father has been a pain," Isaac said. He looked between the three of them. "Long ago, I lost almost all of my strength. I felt something, almost like death, but then, I found this town. I told a few of the young, impressionable girls a folktale about a great Incubus. The story spread, and a few of them believed the story. It only takes a few, and I started to gather strength."

"This place was clay in my hands," Isaac said. He glared at Piper. "Then, everyone learned that your father would be filming here. The females under my grasp no longer cared about me. They only cared about this mortal, so I knew I had to take drastic measures."

"They all cared about the environment or some crap like that," Isaac said. He laughed. "They are so dumb and gullible. I told them the filming was throwing off the environment and that the volcano was going to explode if we didn't do something. That something is to throw you into the volcano, little girl. It will teach your father to steal my spotlight."

"Oh shut up," Reyna groaned. She looked at Isaac. "You're not leaving here alive so just make it easy on us."

Isaac started to laugh. Reyna sighed in annoyance and met Nico's eyes. Nico gave her an understanding look. Reyna threw her dagger with lightning speed, and it flew towards Isaac's face. It went through his head a moment later. Nico stared up at the monster.

Imperial gold and celestial bronze was suppose to kill monsters, so how was Isaac unharmed? Isaac grinned and grabbed Nico's shirt. He pulled Nico to his feet and held the knife to his throat. Reyna slowly stood, and Piper did as well.

"You can't harm me," Isaac said. He looked down at Nico and then grinned. Nico was shoved to the side, and he barely caught his balance. "Your weapons will not hurt me. I can do whatever I want to any of you, but you can't do anything to me."

Piper punched Isaac in his face. He stumbled backwards in shock, dropping the knife. Nico kicked it to the side. Reyna picked it up after a moment and seemed to examine it. The blade was a light blue, and Nico had never seen anything like it before.

"That is enough," Isaac snapped. He looked back towards his group of protesters. They were just staring and not really reacting. "Get them."

"Piper!" Nico yelled. He backed away. The last thing he wanted to do was fight a bunch of teenage mortals. If he won the fight, he would have beaten up a bunch of defenseless girls. If he lost, he would never hear the end of it from his friends. "We'll get him. You stop the girls."

"None of you want to fight us," Piper said. Charmspeak laced her voice. Nico slipped past all of the girls and moved towards Isaac. Reyna moved to his other side and was gripping the knife in her hand. Her other arm was pressed against her side.

Isaac backed up near the edge of the volcano. He held his hands up and spoke, "We can just talk this over. The two of you don't want to hurt me. I can give you anything you want."

"The only thing I want is to drive this dagger through your heart," Reyna said. Isaac sneered and slowly looked at Nico. After a moment, Nico crossed his arms. "Why don't you just jump into the volcano and save us the trouble?"

Isaac growled, and he moved with lightning speed. Reyna dodged his attack, and Nico stepped forward to help. Isaac appeared a moment later, throwing a nasty right hook. Nico barely avoided it, and Isaac darted back to Reyna. The Incubus seemed to have even more speed than a demigod.

Nico didn't even know what an Incubus was. It wasn't like the creatures was from Greek mythology, so what was it? Nico watched Reyna slash Isaac in the arm with the dagger, and he howled in pain. He backed away and then spoke in another language. Reyna hesitated and looked confused. Isaac spoke again, and he almost looked like he was glowing.

A glance to his left showed that Piper and the mortals were gone. Nico looked back at Reyna and saw she was staring at the dagger. Her hand was slowly moving the blade of the dagger towards herself. Nico swore and slammed into his best friend. They hit the ground hard, and Reyna yelled in pain.

Reyna gripped her elbow, and her eyes lost their cloudy look. She took deep breaths and spoke in a wheeze, "I can't get him out of my head."

"It's okay," Nico promised. He took the dagger from Reyna, and two hands suddenly wrapped around his waist. Nico was thrown backwards. He flew a few feet through the air and hit the ground hard. Nico rolled, and the ground disappeared from beneath him. He shot a desperate hand out and grabbed onto the edge of the volcano.

Nico stared down at the magma. He felt a foot step on his hand, and Nico slowly looked up. Isaac spoke, "I am done playing with you two. It is time for you to get off of my mountain."

Nico heard a few cracks in his hand, and he felt his fingers lose their grip. A sword suddenly appeared out of Isaac's chest. He slowly looked down, and he was completely unharmed. A smile came to his face. Isaac turned and grabbed Reyna by her throat.

It took a moment for Nico to dig his feet into the side of the volcano and grip it with his good hand. He started to pull himself up, and someone grabbed his arm. Piper pulled him to his feet and spoke, "Do we have a plan?"

"Not really," Nico answered. He watched Reyna dodge another attack from Isaac, They couldn't keep this up. Isaac was not like any monster they had ever faced. Celestial bronze and imperial gold didn't seem to hurt him. Would Nico's sword even leave a scratch?

Nico looked down at the ground. Splitting it open to summon skeletons might actually set off the volcano. Piper's charmspeak didn't seem to do anything. Piper spoke, "Once I got those girls away from here, they didn't know what was going on. He has some kind of influence on them, but he's also strong and fast."

"Lucky us," Nico muttered. He drew his sword and rushed forward. Isaac noticed him and groaned. He dodged Nico and backed away. Nico stood next to Reyna and glanced at her. She was favoring her arm again and looked pained.

"We really just need to stop," Isaac said. He held out his hands. "I am done fighting. If you three want to keep fighting, you will regret it."

"You kidnapped our friend and kept all of those girls under your influence. You aren't leaving here alive," Nico said. Isaac closed his eyes and spoke again in the language.

Reyna cursed and tensed. She took a step backwards. Nico slowly looked at Reyna. After a moment, Reyna pressed in on her watch, and a sword appeared in her hands. She turned on Nico.

"Piper, you might need to use your charmspeak!" Nico called. He dodged a swing from Reyna and backed away from her. There was a glazed look in her eyes. Isaac continued to speak in that weird language of his.

"Reyna, don't listen to him," Piper said. The words seemed to have no effect on Reyna, and she swung at Nico again. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw Isaac attack Piper, which meant Nico would have to fight his best friend.

"Reyna, can you hear me?" Nico asked. Reyna glared at him and attacked once again. Nico swore and continued to dodge the attacks. He tried to keep an eye on Piper. She seemed to be holding her own against Isaac, but they were locked in a stale mate. "Piper. Switch!"

Nico dodged under one of Reyna's attacks and rushed towards Isaac. He swung his sword, and the sword went straight through the Incubus. Isaac laughed and spoke, "How many times do I have to tell you? Your weapons can't harm me!"

Nico looked down. Nothing that killed Greek monsters could kill Isaac. The dagger seemed like the only thing that could put a scratch on Isaac, but as Nico looked around, he couldn't find it anywhere. Nico growled in anger and tried to keep himself calm.

"This is hopeless, and you know it," Isaac said. He backed away and raised his hand. "I am invincible."

"We'll see about that," Nico said. Weapons weren't going to work, but he was starting to form an idea. Isaac wanted to throw them into the volcano, so Nico was going to return the favor. He ran straight at Isaac and tackled him into the volcano.

Nico realized how dumb his idea was as he was free falling into the volcano. Isaac had a tight grip on his jacket and was staring up at him. Nico punched Isaac hard in the face, but the grip didn't lessen. Nico punched Isaac twice more in the face, and when that didn't work, he kneed the demon in the groin.

Isaac finally let go, and Nico shoved him away. Nico closed his eyes and tried to focus on the shadows. He could feel the heat around him rapidly increasing, and it felt like his skin was staring to burn. A cold feeling suddenly settled over Nico, and the shadows wrapped around him.

As Nico shadow traveled, he almost let out a cry of relief. Then, he slammed face first into the ground. Nico groaned and slowly rolled onto his back. He looked around for Reyna and Piper.

Piper was pinning Reyna to the ground. Both of her hands were pressing Reyna's left hand against the ground, but Reyna had loosened her grip on her sword. The two were extremely close, and their faces were only an inch or two apart. Nico sat up and watched the two, but neither of them moved.

"Are you two okay?" Nico asked. Piper jumped and slowly looked at Nico. A small blush came to her face, and she quickly stood. Reyna stared up at Piper, and she almost seemed to be blushing as well. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Piper said quickly. She slowly sat by them and looked between them. "Did you just tackle him into the volcano?"

"Pretty much," Nico replied, and he shrugged. He saw Reyna give him a thumbs up. She then moved her hand to her elbow and turned on her side. "Are you okay, Reyna?"

"No," Reyna admitted. Her back was to them, and she was extremely tensed. "Elbow hurts a lot more now."

Nico tried to sit up and make it to his feet. Piper moved much quicker than him and knelt next to Reyna. She handed Reyna some ambrosia and rubbed her back. Nico slowly made it to a standing position and moved to Reyna' side.

"I don't want to hear anything else about the Kraken," Reyna muttered. Nico shrugged, and with Piper's help, they pulled Reyna to her feet. Reyna cradled her arm against her side. "Are you hurt, Piper?"

"I'm fine," Piper promised. Reyna nodded and studied Piper. Her eyes lingered for a second too long, and Nico cleared his throat loudly. Piper looked at him. "Are you hurt, Nico?"

"No," Nico said, and he gave Reyna a look. She blushed and looked away. "We should get moving though. Your father will be worried."

"If he notices I was missing," Piper muttered. She looked down and started to walk. Reyna slowly followed behind her. Nico walked near his best friend.

"So," Nico began. An elbow slammed into his gut. Reyna seemed to wince in pain a moment later. "That wasn't such a smart idea, was it? Just like with the Kraken."

"You tackled that thing into a volcano," Reyna muttered. She gripped her elbow and closed her eyes tightly. Nico rubbed her back and tried to keep her distracted.

"It's not like that is the first time we almost fell into a volcano," Nico said. Reyna nodded her agreement, but she still didn't look too happy. Piper looked back at them.

"Is this just a normal day for you guys?" Piper asked. Both Reyna and Nico nodded. Reyna still kept her gaze on Piper. "No wonder everyone is worried about you two."

"Trouble kind of follows us where we go," Nico admitted. Piper looked back at them, and Reyna quickly looked away. There was a small blush on her face. Piper smiled at both of them.

"Thank you for saving me. I should have known something was wrong when Isaac approached me. He looked like he crawled out of the dumpster," Piper said.

"Reyna said he was pretty hot," Nico said. He was punched hard in the back.

"He was," Reyna muttered. "It was part of the magic that he was using. Now, shut up and quit making me jolt my arm."

"Don't be so violent," Nico teased. He winced as a fist was raised. "I was just kidding."

Reyna rolled her eyes and gripped her elbow. She brought it closer to herself, and Nico rubbed her back. Piper moved closer to them and spoke, "When we get back, I'll get you guys some food and pain killers"

"That would be nice," Reyna said quietly. She focused on Piper. Nico slowly looked between the two of them. Reyna looked at him and seemed to notice the look that he was giving her. She moved closer to Nico's side. "Yeah. I know."

"Piper is dating Jason," Nico began. Reyna nodded her agreement. Piper was a few feet ahead of them, but it didn't look like she had heard.

"I know," Reyna repeated. Her voice was a whisper. "Just let me have this one for the next couple of minutes. I'm still trying to save my relationship with Arria."

"We'll figure it out," Nico said. Reyna nodded but didn't look convinced. She looked away. Nico knew how hollowed those words sounded. "Reyna, we have to tell our friends. They can help."

"Tell your friends what?" Piper asked. She stopped walking and looked back at them. Reyna looked at Piper and then Nico. She finally shook her head and stormed past them. Nico sighed. All he wanted to do was help Reyna, but it almost seemed like she didn't want to be helped. "What's going on?"

"I can't," Nico began. Piper looked at him and slowly nodded. Nico looked down and started to make his way down the hill. Reyna was sitting on the hood of the car that they had borrowed. Nico and Piper made it to the car.

Nico walked towards the back seat and opened the door. Piper opened the passenger door, and Reyna spoke, "Nerva is threatening me. That's why I broke up with Arria."

Piper froze and slowly looked at Reyna. She spoke, "Nerva? The Inquisitor?"

"And Arria's older sister," Reyna muttered. She crossed her arms. "I did something when I was younger, and somehow, Nerva knows about it. She's threatened to tell the Senate, if I didn't break up with Arria. I don't know what else she wants from me, and I don't know what to do."

"Reyna, why didn't you tell us earlier?" Piper asked. Reyna shrugged and stared at the ground. Piper gently grabbed her shoulder. "Hey. We are going to figure this out. That's what friends are for. Come to Camp Half-Blood tomorrow, and we'll make a plan."

Reyna nodded and buried her face in her hand. Piper glanced at Nico, and she slowly sat on the hood next to Reyna. Nico sat by them as well. The three of them sat there in silence.

"Thank you," Reyna finally whispered. She laid back against the window of the car and stared up at the sky. Piper and Nico joined her. Reyna closed her eyes and seemed to slowly fall asleep. Nico studied his best friend in concern. He glanced over at Piper.

Piper was staring at Reyna with the same intensity that Reyna had been studying her with. Nico looked away and stared up at the stars. Piper spoke, "Reyna still loves Arria, doesn't she?"

"I think she does," Nico answered. Piper nodded, and for the smallest moment, she looked disappointed. Nico studied the Piper, but she focused on the stars as well. "It's a delicate situation, Piper."

"It is," Piper agreed, but it felt like they were talking about two different things. "We should probably get back to the set. Do you think the two of us can get Reyna inside the car?"

"Probably not," Nico replied. He sat up and slowly stood. Piper stood as well and gently placed a hand to Reyna's face. Reyna groaned and seemed to relax. "Piper."

"I know," Piper said. She lowered her hand and sighed. Piper gently grabbed Reyna's shoulder and shook it. Reyna groaned. "Sleepyhead, you need to wake up. We need to get back."

Reyna grumbled something and opened one eye. She slowly rolled off of the car, and Piper steadied her. Piper and Nico helped Reyna into the back of the car. Reyna slowly turned on her side and almost immediately fell asleep.

Piper slowly took her jacket off and bundled it up. She laid it under Reyna's head and then quietly closed the door. Piper sat in the driver's seat and started the car. Nico slowly sat in the passenger seat. He looked at his two friends and then back at the volcano. Nico spoke, "I know there is food at the set, but I could really go for a Happy Meal right now."