"How do you feel?" Scipio asked. Reyna blinked a few times and slowly looked up at the Roman. He knelt in front of her and held a lantern near her eyes. Reyna recoiled and tried to look away. "Do not move. Just stay right there."
"It hurts," Reyna began. She blinked a few times and stared down at the ground. "Everything has stopped spinning, as long as I don't move. I still feel sick."
"Try to relax," Scipio said. He handed her a canteen. Reyna took a small sip. The water didn't do much to help, but she was grateful for the gesture. Scipio took the canteen from her and gently poured it on her face. Reyna winced and felt two fingers touch her nose.
"I'm fine," Reyna said. She tried to recoil, but Scipio didn't let her. He studied her and then popped her nose back into place. Reyna hissed and felt fresh blood trickle from her nose. Scipio quickly wiped her nose and held part of Reyna's shirt to her face.
"Do you have any siblings?" Scipio asked quietly. Reyna slowly met his eyes.
"I have an older sister," Reyna said softly. "She's the queen of the Amazons. What about you?"
"I had a brother," Scipio said. His eyes grew distant, and he stared at the ground. Reyna met his eyes. She tried to wrack her brain for a name, but her mind still felt like it had been left in the room with that woman. "But, we had a disagreement."
"About what?" Reyna slowly asked. She placed a hand to her face and winced as fresh pain shot through her. Scipio looked at her and sighed softly. It was hard to read the look on his face or in his eyes. "Scipio?"
"We should get going," Scipio said. He stood. Reyna stared at him, and he started to walk away. It took a moment for Reyna to make it to her feet. She kept her shirt pressed against her nose, and they slowly left the Roman base. Reyna wasn't quite sure when they had found their way back there. They kind of just appeared there.
Reyna was eighty percent sure that Scipio had quite literally dragged her back to the base. A soft sigh left Reyna, and she stared at the ground. Upon making it to Scipio's horse, the Roman looked at her. He mounted his horse and then offered a hand.
Reyna took Scipio's hand and was pulled onto the horse. The movement caused her head to hurt even worse, and she almost threw up. She placed a hand to the back of her mouth and tried to swallow her vomit back down.
"Are you okay?" Scipio asked. Reyna forced herself to nod. Scipio looked back at her in concern. Reyna just closed her eyes and tried to keep the world from spinning. "Reyna?"
"Fine," Reyna muttered. She placed her hand back to her mouth. "Everything is just spinning."
"Try to relax," Scipio said softly. "This is almost over. We must focus on the task ahead of us."
"How are we going to find the Butcher?" Reyna asked. She tried to keep herself sitting up straight, but she ended up resting her head on Scipio's back. His cold armor made her feel a little better.
"Leave it to me," Scipio replied. Reyna tried to nod, but she was too tired to. A soft sigh left her, and her eyes drifted close. "Try to stay awake. Tell me of the demigods of your time. How powerful are they?"
"Depends on the parent," Reyna said softly. "A friend, Percy, can control the sea. Another, Jason, can use lightning and even fly a little. More like float."
Scipio made a noise of amusement. He spoke, "Demigods in my time are armies of their own. They can destroy mere men without breaking a sweat. Those of us that are closer to the gods have greater powers."
"Closer to the gods how?" Reyna questioned. She wanted to open her eyes, but she was completely exhausted. Scipio reached back and grabbed her arm to steady her.
"It is hard to explain," Scipio said. A soft sigh left him. "Just try to relax please. I need you to save your strength to bring the book across the barrier."
"How?" Reyna slowly asked. She sighed painfully and closed her eyes tightly. Her hand gripped the saddle of the horse, and she felt even sicker. The world was spinning once again, and she almost fell off of the horse.
"Do I need to stop?" Scipio asked. The concern was clear in his voice. Reyna shook her head weakly. "Do you have medicine on you?"
"No," Reyna replied. Most of her supplies had been lost between the Roman base being attacked and everything that had happened to her. She sighed and tried to lift her head, but she couldn't. A groan of pain left her.
"Relax," Scipio whispered. "All we need to do is get the book and bring it back to the barrier. We are so close. I just need you to stay with me."
"I know," Reyna said. She felt herself slipping away and into unconsciousness. "How do we get through the barrier?"
"I believe that someone who entered from the outside must take the book through," Scipio said. "Hopefully, that will collapse the barrier, and we will be free from this nightmare. I will be free. Finally."
"You'll be free soon," Reyna promised. She closed her eyes and relaxed against Scipio. When she opened her eyes again, she was laying on the ground. There was a bedroll beneath her. Reyna lifted her head and groaned in pain. Then, she rested her head back against the ground.
How long had she been asleep for? Her head felt better, but it still ached. She tried to sit up and was grateful to find that most of the spinning had stopped. Reyna's eyes moved around. Scipio had his back to her and was leaning against a tree.
Reyna slowly made it to her feet and walked forward. A soft sigh left her. Why had Thalia decided to use her face as a punching bag? Why did she want Reyna to take a dive? Was the woman who made the Sibylline Books actually there?
There was so many questions, and Reyna didn't have the answer to any of them. She also didn't have the brainpower to sort through any of it. All she could do was focus on what was ahead of her. Reyna made it to Scipio's side.
In front of them was a cave. Two men stood in front of it. They both held onto spears and shields. They also seemed to have on some kind of armor. Reyna spoke softly, "How did you find this place?"
"We got our answers from that man," Scipio answered. He looked at her. "What do you remember?"
"Thalia and I were fighting. You were fighting Hannibal. And, I don't remember anything after that. Well, you mentioned a brother. There was a horse somewhere," Reyna answered. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, and she tried to think.
"You took a hard hit to the head," Scipio said. He examined her. "I want the two of us to sneak in and out, hopefully with the book."
"Sneak in," Reyna repeated. She wasn't sure how stealthy she felt. Scipio stared at the cave. Then, a frown came to his face, and he made a small motion. Reyna followed his gesture, and she frowned as well. "Thalia?"
Thalia was hiding in the shadows. It didn't seem like she noticed them, but she was staring at the men bear the entrance of the cave. Hannibal appeared next to her. Scipio grabbed Reyna and gently pulled her back.
"It seems like they are going to storm the base," Scipio whispered. He knelt by the tree.
"What are we going to do?" Reyna asked quietly. Scipio studied the scene in front of him. He finally sighed and looked at her.
"The only thing that we need is the book," Scipio whispered. He studied her. "You are in no shape to do any fighting, and we will be outnumbered. The man said that this is where the Butcher's base was, and it seems that Hannibal knows as well. The two sides will fight, and we will sneak in. We will find the book and escape."
"What about Thalia?" Reyna asked. She rubbed her forehead and tried to keep herself focused. Scipio gripped her shoulder.
"After we have the book secure,d we will find her. Until then, she must stay in the dark," Scipio said. Reyna reluctantly nodded. "Come. We must move quickly."