"Are you sure that you're okay?" Annabeth asked. She looked at Hazel. After they had escaped from the wreck, they took a couple of moments to get their bearings. Then, they shadow traveled to Puerto Rico. Annabeth was trying to hold Hazel up, but the daughter of Pluto was almost limp.
"Yeah. Totally," Hazel mumbled, and she collapsed completely against Annabeth. A small curse left Annabeth, and she picked Hazel up over her shoulder. It took her a few moments to look around the streets of Puerto Rico.
Kids were playing soccer in the street, and none of them seemed to particularly care about the two demigods that were twenty feet from them. No cars drove by, although she did hear honking in the distance. Laughter rang out in all directions, and she could smell food being cooked.
Puerto Rico seemed like such a lively place, and a small part of Annabeth wondered how Reyna could have been born here. Reyna was so cold to the world and kept everything close to the chest. Here, everyone seemed happy, warm, and like they were all one big family.
Annabeth gently carried Hazel through and alley and towards an outside restaurant. She sat Hazel down and looked around. There was a fountain not far from them. Annabeth looked around and saw that no one else was near. She stood and reached into her pocket.
Annabeth walked towards the fountain and examined it. The sun was shining down and creating a fine mist. After looking around again, she grabbed the golden drachmae from her pocket and threw it towards the mist. Annabeth spoke, "Oh Iris, goddess of rainbows, show me Nico Di Angelo at Camp Half-Blood."
The mist shimmered, and an image of Nico formed. He was in the middle of trying to aim his bow. Will stood next to him and was giving him pointers. Nico didn't seem to be grasping it, but Annabeth knew that he was smiling on the inside.
"Hey Nico. Will,"Annabeth greeted. Nico jumped, and his arrow fired wildly. Nico winced.
"Sorry," Nico calmed. Will chuckled, and he was hit in the gut. Nico looked at Annabeth. "Hey. Where have you been?"
"On a quest," Annabeth answered. Nico frowned. "I sent a quick message to Chiron but asked him to not tell anyone. I need help now though."
"Who is on the quest with you?" Will asked. He leaned on Nico.
"Hazel and Reyna," Annabeth answered. Nico's eyes widened, and he stared at her. "We probably should have told you earlier. I'm sorry."
"How are they doing?" Nico asked. Annabeth didn't answer. Nico's glare's almost shot a hole through Annabeth. "Are they hurt?"
"It's not good," Annabeth admitted. Nico crossed his arms and gave her a look. "Hazel is safe. Just resting from shadow travel."
"What about Reyna? Can I talk to her?" Nico asked. Annabeth studied him for a moment. If she told him the truth, he would shadow travel to Puerto Rico, and she would have two unconscious demigods to deal with.
"We got split up," Annabeth answered. "I think she's at her house."
"Her house?" Nico asked. Annabeth nodded. "So, you're at Camp Jupiter?"
"Puerto Rico," Annabeth answered. Nico nodded slightly. "I know she is really close to you. Do you know where her house is?"
"Wait. You're in Puerto Rico. And, Reyna is at her house?" Nico asked. Annabeth nodded, but she knew her mistake. Nico's eyes narrowed. "I know a place near her house. I'll give you the address."
"Everything is fine," Annabeth promised. Nico remained silent as he watched her. Annabeth glanced down. She walked towards the counter of the restaurant and grabbed a napkin and spare pen. When she walked back to the fountain, Nico told her the address.
"Is everything okay? Honestly," Nico asked. Annabeth looked him in the eyes, but she couldn't lie to him and keep eye contact.
"Everything will be," Annabeth said. "We ran into some problems, but we can solve them. Please don't come rushing off by yourself. Promise me that."
"I won't," Nico promised after a few moments. Will grabbed his shoulder and rubbed it. "Just be safe."
"I'll do my best," Annabeth said. She ended the Iris message and sighed softly. Annabeth walked back towards Hazel, but she stopped halfway. Annabeth looked up at the sky.
"Mother," Annabeth said softly. "I know that Bellona committed horrible, unspeakable atrocities to you in your own temple. I know she desecrated you, but Hylla and Reyna had nothing to do with that. They don't deserve to suffer for their mother's mistakes. Please help us."
Annabeth didn't expect a response, so she wasn't surprised that her mother didn't even give her a sign that she had been heard. It didn't matter though. Annabeth had to try. She had to hope that her mother would give her some kind of help.
Annabeth walked towards Hazel's side. To her surprise, Hazel was sitting up and blinking. Her gaze focused on Annabeth, and she spoke, "How long was I out?"
"Not long," Annabeth replied. She offered a hand that Hazel took. "Are you sure you don't want to rest more?"
"We don't have much time," Hazel said. Annabeth helped Hazel to her feet, and the two started to walk. "Where are we going?"
"Nico gave me an address to a place near Reyna's house. Hopefully, we can find the house from there," Annabeth answered. She looked down at the address in her hands and started to walk.
It took them about a hour to find the restaurant. They had to stop and ask a few people, but most of them only spoke Spanish. It was an awkward bit of translation, but they managed to get pointed in the right direction enough times to actually figure out where they were going.
Now, Annabeth just had to figure out where Reyna and Hylla's house was. As she looked around at all of the buildings, she felt lost. Annabeth had no clue where to even begin. Then, she felt something brush against her leg.
Annabeth jumped and looked down at Aurum. The metallic dog looked up at her and then started to walk. Annabeth and Hazel exchanged looks, and they came to an agreement. The two followed after the dog. Aurum moved quickly through the streets.
None of them spoke as they walked. Annabeth was too focused on finding where they needed to go. Hazel seemed like she was lost in thought. Annabeth felt the hair on the back of her neck raise, and she quickly turned around. It felt like they were being followed. Annabeth forced her attention ahead and tried to focus.
They walked for a minutes. Annabeth couldn't shake that feeling of being watched, and Hazel had the same look on her face. Aurum growled and came to a sudden stop. He dropped his head in the direction of the nearest building and then slunk back towards the shadows.
Annabeth stared up at the large house, mansion really, in front of her. It was at least twenty feet tall and seemed to consume the street around it. It did not give off a good vibe. Annabeth hesitantly walked towards the house. Hazel walked up beside her and spoke, "Should we knock?"
"I don't know," Annabeth admitted, but she raised her hand. She knocked on the door. No one answered. After a few moments, Annabeth went to knock again. Instead, she grabbed the door handle and gently opened it. The door opened without a problem, and the two stepped inside.
Annabeth slowly looked around the large room they were in. She stared at the white walls and skylight that was above them. Furniture was spread about, but the place did not feel like a home. It felt cold and distant, like something terrible had happened at this place.
"I sense ghosts," Hazel said softly. She looked around. Annabeth still had the sense of being watched, but she didn't see anything. "I don't like this place."
"Neither do I," Annabeth whispered. There was a thin line of dust on the ground, as if someone hadn't been in the house in months. "Let's move quickly."
They searched room by room. The first they found was a completely void of furniture,, but there was writing on the walls. It was Spanish but looked like a long rant. It was painted on the wall in something that was red, and Annabeth was willing to bet it was blood.
The next room was a kitchen that looked like it hadn't been touched in years. The one after that seemed to be a reading room, but the books had been cleared away long ago. They found their way to a room that had a large bed in it. The dresser had nothing inside it.
It was as if someone had tried to remove any trace of ever living in this house. Annabeth and Hazel continued walking through the house, until they came to a room with a closed door. A glance at the ground showed dust beneath the door. Annabeth slowly pushed the door open.
Upon stepping into the room, Annabeth's jaw almost dropped. There wasn't much to it besides a mahogany desk. There was letters on the desk, but there was no pens. There was a quill and dried up ink next to it. A stack of letters were at the edge of the desk.
Annabeth slowly walked towards the letters and picked on up. It seemed to be some kind of journal. The world titled beneath her as she read the date. Hazel spoke, "What's wrong?"
"1598. That is when the letter is dated," Annabeth said. She looked down at the letter and tried to read it, but most of it was faded. She could see some lines about a battle or some kind of defense. Annabeth looked up. This room was different from the others, like Hylla and Reyna had been afraid of touching it.
"That's impossible," Hazel began. Annabeth tried to nod. Instead, she thought back to what Carmina had said about the attendants on Circe's island having immortality. How long had Hylla and Reyna really been on that island? When had they been born?
"Miss Richards did say that Reyna was the first child of Bellona to come to Camp Jupiter in a long time," Annabeth began. She studied the letter. Was that why Reyna seemed like she had seen more than most people did in their lifetimes?
"But five hundred years," Hazel whispered. Annabeth nodded and studied the papers in front of them. Most of them were faded, and they were all in Spanish. Annabeth struggled to make sense of it, but there was one word that she recognized: Bellona.
Hazel looked around the rest of the study. Annabeth tried to understand the letters, but she didn't have any luck. Hazel suddenly made it back to her side. She gently placed it on the desk, and Annabeth studied the drawing. It looked like some kind of crude map.
"Do you think this is where we need to go? Hazel asked quietly.
"I think it's the best shot that we have," Annabeth said. She cradled the drawing as she picked it up. "Let's see if someone can make sense of this. Then, we can rescue our friend."