"How do you know Circe? You didn't seem too happy at the mention of her name," Nico questioned. He glanced down at his plate of food. Reyna was sitting across from him and already on her second filling. Her nightmare from earlier seemed to no longer bother her, but it did bother Nico. Demigod dreams and nightmares were never normal. There was always some kind of hidden meaning to them.
"Hylla and I left our house when we were young, and we ended up at Circe's island. She had attendants there that ran her stupid little spa. The witch also hated men, and any man that stumbled onto the island was turned into a guinea pig," Reyna answered.
A frown came to Nico's face. He remembered a story that Percy and Annabeth told him about Circe's island. They had stumbled upon it, and they also accidentally released pirates onto the island. Nico spoke, "What happened after you left the island?"
"We didn't really leave as much as get dragged off. These demigod assholes, Percy and Annabeth, released the pirates. You know the two, right?" Reyna asked. Nico's eyes widened in surprise, and Reyna smirked. "It's in the past though."
Nico nodded and studied Reyna. Now, he felt a little weary about going to Circe's old resort. Would the witch still want revenge for what had happened? Was that the entire reason they were going to the island? But, he could trust Reyna though. She wouldn't betray them.
"Tell me about Camp Half-Blood," Reyna said. She studied Nico. "What do you do there?"
"We train to fight monsters and protect others," Nico said with a shrug. Reyna studied Nico further with even more interest. "Most of us go there in the summer, but some people live there year-round."
"So, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter were going to war, but we stopped it by delivering that statue. Right?" Reyna asked.
"Yeah. The Greeks and Romans didn't know about each other until Jason and Percy were swapped and sent to each others' camp. Percy went to Camp Jupiter, and Jason came to us," Nico explained. "We, well not me, fired on Camp Jupiter by accident. It was Leo: the mechanic kid if you've met him. It created a divide, and the best way to fix it was for Gwen to deliver the statue."
"And, I got to share my strength," Reyna said with a smirk. She sighed and pushed her plate away. "How do you join?"
"Join?" Nico asked. Reyna nodded. "For Camp Half-Blood, you just kind of walk in. Camp Jupiter involves having to go to the wolf house and proving yourself. Were you thinking about joining?"
"Just curious," Reyna answered, but she didn't meet Nico's eyes. Instead, she looked away and stared at the wall. Nico saw two people walking towards them. He looked at Piper and Jason.
"Can we sit?" Piper asked. Reyna made a motion to the seat with her hand. Piper and Jason sat by Nico. He tried to hide his frown. Nico was enjoying the time that he spent alone with Reyna, and he didn't want anyone to interrupt them. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better,'" Reyna said with a shrug. Piper was watching her in concern. Nico studied the bruises and small cuts on Reyna's face. "Seriously, don't feel bad about what happened. I told you to leave me."
"I still feel terrible," Piper admitted. Reyna shrugged again and focused on her water. "How is Hylla doing?"
"I stopped by to check on her, but she was asleep. The doctors told me that she's on bed rest for awhile," Reyna answered. She shrugged. "I'm sure she wants to go to Circe's as soon as possible, so she'll pull Isabella to be the acting captain."
"Aren't you the second in command?" Jason asked. Reyna looked down and didn't answer. "Oh. Well, how long will it take to get to Circe's island?"
"A few days," Reyna answered. She shifted and winced in pain. "After her island was destroyed, she took up residence near Bora Bora. Last time, she was trying to take the island itself, so I'm sure she did."
Reyna shifted again and placed a hand to her stomach. A soft curse left her. Piper spoke, "Has a doctor checked you out since you've woken up?"
"I'm fine," Reyna muttered. She leaned forward and rested her head on the table. Piper exchanged looks with Jason. "You two should probably get some rest tonight. We'll have a busy day of prep tomorrow."
"Nico, talk to her," Piper whispered. Nico glanced at her. "She'll listen to you about going to the doctor."
"It's not my place," Nico whispered back. If Reyna heard them, she gave no indication. Jason gave Nico a look. "Fine."
"The two of us will get some rest," Jason said. He stood, and Piper did as well. "Get some as well, Nico. I'm glad you're feeling better, Reyna."
Reyna just nodded and gave a half wave. As the two demigods walked away, Nico focused on Reyna. Nico spoke, "Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor? You've been through a lot this week. It would be a good idea for them to check on you."
"I'm fine, Nico. I don't need advice," Reyna said tensely. She stood and instantly placed a hand to her stomach. A soft curse left her again. Nico looked down but didn't say a word. Reyna gritted her teeth and grabbed their plates. She walked away.
Nico stood from the table, but he felt someone grab his shoulder. He turned to look at Kendall. The pirate studied him up and down with a scowl on her face. Kendall really didn't like him, and Nico had a feeling on why. For some reason, Kendall thought that Nico wanted to be with Reyna, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.
"Reyna is not interested in you," Kendall hissed. Did she know that she was stating the obvious? For one, Nico was gay. Two, he didn't even know Reyna well enough to even begin to develop feelings. Three, he was gay. If he told Kendall that, would she understand?
"Kendall, I am not interested in her that way," Nico said. He tried to continue, but Kendall laughed.
"I see everything that you're doing," Kendall snapped. She leaned in close. "I am not fooled. Back off of Reyna. She is mine."
"Kendall, I don't want to date Reyna!" Nico snapped back. He felt his frustration boiling over. Why was Kendall so insistent on being jealous? Why was she creating this rivalry with Nico? "We're just friends."
"She wouldn't want to date a freak like you anyway," Kendall muttered, and she took a few steps backwards. Nico clenched his fist and stepped forward. A smile came to Kendall's face, and she looked past Nico. "Hey. You're out of bed."
"I am," Reyna muttered. Nico glanced back at her. Kendall pushed past him and examined Reyna. "What did you want?"
"To check on you," Kendall answered. "We were all worried sick when Hylla arrived on the back of your Pegasus. Everyone was all worried, and then, Isabella came in carrying you. There was so much blood covering you."
"I've been through worse," Reyna said. She looked at Nico and made a motion with her head. Reyna tried to walk away, but Kendall grabbed her arm.
"You should be resting," Kendall began. Reyna shook her head and tried to pull away, but Kendall didn't let her. "You're hurt badly."
"I'm fine," Reyna snapped. She turned on Kendall. "Just let go of me."
"I'm just worried," Kendall began.
"Don't be," Reyna said, raising her voice. Nico saw other pirates were starting to look at them. "You're always worried about me. You're always clinging to me. Just leave me the fuck alone for once."
Kendall stared at Reyna in shock. She looked down and quickly placed her hand to her eyes. Kendall turned and stormed away. All of the pirates in the cafeteria were now watching them. Reyna scowled and pushed past Nico. She walked out of the cafeteria, leaving Nico alone.
A soft sigh left Nico, and he looked at the ground. After a few moments of debate, he turned and walked to the room that he shared with Piper and Jason. The last thing he wanted was to be involved in the drama of the pirates, but Kendall kept dragging him back into it.
As Nico made it to the room, he saw Isabella was pacing around outside. A frown came to his face, and he stopped walking. Nico spoke, "Is something wrong?"
Isabella looked up at him and spoke, "Reyna's not in her room."
"She was at the cafeteria with me, and she got mad at Kendall," Nico answered. "I'm not sure where she went."
Isabella nodded and crossed her arms. She spoke, "Just make sure she gets some rest, okay? She's hurt pretty badly, but she also listens to you."
"I don't have feelings for her," Nico said quickly. He really didn't need anyone else to get the wrong idea or for any rumors to spread. "I really don't."
"Kendall bothering you about that?" Isabella asked. Nico nodded. "Everyone can see that she has feelings for Reyna, but she's too immature to act on them. Reyna's too thick-headed to see, or she just doesn't know how to process those feelings. But, I'll talk to Kendall. If she keeps bothering you, let me know. I'll have another talk with her."
"Thank you," Nico began. Isabella waved him off and started to walk away. "When are we going to Circe's island?"
"Soon," Isabella answered. "Hylla's still sleeping, but the captains will all be at our monthly meeting in about another hour. Circe's island will be number one on the docket."
"Hylla will still be in bed, right?" Nico asked. Isabella nodded and continued to walk. "How are you going to plan it then?"
"Leave it to me," Isabella called as she turned a corner. A soft sigh left Nico. All he could do now was go back to the room he shared with Piper and Jason and hope for two things. One, they actually did head to Circe's island soon. Two, Kendall doesn't murder him in his sleep.