"I'm going to talk to Circe alone. Just stand here and look for anyone that seems like a mole," Reyna said. She couldn't exactly meet Piper's eyes, so she just focused on looking at her mouth, her beautiful mouth. Reyna clenched her fists and tried to focus.
Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? She had a job to focus on, and flirting with women, well anyone, wasn't her thing. That was something that Hylla excelled at. Reyna just focused on the job, got paid, and went back to her ship. Why was she slipping now?
An annoyed sigh left Reyna, and she walked away from Piper. An attendant tried to stop her, but she brushed past them and made it into Circe's office. Circe was sitting at her desk and had a smug smile on her face. The same women from before were with her.
"We need to talk," Reyna said. Circe slowly looked up at her. "Alone."
"You barge into my office and demand that we speak alone?" Circe questioned angrily. She studied Reyna up and down. "I see no blood on you or a head in your hands. What gives you the right?"
"Circe, this is important," Reyna said. Circe studied her for a few moments. Then, she finally raised her hand and clenched it. The women left, closing the door behind them. Reyna waited a few moments and walked towards the desk. She leaned on it. "You have a mole."
"A mole," Circe repeated. She raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean? What proof do you have?"
"Do you remember Marcus? He's one of your former slaves," Reyna said. Circe didn't answer. Her expression didn't change. Reyna gritted her teeth. "His group is the one that has been harassing you, and when I confronted him, he knew that I tried to make you swear on the River Styx. He knew about Arke's wings. No one that we know would have told him unless you did."
Circe placed both hands to her desk and stood. She walked around the desk and stopped in front of Reyna, looking down at her. Circe spoke, "You walk into my office and accuse me of spilling the details of our deal. What gives you the right?"
"I'm just trying to save your stupid island," Reyna sneered. Circe scowled. "You can try helping me."
"Do you know why you'll never be a captain?" Circe asked. Reyna glared and balled her fists. "You are too temperamental and headstrong. Your pride is almost as bad as Hylla's, but she knows how to swallow it when she needs to. You don't. For you, it is your way or nothing at all. You don't know how to make a deal without having an advantage."
Reyna remained silent. She knew that Circe was just trying to get into her head, and it would be too easy to let the witch do that. Instead, she crossed her arms and looked away. Circe grabbed her jaw and forced her to make eye contact.
"I tell the truth, and you just pout like a child. I told Hylla that she should just send you to Camp Jupiter. They would have taught you how to control your emotions and be responsible," Circe muttered. Reyna pulled away, and her eyes widened.
"You talked to Hylla about Camp Jupiter?" Reyna asked. Circe smiled.
"Did she not tell you?" Circe questioned. Reyna glared. Hylla knew about Camp Jupiter before they were taken from the island. Why didn't she tell Reyna about it? Why did she seem surprised when Reyna brought it up? Reyna looked up at Circe, and the witch's smile widened. A glint shined in her wicked eyes.
"You're lying," Reyna whispered. She stepped away and glared. "You're trying to get me mad at Hylla. You want me to turn on my sister."
"It seems you have become wiser as you grew up, if only slightly," Circe commented. She stepped away. Reyna glared and heard the door behind her slam open. She quickly turned to see a woman stumble into the room.
"Circe, this place is amazing!" Arke exclaimed. Reyna wouldn't have recognized the goddess if she didn't hear her voice. Arke was wearing a white gown that was completely clean. Her hair was no longer matted and didn't look like a rat's nest. It was braided on top of her head. Most important, her wings were on her back. "Reyna! Have you met my friend Circe?"
"You reattached her wings," Reyna began. She felt Circe grab her arm. Circe's palm was burning hot, and she had a tight grip on Reyna's arm. Reyna tensed as she realized what was happening. An attempt to pull away was met with Circe's palm getting dangerously hotter.
"I did," Circe said. Reyna slowly looked at the witch. She knew that Circe could create fire in her hand, and if Reyna made the wrong move, that was exactly what she was going to do. "Arke is an old friend, and I would do anything for her. Now, you still have a task to complete for me, don't you?"
"Don't you love this place?" Arke questioned, and she focused on Reyna. It took a moment for Reyna to force a nod. "What is Circe having you do?"
The palm got a little hotter, and Reyna tried not to flinch. She spoke, "Just checking on the security of the island. Out of curiosity, why aren't you still on the ship?"
"My wings told me to come here," Arke said. She reached a hand behind herself and stroked the wings. Circe muttered under her breath, and Reyna almost yelled as she felt a small flame appear in Circe's hand. It started to burn into her skin, and she tensed. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Reyna answered tensely. "Just the stomach wound acting up."
The fire disappeared, and Reyna almost let out a sigh of relief. Arke smiled at her and spoke, "Circe said she was giving Nico and Jason a tour. I'll see those two after. We can all have dinner together! I don't eat mortal food, but I have been eyeing some of those fish. You just grab and eat, right?"
"Wait. Nico and Jason are here? Why didn't you say that earlier?" Reyna asked. She glanced at Circe. All Circe did was smile, but that smile was cold and void.
"I'm sure Circe will show you," Arke said with a wave of her hand.
"I will," Circe promised. "Reyna and I need to finish up some business."
"Don't let me stop you," Arke said. She walked towards Circe's chair and sat in it. Arke started to spin around.
"Of course," Circe said. She looked at Reyna. "Marcus will be handled, and you'll have your payment."
"Who's Marcus?" Arke asked as she spun around faster than the chair could handle. It collapsed a few moments later, and Arke laughed. "Can I do that again?"
"We'll have to get you another chair," Circe said. She tightened her grip on Reyna's arm. Reyna glared and tried to pull away but couldn't. "I'm sure an attendant could find you one."
"Probably," Arke answered. She did not move and just sat in the wreckage of the chair. Reyna finally managed to pull away from Circe, and she studied the burn on her arm. She quickly covered it with her other hand. Circe moved towards Arke. "I'm not intruding, am I, old friend?"
"Of course not," Circe said through gritted teeth. "Just some complications with an old client. It's nothing you should worry about."
"Never said I would," Arke commented. She looked a little more, well, sane now that she had her wings, and Circe almost seemed wary of her. Reyna backed up another foot and cradled her injured arm. Arke looked at her. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Circe said quickly.
"It's not nothing," Reyna muttered. Circe gave her a scathing look. "A couple of Marcus' thugs got the jump on me and tried to question me about Circe. They didn't get the answers they wanted."
"I was just taking Reyna to the infirmary," Circe said, and she gave Reyna a side look.
"After you tell me everything you know about the island. I have to get that information back to Hylla as soon as possible. That was our deal," Reyna said. The look of fury that Circe gave her almost brought a grin to her face.
"Like magic and the island?" Arke asked. She stood and moved towards Reyna. It took all of Reyna's willpower not to flinch as Arke grabbed her arm and examined the wound. "Looks pretty bad. I would heal it, but I can't."
"What do you mean magic and the island?" Reyna questioned. She didn't even try to pull away. Arke looked at Circe and motioned for her to explain.
"Why do you even want to find the island?" Circe asked. Her mask slipped for just a second, and she looked confused. "Only magic can control it if you have the key to channel it. You can't master that magic."
"The son of Hades can," Arke said. She placed a hand to the burn on Reyna's arm, and Reyna hissed in pain. "Does that hurt?"
"Yes," Reyna snapped. She tried to pull her arm away but couldn't. Arke had a tight grip. "What do you mean by magic controlling the island. And the key?"
"The island can go anywhere in the seven seas as long as a user of magic has the key and can control it," Arke said with a simple wave of her hand. Reyna stared at both of them and then looked at the ground. With the island, she could control the seas. What was the key though?
Reyna turned and thought back to Camp Half-Blood. Chiron gave them a rod and told them it would have to be inserted to destroy the island, but could it do more than just that? What other secrets did the island have? And, did the Mistveil know about it? Was that part of the reason why they were hunting Reyna and Hylla?
This left Reyna with a lot more questions, but she needed to focus. Before she could speak, Circe grabbed her arm. She spoke, "Let us go. We still have business to talk about. I will be right back, Arke."
"Have fun," Arke called. Reyna tried to protest, but Circe moved her hand down to grip the burn. The witch dragged Reyna out of the room. After closing the door, she slammed Reyna into the wall.
"You're scared," Reyna noted. She hissed in pain. "Arke scares you. Why?"
"Arke is very powerful and very unpredictable. We worked together after her wings were torn off, and I saw flashes of brilliance. I heard the stories about her when she still had her wings. Now, I don't know how she is going to react," Circe muttered.
"You don't know if she'll side with me or you," Reyna realized. "If she
sides with me and learns that you are threatening me, she won't be happy. I can't wait to tell her."
A shock ran through Reyna's body, and she almost yelled in pain. Circe covered Reyna's mouth with one hand, and fire appeared in her other hand. Circe spoke, "You're not going to say a word. I'm going to burn your tongue out first."
"Marcus is going to attack your island," Reyna said into Circe's hand. Circe lowered her hand, and her eyes narrowed. "He wanted Piper and me to help him. And, he's going to be here in a few hours. If you're out of the picture, he won't have a problem taking the island.
"Are you threatening me?" Circe demanded. She brought the fire closer to Reyna's face.
"I know how to stop him," Reyna hissed. Circe glared at her but slowly lowered her hand. "I'll tell you how, after you free my friends from your charmspeak."
"Fine," Circe said after a few moments. She pulled away but grabbed Reyna by her shirt. Circe dragged Reyna down the hall. They stepped into another room that almost looked like a cell. Nico was hunched over in his chair and looked exhausted. "Boy."
Nico slowly looked up. There was a cloudy look in his eyes. Circe grabbed Reyna and then slammed her right into the desk. Reyna gasped in pain as her stomach hit the corner. She collapsed to the ground and wrapped both arms around her stomach.
"Kill her," Circe ordered. Reyna tried to protest, but she was too busy making noises of pain. Circe moved towards the door and looked at her. Reyna watched Nico unsheathe his sword. The cloudy look was still in his eyes. The door closed behind them, and Nico lunged forward.
