"Hang on Reyna. Just hang on," Nico said. He had one of Reyna's arms wrapped around his shoulders. Piper had her other one. Reyna was conscious, but she couldn't even walk properly. She was being held up by them. "We're going to get you help."
Nico glanced behind them. Two of Marcus' men were on the beach and watching them. They were almost at the docks. Nico stared at the ground. He already felt terrible about almost killing Reyna. How had he fallen under Circe's spell like that? She had twisted and manipulated Nico into thinking that Reyna had done something to Bianca.
Nico hadn't been in control of his actions, and he had almost killed Reyna. He didn't even have time to properly apologize before Circe appeared. Then, Marcus' men had surrounded them, and they had been forced to watch the duel.
When Reyna had turned early, Nico had almost smiled, but Marcus seemed to realize what was happening. Before Reyna could fully turn, Marcus moved impossibly fast to cross the distance between them and slam his gun into her face. From there, everything went downhill.
"Raining?" Reyna slurred. Her knees visibly struggled under her weight, and Nico barely kept her standing. Piper's face showed the effort of trying to keep the pirate on her feet.
"It's not raining," Piper whispered. She exchanged concerned looks with Nico. "You're bleeding pretty bad."
Reyna slurred something that was not in English. It was either a mixture of other languages or just pure nonsense. Nico spoke, "Just hold on. We're almost at the ship."
Nico glanced up and saw that Maurice was standing on the dock by the ship. He shouted out an order, and the gangplank was lowered. Maurice rushed to their side and spoke, "We saw fighting and explosions. What happened?"
"A man named Marcus took over the island. He almost killed Reyna," Piper answered. Maurice nodded and grabbed his cutlass. He led them onto the ship. Reyna's head was lolled forward, and some of her blood trickled onto the gangplank.
The side of Reyna's face was completely covered in blood. There was a deep gash in her temple along with a few other smaller gashes. Reyna muttered something in that odd mix of languages again. They made it onto the ship.
Nico saw a few of the pirates had made it above deck and were staring. Maurice knelt in front of Reyna and spoke, "Captain, can you hear me?"
"Hylla's here?" Reyna slowly asked. She blinked a few times and tried to lift her head. Reyna muttered something that was definitely nonsense.
"Hold on," Maurice whispered. He stood and turned towards the crew. "Get this ship moving and get us the hell out of here. Now!"
The pirates rushed to raise the anchor and unfurl the sails. Maurice watched for a moment and looked at them. He spoke, "There's no way she's going to be on her feet for much longer. Lay her down for now. One of you, get the doctors."
"I'll go," Piper said. Nico nodded, and the two helped Reyna lay down. Nico took off his jacket and carefully placed it under Reyna's head. Piper turned and ran down the stairs. After a few moments, someone appeared over them.
"What happened?" Arke asked. The goddess looked down at them. Then, her eyes moved towards the island. Something like pure rage appeared in her eyes. "Did Circe do this?"
"No. Some mercenary," Nico answered. Arke knelt a few feet away from them and studied Reyna. Nico glanced up at her, but the two doctors appeared at Reyna's side. Nico stood and reluctantly stepped away. Maurice appeared next to him.
"We need to message Hylla and tell her what happened. She'll name an acting captain until we get back to the base," Maurice said. He crossed his arms and looked down at Reyna. A small frown came to his face. "Come on. Let's send that message."
Nico reluctantly nodded and followed Maurice below deck. Jason and Piper joined their side. Maurice walked towards Reyna's office and gently pushed open the door. He grabbed a coin from his pocket and tossed it towards the fountain.
"Oh Iris goddess of rainbows, show me Captain Hylla Ramirez-Arellano at the Base of Bellum," Maurice said. The mist from the fountain slowly formed an image of Hylla. The pirate captain was sitting at a table and staring down at a few cards. Isabella and a few other pirates were holding onto cards. Chips were on the table, and it looked like they were in the middle of a game of poker.
"Call," Hylla said. She pushed a few chips forward and then seemed to notice the message. Hylla looked up, and a frown came to her face. "What happened?"
"Captain, there's been a complication," Maurice said. Hylla glanced around and made a motion with her head. The other pirates quickly left the room, and upon exchanging looks, Isabella left the room as well.
"Explain," Hylla ordered. Her eyes narrowed as she took the time to study each of them. "Where is Reyna?"
"The doctors are tending to her," Maurice answered. He turned towards Nico and Piper and motioned for them to speak. After a few moments, Piper stepped forward and explained what had happened with her and Reyna. Nico listened quietly and stared at the ground.
When Piper was done, Nico was forced to share his part of the story. He still felt terrible about attacking Reyna. Charmspeak or not, he couldn't get rid of the guilt in his chest. Hylla listened to their stories silently, and when they were done, she just studied the message.
Hylla sighed and laid her head back. She remained quiet for a minute before looking off to the side. Hylla spoke, "How's Reyna?"
"The doctors haven't told us yet," Maurice began. Hylla nodded and studied them. She closed her eyes.
"Maurice, can I speak to you alone?" Hylla asked. Maurice nodded. Nico stepped back towards the door. Piper did as well and then stepped out of the room. Nico followed behind her but came to a sudden stop. He stayed by the door.
"Nico," Piper began. Nico looked at her and placed a finger to his mouth. Piper didn't look too happy about it, but she leaned on the wall next to Nico. The son of Hades held his breath as he listened in on the conversation.
"Have the demigods done anything odd?" Hylla asked. Her voice was quiet like she didn't want to be overheard.
"No. They have been perfect guests," Maurice answered. "Captain, are you worried about them?"
"Are we sure that Marcus was the one who hurt Reyna? I know the two worked together," Hylla said. Nico glanced back at Piper. She looked just as confused as him. "Are we sure it wasn't one of the demigods?"
"Captain, it wasn't," Maurice said. "Those demigods wouldn't harm any of us. What makes you think they will?"
"When the Mistveil attacked us, Kendall said that Nico was the last one to appear on the deck. He can also manipulate shadows. Maybe even fire a cannon," Hylla said.
"Permission to speak freely captain?" Maurice asked. It was silent for a few moments, which Nico hoped was Hylla giving permission. Nico would wonder why Hylla thought that they hurt Reyna, but her last sentence made it pretty clear. Kendall was so deep in her illusion that Nico had a crush on Reyna that she was making things up. He was going to have a talk with the pirate.
"Kendall doesn't know her head from her ass most of the time," Maurice said. "She has hindered us more than she has helped us, and her desire to sleep with Reyna is the reason that she blames Nico for what happened. If I can offer one more opinion, you should withdraw her name as a quartermaster."
"You really don't like Kendall," Hylla commented. "But, I do value your opinion. Please just keep an eye on them. When you have an update on Reyna, message me back."
Nico felt Piper grab him and lead him away. He didn't fight, and the two walked towards their cabin. Piper looked just as guilty as Nico felt. She spoke softly, "Let's keep an eye on Kendall."
"I'm pretty sure she might try to murder me," Nico muttered. Piper looked at him but nodded her agreement. Nico stopped walking. "That was a joke."
"For you maybe," Piper said. Nico stared at her, and a small smile came to Piper's face. Nico shook his head and followed after her. "I've seen the way that she has been eyeing you."
"Then don't let her stab me," Nico said. They stepped into the room and found Jason was already laying on the bed. Nico walked towards his bed and laid down. He sighed and wrapped his jacket around himself.
"You okay Nico?" Jason asked. Nico didn't answer. He still felt terrible about what he did, and he also didn't like that Kendall was trying to frame him. This entire quest felt like a mistake. He didn't even like Leo that much anyway.
"Just tired," Nico answered. He buried his face in the pillow. He heard the sounds of footsteps a few moments later, and he was alone. Nico sighed and stared down at the pillow. Then, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
