For the first time in twenty-four hours, Piper was able to go five seconds without having to look over her shoulder for any threats. They had shadow traveled to safety, and even though Nico passed out, he would make a full recovery. He just needed a lot of rest. They all needed sleep, but Piper was too wired to close her eyes.
Shadow travel took them to an island in the Caribbeans, and with a lot of charmspeak and manipulation of the Mist, they were able to catch a flight back to America. From there, they used a car to make it back to the pirate's base.
For the entire time, Piper expected them to be attacked by a monster or even a member of the Mistveil pirates. Speaking of pirates, she was worried about Reyna and Hylla. They weren't in a good situation, and while Piper was sure they would prevail, she wondered what kind of losses they would take.
Piper slowly looked around the meeting room. She was sitting right next to Jason, and he seemed to be falling asleep. Arke stood across from them and was talking to one of the pirate captains. They seemed enthralled by Arke and didn't seem to think that she was some kind of crazy goddess.
The other captains of Hylla's fleet were supposed to be gathering for a meeting. They wanted the demigods to tell them what happened. The door near them opened, and a man that Piper recognized as Gillsworth stepped into the room. He put out his pipe and sat down.
Isabella and Hill walked in a moment later. There was a very serious look on both of their faces. Isabella walked towards the table and leaned on it. She spoke, "Filinore."
The woman talking to Arke nodded and stepped away. She sat at the table. Arke leaned on the table and studied all of them. Piper spoke, "How is Nico?"
"Still asleep," Isabella answered. She turned on them. "What happened?"
"We were on the way to Calypso's island, and everything was normal. Then, there was this mist, and we were ambushed. The Mistveil attacked, and Reyna ordered us to leave. That's all we know," Piper answered.
"We weren't going to leave, but we had no other choice," Jason began. Isabella looked down.
"Messages aren't going through," Isabella said. "It doesn't matter how many damn coins I throw. Hell, I even tried our emergency cell phone. What the hell is going on?"
The door behind them slammed open, and Piper whirled around. She stared at Nico. He was leaning against the door and seemed like he was about to pass out on his feet. Piper stood and spoke, "You need to rest."
"They're dead," Nico said. Piper froze and stared at Nico. The son of Hades stumbled forward and fell to his knees. "Reyna and Hylla, I felt them die."
"What the fuck is he talking about?" Isabella demanded. Jason stood and rushed towards Nico's side. He pulled Nico to his feet and sat him in a chair. Piper quickly stood and moved to their side. Isabella grabbed her arm. "What the fuck does he mean they are dead?"
"I sensed it," Nico wheezed. He looked up. "I can sense death, and when I woke, I knew they were dead."
"You're lying," Isabella said. She stumbled backward into the wall. "They can't be dead."
"I'm sorry," Nico began.
"You're full of shit, kid. There is no way that Hylla or Reyna are dead," Hill said. He shook his head and leaned back. "They cannot be dead. No one can kill those two."
Piper slowly looked at the captains. Isabella had slowly slid down the wall and into a sitting position. Her gaze made it seem like her mind was a million miles away. Hill had a look of anger on his face like he couldn't believe that they would even dare insinuate that Hylla and Reyna could be defeated.
Gillsworth sat forward and stared at the table. He seemed to be lost in thought. Filinore was the only one with no reaction. She studied Piper and seemed to be waiting. Jason spoke, "Nico isn't lying. He can sense things like this."
"We won't know until we see for ourselves," Filinore said. She stood. "Let's prepare a ship and move out."
"What about the goddess? Can't she use magic or whatever to take us there?" Hill questioned. Arke looked at them, and a dark look came to her face. She shook her head.
"My wings won't let me," Arke muttered. Hill raised his eyebrow and then shook his head. He stood and started to pace.
"We need the fastest ship to get there quickly," Gillsworth decided. "My crew has always been the fastest."
"And the drunkest. It's not happening," Isabella said. She slowly stood, using the wall for support.
"You don't even have a quartermaster. I should be going," Hill argued. Piper looked at all of the pirate captains. She knew the arguing wasn't going to get them anywhere. What could she say at this time though? When Percy and Annabeth were missing, Piper had gone to hell to get them back, and she would do it again.
"Nico, when did you sense their life leave. How long ago was it?" Jason questioned. Nico looked down and seemed to think about it.
"I don't know. When I woke up, I could just sense that they're dead. Hylla's life is gone, but Reyna's is flickering," Nico explained.
"Flickering?" Isabella questioned. She moved towards them. "Does that mean Reyna is still alive?"
"It means she's seconds from dying," Nico answered. Isabella shook her head and turned away. "I'm sorry."
"Don't tell me you're sorry," Isabelle snapped. She turned back around. "You can't tell me their dead. You're lying."
"I'm not," Nico insisted. "Reyna was my friend. Why would I want her to be dead?"
"If they're dead, why don't we just go to the island? That is what you want from me, isn't it?" Arke questioned. Piper stared at the goddess. For someone who acted like they cared about Reyna, she wanted to give up so quickly.
"We can't just go to the island. We can't leave the pirates behind, and we don't have the rod," Nico said. Arke smirked.
"Are we rescuing your friends or destroying the island?" Arke questioned. "The rod is only used to destroy the island. Magic can control it. The same magic as your shadow travel. We don't need the rod to make it to the island."
"What do you mean magic can control the island?" Filinore questioned. She placed all of her attention on Arke. "What can you do if you control the island?"
"Go anywhere on the seven seas. Very useful for a pirate," Arke commented. Piper exchanged looks with Jason. They didn't want to tell the pirates about the power of the island. There was no telling what Reyna and Hylla would do with it. Well, would have done with it.
"Anywhere on the seven seas," Isabella repeated. She looked down and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. We're not doing anything until we find Hylla and Reyna. I'm not going without them."
"We can't just abandon our friend," Jason said. He looked at them. "And the Mistveil might have the rod. If they find the island before us, they will kill Leo, and who knows what they will do with the power to control the island? We have to go."
"Who do you think you are to tell us what to do?" Hill snapped, and the hint of an accent slipped out. He turned on them. "It's our captain and quartermaster who could be dead. Your friend ain't nothing compared to them!"
"I agree that you should look for Reyna and Hylla, but you were just arguing about who should go," Piper began. "Why can't one of you take us to the island?"
"Maybe we should keep them for a ransom," Gillsworth muttered. Piper backed away and went to grab her weapon. Jason stepped in front of Nico.
"What if Reyna wanted you to take us to the island?" Nico questioned. Everyone froze and looked at him. Nico reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace. The necklace had a skull on it, and a small torch crossed with a sword rested below the skull. "I'm turning this in for a trip to the island, for you to fulfill your end of the bargain.
Isabella studied them for a few moments, and a dangerous look came to her face. She slowly spoke, "Gillsworth, get your crew out and trace the path that the captain's ship was taking. The plans are in her office. Find them and bring them back. Hill, get your crew on guard duty. Filinore, have your men patrol our base and the outskirts. Lay some traps for any unwanted guests. I don't want the Mistveil getting near us."
Isabella stood and looked at the demigods. Then, she looked back at the captains and spoke, "And, I'm going to need to borrow a quartermaster. We set sail for Calypso's island in two hours."
