"Come on buddy," Reyna whispered. She gripped the reins and tried to share more of her strength. They had been moving non-stop now, but she didn't know how long it had been. Reyna didn't get much sleep in that time frame. Most of it was spent sharing her strength with Scipio. It had drained both of them, and she didn't think they could keep it up for much longer.
"I'm sorry," Reyna whispered. She closed her eyes tightly and rested against the Pegasus. When she tried to fall asleep, she was plagued with nightmares of what happened to her sister. It made her sick to her stomach. Reyna had forced herself to eat and drink, but she struggled to keep it down. The image of Hylla's decapitated head came into her mind each time.
Scipio whined softly. Reyna forced herself to sit up. Then, she looked around. They were close to the base. Reyna spoke softly, "Please just hold out. Please."
Reyna closed her eyes again and shared the last of her strength. She slipped into unconsciousness and didn't wake until she heard shouting. Reyna groaned and blinked a few times. Someone had both hands to her face and was talking to her.
Reyna blinked again, and her eyes came into focus. Hill and Filinore were staring down at her. She stared back up at them. Hill stood and yelled, "Make some room. Get a doctor! Stop standing around."
"You're safe," Filinore whispered. Reyna shook her head and tried to sit up. Filinore forced her to lay back down. "Calm down. What happened?"
"The Mistveil attacked," Reyna said softly. Her voice sounded weak and broken to her. Hill knelt back down.
"Did you kick their asses?" Hill asked. His voice was full of hope but also worry. Reyna slowly looked at him. While she didn't say a word, tears filled her eyes. Hill looked away.
"Hylla. She...sh...she didn't. I tried," Reyna whispered. She placed both hands to her face, and bitter tears left her once again. Someone grabbed her and helped her into a sitting position. They rubbed her back. Reyna buried her face in Hill's chest and cried miserably.
Hill rubbed her back and whispered calming words to her. Reyna didn't hear the words. She just focused on her cries and the hollowness in her chest. Reyna wanted to be angry. She wanted to use that anger to drive her forward, but all she could do was think about her sister.
There had to be something that Reyna could have done. Anything. Instead, she just watched as her sister and crew were murdered. Someone grabbed her shoulder, and she was helped to her feet. Filinore and Hill wrapped her arms around their shoulders and led her inside.
"Scipio," Reyna began. She looked back at her Pegasus. Two pirates were giving Scipio water, and another was feeding him.
"He'll be fine. He just needs rest. So do you," Filinore said. She gripped Reyna's arm. "Is Hylla... dead?"
"Yes," Reyna muttered. "All of her crew was slaughtered."
"How did you survive?" Hill questioned. Reyna shook her head and stared at the ground. "Reyna. We're going to help you. Gillsworth is looking for your ship, and Isabella is helping those demigods. You need to rest, and we will figure this out."
"I died," Reyna said. Both Hill and Filinore stopped walking. They stared at her. "You two cannot tell anyone without my permission, but I died. A goddess brought me back if I promised to stop the Mistveil. I'm going to. Then, I'm going to find a way to bring back Hylla."
Filinore started to make signs over her chest and whisper in another language. It did nothing to make Reyna feel better, and she tried to pull away. The two captains stopped her.
"You must feel like death then," Hill commented. They started to walk again. As much as Reyna wanted to fight, she couldn't. The two were the only thing keeping her standing. "You need some sleep."
"I need to find the Mistveil. I just came for supplies," Reyna muttered. Her knees gave out, and both of the captains caught her. Filinore handed her off to Hill, and he carefully picked her up. He started to walk down the hall.
"You will be useless unless you rest," Filinore stated. "Are you injured?"
"I'm fine," Reyna snapped. Hill hummed and opened the door of Reyna's room. He walked towards her bed and laid her down. "I just need supplies."
"Reyna, we are going to help you destroy the Mistveil, but if you are not rested, you are going to get yourself killed, again," Hill said. Reyna laid her head back and didn't argue. She was exhausted, but she couldn't be useless again. She had to push forward.
"How do you plan on finding the Mistveil? It will take time to get a crew and ship together. Your Pegasus is just as exhausted as you," Filinore stated. Reyna glared at both of them, but she knew their words were true.
"You don't have to rush off into this half-cocked. We all want revenge for Hylla. We are going to avenge her and all those that died. We'll wait for Isabella to come back from helping the demigods get to the island. Then, we'll handle the Mistveil together," Hill said.
Reyna stared at the ceiling and closed her eyes. She spoke, "Send Isabella an Iris message. I want to go with them to the island. The Mistveil has the rod, and I think they will try to go there as well."
"I'll message her," Filinore promised. "We will gather supplies for you and your Pegasus."
"And, what should we tell the crew?" Hill asked quietly. Reyna closed her eyes and felt more tears come to her eyes.
"I'll make the announcement," Reyna said. She tried to sit up, but they both stopped her. "It's my responsibility to."
"It is," Hill agreed. "But, you can't stand on your own two feet let alone make a speech. Get some rest. Then, you can make an announcement."
"Fine," Reyna muttered. She slowly grabbed the coins from her pocket and flipped them. Aurum and Argentum appeared, and she hugged both of them tightly. Filinore and Hill left the room. Reyna was able to hold it together until they left, but as the door closed, she broke down once again.
Reyna couldn't rid of this hole in her heart. She couldn't get over her grief, no matter what she did. It felt like a stain on her soul, and it wouldn't be clean until she killed each and every member of the Mistveil. Aurum whimpered and licked her face. Argentum curled up on top of her protectively.
Despite her grief, Reyna felt her eyes drifting close. The exhaustion hit her like a wave, and she allowed herself to relax. After a few hours of rest, she would destroy the Mistveil. Her vow would be kept, and nothing would stop her.
Reyna wasn't sure how to feel about her dreams. Most of them started on the ship and ended with her watching her sister being murdered over and over again. The others were of the night her father died. Whenever Reyna closed her eyes, that was all she could see.
Now, her dream was starting differently, and she wasn't sure whether she should be grateful or not. Reyna slowly took in the room around her. A few torches lined the walls around her, barely illuminating her surroundings. There seemed to be cobwebs and dust everywhere.
Reyna slowly made her way towards the large statue near the back of the room. She had to squint to see the details, but it looked to be the statue of a man. He was kneeling and staring ahead. A bloodied sword rested in one hand, and a small dagger rested in the other. The unsettling thing about the statue was that the man had no face. It was just smooth, polished stone.
"History forgets what I look like," a voice said. Reyna whirled around and stared at the cloaked figure in front of her. He slowly pulled back his hood. Reyna stared at his face, but she couldn't see anything. He maybe had brown eyes, or were they green? His skin was pale or tan. And his hair seemed to change every second.
"That is why you cannot see me," the voice said, and Reyna tensed. She recognized that voice. It was the same one from her earlier dreams. This voice belonged to the founder of the Mistveil. "You don't seem too happy to see me, even after all I have offered you."
"Your crew killed my sister," Reyna snapped. She reached for her weapon but found nothing. "I am going to kill you."
"We're in a dream, girl. You are not going to do anything but listen," the man said. "My name is-"
The man fell silent and tilted his head as if he didn't know his own name. Reyna spoke, "You were a Roman. I saw how you were betrayed by your fellow Romans and tortured and killed by pirates. I felt each kick. Why would you show me that?"
"Because I have watched you for many years now, ever since you became a pirate really," the man said. "And, I think your talents are wasted."
"That's why you killed my sister?" Reyna demanded. The man chuckled. "Do you think this is a fucking game? I'm going to kill every single member of your crew."
"I want you to," the man stated. Reyna's anger was lost to confusion, and she took a step backward. "You saw how I died. Do you really think that a pirate crew is what I want my legacy to be? No. There was a time when I commanded a great army, but it disappeared into a coven. Then, there was nothing. I was left wandering the world until I found a man that begged and pleaded for his life. He made a vow that he could not keep."
"When two pirate sisters were done torturing him, he died from his wounds. He did not go to the Underworld. Instead, he was confronted by Nemesis. She gave him a chance to come back and fulfill his vow. Much like she did for you," the man explained.
"I don't understand," Reyna began. "You helped Damon. You gave him the power to command a crew using magic. You helped him kill my sister and me."
"I gave Damon power, and he has been nothing but a disappointment. He took forever to take his revenge, despite all of the tools that I gave him. Damon wanted to use a spy and traitor to slowly bring your crew down from within. It wasn't very Roman, and it was disappointing. I know you will not disappoint," the man said.
"I'll tell you what. After I kill Damon and his crew, I'll find a way to destroy you," Reyna snapped. The man chuckled. "I will!"
"You will change your mind. I saved you after all," the man stated. Reyna glared at him. "One of my crew had two blades stabbed through your body. She was going to sever your spine, but then, she just choked on nothing. The air was stolen from her lungs, and she died. I took that air from her lungs."
"If you needed and even saved me then, why didn't you save me when Damon was going to kill me?" Reyna demanded. She didn't trust this creature one bit.
"Because I just needed you alive long enough to make the vow," the man said. "Damon didn't want it to happen, but whenever he tried to disobey me, he couldn't go through with it. That was why he had you thrown into the ocean. If he burned your ship, you would have woken up before the flames licked your skin and escaped. By throwing you in the water, he hoped you would wake in a watery grave."
"You showed me all of these things," Reyna began.
"To warn you and show you what you must do for revenge," the man said. "I am connected to each and every member of the Mistveil. They offer their tongues up to me, in what I think is Damon's way to mock me. It will be fun to rip his throat out. And, I know where he is. I know where they all are."
"What's the catch?" Reyna questioned. The man walked towards her.
"You will become my new general. I don't want another pirate crew. I want an army. I was a group of dedicated followers who believe in me and power me," the man whispered. Reyna looked down. She knew that gods could fade if people stopped believing in them for long enough, but this man was not a god. He was a delusional but powerful ghost. A mania.
"We can bring your sister back," the man whispered. Reyna's eyes flickered up. "And, I can extend your life. All you have to do is pledge yourself to me and fulfill your vow. I will tell you where every member of the Mistveil is and their weaknesses. Let us be honest here. You cannot do this alone."
Reyna remained silent and just studied the man. She finally looked away and focused on the wall across from her. The man spoke, "If you are angry at anyone, it should be Nemesis. The goddess claims that she is all about balance, but she is the one who turned the world upside down by forcing me to keep my vow. She offered the same thing to Damon knowing that he would tip the scales even more. That is why she dragged you into this. It was all to fix her mistake."
"The River Styx is not all-powerful," the man continued. He looked away. "You will wake now, and when you decide to accept my offer, just call for me. Call for the founder of the Mistveil, and together, we will rid this world of those who have made a mockery of my gifts to them."
"Ah. One more thing. You may want to intercept your demigod friends," the man said. He smiled. "You see, a vow on the River Styx is tricky. The one you made is between you and the river, but if you were to make a vow between you and, let's say, a goddess, it is like a link is created between the two of you. When one part of that link breaks or dies, it is dissolved."
Reyna wanted to ask him what that meant. She had so many questions. Instead, the world started to spin, and the temple slipped away. The rest of Reyna's night was plagued with visions of what happened to her sister.
