As Nico tried to shadow travel for the fifth time, he was unable to keep his stomach from turning topsy-turvy. Marcus was true to his word and had put up spotlights right on Nico and Reyna. There wasn't enough shadow for Nico to travel in, and the mercenary had spent most of his time watching them and sipping a cup of tea.

It was about ten minutes ago that one of his men had come for him, and he hadn't been back. Nico tried to break out of the cell. When that didn't work, he tried shadow travel. After that failed, he tried to find something to throw at the spotlight. It ended with him trying to shadow travel again. All while trying to keep Reyna from drifting into unconsciousness.

Nico had already given Reyna as much ambrosia as she could have without burning up when Marcus first left the room. She seemed to relax, but she also didn't move from her position on the ground which involved her face being buried into the floorboards and her arms covering her head. Nico wished he could help, but there was nothing for him to do.

Nico hated this feeling of helplessness. He hated that Marcus had them outsmarted at every turn. An angry sigh left him as he sat down. Nico hoped that the others were awake, but he doubted Marcus had left a trace of himself. Would the others even know where to look? Or, would they blame each other?

The cell door opened, and Nico looked up. He glared as Marcus walked towards them. Two of his men followed behind. Both had assault rifles that they aimed at Nico. Marcus walked towards the cell and opened it. He spoke, "Come now, quartermaster. Ah sorry. Captain."

"Leave her alone," Nico ordered, and he stepped forward. Marcus looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Nico glared at him and did his best to not look at the guns trained right on him.

"I can handle it," Reyna muttered. Her words were still slurred but not as bad as before. Reyna slowly made it to her hands and knees. Nico turned and helped her stand. The pirate leaned heavily on him, but as they made eye contact, Nico realized that Reyna's eyes were clear. She was fully cognitive.

Nico felt something slip into his hand, and he gripped it. Reyna pushed off of Nico and stumbled towards Marcus. One of Marcus' men closed the cell door. Marcus aimed his shotgun at her and spoke, "On your knees. Hands above your head."

Reyna slowly got to her knees and raised her hands above her head. One of Marcus' men quickly cuffed her hands behind her back. Marcus checked the cuffs and then nodded. He pulled Reyna to her feet and shoved her forward.

Reyna walked forward without hesitation. She didn't even spare a glance back at Nico. Marcus followed behind, and his men took up the rear. A door closed, and Nico was left alone. Nico quickly looked at the item in the palm of his hand, and he realized it was Reyna's lockpicking kit.

Nico hurried towards the door of the cell and knelt by it. His hands were shaking as he tried to open the lock on the cell door. Minutes passed as he worked. He expected someone to walk in at any moment and stop him, but no one checked on him. He didn't even hear anyone outside of the room.

As Nico managed to unlock the cell, he carefully pushed it open. He stepped out of the cell and looked around the room. There was nothing else in the room besides those cells. Nico hurried towards the door. After glancing out into the hallway, he saw no one.

Nico hurried down the hall but made sure to stick to the shadows. None of Marcus' men were around to stop him. Were they manning the ship or preoccupied somewhere else? As he made it towards the end of the hall, he saw stairs that led upwards. He started to walk up the stairs just enough to see out.

There was a group of people in front of him, but they all had their backs turned. A look behind showed the wheel that controlled the ship, but it looked to be automated. It was nighttime, and there were plenty of shadows for him to hide in.

There were lanterns set in the middle of the ship that lit up the men standing on the deck. There were also lanterns along the edge of the ship. Nico made it up another step and placed his hands on the deck of the ship. He pulled himself upwards and looked around.

As he looked around, the only people that he could see were the ones that were standing on the deck. There was no one at the wheel or around the edges of the ship. Nico carefully made it towards the edge of the ship where the shadows were the strongest.

Nico hid in the shadows and crouched down. He looked around. There seemed to be another ship off to the side, but it also seemed to be covered in shadows. It had to be the Mistveil ship. Nico looked around at the men on the ship and realized that Marcus only had a skeleton crew. That made it easier for him.

Nico looked ahead and focused on the men. Marcus stood at the front and was flanked by two of his men. They both held assault rifles. Marcus held his shotgun and had it aimed at Reyna's back. The lanterns illuminated the huge grin on the mercenary's face. Reyna was on his knees in front of him, but she was doubled over and sounded like she was wheezing for breath.

Two people walked towards Marcus. Nico frowned as he saw Kendall and Damon. Nico looked around and tensed. Even with all of the shadows, there was no way he would be able to rush forward and save Reyna without one of them getting shot. He had to bide his time and wait. Three members of the Mistveil followed behind their captain.

As Damon made it closer, he scowled. Kendall was staring at Reyna in disbelief. The two members of the Mistveil glared at Reyna. Marcus cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. Nico kept looking around for an opening, and his heart sank as he didn't see one. He winced as spotlights turned on nearly blinding him. It illuminated the group in the middle of the ship.

"Sorry, it's a little hard to see. Now, I believe we all have a deal here. The rod for this pirate," Marcus said. Damon's lip quivered, and he took a step forward. His gaze did not move from Reyna. "Hey, weirdo. We're conducting business here."

"I don't know why he chose you," Damon said as he knelt by Reyna. It took a moment for Reyna to look up at him. "But, I am going to make you pay. I know that we are connected, but I know how to sever the connection."

"Then, I'll kill you," Reyna sneered. She smirked. "I already severed your connection to your master."

"That's impossible," Damon said. His eyes widened. Nico frowned. He had worked enough with Reyna to realize that she was bluffing. Something told him this bluff would either get her killed then and there or save her life. He clenched his fists and debated rushing out from his hiding spot.

Damon slowly stood and stepped backward. He looked at Marcus and spoke, "You can have the rod after I have the location of the island."

"Why the hell would I ever give you the location of my island?" Marcus questioned. He raised his shotgun and pressed it to the back of Reyna's head. "I know you need this girl alive, so just give me the damn rod."

"Arke made a deal with you. She would tell you the location of the island in exchange for Circe, but you also made her keep the location of the island from us," Damon sneered. "I know you're going to try and fuck me on this deal, and I'm going to beat you to the punch."

Marcus laughed and rested his finger against the trigger. He spoke, "If you think that telling the whackjob to withhold information from you was me 'fucking' you, I have some bad news. You haven't seen anything yet. It's all about creating leverage and putting us on equal ground. With the location of the island, you would have beaten me to it and had control. It's just business out here in this mad world."

"This is business too. Drop the gun and walk away. The island, the pirate, and the rod are mine. Understood?" Damon asked. Marcus laughed. "Now."

"You have three seconds before I blow her brains out and sic my men on you," Marcus said. Damon glared. "Three. Two. On-"

Marcus had been staring at Damon so intently that he didn't even see Reyna move. Her hands fell from the handcuffs, and as she whirled around, she knocked the shotgun to the ground. Reyna punched Marcus with her free hand, and he fell back into one of his men. The other man was intercepted by a cutlass from Damon.

Reyna turned towards the shotgun only for Kendall to slam the rod into her stomach. Reyna doubled over, and Kendall grabbed the shotgun. Nico jumped out of his hiding spot and rushed towards them. He slammed right into an invisible wall.

Nico fell to the ground and looked up. He barely saw a thin mist that separated him from the others. It would also keep any of Marcus' men from rushing to help their master. Nico glanced over at the mercenary and saw that two members of the Mistveil were holding him down. Around him, Mistveil pirates appeared out of nowhere and attacked people in the shadows that Nico realized were Marcus's men.

Kendall gripped the shotgun with one hand and studied Reyna. Then, she slammed the rod into Reyna's side. The pirate captain yelled in pain as Nico heard a clear and loud snap. Kendall said something to one of the members of the Mistveil, and they pinned Reyna to the ground.

"Well Marcus," Damon said, He turned towards the mercenary and grinned. Kendall placed the shotgun to Marcus's head and pressed her finger against the trigger. "It's just like you said."

"It's a mad, mad world," Kendall finished, and she fired the shotgun. Nico looked away and heard the sound of Marcus' body hitting the ground. It took him a few moments to open his eyes and look at Reyna.

Nico slowly made it to his feet. None of the pirates seemed to have noticed him. His gaze moved to the ship of the Mistveil pirates, and he slunk back into his hiding spot. The Mistveil would take Reyna back to their ship, and he would have to sneak aboard.

Kendall turned towards Reyna and spoke, "What are we going to do with her, captain?"

"We're going to figure out how she severed my connection," Damon answered. He grabbed the rod from Kendall and stood over Reyna. "Or, are you lying to me?"

Reyna's only response was to laugh and try to sit up. Damon slammed the rod into her jaw, and Reyna's head cracked painfully against the deck. She groaned in pain and placed both hands to her jaw. Damon slammed the rod into her stomach.

"Bring her back to the ship," Damon ordered. Two of the Mistveil pirates grabbed Reyna and dragged her away. Kendall moved to Damon's side.

"Can I have some fun with her?" Kendall asked.

"All the fun you want," Damon answered. He looked at Kendall. "Just keep her alive until we know the truth."

"Of course," Kendall said. An evil smile came to her face. Nico glared. That stupid mist was still there, and he couldn't do anything to save Reyna. "I've been wanting to have my way with her for a long time."

"You'll finally be able to," Damon said. He looked at Kendall. "Remind her of her place in this world. And do make it as painful as you can. I am stressed out, and hearing her screams will make me feel better."

Nico took a step further back into his hiding place. He felt himself bump into something and turned. Two hands shoved him backward and out of the shadows. Before Nico hit the ground, two of the Mistveil pirates were pinning him. Nico looked up and watched Damon approach him.

"Did you really think you could hide from my magic, fool?" Damon questioned. Nico glared at him and didn't answer. Damon looked at the two pirates that held Nico down. "Kendall, who is he?"

"The son of Hades," Kendall answered. "Reyna's favorite boy toy."

"For the last time, we're not-"

A boot slammed into Nico's nose, and he groaned in pain. He almost blacked out from the blow. Damon spoke, "Good. Why don't we reunite the two, and they can tell us everything we want to know."