Nico thought that he found a friend. He thought he found someone that he trusted and cared for. And he thought they cared for him in return. Instead, Reyna stabbed him in the back and nearly killed him. Why did Nico bother with trust anymore? Why did he let himself get close? Throughout his entire life, people had just used him to get what they wanted. This was no different.

When Nico had first met Reyna, he had been hesitant. Things changed between the two when Reyna took an arrow for him and saved his life. He saved her life in return. Then, they became friends. The two of them bonded even more on this stupid quest.

All of it was thrown away when Reyna threatened Piper and himself. She was so fixated on revenge that she threw away their friendship. He should have known it was coming. He should have known that things would come crumbling down. Again.

An angry and disappointed sigh left Nico, and he laid back in his bed. He had woken up about an hour ago in the infirmary. Then, he proceeded to sneak out and go to his cabin. Nico wasn't a doctor, but he knew that he would be fine. All he needed was some sleep and rest.

There was a knock on his cabin, and Nico looked up. He knew that Piper and Jason had been waiting for him to wake, so they could talk to him. They wanted to check on him and see how he was. How was Nico supposed to answer? Someone that he thought was his friend stabbed him in the back and tried to kill him.

Nico didn't need to talk to anyone about that. It was like the rest of the people that were in his life. They used him like a handy tool and discarded him when they were done. Nico was used to it by now, and he wasn't going to let it bother him. But, there was that small voice in the back of his mind.

Truthfully, Nico wanted to go to the pirate base and demand answers. He knew it wouldn't be a good idea, so he was just going to stay at Camp Half-Blood. After a few more months, he would probably just drift away and do more errands for his father like he did before.

There was another knock, and Nico sighed. He laid back in his bed again. After a moment, the door opened. Nico turned on his side and threw his blanket over himself to pretend like he was asleep. That had been working so far when it came to Jason and Piper. They didn't dare bother him.

"You're breathing too fast to be asleep," a voice commented. Nico tensed as he recognized who was talking to him: Will Solace. What did the son of Apollo want from him? Had Nico not thanked him for keeping him alive. "And, I saw you throw the blanket over yourself."

Nico didn't respond. He just pulled the blanket closer to himself and closed his eyes. Will would get bored and leave him alone. That's what the others did. After a few moments, the door closed. Nico relaxed and opened his eyes. He took his blanket off and then sat up.

"Hey," Will greeted.

"Holy Hades!" Nico practically yelled as he jumped out of his bed. His hand went to his sword on instinct, and he stared at Will. The son of Apollo waved at him. "What are you doing?"

"I figured the best way to talk to you was alone," Will replied. Nico glared at him. "I'm worried about you. Everyone is worried about you."

"All three people who actually care about me. Not that they do," Nico muttered.

"A lot of people care for you, Nico. You have to open yourself up to their love," Will said. Nico snorted and rolled his eyes. "Your friends do care for you. Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Leo, and even Calypso asked me all about you when you were unconscious. You should at least make an appearance, so they know you're okay."

"I might. Can I go to sleep now?" Nico deflected. He laid back down without waiting for a response. "Thanks."

"As a child of Apollo, I know a lot about medical care," Will said. It sounded like he was back by the door. "It's not just the physical wounds either. I'm no expert, but I do know things about mental health. Sometimes, it's like physical wounds. If it's big enough, it won't close without help. Whether that be stitches or something else."

"What I'm trying to say is that the pirate betraying you left you with clear physical wounds, but we both know there are mental ones, too. You need to talk to someone about what the pirate did," Will said.

"Reyna stabbed me in the back. There is nothing else to talk about," Nico muttered definitively.

"The others told me that you two grew close. It wasn't just some pirate stabbing you in the back. It was a friend betraying you," Will told Nico. "If you don't wanna talk to me, you should talk to the others. And if you don't want to talk to the others, you should talk to Reyna."

"Why would I talk to Reyna?" Nico demanded. He sat up and glared at Will. "She is the one who betrayed me!"

"Because you two were friends, whether you want to admit it or not. There's a wound that won't heal until you talk to Reyna. It will bother you every night that you lie in bed until you confront her," Will stated.

"How do I know Reyna just won't sic her pirates on me or try to finish the job?" Nico muttered.

"I think Reyna cares about you," Will assured. Nico glared at him again. What did Will know anyway? He was just a child of Apollo who should be staying in the infirmary instead of trying to bother him with nonsense.

"I know you're wrong. If she cared, she wouldn't have done that," Nico snapped.

"Jason and Piper told us the whole story. Reyna lost her sister, and if I had to guess, she would do anything for revenge. Even if that means betraying someone she thought of as a friend," Will said sagely. "It doesn't excuse what she did, but she would have done it to anyone in her way. It just stings more now because you were on the wrong side of it."

"Just stop trying to play therapist," Nico growled. He stared up at the wall. Will was silent for a few moments. Then, he opened the cabin door. "Do you really think I should talk to Reyna? Just like that?"

"I think you need closure," Will replied. Nico slowly looked at him. "Can I ask you a question?"

"About this?" Nico asked defensively.

"It's off-topic," Will answered. Nico nodded. "I heard you tell Percy that he isn't your type. So, what is?"

"I haven't quite figured that out yet," Nico responded truthfully.

"If you find out it's a blonde child of Apollo, let me know," Will winked. Before Nico could process what Will had said, Will was out the door. Nico laid his head back. Well, he had two problems now. The easy one was figuring out if he wanted to talk to Reyna or not. The hard one was figuring out exactly where he stood with Will.

"How are the ships looking?" Reyna muttered as she leaned heavily on the railing in front of her. Just limping down the hall with one crutch left her sweating. She tried to get her breathing under control, but if Isabella had any judgments, she wisely remained silent.

A week had passed since Reyna and Nico destroyed Calypso's island. Reyna had spent most of that time unconscious in a bed, and despite all that time to rest, her body wasn't healing as much as it should have. Whenever Reyna had been awake, she had been planning the assault on the Mistveil.

Reyna was going to purge those bastards. There was no question of that. The only question was how long would it take for her injuries to heal enough to lead her fleet. Reyna knew how close to death she had been teetering ever since she came back from dying the first time. Reyna couldn't stop here though.

Her plan was to allow Damon to flee or capture him. It didn't matter, as long as the rest of the Mistveil died. Then, Reyna would sever Damon's connection to the founder of the Mistveil, and if Damon had escaped, she would hunt him down. The other captains had plans for him, and she was more than happy to let them have their fun.

Damon deserved to suffer. It was that thought of what they were going to do to him that kept Reyna relaxed. If she rushed this, the bastard would have a better chance at getting away. Reyna would not allow that. Her thoughts were interrupted by someone grabbing her arm gently.

"What?" Reyna asked. She blinked back to attention and looked at Isabella. The two of them were standing over the ships and watched as pirates loaded the supplies they would need to take down the Mistveil base.

"The ships are almost ready. The crew is as well. We just need to finalize our plan and wait for you to get back on your feet," Isabella reported. "You should get back to your bed. You can hardly stand."

Reyna didn't answer. She watched the pirates continue to load supplies. They had made good on Kinzie's offer for whatever they needed. Reyna had yet to speak to the queen, mostly because she couldn't handle it.

When Reyna wasn't planning the assault on the Mistveil, she was alone in her office. Most of that time was spent with her face buried in one of her dogs as she cried her heart out. Being back at the base made everything real. Reyna had done her best to push the fact that her sister was dead out of her mind, but she couldn't do that when everyone called her captain.

Reyna just wanted her sister back. The only way to do that was to handle Damon and work with the founder of the Mistveil to revive Hylla. If it was actually possible. A frustrated sigh left Reyna as tears came back to her eyes. She rested her head against the railing.

"You okay, kiddo?" Isabella asked gently. Reyna didn't say a word. Isabella gently rubbed her back, but Reyna whimpered softly. "Shit. Sorry."

"It's okay," Reyna whispered. A small curse left her, and she slowly stood from the railing. "I think you're right."

"Now I know you're not feeling well," Isabella remarked. Reyna didn't answer. Being touched anywhere caused pain to shoot up and down her body. Reyna didn't know how she was going to stand on her feet long enough to lead the fleet, but she would have to figure it out. "I don't want to have to carry you to your room, but can you walk?"

"I can," Reyna answered after a few moments. She turned and started to limp down the hall, leaning heavily on the crutch. Isabella followed right behind. Reyna wasn't a fool. She knew the other captains were treating her like a delicate flower, but she didn't care. She couldn't afford to.

Reyna had enough issues going on in her head. She sighed as she walked down the hall. Isabella followed her all the way to her room, staying close enough in case Reyna's leg gave out. As they made it to the room, Isabella looked at her and gently grabbed her shoulder.

"It's going to be okay," Isabella promised. "As soon as you heal up, we're going to make Damon pay."

"Will it really be okay?" Reyna pondered doubtfully. She looked back at her second in command. "I just want my sister back."

"I know," Isabella voiced. She sighed and wiped her eyes. "I want her back too, Reyna. We all do, but we have to keep moving forward."

"Yeah," Reyna muttered unconvinced. She shoved open her door and then slammed it shut. Reyna threw her crutch to the side and let out a pained sigh. Reyna turned towards her bed and froze as she saw the person standing across from her. Nico returned her confused stare with his own judgmental gaze.

Reyna wasn't sure how the demigod got in there, but part of her was grateful that he was alive. The other part was trying to figure out what he wanted. Nico watched her and then spoke, "We need to talk."