"We need to talk," Nico repeated. Reyna just stared in astonishment at him. Nico looked better than when she had last seen him. His face was still pale, but it wasn't deathly pale like before. He could stand on his own two feet and not shake from the effort.

"There's nothing to talk about," Reyna stated definitively. She tried to stand up straight, but she could already feel her knee buckling under her weight. Nico grabbed the sword at his side. Reyna's hand shot to her pocket.

"We have a lot to talk about," Nico insisted. He unsheathed his sword and then tossed it to the ground. Nico stepped away and leaned on the wall. "I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, you can kill me if you want. After you answer my questions."

"How did you get in here?" Reyna demanded. She tried to step backward, but her knee gave out on her. Reyna fell to her knees and let out a strangled cry of pain. She made a noise of agony. Nico moved to her side, but Reyna gave him a dangerous look. "Stay away!"

"I just want answers," Nico said. Reyna glared at him and struggled to get to her feet. She made it to her bed and collapsed onto it. Reyna didn't want to look weak, but her body didn't care. She rolled on her back and let out pained wheezes. Every breath she took only made things worse and worse.

"I have no answers," Reyna growled. She tried to sit up, but the pain in her side forced her back against the bed. "Calypso wouldn't move the island, and the Mistveil were closing in."

"If I died, would you feel bad?" Nico questioned. Reyna didn't answer for a few moments. She finally struggled into a sitting position and leaned against the wall. Reyna looked Nico in the eyes and looked away.

"Yes," Reyna muttered truthfully. She shook her head. "I didn't want to force you to move the island, but Calypso would not listen. She didn't see, and she doesn't understand. If Damon was able to get his hands on the island, it would give him immeasurable power."

"You didn't try to make Calypso understand. You just insulted her and got mad when she told you no," Nico corrected. He shook his head, getting slightly annoyed with Reyna's excuses. "Why didn't you talk to me about your plan to move the island? I would have helped."

"Your friends wouldn't have let you," Reyna countered. Reyna felt terrible about what she did, but she would be damned if she allowed the Mistveil to have any more power. "I did what I had to do, and I don't regret it."

"I know a lot about holding grudges," Nico admitted. "I understand how you feel."

"You don't," Reyna snapped. She glared at Nico and clenched her fists. "You don't have a clue how I feel."

"I lost my sister," Nico began.

"You weren't there!" Reyna yelled, losing the last of her temper. "You didn't see what Kendall did to Hylla. You didn't hear what Kendall said to me. You weren't taunted with your sister's decapitated head and then kicked me into her corpse like it was a pile of trash!"

Reyna looked away and buried her face in her hands. She dug her nails into her cheeks and tried to hold back her tears as the images of her sister's execution ran through her mind. Reyna swallowed the bile in her throat back down.

"Whatever happened to your sister isn't anything like what happened to mine," Reyna growled. She looked up at Nico, but tears obscured her vision. "You saw the Mistveil and how cruel they can be. You can't look me in the eye and tell me that I should have just handed the island over to them. If the Mistveil had found the island first, do you know what they would have done to your friends?"

"They would have killed them," Nico answered. "I understand that. What I don't understand is why you didn't stop and ask me to help you destroy the island. You just went ahead and threatened my friends."

"We didn't have time to stand there and debate," Reyna hissed. "Time moves differently on that island. At any point, the Mistveil could be knocking on the door. I could not allow them to have the island. I did what I had to do, and I would do it again."

"I'm grateful that you're alive," Reyna said. "But make no mistake about it. If I had to go back in time and make that decision again, I would do it again without hesitation."

"You're grateful that I'm alive, but you would just repeat almost killing me again? Just like that?" Nico demanded. Reyna met his eyes and nodded. Nico glared at her.

"Yes," Reyna admitted. She did her best not to look away, but the gaze was piercing. Nico shook his head in anger and turned away. "I did what I had to, and I don't regret it."

"I think you're lying," Nico accused. Reyna's eyes flickered towards the wall. Nico stepped closer to her. "I think you regret almost killing me. I think you regret what you did to Kendall."

"I don't," Reyna interrupted. "Kendall deserved to suffer."

"Kendall deserved to die," Nico agreed. "And maybe she deserved to die how she did. It doesn't change the fact that she's dead now, and you have to live with the memory of what you did. I know it bothers you, even if it hasn't sunken in yet."

"And, I do know a lot about grudges. I know it goes hand in hand with revenge. You might think that you are burning Damon's world down with everything you do, and you're right. Just don't forget that fire spreads. You can't control it once you start it. It will burn the one who started it and then everything in its path."

"I don't need a life lesson," Reyna snapped. "I know what I'm doing."

"You died!" Nico argued. Reyna tensed and looked at him. "I don't know how you came back, but I can sense something is off with you."

"I died," Reyna confirmed. She sighed and looked down. "My guts were spilled across my sister's ship. Damon had his pirates throw me into the sea, and I died. I felt my life fade away, but I woke in this dark place. Nemesis appeared to me and told me that I made a vow on the River Styx, and I had to keep it or become a ghost."

"I have to kill every member of the Mistveil. If I die before any of them, I will forever be a ghost. I will be just like my father," Reyna continued, bitterness laced her tone. She brought her arms to her chest and tried to hug herself as she shivered. "That scares the shit out of me, Nico."

"I couldn't allow Damon to have the island because it would give him more power. It would be harder to kill him, and if he found us on the island, he would have killed us," Reyna whispered. She started to shake. "I can handle dying, barely. I can't handle the thought of turning into a ghost and not being able to see my sister again."

Nico slowly walked towards her and sat by her. He spoke softly. "When Bianca died, I didn't know how I would live without her. I summoned her a few times. Then, she went for rebirth, and I knew I would never see her again. It hurts."

"It hurts so fucking bad," Nico whispered. "I know she has her reasons, but that doesn't stop it from stinging. I keep asking myself if I wasn't good enough or if she didn't love me enough to stay. I know it's more complicated than that, but those thoughts keep going through my head."

"I would do anything to see Bianca again, and I now know why you did what you did," Nico continued. Reyna slowly looked at him. "I don't like it. I wish you had just asked for help, but I understand what you did. I don't forgive you."

"I wouldn't forgive me either," Reyna said. She quickly looked away. "Hell, I'd probably beat the shit out of me. I am sorry, Nico."

Nico nodded and let out a sigh. He stood and started to walk towards the door. Then, he turned towards her. Reyna slowly looked at him. The two of them watched each other but both of them remained silent. Reyna was the first to look away.

"Are you going to attack the Mistveil?" Nico asked quietly. Reyna nodded. "Do you need help?"

"I don't know," Reyna admitted. She closed her eyes. In terms of manpower, they didn't need anyone else. Nico was more than just manpower though. He was a son of Hades, and Reyna had only seen a fraction of his power. That fraction scared her.

And who was to say that Nico wasn't planning his revenge? He could be offering his help only to turn and stab her in the back. Reyna opened her eyes and looked at Nico. He wasn't like that though. No. Nico wasn't like a pirate. She could see in his face that he was genuine.

"I don't need help destroying the Mistveil," Reyna began. Nico nodded once and turned away. "But, I do need help with something else. The founder of the Mistveil has been sending me dreams, even before we started this quest. He showed me how he once made a vow on the River Styx when he died, and he became the abomination that he is."

"He gave some of his powers to Damon, and that's why the bastard didn't die when we killed him," Reyna said.

"I had a dream of it," Nico added. Reyna glanced at him. "Your mother approached me and gave me a warning."

"What a useless bitch she is," Reyna muttered. She shook her head and then hit her leg in anger. "I can kill Damon at any point, but if I sever his connection to the founder of the Mistveil, I'll be able to take that power. It will help destroy the Mistveil."

Reyna didn't trust herself to go into any more detail. She just closed her eyes and then slowly laid back on her bed. A pained curse left her, and she grabbed her pillow to bury her face in it. Reyna wanted nothing more than to pass out, but she wasn't going to be able to. Instead, she just let out silent cries into her pillow.

"When are we going?" Nico asked. Reyna took a few moments to lower her pillow. She stared at Nico. "Despite what you did, you're my friend. The only one I have, really."

"I'm sure you have more friends at Camp Half-Blood. Ones that haven't almost killed you," Reyna deflected.

"I wouldn't know. I avoided talking to all of them," Nico admitted. Despite the situation, Reyna laughed. Then, she pressed the pillow against her ribs and groaned in pain. Reyna slowly curled up on her side.

"Sounds like me," Reyna finally wheezed. She rested her chin on the pillow and closed her eyes. "You should talk to them. Did you tell anyone you were coming here?"

"Will checked on me and convinced me to come here," Nico said quietly.

"I am sorry," Reyna said even quieter. "I lied earlier. I wish I could go back and not force you to use magic to move the island. I was just so blinded by rage, and I have been ever since my sister died. I'm going to use every ounce of my anger and hate to kill Damon. Then, I'll be nothing."

"That's what you need friends for," Nico whispered. Reyna didn't answer. She just closed her eyes. "I guess I should have told the others I was coming here."

"You should message them. I should tell the pirates you're here," Reyna said. She tried to sit up but didn't make it far. Reyna pulled the pillow closer to herself and groaned in pain. "Later."

"You should get some sleep," Nico whispered. "I'm sure we have a long day ahead of us."

"Yeah. Thank you, Nico. I owe you," Reyna whispered.

"It's what friends do," Nico waved off. Reyna opened her eyes and matched his gaze. She smiled slightly. Then, she closed her eyes again and slowly fell asleep.