The first thing Reyna felt was pain. It enveloped all of her senses and caused a pathetic groan to escape her. Reyna slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ground. She was sitting in a chair and could feel that rope was tied around her chest. Her arms felt free this time, but her right arm and shoulder were on fire.
As the events of the last few days slowly came back to her, Reyna groaned again. This was quite possibly the worst vacation ever, and really, it was all the Senate's fault. They were the ones who forced Reyna to go to Camp Half-Blood. She could be back at her home making sure nothing burned down. Instead, she was stuck trying to save all of the Greeks from being destroyed by a crazy goddess.
Another groan of pain left her, and she slowly looked around the room. There was a table next to her, and a black box rested on the table. It was the same one from her dream and the same one that Clarisse had found.
An attempt to shift caused Reyna to groan in pain. Everything in her body absolutely hurt, and it felt like she had been thrown from a building, which she had. Reyna tried to clench her fist, and pain tore through her shoulder. Reyna barely resisted the urge to yell, and she took deep, ragged breaths.
The door opened, and Brizo stepped into the room. Reyna slowly looked up at goddess. Any kindness or sense of care was gone from Brizo. There was a cold look on her face. Annabeth followed behind Brizo, and she stopped in front of Reyna.
"I never did get to finish my story," Brizo said. She walked towards Reyna and grabbed her face. The only thing Reyna could do was stare up at her. Moving any part of her body hurt, and she realized that she had small cuts all over her legs and arms, probably from being thrown through the glass. It really couldn't get any worse at that point.
"I don't care," Reyna wheezed. Brizo tightened the grip on Reyna's jaw. "Annabeth, you have to snap out of this. Please."
"She won't be able to break out from their influence," Brizo taunted. She leaned in closer. "I brought those three women back as Sirens. They went on to terrorize the men who ruined their lives. That little city state they lived in was razed to the ground by the time we were done, but all good things had to come to an end. Poseidon sent one of his children to destroy them."
"They were locked away in this black box," Brizo continued. She placed her other hand to the box but did not let go of Reyna's face. "They were taken from me, and I was punished terribly. A pirate stole my box from the place that the gods hid it, and his damned ship was sunken by a monster."
"When I escaped my punishment, I enlisted a pirate and another girl who looks just like you to find it," Brizo said. She smiled. "I learned that it was your sister, and from there, it wasn't hard to talk to some of the dream and sleep gods. You showed me exactly where the ship was, and that daughter of war retrieved it for me. You all played right into my hand."
"If you're going to keep bragging, can you just deafen me first?" Reyna asked. Brizo studied her for a long moment. Then, the back of a hand slammed into Reyna's face. Her head snapped to the side, and she cried out in pain.
"Who are the three Greeks that are helping you?" Brizo asked. Reyna stared at the ground and refused to respond. The back of Brizo's hand slammed into her cheek once again. The force of the backhand knocked Reyna senseless for a few moments. "Tell me."
"You're a goddess. You've been alive forever, but you can't be more inventive?" Reyna asked. A third backhand knocked blood right out of her mouth. It hurt like hell, but Reyna just grinned. "Has anyone told you that you hit like a child?"
Brizo stared at her for a very long moment. Then, she kicked Reyna right in the chest. The force of the kick slammed Reyna into the ground, and she yelled in pain. All of her bravado left her, and she struggled to breath normally.
A weak, pathetic cry left Reyna. She wanted to curl up in a small ball, but the chair kept her trapped. Reyna struggled to form any words, and she could feel how badly her hands were shaking.
"Who is working with you?" Brizo yelled. Reyna closed her eyes and tried to think of any name that wasn't actually someone working with her. Brizo grabbed her shirt. "We can drop you again."
"Clarisse," Reyna wheezed. The grip disappeared from her shirt, and she let out a few wheezes of pain. "That's who is helping me."
"Who is that?" Brizo asked. She stood and looked at Annabeth. Reyna closed her eyes and tried to relax. The pain was making it hard to think, but she needed a really good excuse behind her lie. If she wasn't careful, she was going to get thrown from the Big House again.
"She is the one who helped me bring Reyna in," Annabeth answered. Her tone was weird. It was emotionless, but it wasn't like the other Greeks. Or, Reyna was just losing her mind. It took Reyna a moment to move her left hand to feel her right shoulder and collarbone. She tensed as the movement confirmed her bones were broken, and it confirmed she was in trouble.
"You lie," Brizo stated. She knelt by Reyna and forced her knee into her chest. Reyna could feel a crack or two in her ribs. This day was just getting worse by the second. "Tell me the truth."
"Clarisse helped," Reyna wheezed. She weakly scratched at Brizo's hand. "We freed her not long before she brought me in. She pretended to still be under your control. We were trying to get close to you and destroy you."
Brizo remained silent for a few moments. Then, she stood and picked the chair up. Reyna bit back another cry of pain from the movement. She closed her eyes and felt Brizo place the chair back on the ground. Reyna tensed and waited for another kick. This one would break her, and she would throw Percy under the bus. Or Leo. Both annoyed her equally.
"I will ask Clarisse myself. If I find out you are lying, you will regret it," Brizo warned. She stood and grabbed Reyna's right arm. "Your blood is going to be the first spilled. You are going to power my Sirens. Hold her arm."
Annabeth walked towards Reyna and held tightly onto her outstretched arm. Reyna hissed in pain and stared at the ground. It almost felt like Annabeth's hands were shaking, or Reyna was just shaking from the pain. Brizo opened her black box and set it on the ground, underneath Reyna's hand.
"It always takes a sacrifice," Brizo whispered. She held a dagger out towards Annabeth. After a moment, Annabeth grabbed the dagger. "Cut into her wrist and collect the blood in my box. Bring me the box when it is full. Make sure she doesn't bleed out before I get my answer."
"If you wanted my blood, you could have just asked for it," Reyna said. She spat blood at Brizo. The back of a hand slammed into her face once again, and Reyna was left stunned and disoriented. A hand grabbed her face and forced her to look up.
"Demigod blood is required to keep them alive," Brizo answered. Reyna kept her gaze on the ground. She needed to get all of the information that she could, but her face burned in pain. Everything hurt. Life sucked.
"Why not your blood?" Reyna asked quietly. She groaned as blood trickled out of her mouth. "Wouldn't that be more powerful?"
Brizo studied Reyna for a very long moment. She finally spoke, "I will be back to find out who the two other Greeks are. If I even suspect you of lying, I will put you through pain that you have never experienced before."
"Cut deep enough for permanent damage," Brizo ordered. She turned and left the room. Reyna stared at the dagger in Annabeth's hand. Fighting her way out of her situation was impossible, and it seemed like she was destined to die in the middle of a Greek camp.
Reyna watched the dagger move. She blinked, and the ropes around her chest were cut in one fell swoop. Reyna blinked a few times and slowly looked up at Annabeth. It took a moment for Reyna to cradle her shoulder.
"Don't freak out too much," Annabeth said. She gently placed a finger to her eyes, and when she lowered her hand, a green contact was sitting on it. "I can explain."
"Please don't tell me that this is a sick, practical joke gone wrong," Reyna whispered. Annabeth smiled slightly and shook her head. She studied Reyna in concern and then put the contact back in. "That's good. I was about to go on a rant about how much I hated you and all of the Greeks."
"I was freed after we brought you in," Annabeth whispered. She shook her head for a few moments and gently felt Reyna's shoulder. Reyna tensed and closed her eyes tightly. "It's badly broken, but we can give you medicine and make you a sling."
"I don't understand," Reyna began. "How are you free from the spell?"
"That woman told me to retrieve the box from the attic, and when I was up there, Rachel attacked me from behind. She managed to get earbuds into my ears and blasted music loud enough that it was the only thing I could hear. I'm still listening to that music, so I have to read your lips," Annabeth said. She moved her hair enough for Reyna to see the wire of earbuds.
"We've been trying to find Rachel," Reyna whispered. She laid her head back against the chair and stared up at the ceiling. Her eyes slowly moved to Annabeth. "What are the names of my dogs?"
Annabeth gave her a look, but she finally spoke, "Aurum and Argentum. They love to chew on metal bits, and you love them more than you do people."
A humorless grin came to Reyna's face. She let out a pained sigh and spoke, "Piper, Leo, and Percy are free. Hedge, Juniper, and Grover were helping as well. They went to Bunker 9, but I told Brizo where to find them."
"Brizo?" Annabeth interrupted. Reyna nodded and stared at the ground. Annabeth quickly stood and grabbed the black box. She closed it and tucked it underneath her arm. "Can you walk?"
"Not by myself," Reyna admitted. Annabeth nodded and gently grabbed Reyna's left arm. She wrapped Reyna's arm around her shoulder and helped her stand. It took all of Reyna's willpower to bite back a yell of pain. Her next words were a whisper, and she looked at Annabeth. "We were going to free you next."
"Not a bad plan," Annabeth whispered. She moved towards the door and managed to open it. Annabeth peeked out and then led Reyna into the hallway. Reyna tried to walk under her own power, but she leaned heavily on Annabeth. The events of the past day, or days, was catching up to her.
Annabeth made it down the hall, and another door opened. Reyna bit back a curse, but Annabeth didn't tense. She led Reyna towards the open door, and they stepped inside. Rachel nodded to both of them and helped Reyna walk towards a chair.
Reyna slowly sat in the chair and laid her head back. Her eyes slowly took in everything in the room, which was a ton of half opened boxes. Annabeth spoke, "We need to make a sling for her."
"We have to warn the others at Bunker 9," Reyna began. She felt terrible that she had sold out the Greeks. All it took was for her to look into the blue eyes of Brizo, and she told the goddess everything she wanted to know.
"You need to rest," Annabeth argued. Reyna shook her head. "Listen, I need you to tell me everything that you know, and I will warn those at Bunker 9. You and Rachel need to free Chiron, after you take some ambrosia and sleep for a few hours."
"We can just get Chiron," Reyna began. She tried to move, but both Annabeth and Rachel stopped her. Reyna let out a soft curse and looked down at the ground. "Fine. I'll rest."
"I'll get you some medicine," Annabeth whispered. Reyna nodded slightly and closed her eyes. She heard Rachel making a sling, but at the moment, she didn't care. All she wanted to do was sleep. Her eyes started to drift close, and despite all of the danger, she fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.