"Wake up," Reyna whispered forcefully at the sleeping boy.
"Wha-huh-who's? Where am I?" Nico spluttered, his torso shooting into an upright position. Reyna put a gentle hand on his shoulder to calm him.
"Glad to see you awake kid," Coach Hedge said, giving him a thumbs up. "As you can see, we're across the Atlantic. Problem is, we're on the opposite side of the US in Puerto Rico."
"Gods, how?" Nico wondered, straining against his own body, but Reyna quickly shushed him.
"Here, drink," She said, offering him unicorn draught which he gulped down thankfully. "Don't worry about how we ended up here. Just focus on getting your strength back."
Nico tried rubbing his eyes when he realized that his hands weren't making contact with his face. For a moment, he panicked, realizing he could see straight through his palms as if they were made of smoky glass. Just as soon as it happened, his fingers rematerialized leaving him confused and his heart racing.
Reyna didn't think his face could get any paler, but the blood was completely drained from his visage. "Stay here and get some rest," She advised, laying him back down. "You hungry?"
Nico nodded weakly. Reyna gave him one last concerned glance before standing and putting her hand out in front of Hedge.
"Stay here and watch Nico. Give me the money and I'll go get us something to eat," Reyna said.
"Sure," Coach agreed, placing the bills in her hand. "Be safe out there. If this isn't where Nico meant to send us, something is wrong."
Taking the cash, Reyna gripped it tightly before stowing it in her pants pocket. Giving Coach one last nod, she walked off towards the nearest restaurant. Nico closed his eyes again, easily falling off into the realm of sleep. However, when he awoke, he was somewhere completely different. Blinking, he noticed a piece of paper dangling in front of his face. Irritated, he ripped it off, realizing someone had pasted a sticky note on his forehead. He turned it over and read it out.
IOU one Roman praetor.
She will be returned safely.
Sit tight.
Otherwise you'll be killed.
XOX, the Hunters of Artemis
That was when he lost it.
As she walked the busy streets, Reyna was having a hard time picking a place to eat. Certainly not for lack of cash, Coach Hedge always seemed to have some emergency stash of any conceivable currency on hand. Where he got it and where he kept it was a mystery, she wasn't sure she wanted answered. The more she walked, the more familiar scents she encountered. It made it so hard to decide between the menagerie of flavors she hadn't tasted in years.
Hot empanadillas, mofongo, and tostones all washed down with a can of ice-cold Coco Rico was all she could imagine. Rather, it was all she wanted to imagine as the nostalgia of being home in San Juan brought back as many bad memories as good ones. For now, focusing on freshly made food she hadn't tasted in years was working to keep her mind away from those unwanted thoughts. Unfortunately, every now and then, she could make out the ghostly visages of some of the remnants of her past.
It was bright enough out that they couldn't manifest very well which made it easier to ignore them. The palm trees and ocean breeze made her heart ache as she thought about how far way from Percy she now was. He would have loved it here. Tropical, breezy, never too far from the ocean and people were lively and content with what they had. The Puerto Rican people were strong and resilient, and it made Reyna proud to know that this was her heritage.
She daydreamed about showing Percy around the town, taking him to all of her favorite places and secret spots she had discovered as a child. He could do the same in New York and they could show each other all the small details and intricacies of their homes. Just them, finally together.
Her mind continued to wander on that track as it drifted back to Nico, asleep and wounded in a dingy back alley. After that last jump, things had finally clicked into place for her as she understood why he was being so hostile and guarded towards her and Percy. Perhaps not always outwardly, but the turmoil inside was something she had a taste of every time they jumped. Perhaps it was his focus on those emotions during the last one that made them clear to her, but Reyna was now fully aware of the pain being on a quest with her was causing him.
Since the jump over Pompeii, she had become more protective of the boy, but Nico now induced full big-sister mode in Reyna. Being the younger sibling, she was usually the one being cared for after Circe's ship. Though she had the skills to hold her own, Hylla always kept close watch over her, changing drastically to keep her safe. Now she was taking those lessons and applying them to Nico.
In her moment of thought, she had forgotten the warning Hedge gave her before setting out. Even at full alert, it would have been hard to notice the girls camouflaged around her. As she made her way back to the other two, arms full of local delicacies, she felt a tiny sting in her neck. Her mind went back to high alert in an instant and she dropped the food, yanking a slender silver needle from her skin.
Her vision began to fade as more flashes of silver swirled around her vision. Vaguely, she was able to make out the voices of several young women, but what they were saying was unintelligible. She could feel herself falling forward and caught herself by moving her foot forward with her body. Struggling, Reyna tried to right herself, but several more dull stings sent her into darkness.
Hedge whistled as he scanned the courtyard, they had woken up in. Chairs, tables, and vegetation of all manner were strewn everywhere. He'd woken up well before Nico and kept watch over the kid as he practiced some of his kickboxing moves. When he did wake up, it threw Coach for a loop as he watched Nico pick up and break, cut or impale anything in his way.
"Quite a number you did kid," Coach applauded.
"I'm going," Nico stated flatly.
"Hey," Coach said, grabbing Nico by the shoulder, but was immediately shrugged off.
"Don't touch me," Nico glared.
"You're not going anywhere," Hedge responded, standing his ground against the angry demigod. "You read the note, the Hunters have Reyna, and they'll bring her back when they're done. As much as I like the idea of sacking their campsite, we can't risk losing their help."
"Hunters," Nico scoffed as he picked up a nearby brick sending it flying at a wall and watching it explode into dust. "Should have known."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I asked for their help in a dream," Nico admitted. "One of the kids from the Hypnos cabin intercepted me. I should have known it would turn out like this. They probably have a magician in the group that brought us here."
"So then why so angry?" Coach asked. "If you called for them, what's with the reaction?"
"Because…" Nico's voice trailed off. "Forget it."
"Fine," Coach said, knowing not to pry any further. "But just stay put, or I'll knock you out again myself."
Nico turned and walked towards another portion of the courtyard. He pulled he blade out from a wall he had thrown it into and angrily slashed a nearby column in half. Plunging the sword into the ground at his feet, he sat, wondering why he was so frustrated.
He rubbed at his face, trying to clear his mind of distractions. He'd been frustrated since Portugal. No. He thought. That's not right either. It was further back than that, but Reyna had been the main source of his emotional turmoil since leaving the House of Hades. While he'd known Percy had a crush on Annabeth, it never occurred to him that she didn't feel the same way. They always seemed destined to end up with one another, especially after going through hell together in Tartarus.
And then there was Reyna. Of all things, he never would have figured those two together. Watching her kiss him goodbye was like seeing first hand confirmation that Percy would never see him that way. At the same time, he also felt like he'd lost his chance at admitting to Percy just how he felt. In that moment of pain and regret, he said some awful things to Percy that he hoped he would have the chance to take back.
As for Reyna, travelling with her had been the hardest thing to deal with. He was jealous of her, but at the same time, he wanted to keep her safe and protect her if only to keep Percy happy, which only made him angrier that he felt that way. Still, as much as he wanted to hate her, she had bailed them out countless times and doted on him, making him feel wanted for the first time since the end of the Titan War.
Nico inhaled as he finally took the time to piece everything he'd been feeling on their journey together. Pinpointing the cause of these emotions helped soothe his mind a bit, but there was one piece still nagging him. Reyna had mentioned something of about an emotional bridge every time she supplied someone with her strength. His gut twisted as he began to think of the possibilities that could entail. If she knew, it would be the worst. It was bad enough that Jason Grace was the first one to find out, but Reyna of all people? Gods.
He twisted the silver ring on his finger and looked down for the first time. Bile built up in his throat as he realized what he was wearing. His hands shook as they ran over the bright floral button-up he had draped over the black T-shirt he normally wore. Darting his head from side to side, he scanned for his trusty aviator's jacket, but it was nowhere to be found.
"Coach," Nico started. "Where is my jacket? And why am I in this…thing?"
"Right over here kid," Coach said, lifting up a small shopping bag. "Came with a note, uh, let's see 'Thought you could use some color in your outfit – Thalia'."
Just as he was about to scream, the sound of explosions filled the air. The two turned towards the noise and ran to get a better view. Smoke billowed up about a mile away and Nico could just make out the outline of a large man with a long bow. Worry built up in his stomach. Orion had found them.
"I'm gonna kill me a giant today," Coach exclaimed gleefully as he sprinted off towards the battle.
A/N: Well, I had originally intended for this chapter to conclude the San Juan portion of the story. However, I ended up writing way more than I expected, so there will be another chapter out in the next day or two finishing this portion up. To anyone from Puerto Rico reading, I hope I did you justice as it is a special place to me, though I've never been. As always, thank you for reading. See you soon. -SH