So things still aren't back to normal for me, but I do want to give you something and I am so grateful for your support and patience. It doesn't help with my writing that I now am on puppy watch most of the day since my mom was worried about our other dog pining and getting lonely so she chose to get him a new playmate to help. Which is lovely because our new puppy is tiny and adorable and she's helping my mom with the grief too but holy crap is she a crazy little thing who can and will attack toes at all times. We call her Sadie the toe killer.
Replies:
Undeath9087: It's still difficult but it's at least bearable now. It's just getting the time and energy to sit down and write.
Drizzle: Thank you. And yeah. Reyna is badass.
Nate Macrae: Believe me I know that. Thank you.

Reyna wondered if she was in shock. She knew what the aegis was- of course she did. She'd had years to study and she knew it wasn't just the goddesses shield. She knew that it also meant the goddesses cloak. According to legend, Athena sometimes cut pieces off her mantle and draped them over statues in her temples, or over her chosen heroes, to shield them.

Reyna's cloak, which she'd worn for years, had suddenly changed. It had absorbed the explosion.

She tried to say something, to thank the goddess, but her voice wouldn't work. The statue's glowing aura faded. The ringing in Reyna's ears cleared. She became aware of Orion, still roaring in pain as he staggered across the surface of the water.

And what had the goddess meant? She wouldn't need her help to defeat Orion. That made no sense. After all Orion was still standing as he clawed the knife from his chest and tossed it into the waves with a triumphant noise. "You have failed! I still live!"

He drew his bow then, and he fired at ther but it seemed to happen almost in slow motion.

Reyna swept her cloak in front of her. The arrow shattered against the cloth- she started to charge towards the railing but she faltered.

At first Reyna wasn't sure what it was that made her stop mid stride, but then she noticed it properly- ripples below the surface of the water. Two... somethings, moving rapidly towards Orion.

And a moment later one of them was bursting out from behind Orion- who had been soley focused on her.

He was blind sided when a figure with bright red skin and dark dreadlocks- Reyna had only met him briefly but someone like that did happen to stick in the memory- burst out of the water from behind the other giant. and her mouth dropped open in shock. It was startling, seeing how Damasen loomed over his brother, arms hooking under the giants in a nelson hold- which forced the shorter giant to drop his bow.

A second later the second shape was bursting out of the water, all pale skin and wild silver hair.

"NO!" Orion bellowed the word, thrashing in Damasen's hold- a useless endeavour with Iapetus- or Bob, as Reyna remembered he was called these days, jabbed a very sharp looking spear at Orion's chest.

"You will be silent!" Bob bellowed the words. "You threatened my granddaughters!"

And of course, that did make sense Reyna realised. Calypso was Bob's granddaughter, and she and Zoe were sisters. It made sense even if it was strange to imagine. And the Titan had probably heard Orions threat about Zoe.

She noticed something brushing against her leg and glanced down, blinking as she spotted a skeletal kitted butting its head against her leg.

That was weird, to say the least. But, well, given the situation a bit of weirdness was not the end of the world.

"You are Reyna yes?" that call came from Damasen, and Reyna quickly focused her gaze on the larger giant.

"Yes, yes I am." she said quickly, "I- thank you."

"We shall find out if a Titan and a demigod can kill a giant." Damasen declared as Bob turned his head to look towards Reyna.

"Come. Help me kill the bad giant."

"My pleasure." Reyna managed to shake off her shock- and Orion opened his mouth, undoutbedly to yell and rant once more, but Damasen tightened his grip and Bob used the hand not holding the spear to backhand him, which Reyna found darkly satisfying.

In any case she dove into the water and swam towards them, even as Orion spat out ichor into the water.

It didn't take her long to reach them and Bob held out a hand, carefully gripping her and lifting her towards him, and she reached out automatically, fingers curling around the wide shaft of the spear as soon as she could reach it.

"We shall kill him together." Bob declared.

"We will." Reyna felt a rush of confidence- "This is for Phoebe Orion. For Kinzie and everyone else that you killed. You'll die at the hands of a girl and a Titan." and when she felt Bob shift she shifted too, pushing the spear up into the giants throat, and Reyna turned her head quickly as golden ichor came flooding out from the gaping wound as Bob yanked his weapon free.

Thankfully the Titan moved quickly, and Reyna found herself being scooped up and turned away from the giant- though she heard Damasen letting go and stepping backwards, mostly because she could hear Orions dying gargle and the sound of him splashing into the water- and it was a large splash, large enough that it came up over Bob's head- and thankfully it seemed to do the trick of washing away the ichor that had gotten on Reyna's face and clothes.

"The boat!" her voice was panicked, and a moment later Bob was forging through the water and he set her down on the deck- and she rushed towards Blackjack, dropping to her knees next to him.

She could feel her eyes burning with tears as she saw how bad a condition he was in.

His muzzle was foaming and his legs kept spasming as blood trickled from the arrow wound in his flank.

"I will help." that was Damasen's voice- and Reyna turned her head, her face pale as she looked at the red skinned giant, who was rummaging through a bag slung over his shoulder.

"You can-" she paused, remembering what Percy, Nico and Leo had told them of the giant.

He was Mars' opposite. The peaceful giant and a healer who had saved Percy's life during their time in Tartarus.

She nodded frantically, swallowing hard as her heart pounded in her chest. "Please. Please save him."

And Damasen didn't even hesitate- he leaned over the side of the boat, setting things down on the deck- he couldn't come aboard, he'd likely sink it with his size but he seemed confident enough using the deck almost like a table as he got out herbs and things Reyna didn't even begin to recognise.

She watched with a desperate look on her face until Bob spoke again, drawing her attention away from the injured Pegasi.

"Orion was going to hurt Zoe." his voice was firm, but very slightly angry. "He said she was alive yes?"

"Yes." Reyna nodded. "You'll be able to meet... sometime. I don't know when. Soon hopefully if you want to." because clearly the Titan cared.

"I will." Bob agreed, "What of Calypso. And Bianca. Bianca was Bob's friend. She visited me sometimes."

"They-" Reyna took a deep, slightly shaky breath. "They're both fine. Calypso went to shore with Coach Hedge. The Satyr. His wife's expecting and they wanted toget to her as son as possible. With everything that's going on- the stress has to be a lot to deal with while pregnant."

"Good. And Bianca?"

"Bianca's gone to help cause a distraction so that I can get the Parthenos to Half-blood hill." Reyna told him, "She was fine- well, pretty much fine. Exhausted and weak from using her powers but she's going to be okay." Reyna had to believe that. If she didn't it would probably drive her to insanity.

"Good." Bob nodded, "They are strong. Both of them."

"They must get that from you." Reyna managed an exhausted smile as Bob beamed at the compliment.

Then Reyna shifted her gaze back to Blackjack, swallowing hard as she watched Damasen work.

And the giant was very good she had to admit. It was strange- knowing the way most giants were. But Damasen was certainly a good one.

He'd managed to remove the arrow from Blackjack's flank, and he'd coveredit in a thick greenish paste and he was carefully scooping handfulls of a orangish looking paste and holding it to the Pegasi's mouth- and Blackjack was eating it.

And really it was surprising how expressive his face could be. He looked disgusted. But he was eating the paste anyway- and he was already looking worlds better than he had when she'd first returned to the boat. And she had no doubt that he was going to live.

It was a comforting thought to say the least.

She moved away from Bob and shifted so that she was sat next to Blackjack's head, resting her hand on the pegasi's neck- and she could feel his pulse beneath his skin- it wasn't as steady as it possibly should be but it was steady enough that Reyna was pretty sure he wasn't going to die, and she could see that the pain in his eyes had faded.

"You're going to be fine." Reyna exhaled, feeling some of the tension seeping away. "Damasen will fix you up. And then we'll get you back to your home- to Camp and they'll help you too. You'll see your mistress again. And you'll get whatever you ask for. I know she understand you."

He let out a grumbling sound that Reyna could have sworn sounded almost like he was trying to say doughnuts.

But then it had been a very long and stressful few days. Maybe she was just losing her mind. That would make more sense she was sure.

Which was why she exhaled, tilting her head back to look up at the sky- and her heart almost skipped a beat.

The sky had lightened a lot- the sun was rising and the Athena Parthenos was almost glowing in the light.

She turned her head, blinking slowly. Guido and the other winged horses were pawing at the deck impatiently.

"The battle." Reyna felt her whole body tensing- she'd been so distracted by Blackjack that she'd completely lost track of time.

"What battle?" Bob's brows furrowed.

And that was a fair question. There were no signs of combat at all.

Reyna could see a Greek trireme bobbing lazily in the morning tide. The hills looked green and peaceful.

She felt hope rising in her chest. Maybe somehow, against all the odds, Octavian had come to his senses. Or maybe he'd been overthrown and even now the Legion was preparing to make peace with the Greeks. Could it be possible?

But Reyna's hope was in vain, she realised that a moment later when a orange glow illuminated the hilltops.

Multiple streaks of fire climbed skyward like burning fingers.

The Onagers had shot their first volley.

Reyna had to move, she turned her gazes to Bob and Damasen, who both looked serious.

"I must get the statue to the hill-"

"We will help." Bob declared firmly, and Damasen nodded.

"We will help the Pegasi take the weight."