8

Reyna

"You alright?"

Reyna glanced up from her plastic plate with a blueberry muffin and hardboiled egg, both untouched, and met Mason's eyes, which were narrowed in concern at her.

"I think so," she said, taking her first bite of her breakfast. Her movements were subtle and slow, burdened by the slow tiredness of morning. She didn't sleep well, having woken up from her nightmares in the early hours of daylight. Instead of attempting to fall back asleep, she had instead decided to sit in the crisp morning air outside on her room's small balcony, staring out across the sunrise-lit lake. The cold air, shifting water, and orange sunlight all washed over her exhausted body, putting her in an almost meditative state. Even though she still felt the weight of all of her dreams as well as the quest ahead of her, it had been a moment of resetting and refocusing. So, despite the diminished hours of her sleep, she still decided she felt just strong enough to continue on.

So, I think so was as concisely as she could put it.

Reyna still felt Mason's eyes glance up at her throughout their brief meal, but she did her best not to acknowledge it, knowing now that he would be concerned whether he needed to be or not. The two of them ate in relative silence, the ambient sounds around them of a few other guests and a couple of TVs playing a news station. Soon enough, they had finished eating, gathered their few belongings, checked out, and walked out to the parking lot in the midmorning light.

"Sleep okay?" Mason said as he started the car.

She considered what to say and any reason she should lie, and couldn't come up with anything. "No."

"Sorry. Was it the bed? Mine was a bit squeaky."

She huffed in a brief chuckle. "No. The room was nice. I just get… nightmares is all."

He turned his head to her. "Normal nightmares? Or… demigod nightmares?"

A sigh escaped her mouth. "Both, I think. It's complicated."

She thought for a moment, then sat straight up and took a deep breath. "Speaking of, I need to tell you something."

Mason raised an eyebrow, still looking ahead out the windshield as he drove but glancing to her. "Yeah?"

"Remember what I said when you wanted to come with me? About danger, and monsters?"

"Yeah," Mason said, quieter than before.

"Well, now I know it. That there's something after me. And they mean to stop me. If you don't want to-"

He raised his hand up. "If you think I'm going to drop you off on the side of the road somewhere after you just told me there's something chasing you, you might as well save it."

Reyna scowled. "You don't understand, your life could be in danger. It is in danger, even now. The Kobaloi were nothing compared to this, trust me. Seeing them through the Mist isn't going to help you this time."

"And what about you? What about your life?" he said in a gentle tone.

"I will face what I must."

"And you'll survive. I know I can't face what you can, not directly. I'm not that stupid. But if I can help at all, I'm going to. I'll follow your lead. Don't worry about me."

Reyna shifted her jaw, trying to get rid of her frown.

After a minute, she spoke again. "If you are going to stay, I assume you want to know everything. I saw what it might be in my dreams…"

"No, don't," Mason said, and she turned to see his eyes glancing into hers. "You should rest, take your mind off of it."

She began to protest again before he shook his head. "Look. If you think telling me will help, then I won't stop you. But if there's nothing we can do about it, you might as well try to relax a bit. You'll need your energy, right?"

Mason smiled as he leant back in his own seat. "The UP is way too peaceful and beautiful for any nightmares or monsters. I'm kinda glad we ended up having to come this way. This is where I go to get away from it all, you know. The people, the cities, the problems. Give it a chance to do the same for you."

Reyna raised an eyebrow and stared at him for a second before sighing in resignation.

A minute passed in the car, then Mason set his phone on the dashboard, pressing some buttons. "Here. Put your seat back, look outside, and just… try not to think yourself to death."

(music: Today - ODESZA)

Mellow music began playing from the car speakers. Reyna took a deep breath before turning and setting her head against the car door, staring out at the seemingly endless curtain of trees alongside the two-lane highway. It was almost hypnotic, the patterns of leaves and branches blurry in her vision as they passed by under the wide blue of the sky. Soon enough the blanket of green, the buzz of the car under her cheek, and the breeze of the air conditioner lulled her into a thin layer of sleep.

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It might have been the music. It might have been the short amount of sleep. It might have been that demigods have some sort of upper limit of terrible nightmares per day. In any case, Reyna did not have any dreams, nor any nightmares.

Instead, when she stirred, it was to a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake.

"Hey, we're here," a voice whispered.

Sitting up and stretching her neck, Reyna blinked her eyes open to see Mason beside her, still sitting in the driver's seat of his car. The midmorning light was bright, but dimmed slightly by the lightly overcast sky, a thin grey veil above. As she came to, she glanced around her out of the car windows. The car was parked in a small parking lot in front of a handful of white wooden buildings with bright red roofs, stretched out across a lawn of short and immaculately cut grass. Attached to one of the buildings was a small lighthouse, thin and supported by a web of white metal beams. Just past the buildings, she could see the gently rocking waves of the lake, stretching out into the horizon. There were a handful of other cars parked around them, as well as a few people scattered about the buildings.

"Whitefish Point," Mason said, looking out the windshield with her. "Specifically the lighthouse and the Shipwreck Museum. It's been a while since I've been here."

Reyna nodded, checking her feet to make sure her bag and weapons were still there.

"Figured we could start looking here. Mostly since I have no clue where else to," Mason said, taking the keys out of the car. "Besides, the museum is nice. Wouldn't hurt to spend a few minutes inside." He smiled as he got out of the car.

She followed, stepping out of her door. Her skin was met with a strong and chilly wind, the air much colder here than down south. She heard the car trunk shut and turned just in time to catch a brown hoodie thrown at her.

"Didn't see you with your own, so I brought an extra."

Reyna looked down at the hoodie to see a yellow cartoon design on the front of Winnie the Pooh, reaching into a jar of honey. "Where did you get this?" she asked, unable to keep some laughter out of her voice.

Mason looked back at her with a hurt expression. "What's wrong with Winnie the Pooh?"

She shook her head with a smile before pulling it over her head. "Nothing, I guess. I'm surprised it's in an adult size."

He shook his head back at her, but couldn't suppress his own smirk as he began walking towards the buildings. "It was a gift from a couple years ago, okay? Besides, it's my childhood. Let a man reminisce a little."

Reyna continued smiling as she followed him, but quickly grew more serious. "Just remember what we're here for. We need to find Panacea, so we shouldn't spend too much time idling."

"Right," he responded. "And what exactly are we looking for?"

She paused as they walked up to one of the buildings. "I suppose we don't have much. We should be on the lookout for anything odd, maybe a symbol of some sort. If I remember correctly, Panacea is the goddess of universal remedy, so perhaps a vial or bottle?"

"There was the clue, too, right?" Mason said as he pulled the door open. "Something about not bothering to look for her."

"Somehow I still doubt that to be useful."

For the next few minutes, the two of them wandered about the small museum, sometimes splitting up to different displays, but still being conscious to stay relatively close to each other. Glass cases of various ship artifacts were scattered about the black-walled room, and model seagulls were hung from the ceiling. Panels of information about maritime travel on the Great Lakes, the maintenance of the lighthouse, and even local wildlife decorated the walls. A few families drifted around the space, the kids mostly glancing at all of the glass-encased items while the parents stood reading the plaques. Ambient sounds of gentle music and artificial waves crashing emanated from the small speakers in the ceiling.

As she drifted around the room, Reyna felt conflicted. On one hand, it was peaceful in here, being able to wander slowly from exhibit to exhibit in the cool air and muffled music. Plus, she even found the exhibits interesting, especially reading about the various shipwrecks and how treacherous Whitefish Point was to any ships traveling across Lake Superior.

But, on the other hand, she couldn't get the images of her dreams out of her mind, especially those of the infirmary at Camp Half-Blood, and all of the suffering campers. Her friends. They needed her, and she couldn't afford to waste time. So, despite her trying to tell herself that she was doing her best to look for the solution, another part of her was wracked with guilt over any and every possible delay she'd allowed herself. She didn't know how much time she had, since none of them really understood what was going on or the nature of the sickness. But she knew that the longer they went untreated, the worse it would become.

There was also Camp Jupiter, who would now be attacking Lake Tahoe in just eight days. She and Frank, as well as the rest of the Council, had spent countless hours tracking down the remnants of Gaea's stranded forces, and had finally pinned down the location of the largest organized battalion of monsters. If Reyna didn't succeed in time for Camp Half-Blood, she would fail her people at Camp Jupiter, too. So, even more than the demigods at one camp relied on her success; two did.

Reyna found herself in front of a glass case when she shook herself from her thoughts, standing beside Mason. Another girl stood closer to the glass, staring at it. Inside was a moderately large brass bell, engraved with the words Edmund Fitzgerald.

"The Edmund Fitzgerald," Mason said. "Ever hear the song?"

Reyna titled her head. "Maybe. I can't remember."

"It's pretty good. But yeah, interesting story. Freighter ship. It sank in the seventies, and they didn't recover the bell until the nineties."

"There's actually another bell, you know," the girl in front of them said, without turning to look at them. "They made a replica and replaced the original bell with it. Inscribed the lost crew's names on it, too, in honor of them"

Reyna smiled with tight lips at the girl. "Interesting," she said politely.

The girl finally turned to face them, an odd look now appearing on her face. She looked younger than Reyna and Mason, maybe around sixteen, and was at least a few inches shorter than either of them, too. Her dark brown hair was tied up in a ponytail behind her, and her lightly tan face was round and accented by small dimples on her cheeks. She wore jeans and a black shirt with intricate artwork of a crimson dragon curling and breathing fire across the cloth, showing through her black, unzipped hoodie.

As Reyna glanced at the girl's face, she saw her pale green eyes light up. "Hey, I know you! You're Reyna! From camp!"

Reyna was taken aback. "What camp?" she said, gauging the girl's reaction as she tried to remember if she had seen this girl.

The girl stepped forward towards them. "Camp Jupiter, duh. In San Fran."

Reyna thought for a moment, then nodded. "I do remember. You're fairly new, right? Third Cohort?"

"Yep," the girl said with a grin. "Tabitha Klaus. Daughter of Fortuna. Joined up a few months ago. Really amazing place."

Reyna glanced at Mason, who was just smiling at them with a raised eyebrow. When her eyes met his, he just shrugged, and she turned back to the girl. "And what brings you all the way out here?"

"Ah," Tabitha said. "Yeah, my dad and brother like coming over here every year, to the lakes. They do a bunch of fishing, hiking, that sort of thing. They convinced me to tag along, figured it'd be fun." She rolled her eyes, but still managed a smile. "It's been alright, though I'm definitely a little bit of a third wheel. I can't really fish."

She paused, looking towards Reyna with an inquisitive expression. "I'm more curious why you're here," she said, then looked to Mason, who was still standing next to Reyna. He gave a small, slightly timid wave.

"Wait a second," Tabitha said, a mischievous grin forming on her face. "Are you on a date?"

"No," Reyna and Mason both said simultaneously. They both glanced at each other, and Reyna couldn't help but feel her cheeks heat ever so slightly.

"I'm Mason. We're… on a quest," Mason said first. "Looking for something. Well, she is. I'm just here to drive… and stuff." He ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it around.

Tabitha still had her suspicious grin. "Right, right. Uh-huh." She shook her head, the smile going away. "Wait, a quest? Really?"

Reyna composed herself. "Yes. I assume you've heard something about what's happening at Camp Half-Blood."

Tabitha's expression darkened. "Yeah. Grisly stuff."

"I'm looking for something to fix it. A cure, hopefully."

"Right, right," Tabitha said, stroking her chin. After a moment, she looked up. "Hey, if you need any help, you've got me," she said with a smile.

Reyna processed the words, then hesitated. "Wait, do you mean coming with us?"

Hesitation appeared on Tabitha's face as well. "Well, I don't wanna impose. I know quests can be a bit weird, with who's allowed to go and all."

"Aren't you on vacation with your family?" Mason asked.

Tabitha rocked her head back and forth. "Yeaaaaah… but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little boring. Besides, my dad and brother would probably like it just being the two of them. They're nice, but it feels more like a father-son thing, you know?"

"And he would be fine with you just… taking off with strangers?" Mason asked.

She waved her hand. "He gets it, he knows about the whole demigod thing. He wouldn't freak."

Reyna studied the girl as she talked. She hadn't planned on this journey involving anyone but her, but that had already changed once with her allowing Mason to help her. She didn't know if the prophecy meant that she would have to make the journey by herself, but the line about Destruction's daughter fighting alone still concerned her. She didn't want to be the one to get people into mortal danger just because she failed to follow the guidelines set out for her. Especially when it was clear that neither Mason nor Tabitha had ever been on a quest before.

Still, they had no solid leads on where to look for Panacea, and if Reyna had learned anything from her time dealing with Gaea and the Giants, it was that they needed all the help they could get in times of tribulation.

"You seem eager to help," Reyna said, as more of a question than a statement.

Tabitha shrugged. "My mom's a goddess of luck. You show up here, exactly where and when I'm on vacation, in a place that neither of us are, usually? Luck happens for a reason, as dumb as that sounds. Which means us meeting did, too."

Mason seemed particularly taken aback by that. "You think so?"

She pointed a finger at him. "I know so."

Tabitha looked back towards Reyna. The girl's wide eyes were a turbulent mix of signals, as she looked to her with expectation of an answer. Reyna could tell that she respected the authority of her Praetor, but at the same time knew that a simple "no" wouldn't end the conversation.

Reyna sighed, despite herself. "Well, we could use help with one thing, at the very least."

Tabitha's smile widened. "Cool. With what?"

Reyna glanced around the room to see if anyone was watching or within earshot, then leaned back in towards Tabitha slightly. "We're looking for someone, a goddess. We were told she would be here, but that she wasn't the type to appreciate visitors. So, unfortunately, we don't have much of an idea as to how to find her."

"Well, Hygeia did tell us one thing, right?" Mason said to Reyna. "What was it again?"

Reyna sighed. "I believe her exact words were 'If you bother travelling all the way north for me, you're better off turning around and fishing for help somewhere else.'" She looked to Tabitha. "I don't think it's anything helpful, but she did say it would be."

Tabitha pursed her lips and stroked her chin in an exaggerated thinking pose. "All the way north… fishing for help…"

Reyna watched her as she paced around the room, and she noticed Mason step closer to her.

"So you're fine with her coming?" he asked quietly.

"I think so. For now. She's a good girl, if a bit enthusiastic. I remember her now, from camp."

"Yeah, I like her," he said with a smile as he leaned back away from Reyna. She felt a twang of something in her gut, but shook it off.

"Ah, that's it!" she heard Tabitha say, and the girl jogged back over to them. "That's hilarious, did she come up with that herself?"

Reyna looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"The riddle. The other goddess said she'd be at Whitefish Point, right? Up here, with the lighthouse and everything?"

"I think so."

Tabitha grinned. "Yeah, I've got a pretty good idea of where to look."

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As Reyna and Mason made their way out of the museum and back to the car, Tabitha ran off to talk with her dad, telling them she'd catch up in just a minute. The two of them leaned against the side of the car, staring out towards the lighthouse and the lake behind it. After only a minute, Tabitha came jogging over to them.

"Gotta grab my stuff real quick," she said, passing them and walking over to a different car, pulling a duffel bag out, and returning to drop it at Reyna's feet. "Be right back again!" she said, running off towards the museum. Probably to give the car keys back to her dad, Reyna thought.

Once she returned for the second time, the three of them all got into Mason's car, Tabitha sitting in the backseat. Once they got situated, Reyna and Mason both turned in their seats to look at her.

"So, where are we going?" Mason asked.

Tabitha waved her hand. "Like, two minutes down the road. The way you came."

Mason glanced at Reyna, then turned to start the car. "Alright then."

It did, in fact, only take two minutes. They drove just down the road before making a turn onto a dirt path through a layer of trees and finding themselves parked on a dirt clearing just before a few old warehouses and a narrow set of docks stretching out into the lake.

As they followed Tabitha out of the car, Reyna spoke up over the whistling wind. "What is this place?"

"The Whitefish State Docks," Tabitha replied, walking towards the warehouses.

Reyna gave her a moment before speaking again. "And why are we here?"

Tabitha turned this time, a few wispy strands of hair flying in front of her face. "'If you bother travelling all the way north for me, you're better off turning around and fishing for help somewhere else.' That's what she said, right?"

"Yes?"

Tabitha chuckled, her hands on her hips. "Well, if you wanna find her, you need to go to Whitefish Point. But you don't wanna go 'all the way north' to the tip. You need to turn around."

"And go back south a bit," Mason said with a tone of understanding.

"Yup. And 'fishing for help somewhere else.'" Tabitha pointed towards the deteriorating, rust-colored warehouses. "Old commercial fishery buildings. Tada," she said with jazz hands and a tone of pride.

Mason laughed. "Wow. So it really was a hint?"

Reyna couldn't suppress a chuckle herself. "I suppose so."

"Come on, let's find a way inside," Tabitha said, running off towards the closer building.

The fishery building was old and dilapidated. Most of the small windows were broken, and the walls were rusted and dirty. As the three of them carefully climbed through a window, they found themselves in a large, empty room. The wooden floor creaked beneath them as they made their way through the space, the grey light pouring through in streaks from the windows and the smells of dust and rot filling their senses. The three of them navigated various bits of glass, trash, and rubble around the room, looking for anything of significance. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but Reyna couldn't help but think that it was a step above the sewers she had delved into with Mason the other day.

She also couldn't help but think about Tabitha, and what she meant for the quest. She remembered Tabitha now, if only vaguely; her vigor and humor had helped her fit in rather quickly to the group of demigods and her Cohort at Camp Jupiter. It felt odd to hesitate on whether to accept help or not in a situation like this, so Reyna wondered why she felt apprehensive about the idea of Tabitha joining them. After a moment, she came to the strange and uncomfortable realization that one of the reasons she hesitated to let Tabitha come with them was because she actually preferred travelling alone with just Mason.

Maybe it was just the nature of the trip, and his insisting on taking their time and being properly rested. Still, the notion bothered Reyna more than she felt it should have.

"Over here!" she heard Mason call out from across the room. She made her way over to where he was crouched on the floor in the corner of the room, and Tabitha joined soon after.

"Look! You said to look for a symbol, right? Like a bottle or something? Here," Mason said, brushing off some dirt from the wooden floor.

Reyna looked down. "Um, where?" she said.

Mason glanced up at her, then back down to the ground. "Right there," he said, pointing. "The vial thing. You see it, right?"

Reyna glanced up at Tabitha, who shrugged. "I got nothing."

Mason glanced between them with a raised eyebrow. "Really? It's right there…" he drifted off, clearly doubting himself for a moment.

The floor creaked beneath Reyna as she kneeled down to look closer, right beside Mason. She squinted, searching the patterns in the rotting wood. Nothing jumped out at her as being a symbol of any kind. She looked back towards Mason. "Maybe…"

Mason stared at the ground. "Maybe…" he echoed, and he reached out his hand. As it met the floor, his eyes widened slightly, and Reyna watched as a wooden handle suddenly materialized on the ground, just a few inches from Mason's fingers.

"Interesting…" he muttered as he grabbed ahold of the handle, and as he pulled up, the floor creaked loudly as a trapdoor revealed itself, which Mason had just opened with the handle.

Mason let out a nervous laugh. "Thank goodness. Sometimes it's hard to tell if it's the Mist or if I'm just going crazy." He glanced up towards them. "I'm getting pretty good at finding secret entrances."

Tabitha seemed both intrigued and impressed. "So what, you can see invisible secret symbols? Which god did you get that from?"

Mason gave his usual apologetic smile. "None. I think. I'm a mortal."

"Huh. Cool." That was all she said.

Reyna peered down the newly opened hole in the ground. Steep wooden steps led downwards into darkness, and she couldn't see past a few feet. "I hope you're ready to meet another goddess," she said, taking the first step down.

"Well," Mason said as he followed. "I doubt it's going to be anything like the last one."