Reyna closed her eyes tightly and tried to ignore the throbbing in her jaw. It didn't matter how much ice she put against it or how much medicine she took, her jaw still ached. Reyna would need to go to the hospital, but that wasn't an option. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
"Just a little more," Thalia said. She studied the wall in front of her with a frown on her face. Reyna looked at the wall. It was cracked in multiple places, and another hit or two would allow them to break through the wall. Reyna sighed and glanced at Bianca.
Bianca was sitting next to her and studying her nearly broken finger. Reyna and Bianca had tried to use a battering ram to break down the wall, which ended rather poorly. Bianca almost broke her finger, and the force of the battering ram hitting the wall sent terrible shockwaves of pain through Reyna's jaw.
Hylla's attempts were going a lot better, but she was clearly getting frustrated. Each hit from the battering ram only seemed to put a dent in the wall, even with Hylla's enhanced strength. The continued pressure was going to cause it crack sooner or later, and they would be free. Hypothetically.
After they watched some of the broadcast, Hylla insisted that they couldn't just wait around for their original plan. When Bianca and Thalia asked why, Hylla snapped on them that she knew what was best. Reyna just cradled her jaw and used that as an excuse for silence. Thalia seemed to know they were hiding something though.
"You said that five tries ago," Hylla snapped. She backed up and then slammed the battering ram into the wall. It cracked a little more, and an angry growl escaped Hylla. She took a few steps backwards and then threw the ram at the wall. The ram hit the wall and then fell right through. "Oh. That works."
Reyna slowly stood and walked outside of the prison. She stared up at the sky and felt rain fall onto her face. Reyna took a shaky breath. She didn't know what was going to happen now, and it scared her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Thalia staring down at her hand.
It looked like Thalia was trying to create lightning, but she wasn't having any luck. Reyna looked down. She had taken Thalia's powers from her after she fell asleep. Well, she thought that she did. Reyna didn't know how exactly it worked, so she kind of just grabbed Thalia's arm and hoped for the best. The effort had completely drained her, which hopefully meant it worked.
Reyna looked up, and for half of a second, she met Thalia's eyes. Thalia quickly looked away. Bianca spoke, "Where are we going from here?"
"To find the rest of the Olympians," Hylla answered. She looked at all of them and then looked away. Thalia kept her gaze focused on Hylla. Reyna sighed sadly, and she looked at the ground.
"What is going on?" Thalia demanded. She turned towards Reyna, but her gaze stayed on Hylla. "You two are acting really weird. Why did we have to leave all of a sudden?"
"We should tell them," Reyna muttered through her gritted teeth. It hurt to move her mouth too much. Hylla looked at her and shook her head. "They deserve to know."
"Hey!" Thalia suddenly yelled. "This isn't something that you two can argue about. Tell us now!"
Hylla crossed her arms and remained silent. Reyna slowly looked at Thalia and remained silent as well. Thalia suddenly grabbed her shirt and spoke, "What is going on, Reyna? Tell me, or I am going to knock the rest of your teeth out!"
Reyna flinched and thought back to how Thalia had shoved a gun into her face. There had been a crazy look in her eyes, and she had that same look now. Hylla shoved Thalia away and got in her face.
"Don't threaten my sister," Hylla snapped. Thalia got in Hylla's face as well. The two of them glared at each other.
"Enough," Reyna hissed. She gripped her jaw with one hand and used the other to shove Hylla behind her. "Stop fighting. We need to work together."
"Tell us what happened," Bianca said softly. She looked at Reyna. "You owe us that much."
"Pluto and his friends killed most of the Olympians," Reyna said softly. The look of heartbreak on Thalia's face sent a sick feeling through her gut. Thalia backed away, and she collapsed into a sitting position. The only thing Reyna wanted to do was hug Thalia and tell her it would be okay. "He put it on a broadcast for everyone to see. I'm sorry."
"They can't be dead," Bianca whispered. She sounded absolutely shocked. The heartbreak in her eyes was clear. "They can't."
"They are," Hylla said quietly. She took a deep breath. "We need to get the two of you to safety and to the rest of the Olympians. Then, we're leaving, Reyna."
"Leaving?" Reyna asked quietly. She studied Hylla for a few moments and frowned. "We can't just leave."
"This two are going to city hall. Then, we are finding Kinzie and leaving," Hylla stated. She grabbed Reyna's wrist. "Okay?"
"We can't just leave!" Reyna snapped. She jerked her wrist away and gripped her jaw.
"We are leaving," Hylla insisted. "This is not our fight."
"It is my fight," Reyna snapped. She glared at her sister. "It has been my fight ever since Bellona dragged me into this. Then, Kronos shot me in the head. I have been used and manipulated to hurt the people that I care about! I cannot let that happen anymore."
Hylla watched her for a long moment. Reyna just gripped her jaw and tried to ignore the pain from talking so much. Hylla looked down and finally spoke, "Okay."
Reyna nodded slightly. Hylla gently grabbed her arm, and they walked down the street. Bianca gently dragged Thalia behind her. They walked down the street until they ran into a parked car. Hylla glanced at them. Then, she slammed her elbow into the window.
"We're stealing a car?" Bianca asked. She looked at them hesitantly.
"Yes," Reyna muttered. She watched Hylla clear away the glass and sit in the driver seat. After a moment, Reyna walked towards Thalia. "I'm sorry. About everything. I'm going to make it up to you."
"No, you're not," Thalia stated. She turned Reyna with tears in her eyes. "This is your fault. All of this is your fault!"
"I know," Reyna whispered softly. She looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry."
"Just leave me alone," Thalia snapped. She shoved past Reyna and sat in the back seat. Reyna stared at the ground and heard Hylla start the car. A hand gently grabbed her shoulder.
"Give her time," Bianca whispered softly. Reyna pulled away and didn't say a word. She sat in the passenger's seat and stared out the window. This was all her fault. She was the one who let Pluto out of prison, and somehow, she would make up for it.
"Just a little further," Hazel said softly. She could feel how tight Annabeth's grip was on her arm, but Annabeth was holding strong. Annabeth insisted that she walk out of the hospital on her own, even though the nurses insisted that she use a wheelchair. Annabeth won the battle on that one, but she did allow Hazel to gently grab her arm and steady her.
A limousine pulled up, and a small frown came to Hazel's face. They were going to be picked up by Minerva, after Venus and Mars got back to their base and took over watching cameras. Minerva would probably be a few minutes later, but they had just planned on hanging out at a bench.
"That's not for us, is it?" Frank asked. Hazel shrugged, but she saw a tall man step out of the limousine. Charon turned and walked towards them. For once, he wasn't wearing a tie, instead wearing just a button down shirt and vest.
Hazel really didn't like having a limousine driver. She already felt like a stranger in Pluto's residence, only really there because her mother had gone off the deep end long ago. Pluto felt bad enough that he had his lawyers reach out and had Bianca put in the custody of Kore. The woman didn't seem to mind Hazel too much, but she still felt bad, almost like a parasite.
Hazel didn't like to take anything from the father that she had never really met. That was why she never accepted rides from Charon, preferring to bike or walk with Frank. Charon walked towards them and spoke, "I have been asked to give you a ride."
"I thought you were going on vacation," Hazel began. Charon smiled and opened a door. Hazel and Frank helped Annabeth climb inside. They sat by her, and the door closed. Charon walked towards the driver's seat and sat inside.
"No," Charon said quietly. He started to drive. Hazel frowned and leaned on Frank. She saw Annabeth was already drifting off to sleep. Annabeth's eyes suddenly snapped open, and she slowly grabbed her phone.
"What's wrong?" Hazel asked quietly. She leaned over and looked at Annabeth's phone. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Charon was watching them closely through the mirror.
"Hazel, why don't you and your friends just relax?" Charon asked. He pulled onto the highway and started to pick up speed. Hazel nodded and leaned back in her seat. Her eyes did move to the side. Annabeth was staring at the ground, and there was a look of shock on her face.
The doors near them locked, and the window that separated the two front seats from the back started to close. Annabeth spoke, "Hades is killing our parents."
Hazel stared and watched the window close completely. There was a barrier made of metal between the front seats and the back. In the middle of the barrier,there was a glass window that was large enough for a hand to pass through, but the window was now closed. It was also shatterproof and bulletproof.
"What are you doing?" Hazel demanded. She tried to open the door but couldn't Charon watched them quietly. "What is going on?"
"Your friends will be used as a bargaining chip," Charon said. Hazel stared at him in shock. "As for you, your father is free from Tartarus, and he wants you to come home."