Chapter 13

Reyna stood there motionless for a moment, Samson looked around wildly as he came out of his frozen state, unsure of how his Praetor was suddenly standing behind him.

"Praetor?" he looked back to her chair and then to where she was now standing, confusion plain to see on his rounded face

Reyna remained silent, her mind running with what just happened, with the words Thanatos/Letus had spoken to her and the information he had passed on, but mostly the last thing he had said before disappearing

Remember Damien cannot know I have been here

She didn't understand why he couldn't know or why he didn't show himself to his son, she could only guess that he was a culus and afraid to face the son he had abandoned

Samson cleared his throat "Praetor, is err… is everything okay?" he asked unsure of what was exactly going on

Reyna looked back at him "Of course" she said returning to her more regal self, she knew she could give nothing away "You have looked over the numbers yes?" she asked as if he was the one who had zoned out and everything was normal

Samson looked back at the screen, his confused eyes taking in the information, Reyna watched him hoping that he had just dismissed the strangeness as just a mind lapse or something like that. Luckily Samson seemed to interested in the figures Reyna had drawn up, he thought for a long moment, weighing his options

"And you are sure this is the only way for me to get the funds?" he asked turning back to face Reyna, who just simply nodded

"If you want the funds this is the sacrifice that you will have to make"

He thought for a long time, Reyna was itching to escape upstairs for a few moments, mainly to check on Damien but to also get him and Hazel together and talk through what she had learned but that would involve getting this meeting over and done with and at the rate Samson was reading they would be here till the next solstice.

She looked down at Samson who was still taking his sweet time in deciding whether or not to accept Reyna's deal. The Praetor resisted the urge to tap her foot

"I know it's a big decision so why don't you think it over, maybe discuss it with your colleagues" she said trying to keep the impatience from her voice "You can leave your answer with Rebecca, I have other things that need my attention today and I'm sure you are busy as well with the medical centre" she left nothing for interpretation and opened the door for him

As soon as he left she left her office and told Rebecca that she would be back as soon as she could and to find Hazel and let her know to meet her in her office in an hour. She rushed up the stairs, but paused when she her hand rested on the door handle, she had no plan of what to tell Damien, Letus had told her to stay silent about his appearance to her, she still didn't understand why. Should she tell him the truth? Or would it hurt him too much to learn that his father who left him to be tortured appeared to her without being summoned?

She took a deep breath in and released it opening up the door and stepping into her own room, at first she did not see the son of Letus and she was about to panic thinking that maybe he had gone again, But footsteps coming out the bathroom alerted her to his presence, he came into view and stopped in his tracks when he saw her, his hair was wet allowing droplets of water to fall onto his bare chest, Reyna watched a one as it trailed down his chest following the muscular contours of his stomach before disappearing at the waist of his fitted jeans.

She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, and found herself swallow deeply "Thamyris has been released from the Underworld" she said looking into his tired eyes, she wished she could help him with his nightmares

"How do you know this?" He asked suspicion in his voice

Reyna's mouth went dry, she thought quickly "Moneta visited me again and confirmed it" she lied instantly feeling hollow for lying to Damien about his own dad not wanting to see him, she looked into his eyes and her heart felt a little colder, she wanted to get out of here

Damien nodded slowly but his eyes held something back, he knew Reyna, he had seen the other side of her that not many others had seen before, a side she had kept hidden and he knew when she wasn't telling him the whole truth but he trusted her above anyone else.

"Okay what do we need to do now?" He asked

"We need to find Hyacinth, he was the one who released him" she turned to the door, reaching for the handle, turning away from Damien's golden brown eyes, not being able to lie to his face anymore "I need to find Hazel" she said wanting to get out of there as soon as she could, something pulled in the pit of her stomach, guilt, guilt over lying to Damien, but she only wanted to keep him safe.

When she was outside the door she walked down the corridor for a moment before leaning against the wall, she took a deep breath, her fingertips cold, she had deceived many people before, it was part of her job, but lying to Damien, it made her body go cold. She stood up straight backed and exhaled, she needed to be stronger, she was Praetor of Camp Jupiter she was strong, she was a leader, she needed to be that way to survive in this life, to protect her people.

She placed her Praetor mask back on and descended the stairs