Chapter 25

Hazel had made a small fire while Reyna slept, it crackled away sending small waves of heat out, she had heated up some water and pulled out a small silver sachet. Damien watched her and smiled a little

"She really does love hot chocolate huh" he said jokingly

Hazel laughed a little "Yer, I think some days it's the only thing that keeps her sane, what with all the meetings and endless paperwork"

"Why does she do it all if it drives her mad?" Damien asked

"Because I do it to keep my people safe" Reyna mumbled

Damien looked down in surprise to see Reyna opening her tired brown eyes, she looked up at him and then across to Hazel

"Do I smell hot chocolate?" she asked sitting up slowly, Damien helped her to sit up against the same rock he was leaning against, she still looked as though she might pass out at any minute, her skin paled slightly with the exhaustion of using her powers

"It's a good possibility" Hazel grinned broadly at her, she reached out the piping hot travel mug she had produced from her bag, the heavenly liquid inside, these girls really did travel with everything Damien thought to himself.

Reyna went to take it but fell back against the rock, a hand going to her head, the jungle floored seemed to be tipping,

"You okay?" Damien said placing his hands on her shoulders, concern clear in his eyes

Reyna took a deep breath and dropped her hand "Yer I'm fine, just light headed" she looked down at her hands, clenching then unclenching her hands, testing out her motor skills

Damien tucked a few stands of loose hair behind her ear "You sure?"

She nodded weakly meeting his gaze, Damien took the mug from Hazel and held it for Reyna to take

"Thank you" she attempted a smile but it was clear for the other two that she was still feeling the toll

Damien sat back down, settling next to her but he kept his eyes on her, not being able to pull his gaze away, Hazel's words from earlier still in his minds

Reyna felt his gaze upon her "How are you feeling?" she asked not sure how to feel under his stare

"I'm a lot better thanks to you Reyna, but you shouldn't have put yourself at risk like you did for me" he answered

Reyna rolled her eyes "You say that after you jumped off a cliff to save me"

Damien went to reply but words failed him, he knew she was right

"Exactly" Reyna said a little smugness in her voice "I know the limits of my powers Damien and you weren't moving, what else was I supposed to do?"

Damien nodded and smiled at her "Thank you Reyna" he placed a hand on her knee

Reyna's cheeks flared red, Hazel averted her gaze but a small grin flashed over her lips, she saw out of the corner of her eyes that Reyna placed her hand over his, the two sharing a moment

"It's my duty as Praetor" she turned her gaze back to the cup in her hand and pulled away from Damien's touch,

Damien felt that clutching feeling in his chest as he watched her, he nodded though, doing his best to understand her situation, Reyna had always said that her first priority was to New Rome

"But thank you Damien" she whispered, though she kept her eyes locked on the cup

Damien remained quiet, taking his own cup from Hazel who decided it was up to her to fill the silence now

"Are you feeling up to moving, maybe continuing for a while longer on our journey" asked Hazel "We can stay a while longer if you need it"

Reyna took a sip of her drink and nodded "Not necessary, we have spent too much time here already, who knows what is going on with the mortals, with one of the muses gone this long, it was already affecting Camp Half-Blood when we left"

"Okay" Hazel replied but looked Reyna up and down, seeing the tiredness in her eyes "Just take it easy, if you need a break take it"

Reyna waved her hand signalling she was going to be fine, she finished her drink and popped the mug into her own satchel and put both her hands on the rock behind her, taking a deep breath she pushed herself up slowly, testing out her legs and her balance.

Damien stood close just in case she tumbled again, but the Praetor was strong and persistent, she did a good job at hiding her weaknesses, nevertheless his golden eyes watched her, it was his fault she was weakened and he wanted to help her if she needed it.

She brushed the leaves and dirt from her clothing and she turned to face Hazel, she waited for her head to stop spinning before speaking, steadying herself subtly on the rock face behind her, feeling all eyes upon her

"Right… which way?" she asked, a little disoriented, there were no flowers down in this ditch

Hazel drew a compass from one of her pockets and looked from it to the trees then back again,

"Well" she started "We were heading in a north east direction before, so I guess keep going in that general direction, hopefully we can pick up the trail"

Reyna nodded her approval to the plan and set off after the shorter demigod, Damien's eyes watched her as she swayed slightly, but corrected herself, he decided to stay close to her just to be sure she didn't go tumbling over anymore cliffs.

He helped her whenever they had to climb over fallen trees or down hills, Damien had been feeling a lot better after Reyna had given her strength to him last night and the dreamless sleep, He hadn't felt this good in a very long time.

They walked for half the day according to Reyna's watch, they had stopped a few times even though Reyna insisted they kept going, but it was clear to everyone that she was still feeling the effects of using her abilities, Damien had taken her pack again, she had shot him a look when he took it from her shoulders but he just grinned at her and gestured for her to continued.

It was when they were all sat on a fallen log that Damien heard what he thought was a whisper through the trees, he turned looking into the forest but heard nothing, he dismissed it as the breeze or something and returned to his drink.

A few moments later he heard a definite voice, he stood and faced the direction of the noise, stepping towards it with his hand on the hilt of his blade, he had no idea what creatures lurked in the jungle

"Damien?" Hazel said curiously, standing as well following his lead along with Reyna

Damien's eyes flickered from tree to tree "I thought I'd heard something" another step closer, straining his ears

The two girls listened as well, but all they heard was the distant birds and the light breeze through the leaves. Damien stepped forward his eyes telling him it was nothing but his instincts telling him they were being watched

A sudden just of wind had him backing up to the girls, sword drawn in a defensive stance

"Leave me" moaned a voice