Chapter 41
It was a few moments before a blinding light erupted in the icy palace, Reyna shielded her eyes and then standing before them was the shining form of Moneta, her eyes landed on her daughter who was still singing to herself
"Go be with your sisters Euterpe, they need you" she ordered softly "Heal the rift in the world"
Euterpe looked towards her mother, she exhaled as if a weight had been taken from her shoulders, she nodded slowly, taking a deep breath
"Of course mother" she turned to Reyna and the other Demigods "Thank you young ones" she nodded before disappearing into a soft melody, the cavern became very quiet for a moment but it didn't last for long
Moneta then turned her gaze upon Thamyris, the room began to shake, icicles falling from the ceiling, her godly light was becoming brighter, her voice echoed through their minds
You went after my child
Thamyris and Maryas grimaced in pain, Thamyris putting a hand to his head
Reyna heared her voice as well but she imagined that the titaness was forcing her voice into their minds with quite some power
I remember you Thamyris, you challenged a god, Apollo no less, you left the man who loved you because of your ego, you are not worthy of anyone's love
Thamyris spat ancient obscenities at her
SILENCE!
Thamyris yelled out in pain and collapsed to the floor, hands going to either side of his head, blood streaming from the black holes where his eyes had once been
Reyna just watched on with a neutral expression on her face, she remained close to Damien, fearful that a falling shard would shatter the ice and therefore him. She kept her eyes fixed on the scene unfolding in front of her, if she looked back at Damien she might lose her calm façade, she was Praetor and she would not break in front of her enemies.
You belong in the depths of the underworld and I will send you back there and I will see that you are punished for what you have done
The two beings screamed as Moneta looked on, unleashing her full power onto them, Thamyris and Marsyas writhed in pain, Moneta was not letting them go lightly and to be truthful Reyna didn't want her to.
Another moment passed before the two of them exploded into dust, a small breeze blowing them away, Moneta turned to Reyna
"You have fulfilled you end Praetor" she said matter-of-factly, she turned away "I will send you back to your land"
"Lady Moneta" Reyna called out
The titaness turned to face her,
"Marsyas used faun magic to incapacitate me but…" she looked towards Damien's frozen form, she swallowed trying to keep her composure "Damien took the blast, without him we couldn't save your daughter"
"Ask what you want young Praetor" Moneta said impatiently
"Is there any way to get him back?" she asked feeling the sting of tears in her eyes, using all her control not to break in front of the titaness
Moneta came to stand beside him, she looked him over, placing a hand on his icy frame, Reyna watched them carefully, silently praying that he would gasp back to life
"It is not in my ability to bring him back" she said simply as if it were of no consequence
Reyna could feel her knees growing weak, she didn't want to accept that he was gone
"He sacrificed himself for his Praetor, it is the most honourable Roman way" Moneta said taking in Reyna's features
"I didn't want him to die" Reyna wiped away a tear that had escaped her lashes "I didn't even say…" she caught herself before she could say anymore
Moneta looked between the two of them
"He is not dead young Praetor"
Reyna looked up at the Titaness "What?"
"He is not dead, just frozen, perfectly preserved" Moneta turned away again "I will bring him with you if you so wish"
"Yes" Reyna said instantly "Please Lady Moneta" she remembered her position and the fact she was speaking to a being that was almost as old as time itself
"Very well"
There was a flash of brilliant light and Reyna found herself standing in the middle of Camp Jupiter, it must have been the middle of the night because the moon was out and there were hardly any campers around, she spun to see Damien, still frozen standing beside her, she then checked on her other companions, making sure they were all there.
Within a few seconds the Roman guard appeared, rushing over to the sudden appearance of people in the middle of camp, they lowered their weapons when they saw their Praetor standing there
"Praetor?" one said a little confused
Reyna raised herself to her full height, her commanding voice loud in the otherwise silent night
"Sam get this man to the medic's building immediately" she pointed towards Damien
The guards paused obviously unsure of why there was a guy frozen in ice in the middle of their camp
"Now" commanded Reyna
The guards jumped into action and surrounded Damien, it took them a moment to work out how to lift him, it took four of the larger guards to lift him onto their shoulders, Reyna lead them to the medic building, keeping a close eye on the frozen form, occasionally yelling at the guards to be more careful.
The sleepy girl behind the desk, jolted awake when Reyna and the others burst in carrying a huge humanoid lump of ice
"Get me Samson now" Reyna demanded
The blonde nodded and rushed off towards Samson's office
Reyna turned back to the guards still struggling to carry Damien
"Get him up to the infirmary, private room" she ordered
They nodded and began to make their way up the steps, Reyna was about to follow when Hazel caught her arm
"Reyna, be careful" her eyes tired as she glanced around "Word will reach the leaders of New Rome, especially if Toni contacts Caius and now she has her proof, you need to stay objective for both your sakes"
Reyna thought for a moment, knowing that Hazel was right, but as her eyes followed Damien's unmoving body, she could feel her heart being torn in two.
"I have to get ahead of this" Reyna said, mostly to herself, she looked back at the shorter demigod "Will you stay with him?" she asked, trusting only Hazel
She nodded "Of course"