Praetor Reyna had not stayed put either. She had to know if things were really as bad as they seemed, and one quick way to do that was to check with the mortals. If things were obviously out of order among the mortals too, then she'd know that their problem was not being blown out of proportion. She got into a black BMW, the one she usually used when she meant business, and went out for a drive. She had never made the mistake of assuming that it would be an uneventful thing- such naïvety had long left her- but she definitely hadn't expected her car to break down in the middle of nowhere.

She had come quite a distance from New Rome, and it definitely wasn't advisable to walk all the way back. She did the next best thing that she could- try and find a mechanic. In the middle of nowhere, did she say? No, it wasn't really deserted. It just wasn't a place she knew too well. The first sign board that she stumbled across brought back bitter memories. Memories of fire and destruction. It was the day a single boy had threatened the watchful peace between the Greeks and Romans. Her home had been burnt down even as both praetors she had once trusted fled with the Greeks.

'Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters' it read. Leo Valdez. That had been his name. She had never forgiven him entirely for what he had done, but she hadn't blamed him either. After all, her own father's death had haunted her for a long time. Moreover, she wasn't ignorant of the void that it left behind in the lives of the others. They had been devastated. The name kept getting to her though. She supposed the mechanic would be some demigod too. It wasn't a common name among mortals. Why, she was in for much more!

She walked in to find a gorgeous woman. She would have led herself to believe that she was an immortal, if only she hadn't noticed that there was no soft glow that surrounded her. Her beauty was ethereal, yes, but she didn't glow like a goddess did. A daughter of Venus maybe. Even as she approached the lady, she heard a voice call out, "Sunshine? Who is it this time? I'll be there in a moment!" She turned to see who it was that had spoken. There was something about his frame that seemed familiar,though she couldn't very well place what it was. Was it the way he spoke, or his features? She would have to see his face to know.

To say she was shocked would have been an understatement. She had seen Gwen return from death. She had seen him die, but not once did she ever consider that seeing him once more was even a possibility, for right before her eyes, alive and whole, stood Leo Valdez, one of the Seven, wielder of fire, and son of Vulcan, known to others as Hephaestus. At that moment, she forgot everything she'd ever learnt of diplomacy. Anger surged through her as she remembered what he had done once. This was her closure. She slapped him.

"What was that for?"

"New Rome."

At that, he turned red, and his hand awkwardly moved next to the back of his head.

"I may have deserved that. I didn't mean to do it though. Truly."

"I know."

"Well,now that that's clear, I need you to meet someone. Reyna, this is Calypso. Calypso, Reyna" he said, gesturing between the two of them. Reyna looked at her in surprise, but nodded. It wasn't like it was unbelievable after all, though how someone such as her had ended up with Leo was beyond her.

"The others are not going to be half as kind, you know, considering that they're still mourning you."

"I'm touched. It's not really easy to replace Mr.McShizzle" he said with a melodramatic sigh. That got him another hit, from Calypso this time.

"I get that you love me Sunshine. You don't have to hit me for that!"

With that, his face turned serious.

"How are the others really doing? Jason? Pipes?"

Reyna stiffened imperceptibly at those names, but she answered him nonetheless.

"They're as fine as can be. Like I said, they still mourn you, but otherwise, they seem to be fine. Haven't you sent them word yet?"

"I can't say I did. I tried some holographic messages, but apparently they didn't get them. Are they all still at camp?"

"Why don't you look for yourself? The reason I ended up here in the first place was because my car broke down. What say the two of you come back with me? It looks like something big is brewing and we could do with another hand or two."

"It's decided then. Pack up Sunshine! Team Leo's got some work to do!"

In no time, the trio were on their way back to New Rome, the journey filled with simple conversations that left them catching up with each other, but Reyna's heart was heavy. Not a single word she had uttered of the 'prophecy' but she knew that it had already been set in motion. She was almost certain that it had referred to Leo, who had been presumed dead, and it filled her with dread and concern to know that darker things would soon come to pass. The Great Prophecy had come to pass, and so had the Prophecy of the Seven. Both had ended with major wars and huge losses on either side. It seemed unfair that those who had died with honour would never return, though their deaths would be nearly futile as the enemy regenerated and returned to the surface.

She wondered if she would ever see them again. If she would see them once more in Elysium at least. She had come so close to death many a time, not least of all when she faced Orion to protect Blackjack. She wondered if she would live long enough to see other prophecies come and go, or see Apollo reclaim his godhood, if in fact the rumours were true. She wondered of she would see Hylla once more in good health, or even Thalia whom she had once met, but tonight, she would have more to think of. There would be no war games to celebrate Leo's return. Fire may have been rekindled, yes, but not in her camp just as yet. It was still too early to be certain that there wouldn't be any hostilities. As for that, she decided, it was time the visited Camp Half-blood once more.