They had to swim to shore.

The pirates couldn't sail their boat close to the river bank and there were no life boats. Reyna plunged over the side first. The weight from the bag of coins made swimming nearly impossible. She fought to keep her head above water. She wouldn't make it to shore—

Aurum grabbed the bag in his teeth and doggie paddled away from her. The two metal pooches had adopted Reyna as their master, and she had adopted them as her pets. She had had a dog back when she was in Puerto Rico, but there dogs were different. They actually understood what she said and responded, as opposed to the regular dog whose eyes sparkled dumbly.

Hylla landed in the water next to her, and the pirates whooped with joy. Several were nursing cuts and bruises from either the daughters of Bellona or their dogs. There was a creeeeak as the rudder was forced all the way around and the ship's sails caught the wind again, sending it racing up river.

Reyna climbed out onto the bank and wished she could sit down. The hill was at too steep on an incline to do anything other than stand comfortably. Aurum and Argentum padded around her, wagging their tails excitedly. Reclaiming her bag of gold, Reyna scratched Aurum behind the ears gratefully. She wasn't sure if they could feel it with their metal skin, but he leaned into it, seemingly pleased.

Hylla clambered out, just as wet as her younger sister. The dogs weren't as attracted to her as they were to Reyna. Reyna found that immensely satisfying. It was just one way she could prove she was better than Hylla at something.

"Let's go up toward the house, and see if we can figure out where we are," Hylla said. She made it seem like a suggestion but Reyna knew she didn't have any say.

"Won't people stare if we walk in looking like this?" Reyna pointed out. They were still wearing the tattered Greek-style chitons from when they had been captured months ago, but now loaded with grime and sopping wet.

"The Mist will help if they're mortal," Hylla decided, and started the climb. It was less strenuous than it seemed, once they got past the tree line. They came out onto a drastically sloped lawn, which plateaued to create stable ground for the house. It was clearly the back of the dwelling. A large overhang shaded a porch with chairs arranged in a neat row. A line of people wound out a side door and then back in, directed by a tour guide. Little kids ran across the lawn with their mothers, all dressed for a hot summer day, which it was.

"What month do you think it is?" Reyna asked as they trooped across the lawn.

Hylla paused to consider. "May? June, maybe? We should definitely check."

Reyna stared as they passed a woman in a full pink dress with layered skirts, corset, and lace fan. She was clearly a period actress, and spoke to passersby cheerfully. The smaller children seemed awed by her beautiful attire, and she was handing pamphlets to the adults from a wicker basket, "Her."

Hylla saw who she was looking at and changed trajectory. The woman saw them coming and smiled, her eyes glazed over. The Mist was working.

"Good morning!" She said, smiling. "How are you enjoying your day at this great plantation? Have you just come from the Mansion Tour?"

"Yeah," Hylla played along. "It was great. I was wondering if we could have one of those papers?"

The woman passed her one and Hylla dragged Reyna away toward a small white brick building. She glanced at the flyer. "Mount Vernon."

"What's that?"

"This," Hylla said absently, waving her hand around. "Home and resting place of George Washington."

Reyna's heart jumped. "America?"

"Where did you think we were?"

She shrugged. She hadn't given it any thought, but she hadn't expected America.

"We're in Virginia," Hylla continued, skimming the text. "That's the Potomac River, and Maryland's on the other side… we're not that far from Washington, D.C. That's where we'll go next." She tucked the flyer in her pocket. "Come on."

Reyna glanced around at Mount Vernon. The house was at the end of a large circular green space, ringed by a dirt road that extended away on either side. The main mansion was made from white stone and had a red roof. It had two wings that branched out into clusters of small buildings. Families wound around them, hurried down the road and peeked into the buildings, staring at the historical goodies arranged inside.

"Come on!"

Reyna ran after her sister, following the signs leading to the exit. The plantation was big, green and flowering. If it hadn't been so hot and humid Reyna would have happily spent the day there. As it was she was wet, tired, and hadn't had something proper to eat or drink in months.

They ran out the front gates and found a cab waiting by the curb. Hylla jumped in the back.

"I'm waiting for some'un, miss," he said around the cigarette in his mouth.

Hylla pulled a single coin out of her bag and held it out to him. His eyes widened. "Is this for real?"

"Yup," Hylla promised. "One 16th century Spanish denali."

The driver was more than happy to take them all the way to D.C.

"You know what kind of coin it is?" Reyna whispered, curious.

"No," Hylla admitted. "I made that up."

Forty minutes later they were driving over a bridge and into D.C. Even Reyna recognized the Washington Monument looming over everything and the Capitol Building at the head of the National Mall. The driver dropped them at the nearest hotel and sped off, clutching his antique payment.

They found a place that would exchange their coins for American dollars, and left with more money than the two of them had ever had in their lives. They spent the next few hours shopping at an actual mall, and then returned to the hotel, checking into a room with two queen-sized beds.

After a shower and a meal from room service, Reyna felt like she was on top of the world. Her new jeans and white blouse felt softer than silk. She collapsed on her bed, fully ready to go to sleep despite the fact that it was only four in the afternoon.

She heard Hylla put down her glass on the stone top of the bedside table between their beds. "Rey?"

Reyna hadn't heard Hylla call her than in ages, but only replied with a tired, "Hmm?"

Her eyes weren't open, so she couldn't see Hylla's expression. "Are you alright?"

"I 'm now," Reyna muttered. "Actually, I would be even better if I could get to sleep."

Hylla was silent and Reyna thought she'd actually listened for a moment. "I found the date."

Reyna moaned and rolled over, burying her face in the pile of pillows that adorned her bed. " 's brilliant."

"It's August."

Reyna's eyes flew open. "What?"

"Four months," Hylla acknowledge mournfully.

They were both silent. There was simply nothing to be said to that staggering fact. Reyna set a different tack. "Where do we go from here?"

Hylla paused to consider. "I don't know yet. I'll tell you in the morning."

"You know, I was kinda hoping to be part of the conversation, given I'm almost thirteen." There was another surprising fact. Her September birthday was fast approaching.

"Go to sleep, Rey."

For once, Reyna didn't feel like fighting. She was happy just to float on that ever-so-soft bed and let her mind escape.