A/N: Wow! Got this one up fast. When one had a five-hour car ride one gets things done. I guess I make up for it because this one's relatively short. Anyway, I won't make a habit of posting this fast. You got lucky. Brace yourselves for more two-week-long waits. (sorry!)

The Amazons had comfy guest bedrooms.

Reyna lay on the twin-sized bed in the higher part of the Amazon's impressive underground complex, staring at the ceiling. Aside from the lack of windows, the spartan room could have just as easily been above ground as below it. Reyna didn't get the sense that there were thousands of tons of rock above her head ready to burst through the ceiling and bury her. Maybe that was because there were still a few levels above her.

Hylla was in the room next door, but Reyna tried not to think about that. What she did try to think about were the events of the day.

Queen Amelia of the Amazons was clearly a benevolent ruler. Her 'subjects', although there didn't seem to be a true class difference there, all adored her. And she and Hylla had gotten along absolutely fabulously.

Amelia had been kind to Reyna, but it had been very clear that her focus had been on Hylla. More specifically, on recruiting Hylla, although Queen Amelia had made it clear that Reyna was just as welcome and they'd be thrilled to have her. Reyna had been mostly quiet during their meeting with the Queen. Any questions she'd had Hylla had asked, and no questions were posed directly to her.

Sleep was dancing around the edges of her mind, but it seemed reluctant to take her completely. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think about trying to fall asleep.

As always, she was never able to pinpoint exactly when she drifted off, but knew for certain that she was dreaming. This dream was just as vivid as the one she had received in D.C., but the scenery was much different. She was standing inside a building, facing a large desk. There were two lavish chairs behind the desk, and on either side of her, the walls were draped with velvet and fitted with casings displaying medals, trophies, weapons and artifacts. Behind the desk with the two chairs was a case that was empty.

Almost.

The ghostly outline of a golden pole topped with an regal eagle shimmered in the golden case. Reyna was transfixed by it, only able to stare at the harsh beak and cold eyes, the strong wings that stood for strength and the sharp talons that meant mercilessness. If the standard had been there in the flesh, Reyna would have been intimidated; but as it was, there was simply a wavering copy in the glass case.

Do not stay with the Amazons, said a voice from behind her. It was the same voice from her first dream, only less harsh. Reyna tried to turn and see who was speaking. She couldn't move. Her gaze was stuck on the eagle. That is not your path. You must continue on to Rome.

The Amazons are Roman! Reyna wanted to cry.

They are not true Romans, the voice said, as if it had heard her. They have mixed and intermingled with others. They look for purity but only make the water muddier. True purity is not a matter of gender, but a matter of bravery, honor, and loyalty.

There was a ripple in the air in front of Reyna, and the outline of a woman appeared, standing in front of the desk. She was tall. Undeniably queenly. She looked like… like Hylla, Reyna decided. And if she looked like Hylla, that meant she looked like Reyna.

"Bellona," Reyna said, barely more than a whisper. But the woman heard her.

Bellona gave her daughter a small smile, but there was no warmth in it. This was the first time Reyna had ever interacted with her mother, not counting her previous dream. She had no idea how to act, what to say, or if she should even say anything.

You could be great, Bellona said, her voice still echoey despite the fact she now appeared to have a form. But not with the Amazons. Not under the shadow of your sister. You know this, but you do not act on that knowledge. Put aside you doubts, child, and follow the road to Rome.

Bellona stepped forward to Reyna and bent down, laying the softest of kisses on her forehead. Images burned in Reyna's mind like they had suddenly been branded there: a wolf at the head of a pack, a city surrounded by a river, an army sieging a small castle built on a plain, and finally, a purple banner embroidered with four golden letters.

Senatus Populusque Romanus, said Bellona's voice, and Reyna's vision went black.