It took all of Reyna's willpower to put her sword away. Since they were walking to meet Boreas, she figured it wouldn't be best to approach with her weapon drawn. Zethes followed behind them with his weapon almost pressing against Piper's back. It left a clear message.
The girl kept glancing back at Reyna. She had a calm look on her face, but there was weariness in her eyes. She looked just like Zethes had. It made no sense to Reyna. Why were they scared of her eyes?
Reyna wished she had worn a thicker jacket The palace was absolutely freezing. Reyna's hand brushed Piper's, and for some reason, she grabbed it. Piper stared in surprise.
Reyna looked away. First, she had the slip up when they were on Festus. Then, she was just grabbing Piper's hand in public. Reyna didn't know who she was. There was a chance she was putting Piper in danger.
Her hand turned cold, but it was in a painful way. Reyna stared at her fingers and saw they were smoking with frost. Piper's were too. The girl looked back at them coldly.
"I advise that the two of you don't walk so close. You create warmth which is not a good idea," the girl said. "I am your best chance of survival, so you should listen closely."
Reyna frowned and tried to think. She saw Piper's jaw tighten in anger. Her mind was racing too much to understand what had just happened. She ran through everything that she knew.
Something had happened with her father. It caused Mars to stand up for her. She knew Latin, and she was pretty sure that Leo had called her a Catholic priest. Her mother was the key to everything.
Juno had done this to her. Maybe, she would give Reyna her memories back. The thing that didn't make sense was why Juno had taken her memory in the first place. Reyna had the feeling that she would have gone to rescue the goddess without a problem, so why go through all of the trouble?
Reyna had a feeling that something big was going down. She sighed and felt Piper touch her arm. Piper spoke, "You okay?"
"Lost in thought," Reyna admitted. She studied Piper's eyes. When Piper first received the blessing, Reyna had been shocked by two things.
The first was how beautiful she was, but it was fake beauty. It made Reyna appreciate how beautiful Piper actually was without the makeup and fancy clothes. There was also something really familiar about her appearance, but it brought a bad feeling.
They stopped outside a door. Reyna's eyes were darting around for all of the exits. She felt the girl's eyes staring into her.
"Be on your best behavior," the girl warned. "My father will not tolerate disrespect. I will translate for you."
"And, who are you exactly?" Piper questioned. The girl gave them a distasteful look.
"Obviously, I am a daughter of Boreas. My name is Khione: goddess of snow. You Greeks never really knew me," the girl explained. She turned on Reyna and smirked. "I do hope you survive. We can have so much fun together."
Reyna watched the door open. She took a step into the throne room and almost slipped on ice. Her attention darted to the ice statues. They all wore armor and weapons that were from different time periods. Tapestries that showed mountains and snowy forest hung all around.
When Reyna tried to step past two statues, they jumped to life and blocked her way. Reyna was only one second from grabbing her sword, but she managed to restrain herself. Laughter rang out. She heard a voice talk, and the guards uncrossed their weapons.
"Go on," Khione ordered. Reyna braced herself and walked towards the throne. She noticed the wings first. They were large and purple. The man's hair and beard seemed to be as white as his suit.
"Bienvenu. Je suis Boreas le Roi. Et vous?" the man greeted. Reyna was pretty sure he had spoken French, but she didn't know what he had said. It was safe to assume that he was Boreas.
Khione smiled and looked at Reyna. She went to speak. Piper was faster. She stepped forward, curtsied, and spoke, "Votre Majeste. Je suis Piper McLean. Et c'est Reyna."
Boreas smiled in delight. He spoke, "Vous parlez francais? Tres bien!"
Reyna stared at Piper in surprise. She blinked and spoke, "You know French?"
"No," Piper answered. She stared at Reyna in confusion. They both heard Boreas speak. Piper smiled in understanding. "I know French because I am a daughter of Aphrodite."
"It's the language of love," Khione said through gritted teeth. "My father says that I do not have to translate for you now."
Reyna bowed to Boreas. She spoke, "Your Majesty, thank you for having us at your palace and for not killing us. May I ask why you speak French?"
Piper listened to the king's response. She turned towards Reyna and spoke, "It's the language of his host country. He isn't accepted in America, so he went to Canada."
"And, he has orders to kill you," Khione interrupted. She smirked. "Did I know mention that earlier?"
"Why?" Reyna asked in a deadly calm voice. They couldn't take on Boreas, but they could escape. The movement would have to be unexpected. Reyna frowned as she realized they couldn't attack Boreas and Khione. If they didn't attack, the gods wouldn't be able to attack them.
"Lord Aeolus has ordered me to, and I must obey," Boreas answered in English. His accent made it hard to understand him. He stood and walked towards them. Everyone bowed except for Reyna.
"Why?" Reyna questioned. Piper nudged her and motioned for her to bow. Reyna glared ahead. It was not going to happen.
"He hates demigods," Boreas answered. He studied her and focused on her eyes. After a moment, Boreas smiled and seemed to shake a thought off. "You demigods have always been a pain for him. When Typhon was released last summer, that was the final straw."
"When Typhon was first defeated, he released all sorts of winds. The gods did not help Aeolus gather them, and they did not thank him when the task was completed. Last summer, Typhon released even more spirits when he was defeated once again," Boreas explained.
"The Olympians didn't have a choice when it came to fighting him," Piper argued.
"We have all a choice," Boreas said coldly. He soon smiled again. "Aeolus cannot directly get revenge on the gods, so the demigods are his next best choice. That is why I have been ordered to kick you off of this building."
"You won't though," Reyna said calmly. She should have been terrified, but she wasn't. Something in her knew that Boreas wouldn't make a move against her.
"The girl with the black eyes would be visiting me, and I knew that I should listen. That is all I am going to do. After I have heard everything that you have to say, judgment will be passed. Aeolus told me that you would be the harbinger of something special."
"We'll probably keep you," Khione whispered. Reyna tensed. The cold breath was right on the back of her neck, and it sent shivers down her spine. "You can provide us with much entertainment."
"Back off," Reyna hissed. She turned on Khione. "I'm not your pet, and I never will be. Understood?"
"I would watch your tone," Khione hissed. She grabbed Reyna's shoulder. Reyna instantly flipped the goddess over her shoulder. So much for the whole don't attack a goddess.
"You dare?" Khione hissed as she stood. A blizzard started to form around her. Zethes had stepped closer. Boreas watched them silently.
"I do," Reyna hissed back. "And, you won't do anything. Juno, the queen of the gods, has ordered us on a quest. Do you really want to face her wrath if you make her angry?"
"You are still a mystery," Boreas commented. He glanced at his children. "Stand down. I want to hear the demigod's story."
Reyna glanced at Piper. She swallowed painfully. Piper nodded and curtsied again. She launched into the story of what had happened to them.
"We just need to know where the storm spirits are," Piper finished. She grabbed Reyna's hand, and Reyna found herself relaxing.
"Ah, you do not want to mess with the woman who controls these storm spirits. Their prisoner is as good as lost," Boreas finally said.
"Hedge?" Reyna wondered. Truthfully, she had forgotten about the Faun. She appreciated his sacrifice, but the memory had been pushed out of her mind. It was easier to not dwell on those that had been lost.
"He is alive," Boreas confirmed. "But, you are safer fleeing. The Great Stirring has begun. For some reason, Zeus thought that defeating the Titans would end it. He knows that Olympus will have much to fear when the earth no longer holds back its horrors."
Khione opened her mouth. Boreas just shot her a look that warned her to be quiet. Piper stepped forward.
"Lord Boreas, we can help you. If we capture the storm spirits and bring them to Aeolus, you look really good. We can also rescue Hedge. It's a win-win," Piper said. She was extremely calm.
"She is using charmspeak," Khione hissed.
"She's not, and you know it," Reyna interrupted. She placed a protective hand on Piper's shoulder. Boreas stared at her arm. Reyna realized that her sleeve had gotten caught on Piper's clothes and pushed up enough to reveal part of her tattoo.
"What is that?" Boreas questioned. Reyna slowly showed him her arm. His eyes focused on the tally marks. Khione hissed.
Boreas stood and changed. He wore a Roman toga that had purple in it. He was taller and thinner. The beard disappeared. A gladius, a Roman sword, was at his side.
"Aquilon," Reyna greeted. She automatically bowed. "This is your Roman form?"
"Roman form?" Piper questioned.
"I heard some kid name Clovis talking about Greek and Roman forms," Reyna explained. She watched Aquilon and narrowed her eyes in confusion.
"How would you recognize me if you are from Camp Half-Blood?" Aquilon wondered. His eyes widened, and he laughed. "Oh, that is why Olympus is closed. They are scared about what Juno has done."
"You will probably fail, and the world will be torn apart," Aquilon said. "It is not that often that I am in the spotlight. Now, I will be. If you manage to capture the winds and give them to Aeolus, tell him that I sent you."
"I doubt you will survive though," Aquilon continued. "Who is your parent anyway?"
Aquilon looked at the rest of Reyna's tattoo. The smile died on his face. He sat back on his throne and turned even paler than Reyna thought possible.
"Chicago," Aquilon said. Khione looked like she wanted to protest, but her father held up a hand. "You will find a servant who has the winds. If you managed to get them, you can go to Aeolus. He can tell you where Juno is."
"Father, you can't," Khione hissed. Aquilon held up his hand.
"I am the master here, and I will not invoke the wrath of her mother," Aquilon hissed. He looked at Reyna. "Leave. Now."
Reyna didn't argue and started to walk away. She glanced at Piper as they walked back to the lobby. Leo was freshly cleaned up. He smiled as he saw Khione.
"Watch your back," Khione whispered in Reyna's ear. "I am not scared of you or your mother."
"You don't have me fooled" Khione swore as she looked at Piper. "You have made a dangerous enemy today."
"I'll make sure to keep an eye out for your snowballs," Reyna said. Khione glared at her and swept away.
"Wait!" Leo called. He rushed forward, but Reyna grabbed him.
"Bad things are stirring. Try not to get destroyed," Zethes warned. He looked at Piper and smiled sadly. "Aeolus will know. Ask him."
Piper just nodded. She looked at them and spoke, "Should we go?"
"Yeah," Reyna muttered. Her mind was racing. Aquilon had been terrified of her mother which begged the question of who exactly it was. She looked at her friends. "I have an addition to the plan. Let's not get destroyed."