Piper was extremely grateful for the hot chocolate. She took another sip and felt warmth spread through her body. The pain in her ankle was gone along with the feeling of coldness.
They were sitting in a large tent by themselves. Leo sat across from them drinking his own cup of hot chocolate. He was staring at the tent flap as if his sheer force of will would open it.
"How are you feeling?" Piper questioned. Reyna slowly looked at her then back at the ground. She had seemed in a daze for the last few minutes.
"I'm mad," Reyna answered. "I remember that I have a sister, but no other memories are coming back. I don't know what I have to do to remember anything!"
Reyna hit the ground in anger. She took a deep breath and rubbed her face. Piper gently rested her hand on Reyna's. After a moment, they were holding hands.
"You will remember something," Piper promised. She leaned on Reyna who seemed to relax slightly. The tent flap opened, and Hylla stepped in.
Hylla studied the three of them. Her posture was relaxed, but there was something underneath it. She seemed ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Hylla sat down and watched them.
"So," Leo said breaking the silence. "Do you remember that Amazon you called Kinzie? Is she dating anyone?"
"Yes," Hylla answered. She glanced at Leo and raised an eyebrow. "Me."
Leo opened his mouth. Then, he closed it. Piper started laughing. It was just like Leo to have a crush on someone he couldn't date. Reyna even managed a small smile.
"Tell me about your quest," Hylla said growing serious. Reyna glanced at the others before beginning the story. When she was talking about Medea, her voice suddenly stopped. Reyna shook her head and stared at the ground. Piper took over and finished the story.
It was silent for a few moments as Hylla seemed to be processing the story. Piper took another sip of the hot chocolate. She needed to get the recipe from the Amazons.
"I should have killed Midas when I had the chance," Hylla finally said. "I knew I had to keep going though."
"Why did you have to keep going?" Reyna asked after a moment.
"To find you," Hylla replied. "About the time you woke up at that school, mother sent me a dream. She told me that you had a mission, and I had to help you."
"Hylla, you know everything about me. Who is mom? Where did I come from?" Reyna asked. She gave her sister an almost desperate look.
"You're not going to like my answer," Hylla said. She sat forward and looked at them. Her eyes focused on Reyna's. "Mother made me swear to keep my mouth shut. You have to discover everything on your own."
Reyna glared at the ground and remained silent. Piper squeezed Reyna's hand. She didn't get a response.
"Tell me about father," Reyna said suddenly. "You can talk about that, right?"
Hylla nodded, but she was watching Piper and Leo warily. She clearly didn't trust them. Piper spoke, "We don't care what Reyna did. We'll support her no matter what."
"You two have to swear on the River Styx to not tell anyone. If anyone else finds out, you'll regret it," Hylla promised.
"Don't threaten them," Reyna snapped. Piper almost jumped in surprise. Hylla didn't seem shocked by it. To her, the behavior seemed normal.
"I swear on the River Styx not to tell anyone," Piper said after a moment. All she wanted to do was defuse the tension.
"Same. I won't tell anyone. I swear on the River Sticks. I mean Styx," Leo said quickly. Hylla watched them and finally nodded. It took her a few moments to speak.
"Father met mother before he went to Iraq. That meeting resulted in me being born. At the time, he was kind and caring. Then, he went to Iraq," Hylla began. She swallowed painfully.
"During one of his patrols, he got hit by a roadside bomb. Some shrapnel became embedded in his shoulder," Hylla continued. "When he got back, he became more obsessed over mother and even got a tattoo of her on his back."
"Mother stayed away at first, but he was persistent. She visited again, and that's how you were born," Hylla said looking at Reyna. "Over the years, father became more and more paranoid. He would lock us in the house, accuse us of working against him, and other things."
Piper slowly looked at Reyna. There was no emotions on Reyna's face, and it was hard to read her eyes. Reyna finally closed her eyes for a few moments.
"On that night, we left the house for a few hours. Father had been especially agitated and aggressive. When we came back, father was having one of his episodes. He accused us of working against him and trying to undo his work." Hylla continued. She shivered slightly.
"Father was glowing," Reyna interrupted. "He raised a hand, and a chair just flew at you. It hit you in the head, and you collapsed instantly. I thought he killed you."
"You were protecting me," Hylla explained. "You grabbed the nearest weapon and stabbed father with it. The weapon should not have hurt him, but he was a mania."
Reyna suddenly stood. Her face was pale, and she looked like she was going to be sick. Reyna walked out of the tent.
Piper quickly jumped to her feet. She took a stepped forward, but Hylla held up a hand. Hylla looked at them and spoke, "Sit."
"I have to go after Reyna," Piper argued. Hylla shot her a dangerous look.
"No," Hylla said. "We have a lot to talk about, and Reyna needs time alone."
Piper knew that Hylla wasn't giving them a choice. She forced herself to sit on the ground and not move. Leo kept his mouth shut as well.
"Hera is playing with fire," Hylla began. She looked at the ground as if carefully choosing her words. "There is a good chance that we are all going to get burned because of it. You three have to find Hera. Then, you need to work on keeping the peace."
"Why would we have to keep the peace?" Leo questioned. "Is someone going to be mad that we rescued Hera?"
"No," Hylla answered. "That's not why. I wish I could tell you, but my secrecy has already been sworn."
"Can you tell us why Reyna acts like a catholic priest?" Leo questioned. "She can speak Latin. She used the Roman names for gods. It's weird."
Hylla didn't respond, and she didn't meet their eyes. That gave Piper the answer. Piper spoke, "You know, but you can't tell us."
"I told my mother I wouldn't," Hylla responded. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, but you guys have to find your own way. She set me on Lycaon's trail, but I have no clue why."
"Can you help us find Aeolus' palace?" Piper questioned hopefully. Hylla smirked and almost looked a little relieved.
"Yeah," Hylla responded. "That is something I can do. I'll have to hurry though because I can't lose the trail of Lycaon and his wolves."
Hylla stood and motioned for them to exit the tent. As Piper went to walk out, a hand grabbed her shoulder. Hylla met her eyes and spoke, "We need to talk for a moment. Alone."
"I will just wait outside. In the cold," Leo muttered. He stepped out of the tent. There was an awkward silence for a few moments.
"Piper, right?" Hylla questioned. Piper slowly nodded trying to read the girl in front of her. Hylla smiled. "If you break my little sister's heart, I'm going to make your life hell. Understood?"
Piper wanted to laugh. It was just nice to be facing something that would happen in everyday life. No monster threatened her. There wasn't a life threatening quest. An older sister was just looking out for her younger sister.
"I won't break her heart," Piper promised. Hylla watched her intently. She gave a fake smile and squeezed Piper's shoulder tightly.
"Make sure you don't," Hylla whispered. She started into Piper's eyes, and there was something extremely dangerous there. Piper found that the situation was quickly losing its humor.
"I won't," Piper repeated, and she forced herself to meet Hylla's eyes. "We should get going."
Hylla studied her for a moment and finally nodded. She spoke, "Come on. I can get the three of your fresh clothes and some jackets."
"I would appreciate it," Piper responded as the tension in the air disappeared. The two walked out of the tent. Piper stared at the scene in front of her. Hedge and an Amazon were comparing clubs.
"It's all about the wood that you make it with. If it's too weak, a hard blow will break it. That's not good for combat," Hedge said. The Amazon examined her own club with a frown. "I'll have to come back some time to teach you."
Piper looked away and saw Leo being cornered at a tree by two Amazons. One held up a collar and said something that made Leo's face turn as white as the snow. Piper stepped closer to them.
"You could join us," an Amazon commented. "I'm sure we can find a collar in your size. We might be able to make a man out of you."
"I'll have to decline," Leo began. He tried to move backwards only to realize a tree was blocking him. "Being a slave doesn't seem like the right life choice for me."
Piper took her attention off of the conversation as she saw Reyna. Hopefully, Leo could fend for himself. Piper walked towards Reyna.
Reyna was leaning on a tree, but her back was to the camp. She showed no acknowledgment as Piper stopped beside her. Piper spoke, "Hey."
Even though she wasn't expecting a response, it still hurt when Reyna didn't even look at her. Reyna just stared ahead and seemed lost in thought. Piper slowly grabbed her arm. When there was no resistant, she slowly tightened her grip in a comforting way.
"I know it was hard to hear that," Piper began. "I also know that you don't want to talk about it, but Leo and I are here for you. We don't think of you any differently."
Reyna gently pulled her arm from Piper's grasp, but she grabbed Piper's hand. Reyna spoke, "Thank you. I just need time to process everything."
Piper nodded. The two stood in comfortable silence for a few moments. Footsteps interrupted their bliss. A hand grabbed each of their shoulders.
"Make sure to keep it PG," Hedge warned. Reyna glanced at Piper and rolled her eyes. It brought a smile to Piper's face. Hedge held out two backpacks. "Fresh clothes for you."
Piper glanced back at Hedge and stared. He wore an oversized jacket that looked more like a trench coat. His face would have looked more serious if there wasn't powder and chocolate on it. Piper really didn't want to know.
"We should get changed," Reyna suggested. Piper nodded and found an unoccupied tent. She quickly changed into the clothes the Amazons had given her.
When Piper was finished changing, she looked down at herself. The Amazons had given her a black shirt, a black jacket, a black beanie, and black pants. They really seemed to like the color black. Piper put the beanie on her head silently grateful that her ears would be warm.
The sound of laughter caused Piper to walk out of the tent. Hedge was talking to a group of Amazons who were the source of laughter. He seemed to love the group. Reyna was watching the group from a few feet away.
Piper walked towards Reyna and studied her. Reyna had two differences to her outfit. She was still wearing her purple shirt, and she had a belt with a scabbard on it for her sword.
Reyna looked inside her backpack before glancing up at Piper. She smiled slightly and looked around. Leo and Hedge made their way over.
"Ready to go?" Hylla asked from behind them. Piper glanced at Hylla and nodded. "Good. My Amazons are going to head after the pack. I'll meet up with them after escorting you to the palace. Now, let's go."