Reyna and the redhead, who introduced herself as Rachael, helped Piper onto the couch.
Piper kept saying she was fine, but Reyna didn't believe her for a second. Her face was pale with a tinge of green, like she was about to throw up. She had sweat on her forehead, and her kaleidoscope eyes darted around, as if she expected something to come out of the walls to attack her.
"Her mind is in a fragile state." Chiron said, approaching the girls on the couch. Reyna noticed he gave Piper the same look he had given her. The 'you shouldn't be here' look. The centaur grabbed a handkerchief from his coat pocket and handed it to Rachael, who began to dab it on Piper's forehead. "Rachel, What happened?"
"I wish I knew," The ginger said meekly, "When I got to camp, I was drawn to Hera's cabin. Annabeth and Piper came in when I was there. We talked, then I blanked out." Rachael looked at Piper with guilt ridden eyes. "Piper, do you remember what you saw? Are you comfortable telling us?"
Piper nodded weakly and retold her vision. When Rachael had grabbed her, she began to speak in someone else's voice, someone ancient and powerful. They told Piper to save them from a prison, or else the fiery one would rise and free the king from underneath the earth.
"A prophecy?" Chiron asked, stroking his beard nervously.
"No. This was something else." Annabeth chimed in. "I've heard Rachael's oracle voice, and this wasn't it."
"It was Juno. She told me the same thing while I was talking to Chiron. She froze time and told me to free her from some prison." Reyna said, trying not to think about the vision she saw of Jason. Her ability to remain calm could not contain her emotions. Her heart paced a hundred beats a second at the thought of him. And if Reyna didn't do something by the winter solstice, her memories of him would be lost forever.
"Hera?" Annabeth hissed as if she hated the thought of the goddess. She didn't even bother correcting Reyna. "She took you over, Rachael? Did this to Piper?"
"No, not Hera." Reyna clarified. She forced herself to focus on the task at hand. "She wore a goatskin cloak. That's a symbol of Juno."
"I've never heard of that." Annabeth said with narrowed eyes.
"It is true." Chiron said reluctantly. "The goatskin represents Juno in her most warlike state. It's the symbol of a Roman soldier."
"But who could've imprisoned the queen of the gods?" Rachael asked.
Annabeth scoffed and crossed her arms. "Well, whoever they are, maybe we should thank them. If they can shut up Hera then—"
"That is enough, Annabeth Chase." Chiron chided. "However you may feel about her, Hera is still the queen of Olympus. She plays a vital role in maintaining the family together."
"Angel and Hestia have been doing a much better job of that, lately." Annabeth muttered. "All Hera has managed to do is mess everything up for all of us. Especially me."
Vesta? Reyna thought to herself. What connection does Angel have with Vesta's Greek aspect?
"Can't titans capture gods?" Piper asked with a weak voice. "What about other gods? Hephaestus captures Aphrodite and Ares all the time. He also chained Hera to a throne once, maybe he's mad at her again or something." Everyone looked at Piper, who coughed nervously. "What? I know my fair share of Greek stories. I did some research on it for a project with my dad."
"I don't think Hephaestus could be the culprit." Annabeth said, though she seemed to enjoy the idea of Hera being chained to a chair. "He's locked himself in Olympus, along with the other gods." She glanced at Chiron nervously, "Maybe a Titan. Atlas managed to capture Artemis a couple years ago." Her face became desperate. "Please tell me it's not Kronos."
Chiron shook his head. "No, my dear. The threat with the Titans is behind us. This is something far more ancient." He looked down at the wood plank floor, as if it would break into splinters, and the earth would somehow swallow him whole. "The last chapter approaches."
"Could you perhaps be more specific?" Reyna said impatiently.
"Unfortunately, I cannot." Chiron muttered regretfully. He gave Reyna a serious look.
"Why not?" Annabeth pressed. The wheelchair bound centaur kept his gaze on Reyna, until she finally realized what he was trying to tell her.
Do not reveal your true origin. Not yet.
Finally, Chiron turned to look at Annabeth with a sad shake of his head. "I am sorry, Annabeth. But I cannot help you. If you'll excuse me, I'll be in my office." Chiron strolled off without another word.
"He's…He's never held information from me before." Annabeth said, her voice cracking. "He knows something that could help find Percy, and yet he won't—"
"I'm sorry Annabeth." Piper said. She stood from the couch, though she stumbled a little, as if still dizzy. "I think us being here has messed things up at camp, somehow."
"If it makes you feel better." Reyna said, staring at Annabeth. "Chiron wouldn't tell me anything either. He said he swore an oath on the styx to not say anything. Whatever that means."
"On the styx?" Annabeth repeated, her eyes narrowed. "Swearing on the styx is no joke. The gods would sentence him to eternal damnation if he broke his oath. The gods must really not want us to know. But why? None of this is making any sense. Why would Hera appear to you in her roman aspect…?" Annabeth's voice faltered. She blinked, as if coming to conclusions in her head. Annabeth then glanced at the desk. "That sword…" She muttered.
Reyna whipped back to see her gladius was resting on Chiron's desk. She had left it there when Rachael and her helped Piper on the couch. Reyna cursed at her forgetfulness.
Annabeth reached to touch the sword, but Reyna grabbed the hilt and turned her weapon into its golden coin form.
Annabeth stared at Reyna with tense eyes. "Was that gold?" She asked, "Do you know where you got it?"
Reyna's mind replayed the vision of Jason giving her the gold coin. She shook her head, staring back at Annabeth with her best poker face.
"No. I don't remember. But I know it's my trusted weapon. Even with my lost memories, the blade felt fluid and balanced. Like I've wielded it thousands of times."
Annabeth nodded, as if she understood. "Well, if Chiron won't help us get answers, we'll have to get them ourselves."
"Cabin fifteen?" Rachael asked.
Annabeth nodded, then glanced at Piper. "How are you feeling? Think you're up for another walk?"
"Yeah, I'm good." Piper said with a confident smile.
"What's cabin fifteen?" Reyna asked.
Annabeth gave her a long look, then stood. "A place where we might be able to get your memories back."
"You don't seriously think this is my godly parents cabin, do you?" Reyna asked as she glanced at the cabin that looked like a dirt prairie house. Maybe she overestimated Annabeth's intelligence.
"No." Annabeth said. "This is the cabin for the kids of Hypnos, god of sleep and dreams."
"Then why bring me here?"
"Because you've forgotten everything." Annabeth explained. "If anyone could return lost memories, it's Hypnos."
Reyna wasn't sure if getting her memories back was such a good idea anymore. If she revealed herself as a roman demigod in a camp full of Greeks…Reyna shuddered at the thought. They'd probably kill her in vengeance for what the Romans did to the Greeks millenia ago.
Reyna was especially worried for Annabeth to find out. For some reason, this girl glared at Reyna like she had wronged her in some way. But Reyna saw confusion in her stormy eyes. Like Annabeth wasn't entirely sure why she hated her.
Then Reyna's mind wandered to Jason. She wanted to remember him. To remember the relationship they had. If her racing heartbeat was anything to go by, they were more than just friends.
The three of them entered the cabin. Inside smelled like warm milk and cookies. All the bunks were currently occupied with teens, all snoring or drooling, their faces firmly planted on noticeably soft feather pillows.
Reyna's mind then jolted her awake, as if sensing something was lulling her to sleep. The others didn't seem as alert. Piper would've face planted next to one of the already sleeping girls if Annabeth hadn't caught her.
"Huh?" Piper jolted back awake, then yawned. "Why do I suddenly feel so tired?"
"Cabin 15 has that effect on everyone." Annabeth said, her eyes half opened. She looked like she resisted the urge to yawn after Piper. "This place is more dangerous than the Ares cabin. At least there, you can see them coming at you, or learn when the land mines are."
"Uh, land mines?" Piper asked. "What? Are they expecting the camp to become a battlefield or something?"
Annabeth didn't answer. Instead she walked up to the nearest snoring teen and shook his shoulders a little too harshly.
"Clovis!" She hissed. "Clovis, wake up!"
Reyna couldn't help but think this Clovis guy was the least threatening demigod she's seen today. He was out of shape and his arms were so thin he probably struggled to lift the pillow he was sleeping on.
"Wh—what?" The teen said, groggily squinting his eyes. Clovis smacked his lips and yawned, causing all of them to yawn in response. Even Reyna felt herself getting a little sleepy now.
"Stop that!" Annabeth snapped. "Clovis, we need your help."
"Help with sleep?" Clovis asked. "Here." He tossed Annabeth a fresh pillow, who glared at it as if it were a spider. She gave it to Reyna.
"No Clovis. Real help." Annabeth said.
"But I was sleeping." Clovis complained.
"You're always sleeping."
"Good night." Before he could fall back asleep, Annabeth yanked the pillow from under him.
"Hey, that's not fair." He whined. "I already gave a pillow. Give mine baack…" Reyna shook her head at the display before her. This guy was like a whiny child.
Before Reyna could stop herself, she squished the pillow in her grasp. She could see why Clovis wanted his pillow back. It was extremely soft and comfortable. Without meaning to, Reyna brought the pillow closer to herself, as if to snuggle it. Then she realized what she was doing, and handed it to Piper.
"You help us first." Annabeth said, "Then you can go back to sleep."
"Ugh. Fine."
Annabeth quickly explained Reyna's situation to the son of Hypnos. Reyna figured Clovis must've been interested, because he didn't fall back asleep.
Piper on the other hand, was a different story. Handing her the pillow proved to be a mistake. She somehow found a chair to sit on, and fell asleep snuggling the pillow like it was a giant teddy bear. Reyna didn't have the heart to wake her up. Piper must've been exhausted after her ordeal with Juno.
When Annabeth finished, Clovis stretched his limbs. He didn't look wide awake, but his eyes weren't glossed over with sleepiness anymore.
"So, you lost your memories, huh?" Clovis asked. "You don't remember anything?"
"Just…impressions." Reyna admitted.
"Like…?" Clovis pressed. Reyna wasn't sure if she should really admit what she was feeling.
"Like I know I shouldn't be here, for some reason."
"Hmmm." Clovis said, "Close your eyes. Let me try something."
Reyna didn't really want to. She worried what he might find. She glanced at Annabeth, who nodded encouragingly. Eventually, Reyna closed her eyes. Her mind became murky and fuzzy, like she was trying to walk through a thick fog.
Then her eyes shot open. She was sitting in front of a small fire, next to Piper, who was now snoring into her pillow.
"--pretty serious, all right." Clovis was saying.
"W-what happened?" Reyna muttered, rubbing her eyes. "How long did I—"
"Not too long. Just a couple minutes." Annabeth said. "But, I don't think Clovis could find anything."
Clovis shook his head. "She has some memories coming back to her, but they're still fuzzy. She'll remember them completely with time." He glanced at Reyna, and gave her a sleepy smile, as if saying,
Your secret's safe with me.
Reyna wasn't sure if he referred to her memory of Jason, or her revelation that she was a Roman. She hoped it was both.
"The rest of her memories however, are a little tricky. Usually if they're lost or buried, I can always bring them back after a good sleep. But that's not the case with Reyna." Clovis continued.
"It's not Lethe?' Annabeth asked.
"Not even Lethe." Clovis confirmed.
"Lethe?" Reyna asked.
"The river Lethe in the underworld." Annabeth explained. "It wipes your mind clean. Permanently. It's so powerful, it can even wipe the memories of a Titan."
"That's not my problem then?" Reyna asked.
"No." Clovis said. "Your memories haven't been buried. They've been stolen. And only a god is capable of that."
"I already know that." Reyna said, feeling impatient. "What I want to know is why Juno did it. Or if we learned how, we could somehow undo it."
"Juno?" Clovis asked.
"She means Hera." Annabeth said. "Reyna prefers the roman names."
"Hmm." Clovis muttered. Reyna thought he figured something out, then realized he was just falling back asleep.
"Clovis!" Reyna yelled.
"Yes mother!" Clovis gasped. He blinked and shook his head. "Right. Sorry. What were we talking about?"
"Why would Juno, or Hera, take my memories?"
"Not sure." Clovis said with a shrug. "Be sure to ask her that when you see her, because only the god or goddess that stole your memory can give it back."
"And the only way for me to see said goddess is to save her from her prison by the winter solstice." Reyna muttered.
"Winter solstice?" Annabeth asked. "Why the solstice?"
"That's the deadline Juno—I mean, Hera gave me."
"...Why is it alway a solstice?" Annabeth muttered to herself, her eyes becoming more stormy by the second. "The winter solstice is four days from now. Did she say where her prison was?"
"Didn't bother telling me." Reyna said.
"Should've expected as much from a useless goddess like Hera." Annabeth grumbled with annoyance. "Could you find her in one of your dreams, Clovis?"
"Do I have to?" The son of Hypnos complained. "Hera isn't the nicest goddess to visit in a dream."
"This is serious!"
"Wait," Reyna said, noticing a familiar figure on one of the bunks. She got closer and realized it was Angel. She thought he would be sleeping soundly, but he looked stressed and anxious. He tossed and turned like he was having a nightmare. He didn't seem like the kind of guy to take mid day naps.
"What's he doing here?"
"…Angel?" Clovis tapped his chin, as if trying to remember who that was. "Oh yeah. He comes by everyday, hoping to contact Hestia in his dreams."
"He has?" Annabeth asked as if this were news to her.
"Ever since the gods went silent." Clovis confirmed.
"Hestia?" Reyna said. "The goddess of homes and hearth? Why would he need to contact her?"
"She's…his patron." Annabeth said in a tone that made Reyna wonder if this was the entire truth. "Hestia is actually helpful and has been trying to unify Olympus. Angel helps her whenever there's conflict or if a quest is needed. Hestia has vowed to be an eternal pacifist."
"I don't think he's had much luck though. Clear sighted mortals usually have powerful and vivid dreams, but even he can't get into contact with a goddess who won't answer." Clovis said, then cleared his throat awkwardly. "Can I uh, please go back to sleep now?" He pleaded.
Annabeth sighed and tossed the pillow to Clovis. Reyna decided now would be a good time to wake up Piper, who with a slight nudge, woke up and grumbled like a small child.
"Thanks Clovis." Annabeth said.
"Can I get some room service?" Clovis asked before falling asleep, his butt up in the air and his face buried in his pillow.
"Is he going to be okay?" Piper asked with a long yawn, stretching her limbs like a cat.
"He'll be fine." Annabeth reassured, before glancing at Reyna. "But I think you might be in some serious problems."
