by Rick Riordan
‘So what do we do?’ asked Dakota. ‘We have an hour at most until sunrise.’
‘Five fifty-two a.m.,’ said Ella, still perched on the boathouse. ‘Sunrise, Eastern seaboard, August first. Timetables for Naval Meteorology. One hour and twelve minutes is more than one hour.’
Dakota’s eye ticked. ‘I stand corrected.’
Coach Hedge looked at Tyson. ‘Can we get into Camp Half-Blood safely? Is Mellie all right?’
Tyson scratched his chin thoughtfully. ‘She is very round.’
‘But she’s okay?’ Hedge persisted. ‘She hasn’t given birth yet?’
‘ “Delivery occurs at the end of the third trimester”,’ Ella advised. ‘Page forty-three, The New Mother’s Guide to –’
‘I gotta get over there!’ Hedge looked like he was ready to jump overboard and swim.
Reyna put her hand on his shoulder. ‘Coach, we’ll get you to your wife, but let’s do it right. Tyson, how did you and Ella get out to this ship?’
‘Rainbow!’
‘You … took a rainbow?’
‘He is my fish pony friend.’
‘A hippocampus,’ Nico advised.
‘I see.’ Reyna thought for a moment. ‘Could you and Ella escort the coach back to Camp Half-Blood safely?’
‘Yes!’ Tyson said. ‘We can do that!’
‘Good. Coach, go see your wife. Tell the campers I plan to fly the Athena Parthenos to Half-Blood Hill at sunrise. It’s a gift from Rome to Greece, to heal our divisions. If they could refrain from shooting me out of the sky, I’d be grateful.’
‘You got it,’ Hedge said. ‘But what about the Roman legion?’
‘That’s a problem,’ Leila said gravely. ‘Those onagers will blast you out of the sky.’
‘We’ll need a distraction,’ Reyna said. ‘Something to delay the attack on Camp Half-Blood and preferably put those weapons out of commission. Dakota, Leila, will your cohorts follow you?’
‘I – I think so, yes,’ Dakota said. ‘But if we ask them to commit treason –’
‘It isn’t treason,’ Leila said. ‘Not if we’re acting on direct orders from our praetor. And Reyna is still praetor.’
Reyna turned to Nico. ‘I need you to go with Dakota and Leila. While they’re stirring trouble in the ranks, trying to delay the attack, you have to find a way to sabotage those onagers.’
Nico’s smile made Reyna glad he was on her side. ‘My pleasure. We’ll buy you time to deliver the Athena Parthenos.’
‘Um …’ Dakota shuffled his feet. ‘Even if you get the statue to the hill, what’s to stop Octavian from destroying it once it’s in place? He’s got lots of firepower, even without the onagers.’
Reyna peered up at the ivory face of Athena, veiled beneath camouflage netting. ‘Once the statue is returned to the Greeks … I think it will be difficult to destroy. It has great magic. It has simply chosen not to use it yet.’
Leila bent down slowly and retrieved her sword, keeping her eyes on the Athena Parthenos. ‘I’ll take your word for it. What do we do with Michael?’
Reyna regarded the snoring mountain of Hawaiian demigod. ‘Put him in your boat. Don’t hurt him or bind him. I have a feeling Michael’s heart is in the right place. He just had the bad luck of being sponsored by the wrong person.’
Nico sheathed his black sword. ‘You sure about this, Reyna? I don’t like leaving you alone.’
Blackjack whinnied and licked the side of Nico’s face.
‘Gah! Okay, I’m sorry.’ Nico wiped off the horse spit. ‘Reyna’s not alone. She’s got a herd of excellent pegasi.’
Reyna couldn’t help but smile. ‘I’ll be fine. With luck, we’ll all meet again soon enough. We’ll fight side by side against Gaia’s forces. Be careful, and Ave Romae!’
Dakota and Leila repeated the cheer.
Tyson furrowed his single eyebrow. ‘Who is Ave?’
‘It means Go, Romans.’ Reyna clapped the Cyclops’s forearm. ‘But, by all means, Go, Greeks, too.’ The words sounded strange in her mouth.
She faced Nico. She wanted to hug him but wasn’t sure the gesture would be welcome. She extended her hand. ‘It’s been an honour questing with you, son of Hades.’
Nico’s grip was strong. ‘You’re the most courageous demigod I’ve ever met, Reyna. I –’ He faltered, perhaps realizing he had a large audience. ‘I won’t let you down. See you on Half-Blood Hill.’
The sky began to lighten in the east as the group dispersed. Soon Reyna stood on the deck of the Mi Amor … alone except for eight pegasi and a forty-foot-tall Athena.
She tried to steady her nerves. Until Nico, Dakota and Leila had time to disrupt the legion’s attack, she couldn’t do anything, but she hated standing around and waiting.
Just over that dark line of hills, her comrades in the Twelfth Legion were preparing for a needless attack. If Reyna had stayed with them, she could’ve guided them better. She could’ve kept Octavian in check. Perhaps the giant Orion was correct: she’d failed in her duties.
She remembered the ghosts on the balcony in San Juan – pointing at her, whispering accusations: Murderer. Traitor. She remembered the feel of the golden sabre in her hand as she slashed down her father’s spectre – his face full of outrage and betrayal.
You are a Ramírez-Arellano! her father used to rant. Never abandon your post. Never let anyone in. Above all, never betray your own!
By helping the Greeks, Reyna had done all of those things. A Roman was supposed to destroy her enemies. Instead, Reyna had joined forces with them. She’d left her legion in the hands of a madman.
What would her mother say? Bellona, the war goddess …
Blackjack must have sensed her agitation. He clopped over and nuzzled her.
She stroked his muzzle. ‘I don’t have any treats for you, boy.’
He bumped her affectionately. Nico had told her that Blackjack was Percy’s usual ride, but he seemed friendly to everyone. He’d carried the son of Hades without protest. Now he was comforting a Roman.
She wrapped her arms around his powerful neck. His coat smelled just like Scipio’s – a mixture of fresh-cut grass and warm bread. She let loose a sob that had been building in her chest. As praetor, she couldn’t show weakness or fear to her comrades. She had to stay strong. But the horse didn’t seem to mind.
He nickered gently. Reyna couldn’t understand Horse, but he seemed to say, It’s all right. You’ve done well.
She looked up at the fading stars.
‘Mother,’ she said, ‘I haven’t prayed to you enough. I’ve never met you. I’ve never asked for your help. But please … this morning, give me the strength to do what is right.’
As if on cue, something flashed on the eastern horizon – a light across the Sound, approaching fast like another speedboat.
For one elated moment, Reyna thought it was a sign from Bellona.
The dark shape got closer. Reyna’s hope turned to dread. She waited too long, paralysed with disbelief, as the figure resolved into a large humanoid, running towards her across the surface of the water.
The first arrow struck Blackjack’s flank. The horse collapsed with a shriek of pain.
Reyna screamed, but, before she could move, a second arrow hit the deck between her feet. Attached to its shaft was a glowing LED read-out the size of a wristwatch, counting down from 5:00.
4:59.
4:58.
XXXIX
Reyna
‘I wouldn’t move, Praetor!’
Orion stood on the surface of the water, fifty feet to starboard, an arrow nocked in his bow.
Through Reyna’s haze of rage and grief, she noticed the giant’s new scars. His fight with the Hunters had left him with mottled grey and pink scar tissue on his arms and face, so he looked like a bruised peach in the process of rotting. The mechanical eye on his left side was dark. His hair had burned away, leaving only ragged patches. His nose was swollen and red from the bowstring that Nico had snapped in his face. A
ll of this gave Reyna a twinge of dark satisfaction.
Regrettably, the giant still had his smug smile.
At Reyna’s feet, the timer on the arrow read: 4:42.
‘Explosive arrows are very touchy,’ said Orion. ‘Once they’re embedded, even the slightest motion can set them off. I wouldn’t want you to miss the last four minutes of your life.’
Reyna’s senses sharpened. The pegasi clopped nervously around the Athena Parthenos. Dawn began to break. The wind from the shore brought a faint scent of strawberries. Lying next to her on the deck, Blackjack wheezed and shuddered – still alive, but badly wounded.
Her heart pounded so hard she thought her eardrums might burst. She extended her strength to Blackjack, trying to keep him alive. She would not see him die.
She wanted to shout insults at the giant, but her first words were surprisingly calm. ‘What of my sister?’
Orion’s white teeth flashed in his ruined face. ‘I would love to tell you she is dead. I would love to see the pain on your face. Alas, as far as I know, your sister still lives. So do Thalia Grace and her annoying Hunters. They surprised me, I’ll admit. I was forced into the sea to escape them. For the past few days I have been wounded and in pain, healing slowly, building a new bow. But don’t worry, Praetor. You will die first. Your precious statue will be burned in a great conflagration. After Gaia has risen, when the mortal world is ending, I will find your sister. I will tell her you died painfully. Then I will kill her.’ He grinned. ‘So all is well!’
4:04.
Hylla was alive. Thalia and the Hunters were still out there somewhere. But none of that would matter if Reyna’s mission failed. The sun was rising on the last day of the world …
Blackjack’s breathing became more laboured.
Reyna mustered her courage. The winged horse needed her. Lord Pegasus had named her Horse Friend, and she would not let him down. She couldn’t think about the entire world right now. She had to concentrate on what was right next to her.
3:54.
‘So.’ She glared at Orion. ‘You’re damaged and ugly, but not dead. I suppose that means I’ll need the help of a god to kill you.’
Orion chuckled. ‘Sadly, you Romans have never been very good at summoning gods to your aid. I guess they don’t think much of you, eh?’
Reyna was tempted to agree. She had prayed to her mother … and been blessed with the arrival of a homicidal giant. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
And yet …
Reyna laughed. ‘Ah, Orion.’
The giant’s smile wavered. ‘You have a strange sense of humour, girl. What are you laughing about?’
‘Bellona has answered my prayer. She doesn’t fight my battles for me. She doesn’t guarantee me easy victory. She grants me opportunities to prove myself. She gives me strong enemies and potential allies.’
Orion’s left eye sparked. ‘You speak nonsense. A column of fire is about to destroy you and your precious Greek statue. No ally can help you. Your mother has abandoned you as you abandoned your legion.’
‘But she hasn’t,’ Reyna said. ‘Bellona wasn’t just a war goddess. She wasn’t like the Greek Enyo, who was simply an embodiment of carnage. Bellona’s Temple was where Romans greeted foreign ambassadors. Wars were declared there, but peace treaties were also negotiated – lasting peace, based on strength.’
3:01.
Reyna drew her knife. ‘Bellona gave me the chance to make peace with the Greeks and increase the strength of Rome. I took it. If I die, I will die defending that cause. So I say my mother is with me today. She will add her strength to mine. Shoot your arrow, Orion. It won’t matter. When I throw this blade and pierce your heart, you will die.’
Orion stood motionless on the waves. His face was a mask of concentration. His one good eye blinked amber.
‘A bluff,’ he growled. ‘I’ve killed hundreds like you: girls playing at war, pretending they are the equal to giants! I will not grant you a quick death, Praetor. I will watch you burn, the way the Hunters burned me.’
2:31.
Blackjack wheezed, kicking his legs against the deck. The sky was turning pink. A wind from the shore caught the camouflage netting on the Athena Parthenos and stripped it away, sending the silvery cloth rippling across the Sound. The Athena Parthenos gleamed in the early light, and Reyna thought how beautiful the goddess would look on the hill above the Greek camp.
It must happen, she thought, hoping the pegasi could sense her intentions. You must complete the journey without me.
She inclined her head to the Athena Parthenos. ‘My lady, it has been my honour to escort you.’
Orion scoffed. ‘Talking to enemy statues now? Futile. You have roughly two minutes of life.’
‘Oh, but I don’t abide by your time frame, giant,’ Reyna said. ‘A Roman does not wait for death. She seeks it out and meets it on her own terms.’
She threw her knife. It hit true – right in the middle of the giant’s chest.
Orion bellowed in agony, and Reyna thought what a pleasing last sound that was to hear.
She flung her cloak in front of her and fell on the explosive arrow, determined to shield Blackjack and the other pegasi and hopefully protect the mortals sleeping belowdecks. She had no idea whether her body would contain the explosion, whether her cloak could smother the flames, but it was her best chance to save her friends and her mission.
She tensed, waiting to die. She felt the pressure as the arrow detonated … but it wasn’t what she expected. Against her ribs, the explosion made only the smallest pop, like an overinflated balloon. Her cloak became uncomfortably warm. No flames burst forth.
Why was she still alive?
Rise, said a voice in her head.
In a trance, Reyna got to her feet. Smoke curled from the edges of her cloak. She realized something was different about the purple fabric. It glittered as if woven through with filaments of Imperial gold. At her feet, a section of the deck had been reduced to a circle of charcoal, but her cloak wasn’t even singed.
Accept my aegis, Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, said the voice. For today, you have proven yourself a hero of Olympus.
Reyna stared in amazement at the Athena Parthenos, glowing with a faint golden aura.
The aegis … From Reyna’s years of study, she recalled that the term aegis didn’t apply only to Athena’s shield. It also meant the goddess’s cloak. According to legend, Athena sometimes cut pieces off her mantle and draped them over statues in her temples, or over her chosen heroes, to shield them.
Reyna’s cloak, which she’d worn for years, had suddenly changed. It had absorbed the explosion.
She tried to say something, to thank the goddess, but her voice wouldn’t work. The statue’s glowing aura faded. The ringing in Reyna’s ears cleared. She became aware of Orion, still roaring in pain as he staggered across the surface of the water.
‘You have failed!’ He clawed her knife from his chest and tossed it into the waves. ‘I still live!’
He drew his bow and fired, but it seemed to happen in slow motion. Reyna swept her cloak in front of her. The arrow shattered against the cloth. She charged to the railing and leaped at the giant.
The jump should have been impossibly far, but Reyna felt a surge of power in her limbs, as if her mother, Bellona, was lending her strength – a return for all the strength Reyna had lent others over the years.
Reyna grabbed the giant’s bow and swung around on it like a gymnast, landing on the giant’s back. She locked her legs around his waist, then twisted her cloak into a rope and pulled it across Orion’s neck with all her might.
He instinctively dropped his bow. He clutched at the glimmering fabric, but his fingers steamed and blistered when he touched it. Sour, acrid smoke rose from his neck.
Reyna pulled tighter.
‘This is for Phoebe,’ she snarled in his ear. ‘For Kinzie. For all those you killed. You will die at the hands of a girl.’
Orion thrashed and fought, but Reyna�
�s will was unshakable. The power of Athena infused her cloak. Bellona blessed her with strength and resolve. Not one but two powerful goddesses aided her, yet the kill was for Reyna to complete.
Complete it she did.
The giant crumpled to his knees and sank in the water. Reyna didn’t let go until he ceased to thrash and his body dissolved into sea foam. His mechanical eye disappeared beneath the waves. His bow began to sink.
Reyna let it. She had no interest in spoils of war – no desire to let any part of the giant survive. Like her father’s mania – and all the other angry ghosts of her past – Orion could teach her nothing. He deserved to be forgotten.
Besides, dawn was breaking.
Reyna swam for the yacht.
XL
Reyna
No time for enjoying her victory over Orion.
Blackjack’s muzzle was foaming. His legs spasmed. Blood trickled from the arrow wound in his flank.
Reyna ripped through the supply bag that Phoebe had given her. She swabbed the wound with healing potion. She poured unicorn draught over the blade of her silver pocketknife.
‘Please, please,’ she murmured to herself.
In truth, she had no idea what she was doing, but she cleaned the wound as best she could and gripped the shaft of the arrow. If it had a barbed tip, pulling it out might cause more damage. But, if it was poisoned, she couldn’t leave it in. Nor could she push it through, since it was embedded in the middle of his body. She would have to choose the lesser evil.
‘This will hurt, my friend,’ she told Blackjack.
He huffed, as if to say, Tell me something I don’t know.
With her knife, she cut a slit on either side of the wound. She pulled out the arrow. Blackjack shrieked, but the arrow came out cleanly. The point wasn’t barbed. It could have been poisoned, but there was no way to be sure. One problem at a time.
Reyna poured more healing potion over the wound and bandaged it. She applied pressure, counting under her breath. The oozing seemed to lessen.