Lieutenant

Chapter 31

The hunters weren't meant to stay at CHB for more than a day even despite Zeus' supposed punishment. They were soon set on a false lead to draw them away from camp where Apollo inevitably wound up. It was a few months of pointless traveling before Thalia and the others intervened temporarily in the Sun God's circumstances upon insistence on Artemis' part.

Sadly, they had arrived back at camp after a few months only this time it was close to Valentine's day. The amount of excitement and tension in the air was laughable. Both camps were joining together for a two-day Valentine's Celebration upon popular request.

However, there were many campers who seemed less than thrilled about the upcoming holiday. The hunters were specifically annoyed thanks to the amount of crap that followed the holiday and their forced participation in it.

Artemis managed to stay clear from most of the mess by joining Chiron in the Big House on frequent occasions. Thalia wasn't as lucky but she noticed something even more peculiar. There was one person less enthused than even herself, that person was the Roman praetor.

There was some story behind the attitude and demeanor of Reyna that Thalia and the other hunters weren't privy to. Slowly the daughter of Zeus began to piece some of the details together. Reyna was angry at Jason for something, at first Thalia thought she was also mad at Piper, but the two seemed to be fairly good friends.

Thalia's curiosity got the best of her and so she approached the topic as carefully as possible one night during dinner.

"I get the impression you don't like my brother very much. If you don't mind my asking, how come?" Thalia's question was innocent enough but Reyna visibly tensed. Artemis was nearby, quietly tuning into the conversation.

She'd be lying if she said she didn't have an interest in the Roman girl. She was strong and exactly the type to join their escapade.

"You don't know? I figured the news tracked quickly enough," Thalia brushed aside the sarcastic comment with a shrug.

"Some of us weren't here to hear the news." Reyna gave a long sigh followed by giving Thalia a peculiar look. Thalia thought she was about to be punched in the face but was surprised by the conversation that followed.

"That's a shit thing to do." Thalia frowned, amazed that her brother had been so calloused. "Well, luckily for you, I know how that situation goes."

It was Reyna's turn to be surprised. Thalia provided an avid description of her time with Luke and it did, in fact, mirror very similarly what the Roman went through.

"Just so you know, if I'd been alive and there I'd have scolded him." Reyna gave a very rare flash of a smile at the joke.

"Yeah well, I'm still hoping he'll figure out that all I want is a decent and honest apology," Reyna's expression shifted into one of speculation, "You're not allowed to tell him that's what I want."

"I won't, promise." Thalia nodded.
— — —
Artemis thought about the exchange of stories and found, strikingly, that Reyna's bitterness and anger wasn't too different from how Zoë was the first time they'd met.

As if Aphrodite's stamp of terrible and damaging decisions wasn't enough under Artemis' scrutiny, there was a panicked cry and every head turned towards it.

The call of distress had come from the Venus/Aphrodite table. A gloving symbol rested above a young thirteen-year-old girl's head. A look of complete disgust and fear rested on her face. Her clothes had been replaced by a white chiton, a soft youthful glow, jewelry, and some make-up.

Artemis had seen the girl earlier and it was the exact opposite of her style. The ironic thing was that the girl had sat at the Aphrodite table simply because her friend had. No one pegged her as a child of the love goddess.