LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE . . . hoo

IV.

MIA AND NICO watched the war game from a tower, like they usually did, binoculars in their hands just in case.

"He'll know," Mia urged. "He knows both of us, even with my dyed hair."

She'd dyed her hair blonde over the months, mostly because she decided that she'd needed a change. It was fading, though, and soon it'd be the typical red color that she'd inherited from her father.

"What do you want me to do about it, Mia?" Nico snapped, looking over at her. "He will remember. And there's nothing we can do about it."

"Are you the one who's going on a quest with him?" Mia rubbed her eyes, completely ignoring the game below her. "It's only a few days until the summer solstice. I just need to survive until then."

Nico snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that."

"Thanks," she sighed, then she saw something down below and immediately pressed her binoculars to her eyes. "They're doing it, Neeks. Frank and Hazel and Percy — they've gone over the wall."

"Impressive," he said, and when she looked over at him, he was holding his binoculars to his eyes. At least, until he took them off to glare at her. "Stop calling me that."

"No." Mia stuck her tongue out at him. "Come on, we've been hanging out for months. I at least have some liberties in calling you Neeks."

He was about to charge her when Reyna called, probably saving Mia's life, "The game is won!" Reyna sounded as if she were trying not to laugh. "Assemble for honors!"

Mia and Nico climbed down from the tower and walked over to the Field of Mars. Mia saw plenty of minor injuries—some burns, broken bones, black eyes, cuts and gashes, plus a lot of very interesting hairdos — but nothing that couldn't be fixed.

Except for one thing. Someone's life force was rapidly fading. Someone was dying.

"Help!" somebody yelled. A couple of campers rushed out of the fortress, carrying a girl on a stretcher. They set her down, and other kids started running over. Even from a distance, Mia could tell it was Gwen. She was in bad shape. She lay on her side on the stretcher with a pilum sticking out of her armor — almost like she was holding it between her chest and her arm, but there was too much blood.

The medics barked at everyone to stand back and give her air. The whole legion fell silent as the healers worked — trying to get gauze and powdered unicorn horn under Gwen's armor to stop the bleeding, trying to force some nectar into her mouth. Gwen didn't move. Her face was ashen gray. She was dead. But probably not for long.

Finally one of the medics looked up at Reyna and shook his head.

For a moment, there was no sound except water from ruined cannons trickling down the walls of the fort. The war elephant nuzzled Gwen's hair with his trunk.

Reyna surveyed the campers from her pegasus. Her expression was as hard and dark as iron. "There will be an investigation. Whoever did this, you cost the legion a good officer. Honorable death is one thing, but this . . ."

Mia crossed her arms and waited until Gwen gasped.

Everyone stepped back. Gwen opened her eyes. The color came back to her face.

"Wh — what is it?" She blinked. "What's everyone staring at?" She didn't seem to notice the seven-foot harpoon sticking out through her chest.

She tried to sit up, but couldn't. "There was a river, and a man asking . . . for a coin? I turned around and the exit door was open. So I just . . . I just left. I don't understand. What's happened?"