THE HEALER| Heroes of Olympus

f o u r t e e n

On the morning the Romans were scheduled to leave, I was sitting on the pier at the canoe lake, trying to placate the naiads while Jasper finished the last minute details with Greek-Roman planning. 

Some of the lake spirits thought the Roman guys were so hot that they, too, wanted to leave for Camp Jupiter. They were demanding a giant portable fish tank for the journey west. I had just concluded negotiations when Reyna found me.

The praetor sat next to me on the dock. "Hard work?"

I blew a strand of hair out of my eyes. "Naiads can be challenging. I think we have a deal. If they still want to go at the end of the summer, we'll work out the details then. But naiads, uh, tend to forget things in about five seconds."

Reyna traced her fingertips across the water. "Sometimes I wish I could forget things that quickly."

I studied the praetor's face. Reyna was one demigod who hadn't seemed to change during the war with the giants ... at least not on the outside. She still had the same strong, unstoppable gaze, the same regal, beautiful face. She wore her armor and purple cloak as easily as most people would wear shorts and a T-shirt.

I couldn't understand how anyone could take so much pain, shoulder so much responsibility,without breaking. I wondered if Reyna ever had anyone to confide in.

"You did so much," I said. "For both camps. Without you, none of it would've been possible."

"All of us played a part."

"Sure. But you ... I just wish you got more credit."

Reyna laughed gently. "Thank you, Eliana. But I don't want attention. You understand what that's like, don't you?"I did. We were so different, but I understood not wanting to attract attention. I had seen how fame, the paparazzi, the photos and scandal stories in the press had affected my mother when she was alive. 

I could understand the appeal of the Roman way, too – to blend in, be one of the team, work as a part of a well-oiled machine. Even so, Reyna had risen to the top. She couldn't stay hidden.

"Your power from your mom ..." I said. "You can lend strength to others?"Reyna pursed her lips. "Nico told you?"

"No. I just sensed it, watching you lead the legion. That must drain you. How do you ... you know, get that strength back?"

"When I get the strength back, I'll let you know."

She said it like a joke, but I sensed the sadness behind her words.

"You're always welcome here," I said. "If you need to take a break, get away ... you've got Jasper now – I could talk to him, and he could assume more responsibility for a while. It might do you good to make some time for yourself, when nobody is going to be looking at you as praetor. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Reyna met my eyes, as if trying to gauge how serious the offer was. "Would I be expected to sing that odd song about how Grandma puts on her armor?"

I laughed "Not unless you really want to. But we might have to ban you from capture the flag. I have a feeling you could go against the entire camp solo and still beat us."

Reyna smirked. "I'll consider the offer. Thank you." She adjusted her dagger,

"I wonder ..." Reyna said. "I know you're not a child of Venus, I mean Aphrodite. But you have a boyfriend and seem to know things about love, and you can see the future...I was just wondering if you could explain something Venus said."

"I'll try, but I have to warn you, Aphrodite doesn't make sense a lot of the time."

"Once in Charleston, Venus told me something. She said: You will not find love where you wish or where you hope. No demigod shall heal your heart. I – I have struggled with that for ..." Her words broke.