ENTRAPPED ₂

29

MADELEINE WAS GLAD HER RINGS HAD RETURNED. Judging from Reyna's expression, she thought she might need to defend herself.

She stormed into the principia with her purple cloak billowing, and her greyhounds at her feet. Madeleine was lounging across one of the praetor's chairs, tossing her knives up and down and eating jelly beans.

When Reyna came in, Madeleine started to get up; but Reyna quickly dismissed the other girl with a sharp jerk of her hand.

"Stay seated," the praetor growled. "You leave after lunch. We have a lot to discuss."

She plunked her dagger down so hard, the jelly-bean bowl rattled. Aurum and Argentum took their posts on Reyna's left and right and fixed their eyes on Madeleine.

"Right," Madeleine said. "You're pissed. Did you eat breakfast? I become an asshole when I don't eat."

Reyna just glared at her. Madeleine was really starting to wonder how far she could push the envelope. Maybe she had overstepped; but Reyna just sighed. "It's not you. It's Octavian. He gets talking, and everything gets fucked."

Madeleine nodded, sitting up straight in the chair. "You're a warrior. Octavian is a talker. He gets in front of the senate, and he gets all of your power. It was Reyna's choice to make Madeleine centurion, it was Reyna's choice to send four Fifth Cohort members on a quest by themselves, it was Reyna's choice to give Frank the Mural Crown."

Reyna nodded, her jaw tight. She slid into her seat and took a ring off her finger. It was silver, etched with the same design on her forearm, the one of Bellona. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's a ring," Madeleine said, quite bluntly. "I don't think it's like my knives."

"It's not," Reyna agreed. She spun the ring around with her index and thumb, assessing Madeleine silently, as if figuring out how much to say. "You really don't remember me?"

Before, on the run, Madeleine had always remembered a little more than Percy had. His one clear memory was of Annabeth. None of her memories were clear, but the scattered bits provided more clarity.

After arriving to Camp Jupiter, Madeleine had begun to remember much more. Maybe it was Nico, or being around other demigods. She remembered Ethan in sharper detail. Zoe Nightshade, Hermes, her mortal father. Nico and his soft, sad eyes. Annabeth Chase, who had been dancing around Percy Jackson for five long years.

Madeleine remembered an island. Percy, floating face down in the water. Another quest. And a girl that had taken care of Madeleine, then later saved her life. A girl that Madeleine had often thought about but had not believed she would ever see again.

"Circe's island," Madeleine said softly. "It was... four years ago, I believe? Percy, Annabeth, and I were on a quest. We washed up there. Your sister took us in. Circe turned Percy into a guinea pig, and Annabeth and I were separated. You took care of me. You help us get out of there, even though Annabeth and I would have been perfectly fine if we had stayed. It was Percy that was in danger." Madeleine shook her head. "I've never been able to figure you out, Reyna."

Reyna had been watching Madeleine carefully, like she was a bomb that might be detonated. Now, the other girl took a deep breath. "A few months before you arrived, Circe woke me up in the middle of the night. She told me that soon, the island would be destroyed. I could save it or kill it. She kept a constant watch on me. But Circe was cocky. She relaxed. She got too comfortable." Reyna drew invisible lines on the table. "Hylla and I... we had always been fighting for our lives. It was a unanimous decision to help you."

"But how did you know?" Madeleine asked. "How did you know that we would be the ones to destroy that island? I didn't know. We were just trying to survive."