ENTRAPPED ₂

34

MADELEINE WASN'T TEMPTED TO RUN.

She had already gone through the statistics in her mind. She was an excellent fighter, but so were the Amazons. Skill didn't even matter, though. If she escaped, which was unlikely, Percy would be killed.

So that wasn't an option.

Hylla was studying Hazel and Madeleine closely. "Forget about escape," she told them. "Of course, we'd respect you for trying. But we'd have to kill you."

"Thanks for the warning," Hazel said, before Madeleine could say something rude.

Hylla shrugged. "The least I can do. I believe you come in peace. I believe that Reyna sent you."

"But you won't help?"

The queen studied the ring resting in her palm. "It's complicated," she said. "Amazons have always had a rocky relationship with other demigods―especially male demigods. We fought for King Priam in the Trojan War, but Achilles killed our queen, Penthesilea. Years before that, Hercules stole Queen Hippolyta's belt―this belt I'm wearing. It took us centuries to recover it."

"Hercules tends to steal many things," Madeleine told Hylla. "I wouldn't take it so personally."

Hylla's eyes flashed, but her tone remained even. "Well, long before even Hercules, at the very beginning of the Amazon nation, a hero named Bellerophon killed our first queen, Otrera."

Hazel blanched. "You don't mean―"

"―who just left, yes. Otrera, our first queen, daughter of Ares."

"Mars?"

"No," Madeleine said. She had a brief flash of memory―a girl with uneven brown hair and a hard face, muscular arms. Then it was gone.

Hylla looked at Madeleine curiously. "No, definitely Ares," she agreed. "Otrera lived long before Rome, in a time when all demigods were Greek. Unfortunately, some of our warriors still prefer the old ways. Children of Ares... they are always the worst."

"Not necessarily," Madeleine said. For some reason, this topic made her feel defensive. "They just need something to believe in. An undirected child of Ares is a dangerous one."

"Well, unfortunately, Otrera is currently directed toward taking my throne," Hylla said. She eyed Madeleine. "You seem to know a lot about the Greek ways, for a Roman."

"You seem to know a lot about history, for some helpless maiden on Circe's island," Madeleine replied.

They made very intense eye contact. Something crackled in the air between them―nonmagical, pure force. Two powerful, very angry women. Too little space.

"Look," Hazel said. "Hylla, you mentioned the old ways. Does that mean... I mean, are the Amazons a mix of Greek and Roman?"

Hylla continued to examine Reyna's ring. Delicately, she placed it on her own finger. "I suppose they don't teach you about that at Camp Jupiter. The gods have many aspects. Mars, Ares. Pluto, Hades. Mercury, Hermes." She cut a glance at Madeleine. "Being immortal, the gods tend to accumulate personalities. They are Greek, Roman, American―a combination of all the cultures they've influenced over the eons. Do you understand?" She directed this last question at Hazel, as if Madeleine already understood. Maybe she did.

Hazel hesitated. "I―I'm not sure. Are all Amazons demigods?"

The queen spread her hands. "We all have some immortal blood, but many of my warriors are descended from demigods. Some have been Amazons for countless generations. Others are children of minor gods. Kinzie, the one who brought you here, is the daughter of a nymph. Ah―here she is now."