ENTRAPPED ₂

102

"WOLVES?" REYNA ASKED.

They were eating dinner from the nearby sidewalk cafe. Nico had hurried back to the camp about half an hour after he had disappeared. Reyna had just awoken. They had ordered sandwiches, pastries, and coffee from the cafe, and now they sat on the lawn to eat, the three of them alert and rested, though Ethan probably slightly less so than the others. Nico described his dreams and his meeting with Hades at the Chapel of Bones. Ethan could tell he was holding back a few personal details, though Ethan knew very well about wrestling with one's feelings, so he didn't press. If Nico wanted to share, he would in time.

"Most wolves are friendly to Romans." Reyna frowned. "I've never heard stories about Orion hunting with a pack."

"Jason, Piper, and I encountered a pack of wolves back on our quest in the winter," Ethan noted. "They weren't very friendly then. The Hunters drove them away."

Nico took the last bite of his ham sandwich, then eyed the plate of pastries. "It could have been a figure of speech: very little time before the wolves arrive. Perhaps Hades didn't literally mean wolves. At any rate, we should leave as soon as it's dark enough for shadows."

Ethan nodded. Still, he felt a prickling at the back of his neck that wouldn't go away. "Still, we need to consider the Athena Parthenos. It's going to take some time to get all of us back up there and then get you strapped in."

Nico nodded, eating a pastry. Ethan took one, too. They looked like spiral donuts and tasted excellent: just the right combination of crispy, sugary, and buttery.

"So..." Reyna spoke after a moment, and Nico winced. Ethan wondered what he had been thinking about. "Will Camp Half-Blood wait for August first, or will they attack?"

"We have to hope they wait," Nico said. "We can't... I can't get the statue back any faster."

Ethan rubbed his forehead. "I wish I could contact someone, but Iris messages are down, and I can't communicate via my dreams like Nico can. I don't see them taking the offensive, though. We are usually the defending team in any circumstance."

Reyna nodded thoughtfully. She took a bite of her own pastry. She had donned her armor after her rest, and it glittered in the afternoon sun. "I wonder about these wolves... is it possible we've misunderstood the message? The goddess Lupa has been very quiet. Perhaps she is sending us aid. The wolves could be from her―to defend us from Orion and his pack."

"Maybe," Nico said. "But wouldn't Lupa be busy with the war between the camps? I thought she'd be sending wolves to help your legion."

Reyna shook her head. "Wolves are not front-line fighters. I don't think she could help Octavian. Her wolves might be patrolling Camp Jupiter, defending it in the legion's absence, but I just don't know..."

"I don't think we should count on reinforcements," Ethan told her, even though he felt bad about crushing her hope. "Besides, aren't Romans rather cutthroat? Like, succeed on this quest, but do it by your own grace."

Reyna nodded, frowning. She crossed her legs at the ankles, and the iron tips of her combat boots glinted. Ethan respected her choice in shoes.

"There's something else," Reyna said. "I haven't had any luck contacting my sister, Hylla. It makes me uneasy that both the wolves and the Amazons have gone silent. If something has happened on the West Coast... I fear the only hope for either camp lies with us. We must return the statue soon. That means the greatest burden is on you, son of Hades."

"No pressure, though," Ethan added, snatching another pastry. He had an enormous taste for sweets since returning from Tartarus.

Nico smiled, but it didn't meet his eyes. He set down his half-eaten donut and twisted his silver skull ring anxiously, his gaze sad and faraway. Ethan wanted to help him, to ask what was wrong, but he wouldn't do that in front of Reyna, not if Nico didn't trust her.