The Blood of Olympus (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 36: Reyna

Chapter 36: Reyna

 

            DUE TO REYNA’S INJURIES, THEY SPENT what might have been a week in Portugal. Reyna still felt weak from her burns and Nico was still recovering from his shadow jump.

            They weren’t exactly having the best time. They survived on water from a well and blackberries. Reyna, when she was feeling a bit better, caught a small animal that resembled a rabbit (but wasn’t a rabbit, it was weird) and they cooked it over the campfire. They were all tired, hungry, and weak.

            After the sea serpent attack, they didn’t have any close calls. A few monsters attacked them, but Nico usually just summoned a few warriors from the dead to finish the monster. When the sun rose and the day got hot, the three of them lied in the shadow of the Athena Parthenos. They took turns going down to the beach, washing the dirt from their faces. When the salt water got into their cuts, it stung, but it was better than being dirty. They took shifts sleeping. Nico slept during the day, Hedge slept in the late afternoon, and Reyna slept during the night. Two people stayed awake since it was beginning to feel lonely on the coast.

            The days went by of eating berries and drinking water from a well, which tasted like minerals more than anything. The air was hot and humid, which was a drastic difference from the cooler air in the bay, where Camp Jupiter was.

            Reyna missed Camp Jupiter so much. She missed training and she missed her praetor house. There were so many good memories there. It was her home. Lying under the shade of a huge statue was nothing like home. For years, she had dreamed of coming to Europe to discover her godly roots. Now that she was here, she realized that it wasn’t all what she expected. Of course, if Gaea hadn’t been rising, it would have been so much different.

            After telling Nico her past, he spoke to her much more. He told her barely anything about himself, but it was better than nothing. He told her about his sister, who had died a few years ago. He said he was a bit different than everyone else, which didn’t make much sense.

            During their last hours in Portugal, Coach Hedge stayed by the statue while Reyna and Nico went down to the beach. They could see the statue a few hundred yards away, keeping it in sight in case anything bad happened.

            “Reyna, I should tell you something.” Nico kept his eyes on the water.

            “Yes?” She dipped her hands into the frothy waves, wetting her face, which was sweaty from the horrible humidity.

            “I’m… different,” he said. “I wasn’t born recently… I was a kid in the forties.” When Reyna gave him a confused look, he continued. “My dad, Hades, sent my sister and me into the Lotus Casino in Las Vegas. The time there freezes. We were there for like seventy years, which only felt like a week to us. That’s why I’m different. I thought you deserved to know since you told me so much about yourself.”

            Reyna stayed silent. Of course, since they were half-gods, there was no reason not to believe him. He had saved her life on several occasions these past few days, so she had to give him the benefit of the doubt.

            “Come on.” Nico turned and began walking back to the statue. “Let’s get going. I’ve had enough of Portugal to last a lifetime.”

“I’m ready to make another shadow jump.”

            Coach Hedge’s eyebrows arched. “Are you sure?”