The Harvest Trials

Chapter XVIII

Reyna

Step One was in action. Meaning we were walking for hours on end trying to get out of the freaking desert. Thank the gods Calypso was a great navigator, or we'd probably be heading in the wrong direction.

We were getting closer and closer to the mountain. Finally we came to a town. There was a sign overhead that read 'Bienvenidos A Trincheras'. We picked up our step a little and jogged to get inside. We immediately found a bench to rest on. 

Rachel volunteered to go in search of some water, us having drank it all on the way here. She came back minutes later with four bottles of water. We drank them down and rested awhile. 

"So Piper, you said there should be a guard stationed here somewhere?" I asked. She nodded. "Erik Mandson. He's stationed here to keep his eye on the Drop Zone, but spends most of his time at the bar. That's where we'll get him."

"Great. So where can we find something fancy?" I asked. Piper eyed some of the nicer houses. "I think they'd be more than willing to lend us a dress and some makeup."

We followed Piper up the walk to one of the nicer houses in the small town and waited while she knocked on the door. A middle aged lady opened the door and I silently cheered at her makeup caked face. She'd definitely have what we needed.

"Excuse me, miss," Piper started. "My friend really needs to borrow a dress of yours. Would that be okay?" The lady blinked, and moved out of the way of the door, motioning us inside. Rachel nudged me in the side and smiled. 

We made our way to what had to be the master bedroom. We rifled through the closet for awhile before coming to a dress that would work for this occasion. It was a floor length dress with slit up the leg. It was strapless with a low v-neck, and the whole thing was covered in deep red sequins. 

In no time at all, Calypso had my hair in an elegant braid and Piper had done my makeup. Looking in the mirror, I was taken aback. I looked...breathtaking. But it just wasn't me. "I hope you all know that I hate this," I said. 

Piper laughed. "Yes we know, Reyna. But we need to get information. And unfortunately, this is the fastest way to get a man's attention."

"Showtime?" I asked. Rachel regarded me again, critically going over every exaggerated detail. "Showtime," she agreed.

We arrived at one of the two bars in town and did a quick glance over all the heads. We settled on a man at the bar wearing a familiar uniform. Piper, Rachel, and Calypso dispersed, leaving me to make my way to the bar. 

I rested my elbows on the bar counter next to him, looking ahead. I could feel his eyes on my and I felt so uncomfortable, but I turned it into a smirk. "Let me buy you a drink," he said. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and turned to face him.

"What's your name, handsome?" I asked. I could tell he was already drunk, but he tried to focus on me. "I'm Erik," he said. "Wha's your name?"

"Valerie," I answered, taking a swig of the drink, almost spitting it out. It was disgusting. "Ah, meaning strength? Nice name."

"So I see you're from Harvest?"

He looked confused for a second before glancing down at his uniform. "Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be watching the Drop Zone. Most boring job ever!" I giggled. "I bet. So what brought you to Harvest?" I asked. 

"Oh I used to work for SHIELD, but then I got fired for playing Galaga on the job. I was working low pay jobs until I got hired to work for Harvest."

I had no idea what SHIELD was, but it sounded pretty important. I decided to take a risk. I needed to know where the compound was before we could get there, so I decided to go right out and ask. 

"Where is the compound anyway? I heard a rumor it was in Washington," I asked, making up a lie. He laughed at me, his eyes blinking lazily. "No no no no no no no," he mumbled, smiling, "It's in the windy city! Chicago!"

I turned away to see Calypso watching us. She gave me a thumbs up. "And what about the uh..." I leaned closer, acting like I was sharing an important secret. "The higher ups? The, how do you say, elite demigods?"

"Oh you mean them? Oh yeah. Haha. Um Valdez, you know, the fire guy, he's a smart ass. Got on Everette's bad side a long time ago. Pushed him too far."

My heart jumped to my throat. "What about him?" I asked, trying to not sound so panicked. "Everette put him in the Cryo Chamber," he giggled again. "Boy almost froze to death."

"What about Grace?" I asked, "Jackson?" 

"Everette's having a hay day with those two. Probably the best with bringing in energy and stuff."

"And Zhang? Levesque? di Angelo and Solace?"

He eyed me suspiciously. "You sure do seem to know a lot about the prisoners," he said. I thought I'd blown my cover. "I simply did my research," I stated confidently. 

His face broke into a smile. "And she's smart too!" He threw his arm around my shoulder. I cringed internally. 

"So no deaths you know about?"I asked carefully. "Nah, not yet at least."

"What do you mean not yet?" I was afraid my voice was shaking, but it came out smooth enough.

"Well if I've ever seen anyone overworked...I'm just not sure how long they'd last." He laughed again, as though all was good and well in the world. Like we weren't just in the middle of an apocalypse and my friends weren't all dying in a compound all the way in Chicago. 

I swallowed hard and pulled away from him. "Thanks for the drink," I said, leaving it almost full on the counter. "Valerie!" He called, but I ignored him, strutted right out of the bar. I kicked off my shoes and ran. I didn't stop until I reached the rendezvous point, in the backyard of the house we 'borrowed' from. 

Rachel, Calypso, and Piper were there a few minutes later. Piper tackled me with a hug. "That. was. AMAZING!" She cheered. "So, what did you gather?" Rachel asked. 

"The compound is in Chicago," I said. "And no one's died yet."

"Yet?" Calypso asked. "Well, Mandson said he wasn't sure how much more they can take. But we have to have faith in them. They're strong. They can stay alive a little longer."

"Alright. Well that's good news, right?" Calypso asked. I studied her face, trying to decided if I should tell her about what happened to Leo. Rachel noticed my hesitation. "There's something else, isn't there Reyna?"

All eyes were on me. "It's about Leo," I said, gauging Calypso's reaction. Her face screwed up into a scowl. "Tell me," she growled. "He was punished, I guess, by Everette. Erik said he was taken to a Cryo Chamber. They tried to freeze him."

"But-" Piper tried to reason. "Leo's fire...he can't freeze!"

Rachel gave her a sideways glance. "Piper, Everette's got Annabeth with him. They'd figure something out."

Calypso looked about ready to cry. "There's only so much he'd be able to stand. The scales of hot and cold are pretty equal, but too much to one side...the cold would become overpowering."

"Well, that's all the more reason to get there sooner. I sent a letter to Hylla as soon as we got here. I just hope it's enough to rescue everyone," I said. 

A voice behind me said, "We could help with that."

I whirled around. There stood Thalia Grace, a cocky grin on her face, with all her hunters fanned out behind her.