End of the Line

#43 - August 18th

Chapter 43 - August 18th
published: Wednesday, 20 November 2019

Wispy clouds swept over the darkened sky. Stars sparkled behind the moon, the dim illumination on the grass cast shadows. The silhouettes of the trees stretched out towards the small legion of demigods amassed at the borders of Camp Half-Blood.

Nervous breaths and silence were all to be heard. Cannons were loaded as dawn neared, and Reyna was at the head of the army, her orders enforced within their forces.

As August 18th began, the demigods prepared for Tartarus and Pontus to launch their attack. The warning had come from Thalia and her Hunters, who had received a dream message from Jason.

A rustling of the trees made Reyna's hand spring to the hilt of her sword.

"Hold!" Her voice rapidly spread across the clearing. Reyna suppressed her nerves as she exchanged a glance with Nico. "Archers!"

There was the sound of arrows being knocked and the elastics of bows stretching. Reyna was suddenly reminded of the Massacre. She'd failed to protect her people back then, and she wasn't about to make the mistake this time.

A figure emerged from the murky woods. A woman with blonde hair, followed by a few more. All were cloaked and their faces hidden.

Reyna gave Chiron a sidelong glance and was surprised to see the centaur's face slack with astonishment.

"Come no further!" Reyna shouted. She held up a firm hand. If they misfired, this could turn very ugly very quickly.

She and Nico exchanged wary looks before she cautiously began to approach the group of women, Nico and Chiron at her heels.

As Reyna got closer, the strangest feeling dawned on her. It was kind of like déjà vu.

One woman turned her eyes on Reyna, and it was suddenly as if she was staring right at Annabeth. Reyna choked out a gasp and blinked, and the resemblance was gone.

Another woman with tanned skin reminded her of Apollo, with the same mouth and complexion. Of course, her face was set in a grave grimace, probably because of the circumstances they were surrounded by.

"Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano," Reyna declared as she came to a halt in front of them. "Daughter of Bellona. This is Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, and Chiron, our camp leader." She gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist and swallowed back her nerves. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your arrival?"

One sister stepped forward. Her long, black braid swung at her knees as she bowed her head. "We offer our help," she answered. "Against the armies Tartarus and Pontus have gathered."

The tanned woman nodded in agreement. "Your friends convinced us that we couldn't just sit around and watch the world crumble again."

"So much faith," Reyna heard Nico mutter under his breath. "Nice."

She suppressed a chuckle as she refocused her attention on their visitors. "Who are you?" she demanded. "How do we know you aren't just offering your help to backstab us later?"

"Reyna," Chiron said gently. He stepped up beside her with a small smile breaking into his features. "These are old friends. I introduce to you, the Titan Sisters."

As he spread his arms, it clicked in Reyna's brain. The woman who'd reminded her of Annabeth was Tethys, technically her great-grandmother. Reyna knew that DNA wasn't inherited on the godly side, and it still didn't make sense how features could be passed down, but everything related to Olympus was altogether pretty strange.