The Second Jackson- Piper McLean book 1

Untitled Part 21

Hazel

I considered making a run for it.

I didn't trust queen Hylla, and I certainly didn't trust that other lady, Otrera. Only three guards were left in the room. All of them kept their distance.

Hylla was armed with just a dagger. This deep underground, I might be able to cause an earthquake in the throne room or summon a big pile of schist or fold. If I could cause a distraction, I might be able to escape and find my friends.

Unfortunately, I'd seen the Amazons fight. Even though the queen had only a dagger, I suspected she could use it pretty well. And I was unarmed. They hadn't searched me, which meant thankfully they hadn't taken Frank's firewood from my coat pocket, but my sword was gone, and I didn't see Lani's hairclip.

The queen seemed to be reading my thoughts. "Forget about escape. Of course, we'd respect you for trying. But we'd have to kill you."

"Thanks for the warning" I commented.

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

"But you won't help?" Lani questioned.

The queen studied the necklace she'd taken from Percy. "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. Long before that, at the very beginning of the Amazon nation, a hero name Bellerophon killed our first queen, Otrera"

"You mean the lady—"

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

"Mars?" I questioned.

"No, she means Ares. She was Greek?" Lani corrected me.

Hylla nodded at her. "Yes. 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"

"The old ways..." I had heard rumors about Greek demigods. Octavian believed they existed and were secretly plotting against Rome. But I'd never really believed it, even when Percy and Lani came to camp. They just didn't strike me as an evil, scheming Greek. "You mean the Amazons are a mix... Greek and Roman?"

Hylla continued to examine the necklace— the clay beads, the probatio tablet. She slipped Reyna's silver ring off the cord and put 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. Being immortal, they tend to accumulate personalities. They are Greek, Roman, American— a combination of all the cultures they've influenced over the eons. Do you understand?"

"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."

The girl with auburn hair approached the queen and bowed.

"The prisoners are safely locked away," Kinzie reported. "But..."

"Yes?" the queen asked.

Kinzie swallowed like she had a bad taste in her mouth. "Otrera made sure her followers are guarding the cells. I'm sorry, my queen"