The Sun Without Stars Solangelo

The Secret

Reyna's POV

When Will informed them that whoever killed the Ares kids had died with them, Reyna wasn't even halfway convinced.

Where did the body go? Was it really a monster like Nico said?

However, she trusted Nico would know, considering that his senses on death had never been invalid before. Something about what she'd said to Will about protecting him had got her thinking, though.

Did Nico know that something like this would happen? Is that why he asked me to protect Will? But then why did he rely on me rather than protecting Will himself?

Chiron wrote it off as some sort of unfortunate mishap that had allowed a monster in due to how many were surrounding the camp by now. Satyrs had been forced to redirect any other Half-Bloods who hadn't made it to camp beforehand to Camp Jupiter, where the monsters were much less dense.

What are they after?

Before Will returned to the cabins to share the news, though, she asked Will, "Mind telling Nico that I'm grabbing the shirt he stole from me? I'm all bloody, and he never returned it to me." Absentmindedly, Will nodded.

She made her way down the hill, her mind racing.

Gaea can't be back. Please.

The door was unlocked, which was pretty normal for Nico who never paid close enough attention to his cabin. In his defense, who was going to steal his clothing taste?

She walked in, the air heavy and the shadows crawling as if prowling the perimeter.

Side stepping them, she made it to his wardrobe, seeing that it was already slightly ajar.

....Is that blood?

It had already dried, so she assumed it had to be from his injury. She pulled it open, revealing a clothing hanger with his shirt and jackets. Rummaging through them, she found her sage green shirt and pulled it off the hanger, noticing that it was rather soggy.

"What the hell, Nico," Reyna muttered. However, when she looked up, her gaze remained transfixed on what had been hanging behind her shirt.

It was a black vest with a white stripe along the midsection.

It was THE black vest.

Reyna looked left and right, slightly afraid that someone might open the door.

Why am I afraid? Of Nico? No... there has to be an explanation.

She pulled down the vest, and it was indeed dripping wet and, when she turned it to the back, it revealed a faded red stain.

No. Please no.

She had had an awful feeling from Nico since they'd encountered one another in the forest, but this was going all too far. When she heard a sound outside, she stuffed the jacket back in the wardrobe and rushed out the door.

It was nothing but a deer that was instantly spooked when she exited.

The promise about Will's safety kept echoing in her mind. It sounded like an omen--one that was waiting to come true.

One thing she knew for sure: Nico wouldn't hurt a camper. This was some kind of misunderstanding...it had to be.

Then why did he lie about the monster dying?

Reyna barely noticed when she bumped into one of her hunters, nearly knocking the girl over. Lyla apologized immediately, and confirmed that some campers were preparing burials and many were having lunch right now.

By the time she made it to the pavilion, most were gone, heading towards the Ares cabin to offer their condolences and help set up the burials. Nico, Will, Kayla, and Austin all sat at a table, discussing something inaudible.

"Nico. What were you doing all morning? I knocked on your door for capture the flag, but you never answered," Reyna interrogated, catching him by surprise. He avoided eye contact, moving the food on his plate around with his fork.

Nico glanced at Reyna's feet, where her dogs were laying down, ears perked up. "Hazel... called me, and we talked for a while."

"That didn't take all morning, though. Were you around while the person attacked?" Reyna was frustrated. Nico was saying as little as possible, giving her little to work with.

"It was a monster, Reyna," Nico snarled, correcting her previous question. Aurum cocked his head to the side, but didn't react further.

He's avoiding answering.

"Will, Vinni was wondering if you could help her find some ointments. I need to speak to her as well," Reyna informed Will. Nico looked slightly suspicious, but said nothing, keeping his gaze low.

When Will followed her to the infirmary and they were well out of sight, she grabbed the collar of his shirt, yanking him behind a building.

"What?!" Reyna cupped her hand over his mouth.

"Shhhhh. I needed to get you away from Nico for a second. I found THE jacket in his wardrobe. The one that the monster-person-thing was wearing. Did you tell Nico about me being there?" Reyna asked, worried. Will's eyes widened.

"No... does that mean...?" His words were incohesive, but she could guess what he meant.

Does that mean Nico killed them?

"What happened? I mean, what really happened while I was gone?" Reyna asked, cornering Will.

"He didn't tell you?"

"It's Nico. The same Nico who I didn't even know liked green until he stole my shirt. So, take a guess," Reyna drawled.

He hesitated, but finally let in. "We went down to Tartarus to get Bob. Nico didn't make it out until the night you found him. When we were down there, he ended up at the hands of Nyx for who knows how long."

She couldn't help but shudder at the mention of Tartarus. Reyna was angry on Nico's behalf. Angry at the gods, angry at whoever had allowed him back there.

"I wonder how he got out." Will nodded as if he had thought the same thing. "I just don't understand why he'd be there when they... were killed." She pulled at a lock of her hair aimlessly.

Think. Think. Think.

"Maybe he felt them die from his cabin. It happened when... you know," Will pondered.

When Jason died.

"If that's true, then he probably went after it and, if what he said about the monster dying was true, then he probably got rid of it." It seemed to be the most logical solution. She thanked the gods that she'd told Will before confronting Nico.

"I just don't understand why he feels like he has to lie to me," Will murmured. "I thought he was finally letting down his walls, but the whole journey messed that up, and now... now I don't know if I can fix it." Will's voice cracked, and he turned his head away.

"Will... He's not something you can fix. He's not the same as us; he's missing most of his past and he's got nowhere to build from there. Everything he loves ends up dying and, while I love him like he's my own brother, even I never feel like I know Nico. All I know for sure about him is that he loves you more than anything, and that scares him." Will seemed shocked by that, and she smiled despite her eyes growing teary as well.

"So, while I may not know Nico, I know the battlefield. For now, the one thing I can do for him is fight–get rid of these monsters and give him space to start over if that's what he wants," she added as if it were a promise.

"I have a feeling that Apollo might know something about that, so we should interrogate him when he comes on the winter solstice in two days," Will told her, obviously withholding something, but she didn't press him on it.