sweet dreams • leo valdez

17

"I believe you come in peace. I believe Reyna sent you." Hylla told them as she sat back down in her throne, watching them closely.

"But you won't help?" Hazel questioned the queen.

Hylla examined Percy's necklace in her hand. "It's complicated. 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 named Bellerophon killed our first queen, Otrera."

"The one just here? Who Gaia returned to life?" Delilah asked, just to make sure.

"Yes. Otrera, our first queen, daughter of Ares." Hylla explained with a nod.

"You mean Mars?" Hazel asked in confusion. Delilah knew better.

In a bitter tone, Hylla said, "No, definitely Ares. 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... You mean the Amazons are a mix... Greek and Roman?" Hazel scrunched up her nose in confusion.

Hylla took Reyna's ring off and put it on her 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." Her eyes locked with Delilah's, so much like her sister's. "You'll know that of course. With all the reach you have with those dreams of yours. You've met Greek demigods?"

"Yes." Delilah confirmed hesitantly. "Percy's obviously one, but there are others who I cross paths with quite a lot. They'll be important in the future."

Hazel raised an eyebrow at Delilah as she learnt this new information. She seemed to move on and focused on the topic at hand. "So are all Amazons demigods?"

"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." Hylla explained. Delilah didn't miss how the minor gods were clarified seperately from children of the main gods, though she chose to ignore it. "Kinzie, the one who brought you here, is the daughter of a nymph. Ah - here she is now."

Kinzie re-entered the room, bowing to Hylla once she'd reached the queen. "The prisoners are safely locked away. But..."

"Yes?" Hylla asked, an expectant look on her face.

"Otrera made sure her followers are guarding the cells. I'm sorry, my queen." Kinzie admitted apologetically.

"No matter." Hylla said, pursing her lips. "Stay with us, Kinzie. We were just talking about our, ah, situation."

"Otrera. Gaea brought her back to take over the Amazons. Have them fight with her instead of against." Delilah shared her conclusion.

"Yes. And the Amazons have been thrown into chaos." Hylla confirmed with a nod. "Otrera is a legend among our people. She plans to take back the throne and use them to defeat the Romans. Many of my sisters will follow her."

"Not all!" Kinzie interjected, her dislike for the Greek daughter of war was obvious.

"But Otrera is a spirit! She isn't even-" Hazel protested, both as a daughter of Pluto and a once-dead spirit herself.

"Real?" Hylla interrupted with an analytical look. "I worked with the sorceress Circe for many years. I know a returned soul when I see one. When did you die, Hazel - 1920? 1930?"