𝐅𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 - jason grace

14. OVERDUE APOLOGIES

𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐀 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃𝐋𝐘. Maybe that was a mistake, but they were family. Family had to mean something.

One look at Hazel, though, and she could tell her friend did not agree. She looked like she was ready to make a run for it, and, honestly, Maia couldn't exactly blame her. Her cousin was kind of intense. However, she could tell Hazel's faith in Hylla was slightly more than Otrera, and she could work with that.

Before Maia could do anything, though, Hylla spoke, looking at Hazel. "Forget about escape. Of course, we'd respect you for trying. But we'd have to kill you."

"Thanks for the warning."

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

"But you won't help?"

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 named Bellerophon killed our first queen, Otrera."

"You mean the lady –"

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

"Mars?"

Hylla made a sour face. "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 ..." Maia saw the look on her face and knew Hazel was putting the pieces together. "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?"

Maia remained quiet, not really knowing if she should be a part of this conversation.

"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 the 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."

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

"Otrera," Hazel guessed. "Gaia brought her back from the dead to throw you Amazons into civil war."

The queen exhaled. "If that was her plan, it is working. Otrera is a legend among our people. She plans to take back the throne and lead us to war against the Romans. Many of my sisters will follow her."