To the Sun, to the Stars, to the Sky (A Soldier/Rebellion AU)

Chapter 18: Assassination and Espionage

Nico POV

I woke up with a headache for no apparent reason, and I was not appreciating it. I rubbed my eyes before sitting back against a tree, my bag on my lap. The sun hadn't risen yet. We had to begin our march to the capital again soon. I looked over at Will. Should I wake him up?

His face was peaceful. I decided he should at least get a few more minutes. I blew out a breath. In the morning chill, I was glad to have my jacket, and I was glad Will had had his royal one in his bag. He'd thrown it over himself sometime in the night.

I looked around. My eyes found Hazel. She didn't have anything to keep her warm. I stood up and laid my jacket over her. She stirred for a moment, and I froze, but then she seemed to go back to sleep. I relaxed and went back to my spot. There was still a guard watching me, I could feel their eyes on my back. I leaned against the tree again.

Will shifted and rubbed his face. He looked up at me blearily before a goofy grin overtook his face. I smiled back and he moved over to kiss my forehead.

"I notice you're not in form this morning. That's—"

"Oh, shit!" I whisper-yelled, trying to kneel but he put his hand on my chest.

"No, I was about to say that's exciting. I'm really happy for you, Nico."

I swallowed hard. "We still have a few minutes before we have to go. Are you sure you don't want to go back to sleep? You look exhausted."

"You can't get rid of me that easily, di Angelo. Besides, I'm not tired anymore. How can I sleep when I have a gorgeous boyfriend next to me?" I felt my face heat up. He took my hand and rubbed circles into it. "Who else is awake?"

I shrugged. "I haven't seen very many people yet. I'm sure Reyna is. She'll probably send someone to wake up the camp soon."

As if on cue, a faint crashing sound was heard. It was like a cymbal, but not quite. I tilted my head to listen and as it grew louder, I grew more curious.

"Wake up! Wake up everyone!" A guy yelled, banging two trash can lids together. "It's time to move! Pack your bags! No more sleeping! Oh, di Angelo, right? Reyna wants to see you. Wake up! Everyone has to get ready! Don't let the McShizzle down! I gotta see your beautiful faces—yes, even yours, Piper—so wakey wakey!"

I rubbed my eyes. "I'll be back, Will. I don't know when but as soon as I can. I promise."

He nodded and squeezed my hand before letting go. "See you later."

I found Reyna quickly. She was pacing, and when she saw me, she gestured for me to come closer. I broke form to obey and then resumed the respectful salute. Her face was grim. We were away from the view of the troops.

She raised her sword to my throat. I wasn't even surprised at this point.

"Break form and explain why the hell that letter is addressed to you," she hissed.

"Thalia and Luke were talking to me about it. Did they tell you what they think? The letter was really easy to decode I guess and—"

"Their theory is circumstantial. This letter is evidence. Give me a reason not to run my sword through your heart right now."

I huffed, "Reyna, you know as well as anyone that I can't prove I'm innocent; I've barely been here two weeks. The most I can do is tell you I usually don't go places by myself anyway in order to be a spy, and I've never seen that letter in my life, and even now I have no clue what's in it except my name. I don't know how to show you I'm innocent. If you have an idea, let me know."

She didn't move the sword. "You're a soldier. You could still be loyal to the army."

"Yeah, a former soldier and so are you. You could be a traitor too, by that logic."

"My name," she growled, "is not on a letter from the king."

I sighed. "What do you want me to do, Reyna? I already had this same conversation with Thalia and Luke, and I'm exhausted. Look at the letter, look at Thalia's theory, and make your own decision. I'm not a spy, but I can't prove it. Do what you want."

She was not looking at me. Slowly, she lowered her sword. "You better be telling the truth," she said. "Or else, I will kill you much more painfully than I was going to just now. Do you understand me? I don't have time for this."

I bowed my head for a moment. "I'm telling the truth, and I understand. Thank you, Reyna."

She shook her head. "Don't mention it. Now, we have to figure out how we're going to attack the base and the castle and I can't do it without you so hurry up."

The work was frustrating and confusing and did nothing to help the headache that was coming in waves to make my eyes hurt. We worked until a man came in with a bowl of fruit the troops had scavenged. Neither of us paid any attention to it, so engrossed by our work. By the end, we had a basic outline of the base worked out using common sense and my knowledge of how bases were usually set up. The castle was much harder, and we mostly only had a blank outline for that, but the base was the difficult part anyway.