Chapter Text
As much as she was trying to, Bellona found that she was having a very, very difficult time staying calm. It had been difficult enough when her memory had been suppressed by the Fates. When she hadn’t known that she was connected with these children at all. When she hadn’t realized that two different versions of her youngest daughter had been sitting just a few feet away. How had her fellow gods been enduring all of this for so long? Granted, none of them seemed to be silently or passively taking this information in, as far as she’d seen. But still. These were children. Their children. They’ve read about one war already, and now they were reading about another. Maybe she’d missed most of the fighting, but everyone seemed to be a little too calm about these kids and what they were going through for her liking.
Are you alright? Psyche’s soft voice echoed in her mind as Dionysus read the title of the chapter. Do you need to take a break?
Bellona smiled thinly. Well, almost everyone, she thought fondly.
No, Bellona responded. I’m okay, for now. Promise.
Psyche pursed her lips but nodded, settling into her seat between Bellona and Hestia.
Bellona took a deep breath, valiantly trying to ignore how unsteady it was. Breathe, she told herself. Your daughter, two different versions of her—don’t freak out about the logistics of that fact, now’s not the time—is here. Reyna is here. And, if something had happened to Hylla, Reyna would likely be much more distressed than she is. It won’t do to lose your cool in front of them. You can break down with the members of this family you actually like later.
“Hazel considered making a run for it.”
Bellona glanced up, looking between the older demigods and the projection. One thing she would say about these books, they did a very good job of dragging the listener in and distracting them from everything else going on.
“She didn’t trust Queen Hylla… The queen seemed to be reading her thoughts. ‘Forget about escape. Of course, we’d respect you for trying. But we’d have to kill you.’ ‘Thanks for the warning.’”
Bellona smiled to herself. Hylla and Reyna were the first children she’d had in a very long time, and she’d made a point to watch over them as best she could. Despite the holes in her memory, she remembered Hylla being a particularly blunt, but happy child. Bellona remembered playing hide and seek with Hylla, five or six years old at the time, around Julian’s family home. And, after Reyna arrived, she remembered finding—inventing—reasons to visit and staying much longer than was permissable...and paying whatever price Jupiter deemed reasonable when she returned to Olympus.
Bellona frowned then, and resisted the urge to look over her shoulder. Now that she was poking and prodding at her memory, she found that she remembered a lot more than she’d expected to.
Enough of that, she thought. This isn’t about him right now. This is about your children. With great effort, Bellona forced her attention back to the projection before her and latched onto Dionysus’ voice as he read.
“Hylla shrugged… ‘Amazons have always had a rocky relationship with other demigods...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.’” Dionysus stopped reading abruptly and, when Bellona turned to look at him, his eyebrows had disappeared under the curtain of curls flopping over his forehead.
“What’s wrong, Dio?” Hestia asked after a moment, twisting in her seat.
“I...feel as though I’m reading this wrong,” Dionysus said, looking more disturbed the longer he stared at the page.
“You may as well read what’s there,” Eros responded, sounding largely disinterested. “I’m sure any discrepancies will be cleared up quickly.”
When Dionysus didn’t respond to the younger god with a jab or sarcastic comment, Bellona narrowed her eyes. Dionysus’ eyes were locked on the pages in front of him, as if he hadn’t registered Eros’ comment at all.
After another long moment, Hermes elbowed his brother. “D?”
Dionysus finally shook himself out of his stupor and, with a wince, continued reading. “’Otrera, our first queen, daughter of Ares.’”
The reaction was immediate. Anxious and confused chatter rippled throughout the assembled gods. Annabeth (the daughter of Athena, Bellona reminded herself) frowned to herself, wheels turning in her mind. Bellona, for her part, exchanged a glance with Hestia and Rhea. That certainly didn’t sound right.
Behind her, Ares sputtered in indignation. “What? She—that’s not—she’s not—“ In an instant, he was on his feet, whirling on Reyna (the older version of her, Bellona noted with a bit of relief). “Where is your sister getting her information?”
Reyna blinked and put her hands up in surrender. “I—I don’t—“
“Peace, my love,” Aphrodite said, gently grabbing Ares by the bicep. “Reyna is not her sister. How would she know? Why don’t you just...correct the discrepancy, like Eros said.”
Eros, who’d turned a little green when Dionysus had read that particular line, suddenly looked as though he wanted to be anywhere but here.
Ares took several deep breaths and, by the end of it, Mars stood in his place. Ever the calmer version of the war god, Mars looked up at Reyna again. “Your sister is mistaken,” he said carefully. “Otrera is not my daughter. She was the daughter of Eurus, the East Wind. The first Amazons, Otrera’s daughters, were also my daughters.”
The color drained out of Reyna’s face. “Oh. Then—then why would she—?”
“I don’t know,” Mars snapped, anger that was a little more Ares flaring in his eyes. “You’re going to have to ask her. And, if you’d be so kind, pass along the correct information.”
Reyna gulped and nodded. “Right. Sure. I’ll...I’ll do that.”
Mars slumped back in his seat and groaned, dropping his head to rest in his hand. “Now that the discrepancy has been corrected, can we please move on?”
Dionysus shot him a pitying look before turning back to the novel in his hands. “’Mars?’ … ‘Otrera,’ Hazel guessed. ‘Gaea brought her back from the dead to throw you Amazons into civil war.’ The queen exhaled. ‘If that was her plan, it is working.’”
Bellona tried to ignore the spike of panic that shot through her. Even as a child, Hylla had a talent for hiding her emotions. Especially after her father...declined (the details of which Bellona still didn’t fully remember, which frustrated her to no end). So to see the anguish barely hidden on her oldest daughter’s face…
Stop it, she thought furiously. You’re going to drive yourself insane. By the Fates, how have the rest of them dealt with this for so long?
“’Otrera is a legend among our people.—‘ … ‘Circe’s island was a safe place for Reyna and me,’ the queen continued. ‘We were daughters of the war goddess, Bellona. I wanted to protect Reyna from all that violence.’”
Bellona’s shoulders slumped, but she wasn’t surprised. Of course Hylla had wanted to protect her little sister from war and everything that it could bring. Hylla had seen firsthand what war could do to people. Bellona may not have been in San Juan very often, but she knew that Julian was never the same after returning from Iraq.
Across from her, Reyna’s expression crumpled. As if that small truth, that tiny shred of vulnerability, hurt to hear. As if she hadn’t expected Hylla to admit something so close to her heart to a complete stranger. Ares’ daughter, Clarisse, put a hand on her shoulder and murmured something in Reyna’s ear, but Reyna didn’t appear to hear her.
On the other side of the room, Reyna looked a little more...shocked than hurt. As if she really hadn’t expected her sister to open up to Hazel at all.
“’Then Percy Jackson released the pirates...The past four years, I’ve wanted to kill Percy Jackson for what he made us endure.’”
A slightly murderous gleam lit in Reyna’s eyes. Whatever peace her older self had made with the events on Circe’s island, Reyna clearly hadn’t yet had the time or space necessary to do the same. Bellona shot the boy a frown herself, still more than a little unhappy with what had happened. She felt Poseidon’s eyes on the back of her head and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her uncle could be annoyed and upset all he wanted. These were her only daughters, subjected to a terrifying encounter with pirates, directly due to his son’s actions. She could be angry if she wanted to be.
But the moment that Bellona laid eyes on Percy Jackson, all the anger seeped out of her. He’d hung his head at Hylla’s words, eyes shielded by a curtain of dark hair. On that couch, surrounded by his friends and next to the love of his life, Perseus Jackson looked impossibly young. And he’d been even younger on Circe’s island, confronted with the destruction of his own home, his best friend’s life in mortal danger. Annabeth put a gentle hand on the back of his neck, and Bellona’s heart broke. What else could they have done? There was no right answer in that situation. If the roles had been reversed, Hylla and Reyna would have done the exact same thing. How could Bellona begrudge them, both Percy and Annabeth, for making a decision that saved their lives?
Percy raised his head slightly and started to speak, but Reyna waved him off. For the first time since the reading had began that morning, her expression was peaceful. “Don’t apologize,” she said gently. “It’s okay. We’re okay.”
Percy didn’t seem convinced, but Thalia—the spiky-haired daughter of Zeus next to Annabeth—nodded at Dionysus before he could argue.
“’But Reyna became the praetor of Camp Jupiter,’ Hazel said… ‘You see, Hazel, Otrera has challenged me to a duel. Every Amazon has that right. Tonight at midnight, we’ll battle for the throne.’ … ‘—There is no law against challenging the queen multiple times. She can insist on fighting me every night, until she finally wears me down. I can’t win.’”
The only thing that betrayed Reyna’s fear for her sister were her wide, dark eyes and her hands, clenched so tightly into fists that her knuckles had turned white. Jason and Octavian exchanged worried glances over her head.
Across from Bellona, Reyna’s eyes slipped closed and she sagged against Clarisse’s shoulder. “She neglected to mention that part,” Reyna murmured weakly. “Well, she neglected to mention how afraid and desperate she’d been, at least.”
“Of course she did,” Clarisse said gently. “She’s your sister.”
And, of course, Clarisse was right. That simple answer explained everything. Of course Hylla would leave out some details. Just like she hid her emotions on Circe’s island. Just like how she protected Reyna from the pirates. Hylla—the demigod, the queen, the sister—would do anything to protect Reyna as much as she could. Even after Reyna had seen war, and bloodshed, and death herself. As tears gathered in Bellona’s eyes, she tried valiantly to ignore them. She was sure that they would call for a break soon, even with the late start they’d had. She could break down then, away from prying eyes.
“Hazel gazed at the throne… ‘—When I am killed in combat—and it’s only a matter of time—Otrera will be queen. She will march to Camp Jupiter with our forces, but she will not go to help my sister. She’ll go to join the giant’s army.’”
Collectively, the color drained from the faces of the younger demigods, Greek and Roman alike. The Amazons were a formidable force on their own. But allied with that army of monsters…
“It has to turn out fine.” It was Octavian who’d spoken, hissing that defiant proclamation into the tense silence. “It has to. They’re all still here. In a way, we have a snapshot of how this entire war turns out. As worrying as this possibility is, it couldn’t have happened, because our older selves are here.” He had risen partially from his seat at some point during his little speech and glanced around at his fellow demigods and, after a moment, at the Greeks, as well. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Behind Bellona, she felt the silent tidal wave that was Apollo’s pride for his descendant. She couldn’t say he wasn’t justified, either. Even she felt a little proud of this gangly child, even if he wasn’t her own kin.
“’We’ve got to stop her,’ Hazel said… ‘—Either I exectue you three as trespassers, or Otrera will do so when she becomes queen.’ Hazel’s heart sank. ‘So I guess we’re both dead. Me for the second time.’ In the corner cage, the stallion Arion whinnied angrily. He reared and slammed his hooves against the bars.”
Hazel involuntarily flinched a little, directly in time with the ghostly projection. Bellona felt a pang of sympathy for the young girl.
“’The horse seems to feel your despair,’ the queen said. ‘Interesting. He’s immortal, you know—the son of Neptune and Ceres.’”
As Bellona watched, Percy connected the dots in his head and pulled a face, a blush high on his cheeks. “How do we keep running into my weird half-siblings?” he hissed, leaning closer to Annabeth.
“Because these books are primarily about you,” Annabeth whispered back easily.
Poseidon, sporting his own vibrant blush that reached the tips of his ears, sent Demeter an apologetic smile. Demeter, for her part, looked about ready to chuck a sandal at his head. Amphitrite took pity on someone—her sister-in-law or her husband, Bellona wasn’t entirely sure which—and elbowed Poseidon, silently urging him to focus back on the projection in front of them and Dionysus’ words.
“Hazel blinked… She knelt and pressed her hand against the floor. Immediately, the stone cracked. A chunk of gold ore the size of a plum was pushed out of the earth… ‘How did you…?’ The queen gasped. ‘Hazel, be careful!’ Hazel approached the stallion’s cage. She put her hand between the bars, and Arion gingerly ate the chunk of gold from her palm.”
Poseidon raised his eyebrows and laughed a little. “You...you really had no fear of him, did you?”
Hazel shrugged and smiled fondly. “He’d never given me a reason to fear him.”
“Unbelievable.” Demeter’s eyes had widened to an almost comical degree. “I...have quite literally never seen him that calm over all the centuries he’s been alive.”
Hazel burst into giggles. “I—well, I wouldn’t necessarily call him calm. Docile enough with me—“
“And only you,” Percy piped up.
“Oh, he’s a sweetheart, really,” Hazel protested. “Once you get to know him.”
“Hazel, at best that horse tolerates anyone who isn’t you,” Percy said. “At worst, he’s outright hostile.”
Hazel giggled again. Beside her, Frank eyed the projection of Arion with distrust, but chose not to speak up and put an arm around Hazel’s shoulders instead.
“’Unbelievable,’ Kinzie said… Hazel could almost see the gears turning inside the queen’s head, formulating a plan. ‘You have courage, Hazel Levesque. And it seems Arion has chosen you. Kinzie?’ ‘Yes, my queen?’ ‘You said Otrera’s followers are guarding the cells?’”
Bellona narrowed her eyes. Hylla, my sweet girl, where are you going with this?
“Kinzie nodded. ‘I should have forseen that. I’m sorry—‘ ‘No, it’s fine.’ The queen’s eyes gleamed… ‘It would be embarrassing for Otrera if her followers failed in their duties—if, for instance, they were overcome by an outsider and a prison break occurred.’ Kinzie began to smile. ‘Yes, my queen. Most embarrassing.’”
Slowly, Bellona began to smile as well. One by one, gods and demigods who’d been mostly silent—something Bellona thanked them for, given how...taxing this chapter had been—started to speak up as well, excited chatter filling the space around them. As she glanced behind her, she even caught Dionysus smiling privately to himself as he read.
“’Of course,’ Hylla continued, ‘none of my guards would know a thing about his. Kinzie would not spread the word to allow an escape.’ … ‘—If you made your way back to this throne room while I was off preparing for my duel...well, as I mentioned, Arion is a very fast horse. It would be a shame if he were stolen and used for an escape.’”
“Oh, she’s brilliant,” Annabeth breathed, her gray eyes shining. “Everything’s falling into place.”
Percy nodded, that lopsided grin Bellona had grown used to in the short time she’d been here stretching across his face. “I wondered how it all worked out,” he said. “And I’m really glad Hylla doesn’t seem to hate me as much as she used to.”
“Hazel felt like she’d been plugged into a wall socket… ‘Queen Hylla,’ she said, ‘I—I’m not much of a fighter.’”
Bellona turned to the young girl and smiled softly. “Hazel Levesque,” she said, “I suspect you are severely underselling yourself. And I’d wager that several people in this room—deities and demigods alike—would agree with me.”
Hazel blushed and ducked her head, but smiled all the same. And, when she didn’t argue, Bellona decided to count that as a win.
“’Oh, there are many kinds of fighting, Hazel.—‘ … ‘It seems we both have impossible tasks ahead of us.’ ‘But you’re trusting me,’ said Hazel. ‘And I trust you. You will win, as many times as it takes.’ … She shook the queen’s hand, wondering if it was possible to make a friend so fast—especially one who was about to send her to jail.”
Reyna chuckled. “I think Hylla would be rather gratified to know you thought of her as a friend.”
Hazel shot Reyna a smirk. “Better to have your terrifying sister as a friend, rather than an enemy.”
“’This conversation never happened,’ Hylla told Kinzie… The queen smiled mischievously, and for the first time, Hazel felt jealous of Reyna. She wished that she had a sister like this. ‘Good-bye, Hazel Levesque,’ the queen said. ‘If we both die tonight...well, I’m glad I met you.’” Dionysus didn’t bother closing the book, choosing instead to deposit the open novel in Hermes’ waiting hands.
“You know,” Reyna mused, “I’m sure Hylla would adopt you as an honorary sister.”
Hazel grinned. “As long as she knows that I won’t be joining the Amazons, I’d like that.”
As Bellona smiled, Hermes flipped through the pages of the book behind her. “This chapter looks like it’ll be rather short,” he announced. “Unless you’d rather have a break now—“
“No,” Reyna said easily. “As long as no one else needs a break now, we can just have one after this chapter.”
No one spoke up, and Hermes nodded. “Hazel XXXII The Amazon jail was at the top of a storage aisle, sixty feet in the air.”
“Oh, gods,” Thalia said with a strangled gasp, keeping her gaze firmly away from the projection.
“Kinzie led her up three different ladders to a metal catwalk… Hazel walked as slowly as she could, but her mind was racing. She needed to come up with a brilliant rescue plan… Hazel froze. Gods of Olympus, she was stupid.”
Bellona raised her eyebrows. She seriously doubted that. But based on the frowns of Hazel’s friends, as well as the younger demigods, she was willing to bet that any protest she had wouldn’t be something that Hazel hadn’t heard before. Or anything that she wouldn’t hear from her friends going forward. So, for the time being, Bellona decided to keep her praise for Hazel to herself and not interrupt Hermes.
“Silver. Topaz… She was standing nest to a six-story-tall mountain of jewelry… ‘Make them come here,’ Hazel muttered over her shoulder. ‘Why—‘ ‘Please.’”
Annabeth and the other demigods sat forward with anticipation, clearly eager to see how this would turn out.
“The guards frowned in their direction… ‘Why can’t you walk another thirty paces, Kinzie?’ ‘Um, because—‘ ‘Ooof!’ Hazel fell to her knees and tried to put on her best seasick face. ‘I’m feeling nauseous!’” Hermes paused and snickered a little.
Hazel blushed, but laughed good-naturedly along with the god, Frank, and Percy.
“’Can’t...walk. Amazons...too...scary.’”
The rest of the demigods burst into laughter.
“Hazel,” Nico said through his giggling. The joy seemed to return a little color to his face, making him look less sickly than he had in a while. “I say this with all the love in my heart: you’re a terrible actor.”
Hazel grinned and smacked her brother on the arm lightly. “Oh, and you’re so much better? Your performance when you were trying to convince Percy you didn’t know each other isn’t going to win you any awards anytime soon.”
To Bellona’s delight, that only made the demigods dissolve into renewed bouts of laughter. She could feel Jupiter’s displeased glare on the back of her head, but she chose to ignore it (much like everyone else in the room) and allow the children to calm down on their own.
“’There you go,’ Kinzie told the guards… The guard Doris pulled on Hazel’s arm. ‘Well? Come on.’ … The second guard jogged over. Hazel figured this was her best chance… The entire pallet of jewelry exploded with a sound like a thousand slot machines hitting the jackpot.”
Cries of triumph and delight rose from the demigods again. Hermes patiently waited for them to mostly quiet before raising his voice to be heard over the noise. The hair on the back of Bellona’s neck stood up as Jupiter made his displeasure even more known. Now, though, Bellona was sure she wasn’t the only one who felt it. Both Hestia and Rhea turned to frown at him, but it did little to help, especially with Bellona steadfastly ignorning him.
“A tidal wave of silver friendship bracelets poured across the catwalk, washing Doris and Lulu right over the railing. They would’ve fallen to their deaths, but Hazel wasn’t that mean… Hazel shouted over the side to Doris and Lulu. ‘Amazon cards! Pass them up, unless you want me to undo those friendship bracelets and let you drop!’”
Bellona chuckled fondly. How could this girl have ever thought she wasn’t formidable?
“Four and a half seconds later, Hazel had two Amazon cards… Frank stared at her in astonishment. ‘Hazel, that was...amazing.’ Percy nodded. ‘I will never wear jewelry again.’ ‘Except this.’ Hazel tossed him his necklace.”
Percy’s hand went to the necklace at his throat immediately, a solemn expression crossing over his face like a dark cloud. “Thank you,” he said meaningfully, turning to Hazel. “I—if I’d lost this—“
Hazel smiled softly. “Of course.”
“’Our weapons and supplies are at the end of the catwalk.—‘ … ‘You, Hazel Levesque,’ Frank said, ‘are entirely freaking incredible.’ She wanted to kiss him right there, but they had no time.”
Frank’s face went bright red. But, despite any nervousness, he leaned down quickly and pressed a kiss to Hazel’s cheek. The couple exchanged some quiet words, keeping their heads tilted toward each other for the illusion of privacy in the crowded throne room.
After a moment, Hades—or Pluto, they were too similar sometimes for Bellona to tell the difference without looking—cleared his throat. The couple sprang away and, though their faces were bright red, they didn’t look guilty or chastised in the slightest.
“They ran back to the throne room. They stumbled across one Amazon who must’ve been loyal to Hylla… The second Amazon they met wasn’t so friendly...but this time Percy was ready. He drew Riptide and stepped into battle. As the Amazon jabbed at him, he sidestepped, cut her spear shaft in half, and slammed the hilt of his sword against her helmet.”
Thalia grinned and gave her cousin a high-five. “Nice.”
Jason reached up and patted Percy’s knee. “Look’s like we’re due for some more lessons. You’ve gotta teach me some of these tricks of your’s.”
“The guard crumpled… Hazel dashed over to Arion’s cage… ‘Um...is that thing tame?’ Frank said. The horse whinnied angrily. ‘I don’t think so,’ Percy guessed. ‘He just said, ‘I will trample you to death, silly Chinese-Canadian baby man’.’”
The throne room filled with laughter yet again. The corner of Demeter’s lips quirked up into a smile and, based on what Bellona could hear without turning around, Poseidon and his family found Arion hilarious.
“’You speak horse?’ Hazel asked… Arion whinnied again… ‘—Anyway, he says there’s a chariot in the warehouse, and he’s willing to pull it.’”
Triton gave a low whistle. “It’s one thing for Arion to allow someone to ride him,” he said. “But for him to be willing to pull a chariot to help you, as well.” He chuckled. “You really must be something special, Hazel.”
Hazel beamed, clearly delighted that her horse’s immortal half-brother thought so highly of her.
“’There!’ someone yelled from the back of the throne room… Finally, they reached the chariot. Arion stopped by the yoke, and Percy set to work with the reins and harness… He jumped aboard and yelled, ‘Frank, come on! Hazel, go!’”
Hazel shot Frank an apologetic smile. “Brace yourself.”
Frank turned a sickly shade of green and slumped down in his seat. “Oh gods,” he muttered quietly, hanging onto the couch for dear life.
“A battle cry went up behind them… Thankfully the stairs were wide enough for the chariot, because Arion didn’t even slow down… Finally they reached the lobby. Arion crashed through the main doors into the plaza and scattered a bunch of guys in business suits.”
Percy groaned and released his death grip on the couch cushion to rub at his jaw. Frank remained where he was, staring shell-shocked at the open ceiling above them. Hazel, however, hissed a little and brought a hand up to her face.
Will and Nico swarmed her, eyes alight with concern, but she waved them off. “The door was glass,” she explained quietly. “I’m not surprised I got a few scratches, with how Arion broke through the doors. I’ll be okay, I promise.” She turned to Will with a gentle smile. “Since they weren’t mentioned in the book, I bet they’ll heal just fine on their own.”
Will frowned. “You’re lucky it missed your eyes,” he muttered. But he relented, and he and Nico took their seats again.
“Hazel felt the tension in Arion’s rib cage… ‘Ella!’ Hazel cried desperately. In a flash of red feathers, Ella landed on the chariot… She leaned forward and said, ‘Arion, run!’ … Hazel screamed at the top of her lungs, but it was a scream of delight.”
Hazel was beaming, sitting at the edge of her seat, as if she was back on Arion’s back. The poor boys, however, had flattened themselves to the couches as much as they could, wide-eyed, terrified, and frozen.
“For the first time in her life—in her two lives—she felt absolutely unstoppable. Arion reached the water and leaped straight off the docks. Hazel’s ears popped. She heard a roar that she later realized was a sonic boom, and Arion tore over Puget Sound, seawater turning to steam in his wake as the skyline of Seattle receded behind them.” Hermes let out a breath and looked up. “Do we—should we take a break now?”
In unison, Percy and Frank relaxed in their seats. Not completely, but enough for them to not be mistaken for statues.
“A break would be good,” Percy managed, his voice a little strangled.
Hestia chuckled fondly. “We shall see you in a little while then, dear ones. Say, about twenty minutes?”
The demigods trickled out of the room, laughing and jostling each other after the trio’s latest win. Bellona was content to stay in her seat and wait for them to return; perhaps she’d take a short nap, or chat with her aunts, uncles, or cousins littering the throne room.
But an imposing shadow, bringing the scent of ozone and petrichor, appeared behind her. “Bellona,” Jupiter greeted. “I’d like to have a word with you.”
Bellona sighed and silently debated disobeying him outright. She could probably get away with it. Hestia wouldn’t allow him to punish her. But she wasn’t particularly fond of dragging her sweet, exhausted aunt into a battle if she could avoid it.
Decision made, Bellona rose from her seat and met her father’s stormy eyes evenly. “Lead the way.”
Jupiter led the way to a secluded balcony, their walk eerily silent. When they reached their destination, she crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall, instead of standing in the middle of the floor like a soldier at attention (no doubt what her father expected her to do).
“I heard your thoughts earlier,” Jupiter began, staring out at the horizon.
“When?” Bellona asked flatly. “I’ve thought a lot this morning.”
Jupiter’s gaze snapped to her, his disappointment as sharp as a knife. “You were thinking about your daughters’ childhoods. How you visited, more than I allowed.” He started toward her then, his steps soundless on the stone beneath them. “How you stayed, longer than I permitted. How you invented excuses to see them.”
Bellona was shorter than her father. But that didn’t stop her from staring up at him in quiet defiance. “So?”
Jupiter bristled, dark clouds gathering on the horizon. “So?”
Bellona shrugged. “It’s in the past. I don’t see the point in you getting mad about it now.”
He studied her. “What happened to you?” he asked quietly, harshly. “When the children suggested you join, I thought you would be one of the more level-headed deities in that room. And now you seem to be trying to foster some sort of—of camaraderie with them, just as you tried to forge with those girls.”
Bellona gritted her teeth. “Those girls are my daughters,” she snapped. “The first children that I’ve had in a very long time. If you’re regretting bringing me into the throne room for this task, blame the Fates for poking holes in your memory, not me. I’ve always been like this.” She pushed off the wall behind her and stepped forward. She briefly entertained poking him in the chest, but she was probably already provoking him enough. “As for the rest of the children, I thought you all read about a war that happened because some of them felt so neglected that they tried to overthrow you.” She regarded him a moment, watching the growing storm over his shoulder. “Or have you forgotten?”
Lightning flashed in Jupiter’s dark eyes. “We’re trying. I am trying.”
“Are you?” Bellona asked. “Or is Zeus?” She stepped closer again, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. “You may be able to fool some of them for now, but you can’t keep it up forever. You and I both know that, unless both aspects are on board, there’ll be no change.” Icy guilt twisted her heart as she remembered the brief recounting of the first series she’d heard. “No matter how many children we bury in the meantime.”
Lightning streaked across the sky, and a mighty clap of thunder shook the floating city. Jupiter’s eyes were steely with rage; at being found out, at her defiance, at the fact that they were being forced to do this task in the first place.
Bellona gave a bitter smile and took a step back, spreading her arms wide. “This is the most I’ve ever spoken out against you. Go ahead.” This was probably a stupid idea. She was poking a very awake, very angry bear, and she knew very well what it was capable of. She’d heard Apollo in his anguish when Jupiter (or Zeus, it didn’t matter) was angry with him. She’d seen Diana comforting her brother in the aftermath.
“You are a deity of war,” Jupiter snapped, lightning flashing a little closer to them as rain started to fall. “Your own daughter admitted to running off to the Sea of Monsters to try and protect her sister from that violence and pain.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Bellona asked coldly. “I may not remember all the details, but I did watch as the mind of the first mortal I’ve loved in years broke, because of war. I know very well what I am. And, in any case, who do you think guided my daughters to Circe’s island in the first place?” She glared at him. “So, go ahead. I know how you like to punish your golden son when he displeases you. Strike me down, like you’ve done to him so many times.”
For a moment, she thought he actually would. Lightning flashed again, directly overhead, washing them both in an eerie light. But Hestia’s voice echoed in their minds, announcing the end of the break, and the threat in the air dissipated.
Bellona sighed and ran a hand through her wet hair. That might be difficult to explain, even if they hadn’t exactly been subtle. “You can be angry all you like,” she said, an edge of exhaustion bleeding into her voice. “But, as much as people pray to me in times of war, peace is brokered in my temples, too. That’s what these demigods are trying to bring around. Peace. But they can’t do that if you don’t give them a chance.” She paused and sighed softly. “Aunt Hestia said you were trying. But, until Vesta agrees with that assessment, I won’t believe it.”
Jupiter set his jaw and turned away from her.
Bellona sighed softly. “You stand for honor, and justice. There’s no honor in burying children, Father. I only hope you realize that before something or someone you care for is ripped away from you.”
With tears stinging her eyes that she, once again, valiantly tried to ignore, Bellona made her way back to the throne room, hoping that the rest of the day would go by quickly.
