Attrition of Peace
Thirty-Five: Reyna
Why I Hate Piccolo Players
 Warning: Graphic depictions of violence. A horrific lack of weasels.
Authorâs Note: This chapter, and the next chapter, didnât exist in my original timeline/draft and were entirely the fault of my discovering Overwerkâs Toccoto and Canon around Halloween. Plus, one of the overtly dramatic gods demanded he get more page time, else heâd sue for misrepresentation and slander. *sigh* Gods can be such divasâŠ
      Reyna didnât have the energy or time to deal with the arrival of the Paxmobile.
      Sheâd calculated it in as a likely factor, but sheâd been ignoring the possibility since the bouts started, and another should start soon.  Â
      When Thalia and another huntress, Christiana, ran into her tent to report the presence of a gold donkey and van along Farm Road, Reyna cursed. Reinforcements had arrived, but she didnât know to whom they belonged or if theyâd do any good if they were hers.
      And they didnât have time to find out.
      Clovis would need her by the strawberry fields any minute. [1]
      âAxel and Kally are their parley party, but there are others with them. They have a peace flag,â Thalia informed Reyna. âNo Percy, Annabeth, or the others. No Nico or Hazel.â The last part sounded grim.
Christiana walked off with little more than a hand gesture from Thalia. Her silver jacket flickered in the moonlight as she exited to continue patrolling.
Reynaâs stomach lurched at hearing Axelâs name. Â She tightened her grip around her knifeâs hilt. She jerked the blade out of the make-shift war table and stepped out of the tent.
No Nico or Hazel.
She thought about the way her hand had passed through Nico this past summer, like he was made of shadows, and what Calex said about the child of Hades tonight. During his rushed explanation, Calex had admitted the information he gave about Nico was vague and from a hysterical Paxââsomeone dodgy at the best of times.â Maybe it was wrong.
Or maybe Nico was gone forever.
Reyna tried not to let her legs shake.
âThalia, I need someone on standby to give me a signal the instant Clovis steps into sight,â she said.
The lieutenant of Artemis nodded. âIâll keep an eye out for him.â Without pause, Thalia stepped back past the tent, towards the flood lights that the Romans had set up around the perimeter of Camp Half-Blood.
As Reyna walked towards the crest of the hill, Michael Kahale and Calex Rupin McKenzie came over, mid-argument.
ââhere to help!â Calex snapped.
Michael held up a hand to silence the son of Eros when they intercepted Reyna.
âReyna, the timing is tight. Do you want me to take care of this?â Michael asked, his eyes darting to follow Thaliaâs departure.
She shook her head, but was happy for his presence. She was too worn down to do this on her own. If Frank, or Nico, or any of the others had come back, she would have felt better, and it wasnât just because they could summon zombies or turn into grizzly bears.
âIs the unicorn droaght ready?â she asked.
She knew how futile the next fight would be. Theyâd only won a single bout this night, and Clovis was getting weaker and more despairing. But she had to try.
Michael nodded. From the way he sighed, she could tell he didnât agree with her decision to talk to the peace party, but would never contradict a high officer.
However, Calex did not share his hesitation. He stepped alongside them.
They could see a few figures approaching from the road when Michael snapped, âCalex, youâre not supposed to be here for this.â Under normal protocol, Reyna would agree. Calex was too likely a candidate for a spy and traitor for Axelâs group.
âLikes Hades Iâm leaving,â Calex hissed.
Reyna tensed. Everyone was discouraged and frustrated. She didnât want to see a fight break out between these two. Calex looked like a Greek statue and was probably in the same weight class as one. Michael Kahale was one of the few people who could probably put Calex down, but, fortunately, he seemed to have a soft spot for his nephew on the godly side.
âYou can stay, but not a word until I say so,â Reyna snapped.
Calex glanced at her with a look that said, remember, I can make you fall in love with someone stupid. Even the likes of Apollo.[2]
Michael sighed again in defeat. His shoulders sagged as they took a stand, waiting for the parley party to come to them; Reyna wanted to make sure they were within range of the huntressâ bows if the peace flag was a trick.
When she saw them come into her floodlights, she tightened her hold on her dagger. Quickly, she sheathed it, not realizing sheâd kept it drawn.
Last time Reyna had seen Axel, heâd gone from nervously sliding an arm around her on the couch and naming her ninja zombie rabbits after famous fighters to setting the couch on fire and threatening to eat the hearts of her soldiers.
Now, he looked more like the monster heâd espoused.
The Nemean lion pelt swayed off his shoulders. In the dim lighting, she was disgusted to see the glint of two Roman praetor medals on the paws tied about his throat: one, she guessed, for former praetor Megaraâmissing in action--one for former Praetor Julianâslain on the battlefield. He wore the traditional Roman pteruges, leather skirts, overtop his pants and odd bracersâlikely Mayan style.
A feline helmet was tucked under one of his arms: the Leonis Caput helm.
Reyna struggled not to signal open fire to the hiding huntresses, Lesedi and Christiana.
She felt so stupid for not seeing it before. Since the Pax brothers had escaped through the labyrinth entrance in her room, Reyna had mentally gone over each battle against the Leonis Caput during the Second Titan war. She should have recognized his fighting style, picked up on more hints, and pieced together who he was.[3]
The smaller daughter of Apollo, Kally, stepped forward with him. She held the peace flag, face drawn with more determination than Reyna had ever seen on the normally timid girl.
Neither looked armed, but Reyna knew that meant nothing with Axel. With his fangs and claws, he was always armed.
They stopped six feet away, enough distance to prevent a close range stealth attack. Axel must have had his Mist mask up; Reyna couldnât see if his jaguar ears were tucked.
Before she or Michael could stop him, Calex broke forward. For a second, she thought he was going to attack them. Axel braced in anticipation like he expected the same.
But Calex tackled Kally into a hug and clapped his hand onto Axelâs shoulder. Kally dropped the peace flag, shattering her sturdy demeanor with a squeak. Axel relaxed.
Reyna could feel Michael Kahale roll his eyes.
âYou twats,â Calex hissed, âYou didnât off anyone, did you?â
Axelâs expression was grim. Kallyâs lip trembled. âWe didnât,â she said quietly.
      Calexâs face fell.
      Axel cleared his throat and stepped forward, away from Calex. Whatever clever shirt he had been wearing was shredded, like heâd been hit by a fire hose full blast for twenty minutes. His dark eyes met evenly with hers when he greeted, âPraetor.â
      âLeonis Caput,â she returned.
      She wanted him to puff up his cheeks, or frown, or show some loss of composure.
      Instead, Axel gazed past her, assessing the situation: how the Romansâ barracks were outside the campâs borders, that there were floodlights pointed inside, that the only people running around were Roman. No Greeks.
      There was a pause that she didnât have the time for.
      His eyes widened. âThe Mist barrier⊠itâs almost gone.â
      Michael Kahale grunted.
      Although Axel could have been faking it, Reyna was relieved by his seemingly genuine surprise. Maybe he hadnât come because he knew the camp was weak.
      Kally blinked, glancing over to Axel. âHowââ
      âThe Athena Parthenosâ eyes are closed. And Thaliaâs tree is in dormancy. Even Peleus is unconscious,â Reyna said.[4] She didnât want to give potential enemies unnecessary information, but Calex would tell them anyway, and she needed to speed this along.
      Kally and Axel shared a look of bewilderment at what could knock out a dragon, the same confusion her troops had when they first arrived.
      âDionysusââ Kally started to ask.
      âIs out due to some petty spat Zeus dragged him into,â Calex answered, sounding annoyed.
      âEris,â Axel growled.
      If Axel and Kally had known about any of that information, they were doing an excellent job pretending they didnât. Reyna dug her nails into the hilt of her dagger. She needed to know their intentions now.
      âIâm not going to dance around this issue,â she said. âAre you here to help us or do I need to kill you?â
      âKally, Pax, Euna, and I are here to help,â Axel said.
      Reyna wasnât sure what she would have preferred: that he be the monster he was supposed to be, or that he offer his help when she knew he couldnât do anything. None of them could do anything.
      They needed a child of the Underworld or something close.
      âIs Hazel or Nico coming?â she asked.
      Kally swallowed, raising her chin. âFrom what Pax said, the goddess Melinoe kidnapped him when he was turning into shadows. And⊠Hazelââ
      âShould have reformed from the shadow realm by now,â someone spoke behind her.
      Kally tensed. Her fingers tightened along the peace flag.
      Three figures approached behind Axel and Kally. One, Reyna readily recognized as Euna Song, the girl currently under scrutiny for the massacre of several mortals. AnotherâAxelâs little brother, Paxâwas tugging furiously at a taller oneâs arm to slow him down. The taller one wore a bulletproof vest, strange pants covered in runes, andâ
      Upon seeing the helm in his hand and the forked staff in the other, Reyna felt her jaw drop. âThe Cloven Terror?â she asked.
      Michael Kahale clamped a hand over his sword.
      âYou brought the Cloven Terror to protect the camp? Is this a joke?â she demanded, scowling at Axel. She switched from holding her dagger to grabbing her sword hilt.
      âAnd the Plague Bringer!â a cheerful voice came from Paxâs belt. âBut I assure you, Al and I have no intention of protecââ
      Pax slammed a hand down to the head dangling off his utility belt.
      Reyna felt like she was going to be sick.
      âYea, itâs a gross and long story that we donât really get either, but Iâm sure Axel can tell you later to set the mood, since nothing sets the mood like severed heads and Goth boys going poof,â Pax said. He turned to Kally. âNot that I think that sets the mood. Iâm a flowers and sweets kinda guy. Axel and Reyna are justââ
      A flare exploded overhead.
      âThatâs Thaliaâs signal,â Michael Kahale said. âWe need to move.â
      Reyna hoped she hadnât arrived too late.
      When she raced up to the edge of the strawberry fields, she couldnât see Clovis or any monsters. Just the caution tape theyâd set up along the perimeter of Camp Half-Bloodâs borders.
None of this was ideal. They already couldnât do much, and having the full Triple A Chimera here would demoralize her troops further.
      They didnât have the time to properly restrain the Cloven Terror either. If he turned on themâ
      Reyna skidded to a stop at the edge of the caution tape. Axel would have lunged over it had she not shoved an arm out in front of him.
      He paused, glancing at her. Part of her wished sheâd let him jump, but he was too useful an asset if he truly was fighting on their side.
      She pointed to a body, facedown, three feet beyond the caution tape. One of her own new recruits, in full battle armor: Ellie Atmadja.
      âIf you cross into Camp Half-Bloodâs territory, you fall asleep,â she warned. Reyna wondered how long it would take Axel to notice what else was wrong with the image, other than the trampled strawberry fields and gashes in the trees near the field.
      Axel sniffed the air, his eyes narrowing to the other side of the field, closer to the Big House, almost outside of the flood lightâs range. Where there was a small pile of bodies wearing a variety of Camp Half-Blood sleepwear. An area that wafted metallic in the breeze. Â
      The ominous notes of a rapid piccolo solo came from the darkness beyond the floodlights.[5] The rhythmic rustling of footfalls followed, along with a continuous crunch that Reyna guessed was a body being dragged, like the others had been.
      A pale figured lumbered towards them. Michael Kahale was the first to start up the shouts.
      âCome on, Clovis!â he cheered, trying to hide his worry.
      âYouâre almost at the border!â Reyna recognized Thaliaâs voice from somewhere further along the perimeter. All her troops that werenât staked out to ward off approaching monsters gathered near the caution tape to shout their support.
      Reyna didnât know how to tell them, but their shouts made it so much worse for Clovis. All their encouragement made him feel like he was letting them down with each bout he lost.
      He stumbled towards them. Now, Reyna could see which sleeping camper he dragged behind him: a brunette girl that Reyna was pretty sure was the counselor of the Demeter cabin.
      Clovis looked exhausted. Reyna remembered Jason once describing the son of Hypnos as bovine. He had a gentle face, thick figure, and arms too small for his body, ones unused to frantically dragging campers across the whole camp.
      His blond hair was streaked with blood and dirt. One of his spindly arms dangled uselessly at his side. He wore white PJs, now dirtied to a tan. Even at this distance, Reyna could hear his huffed breath that bordered on a sob.
      She knew how tired he was. Sheâd felt his pain, his fear, his frustration, and shame. He couldnât keep doing this much longer.
      The sound of a wind instrument increased in volume. A second figure marched forward two dozen feet behind him. As though to drown out the encroaching danger and their inability to help, Reynaâs troops cheered louder.
      Reyna wondered what kind of monster would come out this time. Last time was something large and terrifying that tore up the grounds.
      Now, a tall, lengthy humanoid figure approached. Its head was that of a giant kiwi bird skull, like someone had fused a plague doctor mask into their face. The bone-face donned a Renaissance-style lordâs cap, and the creature wore a multicolored jester costume. It pranced forward, tooting a sinister tune on its piccolo. Along its neck, even at this distance, she could see the hideous glare of a purple and orange polka dotted bowtie.
      âHoly Titans. I think I actually preferred him with his boaring pig attire,â Pax muttered over the empty cheers.
      âClovis is by himself,â Kally whispered, âAgainst a god? What is Phobetor doing in camp. And none of us can go in?â
      âThatâs why we were on about Nico or Hazel,â Calex told her, in a hushed, quick voice, âWe think Lou Ellen is in there, helping Clovis when she can. Phobetor claims heâs close to locking in on her location. Butâunless someone has lots of experience being close to Erebus, the dream world, or a lot of experience controlling their sleepâthey canât go inside without falling unconscious. And Phobetor will start killing campers indiscriminately if someone outside tries to fire in.â
      âThereâs no way to help unless we have a way in there,â Axel realized, his tone grave.
      But Reyna could do something to help. Even if it was temporary.
      Clovis was about half-way through the strawberry field by now. She knelt down, focusing on him as he lumbered forward with Miranda Gardner. His desperate eyes darted to hers. Now that he was closer, he could see the clean lines the tears streaked down his cheeks.
      Phobetor lowered the piccolo from his mask and Clovis released a despairing sob.
      Reynaâs tattoo burned along her forearm. Although she couldnât use her powers as effectively from a distance or as effectively on a single person, she reached out, feeling the familiar hopelessness, exhaustion, and pain. All Clovis wanted to do was sleep. But, Phobetor had made it clear to himâif Clovis dared sleep, Phobetor killed campers. Since Phobetor couldnât get to another child of Hypnos in his dreams, the god brought Clovisâ nightmare into the real world.
      What Reyna wanted to know was why Phobetor wanted to kill campers and why he had chosen this method.
      Reyna willed Clovis some of her determination and strength.
      Clovisâ shuffling increased in speed. His eyes brightened. For a split second, she could see his gaze soften with gratitude. He was closing in on the border and bringing Miranda Gardner to safety.
      Then, Phobetor spoke, his voice booming over the cheers of her troops. Despite her resolve, Reyna found herself shaking in the presence of a god. âAh, we have more of an audience now, Clovis. Look, our little nephew has come to join us.â He tilted his hat towards Reyna andâshe realized from the sound of his cheek popâPax. âShall I start the timer for the next bout? Horror movies these days. Never know the proper element of timing.â
      Phobetor pinched his piccolo between two abnormally long fingers so he could adjust his bowtie. He released it, and gave a quick puff on his instrument.
      Behind him, someone else trudged forward.
      Reyna tried not to tremble more. She didnât need this god to have reinforcements. She hoped it was Lou Ellen, with another trickâthe daughter of Hecate had managed to stay awake inside the border, and had been tripping up Phobetor and causing little stunts to buy Clovis time. But Reyna doubted theyâd be that fortunate.
      The person approaching was a muscular boy with Asiatic features and a deep tan. He wore a baggy Camp Half-Blood shirt, a hoplite sword, and boxers, probably PJs. With much more ease than Clovis, he carried three campers, one on each shoulder, and another along the ground. He dumped them beside Phobetor, then stood there, swaying.
      Although Reyna couldnât be sure, she thought that one of the dropped campers was a Stoll brother. The other was a stocky blond haired boy.
      âMatthias,â Pax muttered.
      The last one was a mumbling Lou Ellen. The head of Hecate had a hand to her head, and Reyna could tell she must have been walloped.
      âIt appears that Sherman Yang, a young sprite of Ares, has a sleep walking problem.â Phobetor gestured to the camper standing beside him, using his piccolo like a ringleader would a crop. âHe is having a very confusing nightmare right now. One about his girlfriend, Miranda, being kidnapped. Itâs a pity you canât sleep Clovis. Youâd normally be able to make him your puppet in his current condition, but nowââ
      Reyna wondered why Phobetor had let Clovis come so far before attacking. Now she knew: dramatic effect.
      Sherman Yang ran towards him.
      As much as she could, Reyna extended an adrenaline burst to the son of Hypnos. Clovis tried to drag Miranda to the line.
      But the athletic son of Ares cut him off with two yards to go. His bulky form partially obscured the plumper boy. Sherman unsheathed his sword. âDrop her, you monster!â he snarled. Reyna wondered what nightmare Phobetor was feeding him. She also wondered how often Sherman woke up his siblings with surprise sleepfights.
Clovis dug his heels into the ground, stumbling. âShermanâitâsâitâs me. C-C-Clovisââ Reyna could feel the sob swelling inside Clovis. She willed him to keep it together. But he was exhausted, unarmed, and had a broken arm from when Phobetor tore through the field as a giant boar. Despite all the effort with her powers, she could feel his hopelessness creeping in.
      âAh, little Clovis, are you ready for me to start the timer?â Phobetor flicked the piccolo to the side. It morphed into a hatchet.
      All the cheering went silent. Her troops knew what was about to happen.
She felt someone flinch against her back. With her focus on Clovis, she hadnât realized someone had knelt by her, propping her up with their own body and warmth. She hadnât realized how worn down she was until she tried to pull from them. A combination of rage, resentment, and reassurance washed through her when she caught Axelâs spicy scent. Some extra fury to support Clovis.
Clovis glanced over his shoulder, away from her and Sherman, at Phobetor. âYouâyou only ever have one hostage that you use as a timer,â he tried to reason, like he had all night.
      âBigger audience. Closer to the climax,â Phobetor gestured towards the sky with his hatchet, where the Eastern darkness should soon have a hint of pink. âBigger stakes. If you win this bout, little brother, you win it all!â Phobetor gave a bellied laugh. âIâll even let you take a nap.â
      Sherman Yang shifted stances to prepare a lung.
      Phobetor raised his hatchet over Connorâs hand.
Reyna could sense some of her soldiers avert their gaze. Others shouted in anger. Michael Kahale threw one of the legionâs spears to land beside Clovis, so he was at least armed.
      âIâm going to cut off Matthiasâ leg and Connorâs hand,â Phobetor explained like he had with the others. âIâm going to chop off Lou Ellenâs head, for being such a nuisance. If you can defeat Sherman before my little timers bleed to death, you can take all four campersâMiranda, Connor, Matthias, and Shermanâto safety.â Â
      âOh godsâŠâ Kally whispered.
      âNo--!â Pax shouted.
      âTimer on.â
      Phobetor brought down the hatchet.
 Footnotes:
[1] For any of you that know the song, I kept getting âstrawberry fields foreverâ stuck in my head while writing this scene⊠it made capturing the tone REALLY difficult.
[2] Donât you do it, Riordan.
[3] Mel wanted me to note through her betacomments: itâs okay Reyna. Axelâs sexiness and awkwardness would be too distracting for anyone.
[4] In my defense: if a demigod can charmspeak an inanimate metal sculpture into a sentient dragon, a god can definitely put a statue to sleep.
[5] Queue Overwerkâs Canon on the soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edOrKeBS-s8. Iâm pretty sure the songâs opening starts with a flute solo, but I wanted Phobetor to have a piccolo⊠because piccolos.










