Daughter of Wine

Percy

I stare at the Athena Parthenos, waiting for it to strike me down. 

Leo's new mechanical hoist system has lowered the statue onto the hillside with surprising ease. Now the forty-foot tall goddess gazes serenely over the river Acheron, her gold dress like molten metal in the sun. 

"Incredible." Reyna admits. 

Her eyes are still red from crying. Soon after she landed on the Argo II, her pegasus Scipio collapsed, overwhelmed by poisoned claw marks from a gryphon attack the night before. Reyna had put the horse out of his misery with her golden knife, turning the pegasus into dust that scattered in the sweet-smelling Greek air. Maybe not a bad end for a flying horse, but Reyna lost a loyal friend. I figure she's given up too much in her life already.

The praetor circles the Athena Parthenos warily. "It looks newly made."

"Yeah." Leo says.  "We brushed off the cobwebs, used a little Windex. It wasn't hard."

The Argo II hovers just overhead. With Festus keeping watch for threats on the radar, the entire crew has decided to eat lunch on the hillside while we discuss what to do. After the last few weeks, I figure we've earned a good meal together. Really anything that isn't fire water or drakon-meat soup. Calli brought a speaker down from the ship, so we have the soft background of Spanish songs I can't understand. I like them, though. 

"Hey, Reyna," Calli calls. "Have some food. Join us." 

The praetor glances over, her dark eyebrows furrowed, as if join us doesn't quite compute. I know there's tension between the two girls. Calli took down Reyna's entire legion in minutes, and I know Calli feels guilty about it. Inviting her to eat is like a peace offering. 

I've never seen Reyna without her armor before. It's on board the ship, being repaired by Buford the Wonder Table. She wears a pair of jeans and a purple camp Jupiter T-shirt, and almost looks like a normal teenager, except for the knife at her belt and that guarded expression, like she's ready for an attack from any direction. 

"Alright." She says finally. "I like this song."

We scoot to make room for her in the circle. She sits cross-legged next to Annabeth, picks up a cheese sandwich, and nibbles at the edge. 

"So," Reyna says. "Frank Zhang... praetor."

Frank shifts, wiping crumbs from his chin. "Well, yeah. Field promotion."

"To lead a different legion." Reyna notes. "A legion of ghosts." 

Hazel puts her arm protectively through Frank's. After an hour in the sick bay, they both look a lot better, but I can tell they aren't sure what to think of their old boss from Camp Jupiter dropping in for lunch. 

"Reyna." Jason says. "You should've seen him." 

"He was amazing." Piper agrees. 

"Frank is a leader." Calli says, swirling her wine glass thoughtfully, watching the deep red liquid. "He'll make an excellent praetor."

Reyna's gaze drifts to Calli, seeming to realize the same thing as me. Before Tartarus, the crew used to steal glances at Annabeth, look to her for direction, or how to react. Now they look at Calli. And simultaneously, Calli has become the de facto leader of our group. If Annabeth notices or cares, she doesn't show it. 

Reyna's eyes travel back to Frank, like she's trying too guess his weight. "I believe you," She says. "I approve."

Frank blinks. "You do?"

Reyna smiles dryly. "A son of Mars, the hero who helped to bring back the eagle of the legion... I can work with a demigod like that. I'm just wondering how to convince the Twelfth Fulminata."