Missing

Hurry

Reyna's POV

I didn't know much about what was going on. I was hardly conscious. All I knew was that my wounds were severe and the look on Thalia's face had been enough to convince me that my life was in danger even without all of the blood. A deep feeling of cold settled in my bones and my body ached in places I didn't know it could. My vision was like looking through a colpdoscope where nothing made sense and it was all distorted. What I did know was that I was hardly alive along with the vague sensation that I was being dragged by two hands hooked under my armpits.

An angry growl followed by incoherent yelling came from my left. I could barely make out the from of a kicking and thrashing person. I had the faint idea that it was Zuri trying to fight back against her captor. Each breath I took hurt and I could feel my wound still leaking blood though it wasn't nearly as bad. My head throbbed along with my weak pulse.

"Stop," a voice growled close by. It was familiar but for some reason I couldn't place it. Someone gripped my chin tilting my head upwards before a warm trail of liquid slid down my throat. My vision cleared enough for me to discern who it was. Lycaon. "We want her alive, but barely."

"Of course sir," a new voice apologized and I realized the only reason I was alive was because of the small bits of nectar I had consumed. There was the sound of metal grinding loudly in my ears and the screech of a door opening. Chains rattled around inside a hollow space.

"I've got a surprise for you." Lycaon cooed, sending shivers down my body. I was tossed on the floor like a sack and while I wanted to move my body didn't want to respond. It didn't help that my vision was already getting worse. A faint voice sounded in my ear. "No."

Cold hands fluttered about my skin and I had the urge to know who they belonged to. Somehow I knew. My vision refocused slightly seeming to be better in the lack of light. I could make out a blurry figure hovering above me alongside a man. Again, nectar was dumped down my throat though I was given more of it this time. I shivered lightly as I felt a wave of energy crash through me. There were receding footsteps before the clanging of a door followed by the clicking of a lock. I was captured. Groaning, I rolled onto my side and struggled to sit up, finally able to see who was fussing over me.

"Hylla?" I croaked. It was her, alright. Her dark eyes were filled with worry and her once beautiful hair was matted. Dirt and grime coated her cheeks. She didn't look anything like the beautiful Queen I had come to recognize her as.

"Reyna," She breathed pulling me into a hug. It'd been a long time since she'd openly displayed so much affection. What I didn't know was how much missed it and how much I needed the feeling of and arms reassuring me that things would be okay. "They weren't supposed to get you. How did they? I thought you were safe at camp."

"Thalia's Hunters were taken. She asked for my help and I realized I hadn't heard from you in a while. We went looking." It took a while to finish my sentence as I struggled to speak. My brain still felt like mush and the world faded in and out every few seconds.

"I shouldn't have expected anything less from my stupid little sister. Why do you always manage to get into trouble?" Hylla asked pulling back from the hug. Her long fingers brushed tousled hair out of my face tucking it behind my ear. "You're hurt."

I winced as her fingers traced the outline of my injury. The wound had yet to scab and the flesh was extremely tender. "I know..."

"You don't look so good. What happened to you?" Hylla asked, shifting so that my head rested in her lap. I didn't have the energy to move. I felt tired like if I just closed my eyes things would be okay.

"You wouldn't believe me...if I told you." I could feel myself slipping and Hylla must have noticed because her eyebrows creased together. We both knew my wound was a life threatening one that obviously hadn't been treated appropriately. But Hylla also knew my fear. Annabeth was afraid of Spiders, Thalia was afraid of heights, Percy was afraid of drowning. I was afraid of dying in battle. It was something I had hidden well over the years but it was always in the back of my mind. What terrified me the most was the idea of being killed, suddenly without a glorious ending, no legacy to leave behind. To join a pile of dead bodies in a mass grave unidentified and never found. Or to die tucked away from sight where no one would find me. To die and never be able to enter the underworld. To die in a world where I would never receive a proper burial.