BLOOD OF OLYMPUS

the press. She met so many people who said, Oh, I want to be famous! That would be so great! But
they had no idea what it was really like. She’d seen the toll it took on her father. Piper wanted nothing
to do with it.
She could understand the appeal of the Roman way, too – to blend in, be one of the team, work as a
part of a well-oiled machine. Even so, Reyna had risen to the top. She couldn’t stay hidden.
‘Your power from your mom …’ Piper said. ‘You can lend strength to others?’
Reyna pursed her lips. ‘Nico told you?’
‘No. I just sensed it, watching you lead the legion. That must drain you. How do you … you know,
get that strength back?’
‘When I get the strength back, I’ll let you know.’
She said it like a joke, but Piper sensed the sadness behind her words.
‘You’re always welcome here,’ Piper said. ‘If you need to take a break, get away … you’ve got
Frank now – he could assume more responsibility for a while. It might do you good to make some
time for yourself, when nobody is going to be looking at you as praetor.’
Reyna met her eyes, as if trying to gauge how serious the offer was. ‘Would I be expected to sing
that odd song about how Grandma puts on her armour?’
‘Not unless you really want to. But we might have to ban you from capture the flag. I have a feeling
you could go against the entire camp solo and still beat us.’
Reyna smirked. ‘I’ll consider the offer. Thank you.’ She adjusted her dagger, and for a moment
Piper thought about her own blade, Katoptris, which was now locked in her hope chest in her cabin.
Ever since Athens, when she’d used the blade to stab the giant Enceladus, its visions had stopped
completely.
‘I wonder …’ Reyna said. ‘You’re a child of Venus. I mean Aphrodite. Perhaps – perhaps you
could explain something your mother said.’
‘I’m honoured. I’ll try, but I have to warn you: my mom doesn’t make sense to me a lot of the time.’
‘Once in Charleston, Venus told me something. She said: You will not find love where you wish or
where you hope. No demigod shall heal your heart. I – I have struggled with that for …’ Her words
broke.
Piper had a strong urge to find her mother and punch her. She hated how Aphrodite could mess up
someone’s life with just a short conversation.
‘Reyna,’ she said, ‘I don’t know what she meant, but I do know this: you are an incredible person.
There is someone out there for you. Maybe it’s not a demigod. Maybe it’s a mortal or … or I don’t
know. But, when it’s meant to happen, it will. And until it does, hey, you have friends. Lots of friends,
both Greek and Roman. The thing about you being everyone’s source of strength: sometimes you might
forget that you need to draw strength from others. I’m here for you.’
Reyna stared across the lake. ‘Piper McLean, you have a way with words.’
‘I’m not charmspeaking, I promise.’
‘No charmspeak required.’ Reyna offered her hand. ‘I have a feeling we’ll see each other again.’
They shook and, after Reyna left, Piper knew that Reyna was right. They would meet again,
because Reyna was no longer a rival, no longer a stranger or a potential enemy. She was a friend. She