The Blood of Olympus(65)

‘Well?’ Hylla prompted. ‘No warm words for your sister?’

‘Thank you for having me abducted,’ Reyna said. ‘For shooting me with a tranquilizer dart, putting a bag over my head and tying me to a chair.’

Hylla rolled her eyes. ‘Rules are rules. As a praetor, you should understand that. This distribution centre is one of our most important bases. We have to control access. I can’t make exceptions, especially not for my family.’

‘I think you just enjoyed it.’

‘That, too.’

Reyna wondered if her sister was as cool and collected as she seemed. She found it amazing, and a little scary, how quickly Hylla had adapted to her new identity.

Six years ago, she’d been a scared big sister, doing her best to shield Reyna from their father’s rage. Her main skills had been running and finding them places to hide.

Then on Circe’s island Hylla had worked hard to be noticed. She wore flashy clothes and makeup. She smiled and laughed and always stayed perky, as if acting happy would make her happy. She’d become one of Circe’s favourite attendants.

After their island sanctuary burned, they were taken prisoner aboard the pirates’ ship. Again Hylla changed. She’d duelled for their freedom, out-pirated the pirates, gained the crew’s respect so well that Blackbeard finally put them ashore lest Hylla take over his ship.

Now she’d reinvented herself again as queen of the Amazons.

Of course, Reyna understood why her sister was such a chameleon. If she kept changing, she could never fossilize into the thing their father had become …

‘Those initials on the reservation sign at Barrachina,’ Reyna said. ‘HTK. Hylla Twice-Kill, your new nickname. A little joke?’

‘Just checking to see if you were paying attention.’

‘You knew we would land in that courtyard. How?’

Hylla shrugged. ‘Shadow-travel is magic. Several of my followers are daughters of Hecate. It was a simple enough matter for them to pull you off course, especially since you and I share a connection.’

Reyna tried to keep her anger in check. Hylla, of all people, should know how she would feel about being dragged back to Puerto Rico.

‘You went to a lot of trouble,’ Reyna noted. ‘The queen of the Amazons and the lieutenant of Artemis both rushing to Puerto Rico on a moment’s notice to intercept us – I’m guessing that’s not because you missed me.’

Phoebe the ginger-haired Hunter chuckled. ‘She’s smart.’

‘Of course,’ Hylla said. ‘I taught her everything she knows.’

Other Amazons started to gather around, probably sensing a potential fight. Amazons loved violent entertainment almost as much as pirates did.

‘Orion,’ Reyna guessed. ‘That’s what brought you here. His name got your attention.’

‘I couldn’t let him kill you,’ Hylla said.

‘It’s more than that.’

‘Your mission to escort the Athena Parthenos –’

‘– is important. But it’s more than that, too. This is personal for you. And for the Hunters. What’s your game?’

Hylla ran her thumbs along her golden belt. ‘Orion is a problem. Unlike the other giants, Orion has been walking the earth for centuries. He takes a special interest in killing Amazons, or Hunters, or any female who dares to be strong.’

‘Why would he want that?’

A ripple of dread seemed to pass through the girls around her.

Hylla looked at Phoebe. ‘Do you want to explain? You were there.’

The Hunter’s smile faded. ‘In the ancient times, Orion joined the Hunters. He was Lady Artemis’s best friend. He had no rivals at the bow – except for the goddess herself, and perhaps her brother, Apollo.’

Reyna shivered. Phoebe looked no older than fourteen. To think that she knew Orion three or four thousand years ago …

‘What went wrong?’ she asked.

Phoebe’s ears reddened. ‘Orion crossed the line. He fell in love with Artemis.’

Hylla sniffed. ‘Always happens with men. They promise friendship. They promise to treat you as an equal. In the end, all they want is to possess you.’

Phoebe picked at her thumbnail. Behind her, the other two Hunters, Naomi and Celyn, shifted uneasily.

‘Lady Artemis rebuffed him, of course,’ Phoebe said. ‘Orion became bitter. He started going on longer and longer trips by himself in the wilderness. Finally … I’m not sure what happened. One day Artemis came back to camp and told us Orion had been killed. She refused to speak of it.’

Hylla frowned, which accentuated the white scar across her brow. ‘Whatever the case, when Orion rose again from Tartarus, he was Artemis’s bitterest enemy. No one can hate you with more intensity than someone who used to love you.’