CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:
CHAOS MODE

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ANNAIS FELT LIKE A stranger in a room full of long-term friends — out of place, forgotten in the background. The moment they entered the Forum, the air seemed to shift. Jason's hand dropped away from hers as he traipsed the area, gleaming eyes taking in the set of couches and low marble tables that had been brought in for them to use. All around them, Romans were lounging in groups, talking and laughing over cold drinks and fresh food. The Greeks were a mere afterthought, left to their own devices as Reyna admired Jason admiring his old home. Annais' heart sank like a stone.

What if, after this was all said and done, he wanted to live in New Rome? Would he leave her behind? The thought hurt her more than she cared to admit.

"Should we sit?" she asked after a moment, clearing her throat to draw Reyna's eyes back to hers.

The dark-haired girl nodded. "Of course."

Warily, the group sat down one-by-one, until they were crammed around a circular table across from Reyna and her closest Centurions, which unfortunately included bitch-boy Octavian. Annais made sure to sit furthest from him, shoulder-to-shoulder with Jason on one side of her and Mel on the other. Opposite them was Percy, Frank and Hazel, who watched with disinterest as literal ghosts floated over to place food platters in front of them, a sight that brought a nostalgic smile to Jason's face. Once again, Annais' heart dropped.

"This place is amazing," Mel said in breathless awe, turning to Annais when she didn't respond. "Don't you think?"

Annais hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. That's one word for it."

Mel's brows pinched but she said nothing else as Reyna raised her glass in a toast of friendship. Weakly, Annais copied her, refusing to sip from the glass though no one seemed to notice but Jason. He nudged her arm, still smiling, but Annais refused to look at him. Instead, she sat in silence while the group began to exchange stories. Only vaguely listening to Jason explaining his time at Camp Half-Blood, she didn't feel the need to intervene until Octavian butted in.

"Impossible," he scoffed, making the group immediately tense. "That's our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a Goddess there..."

"They would've destroyed her," Piper retorted before Annais or one of the others had the chance. Annais' grin was sly, catching the girl's gaze for a second before she continued. "Then blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps."

In the six months they'd spent preparing back at camp, a lot had changed in Annais' relationship with Piper McLean. Over the course of their quest to save Hera, there had always been an undertone of uncertainty between the two girls. Piper was caught up in a relationship that never existed in the first place, while Annais was slowly opening her heart to the same boy. In the end, Jason chose Annais (kind of? it was more or less insinuated) and Piper eventually learnt to accept it. Or so Annais believed. She and Piper never mentioned it; like most things, it went unspoken.

"That's not—"

"Not you trying to argue with someone who was actually there to witness it," Annais rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and let Jason finish, Bear Boy."

Red-faced, Octavian sat back after a pointed cough from Reyna, though Annais noticed several times how he glared at her and Piper furiously. The two girls exchanged another grin before allowing Jason to finish his story.

"That's how we found out about the earth Goddess, Gaea. She's still half-asleep but she's the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion — the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House — said he was retreating to the ancient lands... Greece itself. He plans on waking Gaea and destroying the Gods by... what did he call it?" With a glance at Leo on his left, who merely shrugged in disinterest, he sighed. "I think it was pulling up their roots..."

Percy nodded in understanding. "Gaea's been busy over here, too."

The sound of his voice made both Annabeth and Ezra pause, like they couldn't quite believe they were really hearing it in person for the first time in over six months. Annais couldn't blame them. She was nowhere near as close to Percy as they were, and yet even she felt like she was meeting the boy for the first time again.

"We had our own encounter with Queen Dirt Face."

Now it was his turn to recount his own experience. Annais picked at her food while she listened, only eating small bites for the time being. The others didn't seem affected as they practically inhaled their meals down, but she couldn't help it. Force of habit and all...

At the end, Jason hummed in a clear sign of respect for the boy. Annais was surprised by his lack of bitterness. She half-expected him to resent Percy for settling so comfortably into his old life but Jason seemed to be indifferent to everything. Annais truthfully didn't know what to make of it, how to interpret the feeling in her chest that only seemed to fester the longer they sat there, surrounded by everything that went against what she knew.

"No wonder they made you Praetor."

Octavian snorted, reminding Annais of a dog trained to attack on command. "Which means we now have three Praetors," he exclaimed, causing Reyna to sigh and pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration. "The rules clearly state we can only have two!"

"You know," Ezra began with her nose scrunched up in distaste. "If I took a shot every time you opened your mouth to complain, Bear Boy, I'd be drunk as a skunk by now."

"That's her way of saying you should shut up," Percy smirked.

Octavian scoffed, prompting Reyna to sit forward to shoot him a pointed glare. "We'll have to figure out the extra Praetor problem later. Right now, we have more serious issues to deal with."

"Look, I can step aside for Jason," Percy said, clearly not wanting to cause more trouble than he was worth. "It's not biggie."

"No biggie?" Octavian echoed in disgust, hands balling into fists. "The Praetorship of Rome is no biggie?"

Percy merely blinked at him before turning to face Jason. "You're Thalia Grace's brother, huh?" he said, to which Jason nodded with obvious pride for his sister. "Wow. You guys look nothing alike."

"I noticed," Jason laughed. "Anyways, thanks for helping my camp while I was gone. You did an awesome job."

"Back at you, dude."

Annais couldn't stand it. Part of her wished Terminus had stuck to his word and blew them out of the sky. At least she wouldn't have to listen to this. She really couldn't have been happier when Annabeth cleared her throat, steering the conversation back on track. "We should talk about the Great Prophecy. It sounds like the Romans are aware of it too?"

Slowly, Reyna nodded, observing Annabeth for a moment before admitting, "We call it the Prophecy of Seven. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?"

Octavian puffed his chest out with obvious pride. "Why, of course," he boasted before frowning to himself. "But, Reyna..."

"Recite it," she ordered without looking at him. "In English, not Latin."

Octavian let out a sigh but didn't complain for once. "Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm of fire, the world must fall—"

"An oath to keep with a final breath," Annabeth finished for him, like she couldn't stop the words from coming. It reminded Annais of a time not too long ago, when Jason stood in front of Camp Half-Blood and recited the same lines in Latin. So much had changed since then, and yet to Annais it seemed like just yesterday. "And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

For a long moment, the group sat in stunned silence, allowing the words to sink in. Where Reyna's interest in Annabeth only seemed to increase, Octavian's slitted eyes narrowed in obvious suspicion and judgement. Annais glowered, just waiting for him to say something. She'd love the chance to go at him again, to find any outlet for the tension building up fast in her chest.

Suddenly, Frank spoke up, his voice surprisingly high for a boy so burly. "Is it true you're a child of Min— I mean... Athena?"

Annabeth frowned. "Why is that such a surprise?"

Just as Annais expected, "If you're truly a child of the wisdom Goddess—"

"Enough," Reyna cut in, shooting Octavian yet another fierce glare. "Annabeth is what she says. She's here in peace. And besides, Percy has spoken highly of you."

Contrary to what Reyna was trying to achieve, the awkward tension amongst the group only seemed to grow more palpable. Annabeth's eyes widened with something — realisation? That was what Annais thought, at least — before she nodded, staring at Reyna with indifference while Percy latched onto Ezra's hand with his free one.

"Thanks," Annabeth grunted, then quickly moved on. "At any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. Foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death? That means the Romans and the Greeks. We have to combine forces to find those doors."

"My brother, Nico, went looking for the Doors."

Annais' eyes snapped up, latching onto Hazel's across the table. The girl stared back in confusion, oblivious to the shock that had flooded Annais' system in waves. Surely it wasn't the same Nico, not her brother...

"Did you just say Nico?" she asked, just to make sure. "As in Nico Di Angelo?"

Hazel frowned, unable to maintain eye contact with her piercing gaze. To Hazel, it was like Annais saw right through her to the shape of her bones. "Yeah. Why?"

A thousand questions formed at once. How did Nico know about both camps? How long had he known? Why hadn't he said anything to her? But Annais couldn't focus on them, not with Hazel sitting right there. "Is your father Hades by any chance?"

"You mean Pluto?"

"Sure." In all honesty, Annais had no clue, but she figured Hazel would know.

"Then yes."

Annais' eyes brightened, losing the intimidating stare that had stunned the Roman girl. For a fleeting moment, the alien feeling in her chest went away. "You know, that technically means we're sisters," she declared, watching as the same expression cross Hazel's face followed by a smile. "My father is Hades."

"Oh my—"

"I hate to cut this conversation short," Annabeth cleared her throat. "But Hazel, you said Nico found the Doors?"

"Oh yeah," Hazel said, her smile fading just as quickly as it came. "He disappeared. I'm afraid — I'm not sure, but I think something's happening to him." She turned to look at Annais again. "You haven't seen him, have you?"

Annais shook her head, stomach twisting uncomfortably. She hadn't thought anything of Nico's absence at Camp Half-Blood. Her brother had always come and gone as he pleased. So long as he checked back in eventually, she didn't think to panic. But maybe she should've. Here Hazel was, clearly worried sick, while Annais hadn't even considered Nico's safety, too caught up in Jason and their impending quest.

Oh, Gods, what kind of sister was she?

"We'll look for him," Percy promised them, forcing Annais out of her thoughts. He was staring at her, almost like he knew the steady decline occurring in her head. Annais quickly turned away. She certainly didn't miss that. "We have to find the Doors of Death anyway. Thanatos told us we'd find both answers in Rome — like, the original Rome. That's on the way to Greece, right?"

"Thanatos told you this?" Annabeth echoed in disbelief. "You mean the Death God?"

Percy nodded, taking this as a sign to continue with his own story. Annais listened as best as she could, forcing herself to ask a question every time her thoughts strayed back to Nico and where she could be. "As I'm sure you've figured out, Annais, now that Death is free, monsters are going to disintegrate and return to Tartarus again like they used to. But as long as the Doors of Death are open, they'll just keep coming back."

Annais did know that, and it was safe to say it pissed her off.

"Like water leaking through a dam."

"Yeah," Percy smiled at Piper's saying, eyes catching Annabeth's as she and Ezra laughed to themselves. "We've got a dam hole."

"What?" the daughter of Aphrodite frowned.

"Nothing. Inside joke. The point is, we'll have to find the Doors and close them before we can head to Greece. It's the only way we're gonna stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure they stay defeated."

Reyna, who'd stayed silent for a while, made a low noise of contemplation. "You propose an expedition to Greece in your warship," she stated at last, fingers tapping an idle pattern on the table. "You do realise that the ancient lands — and the Mare Nostrum — are dangerous?"

"Mary who?" Leo questioned, leaning his head to the side like a confused puppy.

"Mare Nostrum," Jason corrected him. "Our Sea. It's what the Ancient Romans called the Mediterranean."

Reyna nodded in confirmation. "The territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the Gods. It's also the ancestral home of monsters, Titans and giants... and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America, there would be ten times worse."

"You said Alaska would be bad," Percy pointed out. "We survived that."

Reyna merely sighed at him. "Percy, travelling the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It's been off limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there."

Leo let out a laugh, the sharp sound clashing against Reyna's serious tone. "Then we're good! Because we're all crazy, right?" Then, just as Annais expected he would, he proudly pointed up at his ship. "Besides, the Argo II is a top-of-the-line warship. She can get us through."

"We'll have to hurry," Jason informed him. "I don't know exactly what the giants are planning but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. She's invading dreams—" For a split second, Annais' face faltered in a look that only Jason seemed to notice. She was quick to angle away from him but by then it was too late. He hesitated before forcing himself to continue. "Appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully."

"Seven half-bloods must answer the call," Annabeth repeated their earlier words.

"Well, it looks to me like you've already got your seven," Octavian said with a distasteful sniff. "And surprise, surprise, they're Greek."

It took Annais a moment to realise he meant her, Ezra and Melanie. She scoffed, shaking her head when Reyna made a sound of tentative agreement with him. "My sisters and I aren't a part of this prophecy," she said, to which Mel nodded along and Ezra simply shrugged. "We have our own. Not that it's any of your business, Bear Boy."

Octavian glowered. "If we're sending Roman demigods with you, Daughter of Death, then we have a right to know—"

"Is your surname Min?" Ezra questioned with an easy smile. Octavian made a sound of confused denial. "No? Then you don't get to know anything, Octavian. Shut up."

"Actually, Ezra, I'd like to know what this quest has in store for you," Reyna spoke up. "If that's okay with you."

Ezra made no move to respond. Annais knew she wouldn't, even when Percy nudged her beseechingly. So Mel intervened, ever the peace-maker, with a gentle voice to say, "We're meant to guide the Seven, Reyna. Our two older sisters were meant to help us, but one has been M.I.A for months and the other passed away in the last Titan War." No one missed the sharp breath that Ezra released but the girl remained tight-lipped, allowing Mel to continue over her. "And that's as much as we can tell you. We don't even know anything else."

"Thank you, Melanie," Reyna said slowly, indifferent enough that Annais couldn't determine what she thought of Mel's explanation.

"So then we'll need three more," Annabeth intervened with an impatient glance down at her watch. "Jason, Piper, Leo and me are four."

"Then me," Percy added on eagerly, not wanting to part from her and Ezra so soon. "Along with Hazel and Frank. That's seven."

"Now hold on a second," Octavian exclaimed as he shot to his feet. "We're just supposed to accept that? Without a vote in the senate? Without a proper debate? Without—"

"Gods, when we say shut the fuck up, Bear Boy, we mean it," Ezra snapped. She would've risen to meet him too, had Percy not gripped her wrist until his knuckles were white. "Your Senate can't do shit about this, so why don't you just—"

A sudden cry of elation interrupted whatever the fiery girl was about to spit out. Annais, for once, was grateful to see Tyson the Cyclops bounding over to the group with Mrs. O'Leary, Percy and Ezra's hellhound (yeah, because that was a thing) close by. Sure, Annais loved seeing Octavian's face drop every time Ezra opened her mouth, but Annais had a feeling that talking about the Senate wouldn't just offend the stuck-up Centurion, but also Reyna and her advisors, maybe even Jason...

"Who's that with him?" Mel whispered in her ear.

Annais, who hadn't yet seen the harpy following them, made a sound of confusion before leaning forward in her chair to get a better look. If anything, her confusion only grew when she spotted a pale-faced girl with red-feathered wings and waist-length hair to match. She stood in silence as Tyson babbled to his brother, who stood up to hug him then assisted Ezra in doing the same when Tyson latched on to the grudging girl in question. At last, he pulled away, seemingly recalling the unfamiliar harpy.

"Ella is scared!" he cried to the group, his brown eye glistening with unshed tears.

The harpy, who Annais assumed was Ella, sniffled along with him. "No more boats! Titanic, Lusitania, Pax... boats are not for harpies!"

Annais sighed, eyes fluttering shut. She knew what was coming.

"Did that chicken girl just compare my ship to the Titanic?"

Gods, Leo really had no tact.

"She's not a chicken," Hazel immediately rushed to defend her. "Ella's a harpy. She's just... a little high-strung."

"A little?" Annais scoffed under her breath, fortunately drowned out by Tyson's exclamation of how pretty Ella was.

"But she's also scared," the Cyclops repeated. "We need to take her away but she will not go on the ship."

"No ships," Ella repeated, solemnly shaking her head. "Bad luck." Suddenly, her gaze went straight for Annabeth, her whole body going rigid. "There she is. Wisdom's daughter walks alone—"

Alarm stirred somewhere deep in Annais' chest. She recognised the dazed glint in Ella's eyes, the out-of-it way she swayed back and forth, limbs rigid and trembling. Watching closely, Annais was quick to notice the flicker of fear that appeared in Percy, Frank and Hazel like a match on gasoline. With a glance that no one else spotted amongst their confusion, Frank tried to reach for her.

"Uh, Ella," he began but she didn't acknowledge him. "Ella, maybe it's not the best time—"

"The Mark of Athena burns through Rome," she chanted, in a distinct kind of tone that Annais had only ever heard from Rachel Dare, Camp Half-Blood's oracle. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death. Giants' bane stands gold and pale, won through pain from a woven jail."

Sighing in defeat, Frank slumped back in his chair, clutching at a frightened Hazel's shaking hand. Beside them, Percy tried his best to seem unbothered, but he soon caught Annais' gaze and knew that she knew. Ella was no ordinary harpy, that was for sure. She was an oracle, and she'd just issued Annabeth a prophecy. But from the look of muted horror that appeared on the blonde's face, she already knew those words. She'd known them for a while.

Quickly, Percy grabbed Tyson's arm, shaking the Cyclops out of his thoughts. "I know!" he exclaimed over the Centurions' suspicious whispers. "How about you take Ella to get some fresh air? You and Mrs. O'Leary—"

They almost escaped notice. Almost. But just their luck, Octavian's suspicions overflowed as Ella's eyes cleared of their daze. "Hold on," he hissed, shoving past Reyna to observe the harpy up close. "What was that she said? It sounded like..."

Frank coughed around the lump in his throat. "Ella reads a lot. We found her at a library."

"That's right," Hazel added. "Probably just something she read in a book."

Like she knew she had to contribute something convincing, Ella released a giddy sigh. "Books. Ella likes books."

But Octavian's expression hadn't changed, even when the Greeks caught on and whispered agreements amongst themselves, doing their best to act like it was a totally normal thing for harpies to repeat what sounded like a prediction.

"No, that was a prophecy," he insisted stubbornly. "I'm sure it sounded like one."

For a moment, no one said anything, then a sharp scoff came from Ezra followed by a laugh from Annabeth. Immediately, all eyes were on them.

"Really, Octavian?" said Annabeth. "Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?"

The idea must've been ludicrous to the Centurions, for their wariness easily faded into amusement as they also laughed at Octavian, whose face flushed red from anger and humiliation.

"She's just sprouting lines from some book," Annabeth continued her dismissal of him. "Like Hazel suggested. Besides, we already have a real prophecy to worry about." And with that, she turned back to Tyson, a telling sign she was done with Octavian's bullshit. Annais struggled to fight off a smile. "Percy's right, Tyson. Why don't you take Ella and Mrs. O'Leary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while. Is Ella okay with that?"

Ella's eyes lit up with excitement. "Large dogs are good," she informed the group. "Old Yeller, 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg."

No one had a clue what she meant but it had its intended effect. Percy clapped his hands together in delight, smiling like he'd just won the lottery. "Great! We'll Iris-message you guys when we're done and catch up with you later."

Tyson and Ella immediately went to leave, but they were interrupted by Reyna giving a pointed cough. In a blink, everyone's attention returned to her. Annais had to give credit where credit was due. Reyna had an excellent poker face, merely studying Ella like a puzzle not yet solved. But with a small almost imperceptible glance at Percy then Octavian, she gave an indifferent nod.

"Fine. Go."

Tyson cheered before rushing around the table to hug each and every one of them. Annais grimaced as the Cyclopes wrapped her up in his meaty arms, merely patting him on the shoulder before inching closer to Mel once Tyson had moved onto Jason. Don't get her wrong, she didn't mind the boy, but he reminded her a lot of Ma Gasket, and hugging him was like hugging her.

At last, he and Ella managed to leave, and the group was silent once again. Annais assumed that the Centurions were merely waiting for Reyna to address them. She was right. After another instant, the Praetor let out a thoughtful sigh.

"Well, Octavian is right about one thing," she said. "We must gain the Senate's approval before we let any of our legionnaires go on a quest, especially one as dangerous as you're suggesting."

"The whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian grunted, reminding Annais of a toddler who'd been put in time-out. "That... trireme is not a ship of peace!"

"How many times are we going to have to cover this, Bear Boy?" Ezra sighed. "We've literally been sitting beneath the ship for half an hour now and nothing's happened."

"So far."

"Oh, come on—"

"What do we have to do to prove ourselves, Octavian?" Mel asked, in a genuine kind of tone that Annais wouldn't have wasted on a narrow-minded fool like him.

"There's nothing that could change my mind about your warship—"

"Why don't you just come aboard, man?" Leo offered with a tentative sigh. "I'll give you a tour, you can steer the boat, and if you're really good, I'll give you a little paper captain's hat to wear."

Ezra smirked. "You'll fit right in at the kids' parties, Bear Boy."

Octavian's nostrils flared. "How dare you."

Before he could say much else, Reyna intervened. "It's a good idea," she insisted, making his eyes bug out in offence. "Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We'll convene a Senate meeting in one hour."

"But..." Several emotions flickered across his face before resignation settled. "Fine..."

And so the group began to break apart. Annais didn't have a good feeling about them separating. It wasn't that she didn't trust Reyna — she didn't, not completely, but she trusted Octavian even less — she just didn't like the thought of them being on opposite sides of an enemy town where anything could go wrong at any time. What would they do if they needed to leave quickly? Or if something went wrong and they needed each others' help?

Before Annais could change her mind, she turned to Melanie.

"Go with them," she ordered, tone light enough that none of the Romans would notice her wariness, but firm in the sense that Mel knew she had no other choice. "You know how Leo can get when it comes to his projects."

In other words, intervene when Octavian inevitably lost his patience with the boy.

Mel nodded, trying her best to smile when Reyna raised an inquisitive brow at her. "We'll be back soon," she promised, reaching for Leo's hand as he addressed a pale-faced Annabeth. "Come on, Octavian."

The blonde boy grunted out an obvious grumble of distaste at her demand, but he said nothing more as the three of them disappeared up into the clouds. Once they were gone, Reyna settled her gaze back on those who remained, waiting for them to make the next move.

"Uh, Reyna," Jason cleared his throat, one of his hands reaching for Annais' and intertwining his fingers through hers. She tensed but didn't pull away when Reyna's expression hardened then crumbled again. "If you don't mind, I'd like to show Annais around before the Senate meeting. I promised her I'd show her my favourite parts of New Rome, and..."

Annais squeezed his hand, smiling sheepishly when he paused to frown down at her. "I think she gets it, Jason."

Reyna said nothing at first, simply analysing Annais like she'd drop dead where she was sitting if Reyna glared at her in just the right way. When she eventually did answer, her tone was coolly indifferent.

"Actually, Jason, I was hoping to have a word with Annais." When Percy went to speak, she added, "And Annabeth, too. Alone. If you don't mind, my fellow Praetors."

"Oh," Percy frowned, obviously disappointed, but he didn't complain despite how much he clearly wanted to.

As for Jason, he looked ready to protest anyways, but Annais squeezed his hand again and effectively silenced him. "It's okay," she whispered, though inside she was screaming what the fuck. Were she and Reyna about to have the awkward 'you're kind of dating the guy I like' talk? Oh, Gods. "I'm sure we can sort something out later. If that's okay with Reyna?"

"Of course."

It definitely wasn't, but okay.

Ezra sat forward with an amused smirk, facing the general direction of Jason's voice to say, "I won't be able to see any of it but you can give me and Piper the tour, Superman. A brother and sister in-law bonding type thing."

Jason flushed scarlet at the insinuation but didn't deny it as Ezra got up and grabbed her cane to make her way towards him. Instead, he turned to Annais, eyes taking in whatever he could see on her face with uncertainty.

"I can speak to Reyna if you're not comfortable?" he suggested in a soft whisper.

"No, it's okay," she insisted. Taking the opportunity while everyone was distracted, she kissed his cheek and whispered with her mouth against his ear, "Just don't let Ezra cause any trouble. And stay close. I don't like the thought of something happening to you."

"To just me?" he tested with a grin. "How sweet of you, baby."

At the sweet pet-name, Annais rolled her eyes, though Jason easily noticed the faint pink hue that spread across her cheeks when she pushed him away. His smirk widened. "Never call me that again, you idiot."

"I don't know, it seems to me that you like it, baby." But he did as she said anyways, heading towards where Ezra and Piper were waiting with one last dizzying smile.

And then there were three.