"IF YOU DON'T STOP PACING," Blaire Sullivan began from where she leaned against a pillar in the Argo II's engine room, "I'll kill you before the Romans even have a chance. It's stressing me out, Valdez."

In response, Leo Valdez halted with an annoyed groan, running his fingers through his already disheveled curls, worsening their state. He looked an absolute mess— but then again, when didn't he? Leo Valdez wouldn't be himself if it weren't for the disarrayed-steampunk-esque appearance he took up. And his evident stress surrounding the upcoming day's events did nothing but further damage his physical condition.

"What if the ship malfunctions right over New Rome?" Leo queried, shooting the girl a look over his shoulder. "What if—-"

Cutting him off, Blaire exhaled a groan of her own, pretending to be already annoyed by his hypotheticals. "What if?"

   Truth be told, Blaire was also very on edge and she had been since she'd awoken that morning. She and the other four demigods aboard the flying warship Leo constructed had learned to begrudgingly work alongside each other in the small amount of time they spent sailing. No matter how hesitant Blaire was to admit it, she'd grown very fond of this routine and the smooth rhythm of it all. Seldom went wrong apart from the occasional monster attacks or prophetic nightmares.

And something felt different. When Blaire woke up that morning, an uneasy pit of dread nestled itself low in her abdomen, and an icy chill overtook the length of her spine. It was almost like a sinister force had joined them aboard the ship. Of course, this happened on the day they were set to reach the Roman Camp.

Leo sighed, this time turning to fully face Blaire. He surveyed her, his dark eyes wandering over her as if she were some sort of interesting artifact. He'd been doing that a lot lately without even meaning to.

Since they'd gotten back from their quest to rescue Hera, and Blaire had begun to consider him a friend (or something of the sort) he'd been unable to stop thinking about her. She changed, maybe only minorly— but she still changed nonetheless.

  Not only did her attitude toward Leo change, but so did her physical appearance. She took to spending more time with her little sister—Marlowe— and this meant she had certainly grown fond of the youngest Hecate daughter. Or at least, it seemed she did. Because Blaire had agreed to let Marlowe and her new friend (who was a daughter of Iris) test out the latter's newly established abilities on her hair.

The choppy edges of Blaire's brown hair were now tinted a deep shade of purple. She'd also grown her hair out longer, allowing it to fall in natural waves and cascade down her back in an array of violet.

    Leo thanked the gods every day for equipping Marlowe's friend with such powers, for they blessed the earth with the wonder that was Blaire with dyed hair. Something about the way the shade of purple clashed with the brown of her eyes and the slight coat of freckles the sun bestowed upon Blaire, was incredibly attractive in Leo's honest opinion. He didn't know why her dyed hair had such an effect on him, but it did. He'd never admit that aloud though.

"Did you come in here just to antagonize me?" Leo asked, tilting his head in faux confusion.

Blaire pretended to think for a second, before nodding with triumph. "Yeah."

Friends or not, Blaire still found joy in teasing the boy.

  Before either of the demigods could further prod at each other, an explosion shook the ship and nearly sent the both of them flying. They looked at each other, wide-eyed with shock and rapidly increasing panic.

  And then, they both made a beeline for the main deck in hopes of seeing what the commotion was.

  Their ship was now hovering over New Rome which was incredibly architecturally advanced compared to Camp Half-blood. And Annabeth was being hoisted to her feet by Piper Mclean. The weirdest part, though, was the shouting statue standing aboard their ship, surrounded by a fog of sulfurous yellow smoke.  Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga.

  "I will not have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced in a fussy teacher voice. "I certainly will not have Greeks!" Jason and Annabeth, the naturally elected leaders, shared a look of bewilderment.

  "Terminus," The blond boy spoke. "It's me. Jason Grace."

  "Oh, I remember you, Jason!" Terminus grumbled,  not without spite. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!"

  "But they're not enemies—"

  "That's right," Piper jumped in, charm woven within her words. "We just want to talk. If we could—"

  "Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on me, young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands!"

   Blaire couldn't help herself. She laughed at that, gaining the attention of her both crewmates and the maniac statue, who seemed rather offended by her laughter.

  "Oh, you're gonna slap it out of her hands?" Blaire questioned, sizing the slab of marble up. "With what arms, exactly?"

  "Impertinence!" There was a sharp POP and a flash of yellow. Piper yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking. All of the demigods gaped at each other in dumbfounded awe.

  "Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"

Oh no. Blaire had quickly learned that insulting Leo Valdez's creations was not a good idea. The Hephaestus boy took each prod at something he'd constructed extremely personally as if it were himself they were insulting. It was quite sad, honestly.

"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I know you didn't do that."

Blaire almost thought he was going to attack the statue with his Wii controller, but Annabeth interjected before things could escalate.

"Let's all calm down." She raised her hands to show she had no weapons. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of—"

"Oh, I know who you are!" The statue glared at her with its blank white eyes. "A child of Athena, Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for that goddess."

If she were Annabeth, Blaire would have put up a fight against the armless statue. But the Athena daughter didn't seem to have physical violence in mind.

"What exactly do you mean, that goddess?" Annabeth asked, exhaling through her nose. "And what's so scandalous about—"

"Right!" Jason interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can—"

"Impossible!" the god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"

"Jesus," Blaire seethed, "Do you want us to leave or surrender? Make up your mind."

"Both!" Terminus said. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous girl! Do you feel that?"

Blaire furrowed her eyebrows, stifling a laugh as Leo asked, "You feel it, Blaire?"

"Oh, yeah," The aforementioned Sullivan retorted sarcastically. "I feel it alright."

Terminus scowled—the two were making fun of him. And to that, Leo raised both his eyebrows, amused at the god's lack of humor.

"Wow." Leo studied Terminus with professional interest. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look."

He exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magic tool belt and tapped the statue's pedestal, his interest piqued by the prospect of possibly fixing whatever might be wrong with Terminus.

"Stop that!" Terminus insisted. Another small explosion made Leo drop his screwdriver with a yelp. "Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line."

  "The what line?" Blaire asked, unsure if she was hearing things correctly. Wasn't Pomerian a dog breed?

  "City limits," Jason translated.

  "And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "You cannot land!"

  Blaire peered over the ledge of the ship, into the sea of Romans gathering below. She was trying to spot Percy amidst them, though there were so many, that was near impossible. Annabeth, however, did seem to catch a glimpse of the Jackson boy because she went stiff, her face paling.

  "Leo, stop the ship," Annabeth ordered.

  "What?"

  "You heard me. Keep us right where we are."

  Obliging, Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.

  "Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"

  The statue frowned. "Well, no..."

  "We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth announced with pride. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."

  The statue seemed to ponder upon this idea.

  "I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still..."

  "All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Annabeth promised. "I assume the Romans—even those reinforcements marching toward us—will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?"

  "Of course!" Terminus snapped, insulted she even dared to ask such a thing. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"

  "Uh, Annabeth..." Leo murmured from beside Blaire. "You sure this is a good idea?"

   For a second, Annabeth too seemed unsure. But her doubt seemed to recede as quick as it came and she nodded hastily.

  "It'll be fine," Annabeth reassured the others (and herself). "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She looked at the marble statue as if waiting for him to agree. "Do we have an agreement?"

The creeping sensation of dread returned, this time a dozen times more prominent. Something was bound to go wrong; it told her. This wasn't a good idea. Despite the June breeze being near scalding, Blaire felt frigid. She wondered if anyone else felt the same, but the others all seemed to be on board with this idea.

  Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. Please try not to destroy my town."

The crowd parted as the Greek demigods (and Jason) made their way through the packed forum. The Romans all whispered uneasily amongst themselves, gathered in small clusters. Some of them looked uneasy, some looked entertained by the prospect of the Greeks. Many of them were damaged from their recent scuffle with the giants, sporting bandages and ace wraps. Though, none of them were armed. None of them attacked.

Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers, which frankly surprised Blaire because she didn't know it was possible for a demigod to live long enough to see adulthood. Let alone have children.

Toddlers clung to their parent's legs. Infants gurgled in the hold of their parents and school-aged children chased each other around the greenery. Elder folk even stood beside them, dressed in a combination of robes and modern clothes.

Were all of them Demigods? Did they all get to live a carefree life— the kind of life Blaire had always craved? How could such a thing even be possible?

At Camp Half-Blood, most demigods were teens. If they survived long enough to graduate from high school, they either stayed on as counselors or left to start lives as best they could in the mortal world. Here, it was an entire multigenerational community.

At the far end of the crowd, Blaire spotted Tyson the Cyclops who she knew to be Percy's brother standing beside Percy's pet hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary. They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved and grinned at the approaching Greeks. He was wearing an SPQR banner like a giant bib.

However, it was hard to focus on them when a beautiful city stretched out just behind the two. Blaire was almost jealous of the gurgling fountains, the colorful wildflowers blooming in the gardens, and the delectable smells wafting from the small bakeries. Instead of small book shops and terraced villas, Camp Halfblood was blessed with unsanitary bathrooms and a canoe lake which one would surely contract several illnesses from swimming in.

  The sea of Campers parted again, this time for a Roaman Camper. A pretty girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian.

  Reyna.

  Blaire had recalled Jason speaking highly of this girl. He'd described her as a leader of sorts, a mentor for the Romans. He did a good job at portraying this in his words, for she seemed to be just that.

  Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.

  Blaire recognized something else in her face, too—in the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raised her chin like she was ready to accept any challenge. Reyna was forcing a look of courage, while holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry, and fear that she couldn't show in public.

  Blaire was all too familiar with this expression. She had been sporting it for the past decade.

  Annabeth took a long step forward, stopping directly in front of Reyna, while her friends flanked out on either side of her. Jason and Piper guarded her left, and Blaire and Leo took her right.

  Annabeth and Reyna considered one another as the Romans murmured about Jason.

  The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason.

"Jason Grace, my former colleague..." She spoke the word colleague like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends—"

  But before she could finish her greeting, Annabeth broke into a sprint. She dashed forward suddenly, surprising not only the Romans but her friends too. Blaire's hand instinctively flew toward her wrist, forgetting she wasn't wearing her bracelet.

  However, the sudden panic building within her caused by Annabeth's leave was quickly resolved when her gaze landed upon Percy Jackson. He and Annabeth were sharing a loving embrace, their lips locked and their arms thrown around one another.  

  Gross.

  This continued for an awkward amount of time. Until, Percy pulled away and began to speak, though he didn't get to say much because Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder.
He slammed into the stone pavement and Blaire winced in both secondhand embarrassment and physical pain. He hit the ground so hard, she almost thought one of his ribs might be broken.

  A few of the Romans surged forward, but Reyna called out, "Hold! Stand down!"

  Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat, forcing him flush against the ground.

  "If you ever leave me again," She said loud enough for the entire crowd gathered in the forum to hear. "I swear to all the gods—"

  And then Percy laughed.

  "Consider me warned," Percy said. "I missed you, too."

  Blaire had always admired their bond. No matter what happened, they had one another. They could always count on each other no matter the circumstances. She'd once had a relationship similar to Annabeth and Percy's. But, Blaire learned she was incredibly unlucky. Good things didn't last for her. Happiness was a brief, fleeting concept for the girl.

  Annabeth and Percy both stood rather awkwardly. Jason cleared his throat awkwardly as the Romans stared at the couple in bewildered awe.

  "So, yeah...It's good to be back," Jason announced sheepishly.

  He introduced Reyna to Piper, who looked a little miffed that she hadn't gotten to say the lines she'd been practicing, then to Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign.

  Then he turned to Blaire, gesturing towards the girl. "This is...um...Blaire."

  All of the Roman's eyes landed upon Blaire when he said this, and she grimaced underneath the intensity of their gaze, nodding in greeting. Percy seemed to have only just noticed her, and he smiled toothily, raising a hand to wave enthusiastically at his friend.

  "And this is Annabeth," Jason finally said. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."

  Reyna's eyes sparkled. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?"

  Annabeth laughed, holding out a hand for Reyna to shake. "I only attack my boyfriend like that," she promised. "Pleased to meet you."

  It seemed everything was going swimmingly. Perhaps, the panicked feeling that had been taunting her all day was merely nerves.

  Reyna clasped Annabeth's hand firmly. "It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"

  A few of the Roman campers hustled forward—the senior officers. Two kids appeared at Percy's side. One of them was a burly dude with a buzzcut. He seemed to be around fourteen, maybe fifteen. The other was a girl who seemed slightly younger. She had amber eyes and chocolate skin and long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm.

  The girl was frowning in Blaire and Leo's direction, though her stare was aimed at Leo, who looked just as confused as Blaire felt. Did he know this girl? Why was she looking at him like he'd killed all of her loved ones?

  "Do you know her?" Blaire murmured, obviously referring to the girl with a staring problem. She said it loud enough for only Leo to hear.

  He shook his head, narrowing his eyes as if trying to remember. "I don't think so...."

  Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "...tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"

  "You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A tall guy with stringy blond hair elbowed his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks—"

  He was so ugly, that Blaire instinctively turned toward Leo, aware he'd probably be holding back a laugh just like her. And he was. His lips were pursed like if he opened his mouth a bout of giggles would escape.

  When the two met eyes, they fought harder to stifle their untimely laughter. But this dude was so ugly and his voice was so scratchy, it was almost impossible.

  And to top things off, three stuffed toys were hanging from his belt.

  "We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here, in the forum."

  Of course, his name would be something like Octavian.

  "Oh, much better," Octavian grumbled. He seemed to be the only one who didn't defer to Reyna as his superior, even though he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."

  "These are our guests." Reyna clipped off every word like she was speaking to a child. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As Augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."

  "Good idea," Percy put in. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."

  Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."

  The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy a look of absolute loathing. Then he gave Annabeth a suspicious once-over and stalked away.

  "Don't worry about Octavian," Percy told them. "Most of the Romans are good people—like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. We'll be fine."

  The cold feeling was back. Why— she didn't know. Everything was going fine but something in her still wanted to make a run for the ship and take off instead of sharing a meal with the Romans.

  "We'll be fine," Annabeth repeated, though she didn't exactly sound too sure either.

  "Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason, and Blaire thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. There must have been history there.

"Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."

Lyn // ANNNDD BLAIRE IS BACK!! WOOHOO! first moa chapter and I've never been more up. sorry for not updating for a HOT minute i was vv distracted but i'm back now with this unedited chapter. blaire and leo's moa dynamic will get u i promise bc it certianly gets me!! enjoy and don't be a silent reader!!!!