{ANNABETH}

A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for them as the daughters of Athena and Hades walked through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one was armed. No one attacked.

Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. Annabeth saw couples with babies, and toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes.

Were all of them demigods? Annabeth suspected so, though she'd never seen a place like this. 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 a multigenerational community.

The brunette walked through the forum, her face formed into her usual resting face. Evangeline's fingers rapidly tapped against the side of her thigh as they made their way closer to the end of the crowd. She wasn't in a good mood, Annabeth could tell from the way the brunette's shadow was wavering and moving around like it was trying to be separated from her.

At the far end of the crowd, Annabeth spotted Tyson, Percy's hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary, and Sam who did a happy twirl once he noticed Evangeline walking closer. They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved and grinned. He was wearing an SPQR banner like a giant bib.

Some part of her mind registered how beautiful the city was, the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, and the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture...gods, the architecture—gilded marble columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, and terraced villas.

In front of her, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian.

Reyna.

Jason had described her well. Even without that, Annabeth would've singled her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.

Annabeth 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, worry, and fear that she couldn't show in public.

Annabeth knew that expression. She saw it every time she looked in a mirror.

"She looks so familiar," Evangeline murmured as she frowned at Reyna.

The three girls considered each other. Annabeth's friends fanned out on either side, and Evangeline stayed next to her. The Romans murmured Jason's name, staring at him in awe.

Then someone else appeared from the crowd, Evangeline's eyes narrowed and Annabeth stifled a laugh.

Percy smiled sarcastically at Evangeline as he made his way next to Reyna.

Annabeth had missed her best friend during his absence, but she couldn't help but look behind Percy for a glimpse of someone else.

The praetor Reyna straightened, and 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—"

Percy interrupted Reyna when he rushed toward Evangeline. The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there.

The brunette wrapped her arms around Percy as his hand cupped her face before he planted a kiss on her lips.

The daughter of Hades let herself melt in Percy's arms momentarily before pulling away. She took Percy's hand away from her face and twisted it as she brought a dagger made from her shadow to his neck.

She pointed it underneath his chin.

The daughter of Hades leaned up close to Percy's face. "If you ever disappear again, I will chop that head right off, waterboy." She threatened him.

He smirked, looking at her like she was the only person there. "Oh yeah?" He tilted his head. "Well, missed you too, princess."

The brunette pulled the knife away, and Percy's hand slipped into Evangeline's.

Evangeline frowned and glanced down at his hand. "Is that my ring?"

"Don't worry about it," Percy said.

Jason cleared his throat. "So, yeah...it's good to be back."

He introduced Reyna to Lorelai who smiled brightly at Reyna as she shook her hand.

Then he introduced 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 to Annabeth, and then finally to Evangeline.

"And this is Evangeline," Jason finished. "Uh, she normally does threaten people but she won't hurt anybody."

Reyna's eyes sparkled with recognition. "I figured," Reyna said, holding her hand out for the brunette.

Evangeline suspiciously looked the praetor over before she shook her hand.

"It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!" Reyna called.

A few of the Roman campers hustled forward—the senior officers. Two kids appeared at Percy's side, the same ones Annabeth had seen him chumming around with earlier from the warship. The burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about fifteen. The girl was younger, maybe fourteen, with amber eyes, dark skin, and long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm.

If Annabeth had to guess, the big cuddly guy was the girl's boyfriend, though she suspected they hadn't been together long.

The girl's amber eyes were stuck on Evangeline as if she'd seen a ghost. Evangeline glanced at Percy for answers.

The daughter of Athena looked around the two kids but still no sign of him.

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—"

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

"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. "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."

"Go and burn your teddy bears, Octavian," She heard a familiar voice speak amongst the crowd.

The son of Hermes made his way through the crowd, stopping next to Reyna, who looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Off you go, rat." he told the augur.

Annabeth was too stunned to move. He looked way different than he had eight months ago. He'd grown taller, and leaner...maybe even more muscu—Did he get a haircut?

Her eyes scanned over his face. His lower lip had an open cut on the corner, the side of his left eye had a small faint bruise forming, and his hair was tousled like he'd just woken up from a nap.

She hadn't even realized she'd been staring at him until he smirked at her. She averted her gaze moving it onto Octavian, who was shooting Landon a hateful look before stalking away.

"That's lot of attitude coming from a guy with teddy bears hanging from his waist," Evangeline raised a brow.

"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."

Annabeth felt as if someone had draped a cold washcloth across her neck. She heard that whispering laughter again as if the presence had followed her from the ship.

She looked up at the Argo II. Its massive bronze hull glittered in the sunlight. Part of her wanted to kidnap Evangeline, Percy, and Landon right now, climb on board, and get out of there while they still could.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.

"We'll be fine," Annabeth repeated, trying to believe it.

"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason, and Annabeth thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."

Annabeth wished she had an appetite because the Romans knew how to eat.

Sets of couches and low tables were carted into the forum until it resembled a furniture showroom. Romans lounged in groups of ten or twenty, talking and laughing while wind spirits—aurae—swirled overhead, bringing an endless assortment of food and desserts.

Drifting through the crowd were purple ghosts—Lares—in togas and legionnaire armor. Around the edges of the feast, satyrs (no, fauns, Annabeth thought) trotted from table to table, panhandling for food and spare change.

In the nearby fields, the war elephant frolicked with Mrs. O'Leary and Sam, and children played tag around the statues of Terminus that lined the city limits.

The whole scene was so familiar yet so completely alien that it gave her vertigo.

Reyna and a few of her officers (including the blond kid Octavian, freshly back from burning a teddy bear for the gods) sat with Annabeth and her crew. Percy and Landon joined them with their two new friends, Frank and Hazel.

Percy and Evangeline sat next to Hazel and Frank.
The son of Poseidon smiled slightly but his eyes were glued to the dark veins running across the brunette's wrists like cobwebs.

Landon stood across from her, talking to a man who looked to be in his early twenties—around twenty-two—she figured. He had dark black hair that was set back and piercing black eyes that had a cold and analyzing gaze.

If she was being honest, the two of them looked like complete opposites while standing next to each other, but they had that same look that screamed trouble.

The man's eyes landed on her and she straightened. He watched her for a moment before he said something to Landon which made him shift on his feet awkwardly.

She moved her attention onto her friends.

Jason and Lorelai sat together while Piper and Leo sat on the other end of the table. The daughter of Iris fed grapes to her cat and talked to Jason who listened to her attentively.

Someone patted her shoulder and she glanced back, no one was there. She turned her head to her right where Landon now sat.

"Is that supposed to be a new greeting?" She raised a brow.

He grinned at her. Never in her entire life, would she have ever thought she'd miss that stupid grin.

Annabeth tried not to stare at the tattoos on his forearm. She couldn't believe she'd been unaware of them for eight years.

The tattoo was the same as Jason's but it had another symbol: a cornucopia. He had eight lines which meant he'd served the Romans for eight years. At Camp Half-Blood, demigods got bead necklaces to commemorate years of training. Here, the Romans burned a tattoo into your flesh, as if to say: You belong to us. Permanently.

She swallowed back some biting comments. "Who was that guy you were talking to?" she asked.

"My brother," Landon said.

"Your brother?" Her eyes widened.

"Yeah," The son of Hermes shrugged. "Jason didn't tell you about him?"

"No," she scowled. "We only talked a few times and it wasn't about your family history."

Landon looked at her and then momentarily glanced over at Jason. "Cool."

"What's his name?" She asked.

"Xander," Landon said. "Surprised Jason didn't say anything, he's like the brother Xander always wanted."

Landon smiled but she could hear the envy in his voice. He moved his gaze from Jason to Lorelai. "Who's the blonde?"

"That's Lorelai," She said. "You stole her wallet, remember?"

He looked like he was trying his best to remember, but nothing seemed to ring a bell. "Need to be more specific, beth."

"That wallet you stole during the war. That blue one with the flowers on it?"

"Oh," Landon blinked, he leaned over so only she could hear. "She doesn't know that it was me, right?"

"Not yet. But you're going to give it back to her."

Landon winced. "I gave it to Iris."

"You what?"

"Needed some way to pay her," he shrugged, looking at her innocently. "Besides, she's an Iris kid, right? So her mom will probably ship it back to her or something." He reached for the food on her plate.

She smacked his hand away. "Get your own food," she scolded.

"Other people's food just tastes so much better," He popped a fry into his mouth.

She shook her head at him. Reyna called a toast to friendship.

After introductions all around, the Romans and Annabeth's friends began exchanging stories. Jason explained how he'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood without his memory, and how he'd gone on a quest with Lorelai, Evangeline, Piper, and Leo to rescue the goddess Hera from imprisonment at the Wolf House in northern California.

"Impossible!" Octavian broke in. "That's our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there—"

"They would've destroyed her," Piper said. "And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish."

Octavian opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Annabeth really loved Piper's charmspeak. She noticed Reyna looking between Lorelai and Jason, her brow creased.

"So," Jason continued, "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 awakening Gaea and destroying the gods by...what did he call it?"

"Pulling up their roots," Lorelai finished, grabbing her cat before he could lunge at a passing wind spirit.

Percy nodded thoughtfully. "Gaea's been busy over here too. We had our own encounter with Queen Dirt Face."

The son of Poseidon recounted his side of the story. He talked about waking up at the Wolf House with no memories except for one name—Evangeline.

Percy told them how he'd traveled to Alaska with Landon, Frank, and Hazel—how they'd defeated the giant Alcyoneus, freed the death god Thanatos, and returned with the lost golden eagle standard of the Roman Camp to repel an attack by the giants' army.

When Percy finished, Jason whistled appreciatively. "No wonder they made you praetor."

Octavian snorted. "Which means we now have three praetors! The rules clearly state we can only have two!"

"The rules also say no rats are allowed near food," Landon crossed his arms. "But here you are."

Octavian glared at Landon, almost as if he was trying to strangle him with his looks. Jason smiled at the son of Hermes like he'd been hit with a wave of nostalgia. His eyes were filled with adoration and happiness.

"On the bright side," Percy added, "both Jason and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can both tell you to shut up."

Octavian turned as purple as a Roman T-shirt. Jason gave Percy a fist bump.

Even Reyna managed a smile, though her eyes were stormy.

"We'll have to figure out the extra praetor problem later," she said. "Right now we have more serious issues to deal with."

"I'll step aside for Jason," Percy said easily. "It's no biggie."

"No biggie?" Octavian choked. "The praetorship of Rome is no biggie?"

Percy ignored him and turned to Jason. "You're Thalia Grace's brother, huh? Wow. You guys look nothing alike."

"Yeah, I noticed," Jason said. "Anyway, thanks for helping my camp while I was gone. You did an awesome job."

"Back at you," Percy said.

"Why don't you two just get married at this point?" Evangeline glared at Jason. "I'll pay for the honeymoon, too."

Landon stifled a laugh and high-fived the brunette from behind Annabeth.

"Really?" Jason frowned at Landon.

"We should talk about the Great Prophecy," Annabeth cut in. "It sounds like the Romans are aware of it too?"

Reyna nodded. "We call it the Prophecy of Ten. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?"

"Of course," Octavian said. "But Reyna—"

"Recite it." The man who Landon had told her was his brother, ordered Octavian.

Octavian shot a distasteful look before he recited, "Ten half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—"

"An oath to keep with a final breath," Annabeth continued. "And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

Everyone stared at her—except for Leo, who had constructed a pinwheel out of aluminum foil taco wrappers and was sticking it into passing wind spirits.

Annabeth wasn't sure why she had blurted out the lines of the prophecy. She'd just felt compelled.

The big kid, Frank, sat forward, staring at her in fascination as if she'd grown a third eye. "Is it true you're a child of Min—I mean, Athena?"

"Yes," she said, suddenly feeling defensive. "Why is that such a surprise?"

Octavian scoffed. "If you're truly a child of the wisdom goddess—"

"I don't remember anyone asking for your thoughts on this matter," Xander spoke up. "The girl—Annabeth, correct? Unlike you, she seems to have a brain, so for once in your life, stay quiet."

She felt her face burn hot. She glanced over at Landon who was cracking his knuckles. When she glanced back at Xander, he was watching her—no, he was watching both of them. "Carry on." He told her.

"Right," she said. "At any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. Foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death...that means Romans and Greeks. We have to combine forces to those doors."

Hazel, Evangeline's new little sister, picked up something next to her plate. It looked like a large ruby; but before she could be sure, Hazel slipped it into the pocket of her denim shirt.

"Our brother, Nico," The girl spared a glance at Evangeline. "He went looking for the doors. But he disappeared. I'm afraid—"

"What?" The daughter of Hades looked at Percy "What is she talking about?"

"We'll look for him," Percy promised, he kept his voice gentle. "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?"

Percy took a bite of his burger. "Now that Death is free, monsters will 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."

Piper twisted the feather in her hair. "Like water leaking through a dam," she suggested.

"Yeah," Percy smiled. "We've got a dam problem."

"A dam big problem," Evangeline muttered.

"What?" Piper asked.

"Nothing," Percy said. "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'll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure they stay defeated."

Reyna plucked an apple from a passing fruit tray. She turned it in her fingers, studying the dark red surface. "You propose an expedition to Greece in your warship. You do realize that the ancient lands—and the Mare Nostrum—are dangerous?"

"Mary who?" Leo asked.

"Mare Nostrum," Landon explained. "It's what the Ancient Romans called the Mediterranean."

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

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

Reyna shook her head. Her fingernails cut little crescents into the apple as she turned it. "Percy, traveling in 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."

"Then we're good!" Leo grinned over the top of his pinwheel. "Because we're all crazy, right? Besides, the Argo II is a top-of-the-line warship. She'll get us through."

"We'll have to hurry," Jason added. "I don't know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. She's invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they wake her up fully."

Annabeth shuddered. She'd had her fair share of nightmares lately.

"Ten half-bloods must answer the call," she said. "It needs to be a mix from both our camps. Evangeline, Jason, Piper, Lorelai, Leo, and me. That's six."

"And me," Percy said. "Along with Landon, Hazel, and Frank. That's ten."

"What?" Octavian shot to his feet. "We're just supposed to accept that?"

"Obviously, Octavian." Landon rolled his eyes.

Octavian strangled a teddy bear in his hand. "Without a proper debate? Without a vote in the Senate? Without—"

"Percy!" Tyson bounded toward them with Mrs. O'Leary and Sam at his heels. On Mrs. O'Leary's back, sat the skinniest harpy Annabeth had ever seen.

Sam leaped over their table and disappeared into black smoke, before he appeared on Evangeline's lap in the size of a small puppy.

Sam rested his head on her lap as she ran her hand down his back.

"Percy," Tyson stopped by their couch and wrung his meaty hands. His big brown eye was full of concern. "Ella is scared," he said.

"N-n-no more boats," the harpy muttered to herself, picking furiously at her feathers. "Titanic, Lusitantua, Pax...boats are not for harpies."

Leo squinted. "Did that chicken just compare my ship to the Titanic?"

"Leo, she's not a chicken," Lorelai rolled her eyes. "She is clearly a phoenix."

"She's neither of those things," Hazel averted her gaze from the son of Hephaestus. "Ella's a harpy. She's just a little...high-strung."

"Ella is pretty," Tyson said. "And scared. We need to take her away, but she will not go on the ship."

"No ship," Ella repeated. She looked straight at Annabeth. "Bad luck. There she is. Wisdom's daughter walks alone—"

"Ella!" Frank stood suddenly. "Maybe it's not the best time—"

"The Mark of Athena burns through Rome," Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and raising her voice. "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."

Everyone stared at the harpy. No one spoke. Annabeth's heart was pounding. The Mark of Athena...She resisted the urge to check her pocket, but she could feel the silver coin growing warmer—the cursed gift from her mother. Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me.

Around them, the sounds of the feast continued, but muted and distant, as if their little cluster of couches had slipped into a quieter dimension.

Percy was the first to recover. He stood and took Tyson's arm. "I know!" He feigned enthusiasm. "How about you take Ella to get some fresh air? You and Mrs. O'Leary—"

"Hold on." Octavian gripped his teddy bear with shaking hands. His eyes fixed on Ella. "What was that she said? It sounded like—"

"Ella reads a lot," Frank blurted out. "We found her at a library."

"Yes!" Hazel said. "Probably just something she read in a book."

"Besides, your ears are blocked," Landon got up from his seat. "Remember? From the basilisk hissing in your ear."

Octavian looked visibly confused like he couldn't remember anything. "That never happened."

"Yes, it did," Landon said. "Right, Percy?"

"Yup," Percy nodded.

Annabeth gave Landon a curious glance. Obviously, he and Percy, Frank, and Hazel were hiding something. Just as obviously, Ella had recited a prophecy—a prophecy.

"That was a prophecy," Octavian insisted. "It sounded like a prophecy."

No one answered.

"You do realize how stupid that sounds, right?" Landon scoffed. "A harpy? Blurting out a prophecy?"

Annabeth forced a laugh. "He's right. 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?"

Their words had the intended effect. The Roman officers laughed nervously. Some sized up Ella, then looked at Octavian and snorted.

"I, uh..." Octavian dropped his teddy bear. "No, but—"

"She's just spouting lines from some book," Annabeth said, "like Hazel suggested. Besides, we already have a real prophecy to worry about."

She turned to Tyson. "Percy's right. Why don't you take Ella and Mrs. O'Leary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while? Is Ella okay with that?"

"Large dogs are good," Ella said. "Old Yeller, 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg."

Annabeth wasn't sure how to take that answer, but Percy smiled like the problem was solved.

"Great!" Percy said. "We'll Iris message you guys when we're done and catch up with you later. Sam do you want to—"

Evangeline's dog growled at Percy and the son of Poseidon immediately dropped his question.

The Romans looked at Reyna, waiting for her ruling. Annabeth held her breath.

Reyna had an excellent poker face. She studied Ella, but the daughter of Athena couldn't guess what she was thinking. "Fine," the praetor said at last. "Go."

"Yay!" Tyson went around the couches and gave everyone a big hug—even Octavian, who didn't look happy about it. Then he climbed on Mrs. O'Leary's back with Ella, waving one goodbye to Evangeline, and the hellhound bounded out of the forum. They dove straight into a shadow on the Senate House wall and disappeared.

"Well." Reyna set down the apple. "Octavian is right about one thing. 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."

"This whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian grumbled. "The trireme is not a ship of peace!"

"Come aboard, man," Leo offered. "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."

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

"It's a good idea," Reyna said. "Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We'll convene a senate meeting for one hour."

"But..." Octavian stopped. Apparently, he could tell from the look on Reyna's face that further arguing would not be good for his health. "Fine."

The son of Hephaestus got up. He turned to Annabeth, and his smile changed. It happened so quickly, she'd thought she'd imagined it; just for a moment, someone else seemed to be standing in Leo's place, smiling coldly with a cruel light in his eyes.

She blinked, and Leo was regular old Leo again, with his usual impish grin.

"Back soon," he promised. "This is gonna be epic."

A horrible feeling settled over her as the son of Hephaestus and the augur headed for the rope of the ladder, she thought about calling them back—but how could she explain that? Tell everyone she was going crazy, seeing things, and feeling cold?

The wind spirits began clearing the plates.

"Uh, Reyna," Jason said, "if you don't mind, I'd like to show Piper and Lorelai around the city before the senate meeting. They've never seen New Rome."

"I actually have been here," Lorelai said. "I just wasn't allowed back."

"What'd you do this time?" Jason asked.

"Doesn't matter." The blonde let her cat jump out of her arms and run to the ladder, before he climbed his way up to the deck. Her cat was a strange little thing.

"Yes, you may show them around," Reyna said.

Percy got up. "Yeah, me, too. I'd like to show Evangeline around."

Reyna stared at Evangeline. "Fine."

Annabeth saw Landon get up, trying to leave sneakily. "Where are you going?" she whispered.

"For uh...walk?" Landon said. Although, he seemed uncertain of his answer.

"A walk?" Annabeth arched a brow. "I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were," He said. "Besides, Reyna wants to talk to you." He nodded toward something behind her and she turned her head.

Reyna stopped next to her seat, her hands behind her back and her cold gaze on the blonde. "I'd like a few words with you," She said. "Alone. If you don't mind."

Her tone made it clear she wasn't really asking for permission.

"I, uh—" Annabeth turned her head to look for Landon, but he was gone. That little—

The chill spread down her back. She wondered what Reyna was up to, she was reluctant to be alone and unarmed with the Roman leader.

"Come, daughter of Athena," Reyna said. "Walk with me."

Annabeth wanted to hate New Rome, but as an aspiring architect, she couldn't help but admire the terraced garden, the fountains and temples, the winding cobblestone streets, and the gleaming white villas.

"We have the best architects and builders in the world," Reyna said as if reading her thoughts. "Rome always did, in the ancient times. Many demigods stay on to live here after their time in the legion. They go to our university. They settled down to raise families. Percy seemed very interested in that fact."

Annabeth raised a brow. She still remembered when they were twelve and the children of the Big Three would always argue, she had watched their friendship grow into love. And now, here she was, hearing that Percy Jackson was interested in settling down with a certain brunette.

"You're a warrior, all right," the praetor said. "You've got fire in your eyes."

"Sorry." Annabeth tried to tone down the glare.

"Don't be. I'm the daughter of Bellona."

"Roman goddess of war?"

Reyna nodded. She turned and whistled like she was hailing a cab. A moment later, two metal dogs raced toward them—automaton greyhounds, one silver and one gold. They brushed against Reyna's legs and regarded Annabeth with glistening ruby eyes.

"My pets," Reyna explained. "Aurum and Arentum. You don't mind if they walk with us?"

Once again, the daughter of Athena got the feeling it wasn't really a request. She noted that the greyhounds had teeth like steel arrowheads. Maybe weapons weren't allowed inside the city, but Reyna's pets could still tear her to pieces if they chose.

Reyna had shown her around the city and then they'd stopped at The Garden of Bacchus which was Reyna's favourite space. The whole city spread out below them like a 3-D mosaic. To the south, beyond the lake, a cluster of temples perched on a hill. To the north, an aqueduct marched toward the Berkely Hills. Work crews were repairing a broken section, probably damaged in the recent battle.

Reyna had asked for her to tell the daughter of Bellona about her side of the story, her life at Camp Half-Blood, and her adventures with her friends. She told her about how she had run away when she was seven and found Luke and Thalia and how she'd made her way to Camp Half-Blood on Long Island.

Reyna was a good listener.

Annabeth was tempted to tell her about more recent problems: her fight with her mom, the gift of the silver coin, and the nightmares she'd been having—about an old fear so paralyzing, she'd almost decided that she couldn't go on this quest. But she couldn't bring herself to open up quite that much.

When the blonde had finished talking, Reyna glanced over New Rome. The daughter of Bellona pointed to the cluster of temples on the distant hill.

"The small red building," she said, "there on the northern side? That's the temple of my mother, Bellona." She turned toward Annabeth. "Unlike your mother, Bellona has no Greek equivalent. She is fully, truly Roman. She's the goddess of protecting the homeland."

The blonde stayed silent. She knew very little about the Roman goddess. She wished she had studied up, but Latin never came as easily to her as Greek.

"When the Romans go to war," Reyna continued, "we first visit the Temple of Bellona. Inside is a symbolic patch of ground that represents enemy soil. We throw a spear into that ground, indicating that we are now at war. You see, Romans have always believed that offense is the best defense. In ancient times, whenever our ancestors felt threatened by their neighbors, they would invade to protect themselves."

"They conquered everyone around them," Annabeth said. "Carthage, the Gauls—"

"And the Greeks." she let that comment hang. "My point, Annabeth, is that it isn't Rome's nature to cooperate with other powers. Every time Greek and Roman demigods have met, we've fought. Conflicts between our two sides have started some of the most horrible wars in human history—especially civil wars."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Annabeth said. "We've got to work together, or Gaea will destroy us both."

"I agree," Reyna said. "But is cooperation possible? What if Juno's plan is flawed? Even goddesses can make mistakes."

Annabeth waited for Reyna to get struck by lightning or turned into a peacock.

Nothing happened.

"I don't trust the goddess," the blonde admitted. "But I do trust my friends. This isn't a trick, Reyna. We can work together."

"I believe you mean it," Reyna said. "But if you go to the ancient lands, especially Rome itself, there is something you should know about your mother."

Annabeth's shoulders tensed. "My—my mother?"

"When I lived on Circe's island," she said, "we had many visitors. Once, perhaps a year before you, Evangeline, and Percy arrived, a young man washed ashore. He was half-mad from thirst and heat. He'd been drifting at sea for days. His words didn't make much sense, but he said he was a son of Athena."

The praetor paused as if waiting for a reaction. Annabeth had no idea who they might have been. She wasn't aware of any other Athena kids who'd gone on a quest in the Sea of Monsters, but she still felt a sense of dread.

"What happened to this demigod?" she asked.

Reyna waved her hand as if the question was trivial. "Circe turned him into a guinea pig, of course. He made quite a crazy little rodent. But before that, he kept raving about his failed quest. He claimed that he'd gone to Rome, following the Mark of Athena."

Annabeth grabbed the railing to keep her balance.

"Yes," Reyna said, "he kept muttering about wisdom's child, the Mark of Athena, and the giants' bane standing pale and gold. The same lines Ella was just reciting. But you say that you've never heard before today?"

"Not—not the way Ella said them." Her voice was weak. She wasn't lying. She'd never heard that prophecy, but her mother had charged her with following the Mark of Athena. She thought about the strange nightmares she'd been having lately. "Did this demigod—did he explain his quest?"

Reyna shook her head. "At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about. Much later, when I became praetor of Camp Jupiter, I began to suspect."

"Suspect...what?"

"There is an old legend that the praetors of Camp Jupiter have passed down through the centuries. If it's true, it may explain why our two groups of demigods have never been able to work together. It may be the cause of our animosity. Until this old score is finally settled, as the legend goes, Romans and Greeks will never be at peace. And the legend centers on Athena—"

A shrill sound pierced the air. Light flashed in the corner of Annabeth's eye.

She turned in time to see an explosion blast a new crater in the forum. A burning couch tumbled through the air. Demigod scattered in panic.

"Giants?" Annabeth reached for her dagger, which of course wasn't there. "I thought their army was defeated!"

"It isn't the giants." Reyna's eyes seethed with rage. "You've betrayed our trust."

"What? No!"

As soon as she said it, the Argo II launched a second volley. Its port ballista fired a massive spear wreathed in Greek fire, which sailed straight through the broken dome of the Senate House and exploded inside, lighting up the building like a jack-o'-lantern.

"Gods, no." A wave of nausea almost made the blonde's knees buckle. "Reyna, it isn't possible. We'd never do this!"

The metal dogs ran to their mistress's side. They snarled at Annabeth but paced uncertainly, as if reluctant to attack.

"You're telling the truth," Reyna judged. "Perhaps you were not aware of this treachery, but someone must pay."

Down in the forum, chaos was spreading. Crowds were pushing and shoving. Fistfights were breaking out.

"Bloodshed," Reyna said.

"We have to stop it!"

Several dozen Romans had surrounded Piper and Jason, who were trying to calm them without much luck. Piper's charmspeak was useless against so many screaming, angry demigods. Jason's forehead was bleeding. His purple cloak had been ripped to shreds. "I'm on your side!" but his orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt wasn't helping.

Lorelai, on the other hand, was attacking the Romans who charged her. She would grab the rocks on the ground and throw them straight at the demigods, catching them off guard, before she made her hands glow and blinded them.

Armed legionnaires were hurrying toward the forum. Two artillery crews had set up catapults just outside the Pomerian Line and were preparing to fire at the Argo II.

"That'll just make things worse," the daughter of Athena said.

"I hate my job," Reyna growled. She rushed off toward the legionnaires, her dogs at her side.

Two Romans tried to grab Annabeth. She ducked past them, plunging into the crowd.

As if the angry Romans, burning couches, and exploding buildings weren't confusing enough, hundreds of purple ghosts drifted through the forum, passing straight through the demigods' bodies and wailing incoherently.

The fauns had taken advantage of the chaos. They swarmed the dining tables, grabbing food, plates, and cups. One trotted by the blonde with his arms full of tacos and an entire pineapple between his teeth.

A statue of Terminus exploded into being, right in front of her. He yelled at her in Latin, no doubt calling her a liar and a rule breaker; but she pushed the statue and kept running.

A guy grabbed her arm but she was quick to react. She grabbed his hand and threw him over her shoulder, slamming him to the ground.

"What the fuck was that for?" Landon groaned.

"Why would you sneak up on me like that?" She hissed, getting off of him.

"If I was sneaking up on you, you wouldn't have realized it." Landon rolled his eyes, getting to his feet. He winced, clutching his torso.

She frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said.

A blast of water with black tendrils around it sent two Romans flying past them.

Annabeth glanced in the direction where the water had come from and she spotted Percy and Evangeline.

The two of them, along with Hazel and Frank, were standing in the middle of a fountain.

Percy repelled the angry Romans with blasts of water, while Evangeline wrapped black tendrils around the demigods' necks and threw them in front of Percy's water blasts.

Annabeth grabbed Landon's hand and dragged him along as they ran toward the children of the Big Three, ducking past a Roman fist and a plate of sandwiches.

"Blondie!" Evangeline called. "There they are!"

Percy glanced toward them and said, "What—"

"I don't know!" Annabeth yelled.

"I'll tell you what!" cried a voice from above.

"Why does the sky sound like Octavian?" Landon asked.

"Because apparently he thinks he's a bird!" Evangeline hissed, pointing at the Argo II.

Octavian was hanging from the bottom of the ladder. "The Greeks have fired on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome!"

"You're lying," Annabeth said. "Leo would never—"

"I was just there!" The augur yelled. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

The Argo II returned fire. Legionnaires in the field scattered as one of their catapults was blasted to splinters.

"You see?" Octavian screamed. "Romans, kill the invaders!"

Annabeth growled in frustration.

"Octavian!" Landon yelled. "Let go of the ladder, we'll catch you!"

"Stop lying!" Octavian shrieked.

Landon ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I tried. Time to go into hiding."

"Landon!"

There was no time for anyone to figure out the truth. The crew from Camp Half-Blood was outnumbered a hundred to one, and even if Octavian had managed to stage some sort of trick (which she thought likely), they'd never be able to convince the Romans before they were overrun and killed.

"We have to leave," Evangeline hissed. "Now!"

Percy nodded grimly. He glanced at the children of Pluto and Mars. "You guys have got to make a choice. Are you coming?"

Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. "Of course we are. But you'll never make it to the ship, not unless we buy you some time."

"How?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel whistled. A blur of beige shot across the forum. A majestic horse materialized next to the fountain. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel climbed on his back like she'd been born to ride. Strapped to the horse's saddle was a Roman cavalry sword.

Hazel unsheathed her golden blade. "Send me an Iris message when you're safely away, and we'll rendezvous," she said. "Arion, ride!"

The horse zipped through the crowd with incredible speed, pushing back Romans and causing mass panic.

Annabeth felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe they could make it out of here alive. Then, from halfway across the forum, she heard Jason shouting. "Romans!" he cried. "Please!"

The children of Aphrodite, Iris, and Jupiter were being pelted with plates and stones.

Jason tried to shield Lorelai, but a brick caught him above the eye.

He crumpled, and Lorelai covered her mouth, she looked like she was trying, but failing miserably at holding in her laugh.

The crowd surged forward. "Get back!" Piper screamed. Her charmspseak rolled over the mob, making them hesitate, but Annabeth knew that effect wouldn't last.

"Frank," Percy said. "It's up to you. Can you help them?"

Annabeth didn't understand how Frank could do that all by himself, but he swallowed nervously.

"Oh, gods," he murmured. "Okay, sure. Just get the ropes up. Now."

Evangeline made a grabbing motion with her hand, the ground rose up and they lunged for the ladder.

Landon yanked Octavian off the bottom and threw him into the mob.

They began to climb as armed legionnaires flooded into the forum. Arrows whistled past Annabeth's head. An explosion almost knocked her off the ladder. Halfway up, she heard a roar below and glanced down.

Romans screamed and scattered as a full-sized dragon charged through the forum. It had rough gray skin like a Komodo lizard's as it lumbered toward Piper, Jason, and Lorelai.

The daughter of Iris ducked as a plate was thrown at her. The blonde landed a well placed kick across the Roman soldier's face.

The guy fell to his knees. Lorelai climbed onto his shoulders and jumped onto the dragon's back as it grabbed the children of Jupiter and Aphrodite with its front claws, and vaulted into the air.

"Is that...?" Annabeth was speechless.

"Frank." Percy confirmed, a few feet above her. "He has a few special talents."

"Less talking, more climbing!" Evangeline yelled at them from the top. 

Without the dragon and Hazel's horse to distract the archers, they never would have made it up the ladder; but finally, they climbed past a row of broken aerial oars and onto the deck.

The rigging was on fire. The foresail was ripped down the middle, and the ship listed badly to starboard.

There was no sign of Coach Hedge, but Leo stood amidships, calmly reloading the ballista.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Evangeline screamed.

"Destroy them..." Leo faced the two girls. His eyes were glazed. His movements were like a robot's. "Destroy them all."

He turned back to the ballista, but Percy tackled him. Leo's head hit the deck hard, and his eyes rolled up so that only the whites showed.

The gray dragon soared into view. It circled the ship once and landed at the bow, depositing Jason and Piper, who both collapsed. Lorelai hopped off its back and knelt next to her friends.

"Go!" Percy yelled. "Get us out of here!" 

With a shock, the daughter of Athena realized he was talking to her.

She ran for the helm. She made the mistake of glancing over the rail and saw armed legionnaires closing ranks in the forum, preparing flaming arrows. Hazel spurred Arion, and they raced out of the city with a mob chasing after them.

More catapults wheeled into range. All along the Pomerian Line, the statues of Terminus were glowing purple, as if building up energy for some kind of attack.

Annabeth looked over the controls. She cursed the son of Hephaestus for making them so complicated. No time for fancy maneuvers, but she did know one basic command: Up.

She grabbed the aviation throttle and yanked it back straight. The ship groaned. The bow tilted up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and the Argo II shot into the clouds.

------✧------

A/N: My oldest child has returned. life feels good again.

I had a math test on Tuesday this week, y'all wouldn't believe how great it went, so proud of myself ngl. 😌

anyways the chaos has officially started.