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ELECTRIC LOVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
[ N A T A L I A ]

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NATALIA DIDN'T REMEMBER much about the rest of the night. They told their story and answered a million questions before Chiron saw how tired the four were, and ordered them to go to bed.

She woke up in her bed, feeling totally relaxed. Natalia got up and got ready, wearing her Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, jean shorts, and gray high-top Converse. She left her hair down, letting it be out of a braid for a few days.

When she walked out of her Cabin, she immediately got ambushed in a hug. By the head of blonde hair, she guessed it was Will. Natalia laughed, wrapping her arms around the younger boy.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he muttered, squeezing her tighter. "I didn't get to see you yesterday, and oh my Gods is that tape on your wrist?"

She laughed, pulling away and staring at his face. "I'm okay, Will. Really, I am. And I missed you, too."

"So, what are you gonna do now?" he asked. "What's next with this whole Great Prophecy?"

"I don't know." Her eyes then flickered over to the commons area, where she saw Jason playing basketball. "I have to talk to someone first, though."

Will followed her gaze, and turned back to her, winking. "He's a cutie. Go get 'em, Nat."

The girl smiled with blushing cheeks before making her way to the commons area, where found Jason relaxing on a bench, a basketball between his feet. He was sweaty from working out, but he looked great in his orange tank top and shorts. His various scars and bruises from the quest were healing, thanks to some medical attention from the Apollo Cabin. His arms and legs were well muscled and tan — distracting as always. His close-cropped blond hair caught the afternoon light so it looked like it was turning to gold, Midas style.

"Hey," he said with a smile as she sat next to him. "Saw you talking to Will."

A smile appeared on her face as she watched Will interact with the other campers. "Yeah, I really missed him."

They watched the campers going back and forth. A couple of Demeter girls were playing tricks on two of the Apollo guys — making grass grow around their ankles as they shot baskets. Over at the Camp store, the Hermes kids were putting up a sign that read: flying shoes, slightly used, 50% off today! (that made Natalia shudder). Ares kids were lining their Cabin with fresh barbed wire. The Hypnos Cabin was snoring away. A normal day at Camp.

Meanwhile, the Aphrodite kids were watching Natalia and Jason, and trying to pretend they weren't. Natalia was pretty sure she saw money change hands, like they were placing bets on a kiss. Maybe one of them would win, but Natalia wasn't sure. It would only happen when the time was right.

"So," she said, turning back to him. "Did you get any sleep?"

He looked at her as if she'd been reading his thoughts. "Uh, not really. Mostly dreams."

"Hmm. We're they about your past?"

He nodded.

They had that relationship where if the other didn't want to talk, they would push them to. She gave him space, and he gave her hers.

Jason spun his basketball. "It's not good, Nat," he warned. "My memories . . . they're not good for — for any of us."

Natalia was almost positive he'd been about to say for us — as in the two of them, and she wondered if he'd remembered a girl from his past. However, it didn't bother her. Not on this sunny day with Jason sitting next to her.

"It'll be okay," Natalia promised, a small smile on her face. "We can figure it out."

He looked at her hesitantly, like he wanted very much to believe her. She raised an eyebrow at him, and his cheeks tinted a light pink. "Annabeth and Rachel are coming in for the meeting tonight. I should probably wait until then to explain . . ."

"I got it," she said. "I can't wait to see Annabeth. Gods, it's felt like months since I last saw her but it's only been a few days."

Instead of focusing on the dangerous things, like battling with Jason's past or trying to survive this war, she focused on the good. They were both alive right now, and she wanted to enjoy this moment.

Jason studied her warily. His forearm tattoo was a faint blue in the sunlight.

She turned to him. "You're staring, Sparky."

Jason chuckled, shaking his head. "You're in a good mood. How can you be so sure things will work out?"

"Because I know you and Percy are going to lead us," she said. "Wherever he is, I know he'll be the co-leader of our team with you. And I'd follow you two anywhere."

Jason blinked. Then slowly, he smiled. "That's a dangerous thing to say."

"Well, I'm known to be a dangerous girl, Grace."

"That, I believe."

Natalia chuckled. He got up and brushed off his shorts. He offered her a hand. "Leo says he's got something to show us out in the woods. You coming?"

"Of course," Natalia smiled, taking his hand and standing up.

They held hands as they began to walk towards the woods. Jason turned towards Natalia, a look she couldn't quite identify in his eyes.

"Yes, Jason?" she asked.

"You know that I really really like you, right?"

Natalia glanced over at him, her cheeks a shade of pink. She squeezed his hand, and with a boost of courage, she raised on her toes and kissed him. The two heard the cheers of campers in the background, but they didn't mind. All Natalia focused on was the feeling of Jason's hands on her waist and his lips against hers.

She pulled away, and the two stared at each other with wide smiles and blushing cheeks.

"Is that your way of telling me that you like me too?"

Natalia rolled her eyes and punched his arm, taking his hand in hers once more. "Come on, Jay. We have new adventures to plan."

»»---------------------►

LEO TURNED AROUND when he got to a limestone cliff in the forest and smiled nervously. "Here we go."

He willed his hand to catch fire, and set it against the door. His Cabinmates gasped.

"Leo!" Nyssa cried. "You're a fire user!"

"Yeah, thanks," he said. "I know."

Jake Mason, who was out of his body cast but still on crutches, said, "Holy Hephaestus. That means — it's so rare that—"

The massive stone door swung open, and everyone's mouth dropped. Leo's flaming hand seemed insignificant now. Even Piper and Jason looked stunned, and they'd seen enough amazing things lately. Natalia even felt shocked, and she'd seen a lot of great things as her time being a Demigod.

Only Chiron didn't look surprised. The Centaur knit his bushy eyebrows and stroked his beard, as if the group was about to walk through a minefield. Natalia glanced around in wonder, not noticing Jason stare at her like she was the only thing in the room.

"Welcome to Bunker Nine," Leo said. "C'mon in."

The group was silent as they toured the facility. Everything looked untouched — giant machines, worktables, old maps and schematics. Only one thing looked new. Festus' head was sitting on the central table, still battered and scorched from his final crash in Omaha.

Leo went over to it and stroked the dragon's forehead. "I'm sorry, Festus. But I won't forget you."

Jason put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Hephaestus brought it here for you?"

Leo nodded.

"I don't think you can repair him," Natalia said sadly.

"No way," Leo said. "But the head is going to be reused. Festus will be going with us."

Piper came over and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Before Leo could answer, Nyssa cried out, "Guys, look at this!"

She was standing at one of the worktables, flipping through a sketchbook — diagrams for hundreds of different machines and weapons.

"I've never seen anything like these," Nyssa said. "There are more amazing ideas here than in Daedalus' workshop. It would take a century just to prototype them all."

"Who built this place?" Jake Mason said. "And why?"

Chiron stayed silent, but Natalia focused on the wall map. It showed Camp Half-Blood with a line of triremes in the Sound, catapults mounted in the hills around the valley, and spots marked for traps, trenches, and ambush sites.

"This is a wartime command center," Natalia said. "The Camp has been attacked lots of times, but this was must have been really serious."

"In the Titan War?" Piper asked.

Nyssa shook her head. "No. Besides, that map looks really old. The date . . . does that say 1864?"

They all turned to Chiron.

The Centaur's tail swished fretfully. "This Camp has been attacked many times, like Natalia said," he admitted. "That map is from the last Civil War."

Apparently, Natalia wasn't the only one confused. The other campers looked at each other and frowned.

"Civil War . . ." Piper said. "You mean the American Civil War, like a hundred and fifty years ago?"

"Yes and no," Chiron said. "The two conflicts — mortal and Demigod — mirrored each other, as they usually do in western history. Look at any civil war or revolution from the fall of Rome onward, and it marks a time when Demigods also fought one another. But that Civil War was particularly horrible. For American mortals, it is still their bloodiest conflict of all time — worse than their casualties in the two World Wars. For Demigods, it was equally devastating. Even back then, this valley was Camp Half-Blood. There was a horrible battle in these woods lasting for days, with terrible losses on both sides."

"Both sides," Leo said. "You mean the Camp split apart?"

Natalia's head spun. "No. Camp Half-Blood fought on one side of the war. There was a completely different side . . . who was the other?"

She wasn't sure she wanted the answer.

Chiron glanced up at the tattered Bunker Nine banner, as if remembering the day it was raised.

"The answer is dangerous," he warned. "It is something I swore upon the River Styx never to speak of. After the American Civil War, the Gods were so horrified by the toll it took on their children, that they swore it would never happen again. The two groups were separated. The Gods bent all their will, wove the Mist as tightly as they could, to make sure the enemies never remembered each other, never met on their quests, so that bloodshed could be avoided. This map is from the final dark days of 1864, the last time the two groups fought. We've had several close calls since then. The nineteen sixties were particularly dicey. But we've managed to avoid another civil war — at least so far. Just as Natalia guessed, this Bunker was a command center for the Hephaestus Cabin. In the last century, it has been reopened a few times, usually as a hiding place in times of great unrest. But coming here is dangerous. It stirs old memories, awakens the old feuds. Even when the Titans threatened last year, I did not think it worth the risk to use this place."

Leo looked guilty. "Hey, look, this place found me. It was meant to happen. It's a good thing."

"I hope you're right," Chiron said.

"I am!" Leo pulled the old drawing out of his pocket and spread it on the table for everyone to see.

"There," he said proudly. "Aeolus returned that to me. I drew it when I was five. That's my destiny."

Nyssa frowned. "Leo, it's a crayon drawing of a boat."

"Look." He pointed at the largest schematic on the bulletin board — the blueprint showing a Greek trireme. Slowly, his Cabinmates' eyes widened as they compared the two designs. The number of masts and oars, even the decorations on the shields and sails were exactly the same as on Leo's drawing. Natalia then knew what they needed to do.

"That's impossible," Nyssa said. "That blueprint has to be a century old at least."

"'Prophecy — Unclear — Flight,'" Jake Mason read from the notes on the blueprint. "It's a diagram for a flying ship. Look, that's the landing gear. And weaponry — Holy Hephaestus; rotating ballista, mounted crossbows, Celestial Bronze plating. That thing would be one spankin' hot war machine. Was it ever made?"

"Not yet," Leo said. "Look at the masthead."

There was no doubt — the figure at the front of the ship was the head of a dragon. A very particular dragon.

"Festus," Piper said. Everyone turned and looked at the dragon's head sitting on the table.

"He's meant to be our masthead," Leo said. "Our good luck charm, our eyes at sea. I'm supposed to build this ship. I'm gonna call it the Argo II. And guys, I'll need your help."

"The Argo II." Piper smiled. "After Jason's ship."

Jason looked a little uncomfortable and he squeezed Natalia's hand, but he nodded. "Leo's right. That ship is just what we need for our journey."

"What journey?" Nyssa said. "You just got back!"

Natalia sighed. "When we confronted Porphyrion, he told us he was going to destroy the Gods at their roots."

"Indeed," Chiron said. "Much of Rachel's Great Prophecy is still a mystery to me, but one thing is clear. You four — Jason, Piper, Natalia, and Leo — are among the eight Demigods who must take on that quest. You must confront the Giants in their homeland, where they are strongest. You must stop them before they can wake Gaea fully, before they destroy Mount Olympus."

"Um . . ." Nyssa shifted. "You don't mean Manhattan, do you?"

"No," Leo said. "The original Mount Olympus. We have to sail to Greece."

It took a few minutes for that to settle in. Then the other Hephaestus campers started asking questions all at once. Who were the other four Demigods? How long would it take to build the boat? Why didn't everyone get to go to Greece?

"Heroes!" Chiron struck his hoof on the floor. "All the details are not clear yet, but Leo is correct. He will need your help to build the Argo II. It is perhaps the greatest project Cabin Nine has even undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon."

"It'll take a year at least," Nyssa guessed. "Do we have that much time?"

"You have six months at most," Chiron said. "You should sail by summer solstice, when the Gods' power is strongest. Besides, we evidently cannot trust the wind Gods, and the summer winds are the least powerful and easiest to navigate. You dare not sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the Giants. You must avoid ground travel, using only air and sea, so this vehicle is perfect. Jason being the son of the sky God . . ."

His voice trailed off, but Natalia knew he was talking about Percy. He had to be on this voyage. Natalia had a feeling he was going to be.

Jake Mason turned to Leo. "Well, one thing's for sure. You are now senior counselor. This is the biggest honor the Cabin has ever had. Anyone object?"

Nobody did. All his Cabinmates smiled at him, and Natalia could almost feel their Cabin's curse breaking, their sense of hopelessness melting away.

"It's official, then," Jake said. "You're the man."

Leo was speechless, and a small smile appeared on Natalia's face.

"Well," he said at last, "if you guys elect me leader, you must be even crazier than I am. So let's build a spankin' hot war machine!"

»»---------------------►

AFTER GETTING JASON from Cabin One, Natalia and him were going to the conference room. Once she walked into the room, Annabeth's eyes relaxed and the tension in her shoulders released. She was wearing armor over her clothes with her knife by her side, but Natalia didn't care. Natalia wrapped the blonde in a tight hug, Annabeth returning the gesture.

"Missed you, Anna," she muttered into the girl's neck.

"Missed you more."

The two pulled away and Natalia sat down next to Jason, him lacing their fingers together. Leo and Piper also joined, it being their first meeting as senior counselors. She glanced around at everyone, a small smile appearing on her face at the sight of her family.

Clarisse from Ares had her boots on the table, but nobody seemed to care. Clovis from Hypnos was snoring in the corner while Butch from Iris was seeing how many pencils he could fit in Clovis' nostrils. Travis from Hermes was holding a lighter under a Ping-Pong ball to see if it would burn, and Will from Apollo was absently wrapping and unwrapping an Ace bandage around his wrist. Lou Ellen from Hecate was playing got-your-nose with Miranda Gardiner from Demeter, except that Lou Ellen really had magically disconnected Miranda's nose, and Miranda was trying to get it back.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the Oracle, sat next to Chiron at the head of the table. She was wearing her Clarion Academy school uniform dress, and Natalia sent her a smile.

Annabeth didn't look so relaxed, not even after seeing Natalia.

"Let's come to order," Chiron said. "Lou Ellen, please give Miranda her nose back. Travis, if you'd kindly extinguish the flaming Ping-Pong ball, and Butch, I think twenty pencils is really too many for any human nostril. Thank you. Now, as you can see, Jason, Natalia, Piper, and Leo have returned successfully . . . more or less. Some of you have heard parts of their story, but I will let them fill you in."

Everyone looked at Jason. He cleared his throat and began the story. Piper, Natalia, and Leo chimed in from time to time, filling in the details he forgot.

It only took a few minutes, but it seemed like longer with everyone watching them. The silence was heavy, and for so many ADHD Demigods to sit still listening for that long, Natalia knew the story must have sounded pretty wild. Jason ended with Hera's visit right before the meeting. That made Natalia look at him with a confused expression.

"So Hera was here," Annabeth said. "Talking to you."

Jason nodded. "Look, I'm not saying I trust her—"

"Good boy," Natalia said, making his cheeks turn pink.

"—but she isn't making this up about another group of Demigods. That's where I came from."

"Romans." Clarisse tossed Seymour a Snausage. "You expect us to believe there's another Camp with Demigods, but they follow the Roman forms of the Gods. And we've never even heard of them."

Piper sat forward. "The Gods have kept the two groups apart, because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other."

"I can respect that," Clarisse said. "Still, why haven't we ever run across each other on quests?"

"Oh, yes," Chiron said sadly. "You have, many times. It's always a tragedy, and always the Gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same Gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities."

"More warlike," Jason said. "More united. More about expansion, conquest, and discipline."

"Yuck," Travis put in.

Several of the others looked equally uncomfortable, though Clarisse shrugged like it sounded okay to her.

Annabeth twirled her knife on the table. "And the Romans hated the Greeks. They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles, and made them part of the Roman Empire."

"Not exactly hated them," Jason said. "The Romans admired Greek culture, and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So during Roman times, Demigods started to divide — either Greek or Roman."

"And it's been that way ever since," Annabeth guessed. "But this is crazy. Chiron, where were the Romans during the Titan War? Didn't they want to help?"

Natalia cleared her throat. "They did help, Anna. While you, Percy, and I were leading the Battle of Manhattan, the Roman Demigods conquered Mount Othrys with Jason in the lead."

"Hold on," Travis said. "Chiron said Mount Othrys just crumbled when we beat Kronos."

"No," Jason said. "It didn't just fall. We destroyed their palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself."

Annabeth's eyes were as stormy as a Anemoi (Gods, Ventus). "The Bay Area. We Demigods were always told to stay away from it because Mount Othrys was there. But that wasn't the only reason, was it? The Roman Camp — it's got to be somewhere near San Francisco. I bet it was put there to keep watch on the Titans' territory. Where is it?"

Chiron shifted in his wheelchair. "I cannot say. Honestly, even I have never been trusted with that information. My counterpart, Lupa, is not exactly the sharing type. Jason's memory, too, has been burned away."

"The Camp's heavily veiled with magic," Jason said. "And heavily guarded. We could search for years and never find it."

Rachel Dare laced her fingers. Of all the people in the room, only she didn't seem nervous about the conversation. "But you'll try, won't you? You'll build Leo's boat, the Argo II. And before you make for Greece, you'll sail for the Roman Camp. You'll need their help to confront the Giants."

"Bad plan," Clarisse warned. "If those Romans see a warship coming, they'll assume we're attacking."

"You're probably right," Jason agreed. "But we have to try. I was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood, to try to convince you the two Camps don't have to be enemies. A peace offering."

"Hmm," Rachel said. "Because Hera is convinced we need both Camps to win the war with the Giants. Eight heroes of Olympus — some Greek, some Roman."

Annabeth nodded. "Your Great Prophecy — what's the last line?"

"And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

"The Doors of Death have been opened by Gaea," Natalia said. "Monsters are re-forming immediately, and the worst villains like Medea and Midas are being let out to fight us. Maybe the line means that Roman and Greek Demigods will have to unite to close the Doors."

"Or it could mean they fight each other at the Doors of Death," Clarisse pointed out. "It doesn't say we'll cooperate."

There was silence as the campers let that happy thought sink in.

"Thank you for your optimism about this, Clarisse," Natalia said sarcastically.

The girl raised her hands in mock-surrender. "Hey, I'm just saying."

"I'm going," Annabeth said. "Jason, when you get this ship built, let me go with you."

"I was hoping you'd offer," Jason said. "You of all people — we'll need you."

"Wait." Leo frowned. "I mean that's cool with me and all. But why Annabeth of all people?"

Annabeth, Natalia, and Jason all studied one another, and Natalia knew they had put it together. They saw the dangerous truth.

"Hera said Jason's arrival was an exchange of leaders, right?" Natalia asked, and Leo nodded. "It was a way for the two Camps to know about each other."

"Yeah?" Leo said. "So?"

"An exchange goes two ways," Jason said. "When I got here, my memory was wiped. I didn't know who I was or where I belonged. Fortunately, you guys took me in and I found a new home. I know you're not my enemy. The Roman Camp — they're not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you don't survive. They may not be so nice to him, and if they learn where he comes from, he's going to be in serious trouble."

"Him?" Leo said. "Who are you talking about?"

"My boyfriend," Annabeth said grimly. "And Natalia's best friend. He disappeared around the same time Jason appeared. If Jason came to Camp Half-Blood—"

"Exactly," Jason agreed. "Percy Jackson is at the other Camp, and he probably doesn't even remember who he is."

★彡

T H E E N D

I honestly cannot believe this book is finished. I had so much fun writing about Natalia and how her relationship grew with Jason (and they kIsSeD, oh my god it was beautiful). Thank you so much for reading this book, and keep an eye out for the next one ;)