The Veiled Legacy | PJO - Book Two

seven

QUEST TIMEE

Ariana was glad her rings were now on her fingers. Judging from Reyna's expression, she thought she might need to defend herself.

She stormed into the principia with her purple cloak billowing, and her greyhounds at her feet. Ariana and Percy were sitting in one of the praetor chairs that Percy pulled to the visitor's side, which maybe wasn't the proper thing to do. Percy started to get up.

"Stay seated." Reyna growled. "You leave after lunch. We have a lot to discuss."

She plunked down her dagger so hard the jelly-bean bowl rattled. Aurum and Argentum took their posts on her left and right and fixed their ruby eyes on Percy and Ariana.

'What'd we do wrong?" Percy asked. "If it's about the chair -"

"Why would it be about a chair?" Ariana looked at him like he was stupid.

Percy looked offended. "Well maybe-"

"It's not you." Reyna scowled. "I hate senate meetings. When Octavian gets talking ..."

Percy nodded. "You're a warrior. Octavian is a talker. Put him in front of the senate, and suddenly he becomes the powerful one."

She narrowed her eyes. "You're smarter than you look."

"He isn't that smart still." Snorted Ariana, Percy nudged her.

"I believe that." Reyna agreed.

"Gee, thanks. I hear Octavian might get elected praetor, assuming the camp survives that long."

"Which brings us to the subject of doomsday." Reyna said, "and how you two might help prevent it But before I place the fate of Camp Jupiter in your guys hands, we need to get a few things straight."

She sat down and put a ring on the table - a band of silver etched with a sword-and-torch design, like Reyna's tattoo. "Do you know what this is?"

"The sign of your mom." Ariana said. "The ... uh, war goddess."

She tried to remember the name but she didn't

"Bellona, yes." Reyna scrutinised them carefully. "You don't remember where you saw this ring before? You really don't remember me or my sister, Hylla?"

Percy shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"It would've been four years ago."

"Just before you came to camp." Ariana noted.

Reyna frowned. "How did you - ?"

"You've got four stripes on your tattoo. Four years." She shrugged like it was obvious.

Reyna looked at her forearm. "Of course. It seems so long ago. I suppose you wouldn't recall me even if you had your memory. I was just a little girl - one attendant among so many at the spa. But you spoke with my sister, just before you two and that other one, Annabeth, destroyed our home."

Ariana tried to remember. Reyna had just confirmed that Ariana knew both Percy and this Annabeth girl for at least four years now - so why hadn't she remembered either of them?

For some reason, Annabeth, Percy and her had visited a spa and decided to destroy it. Ariana couldn't imagine why.

Maybe they hadn't liked the deep-tissue massage? Maybe they'd had bad manicures?

"It's a blank." Percy said. "Since your dogs aren't attacking us, I hope you'll believe us. We're telling the truth."

Aurum and Argentum snarled. Ariana got the feeling they were thinking, Please lie. Please lie.