Would that I ──── Leo Valdez [2]

25: All roads lead to Rome

─────Vincent woke up when they had landed in Rome. 

Coach Hedge kept going on about the importance of discipline and how military school might do Vincent a bit of good. All of his friends were already up and Percy was agreeing with Hedge about how the view of the city as they descended was beautiful and Vincent should have been awake for it. 

It only made Vincent scowl more. 

The noise of traffic was all around them, but the park itself was peaceful and deserted. To their left, a green lawn sloped toward a line of woods. An old villa nestled in the shade of some weird-looking pine trees with thin curvy trunks that shot up thirty or forty feet, then sprouted into puffy canopies. They reminded Vincent of trees in those Dr. Seuss books his dad used to read him when he was little.

To their right, snaking along the top of a hill, was a long brick wall with notches at the top for archers—maybe a medieval defensive line, maybe Ancient Roman. Vincent wasn't sure.

To the north, about a mile away through the folds of the city, the top of the Colosseum rose above the rooftops, looking just like it did in travel photos. That's when Vincent's legs started shaking. He was actually here. He'd thought his trip to Quebec had been pretty weird, but now he was in the heart of the old Roman Empire, enemy territory for a Greek demigod. In a way, this place had shaped his life as much as the places he'd stayed when he was a kid.

Jason pointed to the base of the archers' wall, where steps led down into some kind of tunnel.

"I think I know where we are," he said. "That's the Tomb of the Scipios."

Percy frowned. "Scipio... Reyna's pegasus?"

"No," Annabeth put in. "They were a noble Roman family, and... wow, this place is amazing."

Jason nodded. "I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but..."

Nobody bothered finishing that sentence. Looking at his friends' faces, Vincent could tell they were just as much in awe as he was. They'd made it. They'd landed in Rome—the Rome. It made his skin tingle, and he even managed a small smile that early in the morning. 

"Plans?" Hazel asked. "Nico and Cas have until sunset—at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today."

"You're right." Percy said, "Annabeth... did you zero in on that spot from your bronze map?"

"Yes," she said carefully. "It's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should—"

"Take me along," Percy finished. "Yeah, you're right."

Annabeth glared daggers at him. "That's not—"

"Safe," he supplied. "One demigod walking through Rome alone. I'll go with you as far as the Tiber. We can use that letter of introduction, hopefully meet the river god Tiberinus. Maybe he can give you some help or advice. Then you can go on alone from there."

They had a silent staring contest, but Percy didn't back down. He was probably the only one who could survive her death glare or make her back down from something when she was adamant about it. It was impressively insane. 

"Fine," Annabeth muttered. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?"

Hazel blinked, as if coming out of a trance from watching the Percy/Annabeth Show. "Um...hopefully, if I get close enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?"

Frank beamed. "Absolutely."

"And, uh...Leo," Hazel added. "It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."

"Yeah," Leo said, "no problem."

Frank's smile turned into something more like Chrysaor's mask. It wasn't as hostile as before, Franks eyes kept darting between Vincent and Leo and narrowing at Leo as if he wasn't quite believing something. 

Leo had told Vincent he told Frank he had no interest in Hazel, so maybe Frank wasn't buying that completely. 

Ever since they'd gotten knocked into the Atlantic, they hadn't acted quite the same. It wasn't just the two guys competing for Hazel. It was like the three of them were locked together, acting out some kind of murder mystery, but they hadn't yet discovered which of them was the victim.

"Vince" Frank said suddenly causing Vincent to nod at him half asleep, "You should come with us, too"

Now it was Leo's turn to look at the big guy in confusion. 

But Vincent just waved his hand, "Sure, sure, as long as we can get coffee wherever we're going. It's too early in the morning don't talk to me before I've had caffeine"

"It's ten in the morning" Piper raised an eyebrow. 

"Wow, I'm pretty sure that's a new record for Vince" Leo clapped him on the back, "Come on, I'll buy you the best coffee Italy has to offer"

"Have I ever told you, you're my best friend?" Vincent grinned. 

Piper drew her knife and set it on the rail. "Jason and I can watch the ship for now. I'll see what Katoptris can show me. But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It'll take all of us to fight the giants."

She didn't say the obvious: even all of them together wouldn't be enough, unless they had a god on their side. Vincent decided not to bring that up.

"Good idea," Percy said. "How about we plan to meet back here at... what?"

"Three this afternoon?" Jason suggested. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris-message."

The others nodded in agreement, but Vincent couldn't help glancing at Annabeth. Another thing no one wanted to say: Annabeth would be on a different schedule. She might be back at three, or much later, or never. But she would be on her own, searching for the Athena Parthenos.

Coach Hedge grunted. "That'll give me time to eat the coconuts—I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull. Percy, Annabeth... I don't like you two going off on your own. Just remember: behave. If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over."

The idea of getting grounded when they were about to risk their lives was so ridiculous, Vincent didn't blame Percy for smiling.

"We'll be back soon," he promised. He looked around at his friends, trying not to feel like this was the last time they'd ever be together. "Good luck, everyone."

Leo lowered the gangplank, and Percy and Annabeth were first off the ship.