Hey Stranger

Chapter 6

A/N: Check out the discord server in my announcements!

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"Frank." Percy grabbed onto Frank's hand and pulled him in for a bro hug. He patted the Chinese-Canadian's boy's back and pulled back. "Don't you ever, ever disappear from me again. I swear it, next time will have consequences." Percy wanted as he looked at both of his friends, pointedly. They know that Percy is bluffing, considering the fact that Percy could never stay angry at any of his close friends.

Frank laughed softly and nodded, "I won't disappear without a warning again." Reyna just smiled and the two boys knew the meaning of it, she agreed. Not to disappear without a warning. "How did you get here?" Frank asked.

"By foot," Percy said and rolled his eyes at Reyna's narrowing eyes. "I was attacked by dirae, so was mom-" He confessed, but was quickly interrupted by the concerned shouts of his friends, asking if his mother was okay, "She's fine, recovered nicely, I believe." Percy said and continued his story. "My new neighbor turned out to be my brother and I stayed with Lupa. I also met the girl who called me a thief."

"You met the girl who called you a thief?" Frank questioned and his eyes widened. "Was she nice? Did she understand that you didn't steal her book?" Frank fired off questions and it was nice again, as if they were back at military school, sitting at one of the picnic benches outside, all together.

All that was missing was Clarisse.

"She has a grudge because she needs to pay a fine, I think. Nearly killed me because I said her full name." He didn't actually know if she held a grudge but if he had to pay a fine because someone couldn't return a random book from the who-knows-what-library. "But she laughed at my joke."

Reyna snorted, "That is what you focus on, a pretty girl laughed at your jokes and you ignore the fact that she nearly killed you." Frank looked at Percy, concerned and put a hand on his forehead. "You've spent too much time in the woods." Reyna said and the two boys laughed at her joke.

Percy looks around the mess hall and frowned at Frank. "Why aren't you sitting down?" Percy asked. "There is some space left here." Percy patted the empty space besides him. The mess hall reminded him of the one back at the military school, even though this was less chaotic, less of a chance that someone bumps into you with a tray of food because the food is brought by invisible servers.

Frank shifted his weight over his two feet and shook his head with a weak smile. "Cohorts sit at their own tables. Besides, I'm just a probatio." Percy's eyes flickered down at the board around Frank's neck. He frowned, in a way, the boards were dehumanizing. "I'm unclaimed and haven't spent a year here."

Percy nodded, "Go eat, Frank. We'll see you after dinner?" He suggested and glanced at Reyna who agreed. Frank smiled meekly and shuffled off to the fifth cohort table. As soon as Frank left, Reyna spouted out a question.

"How did you join the first?"

"I got letters." Percy answered.

"From who?" Reyna pressed, "I got one from Circe and one from Lady Lupa herself." She said and held her head up proudly. Percy didn't know who Circe was but nodded impressively either way.

"From Lady Lupa." He figured that saying just 'Lupa' would either get him in trouble or hateful looks. Lupa was beloved by all of Rome. "My brother Triton and my father, Neptune." He said and held out his arm, he had never clarified who his godly parent was. "My brother told me that I will have an ambassador role for Neptune and him after I had proven myself, he said something about a chance-"

Then suddenly the old blonde man with the title 'augur' shook heavily and fell with his face onto the table. Immediately concerned whispers arose and the two praetors were at their augur's side. Foam came out of the side of the man's mouth and they all recognized it as a seizure.