This Cold Year ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase²

―iv. legacies, fluff readers, and mysterious brothers (oh my!)

AFTER A NEAR RUN-IN WITH A WAR ELEPHANT, a strange meeting with a half-goat, and what Naomi swore was a diamond in the middle of the road, they reached Temple Hill—a hill with, you guessed it: temples. 

A crooked stone path led past a bizarre assortment of tiny altars and massive domed vaults. Statues of gods seemed to follow Naomi with their eyes. 

Hazel pointed out the Temple of Bellona. "Goddess of war," she said. "That's Reyna's mom." Then they passed a massive red crypt decorated with human skulls on iron spikes. Naomi had a sinking feeling they weren't fakes. 

"Please tell me we're not going in there," she said nervously. 

Hazel shook her head. "That's the Temple of Mars Ultor." 

"Mars... Ares, the war god?" Percy asked. 

"That's his Greek name," Hazel said. "But, yeah, same guy. Ultor means 'the Avenger.' He's the second-most important god of Rome." 

Percy looked away from Mars's temple, clearly uneasy. He pointed toward the summit, where clouds swirled over the largest temple—a round pavilion with a ring of white columns supporting a domed roof. "I'm guessing that's Zeus—uh, I mean, Jupiter's? That's where we're heading?" 

"Yeah." Hazel sounded edgy. "Octavian reads auguries there—the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus." 

"Jupiter... the best and the greatest?" Percy translated. 

"Right." 

"What's Neptune's title?" Percy asked. "The coolest and most awesome?" 

"Um, not quite." Hazel gestured to a small blue building the size of a toolshed. A cobweb-covered trident was nailed above the door. 

Percy peeked inside. "Popular place," he mumbled. 

"I'm sorry, Percy," Hazel said, sounding sincere. "It's just... Romans were always scared of the sea. They only used ships if they had to. Even in modern times, having a child of Neptune around has always been a bad omen. The last time one joined the legion... well, it was 1906, when Camp Jupiter was located across the bay in San Francisco. There was this huge earthquake—" 

"You're telling me a child of Neptune caused that?" Percy asked. 

"So they say." Hazel looked apologetic. "Anyway... Romans fear Neptune, but they don't love him much." 

Percy stared at the cobwebs on the trident, his expression crestfallen. 

Naomi reached into the backpack still hanging from his shoulders, digging out the last bit of food from their trip—a stale bagel. Silently, she held it out to Percy. 

He smiled gratefully, taking it and setting it on the altar. 

"Hey... uh, Dad," he said. "If you can hear me, help me out, okay? Give me and Nay our memories back. Tell me—tell me what to do." 

His voice cracked, and Naomi reached for his hand, squeezing it lightly. 

"It'll be okay," Hazel said softly, trying to be reassuring. "You're here now. You're one of us." 

Percy nodded slowly, squeezing Naomi's hand back. 

Above them, thunder rumbled. Red lightning lit up the hill. 

"Octavian's almost done," Hazel said. "Let's go." 

❈

Compared to Neptune's tool shed, Jupiter's temple was definitely optimus and maximus.