Haunted || Leo Valdez

42 - Anne Makes an Announcement

Anne wished she had an appetite, because the Romans knew how to eat.

Sets of couches and low tables were carted into the forum until it resembled a furniture showroom. Romans lounged in groups of ten or twenty, talking and laughing while aurae swirled overhead, bringing an endless assortment of pizzas, sandwiches, chips, cold drinks, and fresh-baked cookies. Drifting through the crowd were the Lares in togas and legionnaire armor. Around the edges of the feast, satyrs — no, wait, fauns — trotted from table to table, panhandling for food and spare change. In the nearby fields, the war elephant frolicked with Mrs. O'Leary, and children played tag around the statues of Terminus that lined the city limits.

Reyna and a few of her officers (including Octavian, freshly back from burning a teddy bear for the gods) sat with Anne and the Argo II crew. Percy joined them with Frank and Hazel.

Reyna called a toast to friendship.

After introductions all around, the Romans and the Argo II crew began exchanging stories. Jason explained how he'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood without his memory, and how he'd gone on a quest with Piper and Leo to rescue the goddess Hera (or Juno, take your pick—she was equally annoying in Greek or Roman) from imprisonment at the Wolf House in northern California.

"Impossible!" Octavian broke in. Anne didn't bother to refrain from rolling her eyes. "That's our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess—"

"They would've destroyed her," Piper said. "And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish."

Octavian opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Anne really loved Piper's charmspeak. She noticed Reyna looking back and forth between Jason and Piper, her brow creased, as if just beginning to realize the two of them were a couple. Cringing, Anne tried to look away. Her eyes landed on Hazel, who was still staring at Leo, who had noticed and was beginning to look uncomfortable. So much uneasiness going around. Anne looked for literally anything else to look at.

She looked behind her and found Henry staring at her. Nope. She whirled back around. She'd look down at her plate. There was nothing uncomfortable about a double bacon cheeseburger, other than the fact that it probably had so many calories that she'd end up with a food baby later on. but Anne decided she'd rather lament over having a muffin top than look at henry or Hazel and Leo.

"So," Jason continued, snapping Anne out of her muffin-top thoughts, "that's how we found out about the earth goddess Gaea. She's still half asleep, but she's the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House: he said he was retreating to the ancient lands—Greece itself. He plans on awakening Gaea and destroying the gods by...what did he call it? Pulling up their roots."

Percy nodded thoughtfully. "Gaea's been busy over here, too. We had our own encounter with Queen Dirt Face."

Percy recounted his side of the story. He talked about waking up at the Wolf House with no memories except for one name—Annabeth.

Annabeth looked like she was trying hard not to cry.

Percy told them how he'd traveled to Alaska with Frank and Hazel—how they'd defeated the giant Alcyoneus, freed the death god Thanatos, and returned with the lost golden eagle standard of the Roman camp to repel an attack by the giants' army.

When Percy had finished, Jason whistled appreciatively. "No wonder they made you praetor."

Octavian snorted. "Which means we now have three praetors! The rules clearly state we can only have two!"

Just shut up, Anne prayed.

"On the bright side," Percy said, "both Jason and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can both tell you to shut up."