Stay Right Here

ii

"I'm going to pummel you," Hadley said.

"Do you get free merchandise all the time? Could you hook me up with some new sneakers?" He raised his foot to show her his beat-up shoes.

"Shut up you dumb little daisy chain."

Percy's smirk shifted to confusion. "What?"

"Hadley uses weird insults," Hazel said casually. "You get used to it."

"Oh," Percy turned back to Hadley. "Well, two can play at that game you- uh- Give me a second."

"Wait!" Someone behind them yelled before Percy could come up with a response. A ghost ran toward them- an old man with a medicine ball belly and a toga so long he kept tripping on it. He caught up to them and gasped for air, his purple aura flickering around him.

"This is him?" the ghost panted. "A new recruit for the Fifth, perhaps?"

"Vitellius," Hazel said, "we're sort of in a hurry."

The ghost scowled at Percy and walked around him, inspecting him like a used car. "I don't know," he grumbled. "We need only the best for the cohort. Does he have all his teeth? Can he fight? Does he clean stables?"

"Yes, yes, and no," Percy said. "Who are you?"

"Percy, this is Vitellius." Hazel's expression said: Just humor him. "He's one of our Lares; takes an interest in new recruits."

On a nearby porch, other ghosts snickered as Vitellius paced back and forth, tripping over his toga and hiking up his sword belt.

"Yes," Vitellius said, "back in Caesar's day- that's Julius Caesar, mind you- the Fifth Cohort was something! Twelfth Legion Fulminata, pride of Rome! But these days? Disgraceful what we've come to. Look at Hazel here, using a spatha. Ridiculous weapon for a Roman legionnaire- that's for cavalry! Don't even get me started on Hadley. And you, boy- you smell like a Greek sewer. Haven't you had a bath?"

"I've been a little busy fighting gorgons," Percy said.

"Why don't you get started on me?" Hadley challenged. If Vitellius wasn't already a ghost, the look she gave could have turned him into one instantly. "I want to hear the complaints."

"Why, you snarky-" the ghost started, but Hazel interrupted before he could go into full lecture mode.

"Vitellius, we've got to get Percy's augury before he can join. Why don't you check on Frank? He's in the armory doing inventory. You know how much he values your help."

The ghost's furry purple eyebrows shot up. "Mars Almighty!" They let the probatio check the armor? We'll be ruined!"

He stumbled off down the street, stopping every few feet to pick up his sword or rearrange his toga.

"O-h-h-kay," Percy said.

"Sorry," Hazel said. "He's eccentric, but he's one of the oldest Lares. Been around since the legion was founded."

"He called the legion... Fulminata?" Percy said.

"Armed with lightning," Hadley explained. "That's our motto. The twelfth legion was around for the entire Roman Empire. When Rome fell, a lot of legions just disappeared. We went underground, acting on secret orders from Jupiter himself: stay alive, recruit demigods and their children, keep Rome going."

"We've been doing that ever since," Hazel continued, "moving around to wherever Roman influence was strongest. The last few centuries, we've been in America."

"And you're in the Fifth Cohort," Percy guessed, "which maybe isn't the most popular?"

"Yeah," Hadley laughed to herself. "You should've seen the looks on the First Cohort's face when they found out I was a daughter of Victoria. They were like, 'what? The Fifth got her? Maybe we shouldn't judge the new recruits so much.' Hazel got here a few months ago."