plague bringer - a heroes of olympus insert

𝗂𝗂. 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝖺𝖻𝖾𝗍𝗁 𝗃𝗎𝖽𝗈 𝖿𝗅𝗂𝗉𝗌 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝗈𝗒𝖿𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖽

A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for Annabeth as she led them through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one was armed. No one attacked.

Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. Aria saw couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes. Were all of them demigods? Aria suspected so, though she'd never seen a place like this. At Camp Half-Blood, most demigods were teens from what she could tell. If they survived long enough to graduate from high school, they either stayed on as counselors or left to start lives as best they could in the mortal world. Here, it was an entire multigenerational community.

At the far end of the crowd, Aria spotted Tyson the Cyclops and Percy's hellhound, who was named Mrs. O'Leary—who had been the first scouting party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter. They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved and grinned. He was wearing an SPQR banner like a giant bib.

Some part of Aria's mind registered how beautiful the city was—the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture...gods, the architecture—gilded marble columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, and terraced villas.

In front of them, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian. Reyna.

Jason had described her well. Even without that, Aria would have singled her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.

Aria recognized something else in her face, too—in the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raised her chin like she was ready to accept any challenge. Reyna was forcing a look of courage, while holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear that she couldn't show in public.

Aria knew that expression. She saw it every time she looked at Annabeth.

Annabeth and Reyna considered each other. Aria and her friends fanned out on either side. The Romans murmured Jason's name, staring at him in awe.

Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and Annabeth froze up. Suddenly, Aria knew that he must be Percy Jackson. He had a sarcastic, troublemaker smile that had Aria convinced they'd become friends. His sea-green eyes were bright and dark hair was swept to one side, like he'd just come from a walk on the beach.

The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason.

"Jason Grace, my former colleague..." She spoke the word colleague like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends—"

Annabeth suddenly surged forward. Percy rushed toward her at the same time. The crowd tensed.

Some reached for swords that weren't there.

Percy threw his arms around her. They kissed, and Aria felt nothing but happy for them.

Percy pulled away and studied her face. "Gods, I never thought—"

Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement. Aria felt her eyes widen. Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!"

Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat.

"If you ever leave me again," she said, her eyes stinging, "I swear to all the gods—"

Percy had the nerve to laugh.

"Consider me warned," Percy said. "I missed you, too."

Annabeth rose and helped him to his feet. She wanted to kiss him again so badly, but she managed to restrain herself.

Jason cleared his throat. "So, yeah....It's good to be back."

He introduced Reyna to Piper, who looked a little miffed that she hadn't gotten to say the lines she'd been practicing, then to Aria, who gave a small wave with her trademark smile, and finally Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign.

"And this is Annabeth," Jason said. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."

Reyna's eyes sparkled. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?"

Annabeth didn't know if that was a compliment, but she held out her hand. "I only attack my boyfriend like that," she promised. "Pleased to meet you."

Reyna clasped her hand firmly. "It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"

A few of the Roman campers hustled forward—apparently the senior officers. Two kids appeared at Percy's side. The burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about fifteen. He was cute in a sort of oversized-cuddly-panda-bear way. The girl was younger, maybe thirteen, with amber eyes and chocolate skin and long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm.

Aria could tell from their body language that they felt close to Percy. They stood next to him protectively, like they'd already shared many adventures. Aria smiled, knowing that's how she felt with her friends.

If she had to guess, she'd say the big Asian guy was the girl's boyfriend, though she suspected they hadn't been together long. There was one thing she didn't understand: what was the girl staring at? She kept frowning in Piper and Leo's direction, like she recognized one of them and the memory was painful. That was really weird.

Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "...tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"

"You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A tall guy with stringy blond hair elbowed his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks—"

"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here, in the forum."

"Oh, much better," Octavian grumbled. He seemed to be the only one who didn't defer to Reyna as his superior, despite the fact that he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt. Aria already didn't like him. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."

"These are our guests." Reyna clipped off every word. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."

"Good idea," Percy put in. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."

Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."

The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy a look of absolute loathing. Then he gave Annabeth a suspicious once-over and stalked away.

Percy slipped his hand into Annabeth's. "Don't worry about Octavian," he said. "Most of the Romans are good people—like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. We'll be fine."

"We'll be fine," Annabeth repeated, like she was trying to believe it.

"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason, and Aria thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes.

"Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."