pillow murder was really uncalled for
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On the way out of camp, Hazel bought Percy an espresso drink and a cherry muffin from Bombilo the two-headed coffee merchant. Hadley had gotten a strawberry scone which she savored every bite of. Percy, on the other hand, inhaled the muffin.
He watched a bunch of kids in swimsuits and towels head into a building that had steam coming out of a row of chimneys. Laughter and watery sounds echoed from inside.
"Bath house," Hazel said. "We'll get you in there before dinner, hopefully. You haven't lived until you've had a Roman bath."
Percy sighed with anticipation. As they approached the front gate, the barracks got bigger and nicer. Even the ghosts looked better- with fancier armor and shinier auras.
"You guys are divided into different cabins?" Percy asked as he looked up at the banners.
"Kind of," Hazel said. "We have five cohorts with about forty kids each. Each cohort is split into barracks of ten- kind of like roommates."
"You're telling me there's two hundred kids at camp?"
"Maybe," Hadley shrugged. "I don't know, there's a lot of us."
"And all of them are children of the gods? The gods have been busy."
Hazel laughed. "Not all of them are children of major gods. There are hundreds of minor Roman gods. Plus, a lot of the campers are legacies- second or third-generation. Maybe their parents are demigods. Or their grandparents."
Percy blinked. "Children of demigods?"
"Why? Does that surprise you?"
Percy looked unsure. "These Legos-"
"Legacies," Hazel corrected.
"They have powers like a demigod?"
"Sometimes," Hadley said. "Sometimes not. But they all can be trained."
Hazel nodded. "All the best Roman emperors- you know, they all claimed to be descended from gods. Most of the time, they were telling the truth. The camp augur we're going to meet, Octavian, he's a legacy, descendant of Apollo. He's got the gift of prophecy."
"Supposedly," Hadley grumbled.
"Supposedly?" Percy asked.
Hazel made a sour face. "You'll see."
"So the divisions," Percy moved on, "the cohorts, whatever- you're divided into according to who your godly parent is?"
Hazel stared at him. "What a horrible idea! No, the officers decide where to assign recruits. if we were divided according to god, all the cohorts would be uneven. I'd be alone."
"Me too." Hadley shrugged.
"Why?" Percy asked. "What's your ancestry?"
"My mom's Victoria," Hadley said proudly.
"I don't know her. Must be one of her secrets."
"Haha," Hadley deadpanned. "She's the goddess of speed, strength, and victory."
"Like Nike."
"That's her Greek name," Hazel told him.
"Maybe she should be the goddess of major brands."
"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."
Hazel scowled. "Yeah. I joined last September."
"So... just a few weeks before that guy Jason disappeared," Percy said.
Hazel averted her gaze to the ground. Hadley twisted her ring in silence, scowling at the horizon.
"Come on," Hazel said after a moment. "I'll show you my favorite view."
They stopped outside the main gates. The fort was situated on the highest point in the valley, so they could see pretty much everything.
The road led down to the river and divided. One path led south across a bridge, up to the hill with all the temples. The other road led north into the city, a miniature version of Ancient Rome. Unlike the military camp, the city looked, chaotic and colorful, with building crowded together at haphazard angles. Even from this far away, you could see people gathered in the plaza, shoppers milling around an open-air market, parents with kids playing in the parks.
"You've got families here?" Percy asked.
"In the city, absolutely," Hazel said. "When you're accepted into the legion, you do ten years of service. After that, you can muster out whenever you want."
Percy turned to Hadley. "You have two more years."
Yeah," Hadley smiled and crossed her arms. "But I made a bet with Jason that I would last longer than him so I gotta stick around for a while."
"Most demigods go into the mortal world." Hazel continued explaining. "But for some- well, it's pretty dangerous out there. This valley is a sanctuary. You can go to college in the city, get married, have kids, retire when you get old. It's the only safe place on earth for people like us. So yeah, a lot of veterans make their homes there, under the protection of the legion."
Percy looked as if he couldn't quite grasp the concept. "But if this valley is attacked?"
"We have defenses," Hadley said. "The borders are magical. But our strength isn't what it was. Lately, there have been more monster attacks."
Hazel pursed her lips. "What you said about the gorgons not dying... we've noticed that too, with other monsters."
"Do you know what's causing it?"
Hazel looked away.
"It's- it's complicated," Hazel said. "My brother says Death isn't-"
She was interrupted by an elephant.
Someone behind them shouted, "Make way!"
Hazel jumped back and Hadley dragged Percy out of the road as a demigod rode past on a full-grown pachyderm in black Kevlar armor. The word Elephant was printed on the side of his armor.
The elephant thundered down the road and turned north, heading toward a big open field where some fortifications were under construction.
Percy spit dust out of his mouth. "What the-?"
"Elephant," Hazel explained.
"Yeah, I read the sign. Why do you have an elephant in a bulletproof vest?"
"War games tonight," Hadley said excitedly. "That's Hannibal. If we didn't include him, he'd get upset."
"We can't have that."
Hazel and Hadley laughed. She liked Percy, he was fun. The others in the legion didn't trade sarcastic remarks with her- or when they did it was meant to insult her. After briefly seeing him fight the gorgons, she was excited to see his skills in that night's war games. After the last few minutes, she was excited to get to know him in general.
Hazel pointed across the river. Dark clouds were gathering over Temple Hill. Red flashes of lightning washed over the monuments in blood-colored light.
"Octavian is busy," Hazel said. "We'd better get over there."
Hadley groaned. "Why do we need him again?"
"He's an important part of the legion, Hadley," Hazel told her. "Who else has a head with enough hot air to reach the gods?"
Hadley barked out a laugh and patted the younger girl on the shoulder. She glanced over at Percy who looked like he didn't understand the joke. "Don't worry, you'll get it when you meet him."
Percy nodded and the trio continued their walk. On the way, they passed some fauns hanging out on the side of the road.
"Hazel!" one of them cried.
He trotted over with a big grin on his face. He wore a faded Hawaiian shirt and nothing for pants except thick brown goat fur. His massive afro jiggled. His eyes were hidden behind little round rainbow-tinted glasses. He held a cardboard sign that read: Will -work- -sing- -talk- go away for denarii.
"Hi, Don," Hazel said. "Sorry, we don't have time-"
"Oh, that's cool! That's cool!" Don trotted along with them. "Hey, this guy's new!" He grinned at Percy. "Do you have three denarii for the bus? Because I left my wallet at home, and I've got to get to work, and-"
"Don," Hazel chided. "Fauns don't have wallets."
"Or jobs," Hadley said. "Or homes. And we don't have buses."
"Right," he said cheerfully, "but do you have denarii?"
"Your name is Don the Faun?" Percy asked.
"Yeah. So?"
"Nothing." Percy looked like he was trying to keep a straight face. "Why don't fauns have jobs? Shouldn't they work for the camp?"
Don bleated. "Fauns! Work for the camp! Hilarious!"
"Fauns are, um, free spirits," Hazel explained. "They hang out here because, well, it's a safe place to hang out and beg. We tolerate them, but-"
"Oh, Hazel is awesome," Don said. "She's so nice! All the other campers are like, 'Go away, Don.' But she's like, 'Please go away, Don.' I love her!"
Percy looked over at Hadley as if he was asking: what about you? She shrugged indifferently.
Don looked at the ground in front of them and gasped. "Score!"
He reached for something, but Hazel screamed, "Don, no!"
She pushed him out of the way and snatched up a small, shiny object then put it in her pocket.
"Come on, Hazel," Don complained. "I could've bought a year's worth of doughnuts with that!"
"Don, please," Hazel said. "Go away."
She sounded shaken, like she'd just saved Don from a charging bulletproof elephant. Percy looked at Hadley curiously but she avoided his gaze. Hadley had heard the rumors about Hazel, and she was sure Hazel had heard the ones about her. Both girls had a silent agreement not to discuss the other campers' whispers.
The faun sighed. "Aw, I can't stay mad at you. But I swear, it's like you're good luck. Every time I walk by-"
"Goodbye, Don," Hazel said quickly. "Let's go, guys."
She started jogging and Hadley quickly followed. Percy almost had to sprint to catch up to the girls.
"What was that about?" Percy asked. "That diamond in the road-"
Hadley elbowed him and shook her head. Hazel kept her gaze on the road in front of them.
"Please," she said. "Don't ask."
They walked in uneasy silence the rest of the way to Temple Hill. A crooked stone path led past a crazy assortment of tiny altars and massive domed vaults. Statues of gods towered above them.
Hazel pointed out the Temple of Bellona. "Goddess of war," she said. "That's Reyna's mom."
"Oh! There's my mom's." Hadley pointed at a white marble temple with gold detailing and a large golden laurel wreath in the entryway.
Percy squinted for a moment as if he couldn't see where she was pointing. "Oh, it's that one." He said sarcastically. "I didn't recognize it without the Nike branding."
Hadley punched his shoulder as Percy laughed, she couldn't help but crack a smile too. Then they passed a massive red crypt decorated with human skulls on iron spikes.
"Please tell me we're not going in there," Percy said.
Hazel shook her head. "That's the Temple of Mars Ultor."
"Mars... Ares, the war god?"
"That's his Greek name," Hadley said. "But, yeah, same dude. His name means 'the Avenger.' He's the second-most important god of Rome."
Percy pointed toward the summit. 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."
Percy took a moment to translate. "Jupiter... the best and greatest?"
"That's the one," Hadley nodded.
"What's Neptune's title?" Percy asked. "The coolest and most awesome?"
"Most gnarly and radical?" Hadley offered. Percy shot her a crooked smile and shook his head in amusement.
"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. On a small altar sat a bowl with three dried-up, moldy apples.
"Popular place."
"I'm sorry, Percy," Hazel said. "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 a legion... well, it was 1906, when Camp Jupiter was across the bay in San Fransisco. There was this huge earthquake-"
"You're telling me a child of Neptune caused that?"
"So they say," Hazel looked apologetic.
"I don't believe it," Hadley said as she looked around the small temple. "The Romans like to make people they're scared of look bad. Makes them seem stronger."
That seemed to make Percy feel slightly better. He reached into his backpack and dug out the only food he had in there- a stale bagel- and set it on the altar.
"Hey... uh, Dad." He said quietly. "If you can hear me, help me out, okay? Give me my memory back. Tell me- tell me what to do."
His voice cracked. Hadley wasn't sure what to do to make him feel better.
Hazel put her hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay. You're here now. You're one of us."
Hadley awkwardly held her hand out and patted his other shoulder while attempting to give him a comforting smile. Above them, thunder rumbled. Red lightning lit up the hill.
"Octavian's almost done," Hazel said. "Let's go."
Compared to Neptune's toolshed, Jupiter's temple was definitely optimus and maximus.
The marble floor was etched with fancy mosaics and Latin inscriptions. Sixty feet above, the domed ceiling sparkled gold. The whole temple was open to the wind.
In the center stood a marble altar, where a kid in a toga was doing a ritual in front of a massive golden statue of the king of the heavens himself: Jupiter the sky god, dressed in a silk XXXXL purple toga, holding a lightning bolt.
"It doesn't look like that," Percy muttered.
"What doesn't look like what?" Hadley asked.
"The master bolt," Percy said.
Hazel gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"
"I-" Percy frowned. "Nothing I guess."
The kid at the altar raised his hands. More red lighting flashed in the sky, shaking the temple. Then he put his hands down, and the rumbling stopped. The clouds turned from gray to white and broke apart.
"What is he doing?" Percy murmured.
"Petty magic," Hadley suggested. "Like pulling a rabbit out of a hat."
The guy in the toga turned. He had a crooked smile and a crazy look in his eyes, like he'd just been playing an intense video game. In one hand he held a knife. In the other hand was a stuffed animal that hung pathetically. Hadley could see the pleading look in its eyes, as if it was saying: please save me!
"Percy," Hazel said, "this is Octavian."
"The graecus!" Octavian announced. "How interesting."
"Uh, hi," Percy said. "Are you killing small animals?"
Octavian looked at the fuzzy thing in his hand and laughed. "No, no. Once upon a time, yes. We used to read the will of the gods by examining animal guts- chickens, goats, that sort of thing. Nowadays, we use these."
He tossed the fuzzy thing to Percy. It was a disemboweled teddy bear. Only then did Percy seem to notice the pile of stuffed animals at the foot of the statue.
"Seriously?" Percy asked.
Octavian stepped off the dais and narrowed his eyes. "You seem nervous."
"You remind me of someone," Percy said. "I can't remember who."
"A sickly possum," Hadley suggested under her breath.
Octavian ignored her. "Possibly my namesake, Octavian-Agustus Caesar. Everyone says I bear a remarkable resemblance.
"To the corpse maybe."
"Why did you call me 'the Greek'?" Percy asked.
"I saw it in the auguries." Octavian waved his knife at the pile of stuffing on the altar. "The message said: The Greek has arrived. Or possible: The goose has cried. I'm thinking the first interpretation is correct. You seek to join the legion?"
Hazel spoke for him. She told Octavian everything that had happened since they met at the tunnel- the gorgons, the fight at the river, the appearance of Juno, their conversation with Reyna.
When she mentioned Juno, Octavian looked surprised.
"Juno," he mused. "We call her Juno Moneta. Juno the Warner. She appears in times of crisis, to counsel Rome about great threats."
He glanced at Percy as if to say: like mysterious Greeks, for instance.
"I hear the Feast of Fortuna is this week," Percy said. "The gorgons warned there'd be an invasion on that day. Did you see that in your stuffing?"
"Sadly, no." Octavian sighed. "The will of the gods is hard to discern. And these days, my vision is even darker."
They don't want to talk to you," Hadley said flatly. "What a shock."
"Don't you have... I don't know," Percy said, "an oracle or something?"
"An oracle!" Octavian smiled. "What a cute idea. No, I'm afraid we're fresh out of oracles. Now, if we'd gone questing for the Sibylline books, like I recommended-"
"The Siba- what?" Percy asked.
"Books of prophecy," Hazel said, "which Octavian is obsessed with. Romans used to consult them when disasters happened. Most people believed they burned up when Rome fell."
"Some people believe that," Octavian corrected. "Unfortunately, our present leadership won't authorize a quest to look for them-"
"Because Reyna's not an idiot," Hadley grumbled.
"-so we only have a few remaining scraps from the books," Octavian continued. "A few mysterious predictions, like these."
He nodded to the inscriptions on the marble floor.
"That one" Percy pointed at one. "Eight half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall-"
"Yes, yes," Octavian finished without looking: "An oath to keep with a final breath and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."
"I- I know that one." Percy was trembling. "That's important."
Octavian arched an eyebrow. "Of course it's important. We call it the prophecy of Eight, but it's several thousand years old. We don't know what it means. Every time someone tried to interpret it... Well, Hazel can tell you. Bad things happen."
Hazel glared at him. "Just read the augury for Percy. Can he join the legion or not?"
Octavian studied Percy for a moment then held out his hand for Percy's backpack. "That's a beautiful specimen. May I?"
He didn't wait for a response. He grabbed the panda pillow that was sticking out of the top of his backpack. Octavian turned toward the altar and raised his knife.
"Hey!" Percy protested.
Octavian slashed open the panda's belly and poured its stuffing over the altar. He tossed the pada carcass aside, muttered a few words over the fluff, and turned with a big smile on his face.
"Good news!" he said. "Percy may join the legion. We'll assign him a cohort at evening muster. Tell Reyna that I approve."
Hadley kept her scowl but Hazel's shoulders relaxed. "Uh.. great. Come on, Percy."
"Oh, and Hazel," Octavian said. "I'm happy to welcome Percy into the legion. But when the election for praetor comes up, hope you'll remember-"
"Jason's not dead," Hadley interrupted, taking a step forward and jabbing her finger into his chest. "And you're supposed to be looking for him."
"Oh, I am!" Octavian pointed at the pile of gutted stuffed animals. "I consult the gods every day! Alas, after eight months, I've found nothing. Of course, I'm still looking. but if Jason doesn't return by the Feast of Fortuna, we must act. We can't have a power vacuum any longer. I hope you can get past your petty feelings and support me for praetor. It would mean so much to me."
Hadley's face contorted with disgust. "Support you?"
Octavian took off his toga, setting it and his knife on the altar. "I could help you out, you know. Stop all the whispers. No matter how valid they may be."
He turned to Hazel.
"And Hazel, It would be a shame if those awful rumors about you kept circulating... or, gods forbid, if they turned out to be true."
Hadley tensed and started toward Octavian. She was used to him sending insults her way, but she wasn't about to let him blackmail Hazel. Percy grabbed her arms and pulled her back. As much as he would have loved to see Hadley beat up the augur, Reyna said she wasn't supposed to start any fights and Percy didn't think she should get on Reyna's bad side. Octavian smirked as Hadley wriggled in Percy's grasp.
Hazel took a deep breath. Her knuckles were white. "I'll think about it."
"Excellent," Octavian said. "By the way, your brother is here."
Hazel stiffened. "My brother? Why?"
Octavian shrugged. "Why does your brother do anything? He's waiting for you at your father's shrine. Just... ah, don't invite him to stay too long. He has a disturbing effect on the others. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to keep searching for our poor lost friend, Jason. Nice to meet you, Percy."
Hazel stormed out of the pavilion and Percy followed, dragging Hadley by her elbow.
As Hazel marched down the hill, she cursed in Latin. They weren't particularly harsh swears, things like: son of a gorgon, power-hungry snake, and a few choice suggestions about where Octavian could stick his knife.
"I hate that guy," she muttered in English. "If I had my way-"
"He won't get elected praetor, will he?" Percy asked.
"I wish I could be certain. Octavian has a lot of friends, most of them bought. The rest of the campers are afraid of him."
"Afraid of that skinny guy?"
"Don't be fooled by his dumb, scrawny... octopus face," Hadley scowled and kicked up a small cloud of dirt. "Reyna's a good leader but if Octavian shared her power... I don't know but I think the camp would burst into flames. You can let go of me now, by the way."
Percy looked down at where he was still holding onto her arm and let it drop to her side. "Sorry."
"Let's go see my brother," Hazel said. "He'll want to meet you."
Hazel led them to a black crypt built into the side of the hill. Standing in front was a teenage boy in black jeans and an aviator jacket.
"Hey," Hazel called. "I've brought some friends."
The son of Pluto turned and for a microsecond when he saw Percy, he seemed shocked- panicked even, like he'd been caught in a searchlight.
"This is Percy Jackson," Hazel said. "He's a good guy. Percy, this is my brother Nico, the son of Pluto."
Hazel's brother regained his composure and held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you," he said. "I'm Nico di Angelo."
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