━chapter one,
❝annabeth meets an exploding statue
and some scary romans!❞
『A N N A B E T H』
☆
━━━Until she meets the exploding the statue, Annabeth Chase had thought she was prepared for anything.
She paces the deck of their flying warship, the Argo II, checking and double-checking the ballistae to make sure they are locked down. She confirms the white "we come in peace" flag is flying from the mast. She reviews the plan with the rest of the crew━and the backup plan, and the backup plan for the backup plan.
More importantly, she pulls aside their war-crazed chaperone, Coach Gleeson Hedge, and encourages him to take the morning off in his cabin and watch reruns of mixed martial arts championships. The last thing they need as they fly a deadly Greek trireme into a (potentially) hostile Roman camp is a five-foot-tall, middle-aged satyr swinging a club and yelling, "Die!"
Everything seems to be in order. Even that mysterious chill she has been feeling since the ship launched has dissipated (at least for now).
The warship descends through the clouds, but Annabeth can't stop second-guessing herself. What if this is a bad idea? What if the Romans panic and attack them on sight?
The Argo II definitely does not look friendly. Two hundred feet long with a bronze-plated hull, mounted repeating crossbows fire and aft, a flaming metal dragon for a figurehead, and two rotating ballistae amidships that could fire explosive bolts... well, it isn't the most appropriate ride for a meet-and-greet with neighbors.
Annabeth had tried to give the Romans a heads-up. She had asked Leo to send one of his special inventions━a holographic scroll━to alert their friends inside the camp. Hopefully, the message got through. Leo had wanted to paint a giant message on the bottom of the hull━WASSUP? with a friendly smiley face━but Annabeth said no. She isn't sure if it's the Romans' sense of humor.
Too late to turn back now.
The clouds break around the hill, revealing the gold-and-green carpet of the Oakland Hills below them. Annabeth grips one of the bronze shields that line the starboard rail. Her three crewmates take their places.
On the stern quarterdeck, Leo rushes around like a madman, checking his gauges and wrestling levers. Most helmsmen would've been fine with just a pilot's wheel or a tiller. Leo has also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. He can turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album or raise sails by shaking his Wii controls really fast. (Even by demigod standards, Leo is seriously ADHD).
Piper paces back and forth between the mainmast and the ballistae, practicing her lines.
"Lower your weapons," she murmurs. "We just want to talk."
Her charm-speak is so powerful, the words flow over Annabeth, filling her with the desire to drop her dagger and have a nice long chat.
For a child of Aphrodite, Piper tries hard to play down her beauty. Today she is dressed in tattered jeans, worn-out sneakers, and a white tank top with pink Hello Kitty designs. (Maybe as a joke, Annabeth has never been sure with Piper). Her choppy brown hair is braided down the right side.
Then there is Jason Grace. He stands at the bow on the raised crossbow platform where the Romans can easily spot him. His knuckles are white on the hilt of his sword. Otherwise, he looks calm for a guy who's making himself a target. Over his jeans and Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, he wears a toga and a purple cloak━symbols of his old rank as praetor. With his wind-ruffled hair and icy blue eyes, he looks ruggedly handsome and in control━just like a son of Jupiter should. He's grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully, his familiar face would make the Romans hesitate to blow up the ship.
Annabeth tries to hide it, but she still doesn't completely trust the guy. He acts too perfect━always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. He even looks too perfect. In a way, it reminds her of someone else...
Ajax Luz.
She hasn't seen him since Christmas Eve━six long months ago. She isn't sure where he's been or even if he's alive, but Ajax had left a message for her. His best friend, Aurelia Aetos ━ a daughter of Nike Annabeth doesn't know very well ━ had given her an envelope on April Fool's Day.
"Alright, so surprise," she had said. "Remember Ajax Luz, right? Well..." She had taken a deep breath, seeing Annabeth's face at the name. "He told me━before he left━to give━believe it or not━you this letter on April first. He wants you to know it's not an April Fool's prank, either."
Annabeth slips the pictures out of her pocket. She's kept it with the picture of her half-sister (are they half-sisters? She isn't sure) Regina Maximus. She's studied both of them daily basis. For a while, she had kept picking up new details about Regina━details Ajax had drawn, apparently, accurately. She was sure it was accurate ever since she got the picture of Percy.
Well, not his entire face. She unfolds the picture and looks at it again. It's two pictures on one sheet of paper━the top picture of Percy's eyelids shut. She knows him because she's looked at him a million times. He has the small scar on his eyebrow, the long eyelashes she's always been jealous of, and, in the second picture, the same look in his eyes━full of quiet power, like a storm ready to erupt. The second picture is with his eyes opened. The picture is so detailed, the first time Annabeth looked at it, it brought her chills. She knows the message Ajax had been conveying to her━Percy is awake.
Percy... who is somewhere below them right now.
Oh, gods. Oh, fuck. Panic wells up inside of her. She forces it down. She can't afford to get overwhelmed. Not now.
I'm a child of Athena, she tells herself. I have to stick to my plan and not get distracted.
She feels it again━that familiar shiver. She turns, but no one is there.
She looks at Regina's picture again. Annabeth has looked at it every morning, every day, every night before she goes to bed for the last six goddamn months. She could picture Regina's face in her sleep. She could spot Regina out of all of these Romans with perfect ease. But she's nervous to meet her.
An eerie chill kisses her skin once again, like a cold wind. For a moment, she swears she hears someone laughing, but the sound is distinct and faint, as if it were far away.
Must be her nerves. Even in a world of gods and monsters, Annabeth can't believe a new warship to be haunted. The Argo II is well protected. The Celestial bronze shields along the rails have been enchanted to ward off monsters, and Coach Hedge would've sniffed out any intruders.
Annabeth wishes she could pray to her mother for guidance, but that's not possible now. Not after last month, when she had that horrible encounter with her mom and got the worst present of her life...
The cold presses closer. She thinks she hears the faint voice in the wind, laughing. Every muscle in her body tenses. Something is about to go terribly wrong.
She almost orders Leo to reverse course. Then, in the valley below, horns sound. The Romans have spotted them.
Annabeth had thought she knew what to expect. Jason had described Camp Jupiter to her in great detail. Still, being here, now, she has trouble believing her eyes. Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley is twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. A small river snakes around one side and curls toward the center like a capital G, emptying into a sparkling blue lake. Directly below them, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleams in the sunlight. She recognizes landmarks Jason had told her about━the hippodrome, the coliseum, the temples and parks, and the neighborhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colorful villas, and flowering gardens. She sees evidence of the Romans' recent battle with an army of monsters, but they had cleaned up nicely. Dozens of kids in togas are streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the Argo II. More Romans emerge from the shops and cafés, gawking and pointing as the ship descends.
About half a mile west, where the horns are blowing, a Roman fort stands on a hill. It looks like the illustrations Annabeth had seen in military books. A column of demigods emerges from the gates with their armor and spears glinting as they hurry toward the city. In the midst of their ranks is an actual war elephant.
Annabeth wants to land the Argo II before those troops arrive, but the ground is still several hundred feet below. She scans the crowds, hoping to catch a glimpse of Percy.
Then something behind her goes━BOOM!
The explosion almost knocks her overboard. She whirls and finds herself eye-to-eye with an angry, armless statue. "Unacceptable!" he shrieks.
Apparently, he has exploded into existence, right there on the deck. Sulfurous yellow smoke rolls off his shoulders. Cinders pop around his curly hair. From the waist down, he is nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he is a muscular human figure in a carved toga.
"I will not have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announces in a fussy teacher voice. "I certainly will not have Greeks!"
Jason shoots Annabeth a look that says, I've got this.
"Terminus," he says. "It's me. Jason Grace."
"Oh, I remember you, Jason!" Terminus grumbles. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!"
"But they're not enemies━"
"That's right," Piper jumps in. "We just want to talk. If we could━"
"Ha!" snaps the statue. "Don't try that charm-speak on me, young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hand!"
Piper looks down at her bronze dagger. "Uh... okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."
"Impertinence!"
There is a pop and a flash of yellow. Piper yelps and drops the dagger, which is now smoking and sparking.
"Lucky for you, I've just been through a battle," announces Terminus. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"
"Hold up." Leo steps forward, wagging his Wii controller toward the statue. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I know you didn't do that."
The idea Leo might get into a cat fight with an armless statue, and his only weapon being a gaming controller, is enough to snap Annabeth out of her shock.
"Let's all calm down." She raises her hands to show she has no weapons. "I take it your Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of━"
"I know what you are." The statue glares at her with its blank white eyes. "A child of Athena, Minerva's Greek form. You Greeks have no sense of decency. The daughter of Minerva at camp is lucky she is a Maximus, or she wouldn't have been accepted at all! Scandalous!"
Annabeth clenches her jaw. This statue isn't making it easy to be diplomatic. "What exactly do you mean, not accepted? What's wrong with━?"
"Right!" Jason interrupts. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can━"
"Impossible!" Terminus squeaks. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"
"Which is it?" Leo pushes. "Surrender, or leave?"
"Both!" Terminus says. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?"
"Wow." Leo studies Terminus with professional interest. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look." He exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magic tool belt and taps the statue's pedestal.
"Stop that!" Terminus insists. Another small explosion causes Leo to drop his screwdriver. "Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line."
"The what?" Piper asks.
"City limits," translates Jason.
"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus shouts. "You cannot land!"
Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements are halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum is over a strong hundred now. Annabeth scans the faces and... oh, gods━there he is!
She sees him. He's walking toward the ship with his two arms wrapped around three other kids like they are his best friends━a stout boy with black hair, a girl with brown hair who pulls close another girl with black hair. Something jumps in Annabeth's heart as she realizes it's Regina. She looks at Percy again and she sees the look on his face ━ so at ease, so happy. He wears a purple cape just like Jason's━the mark of a praetor.
Annabeth's heart does a gymnastics routine. She has to force down the smile that has appeared on her face.
"Leo, stop the ship," she orders.
"What?"
"You heard me. Keep us where we are."
Leo pulls out his controller and yanks it upward. All ninety oars freeze in place. The ship stops sinking.
"Terminus," says Annabeth, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"
The statue frowns. "Well, no..."
"So we keep the ship aloft," she says. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."
The statue seems to ponder this. "I do like technicalities," he admits. "Still..."
"All of our weapons stay aboard the ship," Annabeth promises. "I assume the Romans━the reinforcements heading toward us now━will also have to honor your rule if you tell them to?"
"Of course! Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"
"Uh, Annabeth," says Leo, "you sure this is a good idea?"
She closes her fists to keep them from shaking. The cold feeling is still there. It floats behind her, and now that Terminus is no longer shouting and causing explosion, she thinks she can hear the presence laughing, delighted by the choices she is making. But... she glances down at the forum again━Percy is there. He's so close. She has to reach him. Whatever comes her way, she will get past it. She has to reach him. She will.
"It'll be fine," she says. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She glances at the marble statue. "Do we have an agreement?"
Terminus sniffs. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. But, please, do not destroy my town."
.☆。• *₊°。 ✮°。
━━━A sea of hastily assembled demigods part for Annabeth as she walks through the forum. Some look tense, some seem nervous. Some are bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one is armed. No one attacks. Entire families have gathered to see the newcomers. Annabeth sees couples with babies, toddlers, and elementary-aged children, even some elderly folk. Are all of them demigods? Annabeth suspects so, but she's never seen a place like this. This would never happen at Camp Half-Blood... but here, it's an entire multigenerational community.
At the far end of the crowd, Annabeth spots Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary━both who had been the first scouting party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter. They look to be in good spirits. Tyson waves and grins. He's wearing an SPQR banner like a giant baby bib.
Some part of Annabeth's mind registers how beautiful the city is━the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, and the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture... gods of Olympus, the architecture━gilded marble columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, and terraced villas. Annabeth could stare at it all day.
In front of her, the demigods make way for a girl in Roman armor and a purple cape. Her dark hair is pulled into a single braid, falling alongside her shoulder. Her eyes are as black as obsidian. Her head tilts the side slightly, regarding Annabeth.
Reyna.
Jason has described her very well. Even without that, Annabeth would've singled her out as the leader. Medals of victory and great deeds decorate her armor. She carries herself with such confidence the other demigods back away and averts their gaze.
Annabeth recognizes something else in her face, too━in the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raises her chin like she's ready to accept any challenge. Reyna is forcing a look of courage while holding back of mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear she can't show in public.
Annabeth knows that expression. She sees it every time she looks in the mirror.
The two girls consider each other. Annabeth's friends fan out on either side. The Romans murmur Jason's name, staring at him in awe.
Then someone else appears from the crowd and Annabeth's vision tunnels.
Percy smiles at her━that stupid, sarcastic, troublemaker smile that has annoyed her for years but eventually became endearing. His sea-green eyes are as gorgeous as she remembers. His dark hair is swept to one side, as though he just came from a walk on the beach. He looks even better than he did six months ago━tanner, taller, leaner, and more muscular. Annabeth is too stunned to move. She feels that if she gets any closer to him, all the molecules in her body might combust. She's had a crush on him, secretly, since she was twelve years old. Last summer, she had fallen for him hard. They'd been a happy couple for four months━then he disappeared.
During their separation, something had happened to Annabeth's feelings. They had grown painfully intense━like she'd been forced to withdraw from a life-saving medication. Now she isn't sure what's more excruciating━living with that horrible absence, or being with him again.
Annabeth doesn't mean to, but she surges forward. Percy rushes toward her at the same time. He throws his arms around her. They kiss, and for a moment, nothing else matters. An asteroid could've hit the planet and wiped out all life, and Annabeth wouldn't have cared. He smells of ocean air, and his lips are salty.
Seaweed Brain, she thinks giddily.
Percy pulls away and studies her face. "Gods, I never thought━"
Annabeth grabs his wrist and flips him over her shoulder. He slams into the stone pavement. Romans cry out. Some surge forward, but Reyna raises a hand and shouts, "Hold! Stand down."
Annabeth puts her knee on Percy's chest. She pushes her forearm against his throat. She doesn't care what the Romans thought. A white-hot lump of anger expands in her chest━a tumor of worry and bitterness she'd been carrying around since winter.
"If you ever leave me again," she says, eyes stinging, "I swear to all the gods━"
Percy has the nerve to laugh.
The lump of heated emotions melt inside Annabeth.
"Consider me warned," he says. "I missed you, too."
Jason clears his throat. "Uh, yeah... it's good to be back."
Suddenly, his eyes catch someone from the crowd. His face breaks into a grin. A red-headed girl shoots forward and so does he. He cries, "Valentina!" The two of them meet in a hug, both of them laughing. It almost warms Annabeth's heart to see Jason like that━perfectly at ease.
Annabeth sees Piper a little miffed, though, as Jason and Reyna share a hug. Jason's told them about his friends━he shares a good friendship with Reyna, one that could've been more; and a daughter of Venus Annabeth assumes to be the redhead. Piper has had, what she calls "a stupid, annoying, little crush" on Jason that Annabeth is sure is bigger than what she lets on.
The redhead looks over at them. Even Annabeth can't help but be a bit intimidated━she is dangerously pretty. She's shorter than Annabeth, but the daughter of Athena knows this girl knows how to fight. And well. She wears light blue cargo pants and a white sleeveless turtleneck crop-top, which fits her figure nicely. She has a pair of sunglasses on top of her head. She wears a little bit of makeup, but she doesn't need much. She probably didn't need any to begin with. Her eyes are as blue as Jason's, yet much brighter, sparkly, and full of life. While Piper had tried to tone down her beauty, Valentina seems to thrive in it. She knows she's good-looking.
Jason hugs another guy━Annabeth recognizes him as Romeo. The guy is probably an inch taller than Jason with hair as black as the night and fair skin. He, too, is good-looking━gods, Annabeth hates being a bisexual sometimes━but his eyes throw it off a little. His eyes are black, so dark, when Romeo looks over at them, Annabeth feels as though he is staring into her soul. His sword is strapped to his waist. He has tattoos on his arms. He reminds her, a little bit, of Nico di Angelo━but this guy is much more intimidating.
Jason introduces Reyna and Valentina to Piper, who still seems miffed that she hasn't gotten to say the lines she'd been practicing, then to Leo, who grins and flashes a peace sign.
"And this is Annabeth," says Jason. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."
Reyna's eyes sparkle. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon warrior?"
Valentina snickers. Annabeth is reminded of Drew Tanaka from back at camp. "That's a compliment, by the way," she says. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Percy hasn't been able to shut up about you."
"Oh, shut it, Val!" he complains.
Annabeth smiles. She holds out her hand for Reyna. "I only attack my boyfriend like that," she promises. "It's pleased to meet you." She nods her head in respect to Valentina.
Reyna clasps her hand firmly. "It seems we have lots to discuss. Centurions!"
A few of the Roman campers hustle forward━apparently the senior officers. Three kids appear at Percy's side.
Jason's face breaks into another big smile. "Regina!" he says brightly.
He rushes toward her before Annabeth can get a good look at her. The two of them embrace, longer than he had with anyone else. Annabeth can tell both of them are very close.
The two other kids at Percy's side are the same ones Annabeth had seen him with earlier. The burly guy seems to be Asian. He has black hair military-cropped with a kind eyes and a nice smile. He wears jeans and a purple Camp Jupiter hoodie. The girl is probably the same as Regina, fourteen, with dark skin and curly brown hair, and dark, intimidating eyes. She wears jeans and a purple sweatshirt, which seems a little big on her (it would be about Regina's size).
Annabeth can tell from their body language that they are close to Percy. They stand next to him protectively, like they'd shared many adventures. Annabeth feels a twinge of jealousy as Percy turns to beam at them.
Finally, Annabeth gets a good look at her half-sister.
The picture Ajax had drawn is incredibly accurate.
Regina's hair is raven black, so dark it catches the sunlight and reflects it. She wears light blue jeans, white sneakers, and a maroon sweatshirt that clashes with her black hair perfectly. She's maybe an inch shorter than Annabeth, but the way she looks at her━the way she looks at everyone━makes her seem much taller. She tilts her head up at Annabeth, who does the same, regarding her. Annabeth saw it in the picture, but now she really gets it━they do look alike. And Regina looks just like Athena... or rather, Minerva. Her facial structure is like Annabeth's━they have similar noses, the same eye shape, the same jawlines, and similar lips. Regina's eyes are big, inquisitive, like an owl, but her eyes are a stormy grey shade━just like Annabeth.
"Regina," Percy says, sounding fond of the daughter of Minerva, "this is Annabeth. Annabeth, this is Regina, one of my best friends. And Hazel and Frank━also my best friends."
Annabeth doesn't look at the other two. Her gaze is captivated by Regina. She can't help but get the eerie feeling that her half-sister can read her every thought, feel her every emotion.
She somehow finds the strength to hold out her hand in welcome. "Hey," she says. "It's... nice to meet you, Regina."
Regina had been grinning when she was hugging Jason, but her face held no sign of that. She smiles politely, shaking her hand with a firm grip. "You, too," she says.
Regina captures Hazel's ━ the girl with the curly brown hair ━ gaze. Hazel had been frowning in Piper and Leo's direction as if she recognizes one of them and the memory is painful. Regina gently touches her wrist, whispering something to her, and Hazel smiles, eyes lighting up. Annabeth guesses the girls are close.
Meanwhile, Reyna is giving orders to her officers. "━tell the legion to stand down," she says. "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 elbows his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks━"
"We're not taking them into the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashes him a stern look. "We'll eat here━in the forum."
"Oh, much better," grumbles Octavian. He seems to be the only one who doesn't defer Reyna as his superior, which is a dumb idea in Annabeth's opinion. He's scrawny and pale, and Reyna looks like she could snap his neck in two seconds. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."
"These are our guests." Reyna clips off every word. "We will welcome them, and we will speak with them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."
"You know, that's an excellent idea, Reyna," says Percy.
"Yeah," Valentina puts in. "Go burn your teddy bears, Octavian."
Octavian's face turns red. Percy and Valentina share a discreet fist bump.
Reyna looks like she's trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."
The officers disperse. Octavian shoots Percy a look of absolute loathing, and Valentina waves her fingers tauntingly in goodbye. He gives Annabeth a suspicious once-over and stalks away.
Percy slips his hand into Annabeth's. "Don't worry about Octavian," he murmurs. "The Romans are good people━like my friends here." He motions to Hazel, Frank, Regina, Valentina, Romeo, and Reyna. "We'll be okay."
Annabeth feels as if someone has draped a cold washcloth on her neck. She hears the whispering laughter again as if the presence had followed her from the ship.
"We'll be okay," she repeats, trying to believe it.
"Excellent," says Reyna, her arm linked with Valentina. Annabeth can't help but be reminded of Aurelia and Drew, back at camp. A spiteful duo. She turns to Jason. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."
☆
and it's started!!!
i'm so excited for this book.
reyna and jason shared a small hug,
cause i wanted that to happen. i wanted
jason to have a nice reunion with all
his friends.
what did you think of everyone
meeting each other?
how do you think the duo that is
annabeth and regina are going to be like??
do you think they'll like each other right off the bat, or will there be some tension?
i'd love to hear your thoughts!!
thanks for reading!
word count: 4,715