While Camp Jupiter slept, I walked by the banks of the Little Tiber. I had an incoming Iris- message in the next few minutes and knew that it would be better for everyone if I put as much distance between me and the barracks as possible.
No one else needed to hear the words coming my way.
Thankfully, there was enough light from the waning gibbous moon that when it came time to form a rainbow, it didn't take me long. I produced a drachma from my pocket and flicked it into the mist. "Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Bianca di Angelo."
Bianca didn't notice me at first. She'd been laughing at something Zoë had said, the daughter of Atlas visible on the fringes of the IM. Seeing their smiling faces made my heart twinge. Then Thalia came into view, and I fought the urge to swipe my hand through the IM.
No, I told myself, harshly digging my nails into my palms. She deserved to know the truth.
"Hi, girls," I said, taking a seat next to the Little Tiber. With the wave of my hand, the image readjusted itself to encompass the three Hunters at once.
"'Sup, bookworm," Thalia greeted.
"Something ails thee," Zoë said, ending any pleasantries before they could begin. "What's happened?"
"You three are alone, yes?" I asked.
Three heads nodded in unison.
"If I'm being completely honest, things aren't looking great. Yes, Thanatos has been freed, and Camp Jupiter is still standing, and the Argo II is on its way here-"
"That sounds like good news," Bianca interrupted. "Plus, I've heard that I have a half-sister to meet. What's so bad?"
"Luke Castellan is dead, and Nico is being held hostage by twin giants in Rome."
It became so silent that breathing was too loud. I watched the matching looks of shock and horror on Thalia and Bianca's faces. Zoë scowled and swore in Ancient Greek.
"How?" Thalia demanded. "How is it possible that Luke is...?"
I told her everything.
Then, I told Bianca about how Nico had ended up in Tartarus in the first place and how he'd become Otis and Ephialtes's prisoner. Her dark eyes glistened with unshed tears. Her bottom lip quivered.
Bianca's hand slipped into her parka, producing an all too familiar floppy green cap. She wrung it tightly in her hands, knuckles stark white against the olive colored fabric.
"You are nothing but trouble, Andromeda Collins!" Thalia screamed. Sparks flew from her fingers. Her face turned a shade of red that rivaled a firetruck. "How could you? You said you'd get him back! You said you'd get him back!"
I wanted to find the nearest hole to crawl into and indefinitely stay there.
I knew I had failed. I knew it was my fault Luke had died. Thalia didn't have to remind me. Then there was the issue of his lost soul, and I didn't know where to begin to resolve that issue.
"Thalia, thou and I both know-" Zoë began, trying to be the voice of reason.
"I don't care!"
The daughter of Zeus thundered away. A lightning bolt split a tree down the middle, causing Bianca and Zoë to flinch. They turned away from the IM for a moment, probably looking at Hunters who wanted to know what all the commotion was about.
"But Nico's still alive," Bianca said. She scrunched the cap once more. "I'd know if he died. That means he can be saved. Isn't that right?"
She stared at me with such intensity that I'm amazed I didn't spontaneously combust.
"We have a week to get him back," I explained. "Those twins will keep Nico alive long enough for the Seven to reach Rome."
"It'll take a week to reach Rome?"
Zoë nodded. "Considering who the seven demigods are, a week is generous. Monsters will flock to them. Not to mention, they must transverse the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a dangerous and arduous journey."
"I see." Bianca didn't seem happy about that. "Then you better get a move on. I want my brother back alive, Andy."
"You and me both," I sighed. "I'll keep you updated."
"Please do."
"As far as Thalia goes..."
"We will take care of her," Zoë said. She gave Bianca's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, managing a slight smile out of the daughter of Hades. "Given time, she should calm down. Do not take her words to heart."
That's when the IM timed out and the image vanished. I dropped the water back into the Little Tiber.
A deep hollowness settled into my chest as Thalia and Bianca's devastated expressions came to the forefront of my mind. Now I understood those people who thought they were a walking jinx. A small part of me couldn't help but think that most of my friends would've been better off never having met me. Maybe I should've stayed on the sidelines this whole time.
Get those thoughts out of here, girl, Clotho admonished. We threw you into the fray for a reason.
Loss comes with the territory of being in this, or any, world, Lachesis said.
The Zeus girl needs time to grieve the loss of her friend. You need time to grieve, too, Atropos added. Perhaps joining the Seven isn't the way to go about this.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" I asked, frustratedly yanking out a large chunk of grass. "Either I'm in the fray or I'm not. Either I interfere or I don't. What do you want from me?"
To take care of yourself, the Fates spoke in unison. You are not yet finished, girl. We still have much planned for you.
A strangled cry of desperation tore itself free from my throat. The Little Tiber exploded as the grass around me died all at once. I pressed my forehead against my knees and breathed heavily, apologizing to the nymphs and naiads under my breath.
I stayed there until the sun rose. I made sure to fix the grass I'd killed before heading to the Senate House with the others.
I silently stood beside Reyna and Percy for the length of the meeting. More than once, I saw my friends look at me with matching concerned expressions, especially after seeing how violently I'd fought yesterday. Even Vitellius had stopped me at one point to say that I looked like death warmed over.
Rich words coming from a Lar.
My toga and blue cloak were impeccable. I'd pulled my hair into the tightest braid I could manage. My omega tattoo with its seven lines was visible for all to see. My Camp Half-Blood necklace and charm bracelet (Terminus and I had an agreement about my bracelet) hung in their proper places. I'd even gone through the process of altering my appearance to look normal.
If Vitellius could see through that, I was in trouble.
I didn't speak until it came time for Percy to vouch for the safety of those aboard the Argo II. When Octavian became too snippy for my liking, I had a vine wrap around his mouth while another tied him to his chair.
"Andy," Reyna warned.
"I'm not releasing him. He and I have had our conversations about proper Senate behavior before."
Mollified, Reyna continued, ignoring Octavian's indignant cries. Of course, I released him at the end of the meeting, much to everyone's chagrin.
"You may be an ambassador of Olympus," Octavian growled, angrily yanking at the blue cloak draped over my shoulders, "but you have crossed the line too many times."
I mirthlessly laughed. "At least I've never stooped so low as to murder a fellow centurion. How is Gwen, by the way?"
Octavian blanched. "I resent the accusation."
"And I resent you. Oh, and if you ever lay another hand on me without my explicit permission, I will remove it."
Knowing better than to stay, Octavian turned on his heel and marched off, aggressively squeezing the head of some stuffed bear he'd had near his waist.
While other legionnaires, centurions, and senators milled about the Senate House, I headed for the forum. The sun did nothing to defrost the ice that had settled in my veins. Maybe this was Apollo's subtle way of showing that he was still mad. Granted, I hadn't gotten around to making amends with him yet...
I shoved thoughts of the sun god out of my head. The others would be arriving soon. I needed to focus more on preventing a full-blown civil war thanks to some pesky eidolons. I'd placed some protection enchantments on the Argo II, but eidolons are wily creatures. I'd have to take a slightly more direct approach when it came to them.
Hopefully, the boys would forgive me for what I had to do. Removing eidolons from a person before they've reared their heads isn't the nicest of processes.
The shadow of the Argo II loomed over the Forum two hours later.
It didn't take more than five seconds before Terminus poofed himself onto the ship. I could hear him yelling at Annabeth and Leo from the ground.
I made it onto the deck in time to hear Terminus scream, "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"
"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I know you didn't do that."
"Let's all calm down," Annabeth said. She raised her hands to show that she had no weapons. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of-"
"Oh, I know who you are!" The statue glared at her with its blank white eyes. "A child of Athena, Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for that goddess."
Annabeth clenched her jaw. "What exactly do-"
"Now, Terminus, is that any way to welcome our guests?" I said, placing a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. She stared at me in bewilderment. I guess she hadn't seen me.
"Guests?" Terminus seethed. "You would call these, these graecus scum guests? They show up in a weapon of mass destruction, and you dare call them guests?!"
"I'm Greek, Terminus."
The statue's marble jaw would've dropped to the floor if that was physically possible. He vanished in a cloud of smoke and reappeared next to my ear, yelling such obscenities in Latin that caused Jason's ears to go red.
"Are you done?" I asked, pushing Terminus's torso away. "Greek or not, I'm still the Olympian ambassador. If I tell you to let my friends into New Rome, you must."
Terminus harrumphed. He would've crossed his arms if he had any. "This ship is not allowed to land within the Pomerian Line!"
"The what?" Piper asked.
"City limits," Jason translated.
"This entire ship is a weapon! You cannot land!" Terminus yelled.
Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. I watched Annabeth scan the faces in the crowd, her eyes widening when she saw Percy.
Taking that as my cue to leave, I shadow-traveled to the legionnaires and wrapped my arm over Hazel's shoulders, turning a three-person chain into four. Hazel, to her credit, didn't jump at my sudden appearance and merely smiled. I could feel the overwhelming happiness rolling off Percy in waves.
"She's up there, huh?" Percy dreamily asked.
"Yup! She's outsmarting Terminus at the moment, but they should be down soon," I confirmed.
"Outsmarting Terminus?" Frank asked.
"Easily. She is a daughter of the goddess of wisdom."
"It's still weird to think of Minerva...err, Athena," Hazel corrected herself, "having children. It doesn't make sense to me since Minerva's a Vestal virgin."
"I'll explain it to you later," I laughed. Hazel became flustered. I laughed harder. "Believe me, it's not anything that you're thinking of at the moment. Athena is a little...classier than other goddesses."
"Complicated," Percy coughed into his hand, looking perfectly innocent when I rolled my eyes.
Frank and Hazel looked scandalized. They looked to the sky as if waiting for a tornado of owls to come and eat Percy alive. On the other hand, Percy beamed at the prospect of having pissed off the wisdom goddess.
I really needed to start keeping track of which gods wanted Percy's head on a silver platter from moment to moment.
The rope ladder came tumbling down a few seconds later. One by one, the demigods aboard the Argo II climbed down. I almost felt bad for Jason – doing anything that required coordinating your legs with a toga and cloak on was a pain – but remembered that he could either fly or I'd catch him in the worst case scenario. My heart plummeted when Leo got onto the rope ladder and decided to slide down the rope as if it was metal.
By the time he'd reached the ground, I'd already had a water bottle at the ready. He violently swore in Spanish and shook his hands, complaining about the major rope burn he'd managed to give himself.
"Being fireproof doesn't protect you from all types of burns," I said, taking his hands into mine. I wrapped the water over his skin until the red, angry markings completely faded.
"Point made." He rubbed his hands together. "So, this is Camp Jupiter, huh?"
"Yup."
Leo nodded. "Now, where's this Octavian fellow that I'm not supposed to let onto my spanking hot war machine?"
"You'll meet him soon enough. Please, for the sake of peace, don't light him on fire."
"Sounds like a charmer, that one."
"You don't know the half of it."
Annabeth walked further into the forum. The others followed along. Meanwhile, the legionnaires parted like the Red Sea, creating a space for Reyna to walk. Percy, Hazel, and Frank flanked her.
I could tell the moment Annabeth found Percy. She stopped dead in her tracks, too stunned to move. He smiled at her – that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that had annoyed Annabeth for years but eventually had become endearing. Once again, keeping my inner fangirl calm took all my strength. Instead of squealing, I smiled.
Reyna straightened her posture as she approached the line of newcomers. I walked back to Reyna's side, hoping that my support brought her some ounce of comfort. She reluctantly 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 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 everyone watching could tell that nothing else mattered to them. An asteroid could've wiped out all life on Earth, and they wouldn't have cared.
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. Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!"
Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pressed her forearm against his throat.
"If you ever leave me again," she said, her eyes shining, "I swear to all the gods-"
Percy had the nerve to laugh. "Consider me warned. I missed you, too."
Annabeth rose and helped him to his feet.
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 Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign.
"And this is Annabeth," Jason said. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."
I could sense Reyna's amusement. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or Amazon?"
Annabeth smiled and 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!"
Ten campers, including Hazel and Frank, moved forward. Annabeth's gaze settled onto Hazel, her brows furrowing as she tried to get a read on them. It didn't help matters that Hazel kept glancing at Leo, concerning Annabeth.
Meanwhile, Reyna gave orders to her officers. "Andy, 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?" Octavian elbowed his way forward, making a point of harshly digging his elbow into my side as he neared Reyna. I curled my hands into fists. I'd deal with him later. "Reyna, the security risks-"
"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian" Reyna shot him a stern look. Apparently, she'd seen what he'd done. "We'll eat here, in the forum."
"Oh, much better," Octavian grumbled. The three teddy bears at his waist shook with his displeasure. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."
"These are our guests, who are under Andy's protection." 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 your orders. Go."
Octavian, Dakota, and I walked away. Dakota ran ahead, giddily laughing and saying something about trying to bribe the kitchen spirits into serving Kool-Aid, leaving Octavian and me alone.
"The gods made a mistake placing you here," Octavian said. "You will bring nothing but death and destruction to Camp Jupiter. The world will end and you will be its harbinger."
"Is that what your stuffing's shown you?"
"Do not mock my auguries. My powers of prophecy supersede yours."
I merely raised my eyebrows. "You better hope that's the case, because I've seen your future, and it's not a pleasant one, Octavian."
"You don't even have the power of prophecy!"
"Are you sure about that?"
Octavian indignantly spluttered. I stopped walking and pulled water from the air to create a floating orb. I moved my hands around the water like a stereotypic mortal psychic and closed my eyes.
"I see upcoming battles," I said, listening to Octavian's breathing run ragged. "I see the Earth rioting, the undead flooding the world of the living. I see fire and earthquakes and floods. And I see you, Octavian, leading your comrades to their deaths."
Octavian swiped his hands through the water. He grabbed my shoulders and pinned me against the nearest building. He placed his face close enough to mine that I could feel his breath on my lips. His ice blue eyes bore holes into my skull.
"I am not a murderer," Octavian seethed. "I will bring Rome into a new golden era! I will kill those Greeks and Rome shall reign supreme!"
"You are not worthy of being a legacy of Apollo," I whispered.
That was the final straw.
Octavian tried to punch my face. Having seen him tense, I slowed time and moved out of the way. He ended up punching the building, howling curses at me as he cradled his hand. He tried lashing out a few more times, only for me to continue dodging him. Also, he wasn't gaining any points with other legionnaires as his screams drew their attention.
"I hate you, daughter of Saturn! One day, I will kill you with my bare hands!"
"Get in line."
When Octavian made a final mad dash to attack me from behind, I took a page from Annabeth's book. I grabbed his wrist and flipped him over my shoulder. I left Octavian on the pavement, struggling to regain his breath, and went to tell the rest of the legion to stand down as I'd been ordered to do.
I readjusted my cloak and continued on my way.
0o0o
During our meal, legionnaires wouldn't stop looking at me. Word had spread about my fight with Octavian at speeds that could make Arion jealous. Even Reyna had caught wind of what had transpired earlier and gave me a look as if to say, "Thank you for putting that punk in his place."
If I'm being completely honest, I didn't pay attention to most of the things said. Maybe the day's events were finally catching up to me, or I had reached a level of indifference that I didn't know was humanly possible, but I sat there, aimlessly staring into my glass of water as conversations continued around me.
I'd been about to say something when an excruciating pain exploded in my head. It was strong enough that I cried out loud, dropping my glass to clutch at my head. Flashes of a dark cavern danced in my vision. The scent of sulfur and dirt flooded my nose. The air turned dry and dusty, making it harder to breathe.
Excruciating wasn't a strong enough word to describe what I felt. I'd suffered from migraines as a result of conversing with the Fates and other people in my mind for years. I've gotten a handful of concussions and been whacked upside the head more times than I cared to admit.
This was worse than all of those combined.
I fell out of my chair and curled into a ball, vaguely aware of the sound of my screaming. I could feel a pair of hands on my back and another on my arms.
Things took a turn for the worst when the pain came to an utter crescendo. I swear, I must've astral projected at this point, because my spine went stiff straight as I abruptly sat up. My skin glowed green.
"Wisdom's daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns through Rome." The words ripped themselves from my throat, sounding like nails against a chalkboard. "A child of the eldest gods shall turn sixteen against all odds. Death loses its hold. Bellona's daughter. Apollo faces death. The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. The son of Poseidon shall drown. To storm or fire the world must fall. And fail to save what matters most in the end."
Other visions slammed into my mind, memories that weren't mine.
"My son, not his fate!" I yelled, being sucked into the memory of May Castellan. Next thing I know, I'm crash landing into a dumpster at terminal velocity. "YOUR FAULT. YOUR PUNISHMENT."
Just when I thought my head would burst like one of Gallagher's watermelons, everything stopped – the pain, the glowing, everything.
I violently swore as I got to my feet. What the literal Hades was that nonsense? I get that Python had reclaimed Delphi and the other Oracles by now, but that did little to explain why I got hijacked the same way I've seen Apollo hijacked by his prophetic powers so many times before.
Ugh, serves me right for blabbing about prophetic powers to Octavian.
"Andy, what the hell just happened?" Percy demanded, eyes wide with fear.
Annabeth had turned deathly pale. Jason, Piper, and Leo weren't much better off. Reyna managed to hide her emotions, but the hard set of her jaw told me that she didn't appreciate being singled out by me.
I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck. "I-I don't know what happened. That's never happened before."
Reyna frowned. "I'd like to try something if you'd allow it."
"Go for it."
"What will happen in Rome in the next seven days?"
It was like a sucker punch to the gut.
"Wisdom's daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns through Rome. Twins snuff out the thieving angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death. Giants bane stands gold a pale, won through pain from a woven jail."
If Octavian were a cartoon character, steam would've poured from his ears. His expression was downright murderous. His face had turned a shade of purple that rivaled a praetor's cloak. He made a big show of shoving his way through the crowd and out of the forum with some of his lackeys behind him.
"A prophecy," Hazel said, face grim. "And not a good one, it seems."
"Has there ever been a good prophecy?" Percy said.
"There's one other order of business we need to take care of," I said, coughing to expel the last of the nasty green smoke from my lungs. Seriously, how did Rachel put up with this? "There are eidolons present, and they want to start a civil war."
~~~~~~~~
Sorry for my long absence.
Lots of crazy stuff happened in my life over the past few months. Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. Love you guys <3