An explosion almost knocked them overboard before Jason started talking with a statue called Terminus. Piper had tried to charmspeak him, but it didn't work because he was a god. And then he'd insulted Annabeth by insulting her mother.
But eventually, it was Annabeth who was able to calm the god that didn't want weapons on Roman soil and since the entire ship was a weapon, Annabeth said they'd stay right where they were and leave all their weapons on the ship and use a rope ladder to reach the forum.
And down on the ground while Percy watched some of his friends descend said rope ladder, his eyes were drawn to the figure that was climbing over the side of the ship. It was clearly a woman, and Percy just smiled as he watched her jump and the other Romans gasp as they watched a grapevine grow from the ground and the girl slide down it as she landed on her feet.
And she led the group of Greeks through the sea of hastily assembled demigods that parted for them as they walked through the forum, her indigo eyes darting across the crowd.
At the far end of the crowd, Cressida spotted Tyson the Cyclops and the hellhound pet she shared with Percy, 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.
Cressida couldn't help but smile as she waved back and blew him a kiss. She glanced at Annabeth and who was nervous but also in awe of the beautifully designed city.
In front of her, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armour 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, Annabeth would have singled her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armour. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.
Cressida met Reyna's gaze and she was unwavering as her friends fanned out beside her, people muttering about Jason. While Annabeth was analysing the look of forced courage that was holding back hopefulness, worry and fear, Cressida felt eyes on her again and her heart stopped as she turned.
Percy smiled at her—that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that had annoyed her for years but eventually had become endearing. His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as she remembered. His dark hair was swept to one side, like he'd just come from a walk on the beach. He looked even better than he had six months ago - tanner and taller, leaner and more muscular.
The butterflies in her stomach were on overdrive as it became difficult to breathe. She spent months looking for him and now she couldn't move. She was brought back to the moment she realised she loved him, the name of the ridiculously intense feelings she'd been feeling in the months he'd been gone making her stomach do somersaults.
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—"
Cressida couldn't take it anymore as her eyes shimmered like crystals as they welled with tears, and she started moving towards him.
Percy rushed toward her at the same time.
The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there.
And then suddenly she was in his arms in the hug that she'd needed for months. Her tears soaked his shoulder as he squeezed her tight as if he was afraid, she'd disappear.
"Took you long enough to find me," he joked, and she laughed into his shoulder as she cried, her whole body trembling.
"You didn't make it easy on me."
"Maybe that was on purpose to get back at you and all those times you kissed me to embarrass me."
That had Cressida pulling away, and yeah, it was a joke, but the last eight months had been absolutely hell on earth.
And Percy knew that. He knew she'd be angry and a whole other mix of emotions, so he figured that he should probably deal with the anger first before he got to properly appreciate the feeling of having her back in his arms.
So, he was expecting it when she stared at him, anger in her eyes as she said, "Well then this... is for disappearing for eight months."
And she knocked him to the ground as she punched him in the face.
Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!"
"And this," she continued before dropping to her knees and she finally kissed him.
And it felt like she was whole again. Her heart pieced itself back together as his kiss that tasted like saltwater which it normally did, told her everything that she needed to know. It was a kiss where nothing else mattered and they didn't care who watched, all they cared about was each other. "This is for coming back to me," she breathed as she pulled away, their foreheads pressed together as Percy braced himself on his forearms as he leaned up and gave her another troublemaker smile.
"I should go missing more often then," he joked, and her finger poked his chest.
"Don't you dare. If you ever leave me again... If kissing you is the price I have to pay to get you to stay then I'll pay it gladly."
"I'll take payment now please," he said, and she couldn't help but smile as she lowered her lips back down to his, his hand on her neck making her skin tingle.
Eventually, it was Annabeth clearing her throat that got them to pull apart as Cressida stood and helped him up as he hugged her again.
"I missed you. So much," she said, and he kissed her temple.
"I missed you too, Grape Girl."
And it was like something in her, some bubble of tension deflated at the sound of her nickname from his lips before he let her go, looking to where Annabeth stood with a glare on her face, and he sighed.
"Let's get this over with then," he said, and she smirked as Percy walked over to the daughter of Athena. "Hey, Wise Girl," he greeted, and Annabeth moved too fast for him to comprehend.
Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement as more Romans cried out, Reyna repeating her order to stand down. Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat.
"If you ever pull a vanishing act like that again," she warned. "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 before they hugged properly and then Percy was pulling Cressida back to his side, the two of them like puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly.
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 practising, then to 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 stupid friends like that," she promised, and Percy glared at her.
"Hey!"
"Don't act like it's not true," Cressida said from his side and he looked down at her, having grown even taller over the last few months. He narrowed his eyes at her before pecking her lips as if it was the worst punishment he could come up with.
"Pleased to meet you," Annabeth said as she held out her hand and Reyna clasped it firmly before Percy stepped forward, his hand on the small of Cressida's back.
"And Reyna, this is Cressida. Daughter of Bacchus," Percy introduced and Cressida gave Reyna one of those dazzling smiles that made him stumble on his words.
"Nice to meet you. Jason speaks highly of you," she greeted before shaking Reyna's hand firmly.
"And Percy speaks highly of you. Though he only remembered you a few hours ago," Reyna said but it was a fact and not an insult.
"I'm not surprised," Cressida said. "He's always been a bit forgetful."
"That's you, Cress," Percy smirked and she just waved him off before Reyna began speaking again.
"It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"
And as she gave out orders Percy came up behind her as he whispered in her ear. "I have some people that I want you to meet."
And she let him guide her over to where a boy and girl were waiting. 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.
"Cress, this is Frank and Hazel," Percy introduced. "They're friends. They were my companions on our quest."
"So, you mean they're the ones that carried your ass for the entire quest?" she teased.
"We're back together two minutes after being apart for eight months, and you're already insulting me?"
"I thought that's why you liked me?"
His heart twisted a little at the word like and he prayed to his father to gather the courage to tell her how he felt.
"It's nice to meet you guys," Cressida beamed as she shook their hands.
"Nice to meet you too," Hazel said but she seemed a little distracted.
"Yeah, it's nice to finally put a face to the girl Percy has been talking about for a week," Frank said and Cressida's grin grew.
"Oh, I think you and I need to have a long conversation about exactly what my boyfriend has gotten up to in the last week, Frank," she said before Percy wrapped his arms around her waist again.
"Ok, you already have enough material to make fun of me to last a lifetime," he said, and she just seemed so alive when he touched her. He did too, now that Frank was looking at him.
"I don't see the harm in having more," she said innocently, and Percy just squeezed her tighter as she laughed in his arms before turning to face him. "So, you remember then? You remember everything?"
"Some of the small things are still fuzzy. But if there's one thing I remember everything about it's this girl. She's got dark hair, the most gorgeous eyes and a mouth that both annoys me -" he kissed her - "and drives me crazy."
She bit her lips as her cheeks filled with blush her fingers trailing a path of fire on his skin as she dragged them down his jaw. "You've gotten better with words. And we should -"
"Talk. I know," he said. "But right now, I just want to enjoy the fact that I'm hugging my girlfriend who I haven't seen in over eight months."
"I can get behind that," she said as he hugged her, burying his face in her neck and the smell of grapes that he could get high on for the rest of his life.
"And Octavian," Reyna said, drawing Percy's attention as he looked over to a tall guy with stringy blond hair who was elbowing his way forward.
"You're letting these intruders into the camp?"
"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. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."
"Should I be -"
"Oh, Octavian is about as dangerous as the teddy bears on his belt," Percy assured Cressida. "He's the augur. Sort of a knockoff version of Rachel."
"He supposedly tells the future? He looks like that Captain America movie we watched. Like the before he turned into the superhero."
Percy laughed as he kissed her cheek. Damn, she was perfect. And damn, he'd missed her.
"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 as Cressida tried not to laugh. "You have my orders. Go." The officers dispersed.
Octavian shot Percy a look of absolute loathing. Then he gave Annabeth and Cressida a suspicious once-over and stalked away.
"Don't worry about him," Percy assured both girls. "Most of the Romans are good people. We'll be fine."
"We'll be fine," Annabeth repeated but it sounded like she didn't believe the words she said.
"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason, and Annabeth thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."