"Wolf's blood?" Percy exclaimed incredulously.
Leo was dumbfounded by hearing Reyna's dream. Apparently, a day ago, when the hunters were camping near Nevada, Reyna got a dream from Lupa talking about the tacos filled with wolf's blood and her going to camp Jupiter because they are waiting for her.
"Well yeah, that's what Lupa told me in my dreams" Reyna sighed "Even though I'm a hunter now, I think Lupa could connect with me and my Roman aspect of me. That's why it became a bit easier to connect with me rather than my sisters of hunters"
"Yeah, it makes sense" Annabeth kept nodding; Leo was sure Annabeth was already mapping a solution to the problem. He would too if he knew what the Hades was going on.
"What did Lupa say?" Frank inquired patiently, though his face seemed exactly the opposite.
"Nothing, just wolf blood. Camp Jupiter, the quest is waiting for you. Then she bared her teeth as she found something amusing about the whole thing." Reyna sighed in frustration.
"Quest, yes, that's it! We need a quest!" Piper stood up suddenly and ran into the barracks to bring something.
A few minutes later, she was back dragging and begging the red-feathered harpy to speak to them.
----X----
"So, Ella, is there any prophecy regarding this lycanthrope?" Piper asked
"Lycanthrope, a delusion that one has become a wolf. Lycans have complete control over their transformation. Transformation is a general term for..."
"Ella, no. Lycanthrope, wolf's blood," Annabeth answered patiently.
Then she nodded quickly and glanced at Reyna. She started shaking wildly and started reciting
"Gather the allies and head to the east
Walk through the horde of the taco feast
Warn the people of God through the priest
You should seek wolf's blood from the beast
The curse can only be lifted by a Weast"
"Weast, Weast is a common..."
Hazel gently stopped Ella from ranting her ears off. They all looked at each other. That was a prophecy all right, Leo thought. Few lines are straight enough, like going to the east and making allies might be getting together with hunters and demigods. But other lines bounced off his head. Unless there's a big Mardi Gras party gonna happen at the Marietta Plaza, he sure as hell doesn't know what that means.
There's no point in contemplating things just between us. Let's gather all the senators and speak about it in the Senate room," Frank said.
In this case, Leo agreed with Frank. Leo has never been in the Senate room, but he has heard stories of how crazy the meeting would turn with each of their own tangents. The job was mostly done by Octavian, but now that he's not around, Leo wondered what drama would be unfolding before them in the Senate room.
----X-----
"Good evening, everyone. We're sorry to gather everyone on short notice," Frank started, but there was a huge commotion at the back. Seeing Reyna in hunter form made all the laeries restless. Leo could understand why though. Though every Roman descendant of Romans accepted the Greek gods and their effects, the Laeries were quite uncomfortable with the changes. Reyna just nodded to everyone and looked ahead.
"Are you nervous being in this room again?" Leo asked
"No, it's just new sitting on this side of the room. What are you thinking? I heard about it. How are you now?"
Leo just smiled. It's been a busy weekend but Leo couldn't stop thinking about Calypso. Wherever he goes whatever he does, he would think about Calypso, and what is she doing. It felt like a heavy punishment given by the gods for taking Calypso out of Ogygia without their permission. Why would they see calmly while Leo was running around in circles while he brought her out? And when finally, after having so many strange things happen to them, finally when Leo could be at peace with Calypso, they took her away from him. Was he cursed or what?
"it's going to be fine; I know a thing or two about love "Reyna smiled in a mellow way.
"How did you stay strong with everything going on? "Leo blurted out, then again "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be intruding"
"No that's fine, after I joined Hunters, I got a sense of what love really is."
"What? Having joined the hunters, you understand what love is?" Leo asked skeptically.
Reyna laughed and said "Every kind of love is love, Leo. Sisterly love, love for your patrons, and especially love for yourself. Self-love is the most meaningful thing in the world, probably more than the gods" There was a thunder that shook the building "geez sorry, but really if you learn to love and take care of yourself, nothing can make you this sad"
Leo was still skeptical of what Reyna said. He didn't believe there would be a time when he cannot be this sad. But he was happy that Reyna got a chance to live her life in her style. Leo was about to say the same to Reyna but the moment was ruined by the freshly turned lion sitting on the stage at this side of Hazel.
"Dude now is not the time to show off!" Leo shouted giving a fake embarrassed smile to everyone. While everyone was looking anywhere but Frank hiding their laughs, Hazel just face-palmed herself hard as a couple of diamonds popped out at her feet. Frank turned himself into a human again, glaring at his friends to shut them up from laughing.
"Well, what we need to do instead of gawking at Reyna or me is to find the solution to this problem and understand the meaning of this prophecy."
"We know what the first line is! Let's go to the east!"
"East where? Russia? With whom? Obviously, Reyna is a member of the quest but who are the other two?"
"And what does it mean taco fest?"
"Well," a timid hand raised from the crowd at the back
"Probatio Kayley Stinson, you better give a reason why I shouldn't punish you for being present during a meeting you shouldn't be in!" Hazel spoke calmly, but her tone was very dangerous. Leo was really surprised to hear her like that, like ... like a true daughter of Pluto.
"I heard from a fellow cohort that there's been a mention of taco fest" Kayley spoke clearly but with a hint of awe and possibly excitement.
"I haven't heard your explanation, Probatio Kayley Stinson" Hazel hurried.
"Well, a couple of days back when I was coming back from my mom's house I saw a flyer in Tulsa, mentioning a taco fest nearby"
There it was again, pin-drop silence. Though it was a very serious issue, Leo found it quite amusing to sit in a chaotic meeting and get information from the least expected places. For once, he enjoyed other people's misery so he could forget his own sad and pathetic existence.
"It might not be the same festival" a laeries mentioned doubtfully
"But Tulsa is indeed in the east" a senate countered.
"But the taco fest might not be that busy for a lycanthrope to attend"
"But the festival is attended by thousands of members every year, I really think this is the one" Kayley finished before anyone could argue.
"let's put that aside for a moment," Reyna raised her hands motioning everyone to stop as she walked to the front. Leo can see that she's a born leader, wherever she is, her aura is some kind of powerful thing, and no one can argue back with her. Leo really felt like jumping with glee when he saw a laree uncomfortably standing in a corner wanting to oppose Reyna's leadership but at the same time unable to do it.
"The first, second, and fourth line is obvious now, but who should we warn? And who is the priest? And what in the river Styx is a Weast?" Reyna rants off like a true hunter, or maybe she was a math teacher in her previous life, because with all those questions Leo is having a headache.
"About that..." another hand went up from the back. Exactly how many people came unwelcomed? Leo wondered with amusement as he turned back to see who it was. But no, he's not a gets crasher. He's Not that name Parker, Centurion of the fifth Cohort.
"You have something to say Centurion Jason Parker?" everyone flinched, hearing that name, even Hazel who spoke very cautiously.
Parker sighed and said "Please call Parker, I'm okay with it. And I think the last line, where it mentioned Weast. I think that's Probatio Louisa's surname"
Just as Parker finished saying, Hazel jumped as if an electric spark ran through her. "of course, I'm a dolt! How could I ever forget about that? I was in charge of her arrival! Centurion Ja... Centurion Parker, please bring Louisa"
"I'm here!" an excited hand went up, who is just behind not that name Parker, almost hiding behind his tall stature. Leo busts out laughing, seeing another gate crasher. Frank just glared at him until Leo composed himself and sat in a chair without laughing again. It took him 5 whole minutes to stop himself from falling down. Leo was surprised that no one found this funny because he sure as hell thought this was the funniest thing that happened in the past few days.
"Why are you here Probatio Louisa Weast?" Frank asked her warily
"I heard the lines too"
"Exactly how many people in the barracks know the lines?"
"Everyone knows. Everyone asked Ella, and Ella told them the lines" Ella informed dutifully. Everyone in the front row face palmed themselves, except Tyson, who is looking at Ella like she has won some big award.
"Thank you, Ella, for sharing the most important confidential information with everyone on the planet" Frank grumbled as Ella smiled.
"So that's the last line, you know a cure for something we don't know about it" Reyna spoke up, making everyone focus again. Louisa just shrugged
"But you're just a probatio" Reyna showed skepticism.
"Ah! That doesn't matter! Anyway, we're about to change her position this month's end, it'll be a bit early" Hazel spoke with impatience.
"I want another sister to travel with me so that quest could be complete" Reyna spoke almost as a decree just as Not that name Parker spoke up, "I think I should go!"
Reyna immediately rejected him. "No, that's not possible!"
"Why? Because my name is Jason? Or am I so undependable like your Jason?" Parker challenged.
"HE. IS. NOT. MY. JASON." Reyna spoke with such a force that all stepped back. Everyone was watching both of them like a tennis match, trying to guess who would speak next. But Reyna spoke up again just as Not that name Parker opened his mouth.
"Hunters do not travel with boys. Hazel, Piper, Annabeth, you could come with us, or you, what's your name? Kayley could come with us, anyone but you" Reyna spoke with so much emotion that Piper had to look another side, probably trying to save herself from an awkward situation.
"Hunters traveled with Percy Jackson!" Parker countered back
"That's different!"
"Please, let me come with you two, I really feel like I'm important somehow to the quest, I have this strong gut feeling in my... I promise I won't come in your way; all the chat will be only for the quest; I also know how to cook" Not that name Parker almost pleaded on his knees.
"Let him come, Reyna please" Louisa smiled and pleaded.
Reyna looked really conflicted with the pleading, Leo can see that she really doesn't want to take Not that Name Parker, but he can feel there was something real about his pleading, something urgent.
Finally, after what felt like a bajillion minutes, Reyna spoke up
"As per the rules of hunters, and with the personal restrictions that I have, I would rather not take you, Centurion Parker. Between me and Probatio Louisa Weast, we can handle everything"