𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐑 Lea to hide. No one visited the medics during dinner, no one was even out of the mess hall. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for life.
Despite the lack of demigod fishers, they all definitely could eat for life. Dinnertime was practically sacred to the Legion. It was unheard of for a Legionnaire to skip meals because they were the only true time of relaxation and enjoyment with no expectations.
So, when the door to the Valetudinarian softly creaked open, Lea almost jumped out of her skin. Curled in the private medic quarter in the back, Lea held her breath. If she was quiet enough whoever had entered would leave again. At least, she hoped as much.
But Lea was never very lucky.
"Lea?" A distinct Canadian accent reached her ears. She let out her breath and frowned. "I brought you some yoghurt."
While Lea wasn't a doctor, it didn't take a genius to figure out why Frank chose yoghurt for her.
She knew she didn't have to reply. She knew she would see his buzzed-cut head peaking around her doorway any second.
It didn't take more than ten seconds for the cheerful face of Frank Zhang to appear in her room. The private medic quarters were hidden in the back corner of the Valetudinarian. They housed a bookshelf spanning the length of the room containing every medical book imaginable. The opposite wall was covered in photos, not just of Lea but a collection of photos from every single past medic. A large, slightly disorganised desk was tucked into the corner beside a meticulously organised filing cabinet. Two large golden couches circled a fluffy golden fluffy rug as the room's focal point. Lastly, in the farthest corner sat a bed donning golden sheets. The bed in question also contained Lea.
"I'm not really hungry, Frank."
The Asian boy took this as his invitation to enter the room, holding his own dinner plate in his grasp. "I know, but maybe later it can fuel your late-night research."
Two jars of yoghurt were placed on her bedside table. Lea stared at it before sighing. "Thank you." She took a small spoonful of the creamy food and swallowed. Immediately, Frank's eyes began to shine. A contagious smile broke across his face as Lea took a second dip into the yoghurt.
"This is way nicer than my room, no fair." A messy mop of black hair poked through the doorway for a mere second before being yanked backwards with a pained cry. "What was that for? It was a compliment."
Frank lowered his head in embarrassment. A thick flush coated his cheeks. "Sorry. I didn't want to leave them in the mess hall. I'll go now."
"Wait!" Lea held out a hand, stopping Frank before he could disappear out of the door. "You can stay if you want."
"Really?"
"Yeah, just... don't let them touch anything." Her amber eyes glanced at the photos on the wall. The ones closest to her contained two blonde kids, one with long, wavy hair, and one with a cropped military haircut.
Frank nodded. "Got it. Hazel? You can come in."
Two more demigods stumbled through the doorway, clutching dinner bowls and drinks against their chests. Lea smiled uncomfortably while Percy gave the room a once over. He nodded approvable. "Seriously, who do I need to... be friends with to get a place like this?"
"It's not mine." Lea flushed. "It's reserved for the medic on duty: which just normally happens to be me."
"Seriously, Lea is here day and night unless she has something to do with the Senate. She takes everyone's shifts when we're in downtime."
"Ah, so I need to befriend you then?" The son of Neptune settled himself into one of the golden couches, balancing his dinner on his knees.
Lea forced out a laugh, busying herself with eating her yoghurt so she didn't have to reply. Hazel took the seat next to him, so both demigods were sitting opposite Frank and diagonal from Lea who was still settled onto her bed.
"Lea?"
"Nope." The daughter of Apollo shook her head. "Frank, you can't have yoghurt."
"But it looks so tasty!" he whined.
"You're lactose intolerant."
Percy grinned. "Seriously?"
Frank's shoulders slumped. "And I love ice cream, too...."
Percy laughed. Hazel couldn't help joining in. This only made Frank sulk harder. Lea threw a granola bar in his direction, hitting him squarely in the chest. Frank shot her a sarcastic smile before picking at his food.
"Okay, so tell me," Percy said, "why is it bad to be in the Fifth Cohort? You guys are great."
The compliment made Hazel's face burn "It's... complicated. Aside from being Pluto's kid, I want to ride horses."
"That's why you use a cavalry sword?"
She nodded. "It's stupid, I guess. Wishful thinking. There's only one pegasus at camp—Reyna's. The unicorns are just kept for medicine because the shavings off their horns cure poison and stuff. Anyway, Roman fighting is always done on foot. Cavalry... they kind of look down on that. So they look down on me."
"Their loss," Percy said. "What about you, Frank?"
"Archery," he muttered. "They don't like that either unless you're a child of Apollo. Then you've got an excuse. I hope my dad is Apollo, but I don't know. I can't do poetry very well. And I'm not sure I want to be related to Octavian."
"Can't blame you," Percy grimaced.
"I'd like to be related to Lea." His comment was quiet enough that the blonde girl didn't hear him. She was more than content in picking at her yoghurt, she didn't even seem to be listening to the other demigods.
"But you're excellent with the bow—the way you pegged those gorgons? Forget what other people think." Percy complimented, glancing between Frank and Lea.
Frank's face turned as red as Dakota's Kool-Aid. "Wish I could. They all think I should be a sword fighter because I'm big and bulky." He looked down at his body like he couldn't quite believe it was his. "They say I'm too stocky for an archer. Maybe if my dad would ever claim me..."
"And even if he doesn't, it's not worth mourning him."
Lea's words seemed harsh to Percy, but Frank cracked a smile at them. "I know, I know. I'm more than my parents."
"You're Frank."
"I know. And you're Lea."
"They do this a lot," Hazel whispered to Percy, blowing on her gumbo. "It sounds a little weird but it helps."
Slowly, Percy nodded.
He could understand why Frank would need reassurance about his self-worth. He figured it was hard losing his only parent and having his father refuse to claim him. But Lea knew her dad. From the whispers he had heard, Apollo had escorted her to camp. His sea-green eyes stared at Lea. Every time he thought he understood something, she slipped it out of his grasp. Like catching smoke with bare hands. She was magnetic. Even if she didn't realize it, Percy was determined to figure her out.
They ate in silence for a few minutes. "You asked about the Fifth," Hazel said at last. "Why it's the worst cohort. That actually started way before us." She motioned to the direction they had come from with her head. "D'you remember the empty pole we raised?"
"The eagle," Percy said.
Hazel was stunned. "How'd you know?"
Percy shrugged. "Vitellius was talking about how the legion lost its eagle a long time ago—the first time, he said. He acted like it was a huge disgrace. I'm guessing that's what's missing. And from the way you and Reyna were talking earlier, I'm guessing your eagle got lost a second time, more recently, and it had something to do with the Fifth Cohort."
Lea made a mental note not to underestimate Percy. When he'd first arrived, she'd thought he was a little silly from his constant, incessant questioning. When she glanced up at him, he was already staring back at her. There was much more to the son of Neptune than met the eye.
"You're right," Lea said. "That's exactly what happened."
"So what is this eagle, anyway? Why is it a big deal?"
Frank ran a stressed hand over his face. "It's the symbol of the whole camp—a big eagle made of gold. It's supposed to protect us in battle and make our enemies afraid. Each legion's eagle gave it all sorts of power, and ours came from Jupiter himself. Supposedly Julius Caesar nicknamed our legion 'Fulminata'—armed with lightning—because of what the eagle could do."
"I don't like lightning," Percy said.
Frank shot a hasty look at Lea. Outwardly, she showed no change in demeanour, but her eyes were darting from side to side as she stared at her yoghurt.
"Yeah, well," Hazel said, "it didn't make us invincible. The Twelfth lost its eagle the first time way back in ancient days, during the Jewish Rebellion."
"I think I saw a movie like that," Percy said.
Hazel shrugged. "Could be. There have been lots of books and movies about legions losing their eagles. Unfortunately, it happened quite a few times. The eagle was so important... well, archaeologists have never recovered a single eagle from ancient Rome. Each legion guarded theirs to the last man because it was charged with power from the gods. They'd rather hide it or melt it down than surrender it to an enemy. The Twelfth was lucky the first time. We got our eagle back. But the second time..."
"You guys were there?" Percy asked.
They all shook their heads. "This was the eighties," Lea said, stirring her jar.
"I'm almost as new as you." Frank tapped his probatio plate. "Just got here last month. But everyone's heard the story. It's bad luck to even talk about this. There was this huge expedition to Alaska back in the eighties...."
"That prophecy you noticed in the temple," Hazel continued, "the one about the eight demigods and the Doors of Death? Our senior praetor at the time was Michael Varus, the Fifth Cohort. Back then the Fifth was the best in camp. He thought it would bring glory to the legion if he could figure out the prophecy and make it come true—save the world from storm and fire and all that. He talked to the Augur, and the Augur said the answer was in Alaska. But he warned Michael it wasn't time yet. The prophecy wasn't for him."
"But he went anyway," Percy guessed. "What happened?"
Frank's voice hardened. "Long, gruesome story. Almost the entire Fifth Cohort was wiped out. Most of the Legion's Imperial gold weapons were lost, along with the eagle. The survivors went crazy or refused to talk about what had attacked them."
"Since the eagle was lost," Lea continued, "the camp has been getting weaker. Our quests are more dangerous. Monsters attack the borders more often. Morale is lower. The last month or so, things have been getting much worse, much faster."
"And the Fifth Cohort took the blame," Percy guessed.
"So now everyone thinks we're cursed." Hazel realized her gumbo was cold. She sipped a spoonful, but the comfort food didn't taste very comforting. "We've been the outcasts of the legion since... well, since the Alaska disaster. Our reputation got better when Jason became praetor—"
"The kid who's missing?" Percy asked. A muscle twitched in Lea's neck. Interesting, Percy noted.
"Yeah," Frank said. "I never met him. Before my time. But I hear he was a good leader. He practically grew up in the Fifth Cohort. He didn't care what people thought about us. He started to rebuild our reputation. Then he disappeared."
"Which put us back at square one," Hazel said bitterly. "Made us look cursed all over again. I'm sorry, Percy. Now you know what you've gotten yourself into."
Percy sipped his blue soda and gazed thoughtfully at the wall. "I don't even know where I come from... but I've got a feeling this isn't the first time I've been an underdog." He focused on Hazel and managed a smile. "Besides, joining the legion is better than being chased through the wilderness by monsters. I've got myself some new friends. Maybe together we can turn things around for the Fifth Cohort, huh?"
A horn blew in the distance.
"What's that? Percy asked, finishing his food.
"War games," Lea muttered, almost falling off of her bed in her haste to collect her medic's gear.
"So we're the attacking team?" Percy asked over the noise. "Is that good?"
Hazel shrugged. "Good news: we get the elephant. Bad news—"
"Let me guess," said Percy. "The Fifth Cohort always loses."
Frank slapped Percy on the shoulder. "I love this guy. Come on, new friend. Let's go chalk up my thirteenth defeat in a row!"