𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 his eyes fluttered open. He remained curled on the plush, golden couch where he had fallen asleep. The couch opposite him was still wrinkled from Lea's sleep but the girl in question was nowhere to be seen. A warm silence was lying in the room, like the silence enveloping the sunrise scene in Pride and Prejudice.
Part of him contemplated staying there forever, but he wasn't sure Lea would approve. Eventually, he forced himself out of the deserted building and trudged his way back to the Fifth Cohort Barracks.
His roommates were rushing around, getting dressed and brushing their teeth. Dakota was wrapping himself in a long piece of red-speckled cloth—a toga. One of the Lares was giving him pointers on where to tuck and fold.
"Breakfast time?" Percy asked hopefully.
Frank's head popped out from the bunk below where he had first been sleeping. He had bags under his eyes like he hadn't slept well. "A quick breakfast. Then we've got the senate meeting."
Dakota's head was stuck in his toga. He staggered around like a Kool-Aid-stained ghost."Um," Percy said, "should I wear my bed sheets?"
Frank snorted. "That's just for the senators. There're ten of them, elected yearly. You've got to be at camp five years to qualify."
"Like Lea?"
"Bingo."
"So how come we're invited to the meeting?"
"Because... you know, the quest." Frank sounded worried like he was afraid Percy would back out. "We have to be in on the discussion, too. You, me, Hazel. I mean, if you're willing..." Frank probably didn't mean to guilt him, but Percy's heart felt pulled like taffy. How could Percy say no to that big pouty baby face?
Hazel and Frank were solid, dependable people. They'd accepted Percy like family. Still, he didn't like the idea of this quest, especially since it came from Mars, and especially after his dreams. "I, um... I'd better get ready...." He moved towards his bunk and got dressed.
The whole time, his thoughts were preoccupied by the night prior.
At breakfast, Percy was conscious of everyone looking at him. They were whispering about the previous night: "Two gods in one day..."
"Un-Roman fighting..."
"Water cannon up my nose..."
He was too hungry to care. He filled up on pancakes, eggs, bacon, waffles, apples, and several glasses of orange juice. He probably would have eaten more, but Reyna announced that the senate would now convene in the city, and all the folks in togas got up to leave. Despite counting every Senator, Percy couldn't see Lea. She was the only one missing.
"Here we go." Hazel fidgeted with a stone that looked like a two-carat ruby.
The ghost Vitellius appeared next to them in a purple shimmer. "Bona fortuna, you three! Ah, senate meetings. I remember the one when Caesar was assassinated. Why, the amount of blood on his toga—"
"Thanks, Vitellius," Frank interrupted. "We should get going."
Reyna and Octavian led the procession of senators out of camp, with Reyna's metal greyhounds dashing back and forth along the road. Hazel, Frank, and Percy trailed behind. Percy noticed Nico di Angelo in the group, wearing a black toga and talking with Gwen, who looked a little pale but surprisingly good considering she'd been dead the night before. Nico waved at Percy, then went back to his conversation, leaving Percy more sure than ever that Hazel's brother was trying to avoid him.
Dakota stumbled along in his red-speckled robe. A lot of other senators seemed to be having trouble with their togas, too—hiking up their hems, trying to keep the cloth from slipping off their shoulders.
Percy was glad he was wearing a regular purple T-shirt and jeans. "How could Romans move, in those things?" he wondered.
"They were just for formal occasions," Hazel said. "Like tuxedos. I bet the ancient Romans hated togas as much as we do."
The only Senator who seemed comfortable in their outfit was Lea. A glistening silver broach was pinned to her golden cloth. It held the fabric in such a way that she could move without restrictions. Percy blinked. He didn't remember seeing her approach the group. One moment she wasn't there, the next she was.
"Lea!" Frank waved enthusiastically, almost slapping Dakota in his red-stained face. "Oops, sorry."
The blonde girl smiled shyly as she reached them. The hunch in her shoulders made her embarrassment clear.
Percy scratched the skin under his ear. "You're the only one who looks good in their toga." He commented.
"What?" Frank's baby face whipped around to stare at Percy.
His eyes widened. "Good as in comfy. I meant you looked comfortable in it."
"I'd much rather be in a t-shirt and jeans, like you lot."
"If you want mine, just shout." Percy cringed hearing his words. "I'm gonna stop talking now."
Frank wedged his way between Percy and Lea. "Maybe, that's for the best."
Lea laughed, linking arms with Frank. Hushed whispers were exchanged between them. Lea's shoulders visibly relaxed.
Hazel nudged Percy. "By the way, you didn't bring any weapons, did you?"
Percy's hand went to his pocket, where his pen always stayed. "Why? Are we not supposed to?"
"No weapons allowed inside the Pomerian Line," she said.
"The what line?"
"Pomerian," Frank said. "The city limits. Inside is a sacred 'safe zone.' Legions can march through. No weapons allowed. That's so senate meetings don't get bloody."
"Like Julius Caesar getting assassinated?" Percy asked.
Frank nodded. "Don't worry. Nothing like that has happened in months." Percy hoped he was kidding.
"He hasn't been here months to tell you that." Lea corrected. "You'll just have to wait as see, Waterboy."
"I feel threatened."
"Good."
As they got closer to the city, Percy could appreciate how beautiful it was. The tiled roofs and gold domes gleamed in the sun. Gardens bloomed with honeysuckle and roses. The central plaza was paved in white and grey stone, and decorated with statues, fountains, and gilded columns. In the surrounding neighbourhoods, cobblestone streets were lined with freshly painted townhouses, shops, cafés, and parks. In the distance rose the coliseum and the horse racing arena.
Percy didn't notice they'd reached the city limits until the senators in front of him started slowing down. On the side of the road stood a white marble statue—a life-size muscular man with curly hair, no arms, and an irritated expression. Maybe he looked mad because he'd been carved only from the waist up.
Below that, he was just a big block of marble.
"Single file, please!" the statue said. "Have your IDs ready." Percy looked to his left and right. He hadn't noticed before, but a line of identical statues ringed the city at intervals of about a hundred yards. The senators passed through easily. The statue checked the tattoos on their forearms and called each senator by name. "Gwendolyn, senator, Fifth Cohort, yes. Nico di Angelo, ambassador of Pluto—very well. Reyna, praetor, of course. Hank, senator, Third Cohort—oh, nice shoes, Hank! Achillea, senator, First Cohort." There was a momentary pause as the statue stared at her ensemble. "Jason." He nodded. "Ah, who have we here?"
Hazel, Frank, and Percy were the last ones. "Terminus," Hazel said, "this is Percy Jackson. Percy, this is Terminus, the god of boundaries."
"New, eh?" said the god. "Yes, probatio tablet. Fine. Ah, weapon in your pocket? Take it out! Take it out!" Percy didn't know how Terminus could tell, but he took out his pen. "Quite dangerous," Terminus said. "Leave it in the tray. Wait, where's my assistant? Julia!"
A little girl about six years old peeked out from behind the base of the statue. She had pigtails, a pink dress, and an impish grin with two missing teeth.
Lea nudged her gently. This made the girl giggle. "Quick! Run!"
"Julia?" Terminus glanced behind him, and Julia scurried in the other direction. "Where did that girl go?" Terminus looked the other way and caught sight of Julia before she could hide. The little girl squealed with delight. "Oh, there you are," said the statue. "Front and centre. Bring the tray." Julia scrambled out and brushed off her dress. She picked up a tray and presented it to Percy. On it were several paring knives, a corkscrew, an oversized container of sun lotion, and a water bottle. "You can pick up your weapon on the way out," Terminus said. "Julia will take good care of it. She's a trained professional."
The little girl nodded. "Pro-fess-ion-al." She said each syllable carefully like she'd been practising.
She glanced back at Lea, who shot her a theatrical thumbs up. "Nailed it."
Percy glanced at Hazel and Frank, who didn't seem to find anything odd about this. Still, he wasn't wild about handing over a deadly weapon to a kid. "The thing is," he said, "the pen returns to my pocket automatically, so even if I give it up—"
"Not to worry," Terminus assured him. "We'll make sure it doesn't wander off. Won't we, Juila?"
"Yes, Mr. Terminus."
Reluctantly, Percy put his pen on the tray. "Now, a few rules, since you're new," Terminus said. "You are entering the boundaries of the city proper. Keep the peace inside the line. Yield to chariot traffic while walking on public roads. When you get to the Senate House, sit on the left-hand side. And, down there—do you see where I'm pointing?"
"Um," Percy said, "you don't have any hands."
Apparently, this was a sore point for Terminus. His marble face turned a dark shade of grey. "A smart aleck, eh? Well, Mr. Rule Flouter, right down there in the forum—Julia, point for me, please—" Julia dutifully set down the security tray and pointed toward the main plaza. "The shop with the blue awning," Terminus continued, "that's the general store. They sell tape measures. Buy one! I want those pants exactly one inch above the ankles and that hair regulation cut. And tuck your shirt in."
Hazel said, "Thank you, Terminus. We need to get going."
"Fine, fine, you may pass," the god said testily. "But stay on the right side of the road! And that rock right there—No, Hazel, look where I'm pointing. That rock is entirely too close to that tree. Move it two inches to the left." Hazel did what she was told, and they continued down the path, Terminus still shouting orders at them while Julia did cartwheels across the grass.
It took Lea a moment to convince herself that she couldn't stay and cartwheel with a six-year-old instead of going to the Senate meeting. She had to jog to catch up with the trio.
"Is he always like that?" Percy asked.
"No," Hazel admitted. "Today he was laid back. Usually, he's more obsessive/compulsive."
"He inhabits every boundary stone around the city," Frank said. "Kind of our last line of defence if the city's attacked."
"Terminus isn't so bad," Hazel added. "Just don't make him angry, or he'll force you to measure every blade of grass in the valley."
Percy filed that information. "And the kid? Julia?"
"Lost three teeth. One's a big tooth now." The daughter of Apollo added factually.
Hazel grinned. "Yeah, she's a cutie. Her parents live in the city. Come on. We'd better catch up to the senators."
As they approached the forum, Percy was struck by the sheer number of people. College-age kids were hanging out at the fountain. Several of them waved at the senators as they passed. No one waved at Lea, but their gazes followed her intently.
One guy in his late twenties stood at a bakery counter, flirting with a young woman who was buying coffee. An older couple was watching a little boy in diapers and a miniature Camp Jupiter shirt toddle after seagulls. Merchants were opening their shops for the day, putting out signs in Latin that advertised pottery, jewellery, and half-price tickets for the Hippodrome.
"All these people are demigods?" Percy asked.
"Or descended from demigods," Hazel said. "Like I told you, it's a good place to go to college or raise a family without worrying about monster attacks every day. Maybe two, or three hundred people live here? The veterans act as, like, advisers and reserve forces as needed, but mostly they're just citizens living their lives."
Percy imagined what that would be like to get an apartment in this tiny replica of Rome, protected by the legion and Terminus the OCD border god. He imagined holding hands with his girlfriend at a café like in the movies. Maybe when they were older, watching their own kid chase seagulls across the forum.
He shook the idea out of his head.
He couldn't afford to indulge in that kind of thinking. Camp Jupiter was in danger. If Juno was right, an attack was coming in less than five days. Percy imagined that sleeping woman's face—the face of Gaea—forming in the hills above camp. He imagined hordes of monsters descending into this valley. If you don't succeed, Mars had warned, there won't be any camp left to return to. Rome will be overrun, its legacy lost forever.
He thought about the little girl Julia, the families with kids, his new friends in the Fifth Cohort, and even those silly fauns. He didn't want to picture what might happen to them if this place was destroyed. Blinking hard, he tore his eyes away from the scenes around him. Lea was staring at him curiously like she could sense the pain in his mind.
The moment stretched on for hours. Every speck of colour in her eyes was burned into his brain. Percy was sure if his memory was wiped again, he still wouldn't be able to forget her eyes. It felt like time had come to a halt. Like he was tuck in a tub of jello and his only escape was the intense golden colour of her eyes.
Then, it ended. After only a second, Lea glanced away from him. She bid the demigods farewell before quickening her pace to catch up to the other senators.
The senators made their way to a big white-domed building on the west end of the forum.
Percy paused at the doorway, trying not to think about Julius Caesar getting slashed to death at a senate meeting or about the jello feeling in his body. Then he took a deep breath and followed Hazel and Frank inside.