โAnnabeth wished she had an appetite,ย because the Romans knew how to eat.โ
Sets of couches and low tables were carted into the forum until it resembled a furniture showroom. Romans lounged in groups of ten or twenty, talking and laughing while wind spiritsโauraeโswirled overhead, bringing an endless assortment of pizzas, sandwiches, chips, cold drinks, and fresh- baked cookies. Drifting through the crowd were purple ghostsโLaresโin togas and legionnaire armor. Around the edges of the feast, satyrs (no,ย fauns, Annabeth thought) trotted from table to table, panhandling for food and spare change. In the nearby fields, the war elephant frolicked with Mrs. OโLeary, and children played tag around the statues of Terminus that lined the city limits.
The whole scene was so familiar yet so completely alien that it gave Annabeth vertigo.
All she wanted to do was be with Percyโpreferably alone. She knew she would have to wait. If their quest was going to succeed, they needed these Romans, which meant getting to know them and building some goodwill.
Reyna and a few of her officers (including the blond kid Octavian, freshly back from burning a teddy bear for the gods) sat with Annabeth and her crew. Percy joined them with his two new friends, Frank and Hazel.
As a tornado of food platters settled onto the table, Percy leaned over and
whispered, โI want to show you around New Rome. Just you and me. The place is incredible.โ
Annabeth shouldโve felt thrilled.ย Just you and meย was exactly what she wanted. Instead, resentment swelled in her throat. How could Percy talk so enthusiastically about this place? What about Camp Half-Bloodโtheir camp, theirย home?
She tried not to stare at the new marks on Percyโs forearmโanย SPQRย tattoo like Jasonโs. At Camp Half-Blood, demigods got bead necklaces to commemorate years of training. Here, the Romans burned a tattoo into your flesh, as if to say:ย You belong to us. Permanently.
She swallowed back some biting comments. โOkay. Sure.โ โIโve been thinking,โ he said nervously. โI had this ideaโโ He stopped as Reyna called a toast to friendship.
After introductions all around, the Romans and Annabethโs crew began exchanging stories. Jason explained how heโd arrived at Camp Half-Blood without his memory, and how heโd gone on a quest with Piper and Leo to rescue the goddess Hera (or Juno, take your pickโshe was equally annoying in Greek or Roman) from imprisonment at the Wolf House in northern California.
โImpossible!โ Octavian broke in. โThatโs our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess thereโโ
โThey wouldโve destroyed her,โ Piper said. โAnd blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish.โ
Octavian opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Annabeth really loved Piperโs charmspeak. She noticed Reyna looking back and forth between Jason and Piper, her brow creased, as if just beginning to realize the two of them were a couple.
โSo,โ Jason continued, โthatโs how we found out about the earth goddess Gaea. Sheโs still half asleep, but sheโs the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House: he said he was retreating to the ancient landsโGreece itself. He plans on awakening Gaea and destroying the gods byโฆwhat did he call it?ย Pulling up their roots.โ
Percy nodded thoughtfully. โGaeaโs been busy over here, too. We had our
own encounter with Queen Dirt Face.โ
Percy recounted his side of the story. He talked about waking up at the Wolf House with no memories except for one nameโAnnabeth.
When she heard that, Annabeth had to try hard not to cry. Percy told them how heโd traveled to Alaska with Frank and Hazelโhow theyโd defeated the giant Alcyoneus, freed the death god Thanatos, and returned with the lost golden eagle standard of the Roman camp to repel an attack by the giantsโ army.
When Percy had finished, Jason whistled appreciatively. โNo wonder they made you praetor.โ
Octavian snorted. โWhich means we now haveย threeย praetors! The rules clearly state we can only have two!โ
โOn the bright side,โ Percy said, โboth Jasonย andย I outrank you, Octavian.
So we canย bothย tell you to shut up.โ
Octavian turned as purple as a Roman T-shirt. Jason gave Percy a fist bump.
Even Reyna managed a smile, though her eyes were stormy.
โWeโll have to figure out the extra praetor problem later,โ she said. โRight now we have more serious issues to deal with.โ
โIโll step aside for Jason,โ Percy said easily. โItโs no biggie.โ
โNoย biggie?โ Octavian choked. โThe praetorship of Rome isย no biggie?โ Percy ignored him and turned to Jason. โYouโre Thalia Graceโs brother,
huh? Wow. You guys look nothing alike.โ
โYeah, I noticed,โ Jason said. โAnyway, thanks for helping my camp while I was gone. You did an awesome job.โ
โBack at you,โ Percy said.
Annabeth kicked his shin. She hated to interrupt a budding bromance, but Reyna was right: they had serious things to discuss. โWe should talk about the Great Prophecy. It sounds like the Romans are aware of it too?โ
Reyna nodded. โWe call it the Prophecy of Seven. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?โ
โOf course,โ he said. โBut, Reynaโโ โRecite it, please. In English, not Latin.โ
Octavian sighed.ย โSeven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire
the world must fallโโ
โAn oath to keep with a final breath,โย Annabeth continued.ย โAnd foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.โ
Everyone stared at herโexcept for Leo, who had constructed a pinwheel out of aluminum foil taco wrappers and was sticking it into passing wind spirits.
Annabeth wasnโt sure why she had blurted out the lines of the prophecy.
Sheโd just felt compelled.
The big kid, Frank, sat forward, staring at her in fascination, as if sheโd grown a third eye. โIs it true youโre a child of MinโI mean, Athena?โ
โYes,โ she said, suddenly feeling defensive. โWhy is that such a surprise?โ Octavian scoffed. โIf youโre truly a child of theย wisdomย goddessโโ โEnough,โ Reyna snapped. โAnnabeth is what she says. Sheโs here in
peace. Besidesโฆโ She gave Annabeth a look of grudging respect. โPercy has spoken highly of you.โ
The undertones in Reynaโs voice took Annabeth a moment to decipher.
Percy looked down, suddenly interested in his cheeseburger.
Annabethโs face felt hot. Oh, godsโฆReyna had tried to make a move on Percy. That explained the tinge of bitterness, maybe even envy, in her words. Percy had turned her down for Annabeth.
At that moment, Annabeth forgave her ridiculous boyfriend for everything heโd ever done wrong. She wanted to throw her arms around him, but she commanded herself to stay cool.
โUh, thanks,โ she told Reyna. โAt any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. Foes bearing arms to the Doors of Deathโฆthat means Romans and Greeks. We have to combine forces to find those doors.โ
Hazel, the girl with the cavalry helmet and the long curly hair, picked up something next to her plate. It looked like a large ruby; but before Annabeth could be sure, Hazel slipped it into the pocket of her denim shirt.
โMy brother, Nico, went looking for the doors,โ she said. โWait,โ Annabeth said. โNico di Angelo? Heโs your brother?โ
Hazel nodded as if this were obvious. A dozen more questions crowded into Annabethโs head, but it was already spinning like Leoโs pinwheel. She decided to let the matter go. โOkay. You were saying?โ
โHe disappeared.โ Hazel moistened her lips. โIโm afraidโฆIโm not sure, but I think somethingโs happened to him.โ
โWeโll look for him,โ Percy promised. โWe have to find the Doors of Death anyway. Thanatos told us weโd find both answers in Romeโlike, theย originalย Rome. Thatโs on the way to Greece, right?โ
โThanatos told you this?โ Annabeth tried to wrap her mind aroundย that
idea. โThe death god?โ
Sheโd met many gods. Sheโd even been to the Underworld; but Percyโs story about freeing the incarnation of death itself really creeped her out.
Percy took a bite of his burger. โNow that Death is free, monsters will disintegrate and return to Tartarus again like they used to. But as long as the Doors of Death are open, theyโll just keep coming back.โ
Piper twisted the feather in her hair. โLike water leaking through a dam,โ she suggested.
โYeah.โ Percy smiled. โWeโve got a dam hole.โ โWhat?โ Piper asked.
โNothing,โ he said. โInside joke. The point is weโll have to find the doors and close them before we can head to Greece. Itโs the only way weโll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure theyย stayย defeated.โ
Reyna plucked an apple from a passing fruit tray. She turned it in her fingers, studying the dark red surface. โYou propose an expedition to Greece in your warship. You do realize that the ancient landsโand the Mare Nostrum
โare dangerous?โ
โMary who?โ Leo asked.
โMare Nostrum,โ Jason explained. โOur Sea.ย Itโs what the Ancient Romans called the Mediterranean.โ
Reyna nodded. โThe territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the gods. Itโs also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans and giantsโฆand worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America,ย thereย it would be ten times worse.โ
โYou said Alaska would be bad,โ Percy reminded her. โWe survived that.โ
Reyna shook her head. Her fingernails cut little crescents into the apple as she turned it. โPercy, traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. Itโs been off limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No
hero in his right mind would go there.โ
โThen weโre good!โ Leo grinned over the top of his pinwheel. โBecause weโre all crazy, right? Besides, theย Argo IIย is a top-of-the-line warship. Sheโll get us through.โ
โWeโll have to hurry,โ Jason added. โI donโt know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. Sheโs invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully.โ
Annabeth shuddered. Sheโd had her own share of nightmares lately.
โSeven half-bloods must answer the call,โย she said. โIt needs to be a mix from both our camps. Jason, Piper, Leo, and me. Thatโs four.โ
โAnd me,โ Percy said. โAlong with Hazel and Frank. Thatโs seven.โ โWhat?โ Octavian shot to his feet. โWeโre just supposed toย acceptย that?
Without a vote in the senate? Without a proper debate? Withoutโโ
โPercy!โ Tyson the Cyclops bounded toward them with Mrs. OโLeary at his heels. On the hellhoundโs back sat the skinniest harpy Annabeth had ever seenโa sickly-looking girl with stringy red hair, a sackcloth dress, and red- feathered wings.
Annabeth didnโt know where the harpy had come from, but her heart warmed to see Tyson in his tattered flannel and denim with the backwardย SPQRย banner across his chest. Sheโd had some pretty bad experiences with Cyclopes, but Tyson was a sweetheart. He was also Percyโs half brother (long story), which made him almost like family.
Tyson stopped by their couch and wrung his meaty hands. His big brown eye was full of concern. โElla is scared,โ he said.
โN-n-no more boats,โ the harpy muttered to herself, picking furiously at her feathers. โTitanic,ย Lusitania,ย Paxโฆboats are not for harpies.โ
Leo squinted. He looked at Hazel, who was seated next to him. โDid that chicken girl just compareย myย ship to theย Titanic?โ
โSheโs not a chicken.โ Hazel averted her eyes, as if Leo made her nervous. โEllaโs a harpy. Sheโs just a littleโฆhigh-strung.โ
โElla is pretty,โ Tyson said. โAnd scared. We need to take her away, but she will not go on the ship.โ
โNo ships,โ Ella repeated. She looked straight at Annabeth. โBad luck.
There she is. Wisdomโs daughter walks aloneโโ
โElla!โ Frank stood suddenly. โMaybe itโs not the best timeโโ
โThe Mark of Athena burns through Rome,โย Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and raising her voice.ย โTwins snuff out the angelโs breath, Who holds the key to endless death. Giantsโ bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail.โ
The effect was like someone dropping a flash grenade on the table. Everyone stared at the harpy. No one spoke. Annabethโs heart was pounding.ย The Mark of AthenaโฆShe resisted the urge to check her pocket, but she could feel the silver coin growing warmerโthe cursed gift from her mother.ย Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me.
Around them, the sounds of the feast continued, but muted and distant, as if their little cluster of couches had slipped into a quieter dimension.
Percy was the first to recover. He stood and took Tysonโs arm.
โI know!โ he said with feigned enthusiasm. โHow about you take Ella to get some fresh air? You and Mrs. OโLearyโโ
โHold on.โ Octavian gripped one of his teddy bears, strangling it with shaking hands. His eyes fixed on Ella. โWhat was that she said? It sounded likeโโ
โElla reads a lot,โ Frank blurted out. โWe found her at a library.โ โYes!โ Hazel said. โProbably just something she read in a book.โ โBooks,โ Ella muttered helpfully. โElla likes books.โ
Now that sheโd said her piece, the harpy seemed more relaxed. She sat cross-legged on Mrs. OโLearyโs back, preening her wings.
Annabeth gave Percy a curious glance. Obviously, he and Frank and Hazel were hiding something. Just as obviously, Ella had recited a prophecyโa prophecy that concernedย her.
Percyโs expression said,ย Help.
โThat was a prophecy,โ Octavian insisted. โIt sounded like a prophecy.โ No one answered.
Annabeth wasnโt exactly sure what was going on, but she understood that Percy was on the verge of big trouble.
She forced a laugh. โReally, Octavian? Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and
cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?โ
Her words had the intended effect. The Roman officers laughed nervously. Some sized up Ella, then looked at Octavian and snorted. The idea of a chicken lady issuing prophecies was apparently just as ridiculous to Romans as it was to Greeks.
โI, uhโฆโ Octavian dropped his teddy bear. โNo, butโโ
โSheโs just spouting lines from some book,โ Annabeth said, โlike Hazel suggested. Besides, we already have aย realย prophecy to worry about.โ
She turned to Tyson. โPercyโs right. Why donโt you take Ella and Mrs.
OโLeary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while. Is Ella okay with that?โ โโLarge dogs are good,โโ Ella said. โOld Yeller, 1957, screenplay by Fred
Gipson and William Tunberg.โ
Annabeth wasnโt sure how to take that answer, but Percy smiled like the problem was solved.
โGreat!โ Percy said. โWeโll Iris-message you guys when weโre done and catch up with you later.โ
The Romans looked at Reyna, waiting for her ruling. Annabeth held her breath.
Reyna had an excellent poker face. She studied Ella, but Annabeth couldnโt guess what she was thinking.
โFine,โ the praetor said at last. โGo.โ
โYay!โ Tyson went around the couches and gave everyone a big hugโ even Octavian, who didnโt look happy about it. Then he climbed on Mrs. OโLearyโs back with Ella, and the hellhound bounded out of the forum. They dove straight into a shadow on the Senate House wall and disappeared.
โWell.โ Reyna set down her uneaten apple. โOctavian is right about one thing. We must gain the senateโs approval before we let any of our legionnaires go on a questโespecially one as dangerous as youโre suggesting.โ
โThis whole thing smells of treachery,โ Octavian grumbled. โThat trireme is not a ship of peace!โ
โCome aboard, man,โ Leo offered. โIโll give you a tour. You can steer the boat, and if youโre really good Iโll give you a little paper captainโs hat to
wear.โ
Octavianโs nostrils flared. โHow dare youโโ
โItโs a good idea,โ Reyna said. โOctavian, go with him. See the ship. Weโll convene a senate meeting in one hour.โ
โButโฆโ Octavian stopped. Apparently he could tell from Reynaโs expression that further arguing would not be good for his health. โFine.โ
Leo got up. He turned to Annabeth, and his smile changed. It happened so quickly, Annabeth thought sheโd imagined it; but just for a moment someone else seemed to be standing in Leoโs place, smiling coldly with a cruel light in his eyes. Then Annabeth blinked, and Leo was just regular old Leo again, with his usual impish grin.
โBack soon,โ he promised. โThis is gonna be epic.โ
A horrible chill settled over her. As Leo and Octavian headed for the rope ladder, she thought about calling them backโbut how could she explain that? Tell everyone she was going crazy, seeing things and feeling cold?
The wind spirits began clearing the plates.
โUh, Reyna,โ Jason said, โif you donโt mind, Iโd like to show Piper around before the senate meeting. Sheโs never seen New Rome.โ
Reynaโs expression hardened.
Annabeth wondered how Jason could be so dense. Was it possible he really didnโt understand how much Reyna liked him? It was obvious enough to Annabeth. Asking to show his new girlfriend around Reynaโs city was rubbing salt in a wound.
โOf course,โ Reyna said coldly.
Percy took Annabethโs hand. โYeah, me, too. Iโd like to show Annabeth
โโ
โNo,โ Reyna snapped.
Percy knit his eyebrows. โSorry?โ
โIโd like a few words with Annabeth,โ Reyna said. โAlone. If you donโt mind, my fellow praetor.โ
Her tone made it clear she wasnโt really asking permission.
The chill spread down Annabethโs back. She wondered what Reyna was up to. Maybe the praetor didnโt like the idea ofย twoย guys who had rejected her giving their girlfriends tours of her city. Or maybe there was something she
wanted to say in private. Either way, Annabeth was reluctant to be alone and unarmed with the Roman leader.
โCome, daughter of Athena.โ Reyna rose from her couch. โWalk with me.โ