โAnnabeth wanted to hate New Rome.ย But as an aspiring architect, she couldnโt help admiring the terraced gardens, the fountains and temples, the winding cobblestone streets and gleaming white villas. After the Titan War last summer, sheโd gotten her dream job of redesigning the palaces of Mount Olympus. Now, walking through this miniature city, she kept thinking,ย I should have made a dome like that. I love the way those columns lead into that courtyard.ย Whoever designed New Rome had clearly poured a lot of time and love into the project.โ
โWe have the best architects and builders in the world,โ Reyna said, as if reading her thoughts. โRome always did, in the ancient times. Many demigods stay on to live here after their time in the legion. They go to our university. They settle down to raise families. Percy seemed interested in this fact.โ
Annabeth wondered whatย thatย meant. She must have scowled more fiercely than she realized, because Reyna laughed.
โYouโre a warrior, all right,โ the praetor said. โYouโve got fire in your eyes.โ
โSorry.โ Annabeth tried to tone down the glare. โDonโt be. Iโm the daughter of Bellona.โ โRoman goddess of war?โ
Reyna nodded. She turned and whistled like she was hailing a cab. A
moment later, two metal dogs raced toward themโautomaton greyhounds, one silver and one gold. They brushed against Reynaโs legs and regarded Annabeth with glistening ruby eyes.
โMy pets,โ Reyna explained. โAurum and Argentum. You donโt mind if they walk with us?โ
Again, Annabeth got the feeling it wasnโt really a request. She noted that the greyhounds had teeth like steel arrowheads. Maybe weapons werenโt allowed inside the city, but Reynaโs pets could still tear her to pieces if they chose.
Reyna led her to an outdoor cafรฉ, where the waiter clearly knew her. He smiled and handed her a to-go cup, then offered one to Annabeth.
โWould you like some?โ Reyna asked. โThey make wonderful hot chocolate. Not really a Roman drinkโโ
โBut chocolate is universal,โ Annabeth said. โExactly.โ
It was a warm June afternoon, but Annabeth accepted the cup with thanks.
The two of them walked on, Reynaโs gold and silver dogs roaming nearby. โIn our camp,โ Reyna said, โAthena is Minerva. Are you familiar with
how her Roman form is different?โ
Annabeth hadnโt really considered it before. She remembered the way Terminus had called Athenaย thatย goddess, as if she were scandalous. Octavian had acted like Annabethโs very existence was an insult.
โI take it Minerva isnโtโฆuh, quite as respected here?โ
Reyna blew steam from her cup. โWeย respectย Minerva. Sheโs the goddess of crafts and wisdomโฆbut she isnโt really a goddess of war. Not for Romans. Sheโs also a maiden goddess, like Dianaโฆthe one you call Artemis. You wonโt find any children of Minerva here. The idea that Minerva wouldย haveย childrenโfrankly, itโs a little shocking to us.โ
โOh.โ Annabeth felt her face flush. She didnโt want to get into the details of Athenaโs childrenโhow they were born straight from the mind of the goddess, just as Athena herself had sprung from the head of Zeus. Talking about that always made Annabeth feel self-conscious, like she was some sort of freak. People usually asked her whether or not she had a belly button, since she had been born magically.ย Of courseย she had a belly button. She couldnโt
explain how. She didnโt really want to know.
โI understand that you Greeks donโt see things the same way,โ Reyna continued. โBut Romans take vows of maidenhood very seriously. The Vestal Virgins, for instanceโฆif they broke their vows and fell in love with anyone, they would be buried alive. So the idea that a maiden goddess would have childrenโโ
โGot it.โ Annabethโs hot chocolate suddenly tasted like dust. No wonder the Romans had been giving her strange looks. โIโm not supposed to exist. And even if your campย hadย children of Minervaโโ
โThey wouldnโt be like you,โ Reyna said. โThey might be craftsmen, artists, maybe advisers, but not warriors. Not leaders of dangerous quests.โ
Annabeth started to object that she wasnโt the leader of the quest. Not officially. But she wondered if her friends on theย Argo IIย would agree. The past few days, they had been looking to her for ordersโeven Jason, who could have pulled rank as the son of Jupiter, and Coach Hedge, who didnโt take orders from anyone.
โThereโs more.โ Reyna snapped her fingers, and her golden dog, Aurum, trotted over. The praetor stroked his ears. โThe harpy Ellaโฆitย wasย a prophecy she spoke. We both know that, donโt we?โ
Annabeth swallowed. Something about Aurumโs ruby eyes made her uneasy. She had heard that dogs could smell fear, even detect changes in a humanโs breathing and heartbeat. She didnโt know if that applied to magical metal dogs, but she decided it would be better to tell the truth.
โIt sounded like a prophecy,โ she admitted. โBut Iโve never met Ella before today, and Iโve never heard those lines exactly.โ
โI have,โ Reyna murmured. โAt least some of themโโ
A few yards away, the silver dog barked. A group of children spilled out of a nearby alleyway and gathered around Argentum, petting the dog and laughing, unfazed by its razor-sharp teeth.
โWe should move on,โ Reyna said.
They wound their way up the hill. The greyhounds followed, leaving the children behind. Annabeth kept glancing at Reynaโs face. A vague memory started tugging at herโthe way Reyna brushed her hair behind her ear, the silver ring she wore with the torch and sword design.
โWeโve met before,โ Annabeth ventured. โYou were younger, I think.โ
Reyna gave her a dry smile. โVery good. Percy didnโt remember me. Of course you spoke mostly with my older sister Hylla, who is now queen of the Amazons. She left just this morning, before you arrived. At any rate, when we last met, I was a mere handmaiden in the house of Circe.โ
โCirceโฆโ Annabeth remembered her trip to the island of the sorceress. Sheโd been thirteen. Percy and she had washed ashore from the Sea of Monsters. Hylla had welcomed them. She had helped Annabeth get cleaned up and given her a beautiful new dress and a complete makeover. Then Circe had made her sales pitch: if Annabeth stayed on the island, she could have magical training and incredible power. Annabeth had been tempted, maybe just a little, until she realized the place was a trap, and Percy had been turned into a rodent. (That last part seemed funny afterward; but at the time, it had been terrifying.) As for Reynaโฆsheโd been one of the servants who had combed Annabethโs hair.
โYouโฆโ Annabeth said in amazement. โAnd Hylla is queen of the Amazons? How did you twoโ?โ
โLong story,โ Reyna said. โBut I remember you well. You were brave. Iโd never seen anyone refuse Circeโs hospitality, much less outwit her. Itโs no wonder Percy cares for you.โ
Her voice was wistful. Annabeth thought it might be safer not to respond.
They reached the top of the hill, where a terrace overlooked the entire valley.
โThis is my favorite spot,โ Reyna said. โThe Garden of Bacchus.โ
Grapevine trellises made a canopy overhead. Bees buzzed through honeysuckle and jasmine, which filled the afternoon air with a dizzying mix of perfumes. In the middle of the terrace stood a statue of Bacchus in a sort of ballet position, wearing nothing but a loincloth, his cheeks puffed out and lips pursed, spouting water into a fountain.
Despite her worries, Annabeth almost laughed. She knew the god in his Greek form, Dionysusโor Mr. D, as they called him back at Camp Half- Blood. Seeing their cranky old camp director immortalized in stone, wearing a diaper and spewing water from his mouth, made her feel a little better.
Reyna stopped at the edge of the terrace. The view was worth the climb.
The whole city spread out below them like a 3-D mosaic. To the south, beyond the lake, a cluster of temples perched on a hill. To the north, an aqueduct marched toward the Berkeley Hills. Work crews were repairing a broken section, probably damaged in the recent battle.
โI wanted to hear it from you,โ Reyna said. Annabeth turned. โHearย whatย from me?โ
โThe truth,โ Reyna said. โConvince me that Iโm not making a mistake by trusting you. Tell me about yourself. Tell me about Camp Half-Blood. Your friend Piper has sorcery in her words. I spent enough time with Circe to know charmspeak when I hear it. I canโt trust what she says. And Jasonโฆwell, he has changed. He seems distant, no longer quite Roman.โ
The hurt in her voice was as sharp as broken glass. Annabeth wondered ifย sheย had sounded that way, all the months sheโd spent searching for Percy. At least sheโd found her boyfriend. Reyna had no one. She was responsible for running an entire camp all by herself. Annabeth could sense that Reyna wanted Jason to love her. But he had disappeared, only to come back with a new girlfriend. Meanwhile, Percy had risen to praetor, but he had rebuffed Reyna too. Now Annabeth had come to take him away. Reyna would be left alone again, shouldering a job meant for two people.
When Annabeth had arrived at Camp Jupiter, sheโd been prepared to negotiate with Reyna or even fight her if needed. She hadnโt been prepared to feel sorry for her.
She kept that feeling hidden. Reyna didnโt strike her as someone who would appreciate pity.
Instead, she told Reyna about her own life. She talked about her dad and stepmom and her two stepbrothers in San Francisco, and how she had felt like an outsider in her own family. She talked about how she had run away when she was only seven, finding her friends Luke and Thalia and making her way to Camp Half-Blood on Long Island. She described the camp and her years growing up there. She talked about meeting Percy and the adventures theyโd had together.
Reyna was a good listener.
Annabeth was tempted to tell her about more recent problems: her fight with her mom, the gift of the silver coin, and the nightmares sheโd been
havingโabout an old fear so paralyzing, sheโd almost decided that she couldnโt go on this quest. But she couldnโt bring herself to open up quite that much.
When Annabeth was done talking, Reyna gazed over New Rome. Her metal greyhounds sniffed around the garden, snapping at bees in the honeysuckle. Finally Reyna pointed to the cluster of temples on the distant hill.
โThe small red building,โ she said, โthere on the northern side? Thatโs the temple of my mother, Bellona.โ Reyna turned toward Annabeth. โUnlike your mother, Bellona has no Greek equivalent. She is fully, truly Roman. Sheโs the goddess of protecting the homeland.โ
Annabeth said nothing. She knew very little about the Roman goddess. She wished she had studied up, but Latin never came as easily to her as Greek. Down below, the hull of theย Argo IIย gleamed as it floated over the forum, like some massive bronze party balloon.
โWhen the Romans go to war,โ Reyna continued, โwe first visit the Temple of Bellona. Inside is a symbolic patch of ground that represents enemy soil. We throw a spear into that ground, indicating that we are now at war. You see, Romans have always believed that offense is the best defense. In ancient times, whenever our ancestors felt threatened by their neighbors, they would invade to protect themselves.โ
โThey conquered everyone around them,โ Annabeth said. โCarthage, the Gaulsโโ
โAnd the Greeks.โ Reyna let that comment hang. โMy point, Annabeth, is that it isnโt Romeโs nature to cooperate with other powers. Every time Greek and Roman demigods have met, weโve fought. Conflicts between our two sides have started some of the most horrible wars in human historyโ especially civil wars.โ
โIt doesnโt have to be that way,โ Annabeth said. โWeโve got to work together, or Gaea will destroy us both.โ
โI agree,โ Reyna said. โBut is cooperation possible? What if Junoโs plan is flawed? Even goddesses can make mistakes.โ
Annabeth waited for Reyna to get struck by lightning or turned into a peacock. Nothing happened.
Unfortunately, Annabeth shared Reynaโs doubts. Heraย didย make mistakes. Annabeth had had nothing but trouble from that overbearing goddess, and sheโd never forgive Hera for taking Percy away, even if it was for a noble cause.
โI donโt trust the goddess,โ Annabeth admitted. โBut I do trust my friends.
This isnโt a trick, Reyna. Weย canย work together.โ
Reyna finished her cup of chocolate. She set the cup on the terrace railing and gazed over the valley as if imagining battle lines.
โI believe you mean it,โ she said. โBut if you go to the ancient lands, especially Rome itself, there is something you should know about your mother.โ
Annabethโs shoulders tensed. โMyโmy mother?โ
โWhen I lived on Circeโs island,โ Reyna said, โwe had many visitors. Once, perhaps a year before you and Percy arrived, a young man washed ashore. He was half mad from thirst and heat. Heโd been drifting at sea for days. His words didnโt make much sense, but he said he was a son of Athena.โ
Reyna paused as if waiting for a reaction. Annabeth had no idea who the boy might have been. She wasnโt aware of any other Athena kids whoโd gone on a quest in the Sea of Monsters, but still she felt a sense of dread. The light filtering through the grapevines made shadows writhe across the ground like a swarm of bugs.
โWhat happened to this demigod?โ she asked.
Reyna waved her hand as if the question was trivial. โCirce turned him into a guinea pig, of course. He made quite a crazy little rodent. Butย beforeย that, he kept raving about his failed quest. He claimed that heโd gone to Rome, following the Mark of Athena.โ
Annabeth grabbed the railing to keep her balance.
โYes,โ Reyna said, seeing her discomfort. โHe kept muttering about wisdomโs child, the Mark of Athena, and the giantsโ bane standing pale and gold. The same lines Ella was just reciting. But you say that youโve never heard them before today?โ
โNotโnot the way Ella said them.โ Annabethโs voice was weak. She wasnโt lying. Sheโd never heard that prophecy, but her mother had charged
her with following the Mark of Athena; and as she thought about the coin in her pocket, a horrible suspicion began taking root in her mind. She remembered her motherโs scathing words. She thought about the strange nightmares sheโd been having lately. โDid this demigodโdid he explain his quest?โ
Reyna shook her head. โAt the time, I had no idea what he was talking about. Much later, when I became praetor of Camp Jupiter, I began to suspect.โ
โSuspectโฆwhat?โ
โThere is an old legend that the praetors of Camp Jupiter have passed down through the centuries. If itโs true, it may explain why our two groups of demigods have never been able to work together. It may be the cause of our animosity. Until this old score is finally settled, so the legend goes, Romans and Greeks will never be at peace. And the legend centers on Athenaโโ
A shrill sound pierced the air. Light flashed in the corner of Annabethโs eye.
She turned in time to see an explosion blast a new crater in the forum. A burning couch tumbled through the air. Demigods scattered in panic.
โGiants?โ Annabeth reached for her dagger, which of course wasnโt there. โI thought their army was defeated!โ
โIt isnโt the giants.โ Reynaโs eyes seethed with rage. โYouโve betrayed our trust.โ
โWhat? No!โ
As soon as she said it, theย Argo IIย launched a second volley. Its port ballista fired a massive spear wreathed in Greek fire, which sailed straight through the broken dome of the Senate House and exploded inside, lighting up the building like a jack-oโ-lantern. If anyone had been in thereโฆ
โGods, no.โ A wave of nausea almost made Annabethโs knees buckle. โReyna, it isnโt possible. Weโd never do this!โ
The metal dogs ran to their mistressโs side. They snarled at Annabeth but paced uncertainly, as if reluctant to attack.
โYouโre telling the truth,โ Reyna judged. โPerhaps you were not aware of this treachery, butย someoneย must pay.โ
Down in the forum, chaos was spreading. Crowds were pushing and
shoving. Fistfights were breaking out. โBloodshed,โ Reyna said.
โWe have to stop it!โ
Annabeth had a horrible feeling this might be the last time Reyna and she ever acted in agreement, but together they ran down the hill.
If weapons had been allowed in the city, Annabethโs friends would have already been dead. The Roman demigods in the forum had coalesced into an angry mob. Some threw plates, food, and rocks at theย Argo II, which was pointless, as most of the stuff fell back into the crowd.
Several dozen Romans had surrounded Piper and Jason, who were trying to calm them without much luck. Piperโs charmspeak was useless against so many screaming, angry demigods. Jasonโs forehead was bleeding. His purple cloak had been ripped to shreds. He kept pleading, โIโm on your side!โ but his orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt didnโt help mattersโnor did the warship overhead, firing flaming spears into New Rome. One landed nearby and blasted a toga shop to rubble.
โPlutoโs pauldrons,โ Reyna cursed. โLook.โ
Armed legionnaires were hurrying toward the forum. Two artillery crews had set up catapults just outside the Pomerian Line and were preparing to fire at theย Argo II.
โThatโll just make things worse,โ Annabeth said.
โI hate my job,โ Reyna growled. She rushed off toward the legionnaires, her dogs at her side.
Percy,ย Annabeth thought, scanning the forum desperately.ย Where are you?
Two Romans tried to grab her. She ducked past them, plunging into the crowd. As if the angry Romans, burning couches, and exploding buildings werenโt confusing enough, hundreds of purple ghosts drifted through the forum, passing straight through the demigodsโ bodies and wailing incoherently. The fauns had also taken advantage of the chaos. They swarmed the dining tables, grabbing food, plates, and cups. One trotted by Annabeth with his arms full of tacos and an entire pineapple between his teeth.
A statue of Terminus exploded into being, right in front of Annabeth. He yelled at her in Latin, no doubt calling her a liar and a rule breaker; but she
pushed the statue over and kept running.
Finally she spotted Percy. He and his friends, Hazel and Frank, were standing in the middle of a fountain as Percy repelled the angry Romans with blasts of water. Percyโs toga was in tatters, but he looked unhurt.
Annabeth called to him as another explosion rocked the forum. This time the flash of light was directly overhead. One of the Roman catapults had fired, and theย Argo IIย groaned and tilted sideways, flames bubbling over its bronze- plated hull.
Annabeth noticed a figure clinging desperately to the rope ladder, trying to climb down. It was Octavian, his robes steaming and his face black with soot. Over by the fountain, Percy blasted the Roman mob with more water.
Annabeth ran toward him, ducking a Roman fist and a flying plate of sandwiches.
โAnnabeth!โ Percy called. โWhatโ?โ โI donโt know!โ she yelled.
โIโll tell you what!โ cried a voice from above. Octavian had reached the bottom of the ladder. โThe Greeks haveย firedย on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome!โ
Annabethโs chest filled with liquid hydrogen. She felt like she might shatter into a million frozen pieces.
โYouโre lying,โ she said. โLeo would neverโโ
โI was just there!โ Octavian shrieked. โI saw it with my own eyes!โ
Theย Argo IIย returned fire. Legionnaires in the field scattered as one of their catapults was blasted to splinters.
โYou see?โ Octavian screamed. โRomans, kill the invaders!โ
Annabeth growled in frustration. There was no time for anyone to figure out the truth. The crew from Camp Half-Blood was outnumbered a hundred to one, and even if Octavian had managed to stage some sort of trick (which she thought likely), theyโd never be able to convince the Romans before they were overrun and killed.
โWe have to leave,โ she told Percy.ย โNow.โ
He nodded grimly. โHazel, Frank, youโve got to make a choice. Are you coming?โ
Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. โOf course we
are. But youโll never make it to the ship unless we buy you some time.โ โHow?โ Annabeth asked.
Hazel whistled. Instantly a blur of beige shot across the forum. A majestic horse materialized next to the fountain. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel climbed on his back like sheโd been born to ride. Strapped to the horseโs saddle was a Roman cavalry sword.
Hazel unsheathed her golden blade. โSend me an Iris-message when youโre safely away, and weโll rendezvous,โ she said. โArion, ride!โ
The horse zipped through the crowd with incredible speed, pushing back Romans and causing mass panic.
Annabeth felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe they could make it out of here alive. Then, from halfway across the forum, she heard Jason shouting.
โRomans!โ he cried. โPlease!โ
He and Piper were being pelted with plates and stones. Jason tried to shield Piper, but a brick caught him above the eye. He crumpled, and the crowd surged forward.
โGet back!โ Piper screamed. Her charmspeak rolled over the mob, making them hesitate, but Annabeth knew the effect wouldnโt last. Percy and she couldnโt possibly reach them in time to help.
โFrank,โ Percy said, โitโs up to you. Can you help them?โ
Annabeth didnโt understand how Frank could do that all by himself, but he swallowed nervously.
โOh, gods,โ he murmured. โOkay, sure. Just get up the ropes. Now.โ
Percy and Annabeth lunged for the ladder. Octavian was still clinging to the bottom, but Percy yanked him off and threw him into the mob.
They began to climb as armed legionnaires flooded into the forum. Arrows whistled past Annabethโs head. An explosion almost knocked her off the ladder. Halfway up, she heard a roar below and glanced down.
Romans screamed and scattered as a full-sized dragon charged through the forumโa beast even scarier than the bronze dragon figurehead on theย Argo II. It had rough gray skin like a Komodo lizardโs and leathery bat wings. Arrows and rocks bounced harmlessly off its hide as it lumbered toward Piper and Jason, grabbed them with its front claws, and vaulted into the air.
โIs thatโฆ ?โ Annabeth couldnโt even put the thought into words.
โFrank,โ Percy confirmed, a few feet above her. โHe has a few special talents.โ
โUnderstatement,โ Annabeth muttered. โKeep climbing!โ
Without the dragon and Hazelโs horse to distract the archers, they never would have made it up the ladder; but finally they climbed past a row of broken aerial oars and onto the deck. The rigging was on fire. The foresail was ripped down the middle, and the ship listed badly to starboard.
There was no sign of Coach Hedge, but Leo stood amidships, calmly reloading the ballista. Annabethโs gut twisted with horror.
โLeo!โ she screamed. โWhat are youย doing?โ
โDestroy themโฆโ He faced Annabeth. His eyes were glazed. His movements were like a robotโs. โDestroy them all.โ
He turned back to the ballista, but Percy tackled him. Leoโs head hit the deck hard, and his eyes rolled up so that only the whites showed.
The gray dragon soared into view. It circled the ship once and landed at the bow, depositing Jason and Piper, who both collapsed.
โGo!โ Percy yelled. โGet us out of here!โ
With a shock, Annabeth realized he was talking to her.
She ran for the helm. She made the mistake of glancing over the rail and saw armed legionnaires closing ranks in the forum, preparing flaming arrows. Hazel spurred Arion, and they raced out of the city with a mob chasing after them. More catapults were being wheeled into range. All along the Pomerian Line, the statues of Terminus were glowing purple, as if building up energy for some kind of attack.
Annabeth looked over the controls. She cursed Leo for making them so complicated. No time for fancy maneuvers, but she did know one basic command:ย Up.
She grabbed the aviation throttle and yanked it straight back. The ship groaned. The bow tilted up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and theย Argo IIย shot into the clouds.