THREE — Theo.

The only thing Theo could think of as she perused New Rome with Reyna was Wow, Annabeth would love this place. She'd always been more into architecture than what really interested Theo, even when they were younger. Once she tried to give Theo a book on ancient Greek architectural techniques for her birthday. Safe to say, that was immediately re-gifted, and Annabeth took it back with a smile on her face, like it was all planned. Knowing Annabeth, it probably was.

Theo missed her. A lot.

"We have the best architects and builders in the world," Reyna said, as if reading her thoughts. Annabeth was the best. "Rome 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."

Theo scrunched up her face. Her boyfriend had already tried to tell her that this place was incredible, back at the dinner table. And while Theo wasn't actively denying it, because that would be madness, she did hate how much he seemed to like it here. Camp Half-Blood was home. It was where they met. Not New Rome.

Reyna laughed like something was funny. Theo wanted to kick her.

"You're a warrior, all right," the praetor said. "You've got fire in your eyes."

"Oh. Sorry." Theo tried to tone down the glare, but she wasn't sorry at all.

"Don't be. I'm the daughter of Bellona."

"Roman goddess of..." Theo racked her brain. Man, it would be embarrassing if she looked dumb in front of this girl. "Bologna?"

"War, but close," Reyna said. She turned and whistled like she was hailing a cab. A moment later, two metal dogs raced toward them—automaton greyhounds, one silver and one gold. They brushed against Reyna's legs and regarded Theo with glistening ruby eyes.

"My pets," Reyna explained. "Aurum and Argentum. You don't mind if they walk with us?"

Again, Theo got the feeling it wasn't really a request. She noted that the greyhounds had teeth like steel arrowheads. Maybe weapons weren't allowed inside the city, but Reyna's pets could still tear her to pieces if they chose. And Theo wasn't sure her powers would be much good against them, if it came down to it. She missed her bow, although she knew it wouldn't make much a difference if she had it. Her faithful weapon seemed to have turned on her ever since her fight with her father.

"In our camp," Reyna continued, leading the way, "Athena is Minerva."

Theo nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt bare—exposed—without her father's golden bow on her back, or her dagger to her belt, at the very least. "Yeah, I gathered that much. I also figured she isn't as respected here as she is over at home."

"We respect her plenty," Reyna said, and the look she gave made it look like Theo was the one being disrespectful. "But Minerva... She isn't a goddess of war, over here. She's a maiden, like Diana—your Artemis. The idea that Minerva would have children is a little shocking to us, frankly."

Theo felt a flush of protection toward Annabeth. Then, since Reyna didn't know Annabeth, Theo realized she was probably referring to Mayfair, and her insides twisted with complexity. She and May didn't exactly get along, but what kind of Greek would she be if she let Reyna talk down on her fellow questmate?

"So?" Theo said defensively. "Our Athena doesn't uphold the same vow, clearly. If we're going by that rule, I don't think you could talk, since we don't even have a Greek counterpart to Bellina."

"Bellona," Reyna corrected, her eyes flashing with rage. Her dogs began to growl and Theo got the feeling she may have royally messed up, but the hounds didn't attack her yet.

"You'll have to excuse me, your majesty," Theo said, crossing her arms. She wasn't sorry, and she was pretty sure it was obvious. "Can we quit with the small talk now and tell me what you needed to say? That couldn't be said in front of Percy?"

Reyna glared at Theo, stroking the ears of the golden dog sitting at her side. She twisted her lips like something tasted bitter. "The harpy. Ella. It was a prophecy she spoke, wasn't it? You should know, daughter of prophecy."

Theo clenched her jaw. She didn't want to tell Reyna anything she didn't have to, but it was looking like she had to, based on the bloodthirsty dogs growling at her. She'd heard dogs can sniff fear and changes in honesty. She wasn't sure if that logic extended to magical metal dogs, but all in all decided it would be best to tell the truth.

"It was," she said, understanding now why it looked like Reyna had eaten something gross—admitting things this important to someone you don't get along with was like trying to swallow Percy's attempts at making his mom's blue cookies. "I've never met Ella before today, but it was obvious that was something of a foretelling. But I can't find anything on it, not those exact lines."

Reyna arched an eyebrow. "When did you have time to search an archive? I've been with you since Ella spoke."

Theo held back a smile and lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "I sort of have my own archive upstairs."

For a moment, Reyna seemed impressed. Then her face was blank again. "Interesting. So you have every prophecy memorized, then? Do you know all their meanings, as well?"

Now Theo really wasn't smiling. "No," she admitted, a little miffed that Reyna had outed her so quickly. "I've always been able to remember them from the first time I heard them. But as I've gotten older, I've found I can remember them.. sort of before hearing them, if that makes any sense. But meanings usually come easy. Always have."

Reyna nodded and turned away to keep walking up the hill, so Theo took that as a sign of acceptance. One point for Theo.

Reyna stopped at the edge of a terrace. The view was worth the climb. The whole city spread out below them like a 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.

"I wanted to hear it from you," Reyna said.

Theo turned. "Hear what from me?"

"The truth," Reyna said. "Convince me that I'm not making a mistake by trusting you. Tell me about yourself. Tell me about Camp Half-Blood. Your friend Mayfair has sorcery in her words; some children of Athena do. I can't trust what she says. And Jason...well, he has changed. He seems distant, no longer quite Roman."

The hurt in her voice was undeniable. Theo wanted to call her on it, ask whether she had feelings for Jason like Theo thought, but she held her tongue. Years of pining made her wise in the ways of love, and not by choice. Aphrodite had had a hand in that.

Instead of prying, Theo told Reyna about herself. She talked about her mom—or what she remembered of her, anyway, since she died a few years back—and her aunt Carrie, who never really seemed to like Theo all that much. She talked about being discovered by Chiron when she was eleven, taken to camp and finally finding a home at Camp Half-Blood with Annabeth and Luke. She talked about being inefficient at her cabin's skills, like medicine and poetry, at first—then growing into her talents throughout the years. She talked about Percy and all their adventures together.

Reyna was a decent listener. Theo found herself wanting to say more, tempted to tell Reyna personal things. Her fight with her dad, the apparent curse on her bow, the nightmares she'd been having, the guilt caused by bringing Mayfair on this quest in the first place. But she couldn't bring herself to open up quite that much.

When she finished, Reyna gazed over the city of New Rome. She seemed to be taking in everything Theo told her, like it was a big fairytale and she needed a moment to understand the theme.

"You've been at war before," she noted, not looking at Theo. "With the Titans. We Romans know of battle. You see, we 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."

"They conquered everyone around them," Theo continued with a nod. "Carthage, the Gauls—"

"And the Greeks." Reyna let that comment hang. "My point, Theodosia, is that it isn't Rome's nature to cooperate with other powers. Every time Greek and Roman demigods have met, we've fought. Conflicts between our two sides have started some of the most horrible wars in human history."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Theo said. She hated that she was basically pleading now, but she had no other choice. "We have to work together, or Gaea will destroy us all. I mean, come on, Reyna—"

"I agree," Reyna said. "But is cooperation possible? What if Juno's plan is flawed? Even goddesses can make mistakes."

Theo swallowed. She may not like the goddess Hera—not one bit, actually—but outwardly cursing her had always been Theo's biggest mistake. Now, though, nothing happened to Reyna, so Theo figured it was safe.

"I don't trust Hera either," she said carefully. "But I do trust my friends. I trust Percy with my life. This isn't a trick, Reyna. We have to be able to work together."

Reyna took a moment to think. Theo was starting to understand that she did that a lot.

"I believe you mean it," Reyna said. "But if you go to the ancient lands, especially Rome itself, there is something you should know about your father."

Theo's shoulders tensed. "My—my father?"

"I used to live on an island, with the sorceress Circe," Reyna said. "I know you're familiar. We had many visitors. Anyway, once, perhaps a year before you and Percy arrived, a young man washed ashore. He was half mad from thirst and heat. He'd been drifting at sea for days. His words didn't make much sense, but he said he was a son of Apollo."

Reyna paused as if waiting for a reaction. Theo had no idea who the boy might have been. She wasn't aware of any other Apollo kids who'd gone on a quest in the Sea of Monsters like she had, but still she felt a sense of dread. The light filtering through the grapevines made shadows writhe across the ground like a swarm of snakes. She hated snakes.

Theo's lack of reaction seemed to be enough for Reyna. She waved a hand. "Circe turned him into a guinea pig, of course. But before that, he kept raving about his failed quest. He claimed that he'd gone to Rome, following the Promise of Apollo."

Theo grabbed the railing to keep her balance.

"Yes," Reyna said, seeing her discomfort. "He kept muttering about prophecy's child, the Promise of Apollo, and darkness' bane standing marble and pale. The same lines Ella was just reciting. But you say that you've never heard them before today?"

"Not—not the way Ella said them." Theo's voice was weak, but she wasn't lying. She'd never heard that prophecy; however, her father had charged her with following the Promise of Apollo. As she thought about her bow, back on the ship, a horrible suspicion began taking root in her mind. She remembered her father's scathing words. She thought about the strange nightmares she'd been having lately. "Did this demigod—did he explain his quest?"

Reyna shook her head. "At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about. Much later, when I became praetor of Camp Jupiter, I began to suspect."

"Suspect... what?"

"There is an old legend that the praetors of Camp Jupiter have passed down through the centuries. If it's 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 Apollo—"

A shrill sound pierced the air. Light flashed in the corner of Theo's 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.

"Giants?" Theo reached for her bow, which of course wasn't there. "I thought their army was defeated!"

"It isn't the giants." Reyna's eyes seethed with rage as she turned on Theo. "You've betrayed our trust."

"What? No!"

As soon as she said it, the Argo II 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-o'-lantern. If anyone had been in there, they'd have died a horrible death.

"Reyna," Theo insisted, "we wouldn't do this. Something's wrong!"

The metal dogs ran to their mistress's side. They snarled at Theo but paced uncertainly, as if reluctant to attack.

"You're telling the truth," Reyna judged. "Perhaps you were not aware of this treachery, but someone must pay."

Down in the forum, chaos was spreading. Crowds were pushing and shoving. Fistfights were breaking out.

"Bloodshed," Reyna muttered.

Theo's stomach churned with guilt and anxiety. "We have to stop it!"

She had a horrible feeling this might be the last time Reyna and she ever acted in agreement, but together they ran down the hill.

Author's Note

"excuse me your majesty 😒 meh meh meh"
oh theodosia grace scott. how i missed you