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Part one. Chapter three.

Boom !

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New Rome was beautiful. The tiled roofs and gold domes gleamed in the sun. Gardens bloomed with honeysuckle and roses. The central plaza was paved in white and gray stone, decorated with statues, fountains, and gilded columns. In the surrounding neighborhoods, cobblestone streets were lined with freshly painted town houses, shops, cafés, and parks. In the distance rose the coliseum and the horse racing arena.

Aris hated this place.

Yet she had nowhere else to go. All she had was the city she grew up in.

After storming away from lunch, Aris had just started walking around the city. Over the past few months, walking around the city was one of her only escapes from everything. She could just let her feet lead her, mind wandering. Aristea Mallory often thought about her life. She often thought about the Fates and the path they had forged for her.

This time, she was thinking about her dream from the previous evening. Mars had come to give her a message.

He had told her she had a great deal of pain ahead of her. Aris had scoffed as she slouched in the plastic arcade chair. "Haven't I already been through enough pain ?" She muttered before sipping at the strawberry flavoured water her grandfather had conjured up for her.

Mars sat in front of her, a round table between them. His hands were steepled on its surface. "Aristea look at me."

She did, chewing at her straw.

Mars wasn't handsome per say. His face was marred with scars, stubble scratched his cheeks and his eyes were violent. He was all bold and harsh lines and slashes. But somehow, he always seemed to soften around her.

"Do you know who you are ?"

"A traitor to Rome ?"

"You're my kid."

"I'm your kid's kid," she corrected.

Mars shook his head. "As far as I am concerned, you are more my daughter than your dad was my son."

"That makes no sense."

"You get what I mean," Mars insisted. Aris looked down and nodded. "You were born for greatness, Aristea Mallory. Most greatness only comes through pain and suffering. Name hero who was happy."

"I get the point you're trying to make." Aris looked up and stared Mars straight in the eyes. "But I'm not a hero."

"You could be."

"I don't want to be. I just want to be left alone."

"I'm afraid, that's not in the cards for you, Brains." Aris had given a brittle smile at the nickname. Mars knew how much she hated her beauty so he had taken to calling her Brains every time he would take her to their little dream arcade.

Wiping away a wayward tear, she pursed her lips and exhaled through her nose. "Can we shoot some stuff ?" She changed the subject.

"Thought you would never ask."

She had spent the rest of her dream playing at shooting games with Mars. He let her win most of the games. Of course he did. Mars Ultor was the closest thing Aristea Tempest Mallory had to a father.

Aris blinked back to reality and scoffed out loud. Of course she had ended up there. She always ended up in front a familiar apartment building. Her old home, if you could call that place a home.

Rome was all about its appearance. It looked like this perfect idyllic place. But no one knew what was going on behind the pretty closed doors. No one cared.

"Daddy, please !" A little girl sobbed. "Please stop !"

"Stop struggling, Venus !"

"No ! Please !"

Aris closed her eyes to block it out.

She didn't want to think about that little girl. That little girl was dead. Her cold shell was all that remained.

A hand rested on her shoulder. Aris snapped out of her daze and turned her head. Frank was looking at her concerned. "Hey."

Aris blinked. "Hi."

"You want to talk about it ?" Aris shook her head. "You want a hug ?"

Aris didn't refuse. Frank brought her into his arms. She might have been older than him by a year, but he was much taller. Her head rested on his chest and arms wrapped around his midsection as the son of Mars gave her a bear hug. "I'm tired, Frank," she mumbled against his chest. "I just want to rest. Does that make me a bad person ?"

"Of course not," he kissed her forehead.

It was funny how up until a few days ago, Frank couldn't even look at Aris without blushing like a tomato. Aris had developed the habit of flirting with him every chance she had because this kid was just too nice. He wasn't scared of her. He wasn't mean to her. He didn't ignore her. He confused her with his niceness, so Aris took it upon herself to be a bitch and tease him by constantly flirting with him while she had no intention of ever actually dating him. Yet, a quest changed everything. A quest had made him her brother. A quest had made him some she would die for and someone who would die for her.

"And, I hate myself for what I'm about to say..." he said. "But I need you, Ari."

"Frank..." she sighed, pulling back enough to look at him.

"Please...one last quest."

"You have Percy and Hazel and Percy's girlfriend and....whatever those other two kids' names are," she waved off, not caring enough. "You even have Jason, though I'm not sure that counts for much."

"And they're great...but none of them are my big sister." He gave her his adorable panda eyes because that's what he looked to Aris. Not a puppy (Aris hated puppies since one bit her when she was a curious four year old) but a cuddly panda.

Aris sighed, groaning in frustration. "I hate the power you have over me," she grumbled. "I used strong and kickass and invulnerable before you."

"You're still strong and kickass and invulnerable," Frank promised, his arm thrown over her shoulder as they walked off together.

Aris didn't seem convinced. "You do realise I am your responsibility now, right ? You sure you want that ?"

"No one else I would rather be responsible of," he smiled.

That made Aris crack a smile too.

They walked towards a fountain where Percy and Hazel were waiting with three bags. Hazel spotted them first, lighting up slightly. "You're coming ?"

Aris sighed loudly and nodded. The younger girl happily grinned and rushed over to hug her. The girls had formed their own bond and relationship on the quest. And...well, Hazel was her future sister-in-law now that she was officially dating Frank.

"I packed you a bag," Hazel shyly admitted as they pulled away. She was even shorter than Aris, so her arms loosely hung around the daughter of Venus' waist as she looked up at her. "In case you changed your mind."

"Thank you."

Hazel grinned. Aris managed a small smile back.

"Hey, I helped," Percy complained. "Where's my hug ?"

Aris rolled her eyes but accepted it as he wrapped his arms around her. They bickered and argued and she insulted him, but Percy had grown on her. He was her friend. Maybe her best friend, or the closest thing she had to one.

"Where's your girlfriend ?" She asked, her arm staying around his waist.

She shouldered the bag Hazel handed her and let her head rest on his shoulder as the small quartet walked. Percy's arm was slung over her shoulder. "Reyna stole her away," he grumbled.

Aris snorted. Next to them, Hazel and Frank held hands and chuckled. "You should have seen how his face fell when Reyna told him he couldn't—"

She was cut off by a shrill sound piercing the air. The group yelped and turned around, shielding their fronts as an explosion blasted a new crater in the forum. A burning couch tumbled through the air. Demigods scattered in panic.

"What the fuck ?" Aris breathed with wide eyes as they turned back.

Her companions were in a similar state.

"Oh my gods," Hazel breathed, hands coming to her mouth. "Look !"

She pointed to the ship as it 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...

"Guys !"

They turned to find Jason and Piper running towards them. Aris glared. "What the fuck is wrong with you ?"

"With me ?" Jason bristled, offended.

"Yeah, with you !" Aris lifted her arms up in a questioning manner. "What, you fuck one Greek and suddenly you've forgotten all about where you grew up ?"

"That's not—"

"This isn't helping !" Piper yelled. "We didn't do this ! We came for peace. To make allies."

"Clearly."

"Aris, read the room," Jason snapped, annoyed.

The girl was unfazed, glaring at him. "You know, I would but that's a little hard to do WHEN IT'S ON FUCKING FIRE !"

"I thought you didn't care about this place !"

"And I thought you did !"

"Can we please keep your divorcees bickering for afterwards ?" Percy interrupted. "Look !"

"Oh, I hate life," Aris groaned.

The group separated. The original quartet ended up back at the fountain from before where Percy could use the water to ward people off.

The chaos was spreading. Crowds were pushing and shoving. Fistfights were breaking out.

If weapons had been allowed in the city, the new greeks plus Jason would have already been dead (Aris wasn't sure she would be too upset about most of their deaths). The Roman demigods in the forum had coalesced into an angry mob. Some threw plates, food, and rocks at the ship, which was pointless, as most of the stuff fell back into the crowd.

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 the ship which had just blown up a toga shop (probably the only good thing it had done. Togas were so last millennia).

"Percy !" They heard just as another explosion rocked the forum.

This time the flash of light was directly overhead. One of the Roman catapults had fired, and the flying ship groaned and tilted sideways, flames bubbling over its bronze-plated hull. Aris watched with wide eyes.

As much as she liked to joke and wish for the downfall of New Rome, to actually see it was kind of strange. No matter how much pain and suffering she had been through there, it was still the first home Aristea had ever known. It was where she had grown up. Where she had first become friends with Jason. Where she had had her first kiss, in the gardens of Bacchus next to a rosebush because her and Jason both wanted their first kiss to be with someone they trusted. Where she would go to buy hot chocolates with Reyna and would always give her friend half of hers because she was sacred to get in trouble with her dad.

She had terrible memories of this place. But as she watched it burn, Aris was also reminded of the good. Despite herself, she found herself feeling a bit sad.

Next to her, Percy blasted the Roman mob with more water. Annabeth ran toward them, ducking a Roman fist and a flying plate of sandwiches.

"Annabeth !" Percy called. "What—?"

"I don't know !" she yelled.

"I'll tell you what !" cried a voice from above. Octavian was at the bottom of the rope ladder dangling from the ship. "The Greeks have fired on us ! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome !"

"You're lying," Annabeth said. "Leo would never—"

"I was just there !" Octavian shrieked. "I saw it with my own eyes !"

The stupid warship returned fire. Legionnaires in the field scattered as one of their catapults was blasted to splinters.

"You see ?" Octavian screamed. "Romans, kill the invaders !"

Aris didn't know what was happening. While she was more than happy to argue with Jason and his new girlfriend, she knew Jason would never actually attack New Rome. She just didn't want him to know that she didn't just see bad in him.

Whatever was happening was obviously meant to drive both parties apart. But whether it was Octavian's doing or someone else's was a mystery. And even if they did know, there was no way Percy's bunch would be able to explain and convince hundreds of angry Romans before they were overrun and killed.

"We have to leave," Annabeth told Percy. "Now."

He nodded grimly. "Aris, Hazel, Frank, you've got to make a choice. Are you coming ?"

The trio shared a look. Aris groaned, "Fuck...."

Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. "Of course we are. But you'll never make it to the ship unless we buy you some time."

"How ?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel whistled. Instantly a blur of beige shot across the forum. A majestic horse materialized next to the fountain. Arion. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel climbed on his back like she'd been born to ride. Strapped to the horse's saddle was a Roman cavalry sword.

"I'm coming with you," Aris stated. Hazel didn't argue, holding her arm out to help the girl get on the horse behind her. "You packed my knives ?"

"Of course." Hazel unsheathed her golden blade and turned to the others. "Send us an Iris-message when you're safely away, and we'll rendezvous," she said. "Arion, ride !"

The horse zipped through the crowd with incredible speed, pushing back Romans and causing mass panic. Aris pulled out her knives from the bag on her back, ready for anything.

She glanced back at the wreckage of New Rome. She smiled. It might sadden her, but a bigger part was more than happy to watch the place burn to the ground.

🖤💔🖤

When she was a child, Aris had begged her father to let her take up horseback riding. Edward Mallory, like the cunt he was, had refused. Apparently it wasn't Roman enough. Being a good Roman was more important than his daughter's happiness.

But riding on Arion's back with Hazel, Aris felt free. She was reminded of exactly why she had wanted to ride in the first place. The wind pushed her hair back and tinted her nose red but she had never felt more alive. After they had escaped from danger and Frank had come to tell them about where they were supposed to head, Aris had let herself enjoy the ride.

"Whoooooo !" She laughed, arms spread out on either side of her like she were a plane.

Hazel chuckled from in front of her.

They galloped until they reached where they had to go. To the southeast, a city was nestled in the foothills of a mountain range, blue and purple in the afternoon shadows. A flat desert landscape spread to the south. Directly beneath them the Great Salt Lake glittered like aluminum foil, the shoreline etched with white salt marshes.

They easily spotted the ship. It was a huge warship after all. Aris hugged Hazel as Arion ran up the side and scared the life out of the dude who looked like her ex but wasn't.

"What's his name again ?" Aris whispered.

"Leo."

"Right..."

She'd agreed to come on this stupid quest. She might as well learn her questmates' names. She got off the horse and landed on the deck as Leo stared.

"How—?" He cut himself off and incredulously started again. "We're in the middle of a lake ! Can that thing fly ?"

The horse whinnied angrily.

"Arion can't fly," Hazel said. "But he can run across just about anything. Water, vertical surfaces, small mountains—none of that bothers him."

"Oh."

A faun with a baseball bat crept forward, eyeing the magic horse suspiciously. "Valdez, does this count as an invasion ?"

"No !" Leo said. "Um, Hazel, Aris, you'd better come with me. I built a stable belowdecks, if Arion wants to—"

"He's more of a free spirit." Hazel let Aris help her down as she slipped out of the saddle. "He'll graze around the lake until I call him. But I want to see the ship. Lead the way."

The Argo II was designed like an ancient trireme, only twice as big. The first deck had one central corridor with crew cabins on either side. On a normal trireme, most of the space would've been taken up with three rows of benches for a few hundred sweaty guys to do the manual labor, but Leo's oars seemed automated and retractable, so they took up very little room inside the hull. The ship's power came from the engine room on the second and lowest deck, which also housed sickbay, storage, and the stables.

Leo led the way down the hall. By the looks of it, he'd built the ship with nine cabins—eight for the demigods of the prophecy, and a room for the faun who was named Coach Hedge and was apparently their chaperone (whoever thought that was a good idea was an idiot in Aris' opinion). At the stern was a large mess hall/lounge, which was where Leo was leading them.

On the way, they passed by a room with an open door. Aris peeked inside, blinking. "What happened ?"

Leo glanced over and guiltily looked down. "Apparently he got hit by a brick by the mob."

Aris scoffed and rolled her eyes. Leave it to Jason to get hit by a brick. What was it with this boy and head injuries ? He had been getting them since they were children.

Piper sat at the side of his berth, holding Jason's hand while he snored with an ice pack on his head.

Aris by passed the room before she glanced up. They kept walking. When they reached the mess hall, they found the others—Percy, Annabeth, and Frank—sitting dejectedly around the dining table. Frank immediately got up and went to give Aris a hug, though it was more for him than her. It was only when he'd let go that she could examine the room.

Leo had clearly made an effort to make the lounge as nice as possible. The cupboard was lined with cups and plates. There was also a magical ice chest. The chairs were cushy recliners and probably a thousand more features than just the visible sword and drink holders. There were no windows, but images still danced on the walls. Aris didn't recognise the place shown but it was probably Camp Half-Blood from the way Percy was longingly staring at them.

"So we've landed," Percy said. "What now ?"

Frank plucked on his bowstring. "Figure out the prophecy ? I mean...that was a prophecy Ella spoke, right ?"

"Ella spoke a prophecy ?" Aris asked as she sat down.

"It was after you left."

"Huh...but if Ella said it, it means it's from the Sibylline Books, right ?"

"The what ?" Leo asked.

Frank explained how their harpy was freakishly good at memorizing books. At some point in the past, she'd inhaled a collection of ancient prophecies that had supposedly been destroyed around the fall of Rome.

"That's why you didn't tell the Romans," Leo guessed. "You didn't want them to get hold of her."

"Ella's sensitive," Aris explained. "She was a captive when we found her."

"I just didn't want..." Percy made a fist. "It doesn't matter now. I sent Tyson an Iris-message, told him to take Ella to Camp Half-Blood. They'll be safe there."

Aris wasn't sure Camp Half-Blood would stay safe for long but decided not to say anything. It wouldn't be long before the Romans tried to attack there. It was a matter of honor now.

Annabeth laced her fingers. "Let me think about the prophecy—but right now we have more immediate problems. We have to get this ship fixed. Leo, what do we need ?"

"The easiest thing is tar." Leo began. "We can get that in the city, at a roofing-supply store or someplace like that. Also, Celestial bronze and lime. According to Festus, we can find both of those on an island in the lake, just west of here."

"We'll have to hurry," Aris warned. "Octavian, as annoying as he is, happens to be annoyingly efficient too. He's probably already searching for us with his auguries. The Romans will send a strike force after us. It's a matter of honor."

"Guys..." Leo shook his head. "I don't know what happened. Honestly, I—"

Annabeth raised her hand. "We've been talking." (We have ? Aris mouthed to Percy who nodded to her.) "We agree it couldn't have been you, Leo. That cold feeling you mentioned...I felt it too. It must have been some sort of magic, either Octavian or Gaea or one of her minions. But until we understand what happened—"

Frank grunted. "How can we be sure it won't happen again ?"

"I'm fine now," Leo insisted. "Maybe we should use the buddy system. Nobody goes anywhere alone. We can leave Piper and Coach Hedge on board with Jason. Send one team into town to get tar. Another team can go after the bronze and the lime."

"Split up ?" Percy said. "That sounds like a really bad idea."

"It'll be quicker," Hazel put in. "Besides, there's a reason a quest is usually limited to three or four demigods, right ?"

Annabeth raised her eyebrows, as if reappraising Hazel's merits. "You're right. The same reason we needed the Argo II...outside camp, eight demigods in one place will attract way too much monstrous attention. The ship is designed to conceal and protect us. We should be safe enough on board; but if we go on expeditions, we shouldn't travel in groups larger than four. No sense alerting more of Gaea's minions than we have to."

Percy still didn't look happy about it, but he took Annabeth's hand. "As long as you're my buddy, I'm good."

"Oh my gods," Aris pulled a face. "I already had to deal with the one sided version of this. Now I have to put up with the two sided version ?"

"Sorry Mal," Percy smiled.

"Fucking couple," she rolled her eyes.

"Isn't your mother the goddess of love ?" Leo tilted his head.

"Yeah. I hate her," Aris said dryly. "Okay, I'm not going anywhere. My being forced onto this quest by Frank's panda eyes means I refuse to be useful until tomorrow."

Hazel smiled, used to her antics. "Oh, that's fine, Aris. Now, Frank, you were amazing, turning into a dragon ! Could you do it again to fly Annabeth and Percy into town for the tar ?"

Frank opened his mouth like he wanted to protest. "I...I suppose. But what about you ?"

"I'll ride Arion with Sa—with Leo, here." She fidgeted with her sword hilt which made Aris raise an eyebrow as she leaned back in her chair. "We'll get the bronze and the lime. We can all meet back here by dark."

Frank scowled. Obviously, he didn't like the idea of Leo going off with Hazel. Aris lightly nudged his leg, making him glance over. She nodded, assuring him that it would be fine.

"Leo," said Annabeth, "if we get the supplies, how long to fix the ship ?"

"With luck, just a few hours."

"Fine," she decided. "We'll meet you back here as soon as possible, but stay safe. We could use some good luck. That doesn't mean we'll get it."

Pari Speaks !

It's kind of weird to write Aris as someone with a heart but I like doing it. She's a kind of decent person with the SoN trio.

I can't wait to develop more.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter !

Bye !

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