Persephone watched on in awe as the sea of Roman demigods parted for her blonde friend. She could see the tense and weary expressions on some of their faces. A vast number of them were bandaged, the aftermath of their battle with the giants. No one was armed. No one attacked.

She was still a little mad that Terminus had made her leave her ring aboard the ship, seeing as it was half-jewellery, half-weapon. She'd bitterly placed her ring in her room before making her way back out to the group, the object staying there, as she'd given it up willingly.

What shocked Persephone the most of the camp was the number of families gathered. Babies, toddlers, elderly couples, and young couples, all dressed in a mix of modern clothing and Roman robes, all watching the new group of demigods. 

She didn't feel observed at all...

All her life at Camp Half-Blood, Persephone had been told that their camp was the only safe place for demigods. Once they grew up- if they survived that long-they either became camp counsellors or left to tackle the real world and the threats of being a demigod in said world, without the protection of camp. But this place? It was a place they'd forever be safe; raise children, grow old, all of which without having to worry about the dangers and threats outside of the camp.

Persephone grinned as she trailed a few meters behind Annabeth, spotting Tyson the Cyclops and Mrs O'Leary, their trusty hellhound. Tyson waved to Annabeth once he saw her, then clapped his hands excitedly as he saw Persephone, who wiggled her fingers at him and smiled, widely.

As much as she hated to admit it, the place was downright beautiful. Fresh scents of baked goods and flowers drifted through the streets, the splashing of the flowing water of the fountains dotted around the place, flowers blooming in neat little gardens. The marble columns, intricate mosaics, arches and terraced villas caught her eye next, knowing Annabeth was moments away from squealing in joy at the beauty of it all.

In front of Annabeth, the crowd parted to let a girl dressed in full Roman armour and a purple cape through. She looked stern and leader-ly, and Persephone knew immediately who she was.

Jason had described Reyna down to the finest detail. Though, even without her Roman friend's knowledge, Persephone could easily guess she was the leader. Medals adorned her armour for one thing. Another was the way she presented herself; she held herself with such confidence, it made Persephone insecure. And judging by the number of demigods who backed away and averted their gazes, she wasn't the only one Reyna had an effect on.

She stood by Annabeth's side, the rest of their friends fanned out on either side, Jason and Piper to Annabeth's right, Leo next to Persephone. Murmurs of Jason's name echoed through the dense crowd of Romans, but Persephone ignored it, simply puffing out her chest and faking her confidence. Reyna stared the blonde in front of her down, the two girls analysing the other.

Persephone caught the slightest movement beyond Reyna, the crowd parting to let another through. She bit back a smile as she caught sight of Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. 

Percy Jackson had been the one to discover her back on his quest to rescue the golden fleece... and his best friend Grover. She'd been moments away from death, when Percy had saved her and confronted the Hydra beast. Granted, Clarisse had been the one to finish the job, but she'd met Percy first; so, since then, she'd always felt some kind of loyalty and gratitude towards him.

Seeing him alive and seemingly fine made her grin, watching the way his ocean eyes lit up as he spotted Annabeth, giving her his signature smirk. He'd caught sight of Persephone next and wrinkled his nose at her, eyes creasing. She grinned. 

Reyna straightened and turned towards Jason, be it a little reluctantly. 

"Jason Grace, my former colleague..." She almost spat the word out, as though it left a bad taste on her tongue. Clearly, there was some sort of history behind that. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends-"

In all honesty, Persephone was surprised it had taken them as long as it did for Annabeth and Percy to surge forward to each other. The crowd tensed, but Persephone paid them no mind, just smiled as the two met each other after so many months apart. Percy's arms threw themselves around Annabeth. The two kissed and Persephone was torn between grinning or scrunching her nose up.

Leo shot her a cheeky look.

They pulled back, Percy scanning Annabeth's face.

"Gods, I never thought-"

Persephone's eyes widened as Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder, the son of Poseidon slamming onto the paved stone. Romans cried out, a handful surging forward, but Reyna shouted orders at them to 'Hold! Stand down!' which Persephone couldn't be more thankful for.

The blonde girl placed her knee on Percy's chest, her forearm pushed against his throat. Persephone supposed that this was to be expected of Annabeth and felt slightly silly that she would ever think otherwise.

"If you ever leave me again." She said. "I swear to all the gods-"

Percy laughed. And the daughter of Hades couldn't decide if that was a death wish, or a way to diffuse the tension.

"Consider me warned." Percy told her. "I missed you, too."

Annabeth rose to her feet, bringing the boy beneath her to follow. Jason cleared his throat.

"So, yeah... It's good to be back."

He introduced Reyna to Piper, the girl looking a little annoyed she'd never got to say her practiced lines. Then he moved onto Persephone, who'd smiled and shook the praetor's hand. Leo was last, the boy smiling and flashing her a peace sign, causing Persephone to roll her eyes, snickering. The boy semi-glared at her in return.

"And this is Annabeth." Jason continued, ignoring his two friends' childish antics. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."

Reyna's eyes shone. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?"

Annabeth didn't quite have an answer for that, it seemed. But she held out her hand, anyway. "I only attack my boyfriend like that." She explained. "Pleased to meet you."

Reyna clasped her hand firmly. "It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"

A few of the Roman campers stepped forwards, two kids appearing at Percy's side. Persephone observed the two; one was a rather hefty Asian guy with a buzz cut flanked one of Percy's sides. He had a soft, round face, and seemed rather friendly- despite his attempt at an intimidating gaze. The girl on the other side was tiny in comparison, amber eyes, long curly hair and beautiful chocolate skin. She had a helmet tucked securely under her arm. 

Persephone squared her shoulders as she noticed the girl's gaze trailed over to her and Leo's direction, frowning at them. She was sure she hadn't met this girl in her life, but why did she see a flicker of recognition in the girl's eyes. Did she know Leo? A sudden insecurity settled into her being.

She kept her gaze on the girl, trying to figure her out, completely ignoring Reyna's orders. It wasn't until a particularly annoying voice all but shrieked did she break her stare.

"You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A tall, blonde haired boy elbowed his way through the crowd. "Reyna, the security risks-"

"We're not taking them to camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here, in the forum."

"Oh, much better," He grumbled. Persephone flared her nostrils at him. This boy had an attitude she despised, and she was sure she wouldn't warm up to him any time soon. What concerned her the most were the three teddy bears hanging from his belt. She was sure that that couldn't be a roman tradition.

"These are our guests," Reyna said in a clipped tone. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."

"Good idea," Percy cut in. "Go burn your bears, Octavian." 

So that was what they were for.

Reyna seemed as though a smile threatened to break her tough façade. "You have my orders. Go."

The officers scattered, while Octavian shot Percy an utterly scathing look. He turned to Annabeth and gave her a look of high suspicion and stalked off. 

Percy slipped his hand into Annabeth's, speaking to her with a kind smile.

Persephone froze as she felt the small twitch in her gut again. Her head snapped up as she heard the faint laughter once again. She glanced around, trying with everything she had, to see whatever was making that unkind sound. A feeling of dread settled onto her chest, pressing down and making it quite difficult to draw in a proper breath.

"Everything okay, Princesa?" Leo whispered. She shook her head to clear the fog that had settled and turned to him. Leo saw pure panic in her eyes, and his brows furrowed in concern.

Persephone gulped and nodded her head, slowly, trailing after her group of friends following Reyna. 

"Everything's fine." She convinced. 

Leo didn't buy it. Nor did she.