CHAPTER    THIRTY
PERSEUS JACKSON

The Feast of Fortuna had nothing to do with tuna, which was fine with Percy.

Campers, Amazons, and Lares crowded the mess hall for a lavish dinner. Even the fauns were invited, since they'd helped out by bandaging the wounded after the battle. Wind nymphs zipped around the room, delivering orders of pizza, burgers, steaks, salads, Chinese food, and burritos, all flying at terminal velocity.

Despite the exhausting battle, everyone was in good spirits. Casualties had been light, and the few campers who'd previously died and come back to life, like Gwen, hadn't been taken to the Underworld. Maybe Thanatos had turned a blind eye. Or maybe Pluto had given those folks a pass, like he had for Finley and Hazel. Whatever the case, nobody complained.

Colorful Amazon and Roman banners hung side-by-side from the rafters. The restored golden eagle stood proudly behind the praetor's table, and the walls were decorated with cornucopias—magical horns of plenty that spilled out recycling waterfalls of fruit, chocolate, and fresh-baked cookies.

The cohorts mingled freely with the Amazons, jumping from couch to couch as they pleased, and for once the soldiers of the Fifth were welcome everywhere. Percy changed seats so many times, he lost track of his dinner.

There was a lot of flirting and arm-wrestling—which seemed to be the same thing for the Amazons. At one point Percy was cornered by Kinzie, the Amazon who'd disarmed him in Seattle. He had to explain that he already had a girlfriend.

Fortunately, Kinzie took it well—so well, in fact, that she immediately went off to start flirting with Finley. Finley was a lot more enthusiastic about Kinzie's pursuits than Percy had been. The two girls seemed to be hitting it off... Percy thought.

Once everyone had eaten and the plates stopped flying, Reyna made a short speech. She formally welcomed the Amazons, thanking them for their help. Then she hugged her sister and everybody applauded.

Reyna raised her hands for quiet. "My sister and I haven't always seen eye to eye—"

Hylla laughed. "That's an understatement."

"She joined the Amazons," Reyna continued. "I joined Camp Jupiter. But looking around this room, I think we both made good choices. Strangely, our destinies were made possible by the hero you all just raised to praetor on the battlefield—Percy Jackson."

More cheering. The sisters raised their glasses to Percy and beckoned him forward.

Everybody asked for a speech, but Percy didn't know what to say. He protested that he really wasn't the best person for praetor, but the campers drowned him out with applause. Reyna took away his probatio neck plate. Octavian shot him a dirty look, then turned to the crowd and smiled like this was all his idea. He ripped open a teddy bear and pronounced good omens for the coming year—Fortuna would bless them! He passed his hand over Percy's arm and shouted: "Percy Jackson, son of Neptune, first year of service!"

The Roman symbols burned onto Percy's arm: a trident, SPQR, and a single stripe. It felt like someone was pressing a hot iron into his skin, but Percy managed not to scream.

Octavian embraced him and whispered, "I hope it hurt."

Then Reyna gave him an eagle medal and purple cloak, symbols of the praetor. "You earned these, Percy."

Queen Hylla pounded him on the back. "And I've decided not to kill you."

"Um, thanks," Percy said.

He made his way around the mess hall one more time, because all the campers wanted him at their table. Vitellius the Lar followed, stumbling over his shimmering purple toga and readjusting his sword, telling everyone how he'd predicted Percy's rise to greatness.

"I demanded he join the Fifth Cohort!" the ghost said proudly. "Spotted his talent right away!"

Don the faun popped up in a nurse's hat, a stack of cookies in each hand. "Man, congrats and stuff! Awesome! Hey, do you have any spare change?"

All the attention embarrassed Percy, but he was happy to see how well Finley, Hazel, and Frank were being treated. Well—really just Hazel and Frank. Camp Jupiter still seemed pretty wary of Finley, but Percy got the sense they were trying to warm up to her after today. As for Hazel and Frank, everyone called them the saviors of Rome, and they deserved it. There was even talk about reinstating Frank's great-grandfather, Shen Lun, to the legion's roll of honor. Apparently he hadn't caused the 1906 earthquake after all.

Percy sat for a while with Tyson and Ella, who were honored guests at Dakota's table. Tyson kept calling for peanut-butter sandwiches, eating them as fast as the nymphs could deliver. Ella perched at his shoulder on top of the couch and nibbled furiously on cinnamon rolls.

"Cinnamon rolls are good for harpies," she said. "June twenty-fourth is a good day. Roy Disney's birthday, and Fortuna's Feast, and Independence Day for Zanzibar. And Tyson."

She glanced at Tyson, then blushed and looked away.

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After dinner, the entire legion got the night off. Percy and his friends drifted down to the city, which wasn't quite recovered from the battle, but the fires were out, most of the debris had been swept up, and the citizens were determined to celebrate.

At the Pomerian Line, the statue of Terminus wore a paper party hat.

"Welcome, praetor!" he said. "You need any giants' faces smashed while you're in town, just let me know."

"Thanks, Terminus," Percy said. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Yes, good. Your praetor's cape is an inch too low on the left. There—that's better. Where is my assistant? Julia!"

The little girl ran out from behind the pedestal. She was wearing a green dress tonight, and her hair was still in pigtails. When she smiled, Percy saw that her front teeth were starting to come in. She held up a box full of party hats.

Percy tried to decline, but Julia gave him the big adoring eyes.

"Ah, sure," he said. "I'll take the blue crown."

She offered Hazel a gold pirate hat. "I'm gonna be Percy Jackson when I grow up," she told Hazel solemnly.

Hazel smiled. "That's a good thing to be, Julia."

"Hazel's lying to you," Finley claimed, holding a hat that resembled a big, circular birthday cake with candles. "You're so much cooler than that Peter Johnson loser."

"Hey!" Percy said.

"Try to be Frank Zhang. Now that would be cool," Frank said. He picked out a hat shaped like a polar bear's head.

"Frank!" Hazel said.

They put on their hats and continued to the forum, which was lit up with multicolored lanterns. The fountains glowed purple. The coffee shops were doing a brisk business, and street musicians filled the air with the sounds of guitar, lyre, and panpipes.

The goddess Iris must've been in a party mood too. As Percy and his friends strolled past the damaged Senate House, a dazzling rainbow appeared in the night sky. Unfortunately the goddess sent another blessing—a gentle rain of gluten-free R.O.F.L. cupcake simulations, which Percy figured would either make cleaning up harder, or rebuilding easier. The cupcakes would make great bricks.

For a while, Percy wandered the streets with Finley, Hazel, and Frank. At one point, Finley silently nudged him. He was about to push her over for that, until she nodded at their other two friends, who kept brushing shoulders.

"Uh," Percy said, "I'm a little tired, guys."

"Same, I'm... pooped," Finley agreed awkwardly. "You two go ahead."

Hazel and Frank protested, but Percy and Finley could tell they wanted some time alone.

As they headed back to camp, Percy saw Mrs. O'Leary playing with Hannibal in the Field of Mars. Finally, she'd found a playmate she could roughhouse with. They frolicked around, slamming into each other, breaking fortifications, and generally having an excellent time.

"They're so us," Finley commented. Percy started cackling.

At the fort gates, they parted ways. Percy stopped and gazed across the valley. It seemed like so long ago that he'd stood here with Finley and Hazel, getting his first good view of camp. Now he was more interested in watching the eastern horizon.

Tomorrow, maybe the next day, his friends from Camp Half-Blood would arrive. As much as he cared about Camp Jupiter, he couldn't wait to see Sylvie again. He yearned for his old life—New York and Camp Half-Blood—but something told him it might be a while before he returned home. Gaea and the giants weren't done causing trouble—not by a long shot.

Reyna had given him the second praetor's house on the Via Principalis, but as soon as Percy looked inside, he knew he couldn't stay there. It was nice, but it was also full of Jason Grace's stuff. Percy already felt uneasy taking Jason's title of praetor. He didn't want to take the guy's house, too. It seemed entirely too personal to be in here. On his bedside table, Jason had a few pictures collecting dust due to his absence. A half-written note was set on top of them.

The note was kind of senseless to Percy, but he could tell Jason had written it himself: I know you won't be able to read this, even if you find it. But I'm sorry.

Now more curious, Percy blew on the pictures and the dust particles scattered. His eyebrows rose in shock when he realized what they all were of: a boy with a lip scar and a girl who had an disconcerting gleam to her eyes.

Percy picked up one in particular, the first one that caught his eye.

Finley and Jason had to be seven here, maybe eight. They were young, but he could still tell it was them. They were out on the field of Camp Jupiter, both wearing baseball hats—Finley's was blue and worn properly, while Jason's was green and turned backwards like he was trying to be cool. Little Finley faced the camera with one of her genuine smiles that rarely got seen. Little Jason placed his hand onto her left cheek, and kissed her right cheek.

The photograph was, admittedly, adorable. It made him wonder how there could be so much hatred between Jason and Finley when they used to be this close before. The thought almost seemed impossible.

Percy was too tired to think about it now. He just put the picture back down and left the room entirely. He headed back to the Fifth Cohort barracks and climbed into his bunk before passing out instantly.

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He dreamed he was carrying Juno across the Little Tiber.

She was disguised as a crazy old bag lady, smiling and singing an Ancient Greek lullaby as her leathery hands gripped Percy's neck.

"Do you still want to slap me, dear?" she asked.

Percy stopped midstream. He let go and dumped the goddess in the river.

The moment she hit the water, she vanished and reappeared on the shore. "Oh, my," she cackled, "that wasn't very heroic, even in a dream!"

"Seven months," Percy said. "You stole seven months of my life for a quest that took a week. Why?"

Juno tutted disapprovingly. "You mortals and your short lives. Seven months is nothing, my dear. I lost seven centuries once, missed most of the Byzantine Empire."

Percy summoned the power of the river. It swirled around him, spinning into a froth of whitewater.

"Now, now," Juno said. "Don't get testy. If we are to defeat Gaea, our plans must be timed perfectly. First, I needed Jason and his friends to free me from my prison—"

"Your prison? You were in prison and they let you out?"

"Don't sound so surprised, dear! I'm a sweet old woman. At any rate, you weren't needed at Camp Jupiter until now, to save the Romans at their moment of greatest crisis. The seven months between... well, I do have other plans brewing, my boy. Opposing Gaea, working behind Jupiter's back, protecting your friends—it's a full-time job! If I had to guard you from Gaea's monsters and schemes as well, and keep you hidden from your friends back east all that time—no, much better you take a safe nap. You would have been a distraction—a loose cannon."

"A distraction." Percy felt the water rising with his anger, spinning faster around him. "A loose cannon."

"Exactly. I'm glad you understand."

Percy sent a wave crashing down on the old woman, but Juno simply disappeared and materialized farther down the shore.

"My," she said, "you are in a bad mood. But you know I'm right. Your timing here was perfect. They trust you now. You are a hero of Rome. And while you slept, Jason Grace has learned to trust the Greeks. They've had time to build the Argo II. Together, you and Jason will unite the camps."

"Why me?" Percy demanded. "You and I never got along. Why would you want a loose cannon on your team?"

"Because I know you, Percy Jackson. In many ways, you are impulsive, but when it comes to your friends, you are as constant as a compass needle. You are unswervingly loyal, and you inspire loyalty. You are the glue that will unite the nine."

"Great," Percy said. "I always wanted to be glue."

Juno laced her crooked fingers. "The Heroes of Olympus must unite! After your victory over Kronos in Manhattan... well, I fear that wounded Jupiter's self-esteem."

"Because I was right," Percy said. "And he was wrong."

The old lady shrugged. "He should be used to that, after so many eons married to me, but alas! My proud and obstinate husband refuses to ask mere demigods for help again. He believes the giants can be fought without you, and Gaea can be forced back to her slumbers. I know better. But you must prove yourself. Only by sailing to the ancient lands and closing the Doors of Death will you convince Jupiter that you are worthy of fighting side-by-side with the gods. It will be the greatest quest since Aeneas sailed from Troy!"

"And if we fail?" Percy said. "If Romans and Greeks don't get along?"

"Then Gaea has already won. I'll tell you this, Percy Jackson. The one who will cause you the most trouble is the one closest to you—the one who hates me most."

"Sylvie?" Percy felt his anger rising again. "You never liked her. Now you're calling her a troublemaker? You don't know her at all. She's the person I most want watching my back."

The goddess smiled dryly. "We will see, young hero. She has a hard task ahead of her when you arrive in Rome. Whether she is up to it... I do not know."

Percy summoned a fist of water and smashed it down at the old lady. When the wave receded, she was gone.

The river swirled out of Percy's control. He sank into the darkness of the whirlpool.

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The next morning, Percy, Finley, Hazel, and Frank ate breakfast early, then headed into the city before the senate was due to convene. As Percy was a praetor now, he could go pretty much wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

On the way, they passed the stables, where Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary were sleeping in. Tyson snored on a bed of hay next to the unicorns, a blissful look on his face like he was dreaming of ponies. Mrs. O'Leary had rolled on her back and covered her ears with her paws. On the stable roof, Ella roosted in a pile of old Roman scrolls, her head tucked under her wings.

When they got to the forum, they sat by the fountains and watched the sun come up. The citizens were already busy sweeping up cupcake simulations, confetti, and party hats from last night's celebration. The engineer corps was working on a new arch that would commemorate the victory over Polybotes.

Hazel said she'd even heard talk of a formal triumph for them—a parade around the city followed by a week of games and celebrations—but Percy knew they'd never get the chance. They didn't have time.

Percy told them about his dream of Juno.

Hazel frowned. "The gods were busy last night. Show him, Frank."

Frank reached into his coat pocket. Percy thought he might bring out his piece of firewood, but instead he produced a thin paperback book and a note on red stationery.

"These were on my pillow this morning." He passed them to Percy and Finley. "Like the Tooth Fairy visited."

Finley seemed confused, even if the title was staring right at her. The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Percy had never heard of it, but he could guess who sent it. The letter read: Good job, kid. A real man's best weapon is his mind. This was your mom's favorite book. Give it a read. P.S.—I hope your friend Percy has learned some respect for me.

"Wow," Finley said robotically. "Enlightening information from that... book."

They looked at her oddly, but Finley always acted this weird, so Percy just shrugged and handed back the book. "Maybe Mars is different than Ares. I don't think Ares can read."

"What kind of idiot doesn't know how to read?" Finley laughed forcedly.

Frank flipped through the pages. "There's a lot in here about sacrifice, knowing the cost of war. Back in Vancouver, Mars told me I'd have to put my duty ahead of my life or the entire war would go sideways. I thought he meant freeing Thanatos, but now... I don't know. I'm still alive, so maybe the worst is yet to come."

He glanced nervously at Percy, and Percy got the feeling Frank wasn't telling him everything. He wondered if Mars had said something about him, but Percy wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Besides, Frank had already given enough. He had watched his family home burn down. He'd lost his mother and his grandmother.

"You risked your life," Percy said. "You were willing to burn up to save the quest. Mars can't expect more than that."

"Maybe," Frank said doubtfully.

Hazel squeezed Frank's hand.

They seemed more comfortable around each other this morning, not quite as nervous and awkward. Percy wondered if they'd started dating. He hoped so, but he decided it was better not to ask.

"Finley, how about you?" Percy asked. "Any word from Bacchus?"

"Yeah," said Finley. "He felt bad that I died, so he gave me a lifetime supply of wine."

"Really?"

"No."

Percy rolled his eyes, nudging her away. Hazel would probably be more serious with him.

"What about Pluto?" he asked her.

Hazel looked down. Several diamonds popped out of the ground at her feet. "No," she admitted. "In a way, I think he sent a message through Thanatos. My name wasn't on that list of escaped souls. It should have been."

"You think your dad is giving you a pass?" Percy asked.

Hazel shrugged. "Pluto can't visit me or even talk to me without acknowledging I'm alive. Then he'd have to enforce the laws of death and have Thanatos bring me back to the Underworld. I think my dad is turning a blind eye. I think—I think he wants me to find Nico."

Percy glanced at the sunrise, hoping to see a warship descending from the sky. So far, nothing.

"We'll find your brother," Percy promised. "As soon as the ship gets here, we'll sail for Rome."

Finley, Hazel, and Frank exchanged uneasy looks, like they'd already talked about this.

"Percy..." Frank said. "If you want us to come along, we're in. But are you sure? I mean... we're fine to stay at the other camp. And you could pick anyone at Camp Jupiter now. If we're not part of the nine, we'd understand—"

"Are you kidding?" Percy said. "You think I'd leave my team behind? After surviving Fleecy's wheat germ, running from cannibals, and hiding under blue giant butts in Alaska? Come on!"

The tension broke. All four of them started cracking up, maybe a little too much, but it was a relief to be alive, with the warm sun shining, and not worrying—at least for the moment—about sinister faces appearing in the shadows of the hills.

Hazel took a deep breath. "The prophecy Ella gave us—about the child of harvest, and the echo of Demeter burning through Rome... do you know what that's about?"

Percy remembered his dream. Juno had warned that Sylvie had a difficult job ahead of her, and that she'd cause trouble for the quest. He couldn't believe that, but still... it worried him.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I think there's more to the prophecy. Maybe Ella can remember the rest of it."

Finley crossed her arms. "We need to take her with us—I mean, for her own safety. If Octavian finds out Ella has the Sibylline Books memorized..."

Percy shuddered. Octavian used prophecies to keep his power at camp. Now that Percy had taken away his chance at praetor, Octavian would be looking for other ways to exert influence. If he got hold of Ella...

"You're right," Percy said. "We've got to protect her. I just hope we can convince her—"

"Percy!" Tyson came running across the forum, Ella fluttering behind him with a scroll in her talons. When they reached the fountain, Ella dropped the scroll in Percy's lap.

"Special delivery," she said. "From an aura. A wind spirit. Yes, Ella got a special delivery."

"Good morning, brothers!" Tyson had hay in his hair and peanut butter in his teeth. "The scroll is from Leo. He is funny and small."

The scroll looked unremarkable, but when Percy spread it across his lap, a video recording flickered on the parchment. A kid in Greek armor grinned up at them. He had an impish face, curly black hair, and wild eyes, like he'd just had several cups of coffee. He was sitting in a dark room with timber walls like a ship's cabin. Oil lamps swung back and forth on the ceiling.

Hazel stifled a scream.

"What?" Frank asked. "What's wrong?"

Slowly, Percy realized the curly-haired kid looked familiar—and not just from his dreams. He'd seen that face in an old photo.

"Hey!" said the guy in the video. "Greetings from your friends at Camp Half-Blood, et cetera. This is Leo. I'm the..." He looked off-screen and yelled: "What's my title? Am I like admiral, or captain, or—"

A girl's voice yelled back, "Repair boy."

"Very funny, Piper," Leo grumbled. He turned back to the parchment screen. "So yeah, I'm... ah... supreme commander of the Argo II. Yeah, I like that!"

"Leo, hurry it up!" another voice called. "I'm pretty sure Sylvie's about to have a panic attack."

Finley choked on her own breath. "Jason."

"Sylvie," Percy muttered.

"Another one?" Leo questioned, frowning. "Aw, man." He faced the screen again: "We're gonna be sailing toward you in about, I dunno, an hour in this big mother warship. We'd appreciate it if you'd not, like, blow us out of the sky or anything. So okay! If you could tell the Romans that. See you soon. Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out."

The parchment turned blank.

"It can't be," Hazel said.

"What?" Frank asked. "You know that guy?"

Hazel looked like she'd seen a ghost. Percy understood why. He remembered the photo in Hazel's abandoned house in Seward. The kid on the warship looked exactly like Hazel's old boyfriend.

"It's Sammy Valdez," she said. "But how... how—"

"It can't be," Percy said. "That guy's name is Leo. And it's been seventy-something years. It has to be a..."

He wanted to say a coincidence, but he couldn't make himself believe that. Over the past few years, he'd seen a lot of things: destiny, prophecy, magic, monsters, fate. But he'd never yet run across a coincidence.

Still, Percy couldn't help but smile. He knew the stakes were high. He knew this day could go horribly wrong. However, he also knew that Sylvie was on that ship. If things went right, this would be the best day of his life.

He leaned an elbow on Finley's shoulder, but she just side-stepped him, and he flew towards the ground.

Percy just popped back up, because nothing was going to tamper his mood.

"Come on," he said. "We've got to warn the senate about the warship. They can't attack anything when my girlfriend gets here."

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BAILEY YAPS!!!

And with that Act 1 comes to a close!!!

Thank y'all so much for bearing with me and reading this. I know there wasn't any Persylv OR Jinley, and I really am sorry for that, but at least now you have a taste of what the other characters feel like missing each other. Please hear me out now for Act 2 because!!!!

Okay so I know it's already been basically stated in the story and stuff BUT

Act 2 will not be called Mark of Athena, it will be called Echo of Demeter !!!

Sylvie has her solo quest instead and it's certainly a lot different and I'm really excited for y'all to see what I have in store for her. Is it happy stuff? No! But it is great stuff in my eyes ❤️

Anyways here's the baby Jinley picture Percy found in Jason's room