O C E A N U S

C H A P T E R   O N E

( welcome to camp jupiter )

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          UNTIL SHE MET the exploding statue, Malia thought she was prepared for anything.

She was leaning against the bow of the Greek trireme—also known as the Argo II—and staring down at the world below. During the time it took for the ship to get built, Jason had helped Malia get over her fear of heights, allowing her to look over the side of the ship and down at the passing hills and winding streets. It was a beautiful sight.

Behind her, Annabeth was pacing the deck, double-checking the ballistae to make sure they were locked down. She confirmed that the white "We come in peace" flag was flying from the mast. She reviewed the plan with the rest of the crew—and the backup plan, and the backup plan for the backup plan.

Malia knew her friend was anxious to finally see Percy after months of being apart from him. Hades, Malia was anxious, but she was better at hiding her emotions that Annabeth was right now, which was why she was leaning against the starboard side with her eyes locked on the world below her.

She'd pulled aside their war-crazed chaperon, Coach Hedge, before they took off and encouraged him to take the morning off in his cabin and watch reruns of mixed martial arts championships. The last thing they needed as they flew a magical Greek trireme into a potentially hostile Roman camp was a middle-aged satyr in gym clothes waving a club and yelling "Die!"

Everything seemed to be in order. Even that mysterious chill she'd been feeling since the ship launched had disappeared, at least for now.

The warship descended through the clouds, and Malia raised her hand to touch them. She hadn't been lying when she'd told Jason that she'd always wanted to touch the clouds and see if she'd fall through them or not. She could feel the water droplets cling to her skin, the sunlight soaking through her skin and causing her to smile despite the anxiety brewing in her chest.

She wondered about the Roman camp. Jason had told her as much as he could remember about it: from his friends to his time as praetor alongside this girl named Reyna, a daughter of Bellona, one of the Roman war goddesses. The way he'd spoke about Reyna had first unnerved Malia. She'd felt jealous. But then Jason had assured her that he and Reyna had only been friends and she'd let the matter go. No use in hating a girl for liking Jason. He was an absolute god in human form.

Malia and the others attempted to give the Romans a heads-up, since the Argo II did not look friendly. She had to admit, if she saw a two hundred foot long trireme with a bronze-plated hull, mounted repeating crossbows, a flaming metal dragon for a figurehead, and two rotating ballistae coming for her, she'd panic and attack them too.

But, Leo had created something called a holographic scroll, which they sent ahead of them to alert their friends inside the camp. Hopefully the message had gotten through. Leo had wanted to paint a giant message on the bottom of the hull—WASSUP? with a smiley face—and Malia had agreed but Annabeth had vetoed the idea. Honestly, they didn't know if the Romans had a sense of humor or not. Malia hoped they did.

The clouds broke around their hull, revealing the gold-and-green carpet of the Oakland Hills below them. Malia grinned down at the hills, holding tightly to the side of the ship. She'd gotten over her fear of heights, yes, but not her fear of Percy not remembering her. That was what bothered her the most right now.

The other crewmates took their places.

On the stern quarterdeck, Leo rushed around like a madman, checking his gauges and wrestling levers. Most helmsmen would've have satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a tiller. Leo had also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album, or raise sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast. Even by demigod standards, Leo was seriously ADHD.

Annabeth was gripping the side of the ship tightly, her eyes swimming with thoughts. Malia knew how nervous she was. Hades, she was probably more nervous than Malia because Annabeth had the curse of being an overthinker, and when a demigod is an overthinker, they were an extreme overthinker in ways that regular overthinkers could only dream of.

Piper paced back and forth between the mainmast and the ballistae, practicing her lines.

"Lower your weapons," she murmured. "We just want to talk."

Her charmspeak was so powerful, the words flowed over Malia, almost managing to fill her with the desire to remove her bracelet and drop it to the floor so she and Piper could have a long chat. However, she was still immune to charmspeak, but Malia had to admit that Piper was getting stronger.

For a child of Aphrodite, Piper tried hard to play down her beauty. Today she was dressed in tattered jeans, worn-out sneakers, and a white tank top with pink Hello Kitty designs (Maybe as a joke, though Malia could never be sure with Piper). Her choppy brown hair was braided down the right side with an eagle's feather.

Malia applauded the girl's sense of fashion even if it was a bit weird. At least she tried to be different from her cabinmates. Malia had dressed differently than usual, trying to seem more approachable. So instead of her camp shirt and jeans, she'd opted for a white tee and ripped shorts, her favorite blue high top Converse on her feet with her hair done in dutch pigtails with blue ribbons tied around them in bows. Cute yet mature, she believed.

Then you had Malia's boyfriend (gods, she loved being able to say that)—Jason. He stood at the bow on the raised crossbow platform, where the Romans could easily spot him. His knuckled were white on the edge of the ship. Otherwise he looked calm for a guy who was making himself a target. Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood tee shirt, he'd donned a toga and a purple cloak—symbols of his old rank as praetor. With his wind-ruffled blond hair and his electric blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control—just like a son of Jupiter should. Malia loved that about him. He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitate to blow the ship out of the sky.

Malia knew Annabeth didn't completely trust him, but she appreciated the blonde trying for her sake. Annabeth believed he acted too perfect—always following the rules (which he didn't always do, Malia had rubbed off on him in that aspect), always doing the honorable thing. He even looked too perfect, which Malia had to admit was true. He looked like a god. Annabeth was just looking out for her, and Malia appreciated that. It also helped prepare her for Percy's inevitable "overprotective-big-brother" act that he would put on as soon as he saw that Malia and Jason were dating.

Great.

Malia hated to admit that without Hera's forced "exchange program" to introduce the two camps, she would have never met Jason and never started dating him and had the best six months of her entire life. Her Most Annoying Majesty, Queen of Olympus, had convinced the other gods that their two sets of children—Roman and Greek—had to combine forced to save the world from the evil goddess, Gaea, who was awakening from the earth, and her horrible children the giants. Malia hated admitting that the goddess was right.

She was still allowed to be pissed though. Without warning, Hera had plucked up Percy Jackson, Malia's older brother and Annabeth's boyfriend, wiped his memory, and sent him to the Roman camp. In exchange, the Greeks had gotten Jason (which Malia was happy about).

The thought of her older brother reminded Malia that he was somewhere below them right now, probably with his stupid idiotic grin plastered on his lips. She couldn't wait to give him Hades for worrying her so much. Even if the Romans were watching, she'd beat the ever loving gods out of him for disappearing. After Annabeth and him reunited, that is.

While Malia felt totally confident in the plans that Annabeth had drafted, she couldn't help but wonder. What if something went wrong? What if Percy didn't remember them? What if the Romans had changed since Jason went missing because someone else was in charge?

No, she told herself. Have faith in Annabeth's plans. She's a daughter of Athena. I have to stick to the plan and not get distracted. Nothing is going to go wrong.

She felt it again—that familiar shiver, as if a psychotic snowman had crept up behind her and was breathing down her neck. She turned, but no one was there.

Must be her nerves. Even in a world of gods and monsters, Malia couldn't believe a new warship would be haunted. The Argo II was well protected. The Celestial bronze shields along the rail were enchanted to ward off monsters, and their onboard satyr, Coach Hedge, would have sniffed out any intruders.

The cold pressed closer. She thought she heard a faint voice in the wind, laughing. Every muscle in her body tensed. Something was about to go terribly wrong.

Part of her wanted to tell Leo to turn around and reverse course. But when she heard horns blaring in the valley below, that thought flew out the window. The Romans had spotted them.

Malia thought she knew what to expect. Jason described Camp Jupiter to her in great detail when they would sit on Cabin One's roof and stargaze. Still, she had trouble believing her eyes. Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley was at least twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. A small river snaked around one side and curled toward the center like a capital letter G, emptying into a sparkling blue lake.

Well, at least she'd have something to use in case she needed to defend herself.

Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. She recognized the landmarks Jason had told her about—the hippodrome, the coliseum, the temples and parks, the neighborhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colorful villas, and flowering gardens. It was beautiful.

She saw evidence of the Romans' recent battle with an army of monsters. The dome was cracked open on a building she guessed was the Senate House. The forum's broad plaza was pitted with craters. Some fountains and statues were in ruins.

Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the Argo II. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafes, gawking and pointing as the ship descended.

About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill. It looked just like the illustrations Malia had seen when sifting through Roman mythology—with a defensive trench lined with spikes, high walls, and watchtowers armed with scorpion ballistae. Inside, perfect rows of white barracks lined the main road—the Via Principalis.

A column of demigods emerged from the gate, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. In the midst of their ranks was an actual war elephant.

Malia had a feeling they should land the Argo II before the troops arrived and tried to kill them, but the ground was still several hundred feet below. She scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of her idiot of an older brother.

Then something behind her went BOOM!

The explosion almost knocked her overboard. She whirled around and found herself looking at an angry. . . statue?

"Unacceptable!" he shrieked.

Apparently he had exploded into existence, right there on the deck. Sulfurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders. Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga.

"I will not have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced in a fussy teacher voice. "I certainly will not have Greeks!"

Annabeth looked like she wanted to pummel the statue, but Jason sent her a look that said, I've got this.

"Terminus," he said. "It's me. Jason Grace."

"Oh, I remember you, Jason!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!"

"But they're not enemies—"

"That's right," Piper jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could—"

"Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on me, young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands!"

Piper glanced at her bronze dagger, which she'd apparently forgotten she was holding. "Um. . . okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."

"Impertinence!" There was a sharp POP and a flash of yellow. Piper yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking.

"Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"

"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I know you didn't do that."

The idea that Leo might attack the statue with his gaming device was enough to snap Malia out of her shock.

"Let's all calm down." She raised her hands to show no weapons, despite the bracelet on her wrist. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Malia Jackson, daughter of—"

"Jackson?" the god asked, sounding surprised. "Relation to Percy Jackson, I'm guessing."

Malia groaned. "Oh, gods. What has my idiot brother done now?"

"Nothing. I helped him take down a giant. Quite the character." Malia couldn't disagree with him on that fact. Her brother was. . . interesting.

Annabeth nodded slowly. "Well, I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of—"

"Oh, I know who you are!" The statue glared at her with its blank white eyes. "A child of Athena, Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for that goddess."

Annabeth looked mad. "What exactly do you mean, that goddess? And what's so scandalous about—"

"Right," Jason interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can—"

"Impossible!" the god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"

"Which is it?" Leo asked. "Surrender, or leave?"

"Both!" Terminus said. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?"

"Wow." Leo studied Terminus with professional interest. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look."

He exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magic tool belt and tapped the statue's pedestal.

"Stop that!" Terminus insisted. Another small explosion made Leo drop his screwdriver. "Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line."

"The what?" Piper asked.

"City limits," Jason translated.

"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "You cannot land!"

Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. Malia scanned the faces and. . . oh, gods. She saw him. He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies—a stout boy with a black buzz cut, and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet. Percy looked so at ease, so happy. He wore a purple cape like Jason's—the mark of a praetor.

"Leo, stop the ship," Annabeth ordered.

"What?"

"You heard me. Keep us right where we are."

Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.

"Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"

The statue frowned. "Well, no. . ."

"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."

The statue seemed to ponder this. Malia wondered if he was scratching his chin with imaginary hands.

"I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still. . ."

"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Annabeth promised. "I assume the Romans—even those reinforcements marching toward us—will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?"

"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"

"Well. . . you did tolerate my brothers, so. . ." Malia mumbled.

"Uh, Annabeth. . ." Leo said. "You sure this is a good idea?"

Malia watched Annabeth closely as she closed her fists to keep them from shaking. Malia could feel that coldness hanging around her, floating behind her and waiting. It had gone away when Terminus was shouting, but now that he was quiet, she could hear that laughter loud and clear in her ears, reminding her of Khione's icy voice and presence.

This could be the worst choice they'd ever make, but Percy and two of the other demigods were down there. They couldn't wait much longer.

"It'll be fine," Annabeth said. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She looked at the marble statue. "Do we have an agreement?"

Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. Please try not to destroy my town."

Malia glanced down at her bracelet to see it faintly shimmering green in warning. Gods, something bad was going to happen, and she knew it.

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As Malia touched down on Roman soil, she could feel the difference. The tension rising in the air. The threat of an all-out war hanging above her. One wrong move. . .

Jason dropped down beside her and laced their fingers together, giving her hand a tight squeeze. She met his eyes, and her shoulders relaxed when he sent her a soft smile of comfort. At least she had her friends and boyfriend with her. As long as she wasn't alone in this mess, she would be fine.

"We'll be okay," he assured.

A chill ran down her spine as the laughter echoed in her ears. Malia swallowed thickly. "Just don't let go, Hercules. All right?"

"Wouldn't dream of it." He pressed a kiss to the top of her hair. "Come on."

They lined up beside Annabeth with Leo and Piper on the other side of her. The sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for them as they walked through the forum. Some looked tense, some looked nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one was armed. No one attacked.

Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. Malia saw couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes. Malia remembered Jason telling her that New Rome was a safe haven for demigods who wanted to go to college and start their lives beyond the legion. The sight of all those demigods having families and living without too much to worry about warmed her heart.

At Camp Half-Blood, most demigods were teens. If they survived long enough to graduate from high school, they either stayed on as counselors or left to start lives as best they could in the mortal world. Here, it was an entire multi-generational community.

At the far end of the crowd, Malia spotted her half-brother Tyson and her shared hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary—who had been the first scouting party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter. They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved an grinned. He was wearing an SPQR banner like a giant bib. Malia sent him a grin back and she laughed when she saw how badly he wanted to rush over to her and hug her. The big guy was just like a baby.

Malia found the city beautiful. She loved the smells from the bakeries, the sound of the gurgling fountains, and the flowers blooming in the gardens. The city was a sight to behold, and Malia wondered if Rome looked just like this. Especially when it came to the architecture. There were gilded marble columns and dazzling mosaics that reminded her of the mosaic room from the Labyrinth. Monumental arches swooped over their heads and terraced villas shone in the sunlight. Beautiful.

In front of her, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian.

Reyna.

Jason had described her well. Even without that, Malia would have singled her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze. Malia instantly recognized how eerily familiar she was. Where had she seen her before?

Reyna had a certain expression Malia often saw in Annabeth—a hard set mouth and a deliberate way of raising her chin like she was ready to accept any challenge. Reyna was forcing a look of courage, while holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear she couldn't show in public.

Annabeth and Reyna considered each other. The rest of the Greeks fanned out on either side of her. The Romans murmured Jason's name, staring at him in awe. Jason's grip on Malia's hand grew tighter, and she could see the nerves rushing through him in his eyes. He was just as anxious about this as she was.

Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and Malia fought the urge to walk past Reyna and punch her brother in the face.

Percy smiled at Annabeth—the sarcastic, troublemaker smile that he and Malia shared. His sea-green eyes sparkled with mischief and his dark hair was as messy as ever, sweeping over his forehead and landing in his eyes. He looked like he'd just come from a walk on the beach, his skin tanner than it had been six months ago. And, to her displeasure, he was taller. Perfect.

Malia glanced at Annabeth to see that she was too stunned to move. The blonde was staring at her brother with wide eyes and a hard expression that concealed her emotions, much like the one that Reyna was wearing.

The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason, immediately eyeing the way he held Malia's hand.

"Jason Grace, my former colleague. . ." She spoke the word colleague like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends—"

Malia nearly laughed as Annabeth surged forward. Percy rushed toward her at the same time. The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there.

Percy threw his arms around Annabeth. They kissed. Malia made a retching noise and turned away, causing her friends to laugh softly. She loved her brother and she loved that he found someone like Annabeth, but she did not need to see them making out.

Percy pulled away and studied Annabeth's face. "Gods, I never thought—"

Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement. Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!"

Malia was cracking up as she watched her brother get beaten up. She had to hide her face in Jason's shoulder to muffle her laughter. Gods, it was nice to see that some things never changed.

Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat. "If you ever leave me again," she said. "I swear to all the gods—"

Percy started laughing, and Malia saw Annabeth's anger fade away.

"Consider me warned," Percy said. "I missed you, too."

Annabeth rose and helped him to his feet. Malia turned her face away in fear that they would kiss again, hiding it in Jason's shirt. He chuckled lowly at her actions and squeezed her hand, making her roll her eyes.

"Tell me when they're done," she mumbled.

Jason shook his head. "They didn't even kiss, Ariel. But I think Annabeth wanted to kiss him."

Malia sighed in relief and looked back up to see that Jason was right. Percy and Annabeth were just hugging again, which made Malia smile. However, that smile turned into a smirk as a plan formed in her mind. Oh, she was going to give Percy Jackson Hell for leaving her. She clapped her hands together, grabbing Percy's attention.

As soon as Percy caught sight of Malia, the weight on his shoulders seemed to disappear. He grinned and held his arms open, Malia laughing as she ran toward him, tackling him in a hug. It took all of Malia's willpower not to start crying as soon as she was in her brother's embrace. For six months, she'd gone without him. Six months without the late-night conversations and the stupid jokes and pranks they'd pull on each other. Six months without the usual sibling squabbles and karaoke competitions. Six months without Percy.

After a moment, the siblings let go and Malia took a step back. She pondered her next move, and before anyone could stop her, she punched Percy's arm. Hard. Her brother winced and gave her a look like, What was that for?

Malia jabbed her finger into Percy's chest. "Don't give me that look, Perseus Jackson. You know exactly what that was for!" She punched his arm again, glaring. "Gods, do you have any idea how much you scared me?"

Percy rubbed his arm. "I didn't sign up for Hera's little exchange program, remember? She kidnapped me in the middle of the night. Why don't you take your anger out on her?"

"I already did that six months ago. Now it's your turn." She started hitting his arm repeatedly, shouting insults at him with each hit. "You—Big—Barnacle—Brained—Idiot!" She hit him harder on the last word before jabbing his chest again. "Gods, if we weren't surrounded by Romans who would protect your ass, I would send you to the Underworld myself!"

Percy chuckled and grabbed her wrist, keeping her from injuring him anymore. All around them, the Romans watched carefully, ready to defend their new praetor. The Argo II crew were trying not to laugh, especially Annabeth, who knew the siblings well. Malia didn't care about any of that, though. She was too busy trying not to murder her brother for being an idiot.

"Let's not do that, please?" he said, giving her a grin. "I'd like to remain in the land of the living for as long as possible."

Malia glared at him harder. "You're lucky mom would have my head for killing you. For some strange reason, she actually loves you. And I'd rather not be on her bad side."

"Yeah, yeah. I missed you, too." Percy pulled her in for another hug, rolling his eyes with a laugh. Malia accepted the hug with a wide smile, glad to have finally gotten that out of her system. For weeks she'd been trying to figure out how she would act when she saw her brother again. And, if she were being honest with herself, she wasn't disappointed with how she reacted. Much more mature than pretending that she'd forgotten who he was and scaring the hell out of him.

"I love you, idiot," she mumbled into his shirt.

"I love you too, jerk." Malia stepped away from him and back to Jason, allowing Annabeth to take Percy's hand again.

After a moment of silence, Jason cleared his throat. "So, yeah . . . It's good to be back."

He introduced Reyna to Piper and Leo, the daughter of Aphrodite looking miffed that she hadn't been able to say the lines she'd been practicing on the ship. Leo, however, just grinned and flashed the crowd a peace sign. Malia rolled her eyes at him and laughed.

"This is Annabeth," Jason said. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people." Reyna took Annabeth's hand and shook it. Jason then gestured to Malia. "And this is Malia. She's normally not as violent."

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

Malia didn't know if that was a compliment, but she held out her hand. "I only attack my older brother like that," she promised. "Pleased to meet you."

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

A few of the Roman campers hustled forward—apparently the senior officers. Two kids appeared at Percy's side, the same ones Malia had seen him chumming around with earlier. The burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about fifteen. He was cute in a sort of oversized-cuddly-panda-bear way. The girl was younger, maybe thirteen, with amber eyes and chocolate skin and long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm.

Malia could tell from their body language that they felt close to Percy. They stood next to him protectively, like they'd already shared many adventures. Malia wondered what the Hades Percy had gotten the two of them into for them to be this close with each other. She looked between Percy and the girl, for a moment speculating if they. . . no. The chemistry between the three of them wasn't like that. Malia knew how to read people after spending so much time with Annabeth. It was a survival skill. If she had to guess, she'd say the big Asian guy was the girl's boyfriend, though she suspected they hadn't been together long.

There was one thing she didn't understand: what was the girl staring at? She kept frowning in Piper and Leo's direction, like she recognized one of them and the memory was painful.

Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. ". . . tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"

"You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A tall guy with stringy blond hair elbowed his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks—"

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

"Oh, much better," Octavian grumbled. He seemed to be the only one who didn't defer to Reyna as his superior, despite the fact that he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt. "You want to relax in the shadow of their warship."

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

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

Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."

The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy a look of absolute loathing. Then he gave Annabeth and Malia a suspicious once-over and stalked away.

Malia slipped her hand into Jason's and sent him a look. "I'm guessing that was the guy you were constantly annoyed by."

Jason nodded with pursed lips. "That's the one."

"Don't worry about Octavian," Percy said. "Most of the Romans are good people—like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. We'll be fine."

Malia felt as if someone had draped a cold washcloth across her neck. She heard that whispering laughter again, as if the presence had followed her from the ship. She gripped Jason's hand tighter, shivering.

She looked up at the Argo II. Its massive bronze hull glittered in the sunlight. Part of her wanted to run back onto the ship and run away from the camp while she still could.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. And there was no way she would ever risk losing Percy or anyone else now that the whole group was back together.

"We'll be fine," Annabeth repeated, sounding as though she was trying to convince herself. Malia shot another wary look back at the ship, feeling a chill run down her spin. Something told her that what Annabeth was saying was a lie.

"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason, and Malia felt him stiffen at the hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. Malia fought down a pool of jealousy, trying to remind herself that Jason had assured her about his feelings toward Malia. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."

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A U T H O R S   N O T E

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MALIA AND PERCY FINALLY REUNITED! She's going to give him hell for a little bit because she feels like it, and then she'll finally "forgive" him for "leaving" her when it was actually Hera's fault and she never blamed him in the first place. Also, be prepared for overprotective Percy in the next chapter since Jason and Malia will be open about their relationship with each other since Malia doesn't give a fuck about Percy's reaction.

Malia will be dealing with issues in this half because she's going to wonder if Jason actually likes her or is trying to distract himself from Reyna. But don't worry. He and Malia will settle things and they will have cute moments as well as real couple issues. I want their relationship to be real because Jiper is real so why not make Jalia real as well. It won't be as hateful as Piper, but they will get in one argument, I think.

Anyway, please comment and vote!

Love you all!

~ a.h.