𝐒 𝐓 𝐀 𝐑   𝐖 𝐀 𝐑 𝐒   !

⎯ 𝘛 𝘏 𝘙 𝘌 𝘌 ⎯

( 𝔬𝔠𝔱𝔞𝔳𝔦𝔞𝔫 𝔰𝔩𝔞𝔲𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔠𝔶'𝔰 𝔣𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔡 ! )

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

          𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐅𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐄𝐔𝐋. Aurora chatted the two's ears off about how amazing their pastries were, the smile never leaving her face. When they'd arrived, she'd happily bought an espresso for Percy, a hot chocolate for herself, and three muffins for the three of them to eat while trekking up Temple Hill. She'd ignored Hazel's protests, believing it her job to pay due to being the centurion of group. That, and she could hear their stomachs growling.

Percy had inhaled the muffin and his drink, and Aurora half expected him to start bouncing off of the walls. To her surprise, the coffee seemed to calm him down, allowing him to focus on everything that the camp had to offer. Unlike Percy, Aurora drank her hot chocolate slowly, enjoying her favorite drink.

A few campers raced past them in swimsuits and towels, heading into the bath house—a building located near the barracks with steam coming from a row of chimneys along the side. She could hear laughter and water splashing echoing from inside, her lips pulling up in a small smile. She would definitely need a shower after the war games that night.

"Bath house," Hazel said, having noticed Percy's gaze on the building. "We'll get you in there before dinner, hopefully. You haven't lived until you've had a Roman bath."

Percy let out a sigh that made Aurora chuckle softly. They approached the front gate, the barracks getting larger in size and nicer. The ghosts that floated around them looked better—with fancier armor and shinier auras. Her eyes scanned the banners hanging along the barracks, eyes growing dark as she met the eyes of one of the centurions from the First Cohort. He made a rude gesture in her direction that she ignored, turning to Percy to distract herself.

"You guys are divided into different cabins?" he asked, eyes studying the barracks.

"Sort of." Aurora ducked as a kid riding a giant eagle swooped overhead. "We have five cohorts of about forty kids each. Each cohort is divided into barracks of ten—like roommates, kind of."

Percy took a second before responding, "You're telling me there's two hundred kids at camp?"

"Roughly."

"And all of them are children of the gods?" Percy whistled lowly, eyes wide. "The gods have been busy."

Hazel and Aurora laughed. Aurora remembered when she thought that way, believing every single member of the legion was a demigod. Then she found out about legacies, and she understood how the camp was so big.

"Not all of them are children of major gods," Hazel clarified, Percy's eyes shining with understanding. "There are hundreds of minor Roman gods. Plus, a lot of the campers are legacies—second or third generation. Maybe their parents were demigods. Or their grandparents."

Percy blinked. "Children of demigods?"

Aurora eyed him curiously. "Why? Does that surprise you?"

She watched him for a moment. After everything he's been through in the past couple of hours, the fact that demigods could have children should be the least surprising thing he's heard. Next to Juno's daunting words and Reyna's interrogation, this information should be a walk in the park for him.

"These Legos—"

"Legacies," Aurora corrected with a grin.

"They have powers like a demigod?"

Aurora tilted her head from side to side. "Sometimes. Sometimes not. But they can be trained. All the best Roman generals and emperors—you know, they all claimed to be descended from gods. Most of the time, they were telling the truth. The camp augur we're going to meet, he's a legacy, descendant of"—Aurora had to force the words out, disgust clinging to them—"he's a descendant of Apollo. He's got the gift of prophecy, supposedly."

Percy furrowed his brows. "Supposedly?"

Aurora's expression soured. "You'll see."

Percy didn't look very reassured at that, and Aurora almost felt bad. But she didn't want to give him false hope that Octavian would be able to fix his problems, because she was pretty sure he lied about half of his so-called 'visions'.

"So the divisions," he said, clearing his throat. "The cohorts, whatever—you're divided according to who your godly parent is?"

What an odd thing to think. Aurora tried to picture the camp the way Percy had just described. She would be stuck in a cohort with three or four other demigod children of Apollo, as well as half a dozen legacies, including Octavian. The thought alone made her blanch.

Hazel stared at him. "What a horrible idea! No, the officers decide where to assign recruits. If we were divided according to god, the cohorts would be all uneven. I'd be alone."

Aurora patted Hazel's shoulder comfortingly, taking notice of the sadness that flashed through her eyes at the prospect of being alone. Percy's eyes showed the same sadness, and Aurora wondered if he knew the feeling. "Why? What's your ancestry?"

Before Hazel or Aurora could answer, someone behind them yelled, "Wait!"

A ghost ran toward them—an old man with a medicine-ball belly and toga so long he kept tripping on it. He caught up to them and gasped for air, his purple aura flickering around him. Aurora bit her tongue to keep herself from sighing, rolling her eyes discretely. She was nice, she promised, but this Lare always managed to tick her off.

"This is him?" the ghost panted. "A new recruit for the Fifth, perhaps?"

"Vitellius," Aurora said, forcing enthusiasm and a smile. "We would absolutely love to talk with you, but we're sort of in a hurry right now. Can this conversation wait for later?"

Vitellius scowled at Percy and walked around him, inspecting him like a used car while ignoring Aurora's words. "I don't know," he grumbled. "We need only the best for the cohort. Does he have all his teeth? Can he fight? Does he clean stables?"

"Yes, yes, and no," Percy said, Aurora biting down another laugh at the bewildered look he wore. "Who are you?"

"Percy, this is Vitellius." Hazel's expression said: Just humor him. "He's one of our Lares; takes an interest in new recruits."

On a nearby porch, other ghosts snickered as Vitellius paced back and forth, tripping over his toga and hiking up his sword belt. Aurora sent the ghosts a look, silencing their laughter.

"Yes," Vitellius said. "Back in Caesar's day—that's Julius Caesar, mind you—the Fifth Cohort was something! Twelfth Legion Fulminata, pride of Rome! But these days? Disgraceful what we've come to. Look at Hazel here, using a spatha. Ridiculous weapon for a Roman legionnaire—that's for cavalry! And you, boy—you smell like a Greek sewer. Haven't you had a bath?"

"I've been a little busy fighting gorgons," Percy deadpanned.

"Vitellius," Aurora stepped in, smiling sweetly. "We've got to get Percy's augury before he can join. Why don't you check on Frank? He's in the armory doing inventory. You know how much he values your help."

She got just the reaction she had hoped for from him. The ghost's furry purple eyebrows shot up. "Mars Almighty! They let the probatio check the armor? We'll be ruined!"

He stumbled off down the street, stopping every few feet to pick up his sword or rearrange his toga. Aurora bit her lower lip to fight a laugh, rolling her eyes at the retreating figure of the ghost.

"O-h-h-kay," Percy said.

"Sorry," Hazel apologized. "He's eccentric, but he's one of the oldest Lares. Been around since the legion was founded."

"He called the legion . . . Fulminata?" Percy said.

"'Armed with Lightning,'" Aurora translated. "That's our motto. The Twelfth Legion was around for the entire Roman Empire. When Rome fell, a lot of legions just disappeared. We went underground, acting on secret orders from Jupiter himself: stay alive, recruit demigods and their children, keep Rome going. We've been doing that ever since, moving around to wherever Roman influence was strongest. The last few centuries, we've been in America."

She took a breath. That was a lot of words to get out in just a few sentences. She expected Percy to be surprised—most demigods were. But she only saw understanding in his eyes, like he'd heard of something similar before. Maybe Lupa had told him their history at one point?

"And you two are in the Fifth Cohort," he guessed. "Which maybe isn't the most popular."

Hazel scowled while Aurora shrugged. She didn't care for popularity. She just appreciated the family feel that the Cohort gave her. "Yeah. I joined up last September. Aurora's one of the Cohort's centurions. She's been here for almost ten years."

"So, you got here just a few weeks before that guy Jason disappeared?" Aurora's smile fell at the mention of her lost cousin. Hazel looked down, curls framing her face.

Percy must have realized that he'd hit a sore spot, but before he could apologize, Aurora spoke, "Come on. I'll show you mine and Hazel's favorite view."

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

They stopped outside the main gates. The fort was situated on the highest point in the valley, so they could see pretty much everything.

The road led down to the river and divided. One path led south across a bridge, up to Temple Hill. The other road led north into the city, a miniature version of Ancient Rome. Unlike the military camp, the city looked chaotic and colorful, with buildings crowded together at haphazard angles. Even from this far away, Aurora could see people gathered in the plaza, shoppers milling around an open-air market, parents with kids playing in the parks.

A nostalgic smile broke through her mask of happiness. The city reminded her so much of⎯ no, you can't think like that. You'll only cause yourself to spiral, Aurora. And you don't have Jason here to stop you. Leave it in the past, where it belongs.

"You've got families here?" Percy asked, snapping Aurora out of her thoughts. 

"In the city, absolutely." Aurora said. "When you're accepted into the legion, you do ten years of service. After that, you can muster out whenever you want. Most demigods go into the mortal world. But for some—well, it's pretty dangerous out there. This valley is a sanctuary. You can go to college in the city, get married, have kids, retire when you get old. It's the only safe place on earth for people like us. So yeah, a lot of veterans make their homes there, under the protection of the legion."

Only for a bit longer, though. The negative thought forced its way into her mind, causing her eyes to darken. The legion would keep the city safe. Tonight they'd hold a meeting, and everything would be solved. Everything would be okay.

Percy's eyes turned cloudy with thought as he studied the city. Aurora noted how he'd began fiddling with the beads around his neck, focusing specifically on the last one. The one with all the names painted upon it. Had he lived somewhere similar at one point? Could he have . . . no, he couldn't be from her hometown. Right?

"But if this valley is attacked?" Percy asked.

Hazel pursed her lips. "We have defenses. The borders are magical. But our strength isn't what it used to be. Lately, the monster attacks have been increasing. What you said about the gorgons not dying . . . we've noticed that too, with other monsters."

"Do you know what's causing it?"

The daughter of Apollo forced herself to remain relaxed. If she tensed up, then both Percy and Hazel would know something was off. While Hazel knew more about the situation with the Doors of Death, she was still unaware of everything that Aurora and her fellow centurions knew. And Aurora wished to keep it that way until the very last second. 

"It's—it's complicated," Hazel said. "My brother says Death isn't—"

She was interrupted by an elephant.

Someone behind them shouted, "Make way!"

On instinct, Aurora's hand latched around Percy's, tugging him to her side of the road as Ross, one of the Fifth Cohort campers, rode past on a full-grown pachyderm covered in black Kevlar armor. The word ELEPHANT was printed on the side of his armor, which Aurora found stupid. What kind of idiot wouldn't realize that the big animal was an elephant? Even if they didn't read English, they'd still know what it was.

The elephant thundered down the road and turned north, heading toward a big open field where some fortifications were under construction.

Percy spit dust out of his mouth. "What the—?"

"Elephant," Aurora explained.

"Yeah, I read the sign. Why do you have an elephant in a bulletproof vest?"

"War games tonight," Aurora said simply. "That's Hannibal. If we didn't include him, he'd get upset."

"Oh, well, we can't have that now can we?" Aurora bit back a smile at the sarcasm in Percy's voice.

Hazel laughed, spurring Aurora and Percy to do the same. In seconds, they went from being moody demigods to care-free kids. Their laughter echoed across the fields, brightening the already sunny day (or maybe that was just Aurora's doing. Who knows?)

Since his arrival, Percy had managed to make Aurora laugh more than she had in eight months. Jason . . . he'd been her source of joy for so long. Her cousin always seemed to know how to take her mind off of her torturous dreams⎯sparring, baking (though Jason couldn't bake to save his life), feeding the unicorns, etc. He was like her own personal sunshine to chase away the storm clouds in her mind. And without him . . .

Sure, Hazel and Frank were able to keep her spirits up, but they had their limits. So how was it that Percy, whom she'd only known for two hours, was able to make her forget so easily?

Is that a gift that children of Neptune had? Or is it just a him thing?

The laughter settled after a moment, Aurora brushing the hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ears. She breathed deeply to calm herself, counted to five, then opened her eyes . . . only to find Percy staring at her. Heat flushed to her cheeks and she smiled, Percy returning it with a force that made her heart leap. 

What the fuck? Aurora internally groaned. Get it together, Aurora! Gods, I'm gonna have to talk with a child of Venus to figure out whatever the Hades is going on with me. Cause this isn't normal!

A loud clash of thunder snapped the trio's attention towards the top of Temple Hill. Dark clouds were gathering, red flashes of lightning washing the monuments in blood-colored light. Aurora sucked in a deep breath and sighed.

"Octavian is busy," Hazel said. "We'd better get over there."

"Yeah. Otherwise, he might actually predict something," Aurora muttered, cursing the legacy in her mind.

Percy studied her for a moment. "I'm guessing you and this Octavian guy aren't very close."

"That's an understatement." She sighed and twisted so she was facing the storm clouds, her own eyes reflecting their anger. "We should get going, though. His royal auguriness does not like to be kept waiting."

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

On the way, they passed some goat-legged guys hanging out on the side of the road. Fauns, Aurora mentally groaned.

"Hazel! Aurora!" one of them cried. Aurora mentally cursed. Don.

He trotted over with a big grin on his face. He wore a faded Hawaiian shirt and nothing for pants except thick brown goat fur. His massive Afro juggled. His eyes were hidden behind little round rainbow-tinted glasses. He held a cardboard sign that read: WILL WORK SING TALK GO AWAY FOR DENARII. Except, the 'work, sing, and talk' portion of the sign was crossed out.

"Hi, Don," Hazel said. "Sorry, we don't have time—"

"Oh, that's cool! That's cool!" Don trotted along with them. "Hey, this guy's new!" He grinned at Percy. "Do you have three denarii for the bus? Because I left my wallet at home, and I've got to get to work, and—"

"Don." Aurora sent him a warning look. "Fauns don't have wallets. Or jobs. Or homes. And we don't have buses."

"Right," he said cheerfully. "But do you have denarii?"

"Your name is Don the Faun?" Percy asked.

"Yeah. So?"

"Nothing." Aurora could tell Percy was trying to hold back a laugh. He was struggling with keeping a straight face. "Why don't fauns have jobs? Shouldn't they work for the camp?"

Don bleated. "Fauns! Work for the camp! Hilarious!"

"Fauns are, um, free spirits," Hazel explained. "They hang out here because, well, it's a safe place to hang out and beg. We tolerate them, but—"

"Oh, Hazel and Aurora are awesome!" Don said. "They're so nice! All the other campers are like, 'Go away, Don.' But they're like, 'Please go away, Don.' I love them!"

Aurora sighed inwardly and shook her head slightly. She tried her hardest to be nice, but all it did was invite Don to keep coming to her for money and food. If she was mean, though, she would feel bad about it. It was a difficult cycle.

"Don, we would really love to chat right now, honestly, but we need to get Percy to Octavian before the augur has a cow." Aurora tried to be as polite as possible.

Don looked at the ground in front of them and gasped. "Score!"

He reached for something, but Hazel screamed, "Don, no!"

She pushed him out of the way and snatched up a small shiny object. A diamond. Hazel slipped it quickly into her pocket, eyes wide.

"Come on, Hazel," Don complained. "I could have bought a year's worth of doughnuts with that!"

"Don, please." Hazel was beginning to shake. "Go away."

She sounded so shaken up that Aurora felt bad for her. The faun sighed. "Aw, I can't stay mad at you. But I swear, it's like you're good luck. Every time you walk by—"

"Goodbye, Don," Aurora said. "Let's go, Percy."

Hazel began to jog away, leaving both Percy and Aurora to catch up. The two didn't even realize that Aurora was still holding Percy's hand from when she saved him from the stampeding elephant. Not that either of them cared, since they both had more important things to worry about.

Reaching Hazel, Percy gave her a concerned look. "What was that about? That diamond in the road—"

"Please," Hazel said. "Don't ask."

They walked in uneasy silence the rest of the way to Temple Hill. A crooked stone path led past a crazy assortment of tiny alters and massive domed vaults. Statues of gods seemed to follow Percy with their eyes.

Aurora moved to point out the Temple of Bellona, but when her hand got stopped, she finally took notice of its position. With red cheeks, she slipped her hand from his, immediately feeling a loss of warmth. "Um, Goddess of War," she said. "That's Reyna's mom."

They passed a massive red crypt decorated with human skulls on iron spikes. Percy gulped. "Please tell me we're not going in there."

Hazel shook her head. "That's the Temple of Mars Ultor."

"Mars . . . Ares, the war god?"

"That's his Greek name," Aurora said. "But, yeah, same guy. Ultor means 'the Avenger.' He's the second-most important god of Rome."

Which meant most of his kids thought they were all-that and ended up being stuck-up brats from the First Cohort.

Percy pointed toward the summit. Clouds swirled over the largest temple, a round pavilion with a ring of white columns supporting a domed roof. "I'm guessing that's Zeus—uh, I mean Jupiter's? That's where we're heading?"

"Yeah." Hazel sounded edgy. "Octavian reads auguries there—the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus."

Percy had to think for a moment. "Jupiter . . . the best and the greatest?"

"Right."

"What's Neptune's title?" Percy asked. "The coolest and most awesome?"

"Um, not quite." 

Percy's heart seemed to shatter as Hazel pointed towards the small blue building the size of a toolshed. The paint was chipping slightly despite the new coat she'd put on it, and there were two pesky cobwebs lining the trident nailed above the door. 

Aurora's own heart dropped at the look in his eyes. She and the rest of her half-siblings were responsible for keeping the temples clean and in top shape, due to their connection to offerings and all of that jazz. And since no one tended to want the job of cleaning Neptune's temple, Aurora did it herself. Just because a god was less appreciated didn't mean he deserved to be neglected. 

"Popular place." His voice cracked slightly, and Aurora had to bite back a frown.

"I'm sorry, Percy." Aurora said, her voice soft. "My siblings and I . . . we keep this place clean. But not even we can keep nature and other assholes at bay." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You see . . . Romans were always scared of the sea. They only used ships if they had to, and even then they didn't like it. Despite it being more modern times, people still think having a child of Neptune around is a bad omen. The last time one joined the legion . . . it was 1906, when Camp Jupiter was located across the bay in San Francisco. There was this huge earthquake⎯"

"You're telling me a child of Neptune caused that?" His eyes were begging her.

"So they say." Aurora looked apologetically towards the teen. "Anyway . . . Romans fear Neptune, but they don't love him much."

Percy stared at the cobwebs on the trident, and Aurora could've sworn she saw waves crashing against his eyes. He had no memories of his past and been chased across the country. He'd nearly been killed, forced to carry Juno across the camp, interrogated and threated and treated like an outsider. And now? Now he was finding out that his dad wasn't popular among the Romans, meaning he wouldn't be, either. Which made him seem like more of an outsider.

Gods, when would he get a break?

She watched as he dug through his bag and pulled out the last bit of food from his trip—a stale bagel. It wasn't much, but he set it on the altar.

"Hey . . . uh, Dad." Aurora and Hazel remained silent. "If you can hear me, help me out, okay? Give me my memory back. Tell me—tell me what to do."

His voice cracked. Aurora's chest ached in understanding as she approached him, taking note of the tight pinch of his lips and brows. 

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay. You're here now. You're one of us."

Percy gave her a smile of gratitude, and she could have sworn she saw his cheeks dust pink. However, she blamed it on embarrassment. It couldn't be anything else.

Above them, thunder rumbled again. Red lightning lit up the hill.

"Octavian's almost done," Hazel said. "Let's go."

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

Compared to Neptune's toolshed, Jupiter's temple was definitely optimus and maximus. The marble floor was etched with fancy mosaics and Latin inscriptions. Sixty feet above, the domed ceiling sparkled gold. The whole temple was open to the wind.

In the center stood a marble altar, where Octavian was doing some sort of ritual in front of a massive golden statue of Jupiter: the sky god dressed in a silk XXXL purple toga while holding a lightning bolt.

"It doesn't like like that," Percy muttered.

"What?" Hazel and Aurora asked together.

"The master bolt," Percy said.

"What are you talking about?" Hazel asked while Aurora just stared at him. How would he know what the master bolt actually looked like? Unless . . .

"I—" Percy frowned, pausing. "Nothing, I guess."

Aurora studied Percy for a moment before turning to watch as Octavian raised his hands dramatically. More red lightning flashed in the sky, shaking the temple. Then he put his hands down, and the rumbling stopped. The clouds turned from gray to white and broke apart.

The girl had to hold back an eye roll at her relative. How could she be related to someone like Octavian? Did the Fates hate her that much?

"What's he doing?" Percy murmured.

Octavian turned. He had a crooked smile and a slightly crazy look in his eyes, like he'd just been playing an intense video game. In one hand he held a knife. In the other hand was something like a dead animal, which Aurora knew to be a stuffed animal. That didn't make him look any less crazy.

"Percy," Aurora sighed out. "This is Octavian."

"The graecus!" Octavian announced. "How interesting."

"Uh, hi," Percy said. "Are you killing small animals?"

Aurora held back a laugh at the innocent confusion that washed over Percy's face. It was adorable. He was adorable.

Octavian looked at the fuzzy thing in his hand and laughed. "No, no. Once upon a time, yes. We used to read the will of the gods by examining animal guts—chickens, goats, that sort of thing. Nowadays, we use these."

He tossed the fuzzy thing to Percy. It was a disemboweled teddy bear. Aurora didn't have to study the temple to know that there was a pile of destroyed teddy bears littering the ground.

"Seriously?" Percy asked.

Octavian stepped off the dais. To most, Octavian appeared to be a harmless teenager, but if you looked closer, you'd see the crazy that swirled in his eyes, as well as the hunger for power. He would always eye people as if they were his opponents that he would be taking down, which didn't exactly help anyone like him.

Octavian narrowed his eyes. "You seem nervous."

"You remind me of someone," Percy said. "I can't remember who."

"Possibly my namesake, Octavian—Augustus Caesar. Everyone says I bear a remarkable resemblance."

Aurora scoffed. "By 'everyone,' he just means himself and his reflection in the mirror."

Hazel snorted softly while Percy smiled, Octavian sending her a harsh glare. Percy cleared his throat. "Why did you call me 'the Greek'?"

"I saw it in the auguries." Octavian waved his knife at the pile of stuffing one the altar. Aurora rolled her eyes again. He didn't see shit. "The message said: The Greek has arrived. Or possibly: The goose has cried. I'm thinking the first interpretation is correct. You seek to join the legion?"

Hazel and Aurora spoke for him. They told Octavian everything that had happened since they met at the tunnel—the gorgons, the fight at the river, the appearance of Juno, their conversation with Reyna.

When Hazel mention Juno, Octavian looked surprised.

"Juno," he mused. "We call her Juno Moneta. Juno the Warner. She appears in times of crisis, to counsel Rome about great threats."

He glanced at Percy, as if to say: like mysterious Greeks, for instance.

"I hear the Feast of Fortuna is this week," Percy said. "The gorgons warned there'd be an invasion on that day. Did you see that in your stuffing?"

"Sadly, no." Octavian sighed. "The will of the gods is hard to discern. And these days, my vision is even darker."

"Darker my ass." Aurora mumbled to herself, crossing her arms. She just wanted this meeting to be over.

"Don't you have . . . I don't know," Percy said. "An oracle or something?"

Oh, gods. 

"An oracle!" Octavian smiled. "What a cute idea. No, I'm afraid we're fresh out of oracles. Now, if we'd gone questing for the Sibylline books, like I recommended—"

"The Siba-what?" Percy asked.

Aurora sighed. "Books of prophecy," she said, "which Octavian is obsessed with. Romans used to consult them when disasters happened. Most people believe they burned up when Rome fell."

"Some people believed that." Octavian corrected, giving the girl a look. "Unfortunately our present leadership won't authorize a quest to look for them—"

"Because Reyna isn't stupid," Hazel said.

"—so we only have a few remaining scraps from the books," he continued. "A few mysterious predictions, like these."

Aurora looked down at the inscriptions on the marble floor. She had seen them thousands of times, but for some reason, one prophecy stood out against the rest. The Prophecy of Eight. The one that she had always had trouble figuring out.

"That one." Aurora turned to see that Percy's face had gone white. "Eight half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—"

"Yes, yes." Octavian finished without looking: "An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

"I—I know that one." Aurora noticed that he had begun shaking, her brows furrowing in concern. "That's important."

Octavian arched an eyebrow. "Of course it's important. We call it the Prophecy of Eight, but it's several thousand years old. We don't know what it means. Every time someone tried to interpret it . . . Well, Hazel and Aurora can tell you. Bad things happen."

Hazel glared at him while Aurora continued to study the teen beside her. His complexion had yet to return to normal, and she could see him shaking still. His eyes were locked on the prophecy, emotions crossing through the depths of the ocean hidden in his irises. Not knowing what else to do, Aurora slipped her hand into his and gave it a soft squeeze of reassurance. Through the contact, she managed to send some of her healing power into him, easing his shaking and bringing his color back. He noted the change with surprise and sent Aurora smile in thanks that turned her into a blushing mess once more.

"Just read the augury for Percy." Hazel sounded annoyed. "Can he join the legion or not?"

Aurora could almost see Octavian's mind working, calculating whether or not Percy would be useful. He held out his hand for Percy's backpack. "That's a beautiful specimen. May I?"

Aurora didn't understand what he meant, but Octavian snatched something from Percy's bag anyways. It was a pillow pet. A panda bear pillow pet. Just a silly stuffed toy, but she could see Percy's eyes fill with dread as Octavian turned toward the altar and raised his knife.

"Hey!" Percy protested.

Octavian slashed open the panda's belly and poured its stuffing over the altar. He tossed the panda carcass aside, muttered a few words over the fluff, and turned with a big smile on his face.

"Good news!" he said. "Percy may join the legion. We'll assign him a cohort at evening muster. Tell Reyna that I approve."

Hazel's shoulder's relaxed and Aurora felt Percy's grip on her hand loosen in relief. "Uh . . . great. Come on, Percy. Aurora."

"Oh, and Hazel," Octavian said. "I'm happy to welcome Percy into the legion. But when the election for praetor comes up, I hope you'll remember—"

"Jason isn't dead," Hazel and Aurora snapped. Octavian may not have asked her directly, but she was still angry about the confrontation they had had earlier in the day, and this was re-opening the wound that had almost closed fully.

Hazel gestured to the altar. "You're the augur. You're supposed to be looking for him!"

"Oh, I am!" Octavian pointed at the pile of gutted stuffed animals. "I consult the gods every day! Alas, after eight months, I've found nothing. Of course, I'm still looking. But if Jason doesn't return by the Feast of Fortuna, we must act. We can't have a power vacuum any longer. I hope you'll support me for praetor. It would mean so much to me."

Hazel clenched her fists. "Me. Support. You?"

Octavian took off his toga, setting it and his knife on the altar. "After all, I might be able to help you. It would be a shame if those awful rumors about you kept circulating . . . or, gods forbid, if they turned out to be true."

Aurora's eyes flashed amber in anger, her palms beginning to warm as a soft yellow hue surrounded her body. That fury from before was rising again, and the only reason she kept ahold of Percy's hand was to stop herself from punching Octavian for the second time that day. His eye was bruised from her earlier hit, and she would gladly repeat the encounter a second time. Blackmail was something she did not tolerate.

Hazel took a deep breath. Her knuckles were white. "I'll think about it."

"Excellent." Octavian was smiling. "By the way, your brother is here."

Hazel stiffened. "My brother? Why?"

Octavian shrugged. "Why does your brother do anything? He's waiting for you at your father's shrine. Just . . . ah, don't invite him to stay for too long. He has a disturbing effect on the others."

Aurora scoffed. "Just like you?"

Something spiked in Octavian's eyes as he turned to her. "What? Gonna punch me again because I spoke the truth?"

"That's it!" Aurora went to tackled Octavian, the augur finally taking note of his actions and backing up in obvious fear. 

She would've landed another hit if not for Percy pulling her back, his grip on her hand seeming to cool the boiling of her blood. Waves of calm crashed down on her, diminishing the surge of power and turning her eyes back to blue. 

Aurora took a deep, calming breath, and allowed her shoulders to relax. Everything is fine.

"Let's go," she managed, her jaw set.

But, of course, Octavian couldn't keep his mouth shut even if it meant saving his life. "Can I count on your vote?"

Aurora stiffened. "I'd rather fall to Tartarus."

"Oh well." Octavian shrugged. "Now, of you'll excuse me, I have to keep searching for our poor lost friend, Jason. Nice to meet you, Percy."

Hazel stormed out of the pavilion, and both Aurora and Percy followed, the son of Neptune holding the daughter of Apollo's hand tightly to keep himself and her restrained from going back into the temple and killing Octavian. Aurora was sure she had never been more glad to leave a temple in her entire life.

⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯

As Hazel marched down the hill, she cursed in Latin. Aurora winced at a few of her chosen swears, laughing at some of the other ones. She especially loved the ones about where Octavian could stick his knife, but they made her question how innocent Hazel actually was.

"I hate that guy," she muttered in English. "If I had my way—"

"He won't really get elected praetor, will he?" Percy asked.

Finally calm, Aurora spoke up. "I pray each day that he doesn't, but even my prophetic dreams can't see that far into the future. Dear dad doesn't want to reveal too much to me, even if it would mean my sanity would stay in tact." She shot a look at the sun, smiling slightly. Despite the lack of knowledge, she still loved her dad. Percy beginning to swing their joined hands drew her back to the conversation. "Octavian has a lot of friends, most of them bought. The rest of the campers are afraid of him."

"Afraid of that skinny little guy?"

"Don't underestimate him." Hazel warned. "Reyna's not so bad by herself, but if Octavian shares her power . . ." Hazel shuddered. "Let's go see my brother. He'll want to meet you."

Percy didn't argue. It was obvious to Aurora that he wanted to meet Hazel's brother, Nico. Aurora had met him a few times, and he seemed nice. Though—and this wasn't just a Nico problem, it was a child of Pluto problem—he was a little creepy and gloomy to be around. The exact opposite of Aurora.

Hazel and Aurora led Percy to a black crypt built into the side of the hill. Standing in front was a teenage boy in black jeans and an aviator jacket.

"Hey," Hazel called. "I've brought two friends."

The boy turned, and Percy stilled. Aurora studied his face, taking in the way his eyes flashed in realization. She furrowed her brows in thought, looking between the two teens. She noticed that Nico had stilled, the same thing that was going through Percy's eyes going through his own. She watched them carefully, but before she had time to decipher the meaning, Nico hid the emotion, which frustrated Aurora to no end.

"Hey, Nico. This is Percy Jackson." Nico eyed the way Aurora and Percy held hands, the girl blushing as she slipped her hand from Percy's, nearly frowning at the lack of warmth. "He's a good guy. Percy, this is Hazel's brother, the son of Pluto."

Nico held out a hand. "Pleased to meet you," he said. "I'm Nico di Angelo."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

𝐀 𝐔 𝐓 𝐇 𝐎 𝐑 𝐒   𝐍 𝐎 𝐓 𝐄   !

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

EDIT: I made Aurora's anger much more noticeable!!! I'm trying to show the darker side of Apollo children while also keeping her the same happy person. Let me know if I'm doing a good job!

OLD:

A lot of words are in this chapter. A lot. I know it seems like Percy and Aurora's relationship is moving quickly, but I did warn you that it will be a fast burn relationship. There is a reason as to why, but I'll explain that later when Venus comes into play.

In this chapter, you get to learn a bit more about Aurora and who she is. A little sneak peak into her family and all of that important stuff. You also see how well she is at reading people, which is a gift she got from her mother, not her father, but I'll get into that later.

Anyways, please comment and vote!

Love you all!

~ a.h.