MΛЯK ӨF ΛƬΉΣПΛ

LUCIA, GAVE NOT ONE FUCK,  ABOUT THE STUPID EXPLODING STATUE.

Luckily Annabeth was pacing the deck of the Argo II with her, making sure that everything was in place.

Lucia spent the entire morning awake. She had a mean mug of black coffee at 6 am. And ever since she was busy scrambling all over the place making sure they were prepared for landing. But somehow even then, she wasn't acting as obsessive as Annabeth.

The blonde checked if the ballistae was locked down at least five times.  Made sure the white 'We come in peace' sign was flying from the mast at least six. And reviewed the backup plan with the crew, along with the back up of the back up of the back up back up-plan.

Lucia did pull aside their war-crazed chaperone, Coach Gleeson Hedge. (who she apparently met on her bus ride to Maine). 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!' 

But then again... if they didn't give her Percy. She might be worse.

Lucia felt like there was no need to worry. Annabeth and she had seemed to keep everything in order. Even that weird feeling she had been feeling since the ship launched had dissipated, for now. 

The warship descended through the clouds, but Annabeth didn't look any less nervous. She bit her lip in frustration. 

Percy and Annabeth had been friends since after their first quest. Even though at first, Lucia felt a tad insecure about possibly being replaced in his life. She was happy to see that was never even an option. Annabeth was not a replacement for anyone. And there was no one to replace.

The two girls were bonded in the same way Percy and Annabeth were. They were best friends who faced death together multiple times, Believe it or not, that builds a hell of a strong connection.

That and the fact that Annabeth had no interest in Percy, let alone Men. Allowed Lucia to stop feeling so ridiculous a long time ago. 

Besides Percy, It was now Annabeth she felt the safest talking to about her feelings. And lately, that was being reciprocated.

Lucia gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. "It'll be okay. We'll be fine. And we'll get him back "

"But, what if the Romans panic at the sight of us?," the blonde stammered, "Or, what if they won't let us see Percy? Also why of a sudden are you so calm?!"

"Because if they do that." Lucia shrugged, "I might actually burn their entire—"

"Shush!" Annabeth stopped her, "Don't joke!

Lucia stayed quiet.

"Gods you aren't even joking, are you."

Lucia didn't completely blame her. The Argo II did not look friendly. Two hundred feet long, with a bronze-plated hull, mounted repeating crossbows fore and aft, a flaming metal dragon for a figurehead, and two rotating ballistae amidships that could fire explosive bolts powerful enough to blast through concrete...well, it wasn't the most appropriate ride for a meet-and-greet with the neighbors. 

Leo Valdez, A 16-year-old Hephaestus kid was one of the three new Campers who turned out to be a part of the second great prophecy.

After their quest to save Hera, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, and Jason Grace, returned to Camp Half-Blood. There they revealed that there were other Demigods: Roman Half-Bloods and that Jason was one of them.

The Argo II was thus designed by Leo to bring them to the roman Camp: Camp Jupiter. This ship would then take them to Greece, where Gaea and her Giant children wanted to pull up the Gods by their roots.

Or whatever that Prophecy said.

Honestly, Lucia's still too pissed off that she was a part of it.

Due to the ship's possible first impression, Lucia asked Leo to send in one of his inventions—a holographic scroll—to alert their friends inside the Roman camp, as a heads up.

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—but Annabeth vetoed the idea. She wasn't sure the Romans had a sense of humor. 

Too late to turn back now. 

The clouds broke around their hull, revealing the gold and green carpet of the Oakland hills below them.

Annabeth gripped one of the bronze shields that lined the starboard rail. Lucia stood next to her, they both needed each other's presence for comfort.

Their three crew mates took their places. 

On the stern quarterdeck, Leo rushed around like a madman, checking his gauges and wrestling levers. Most helmsmen would've been 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 fast. Even by demigod standards, Leo was seriously ADHD.

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 charm speak was so powerful, the words flowed over
Annabeth, she dropped her dagger and turned towards Piper.

"Not you." Lucia pulled her back.

Due to Lucias...Past, she was able to resist charmspeak better than others. Or maybe it was just not as effective without the torture.

For a child of Aphrodite though, 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 Lucia could never be sure with Piper.) Her choppy brown hair was braided down the right side. Despite this though she was still incredibly beautiful. Anyone with eyes could see it.

Then there was Piper's boyfriend—Jason. He stood at the bow on the raised crossbow platform, where the Romans could easily spot him.

His knuckles were white on the hilt of his golden sword. Otherwise, he looked calm for a guy who was making himself a target. Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood T-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 icy blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control—just like a son of Jupiter should. He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitant to blow the ship out of the sky.

Annabeth tried to hide it, but Lucia knew she still didn't completely trust the guy. They had talked about it before they flew off. Annabeth thought he acted too perfect— Which Lucia could agree was fishy. He was always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. He even looked too perfect. But Lucia felt there was more to it.

Lucia doubted he would do anything. She had a couple of chats with Jason. And she was fond of him, she honestly felt he was a good guy.

Yet, despite her enjoying his company, seeing him sometimes left a bitter taste in her mouth. He'd been part of Hera's forced "exchange program" to introduce the two camps.

Trust, you don't want to know all the names Lucia wants to call Hera, but just know that that goddess, convinced the other gods that their two sets of children—Roman and Greek—had to combine forces to save the world from the evil goddess Gaea, who was awakening from the earth, and her horrible children the giants.

Without warning, Hera had plucked up Percy, Lucia's boyfriend, wiped his memory, and sent him to the Roman camp. In exchange, the Greeks had gotten Jason. A deal no one asked for.

None of that was ever Jason's fault; but every time Lucia saw him, she remembered how much she missed her Percy.

Percy...who was somewhere below them right now.

Percy...Who might not even remember her...

Oh, gods. Panic welled up inside her in an instant. Annabeth's words and her thoughts began to flood her mind. She forced them away. She couldn't afford to get overwhelmed.

Then she felt it again—that shiver as if plasters of snow were thrown down her neck. She turned, but no one was there.

Great what is it now

Even in a world of gods and monsters, Lucia 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.

Lucia wished she could pray to her Father for guidance, but that wasn't possible now. She hadn't seen him since her Talent Show months ago, before all of Olympus was locked away.

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.

She almost told Annabeth to reverse course. Then, in the valley below, horns sounded. The Romans had spotted them.

Jason had described Camp Jupiter to her in great detail. 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.

Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. She recognized 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.

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 cafés, 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 Lucia would see in Annabeth's military history books—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 gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. Amid their ranks was an actual war elephant.

She then accepted that if it came to it, fighting the Roman camp wouldn't be easy.

Lucia scanned the crowd. The ground was still several hundred feet below, but she hoped to catch a glimpse of Percy.

Then something behind her went BOOM!

༄

THE EXPLOSION ALMOST KNOCKED THEM OVERBOARD

Lucia whirled and found herself eye-to-eye with an angry statue.

"Unacceptable!" he shrieked.

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!"

Lucia opened her mouth but Jason shot 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."

"Valid question."  Lucia nodded,

"Impertinence!"

There was a sharp POP and a flash of yellow. Piper and Lucia yelped.

Piper dropped her dagger, which was now smoking and sparking.

Annabeth had to physically hold Lucia back from beheading the thing.

"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 Annabeth out of her shock.

"Let's all just calm down." She raised her hands to show she had no weapons. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? 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 clenched her jaw. This statue wasn't making it easy for anyone to be diplomatic. "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?" Lucia teased. "Surrender, or leave?"

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

"No."

"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. Lucia scanned the faces and...oh, gods. She saw him...

Her heart couldn't take it. She immediately felt how it called for him. The impatience she had only increased. She needed to see him now.

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 just like Jason's—the mark of a praetor.

She's up there

how do you know?

The light, light like that only comes from her.

Lucia's stomach did flips, "Ocean eyes." 

"Leo, stop the ship," Lucia ordered.

"What?" Leo inquired

Annabeth turned towards Lucia. She quirked up an eyebrow.

"Trust me?"

"Always..." Annabeth nodded "You heard her. 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," Lucia said, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"

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

"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth agreed, realizing the plan in an instant. "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. Lucia wondered if he was scratching
his chin with imaginary hands.

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

"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Lucia 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?"

"Uh, Annabeth, Lucia..." Leo said. "You sure this is a good idea?"
Lucia closed her fists to keep them from shaking. That cold feeling was still there. It floated just behind her, and now that Terminus was no longer shouting and causing explosions, she thought she could hear the presence laughing as if it was delighted by the bad choices she was making.

A part of her wanted Annabeth to use her brain to stop her and rethink things over for them.

But Percy was down there...he was so close. She had to reach him.

"It'll be fine," Lucia answered for her. Since she heard no argument Lucia assumed Annabeth agreed. "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 Apollo. Please try not to destroy my town."

༄

LUCIA LET HER FRIENDS GO DOWN THE STEP LADDER FIRST. Her nerves had a lot to do with it but so did the fact Annabeth said she was "too emotional right now." to be first. Whatever that means.

A sea of hastily assumed demigods parted for Annabeth as she walked through the forum. Some looked tense, some 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.

Lucia surprisingly saw couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, some elderly folk in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes. Were all of them demigods? She suspected so, though she'd never seen a place like this. At Camp Half-Blood, most demigods were teens. If they survived long enough to graduate 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 multigenerational community.

At the far end of the crowd, Lucia spotted Tyson and Percy's 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 and grinned at her. He was wearing an SPQR banner like a giant bib.

Lucia loved how beautiful the city was—the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, the flowers blooming in the gardens.  And the architecture...Lucia knew Annabeth was gushing in her head.

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 definitely described her well. Even if he hadn't, Lucia would've singled her out as the leader. Multiple medals decorated her armor. Reyna carried herself with such confidence the other Demigods backed away and averted their gaze. But Lucia recognized something else, the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raised her chin like she was prepared to accept any challenge that came her way.

Reyna was forcing a look of courage all while holding back a mixture of hopefulness, worry, and fear she couldn't show in public. Lucia knew that expression. Not in herself. That same exact face was the one Annabeth always wore.

Annabeth and Reyna considered each other for a moment, Lucia stepped in making her way through the crowd to stand next to the duo.

Their friends fanned out on either side of them.

The Romans were murmuring Jason's name, staring at him in awe.

Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and Lucia got tunnel vision. Everyone felt miles away. There was nothing else. There was just him.

Percy smiled at her. His crooked sarcastic, troublemaker smile that had annoyed her for years but always made her heart skip a beat. His sea-green eyes were just as gorgeous and enticing as she remembered, especially in the way they sparkled with adoration when his eyes met hers.

Lucia could feel the heat in her body rise. Could see that the shimmer amplified around her out of pure joy. His dark hair was swept to one side, like he'd just come from a walk on the beach. He looked even better than he had six months ago—tanner and taller, leaner, more muscular, hotter.

Lucia was too stunned to move. She felt that if she got any closer to him, all the molecules in her body might combust. Also, taking him all in after having only memories to remember him by for 6 months felt great.

She'd never known the moment she fell in love with Percy. With him, it wasn't a big aha moment, because their love grew with them. It was slow and steady but it was meant to happen one way or another and it did, all at once. She accepted her feelings after she was afraid he had died in the labyrinth. But no matter how many times Lucia had denied it, she knew if given the chance, she'd choose Percy Jackson. Again and again and again.

What started off as an innocent crush developed in the last few years, she'd fallen for him deep and hard, with absolutely no safety net. They'd finally become a happy couple for four months after waiting years to admit their feelings for each other—and then he'd disappeared.

During their separation, something had happened to Lucia's feelings. They'd grown painfully intense—like she'd been forced to withdraw from an extremely hard drug. Now she wasn't sure which was more excruciating—living with that horrible absence or being with him again.

The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason.

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

Lucia didn't mean to, she truly didn't. But once she heard him call for her, her body responded. And she surged forward. Sparks went off under her leather sandals. Percy rushed to her at the same time.

The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there. They expected a battle. But they got something quite different.

Percy threw his arms around her. He pulled her up and off the ground into his embrace. She jumped, wrapping her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck.

Their lips then met, and at that moment nothing else mattered. The world could have ended then and there, and Lucia wouldn't have cared.

They found each other.

Percy smelled of clean ocean air. His lips were salty and addicting to the taste. He pressed her close to him. In his kiss, she felt it all, all the ways he missed her.

He was desperate, so desperate to taste her again. His lips slit against hers roughly, taking her breath away at the intensity of his kiss.  Lucia was the first to break apart, mostly because they needed to breathe, unfortunately, and partly because there was indeed an audience, despite both of them disregarding it.

He however decided to steal one more kiss

Once Percy pulled away, he studied her face... "Looks like you found me, Sunlight."

She saw the sparkle in his eye as he looked down at her. A sweet smile formed on her lips. He mirrored it before he saw that it dropped to a scowl.

She, being Lucia, grabbed him by the face to smush his face together. Percy looked down at her with fish lips.

She pointed a finger at him in anger but her grip on him was overall light. She was even close to tearing up, "I'm going to put a tracker chip on you! Bobo! Como vas a desaparacer de la nada. I swear to all the gods! Even the Roman ones! that if you so much as think of going somewhere without me ever again—" idiot! how are you going disappear on me out of nowhere?

"I missed you too Princess." he grinned,

She rolled her eyes in defeat, she was too giddy to even think of any of the pain or anger she felt when he was gone. Right now she was too euphoric at the fact that he was standing in front of her. That he was safe.

"Seaweed brain!"  Annabeth rushed forward. The boy smiled at his friend. He moved from Lucia to offer his arms out for a hug. The blonde grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement.

Romans cried out. Some surged forward. Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!" 

Lucia signaled to the duo nonchalantly. "They're just playing. give them a minute."

Annabeth pressed her knees to Percy's chest, pressing her forearm slightly on his neck."If you ever leave again...," Annabeth said, her eyes stinging.

Percy had the nerve to laugh. Suddenly she smiled.  "Consider me warned," Percy said. "Missed you, Wise girl."

Annabeth rose and helped him to his feet. She smiled.

Jason cleared his throat. "So, yeah...It's good to be back."

He introduced Reyna to Piper, who looked a little miffed that she hadn't gotten to say the lines she'd been practicing, then to Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign.

"This is Annabeth Chase," Jason said. "Uh, normally Annabeth doesn't Judo-flip people. "

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

Annabeth held out her hand. "I only attack my best friend like that," she promised. "Pleased to meet you."

"And this," Jason moved to stand next to her, "Is Lucia."

"Lucia." Reyna nodded, "Yes I know you." Lucia didn't know whether she meant that in a good way or not. Reyna clasped 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 Lucia had seen him hanging around with earlier. The burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about fifteen. The girl was younger, maybe thirteen, with amber eyes and chocolate skin and gorgeous long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm.

Lucia 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. Lucia had spent the last few years of her life trying to learn to read people. As someone who's the analytical, it can be easy. But as someone who can be way too trusting sometimes....well.

It was a survival skill she was learning to develop more. But 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 was looking back at a painful memory.

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, although he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt. "You want us 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 an 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 Lucia a suspicious once-over.

"Who are you?" Lucia cocked her head to the side.

He didn't answer as he stalked away

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

"He looks famili-."Lucia questioned, but she was interrupted by a freezing shiver running across her neck. She heard that whispering laughter again, as if the presence had followed her from the ship.

She looked up at the Argo II. Its massive bronze hull glittered in the sunlight. Part of her wanted to kidnap Percy right now, climb on board, and get out of there while they 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 again.

"We'll be fine," Lucia repeated, hoping if she said it aloud, she could believe it.

"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason, and Annabeth thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion.