A/N: Hey! This is for all you out there who like Mark of Athena WITHOUT Percy having a sister and WITHOUT Annabeth embarrassing herself in front of a bunch of Romans despite how happy she is to see her boyfriend. Hope this chapter is long enough. This is my second fanfic and I hope you like it. I will update after two or three people have reviewed, so Review! I do not own PJO or HoO.

Chapter 1– Annabeth

I was really excited. Excited wasn't the right word. I was…anxious. I was squeezing the railing so hard my knuckles were turning white. I didn't care; I just wanted to see Percy. I was constantly trying to push the negative questions out of my mind; would he recognize me? Did he meet someone else? I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

Jason came over to me.

"You nervous?" he asked.

"Yeah. Kind of. Anxious definitely," I replied.

"Relax. I'm sure he'll remember you," Jason tried to reassure me. I wasn't really paying attention to him now, as Camp Jupiter's first buildings had just appeared. I examined all the amazing architecture and buildings. I was surprised by the amount of Romans I saw waiting for us as we approached.

We had started our descendant a few minutes ago and were moving painfully slow. We were almost there. Just a few more feet. When what seemed like forever came, we gently bumped to a stop. I couldn't believe it. We were actually here. I hurried off the ship, in front of the others who came after me. My eyes immediately started scanning the crowd. At first, nothing. My heart starting pounding, anxiety rising in my chest. Calm down, it's only been 5 seconds, I told myself. A girl with gorgeous brown hair curled over her left shoulder stepped to the front. She had dark, suspicious eyes.

"Jason?" she asked, a gleam coming into her eyes.

"Hey, Reyna," Jason said awkwardly. She gave an approving smile, which faltered and turned to a frown. I turned to look at Jason, and saw Piper slip her hand into his, making his face turn a bright shade of scarlet. I quickly averted my gaze back to the group of Romans, scouting for Percy. Just then, he stepped forward. His eyes quickly found mine and a smile found its way to his face. I wanted to run over and hug him so badly. His messy black hair that hung in front of his beautiful sea green, gentle eyes hadn't changed. Nor had his crooked smile that always warmed me right down to my feet. But he had grown a few inches taller and he seemed more serious somehow. He was wearing a purple bed sheet like the girl called Reyna. Standing next to him was a Canadian boy with big muscles but a chubby, baby-ish face, military style black hair cut, and brown eyes. A short African American girl with long, curly, golden hair, gold colored eyes, and dark, olive-colored skin was standing next to the other boy. I wondered who they were. A boy with blonde hair and blue eyes came to stand in between Percy and Reyna. He was skinny, had cruel looking eyes, and was holding a knife and a stuffed animal that had its stomach slit open.

"Good think we didn't attack, huh, Octavian?" I heard Percy say to the skinny kid who had just walked up. He turned and smirked at him. The skinny boy just glared back.

"Just wait. Wait and they'll attack and it'll be all your fault," he snarled. Percy just rolled his eyes.

"Please ignore Octavian, who, if you don't have nice opinions, should keep your mouth shut," she said. I had walked with the others to stand in front of Reyna. I kept my eyes on Percy, who smiled warmly back at me.

"I am Reyna, Praetor of the Twelfth Legion and daughter of Bellona," she introduced herself. We all introduced ourselves and shook hands.

"I am Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus," Leo said, smiling excitedly at her. I knew by now that that was the tell-tale sign that he liked her.

"I am Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus," Thalia said, stretching out her hand. They shook hands.

"I'm Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite," Piper introduced herself. Reyna must have really squeezed Piper's hand because her jaw tensed and she rubbed her hand afterward.

"I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," I said, shaking Reyna's hand. Percy came over, the girl and boy who were standing by him earlier following. The boy whispered to the girl, who glanced in my direction, smiling, and they both switched to the other side of Percy. I was grateful, because when he reached us, I grabbed his hand. He smiled.

"I'm Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto," the girl introduced herself.

"I am Frank Zhang, son of Mars," the boy said.

"I'm Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, and you must be Percy," Jason said, shaking Percy's hand. Percy smiled and nodded. "I heard a lot about you at Camp," he said.

"I've heard a lot about you too, here," Percy said. "You were quite something."

I was so excited I was squeezing Percy's hand, probably a little tighter than necessary, because he turned to me and said, "A little less squeezing please, Wise Girl?" I laughed, loosening my grip. He did remember! I wanted to hug him so bad, but I restrained myself.

"I suggest we call a meeting and discuss this situation," Reyna announced. Percy nodded. Some of the Romans nodded and mumbled their agreement.

"Tonight, after we eat. Got it, Percy? Jason?" Reyna said. She looked at Percy, then Jason, and her eyes filled with disgust as she glanced at Piper. They both nodded. Piper narrowed her eyes at Reyna, who walked off; obviously not pleased with something which I was guessing was Piper. Very slowly, as if hesitant, the rest of the Romans dispersed.

"Hey, Thalia, Piper, Leo, I can show guys around," Jason said. He glanced at me, trying to hide his smile.

"Sure," Piper said.

"But—" Leo started. Piper and Thalia snatched his arms and started walking away.

"Come on, Repair Boy. Jason's going to show us around," she said, rolling her eyes. His eyes widened and he winked at me. I rolled my eyes. I waited until they were far enough away for my liking and then threw my arms around Percy's neck, kissing his lips. He wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing me back. We stayed that way for a while. We pulled away after what seemed like forever. Hazel and Frank had already walked away. I smiled, so glad Percy was back.

"Miss me much, Wise Girl?" he asked jokingly. I punched him in the arm.

"Duh," I said, rolling my eyes. "You should've called. Why didn't you?! I was practically going out of my mind. I had no idea where you've been the last 8 months, and it was scaring me, Seaweed Brain." Suddenly I remembered the fear that I'd had to deal with since he'd been gone.

"Hey, I'm here, now, so all's good," he smiled, hugging me tighter. I punched him in the arm again, but eventually, I lay my head on his chest. It was warm, comforting, and smelled like the ocean. He pulled away after a while, grabbing my hand and slipping it into his. My smile wasn't going to vanish for a long time and I wasn't planning on letting go of his hand soon, either.

"So, what's up with the purple bed sheet?" I asked. He rolled his eyes, plucking at it.

"It's a toga, but I'm gonna ditch it for now," he said, yanking it off and tossing it onto his shoulder. Underneath, he was wearing jeans and his old Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, along with his necklace.

I smiled. "Much better."

He walked me around Camp Jupiter, showing me the baths, Cohorts, and Mess Hall.

We stopped for a while in front of the Mess Hall. The architecture was beautiful, the arches arched at just the right angle and height…I was getting caught up in architecture, but I didn't really notice. I could feel Percy's eyes on me. I looked at him, and he looked like he was trying to not laugh.

"What?" I asked. He smiled, letting out a small laugh.

"Nothing. It's just good to have you back. And the way you were looking at it; like you do whenever you see anything amazing," he said. I smiled. He pulled me in for another kiss. This kiss lasted longer than the first, or at least I thought so. He was still holding my hand and held my other one too. I felt like I had the first time we kissed; happy, excited, not wanting to let go. Hesitantly, he pulled away. He put his arm around my shoulder and we walked over to a table where Jason, Thalia, Piper, and Leo were already sitting.

"Have a good walk?" Leo asked, wiggling his eyebrows. I blushed, and Percy did the same. Thalia came up to us, and moved in for a hug, but at the last second pulled back and punched Percy. I laughed.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe scaring your girlfriend and your cousin to death," she said. "Don't ever do that again."

"I didn't! Hera did!" he protested. Soon, Hazel and Frank joined them at the table. We all ate dinner; happily chatting and catching each other up on stuff, and then went to the meeting. I sat in between Piper and Thalia. Reyna stood at the front. Percy and Jason stood awkwardly too.

"Everyone, quiet," Reyna commanded. "We have all learned of the next big prophecy. Seven demigods must travel east. We have come to believe Romans and Greeks must work together, because Hera switched Percy and Jason and removed their memories, sending them to the opposite camps. They will be two of the seven from the prophecies, should be the leaders, and have a say in choosing the other five. Any objections?"

"Yes. I must understand something. You are trusting a graecus to be a leader. How can you assure us he will not try to dominate us and/or fight us? How can you be sure you can trust him this much? After all, Greeks are liars," a voice said. My jaw dropped, insulted. Who was insulting my boyfriend? Who was insulting us? I almost stood up to look for whoever said that and insult them, but Thalia held me back; it had gotten to her a little, too, though. Reyna looked agitated.

"Yes, I am, Octavian. Do you have a problem with that?" she asked.

"Yes. You are trusting a graecus! How could you do that? That's almost like breaking a rule!" I spotted and recognized the blonde, skinny boy from earlier.

"Octavian, I gave back the Twelfth Legion's eagle and pride. I swore to protect this camp, which I will. I'm a Greek. What more could you possibly want?" Percy asked.

"Nothing. Greeks are nothing but liars and thieves and good for nothing losers!" Octavian shouted. My cheeks were burning. How could Percy stand to let this stupid imbecile insult us?! I would've gone right over and strangled him right then and there. Percy was glaring at him, and so was Jason.

"Really? Is that what you think? They took me in like family, family, Octavian. Even when they found out I was Roman. They didn't push me away, treat me any different, or steal anything," Jason said.

"Plus, what proof do you have?" Percy snapped. Octavian smirked.

"We're not idiots, Percy. We all heard about Jupiter's lightning theft. And, rumor has it, you stole it," he smiled, enjoying himself. Percy's face reddened and anger and hate burned in his eyes.

"I did not," Percy said, his voice fighting to remain calm. Everybody in the room could feel the tension and anger being emanated from between Octavian and Percy, and the Greeks were whispering and mumbling angrily to one another, shooting looks at Octavian. Percy was fighting to remain calm and not snap.

"Then tell me. Who did? It must have been another Greek because—" He started.

"We are not here to discuss who stole Jupiter's lightning theft as that problem was solved five years ago, Octavian. And you do not speak of our guests that way," Reyna said angrily, teeth gritted. Percy glared at Octavian. Even when he sat, Percy's eyes followed him.

"As I was saying. Jason, Percy, who do you choose?" Reyna asked. With difficulty, Percy pulled his eyes away from Octavian, who was glaring.

"I choose Piper and Leo. They both helped me on my quest and were supportive," Jason said, glancing at them. They both smiled, and Leo gave him a thumbs up.

"I'll go with Hazel and Frank. They are both good fighters and my friends," Percy said. He seemed to have calmed down somewhat, but I was still fuming.

"Alright. Six of the seven have been chosen. There is one more spot. Who do you choose?" Reyna prompted. Percy looked at Jason, Jason looked back. A silent agreement was reached between the two.

"Annabeth," Percy said. Reyna almost looked cross. I smiled to myself, glad; not that she looked cross, just that Percy had chosen me.

"Alright, Annabeth is the seventh demigod on the quest," Reyna said, trying to hide the disapproval in her voice. "You will all leave tomorrow morning as early as possible. You are all dismissed." With that, she walked away, the rest of the Romans in the room following, mumbling and talking to each other.

We all got up and walked over to Percy and Jason.

"Octavian should really learn to keep his mouth shut, because someday, someone is going to permanently shut it for him, and that someone will be me," Thalia growled.

"Yeah, well, he's like that. Never will change his mind about us Greeks," Percy said with a sigh. "And thanks for standing up for me, Jason."

"No problem. He can get on anybody's nerves. He definitely gets on mine," Jason said. I went over and grabbed Percy's hand.

"Why didn't you do anything? You could've showed him who was boss without hurting him," I complained.

"That's what he wants. I couldn't. He doesn't want the Romans to trust the Greeks so he tried to get me mad. Me attacking would've been really bad," Percy said.

"So that just means we will all have to keep our tempers in check, no matter what, even if you're alone," Jason stated. We all nodded in agreement.

"Where will we be staying tonight?" Leo asked excitedly.

"On the Argo II," Piper, Jason, and I said at the same time.

"Awwwww," he said disappointedly, his shoulders slumping and his head dropping.

"Where did you think we were going to stay? Here?" Piper asked. Leo nodded. I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry, Leo," Percy said, smiling. Leo just shook his head and walked off.

"I'm going to start getting my stuff together tonight. Wanna come Frank? Percy?" Hazel asked. They both nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Wise Girl. I'm tired and I do want to get some sleep in. 'Night," Percy said, kissing my cheek. I smiled to myself as he walked away.

Piper came over with a huge grin on her face. She nudged my arm and said, "Come on, Annabeth. It's getting pretty late. Plus, you can wake up early to see him." We walked over to the Argo II and went our separate ways to our rooms.

As soon as I passed out, I had one of those suckish demigod dreams. The one where Gaea invades your dreams, feeds you negative thoughts, and tries to make you join her.

Gaea's muddy face appeared in the earth. Usually, she looked and sounded sleepy and her eyes were droopy and almost closed. Now, though, her eyes were open more than usual and she sounded more awake. They will join me; Gaea's voice entered my mind. They will all join me, one by one, starting with my pawn. They will give up hope and see the world from my point of view. Never! I shouted, knowing she was lying and just trying to get to me. Tsk, tsk, Gaea said. Life will be so much better if you join me, because your friends will do the same and you'll be together, even your loved Percy. No, I forced myself, shutting my eyes. Fine, then know that he will join me even if you don't, Gaea sounded angry and pleased at the same time. What do you mean? I demanded. The scene shifted. Nico was chained to bars jutting out of the ground by the Doors of Death; well, I assumed they were the Doors of Death because they were doors, that were dark and sort of scary looking. His face was pale and sweaty. He looked scared. He had cuts and bruises along his arms and legs and a few on his face. I didn't need to be told that he was in a lot of pain. There were dracaenas guarding him, sometimes slashing at him if he moved too much. He saw me and his eyes widened. Before, he could open his mouth, the scene started fading and Gaea spoke again. Soon, Percy will find out about this. He is not one to bail on his friends, no matter what. He will think he can get past me, but he will not. And you will not be able to stop him either; no matter what you do. Gaea sounded pleased. No! I screamed. He will never ever join you. Gaea was shaking her head, mockingly sad. Soon, demigod, soon. With that, the dream shifted. I was looking at a horrendous scene. Piper was lying on the ground with blood spreading out all around her, and Leo was kneeling next to her, on fire and looking pretty upset. Hazel had been knocked out, Frank was badly wounded with a broken arm, and the me in that reality had a cut across my face and my arm, and was standing, pale and shaking, watching Percy and Jason, who were shouting at each other and looked ready to fight. Nico was lying on the deck, not breathing, and Gaea was watching from a distance with a smile on her face. How could this happen? I thought to myself. As if answering my question, Gaea responded, This is what happens if he doesn't save Nico, he'll blame you for trying to discourage him, which by the way will ruin your relationship, and he'll hate Jason for not letting him, which result in them both terribly maiming each other. Or killing. Gaea smiled. Nooo! I wasn't going to fall for this cruel stunt Gaea was pulling.

I woke up; sweating, pale, and breathing hard. It was light outside and I heard commotion coming from the deck. I wasn't the only one up. I wasn't likely to forget about this dream very soon. It was one of the worst ones yet. On that terrifying thought, I got up and got ready for the long and difficult day ahead.