This is a story about Annabeth and Percy visiting Camp Jupiter for the first time since the quest and Tartarus and all that. It actually was written to go along with Chapter 16 in my other story Long Road Ahead, but you can read it separate too!
As of right now this is going to be a three shot, but it may change.
Please read and review! Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: PJO and HoO are owned by Rick Riordan, not me... obviously.
Percy looked at me, squeezing my hand. "Ready?" he asked.
I took a deep breath and nodded, staring straight ahead. We were visiting Camp Jupiter for the first time since the start of the quest to Greece. Percy knew I was uncomfortable with the whole idea of being back. Being a daughter of Athena, the Romans didn't take to me particularly well. Athena's Roman counterpart, Minerva, was just so… different. But Percy had to visit sometime and I had to come with him. Had to. We had only been separated once since… since Tartarus, and it was fair to say it had not been the best of times for either of us.
I could see the Caldecott Tunnel from here. We were standing on a hill across from it, having walked from where we'd left the rental car, trying not to attract attention to the camp. A highway separated the two. Percy started forward, down the hill, leading me. We made our way silently down the far from level decline. There was no need to say anything. I was nervous and I knew he was too but, in times like these, just having him here with me made things better.
About half way down the hill, I noticed Percy wore an amused smirk.
"What?" I asked.
He shook his head, still smiling, "Nothing. Just thinking about the first time I came down this hill." I had to laugh. He had told me about his ride down the hill and across four lanes of traffic on a Bargain Mart sample tray with two gorgons in pursuit. It was probably one of the most ridiculous things Percy had ever done.
"That was probably a tad bit more chaotic than this," I replied.
"Hey, it worked," he retorted, shrugging. I couldn't argue there. We were demigods. We all have done ridiculous things, running on adrenaline and pure luck, to get away from assorted evils at one point or another.
We reached the bottom of the hill and somehow made it across the highway without dying. As we walked toward the entrance to the camp, I could make out two armed figures guarding it. I couldn't tell who they were, but I didn't know very many Romans well enough to recognize them right away anyway. Percy squeezed my hand.
As we neared the entrance, I could make out the guards' faces under their helmets. I didn't recognize them, but they apparently recognized us, well, Percy anyway. Their eyes became wide and they practically tripped over themselves trying to greet and welcome him. I didn't get nearly as much attention, but, honestly, that was fine with me. I preferred being relatively ignored to being stared at as if I were some kind of freak of nature.
Percy seemed oblivious to all the attention. He simply smiled and greeted them in reply. He tried to cover it up, but he couldn't fool me; he didn't know who he was talking to either.
The guards led us through the entrance and showed us to a bridge crossing the Little Tiber. They apologized for not being able to accompany us the rest of the way, but I was more than okay with it. Percy and I crossed the bridge, still holding hands, and made our way into camp.
Campers at Camp Jupiter didn't stay at home for the school year like they did at Camp Half-Blood, so there were just as many here now, in April, as there had been when the Argo II had landed that past June. Many were busy. Being Roman, most didn't even bother to look away from their work as we passed, but those who did notice us stared, nodding respectfully to Percy, then to me, which kind of surprised me, but I guess if you're one of the only two demigods to ever travel through hell and come back alive, people hear about it. Regardless of Roman views on children of Athena, my accomplishments-like finding the Athena Parthenos, which, in the end, had been one of, if not the reason for the end of the camps' rivalry-had to count for something.
We arrived at the principia. Jason and Reyna knew we were coming that week, but they didn't know specific details, mainly because we hadn't completely known ourselves when we'd told them. Percy let himself in, leading me inside.
Jason and Reyna sat at the table in the center of the grand room, clad in regal purple capes. They were working, from the looks of things. Papers and scrolls were spread before them but we were too far away for me to see what kind. Both were hunched over the table, writing and conversing softly.
"Knock knock," Percy called, announcing our presence. Jason and Reyna straightened, obviously startled. When they saw us, Jason grinned and Reyna's face softened. She may have even smiled a little.
"Hey, glad you could make it," Jason greeted, getting up from the table and walking over to them. He shook hands with Percy and hugged me. When we pulled away, Reyna was standing behind Jason, truly smiling now. Surprisingly, she hugged me.
"It's good to see you, Annabeth, Percy," she said as she hugged Percy too.
"Yeah, great timing too. Lots of work to do. Wanna help, my fellow praetor?" Jason asked, teasingly.
Percy grimaced slightly, "Um, I guess," he answered, sounding rather unenthusiastic.
Jason laughed, "I'm kidding, man. You're on vacation. We're pretty much done anyway."
Percy looked relieved, but I'm not sure if anyone else noticed.
"Lunch will be served soon," Reyna said, turning back to the table and straightening it up.
"Alright, cool," Percy replied, "Well, if you guys don't mind, we're gonna go find Frank and Hazel. We haven't seen them since the quest."
"No problem," Jason said. "We'll see you guys later."
Percy grabbed my hand and began leading me out of the principia. "Oh, Percy, there's a Senate meeting later," Reyna called as we walked out.
I wasn't really sure what that meant but Percy apparently did, because he groaned but called "Got it."
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you not a fan of Senate meetings or something?" I asked.
Percy scoffed. "They have got to be the most boring meetings on the face of the earth," he answered, "And that's before Octavian takes the show. I've only been to a few, but it's a recipe for disaster every time." I had no trouble believing that. Octavian might be scrawny and annoying, but his power was in his words. When he got talking, very little would stop him, and he would take any means necessary to bend people to his will. It was almost worse than Charmspeak. Percy continued, "You can come too, if you want. It's not like anyone, but Reyna and Jason, can do anything about it if I bring you, and they won't mind."
I thought about it. From the way Percy described them, Senate meetings sounded like torture, but it didn't seem fair to make him suffer through one alone. Granted, I'd probably just sit in, most likely in the back, but that still seemed more merciful to Percy than not being there at all. "Sure, Seaweed Brain, I'll go," I said. Percy looked a bit happier about going after that.
We made it to the training area. I know it had a name, but it was in Latin, and I was admittedly pretty terrible with Latin. The campers must have finished because few were left. Many were coming out of the showers already.
I noticed Frank pretty quickly. He was much bigger than most of the other campers. Percy and I made our way over to him, which proved rather difficult as the rest of the demigods were all making their way toward the Mess Hall and we were trying to walk perpendicular to them. It was like walking through river rapids, but eventually we made it.
Hazel stood right next to Frank. When they saw us, they both looked a bit concerned but smiled widely. This was a pretty normal reaction for people to have of us now. Actually, that's not true. Usually, it was way worse. Anyone who had seen Percy and me after Tartarus was suspicious at first, like, at any second, we would turn into raving, hallucinating lunatics. It made sense, I guess, judging from how bad we'd been after getting out, but it was seriously annoying. I was a daughter of Athena; strong, powerful, confident, a fighter. Part of me, the hubris part, hated that everyone had seen me like that, but the rest was glad that they cared about me enough to be concerned.
"Hey!" Frank called, while Hazel ran up to us, hugging us both at the same time, making it like a group hug.
"Oh my gods! I've missed you guys!" she exclaimed, once she'd pulled away.
"Ditto," Frank said, grinning.
"We missed you too," I replied, smiling.
Hazel grew serious, "So, um, how are you?" she asked carefully. I knew what she meant. I knew Percy did too. How are we doing since coming back from the pits of hell? I really hated answering that question. I got asked it way too much.
I looked to Percy, who looked back, before turning back to Hazel. "We're good," he answered.
"We're getting there," I added.
"Much better than the last time you guys saw us," he added. Truer words had never been spoken.
Frank and Hazel both nodded sympathetically, before Frank perked up again. "Hey, are you guys playing war games tomorrow night?" he asked hopefully.
"You bet we are!" Percy replied, grinning.
"We're gonna dominate!" Frank replied excitedly.
"Do praetors participate in war games?" I asked. Percy looked suddenly devastated.
"I hope so," he replied. He looked to Hazel, probably since she'd been there longest.
"Before Juno switched you two," Hazel said, shrugging, "Jason used to play. Reyna prefers to referee, but I don't see why you wouldn't be allowed to participate."
"YES!" both boys exclaimed, high fiving and smiling hugely. Hazel and I just looked at each other, shaking our heads. Boys… Yet, I had to admit, I was pretty excited. From what I'd heard, Roman war games were pretty intense, and required fail proof strategy, which I just happened to be very good at. Maybe some of this trip would be fun after all.
We were pretty much alone now, with everyone else in the mess hall for lunch. The four of us made our way there, following the last few stragglers inside.
We sat at a table with Frank and Hazel. After a few minutes, Jason and Reyna joined us. An announcement was made, welcoming Percy and me to camp. The Romans cheered loudly, welcoming their praetor back.
After the initial "How are you?" talk from Jason and Reyna, we settled into nice conversation. Percy and Jason started a debate with Frank about how a sword was a better weapon than a bow and arrow, or something; while Hazel, Reyna, and I discussed the two camps.
I'd actually only been to Camp Half-Blood twice since first coming back from the quest. School had started only a few weeks after we'd arrived back home in New York, and neither Percy nor I dared visit right away. It was too much a reminder of the world we were part of, the world that led to us falling into…into Tartarus. Granted, it probably wasn't the best solution, but at the time, we were so emotionally fragile, that anything was better than having to be a part of that world again so soon. We needed a few months to heal. Eventually though, we both visited again, and things were actually pretty good. Things were still harder than before there, with how weak and unstable the campers had first seen Percy and I, but it was nice nonetheless.
As much as I'd originally mistrusted and even been prepared to fight Reyna, she really was a great person. She was the daughter of the Roman war goddess, and we had a surprisingly large amount in common. The first and only other time I'd been able to really talk to her, it had been mostly an attempt to earn trust, and it had been rudely interrupted by an eidolon-possessed Leo firing on the camp. Now, I got to really talk to her, and I really liked her.
After lunch, Percy and I had been invited to practice some Roman style fighting with some of the centurions. Percy, however, had been called away to help deal with some Praetor-involved matter and couldn't come. He'd told me to go anyway, and, though I felt bad that he couldn't participate, I was curious. During the short time Percy had spent at the Roman camp, he'd picked up a few foreign tricks, and I was excited to learn them too.
It turns out that Roman fighting is pretty different from Greek, but it still has an organized pattern and flow to it. Once you learn the pattern, the style isn't very hard to understand at all. A centurion named Aaron showed me a few things for about an hour and I spent another hour or two practicing them.
By the time I was finished, I could tell Aaron was impressed. He was very bad at hiding it, and it made me feel good. Maybe I could earn some respect for children of Athena over the next day and a half. That, in itself, would make this trip worth it. The gods may have wronged me and my friends and showed us injustice more times than I could count, but, at the end of the day, Athena is still my mother, and she deserves to be respected as such.
I left the training area sweaty and feeling great. I decided I'd better take a shower, and made my way to the bath house. I won't get into detail, but Roman baths are weird. I'd never taken one before that day, and I'm still not sure how I felt about it.
I went to find Percy. I knew he was busy, but I felt bad, enjoying myself while he was stuck doing work. I wasn't a praetor, but I was pretty much an exception to the rules. Maybe I could help.
The principia was empty. I looked in a few other places, but the praetors were nowhere to be found. Finally, I decided to just ask someone, but of course, the campers would all be training when I need them. I wasn't about to interrupt them.
I settled on asking a Lare. I wasn't sure about the credibility of a ghost, but it was worth a try. He was very rude. Apparently, no matter how forgiving Roman demigods were toward Greeks, the Lares were not.
Honestly, I can't say I was surprised. Ghosts are always holding grudges about things that happened in their lifetimes. I should have expected it. Whatever. That was the last time I would ask a ghost for help.
I followed the Lare's directions, and made my way to New Rome. He had said the Praetors were there.
I left my knife with Terminus, who regarded me relatively coolly. He was nicer than the Lare at least. I entered New Rome.
The city took my breath away, just like it had the first time. The architecture… gods, it was beautiful. I wandered through the streets, and arrived at the Forum.
Jason and Reyna were inside, along with Percy, who was now also clad in a purple cape, the sign of a praetor. They looked up at my entrance. Percy smiled at me.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," I said apologetically. Maybe I shouldn't have come…
"You're not," Reyna assured me, "We were finishing up anyway."
A few minutes later, the four of us walked out of the Forum. We strolled around New Rome for a little while, Jason and Reyna pointing out different things that had been changed since the last time Percy and I were here. It was nice, almost like we were just normal friends taking a walk together.
We stopped in front of the coffee shop Reyna had gotten me hot chocolate from last June. Suddenly, something ran into Percy from behind, almost pitching him forward. Lucky for him, Percy was quick on his feet. He caught his balance before he could fall. Now I could see what, or rather, who, had run into him. It was a little girl, maybe six or seven, with pigtails in her blonde hair and dimples in her cheeks. She was adorable.
"Percy Jackson!" she exclaimed, looking up at him with adoring blue eyes.
Percy smiled widely down at her. "Hey Julia! How ya doing?" he asked her in a way that made my heart melt a little. Julia's smile widened.
"Good! Where'd you go? You went on that big flying boat and didn't come back!" she demanded.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Percy told her, "I was at home, in New York. Jason came back here while I went to the other camp, my camp."
"Oh," Julia replied, like that explained everything, "Did you save the world with Jason? And Frank and Hazel?"
We all smiled at that. "Yeah, I did, but you know who else did too?" Percy asked her. Julia looked at him with big eyes and shook her head. Percy turned to me. "Julia, this is Annabeth. She saved the world more than any of us." I could feel my face heating up.
"I did just as much as everyone else," I protested, while Percy and Jason stared at me strangely. Okay, so maybe I did embark on a solo quest to follow the Mark of Athena and find the Athena Parthenos and save it from her. And so what if I was the first and only one to ever return alive? Percy went through Tartarus with me and the others fought off hordes of monsters and Gaea's army and got us out of there…"
"Yeah, okay," Percy replied sarcastically. I ignored him and turned to Julia, who was eyeing me curiously.
"Hi, cutie. I'm Percy's friend. Your name's Julia?" I asked. She smiled and nodded at me. I smiled back.
"Well, Julia it was nice to see you, but we have to go eat dinner now," Reyna told the little girl.
"Your mommy's probably looking for you by now too," Jason added. Julia looked sad for a minute, but then she smiled again and nodded, turning to Percy.
"Will you be here tomorrow?" she asked him. Percy smiled and nodded at her. "Yay!" Julia exclaimed, clapping her hands adorably.
"Maybe we'll see you tonight," Jason told her, "We have to come back later for a meeting." Julia nodded happily. She gave everyone a hug goodbye and ran off down the road to a woman who seemed to be waiting for her, probably her mother.
Walking to the Mess Hall, Percy turned to me, scowling playfully, "My friend,huh?"
"Of course, Seaweed Brain, at least last I checked. Wouldn't you agree?" I told him sarcastically.
He glanced at Reyna and Jason who were in front of us, obviously pretending not to listen, and leaned in close to me. "That, and so much more," he whispered. I had to smile. I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, grabbed his hand, and continued walking. It was those little things that made me love Percy that much more. Together, holding hands and grinning, we followed Jason and Reyna to the Mess Hall for dinner, and I couldn't help thinking that, despite everything that had happened in the past, I'd actually had fun that day.
This place wasn't Camp Half-Blood, that was for sure, but it wasn't necessarily bad either. It was different, but in a good way. Sure, things were strange here. I was used to the laid back scene at the other camp, but maybe the strict Roman way wasn't as bad as I'd originally made it out to be. I'd thought that I'd had a pretty good idea of what Camp Jupiter was like when we spent a few hours here before the Giant war. It turned out I was wrong. I'd probably never admit it, but I was wrong about the Romans and their camp. Heck, I'd only been there for a few hours, and I'd already begun to notice it. It wasn't, nor would it ever be, Camp Half-Blood, home, but Camp Jupiter was actually a really nice place, and I was glad I'd agreed to come.
Did you like it? Let me know!
Like I said before, this goes along with ch. 16 of my other story Long Road Ahead, so please go read that too, if you haven't already!
Thanks for reading!