When in Rome

by WriterOfNeverKnown

The second she breathes in the Roman air, Annabeth decides that she loves this city, and tells Percy so. They have been best friends since that delicate age of 12, a couple since 16, and before this vacation is over, Percy aims to be something even more. He pats his jeans pocket to make sure the box is still there and smiles. Rome has never held such promise.

2. Days in Between

Over the next few days, they see as much of Rome as their feet can take. Their eyes and minds could feast on the beauty and majesty of Rome forever and never get tired, but their feet are a different story. After just the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, they are already protesting this extensive use.

Percy and Annabeth examine everything in the twin palaces of the Capitoline museum. ("Opened in 1734," Annabeth says. "Oldest public art display in the world!") After they visit the Spanish Steps, they buy souvenirs for themselves and their families on the Via Condotti. ("One of the most famous shopping streets in Rome," Annabeth reminds Percy.) Percy buys her a bouquet of roses in Campo de'Fiori. ("The Field of Flowers," Annabeth translates unnecessarily.) They get a breath-taking view of Rome from the Pont Sant'Angelo stretching over the Tiber River. ("The ten angel statues are the last works of Gian Lorenzo Berini, the famous Italian sculptor," Annabeth explains.)

She is finally quiet as they stroll hand-in-hand through the Villa Borghese Gardens, taking in the sweet air and feeding turtles in the ponds. They weave their way through Piazza Navona, buying spectacular paintings from Italian men and women sitting at easels with their work strewn around them, until they reach the huge Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. Statues of four river gods sit and lounge on the rocks in the middle of the pool beneath them; the water rushes from niches between each of them into the pool; an Egyptian obelisk towers high over the piazza from the fountain, taller than some of the buildings. ("The Fountain of Four Rivers," Annabeth gushes. "The rivers are the Nile representing Africa, the Danube for Europe, the Ganges for Asia, and the Rio de la Plata for the Americas.") Percy wonders if Tiberinus is upset that he didn't get a spot.