Jason, Chapter 10
Jason was about to follow Percy and Annabeth out of the senate house when he heard Reyna call out to him.
"Jason, could you stay for a minute?" she asked.
"Sure," he answered.
"And ask Percy if he can stay too," she told him.
"Frank!" Jason heard Hazel call. "Let's gave Piper, Annabeth, and Sam-I mean Leo, a tour of the city."
Percy was about to follow them when Jason called for him. "Hey Percy, Reyna wants to talk with us real quick." Percy nodded, and let go of Annabeth's hand.
"What is it?" he asked. "I want too change out of this toga before Annabeth finds away to humiliate me by getting a picture and showing it to Camp Half Blood."
"Dude, I know!" Jason exclaimed. "Toga's are just weird!" Reyna cleared her throat.
"Anyway," she began, "next senate meeting we'll probably have to decide who goes on the quest. And since the prophecy of the seven-" Jason cut her off there.
"We're planning on taking 200 demigods and legacies with us," Jason explained. "The ship can fit that many, and it'll take more than seven demigods to defeat the giants army, even if all the gods are helping."
Percy nodded. "And besides," he added," in the last Titan war the great prophecy only referred to about three half bloods, and everyone helped fight against the Titans."
"Very well," Reyna decided. "100 demigods or legacies from each camp?"
"The hunters were planning on coming," Jason noted, remembering Thalia's promise that she would go with them.
"Who are the hunters?" Reyna asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"A group of elite teen girls that hunt for Artemis," Percy explained from where he was making shapes with the water from a water jar. "They get almost immortality in return for swearing off boys. They can only die in battle."
"Oh," Reyna said. "Sound like Hylla would like to meet them."
"Gods, I haven't seen Thalia in ages," Percy remarked. "It'll probably end in my death though, she'll send an arrow into my forehead."
"She said that you disappearing like that earns you one," Jason informed the son of Poseidon.
"Not my fault!" Percy complained. "It happened to you too. Anyway, it's weird that you two have the same last name."
"That's cause we have the same mom," Jason responded, and Percy knocked over the water jar he was playing with, soaking Reyna and Jason, but staying dry in the process.
"Were Annabeth and Thalia keeping this a secret from me?" Percy demanded.
"Nope," Jason replied. "Thalia never told anyone."
"Good old Pinecone Face," Percy murmured.
Reyna cleared her throat again. "Back to the subject. If the hunters come, will we deduct demigods from the Greek or Roman camp?"
"Both," Percy and Jason said at the same time.
"There's about forty of them, so that's," Percy bit his lips, as if this type of math was hard for him, "180 campers from each camp."
"So it's settled," Reyna closed the discussion. "Percy, you are excused. Jason, stay for a moment."
Percy walked out of the room, but not before shooting Jason a glance that read "Good luck."
"So, what is it Reyna?" Jason asked.
"I want to know what the Greek camp's like," Reyna told him. "And I want to hear it from you."
"Well, for starters, they divide their campers into different cabins depending on their godly parent," Jason began. "So everyone's usually really close to their half brothers and sisters. And if you make it to camp, they have to train you, even if you are, say, not a good fighter, or uncool, or a rule breaker. It's kind of like their teaching you to survive, rather than join their demigod army."
"But what about last summer during the Titan war?" Reyna looked confused.
"Well, they still had their campers to fight with," Jason explained. "But they can also trust each other. It's not like they have a few friends they can rely on, and have to watch their backs around everyone else. They may have rivals, but they can trust even those rivals with their life."
"That sounds nice," Reyna commented. "No having to worry about who you can trust, needing to seem honorable, or worrying about tyrannical leaderships."
"Well, they don't exactly have leaders," Jason informed her.
"But then how does it work?" Reyna asked.
"Well in times of need or war they have leaders," Jason explained. "Like during the Titan war, Percy and Annabeth led the battle. But most of the time they have a democracy se up. Heads of every cabin, usually the oldest or most experienced go to the meetings where important camp decisions are made."
Reyna frowned at this. "Well who directs everything?"
"Chiron, this centaur teacher they have there. And usually they have a camp director, Mr. D, or Dionysus, but as they gods aren't speaking to us now…" Jason trailed off.
"I see," Reyna nodded. "Well, Percy refused to take claim of your house as it was till sort of yours, so go get ready for dinner. I have a little thinking to do." Jason left the building, but didn't look back to see Reyna look longingly after him until he walked out of her view.