I watched The Sea of Monsters yesterday. It was almost fun! My brother and I were laughing at everything and facepalming ourselves the entire time. Three words: Worst. Movie. Ever.

I'm doing a squat challenge this month. 180 squats today. Ugh, it hurts.

Book of the day – The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, book one in the Chaos Walking Trilogy. YA dystopian/adventure. This book is magnificent and I think everyone should read it! The plot is so original and amazing. It's one of my new favorites, and I can't wait to read the next books in the series. Plus, the titles are pure awesomeness.

XXI

JASON

When Reyna and her guards approached their group, Reyna didn't even sit down when Chiron offered her a chair. She merely looked across the table and locked eyes with Jason as she stated, "I remain undecided."

A few head counselors groaned. Jason slammed his fist on the wood countertop, his thoughts becoming clouded with fury. How could Reyna be so stupid? Didn't she know they didn't have any time to waste, that every second they argued with each other, Gaea was winning?

He stood up quickly, his chair toppling to the ground, and stomped away from the table and the muttered beginnings of tense discussions.

He wasn't really sure where he was going. He was just so angry at Reyna, he had to get away from her, go somewhere, do something.

He ran across the remains of what had once been a green Camp Half-Blood hill, but was now a charred and smoking battlefield. He finally found himself in front of Leo's boat, which Frank had landed in front of a cluster of cabins. Jason whirled on his feet, raking his fingers through his hair, until his eye caught the Athena Parthenos, standing tall, still tied down in the back of the boat. The statue's glinting, noble face seemed to mock him.

"You," Jason seethed. "You were supposed to help with this, help bring peace between the camps."

The statue did not reply.

Jason turned around and saw a few people had drawn toward him, Greeks and Romans alike, looking confused, as if they weren't sure what to do now that they weren't battling.

Jason stared at them all, bitterness toward Reyna and Gaea causing him to shout, "Listen!"

Everyone stared at him in surprise. In the corner of his eye, Jason saw Reyna and her guards moving toward him. They stopped at the edge of the crowd of people, all looking at him expectantly, waiting.

Jason took a deep breath. He wasn't quite sure what to say, but he knew could do this—he was the son of Jupiter, a natural leader. People wanted to hear him speak, needed someone to lead them.

He was too full of rage to bother organizing his thoughts before speaking.

"Everyone, listen up! While we've been wasting time fighting each other, Gaea is growing stronger, preparing to wipe us all out. She plans to rise on August first, on the Feast of Spes. That's less than a month away. Frank and I have to leave soon, to help aid our friends in saving Percy and Annabeth at the Doors of Death, who have fallen into Tartarus."

At least half the crowd gasped in astonishment.

"But we can't leave you to continue fighting. For each time Greek and Roman swords clash, Gaea grows a little stronger, wakes up a little more. This is her plan. To turn us against each other so we can't fight her. She started this whole thing. She had an eidolon possess Leo, which caused him to fire on New Rome."

Jason took a shaky breath. Everyone was quiet, all eyes on him.

"We all need to be preparing for the battle with Gaea—the real enemy."

Suddenly bright light shone from behind Jason. He whirled around to glimpse the Athena Parthenos just as a sparkling-white, dusty veil seemed to explode from the statue and fall over his eyes. He blinked, and it was gone. He looked out over the crowd, where the sparkling light advanced like a wave, sweeping over everyone.

The crowd blinked and gasped, and everyone suddenly seemed to see the sense in his words, turning to look at their neighbors, Greeks and Romans alike, in astonishment.

Jason sucked in a breath. It was clear now. Every tiny doubt he'd felt before had vanished. They couldn't fight. They had to make peace with each other. There was no need for bloodshed.

He glanced behind him to see the Athena Parthenos, sparkling in the sun. It was polished so the gold and ivory shone brightly, and the cobwebs that had previously draped it had disappeared.

He suddenly realized where Frank had landed the boat. It was situated on a hill, on the boundary of Camp Half-Blood.

They'd landed the statue on Half-Blood hill.

The Athena Parthenos had finally done its work.

Thanks for the help, he thought, giving the statue a respectful nod.

Jason turned back to the crowd. The Athena Parthenos had worked magic, all right. Demigods, now seeing the truth, were laughing and jumping around with each other. Romans and Greeks had already begun to form groups, talking to each other, and seemed to be managing not to hurl spears and ignore any urges to stab somebody. Chiron was grinning broadly on the edge of the crowd, his huge centaur arms crossed over his chest.

Only one person looked unhappy.

"No, no, no!" Octavian cried. He staggered away from smiling campers and approached Reyna, her pair of guards having run off to mingle with the crowd.

Jason gasped. He didn't believe it.

Reyna had the faintest trace of a smile on her lips.

He made his way toward her so he could hear her and Octavian's conversation.

"We need to prepare for war immediately!" the stuffed animal–slayer squeaked bossily. "I'll assemble the troops. We can use one of the battle plans I wrote—"

Reyna lifted a hand to quiet him. "There will be no need, Octavian. I believe our argument with the Greeks has been settled." She turned her head to lock eyes with Jason. Then, through the crowd, smiling fully, her eyes crinkling, she gave him a nod in gratitude.

Turning back to Octavian, she continued, "We will prepare all troops to march on Gaea's army tomorrow. The Greeks will need our help in the final battle."

Octavian gasped angrily. "Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano!"

So fast no one had a chance to react, Reyna had leaped across the distance between her and Octavian, and was standing behind the augur, holding a dagger to his throat.

"I instructed you to never use my full name in public," she hissed in his ear. The crowd had gone completely silent and seemed to be holding its breath as everyone waited for the scene to unfold, so Jason was able to hear every word exchanged between the two. "How am I to trust you if you can't obey one simple command, Octavian?"

Octavian gulped and stuttered nervously, "Y-you'll regret this! I saw the outcome in a stuffed owl, and it isn't good!"

Reyna released him and he stumbled away, then ran toward the Romans' encampment.

"This was never meant to be, Praetor of Rome!" Octavian paused long enough to spit over his shoulder. "I have seen the future! There will be much bloodshed, and one in their group will die."

Jason felt sick as Octavian pointed a shaking finger at him and Frank.

Octavian continued, "I saw seven silhouettes, wielding weapons, standing on a mountain—"

He was cut off as Rachel stepped toward him, her face an angry, bright-red, so that it matched her hair, and shoved him in the chest so that he sprawled backward.

Octavian groaned as he landed on his back on the ground, and Rachel planted a swift quick to his stomach.

"Enough of your lies, Augur," she ordered. She lifted her chin. "I have also seen the future. The Seven will prevail. They will succeed in their quest."

"Who . . . who are you?" Octavian asked shakily, wincing as he tried to sit up.

"I am the oracle of the camp."

Octavian almost fell over when he finally got to his feet, he was laughing so hard.

"An oracle?" he blustered. "I've never heard of anything so ridiculous." Sneering, he added, "I've seen you in my visions, Oracle. You're nothing but a mortal. Not even a bloodline of Apollo! You're a fraud. Useless." He shook his head in disgust.

In an instant, Reyna had her knife pressed against his neck again. Octavian paled and tried to gulp, but the knife prevented him from doing so.

"Leave, now," Reyna whispered, the crowd so deadly-silent everyone could make out what she said.

"You can't be serious," Octavian managed to squeak.

"Oh, but I am in fact very serious," Reyna continued in her quiet, lethal tone. She pushed the augur away, not leaving so much as a scratch on him.

Octavian rubbed his neck and managed a throaty laugh. "I guess I'll leave, then." His eyes were scanning all the Romans in the crowd, nervously.

When he was met with stony looks, and Octavian seemed to realize Reyna was serious, all anxious expressions dropped from the augur's face.

Slowly, he began to back away, until he was on the edge of the crowd, his eyes never straying from Reyna's.

"You'll regret this, Praetor," he seethed.

Reyna remained calm. "I think I should have taken this action long ago."

Octavian turned and fled from the battlefield.

A Roman guard raised a crossbow and trained it on him, but Reyna put out her arm to stop him.

"Let him go. I will not allow a Roman arrow to be wasted on such a coward.

They watched the augur's retreating figure, as he ran past the cluster of Roman tents, until he was on the edge of the woods, where he disappeared into the trees.

Reyna shook her head disgustedly. "I don't know how I ever allowed such lowly filth into my camp." Then she turned to face Jason, smiling warmly. Jason suddenly felt nervous.

"I have you to thank for changing my mind, son of Jupiter. We all do. You have prevented a catastrophe."

With that, she knelt before him.

Her officers quickly followed her lead, bending down on one knee, then the soldiers, and soon every Roman was bowing to him. The Greeks began to join, as well, so when Jason slowly turned in a circle, all he could see were bent heads. Even Chiron had lowered himself onto one of his horse legs and bowed his head.

Jason swiveled his head in bewilderment and spotted Frank, standing at the edge of the crowd, propped up against a tree with his arms crossed, grinning.

"Um," Jason addressed the crowd awkwardly, "shouldn't you guys be bowing to the Athena Parthenos, here, too? After all, the statue did half the work."

The demigods rose, and Reyna came to stand beside him, Chiron trotting over as well.

"The statue may have helped, but it needed your words for its magic to be released," Reyna insisted.

"I take it you and Frank will be spending the night here before you fly back to aid your friends?" Chiron asked in his gravely voice.

Jason looked out over the strawberry fields of Camp Half-Blood, feeling reluctant, to see that the sun was setting. They'd done their work, he realized. Now they needed to hurry back to face the real threat.

"Yeah. But we're leaving immediately tomorrow morning." He swallowed hard, imagining the crew on the Argo II battling Gaea's monsters at the Doors of Death by themselves. "Our friends are counting on us."

Hazel's POV is coming up next chapter, I promise! And boy, am I excited for it . . .

Here's a question for you guys (I did this in one of my other stories, but I added a little more to it here): Which of the following do you think I'm best at writing: Action, descriptions, dialogue, suspense, character development, or romance?