Act III — The Sky Meets The Sea

Part I — I see her smiling and my knees start buckling, I see inside her and my doubts are gone.

Anthony paced the deck of the flying warship checking and double-checking everything. He reviewed the plan with the rest of the crew—and the backup plan, and the backup plan for the backup plan.

Everything seemed to be in order.

On the stern quarterdeck, Leo rushed around like a madman wrestling levers. Piper paced back and forth practicing her lines.

"Lower your weapons," she murmured. "We just want to talk." Her charmspeak was so powerful, the words flowed over Anthony, filling him with the desire to drop his dagger and have a nice long chat. Piper was really beautiful; she looked like a sculpture in her perfection. Normal girls didn't look like that. Anthony found that very disturbing, especially when he thought of Andy—uncomplicated, clumsy, amazing Andy.

She was somewhere below them right now. Just thinking about her made his palms start sweating. Panic welled up inside him. He forced it down.

Anthony shook his head and looked away. Lena stood on the platform, where the Romans could easily spot her. Her knuckles were white on the hilt of her golden sword. Anthony tried to hide it, but he still didn't completely trust her. Lena acted too perfect—always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. Anthony couldn't look at her without getting a bitter taste in his mouth.

Then, in the valley below, horns sounded. The Romans had spotted them.

Anthony had trouble believing his eyes. Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill. Anthony scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Andy.

That's when something behind him went BOOM! The explosion almost knocked him overboard. Anthony whirled and found himself eye to eye with an angry statue.

"Unacceptable!" the statue shrieked. It had exploded into existence, right there on the deck. "I will not have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced. "I certainly will not have Greeks!"

"Terminus," Lena said. "It's me. Lena Grace."

"Oh, I remember you, Grace!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!"

"But they're not enemies—"

"That's right," Piper jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could—"

"Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on me, young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands!"

"Um—how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."

"Impertinence!"

"Let's all calm down." Anthony raised his hands to show he had no weapons. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Lena told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Anthony Chase, son of—"

"Oh, I know who you are!" The statue glared at him with its blank white eyes. "A child of Athena, Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for that goddess."

Anthony clenched his jaw. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Right!" Lena interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can—"

"Impossible!" the god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"

"Which is it?" Leo asked. "Surrender, or leave?"

"Both!" Terminus said. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?"

"Whoa, I feel it."

"Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line," insisted Terminus. "And this entire ship is a weapon! You cannot land!"

Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. Anthony scanned the faces until he saw her. Andy looked so at ease, so happy. She wore a purple cape—the mark of a praetor.

"Leo, stop the ship," Anthony ordered, his heart beating in his ears.

"What?"

"You heard me. Keep us right where we are."

Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped.

"Terminus," Anthony said, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"

The statue frowned. "Well, no..."

"We can keep the ship aloft," Anthony said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."

The statue seemed to ponder this. "I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still..."

"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Anthony promised. "I assume the Romans—even those reinforcements marching toward us—will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?"

"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"

"Hey, man..." Leo said. "You sure this is a good idea?"

Anthony closed his fists to keep them from shaking. Andy was down there—so immediate, so close. Nothing would stop him from getting to her now. "It'll be fine," he said. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules. Do we have an agreement?"

Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, son of Athena. Please try not to destroy my town."

A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for Anthony as he walked through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous. But no one attacked. At the far end of the crowd, Anthony spotted Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary. They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved and grinned.

The demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian. Reyna. Even if he didn't know who she was, Anthony would have singled her out as the leader. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.

Anthony and Reyna considered each other. The Romans murmured Lena's name, staring at her in awe. Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and Anthony's vision tunneled.

Andy came running in all of her speed pushing aside every demigod in front of her. Her sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as Anthony remembered. The two of them collided and Andy held him so close Anthony could feel her heartbeat.

Everyone seemed uncomfortable, but no one moved or said a thing. After making sure she was not going to disappear again, Anthony studied her more carefully. Andy was just as he remembered, but she was also more confident and more muscular. He wondered what she'd had to do to survive in this place.

Reyna called her name, authoritatively, but Andy either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her. Her eyes were all for him. They exchanged a few quick, quiet words to make sure the other was okay, but there wasn't much they could do in front of all these people.

Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Lena. "Lena," she said the name slowly and with affection. Lena was careful not to touch Piper in front of her. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends—"

Lena cleared her throat. "It's good to be back, Reyna. This is Piper McLean and Anthony Chase."

Reyna's eyes sparkled. "Of course."

Anthony forced himself to look away from Andy and shake the preator's hand. Two kids appeared—a burly Asian guy and a girl with dark skin and long curly hair.

Andy almost jumped in excitement. "Ooh, you guys!" she said, grinning. "Come here, come here." They stood next to her protectively, and Anthony fought down a twinge of jealousy. "This is Frank and Hazel. My new best friends. Guys, this is—"

"Anthony," said the both of them together.

Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "…tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"

"You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A tall guy with stringy blond hair elbowed his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks—"

"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here, in the forum."

"Oh, much better," Octavian grumbled. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."

"These are our guests." Reyna clipped off every word. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Lena back to us safely."

"Oh, good idea," Andy put in. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."

Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."

The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Andy a look of absolute loathing, then he stalked away.

Andy slipped her hand into Anthony's. "Don't worry about him," she said, "he's an idiot. Most of the Romans are good people—like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. We'll be fine."

"We'll be fine," Anthony repeated, trying to believe it.

"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Lena, and there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."

All Anthony wanted to do was be with Andy—preferably alone, but he knew he would have to wait. If their quest was going to succeed, they needed the Romans.

Reyna and a few of her officers, including the blond kid Octavian, sat with Anthony and his crew. Andy joined them with Frank and Hazel. She leaned over and whispered, "I want to show you around New Rome. This place is incredible."

Resentment swelled in his throat—this wasn't her home, she couldn't possibly be happy to be here. He tried not to stare at the new marks on Andy's forearm, the ones burned into her flesh, as if to say: You belong to us. Permanently.

"You're going to love it," she continued feverishly. "And if everything works fine, maybe we can stay for—" she stopped as Reyna called a toast to friendship.

After introductions, the Romans and Greeks began exchanging stories. Lena explained how she'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood without her memory, and how she'd gone on a quest with Piper and Leo to rescue the goddess Hera from imprisonment at the Wolf House in northern California.

"Impossible!" Octavian broke in. "That's our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there—"

"They would've destroyed her," Piper said. "And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Lena finish."

Octavian opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Anthony noticed Reyna looking back and forth between Lena and Piper, her brow creased, as if just beginning to realize the two of them were a couple. Suddenly he felt horrible. What if the same had happened to him and Andy?

"So," Lena continued, "that's how we found out about the earth goddess Gaea. She's still half asleep, but she's the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House: he said he was retreating to the ancient lands—Greece itself. He plans on awakening Gaea and destroying the gods by... what did he call it? Pulling up their roots?"

Andy nodded thoughtfully. "Gaea's a busy lady. We had our own encounter with Queen Dirt Face." She recounted her side of the story. She talked about waking up at the Wolf House with no memories—

"Except one," said Hazel with a grin.

Andy blushed. "Let's not—"

"She remembered you," Frank told Anthony. "That's all she talked about ever since—"

"Ta ta ta!" Andy raised her voice. "I am your praetor! You can't embarrassing me during—"

"And she had that panda, remember, Frank?" Hazel said. "The one she called Tony?"

Anthony smiled warmly, but Andy looked annoyed. "Yes. And Octavian murdered him. Don't think I've forgotten. I'm still gonna get you for that. Now—" She told them how she'd traveled to Alaska with Frank and Hazel—how they'd defeated the giant Alcyoneus, freed the death god Thanatos, and returned with the lost golden eagle standard of the Roman camp to repel an attack by the giants' army.

When Andy finished, Lena whistled appreciatively. "No wonder they made you praetor."

Octavian snorted. "Which means we now have three praetors! The rules clearly state we can only have two!"

"On the bright side," Andy said, "both Lena and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can both tell you to shut the hell up."

Octavian turned as purple as a Roman T-shirt. Lena gave Andy a fist bump. Even Reyna managed a smile, though her eyes were stormy.

"We'll have to figure out the extra praetor problem later," she said. "Right now we have more serious issues to deal with."

"I'll step aside for Lena," Andy said easily. "It's no biggie."

"No biggie?" Octavian choked. "The praetorship of Rome is no biggie?"

Everyone ignored him. Anthony cleared his throat. "We should talk about the Great Prophecy. It sounds like the Romans are aware of it too?"

Reyna nodded. "We call it the Prophecy of Seven. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?"

"Of course," he said. "But, Reyna—"

"Recite it, please. In English, not Latin."

Octavian didn't seem inclined to speak, so Anthony did it for him. "'Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.'"

Everyone stared at him. Frank sat forward staring at him in fascination. "Is it true you're a child of Min—I mean, Athena?"

"Yes," he said, suddenly feeling defensive. "Why is that such a surprise?"

Octavian scoffed. "If you're truly a child of the wisdom goddess—"

"Enough," Reyna snapped. "Anthony is what he says. He's here in peace. Besides..." She gave Anthony a look of grudging respect. "Andy has spoken highly of him. Like I said before, we trust her word until given reason not to."

"Thank you," Anthony told Reyna. "At any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. 'Foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death'—that means Romans and Greeks. We have to combine forces to find those doors."

"My brother, Nico, went looking for the doors," Hazel said.

"Nico di Angelo? He's your brother?" Hazel nodded as if this was obvious. Anthony put that aside for the moment. "Okay. You were saying?"

"He disappeared." Hazel moistened her lips. "I'm afraid... I'm not sure, but I think something's happened to him."

"We'll look for him," Andy said. "We have to find the Doors of Death anyway. Thanatos told us we'd find both answers in Rome—like, the original Rome. That's on the way to Greece, right?"

"And this is our praetor..." mumbled Octavian.

Andy gave him the evil eye. "I will smack you on the side of the head—"

"Thanatos told you this?" Anthony interrupted. "The death god?"

Andy glanced at him and her eyes softened. "Yep. Now that Death is free, monsters will disintegrate and return to Tartarus again like they used to. But as long as the Doors of Death are open, they'll just keep coming back."

"Like water leaking through a dam," Piper suggested.

"Yeah." Andy smiled. "We've got a dam hole," and she laughed maniacally.

"What?" Piper asked.

"Nothing," she said quickly when she noticed everyone was staring at her. "Inside joke. The point is we'll have to find the doors and close them before we can head to Greece. It's the only way we'll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure they stay defeated."

"You propose an expedition to Greece in your warship," said Reyna. "You do realize that the ancient lands—and the Mare Nostrum—are dangerous? The territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the gods. It's also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans and giants—and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America, there it would be ten times worse."

"You said Alaska would be bad," Andy reminded her. "We survived that."

Reyna shook her head. "Andy, traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It's been off limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there."

"Then we're good!" Andy grinned. "Because we're all crazy, right?"

"We'll have to hurry," Lena added. "I don't know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. She's invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully."

"'Seven half-bloods must answer the call'," Anthony said. "It needs to be a mix from both our camps. We are four already."

"Five," Andy said affronted. "Plus Hazel and Frank. That's seven."

"What?" Octavian shot to his feet. "We're just supposed to accept that? Without a vote in the senate? Without a proper debate? Without—"

"Andy!" Tyson the Cyclops bounded toward them with Mrs. O'Leary at his heels. On the hellhound's back sat a sickly-looking harpy with stringy red hair, a sackcloth dress, and red-feathered wings. "Ella is scared," he said.

"N-n-no more boats," the harpy muttered to herself, picking furiously at her feathers. "Titanic, Lusitania... boats are not for harpies."

"Ella is pretty," Tyson said. "And scared. We need to take her away, but she will not go on the ship."

"No ships," Ella repeated. She looked straight at Anthony. "Bad luck. There he is. 'Wisdom's child walks alone'—"

"Ella!" Frank stood suddenly. "Maybe it's not the best time—"

"'The Mark of Athena burns through Rome,'" Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and raising her voice. "'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death. Giants' bane stands gold and pale, won through pain from a woven jail.'"

Everyone stared at the harpy. No one spoke. Anthony's heart was pounding. He resisted the urge to check his pocket, but he could feel the silver coin growing warmer—the cursed gift from his mother.

Andy was the first to recover. She stood and took Tyson's arm. "I know!" she said with feigned enthusiasm. "How about you take Ella to get some fresh air, uh? You and Mrs. O'Leary—"

"Hold on." Octavian fixed his eyes on Ella. "What was that she said? It sounded like—"

"Ella reads a lot," Frank blurted out. "We found her at a library."

"Yes!" Hazel said. "Probably just something she read in a book."

"Books," Ella muttered helpfully. "Ella likes books."

Anthony gave Andy a curious glance. They were obviously hiding something. But Andy's expression said—help.

"That was a prophecy," Octavian insisted. "It sounded like a prophecy."

No one answered.

Anthony forced a laugh. "Really, Octavian? Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?" His words had the intended effect. The Roman officers laughed nervously.

"I, uh..." Octavian dropped his teddy bear. "No, but—"

"She's just spouting lines from some book," Anthony said, "like Hazel suggested. Besides, we already have a real prophecy to worry about." He turned to Tyson. "Andy's right. Why don't you take Ella and Mrs. O'Leary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while. Is Ella okay with that?"

"'Large dogs are good,'" Ella said. "Old Yeller, 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg."

"Great!" Andy said. "We'll Iris-message you guys when we're done and catch up with you later."

The Romans looked at Reyna, waiting for her ruling. "Fine," the praetor said at last. "Go."

"Yay!" Tyson went around the couches and gave everyone a big hug—even Octavian, who didn't look happy about it. Then they left.

"This whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian grumbled. "That trireme is not a ship of peace!"

"Go aboard," Anthony offered. "Leo is there, he'll give you a tour."

"It's a good idea," Reyna said. "Octavian, go. See the ship. We'll convene a senate meeting in one hour."

"But..." Octavian stopped. Apparently he could tell from Reyna's expression that further arguing would not be good for his health. "Fine."

"Uh, Reyna," Lena said, "if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to you before the senate meeting." She seemed nervous and her cheeks were coloring. "Alone, I mean."

Reyna's expression hardened. Andy seemed unaware of the danger. "Yeah, and I'd like to show Anthony—"

"No," Reyna snapped.

Andy knit her eyebrows. "Sorry?"

"Andy and Lena... No. I would like a few words with Anthony," Reyna said. "Alone. If you don't mind." Her tone made it clear she wasn't really asking permission.

"I do, actually," Andy said. "I was thinking—"

"Andy," Anthony said urgently. "I'll be with you shortly."

Andy narrowed her eyes. "You guys are killing me," she said before walking away.

Reyna smiled. "Come, son of Athena. Walk with me."

Anthony wanted to hate New Rome, but as an aspiring architect, he couldn't help admiring pretty much everything.

"We have the best architects and builders in the world," Reyna said, as if reading his thoughts. "Rome always did, in the ancient times. Many demigods stay on to live here after their time in the legion. They go to our university. They settle down to raise families. Andy seemed interested in this fact."

Anthony must have scowled more fiercely than he realized, because Reyna frowned, "You've got fire in your eyes."

Anthony tried to tone down the glare. Reyna turned and whistled like she was hailing a cab. A moment later, two metal dogs raced toward them—automaton greyhounds, one silver and one gold. They brushed against Reyna's legs and regarded Anthony with glistening ruby eyes.

"My pets," she explained. "Aurum and Argentum. They'll walk with us. See, in our camp, Athena is Minerva. Are you familiar with how her Roman form is different?"

"I take it Minerva isn't... uh, quite as respected here?"

"We respect Minerva. She's the goddess of crafts and wisdom... but she isn't really a goddess of war. Not for Romans. We have Bellona, my mother, for that. Minerva is also a maiden goddess, like Diana... You won't find any children of Minerva here. The idea that Minerva would have children… frankly, it's a little shocking to us."

"Oh."

"I understand that you Greeks don't see things the same way," Reyna continued. "But Romans take vows of maidenhood very seriously. The Vestal Virgins, for instance... if they broke their vows and fell in love with anyone, they would be buried alive. So the idea that a maiden goddess would have children—"

"Got it." Anthony said quickly. "I'm not supposed to exist. And even if your camp had children of Minerva—"

"They wouldn't be like you," Reyna said. "They might be craftsmen, artists, maybe advisers, but not warriors. Not leaders of dangerous quests."

Anthony started to object that he wasn't the leader of the quest, but Reyna stopped him. "There's more. The harpy Ella—it was a prophecy she spoke. We both know that, don't we?"

Anthony swallowed. "It sounded like a prophecy," he admitted. "But I've never met Ella before today, and I've never heard those lines exactly."

"I have," Reyna murmured. "At least some of them—"

Anthony kept glancing at Reyna's face. A vague memory started tugging at him—the way Reyna brushed her hair behind her ear, the silver ring she wore with the torch and sword design.

"We've met before," he ventured. "You were younger, I think."

Reyna gave him a dry smile. "Very good. Andy didn't remember me. Of course she didn't remember most of anything. You spoke mostly with my older sister, Hylla, who is now queen of the Amazons. She left just this morning, before you arrived. At any rate, when we last met, I was a mere handmaiden in the house of Circe."

"Circe..." Anthony said in amazement. "And Hylla is queen of the Amazons? How did you two—?"

"Long story," Reyna said. "But I remember it well. Andy—I've never seen anyone refuse Circe's hospitality, much less outwit her. It's no wonder you care for her." Her voice was wistful. "Lena and that girl—"

"I'm sorry," Anthony said quickly. "I can see you care for her."

"We were together before she disappeared," Reyna admitted. "I suppose it wasn't meant to be."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because Andy Jackson remembered you."

The hurt in her voice was as sharp as broken glass. Anthony wondered if he had sounded that way while he was searching for Andy. He wondered how much it would hurt to find her with another, as if their love hadn't mattered.

"That is not why I wanted to speak with you," Reyna continued. "I wanted to hear it from you... The truth. Convince me that I'm not making a mistake by trusting you. Tell me about yourself. Tell me about Camp Half-Blood. The girl has sorcery in her words. I can't trust what she says. And Lena... well, she has changed. She's not quite Roman... anymore."

Anthony hadn't been prepared to feel sorry for her. He thought it'd be best to keep that feeling hidden. Reyna didn't strike him as someone who would appreciate pity. Instead, he told her his life story. He described the Camp Half-Blood and the years growing up there. He talked about meeting Andy and everything that had happened since then.

Reyna was a good listener. When he was done talking, she gazed over New Rome. "Unlike your mother, mine has no Greek equivalent. She is fully, truly Roman. She's the goddess of protecting the homeland. When the Romans go to war, we first visit the Temple of Bellona. Romans have always believed that offense is the best defense. In ancient times, whenever our ancestors felt threatened by their neighbors, they would invade to protect themselves."

"They conquered everyone around them," Anthony said. "Carthage, the Gauls—"

"And the Greeks." Reyna let that comment hang. "My point, Anthony, is that it isn't Rome's nature to cooperate with other powers. Every time Greek and Roman demigods have met, we've fought. Conflicts between our two sides have started some of the most horrible wars in human history—especially civil wars."

"It doesn't have to be that way," he said. "We've got to work together, or Gaea will destroy us both."

"I agree," Reyna said. "But is cooperation possible? What if Juno's plan is flawed? Even goddesses can make mistakes."

"I don't trust Hera," he admitted. "But I do trust my friends. This isn't a trick, Reyna. We can work together."

"I believe you mean it. But if you go to the ancient lands, especially Rome itself, there is something you should know about your mother."

Anthony's shoulders tensed. "My—my mother?"

"When I lived on Circe's island, we had many visitors. Once, perhaps a year before you and Andy arrived, a young man washed ashore. He was half mad from thirst and heat. He'd been drifting at sea for days. His words didn't make much sense, but he said he was a son of Athena." Reyna paused as if waiting for a reaction.

"What happened?"

Reyna waved her hand as if the question was trivial. "Circe turned him into a guinea pig, of course. But before that, he kept raving about his failed quest. He claimed that he'd gone to Rome, following the Mark of Athena."

Anthony almost choked.

"Yes," Reyna said, seeing his discomfort. "He kept muttering about wisdom's child, the Mark of Athena, and the giants' bane standing pale and gold. The same lines Ella was just reciting. But you say that you've never heard them before today?"

"Not—not the way Ella said them." Anthony's voice was weak. "Did this demigod—did he explain his quest?"

Reyna shook her head. "At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about. Much later, when I became praetor of Camp Jupiter, I began to suspect."

"Suspect… what?"

"There is an old legend that the praetors of Camp Jupiter have passed down through the centuries. If it's true, it may explain why our two groups of demigods have never been able to work together. It may be the cause of our animosity. Until this old score is finally settled, so the legend goes, Romans and Greeks will never be at peace. And the legend centers on Athena—"

A shrill sound pierced the air. Light flashed and Anthony turned in time to see an explosion blast a new crater in the forum. A burning couch tumbled through the air. Demigods scattered in panic. Anthony reached for his dagger which, of course, wasn't there.

Reyna's eyes seethed with rage. "You've betrayed our trust."

"What? No!" As soon as he said it, the Argo II launched a second volley. Its port ballista fired a massive spear wreathed in Greek fire, which sailed straight through the broken dome of the Senate House and exploded inside, lighting up the building. "Gods, no. Reyna, it isn't possible. We'd never do this!"

The metal dogs ran to their mistress' side. They snarled at Anthony but paced uncertainly, as if reluctant to attack. "You're telling the truth," Reyna judged. "Perhaps you were not aware of this treachery, but someone must pay."

Down in the forum, chaos was spreading. Crowds were pushing and shoving. Fistfights were breaking out.

"Bloodshed," Reyna said.

"We have to stop it!"

The Roman demigods in the forum had coalesced into an angry mob. Piper and Lena were trying to calm them without much luck. Piper's charmspeak was useless against so many screaming, angry demigods. Lena's forehead was bleeding.

"I hate my job," Reyna growled. She rushed off toward the legionnaires, her dogs at her side.

Two Romans tried to grab Anthony. He ducked past them, plunging into the crowd. He spotted Andy—she, Hazel and Frank, were standing in the middle of a fountain as Andy repelled the angry Romans with blasts of water. Anthony noticed Octavian, his robes steaming and his face black with soot, clinging desperately to the rope ladder, trying to climb down the Argus II.

"Anthony!" Andy called. "What the hell—?"

"I don't know!"

Octavian reached the bottom of the ladder. "The Greeks have fired on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome!"

"You're lying," Anthony said. "Leo would never—"

"I was just there!" Octavian shrieked. "I saw it with my own eyes! Romans, kill the invaders!"

"We have to leave," Anthony told Andy. "Now."

She nodded grimly. "Hazel, Frank... Are you coming?"

Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. "Of course we are. But you'll never make it to the ship unless we buy you some time."

"How?" Anthony asked.

Hazel whistled. Instantly a blur of beige shot across the forum. A majestic horse materialized next to the fountain. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel climbed on his back like she'd been born to ride. She unsheathed her golden blade. "Send me an Iris-message when you're safely away, and we'll rendezvous," she said. "Arion, ride!" The horse zipped through the crowd with incredible speed, pushing back Romans and causing mass panic.

"Romans!" Lena cried. "Please!" She and Piper were being pelted with plates and stones.

"Get back!" Piper screamed. Her charmspeak rolled over the mob, making them hesitate.

"Frank," Andy said, "help them!"

"Oh, gods," Frank murmured. "Okay, sure. Just get up the ropes. Now."

Andy and Anthony lunged for the ladder. Octavian was still clinging to the bottom, but Andy yanked him off and threw him into the mob. Leo stood amidships, calmly reloading the ballista.

Anthony's gut twisted with horror. "Leo!" he screamed. "What are you doing?"

"Destroy them..." He faced Anthony. His eyes were glazed. His movements were like a robot's. "Destroy them all." Anthony tackled him. Leo's head hit the deck hard, and his eyes rolled up.

A gray dragon soared into view. It circled the ship once and landed at the bow, depositing Lena and Piper, who both collapsed.

"Is that—"

"Yeah," Andy said. "Frank's got some moves! Now, get us out of here, Wonder Boy!"

Anthony ran for the helm. He looked over the controls and cursed Leo for making them so complicated. He grabbed the aviation throttle and yanked it straight back. The ship groaned. The bow tilted up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and the Argo II shot into the clouds.