"For the last time, we are not going to crucify anyone," Frank said. His eyes moved around to look at the Senate. Upon request from Diana, they were meeting to discuss Livia's punishment. Frank had already read off Livia's crimes, which included attacking a fellow Roman, attacking their allies, and breaking the sacred oath of the Pax Romana. Death would be the light punishment.
Every punishment that the Senate brought forth was making Frank's gut twist. He understood that people needed to be punished for their crimes, but at the same time, they could not be cruel. If it was only up to Frank, he would have let Camp Half-Blood decide the punishment. The hardest part would convincing the Senate to allow it.
Camp Half-Blood would probably have a lighter punishment, and it wouldn't bring them any closer to the Golden Fleece/. Most of the Senate thought that torture was the way to get answers. Some of the Senate thought that a cruel punishment that preceded death would give them answers, and it would also appease Diana.
To Livia's credit, she didn't seem scared by any of the suggestions. She was just sitting in a chair and staring at the ground. Her weapons and armor had been taken away, and her hands were tied in front of her. Livia wasn't trying to defend herself anymore.
"I have a new idea," one of the Senators said. Frank closed his eyes. He didn't know how it could get any worse. "We bury her alive, so she can think about what she did."
"No," Frank interrupted. He let out a deep breath and tried to relax. Frank was never the best talker in the world, but now, he needed to convince the Senate to listen to him. He remembered his promise to Darriah. Somehow, he would have to convince the Senate that Camp Half-Blood should pick the punishment.
"Livia broke our most ancient of laws, but she also attacked our ally," Frank began. He focused on the centurion. Livia just stared at the ground and remained silent. "Camp Half-Blood is in immediate danger because of what Livia did. In a sign of good faith, we should allow them to decide how to punish Livia."
"No," A Lar said immediately. He stood up so fast that it looked like he was about to fall over. "Why should the Greeks pick the punishment for a Roman? Should we ask the Greeks how to run our army next?"
"If the roles were reversed, wouldn't we want to pick the punishment?" Frank asked. He stood straighter, to draw everyone's attention. "If our barrier was poisoned and we learned that a counselor from Camp Half-Blood did it, would we be content with watching Camp Half-Blood punish them?"
The Senate slowly looked around and murmured to each other. Frank heard a soft growl, and he turned his head. Aurum and Argentum had been curled up by Reyna's chair, but now, they were standing and seemed to be tense. Frank heard footsteps, and he focused back ahead.
It took Frank a few moments to process the scene in front of him. The first thing he noticed was Annabeth's arms. There was bandages wrapped around her arms, but there wasn't enough of the bandages to cover everything. Frank stared at the skin that looked like it had been removed then cauterized. Annabeth's arms were shaking, but she made no noise of pain.
Darriah was holding onto Annabeth's shoulder and seemed to be steadying her. There was a dark look on Darriah's face. Her stomach had a bloodied bandage wrapped around it. Frank's eyes moved to the right, and his eyes widened. Diana was holding onto Reyna, and his fellow praetor looked like she was out on her feet. There was a nasty gash and bruise near Reyna's temple.
"Reyna," Frank whispered. After a moment, Reyna looked at him. She glanced around at the rest of the Senate. Diana shoved Reyna forward, and she fell to her knees. Reyna pressed both of her hands against her head. "What happened?"
"Reyna was torturing Annabeth," Darriah replied. Frank stared. That couldn't be right. Reyna would never hurt Annabeth. "Reyna believed that Annabeth was going to attack Camp Jupiter, and she was trying to draw out a confession."
"She framed Livia for poisoning the tree," Annabeth said. Frank tried to process the words, but they didn't make sense. How could Reyna frame Livia? Why would she frame Livia? None of that made any sense. If Reyna was framing Livia, did that mean that Reyna poisoned the tree?
"Reyna. Did you poison the tree?" Frank asked. Reyna looked up at him. She nodded once. Murmurs ran throughout the Senate. Frank felt like his entire world was spinning, and he stumbled backwards. Frank grabbed onto his chair to steady himself.
"I poisoned the tree, and I framed Livia," Reyna said. She slowly stood. Blood covered the side of her face, and it was clear that she had a concussion. Reyna placed one hand to her temple. Diana grabbed her shoulder roughly and shoved her back to her knees.
"My lieutenant is awake. Handle your business here. There had better be a good explanation when I come back," Diana warned. Frank looked away as the goddess began to glow. When he looked back, he found Reyna staring at him.
"Take Annabeth and yourself to the infirmary," Frank ordered, as he looked at Darriah. Darriah studied him for a moment and nodded. She helped Annabeth walk out of the room. Frank slowly looked back at Reyna. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It couldn't be true.
"I have proof that Annabeth Chase was going to attack us during the Pax Romana," Reyna said. She shakily stood. "If the Senate will hear me, I will present it, and if Diana wants to punish anyone, she can punish me."
"No," Frank said. He turned towards Livia and freed her from the rope that was tied around her wrist. "I'm sorry for accusing you. Go be with your mother."
Livia nodded and glanced back at the Senate. Then, she turned and hurried out. Reyna spoke, "Frank, you must listen to me."
"You tortured Annabeth. How could you do that?" Frank demanded. Reyna glared at him and whistled. Frank tensed as Aurum seemed to appear back at his side. He could have sworn that Aurum hadn't left the room, but now, the hound was holding a backpack in his mouth.
"The proof is in there. Pass it around," Reyna said. She blinked a few times and grabbed a chair to study herself. After a moment, a Senator stood and grabbed the backpack from Aurum. He started to take the items out and pass them around.
"When Lady Diana called me for help, I ran into someone who warned me that Annabeth was going to attack us. She showed me the proof," Reyna insisted. Her gaze moved around to the rest of Senate. She didn't even look at Frank.
"Annabeth would never attack us," Frank insisted. He looked at Reyna. After a few moments, Reyna looked at him. "You know that she wouldn't do anything to harm us. Whoever told you this is a liar."
"No," Reyna muttered. She closed her eyes for a few moments. Frank tried to think, but his mind felt like it was frozen. Why had Reyna tortured Annabeth? Why were they even talking to the Senate about Annabeth planning to attack them. Frank looked back at the Senate and watched as the pieces of so called proof were passed around.
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Frank demanded. He knew that he needed to take control of the conversation. At the same time, his mind was still unfocused. Why would Reyna keep this a secret? Did she not trust him? Why did she even go along with this crazy plan? "We could have found out the truth, together."
"You wouldn't have believed me," Reyna muttered. She slowly sat down and placed both hands to the cut on her head. Her eyes almost seemed glazed over. Frank wished the look was from charmspeak or something else that would be clouding her mind, but he knew it was just from a concussion. "You fought beside her."
"You fought beside Annabeth as well," Frank argued. He didn't hear the shuffling of papers anymore, and it occurred to him that the entire Senate was watching them closely. Frank slowly realized that his argument with Reyna would determine who the Senate sided with, and it had to be him. "I know that Annabeth would never betray us."
"That is why I couldn't tell you," Reyna said. She stood from the chair and met Frank's eyes. "I was not the one who sailed the world with Annabeth. I did not form an unbreakable bond with her. You two fought side by side in battle, and that kind of bond means I cannot trust you."
"We could have talked this through. You had no right to poison the barriers of one of our allies. You took matters into your own hands," Frank said.
"To save my home," Reyna snapped. She looked at the Senate. "Frank, I have seen the destruction that Annabeth has caused firsthand. She has blueprints for our camp, detailed notes of everyone's schedule, patrol routes, paths through secret tunnels, battle plans signed with her signature, and a dagger that would cause our own barrier in New Rome to fall. I will not turn a blind eye to that."
"Annabeth was my friend too, but I will not be blinded by that fact. I care about the safety of my people," Reyna said. Frank could see the rest of the Senate nodding, and his mind started to race. "Frank, I could not trust you to keep this a secret. You are too loyal to your friends."
"I'm not," Frank began. As he looked around at the Senate, his heart almost dropped. None of them were focused on him. They all looked at Reyna, as if waiting for orders. Frank knew he had no chance of winning over the Senate, not against Reyna. She was the one who led the camp by herself for months. The Senate knew that Reyna would do what was best for New Rome, but why didn't they realize that Frank would as well?
"I will talk to Lady Diana, but I am sure she will agree with me," Reyna said. Her gaze turned from Frank to the Senate. "If she does not agree, any punishment she wants to hand out will be my burdern to bare. I do not want any of my campers to suffer for the things I had to do to protect us. I want Annabeth and Percy placed under guard. If Nico comes back, he will be placed under guard as well."
"Reyna," Frank said. She slowly looked at him. Frank could feel his frustration boiling over. No one was listening to him. Why didn't the Senate trust him like they did Reyna? Frank took a deep breath. If he couldn't win them over, he would have to play along. "You are right. I am too loyal to my friends, but I am more loyal to New Rome. What do I need to do to prove that?"
"Just listen to me," Reyna answered. "I didn't want to take the drastic step of poisoning the barrier, and the gods know that I feel terrible about Thalia. I did not want her to get caught in the crossfire."
"I'm listening," Frank promised. He really hoped that she believed him. "You lead."
Reyna watched him for a few moments. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she finally looked away. Reyna placed her hand back to her temple. Frank spoke, "You need to see a doctor. We can talk to Diana while someone looks you over."
I don't need a doctor," Reyna muttered. She tried to take a step forward but ended up stumbling. Frank rushed forward and caught her. It took a few moments for Reyna to look up at him. "I'm fine."
"You need a doctor," Frank insisted. "We will talk to Diana together, and we will figure this out. I'll support you. I promise."
After a few moments, Reyna slowly nodded. Frank glanced at the rest of the Senate. Did they believe him? Without waiting for a confirmation, he wrapped Reyna's arm around his shoulder and helped her walk away.
It didn't take long for Reyna to lean heavily on him, and Frank realized just how injured she was. He steadied his fellow praetor and tried to think. Talking to Diana should work out in his favor, but Reyna sounded confident that Diana would believe her. Why would she think that? Frank looked down. It didn't matter what he had to do. Somehow, he would figure this out and make sure that another war didn't start.