The streets of New Rome were calmer than Frank was expecting. Everyone was busy training or going about their normal duties, and it made Frank feel like everything was going back to normal. They just have to figure out how to navigate what had happened to Annabeth and Reyna's punishment for that.

The night before had been a blur for Frank, and he hadn't gotten any sleep. At the island, they had gotten a vial of blood from Junia, enough to make the cure for what Reyna had been poisoned with. Then out of either pity for the situation or guilt over what he had, Frank gave Junia and her younger sister a proper burial.

Frank felt absolutely terrible about killing Junia, but he didn't know what else he could have done in the moment. Junia was going to destroy the Golden Fleece, and she had to be stopped. She was nothing more than a wild animal, and unfortunately, wild animals had to be put down. Frank wished that he wasn't the one who had to do it.

After leaving the island, they had met up with Diana. She took them to Camp Half-Blood, where the Golden Fleece was placed back on the tree. In a perfect world, that would have been the end of their situation. What was stolen had been returned, and everything would be set back into balance.

Unfortunately, they still had plenty of issues to deal with. The first was some kind of payment for what had happened to Annabeth. Her arms had been flayed, and that wasn't something that could just be forgiven. Camp Jupiter's senior praetor had tortured a head counselor of Camp Half-Blood. Who could forgive that?

Frank sighed and kicked a rock in front of him. Diana had taken the three of them back to Camp Jupiter. Then, she took Thalia to Camp Half-Blood to return the Golden Fleece. The two of them would return in a few hours, to discuss what had happened. Frank wished that Diana had taken Annabeth and Percy with her.

He understood some of her reasoning though. Annabeth really just needed to stay in the infirmary and relax. Percy would stay by her side and wouldn't leave her alone. They would also be able to give their side of the story to the Senate, but that would only make things harder for Frank.

Did Frank think that Reyna deserved some kind of punishment for her actions? Well, he wasn't sure about that. There should be repercussions for what Reyna did, but she had a goddess in her head that was guiding her astray. The punishments that would be laid out would also be worse than what one human should endure, and it just wasn't fair.

"Praetor," a voice said. Frank stopped walking, and he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand. He slowly turned around and looked at Livia. If it was possible, she looked even worse than Frank felt. Her eyes were extremely red, and there was dark circles underneath her eyes. A hollow look also rested in her eyes, and that scared Frank. "Come on."

It wasn't a request, and all Frank could do was stare at Livia. She took off down the road and walked towards her mother's bakery. After a moment, Frank followed. He didn't know why Livia wanted to talk to him, but it made his gut twist. The events of the last few days had left him too exhausted for anymore treachery.

Livia slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out keys. She slowly grabbed the correct key and tried to stick it into the lock. Her hands were shaking badly, and her whole body was extremely tensed. Frank slowly reached his hand out and grabbed the key from Livia. He unlocked the door of the bakery.

Livia opened the door of the bakery, and she motioned for Frank to step inside. Frank stepped into the bakery, and Livia followed behind him. She locked the door and lowered the blinds. Livia walked towards a table and sat on it.

"How are you holding up?" Frank asked. He knew the pain of losing a mother all too well, but he couldn't even imagine what it felt like to have his mother die in his arms. Livia knew that pain, and she clearly wasn't taking it well.

"Octavian and I always used to argue about who would be stuck here helping mom with the bakery," Livia said. She stared at the ground and swallowed painfully. There was tears in her eyes. "We both hated having to help all of the demigods that treated us like dirt. You never saw it, Frank. Octavian turned out the way he did because he didn't have a proper father in his life, and our mother cared more about power than her own family."

"Mom really did love this stupid cafe. Passed down for generations, and it's our family legacy. What a pathetic legacy," Livia said. Tears trickled from her eyes, and she didn't try to wipe them away. "Octavian died trying to bring glory to New Rome. My mother died because a goddess wanted to use her as a pawn. I guess my family is cursed."

"I don't think you're cursed," Frank began. Livia smiled, but it was full of bitterness and pain. "I'm sorry, Livia. I know what it feels like. I lost my mom when I was young. She was deployed, and she never came back home."

"Did she love you?" Livia asked after a few moments. Frank felt tears starting to come to his own eyes, but he blinked them away. He finally nodded. "I guess I always wondered what it was like to have mortal parents. They aren't bothered by things like preserving a family legacy or living up the great name of our ancestors. You're lucky, Frank."

Frank remained silent. He wasn't quite sure how he could respond. Livia and him had never really talked. Their relationship was strictly professional, but times have changed. Frank slowly spoke, "You shouldn't be alone during all of this."

"I already am," Livia whispered. Frank slowly grabbed her shoulder and squeezed it. After a few moments, Livia looked at him. She quickly looked away. "I shouldn't bother you about this."

"You need to talk to someone about this," Frank said. "I'm not going to judge you, Livia. I'm not going to demote you for this. The only thing I care about is making sure that you're okay. You're not thinking about ending your life again, are you?"

Livia didn't answer him. Frank's gut twisted for a few moments, and he slowly sat down. Livia finally spoke, "No. I'm not. I know it's going to be hard, and I don't know what I'm going to do, but suicide isn't the answer."

Frank gripped her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. Then, he stood and turned to leave. Livia spoke, "Wait. There is something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Frank asked after a few moments. He looked at Livia. She studied the door for a few moments. Then, she took a deep breath and wiped her eyes.

"Halward hasn't left me alone since my mother died," Livia whispered. She took another deep breath and wiped her eyes once again. It seemed like she was about to break down again, but she just bit her lip tightly. "He keeps asking me how it happened."

"Why?" Frank asked. Livia stood and walked towards the counter. She reached behind it and grabbed a brownie. Livia offered one to Frank. He hesitated, but he slowly grabbed it. Frank took a small bite. Livia made him a drink quietly.

Frank wanted to keep questioning Livia, but he knew that she was barely containing herself. It seemed like the motion of making coffee was calming her down, or just keeping her balanced. Livia made a drink and handed it to Frank. He took a small sip.

"Thank you," Frank whispered. He took another sip and then sat down. Livia made herself a drink and then sat down across from him. "If you need time, I understand."

"I know what Halward wants, and it's power," Livia said. She staring down at the liquid of her drink. "I know that he wants Reyna's head on a silver platter. He wants her removed from power and punished severely. Halward wants you to be the sole praetor, so he can manipulate you."

"I'm not going to be manipulated," Frank said. A bitter laugh left Livia. "I wouldn't fall for any of his tricks."

"With you as the only praetor, Halward will have the Senate hold off a vote of naming a new praetor. He will make sure no one is raised on a shield. Then, Halward will convince the Senate that we must cut ourselves off from the Greeks. He will convince everyone that they only bring punishment and death."

"Halward will string you along just like he strung my mother along," Livia said. She shook her head and looked down. "You haven't been here long enough to understand. There has always been a divide at Camp Jupiter between the praetors, the Senate, and the Augur. It is rare that the three are aligned with their thoughts and beliefs, but when they are, it isn't a perfect union. One person has total power."

"Reyna and Jason worked together well to keep Octavian at bay. When Jason disappeared, Reyna struggled to contain Octavian. I'm sure you saw the divide there, and the Senate was waiting to see who would come out on top. That's another reason you'll never win the Senate over Halward," Livia continued.

"Reyna and Jason were a great pair of praetors. Both were smart and knew how to orientate themselves. Reyna knew better to stay in the background and focus on what a war monger focuses on best. She came forth to the Senate with any war plans. Jason was the speaker. One praetor has to be the speaker: the one that everyone loves. The other has to be in the background and focused on the best training for the legion. It's a balance that you and Reyna, both children of war, cannot provide," Livia finished.

Frank stared down at his drink for a few, long moments. He spoke, "Why can't we provide that balance? The Senate trusts Reyna."

"You are too inexperienced to be the speaker of your group, and Reyna struggles to be the best orator. She could never beat Octavian, and he is only half as skilled as Halward. You two are both warriors, and you do not have a speaker. Halward is going to destroy you in front of the Senate, after he's done sentencing Reyna to the worst punishment that he can think of," Livia said.

Frank looked down. He knew that the Senate didn't trust him as much as they trusted Reyna, and he couldn't blame them. She was the senior praetor who led the camp all by herself for months and managed to keep it intact. She alone delivered the statue to Camp Half-Blood and brought peace. While she didn't actually do it alone, that was how the Senate saw it.

To them, Frank was one of the seven. He did not save Camp Jupiter by himself. Frank was carried to victory by two former praetors and four other powerful demigods. Frank had only been given his position because of Jason. When Jason was raised on a shield to praetorship, the entire camp agreed on it. When Frank was given the position by Jason, it was like an emperor handing power down to their successor, and New Rome hated their emperors.

Frank couldn't worry about that now though. He had to focus on how to keep Halward from using his influence over the Senate to force Reyna out of her position and drown out Frank's voice. Frank could not allow that to happen. He just didn't know how to avoid it.

"Thank you, Livia," Frank said. She slowly looked at him and nodded. "Try to get some rest. If you need to talk to someone, let me know."

Livia studied him for a few moments. Then, she looked down and seemed to swallow painfully. Frank stood and spoke, "Are you okay to be by yourself?"

"I'm fine," Livia whispered. Frank walked towards the door. He studied her for a few moments and then finally nodded. Frank turned and left the bakery. For a few moments, he stared at the ground and tried to think of what to do. Winning a war of words against Halward wasn't in the cards. He would just have to find another solution.

Frank started to walk towards the infirmary. Truthfully, he was bitter. He hoped all of this would be finished when they returned the Golden Fleece, but he should have known things weren't done until the Senate wanted it to be done, and right now, Halward was the Senate. Frank nodded to himself. He would just have to make sure things turned out how he wanted them to.