AyeraeW- ooh i agree, reyna is the best! i kind of want to write a fic for

Mads-Chikistorm- ...kinda :D the end of this chapter will answer that !

all about hope- thank you so much! and omg, no, i read and try to respond to every review! i really appreciate you guys taking time out of the day to write one!

SEASBLU- Hahaha ILL JOIN YOU IN DYING FROM JOY

"I'm fine, I promise," Reyna said, brushing a stray tear away. She glanced at the Athena Parthenos, which had managed to be lowered onto the hill, all thanks to Leo's mechanical hoisting system. Reyna was retelling her story, having gotten up to the part where she landed on the Argo II. Unfortunately, her pegasus Scipio had collapsed, and Reyna had put him out of his misery. It was a story that made Rosie's heart hurt, as she thought of Karey.

Leo, who still seemed to be slightly afraid of Reyna, handed her a tissue, quickly drawing his arm back.

Reyna smiled her thanks, dabbing her face with the tissue. She glanced up at the statue. "It looks newly made."

"Nothing a little Windex won't do," Leo said.

Reyna nodded, her expression indicating that she was currently thinking of a million things.

"Hey, Reyna?" Annabeth said softly. "Come eat with us."

Reyna looked at them in their little circle, drinking juice and eating cheese sandwiches. After a brief second, she nodded.

"All right," she said, placing herself down next to Annabeth.

She glanced around at each member of the circle. Rosie immediately stood straighter when she felt Reyna's eyes on her- that girl was intimidating.

Her eyes landed on Frank. "So. Frank Zhang...praetor." She said the words carefully, like she was testing out how they sounded.

Frank wiped some crumbs from his chin. "Yeah. Well- field promotion."

"But leading a legion of ghosts," Reyna mentioned.

"Reyna," Jason said, his eyes glittering. The news of what actually happened to Calla seemed to rejuvenate him- while he wasn't happy, per se, he was at least absolved of personal guilt. He hadn't stopped smiling once since Reyna popped up. "You've should've seen him."

"He was really good," Rosie piped in timidly, keeping her eyes on Coach, who was currently balancing a cheese sandwich on his nose.

"Amazing," Piper reaffirmed.

"Frank will make an amazing praetor," Hazel said proudly, squeezing Frank's shoulder. Rosie still couldn't believe his transformation- he looked like a linebacker that could easily pulverize Rosie.

"I have no doubt," Reyna said. "I approve."

Frank blinked. "Wait, you do?"

Reyna smiled, albeit a little tearfully. "The hero who helped to bring back the eagle of the legion. A son of Mars-" She broke off with a sharp hiccup. "I've always had a soft spot for children of Mars."

Jason cleared his throat. "Um, speaking of, Reyna...I have something to say about Calla." He glanced at the rest of the group awkwardly, unsure whether to continue.

Reyna frowned. "Calla?" She asked, vigorously wiping her face with the tissue. "What about Calla?"

"It had nothing to do with us, Reyna," Jason said to her softly. "It was a trick of the Mist- it was all...my, um, dad's doing."

"Jupiter?" she exclaimed. "I...I don't understand. How could you possibly know that?"

Jason gulped, preparing to say what would no doubt be a shock to Reyna. "Grant's alive."

Reyna choked on her sandwich, leading Annabeth to quickly hit her back. Reyna coughed, regaining her breath.

"I'm sorry," she said, her cheeks turning pink. "What?"

Jason gestured to Rosie and Piper. "These two ran into him back at Bologna."

Reyna turned to Piper and Rosie with a scrutinizing gaze, her eyes shiny with tears.

"You ran into Grant?" Reyna asked softly, a hopeful look on her face.

Piper nodded. "Rosie and I talked to him- he's good. He..he misses you- the both of you. I know he does."

"I thought he was dead," Reyna said miserably.

"Me too," Jason admitted.

Reyna blinked, clearly still trying to process this. "Right. Okay. Um…" She turned back to Frank, rubbing her eyes again. "I'm just wondering how to convince the Twelfth Fulminata."

Frank scowled. "Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. But...the legion will listen to you, Reyna. You made it here alone, across the ancient lands."

"I broke the laws of the legion," Reyna said flatly.

"Just like me and Grant!" Jason tried to pipe in cheerfully.

"We all have," Frank said. "Caesar broke the law when he crossed the Rubicon. Great leaders have to think outside the box sometimes."

Reyna shook her head. "I appreciate it, Frank, but I'm not Caesar. After finding Jason's note in Diocletian's Palace, tracking you down was easy. I only did what I thought was necessary."

Percy smiled at her, leaning over Annabeth and nudging her knee. "Reyna, you're too modest. Flying halfway across the world by yourself to answer Annabeth's plea, because you knew it was our best chance for peace? That's pretty freaking heroic."

"Badass," Rosie said solemnly.

Reyna gave her a familiar look- the look of someone who wasn't used to Rosie Reiger's personality yet. She turned back to Percy. "Easy for you to say- you're the demigod who fell into Tartarus and somehow found his way back."

"With help," Annabeth smirked.

"Oh, definitely," Reyna said. "Without you, I doubt Percy could find his way out of a paper bag."

"True," Annabeth agreed.

"Hey!" Percy complained, smiling.

The group started laughing. Rosie noticed Percy's smile fade, clearly in thought. She was sort of worried about those two- Annabeth and Percy. Who knows the trauma they were going to deal with at some point. She knew you didn't come out of Tartarus unscathed.

She made a promise right then and there that she would do anything for him. She wouldn't let him or Annabeth wither away, destroyed by darkness.

Leo pulled a tiny screwdriver out of his tool belt, stabbing a chocolate-covered strawberry. He passed it to Coach.

"So...we've got this slightly used forty-foot-tall statue of Athena," he said. "Any ideas of what to do with it?"

Reyna looked up at the statue. "As fine as it looks here, I didn't come all this way to just admire it. According to Annabeth, it must be returned to Camp Half- Blood by a Roman leader. Am I correct in this?"

Annabeth nodded. "I had a dream...in, um, Tartarus. I was back at camp, and my mom- Athena- said a Roman must bring her to Half-Blood Hill."

"It makes sense," Nico admitted. "The statue is a symbol. A Roman returning it to the Greeks...that could heal the historic rift. Maybe it'll heal the gods and their split personalities."

"Now, hold on," Coach cut in. "I like peace as much as the next satyr-"

"You hate peace," Leo corrected.

"My point, Valdez, is that we're only-what, a few days from Athens? We got an army of giants waiting for us there. We went to all the trouble of saving this statue-"

"That was mostly me," Annabeth reminded him.

"-because that prophecy called it the giants' bane," Coach continued. "So why aren't we taking it to Athens with us? It looks like a ballistic missile to me-"

Piper cleared her throat. "Um, Coach, most of us are certain Gaea is rising at Camp Half-Blood." She whipped out her dagger, Katoptris. "Since we got back to the ship, I've been seeing some bad stuff in my knife. The Roman legion is within striking distance of camp."

"Octavian," Reyna growled. "I told him to wait."

"I should've decapitated more of his bears," Rosie muttered.

"He's intent on war," Annabeth said. "He'll have it, unless we stop him."

"That's not the worst of it," Piper winced. "I saw images of a possible future- camp in flames, Roman and Greek demigods lying dead. And Gaea…"

Piper's voice broke off, unable to finish her sentence.

To storm or fire the world must fall

"So Reyna takes the statue," Percy said. "We continue onto Athens."

Leo shrugged. "Fine by me. But, uh, a few pesky logistical problems. We got what- two weeks until that Roman feast day when Gaea is supposed to rise?"

"Feast of Spes," Jason said. "That's on the first of is-"

"July eighteenth," Rosie spoke up. "We have fifteen days."

"It took us eighteen days to get from Rome to here," Hazel winced. "A trip that should've taken two or three days, max."

"So, with our usual luck," Leo offered. "Maybe we have enough time to get the Argo II to Athens, find the giants, and stop them from waking Gaea. Maybe. But how is Reyna supposed to get this massive statue back to Camp Half- Blood before the Greeks and Romans put each other through the ringer? Reyna doesn't even have her pegasus anymore." He faltered upon seeing Reyna's annoyed expression. "Uh, sorry-"

"Fine," Reyna snapped, perhaps remembering that Leo did blow up half of the Forum in New Rome. "Unfortunately- Leo is right. I don't know how to transport something so large. I was hoping you all would have the answer to that."

"The Labyrinth?" Hazel offered. "I mean, if Pasiphae really reopened it, and I think she has-"

"No." Percy and Annabeth spoke in unison.

"We don't mean to shoot you down, Hazel," Percy apologized. "It's just...the passages in the Labyrinth are probably too narrow for the statue-"

"And even if it is reopening," Annabeth continued. "We don't know what it might be like now. It was dangerous enough before- under Daedalus's control, I mean. Hazel, your underground senses could probably guide Reyna through, but no one else would stand a chance. And we need you. If we lost you-"

"Right," Hazel said miserably. "Nevermind."

"I can go," Frank volunteered. "I mean, I should go- I'm a praetor now. Maybe Leo can create a sled, or-"

"No, Frank Zhang." Reyna gave him a tired smile. "You're needed here- hopefully we can work together in the future. But right now, you are one of the eight of the prophecy."

"I'm not," Nico said.

Hazel set down her fork. "Nico-"

"No, really, I'll go," he said. "I'll transport the statue with shadow travel."

"Um," Percy stated. "Isn't that dangerous, though? You've always said transporting just yourself was dangerous and unpredictable. You once ended up in China. Transporting two people and a statue-"

"I've changed since I was in Tartarus," Nico snapped.

"Nico," Jason intervened gently. "We aren't questioning your power- we just don't want you to kill yourself trying."

"I can do it!' he insisted. "I'll make short jumps- a few hundred miles each time. I mean, I'll need Reyna to defend me and the statue afterwards, of course, I'll be in no shape to fight myself."

"I say we let him go," Rosie offered.

"Oh, please," Frank said with a laugh. "You just want to get rid of Nico."

"Nico and I are friends!" she argued in a shocked tone.

Nico winced. "We're acquaintances," he said dryly, clearly joking.

Rosie threw the remnants of her sandwich at Nico, noticing Percy's amused face.

"Any objections, then?" Reyna asked. No one spoke. "Very well. I see no better option. However, there will be many monster attacks. I would feel better taking a third person."

"Coach Hedge," Frank blurted immediately.

Rosie nodded vigorously, giving Frank a subtle thumbs-up. "Yes! Coach!"

Percy stared at the two of them. "Um, any reason why?"

"Coach is the best choice," Frank argued. "The only choice, actually. He's a good fighter, and an even better protector."

"A faun," Reyna said flatly.

"Satyr!" Coach barked. "Sure, I'll go. My fighting skills obviously make me the best candidate. But..I don't know about leaving you kids." His face brightened, looking at Rosie. "I have an idea! A way to stay connected. So I can make sure you cupcakes aren't misbehaving."

"Um...what?" she asked. What did it have to do with her?

"Empathy link," he said firmly, not looking away from Rosie.

Percy perked up. "That's actually a good idea, Coach."

Annabeth nodded. "An empathy link would be perfect."

"I'm sorry," Rosie said, blinking. "What?" She had no clue what an empathy link was.

Percy shot her a grin. "Oh- you're going to like this."