Thanks, rosedancer30!
Here's a longer chapter than usual for your patience and kindness! I hope things are good or will be good soon for you.
Listening to: Camp Half-Blood song (Lightning Thief Musical)
"You think twenty of us is too many?" Jason asked, with no sign of nervousness. Reyna appreciated his tone. It was a far cry from Octavian's usual muttering.
"There's twenty of them too, Jason. We'll be fine."
"Forty total."
"Yes," Reyna nodded, marching alongside him. "That's how math works."
Jason's lips quirked up. He was quick to squash it as their troop made a turn and reached the large double doors of the golden gleaming entrance to the meeting room.
Game time.
"Hold," Reyna ordered. The eighteen heroes trailing them came to a stop. She turned to face them. "This is a meeting to get to know our hosts. Not to incite tempers, not to seek excuses, not to nitpick flaws that do not concern the agenda of today."
"And the agenda," Jason added. "Is to find out what they have to share. Lupa was very clear that the Greeks have information that can benefit both camps."
"She said not to be comforted by the news," Octavian pointed out. He had a stuffed tiger tucked into his belt wound around his waist over the toga, right by an empty sheath (as a gesture of faith for leaving his weapon behind, they'd all tucked away various weapons to avoid inflamed advances).
"If they have bad news, it is our job to be prepared to listen," Reyna said firmly, eyes moving over the others. Gwen and Mako stood right behind Octavian, hands just having parted. Hazel stood beside her overseer, Frank Zhang. Frank, though a relatively new warrior inducted into Camp Jupiter, had been tasked to be Hazel's keeper till her Probatio stage is passed. But she was also the daughter of Pluto, one of the Big Three, and her presence was required.
Dakota was probably the only one out of the team who looked relaxed and cheery. He was the oldest at nineteen-and-a-half and had been at camp for the longest time. The only one whose life at camp stood longer was Jason.
The others were the respective heads of the fifth cohorts with some of the legionaries to make up the numbers.
"We're here to make allies," Jason reminded them. Reyna quickly caught the suspicious glare on Octavian's face. "Not to search for spies or enemies. This is in all our best interests, so stand tall, but put on a smile when they make a joke, okay?"
"How many jokes are they gonna tell?" Octavian grumbled and Reyna raised her hand to knock.
"And what kind?" Dakota asked, chuckling.
Reyna just moved her head before rapping her knuckles over the door. The grand engraving on the metal caught her eye until the doors opened to reveal two faces peeking out.
One was Percy Jackson. Unlike the previous meeting in the throne room (and the first meeting at CC's island, an encounter she would probably never bring up), Percy looked very capable and leader-like now. His bright green-blue eyes immediately caught hers, a crooked smile pricking up. She nodded in response, as crisp and polite as possible.
Beside him stood Jason's sister, Thalia, who made the same smile to Jason. Standing together, it was very clear how similar Percy and Thalia looked, perhaps not in the face, but in their stance, confidence, and power.
"Welcome, Romans," She greeted them as Percy opened the doors fully. "I am Thalia, daughter of Zeus. This is the newly built meeting room of Mount Olympus. And we invite you in with open arms."
Rachel stood to Annabeth's left while Clarisse flanked the demigod's right. For once, Annabeth's laptop was closed, but she held it by her as though she could find the time during the meeting to make some last-minute notes on it.
Unlike Rachel, the other Greeks didn't seem too worried. Was it just her who had second thoughts about the whole thing? She kept imagining all the ways the whole thing could get derailed.
"Will you chill?" Bolt demanded silently. Rachel held the puppy like a football, tucked into her side.
"Why do I feel like I'm gonna blow this?" she asked unhappily. Thalia and Percy were at the doors now and a smart knock could be heard. The Romans had arrived.
"There are going to be a total of forty kids here," Bolt reminded her, settling above her hip. "The odds of you messing things up is 1 in 40."
"But I'm the Oracle."
"Yes, but everyone else is a demigod. The chaotic factor is already through the roof."
Thalia and Percy greeted the Romans in. The group who walked in, nay, marched in, was very methodical and soldier-like. Every Roman hero wore a purple camp t-shirt spelling out Camp Jupiter in bold black. The first three demigods to walk in had an additional white loose cloth, draped over their shoulders like a full sash. It seemed ceremonial with gold and purple lace trimmed over the edges. A fourth girl, or rather woman, she seemed older, had a denim jacket over her t-shirt, looking the most casual and most dangerous at the same time.
The blond and the brunette in the lead were Praetors, Rachel recalled. The official leaders of their camp. Which meant the boy walking behind them, a tall, stern-looking scarecrow of a boy, with a stuffed tiger on his belt (?), was the Augur.
He didn't look like a Heidi, Rachel thought. But she didn't want to make assumptions.
Bianca and Nico escorted the group to the center of the room where Annabeth, Clarisse, and Rachel stood. It was all very official.
"Good morning," Annabeth said, head high, shoulders back. "Camp Half-Blood welcomes you. I am Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena, Architect of Olympus. There are nineteen demigods from our camp along with our host of the Oracle."
She gestures to Rachel who piped up, hoping her voice wasn't too high. "Hello! I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare, host of the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo! I am the Oracle of Camp Half-Blood. Super nice to meet you!"
She raised Bolt higher so everyone could see her. "And this is my familiar, Bolt. Say hi!"
"Hi," Bolt said.
The Romans gaped. The Augur stared at her and then at Rachel, eyes growing sharp and very striking.
"She talks," Rachel said belatedly.
"I do," Bolt nodded, her fluffy ears flapping. "I sing too."
"But not now!"
"Not now."
One of the Romans in the back, a tall guy with a crew cut and slightly wild eyes, leaned to the side and grinned. "Sweet!"
That defused the inadvertent tension. The Praetors, Reyna and Jason, made their introductions before moving aside to let the Augur talk.
"I am Octavian, legacy of Lord Apollo, and the sole Augur of Camp Jupiter," the boy said, walking up to her and holding out his hand. She offered hers, ready to give a strong and confident shake, but Octavian took her hand, turned it over, and kissed her knuckles. "It is an honour to meet you."
Rachel's face burst into flames. Umm, okay?
Even Reyna and Jason looked surprised at the sight. Nico grimaced and Clarisse smirked.
Percy was the first to recover. "Awesome! I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, and I'm so stoked to meet you all! We've got some food here. Everyone help yourselves!"
At first, things moved awkwardly. Annabeth, Clarisse, and Reyna were a little stiff, so that conversation was mostly spearheaded by Thalia and Jason, joined in by Percy who had no qualms with breaking the ice with Mako. Nico stood by Will in welcoming Gwen, Katie and Travis immediately accosted Hazel and Frank, while Dakota, the only Roman demigod who looked at ease, moved in the other demigods around the room to mingle.
"Does your familiar come in handy with your visions?" Octavian asked. He was yet to look away from Rachel.
"Not directly. She helps keep me stable after I've had one because I lose complete control of my body when I get in that state, you know?" she chuckled, scratching Bolt behind the ears to give her hands something to do.
Octavian nodded, still deadly serious. "Understandable. I always need a chair with me."
"I have a footstool as a fail-safe," Rachel grinned.
The Augur finally cracked a smile. "Small burdens, eh?"
She nodded, feeling less on edge now. "Yeah. How long have you been an Augur?"
"Nearly two years. I was co-centurion of the First Cohort, along with Gwen, but circumstances pushed a lot of us and I took on being the Augur full time. You?"
"Four months," Rachel admitted. Even Octavian looked surprised at that.
"Yeah, I just got offered the gig this August, right before the final battle."
"You mean… during the Second Titanomachy?" Octavian looked impressed. "Wow. Were you able to see who would win?"
"I'm… not sure what you mean. No, I didn't know who'd win."
"But you chose this status for a reason," he asked with a light frown now. "The Oracle is no doubt a coveted post, but very risky during war times."
"It was less of a choice really," Rachel grumbled. "Desperate times, desperate measures, you know."
Octavian didn't look so amazed now. She quickly said, "But it's been a long time coming. After the last host, major improvements were needed and we're getting a lot of work done now, at camp, and at Olympus!"
He nodded and looked around the massive room. It was a sea of orange and purple. A few people were talking more animatedly now, and quite a lot of listeners. Percy was moving from one group to another, wide smiled and so welcoming that the Greeks relaxed when they saw him and Romans' curiosity was piqued as he approached. He was so natural at this and here was Rachel, struggling to be in the Augur's good graces.
Come on, Rach! You can do better than this!
She cleared her throat and looked at the little stuffed tiger on Octavian's belt. "So, do you have a companion of your own?"
He looked down at the tiger and then plucked it out of its hold. "Not exactly. I thought to myself, "what must I gift the Oracle of the Greek Camp?" and this is what answered my question."
Octavian extended both hands with the orange and black striped tiger soft toy balanced easily on his palms. Rachel blinked at it.
"For me? Whoa! That's… " she accepted the toy happily. "How'd you guess I like tigers?"
Octavian grinned. "It was less of a guess and more… knowing. I happen to simply know things. Have you ever felt that?"
"Quite a bit," she agreed, letting Bolt sniff at the toy. It was soft, though not the same as Bolt's own pelt; she recognized what Octavian was trying to do. Someone not in the know would see this as a childish present, but it meant so much more.
"Oh no," Rachel mumbled suddenly. "I haven't… we haven't got any individual gifts for you. But we do have certain tributes if you will accept them."
Annabeth turned around, looking away from where Jason and Thalia were motioning a basketball strategy to her, Reyna, and Clarisse.
"Yes, we do!" she said before raising her voice. "We've brought some simple gifts for our esteemed guests. Nyssa?"
"Here!" Nyssa said, and she, Travis, and Percy picked up the large boxes from the floor to place them on the table in the middle of the room. While Nyssa opened them to reveal the ornately crafted flags for the Romans, Octavian mumbled, "Well, it's no horse."
Nobody other than Rachel and Bolt heard the comment. She held onto the toy tightly before answering in an overly polite tone, "We aren't as callous as that, Octavian. We mean no harm."
"Not at first sight," Octavian agreed in a low voice. "But this meeting was decided in anticipation of a piece of news that you have for us. Bad news, I suspect."
"It's not ideal," Rachel said, maintaining a level murmur. "Rather than passing on bad news through the gods, wouldn't it be better if we faced it together?"
Octavian shrugged. "We faced the war separate. What's different about this one?"
"We didn't know about you at the time."
"But the centaur did. Chiron knew."
"So did Lupa. The ones keeping us apart were the immortals, not us," Rachel said firmly.
Octavian didn't look pleased with the answer. "Who's idea was it really? To have this meeting. Who convinced the gods?"
"I guess it was Chiron—"
"Not you?"
"I don't generally make camp decisions," she muttered.
"Who's in charge of your camp?"
Rachel looked over to Percy guiding the Romans to admire the beautiful flags, at Annabeth directing the others to present the rest of the boxes. Clarisse was talking to Reyna, both girls quite serious. Bianca and another hunter were chuckling with Gwen and Mako. Thalia was gesturing something to Jason, Hazel, and Frank about the flags.
"Percy and Annabeth," she said. There really was no substitute for those two.
"Not the daughter of Zeus," Octavian asked.
"Umm…"
"A little odd, don't you think? And what's Annabeth's deal?"
Rachel blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"She's a daughter of a virgin goddess," he said. It wasn't a kind tone. "What's that about?"
"First of all," Rachel said, trying not to get heated. "Virginity is a social construct which, funnily enough, wasn't established by women. We're not going to enforce that now—"
"Minerva's not supposed to have a child," Octavian said blandly.
"No, she's just not supposed to have sex!" Rachel retorted.
Her voice wasn't particularly loud, but it was the unfortunate moment when the conversation around them had lulled for a split second, and everyone heard.
"That sounds like a fascinating dialogue you two are having," Travis called out.
Both Rachel and Octavian's faces were red. Percy looked ready to face-palm and Annabeth just stared, silently asking, What the hell, Dare?
"Octavian," Jason called. "Will you take a look at the crest on the First Cohort's flag here?"
They recognized a temporary retreat and Octavian walked away, legs moving stiff. Rachel looked down at the stuffed tiger, its soft meaning fading.
"How's it going?" Annabeth asked, approaching her. "Nice tiger."
"Thanks," Rachel said sullenly. "Octavian gave it as a gift."
"Did he think you were a five-year-old?"
"No, he somehow knew that I'd been wanting one forever," she said.
Annabeth turned to look back at the Augur. "Seriously?"
"Yup. I had a stuffed tiger when I was five, but I lost it," Rachel thought back to the trip in Finland when she'd fallen through the ice and… yeah.
"At least we know he's good at his job," Annabeth said, narrowing her eyes.
"And…" Rachel finally said. "Octavian doesn't like the fact that your mom has kids."
"... oh, that."
"You knew this would be a problem?"
"I hoped it wouldn't," Annabeth admitted. "Her Roman form is Lady Minerva. Practically a minor goddess, even though she's still an Olympian. Everything I've been reading up on the myths says that the ancient Romans never really considered her powerful. I'm not even sure if there are records of her having children."
"At all?"
"None that I've seen. No clue if there are any of her children at Camp Jupiter now. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if they were erased from history. Reyna and Jason even implied if I had a tough time keeping up with the cabin heads."
Rachel grimaced. "Yikes. Octavian was the same. Except he had a problem with Thalia as well."
Annabeth nodded. "We expected that. If he asks her directly, she'll have a proper answer for him."
"Then I won't get into it," Rachel decided. "Should we tell them that you and Malcolm and the others jumped out of your mom's head?"
"How d'you think they'll react to immaculate conception?"
"Oh jeez."
"Nectar and chocolate!" Katie announced from a corner where a large fountain stood, overflowing with chocolate, shimmering in gold tones. Rachel could see the reflection of the gold-lined walls and ceilings in the gentle undisturbed flow of liquid chocolate.
"I need that," Annabeth said excitedly. She swiftly melted into the crowd who gathered to watch the fountain in awe.
"Bacon, mac and cheese, ravioli,... no staplers," Thalia said, grinning. Jason shook his head while Annabeth watched on, mesmerized by Thalia's easy-going nature.
It was odd to see her so relaxed. Annabeth recalled how anxious she'd been to first meet Jason, but now, even during the tense get-together, Thalia was not as ill-favoured as Annabeth feared.
Percy leaned into her side and slipped a hand into her palm. He whispered, "Want me to hold that?"
He looked over to the laptop that was still tucked by her side. She felt its cool sleek, metal body, almost startled. She spent most days carrying the thing around as its fans whirred silent, base hot. Her eyes would often be glued to the screen, filled with blueprints, measurements, tile sizes, wall designs, reviews, fixes, quality assurance checks…
It was nice to look at people and not at the burning pixels. She'd booked this slot solely for the meeting, having pushed ten tasks down the line. The weekend was not going to be pretty.
"It's fine," Annabeth said, leaning into Percy's side. This was nice, spending time with him without having to check on her work. They should do this more often.
She tilted her head up and Percy moved in so she could whisper, "Go on a date with me."
He smiled like he couldn't help it. "Now? Not sure that's a good impression to the Romans."
"No. When we're free, Seaweed Brain."
Percy swung her hands, shoulders moving down. "Saturday afternoon? Lunch at the beach, there's a good spot—"
"Not Saturday," Annabeth said, groaning inwards. Percy had too much to do around camp during the weekdays. He also conducted Sunday strawberry counts every other week. Saturday was the one day off for him. But Annabeth's week basically began on Saturday, since she always booked Friday off of work for Capture the Flag.
"No time?" he sighed. "It's okay, we'll figure something out. How about we have lunch here?"
"I eat and dash at the canteen," Annabeth shook her head. "Maybe breakfast?"
"But you eat at 7 nowadays," Percy mumbled, looking away. Annabeth didn't have much to say. They didn't see each other every day, and never in the morning. Using the mirror wasn't always an option since Annabeth had the bad habit of leaving it in her jacket in the closet at the start of the day.
"We'll think of something," she promised him, squeezing his hand.
Reyna had been talking to Hylla, her sister; an older daughter of Bellona and Queen of the Amazons. Like, an actual queen. She looked older than Beckendorf and it did strange things to Annabeth to see a demigod who was very close to drinking age, looking whole and healthy, accomplished and alive.
Hylla nodded, reaching into her pocket to bring out a big matchbox-sized gold-plated box. The gleaming light from the box caught every demigod's attention. It shone through the room and the chattering dropped substantially.
"Shiny," Clovis said, finally looking awake.
Reyna raised her head, addressing her listeners loudly. "On behalf of Camp Jupiter, we bring you an offering in the hopes to foster the peace we need. Something that had once belonged to a demigod child of Zeus. It is rightfully yours."
Mako placed the box carefully on her palm. Annabeth heard something rattling inside and immediately thought of dice. Jeweled dice? Was that a Roman thing? No wait, she said a child of Zeus, not Jupiter."
"Zeus?" Thalia asked as the rest of the room gathered around carefully to look at the golden box. Katie shot a warning look to Travis whose fingers were itching. Will, Nico, Gwen, and Dakota came forwards, standing by Annabeth and Percy.
Bianca, having been a little closed off before, now was interested. Everyone stared with bated breath as Hylla opened the little box.
Annabeth's head reeled.
The interior of the box was laid with velvet. The box housed a terribly ancient circular object.
A coin, Annabeth realised. The metal ridges and embossed markings made it stand out against all the drachmas they used. It was nothing like a wizard coin either. This was something else.
"A child of Zeus, you mentioned?" Thalia asked politely. There was an unheard layer of steel in her voice.
"Please don't say Hercules," Percy muttered.
"One of the last drachmas of the famed Heracles," Hylla announced. (Annabeth ignored Percy's sigh.) "This has been protected in the Senate building for more than seven centuries. We bring it back to you, safe and in the condition it was found in."
She passed on the box to Thalia's steady hands. Everyone waited for her to speak, but she didn't say a word.
"A true gift," Percy grinned. "What better way to forge friendship than to recognize what has been missing, and striving to resolve it."
Annabeth almost rolled her eyes. Percy sounded very unlike himself and the only reason the Romans didn't question his verbosity was that they didn't know him at all.
The gift of the drachma was very repatriating. She chose not to comment on it, just as Thalia simply gave the Romans a severe grin. Still, worthy enough that Camp Half-Blood would now have to build a safe or temple just to keep the thing safe. There was no way Chiron would let them toss the gift into the attic.
Behind the Romans, Octavian the Augur stood, watching Annabeth head-on. She blinked. It seemed as though he'd been staring at her for a while. He looked away as soon as she caught his gaze, but watching his Adam's apple move like he was swallowing, Annabeth wondered how much of Rachel's conversation had touched him wrong.
True, Athena was one of the three Olympians who chose to remain virgins, but the Romans must have children of Minerva, right? She can't be so inconsequential to them.
Honestly, they were the ones who'd stolen the first Athena Parthenos, eons ago and had proceeded to lose the statue. Like stealing a diamond and then deciding it wasn't worth all that much, except the AP was Athena's true source of power, even more ancient than her throne on Olympus.
But this wasn't a time to be picking fights. So, Annabeth swallowed down restlessness and leaned against Percy's side, letting his words drown out her thoughts.
"... say two weeks from now?" Percy was saying.
"We can meet again then," Jason agreed. "And we will meet the Healer, will we not?"
Beside Annabeth, Will stood to attention. "Huh?"
"They mean Harry," Annabeth explained. Will nodded, more subdued. Nico nudged his arm.
"The plan originally was to bring him today," Percy admitted. "But we had to move our timetable after the incident."
Hylla folded her arms, cutting an impressive figure. Annabeth shot a quick look at Clarisse who would have been drooling if she wasn't busy following Octavian's movements suspiciously. The Augur went to the side to stand by Rachel. Annabeth didn't know what they were talking about, but after the first conversation, she prayed Rachel would find a way to walk away without looking too rude.
"And is it true you're the only child of Poseidon?" Hylla asked. All eyes turned to Percy.
Annabeth squeezed his hand. He smiled, serene. "Demigod child, yes. You guys can call me Percy."
Hylla didn't push the issue, but Annabeth wondered if they knew something more. Were they thinking of Tyson? Whatever it was, the discussion was far from over.
"Shall we lay out the agenda for the next meeting?" she asked. Jason agreed immediately and Annabeth opened her laptop, feeling more at ease because this was the part she was fully prepared for.
Rachel smelt the tantalising scent of chocolate but knew better than to try a shot. Instead, Bolt leaped onto her neck, disappearing and Rachel cuddled the stuffed tiger, trying to reimagine her old toy.
The fix flags were unfolded and laid out on the long tabletop. The celestial bronze designs were embedded into the purple cloth, far too professional looking for something made by kids, but the flags were in fact built by the Hephaestus and Athena cabins working together. One of their better creations.
"Would you like one?" Octavian appeared by her side, holding out a small glass filled with nectar-infused chocolate.
She could sense the sharp burnt quality of the liquid, every atom in her body warning not to even touch it.
"I can't have that," she said. "I shouldn't have nectar or ambrosia."
"Really?" Octavian looked surprised at that. He sipped from his glass, his shoulders relaxing at the taste.
"Yeah, I'm mortal. The Oracle is supposed to be a clear-sighted mortal—"
"But aren't you one of the Champions?"
Rachel blanked out. The term weighed heavy in her lungs and she struggled to draw in a deep enough breath of air.
"What did you say?" she asked, gulping. This wasn't a topic they could discuss until at least the next meeting when Percy and Harry were here with her, not on the other side of the room or another continent.
"Champions chosen by the Patron," Octavian said, throwing the words at her far too casually. "There are three if I'm not mistaken. And I rarely am. The Seer, the Healer, and the Destroyer, correct?"
He took another sip from his godly drink. "And you're the Seer, big surprise."
She still couldn't say a word. Her grip on the stuffed tiger tightened.
Octavian narrowed his eyes. "Didn't think we'd know?"
She pressed her lips together before asking, "What else do you know?"
"Quite a bit, Red."
"Don't call me that."
"About the Earth Goddess versus the Patron grudge match. Each immortal selected three champions to fight on the mortal plains. People with extraordinary skills, enhanced by a hundred. So… what's in your arsenal?"
Well, shit.
Rachel gritted her teeth. "I got this sick dagger."
Octavian smirked as though he knew he'd succeeded in touching a nerve. "It's not ceremonial, is it?"
"Not particularly."
"Seers traditionally aren't supposed to fight, did you know?"
"Who got bored and made up that rule?"
"Some king of the past," he said, matching her sharp tone now. "Honestly, I can't really see you in a fight."
"Have you ever been in one?"
She saw something closer to anger spark up in his eyes. "My blade will taste the innards of animals, not monsters."
"Noble."
"Stuffed animals," Octavian added.
Rachel frowned before looking down at her little tiger toy. She angled her body away from him, protecting it.
He looked amused. "I won't test it now, relax."
"You can keep your blade away from my tiger."
"That's my gift."
"To me. It belongs to me now," she replied, steely. "And I'm keeping it safe."
Octavian finished his glass of nectar and chocolate and sniffed the second glass. "Why don't you use your Sight and find out what's going to happen? If you're truly the Champion, possibly the most powerful Seer in the world—"
He said the last phrase in a mockery of politeness.
"Then you ought to know far more than what I see in my visions," he gestured to himself. "I'm just an Augur having earned my position through blood, sweat, and tears. I worked day and night to prove to everyone in the Senate and at camp that I'm worthy of the title I now hold. I passed every test, every hurdle that was in my way, and built my reputation from the ground up with nobody's help. I am an Augur because I take my work seriously. I've helped my camp, steer us in the right direction, and made the tough choices that helped us come on top.
"But you?" he stopped, his voice rising now, gaining attention slowly. Rachel's heart was beating fast, cold sweat gathering at the nape of her neck.
"You were lucky enough to be chosen and given unlimited access to immortal power. Do you even appreciate what's been handed to you? How do I know you're worthy of your power? Tell me what is the point of you being the Champion?"
Rachel's jaw was on the ground. What the hell?
"Why don't you tell me what's the point of answering any of those questions?" she snapped. "I don't answer to you. Your grandfather's the one who asked me to be the Oracle. Take it up with him. And if you know so much, why don't you ask the Patron herself what made her choose me."
Octavian raised his arms, not looking perturbed in the least. "Or I could test you right now."
"What're you talking ab—"
"An unclaimed demigod is heading towards us."
Now, Octavian's voice rang out in the silent room. Everyone was staring at them and Bolt was whispering in Rachel's ear to back off, but her blood was rushing.
"Strong and new," Octavian continued, eyes piercing into hers. "Someone who could take us all by surprise. Possibly a child of Ne—"
Jason yanked on his elbow, bringing an arm down roughly. Octavian whipped his head around and the boys glared at each other.
"Not now," Jason hissed.
Octavian swallowed, his face pinching. Rachel closed her eyes, tucking her head to the side and searching ahead, praying to find some piece of information that could tell her about the new demigod. She had to one-up Octavian.
"You're not completely right," she said, finding the sight of a gorgeous natural phenomenon of a canyon. A pretty big one.
"Rach…" Percy whispered in her head.
"There are two unclaimed demigods," she said, ignoring him. The look on Octavian's face was worth it.
"Two of them travelling together in…" she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to find the place she'd just caught a flash of before. "In the wilderness. Somewhere outside a city."
"They're powerful, both of them," Octavian said. "They're both children of Olympians. Not siblings though."
The crowd around them began to murmur worriedly, but Rachel focused on her task. "They're both Greek."
"Their scents are growing stronger."
"Both are above the age of thirteen."
Octavian's tone changed, becoming more serious. "Something's going to start hunting them soon."
"They're in the Grand Canyon!" Rachel piped up. The demigods were staring at them, heads moving like spectators in a tennis match.
"Not yet," Octavian said, glaring at her. "But soon. In a few days."
"One week from now."
"In seven days."
"A week is seven days."
"I call a quest!" Octavian shouted, raised a hand again. "I volunteer a hero from Camp Jupiter to find and escort the new ones safely to Camp Half-Blood, as a gesture of good faith."
"No, the attack is imminent," Rachel said, almost growling. "And your gesture is appreciated, but we need a hero from our camp as well."
"Guys," Percy called, but Octavian steamrolled over him. "Four is a dangerous number in a quest! Anyone can tell you that we need just three."
"Or a multiple of three," Rachel shot back. "Two from both camps to find and bring the unclaimed demigods."
"We haven't had this many in a quest before," he argued. "It may sound safe in theory, but—"
"It's safer than just sending one demigod after them!"
"Not if we send the best. I bring you Praetor Reyna, a seasoned combatant, the best warrior we have to offer. She can fight with any weapon known to man!"
Praetor Reyna, the seasoned warrior, was currently gobsmacked at the sound of his declaration.
"We have amazing warriors at Camp Half-Blood too!" Rachel announced, now on a roll.
"Rach!" Thalia warned.
"Annabeth Chase!" Rachel shouted, waving a hand over to the stunned blonde who was in danger of dropping her laptop. "Our best war strategist, an incredible fighter, one of the Saviours of Olympus. She can take down a monster twice over while you finish blinking!"
"Clovis!" Clarisse barked.
"Fine!" Octavian yelled. "Two from each camp. Hazel Levesque, our newest hero and Daughter of Pluto. She has powers that you with all your visions will not see coming!"
"We have Will Solace, the best healer and a proud son of Apo—!"
"You both need to chill," Clovis said, yawning.
A wave of lethargy smacked her in the face. Her body went slack, mobility lessening. The stuffed tiger dropped to the floor as Rachel tethered backwards, her vision blacked out momentarily and a set of arms caught her.
Things went calm.
Hazel was doing so well.
She stuck to Frank, the both of them chatting with Lou Ellen and Clovis from the Greek camp. They were friendly and she felt at ease, talking about the vast strawberry fields and the expanse of the Atlantic ocean that was privy to the Greeks. She wasn't a huge fan of the water, but such views could never go unappreciated.
Nico and Bianca later joined and Hazel really felt as though she was nailing the normal demigod thing. Frank had assured her that she was working well in the Fifth Cohort, at sparring, using weapons, making friends… she was surprised when Reyna and Jason invited her to the meeting. She was the only Probatio here. Clearly, it was due to her heritage, still…
Octavian had always regarded her as a rare resource now made available to Camp Jupiter. Not a person, but as a soldier to be trained and become similar to Jason. She never liked the Augur who always watched her training sessions with disdain like she wasn't living up to his expectations.
Hazel was improving. Her new friends, Frank, Mako, Gwen, Nico, Bianca, and a few legacies at camp made sure to let her know that she was improving. A few more months and she'd be able to move up to legionary status.
She was doing great right up until now.
Octavian recommending her for a quest was no mistake or chance. He wanted to see what she could do out in the real world.
He and the Greek Oracle, the girl with startling red hair and even brighter green eyes had gone on a tirade, arguing on who could be the more visionary, right until Clovis yawned in front of them. They had stopped mid-speech and collapsed into Jason and Percy's waiting arms.
Octavian had fallen right to sleep while Rachel had been struggling to keep her eyes open as the Greek led her to one side of the room. Hazel's legs were numb but she followed her fellow campers to the opposite side.
"Wake up," Hylla kicked Octavian's foot, but the Augur's head simply lolled on the back of his chair.
"Was he about to say "child of Neptune?" Gwen asked, stunned. "I mean, right before that rap battle?"
"That's what you're focusing on?" Dakota blanched. "The idiot just called for a quest without the Senate's approval. My day's made."
"Kota," Reyna warned him before turning to Jason. "Can he do that? Call for a quest without their say?"
"Honestly, yes," Jason exhaled. "At times of battle or when we can't wait for the full process, he has the authority to send us out. Even Praetors."
"Hazel's a Probatio," Frank argued. "She's not trained enough. It's irresponsible of us to let this happen. He shouldn't have just decided on the spot to call for a quest!"
"To be Frank," Mako said, making everyone groan. Hazel cracked a smile. That joke would never get old. "It's a good idea though. I see where he's coming from."
Gwen stared at her girlfriend, astonished. "Mako, what the hell?"
"We have enemies," Mako explained. "You said it yourself, Hylla. It was no mistake that your Amazons ran into the Hunters. The Earth Goddess is playing a game with us, we need to move quickly. This may not be ideal, but if we do help and retrieve the demigods, it will boost our negotiations with the Greeks. It means Lupa will recommend Hazel to move up a rank and join our official training sooner than expected. We can even see how the daughter of Athena fairs. She looks like a fighter, but is she one? If this goes well, we will get a lot of answers. All of us will benefit from this."
Gwen was already shaking her head, "We can't do this, we shouldn't do this! Reyna, think about it. Sending a daughter of Pluto on a quest, knowing that the demigods we're searching for are being hunted, knowing that she's isn't properly trained? What if the gods think we're insolent?"
They were talking about her like she wasn't standing right beside them. Hazel felt ousted. She turned around to see the Greeks standing around the Oracle. She was awake, looking quite remorseful. Annabeth, the one who held the very futuristic book-like device, had grey hair that Hazel hadn't noticed before. Did she age just from the announcement?
The other boy, Will, looked downright worried.
Nico and Bianca saw her looking at them. Bianca made the motion to mean "it'll be alright". But Nico was annoyed and anxious too.
It was nice that everyone was worried for her. But maybe Mako's right. If she could prove herself on this quest, she'd be a legionary and there'd be less scrutiny on her. As a child of the Big Three, Hazel was expected to rise through the ranks faster than the others. This could put the heat off her back.
"I'm ready," she said quietly.
The argument slowed and the others stared at her. Frank, tall but unimposing, frowned. "Hazel, are you sure?"
"Yes," she said, bringing her hands to the sides to stand at attention. "There are two demigods who may be in trouble. It doesn't matter if they're Roman or Greek, they need our help and I am ready to go out and find them."
Hylla was the first to smile. She looked at Reyna and said, "This will be good for all of us if the quest goes smoothly. It may have begun with haste, but if we succeed, the integration will be faster and easier."
Reyna looked at Hazel, searching her eyes for any lingering doubt. Hazel stared right back, trying to convey her credence even though her palms had grown sweaty.
"When we succeed," Reyna said, raising her head to acknowledge Hazel. "I'll treat you at KC's Diner. Best spot in New Rome."
Hazel's quick bout of relief was dissolved when Octavian gave a groan and sat up gingerly.
"Hi there," Gwen welcomed him unsmiling. "How was your nap?"
Octavian blinked the drowsiness out of his eyes before looking up at all of them. "What… what happened? Wait, did that boy put me to sleep?"
"Clovis, son of Morpheus," Frank said, suddenly nervous. He was more than a little afraid of Octavian, but Hazel liked that he still spoke.
"How could they let someone like him into the meeting?!" Octavian hissed, looking over to the Greeks.
"Octavian," Jason said. "You announced a quest without prior notice. That's not how we run things."
"You didn't hear what Dare had to say."
"Was she threatening you?" Hylla asked. If there was anyone the Augur feared, it was Hylla. She was the leader of the Amazons and thus was not under any of Camp Jupiter's official rules. He couldn't pull rank on her in any way that mattered. Not to mention, Hylla could deck him without a second thought.
"No," he muttered in answer to her question.
"Did she insult Camp Jupiter and New Rome?"
"No, she did not."
"Did she insult the revered legacy and culture of Roman heroes?"
"No."
"Did she hurt your feelings on a specific subject matter?"
He glared at her. "It is not childish of me to assume that there is a subtext to her words. I warned the Senate and the Praetors of this, or the Champions of the Patron, but I was not heeded. And now, there is one in this room!"
He pointed at Rachel. "It's her! The Seer! She has powers no regular Oracle has or should have!"
"So your solution was to challenge her to a Divination showdown?"
Hazel loved it when Hylla visited. Nobody else had the gall or authority to speak to Octavian like this.
Octavian's face was pinched red. He stayed in the chair and managed to hold back from outright glaring at her.
"There is a child of Neptune out there," he whispered and the words chilled Hazel. "While the Greeks have their influx of demigods, even ones from deities who ought to not have children! We are sorely lacking."
Unimpressed, Hylla stood tall. "Then we let that child make their way to us as is tradition. If you have more information on them, we can follow up. But for now, you know the law. Lupa will accept the trajectory of all heroes whether they reach the Wolf House first or come to Camp Jupiter directly. Instinct will prevail. They will go where they need to. But if they're under distress, only then shall we intervene."
Octavian wisely kept his mouth shut on that topic. "Understood."
Gwen narrowed her eyes. "And this quest—"
"It is a noble venture," Octavian said, with no explicit anger. "You cannot turn it down."
Reyna jerked her head. "Let's go, Hazel."
Hylla caught Reyna's arm as she turned away. "Speak nothing of the new demigod. We focus on the Greeks for now."
The fight-or-flight instinct was suddenly drained. Rachel felt tired, ready to settle down for a nap, but she could hear voices above her, someone carrying her, setting her down on a chair.
"What's…" she tried to say, but yawned, fighting the hold of sleep. "What's happening?"
"You and Octavian called for a quest, that's what's happening," Nico said, holding out a bottle of water for her.
She tried to shake the fog from her head. Things were moving too slowly.
"I don't get it!" Will was saying, a little panicked. "Why me?! Why'd she pick me?"
"Will, calm down."
"I've never been on a quest!"
"It'll be okay—"
"Unless you count the time we drove to New York for the battle, then sure. The war was my first quest and now, apparently, my second's gonna be in the Grand Canyon."
"How many shots of nectar and chocolate did you take?"
The drowsiness disappeared as she listened to Will's panic. "Oh my gods."
Clarisse gave her an unimpressed look. "What was that about, Red?"
"I… I don't know! It's like I couldn't stop!" she looked at Annabeth and Will, terrified. "I'm so sorry! I'll call it off. I don't know what I was thinking!"
"We can't call it off," Bianca said. Her circlet was glowing and the light hurt Rachel's eyes. "You're the Oracle. When you announce something, it's usually not reversible."
"Not to mention this was said by the Oracle and the Augur together," Thalia pointed out. "Can't worm your way out of this one. Not even Apollo can shut it down."
"Shit," Annabeth swore. Percy winced. "I have so much work, I have no idea how I'm going to squeeze in a quest!"
"We need to get those kids to camp," Percy said. "Maybe you can have someone stand-in for you? I'll go in your stead and—"
"Percy," Bianca said firmly. "It doesn't work like that, and you know it."
"Octavian said they might be hunted. Two kids of Olympians, above thirteen years, at the same place? We need to act now."
"I couldn't find where they are now," Rachel said, closing her eyes and trying to search. But nothing was coming up. "I just know that they'll be at the Grand Canyon within a week."
"It's a sight-seeing spot," Annabeth said with a frown. "Not a place someone would just cross to reach camp. Unless they live near the area… maybe they're on a trip? Will and I can scout the place—"
"The four of us need to make a plan before we do that," Reyna said, walking over. Hazel, Nico's sister, walked just a step behind her, not as nervous as Will, but uncomfortable all the same. Rachel felt doubly bad.
"Praetor Reyna," Rachel said standing up. "Hazel, I'm so sor—"
"We thank you for the honour of a quest," Reyna said, quickly speaking over her. "Hazel and I will aid in the search and rescue of the two Greek demigods till they are safe at your camp."
"Excellent," Annabeth replied, immediately mirroring Reyna's confidence. "The four of us can have a quick discussion now."
Rachel didn't miss the worried look Nico gave Hazel and she walked away. Bianca patted his arm.
She thought about Octavian's interrogation.
You were lucky enough to be chosen and given unlimited access to immortal power. Do you even appreciate what's been handed to you? How do I know you're worthy of your power? Tell me what is the point of you being the Champion?
Apparently, the point was to flaunt her power and send her friends on dangerous quests. Rachel suddenly felt the weight of the bracelet on her arm, burning her skin.
Haven't done this in a while.
Q: What is one of the major reasons for the rift between the Greeks and the Romans in HoO canon?
Stay tuned as always folks!
Cabba.