HAHAH! SURPRISE CHAPTER FOR YOU MY LOVELIES.
In which Annabeth is stressed and Jason actually let Terminus finish speaking they'd be a whole lot more eager to get down there, but alas it's not to be. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy.
Annabeth was nervous.
In her defence she felt that she had every reason to be nervous- they hadn't heard from Thalia, Luke, Nico and Will in ages. She didn't like that, they were supposed to be the advanced group but there hadn't been any word from them for a couple of days. They might already be with the Romans below, Annabeth hoped they were, though... maybe not- Jason was somewhat worried that the Romans might react badly and take them prisoners instead. He was worried that someone called Octavian might have been made Praetor- the son of Jupiter seemed pretty sure that that would be bad for them.
And of course there was the fact that they had Sally and Estelle on board along with Ethan.
Annabeth hadn't liked that at all- but Sally had been there determined after the strange phone call she'd gotten a couple of days before.
Jason said he knew Hazel, the girl who had taken the phone from her friend- whoever that was, but he didn't know how she'd gotten the cell number, or why she'd be calling from Alaska- as Leo had determined she had.
Annabeth hated puzzles that she couldn't figure out- and this was worse than ever because if she didn't figure it out it could end with them all dead.
Still, they'd at least been able to send Leo's message on ahead.
She was drawn out of her thoughts by two arms sliding around her waist and the feeling of a chin resting on her shoulder, by warm breath on her ear. "Annabeth, you need to try and relax."
"How exactly am I supposed to do that Rache?" The daughter of Athena turned her head slightly to look into the forest green eyes of her girlfriend- Rachel was the only thing that had kept her from having multiple break downs over the last few months- since Percy had died really. And she let some of the tension drain away when Rachel's lips brushed against her own.
"You could trust us all." Rachel offered when she tilted her head back slightly, "We can handle this Annabeth- and after-" Rachel's hand moved to Annabeth's camp necklace- fingers brushing over the smooth celestial bronze and silver twined metal of the ring strung on it with the beads- Rachel had one around her own neck too- they were beautiful, with a round smooth shining teal and aqua agate stone set into them. Promise rings, Rachel had gotten them after they'd realised Annabeth was one of the seven. Rachel had hers strung on her own camp necklace- it had a single bead but she treasured the ring and the necklace.
"Ugh." Annabeth closed her eyes, tilting her head back slightly so that it could rest on Rachel's shoulder. "I know- I know we can. We have to. I just-"
"You, my beautiful girlfriend, are worrying far too much." Rachel's voice was soothing, "It's not just the meeting with the Romans is it?" and Annabeth winced at that.
"You know me too well Rache. It's-"
"Your mom." Rachel finished, "You already told her to fuck off. And she actually accepted it you said right?"
"She still gave me the stupid coin."
"You made it clear didn't you. You said you told her that the day you'd accept a quest from her would be the day you got to hold Percy again."
"I know." Annabeth let out a huff, blowing a blonde curl out of her face, "It still sucks."
"But it's not a problem. We're going to be fine. Weird happenings aside-"
"You mean the phone call from that Hazel girl-"
"Jason said he trusts her. So they know we're coming-"
"Unlikely, the phone call came from Alaska." Annabeth pointed out, "And we're arriving after a battle if your dream was right-"
"It wasn't clear." Rachel shook her head, "I- you know my dreams haven't been real helpful lately- I can't see any faces- I saw someone smashing in a giants face with a statue head or something, and there was a boy who turned into an eagle and a girl who was on a horse. But they were victorious I'm sure of that. We're not going to arrive at a destroyed camp."
"Nope, we're about to arrive at a camp that's probably fully of very paranoid demigods recovering from an attack by giants who are likely to think the worst."
"Always the pessimist." Rachel pressed a kiss to Annabeth's cheek, "We have Jason- he'll be able to stop them from attacking-"
"I still don't understand why you're insisting that Piper can't use her charmspeak on the Romans-"
"I don't know. I just have the feeling it'll go really badly if she does." Rachel shrugged, "You always trust my gut feeling."
"I do." Annabeth groaned, "I just don't like it." she admitted, "And I wish Sally and Estelle weren't here."
"Yes, and Sally knows that. She refused to stay behind. She wants to find out what this Hazel girl wants. And she couldn't leave Estelle behind because there was no one to watch her since Paul was away on that training thing for his work and he couldn't get back in time and she doesn't like formula. But listen Annabeth, Ethan is here solely to protect Sally and Estelle- he's even gonna stay on here with Estelle while Sally comes with us to meet the Romans. It'll be okay you know it will. And Hedge is staying here with Estelle too- says it'll be good practise for the future."
"More like he'll be watching his martial arts video's on loud." Annabeth's lips twitched, "It'll be better than him coming down and yelling die at the Romans."
"See, Coach Hedge will be happy up here, Estelle will be safe on the Argo and Sally will be with us."
"Ugh, Luke would freak if he knew she was here and you know it, and so would Nico."
"Maybe so, but they'll have to put up with it."
"I guess so." Annabeth let out a breath as Rachel kissed her cheek and pulled back,
"And if we look-" Rachel pointed around Annabeth down, and Annabeth followed Rachel's finger. The clouds broke around the hull as they descended, revealing the gold-and-green carpet of the Oakland Hills below them. Annabeth gripped one of the bronze shields that lined the starboard rail, reaching back and threading her fingers through Rachels as the others took their places.
On the stern quarterdeck, Leo rushed around like a madman, checking his gauges and wrestling levers. Most helmsmen would've been satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a tiller. Leo had also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album, or raise sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast. It was just so Leo that Annabeth felt a surge of warmth- he'd been doing so well lately- she had to admit that his new friends had helped him a lot- though she knew he was already missing Calypso- who had stayed behind with Mellie to help her with her pregnancy.
Piper was pacing back and forth between the mainmast and the ballistae, filled with nervous energy, her gaze constantly slipping to Jason- who was stood at the bow on the raised crossbow platform, where the Romans could easily spot him. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his golden sword. Otherwise he looked calm for a guy who was making himself a target. Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, he'd donned a toga and a purple cloak—symbols of his old rank as praetor. With his wind-ruffled blond hair and his icy blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control—just like a son of Jupiter should. He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitant to blow the ship out of the sky.
And Sally was stood next to him, talking, probably reassuring him- Annabeth was glad that Ethan and Estelle were in Sally's room. She did feel that the baby was safer like that.
Annabeth took a deep breath, brows furrowing- she felt as if she was being watched- and she heard a creak behind her and she twisted, looking around- "What is it?" Rachel's voice was soft, it drew her from her thoughts, and Annabeth bit her lip.
"I'm not sure. I thought I heard something."
"C'mon love." Rachel squeezed her hand, "There's nothing that can get to us up here. Not for now anyway-" then the sound of horns blew up from below. Annabeth knew what that meant. The Romans had spotted them.
Annabeth thought she knew what to expect. Jason had described Camp Jupiter to her in great detail. Still, she had trouble believing her eyes. Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley was at least twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. A small river snaked around one side and curled toward the centre like a capital letter G, emptying into a sparkling blue lake.
Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. She recognized landmarks Jason had told her about—the hippodrome, the coliseum, the temples and parks, the neighborhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colorful villas, and flowering gardens.
She saw evidence of the Romans' recent battle with an army of monsters. The dome was cracked open on a building she guessed was the Senate House. The forum's broad plaza was pitted with craters. Some fountains and statues were in ruins.
Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the Argo II. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafés, gawking and pointing as the ship descended.
About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill. It looked just like the illustrations Annabeth had seen in military history books—with a defensive trench lined with spikes, high walls, and watchtowers armed with scorpion ballistae. Inside, perfect rows of white barracks lined the main road—the Via Principalis.
A column of demigods emerged from the gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. In the midst of their ranks was an actual war elephant.
Annabeth wanted to land the Argo II before those troops arrived, but the ground was still several hundred feet below. She scanned the crowd, though she had no clue what she was looking for. Then something behind her went BOOM!
The explosion almost knocked her overboard. She whirled and found herself eye to eye with an angry statue.
"Unacceptable!" he shrieked.
Apparently he had exploded into existence, right there on the deck. Sulphurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders. Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga.
"I will not have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced in a fussy teacher voice. "I certainly will not have Greeks!"
Jason shot Annabeth a look that said, I've got this.
"Terminus," he said. "It's me. Jason Grace."
"Oh, I remember you, Jason!" 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!"
Piper glanced at her bronze dagger, which she'd apparently forgotten she was holding. "Um…okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."
"Impertinence!" There was a sharp POP and a flash of yellow. Piper yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking.
"Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already! No matter what our praetors say-"
"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I know you didn't do that."
"Praetors?" Jason interrupted, "There's-"
"You missed the Feast Grace. You know the rules, a new praetor was raised- just as disrespectful as the rest of you but a fierce fighter I must admit, not that-."
"Octavian?"
"No, not him, our new-"
"Thank the gods-"
"Woah!" Annabeth held up her hands- things were getting way too fraught for her tastes, "Let's all calm down!" She raised her hands to show she had no weapons. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of—"
"Oh, I know who you are!" The statue glared at her 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."
Annabeth clenched her jaw. This statue wasn't making it easy to be diplomatic. "What exactly do you mean, that goddess? And what's so scandalous about—"
"Right!" Jason 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?"
"Wow." Leo studied Terminus with professional interest. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look."
He exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magic tool belt and tapped the statue's pedestal.
"Leo! No trying to tinker with the Romans things." Sally grabbed her son's arm and pulled him back slightly, and Annabeth felt a rush of gratitude.
"At last, someone with sense." Terminus huffed, "Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line."
"The what?" Piper asked.
"City limits," Jason translated.
"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "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, Annabeth looked away. She needed to focus. "Leo, stop the ship."
"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 sinking.
"Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"
The statue frowned. "Well, no…"
"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth 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. Annabeth wondered if he was scratching his chin with imaginary hands.
"I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still…"
"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Annabeth 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?"
"then we leave the ship in the air." Annabeth declared, "And we go down and meet with the Romans. It'll be fine. No one will be armed and we can talk in peace.
Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She looked at the marble statue. "Do we have an agreement?"
Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. Please try not to destroy my town."