I don't own Percy Jackson. All characters from the series belong to Rick Riordan.

Cary and Amber recuperate after today. After that intensive first day, the two take any chance they can get to relax... But the praetors have other plans

Chapter 8: The Quest is Announced

Cary was checking up on Amber after the fight with Primo. She had a nasty cut on her right bicep from that prick. Fortunately, the cut hadn't lacerated any crucial arteries or veins, so it wasn't a critical injury. Darren helped bandage her arm and treat her scratches. The gauze was treated with a formula similar to ambrosia, which Jason had explained was food that healed demigods.

"I appreciate you helping out, Darren," said Cary. Darren was the de facto medic for the Fourth Cohort; on his free time, he dabbled in archery and battlefield medicine despite the rigid doctrine focused on combat.

"No problem. Amber, this wound will heal up by tomorrow. Don't overexert and just go easy. I'll go inform your centurions and the praetors about it," Darren mentioned.

Darren left Amber and Cary alone in the medical office. A few other legionnaires were there as well in different beds, leaving the two alone for their conversation.

"Sorry about getting my butt kicked, today," apologized Amber.

"Hey, you weren't doing so bad. It just Primo pulling a dirty move," comforted Cary, "Was the sword I lent you too unwieldy?"

"No, actually it was fine. It was a lot more comforting than any gladius I used," answered Amber. After the training, all swords and equipment were returned to the storeroom. Cary had returned it to Maylene. The more Cary thought about it, the more that he couldn't help but ponder about the sword itself. It wasn't a Roman sword; it felt like a Chinese sword. He wondered why a sword like that ended up here. 'Was this a gift from someone? Maybe someone knows about it,' Cary was waiting for Amber to add more to this discussion, but she had other plans.

"Cary, I think it's best that you go back home. I mean sure, it sucked being here when I had no friends. But with Maylene and her friends here, I think I'll be fine," she assured.

"What do you mean? What about your lineage? And the war? I already told the praetors I'm sticking around," Cary stood firm with his decision.

'You might regret it. Primo might come after you,' Amber worried in her head.

The sounds of footsteps walking up to them grabbed their attention. It was Fern checking up on them. She wanted to check up on them. "Hey guys, dinner's coming up. My brother and I wanted to invite you over to our table if that's okay."

"Yeah, sure. We'll be there," the two answered.

At Temple Hill

Jason and the praetors watched as Octavian conducted his priestly readings. Octavian was hoping to fake a reading and just present the results that denied quests for the rest of the summer. However, the fact that they still showed despite today put a dent into that plan. Now, he'll have to formally conduct the reading. He had brought a stuffed pig for a faked reading -to tear up, but perform the rites- however, eyewitnesses would enforce those rites. He placed 12 candles around the altar like a clock and held the pig over the candles just before gutting it. He began chanting in Latin.

"Coeli dic nobis. aurum tuum exhaustum est. Quid sapientiae tuae offerre?" (Heavens tell us. Our gold is depleted. What wisdom do the gods offer?)

The four watched in silent as the stuffing fell out of the gutted pig. They waited with bated breaths for signs that favored their outcome. The stuffing dwindles while all 12 candles remain lit.

"Well then, the reading is finished. Since the stuffing didn't behave in any stranger manner, it means the gods have denied us a quest," Octavian answered. He wanted to wrap this up quickly.

"Wait, wait, I don't think we're done here. Surely, there's more to it than just the stuffing," Jason refuted.

"I'm sorry. Who's the augur? Me! I say we're done with this farce. Now then…" Octavian didn't get a chance to finish as a gust of wind blew through the pavilion. The wind was strong enough to blow out 4 candles and the stuffing flying towards what would be the 3 o'clock hand.

"It's a sign. The gods have answered us," Sullivan added, "this must something, Octavian."

"It's nothing, I just didn't prepare for the gust of wind now then…" The stuffing bursts into flames. Jason and the praetors watch the small fire danced on the altar, while Octavian refuted, "It's just some loose embers picking up, it's nothing."

"Is it?!" A loud voice echoed through the room. The four turned their heads looking for the voice, until they saw someone materialize behind them. It was a young maiden wearing a silver cloak around her hunting outfit and a stern look in her eyes. She wielded a silver bow and a quiver full of silver arrows. The four immediately recognized her.

"Lady Diana!" They immediately bowed before her. "Stand up, we have a lot to discuss," the goddess announced.

They obeyed her command and stood up while she continued her message. "Tonight, your augur has asked to approve a quest to find more Imperial Gold for your Legion. I have come to announce that you have been approved, but you can only start on it at the end of this month and no sooner. You must travel east to the place where the nation's strife began. Three from the legion must make haste to find what you seek. Once there, you will face what vexes man. Finish your task and prepare to assault Titans' peak."

The legionnaires bowed and Octavian walked up to ask more from Lady Diana, "We must confer with the Senate tomorrow, if they approve…" "NO!" Diana cut him off, "This task must be discussed tonight. I have also chosen your questors."

"Who have you chosen, Lady Diana?" asked Reyna. The huntress of the moon turned toward her to give her answer.

Dinner service for Cary and Amber had brought a mixed reception. Before today's fight, the Fifth and Fourth Cohort had lukewarm relations with the two. Cary was a stranger, but a friendly one who aided whenever around and had gotten along with their members. After today's fight, a lot of Romans were glad to see someone put Primo in his place. The sentiment of the Third Cohort were half and half, but issues would arise with the Second and First Cohort. His exposed mortal status left some in disbelief that he took down a First Cohort. It didn't help that the subject of Shen Lun came up again. Even though Shen Lun was not his ancestor, Cary was still someone of a non-Roman heritage. Some feared he would usurp their powers and abolish their worship in favor of the Eastern pantheons. Others whispered 'pleb' and 'probie' amongst each other.

Amber was playing with her food. She wasn't hungry after today's sword performance. Primo had always been a bully, but his actions today were unprecedented. He had just tried to kill her. 'Why else would he smuggle that weapon in?'

Anyways, Jason wasn't around so Gwen oversaw the Fifth Cohort with Dakota. Dakota and Gwen had no idea where their missing centurion was or the praetors and augur. Since the praetors weren't around and no one was going to snitch, that meant breaking etiquette. Some of the guys went to eat dessert first, while others smuggled in more soda. Cohorts intermingled. Cary and Maylene were eating with the Fourth Cohort and Fifth Cohort.

"So, tell me. How did you get under Primo's guard?" Norman asked. Cary's victory had roused some of their Cohort colleagues.

"I just tried to avoid getting hit. Now at first, I tried to aim for a weak spot, but that wasn't any use because of the shield. So, instead I used the weight of the sword to deal with his defense by swinging the sword like a bat. After he disarmed me, I changed to avoiding his hits until I can use the sword Amber dropped. By the way, Maylene, what do you know about that sword? It kind of looked like a jian," said Cary.

"A jian?" Maylene asked.

"Yeah, It's a long sword from Chinese warfare. Has a longer reach than a gladius, but it has a thinner body," described Cary.

"Hmmmm… I'm not sure. Training weapons in the armory are old weapons that no longer have any use in the battlefield. Some of them are spoils from history, and the others are donations from past legionnaires. If the sword is Chinese, then it might have been acquired from some battle," answered Maylene.

"But Ancient Rome never cross swords with China," Cary refuted.

"True, but it's probably one of several western incarnations. Mostly like the British Empire," Norman suggested.

"British? Wait, you mean the Victorian British Empire? What does that have to do with Rome?" Cary asked with caution. He had a feeling the answer would be uncomfortable to say the least.

"Well, did Praetor explained what happened to Rome after it was sacked?" Darren asked.

"Ummm, he said that Western Civilization followed the gods so… does that mean the survivors of the Roman Empire settled in Britain?" answered Cary.

"Some of them, the Legion was instructed to not just follow the gods, but also keep the culture of Rome alive. Wherever we settled, we made sure our identity lives on through stories, architecture, everything that defines a civilization. Sometime during the 16th century, some of the Legion settled down around London. Some of them stayed there, while others left for the United States following the American Revolution," Darren added.

"So what about the sword?" Cary asked.

"Well that sword was probably obtained during the British Campaign in China during the 1800s," Darren answered.

"1800s… You mean the Opium War," Cary concluded with a slightly incensed tone. Cary had a special investment in his heritage and part of that involved reading up his cultural history, including the best and worst times of recorded history. For him, the Opium War was a subject of historical injustice set upon China, "You guys were there kicking my ancestors' butt," he added.

"Yeah, we …uhh… kind of wanted to acquire your tea and keep our silver and Imperial Gold," Norman answered awkwardly, "I mean, we just came and conquered. It's kind of our thing after Julius Caesar. Veni, vidi, vici," Norman continued to dig deeper into the wound.

"Buuuut, we're done with all of that Empire business. Now, we just hang out in Berkeley Hills recruiting demigods and legacies," Maylene defused the situation.

Cary took a deep breath, "Fair enough, where are the praetors anyways?" he decided to change the subject.

"Don't know, but some are taking this chance to go nuts," Darren pointed out at the fact that some legionnaires stopped putting a stoic façade and were fooling around. The biggest event of the night was Dakota trying to break his Kool-Aid drinking record. Everyone around was chanting "CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!"

At his twentieth glass, he wavered and started to tip over while making some retching noises. Realizing the sound, Cary reached for the nearest wastebasket and handed it over to Dakota before he made a mess of the mess hall.

"Urgh… thanks…huff," Dakota continues to heave into the can for the rest of the night.

Primo watched the scene from his cohort table. He held onto Octavian's bag of almonds and had observed the results of his handiwork from a distance.

The next day, many of the legionnaires were groggy from last's night ruckus. Dakota was sleeping in after an upset stomach. Gwen went around to wake the Cohort, which had stayed up way longer than they should have. Jason and both praetors had not returned for dinner, which left her worried.

Since Jason was absent, she was alone. She needed someone to fill in for him. She could try Dakota, but he was dealing with a nasty hangover. The next person she had in her mind was Cary Chang. He was rather new to this, but he was making a lot of waves around here. Centurions from higher ranked cohorts didn't appreciate him but tolerated him due to Reyna's orders. She decided to have him substitute Jason for now.

"Mr. Chang, I need to speak with you after," she found him just before he was going to wash up in the public washrooms next to the baths. Reyna and Sullivan had drilled him into keeping up appearances around Camp Jupiter.

When he was finished, Cary caught up with her in the mess hall entrance. "What's up, Gwen?" He hadn't caught her last name, so he had to call her by her first name. "Jason hasn't returned with the praetors or the augur from last night, so we need some help around here. I can take over his duties, but I do want your assistance in helping anyone falling behind today. Sounds good?" requested Gwen.

"Sure, absolutely. I'll get on to it after breakfast."

The following activities were the same as yesterday's itineraries. Warm-ups and trainings. The same equipment shortage had also followed, so Cary stepped in to share his thoughts to Gwen. "Instead of training in pairs, we should break into groups of four. Have two spar each other in full gear, while two watch, observe, and correct. It means sharing gears, but this way we're constantly engaged and being tested properly." Gwen obliged with the reasonable visitor and had the Cohort constantly rotate. Many more of the trainees got swords that suited them and armors that were more fitting of them when shared. All in all, today was a firm success.

This time, there wasn't any sparring matches since the praetors weren't around to attend to it. The Cohort kept training well into the day until the sun had lowered down. The sounds of horses galloping caught Cary's attention as he supervised the training.

"Hey Gwen, it's Jason and the praetors. They're back," Cary announced.

Gwen called the cohort to attention, and they all lined up. Reyna and Sullivan stepped down from the horses along with Jason. "Impressive, called to attention before we announced," commented Sully, "Apologies for our absence, Fifth Cohort. We had an emergency Senate meeting last night that extended to the afternoon. Gwen, follow me. You and Jason need to discuss with us now," Gwen obliged and followed after with Jason back to the Principia. "Fifth Cohort, you're excused early today, Ave Roma," Reyna announced.

Jason and Gwen made their way into the Principia with Reyna and Sullivan. They took a seat in the office to discuss more about urgent matters.

"So, does anyone want to tell me what's going on? What happened last night?" Gwen asked.

"I organized a rush augury with Octavian to see what can be done about the Imperial Gold shortage. During the session, all three of us witnessed the presence of Lady Diana," explained Reyna, "She has approved a quest and when Octavian said we needed to discuss with the Senate, she demanded that we call the Senate now."

Earlier last night

The last senator walked into the chambers where many more waited for him.

"Thank you for arriving so late, Senator Miguel. I'm sorry to bother all of you, but earlier today, we conducted an augury session to ask the gods permission. They have been generous to grant one that will help us stock up on Imperial Gold," Reyna announced.

"And what about it? What so special about this quest that require us to call a meeting at 7 in the evening? I'm going to miss Survivor!" Senator Miguel asked indignantly.

"Apologies, they were Lady Diana's orders. She demanded that this quest be discussed tonight," answered Sullivan.

"Should we believe that you meet the goddess of the moon? She's a virgin goddess who rarely makes her presence known to guys," refuted a Senator Mathis. "No, believe me Senator, she was there, and she had stipulations on how the quest can be achieved," Reyna refuted.

"She states we the quest can only start the quest on the last day of this month and that we must bring certain legionnaires on board," Reyna continued.

"So, what does the prophecy entail, Praetor Arellano?" asked Senator Miguel.

"Right here," she handed the senator a paper with the prophecy written on it. The paper made its way around the room, stating the following: You must travel east to the place where the nation's strife began. Three from the legion must make haste to find what you seek. Once there, you will face what vexes man. Finish your task and prepare to assault Titans' peak.

"It doesn't specify the part about leaving at the end of June. What happens if the party leaves earlier or later?" asked a Senator Graham.

"I don't think we want to find out after Michael Varus," replied Sullivan. "Are you sure you're not making this up?" said Miguel.

"Absolutely not, you have my word as praetor that Lady Diana warn us that we can't leave until June 30th," affirmed Reyna.

"Fine, so what is it that requires us to have an emergency Senate meeting?" asked Senator Mathis.

Jason stepped forward to explain, "I have a feeling about what the prophecy entails. The place where the nation's strife began, that is probably talking about the American Civil War, which started at the Battle of Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. Not only that, when the Confederates took the fort, Romans also stockpiled caches of Imperial Gold weapons, including the torpedoes. That is what we seek," his answers drew the attention of more of the Senate, "If we can acquire those weapons, we can add more to our arsenal."

"Well, if that's the case, then we can provide our flying chariot and the pegasi," answered a random senator, "But what is that vexes man?"

"Love? war? Charleston is full of history, good ones and bad ones. There's a high chance they'll be the ghosts of old confederate soldiers around there," added Sullivan.

"Well, we can send three from the Legion. I think we can add Primo, another one from the First Cohort," Senator Miguel continued, but was interrupted by Reyna, "Actually, Lady Diana listed out the people she wanted on this quest."

"Who?" Graham asked.

"She wanted the probatio, Amber Autumne on this quest," her answer incited an outcry from the senators. "Inconceivable, how can we send a young unclaimed probatio to a quest this important?" a random senator complained.

"I'll also be going, and taking Centurion Grace with me," Reyna added, "As Bellona's daughter and the son of Jupiter, we can oversee this crucial task with our parents' domains of war and heavens. Lady Diana ask of this because she believes that Amber needs to be tested. She told us that success hinges on awakening her powers."

"If that is the case, then you'll need supplies. Can we wrap up now?" asked Miguel, who wanted to get back to Survivor.

"There's more… we want to send our visitor, Cary Chang, along," Sullivan added, "But before you protest. Let me make my case. Cary is not of the Legion, so he does not violate the 'three from the legion' rule. He is also required to stay by Amber, so he should come along our travels."

"Mortals make terrible traveling companions. Can we trust him, Centurion Grace? He's been in your presence for a while," asked Senator Mathis.

"Yes. He has the will and the wits to keep up. I have no doubt that he's a blessing, not a curse," answered Jason.

"Fine, I approve, are we done?" asked Miguel. "Not yet, we need to discuss after action plans. When we return with the gold caches, we need to start on forging new weapons and getting troops into the Bay as soon as possible. Then…" Sullivan continued onto the night about post-quest plans much to the dismay of the whole Senate.

"So once again, Jason. You're going on another quest while I get to stay at home to watch the Cohort," teased Gwen.

"Yeah, if you don't mind," Jason sheepishly answered.

"I appreciate you taking over as well, Sullivan. I want to smooth out the process at Fort Sumter, a lot of angry ghosts might be involved," requested Reyna.

"Sure, Reyna. But it's not just because you'll be going with you-know-who," Sullivan teased with raised eyebrows.

"Knock it off, Sully. So as of this week, we'll be preparing Cary and Amber to join us in Charleston. I'll be telling them of the quest," Jason went to back to the barracks to search for them.

Cary was writing a letter to his family in the Fifth Cohort barracks. Last night, Aldo had suggested that he write a letter back home to let his loved ones know he was okay. After all, he had been in camp for almost a week. Cell phones to the outside world was prohibited due to signal limitation and the fact that cell phone signals may bring monsters to the camp's borders.

'Hey Mom, Dad. I'm doing well right now. Camp's been accommodating and I'm hanging out with friends.' He couldn't mention Amber back home due to security issues. 'Wish Kenny and Kelly best of luck for me.' Cary continued to discuss the leadership skills he was picking up. Of course, this was just the cover for a camp training demigods and legacies. He couldn't tell just anyone about the gods or the weapons training, it would sound nuts. So instead, he fibbed and said he was at leadership camp for the summer. It was a plausible cover without needing to use the Mist..

"Cary, can I have a word with you and Amber?" Jason asked from the entrance.

"Yeah, sure. Let me just finish up the letter here and I'll be right there," Cary answered.

He finished up and walked up to a camp postal office to send a letter back to China Ridge. It would be a while, until he heard back from his family. He returned to the barracks to find Jason and Amber waiting for him outside of the barracks.

"What's up, Jason? You wanted me and Amber for something?" asked Cary.

Jason proceeded to explain to the two about the quest and included all the details that were shared with the Senate.

"We'll leave on the last of June. Any questions?" The two looked at each other then turned back to Jason shaking their hands. "Great, stock up on any essentials. We'll meet at the Praetorian Gate at 900 hours in a few days.

Finally, getting ready to go to Charleston. Maybe some stops and some time away from camp should do nice for Cary and Amber. Next Time, the journey to Charleston begins. This arc will take a while.