Chapter Sixteen

Adventus

The consequences of challenging the gods would be disastrous.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Anton Ravenson, Codex Deorum, Essay Seven⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The arrival was not apparent at first.

It was at sunrise when it happened. The sun was just over the horizon, red and brilliant. The legions of Camp Jupiter were out exercising as teams. Ethan and I were jogging side by side, in Legion Three's marked off training area. The sun heralded a hot day ahead, and the morning heat already sweltered around me, sweat breaking across my forehead. Ripples of heat could be seen in every direction, the tremulous horizon warping in strange patterns. Ethan was a vastly better runner than I, but he stayed with me the entire time, never growing bored of my company as we made lap after lap around the training field.

I had gotten a haircut soon after I had arrived at camp, removing the shoulder length sandy blonde hair that I had accumulated over years on the street. I was still unused to how it looked on me. I had even begun to grow a mustache, although the blonde hairs were harder to spot because of their lightness.

It had been odd to look at myself in a mirror, just to look at myself. Whenever I did, a stranger looked back at me, a stranger with dark brown eyes and freckled skin. The boy I gazed upon was thin, yet not unhealthily so⎯⎯⎯ this I assumed was because of the meals provided by the camp⎯⎯⎯ much larger than the ones I had been invariably able to procure on the streets. My hair had been cut in a more militaristic fashion, extremely short on the sides, with a bit of length on the top. I was surprised to find that I liked the haircut on me. It was still different from what I had been used to for years, but all the same, I liked it. And so did Ethan apparently, so that was a plus.

It had been a few weeks since Ethan and I had first kissed. It was strange. Since then, I had begun to forget them. Forget the names that I had fought so hard to remember. One name seemed to undermine all of it, slipping gently in, sweeping away the memories as if they had never existed. It was almost intoxicating, as each name faded away, peace entered in waves. The strangest thing of all, was that it was easy to let go of them. I had assumed that it would hurt to let them fade, but now I knew that it hurt more to hold them within.

And then it struck me. I never truly remembered a single child that had died. Only their names. I had long ago forgotten the real person who had borne the name which I had clung to. In a way, it had been my childish brain attempting to cope with the horrors I had experienced. But now as peace rolled over me, settling in in the spaces once occupied, I only needed to remember one name. Ethan.

Just then, gongs and shouts were heard from the scouts on top of the east wall. They had been surprised by something, what it was I couldn't tell, but I grabbed Ethan and we ran over to where Reyna stood, watching the legions train. She was standing, staring towards the east, her dark hair fluttering in the hot breeze. She was solemn, morose even. Her usually sharp eyes were dull, even while facing the gleaming sun. She muttered a curse and spat on the ground, turning away.

"And so it begins." She remarked bitterly.

Ethan and I turned towards the wall to watch what would happen. As we looked at the sunrise, one of the scouts ran up to us, panting from exhaustion.

"We⎯⎯⎯ we didn't even see them coming…"

"Them? Who's them?"

"Her, I mean. We didn't even see her arrive! She was just standing at the bottom of the wall when we saw her!"

"Is she trying to get in?" Ethan asked.

"She can't possibly get over the wall, it's too high for that, but she might try to pass through the⎯⎯⎯"

Everyone froze.

There, silhouetted by the crimson sun, above the wall, was a woman.

Black against her shining background, a slender, graceful form, robed in delicately trailing garments. She seemed to stand on the air itself, stepping softly, almost daintily upon the wind. Flowing red silk gathered and cascaded about her body as she descended invisible steps down into the field. She was tall, taller than anyone I'd ever seen, dark black hair falling in waves to the level of her ankles. Slowly and regally, she left the light of the sun, but as she did, she became suffused with a light of her own. Her skin shone bright white, radiating into gold, her dress in beautiful harmony with the brilliance that blossomed from her body.

As she touched gently upon the ground, I saw that her feet were bare, for they also shone with light. Even Reyna, who had begun to walk away, turned now to gaze at this awesome sight. Ethan and I, both stood with open mouths at the gleaming woman. Whispers from every legion surrounded us from all sides, as the entire camp stopped their training to gather around. All wondered the same thing:

Who was this woman?

Was she a goddess?

I looked around at the awestruck campers; some were enthralled by this vision, while others seemed borderline terrified of the woman's power. Next to me, Ethan's auburn hair caught the radiating light, and glowed like a burnished sunset. His pale skin and gray-blue eyes gleamed, narrowing at the approaching figure.

Ethan reached out, grabbing my hand.

"Get ready to run if we need to." He said, voice low.

"Why? Reyna said they wouldn't attack the camp." I whispered back.

"Jason. You are important to all of this. Reyna also said that, if you remember. I need to be able to keep you safe if⎯⎯⎯"

"Keep me safe? I'd be keeping you safe." I retorted. "I'm the one that can control people."

Ethan gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

"Gods I love you."

I laughed, and we stood, Ethan still tense as we watched the shining woman advance. She still had not spoken a word. Now the whispers quieted down. The woman raised a brilliant hand, and brushed back a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I am Inara, half-blood daughter of Aether, in turn the son of Erebus and Nyx."

Ethan, Reyna, and a few others in the crowd, including Hazel and Frank gasped.

"Aether?" Ethan breathed. "It would seem all the lesser gods are pulling out into the open."

"But why?"

"I don't know."

The woman continued on.

"I have come to recruit some of you demigods, the best and brightest among you, to join me."

She smiled, gazing around her at the wide eyed faces. She had hawk like eyes; I could tell this even underneath their glowing visage. She was analytical, intelligent. It dawned on me that Camp Jupiter was not prepared to fight an intellectual battle for control of its inhabitants. We had prepared for vague statements of how we should help get revenge on the gods. But now as I looked upon this woman, I knew we had made a grave miscalculation.

On a sudden impulse, I peered into the Anamesa, the name Ethan and I had given the strange in-between place where I could see the cords of power. I didn't truly need to view them, but it helped me visualize what I was doing. The woman, strangely enough, did not glow when I looked at her from within the Anamesa. She, like every other demigod, had one strand of blue power touching her.

Quickly, without thinking, I funneled my consciousness into my own stream of power, and maneuvered it into her stream of energy. Piercing her mind, I looked within. Overwhelmed at first by the sheer weight of personhood, I pushed past it, and ventured through her thoughts, attempting to find some sort of plan, or what she was going to use to convert people to her side. But suddenly, I was propelled outwards, routed out of her mind, through the network of cords, and back into my own brain. I jumped slightly, and Ethan's grip tightened on my hand.

The woman, again glowing, raised a luminescent eyebrow.

"Ah⎯⎯ ah. I see. One of you is very strong." Her gaze penetrated every inch of the crowd as she swept it across the legions.

"I think that you would do well to bring your talents to our aid, rather than against me." She pressed her lips together tightly. "Trust me, I do not want to be your enemy, and neither should you wish this of me."

Still, no one spoke.

"I will be staying for a few days, so if it would be possible, I humbly ask for any sleeping arrangements you have available."

Reyna's face paled. She closed her eyes, and tugged at her praetor's cape. I guessed at what she must be feeling. The silence thundered overhead, centered around the shining woman. She would be staying overnight. She would be there in the morning. And in the evening. And in⎯⎯⎯⎯

Did Reyna trust her campers?

Reyna, normally calm and collected, seemed to radiate fear of this woman. Fear of the woman, or of losing campers? She had seen the mind behind the blinding eyes. There was no doubt of it, she had seen the intelligence that lurked, almost mockingly within the woman. She saw the vast unpreparedness of Camp Jupiter to a war of twisted reason. I saw the fear in her eyes, not of the woman, but of the fact that her arguments might be right.

Reyna lifted her head anyway, and I was surprised how much of her usual defiance she still retained in her eyes. She couldn't directly thwart the woman without making an enemy, and now, possibly without alienating herself from campers who saw reason in what the woman said.

"I'm sure we can find a place for you somewhere." Reyna said.

The woman smiled.

The day, despite its extraordinary beginning, was rather dull. The woman's brilliance faded over time, but I assumed she could bring it back at will if she wanted to. She still strode about the camp, never losing her confidence, her poise and intensity. She didn't attempt to speak to the entire camp as one, but would conduct quiet conversations with random people she picked from the legions. At one point during the day, I passed her and Garret, the boy I had fought in the arena talking together. Strangely, I found his usual scowl now transfigured into a broad smile. He was laughing. The woman was smiling too.

She was clever, even for what I had seen in those eyes of hers. She was creating a network. People to do her work for her. She couldn't possibly talk with everyone in camp like this, but with enough people, they could. She was putting them at ease, slowly brushing aside whatever defenses they might have, and leaving them open to her arguments. And then it would be oh so easy.

I watched her with a strange mixture of awe and curiosity, as she moved gracefully from camper to camper, their tense postures gradually easing as she spoke to them. I wondered if she would ever speak to me. Would I be persuaded to her side? Once again the strange question sprang into my mind: Whose side was I on?

I frantically squashed the question where it was⎯⎯⎯⎯ best not to let that question germinate.

Quickly walking away from the woman and her current conversation, I started making my way towards the swordsmanship training grounds, where I was hoping to find Ethan. As I had predicted, I found him parrying a barrage of attacks from Charlize's short sword. I was surprised to see her without her customary daggers, but I assumed that she was only using the sword because the class was on swordsmanship, rather than knife duels. But still, she had gotten her hands on the shortest sword possible, amusingly enough.

Ethan grunted as he dodged a quick swipe from Charlize, his footwork immaculate. He sidestepped and lunged, catching the short sword on the hilt, and twisted his own blade around in an attempt to disarm her. But it was a fairly even match, and Charlize quickly stepped back, withdrawing her blade from the hilt lock and whipped it around to hit Ethan's shin guard. He parried quickly, and slapped the blow away, at the same time moving in to make an attack of his own. The fight was beautiful really. A dance of metal and wind, flowing back and forth⎯⎯⎯ back and forth, the fighters in perfect harmony with their weapons.

As they fought, whispers started to surface around me. The fight really was something to be praised. Ethan looked up as he fought for a moment and caught eyes with me. His serious expression broke for a moment, and he grinned wildly, his blade glinting in the midday light. Charlize looked over her shoulder as well, to see what Ethan was grinning at, but soon paid dearly for her mistake. In one masterful move, Ethan once again locked his sword on the hilt of Charlize's blade and arced it upwards⎯⎯ out of her hand and into the air.

The crowd applauded mildly, and there were a couple whistles and cheers. The clapping slowly receded, but as they did, one pair of hands still sounded their applause. Heads turned as Inara stepped forwards, a grin from ear to ear, applauding for the two fighters.

"That was quite the duel." She said, her eyes shining. I couldn't make out whether she was making them glow or whether she truly was delighted by the fight.

"They teach you well here at camp Jupiter. I have heard much about you, Ethan, from the other campers⎯⎯⎯ All good things, no reason to worry." She laughed. A warm soft laugh. Gods, even her voice seemed to spill out light.

Ethan blushed, and Charlize hugged him, a huge smile on her face. I felt a tinge of jealousy as she did so, although I realized it was utterly stupid of me to feel that way. Ethan liked me; he didn't feel that way for people like Charlize⎯⎯⎯ Girls I mean. Nevertheless, I ran up to Ethan, hugging him around the middle. He laughed, and wrapped his arms around me, and I breathed in his scent. He smelled faintly of pine trees, like a forest during the morning. After a moment, he ran a finger down my cheek, and kissed me.

We pulled away, and found Inara a few paces away. I looked into her eyes again, and in a curious moment, I saw a gleam flash across her eyes like a lightning bolt. Of course it wasn't a physical gleam of light, but rather, it felt more like I had just witnessed an idea come into her mind. She stared at Ethan and I, and for an instant, I knew she would use our relationship to try and persuade us. For the first time, I began to wonder if what Ethan and I had was something that not everyone experienced. Was it normal? Was there a normal standard for falling in love? I didn't know. But she seemed to think that what we had was something usable, a foothold of some sort. All I knew was that I didn't like it.

The crowd gathered around the arena still hung onto every word the woman spoke. Even if they disliked Inara, they still listened, curious as to what she had to say. Ethan thanked her for her compliments, still red, and grabbed my blackened hand.

I still considered it one of the great miracles of the universe that Ethan could still think me handsome even with a hand like mine. Oftentimes, if I asked him about it, he would say he liked me all the better for it. He called it my "Old man hand," and told me he would hold it whenever he wanted to imagine us growing old together. I found it unbearably adorable, and said so every time.

Inara spoke once more.

"I congratulate you once again, and if I may ask, I would like to have the honor of eating with you and your boyfriend at lunch today." She said it as if it were a foregone conclusion, that he would say yes.

Was that what we were? Boyfriends? Ethan and I?

Ethan looked around for a short moment, and then nodded reluctantly. I assumed he had the same thoughts going through his head. I took it as a sign of affirmation, both of the question and of the boyfriend comment. I smiled.

Inara's eyes gleamed, and she stepped elegantly around in a circle and strode away, barely making a sound. I hadn't noticed it before, but she was wearing a new dress. It was a light blue color, with cobalt and silver accents, and her hair was no longer down, but pulled upwards in an extraordinarily styled bun.

The crowd dispersed gradually, the fighting now over for a time. Now, we had lunch to get to. And another conversation with Inara to face. What tricks would she present? Any at all? Would she be in the right? Would we be wrong?

The campers settled in, down the lines of stone dining tables, cups and plates seemingly floating in the air, held aloft by the lares, seemingly visible to all while non-existent to my own vision. Except if I looked through the Anamesa. The Anamesa…

Suddenly it struck me.

I could separate the intuitive usage of power from the conscious, creating a strange dichotomy of senses. While other demigods subconsciously controlled their powers, I could deliberately see into the source. I saw what most others only felt. The other demigods seemed to be tapped into their power at every moment, even if they were not directly using it for a purpose.

Lately, I had actually begun to read through the book Reyna had given to me: Codex Deorum. It had explained much to me, and already, I was finding valuable information on what I was experiencing. Although one of my questions still remained. Why couldn't I read Hazel? I had thought I knew the answer, because she had died before, but it still felt unanswered. There was something more to it that I had yet to understand. But I had the feeling the book wouldn't help with that question.

Inara sat across the table from Ethan and I; she had ordered a plate of fruit, filled with luscious grapes and bright oranges and pears. Ethan looked at her plate, raising an eyebrow.

"No meat?"

Inara laughed softly, a small smile on her face.

"No. I am vegetarian."

"Ah⎯⎯⎯ I see." Ethan had ordered a grilled burger, with a side of chicken strips. His face turned slightly red as he contemplated the stark contrast between the two dishes. Inara said nothing, and began eating. It was strange, both Ethan and I seemed unable to stop staring at this woman as she ate. It almost seemed unnatural that this ethereal creature should require human food. She laughed when she realized we were still watching.

"I am often a strange sight to get used to. First I come in on the air, glowing like a star, and then I eat lunch just like everyone else. I apologize, I do have a certain flair for the dramatic.

"I find sunrise to be the best time of day to make an entrance. The arrival of light into the world. It has a certain poetic quality to it, don't you think?"

We nodded, each of us bearing painted smiles. I knew she was trying to put us off our guard, and to some degree, it was working. Maybe it was for the best, that we were relaxed, I mean we'd be able to counter her arguments all the better if we were comfortable. But all the same, I felt a moment of extraordinary panic at a passing glance she gave me. It seemed to radiate an intense understanding. For a terrifying moment, I wondered if she knew that I was the one who had tried to read her mind when she had first arrived. To my relief she said nothing on the subject, asking instead about how the camp was run. I let Ethan explain the workings of the camp, I had been there for almost ten weeks, and I still was getting to know how it all functioned.

Topics flew by in a blur, I could barely keep track of them as they came. They melded together, words blending into the next, back and forth between Ethan and Inara. I began to feel almost unwelcome at the table. Strangely, I knew that if I spoke, Inara would be just as kind as she was to Ethan, but it was almost as if she were silently commanding me to stay out of the conversation. In fact she didn't even need to command it, it was as if she had sectioned Ethan and herself off, secluding themselves from the rest of us. Even though I sat directly next to Ethan, it was as if there was an invisible barrier between us. Ethan's attention was held rapt by this woman, and not for the first time that day I wondered whether she was able to manipulate directly the minds of those she encountered.

And so I kept silent.

After a small while, I looked down at my plate, which to my surprise was empty. I did not remember eating a bite. Inara had gone to sit with another camper, and was already speaking animatedly, laughing at every appropriate time, and making jokes of her own. Somewhat to my relief, I saw the same dejected looks of the campers around Inara, as if they were unwelcome to the conversation Inara was conducting with their friend.

Next to me, Ethan was tapping me on the shoulder. I jumped when I realized this⎯⎯⎯ I realized he had most likely been doing that for quite some time. Blushing I looked over, and he laughed, leaning in to kiss me. My mind woke up with a start when his lips met mine, as if he were electrifying every inch of my body. If I had been in any way shape or form close to falling asleep, I was awake now. Awake and kissing Ethan.

I pulled away after a moment.

"Ethan, I don't like her." I whispered.

"I don't agree with her, but she's still fun to talk to." He responded, flashing me a grin.

"Well⎯⎯⎯ I know, I mean yes she probably is, but I still don't like her."

"Why not?"

"It's just⎯⎯⎯ It's, that when she's with you, or anyone for that matter… I don't know how to explain it⎯⎯⎯ just look around. Don't you see what she's doing?" My words floundered quite a bit as I spoke, coming out like a stream buffeted by jagged rocks.

"See what?"

"Ethan. It felt as if I wasn't a part of the conversation at all! This isn't jealousy or anything, just look around⎯⎯⎯ Look at the people sitting next to whomever she's talking to. It's like there's a wall between them and their friend⎯⎯⎯ Just like there was a few moments ago, between you and me."

Ethan looked about the room sufferingly, but as he did so, he began⎯⎯⎯ I assume⎯⎯⎯ to see what he was talking about. He raised an eyebrow, reaching up to run his hands through his hair.

"Interesting."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really. It's just that when she first arrived, she mentioned that she was looking for the strongest demigods among us. First it was Garret, and I get it for his fighting skills, and then there were a couple more that made sense, and then me, which I guess… Anyway, now she's on to Claudia."

"Why Claudia?"

"I have no idea. So far she hasn't manifested any crazy abilities or any insane talents. I mean she's a great girl, but I'm trying to figure out why⎯⎯⎯ I don't know. Maybe we're just reading too much into it. What if Inara isn't working off a pattern? What if she's truly just having a conversation with people and getting to know them? I mean I understand that strategy, but why exclude people if she wants to make everyone comfortable with her?"

I thought for a moment.

"Maybe she wants people to fight to talk to her. It's like she's separating the camp into people she's talked to and people she hasn't. Not unintentionally, but deliberately. Like a hierarchy. The people she's talked to are marked out as special, and the only way to become special is to talk with her."

"You think she's pitting the camp against each other?"

I paused, but eventually realized that it was exactly what it meant.