Four days later at the winter solstice, the world didn't suddenly implode so I reasoned that this must mean that Jason and the others' quest must have been successful. With the world remaining calm, Hera must have made it back to Olympus and placated the other gods before war could break out between them. I got an Iris Message from Chiron on the fifth morning asking me to come back to camp because there was a lot that I needed to hear and that it was important, so I had Snowstorm take us back. We'd travelled quite far in four days, making stops along the way where I found different monsters and if they proved useless in my search for Percy killed them, but had soon discovered that they didn't stay dead for long. This was rather disconcerting, as the first time this had happened and I had turned my back, if my senses hadn't been so sharp, I might have missed the fact that the monster was reforming almost immediately behind me so I'd been forced to kill it a second time then make my escape. Concerning, but not too much of a problem, so long as I didn't get cocky with my skill level. I was competent, sure, but I didn't want to think of myself as invulnerable. If anything I was completely the opposite, because any serious injury and I might be able to make it because of how unstable my body was.
Anyway other than monsters, I also checked in with some of my friends that I'd made whilst serving under Kronos, because we had all promised to stay in touch with one another, writing letters and keeping one another updated on our locations so I passed by a couple of people along my way. None of them had heard anything about Percy going missing, not even a rumour, and though some were able to give me suggestions on where to look next and to promise they would also keep their ears to the ground, I had very little to no success whatsoever. Michael was particularly sympathetic, offering to help me search for my brother but I'd just smiled sadly and told him that I could handle it and that he had his own problems to worry about, such as getting that new job he'd be angling for whilst trying to avoid getting eaten by all these monsters that just refused to stay dead. Seriously, it was inconsiderately rude of them. I actually stayed with Michael a few hours, we'd grown fairly close as friends considering he used to be my second in command, so it was understandable, though I felt awkward when he asked about Luke. "So have you heard from him at all? Luke I mean."
"Not for a while, last I knew he was down south near the border. I haven't heard from him for about two weeks now, but that's not unusual." I didn't want to talk about Luke considering everything else I had on my plate and Michael thankfully caught onto the fact as he didn't ask anything further. It was nice to take a short break and catch up with Michael, warning him to be careful with monsters and to keep in touch before I had to get going. Honestly I felt like I was wandering aimlessly, so when I did receive the call from Chiron I was almost glad to return, hoping that some new information had come to light, or even better, I would walk through the doors of the Big House and Percy would be standing there. It was a fanciful hope and I shouldn't have let myself get carried away, so I shouldn't have been surprised in my disappointment to find him absent. I walked inside and found all the other camp head counsellors gathered in their usual antics of horseplay – no offence Chiron – which made me sigh heavily and roll my eyes. Using my vision, I looked first to Jason, Piper and Leo who had all made it back safely, and managed a strained smile to them as I took the seat meant for the head counsellor of Cabin Three.
Annabeth was sitting in her own chair as well, and we both shared a pained looked which told each other everything. No closer to finding Percy. Judging from the redness of her eyes and the heavy shadows on her face, I'm guessing Annabeth had done a lot of crying. She looked even worse than me, and that was saying something. "Let's come to order." Chiron finally spoke now that everyone had gathered. Guess I had been the last to arrive. "Lou Ellen, please give Miranda her nose back. Travis, if you'd kindly extinguish the flaming ping-pong ball and, Butch, I think twenty pencils is really too many for any human nostril. Thank you. Now, as you can see, Jason, Piper and Leo have returned successfully…more or less. Some of you have heard parts of their story, but I will let them fill you in." I was glad when a satyr came around and brought me a soda with nachos to snack on because I was starving and needed a sugar boost to keep me awake, because I wanted to hear every word of this. I murmured a thank you as Jason looked a little awkwardly out at everyone who was awaiting him to start the epic tale of his quest with Piper and Leo, and he did not disappoint.
He began from pretty much the moment they had left the camp on the bronze dragon, who I was sad to learn was no longer operational, and everything that had happened from there. Basically they had managed to get to Boreas's place and found out where the storm spirits were convening, Chicago, but on the way their dragon malfunctioned and they landed right in the middle of a Cyclopes lair in Detroit. After Leo rescued Piper and Jason after they had been caught they got to Chicago and then were almost made to kill each other by Medea who had been raised from the dead but managed to escape thanks to Piper who snapped them out of the witch's grasp with her own charm-speaking ability. Quite honestly it was a rather bizarre and sporadic quest, taking them from one place to another all the while trying to avoid staying on the ground for too long. I was unhappy to learn that King Midas had risen from the dead mostly because he had betrayed Nico before and tried to help the Titan's in the war, and considering he could turn anything he touched into gold, it was not a good thing that he was backing the enemy because he was more or less an infinite bank account. Along the way to Pike's Peak where they intended to meet with Aeolus because apparently he'd have all the answers they'd need, Piper admitted that her dad had been kidnapped and used as leverage against her to sabotage the quest but she couldn't betray her friends, so they'd decided to help her rescue her dad – who by the way happened to be Tristan McLean, one of the most popular actors of today – and more than that, they'd also come across the Hunters of Artemis who rescued them from a wolf pack led by Lycaon, King of Wolves.
I had not expected the sudden twist where Jason admitted that Thalia was his full blooded sister, because honestly I didn't think anything else in this story could be more surprising than anything I'd already heard. Anyway, long story short, they'd met Aeolus, who was apparently totally whacked according to Leo, and they'd gotten then information they needed but then were almost killed. If it hadn't been for an aura spirit, Mellie, they wouldn't have made it out of there alive. They landed in a café, managed to get to Mount Diablo to rescue Piper's dad as well as defeat the giant Enceladus who was holding him hostage, where they then went to a place called Wolf House where Hera was being kept and another giant, Porphyrion, was being raised. It ended with Piper and Leo managing to break the cage whilst Jason held off the giant, though Hera revealed her true form and went supernova on all the monsters which ended up killing Jason, but somehow he came back to life which even now none of us knew how to answer other than to theorise that maybe Piper's charmspeak had had something to do with it. The last bit of news came from Jason alone, revealing that Juno had come to visit him just a short while ago at his cabin, to us Greek heroes though she was Hera.
To be honest I didn't know what to think after hearing all that. No one else reacted for a while either, sitting silent and still which was pretty impressive for a bunch of kids with ADHD. The only sounds were the occasional crunch of nachos and Clovis snoring. Finally, Annabeth spoke up. "So Hera was here. Talking to you." She sounded rather deadly, like she wanted to march over to Cabin One and demand Hera to get back down here so she could stab her in the face with her knife.
"Look, I'm not saying I trust her…" Jason began and was quickly cut off by Annabeth who told him that this was smart. "…but she isn't making this up about another group of demigods. That's where I came from." The other demigods. I had suspected this had been the case, and although I had quizzed Chiron about it before I'd left five days ago, he still refused to say anything. I sent him a look now thought, saying 'I knew it' and left it at that. Roman demigods. It all made sense when you thought about it when you considered Jason.
"Romans. You expect us to believe there's another camp with demigods, but they follow the Roman forms of the gods. And we've never even heard of them." Clarisse spoke as she tossed some food at the leopard head Seymour as he'd been moved into the conference room so that he wouldn't be lonely or feel left out.
"The gods have kept the two groups apart, because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other." Piper explained simply though to this Clarisse merely shrugged.
"I can respect that. Still, why haven't we ever run across each other on quests?"
"Oh, yes you have." Chiron revealed with a hollow tone. "Many times. It's always a tragedy, and always the gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same gods but under different names and with slightly different personalities." This made sense, I mean when you thought about it this kind of thing didn't sound so crazy. I mean if you'd asked me a couple of years ago what I'd think if someone told me that Greek heroes and the gods still existed in the modern world, I'd have thought you crazy but look at me now. Why not add Roman demigods to the mix? It'll keep things interesting at the very least.
"More warlike," Jason continued, "more united. More about expansion, conquest and discipline." Pretty much everyone other than Clarisse didn't really like this kind of model of thinking. I for one hated too much discipline so I'd imagine I wouldn't have lasted long in a Roman camp if everything had to be regimented and by the book. I'd probably had been thrown out or killed or something within my first week.
"And the Romans hated the Greeks. They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles and made them part of the Roman Empire."
"Not exactly hated them," Jason corrected Annabeth, who seemed to know more what he was talking about these days compared to before when all he could respond with to any question was I don't know. "The Romans admired Greek culture and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So during Roman times demigods started to divide, either Greek or Roman." I for one would choose to remain Greek.
"And it's been that way ever since." My eyes journeyed to Annabeth, who seemed to be having a hard time wrapping her head around this. "But this is crazy. Chiron, where were the Romans during the Titan War? Didn't they want to help?"
"They did help, Annabeth. While you and Percy were leading the battle to save Manhattan, who do you think conquered Mount Othrys, the Titans' base in California?" Now all of us got to thinking, though Travis reminded Chiron that he had told us that Mount Othrys had crumbled after Kronos had been defeated because the Titans' powers had been vanquished.
"No," announced Jason. "It didn't just fall. We destroyed their palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself, though now that I think about it, the palace was pretty destroyed when we got there. A lot of the place was cracked and broken."
"That would have been me." I said with a lazy lift of my hand. "Whilst I was spying on Kronos, I lost control over myself and caused an earthquake that broke a lot of stuff." Jason looked at me with a flash of impressed respect so I winked at him before then returning my attention to Annabeth, who was now glowering darkly at Chiron.
"The Bay Area. We demigods were always told to stay away from it because Mount Othrys was there. But that wasn't the only reason, was it? The Roman camp – it's got to be somewhere near San Francisco. I bet it was put there to keep watch on the Titan's territory. Where is it?" Chiron was unable to tell us, because not even he knew the location of the other camp which sent me into a spiralling sensation of anger and disappointment. Not even Jason could take us there because that memory had been removed from his mind and not yet returned.
"The camp's heavily veiled with magic, and heavily guarded. We could search for years and never find it." Jason told us, but that wouldn't deter me. I'd find the damn place, because I'd bet everything I owned that that was exactly where Percy was right now. If Jason had turned up just before Jason had appeared, then it must be because their places had been switched.
"But you'll try, won't you? You'll build Leo's boat, the Argo II. And before you make for Greece you'll sail for the Roman camp. You'll need their help to confront the giants." This time it had been Rachel who spoke up, having remained quiet throughout the entire meeting though Clarisse pointed out that this wouldn't exactly be advisable because the Romans might see it as a declaration of war if we flew armed to the teeth into their territory. I'd gladly make war on them if it meant getting my brother back, though I kept this notion to myself.
"You're probably right, but we have to try. I was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood, to try to convince you the two camps don't have to be enemies. A peace offering." Jason reasoned with us all as Rachel agreed, telling us that Hera believed that both camps were needed to win the upcoming war. Seven heroes of Olympus, some Greek, some Roman. To this Annabeth asked to hear the last line of the Great Prophecy again, which spoke of foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death. Nothing in that sentence sounded uplifting, but this was often the case with prophecies. Why couldn't they ever be about sunshine and rainbows for once?
"Gaia has opened the doors of death. She's letting out the worst villains of the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas, there'll be more, I'm sure. Maybe the line means that the Roman and Greek demigods will unite and find the doors, and close them." Annabeth suggested, though not everyone shared her thoughts. Clarisse again pointed out the obvious translation of the prophecy, that it could mean that the opposing sides would fight each other at the Doors instead. I hated how realistic she could be sometime. I had hoped she would learn some optimism from Chris by now. "I'm going." Annabeth then announced, like it was already decided. "Jason, when you get this ship built, let me go with you."
"Wait," Leo interrupted surprisingly. "I mean that's cool with me and all, but why Annabeth of all people?"
"Hera said my coming here was an exchange of leaders." Jason explained to everyone and only confirmed what I had figured out for myself. "A way for the two camps to learn of each other's existence." Leo still didn't get it, so Jason explained further. "An exchange goes two ways. When I got here, my memory was wiped. I didn't know who I was or where I belonged. Fortunately, you guys took me in and I found a new home. I know you're not my enemy. The Roman camp – they're not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you don't survive. They may not be so nice to him, and if they learn where he comes from he's going to be in serious trouble."
"Him? Who are you talking about?" Seriously, I didn't expect Leo to be this slow on the uptake, my scowl levelling at him which made him blush and start to tinker with something in his hands, twisting gears and fiddling with an object as Annabeth clarified.
"My boyfriend, Lily's brother, he disappeared around the same time Jason appeared. If Jason came to Camp Half-Blood…"
"Exactly. Percy Jackson is at the other camp, and he probably doesn't even remember who he is." No sooner had Jason stopped speaking, the ground began to rumble. Everything quaked and shook, the rattling of the house and everything loose shuddering under the constant tremors as everyone who was used to these outbursts quickly grabbed onto something stable or steadied something that might have fallen until Chiron politely requested that I got my temper back under control. Piper, Leo and Jason looked a little freaked out, staring at me with gaping mouths. Leo grinned, asking if I had just made that earthquake happen, but I was too mad to speak or even really hear him. I slammed my hands down on the table and launched myself to my feet, feeling like a typhoon of emotion as I turned and stormed out of the meeting. I knew where Percy was, so now I was going to get him. I don't care about whatever Hera had planned, he needed to be home with his family. That witch had no business interfering in our lives, if she had asked nicely, I would have volunteered to go in Percy's place. Nobody messes with my little brother, and this Roman camp sounded harsh. Percy struggled dealing with authority figures at the best of times, I wasn't even sure he'd manage to survive a place like that. What if something happened to him? What if Hera's plan fails and the Romans just kill him the moment they figure out who he was? Forget Gaia and the giants, I'd destroy that camp myself and everyone in it if they hurt Percy. Even if they'd laid a hand on a single hair on his head. Behind me as I continued to stride away, I heard Chiron galloping after me.
"Lily! Do not act rashly, where do you think you're going?"
"San Francisco." I told him bluntly because it should have been obvious. Suddenly Chiron had galloped ahead then wheeled himself around, using his large and pure white horse body to block my way as I fixed a sharp glare on him.
"I cannot allow you do that, Lily."
"Out of my way Chiron, I'm getting my brother back today. Hera had no business kidnapping him. Do you have any idea how crazy my mom is right now? She's completely out of her mind with worry and if I don't bring Percy back to her then she might actually go insane. She lost me for two years. Two years, because of the gods and their war! I am not letting my mom lose another kid to this new one!" Deep down I felt guilty and ashamed for shouting at Chiron because he didn't deserve it, but I was so angry and upset that I couldn't hold it back even as tiny tremors continued to pulse from under my feet as my emotions ran rampant. The others from the Big House were starting to crowd on the porch in order to listen to us, I could hear them behind me as Chiron stood his ground and looked at me with understanding, but also with the knowledge that he couldn't allow me to interfere.
"It has to be this way, Lily, surely you see that? If Percy can gain the trust of the Roman demigods, then we might be able to have peace between our two camps. Together we stand a better chance of defeating the giants and sending Gaia back to sleep."
"Then I'll take his place. I don't care about anything else other than getting Percy back. So long as he's safe then nothing else matters. The world can go to hell for all I care, but no one gets to mess with Percy's head, least of all a goddess who was stupid enough to get herself trapped by the same trick that got her thousands of years ago." Above me the sky rumbled so I turned my face to the sky and cupped my hands around my mouth in order to shout. "YOU HEAR ME HERA? YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ME INSTEAD! HOW DARE YOU MESS WITH MY BROTHER?" Chiron's hand leaped to my mouth in order to stop me, offering apologies to the sky but I was on a roll, and honestly it felt good to shout because it helped to expel the excess of emotions that I had been suppressing for a long time in the hope that I could keep it all under control but now it was too much, and I needed a release. Yanking myself free from Chiron, I struggled against him. "Let me go! I'm going to San Francisco, I'm getting Percy right now! You can't stop me Chiron!"
"No, I cannot stop you by force, but I am begging you, Lily. Do not do this, you know that if you start to intervene in the plans of the gods, it could have devastating consequences and could even get Percy killed." This made me go still so that Chiron's arms remained locked around me, holding me so that I couldn't escape from him. "You remain a cursed child, Lily, which means you can influence things that were before set in stone because your existence itself is an anomaly, but it will not always result in goodness as when you saved Luke. You will always pay a price for trying to change Fate, just look at yourself. Any minute now you will collapse because you have expended too much power, and were it not for the Fleece you would have burst apart into dust months ago. Lily, please. If ever you are going to trust me, trust me now. Have patience, trust in Percy that he will survive whatever lies in his path, and once the Argo II is ready, go with the others to find him. I do not know if you are one of the seven of the prophecy, but at the very least, you will be able to see Percy again. Patience, Lily. Patience." All of Chiron's years of experience had clearly taught him well because he seemed to know exactly how to get me to think again and reason he was right. If I went stomping across San Francisco kicking up the ocean and making earthquakes, the Romans might see me as a threat, and start attacking both me and Percy if I managed to find him. He was also right about me still being cursed. Zeus's curse meant that I could never fully heal my eyesight, but it did give me certain leeway in a way that other half-bloods didn't have.
I could use that to my advantage, but right now I had to think about this and be smart. What would I do after getting to San Francisco? I could probably walk right past the entrance to the camp and still never find it, I'd go around in circles forever and comb through every part of the city inch by inch and remain none the wiser. Suddenly I felt heavy, like the weight of the world had suddenly hit me all at once and the scorching pain of my body tearing itself apart caused me to collapse all at once. Chiron's front legs buckled, grasping onto me tightly and placing his hand upon my forehead as Annabeth came racing forwards with Will Solace from Apollo cabin in order to help me. Chiron was right about this too, I had pushed myself too far, and now I was feeling the effects. "Just rest Lily, you will feel better tomorrow. If you need, we can talk more then." Chiron soothed me and I looked at him with a pain-stricken face, but not entirely because I was hurting everywhere.
"I'm sorry Chiron. I didn't mean it." Then he smiled at me, warm and affectionate the way a father would look at his child.
"I know that, my dear. Rest." His hand slowly smoothed down my face and I suddenly felt extremely sleepy and even though I tried to fight it, I couldn't. Maybe Clovis was also influencing me, because I fell asleep so quickly that it couldn't have been natural. I was glad for it though, because for once I didn't dream or have any nightmares, which meant that I finally had a decent night's sleep for the first time in weeks and could no longer feel any pain or worry about what was going on in the outside world. I was jealous of the Hypnos kids, because sleeping all day like that sounded great compared to anything else, but I couldn't stay asleep forever. Eventually I had to wake up and break the news to mom that we weren't going to be getting Percy back anytime soon, and I didn't even know if he was okay. This time, however, I was going to be with her every step of the way until the time came that we would go and get Percy back from the Roman camp. Until then…I guess I just have to carry on with life as best I could. I still have those classes to get my GED, I'd been gone a week now so I had some catching up to do, and after that…well. We'll come to that bridge when it's time to cross. Until then, I needed to be there for mom, because other than Percy, she was the most important person in my life, and I was not going to let her down this time by not being there for her when she needed me.