When we were close enough to the ship, I whistled for Snowstorm. She came rushing to me as she always did, calling to me and galloping levelly at my side so that I could expertly grab hold of her mane and kick myself off the ground to neatly sit myself on her back so that we could streak on ahead. "No fair!" Percy shouted after us so I just grinned and waved back at him. We'd risked getting a taxi as far back as the bottom of the road but after that we'd run in order to return to the ship, getting the distinct feeling that any number of monsters could be after us. The sound of Snow's clattering hooves on the deck brought people to attention, so the moment all the guys were back on board Leo had us up in the air. I patted Snow's neck as I dismounted and dug around in my pocket until I found a sugar-cube which I fed to her as a treat.
'So I can safely assume that this little adventure of yours ended as most of them do, yes?'
"Snow, you have no idea. Wait until you hear this." I said to her as I breathed deeply to recover myself, Percy already having flopped onto the deck with Annabeth worrying over him as Frank stutteringly attempted to tell people that we were being followed. Once everyone had recovered we told them what had happened with the aquarium, and I voiced my none too discreetly hidden outrage at the barbarity of the imprisoned sea creatures to which Annabeth agreed that it was absolutely unforgiveable and that all of them needed to be rescued. Honestly, I was such a huge fan of Annabeth's, I seriously hoped my idiot brother never messed up with her because she was perfect. With the story told, our heading was next set for Charleston so that we could attempt to find this supposed map to the Mark of Athena. Whatever it was, we would probably need it to fight the twins, though I was getting increasingly anxious about Nico. He didn't have a lot of time left and I wanted nothing more than to rescue him safely. I knew Hazel was just as worried so we started talking about him. Although she was his sister, there was a lot about him that she didn't know and she even asked me about Bianca, the both of us having secluded ourselves away from the others in order to talk privately.
"I mean, I know I'm his sister but sometimes I get the feeling that I'll never shape up to what Bianca was to Nico. A few times I caught him looking at me with this sadness that made me think that he wished Bianca had come back from the dead and not me." She confided as we nibbled on some sandwiches we'd taken from the mess hall, though neither of us really had any appetite.
"Nico looked up to Bianca a lot. It was hard for him to lose her, and harder still when she refused to come back. Although she didn't spend a lot of time in our world, she seemed to understand it a lot better than most people. When she passed, she knew her time was over with and she made peace with her death. Nico tried to bring her back several times, but she didn't want that. She was content to stay in the afterlife, though I think now she's gone for rebirth which was why Nico was unable to bring her back even with the Doors of Death open." Sighing softly, I rested my chin against my hand as I stared blankly ahead of me. "When Nico ran away from camp, it wasn't long before Hades connected our dreams together. I got to know Nico that way, tried to help him and guide him where I could, but mostly we just talked. He wasn't too thrilled when he found out I was Percy's big sister, mind, but he got over it. In some ways, I reminded him of Bianca. A big sister is a big sister, after all. We all care about our little brothers, we'd turn the world on its head just for them, so when I met Nico, alone and grieving, I wanted to protect him. Maybe when he found you, he felt the same way. He found a little sister, someone he needed to help and protect. Maybe he just wanted to be to you what Bianca was to him." Listening to Hazel next to me, I sensed a deep sadness within her as she sniffed. Jeez, I hope I didn't make her cry.
"I hope so. I'm just so worried about him. What if we don't get to him in time? What if…what if we fail?"
"No matter what happens, we're going to rescue Nico. If nothing else I'll beg your father to lend us a hand. Uncle Hades rather likes me, so I'm sure if I promise him a tribute of something he wants, he'll grant us the favour. Plus, you're his daughter too. He won't just turn his back on you. Something I learned from the Titan War was that, despite everything, gods can't help but love their children. They watch over us, influence our lives subtly and try to help us without getting caught, and they always want us to have a happy ending even when mostly, a hero's fate is a tragic one." My mind thought of Luke in that moment, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was my tragic fate. To have fought and sacrificed almost everything for love, only to be turned away and abandoned in the end. It was a story that had been told many times and now that I was living it, I could sympathise with all the women who had ever gone through a similar experience, such as Dionysus's wife who had been abandoned by Jason. Although, the thought of ending up marrying a guy like Mr D was enough to make me want to vomit. I think I'd rather take the tragedy. "What I'm trying to say is, Hazel, that you shouldn't let your worry distract you. Focus on the mission, and everything should unfold as it's meant to."
"I hope so. If Nico dies then…I don't know what I'd do."
"You'd be surprised just how tough Nico is. Sure he's a skinny, scrawny looking thing, but he's made of a metal that's stronger than anything you could find in the earth." Turning my head to offer her a warm smile, I hoped that my reassurances had helped Hazel calm down a little. "He'll be fine. He's only waiting on us." My pep talk seemed to do the trick as Hazel seemed more settled in herself thereafter, and when we came down to join everyone for a proper meal since we'd only nicked the sandwiches in order to snack on before the main course, Frank then took me up on my promise to tell him about my battle against Typhon. Leo instantly brightened because he loved this story and demanded I told it with water images as I was able to manipulate the water into the characters from the story to recreate what had happened, so I did. I told the tale as I remembered it, Percy interjecting with things that I'd glossed over as I played the images like a live action water show, everyone grinning and listening, Jason in particular being impressed and asked to see Amaryllis more closely. I obliged only on the condition that he told us about how he'd fought his own Titan adversary, and soon enough it was a competition as to whose battle was more awesome. It was nice to laugh and argue lightly, everyone now recalling their best battles with Coach Hedge interjecting every now and then between mouthfuls of aluminium cans the kind of fights he'd gotten into before, swearing blind that he'd fought against both monsters and real wrestlers. To be honest, I could very believe it.
Everyone totally forgot about the fact we were being pursued by eagles, able to go to sleep in light spirits and once everyone was asleep, I took the night watch. I trusted that Buford – another crazy invention of Leo's which actually worked really well – would succeed in throwing the eagles off our scent for a while, but for how long I wasn't sure. I lounged in the rigging, listening for the sounds of wing beats that would announce their arrival, but they never came. This meant that come morning, I was exhausted and went straight to bed as the others left in their respective teams. Annabeth had offered for me to join, however one look at me must have been enough for her to change her mind as she told me to sleep well and have pleasant dreams. She then gave me a hug, which was a little unlike her but I accepted it nonetheless, Piper and Hazel both following suit. "Guys, guys come on, all this mushiness, you're making me blush." I teased them, smiling brightly. Other than Jason and Frank, I was the tallest person there so as the girls hugged me in turn, I could neatly fit my chin on top of their heads. Percy was about the same height as me now, though I guessed it wouldn't be long before he overtook me too. I was older, but he just wouldn't stop growing whereas I had slowed down somewhat. "Just be safe out there, all of you. Jason, make sure Leo doesn't blow anything up. He has a tendency to do that."
"I will, don't worry." He agreed, though he was still a little distant with me. I guess that little episode I had before had really freaked him out. I think he was keeping his distance out of worry that he'd upset me, which was sweet, but he didn't need to worry. I saw them all off, handed command of the ship over to Percy, then went straight to sleep to hopefully catch a few hours before everything crashed and burned like it usually did. Sure enough, it seemed like my head had only just hit the pillow before I was being awoken by shouts and hooves pounding against the floor. Guess it's time to get back to work. With a yawn I staggered out of my cabin and quickly wove my pearl string around my waist as it had slipped off my wrist whilst I'd been asleep and I could already feel the effects of being without its magic. The healing returned, however, so hopefully I wouldn't spontaneously combust anytime soon.
"What the heck is going…? Never mind. I can hear the eagles." Sure enough the moment I was up on deck I could hear the cries of giant eagles and the shouts of Roman legionnaires, meaning that we'd been found. Using my sight for quickness, I located everyone's position as Piper rushed up behind me.
"Got a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he's already on his way. He should be – oh! There!" Sure enough when I followed to where Piper was pointing, we could all see another giant eagle flying through the sky with a screaming Leo attached to its leg and Jason flying rather coolly by their side. I couldn't help but laugh. Sounds like Leo wasn't having a good day at all. Hazel called out Frank's name brightly, whereas my brother grumbled rather unhappily with a strong hint of jealousy in his tone which made me grin.
"Never seen Jason fly before. He looks like a blond Superman."
"Oh don't be jealous. You can make tidal waves and breathe underwater." I scolded him with a swat as Piper also admonished him, pointing out that they were in trouble. From above a Roman chariot with flying pegasi descended upon them, arrows raining down after the three boys as they flew towards the ship which was already underway, humming to life so I tossed a thought to the ship, warning it that we were under attack but by no means was it allowed to kill anyone. Just…you know. Maybe knock them out of the sky or something. Unfortunately, that didn't stop Coach Hedge from firing a ballistae at them. Everyone shouted too late for him to stop, so all we could do was watch the horror show that unfolded thereafter. I whistled sharply for Snowstorm who immediately galloped out of her stables and dropped out of the ship from below, flying around to land on the deck so that we could take off together to try and rescue the boys.
Jason and Leo were both falling from where they had been knocked out of the sky, chariot also spiralling out of control with Frank struggling to fly with his wings on fire. It was a mess. "Hold on!" I thundered into the air as Snowstorm carried me faster than the wind to where everyone was screaming and falling, even the Romans. When Snow and I landed in Fort Sumter, it was chaos. Pretty much everybody was screaming, the tourists having no clue what was happening other than a bunch of kids and objects had fallen from the sky, and now I'd turned up on a huge white horse in the middle of it all. With a shrug of my shoulders, I just rolled with it. Amaryllis jumped into my hand as I drew it and wielded her as a sword, smacking the flat side of the blade against one of the Romans who had lost his helmet to knock him out cold. Frank had turned into an elephant of all things, probably because it was easier to smack aside the centurions when you're huge and heavy, whilst Leo was laughing like a maniac and shooting fire into the sky at the eagles. "Leo! Stop trying to set fire to everything you pyromaniac!" I shouted as Snow began to gallop forwards, charging into the Romans whereby we started to fight our way through. She kicked and reared expertly to avoid any attacks, knocking out a few Romans herself as my blade clashed against their weapons to throw them off and force them back. No one could beat me when I was with Snowstorm. We were an unbeatable pair. The only difficult aspect was making sure we didn't accidentally hit a mortal tourist because they were still screaming and running about the place.
Perhaps this was to our benefit, because it made us more difficult to capture for the Romans. Eventually though we managed to reach Leo where I pointedly grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him up onto Snow's rump behind me, forcing him to quickly adjust his seat and cling onto me for dear life as we whirled around and bolted in the opposite direction away from the Romans that were beginning to close in on him. "Thanks for the save!"
"You're welcome, now don't start anymore fires. Snow will kill you if you singe her feathers." I warned him as I slashed my blade and kicked at another Roman who had tried to leap on us. They fell to the ground and were soon lost beneath the crowds. I hope that golden armour of theirs protected them from the meat grinder of tourists trying to escape. Now for Frank. I yelled to him as we approached, telling him to hurry and turn into something smaller so that we could escape back to the ship. I held back the centurions as he changed, dismounting Snow so that I could fight them myself, switching between a sword and a trident so that I was always keeping them guessing and, for the most part, fighting with my eyes closed anyway. I seemed to always fight better blind anyway. I sent tiny tremors through the ground as I stomped my feet, the vibrations causing the Romans to lose their balance so that it was easier to disarm them and send them back, keeping them at bay until I heard Leo shout to me that they were ready. Frank had turned into a smaller bird, flitting back and forth around Leo's head. Now there was only Jason.
Thankfully he seemed to be handling himself just fine, already making his way over as I nodded my head then sent Snow on ahead with Leo who screeched and almost fell off her back when she took to the skies with Frank close behind. "That was some pretty awesome fighting just then Lily." Jason said to me as he dropped down from above, flashing me a grin. "It's been a while since I've seen you fight."
"Oh please, this isn't the training arena at camp. You haven't seen anything yet." I smirked back at him before we then both dove forwards in order to break through the Roman ranks. A minor earthquake from me shattered their stance and broke their strong line, allowing Jason to plough through so that they were soon in a huge mess of confusion. I didn't know who any of them were, but each time I hit someone I kept on shouting. "Sorry! Sorry about that! We're not the bad guys, promise! It's all a misunderstanding!" Doubting it would do much good, I kept on apologising anyway, even when I full on punched someone in the face. "Sorry!" Jason laughed. I took a moment to appreciate the fact that he wasn't acting awkwardly around me right now, that any previous awkwardness had been forgotten as we fought side by side to make our way back to the ship. Whilst we'd been at camp together, we'd become good friends in truth. For a while people had worried that a child of Poseidon and a child of Jupiter would cause tension and friction due to our statuses, but Jason had always insisted that no matter what, I was Senior Camper and had more authority than him. I liked that about Jason. He could lead well and was an inspiring figure, but he also knew when to let others lead. He never once tried to take over my place, and even during games of Capture the Flag, always followed my command. Sometimes I let him take the lead out of courtesy and appreciation for his respect. Like I said. We were good friends.
Fighting beside him now brought back all those good memories, and so these Roman soldiers didn't stand a chance at all. Soon enough we were back on the ship, though when I realised Annabeth had also gone into the fort, I decided to go back for her. We needed to get out of here now, so as soon as she finds that map, we're setting sail. Percy and Jason had everything under control so I was back with Snowstorm and flying for the fort, dodging eagles and arrows along the way. I was now seriously grateful for all those insane obstacle courses Chiron had ever made us do because honestly, they really did help you prepare for crazy nonsense like Roman eagle dodging. The only thing was, I could feel my sight already beginning to fade. I had used it too much recently, which meant that my time with actual vision was running out. Thankfully I could already see Annabeth on the battlements, though it seemed like she had company. Reyna and a pair of metal hounds of some kind. "Keep high, Snow. I don't think they've noticed us yet." I instructed her as she quickly adjusted her wings, my sight growing darker and darker until it was gone completely. "Glide down, stay stealthy."
'Understood Lady Lily.' Stretching out her wings I sensed Snow shift her weight so that we could spiral in a wide circle, the eagles having abandoned us to focus on the ship which allowed us a small amount of time to reach Reyna and Annabeth before they could realise who we were aiming for. Below, I could already hear their voices as they carried up on the wind. It seemed like Annabeth was attempting to reason with Reyna, though it didn't seem to be having much of an effect.
"If you let Gaia drive our camps apart, the giants have already won. They'll destroy the Romans, the Greeks, the gods, the whole mortal world."
"You think I don't know that?" Reyna responded rather sharply, like the weight of responsibility was slowing crushing the breath out of her lungs. "What choice have you left me? Octavian smells blood, he's whipped the legion into a frenzy, and I can't stop it. Surrender to me. I'll bring you back to New Rome for trial. It won't be fair. You'll be painfully executed. But it may be enough to stop further violence. Octavian won't be satisfied, of course, but I think I can convince the others to stand down." That sounded like a rather poor deal, if you ask me, but I could see the logic behind Reyna's words. Or at least, I could understand the Roman logic in them. As Annabeth protested that it wasn't her fault to begin with. "It doesn't matter! Someone must pay for what happened. Let it be you. It's the better option."
"Absolutely not!" Declaring my presence I launched myself from Snow's back and summersaulted into a landing, standing up between Reyna and Annabeth though I had to turn myself so that I was facing Reyna, roughly being able to judge the distance between us through where her voice originated from. "I won't let you take her." Lifting up my sword, I pointed it directly at Reyna with a dark expression that dared her to try and take Annabeth.
"If you do not surrender now, then it will only mean further bloodshed later." Reyna responded after hushing her two hounds which had started to growl at me. "Use that wisdom of yours, Annabeth. If you escape today, we won't follow. I told you – not even a madman would cross the sea to the ancient lands. If Octavian can't have vengeance on your ship, he'll turn his attention to Camp Half-Blood. The legion will march on your territory. We will raze it and salt the earth." Shock overcame me so suddenly that I unwittingly lowered my sword arm slightly, staring with wide, sightless eyes towards Reyna in disbelief. No. They wouldn't. They couldn't. Behind me I heard Annabeth gasp lightly.
"You can't. You don't even know where it is." I began, thinking that perhaps this was just a trick to try and force us to surrender, but Reyna remained calm and collected.
"Yes, I do. Annabeth herself told me where to find it." Now my head snapped around and for the first time, I glowered at Annabeth with anger. How could she do that? How thoughtless and careless had she been to tell someone, an outsider, the location of our camp? I was so outraged that I almost screamed at her as the weight of the moment came crashing down on us all. This was a pivotal moment, a moment where a decision had to be made. Surrender or escape? One sacrifice or another. In truth, I was so tired of offering myself up as a sacrifice that the last thing I wanted was to surrender myself to Reyna in Annabeth's stead, that in my selfishness I would rather go to war with Rome than die alone. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. There was a foul presence around us and underneath my feet, far below, I could sense an aberration in the earth. Gaia was watching.
"I'm going." Hearing Annabeth speak drew me further from my thoughts, back into the present where she addressed Reyna directly. "I'm following the Mark of Athena to Rome."
"You have no idea what awaits you." Reyna warned her as I remained standing in the middle, my weapon still held securely in preparation to fight or defend.
"Yes, I do. This grudge between our camps…I can fix it." I was surprised by how certain and determined Annabeth sounded, so sure of herself that for a moment I had no doubt in her own belief that she would succeed where so many others had failed. Reyna clearly did not feel the same way, reminding Annabeth that the grudge between our two people was over a thousand years old and how did she expect one person to fix it. "The quest has to succeed." She finally responded after giving it careful consideration. "You can try to stop me, in which case we'll have to fight to the death. Or you can let me go and I'll try to save both our camps. If you must march on Camp Half-Blood, at least try to delay. Slow Octavian down."
"One daughter of a war goddess to another, I respect your boldness. But if you leave now you doom your camp to destruction." Even without meaning to, both Annabeth and I spoke at the same time.
"Don't underestimate Camp Half-Blood." We glanced at one another, the feeling of familiar stormy grey eyes meeting mine settling any brief anger I had held towards Annabeth in a moment.
"You've never seen the legion at war." At this I then smirked, turning around to fully face Reyna as I lowered my sword at my side.
"And you have never seen us Greeks at war. We've faced down Titans, monsters, even gods. We'll be ready for you when the time comes, Praetor Reyna. One camp leader to another, I can promise you a battle you will never forget." Twirling my sword in my grasp, I flicked the ring which expanded it into a trident to then stamp it firmly on the ground before me, holding it with a proud expression as the winds and seas continued to howl and rage against the Roman legionnaires as they continued their assault against our ship. "Though I hope it never has to come to open war, I vow that Camp Half-Blood will be a worthy adversary for you Romans. For now, trust in Annabeth. This day and age is a time for new heroes to arise, greater even than those of the past, and Annabeth is one of those heroes that legends and tales will be told in song and verse. If anyone can succeed in this quest, it's her." I waited as Reyna considered my response, the heaviness of her presence making me wonder just how lonely she must have felt all this time. It wore down upon her and I couldn't help but sympathise. I knew that kind of isolation was soul crushing. In the end, Reyna finally responded, and I was grateful to hear that her voice took on a softer tone.
"Were you born a Roman, I would think you would have made an excellent politician, Lily Jackson. If you were on my side, I would feel better knowing Octavian had an adversary that could keep him in check." Flattered by her compliments I blushed slightly and offered a modest smile before she drew herself up and returned to being a stern and commanding figure. "Very well then. Lily Jackson. Annabeth Chase. When we meet again, we will be enemies on the field of battle." Then she left, taking her two hounds with her. We had succeeded in bargaining for our freedom today, and now we had to make sure that we could keep our promises. I whistled for Snow, telling her it was okay to come down now so she landed and allowed both me and Annabeth to climb onto her back despite the fact she hated carrying extra passengers.
"Thank you." Annabeth whispered to me once we were in the air, holding onto me for balance as we flew directly for the ship with the winds shifting to help push us faster. "I'm sorry I told her where the camp is…I didn't think it would turn out like this."
"None of us did. It's okay, I won't tell the others, but we need to make a plan of action. If you guys don't make it back in time, then the camp will be attacked." The thought weighed heavily on us both as Snow dove for the ship so that we could all escape together and finally begin the next stage of the quest. Crossing the ocean to reach the ancient lands.