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Concentrating on schoolwork was a dead-end. There was too much going on to be worried about Math.

Thankfully, Morris had shut up now, ushered and shamed into silence by their classmates. Now, he simply spent his time glaring at the back of Jason's head, but that was less than nothing compared to fighting Caligula.

Oh, what had he been thinking? Louisa was right- he was a dumbass. Taking on an emperor. Honestly. There was no way. He had been exhausted from calling on lightning and Tempest, he'd been shot in each arm and leg, he had never been so scared in his life- he didn't want to die.

It was you or Piper, his brain reminded him upon noticing the tremor in his hands, you or Piper. What were you going to do, Grace?

I don't know.

Lou made a third option. It was neither of you.

I know. But she shouldn't have.

When has Lou ever done anything by the book?

That is true.

You're alive. Don't waste it.

He dropped his Math book, scowling at the numbers. There was something he could do, something worthwhile. His diorama sat at the back of his desk, next to his pile of sketchbooks and notes. Having poured more time into his pontifex research than his schoolwork and butchering countless Monopoly sets, Jason's plans were coming along quite nicely. All he had to do was borrow his delightful little cousin for five minutes so she could chip in with her side of the deal- action figures and collector's cards. That's if she didn't get herself killed between now and then. Or if Reyna didn't kill her. Or her mother.

He sat back in his chair, wiping his shaking hands on his jacket. Taking a deep breath, he fought to push the image of Caligula's spear bristling in the space he had been. Seconds. It had been seconds. He had turned to yell at Apollo, turned to urge them out of there. That had been all the time the emperor needed. That spear would have sunk into his back and that would have been it- no more Jason.

He picked up the top sketchbook, needing something to occupy his mind. A bit of paper fell from behind the front cover, landing on his lap. Folded roughly in quarters, torn along the edge from where it had been yanked from a notebook. He knew who it was from before he unfolded it and saw the writing.

Dear Bastard, Louisa had scribbled in Latin, the ink splotching from her left-handedness, fight me.

Jason nodded, having expected as much. Underneath that, she had put:

Seriously though, look after yourself. Or I'm telling my mom, she'll sort you out. I know phones and stuff are all blah at the minute, but here's her number. She's good to talk to.

I'll see you soon. Don't die. Only I can kill you.

Lots of love from your favourite cousin

Me. Duh.

PS- that box under your bed? I don't know why, but it's mysteriously empty. Next to that, she had drawn a little cartoon version of herself sticking her tongue out. Jason sighed. That box under his bed was his secret stash of sweets and cookies. He checked, but at best she had left him a few crumbs and parts of the wrappers.

Her mother's number was written in big numbers, scribbled over to make the figures thicker. She had drawn a bubble around it and then lots of arrows just to make sure he didn't miss it. With communications down, he wasn't sure he would be able to use it if he needed it. He had only met Jessica a handful of times, but he knew her to be a good, strong woman who could keep Louisa in her place with just a Look. She understood demigod stuff and, with her daughter's track record, she knew what it was like for them to be so close to death.

He read the note again, shaking his head at the little caricature of her.

"Thanks, Lou."

Apollo didn't really want to answer Hazel's demand, but he had seen how she dealt with her enemies. He had already been scratched by a deadly beast- he did not fancy being skewered by a deadlier demigod.

But Louisa was in no fit state to answer Hazel's questions, and it was only really him and Meg that knew the whole tale.

"Let her go." Hazel advised as Louisa continued to lurch and swear and fight to get free. Lavinia and Don were more than happy to do so. Louisa sprinted off, making it about twenty feet or so before her body gave up on her. They could only see her silhouette in the light from their weapons, sinking to sit with her back to the wall.

Hazel looked at Apollo, still not sure who he was, but figuring things out herself. "She did something stupid, didn't she?" Her expression tightened, she pressed her hands together, rubbing her thumb over her knuckles. "I-I had nightmares." She breathed. "A boat. A man on a horse. A… a spear. How did… Jason was in danger, but… Lou was there and- and I don't know, what happened?" Apollo did his best to answer, right from his fall into the mortal world and his various adventures with Meg. He spoke of their fight aboard Caligula's yacht.

"Jason would have died saving us." Apollo said quietly. "But Lou, she… she just appeared, she saved him, saved us all. By doing so, she…" He hesitated, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "She has angered the Fates. By saving Jason, she has put something worse on her own head." Hazel sighed.

"That sounds about right." She muttered. "Jason… Jason and Piper, they're… they're OK?"

"Jason is back at school. Louisa made sure of it. Piper has left, she's moving away." Hazel didn't press for more information, giving a sigh of relief.

Lavinia was keeping an eye on Louisa. Meg did her best to tend to her bleeding friend with a spare dress from her backpack. Don watched the ceiling, a new crack zig-zagging above them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, "but we should really continue this outside."

"Yes." Hazel agreed. She turned. "Lou?" She called.

"Ssh." Louisa demanded. "Loud."

"I know," Hazel assured, although it didn't seem like she did know, "I know we're all loud. But we have to move. It's not safe here." Hazel took a step towards her, and then another. She got about two feet away when Louisa drew her sword. She stopped instantly, holding up her hands. "It's alright, Lou, it's just us. We'll get you back to camp and then throw you in the bay. That'll make you feel better, right?"

"Mmm. Reyna."

"Uh, yes, Reyna may want to kill you."

"Saved Jason."

"I know, I heard. Come on, give me your hand."

"Mine."

"I know it's yours, but you're not the steadiest on your feet now, are you?"

"Blame Apollo."

"OK." Hazel agreed with a laugh. Louisa did not put her sword away, but she lowered it, giving Hazel incentive to move forward and help her up. "Lavinia." She called. "Help me here."

Hazel and Lavinia carried Louisa between them, leading the way back to camp. Apollo distractedly noticed a vulture feather fluttering on the centurion's sleeve. He glanced over to Meg. Her eyes were bruising something wicked from the car crash, making her look like a terribly dressed racoon. Don seemed to have developed a nervous twitch, tipping his head to the left as if trying to listen to his shoulder. Apollo kept up with them as best he could, Meg's dress pressed against his stomach. The bleeding appeared to have stopped, but the injury burned and sent pins and needles through his midriff. He hoped Hazel was right, hoped the healers could help him.

Open air and light crept towards them, encouraging them to be half a step quicker. They stood on a rocky promontory about halfway up a hillside. The valley of New Rome spread out below. In the twilight, the hills had turned violet, though there were dozens of random lighter patches. They could smell wood smoke and lilacs on the gentle breeze. Louisa inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. Already, she seemed a fraction calmer, just being outside.

"Wow." Meg said, breaking the silence, stunned.

The Little Tiber wound its way across the valley floor, a glittering line curling into a blue lake near the centre of the camp. To the north of the lake, New Rome stood, a smaller version of the original imperial city. With Leo's words in his head, Apollo had expected the place to be in shambles, levelled. With the waning light, however, everything looked normal. He could see the gleam of the white buildings with red-tiled roofs, the domed Senate House, the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum. To the south, he could see Temple Hill, its chaotic assortment of shrines and monuments giving off their own dim lights. On the summit, the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus overshadowed and outshone everything.

Before all of this, Apollo hated looking at Temple Hill. He figured he should have had the biggest, flashiest temple. Now, he looked at it with fresh eyes. He remembered Jason's diorama, the plans and sketches he had compiled, everything he set for Temple Hill, to be the pontifex. When Jason would return to camp, Apollo didn't know, but he could not wait to see Jason's work brought to life, for Jason to see the fruits of his labour. And yet… it could have been all so different. Not hard work being paid off, but a tribute. Apollo could not bring himself to dwell on it.

A rough half mile from their ledge, stood Camp Jupiter itself. With its picketed walls, watchtowers and trenches, its neat rows of barracks lining two principal streets, it could have been any Roman legion camp at any point in the old empire. Romans were so consistent.

"OK." Hazel finally spoke. "When we get to camp, here's the story. Lavinia, you went to Temescal on my orders, because you saw the car go over the railing. I stayed on duty until the next shift arrived, then I rushed down to help you because I thought you might be in danger. We fought the ghouls, saved these, etc. Got it?"

"So… about that…" Don cut in, raising his hands. "I'm sure you guys can manage from here, right? Seeing as you might get in trouble or whatever. I'll just be slipping off-" Lavinia gave him a hard stare. "Or I can stick around." He corrected quickly, wincing. "You know, happy to help." Hazel shifted her grip on Louisa's arm.

"Let's get this idiot back. Reyna can deal with her."

"Yes, Centurion." Lavinia nodded sheepishly. "And… Hazel? Thanks." Hazel grimaced, as if regretting her soft heart.

"Once we get to the principia…" Her eyes settled on Apollo. "Our visiting god can explain to the leadership what's happened."

"If Lou's still broken when we get back, is Reyna going to kill him too?"

"Probably, but that's not going to be my problem."

"Hazel?" Louisa said, staring in confusion across at the city.

"Yes, Lou?"

"Right thing." She blinked, hard, tears speckling at the corners of her eyes. "Couldn't… couldn't lose Jay, I had to… I had to help." Hazel's expression softened. "Not… not losin' anyone else, I…" Louisa grimaced, eyes closed. She swayed, sniffing, leaning forward as if she was going to be sick. "Idiot." She chided quietly. "Idiot, idiot, idiot."

"Hey." Hazel pulled on her arm. "We'll get you better, OK?"

"Mm-mm." Louisa shook her head.

"Yes, we will." Hazel defied. "I'm not losing anyone else either."