HAZEL p.o.v

I was walking to the fifth cohort barracks with Frank when a legionnaire comes running towards us.

"Have you seen Percy or Reyna anywhere? we found a scroll sent to the Praetors from a place named Camp Half-Blood, can you get this to them?" I nod, he gives me the scroll and runs off in the other direction.

"What do you think it is?" I ask Frank, he shrugs.

"Don't know but we should get this to Reyna and Percy."He says. With that we went towards the Principia and knock on the door.

There was no answer so I knock again, this time Reyna opens the door. Her hair was a mess and her cape was crooked, which was strange considering she always looks perfect and professional.

"Yes?" She asks, I take the scroll out of my pocket and show her.

"A legionnaire says that It was sent for the Praetors from a place named Camp Half-Blood" As soon as I said that Percy came running to the door.

"Did you say camp?!" He shouts. He looked worse than Reyna, his hair was all over the place and his Praetor cape was only attached to his left shoulder.

"Yes why?" I ask, he grins.

"Camp Half-Blood, that's where I'm from!" Wait... did he just say that's where he's from? "Well what are you waiting for open it!" He screams.

PERCY p.o.v

Hazel twists the scroll slightly and a video recording flickered on the parchment. A kid in Greek armor grinned up at them.

He had an impish face, curly black hair, and wild eyes, like he'd just had several cups of coffee. He was sitting in a dark room with timber walls like a ship's cabin. Oil lamps swung back and forth on the ceiling.

Hazel stifled a scream.

"What?" Frank asked. "What's wrong?"Slowly, I realized the curly-haired kid looked familiar—and not from my memories.

I had seen that face in an old photo.

"Hey!" said the guy in the video. "Greetings from your friends at Camp Half-Blood, etcetera. This is Leo. I'm the..." He looked off screen and yelled:

"What's my title? Am I Like admiral, or captain, or—" A girl's voice yelled back "Repair boy."

"Very funny, Piper," Leo grumbled. He turned back to the parchment screen.

So yeah, I'm ... ah ... supreme commander of the Argo II. Yeah, I like that! Anyway, we're gonna be sailing toward you in about, I dunno, an hour and we'll arrive in a week or so in this big mother warship. We'd appreciate it if you'd not, like, blow us out of the sky or anything. So okay! If you could tell the Romans that. See you soon. Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out." The parchment turned blank.

"It can't be," Hazel said. "What?" Frank asked. "You know that guy?"

Hazel looked like she'd seen a ghost. I understood why. He remembered the photo in Hazel's abandoned house in Seward. The kid on the warship looked exactly like Hazel's old boyfriend.

"It's Sammy Valdez," she said. "But how...how—"

"It can't be," I said. "That guy's name is Leo. And it's been seventy-something years. It has to be a..."I wanted to say a coincidence, but I couldn't make myself believe that.

Over the past few years I'd seen a lot of things: destiny, prophecy, magic, monsters, fate. But I'd never yet run across a coincidence. We were interrupted by horns blowing in the distance.

"It's meeting time," I said. "Come on. We've got to warn them about the warship." And we walked towards the Forum.

Time skip-The Forum

"Why should we trust these Greeks?" Octavian was saying.

He'd been pacing the senate floor for five minutes, going on and on, trying to counter what I had told them about Juno's plan and the great prophecy.

The senate shifted restlessly, but most of them were too afraid to interrupt Octavian While he was on a roll. Meanwhile the sun climbed in the sky, shining through the broken senate roof and giving Octavian a natural spotlight.

The Senate House was packed. Queen Hylla, Frank, and Hazel sat in the front row with the senators. Veterans and ghosts filled the back rows.

Me and Reyna occupied matching praetors' chairs on the dais.

"The camp is safe," Octavian continued. "I'll be the first to congratulate our heroes for bringing back the legion's eagle and so much Imperial gold! Truly we have been blessed with good fortune. But why do more? Why tempt fate?"

"I'm glad you asked." I stood, taking the question as an opening. Octavian stammered,

"I wasn't—""—part of the quest," I said. "Yes, I know. And you're wise to let me explain, since I was."

Some of the senators snickered. Octavian had no choice but to sit down and try not to look embarrassed.

"Gaea is waking," I said. "We've defeated two of her giants, but that's only the beginning. The real war will take place in the old land of the gods. The quest will take us to Rome, and eventually to Greece." An uneasy ripple spread through the senate.

"I know, I know," I said. "You've always thought of the Greeks as your enemies. And there's a good reason for that. I think the gods have kept our two camps apart because whenever we meet, we fight. But that can change. It has to change if we're to defeat Gaea. That's what the great prophecy means. Eight demigods, Greek and Roman, will have to close the Doors of Death together."

"Ha!" shouted a Lar from the back row. "The last time a praetor tried to interpret the great prophecy, it was Michael Varus, who lost our eagle in Alaska! Why should we believe you now?"Octavian smiled smugly.

Some of his allies in the senate began nodding and grumbling. Even some of the veterans looked uncertain.

"I carried Juno across the Tiber," I reminded them, speaking as firmly as he could. "She told me that the great prophecy is coming to pass. Mars also appeared to you in person. Do you think two of your most important gods would appear at camp if the situation wasn't serious?"

"He's right," Gwen said from the second row. "I, for one, trust Percy's word. Greek or not, he restored the honor of the legion. You saw him on the battlefield last night. Would anyone here say he is not a true hero of Rome?" Nobody argued. Reyna stood.

"You claim this is a combined quest," she said.

"You claim Juno intends for us to work with this—this other group, Camp Half-Blood. Yet the Greeks have been our enemies for eons. They are known for their deceptions."

"Maybe so," I said. "But enemies can become friends. A week ago, would you have thought Romans and Amazons would be fighting side by side?" Queen Hylla laughed.

"He's got a point."

"The demigods of Camp Half-Blood have already been working with Camp Jupiter," I said. "We just didn't realize it. During the Titan War last summer, while you were attacking Mount Othrys, we were defending Mount Olympus in Manhattan. I fought Kronos myself."

Reyna backed up, almost tripping over her toga. "You... what?"

"I know it's hard to believe," I said. "But I think I've earned your trust. I'm on your side. Hazel, Frank and Reyna—I'm sure they're meant to go with me on this quest. The Other four are on their way from Camp Half-Blood right now. One of them is Jason Grace, your old praetor."

"Oh, come on!" Octavian shouted. "He's making things up, now." Reyna frowned.

"It is a lot to believe. Jason is coming back with a bunch of Greek Demigods? You say they're going to appear in the sky in a heavily armed warship, but we shouldn't be worried."

"Yes." I looked over the rows of nervous, doubtful spectators.

"Just let them land. Hear them out. Jason will backup everything I'm telling you. I swear it on my life."

"On your life?" Octavian looked meaningfully at the senate. "We will remember that,if this turns out to be a trick."