As Thalia walked through the Caldecott Tunnel, she couldn't help but feel something twist in her gut. She didn't know if it was apprehension, anger, or maybe a little fear. For the first time, she was about to step foot inside the camp that her brother had called home for almost his entire life. It felt like the place that had taken Jason away from her, even if that wasn't entirely true.
Two Hunters, Iphigenia and Nancy, flanked her. The rest of the Hunters of Artemis were waiting at their camp not too far away. Thalia didn't want to walk up to the entrance of Camp Jupiter with an army following her. The Romans were expecting her, but she also knew how jumpy they could be.
"Hail," Thalia called, as she made it closer to the two Romans that stood guard. They both wore a full set of Roman armor and were staring ahead. Both had swords at their sides and javelins in their hands. "I am Thalia Grace from the Hunters of Artemis. The praetors are expecting us."
"One moment," the taller of the two Romans said. He bowed his head towards them and turned towards the direction of Camp Jupiter. Then, he took off running. Thalia watched him go and closed her eyes. Her mind went back to the night before.
Artemis had zoned out for hours, and when she seemed to come back to her senses, she acted weirdly the rest of the night. She kept staring up at the sky and muttering something about the stars. Whenever Thalia looked up, she couldn't tell what the goddess was talking about.
It wasn't the first time that Artemis had left Thalia out of the loop or just completely ignored her. It almost seemed like Artemis couldn't trust Thalia, and for the life of her, Thalia didn't know why. There was times when Artemis would just look at her and mutter under her breath. What did it all mean?
Thalia glanced back at Iphigenia, who was the most senior Hunter of Artemis in the group. Iphigenia even tried to talk to Artemis to no avail. It was like the goddess wanted to be alone in her misery, but Thalia didn't even know what that misery was. All she wanted to do was help her lady.
Thalia's gaze move to Nancy. The girl was fifteen when she joined, just like Thalia. The big difference between the two was that Nancy was a mortal that could see through the Mist. It was her focus on the stars that drew Artemis' attention, and when a monster decided to attack Nancy, Artemis intervened and offered her a chance to join.
"A camp for Roman demigods," Nancy whispered. She glanced at the remaining guard and then looked at Iphigenia. "Have you ever visited this camp?"
"No," Iphigenia answered. She looked at the Roman guard. "I have a complicated relationship with the Roman bloodline."
Nancy nodded but didn't pry. Thalia glanced at Iphigenia. A complicated relationship with the Roman bloodline was one way to put it, considering Iphigenia's father had set the effects that formed Rome in motion. If Thalia understood the story correctly, Aeneas fled Troy after it fell during the Trojan War. He eventually settled down, and generations later, his descendants Romulus and Remus would found the city of Rome.
Iphigenia didn't speak much of that time though. She did not speak of her father either. Thalia learned her story from the other Hunters of Artemis. The story went that when the Greeks were getting ready to sail their fleet to Troy, Agamemnon killed a deer in a sacred grove that belonged to Artemis. The goddess spoke to the wind gods, and they stopped all wind, which meant the fleet could not set sail.
To make up for his crime, Agamemnon was told to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia in the name of Artemis. It didn't take long for Agamemnon to call his daughter to the port of Aulis for the sacrifice. Before it could be completed, Artemis used the Mist to make it seem like Iphigenia was still there. In reality, she replaced Iphigenia with a deer and took the young maiden away and offered her a chance to join the Hunters of Artemis.
Apparently, Agamemnon had been an abusive father, and Iphigenia wanted to be out of his clutches. Terrible fathers were something that Thalia and Iphigenia had in common. The sound of metal caught Thalia's attention, and she came back to focus.
"Lieutenant," Reyna greeted. She bowed her head towards Thalia and smiled. Thalia smiled back at the praetor. The two agreed that it would be best for Reyna to meet the Hunters of Artemis first and give them a tour. Along with being the senior praetor, Reyna was a female. While Thalia was sure that the Hunters would treat Frank with the respect he deserved, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Praetor," Thalia greeted. She examined Reyna. It was no secret that Artemis wanted to recruit Reyna, and Thalia couldn't blame her. If Thalia wanted to find the template for a perfect Roman, it would be Reyna: stoic, skilled, and loyal. "The rest of the Hunters are waiting back at the camp."
"We can wait while you get them," Reyna said. Thalia nodded and glanced back at Iphigenia. After a few moments, Iphigenia tore her gaze from Reyna and nodded. She turned and hurried away. "How have things been, lieutenant?"
"Things have been fine, Reyna. What about you?" Thalia asked, and she gave Reyna a look. Reyna smiled slightly. When Thalia had the rare chance to visit Camp Jupiter on her own, she always spent a cup of coffee or two to catch up with Reyna. The two had plenty in common, and Thalia had formed a friendship with the praetor.
"It has been going well," Reyna replied. She kept her arms behind her back and stared ahead. Her two greyhounds were at her side, and both were staring up at Thalia. Part of Thalia wanted to pet the two greyhounds, and she would have done so if they were alone.
The next few minutes passed in silence, until they heard the sounds of boots. Thalia looked back and watched the Hunters of Artemis walk towards them. She did a quick headcount to make sure that everyone was there. Then, she turned towards Reyna and spoke, "I believe we are ready for that tour, praetor."
"First, let me say that it is a honor to be graced by your presence," Reyna began. She seemed to study each of the Hunters of Artemis for a half moment.. Then, she turned and started to walk. As they walked, Thalia tried focus on the tour, but her mind kept going back to Artemis.
Thalia knew she wasn't suppose to interfere in the business of immortals, but this felt like personal business for Artemis. If it was personal business, that meant it was connected to Zoë. It also meant that Thalia wouldn't be able to approach Artemis about the situation.
Artemis would never admit it to another person, but she was grieving. Thalia didn't know if Artemis was too prideful to admit it or just didn't realize she was grieving, but all of the signs were there. Thalia wanted to be there for Artemis, but the goddess wouldn't let her. It was just frustrating.
Thalia was so focused on her plight that she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. One second she was walking, and the next she was being knocked off of her feet and picked up off of the ground. Thalia almost punched her attacker, until she realized that her attacker was pulling her into a tight hug and was actually Jason.
"Thalia! I came as soon as I heard," Jason said. Thalia smiled at her brother and glanced around. Most of her Hunters had reached for their weapons, but upon realizing Jason wasn't a threat, they relaxed their grip. "How are you doing?"
"I'm great," Thalia said. She hugged Jason back and then ruffled his hair. "After we get settled, the first thing I was going to do was find you."
"I found you first," Jason teased. He looked at Reyna. Thalia did as well. There was a small smile still on Reyna's face, but it seemed forced. She almost seemed miffed by Jason's presence. "Reyna, I can join the tour, right?"
It was almost nice to see that Thalia wasn't the only one who was holding onto anger over things they couldn't control. It had to be some kind of middle finger from the universe, or maybe just from Aphrodite, for the person that you had feelings for to disappear and return months later with a girlfriend. Reyna had told Thalia about it before, and while she tried to sound casual about it, there was no missing the bitterness in her voice.
"Of course you can join the tour, Pontifex Maximus," Reyna answered. She turned around sharply and continued the tour. Jason smiled and followed behind. It was like he thought that Reyna only called him by his title so the Hunters of Artemis knew who he was. Jason didn't realize that Reyna called him by his title because it still hurt to say his name.
As they continued the tour, Jason would add in his own thoughts, and Thalia could see it was slowly eating away at Reyna's patience. To Reyna's credit, she just kept a stoic look on her face, and her eyes didn't seem to betray what she was thinking. There was the small moments that Reyna would look back ahead, and her mask would slip for a moment.
Of course, the Hunters of Artemis could all sense Reyna's displeasure. Some of them had looks like that before, and most of them tried using it as a recruiting tactic. Thalia wasn't exactly comfortable throwing someone's failed relationship with men back in their face. Gods knew that wasn't the best with relationships.
Thalia sighed and looked away. She could see one of the cohorts running drills. None of them stopped to look at the Hunters, but there would be plenty of time to stare at dinner. Thalia studied the females of the cohort. Artemis told her to keep an eye out for anyone who would make a good recruit.
The first meeting wouldn't be to recruit anyone, since Lupa made a rare visit and threatened to do terrible things to Artemis if she tried to poach any of the Romans. Artemis promised not to, on the first visit. Lupa's only response to that had been to growl and sulk away, which may have been approval.
As they walked, someone darted towards them and stopped in front of Reyna. An annoyed looked passed over Reyna's face. She looked back at the Hunters and spoke, "Apologizes. One moment."
Reyna stepped away with the Roman, who wore light armor and had a few pouches on their belt. They wore a bag that was slung over their back. It looked too small to hold anything important. Reyna shook her head and said something in Latin. Thalia didn't need a translation to know that it was a curse.
Reyna walked back towards the Hunters of Artemis and spoke, "I am sorry, but a matter has come to my attention that must be dealt with immediately. Pontifex Maximus, can you finish the tour?"
"I can, Reyna. I'll show them around New Rome and then the barracks where they will be staying," Jason said. Reyna nodded once.
"If any of the Romans give you any trouble, please let me or my fellow praetor Frank know. We will handle them," Reyna promised. She bowed her head towards them and turned away. Reyna walked away, flanked by her two dogs. The messenger slowly followed.
"Jason, is there an emergency?" Thalia asked quietly. Jason frowned and studied Reyna for a few moments. He finally shook his head. "What was so important then? I know Reyna would want to be here to make sure everything went perfect."
"I don't know," Jason admitted. He glanced back at the Hunters of Artemis. "That messenger only works with the crew that is responsible for patrolling some of the old ruins and hidden entrances. They probably found evidence of someone passing through those areas. It's nothing to worry about though, probably just someone sneaking out late at night to get junk food."
"Reyna will check it out herself, probably search the camp with her dogs, and be back in time for dinner and the War Games," Jason continued. Thalia nodded, not fully convinced. "The Fifth Cohort won the right to fight alongside you guys, and I know they are excited for it. They won't let you down."
"I'm sure they won't. Now, let's see how good you are at being a tour guide," Thalia said. Jason smiled and started to show them around once again. Thalia followed him and tried to relax. She was sure that nothing would be found in the search, but she couldn't get rid of this feeling that someone was watching her.