Lake, Camp Half-Blood,
Long Island Sound, New York
December 17
Theo could tolerate only few Greeks who respected Romans - Aeneas, of course, and some children of Ares - but she found the rest of Camp Half-Blood loathsome. They were certainly not like Romans, but were close enough for the two to be jealous of the other's traits. Theo found herself hating them mostly for their arts and how they weren't as harsh as Camp Jupiter. The Greeks admired Theo's militaristic style that they didn't have.
If it were up to the demigods, their lives would be kept private, but with another war coming Juno was convinced they must team up. Theo suspected that Juno was ordering this to stave off the horrible truth that the gods had lost their place in the order of things. They formed alliances so that they were deeply connected to everyone back in the Old World. Now, in America, they had to re-create what little relationship they had.
The newest demigods stood by the shore with the daughter of Athena Theo had become acquainted with - she still couldn't believe that a virgin goddess had a whole cabin of children. The broken chariot floated in colorful pieces in the lake, soaking up the water.
Jason Grace was the same as ever with his close-cropped flaxen blond hair and blue eyes that seemed to lighten up with electricity. He was still wearing his purple camp shirt, and she could clearly see the SPQR and eagle tattoo on his forearm. A beautiful girl with an odd assortment of clothes and braided choppy brown locks stood closely next to Jason. A Latino boy who looked like a son of Mercury - Hermes - was checking the pockets of his army fatigue jacket, as if to see whatever he had in there hadn't fallen into the lake.
"Annabeth!" Will Solace, the son of Apollo, pushed his way through the crowd to stand next to her. As the legacy of Apollo, she was allowed to stay in the full Apollo cabin as her father didn't have a lot of children, due to his fidelity to Psyche, which meant no cabin for Eros. Will might have been a Greek, but he had forced his way into Theo's good graces. "I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"
"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll by it fixed, I promise."
Will scowled at a piece of the chariot that had floated to the shore.
"They're older than the usual thirteen, Annabeth," Theo stated as she waved a hand to the confused three. "Have they been claimed yet?"
"Claimed?" the Latino echoed.
"No," Annabeth said.
"Any sign of Percy?" Will asked urgently. The group of campers stared at Annabeth intently, hoping for the best.
Annabeth sighed again. "No."
A daughter of Aphrodite stepped up. She sneered at the three, minus Jason, and glared with harsh brown eyes. The pink eyeliner ruined the effect though. "Well, I hope they're worth the trouble."
The Latino snorted. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"
"No kidding." Jason agreed. "How about some answers before you judge us - like, what is this place, why are we here, an how long do we have to stay?"
"Jason," Annabeth said. "I promise we'll answer your questions. And, Drew, all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped."
"Hey," the Cherokee looking girl said. "We didn't ask to be brought here."
"None of us did," Theo muttered. A few of the older campers looked down, suddenly finding interest in the sand.
Drew, however, sniffed. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does you hair always look like a dead badger?"
She stepped forward, her tan hand raising as if ready to a snack the other girl. Before anything could be done, Annabeth snapped, "Piper, stop."
"We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome," she stated cooley, with another pointed look at Drew. "We'll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by campfire tonight they'll be claimed."
"Would somebody please tell me what claimed means?" Piper exclaimed.
Suddenly, there was a collective gasp. The campers backed away. Piper looked around, as if she had done something wrong. She turned around the face the Latino, her mouth dropped to a small o of surprise.
Floating over his head was a blazing holographic image - a flaming hammer.
"That," Annabeth said, almost smugly, "is claiming."
"What'd I do?" He stumbled backwards towards the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped, jumping back another foot. "Is my hair on fire?" He ducked, but the symbol followed him. He kept bouncing around, and the symbol of Vulcan followed him almost mockingly, looking as if he were trying to write something in the air with its fire.
"This can't be good," Butch, son of Iris, muttered. "The curse -"
"Butch, shut up," Annabeth said. "Leo, your just been claimed -"
"By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"
"How did you know that, Jason?" Theo asked. How did he even remember? Didn't Juno say she took away his memories?
"I'm not sure." He furrowed his brows and tilted his head to Theo, like a hawk. "You look familiar," he mumbled.
Theo blinked as the campers turned their stare from Jason to her. "Should I?" she asked plainly.
"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek. What are you talking about?"
"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Annabeth explained. "The god of blacksmiths and fire."
The fiery hammer faded. Leo continued to glanced at the air fearfully and swatting it, trying t make sure that it was actually gone. "The god of what? Who?"
Annabeth turned to the son of Apollo, who was still glaring at his chariot every so often. "Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk mates in Cabin Nine."
"Sure, Annabeth."
"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I am not a Vulcan!"
"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything." Will gave Leo's shoulder a squeeze and steered him off to the cabins.
Annabeth turned back to the frustrated looking Jason. She seemed to be studying him, in a way that all Athena kids do when met with a difficult puzzle. After a minute she finally gave a sign of life and waved a hand to Theo. "Stand next to Jason," she ordered.
Reluctantly, she did so. Theo kept her eyes trained on Annabeth, pretending to ignore Jason's heated stare. Annabeth narrowed her stormy eyes. "Hold out your arms," she dictated.
They both stretched their right arms out obediently. Annabeth had been the only one to ever get a glimpse at Theo's marks, even when she wore long sleeves day and night. The only similarity was of the SPQR. Jason held a eagle symbol to Theo's loaded bow and arrow, and he had twelve bar lines instead of six.
"I've never seen marks like this." Annabeth said. "Where did you get them?"
Jason shook his head irritatedly. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."
Annabeth glared at Theo. "I'm not allowed to say," she said simply, glaring back.
The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at their tattoos. It didn't surprise Theo that the marks caused them to stir, as if the marks themselves were declaring war.
"They look burned into your skin." Annabeth noticed.
"That's kinda what you have to do in order to get a tattoo," Theo said snarkily. She whipped her arm back, causing the other campers to jerk back in surprise.
"They were," Jason said. He immediately winced as if his head was aching. "I mean...I think so. I don't remember."
"He needs to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth decided. "Theo, would you take him up to the Big House?"
"Sure."
Theo grinned innocently when Drew sent her a venomous glare.
Piper mouthed Thank you to the other two girls.
"No problem," Theo murmured. She sent a small smile to Piper.
"I'm not supposed to be here."
Theo gave Jason a sympathetic glance, which he promptly ignored. "We're not," she admitted, finally gaining Jason's full attention. "But we need to stay here."
"But why?" Jason persisted. "If you know who I am, why can't you just tell me? Why can't we leave?"
"I do know who you are, Jason Grace." Theo stared down at her hands guiltily. "I know who we are. I know who your godly parent is. I know almost everything. Almost. Why we're here, for example. We can't defy the gods orders, Jason. I was sent here by Juno to protect you on the quest, which should come up soon."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Jason's face hardened into frustration.
"Because I'm not allowed to," she explained lightly. "We're supposed to be a secret, but with what's coming, Juno believes this is the only way in order to win."
Jason looked back up to the Big House warily. The weathervane was still pointing in their direction. Turn around, kids, while you still can, she imagined it warning.
"You can trust them," Theo added. "I've been around for almost a week and they don't know anything. They suspect, but it isn't enough for them to actually turn against us."
Theo sighed. She threaded her fingers together, and threw her head back to the sky, eyes closed. "Back at home, we were friends. Not the closest, but friends nonetheless. I suppose I was the one sent because I'm powerful and I know you well enough. Because my father is Cupid, I can bring peace between enemies, but only for a short amount of time and if they actually desire peace. That's another reason I haven't been called out yet."
Theo was about to say more, but then she heard the familiar clip clop of hooves. "Accidenti," she cursed.
"What?"
Theo rolled her eyes. He need to learn more languages, she thought. "Dampnas," she corrected.
A faint pink blush covered his concave cheeks. "Language," he chided weakly.
"Hello, Chiron," she said. "This is one of the newest campers Annabeth went to fetch. Jason Grace."
Jason stumbled back and tripped over his own feet. He moved her hand away as she steadied him. Today, the centaur was wearing a shirt that proclaimed World's Best Centaur, with the usual bow and quiver strapped to his back. His curly brown hair was slightly frizzy due to the cold, and he ducked down to avoid the porch lights.
He looked as if he were about to smile warmly, then the color drained rapidly from his face. His usually welcome brown eyes flared alarmingly. "You..." He stuttered. "You should be dead."
He trotted back up to the porch and backed up into his wheelchair. Theo could only imagine the beeping of a truck as the white stallion part of him disappeared beneath the folds of the blanket.
"Follow me," he dictated. "We have lemonade."
Theo wasn't all that surprised to find out that Bacchus - Dionysus - had decorated the inside himself. Vines with dramatic leaves and broad clusters of fruit traced from wall to ceiling, popping through the nooks and crannies of the Mardi Gras masks, Greek theater types, and every other kind of mask from different cultures. An ancient looking Pac-Man arcade game flashed colors across the wall and beeped occasionally.
She glared at the stuffed leopard's head above the cackling fireplace. As Jason situated himself on the couch, she sat in front of the fireplace, as if her position was enough to convince Chiron that she wouldn't partake in the conversation. She began to amuse herself by changing the brightness of the lighting, from dim to blaring white. The leopard snarled at the change.
"Now, Seymour," Chiron said as Jason jumped in his seat. "Jason and Theodora are friends. Behave yourself."
"That thing is alive!" Jason exclaimed.
Chiron pulled out a package of Snausages from the side pocket of his wheelchair. He opened it and tossed a piece to Seymour, who growled and snapped.
"You must excuse the decor," said Chiron, gesturing to the vines and the masks. "All of this was a parting gift from our old director before he was recalled to Mount Olympus. He thought it would help us remember him. Mr. D has a strange sense of humor."
"Mr. D," Jason echoed.
"Bacchus," Theo said, as if it explained everything.
She could have sworn he muttered the name Dakota under his breath. "Dionysus?"
Chiron hummed. His hands trembled the smallest bit as he handled the lemonade, though he kept on his brave, wise teacher's face. "As for Seymour, well, Mr. D liberated him from a Long Island garage sale. The leopard is Mr. D's sacred animal, you see, and Mr. D was appalled that someone would stuff such a noble creature."
Theo snorted. "Oh, yes," she proclaimed dramatically under her breath. She sent a glare up to the leopard, who was trying to lather her in Snausage drool. "What cruel mortal would stuff such a magnificent creature?"
Chiron sent a look to Theo. "He decided to grant it life, on the assumption that life as a mounted head was better than no life at all. I must say it's a kinder fate than Seymour's previous owner got."
Seymour bared his fangs and sniffed the air. He looked as though he were hunting for more food.
"If he's only a head," Jason said slowly, "where does the food go when he eats?"
"Better not to ask," Chiron said wisely.
Jason accepted the lemonade, even if he seemed as though he didn't want any. Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and flashed them a forced smile.
"So, children," he said, "would you mind telling me - ah - where you're from?"
"I've been ordered to say nothing," Theo said. To you Greeks, at least.
Chiron sipped his lemonade. "I see," he said. "And you must have questions for me."
"Only one," Jason admitted. "What did you mean when you said that I should be dead?"
Chiron studied him with concern, as if he expected Jason to burst into flames. "My boy, do you know what those marks on your arms mean? The color of your shirt? Do you remember anything?"
Jason looked at the tattoo on his forearm: SPQR, the eagle, twelve straight lines. He then looked at Theo's bow and arrow.
"No," he said. "Nothing."
I'm sorry, Jason, Theo thought.
"Do you know where you are?" Chiron asked. "Do you understand what this place is, and who I am?"
"You're Chiron the centaur," Jason said. "I'm guessing you're the same one from the old stories, who used to train the Greek heroes like Heracles. This is a camp for demigods, children of the Olympian gods."
"So you believe those gods still exist?"
"Yes," Jason said automatically. "I mean, I don't think we should worship them or sacrifice chickens to them or anything, but they're still around because they're a powerful part of civilization. They move from country to country as the center of power shifts - like they moved from Ancient Greece to Rome."
"You remember a lot for a guy who lost his memory," Theo observed.
"I couldn't have said it better." Theo looked up when she noticed the change in his accent. Chiron had switched to Latin. "So you already know the gods are real. You have already been claimed, haven't you?"
"Maybe," Jason answered, also in Latin. "I'm not really sure."
Seymour snarled noisily.
Chiron was silent. He was obviously waiting until the understanding dawned on Jason.
"Quis erat -" Jason faltered, then struggled to get a better grip on English. "What was that?"
"Latina, scilicet," Theo said. "Vos linguis switched."
"You know Latin," Chiron observed. "Most demigods recognize a few phrases, of course. It's in their blood, but not as much as Ancient Greek. None can speak Latin fluently without practice.
"I taught your namesake, you know, the original Jason. He had a hard path. I've seen many heroes come and go. Occasionally, they have happy endings. Mostly, they don't. It breaks my heart, like losing a child each time one of my pupils dies. But you two - you are not like any pupils I've ever taught. Your presence here could be a disaster."
"Thanks," Jason said. "You must be an inspiring teacher."
"I did warn you, Jason," Theo mumbled.
"I am sorry, my boy. But it's true. I had hoped that after Percy's success -"
"Percy Jackson, you mean. Annabeth's boyfriend, the one who's missing."
Chiron nodded futilely. "I hoped that after he succeeded in the Titan War and saved Mount Olympus, we might have some peace. I might be able to enjoy one final triumph, a happy ending, and perhaps retire quietly. I should have known better. The last chapter approaches, just as it did before. The worst is yet to come."
In the corner, the arcade game made a small pew-pew-pew-pew sound, as if Pac-Man had just lost the game.
"Ohh-kay," Jason said. "So - last chapter, happened before, worst yet to come. Sounds fun, but can we go back to the part where I'm supposed to be dead? I don't like that part."
He looked at Theo. She raised up her hands, like she was surrendering. "I don't know about that part," she explained. "I said earlier I didn't know everything."
"I'm afraid I can't explain, my boy. I swore on the River Styx and on all things sacred that I would never..." Chiron frowned. "But you two are here, in violation of the same oath. That too, should not be possible. I don't understand. Who would've done such a thing? Who -"
Seymour howled. His mouth froze, still in the middle of his cry. The arcade game stopped beeping pathetically. The golden flames of the fireplace froze, streaking up in uneven waves.
"Chiron?" Jason asked. "What's going -"
Chiron had frozen, too. His eyes were still full of worry, and his mouth didn't move. Jason jumped off the couch, startled.
Jason, a voice said eerily.
"If that leopard is talking I'm going to have a heart attack," Theo stated.
Jason grabbed the golden coin from his pocket. With a quick flip, it changed into a sword. Theo grabbed her bow that was slung over her back and loaded it.
The mist took the form of a woman in black robes. Her face was hooded, but her chocolate brown eyes managed to glow against the shadows of her regal face. Over her shoulders she wore a goatskin cloak. Juno, Theo cursed as she lowered her bow.
Would you attack your patron? the woman chided to Jason. Her voice echoed in her head. Lower your sword.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "How did you—"
Our time is limited, Jason, Theodora. My prison grows stronger by the hour. It took me a full month to gather enough energy to work even the smallest magic through its bonds. I've managed to give my instructions to Theodora and to bring you here, but now I have little time left, and even less power. This may be the last time I can speak to you.
"You're in prison?" Jason decided maybe he wouldn't lower his sword. "Look, I don't know you, and you're not my patron."
You know me, she insisted. I have known you since your birth.
"I don't remember. I don't remember anything."
No, you don't, she agreed. That also was necessary.
"Meaning you took away my memory," Jason said with a glare.
Long ago, your father gave me your life as a gift to placate my anger. He named you Jason, after my favorite mortal. You belong to me.
"Whoa," Jason said. "I don't belong to anyone."
Now is the time to pay your debt, she said. Find my prison. Free me, or their king will rise from the earth, and I will be destroyed. You will never retrieve your memory.
"Is that a threat? You took my memories?"
Juno ignored his angered tone and turned to Theo, who immediately tensed. Remember my orders, daughter of desire, she warned. Jason is still your charge; protect him with your might.
You have until sunset on the solstice, demigods. Four short days. Do not fail me.
The mist of Juno retreated back into Seymour's mouth.
Time unfroze. Seymour's howl turned into a rough cough. The fire crackled to life, and Chiron finished, "- would dare to bring you two here?"
"Probably the lady in the mist," Jason offered.
Chiron looked up in surprise. "Weren't you just sitting…why do you have a weapons drawn?"
"I hate to tell you this," Jason said, "but I think your leopard just ate a goddess."
"Meaning we've just had an unplanned visit," Theo corrected
They told Chiron about the frozen-in-time visit, the dark misty figure that disappeared into Seymour's mouth. Theo decided not to tell them it was Juno. If Jason could figure it out, then he would tell.
"Oh, dear," Chiron murmured. "That does explain a lot."
"Then why don't you explain a lot to me?" Jason pleaded. "Please."
Chiron started to speak, but pounding footfalls on the porch drew out his voice. The door flew open, and Annabeth and Rachel E. Dare, the Greek's equivalent to the Romans' Augury - though Rachel was much more pleasant than Octavian - carried in Piper. Her head lolled to the side and her body was limp in the other girls' hands, so she had to be unconscious.
"What happened?" Jason rushed over. "What's wrong with her?"
"Hera's cabin," Annabeth gasped, indicating that they ran the whole way. "Vision. Bad."
The Oracle looked up. Her freckled face was streaked with tears, running through the small specks of paint on her cheeks and drawing colorful lines down the rest of her face. Her eyes were red and still watery.
"I think..." Rachel gulped heavily. "I think I may have killed her."