"Com'e on slo'w poke!" Aoa yelled over her shoulder.
"I think you're enjoying this way to much." Percy yelled as he wove through the crowd. Apparently, there wasn't any training being done right now.
"Aoa!" Percy yelled, "What's going on here? And can you walk any faster?"
"Ac'ually, I c'an!" she yelled as she speed up. Running so fast Percy nearly couldn't keep up.
The crowd seemed bigger than the last time Percy had seen it. The campers were all dressed up, like it was a holiday.
Finally he saw Aoa slow down, maybe she was finally tired.
She turned and yelled over her shoulder, "D'wn!"
"What?!" he yelled, then he saw what the crowd was doing.
They were all bowing.
"G't d'wn on your knees like you'r praying to Mecca!" she yelled before she did the same as the rest of the crowd. (No offense to Muslims, Salaam.)
Percy got the message, though he still didn't bow down. For he didn't see the point.
Aoa couldn't see that, for she was currently very close to kissing the dirt.
What he saw surprised him, he saw the Annabeth girl dressed in purple robes.
The robes of a Praetor.
This confused him, a Praetor?
Then next to her appeared something that shocked him even more so. Another person he knew, himself!
Percy felt like someone had just hit him with a two-ton truck.
The Annabeth girl turned her head to look at the crowd, she saw Percy, her eyes narrowed.
"What is this?" she asked him. "Why are you not bowing, do you not know the laws, Solider?"
Percy, caught off guard, said something real intelligent like: "Um, no."
Annabeth took a deep breath and smirked slightly, "Solider Valdez!" she barked.
A young man stood up, "Yes Sir!" he snapped, saluting.
"What are the laws of the Legion? More specifically the laws of treatment of appointed Praetors." she asked him.
Soldier Valdez took a deep breath, "Accord Number 57-A; A Praetor is to be called Sir regardless of gender, age, or nationality. Accord Number 57-B; A Praetor is only to wear the robes of-"
"Valdez!" Annabeth exclaimed. "Ahem, please skip to the part governing the events of today."
"Yes sir, Accord number 57089-X; All Soldiers of lesser rank than Praetor are to bow to Praetor or Praetors whenever one comes into the company of said Praetor or Praetors on the Day of the Risen."
"And what is the punishment for failure to comply to this law?" she inquired, innocently.
Solder Valdez cleared his throat, "Death by fire."
Percy gulped. Aoa hit her face.
"However!" Annabeth piped up, "I am a merciful Praetor, and because of the importance of today. I shall overlook this small error. I sentence you to...oh...let's see...60 lashes. To be carried out after the festival. Now, let's begin!" she raised her hands.
The entire crowd stood up and ran off towards to an arena.
Percy would have been swept off with them, had Aoa, and two other soldiers not grabbed him and held him fast.
They began to pull him along, roughly.
"Where are we going?" he asked Aoa.
"We 're going to wa'tch an eve'n." she replied, seeming almost excited.
"What event?" he asked.
"You'll se'e!" she replied before she vanished into the arena.
Two soldiers, three bruises, and 14 curses later:
Percy was abruptly shoved down into a seat.
"Hey?! What's your problem?" he remarked.
No answer.
The two soldiers seemed to be debating how to restrain him when a voice piped up:
"Oi, It's o'kay! I'll wa'ch af'er him." Aoa said.
The soldiers nodded and saluted, "Ma'am!" before walking off.
"What's the big idea?!" Percy said. "I see a guy who looks exactly like me! I'm sentenced to 50 lashes-"
"60." Aoa, intergected
"Whatever! Aren't there any children of Posiden here?"
"'re w're. But th'ey w're." Aoa made a slitting motion cross her throut.
Percy gulped, "Why?"
"Cau'se sh'e wa's bored. No'ing to do." Aoa replyed. "Besi'des you don't look like yourse'lf."
"What?!" he hissed.
"Yup, dishwa'er blond, mud eyes. Ex'cept you s'ill 'ave that gray bi'."
"Then how for the love of the god did you recognive me?"
"Ja'son. Thi' me w're tal'in 'bout. Besides, yo'r face has'nt change'd." she commented. "Now hu'sh! I's 'bout to star't!"
Percy turned his head, as trumpets blared.
What he saw about darn well near gave him a heart attack.
Ms. O'Leary, being forced into an arena, and shocked with a cattle prod.
"What are they doing?!" he exclamed
"Shhhh! It's s'arin'!"
A door rose and Seline was pushed into the middle of the arena.
Annabeth rose.
"People of Camp New Blood!" she yelled "I welcome you! To this public excecution of a traitor!"
The crowd cheered and Annabeth motioned for them to quiet down.
"Let the fighting commence!"
More cheers.
Seline didn't stand a chance.
Ms. O'Leary bounded over and grabbed Seline. Shoving her to the ground she bit off her head.
A river of blood spilled out all over the sand.
Percy's head spun and the floor decided to kiss him.