Hi guys. I hope you like this new chapter. Kind of long but lots of action and battle in it. Let me know what you think of it ! I'd really appreciate some reviews, either good or bad.

Chapter 5 – New friends

Liam felt like he had only just put his head down when he was woken up again by Jamie. He got up quickly and his head spun so much he almost tripped and fell again.

"Take it easy, bud" said Percy from the other side of the clearing. "We won't get going for a few minutes, so you still have a while to get ready."

Liam didn't know how he was supposed to get ready, seeing as how he didn't have any possessions on him except the small harp he'd stolen from the school basement and his clothes. He walked over to a nearby creek and splashed his face with cold water. His head stopped spinning after a couple of seconds and he felt very much like himself again, like he hadn't run away from school and almost drowned in the sea the day before.

"I'm ready" he said. "Where to?"

"We're headed for Caldecott Tunnel, on Highway 24" answered Jamie. "That's straight across this forest, the tree line actually ends half a mile short of the eastern end of the tunnel. From there, we don't know. We're hoping to find that place Garret told us about, where we'd be safe, only we don't where or what it is".

"Castra Roma" said Percy and a tingle came up Liam's spine. "Its name is Castra Roma though I don't know what that means".

"It means Camp Rome, Percy" Liam answered immediately. "In Latin."

"You speak Latin?" both Percy and Jamie asked at the same time.

"Well, not fluently" he answered, a little taken aback. "But yeah, I had some lessons back in the UK, you know, conjugate your verbs, know your trees, your cows and your gods. I was always quite good at it".

"Camp Rome" Percy said slowly. He looked disturbed by the name, like it wasn't what he'd expected. But he snapped out of it after a pause and said "we should get going guys. Let's go find all this Latin freaks, see what they can tell us".

They made their way across the forest in silence, walking in a straight line. Jamie led the way because she seemed to know where they were going, Liam went in the middle and Percy took the rear. They walked all morning without a word, just listening to their own footsteps and the noises of the forest.

They headed consistently south and the sun rose on their left and shone brightly through the trees. Liam felt invigorated in the sunlight, like a solar battery in the desert and he walked with more determination, anxious to find out what on earth was going on, why they'd been chased from school by monsters and why his friend had lost his memories.

Lunchtime came and went and their stomachs began to grumble. Liam didn't know where they were going but he hoped they would have some good food over there. He climbed over a log behind Jamie and as he jumped down on the other side he saw something. It was only a flash but he could swear he had seen a girl, standing on the branch of a young oak, just to their left. He looked intently at the place where he'd seen her and waited to see if there was any movement. Except for a rustle in the leaves, nothing.

He supposed it was probably his imagination but he started to get nervous and to pay more attention to his surroundings, watching and listening intently as they travelled. Half an hour later, he saw something again. They were crossing a small creek and he kneeled as if to drink some water and to his left he saw the glitter of the sun refracting from a metal surface. It blinded him for a second and when he looked again he barely saw the back of a guy in his teens disappearing into the woods and carrying a blade hung across his back.

"Percy, Jamie" muttered Liam. "I think we're being followed".

"You sure?" asked Percy quietly. "What did you see?"

"A guy and a girl, maybe more, hidden in the forest. They've been following us for over an hour. And yes, I'm sure of what I saw, but I don't know where they are anymore".

They continued to walk but with the alertness of a pack that knows it's being hunted, watching every corner, tree and nook their hunters might be hiding. They increased their speed and weaved and turned, hoping to see them again, force them into a mistake that would reveal their position. On one occasion they made a sharp turn to the right and marched quickly and they heard the noise of a branch break and footsteps moving away to their right.

"All right" said Percy. "That settles it. We need to get to them before they get bored and shoot us from the trees. They're keeping their distance, always safely away. We'll have to split up. I'll go right and-"

"No" cut in Liam. "I'll find them. Let's stop for a second and I'll scout, I know I can see them without them spotting me, and then I'll let you know where they are, so you can go in and bust some heads".

Percy didn't seem to like the idea much. He hesitated and looked Liam straight in the eye. Liam stared right back, confident that he could do this and get back safely. Some form of understanding passed between them and, after a pause, Percy nodded, giving him the go-ahead and the responsibility. Liam felt a rush of excitement at Percy's acceptance. He had been pretty useless in the fight against the chimera and he'd been unconscious for most of the past day so now was his chance to do something, to prove his worth.

"Let's stop for a second guys!" he yelled out loudly so that anyone around could hear him. "I need to go to the bathroom for a second!"

Percy and Jamie gave him a funny look but didn't say anything and he jumped off and went into the underbrush. He could feel the eyes of someone watching him so he ran for a bit, quickly making his way deeper into the forest. He turned hard to the right and ran in a different direction. He heard some noises behind him and he knew his pursuer could not keep him in sight at this speed without revealing himself. He was out of sight, if only it were for the seconds it took his pursuer to find a new position to watch him from. Liam chose that moment to change direction again, took a hard left, ran and hid inside some shrubs. He waited for a full minute and listened intently. Very softly, he heard footsteps moving just ten feet from him but moving away towards the left. If he moved right, and was completely silent, he could get leave this guy far from where Percy and Jamie were searching for him.

Liam crawled slowly under the cover of brush and some bushes, in Percy's and Jamie's direction, until he had travelled about fifty feet. He was sure whoever had been following him had gone off in the opposite direction but it was obvious he'd be returning to inform his friends of what a sorry failure he was very soon. So Liam hurried and circled Percy and Jamie's position so he'd reappear on the exact opposite side where he'd disappeared. He aimed for the same distance and angle where he'd seen the girl that morning. If he was lucky, she'd still be in the same general place, watching Jamie and Percy.

He was lucky. As he finished a half turn around Percy and Jamie's position, he saw her. It was a girl with pale blond hair and a small nose. She was wearing light armor, built for speed and agility but still offering some protection. She was looking intently at Jamie, who was now standing alone, through a gap in the trees and she hadn't noticed him coming up behind her. A knife hung loosely from her waist, the pummel facing towards him. He crept very slowly and quietly in her direction, making no noise and holding his very breath. A foot, two feet and, in a flash, he jumped and snatched the knife from her waist.

The girl turned around violently and screamed in fury. She aimed a punch at him but he ducked and rammed her into a tree, putting the tip of the knife against her neck and his hand over her mouth. She froze and looked at him murderously out of intense black eyes, but she stopped struggling when she felt the knife pressing against her jugular. He lifted his hand slowly and applied a little pressure on the knife at the same time, to make sure she wouldn't scream again.

There was a moment of silence where there was nothing to be heard except birds chirping and the sound of a breeze rustling the leaves on the forest floor. Liam was surprised at the look on the girl's face for, even though she was quite pretty, she looked absolutely cold and calm while being threatened with a knife, like she did this every day.

"So what are you going to do, stranger?" she asked quietly. "Are you gonna kill me?"

"Maybe" said Liam "but I've got some questions for you first, luv. Who are you and why are you following us?"

"I won't answer any questions from you" she said firmly. "Let me go and I'll beat your sorry ass in a fair fight".

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen" Liam muttered angrily. "We've been through enough since yesterday and I want some answers. Now give me a straight answer or else-

"Or else what, Liam?" whispered another voice behind him. Liam turned his head to see that he had been surrounded by two people, one standing on either side of him, and both pointing their blades at him.

The guy standing on his right looked pretty tough. He had a savage face, with plenty of scars decorating his cheeks and a particularly gruesome one going down from his chin and into his shirt. He had wild red hair which reached his shoulders and made a straggly mess around his head. He was wielding a golden, double-edged battle axe so large he had hold it with both hands and it seemed like he'd be happy just to swing, decapitate him and go home for dinner.

The girl, on the other hand, was absolutely gorgeous. She had black hair and bright blue eyes, with a fine nose, soft features and a freckly face. Ordinarily, Liam would have liked to talk to her, ask her who she was, what she was doing later, but right now, she looked positively furious and was holding two short golden swords close to his throat. She looked extremely displeased and he could tell she'd kill him the first chance she got.

"So you found me, huh?" Liam asked her stupidly. "Thought you were on the other side of the clearing, still searching".

"I realized what you were doing immediately" said the pretty girl intensely. "I knew you'd come around and try to ambush Alexa so I came here directly. Now let her go if you don't want Bruce to cut your head off. I'm not asking again".

Liam hesitated. He didn't like his chances against three armed and trained teens while he only held a stolen knife to defend himself. His hostage was his only chance of staying alive long enough for Percy and Jamie to make their way there and help him out the mess he'd gotten himself into.

"I don't think so, luv" Liam bargained. "Make a move and I'll take this girl out before you even have a chance to touch me". He hoped he sounded confident but he wasn't really sure, so he just went on. "How about you put your weapons down instead? Then we can all have a nice chat and a cup of tea".

The guy with the red hair and savage face laughed. "You think you can negotiate with us, you English punk?" he asked derisively. "Alexa knows the rules of war. If you are caught or injured in combat you immediately become a casualty of war. No one will save you. The only reason we haven't killed you yet is that you might have some answers, and we want you alive. But then again, there are two others we can get that information from so we could just kill you and get them…"

Liam tensed. He turned to the girl and saw that her eyes had flared open and that she seemed afraid behind her cool demeanor. Despite what the other guy might have said, it was clear to him that she didn't want Alexa to die and that she was worried, not just about her friend, but about something else. But still, the guy had a hungry look in his eyes that told him he might just go violent any second. Either that, or before long they'd figure out he was bluffing and that there was no chance he was actually going to kill the girl.

He was trying to think of something to say to stop the guy from swinging the double headed axe and cutting him in half, when the blue-eyed girl made her move. She stepped in and brought her right sword straight down, aiming for a quick and violent cut on his knife arm at such a speed it would have been impossible for him to stab Alexa before she hit him, even if he had wanted to. It was a perfect move; she'd taken full advantage of his complete focus on the axe-bearing guy and had probably guessed his unwillingness to take Alexa's life. Liam braced himself, waiting for the pain and simply stared at Alexa's eyes without flinching.

But the blow never came. As the blue-eyed girl swung her sword down, Percy's bronze shield flew out of the forest like a huge and deadly Frisbee, heading straight for her with such force it would have sent her crashing into the forest, not to mention the serious slash the razor sharp edges of the shield would've made. But again, she reacted faster than the eye could follow, faster than anyone Liam had ever seen. She threw her head backwards and bent her spine and her knees slightly, so that the shield passed over her head as if she'd limboed under it, actually grazing the tip of her nose before moving on across the clearing.

Bruce was less lucky. After passing over its original target, the shield continued its deadly path towards him but he, being taller, was going to get hit in the middle of the chest. He tried to bring his axe up to cover himself from the strike but he was too slow. The shield caught him in the middle of his breastplate and the force of the strike threw him ten feet in the air and sent him crashing into a tree on the edge of the clearing. His breastplate was cut neatly in half and he stayed on the floor there, looking dazed and bleeding slowly from a shallow cut on his chest.

Percy jumped with a fierce yell and attacked the blue-eyed girl who was just straightening from her dodge. She was forced to raise both her golden swords in an X to stop Percy's bronze sword from hitting her between the eyes. He had struck her with such force that he'd expected her to be thrown to the ground from the shock. Instead, she used the energy of the crash to roll backwards and jump to a safe distance. She didn't waste a second and jumped straight up and somersaulted over Percy's head, making a double horizontal slash meant to chop his head right off.

As the blue-eyed girl somersaulted, Alexa used the distraction caused by Percy's appearance and sank her knee deep into Liam's midriff. The kick drained his lungs of air and he staggered backwards in pain. She then jumped forward and aimed another punch at his face. Liam tilted his head back and it missed by an inch. He slashed with the stolen knife and forced her to jump backwards, allowing him to recover his breath and take a stand. But she wasn't done yet, she crouched and took a second knife from an ankle bracelet, wielding it with a careless familiarity. It was a smaller than the one Liam had taken from her but it still looked deadly. She eyed him for a second, and then attacked.

Percy ducked just in time and the girl's twin swords slashed the air above his head. She roared with anger and charged him, with a furious set of jabs and slashes. Percy was pushed back and he was amazed at the speed and agility of the girl. He was forced to parry, dodge and step back just to keep himself from getting run through. But after retreating for several steps, he started to see a pattern, there was an order, a discipline to her strikes and she lacked creativity in her form of battle. He could predict where she would hit and, once he knew this, he could counter her strategy and match speed for speed and blow for blow. Percy dodged a horizontal slash by kneeling and blocked her second vertical strike with his bronze sword. They held each other for a second before Percy shoved her sword aside and jumped straight up, headbutting her in the face as hard as he could. She stumbled backwards confused and in pain.

Percy saw his opening and pounced with a downwards strike from above his head. She barely managed to block it with her left hand and her sword spiraled off and sunk into a nearby tree. Percy would have disarmed her completely right then and there, but a huge golden axe came swinging from the side. Percy parried and the force of the blow almost threw him to the ground. He managed to use his opponent's strength and roll sideways, like the girl had done before, and he recovered quickly enough to deflect the huge red-haired guy's second swing.

Things started to look bad for Percy. The girl recovered from getting her face smashed and she joined the fight with her remaining sword. Combined with the huge red-haired guy, they made a terrible combo. The guy was slow and clumsy but every one of his swings was so powerful it was almost unblockable, forcing Percy to jump out of its way or try to change the blade's direction with his sword. Simultaneously, the girl moved with incredible speed, trying to catch him off guard or to get behind his back. Even though she only had one sword left and was bleeding from her nose, she pressed Percy hard and threw three or four strikes between every swing of the guy's axe. Percy was slowly forced to move backwards between blocks, parries and dodging.

Things were also looking bleak for Liam. He had gotten into plenty of fights in London and he knew how to take care of himself but Alexa was in another league. She slashed time and time again and he barely managed to block her knife or dodge her swings, making a hasty retreat and practically running around the clearing escaping from her. He realized he had no chance against this girl in hand to hand combat and that he would be beaten soon if he didn't pull out something new.

He jumped back from her last swing and rolled sideways, grabbing a large rock from the ground as he rose. Before the girl had a chance to close the distance between them he threw the rock at her, aiming for her stomach. She managed to dodge it but just barely, making her lose her balance for a second. Liam chose that moment to throw his knife as hard as he could at her. His aim was true but Alexa managed to place her own knife in the way, blocking his throw and sending his knife into the trees. However, the move cost her balance and she fell down on her back. Liam pounced as fast as he could and they wrestled for the remaining knife, knowing whoever got it would take the fight.

Percy was almost to the edge of the clearing and he knew that if he reached the trees he'd be a goner. In desperation, he tried something new, he somersaulted just like the blue-eyed girl had done before and tried to slash at Bruce, aiming for his neck. The guy obviously knew the move and what Percy was trying to do and he laughed stupidly as he raised his axe and blocked the slash. But he wasn't expecting it when Percy snatched out with his other arm, grabbed his wild red hair and face planted him hard into the ground. His laugh was cut short as he fell and his temple hit a rock. He stayed still after that, obviously unconscious.

"It's just you and me, blue eyes" said Percy. "Think you can take me?"

"Who are you?" she asked angrily. She was still bleeding from her nose and her face was all red from the fight. "Who are your parents?" she demanded forcefully.

The hairs on Percy's arms stood on end at the second question. His parents. He tried to remember them and a feeling took over him like a warm smile watching over him, a hand over his crib. The girl saw that she had unnerved him and she attacked him again, almost catching him by surprise. But it was easier this time, she was tired and bleeding and still her attacks were routine and mechanical. If he were any slower she'd beat him easily, but as it stood, he could take her.

Percy blocked her sword and they held each other in place for a couple of seconds. She was breathing heavily. He stepped in and pushed her with his left hand while tripping her with his right leg. She went down and landed flat on her back, obviously winded. He pinned her and put his sword to her neck.

"Surrender" he ordered. "I have no wish to kill you, but I will if you resist."

She was about to answer when, to their right, they heard a roar of triumph and Alexa came out the winner in her wrestle with Liam and she brandished a knife in her right hand. Liam looked dazed and didn't move. She pointed the knife at Liam and was about to say something when an earsplitting yell burst through the clearing.

"Stop!" Jamie yelled furiously from the edge of the clearing. Percy froze and, surprisingly, so did Alexa. Her command had immobilized them somehow and they just stared at her for a couple of seconds.

"Stop fighting. Please" she said. "This doesn't make any sense, we don't even know who you are. We do not mean you any harm. We are just travelling, looking for a place called Castra Roma. Let us go and we'll get out of your way, you won't ever see us again".

"You're heading for Castra Roma?" Alexa asked. "That's where we're from... but no one ever gets this close to it without a guide. Who brought you here?"

"No one" answered Percy. He stood up and let the blue eyed girl go. She rose slowly and retrieved her fallen sword. "We met this guy called Garret who told us we should come to Castra Roma at Caldecott Tunnel on Highway 24. He said we'd be safe there".

"Garret?" asked the blue-eyed girl, looking shocked. "We know him, he's also a camper. But he's a protector, he's supposed to be in San Francisco, guarding two young half-bloods. He contacted camp three days ago, said he was ready to bring them in, that he was worried about a monster in the school..."

"Yeah..." said Jamie. "He was. That was Jamie and me. We were attacked by a chimera while we were there and he, uhm, he saved us. We only got away because of him... but he died, disappeared in the fight. I'm sorry."

The blue-eyed girl stared at her, wordlessly. She seemed taken aback by the news and tears actually welled in her eyes before she brushed them off angrily. She closed her eyes and visibly calmed herself before speaking again.

"But he was only guarding two people, why are there three of you? Who's the extra?"

"Me" said Percy. "My name is Percy Jackson. Garret said he didn't know me before yesterday but he told me to come too, to lead Jamie and Liam here, and see if I could get some answers. And now it's time you answered some questions of our own. Who are you? What is Castra Roma and what are halfbloods? Why did you attack us?"

Alexa considered him thoughtfully. "My name is Alexa, the guy on the floor is Bruce and that is Reyna. We are all campers at Castra Roma, the place you've been searching for. We followed you because you came very close to our borders and we guard our camp zealously. We actually weren't going to attack unless you reached the camp borders or showed any signs of aggression but then this guy came up behind me and things kind of got out of control. As to what Castra Roma actually is, and what half-bloods are, I can't really explain it now. We'll have to take you there and, if you can enter, you will understand".

"What do you mean, if we can enter" asked Jamie.

"It depends if you are really one of us, if you're really a halfblood" said Reyna. "And even if you are, there are tests, three tests you'll have to pass. Only the best can enter Castra Roma."

"What kind of tests?" asked Percy, raising his sword.

"Oh, you won't have to fight" said Reyna smoothly. "Most kids get to Castra Roma when they can't even hold a sword. No, these are tests of character. They will show what you are made of, if you have what it takes to be a soldier of the Legion. Many fail our tests".

She looked at them coldly once more and said "Bruce is waking up. We should go now, so we can reach camp before the sun sets. Come on, the entrance is not far from here."