The inside didn't look much better. It was beat up and mold was coming out he cracks in the walls. It even smelled old.
"I know it smells like dirty socks. I sometimes wish I'd been given a letter to go into the third, second and possible the first cohorts, but I came here when I was only three. I didn't have any parents, a letter and sadly just underwear." Jason walked over to his dresser and grabbed a small purple shirt with the letters S.P.Q.R on the front and pale blue jeans. "I hope these fit. I tried to find something your size, but you're on the little on the small side...everywhere." Jason gestured to Octavian's scarecrow body and toothpick arms. "How old are you anyway, Octavian?" Jason asked as Octavian grabbed the clothes and held the shirt up to his chest. The shirt had to been two times the size of his torso, but it was better than his wet blue shirt.
"I'm eleven and a half. What about you? You must be at least thirteen." Octavian set the clothes down on Jason's bed.
"You're eleven...and a half!?" Jason gasped. "I'm only nine! No offense but you're the smallest eleven year I've ever seen. I didn't know that stick figures were actually real." Jason chuckled, but covered his mouth and backed away. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
"No it's okay. I'm use to get it. My dad even teases me about it. I really don't care." Octavian smiled and pushed his glasses closer to his face.
"Octavian…OCTAVIAN!" Octavian could hear his dad screaming his name just outside the fifth cohort and by the sound of his voice he was in big trouble.
"Who's that?" Jason walked past Octavian and looked out the door. "Is that…Alberto Martini? I've heard stories about that guy. He was the bravest centurion New Rome has ever had and was one of the best praetor's we've had." Jason looked out the door in amazement as Octavian's father dramatically raced around the camp calling his name. "Octavian, come on let's go and meet him. It'll be fun!" Jason grabbed Octavian's wrist, but Octavian pulled away.
"How about we just stay here and watch from a distance?" Octavian tried his best to sport a fake smile. He didn't want to go out there. His father would yell at him and take him home and he'd never get to see Jason again. Jason was the only friend he'd had who understood his point of view and one who could see the monsters and flying horses. He wasn't ready to give that up yet.
"Why not, are you scared of meeting the coolest praetor ever?" Jason snickered.
"No…it's not that…it's just that…he's my_"
"Have any of you seen my….OCTAVIAN!" Octavian's father closed the door behind him and shoved past Jason and looked down at Octavian. "Where have you been? I thought I told you not to come into the camp. You deliberately disobeyed me.." Octavian father yelled. Octavian could tell that he was trying to control his anger as best as he could. His face was bright like a tomato and that wasn't good thing.
"I…I'm sorry. I…I just wanted to see it. I wanted to see where you grew up and see if I could be brave just like you." Tears streamed down Octavian pale face staining his cheeks.
"Don't cry. I'm disappointed in you, but I'm not mad at you. I'm just glad that I found you."
"Daddy I'm sorry. You can ground me for a week. I'll go to my room after dinner, no T.V or video games. I'll just go to bed. I don't care." Octavian whimpered trying his best to wipe away the tears.
"Daddy," Jason gasped. "Octavian…he…Alberto Martini is your dad?" Octavian nodded his head and giggled.
"Octavian I'm not going to ground you. I'm both terrified but glad to know that you saw the camp since you'll starting camp in two weeks." Alberto put his hand around Octavian and gasped. "Why on Earth are you wet?"
"That was my fault sir." Jason said. "I accidently ran into your son with my chariot and we tumbled into the lake. I managed to get your son out of the water before he drowned. I was going to give him dry clothes, but then you came in and everything got really…awkward."
"What'd your name, son?" Octavian's father turned his attention to Jason while still holding Octavian tightly in his arms.
"My name is Jason, Jason Grace. I'm the son of Jupiter." Jason and Octavian's father shook hands.
"Thank you for saving my son and it seems like you two are becoming good friends, am I right?"
"Yeah," Octavian wiped away the last of his tears and smiled.
"Well Jason it was great to meet you and great to know that Octavian has someone to hang out with while he's at camp, but we have to go. I have to turn in Octavian's letter's to the praetor and then head on back to the house for the night."
"Dad, can I see Jason again tomorrow? Please!" Octavian pleaded.
"Oh, yes, please, Mr. Martini. PLEASE!" Jason pleaded along with Octavian. Octavian's father laughed and nodded his head.
"You can come and see him again, but I don't want you in camp grounds. You must be within city limits or by the temples at all times. Is that understood?"
"Yes, thank you daddy! Thank you, THANK YOU!" Octavian wrapped his arms around his father.
"Octavian let's get you some dry clothes. You're getting my nice shirt all wet. " Octavian's father laughed and walked with Octavian out of the fifth cohort. Jason followed closely behind.
"Bye, Jason. I'll see you tomorrow! Meet here at the border, okay?" Octavian yelled at the top of the hill at Jason who waved goodbye and the two boys went their separate ways.
Octavian and is father walked through the city of New Rome. It was beautiful and very well built. He felt very at home here more than he did when he was at 'home.' It had only been a week since Octavian's father had taken him away from his mother and left her in the small blue apartment building in Connecticut. He missed his mom sometimes and often thought about her, but that only led to his half-brother Luke Castellan…and he didn't like to think about that.
"Octavian this is your new home! Well it will be for the next two weeks till you start camp then you'll be staying there during the weekdays and come here for weekends or when you have time." Octavian's father smiled and opened the door to the white mansion. It was just as beautiful as it was inside as it was outside. The floors were made out of marble. The walls were a nice cream color and fancy chandeliers hung just below the ceiling. The stairs spiraled up the three story mansion. Octavian already knew that he was going to have a lot of fun with that.
"Octavian, let's head on upstairs to your room. It's on the top floor." Octavian and his father walked up the spiral staircase to the last room on the left. The room was large and not crowded. For once he had space to do move around in his room. Octavian looked around at the sky colored walls and dark blue bed sheets and shelves of books and stuffed animals for him to read and play with.
"Wow…thank you, dad." Octavian gave his father a hug and ventured into the room. "Dad, I thought that we left all my stuffed animals with mom."
"Most of them we left behind, but I grabbed those three before we left. They're your favorite stuffed animals. I couldn't leave behind." Octavian's father smiled and gently kissed Octavian on the forehead. "Octavian you should get ready for bed. I know it's only seven thirty, but if you get ready we can play some Mario kart on the Wii. How does that sound?"
Octavian cheered and quickly grabbed his pajamas and tried to find the bathroom. He got dressed and ran down stairs up the Wii console and put Mario kart in. They played till nine-thirty. Octavian won every race, but the last one, but claims that he let his father win.
Octavian ran upstairs to his room and went to bed. His father tucked him in and gave him a goodnight kiss and turned off the lights. Octavian was so existed for tomorrow. He's never had a friend like Jason…well any friend for that matter. Most of his friends were stuffed animals and some people who eventually moved away and never talked to him again. He tried his best to fall asleep and think about all the fun things that they would do tomorrow.
Octavian woke up the next morning and quickly got dressed, ate breakfast, said goodbye to his father and ran to meet Jason at the border and sure enough there was Jason waiting for him at the border just like he said he would.
"Come on I'll show you around town!" Jason grabbed Octavian's wrist and dragged him through New Rome and showed him all the buildings and what they were used for. He even took him to the temples up on Temple Hill and introduced him to the augur, Malcolm Grey.
"Octavian, this is Malcolm Grey the augur at camp Jupiter." Jason gestured to the tall, muscular seventeen year old. Malcolm was tan, green eyed and dark haired. He was very handsome, but Octavian felt very uneasy around him.
"Hello, I'm Octavian Martini, it's nice to meet Malcolm." Octavian and Malcolm shook hands.
"You must be the boy Alberto Martini was talking about. He said that you were destined to be the next augur of camp Jupiter. Let's see how truthful that statement really is." Malcolm handed Octavian a knife and a small teddy bear. "Now go stand next to the altar." Octavian did what he asked and waited for further instruction. "Now take the knife." Octavian raised the knife, "and cut off the teddy bears head and spill the stuffing all over the altar."
"What!" Octavian shrieked. "I'm not going to kill the teddy bear. He's so cute!" Octavian snuggled the teddy bear close to his chest.
"Kid, you have to. If you can't then I don't see why Alberto would think you were good enough. I'll tell you a little secret." Malcolm walked over to Octavian and whispered in his ear. "When you do it just say whatever comes to mind. Romans will believe anything."
"But Jason said that you had the gift of the prophecy." Octavian tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"Of Course I do, right Jason!" Octavian could hear the lies spilling through his teeth. This guy was a phony. Octavian knew that he had the gift of the prophecy, but he didn't just go around telling people he did.
"Fine, I'll do it." Octavian grumbled and lifted up his knife and cut off the teddy bears head. He couldn't believe that he'd done it, but he had to show Malcolm. He spread the stuffing across the altar and looked into it. Instantly visions of the future filled his mind. Octavian dropped the knife and watched. A beautiful girl with black hair and obsidian eyes was coming up the hill to meet the augur. They were going to be friends, a conflict between him and Jason would get in the way. Octavian became the augur and the girl and Jason became the next praetors of New Rome. Jason vanished left the girl to run the camp alone. Why would he do that? The vision blurred and Octavian popped back into reality.
"You…you…can see the future. You really do have the gift of the prophecy." Malcolm. "I'm so sorry for doubting you. That is one of the rarest gifts that can be given to a demigod. Please, forgive me for doubting you." Malcolm gasped and walked out of the temple in shame.
"Wow…no one's ever showed Malcolm what a loser he really is. That was amazing, Octavian. I had no idea that you could see the future." Jason looked at Octavian in amazement. "It's not that big of a deal. You can probably do so much more being a son of Jupiter and all." Octavian blushed and set down the knife and the headless teddy bear. "Let's go Octavian. We have to tell the praetors about your gift."
"No." Octavian objected.
"What do you mean no?" Jason asked.
"We have to wait for her. She'll be here any second."
"Who are you talking about_"
"Her," just then the girl from his vision walked up the steps into the Temple.
"Have any of you seen the augur. I'm sup post to talk to him. I need to know whether I can be welcomed into camp." The girl asked. She was just as beautiful as had seen in the vision. Her black hair looked like silk in the sunlight. Her eyes were dark like space. She smelled of ashes and for some reason pineapples.
"I'm the augur." Octavian smiled and picked up the knife and a new teddy bear to slay. He would slay a teddy bear any day for her.
"Octavian, but you're not the_"
"Of course I am, right Jason." Octavian glared at Jason.
"Yeah he totally is. I mean look at him. He's got augur written all over him." Jason gestured to Octavian dramatically.
"You guys are funny." The girl laughed. She had the cutest laugh he had ever heard.
Octavian sliced open the teddy bear read the future. The stuffing clearly said yes.
"You will be glad to know that Jupiter has accepted you as the newest citizen of New Rome." Octavian said.
"That's great I'll go and get my stuff unpacked. Thank you." The girl laughed and waved them goodbye and walked out of the building.
"Wait, what was her name? She's kind of cute." Jason smiled and watched her walk towards the stairs.
"I saw her first." Octavian snarled.
"No I did!" Jason objected.
"I saw her in the auguries!" Octavian said
Jason tried to object, but he knew that he'd been beaten. "Fine, but at least ask for her name before she leaves."
"Hey, girl with the black hair, STOP!" Octavian yelled. The girl turned around with wide eyes.
"What, what's wrong?" she asked
"What's your name?" Jason asked.
The girl blushed and said, "Reyna."