First Person: Emily
We didn't make it to the ship. Halfway across the dock, five giant eagles descended in front of us. Each deposited a Roman commando in purple denim with glittering gold armor, sword, and shield. The eagles flew away, and the Roman in the middle, who was scrawnier than the others, raised his visor.
"Surrender to Rome!" Octavian shrieked. Hazel drew her cavalry sword.
"Fat chance," She grumbled. Octavian himself wouldn't have been a problem, but the four others behind him were clearly seasoned warriors - a lot bigger and stronger than I'd think we could deal with. Piper raised her hands in a placating gesture.
"Octavian, what happened at camp was a setup. We can explain."
"Can't hear you!" Octavian yelled. "Wax in our ears - standard procedure when battling evil sirens. Now, throw down your weapons and turn around slowly so I can bind your hands."
"Let me skewer him," Hazel muttered. "Please." She ship was only fifty feet away, but I couldn't see Zy and Kaze on deck, and Hedge was probably down in his room watching martial arts programs. Jason's team wasn't due back until sunset, and Percy and Audrey were underwater, unaware of the invasion. Annabeth slowly drew her dagger with two fingers, but instead of dropping it, she chucked it as far away as she could into the water. Octavian made a squeaking sound.
"What was that for? I didn't say toss it! That could've been evidence. Or spoils of war!" Annabeth gave a dumb-blonde smile like: Oh, silly me. Anyone who knew her wouldn't have been fooled, but Octavian seemed to buy it. He huffed in exasperation. "You other three. Put your weapons on the dock. No funny bus-" All around the Romans, Charleston Harbor erupted like a Las Vegas fountain putting on a show. When the wall of seawater subsided, the five Romans were in the bay, spluttering and frantically trying to stay afloat in their armor. Percy stood on the dock, holding Annabeth's dagger.
"You dropped this," He said, totally poker-faced. Annabeth threw her arms around him.
"I love you!"
"Roman!" Kaze shouted. He was suddenly at the edge of the water holding one of the Roman's shields, the other four lying on the dock at his feet. He examined the shield before disappearing and reappearing with the second shield in his hands. He took them all back to the ship and then returned to us and pointing at the five demigods in the water. "Roman!" He threw his arms up in celebration and then sped off somewhere. Zy suddenly appeared and looked around.
"I told Kaze he could take anything he wanted from the Romans," She explained. "He was more than happy to oblige."
"Get me out of here!" Octavian yelled down in the water. "I'll kill you!"
"Tempting," Percy called down.
"What?" Octavian shouted. He was holding on to one of his guards, who was having trouble keeping them both afloat. Audrey jumped out of the water from behind them and landed on the docks completely dry.
"So, uh, what did I miss?"
"Nothing!" Percy shouted to Octavian. "Let's go, guys." Hazel frowned.
"We can't let them drown, can we?"
"Oh, they won't," Audrey promised her. "We've got the water circulating around their feet. As soon as we're out of range, we'll spit them ashore."
"Nice," I said. We hurried aboard the Argo II, and Annabeth ran to the helm.
"Piper, get below. Use the sink in the gallery for an Iris-message. Warn Jason to get back here!" Piper nodded and ran off. "Hazel, go find Coach Hedge and tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!"
"Right!"
"Percy, Audrey, Zy, I need your help to get this ship to Fort Sumter." Zy ran up to join Annabeth at the helm and began working to work on the controls. Audrey and Percy got to work telepathically getting the ship ready to sail. Ropes flew on their own - releasing the dock ties, weighing the anchor. The sails unfurled and caught in the wind. Meanwhile, Zy fired the engine. The oars extended with a sound like machine-gun fire, and the Argo II turned from the dock, heading for the island in the distance. The five eagles from before still circled overhead, but they made no attempt to land on the ship, probably because Festus the figurehead blew fire whenever they got close. More eagles were flying in formation toward Fort Sumter - at least a dozen. If each of them carried a Roman demigod…well, that was a lot of enemies. Hedge came pounding up the stairs with Hazel in tow.
"Where are they?" He demanded. "Who do I kill?"
"No killing!" Annabeth ordered. "Just defend the ship!"
"But they interrupted a Chuck Norris movie!" Piper emerged from below.
"Got a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he's already on his way. He should be - oh! There!" Soaring over the city and heading in our direction was a giant bald eagle, unlike the golden Roman birds.
"Frank!" Hazel said. Leo was holding on to the eagle's feet, and even from the ship, I could hear him screaming and cursing. Jason was flying behind them, riding the wind.
"Never seen Jason fly before," Percy grumbled. "He looks like a blond Superman."
"Hey!" Veon came through the shadow of the mast. "Sorry I couldn't bring the others. Kinda in a hurry. They're coming." He looked to where everyone's eyes were. "Oh, yeah. Probably saw that already. Where's the enemy?"
"Uh…" Zy began, looking to the dozens of eagles. Surprisingly, they were losing formation as something was attacking them. If you looked closely enough, you could see a red and blue blur jumping between the eagles, knocking them off balance as they were caught by surprise.
"How the heck did he get up there?" Veon asked. "Can your brother fly too?!"
"I'll explain later."
"They're in trouble!" Piper warned, pointing to Jason and the others. Surely enough, the Roman flying chariot had descended from a cloud and was diving straight toward them. Jason and Frank veered out of the way, pulling up to avoid getting trampled by the pegasi. The charioteers fired their bows, arrows whistling under Leo's feet, which led to more screaming and cursing. Jason and Frank were forced to overshoot the Argo II and fly toward Fort Sumter.
"I'll get 'em!" Hedge yelled. He spun the port ballista.
"Wait!" Veon shouted, but it was too late. Hedge fired, and a flaming spear rocketed toward the chariot. It exploded over the heads of the pegasi and threw them into a panic. Unfortunately, it also singed Frank's wings and sent him spiraling out of control. Leo slipped from his grasp, and the chariot shot toward Fort Sumter, slamming into Jason. He went after Leo, obviously dazed and in pain, and caught him, but struggled to gain altitude. He only managed to slow their fall, and they disappeared behind the ramparts of the fort. Frank tumbled after them, and then the chariot dropped somewhere inside and hit with a bone-shattering CRACK! One broken wheel spun into the air.
"Coach!" Piper screamed.
"What?!" Hedge demanded. "That was just a warning shot!" Annabeth gunned the engines, and the hull shuddered as we began picking up speed. The docks of the island were only a hundred yards away, but now a dozen more eagles were soaring overhead, all carrying a Roman demigod in its claws. There was suddenly a clanging noise, and we all looked to see Kaze dropping a large bundle of swords, lances, and shields onto the deck. He muttered something about Romans unhappily, or maybe in awe of how heavily armed they were.
"Kaze!" Zy shouted. She gave him orders, probably to not let a single Roman onto the ship, and he nodded before drawing two silver swords and looking toward the eagles.
"Percy, we're gonna come in hard," Annabeth said. "You and Audrey need to control the water so that we don't smash into the docks. Once we're there, you're going to have to hold off the attackers. All of you help and guard the ship."
"But…Jason!" Piper said.
"Frank and Leo!" Hazel added.
"I'll get them back to the ship," Zy said. "Annabeth, you and Emily go and search for the map. Emily, don't be afraid to shut down, understand?" I nodded.
"Right." Once we'd gotten the ship to shore, the water making sure the ship wasn't damaged, Annabeth, Kaze and I ran off the ship, Kaze speeding away and clearing a path. He slashed at the Romans with his swords, but luckily Zy must've ordered him not to kill anyone, because no wounds were fatal and most of his victims only suffered a bruise on their necks and heads where he knocked them out. Leo had somehow escaped unharmed, ducking from portico to portico, blasting fire at the giant eagles swooping down on him. Roman demigods tried to chase him, tripping over piles of cannonballs and dodging tourists, who screamed and ran in circles.
Tour guides kept yelling, "It's just a reenactment!" though they didn't seem sure. The Mist could only do so much to change what mortals saw. Kaze handled every demigod in sight, but with his speed, it looked like the demigods were just collapsing of their own volition, supporting the claim that it was just some act. In the middle of the courtyard, a full-grown elephant that was Frank rampaged around the flagpoles, scattering Roman warriors. Jason stood about fifty yards away, sword-fighting with Dakota, whose lips were still stained cherry red, like blood.
"Sorry about this, Dakota!" He vaulted over the centurion's head like an acrobat and slammed the hilt of his gladius into the back of the Roman's head. Dakota crumpled to the ground. Zy ran up to him and pointed to the ship. The two of them headed for the ship, and Zy raised her hand, the skies darkening with thunderous clouds. That would make a dangerous distraction. Some Romans tried to stop us, but I ran forward without breaking stride, taking them by surprise, and tapped them on any open skin I could, causing them to fall to their knees, staring ahead in a daze.
"Where are we going?" I asked as Annabeth and I bobbed and weaved through the screaming crowd of mortals. We dodged into a small room that must have been part of the garrison. Annabeth muttered things under her breath, considering. Where would former children of Athena hide an important map, one they didn't want falling into enemy hands? Suddenly Annabeth began to look around frantically. She bolted for the door, but it slammed shut.
"What's going on?" Annabeth looked around as though something was surrounding us, but I didn't see anything. I felt the terror in her building, and I sensed a fear that only came to her through spiders. They had always haunted her, as a child of Athena, but as to why she saw them and I didn't, I had no idea.
"Soon, my dear," A voice whispered. "You will meet the weaver soon."
"Gaea?" Annabeth murmured. "Who…who is the weaver?" She looked down at her feet and tensed. They must've been at her feet.
"I hope you survive, child. I would prefer you as my sacrifice. But we must let the weaver take her revenge…" The earth goddess's voice faded. On the far wall, a red symbol blazed to life: the figure of an owl like the one on the silver drachma Annabeth had shown me, staring straight at Annabeth. The Mark of Athena burned across the walls, and I smelled something burning. It must've been the spiders.
"Go," Said a new voice - Athena's. "Avenge me. Follow the Mark." The blazing symbol of the owl faded, and the garrison door burst open.
"Annabeth?" I asked. "Annabeth, look at me. You're fine." An explosion shook the building, and she suddenly snapped out of her shock.
"Right…" She said. "We need to go. We've spent too much time here. The others are in danger." Annabeth stumbled and I took her arm to balance her. We made it to the door, and Annabeth breathed in the ocean air. Across the courtyard, past the panicked tourists and fighting demigods, to the edge of the battlements, where a large mortar pointed out to the sea. It may have been my imagination, but the old artillery piece seemed to be glowing red.
"Do you see that?" Annabeth asked.
"The red?" We looked to each other and then nodded before dashing toward it. An eagle swooped at us, but we ducked and suddenly Kaze went zooming past, slashing at the eagle with his sword. He didn't kill it, but he made it shriek and retreat. Without breaking stride, Kaze moved on to the fight, whacking any demigods that tried to get in our way. Roman demigods were forming ranks around the Argo II, but a storm had gathered over their heads. Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, rain and wind pushed the Romans back. Suddenly the water in the Charleston Harbor gathered and began to rise. Similar to the Kakos' formation, it formed an enormous torso with arms and a head, and then once it had fully formed, the facial features resembled a female.
"Whoo, it worked!" Audrey's voice boomed. She turned her attention to the Romans and then swung her arm to punch the ground, flooding a good deal of them into the water. We reached the mortar, and Annabeth put her hand on the muzzle. On the plug that blocked the opening, the Mark of Athena began to glow - the red outline of an owl.
"In the mortar," Annabeth muttered. "Of course." We pried at the plug with our fingers. Nothing. I grabbed my dagger and planned to pry it off. That turned out not to be necessary, as the moment the Celestial bronze touched the plug, the plug shrank and loosened. Annabeth pulled it off and stuck her hand inside the cannon. She pulled out a small disk of bronze the size of a tea saucer, etched with delicate letters and illustrations. She shoved it in her pack and we turned to leave.
"Rushing off?" Reyna asked. The praetor stood ten feet away, in full battle armor, holding a golden javelin. Her two metal greyhounds growled at her side.
"Reyna, what happened at Camp Jupiter was Gaea's fault," Annabeth said. "Eidolons, possessing spirits-"
"Save your explanations," Reyna said. "You'll need them for the trial." The dogs snarled and inched forward.
"Rhit!" Zy walked up behind us with Kaze by her side, and the dogs paused at her command.
"If you let Gaea drive the camps apart, the giants have already won," I said. "They'll destroy the Romans, the Greeks, the gods, the whole mortal world."
"Don't you think I know that?" Reyna snapped, her voice as hard as iron. "What choice have you left me? Octavian smells blood. He's whipped the legion into a frenzy, and I can't stop it. Surrender to me. I'll bring you back to New Rome for trial. It won't be fair. You'll be painfully executed. But it may be enough to stop further violence. Octavian won't be satisfied, of course, but I think I can convince the others to stand down."
"Romans," Zy muttered with distaste. "You all don't understand that if we die, then it won't matter if the Romans stand down, which is a problematic at best. Gaea has done this deliberately to leave you no choice, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano."
"Someone must pay for what happened. Let it be you. It's the better option."
"Better than what?" Annabeth asked.
"Use that wisdom of yours. If you escape today, we won't follow. I told you - not even a madman would cross the sea to the ancient lands. If Octavian can't have vengeance on your ship, he'll turn his attention to Camp Half-Blood. The legion will march on your territory. We will raze it and salt the earth." Annabeth paused, and we waited for her answer. "How will you use your reward?" Aphrodite had asked. "For war or peace?" Whatever this Mark of Athena was, it had the ability to bring together the camps if we could somehow retrieve it. Zy was right; Reyna's plan was problematic at best, and our deaths would mean we'd leave Nico to die, we'd basically let the giants take over, and throw away whatever the Great Prophecy had planned for us.
"I'm going," Annabeth declared. "I'm following the Mark of Athena to Rome." The praetor shook her head.
"You have no idea what awaits you."
"You have no evidence of anything," Zy said. "How many times have you been to Rome?"
"This grudge between our camps…I can fix it," Annabeth said.
"Our grudge is thousands of years old," Reyna said. "How can one person fix it?"
"The Mark of Athena leads to a symbol of the hatred between Greeks and Romans," Zy said. "We find it, and we can make peace. It's never been found before, but I do not fear death. I fear doing nothing. I'd rather fight and lose than give up without even trying. A Roman would not surrender if they have the ability to do something. What makes you think others would be any different?"
"The quest has to succeed," I said. "You can try and stop us, in which case we'll have to fight to the death, and I don't like your odds. Or, you can let us go, and we'll try to save both our camps. If you must march on Camp Half-Blood, at least try to delay. Slow Octavian down." Reyna's eyes narrowed.
"From a daughter of a war goddess, I respect your boldness. But if you leave now, you doom your camp to destruction."
"Don't underestimate Camp Half-Blood," Annabeth warned.
"You've never seen the legion at war," Reyna countered.
"I've seen them in battle," Zy said. "What makes you think Greeks fight all formal like you? Sure, they'd never win against your legion in a full-on battle, but Greeks fight unpredictable and unorganized. They are chaos on the battlefield. They can hold their own. If the Greeks have survived all these years, it doesn't matter if you wipe Camp Half-Blood off the map. Gaea wishes us to fight, but Octavian doesn't realize the threat she poses. If you don't get along, you will destroy each other, and the winner of your battle shall be weakened to the point where you are helpless against her. Romans are not savages. Prove it."
"Kill them! Kill them all!" We looked to see Octavian crouched behind us guards, screaming encouragement at the other Roman demigods as they struggled to hold their ground, holding up their shields as though they would protect them from the storm around them, or Audrey's flood. On the deck of the Argo II, Percy and Jason stood together, their swords crossed. They were working as one, summoning the sky and the sea to do their bidding. Audrey's large water form spun before transforming into a hurricane that joined in the chaos. Some of the Romans were neck-deep in vats of tar. Water and wind churned together. Waves heaved against the ramparts and lightning flashed. Giant eagles were knocked out of the sky. The wreckage of the flying chariot burned in the water, and Coach Hedge swung a mounted crossbow, taking potshots at the Roman birds as they flew overhead.
"Kaze," Zy motioned towards the Romans. He nodded and sped away to assist in the attack. "Reyna, I hope you use that head of yours and realize what would really be wisest and what needs to be done. If we are to die, then it doesn't matter if you get the Romans to stand down. Gaea will have already won. My team has been built to consist of only the strongest demigods in existence, and we will not hesitate to strike you down if you attempt to interfere with this prophecy." She looked up to the dark clouds above us and kneeled before jumping up. The moment her feet left the ground, there was a flash of light as she turned to lightning and disappeared into the clouds. The storm instantly doubled in power, and the lightning bolts became deadly accurate, knocking the eagles out of the sky in succession, before raining hell down upon the Romans, who blocked desperately with their shields.
"Our people are at war," Reyna said.
"You don't want to be," I said. "You understand that this war means nothing but destruction, and if it continues, the only winner will be Gaea. You can't stop this war simply by killing us. It's not going to be that easy. You're smart, Reyna, and wise enough to understand what's really at stake here and how the only way to fix it is for us to succeed. If you stand in our way now, then we'll fight you, but I know it won't come to that." Reyna's expression looked the same as it had at Camp Jupiter when she realized Jason had found another girl. The praetor was too alone, too bitter and betrayed to believe anything could go right for her ever again. But there was something else underneath. Something in her heart that made her so closed off, a past tragic and fearful memory that made her understand us. She's been helpless before, she'd done something wrong, and she had been afraid, but no longer. Reyna would make her own choices, and she'd move forward in life despite all the challenges it threw at her. I'd felt the same feeling within Zy recently, and I knew that they still had the power of choice no matter what burden was put on them.
"Annabeth Chase," She said. "When we meet again, we will be enemies on the field of battle." The praetor turned and walked across the ramparts, her greyhounds behind her.
"Let's go!" I shouted, and we ran for the ship. The winds, water, and lightning that battered the Romans didn't affect us, and we sprinted through their lines with ease.
"Stop them!" Octavian yelled. A spear flew through the air towards us, but suddenly a lightning bolt struck it dead on and it exploded before it could reach us. Piper and Veon were at the gangplank, hands outstretched. I grabbed Veon's and Annabeth grabbed Piper's. The gangplank fell into the sea, and we tumbled onto the deck.
"Go!" Annabeth screamed. "Go! Go! Go!" The engines rumbled beneath us, the oars churned, Jason changed the course of the wind, Audrey transformed into a massive wave, which lifted the ship higher than the fort's walls, and pushed us out to sea. A lightning bolt hit the deck and revealed Zy before she collapsed against a mast breathing hard; some of the water from the wave came aboard and transformed into Audrey before she repeated the motion. Kaze rushed over to his sister out of nowhere, and that accounted for the entire crew. By the time the Argo II reached top speed, Fort Sumter was only a blot in the distance, and we were racing across the waves toward the ancient lands.
