Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear foreverskysong, happy birthday to me! And many more...
Yay, I'm 15 now! I'm the same age Christopher Paolini was when he published Eragon! I think...Wow, though, I need to step up my game. If a boy can write a huge book like that at 15, I can too, right? I should probably get started now though...
Alexandra June: There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You're just awesomer than most people. :) And thanks for wishing me a happy birthday! I most certainly will tell you if I ever publish a book, I promise. I've actually been working on a Greek mythology story idea for some time now...I've filled up two notebooks...but the writing itself is more difficult than you would think. *insert 'ick' face-otherwise knows as 'ugh' face*
Naomi MK Jackson: Yeah it snows here. We usually have a few weeks scattered throughout winter where we'll get like a foot of snow, and then the rest of the time the ground will just be bare. But it's always super cold.
Colorsplash21: Aww, thanks. I think you're my favorite right now. And while I can't use that headcanon right now, I'll definitely look into using it in one of my next ones.
ElijahS34 (guest): Thanks, buddy. And I try to update daily, and I'm generally successful, so...yeah, pay up! Time to review daily, too! :)
Laughy taffy (guest): No worries; I'm pretty sure they all showed up. A few people have been having trouble finding their reviews, but I'm pretty sure I've been getting them all, so try not to worry about it. And Laughy taffy is a very good name.
Percy Jason (guest): Thanks. I love cake-who doesn't-and a blue one is even better!
I JUST CANT EVEN DECIDE: Oui, je parle un peu francais. Did I get that right? I haven't said it in awhile...And if I ever have to mention them again, I'll be sure to say 'waffles that are blue' instead of-well, you know. *shudder*
Cherries (guest): I'm sure you will get more people. When I publish my first book, and I tell all you guys my real name so you can buy it and read it and all, I'll invite your mob somewhere and we can all party and celebrate Percy Jackson and life. Cuz we all know they're basically the same thing. :)
Hello (guest): Yeah, that's been suggested before. But I actually already have everything for that planned out...unfortunately, I can't tell you if it's the same or at all similar to your idea, because that would be a major spoiler.
Chickenislife (guest): No worries there-I will always bring the awesomeness. I'm just totally cool like that. ;)
Randomo: Looking forward to your long review...or reviews, since there are two chapters. :) Are you going to do two, or are you just going to put all of it into one super long review for both?
KristenA. Aliana (guest): Yes, Leo's torment hurts me inside as well. You know, I read in a writer's handbook once-Spilling Ink, for those interested-that you have to breathe life into your characters; they have to be alive for the book to work. And I was like 'you're crazy' at first, but now I understand. Rick may have orginally given these character's life, but now they're residing in my head as well...and, not even joking, they really do write their own story. I'm just like a medium, or something-someone that they speak through. :)
Megan Stark (guest): Leo's traumatic past will never be forgotten by me. The poor boy nearly makes me cry every time I think of all that he's had to go through.
Wild-at-Heart14: Their reunion is coming soon...I'm actually pretty sure that the next Frank chapter is going to wrap up his Pylos adventure, and then there are a few other things that are going to be going on...and then we'll get to the reunions.
Chapter LXVIII
Nico
Nico can't help but notice that Reyna is really good under pressure. She doesn't look the least bit unsettled when Butch and one of the other counselors get in a silent fistfight behind Chiron. And if she is, she definitely hides it well.
Although he has to admit that he wasn't paying very much attention to the fight-he was preoccupied with staring at...someone-he's pretty sure that it was because the kid tried to steal Butch's rainbow sharpies. Which actually makes him have to hide a smile. Some things really never change-no matter how surprising they might be.
Clarisse, meanwhile, doesn't even look up. Her combat boots-unsettlingly similar to Reyna's-are propped on the table, which no one seems to mind, and she's busy cleaning under her fingernails with a knife. Chris is sitting in the chair next to her, his gaze watching Reyna unwaveringly, intently listening to every word she's saying. At least one of them is paying attention. Although if Nico has to guess, he'd say Clarisse is listening too-she just doesn't want people to know that she cares.
Nico does a quick scan of the room, just to make sure no one's showing any hostility towards Reyna-besides Clarisse, who shows hostility to everyone.
He's a little surprised by what he finds. Every pair of eyes in the room-with the exception of Clarisse, of course-is fixed on Reyna. Even Clovis, who's never awake for meetings, is sitting up and watching her with wide eyes. Nico's sure it probably has to do a lot with the fact that she's bringing them news of the Seven-however little it might be-but they don't seem at all deterred by the fact that she's from the group of demigods that are just outside the borders, screaming for blood.
After almost half an hour, Reyna finishes up her story, and her list of reasons for being here. She surveys the room with a commanding gaze, waiting for someone to break the silence.
Clarisse, unsurprisingly, is the first to speak. She takes her feet off the table and leans forward, crossing her arms with the knife still in one of her hands and placing them on the edge of the table.
"What gives you the right to make this peace treaty? What's so special about you?" She asks, sneeringly rude.
Reyna had left out pretty much all background information from Camp Jupiter-she'd only said she'd met Annabeth when they came to Camp Jupiter and was the one she asked to retrieve the statue from Greece. Grover and Rachel had been pretty tight-lipped about everything, too-or at least that's what Nico had deduced.
Reyna regards Clarisse with an unreadable expression on her face, studying the daughter of Ares, calculating. Finally, she raises her chin proudly, staring defiantly at the girl. "I am praetor of New Rome. As such, I have the authority to negotiate for peace treaties and other such things."
"What exactly is a praetor?" Travis asks curiously.
"A praetor is the leader, the general. We are responsible for the camp as a whole-for protecting our borders, and training young demigods and legacies to become formidable soldiers." Reyna answers coolly.
"What's a legacy?" Travis asks. If Nico was Reyna, he probably would've rolled his eyes, but the only sign of any amusement or exasperation is a twitch at the corner of her mouth-maybe trying not to smile.
"A legacy is the child of demigods." She replies.
A quiet murmur sweeps through the room at that, and some people exchange surprised glances. The phrase 'the child of demigods' isn't one often heard at a camp where most kids die before they reach adulthood.
Chiron stirs, drawing the attention to him. "Are the other Romans willing to participate in this peace treaty? If they don't follow it, it's useless."
"Romans are good at following rules." Reyna replies shortly. "Even ones they'd rather not have to follow. Most of the Fifth Cohort, I know, will definitely be willing-and most of the people in the Third and Fourth Cohorts will be as well. The First and Second, however, are a different story-Octavian has their support, and he is the one who has largely orchestrated this attack."
Clarisse scowls fiercely. "I'd like to punch this Octavian's face in."
"I understand the sentiment, but I already beat you to it." Reyna says, smiling broadly before schooling her expression back into her poker face.
Clarisse seems startled, but she just shrugs uncomfortably and starts spinning her knife on the table. "Good." Is all she says.
"Who's your parent?" Drew suddenly says, looking Reyna up and down as if she were a prize animal.
"Bellona," Reyna answers, "Roman goddess of war."
The tattoo on her forearm flares fiery red for a brief few seconds, causing more muttered whisperings to sweep through the room. But Reyna doesn't show any sign of being unsettled-the opposite, actually, their surprise seems to please her.
"How do we know we can trust you?" Malcolm asks, speaking for the first time, watching her thoughtfully. There's no hint of rudeness in his tone; he's just asking a question he feels is important-like a true son of Athena.
Nico stirs in his seat. "Reyna is trustworthy." He assures Malcolm. "She's already saved my life numerous times in the past few days."
"Only as many as you've saved mine." She says, glancing at him.
He smiles faintly. "I really doubt that."
Malcolm studies Nico's face for a few seconds, then nods, satisfied, and goes back to silently watching and listening.
Reyna waits for any more questions, and when she receives none, she leans back a bit in her chair. "If there aren't any more questions," she starts, "we really ought to get started on the negotiations for the peace treaty. The sooner we have a written agreement, the better."
"Before that, though," Malcolm says, rejoining the active conversation. "We need to plan guard duty for the statue. Even if it's in the borders, and next to Peleus, we have to have double protection on it. My sister's hard work can't have been for nothing."
Clarisse stirs. "I already sent a few of my brothers up to it." Almost everyone looks at her incredulously, causing her to scowl again and glare with fierce eyes. "What?" She demands.
"Nothing." Is the general reply as people turn hurriedly away.
"And that's okay for now, but we need an actual schedule planned out." Malcolm persists.
"It should only be an issue for a few more hours." Reyna tells him, drawing everyone's attention to herself once again.
"What do you mean?" Butch asks gruffly.
"Athena told me last night that she would be arriving sometime today to take the statue to Olympus. I don't know when exactly that is, but it should be within a few hours. Which is why it's even more important to get this treaty done quickly-that statue is our symbol of peace. Annabeth said it has the power to put an end to the gods' 'schizophrenia,' as she put it, and that returning it would settle centuries of discord between the camps. More specifically, between the children of Athena and the demigods of Rome." Reyna explains.
Malcolm relaxes a bit, although his shoulders are still tense. "We should have a few guard changes scheduled anyway, just in case it takes longer than we think it will."
"Agreed." Chiron says, surprising Nico-he'd forgotten the centaur was there. "Will, do you think a few of your siblings would be willing to watch over the statue for an hour or so?" Will nods, and Chiron turns to Malcolm. "And, Malcolm, as it is a statue of your mother, I'd imagien you'd like to take a few of your siblings up there to inspect it and have at least one up there to help watch over it."
"Yes, sir. Very much." Malcolm replies, inclining his head respectfully.
Chiron turns to the room as a whole. "That's settled then. Now, let's get on with that treaty, shall we? Reyna, what did you have in mind to begin with?"
"There needs to be a strong alliance between the camps-there can't ever be a chance that either one would move to attack the other. We need to form more than just a treaty-we have to be friends, so that we aren't willing to attack each other." Reyna starts. Clearly, she's given it a lot of thought.
"A valid point." Chiron agrees. "Do you have any suggestions as to how we could do this?"
Reyna nods once. "The Fifth Cohort, as I mentioned earlier, is probably the most willing for this to happen. Both Jason and Percy were in the Fifth, as were-are-Frank and Hazel. Percy, Frank, and Hazel helped return the legion standard-our eagle, lost for almost a century. The Fifth is proud of that-they're not going to forget it in a hurry. And Jason did much in his time as praetor. The Fifth looked up to him greatly, respected him."
"And?" Clarisse prompts. "Could you get to the point already?"
"I believe we should allow the people of the Fifth Cohort to get to know you." Reyna states.
"What-you mean letting them into our borders? Willingly?" Clarisse asks incredulously.
"That's exactly what I mean." Reyna replies calmly.
Uproar. The room fills with the protests of dozens of demigods. Only a few remain silent-Drew, who's busy inspecting her nails; Malcolm, who briefly meets Reyna's gaze and nods once in approval; Chris, who's staring thoughtfully into the distance, obviously considering it; and Clovis, who appears to have fallen back asleep.
"QUIET!" Nico roars, standing so quickly he knocks his chair over. He glowers around the room at everyone, and they fall silent, shocked at his behavior. Usually he's just the quiet kid standing in the shadows-if he's even there at all.
"Thank you, Nico." Reyna says, as if nothing had happened. Nico gestures for her to continue and picks up his chair, sitting back down.
"As I was saying, yes, I believe the Fifth should be allowed to come and stay in camp. Their centurions, Gwen and Dakota, are two of the most open-minded-and kind-demigods in Camp Jupiter, although Dakota is a little eccentric." Reyna explains.
"Eccentric how?" Connor pipes up; apparently he'd finally found something that interested him.
"He's a son of Bacchus-" Pollux stirs at the sound of his father's Roman name, "-and he has an unfortunate addiction to red Kool-Aid. He drinks it with twice the regular sugar, and he's already extremely ADHD, so he's a little hyper."
"Understatement." Nico mutters, earning him a kick under the table.
"Gwen is a kind, quiet, caring person, and a very good leader. Also, she's no fan of Octavian, seeing as he's the most likely suspect behind her recent near death experience, and that he's pulled her out of retirement in college to help attack a camp of innocent people." Reyna continues.
"What do you mean by 'near death experience'?" Travis asks.
Reyna turns the full force of her gaze on him, and he shrinks a little in his seat. "Gwen was recently stabbed from behind by a pila during one of our war games-directly after, actually. The medics were unable to save her, and she died-but she came right back to life, as it was before Thanatos was unchained. She was the first one."
"Oh." Travis says, his voice small. "Ouch."
"Indeed." Chiron agrees. "I believe your idea is a good one, Reyna, but before I consider it, I must ask-can you promise the children of the Fifth Cohort will not turn on us once they are within our borders."
Reyna answers without hesitation. "I can. They will keep the peace-I swear it on my life."
Chiron leans back in his chair. "All right then. Once the treaty is finished, it will happen-but before we get started on that, I think everyone here is getting restless. You deserve a break." He looks around at everyone. "You have half an hour. Be back by then to discuss the treaty."
The room fills with the sound of chair legs scraping against the floor and scuffling footsteps as people shove to be the first ones out the door. As they start to file out, Nico hears Reyna breathe an audible sigh of relief, and turns to her with a grin.
"Oh, shut up." She mutters at him, trying and failing to suppress a grin of her own. Then they both stand and join the line of demigods going out the door.
I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Oh, and just fyi-that goal of mine, getting to 2000 reviews in two weeks, has another double update in it for you if you get to it. ;) That's my way of keeping you all super motivated.
I love you (as said above), eat blue birthday cake, give everyone hugs (even Nico), get motivated, get inspired, and feel rainbowy all day long!