Well. Welcome, 2016, year of The Trials of Apollo! The wedding has taken me days, being so long and detailed, and there are some definitely funny moments and a little bit of Kane Chronicles/Magnus Chase crossovers moments, too. Don't know how many parts it will be, but here's the first bit. Thank you for the followers and reviews! Keep sending me ideas! So far I'm thinking of using each and every one that's been sent to me so yours has a good chance of making an appearance. Ta-ta, dahlings!

Things went wrong almost right away.

That was typical demigod, though, and they were prepared. Piper was running around with a clipboard, checking things off lists. Hazel was overseeing set up. Reyna was in charge of making sure the borders and Camp Jupiter were intact. Frank was manual labour, setting up chairs, and doubly ensuring the safety of the legion while keeping everyone on schedule. Leo was being as underfoot as humanly possible, having set up for his fireworks later and having consumed waaay too much sugar. Nico and Jason were on welcome duty.

"I don't know why they want me here," Nico grumbled. "Everyone thinks I'm scary, anyway."

"Hazel doesn't think you're scary," Jason offered.

"Hazel's related to me," Nico pointed out. "Doesn't count."

They stood where the entrance to the tunnel led to the crossing over the Little Tiber. It was currently nine in the morning. Jason had seen both the bride and groom earlier, Percy having shown up at Jason's apartment at four am acting like a kid on Christmas morning. After lapping the city twice in an effort to wear his best friend out, Jason had sent Percy back home, and Piper had informed him via IM (they were all IMing each other like crazy this morning) that Percy has slept until eight and then gone to help move chairs. Annabeth was going about her usual morning routine, and Jason had run into her on her usual walk. She was positively glowing. It was kind of cute-in a platonic, puppy dog way.

All out of town guests were to check into New Rome's hotel by noon at the latest. The Jackson-Blofises had arrived the night before. The hotel was one of the city's newer additions, built after visitors from Camp Half-Blood started showing up. Big, luxurious, and five minutes from the pavilion, the hotel was the perfect place for out-of-town guests to stay. Piper had booked a room for the day for the girls to get ready in. The guys would get dressed in Jason's apartment. Legionnaires were posted around the tunnel to direct and security check visitors. It was a beautiful day, the summer air sweet and warm, the sky blue and cloudless.

Jason knew instantly something was bound to go wrong.

At first everything was fine. A steady stream of guests arrived. Annabeth's family were among the first, and would've stayed overnight the night before had they not lived so close by. Jason thought they were pretty nice. Annabeth's step mother was beaming, herding the fourteen-year-old twins—who were gawking and yelling—along, arm in arm with Frederick Chase, thoroughly frazzled and extremely fascinated. After that come a whole slew of camp people—Grover Underwood, who was one of the best men, unfortunately alone, since Juniper couldn't stray far from her tree. Rachel Elizabeth Dare, currently clad in paint-smeared clothes as per usual, planning to change later. Chiron, looking very pleased with himself, having kept not one but two trainees long enough to get married. Will Solace from the Apollo cabin and a couple of his siblings (Nico turned the colour of a beet, given the still-unresolved history between himself and Will), Lacey and a couple of nicer friends from Aphrodite, Malcolm and most of the Athena cabin, Tyson (very excited), the Stoll brothers, Katie Gardener, Clarisse and Chris Rodriguez, Lou Ellen from Hecate, and a host of others all arrive in due course.

The trouble started around eleven am, coincidentally around the time Jason was checking the Kanes in.

(Like demigods ever has coincidences).

Sadie was wearing a simple sleeveless white dress, her amulet, combat boots, and a cotton-that-looked-like-leather jacket. Carter was shifting nervously next to her, his satchel over one shoulder, in a cotton dress shirt and pants. Jason knew them instantly from a photo in Percy and Annabeth's living room. The Kanes and Jason's friends had started hanging out a couple of times a month way back before they'd even started college. He knew Carter was the more level headed one, while Sadie was probably rivalled in insanity only by Leo, and that was saying something.

"Hi," she said by way of introduction. "Are you meant to have a very large monster lurking by the entrance of your tunnel?"

Nico swore. "What kind of monster?"

"Looks like some form of dragon," Carter put in. "Only smaller. And furrier."

Nico looked at Jason. "Drakon?"

Jason shook his head. "Those are massive. Also, not furry."

"I can go take a hit at it," Sadie offered enthusiastically. "I love pummelling beasties."

"No," Carter and Jason said simultaneously, just as Annabeth came tearing up to them. Her hair was already halfway styled.

"Has Magnus gotten here yet?" She asked breathlessly, near-panicked.

"Uh," Jason stammered. "No."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "My father cannot see him," she exclaimed vehemently.

"Isn't he, like, your dad's nephew?" Carter asked.

Annabeth nodded, then started, seeming to just notice him. "Carter! Sadie! Hi!" She gave them each a rapid-fire hug. "Glad you're here. Listen, someone needs to call Hazel and tell her my dad cannot see Magnus looking like Magnus."

"Why not?" Sadie asked with interest.

"He thinks Magnus is dead."

"He is dead," all four of them chorused, particularly Nico. It was a bit of a sore spot for him, actually (long story).

"You guys only know about Magnus because you don't know Magnus," Annabeth said. "My dad does, so knowing about Magnus' danger would put him in danger, like knowing about me, I guess. Look, can someone go and get Hazel?"

"There's still a monster out there," Carter pointed out.

Annabeth swore.

"Look," Jason said, taking charge. "I'll go get Hazel. Nico and Sadie will go deal with—whatever the thing is. Annabeth, you go back to getting ready. I'm sure Piper's having a coronary by now."

"What about me?" Carter asked readily.

"You check people in." Before Carter could protest, Jason shoved the clipboard at him. "C'mon, Annabeth, let's go."

"We'll be back," Sadie said cheerfully, pulling out her magic wand. "I hope this works. Lot of gods at play here."

"You and me both," Nico mumbled, as they ran back into the tunnel.

"But I-" Carter began, only to find himself alone. "No one mind me," he mumbled. "I'll just wait here. Alone. In a strange city. Checking in people I don't know. Yup. Sounds like a great idea."

"GANGWAY!" Leo Valdez bellowed, and sprinted past, trailing a cape of flaming tulle. "I HATE THIS STUFF!"

"LEO, QUIT PLAYING AROUND AND GET BACK HERE!" The voice was a guy's, but it was a cheetah (a.k.a. the recently transformed Frank Zhang) that streaked past, also partially on fire. Carter watched them go. New Rome was even weirder than the First Nome.

Carter only had to check in two people—somebody named Thalia Grace, who looked like she could beat him up but was on the guest list, and a demigod from Camp Half-Blood. By then it was almost noon. Jason appeared, looking like, flanked by a pretty, small girl with golden eyes. Hazel's hair was already styled, despite the fact there was four whole hours to go before the ceremony, but she'd had to do something in advance.

No sooner had they showed up then Nico and Sadie appeared, breathless and caked in monster dust, debating the origin of the still-unnamed "beastie". Jason took the guest list back over. Carter told him about the cheetah, the flaming tulle, the punk girl he'd checked in, the screaming boy, and the other demigod he's allowed in. Jason seemed un-phased by it all and politely directed them to their hotel.

Last to arrive were Magnus and Sam, who'd agreed to be his plus-one. Sam and Annabeth had met years earlier and completely hit it off. It would also take all of Sam's considerable strength to wrestle Magnus into a suit. Her family thought she was on one of her many sporadic "business trips".

"Are you Magnus?" Hazel asked, too frazzled for manners.

"Uh, yeah," Magnus said. Hazel examined him, clicked her tongue, then nodded. "That'll do."

Sam yelped. "What?" Magnus exclaimed. "Do I still have twigs in my hair or something?"

"You have dark hair," Sam exclaimed. "And brown eyes."

Hazel grinned. "Convincing, huh? It's just a trick of the Mist. He'll be back to normal soon enough—hopefully long after Annabeth's dad has left."

Magnus face-palmed. "I knew we forgot something. He thinks I'm dead."

Hazel shrugged. "You are dead. You smell very, very weird, by the way." She flushed. "That came out wrong. I'm a daughter of Pluto. I can sense and, well, smell stuff like that."

"I'll roll with that," Magnus said easily. Sam grinned, yanking him forwards. "Come on, I want to see the city while I have a chance."

By noon, all the travelling guests were checked in, and crunch time was upon them.