Some time later, Clarisse stood up and said her goodbyes before walking off with a glum expression. I wished her all the best as she left. I then turned to Calypso with a small smile.

"I'm going to visit Camp Jupiter, so I'll be getting Annabeth and leaving soon. Do you want to come? If not, you can ask Chiron where to sleep, he'll likely let you stay in my cabin. Jupiter is on the other side of the country, so I doubt I'll be back before tomorrow." I announce, awaiting her response.

"Of course I'd love to go! I want to see more of the world! This Camp Jupiter sounds exciting!" She said enthusiastically as she stood up.

"Great, just make sure not to bring any weapons," I said seriously. "The god who guards the border is very strict and a real headache."

Calypso let out a melodious laugh. "Well, fortunately for me, I don't own any weapons. I think I'll be ok."

"I know, just making sure you didn't pick up any bad habits from Chiron," I said with a playful wink. "I'm going to get Annabeth. We'll meet you by the stables."

We then walked off towards our separate destinations. I assumed Annabeth was in the Athena cabin, as I couldn't think of anywhere else she might be.

In a short time I arrived at the cabin and knocked on the door to see a familiar face answer it. One of Annabeth's siblings, a guy named Malcolm Pace.

"Hey, Malcolm, how have you been? Is Annabeth inside?" I asked him.

"I'm doing swell at the moment. As for Annabeth, she left a little while ago. I think I saw her head towards the Aphrodite cabin," He told me as I looked into his eyes, which were stormy grey just like Annabeth's. "Oh, Percy, another thing... I'm uh, sorry about what happened to you. I know it must be difficult on you and Annabeth."

I gave him a sad smile. "Yeah, it has been. It's only the first day too..."

"You two will figure it out, you've literally been to hell and back together. I know some guys around camp are jealous that you got a harem, but they're just horny teenagers. They don't get the kind of strain you're in. Some of them likely think you're drowning in sex. Pay them no mind, you hear?" He told me, trying to cheer me up.

"That means a lot coming from another guy. Thanks, Malcolm."

"No problem. Take care of her, Percy."

With that said, he went back inside and I turned around to head towards the Aphrodite cabin. I knew there must be only one reason for her to go there, and that would be to comfort Piper. Now that I think about it, I hadn't seen Jason or Piper at all today. Their recent breakup has to be the only thing to blame for that. It wouldn't surprise me if both of them have just been sitting in their respective cabins this entire time. I then looked up at the sky and saw it was around midday. I'd prefer to reach Camp Jupiter before nightfall, so I may need to break their reunion up early.

I soon found myself standing before the gaudy Aphrodite cabin, the strong perfume permeating through the air. I then knocked on the door and after a moment heard a quiet "come in" from inside. I then opened the door, my senses assaulted by the obnoxious fumes of the cabin. I coughed before seeing Annabeth and Piper in the back. Annabeth was comforting her friend, who had clearly been crying. Annabeth then looked up at me.

"Hey Percy, what's up?" She asked in a quiet voice as she rubbed circles into Piper's back.

"Is... this a bad time? I could come back later..." I said awkwardly.

"It's fine, Percy. Come on in." I heard the teary voice of Piper say.

I stood there for moment before heading inside towards them, sitting down on a nearby bed. Piper's face was stained with tears, her eyes were extremely red, like she'd been crying for hours. A bunch of tissues were on the floor around her feet and they all looked like they'd been used. I swallowed hard.

"I just came to tell you that I decided to go to Camp Jupiter. I'd like to leave soon so we can get there before sundown, if possible. Uh... I'll just go now, leave you to it." I told Annabeth before standing back up.

I then felt a hand grab me. I looked down to see it belonged to Piper, who was looking at me.

"Stay, please..." She whispered, her voice raw.

I nodded reluctantly and sat back down. "Have you... been in here this whole time, Piper? I haven't seen you all day."

She simply nodded. "Yes. I... I don't know why I'm like this. The breakup was... mutual. Then I remember what happened to you and it just... Makes me feel so conflicted."

"Conflicted?" I asked, not understanding. "Any breakup will hurt, even if it's mutual. But, what do you mean by feeling conflicted?"

Piper started sobbing again, making me think I said something to upset her. "I'm so—"

"It's not your fault, Percy. We've been talking for a while now. Remember what I told you last night? That's what she means." Annabeth explained to me, making my eyes widen in realization.

Oh.

Oh.

Right, she told me that Piper was jealous of us, and may have a crush on me...

I still couldn't process it. I mean yeah, we're friends and all, but she always seemed distant compared to the others. I always felt like she was genuinely scared of me, like she thought I would attack her or something. Was I really that intimidating? It just... doesn't seem possible that she developed feelings for me. But, Annabeth did say Piper was jealous of our relationship. Maybe that's what changed her mind about me? I don't know what else could have.

"So, it's true then? You're... jealous of us, Piper?" I asked delicately. "Do you... like me in that way?"

She nodded, and my head went for a spin. It just seemed unreal. How did this happen? When? I needed to know.

"But... why? I always thought—" I swallowed. "I always thought you were terrified of me, Piper. The way you'd look at me, how jumpy you were when I was near, the toilet and eidolon incidents... I felt so guilty..."

"I-I was scared of you at first. I thought you looked like a delinquent, someone who'd rough me up for looking at you wrong. Then those things you mentioned happened, and I was terrified. I always thought, 'if this guy loses control we're dead'. You were just... so much more powerful than the rest of us. Not even Jason was a match for you." Piper explained, which didn't do anything to make me feel better.

Was that how the rest of the Seven felt about me? Were all of them scared at one point? Scared of their own friend and teammate? Damn...

"I... I didn't know I was so frightening. Now I'm starting to think the rest of the group felt similarly, would explain a few things..." I murmured, looking down in shame.

"Oh Percy, no! Don't feel guilty. We still all became good friends in the end, didn't we? Like I said, I was afraid of you, but not anymore! Your relationship with Annabeth really helped show me that you were a gentle soul. I'd never seen a more pure love in my life. The way you two talked, how much trust you had in one another, not to mention how you risked falling into Tartarus to try and rescue her, then actually fell in, only to survive? That was... beyond words. It was at that moment, when you two came back to us, clinging to one another after escaping literal hell, that my jealousy and crush were born." Piper explained as she took one of my hands into hers, her puffy kaleidoscope eyes looking into my sea green ones.

She then took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "I was... amazed at how devoted you two were to one another. It was like you were already married for years. My heart ached for a bond as powerful as what you had. I knew, even then, that my love for Jason was fleeting. I didn't even know if our relationship was real or a manipulation from the gods. He felt the same way too. We kept it going for a bit longer, but recently we felt it was time to end things."

I was speechless. All this time, I thought this beautiful girl was spooked by me. Yet to hear it from her mouth that she was not only jealous, but also had feelings for me, threw me for a loop.

Say something, you moron!

Shut up, brain!

"Piper, I had no idea..." I started before she cut me off.

"I'm not done yet. I really need to get all of this off my chest now or I'll regret it later," She said, starting to sound a bit more like the Piper I knew. "Then, when you were strong armed into being immortal with the harem nonsense? I felt a twinge of joy inside me, which was quickly replaced with disgust. Do you get it? I was happy that the gods forced you into this, because my twisted heart wanted you so much it didn't care that you were suffering. That's the main reason I've been locked up in here all day. I couldn't bear the thought of facing you, I was disgusted with myself. I still am." She finally finished, looking down at her hands like she was a monster.

"Oh Piper, you poor thing..." I heard Annabeth whisper as she pulled her friend into a hug.

I should say something. Anything. But I couldn't find the words. Should I just... comfort her? Ask her to join the harem now since she just confessed to me? I had to say something, at the least.

"Pipes, you... you know that if you agree to join my—group, that it's permanent, right? You won't be able to change your mind later. I won't ask you now, I think you need more time to search your feelings. I want you to be absolutely sure about this. I know I'm on a strict deadline, but I'm not going to force anyone to become my... concubine. Is that ok with you?" I asked her gently, brushing her knuckles with my thumb.

She looked at me with a teary smile. "I think that would be best, thank you. I'm just glad you and Annabeth aren't angry with me. Part of me just wants to blame my mom on this, but I don't think she's the culprit this time. I... I definitely need more time. I know you only have a week, so I'll definitely have an answer for you before the deadline."

I smiled at her, feeling relieved that she's finally recovering. "Sounds like a plan, Pipes. I'll wait patiently for you."

I then stood up from the bed I was sitting on and looked at Annabeth. "We should go now. We don't have anymore time to lose, plus Calypso has been waiting on us this whole time."

Annabeth made a face at the mention of her. "She's coming with us?"

"Yes, she is. Can you blame her? She was cooped up on Ogygia for an eternity. Let the girl explore the world she's been hidden from." I said to her with a "you won't win this one" expression.

Annabeth just let out a sigh and stood up. "Fine, I guess you're right. It's not like either of us are going to be spending a lot of time with you while we're there anyways."

Piper looked at us with a curious expression. I spoke a single word. "Reyna."

"Oh... good luck with that one, Percy. Also, tell her and Calypso I said hi." Piper said in realization.

"Sure thing. See you later, Piper." I waved goodbye to her as I headed towards the door of the Aphrodite cabin to leave, Annabeth in tow after she said goodbye to her friend.

Calypso looked a bit miffed at us as we approached the stables. I've never seen her angry before, so it was pretty cute.

"You two sure took far longer than I anticipated. You didn't... do that, did you?" She said accusingly, a pout on her face.

Meanwhile, both of our faces flared up in embarrassment.

"What?! No, no, no. Nothing like that! We just had to comfort a friend who's been going through a hard time, that was all! Sorry for making you wait so long." I said quickly, my face feeling hotter than the sun.

Unfortunately, Annabeth couldn't leave things alone. Why were these two so... aggressive?

"So what if we were? We are dating. Isn't that something couples do?" Annabeth taunted as she then hugged my right arm against her chest.

"Annabeth!" I hissed in both shock and horror.

Calypso narrowed her eyes, a frown etched across her face.

"No, wait! She's just joking—we didn't do anything like that! I swear on the River Styx!" I urgently swore, thunder booming in the distance.

Thankfully, that seemed to have calmed her.

I let out a long sigh. "Girls, you're going to kill me at this rate. Can you get along at least until we get to Camp Jupiter? We have a long flight ahead of us, I'd prefer if you didn't try to kill each other."

"Fine."

"Whatever."

Di Immortales, these two!

I then whistled for Blackjack and one more pegasus. Soon enough, a black shape followed by a white shape dived down from the sky.

You called, boss?

Hey, Percy!

"Sup, fellas. We need a ride to Camp Jupiter, think you can do that?"

Of course boss, no problem at all! I'm guessing you want to ride with your inexperienced lady again?

"You got it. I figured she's not ready just yet, but I also didn't want to make you carry three of us, Blackjack. Do you mind carrying Annabeth, Porkpie?"

No problem at all, my lord!

"Awesome," I said as I turned to the girls. "Ok. Calypso, you're with me again. You're with Porkpie, Wise Girl."

Calypso grinned happily while Annabeth frowned and crossed her arms. A minute later and I was sitting behind Calypso on Blackjack while Annabeth was mounted on Porkpie, ready for take off.

"Let's go!" I yell and we then blasted off into the sky at what felt like a thousand miles an hour.

A few hours later and we were encroaching upon the outskirts of Camp Jupiter, the fancy Roman buildings standing tall and proud. I knew we were going to be receiving a visit from my least favorite statue, so I told the pegasi to descend and fly slowly. Soon enough, Terminus did indeed appear.

"Well, look who it is! The traitor praetor! Hey, that rhymes... Wait! What are you doing back here, Percy?" The annoying statue god said.

"I'm not a traitor, I willingly gave up my praetor status. You know this." I said as I facepalmed.

"Ah, but you left with those stinky good-for-nothing Greeks when they attacked! Hey wait, I think that's one of them! The blondie!" Terminus hollered in outrage as he saw Annabeth.

"Terminus, we don't have time for this. I'm sure Reyna already explained everything to you long ago. Look, just let us pass." I exasperated, already feeling a headache growing from this.

"Perhaps I do vaguely remember former praetor Reyna saying something... Fine! But you know the rules, no weapons!" He shrieked as he then 'inspected' us and took away my sword and Annabeth's dagger. "You will get these back once you leave!"

"Great. Bye now." I grumbled as I then signaled for the pegasi to continue onwards.

"You were right, Percy. That guy was a headache!" Calypso said as she put one hand to her head as we flew closer to the main camp grounds.

"You don't even know the half of it. Should have seen him when we arrived in the Argo II." Annabeth said as she shivered from the memory.

"Aww, how sweet. Looks like you two can get along." I say dryly.

"Oh shut it, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth huffed.

We then landed down near the stables. When we dismounted the pegasi we had pretty bad saddle sores, but thankfully Calypso used her healing voice magic to soothe our poor bottoms. I let out a sigh of contentment as I felt the pain fade away.

"All right you two, enjoy your break. We won't be leaving until tomorrow." I said to Blackjack and Porkpie.

We will. Take care, boss!

See you tomorrow!

They both then trotted off to munch on some hay nearby.

"Ok, well I'm going to go find Reyna. You two have fun and try not to get into any trouble." I announced to the girls.

Or at least, I thought I did. But as I finished speaking, I turned to see I was alone, both of them having already left. I looked around and saw Annabeth heading towards the housing section of New Rome near the Coliseum while Calypso wandered over to the Forum, looking at everything like a curious child. I let out a small chuckle as I then began to walk myself.

I actually didn't know where Reyna would be now that she was no longer a praetor. Would she be back in the Fifth Cohort area or New Rome? I should go find Frank first and ask him, he probably knows.

I then headed out of New Rome and towards the Principia, which is the most likely location I'd find him in. The streets of the camp were filled with people, to the point where it almost felt overcrowded. I had forgotten just how many more lived here compared to Camp Half-Blood. I honestly couldn't help but wonder why the Roman camp was so much more impressive than the Greek one. Camp Half-Blood really was just a fancy summer camp compared to this place. It's a bit misleading for it to even be called Camp Jupiter, it's more like a full-blown city.

After a good fifteen to twenty minute walk along the dirt road leading from New Rome to the legion headquarters, I found myself near the Principia, where some guards were stationed outside. I approached one and asked if Frank was around.

"Praetor Frank is currently inside, going over some reports. Don't disturb him." The guard said to me in a strict voice.

"What? But he's my friend. I can't just pop in and say hi real fast?" I complained.

The guard then squinted his eyes at me, like he was trying to place my face before his eyes widened in realization. "Wait—you're Percy Jackson! Oh my gods, I'm a huge fan! Ok, you can go in. It's an honor to meet you!"

"Oh, uh, nice to meet you too. Keep up the good work, soldier." I said bashfully, to which the guard saluted me and returned to his post.

I then headed inside the Principia. The interior looked exactly as I remembered it, except this time the golden eagle standard stood proudly in the center. I then saw the giant wooden table where Frank was poring over a stack of papers, a bored look on his face.

"Hail, Praetor Frank. Is that dastardly paperwork giving you trouble?" I joked as I approached him with a smile.

Frank looked up at me before a large smile appeared on his face. "Percy! You should have sent a message that you were coming!"

He then stood up and we shook hands in a manly fashion, like in that one movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Heh, maybe. It kind of slipped my mind. A lot of things have been on my mind lately..." I chuckle awkwardly as Frank's expression darkens.

"Oh right, that thing... I'm so sorry, Percy. I hate that the gods forced immortality on you, I wanted to shapeshift and attack them after that happened. If Hazel wasn't there to calm my rage, I may have..." Frank muttered with sad eyes. "How's Annabeth handling this?"

"Not well, to say the least. I can't blame her though, who could? A couple days ago we were getting ready to live the dream life then the gods threw a wrench into it," I said with a depressed sigh. "It's even worse because now I have another girl in my harem—Calypso. I think I told you about her before, but anyways—Annabeth and her do not get along. Not in the 'I hate you' way, but more like the 'Percy is mine' way. So in other words: they're very jealous and competitive."

Frank just patted me on the shoulder sympathetically. "That's rough, buddy."

I nodded glumly. "It's been stressful already and it's still technically the first day. I can't imagine what it'll be like with six girls or more..."

I then sat down and Frank sat next to me. "But enough about that, how's life as a praetor? How's Hazel?"

"Praetor has been... less exciting than I thought it would be. So far it's just been reading reports and doing paperwork. A major war just ended so it's not like we're really doing anything at the moment," Frank said with a bored tone as he looked over at the papers where he was sitting originally. "As for Hazel, things have been going pretty well. We're going on our first date tomorrow, so that's got me all jittery."

"Heh, must be that Mars blood in your veins. You yearn for action. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get some action eventually," I reassured him with a playful smile. "But that's great to hear about Hazel! I'm sure you'll both have a great time together. By the way, has Reyna picked her replacement yet?"

Frank nodded. "Yep. You remember Gwendolyn? That's who Reyna chose. A good choice in my opinion, she was a great help when we went to go free Thanatos."

"Nice, I'm happy for her," I said with a smile before pulling my lips into a straight line. "Speaking of Reyna, do you know where she is nowadays?"

Frank's eyes shined with curiosity. "She has a house in New Rome. Why? Wanting to pay her a visit as well?"

I then let out a pained laugh. "I wish that's why I was here. No, I'm here for... the thing."

Frank's eyes widened in realization. "You mean, you're here to—. You're going to ask her to join?"

I nodded sadly. "Yeah, I am. At least, I'll try to. I have to fulfill this harem requirement or else we'll all be paying the price. You remember that part, right?"

Frank then had a grim expression. "I do. It's horrible what they're doing to you, Percy. What they're doing to us. If you don't obtain six girls by the end of the week, then Hazel..."

"Hazel, along with who knows how many other girls I know, will be forced into my harem. I'm really worried I won't be able to meet the deadline. I really don't want the gods to rip Hazel away from you, so I'll try my hardest not to fuck it up." I mumble out as I stare at my hands.

"I don't know if I should thank you. Your love life is messed up regardless. This whole thing is just... twisted." He muttered quietly.

"Won't hear any disagreement from me on that one," I grumble before sighing and standing up. "I should really go find Reyna now. Do you have the address for her home?"

"Uh, yeah. Here." Frank said as he grabbed a nearby pen and scribbled down an address on a piece of parchment before handing it to me.

"Thanks. It was good to see you, Frank. Take care of Hazel and tell her I said hi." I said solemnly.

"It was good to see you again, and I will. Good luck, Percy." Frank said as he waved me goodbye.

I was about to leave before I just remembered the other two reasons I came here. I then smacked myself upside the head, unable to believe I forgot. I turned back around towards Frank.

"Damn, I almost forgot my other reasons for coming here!" I announced as I then sat back down beside him.

I then explained the situation with Clarisse and Chris, though I left out their names for the time being. I asked if it would be possible for Chris to attend New Rome Univeristy, but I understood if it was a no.

Frank clenched his jaw before answering. "I don't know, Percy. You and Annabeth were only given permission because you helped save the world and all of Camp Jupiter. We didn't even give that privilege to other members of the seven. I think I'll have to decline, unfortunately. It would just look bad and irresponsible. I'm really, really sorry."

I figured this was going to be the response but my heart dropped anyways. At least I tried to help Clarisse...

"I knew that would be your answer, but I thought I'd ask anyways. Don't sweat it, Frank, your reasons are justifiable. I don't want your reputation to take a hit by showing favoritism, especially since you just became praetor." I said to him, trying not to sound disappointed.

I then brought up everything about my dreams, making sure he understood the new threat we were facing. I clarified that he had to tell the rest of our friends here in Camp Jupiter, as anyone could become a target. A troubled look appeared on his plump face.

"Damn, and here I thought we were going to get a break for once. Now there's some shadow ladies after us? Ugh..." Frank muttered angrily. "I'll make sure everyone knows, Percy. I might even assign bodyguards just to be safe, though some may not like it. Except for Reyna of course, since you're going to visit her and ask her to join the thing."

"Thanks, Frank. I know they're in good hands with you as praetor. Iris message me if anything happens though, ok? I'll rush here to help if need be." I said seriously.

"Of course, Percy. Though I hope it never comes to that." He murmured with a worried face.

"Me too. As for now though, I really do gotta go find Reyna and get this madness over with. Until we meet again, my friend." I said with a small smile as I raised my fist and Frank raised his to bump it.

I then exited the Principia for real this time and headed off towards Reyna's home, not knowing if I'll succeed.