All I have to say is this: thank the gods for Reyna.
Without her help, who knows how long I'd have been stumbling around in New Rome before I found either of the two missing girls. This place was so massive it made me feel like I was in the Labyrinth again.
She asked me where I saw the two of them last, and I told her I saw Annabeth head towards the houses while Calypso went off towards the Forum. I figured Annabeth would be easy to find since once she gets engrossed in the architecture of something she doesn't like to move much. I can recall countless times where she'd just be fiddling with her laptop, studying and designing things on her architecture programs for hours. Calypso, on the other hand, well... judging by how her tour with Chiron went, there's no telling where she could be by now. I also hoped she controlled herself better here than back at Camp Half-Blood, relatively speaking. Chiron is the definition of patience and if she still managed to wear him out in such a short time... well, let's say I don't think anyone here would fair better.
As we walked around the residencies of New Rome, the once busy streets of the city were now nearly empty. Shops were starting to close, fawns and nymphs were retiring to their nature-y abodes, people were heading home for the night, etc. There were thankfully still lights along the roads, so we didn't have to walk around in total darkness.
We soon found Annabeth sitting on a bench near a fountain, furiously typing away on her laptop, just as I predicted. She looked to be engrossed in whatever was on her screen, as she didn't even look up or seem to notice us approaching her. This girl and her architecture, I swear, it was just adorable.
"Whatcha doing, Wise Girl?" I whispered as I slid onto the bench, startling her.
"What—oh for Athena's sake, Seaweed Brain! You just love scaring me, don't you?" She snarked with a slight pout as she looked at me before noticing Reyna nearby.
"Oh, hello Reyna! It's so good to see you again!" Annabeth chirped happily as she sat her laptop down and stood up to go hug her friend.
"I'm happy to see you as well, Annabeth. Have you been enjoying yourself in New Rome? Percy told me you are a fan of the architecture here, not that I can blame you. We do have the best of the best." Reyna said with a smile as the two girls embraced.
"Absolutely! Some of the buildings here are even more grand than the ones on Olympus, even after I redesigned them! I've been taking so many notes and tinkering with designs, it's been great! I have a multitude of new ideas," Annabeth gushed as her eyes twinkled with excitement about future projects. "But enough about me, how are you? Did you and Percy talk about that yet?"
Reyna and I exchanged glances before I nodded at her to go ahead. "I'm doing... fantastically, actually. I haven't felt this good in my life, to be honest."
Annabeth understood what Reyna meant, looking her in the eyes. "So... you joined, then? Percy managed to convince you?"
Reyna nodded, looking away. "I know you and Percy love each other, but I can't deny my feelings for him any longer. I... I love Percy, Annabeth. I saw this as my only chance at genuine happiness in my life, so I took it. I hope you can forgive me."
Annabeth had a mixture of emotions on her face, contemplating what to do and say. I hoped she would take this better than with Calypso since Reyna is a good friend.
"I... I understand, Reyna. You deserve to be happy as well. I need to accept that... this is just the way things are going to be now. As much as I want Percy all to myself, I know that just isn't possible now. You, Calypso, and the other girls that will join us deserve time with him too. I only pray I'll be able to keep myself in line in the future." Annabeth softly uttered, a look of resignation on her face.
"Annabeth..." Reyna whispered as she pulled her friend into a tight hug, both of their eyes getting watery.
I smiled at the scene, feeling relieved that things turned out differently than this time. I also hoped Annabeth meant what she said about keeping herself in line, but only time will tell. I'll be there to sort things out if things begin to escalate, I—no, we—need to make this work. It's going to be a miserable eternity if the girls are always fighting over me.
After a couple of minutes passed, the two of them separated and smiled at one another. Annabeth then turned to me with a sly grin.
"However, remember what I told you, Seaweed Brain. I'm going to pop your cherry, no one else is allowed." She purred while wiggling her eyebrows.
I guffawed and looked away while Reyna let out a gasp of shock, her face reddening. I couldn't believe Annabeth just said that in front of someone else! Yeah, that jealousy isn't going away anytime soon, that's for sure...
"Thanks for reminding us, Wise Girl. Now then, we should go find Calypso." I spoke quickly, standing up and turning away in hopes of hiding my blush.
Annabeth giggled to herself while Reyna and I walked in silence, our faces still red hot. The three of us wandered over to the Forum, the last location I saw Calypso at. However, after scouring the area we found no sign of the titaness. We then started searching the other sections of New Rome, but couldn't find her. I was beginning to worry since the streets were totally abandoned and every shop was closed. Just where was she? I then had an idea pop into my head.
"Reyna, is there a spring or faucet or anything like that nearby? I'm going to send her an Iris message." I ask as I turn to face her.
"Uh, yeah, actually. We have a hose near the stables." Reyna said after a moment of thinking.
"An Iris message? In the dark?" Annabeth said as she raised an eyebrow.
"We can use the light from your laptop, can't we?" I asked her, earning a glare.
"And get my priceless laptop that I received from Daedalus himself soaked and maybe even ruined?! I don't think so!" She chided me.
"Oh come on, Annabeth! This is important! We can't find her anywhere! What if she's in danger?!" I argued back. "It's not like you need to put your laptop directly under the water!"
"Grrr, fine! Let's go." Annabeth relented before we dashed to the stables.
A short run later and we were there. I had to soothe the stabled pegasi and unicorns as we approached, telling them we just needed to use the hose really quick.
"It'll take just a little bit, guys." I said in a calming voice as the equestrians whinnied about being disturbed so late.
I then looked around for the hose, finding it coiled up on a metal hanger on the stable wall. I uncoiled it and turned valve on the wall, water beginning to spray out from the nozzle. Annabeth then opened her laptop and turned on a flashlight app on it, shining it over the water. A rainbow then appeared a moment later, causing me to sigh in relief. I then felt around my pockets for any drachma before realizing I didn't have any.
"Um, either of you have any drachma?" I asked.
I could just barely make out Annabeth rolling her eyes before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a gold coin then handing it to me. "You'd be lost without me, Percy."
"Like I said before, Percy couldn't find his way out of a wet paper bag without help." Reyna chortled.
"Oh, you know you love me," I smirked before saying a small prayer to Iris then tossing in the coin. "Show Calypso, who is in Camp Jupiter... I hope..."
The rainbow then shifted before showing the image of Calypso. It appeared she was inside a building somewhere, talking to someone. She had a happy expression, so I could at least rest assured she wasn't in danger.
"Hey, over here! Where are you at, Calypso?" I asked through the mist.
The girl in question whipped her head towards my voice. "Oh, hello Percy! It's a funny story, actually. While I was exploring Camp Jupiter, I happened to run into one of your friends, Hazel. It was getting dark when we met, so she offered me to come to her place."
"Hello, Percy!" I heard the voice of Hazel in the background.
"Hey, Hazel," I greeted before looking back towards Calypso. "Ok, well, you're safe, so that's a relief. Can you ask Hazel where she lives? We'll come by and visit before heading to where we'll be sleeping tonight."
"Sure, no problem, my love," She said with a dreamy smile before turning her head and asking Hazel the question.
I heard the two girls behind me shift uncomfortably after Calypso said 'my love'.
After a moment, Calypso turned towards me again and told me where Hazel's home was. I then thanked her and said we're on our way before swiping through the mist, ending the call.
The next few minutes we walked in silence as we headed towards Hazel's house. The small home was in the residency section of New Rome, but in a different part from where Reyna's villa was. It was a quaint abode, it had white marble walls and a red tile roof, just like Reyna's place, though it was probably about the tenth of the size; which was still more than big enough for a single person dwelling. I then knocked on the door a few times and waited patiently. A minute later and the door opened to reveal Hazel Levesque, a smile on her dark face.
"Well don't just stand there, come on in!" She said as she stood to the side.
The three of us then shuffled inside her home and headed towards the kitchen, where Calypso was sitting in the Iris message. The interior of the house was simple yet lovely. The floor was made of mosaic, there was a recliner and a couch in the living room, a small hallway behind the couch that had a couple of doors that presumably lead to the bedroom and bathroom. Back towards the living room, this time behind the recliner which was perpendicular to the couch, was an empty dark wood bookshelf in the corner near the opening to the kitchen.
Once in said kitchen, I saw Calypso sitting at an ornate wooden table with just enough chairs for all of us. She then waved at me as we all went to sit down. I sat to the right of Calypso, Reyna then sat down on my right. I guess this irked Annabeth as she suddenly plopped down onto my lap with a smug expression, the other two girls casting glances at her. Hazel then came and sat down next to Calypso, across from me, her eyes glancing between all of us.
This was already becoming awkward, I needed to break the ice...
"So, how did you two end up meeting?" I asked as I gestured between Hazel and Calypso.
"Well, like I said, it's a funny story," Calypso started, a humorous grin creeping across her face. "It all started when I accidentally wandered away from the area called New Rome. I lost my way and found myself in some barren place. Now I know it was the Field of Mars, but at the time I thought nothing of it."
I felt my heart stop as she said that. She wandered into the Field of Mars?! How does that even happen?! The whole place intentionally looks like a war zone! Did she not notice the fortress and trenches?! I thought she said this was a funny story?!
"What?! Calypso, do you have any idea how dangerous that is?! People have died on that field! How did you even manage to find that place when it's far off the road?!" I yelled harsher and louder than I probably meant to.
"Well... it's not like I meant to go there! I was just exploring! It's not like I'm helpless either. Nothing happened to me, as you can see." She said defensively, looking away.
I felt a twinge of regret and sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just—after the dragon, I'm extra protective. If something happened to you out there, I'd hate myself for leaving you alone."
She looked back at me with an adoring smile. "It warms my heart to know you care so much about me. I'm sorry for making you worry, Percy. I promise it won't happen again."
Hazel then interjected, soothing me. "It's ok, Percy. This story actually is a smidge humorous. You see, a War Game was currently ongoing when Calypso wandered onto the field-"
I almost fainted at that, but I held on to hear her finish.
"-and do you know what she did? I was on the attacking team, planning out our strategy when this girl walks up to me like she was born yesterday and says hello. I nearly pulled out my sword until I noticed she wasn't even carrying a weapon or wearing armor." Hazel explained, her mouth stretching from how hard she was smiling while Calypso giggled at the memory.
"Then she asks me—I'm not even joking—if I knew where a bathroom was. I was so utterly confounded that I didn't even know what to say for a solid minute!" Hazel got out between fits of laughter.
"In my defense, I didn't even realize I was holding it in for so long until I got out there." Calypso muttered, her face resembling a fire truck.
I couldn't help but snort, Annabeth and Reyna giggling along with me.
"So I then tell her 'Lady, we're in the middle of a War Game in the middle of nowhere. There isn't a bathroom!'" Hazel explains further, chuckling the entire time. "I then demanded to know who she was and how she got here. Guess what she said, Percy. Go on."
I shrugged my shoulders. "No idea."
"She said 'I'm Calypso, I'm Percy Jackson's concubine. Do you also happen to know where he is?'" Hazel roared with laughter, tears falling out of her eyes. "I was so confused I just stared at her. It was the most bizarre thing to happen to me in a very long time! I thought Calypso was making some weird joke, because I knew you, Percy, but I'd never seen her before."
I felt my own face heat up in embarrassment. I then buried my face into Annabeth's back to try and hide as the room was filled with laughter. This must be the only time where mentioning the harem ended in joy instead of misery.
Calypso just went and proudly announced she was my concubine to a total stranger! Well, technically a stranger to her, but you know what I mean. By my father's trident, that girl's innocence was both a blessing and a curse...
"For some reason, I believed Calypso. Since I didn't know where you were, Percy, I offered her to come to my place after the War Game. We've been talking here since." Hazel finished, her face looked to be in pain from the excessive amount of smiling and laughing.
It took some time for everyone to calm down from the amusing story. The girls from their laughter, me from my embarrassment. At least Annabeth found the tale entertaining, that's a good sign. After around ten or so minutes, I finally recovered and leaned back in my chair. I then thought of something else to ask Hazel to change the subject.
"Another thing I wanted to ask, Hazel. How did you wind up with a house? You're a centurion, shouldn't you be living with the Fifth Cohort?" I asked her inquisitively. "I get Reyna having one, she's retired, but you're still on active duty."
Hazel said "ah" in understanding at my confusion. "Normally, yes, but I was gifted this house in New Rome for my 'exceptional services', I believe it was how it was phrased. Benefits of being the girlfriend of one of the praetors and friends with the other one, along with saving the world from Gaea. This is actually my first night in this house, though I don't think I'll use it too much since I still have my cohort to lead for now. But for special occasions, why not?"
"That's awesome! You earned it, Hazel." Annabeth said with a smile while I nodded in agreement.
"Indeed you do deserve it, Hazel. I'm pleased that my replacements have been so generous. Frank and Gwen show great promise as praetors." Reyna added with an approving nod.
"Speaking of Frank, he told me you two are going on a date soon. Are you ready?" I asked her with a friendly smile.
"Oh—uh, you saw Frank already? Yeah, I'm actually kinda nervous for some reason. Maybe it's because it'll just be the two of us and we'll be, you know, doing romantic stuff instead of killing monsters." She muttered nervously, a small blush on her face as she rubbed her hands together.
"That will be a different setting for you guys, that's for sure. But there's no need to worry, you two already share a deep connection. I'm sure it'll go just fine." I reassure her, which seems to calm her nerves a little.
"Percy is right, Hazel. Frank is helplessly in love with you! I'd bet a hundred drachma that you could show up to the date in mud and wearing a brown sack yet Frank would still be a blushing mess." Annabeth added with a playful smile.
Hazel blushed hard and hid her face in her hands, causing everyone to chuckle. A minute later and Hazel looked at me with a serious expression.
"Calypso has also told me everything that's going on, Percy. That's horrible! I didn't think things could get any worse for all of us after yesterday's events. First you get forced into being immortal along with a... harem, then you have a dream about new enemies, and after that you and Calypso were attacked by a dragon?! Why does this keep happening to you? Next you're going to get another prophecy or something!" She said distraughtly.
I let out a deep sigh. "It wouldn't surprise me if I did end up getting a stupid prophecy at this rate. Yet another reason to put off visiting Rachel, for now."
Annabeth then turned her head back towards me. "I don't think that's a good idea, Percy. Rachel... Rachel is one of the few girls we know of that might have feelings for you. We still need three more girls to join our merry band."
"'Merry band', huh? Psh," I muttered. "You have a point, but I highly doubt Rachel would even consider it. We may be good friends, but she values her role as Oracle even more than that. I just don't see her abandoning her vow of maidenhood."
"Then who else are you going to ask, Percy? We don't have a lot of time and we're low on options!" Annabeth asked, worry in her eyes.
My shoulders sagged in defeat. She was right, who could I ask at this point? Assuming Piper joins, that leaves two more spots. Rachel is the only other girl I can even think of that has ever shown actual romantic interest in me. Even if by some miracle I convince Rachel, I had no ideas regarding the last girl. My friends in the Hunt, if I could even find them, would obviously decline. Hazel is in a happy relationship with Frank, I barely know Katie Gardner, Silena is dead, Clarisse is still with Chris—
Oh wow, am I that desperate I'd even consider Clarisse? I'm fucked...
"I... don't know, Annabeth. Now that I think about it, beyond Piper and Rachel, no one else comes to mind. Even if both of them joined, I'd still need one more and I can't think of anyone who'd even consider it." I murmur quietly.
"Percy, don't take this the wrong way, but I really need you to do this. I don't want to lose Frank." I heard Hazel plead with me.
"I understand, Hazel. I'm really trying, but—" I mutter before she cuts me off.
"I know, I'm so sorry. You're in an impossible situation, I just... he means so much to me." Hazel whispered, her hands gripping the table tightly in frustration.
"Is there really no one else, Percy?" Calypso asked gently.
I shake my head. "No one that comes to mind. Besides those two, I mean. I'm very good friends with Thalia Grace, but there's no way she's breaking her oath to Artemis just to become my concubine. Same goes for Zoë and Bianca. Artemis herself would probably turn me into a jackalope for even daring to ask her hunters such a thing."
"If we're that desperate, I could maybe ask my sister. I doubt she herself would join, but I'm sure we could find one Amazon that would be willing. They haven't sworn off men like the Hunters." Reyna quietly suggests, breaking her silence.
I set my jaw at her suggestion. It's not an entirely bad idea, but I'd prefer not to go around drafting random women into my harem. All the girls I have now willingly joined out of love for me, I'd prefer to keep it that way. There's also no telling how Hylla would react to such a request. Yet again, I'm not exactly spoiled for choices...
"We'll consider that if I can't find anyone else, Reyna. Thank you for offering though." I say with a smile as I reach over and give her hand a squeeze.
"Is it possible that there are any nymphs or goddesses who'd consider it?" I heard Calypso ask innocently, causing me to hold back a snort.
"I don't know any nymphs besides Juniper and there's absolutely no way I'm going to ask Grover's girlfriend, he's my best friend. As for goddesses? I could count the number that don't hate me on one hand, and none of them would ever willingly join in a million years." I state.
On the topic of goddesses, that reminds me of my encounter with one before coming here. Time to tell that story as well...
"While we're on the subject of goddesses..." I start, and after a short retelling later, Annabeth went berserk.
"She did WHAT?!" Annabeth roared, her body vibrating on my lap in pure hate. "I'll fucking kill her!"
"You can't kill a goddess, Annabeth." I whisper softly as I hug her in hopes of calming her rage. "There was an upside to it, I'm pretty confident Aphrodite isn't one of the figures from my dream."
"Oh do you now? And why's that, pray tell?" Annabeth seethed. "Because to me, she sounds very fucking guilty!"
"That should be obvious, don't you think? These mystery figures want to hurt you and Percy. I'm not saying what Aphrodite did wouldn't qualify as hurting Percy, but it wasn't direct harm. Aphrodite could have killed Percy easily when he fell under her charm." Hazel butted in, causing Annabeth to glare at her.
I needed to soothe my Wise Girl before she took out her fury on someone, so I shifted her body around to face me and pulled her into a hug. She started sobbing into my chest, hot angry tears soaking my shirt.
"Shhh, it's ok. I'm not hurt, nor is Reyna. Aphrodite didn't get her way in the end." I purr into her ear as I placed kisses on the sides of her face.
"I'm with Annabeth on this, there's no way Aphrodite is innocent! What she almost made you two do... Tartarus take her!" Calypso snarled in such a way it reminded me of her father, Atlas.
It scared me a little.
"I also still think Aphrodite is involved somehow, but Percy did make a good point. If she wanted to really hurt us, she easily could have done so back there." Reyna chimed in, her rage simmering beneath the surface.
"You're all forgetting one detail," I heard Annabeth mutter, her voice cracking with emotion. "If Aphrodite did do something like directly harm you, Olympus would know. Remember, the women from Percy's dream said it's too risky for them to take direct action. It's possible this was just a taste of what's to come."
"But Aphrodite chose to help Reyna. I'm using "help" loosely here, but still. If she truly was out for us, she wouldn't have volunteered herself in front of the other gods. That goes against the whole 'being discrete' thing. Plus, the way the women in my dream talked is nothing like how Aphrodite talks or behaves." I countered.
Everyone seemed to contemplate on what I said as no one spoke for several minutes. As much as I want Aphrodite to be guilty so I could pay her back for what she did to me and Reyna, I just didn't think she was. At least not with the current evidence. I won't write her off completely as a suspect, but I have very strong doubts as of now.
"It's getting late, I think we should all catch some sleep." I announced, breaking the silence. "Reyna has some spare rooms for us all in her villa, we'll sleep there."
The girls all simply nodded and then we stood up, then headed for the door, Hazel waving us goodbye and saying goodnight as we left. During our walk back to the villa, Annabeth made me give her a piggyback ride as she claimed she was too tired to keep walking. I think she may have been fibbing, but I didn't care, I was more than happy to carry her on my back.
The streets of New Rome were entirely abandoned now, like as if the bustling people from earlier today were never here. We eventually arrived back at Reyna's villa, where upon entering Reyna showed us to the guest rooms. We then all chose a room before heading inside, though Annabeth was reluctant to let go of me.
The guest room had a soft carpet, which felt good on my feet after taking my shoes off. I then took off my clothes until I was in my boxers and socks before slipping under the covers of the bed and closing my eyes, praying for a peaceful sleep.