Nineteen chapters, and over 15,500 views later, here we are! I've come such a long way, thanks to you guys! I hope that you will continue to support this story! Anyway, shoutouts today are for iNeptune and piratamaia! Thanks for your kind comments, and tips! And finally, make sure to check out my poll! Percabeth is still in the lead! And without further ado, here is the twentieth chapter! Disclaimer: All rights belong to Uncle Rick Riordan!

Percy's POV

The time had arrived. Rays of sunlight peaked through the Berkley Hills, soaking the valley below. Percy had nearly missed this moment, but luckily, Annabeth had woken him up. She arose him in a very aggressive way, actually. He supposed that one would expect their girlfriend to bang on the door like an FBI agent if the said girlfriend was known for judo-flipping people, and she found swordplay fun and exhilarating. At any rate, Percy was here, standing in front of a tiny crowd, with Reyna to his left, and Jason to his right.

"Let's not make a huge deal out of this," Reyna said, breaking the silence. She looked over the small gathering with a stern look on her face. Her eyes showed no emotion. "Ezra, Donna, and Sierra. Are you three prepared and ready?"

The three demigods nodded. They stepped forward from the center of the crowd. The minuscule throng gladly parted for them. Most of the half-bloods gathered near the Caldecott Tunnel had grim looks on their faces as if these three half-bloods were walking straight toward their deaths.

The seven half-bloods of the prophecy were all present. Hazel stood next to Frank, clutching his hand. Percy shot a sympathetic look their way, and the couple forced a dampened smile back in his direction. Don't get sentimental now, Percy thought. We'll be leaving on our own quest soon enough.

"Very well," Reyna stated. "The auguries have been consulted, and all three of you are ready. Farewell, and good luck. Percy, you've been on several quests. Do you have any words of wisdom?"

"Just try not to get killed," Percy said. "And I hope you find your friends."

"Do we leave?" Sierra asked. "Just like that?"

Percy shrugged. "Yeah."

The three shuffled forward, to the entrance (or exit, depending on how you look at it) of the Caldecott Tunnel. "We'll be back in three days," the centurion, Donna, said.

"Remember to just find your friends, then come back!" Jason shouted after them as they reluctnatly slipped through the tunnel and into the real world.

"They could get crushed out there," Jason then mumbled under his breath.

"All three of us have gone on quests before, so we know what it's like," Reyna said. "We learned through our experiences, as will they. This is the only way they'll learn. Hopefully, all their training wasn't for nothing."

"I'd say they're a pretty resourceful group. Two Mercury and a Ceres. Ezra can help with the wilderness part of it and the girls, well, they can do what Mercury kids do best," Percy pointed out.

The crowd had started to dissipate. Percy didn't know if they were heading back to bed, or beginning to start their day. There wasn't much they could do with all the other campers still asleep. Annabeth, Piper, Hazel, Frank, and Leo, however, stayed put.

"Well, that was gloomy," Leo said, walking towards where the praetors stood. The rest of the group followed. "I seriously had to get out of bed for that?" Piper punched him in the arm. "Geez, Pipes. I was kidding!"

Piper shot him a smug look while he said, "I was going to go check on Hedge and the ship anyway. I don't trust him to not do anything to the Argo ll. I wish he had decided to stay with us in the barracks instead. I guess Festus will keep an eye on him."

"Do you seriously want Coach Hedge with us in the barracks? Just imagine everyone trying to sleep, and then he starts screaming lines from various martial arts films!" Annabeth ranted.

"Good point," Leo said.

"Well, I'm going to ride Scipio," Reyna said, dismissing herself. Percy glanced back at her. He hadn't meant to make her feel left out, but he supposed she was used to being isolated.

"Can you do me a favor, praetor?" Hazel asked. The daughter of Pluto held out her hand, palm facing the ground, and closed her eyes. A golden nugget popped up from the earth. Hazel picked it up and handed it to Reyna.

"I'm guessing you want me to give this to Arion?" Reyna asked, eyeing the rock.

"Would you, please?" Hazel asked. "He hasn't been given a treat in a while."

Reyna nodded, then walked away towards the equine stables, her violet robes flowing.

"You know, watching them leave makes me even more anxious about our quest," Frank said, staring off into the distance, past New Rome.

"Yeah, we leave in a couple of weeks," Piper said, as she unsheathed her dagger, Katoptris, out of her scabbard. She stared into it for a second and then slipped it back in. "You know, right now, I don't want a glimpse into our future."

"Honestly, that dagger of yours creeps me out, Piper," Percy said as he shuddered for emphasis.

"Oh, but a celestial bronze pen that turns into a sword, doesn't?" Piper questioned.

Percy took his pen, Riptide, out of his pocket, and fingered it. "No, I guess it doesn't."

Piper rolled her eyes. The seven demigods sat in silence for a few moments more before Leo couldn't help but break the silence. "Well, on that happy note, let's go see if it's time for breakfast."

"Leo, you realize that half of Camp Jupiter is still asleep, right?" Jason inquired.

Leo shrugged. "Eh, might as well go check on Festus." The son of Hephaestus walked away, toward the Field of Mars, where Festus, the figurehead of the bronze warship, was floating.

"You know what? He might need some company," Jason stated. He took off his praetor cloak and threw it to Piper. "Reyna will have my head if this gets dirty. Or Octavian, even. Whichever one gets to me first."

Piper just held the cape and shrugged.

"Guys, can we head back to camp?" Hazel asked. "I hate the vibe out here. It's like... impending death."

"Ok, Miss Underworld," Percy said. "Let's go."

The horde that was now reduced to five demigods trudged back near the Principia. At that point, it was about six o'clock in the morning, and about a third of the camp was still asleep. Percy was sort of glad. That was one-third of half-bloods that he didn't have to worry about.

It if was up to him, he would have slept in, too. But he knew that eventually Reyna or Annabeth would've come to wake him up. They were both all about being punctual.

Eventually, the group split up. Hazel, Annabeth, and Piper went to the bathhouses. The girls wanted to cram in a bath before everyone woke up and started to hog the place. That left Frank and Percy walking side by side, though Frank was much taller.

"Did you know Saul very well?" Percy questioned. Frank had arrived at Camp Jupiter only a little before Percy did, so he didn't know if Frank had gotten acquainted with the fellow son of Mars.

"Yeah, we talked now and then. We were half brothers after all," Frank replied. "Sorry, I meant we are half brothers."

"Yeah, I just didn't know how well you got to know him, considering how little time you've had here," Percy said.

After a long pause, Frank said, "they'll find them."

"What?"

"You know, the three who just left. They'll find the missing demigods. I mean, they have too."

"Well, it's good to see that I'm not the only one who is stressed," Percy replied.

"Yeah, but the Third is practically freaking out. Without the centurions keeping everyone in order, it would pretty much be chaos," Frank pointed out.

"Almost makes me glad I'm not a centurion," Percy sighed.

"Um, I'm pretty sure being a praetor is more complicated-" Frank started.

Percy cut him off. "Yeah, I just realized the fault in my words."

The two boys continued to talk until nearly the whole camp was awake. Finally, Percy thought, naturally. Breakfast.

Reyna's POV

Everyone was gathered in the mess hall for breakfast, though most of them did not have somber faces like the half-bloods who had just witnessed the farewell of the two daughters of Mercury and the son of Ceres. Few demigods had attended the early morning meeting. The praetors had been present, of course, but other than that, there were only about ten campers there that morning, most of them from the Third Cohort. A couple of people had joined to represent the Fifth and Fourth as well. Of course, the First and Second were far too proud to show up, though.

Reyna stared out at her legion from the front of the mess hall, eyeing each group. She sure wished she had an appetite because she felt nearly starved. She just couldn't bring herself to eat anything.

As she glanced around, Percy caught her eye. Oh boy, she thought. Percy glanced at her and they had a silent conversation. He definitely wanted her to sit with his group if his hand gestures were any clue. Reyna sighed and walked over to him hesitantly. "What is it, Percy?" She sighed.

"You should sit with us. You look lonely," Percy insisted.

The two fought yet another silent battle with their eyes. Percy ended up winning, his sea-green iris's claiming victory.

Reyna exhaled, "alright." She would sit with the seven demigods, but she wouldn't sit by Percy. She knew Percy, and she knew he would try and flirt with her, even in front of his girlfriend. Stupid Venus. Stupid boys. Stupid Percy!

So instead, she perched herself next to Jason, as he was the only one who had a space available next to him. Reyna already knew this would be awkward.

The two sat close enough to be uncomfortable but far away enough to not look uncomfortable. Reyna didn't need Piper getting ideas. Surprisingly though, Jason didn't move, even though their elbows were rubbing. Maybe he enjoyed her company? The thought made her heart flutter, although Reyna told herself not to get any ideas. He loved his girlfriend, not her. Jason had made that quite clear when she'd tried to kiss him, even though he wasn't even in a relationship then. He loves his girlfriend, just like Percy, she told herself.

But even that was becoming more and more difficult to believe. Throughout breakfast, Percy kept glancing at her, even while he and Annabeth were talking. It made her uncomfortable, but deep down in her gut, she kind of enjoyed it. Just a little bit. She sincerely hoped that Annabeth wouldn't notice. Eventually, the daughter of Athena turned to talk to Frank and Hazel.

Reyna accidentally scooted a bit too close to Jason, and their backs were rubbing. She felt him tense up, but he instantly relaxed. Was that a good thing? She didn't know. What she did know, however, was that she wanted to get away from these attractive boys as soon as possible. She quickly finished up her meal, and stood, as a venti whisked away her dishes.

"I'd better go," she said, much to the disappointment of Percy. He gave her a look that said, really?

She rolled her eyes and ignored him. This guy was so desperate, it was ridiculous! Did Reyna love it? Every last bit of it.

As Reyna walked away, she lightly placed a hand on the area on her back where she had touched Jason. It had been a small gesture, but it had made her feel good, nonetheless. Her fingers then met the spot on her elbow where she and Jason had been rubbing, and what felt like an electric charge ran through her arm. Reyna blinked. She couldn't get used to guys fawning over her. That's not what praetors did. And certainly not what Reyna did.

She exited the mess hall, but to her surprise, was stopped by Octavian. She exhaled and nearly stared daggers at the centurion. "Yes, Octavian?"

"Praetor, I hope you know that those three demigods don't stand a chance," Octavian said, pointedly. "They've never quested before, and are mere amateurs. Even with a centurion with them, the odds of them surviving monsters are quite low. Not to mention the fact that we both know the missing demigods are in the hands of the giant army."

"Octavian, I'm well aware of that," Reyna said. "Experience is the best teacher." She tried to move around Octavian, but he stopped her.

"Reyna," Octavian started with his unnaturally nasally voice. "We're sending these half-bloods to their deaths."

Reyna was getting ascendingly more irritated. Octavian had the nerve to use her first name, and question her decision-making. "Since when did you care about other demigods?"

The augur looked taken aback. A comical gesture with a teddy bear strapped to his toga. It was challenging enough to take him seriously. "I-," he stuttered. "I care about Camp Jupiter!"

"That's not what I asked," Reyna stated. "I asked about when you started to care about someone other than yourself?"

Octavian looked even more offended by this. "That's not relevant right now," he spat. "You're wise. You of all people should understand the risks of this quest!"

"I do, augur. I know that these demigods are inexperienced in fighting actual monsters. But, I think this is a good way to put their training to the test. They could return as heroes for the Third."

"Or, they might not return at all," Octavian said dryly.

Reyna lowered her voice and fingered her sword-and-torch ring, a gift from Bellona herself. She was tempted to turn the ring into its gladius form. "There's a reason why I told them to return in three days. If they don't find the campers, we will send out a trained group along with them. I realize that they might not survive, so that's my best option for those three. Am I clear?"

"Praetor, you're not understanding me-," Octavian pleaded before he was cut off by Reyna.

"If you wish to argue with a praetor, go talk to Jason or Percy. I think I've had quite enough of you today," she said.

Octavian sneered. "I'd rather befriend a faun than consider either of those greeks a praetor."

Reyna was ready to duel this arrogant, incompetent centurion. How dare he insist Jason was a greek? He was a Roman leader of the legion, born and raised. Percy however, was a greek, though he still deserved Octavian's respect, if anything. But Reyna knew that seeking for Octavian's respect was a stretch.

The daughter of Bellona nearly shoved aside Octavian and strode toward the combat arena. She needed to blow off some serious buildup. The excitement from boys, though she was ashamed of it, and the stress and anger from a certain harrowing augur/centurion. She needed some alone time, though even she knew that was highly unlikely.

I don't have a lot to say about this chapter, but I'm sorry that it took so long to come out! I've been super busy lately, though that won't stop me from writing fanfiction! Again, thanks to those who reviewed, and make sure to review yourself. As I said earlier, Percabeth is currently winning the poll, so make sure to cast your vote before it closes! Again, thanks for reading and for helping me reach twenty chapters! I hope this will hold you guys over until chapter twenty-one is out!