Present...
"Wow..."
Marcus had to agree with Maddie's reaction. Even in ruins, New Rome was still a sight to behold. Nature had reclaimed much of the city, though there were still some standing structures. Large pillars still rose through ought much of the growth, and many buildings still had one or two walls standing. A river ran along the side of the hill, emptying into a lake that was clear enough to see straight to the bottom. On the other side of the city ruins was a larger hill, on top of which were near pristine buildings.
"What are those?" Maddie asked, pointing to the pristine buildings.
Marcus shrugged. "From what I've heard, that would be what the Romans used to call Temple Hill. When the Greeks stormed and burned the city, they left the temples untouched."
"Makes sense. After all, Gods are Gods." Jason said.
"Keep tellin' yourself that kid." Joel replied. "But the Greek gods are still around. Roman ones aren't."
"They're... they're mostly the same though-" Maddie started to explain but Marcus put his hand on her head and shook his head when she looked at him questioningly.
"It doesn't matter Mads. Even half-bloods who've heard the story a thousand times at camp still get confused. No reason to go through a history lesson now."
"I guess..." Maddie pouted. "Can we at least stop by the temples? I wanna send a prayer up to Artemis! Diana, I mean! I think..."
Marcus couldn't help but smile and messed with Maddie's hair. "We'll see. But let's not forget why we're here huh?"
"Geez, you're one to talk huh?" Joel laughed.
Marcus threw a glare at Joel but sighed and stepped forward. "Yeah, yeah I get it. Let's start by checking the Ruins closest to the lake."
"And if they aren't there?" Maddie asked innocently.
"Then we check there." Marcus said, pointing at the ruins of the Coliseum. "It's the biggest building that's still standing."
"If they aren't there?" Jason asked.
Marcus clenched his jaw in frustration. Stay calm. "Then we move on to the city itself. The old residential district should be towards the far side of the hill, and that would probably be where they would set up if they aren't near the lake or the Coliseum."
"And what if they ain't there?" Joel smirked.
Marcus had to fight to keep his voice steady. "Well then if that's the case you're going to have to help me come up with a plan to escape Chiron's wrath when we head back to camp empty-handed."
Joel flinched, though he tried to play it off as a shiver. "Alright, alright, no need to get testy. Let's head down to the lake then."
Picking their way through the ruins of the city, Marcus couldn't help but think of the last time he had been here. Chiron was pissed at us then too. Marcus smirked at the memory. Always trying to protect us from the mistakes of the past. Maybe if we had more half-bloods to visit these ruins, they wouldn't be so quick to rush to violence... Even as he had the thought, Marcus scoffed, earning him a curious look from Maddie, who he just smiled at and shook his head. Yeah right... Violence is in human nature, and half-bloods even more so...
As they reached the lake, Marcus took a moment to look out over the water. Alicia and I got to wa tch the sunrise here. Marcus sighed. I used to think that would be a good memory years later ... Not a bitter one...
"Marcus?" Maddie's voice broke through his brooding. "Is everything okay?"
Marcus smiled at Maddie as she stood next to him. "Of course. Why wouldn't it?"
"Marcus you don't have to hide it from me you know..." Maddie looked up at him and, not for the first time, Marcus was amazed at just how much of him she could see through. And yet, there's still so much she doesn't see... Although that's probably for the best...
Marcus shrugged. "Seriously Maddie, I'm fine. I finally have a lead on Aaron and the rest, and I won't let it go cold just because Chiron thinks I'm too close to this." He smiled and rested his hand on Maddie's head gently. "You worry about me too much you know."
"That's because you don't worry at all." Maddie grumbled.
"Well of course not." Marcus winked at her. "If I did, I wouldn't do half the dumb shit I do. And that's what makes life interesting."
Maddie gave Marcus what he assumed was supposed to be a stern look from under his hand, but he somehow couldn't find it intimidating. "You used to yell at me all the time when I just did things without thinking them through!"
Marcus laughed, doing his best to ignore the way the sunlight glittering off the lake made Maddie's brown eyes shine. "Sure, but then I always have you watching my back so I can afford to do stupid shit. I don't have the Sun's Blessing to heal you up when you get hurt."
"Marcus! You should see this!" Jason's voice came to them from the ruined building.
Marcus messed up Maddie's hair, more for his own comfort than hers at that moment, before walking into the building that Jason and Joel had been checking out. As he walked in, he saw that while on the outside it had looked like only one wall had remained standing, the way natures growth had retaken the building had actually preserved a lot of the room structures.
"Over here." Joel said, meeting Marcus and Maddie at the door. Leading them through the building, Joel led them to a spot in the back where a tree had grown through the building. Under its branches, Marcus could make out the remains of what looked like...
"A campfire." Joel said, pushing at the ash with his boot. "And from the looks of this I'd say it can't be that old."
"How can you tell?" Marcus asked.
"Easy. Back at the orphanage we would always sneak out at night and have fires. The heads never checked on us during the night, only cared if we were there at lights out and when the morning count happened."
"Place kinda sounds like a prison." Jason said, looking at the fire to try and see what Joel saw.
"Ya don't know how right ya are." Joel said. "Anyway, from the look of this I'd say its maybe a day old?"
"So, they were here..." Marcus mumbled to himself, kneeling by the ash. Finally. I'm catching up.
"Eh, I don't know about that one." Joel responded. "Look at the amount of ash here. It was a small fire, probably only meant for one person."
"Just one? Maybe it's that Aaron guy?" Jason added.
Marcus shrugged. "Maybe, but the cold didn't really bother him. I don't see him making a fire if it was just him."
"So, we struck out... they weren't here after all."
"Well, whoever was here has to be able to see through the Mist." Maddie said. "So even if it's not Aaron, it could be-"
"It could be another half-blood." Marcus said quickly. "And that's useful information no matter how you look at it." Marcus caught Maddie's eye and shook his head slightly. They don't need to know about the others. Not yet.
Maddie seemed to read the look he was giving her and nodded in response. "Right. And if it's a half-blood that hasn't been to camp yet, we should bring them back with us."
Marcus looked closer at the area around the campfire. There, a place brushed clean of leaves and such... a sleeping spot maybe? B arely b ig enough for one person. Something seemed off to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was about to stand up when something caught his eye. He saw a few indents in the dirt around where the ash of the fire pit was. Each of them was around the size of a baseball, with a short, slim indent right above it. Marcus stood and walked over to where the area he assumed was a sleeping spot had been made. There, he realized that the small pit the fire had been built in was oddly shaped for a human to dig. Hold on... Maybe it's jus t the ash but... looking at it from this angle its... Marcus' eyes widened when he realized what he was looking at and instantly walked back to where the smaller indents had been, making sure to step in them, destroying the marks that they had left.
"Marcus you alright? You look like you saw a ghost." Jason asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... annoyed that we didn't get anything more certain. Come on, let's check the Coliseum, then the residential area." Marcus hurried out the doorway to the ruin and took one last glance out at the lake before turning his back on it and heading towards the outline of the coliseum on the horizon.
My luck can't be that bad... Can it?
The Coliseum turned out to be a bust. No surprise there. Marcus sighed, looking out at the arena floor beneath them from the stands. Walking down the stairways back to the entrance to the Coliseum, Marcus tried his best to keep his hopes up. I should h ave known they'd avoid this place. Too obvious. Standing on the sandy floor of the arena, Marcus couldn't help but marvel at the architecture around him. Gotta admit... When the Romans built something, they built it to last.
"So, the residential area next?" Joel asked.
"Yeah, it's the last place I can think of that Aaron would be holed up." Marcus replied.
"Not that Temple Hill place? At least those buildings all seem to be in perfect condition." Jason asked.
But Marcus was already shaking his head. "No. Aaron would avoid that place like the plague. He's... well, he's not the biggest fan of the Gods."
"Is that-" Maddie started, her face downcast.
"Come on, we're burning daylight." Marcus said. Sorry Maddie... I know we need to talk about it but... not right now.
Circling around the back of the hill, Marcus led the group through the back of the residential district. Here, more buildings than the rest of the city were in utter ruins, the only thing marking them as buildings at all were a wall here, or a standing pillar there. A few remained standing, but the destruction here was worse than any of the other districts.
"What happened here...?" Maddie whispered.
"Is this really the residential district...?" Jason whispered too.
"Yeah. Apparently when the Greeks got here, they had a field day. Burned the place to the ground." Marcus kept his voice soft as well. Seems wrong to speak too loud in a place like this... Almost like a graveyard.
As they walked the ruined streets, an untouched building caught Marcus' eye. If the district itself hadn't been ruined, the building wouldn't stand out much. A simple two floor structure, the building stood at what Marcus assumed was the corner of whatever street had been here in the past.
"What's that?" Joel asked.
In answer, Marcus walked closer to the building and pointed to a design carved into the stone beside the doorframe. A trident.
"This was the home of Percy and Annabeth Jackson." Marcus said, running his hand along the trident carved trident. Still standing. Alright Romans, I'm impressed.
"Can we go inside?!" Maddie asked excitedly.
"I don't see why not." Marcus said.
Maddie rushed through the doorway into the house, followed by the rest of the group. Stepping inside, Marcus that while the interior was covered in dust, most of the belongings that had been there when New Rome was burned was still there. Guess it helps when no one but those who can see through the Mist are able to get in here. A sitting room was still intact, a few chairs, a low table, even a couch still sitting in the room. Covered in dust, but still usable. Glancing through some of the doorways that led off from that room, Marcus saw what appeared to be a closet with a still standing door , a small room with a drafting table and other tools Marcus didn't recognize (Must have been Annabeth's workspace ...), and a separate stairway.
Marcus was about to head up the stairs when he heard a sound coming towards them. Footsteps. As quickly and quietly as he could, Marcus went back to the group.
"There's somebody else here." He whispered urgently. "Hide!"
Joel and Jason ducked into the small room with the drafting table, while Marcus and Maddie managed to get into the closet and close the door behind them, leaving it open just enough that Marcus could still peak out. Maddie quickly squeezed in close to Marcus so she could see out of the crack as well. Even in the current situation, Marcus felt his heart rate increase the moment Maddie got that close, to the point he was afraid she'd be able to hear it pounding with as close as she was.
Looking out of the crack in the doorway, Marcus saw a girl walk casually down the stairs of the house. She had tied back her black hair, and though she was wearing a black jacket, Marcus could see a red shirt underneath. At her side was a whip with a golden handle. He recognized her immediately.
Alicia... What are you doing here?
You haven't changed a bit... Beautiful and dangerous...
Not the time Marcus.
As she walked further in the room, another detail caught Marcus' eye. Along with the whip she had clipped on her belt, Marcus saw that next to it was an old hat. Dark blue, with what might have once been white letters stitched onto the front. No way... Marcus motioned to Maddie to stay put. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, and they had a moment of silent arguing.
But Marcus! Maddie's eyes pleaded.
No. Stay here. Marcus' stern look threw back.
But... But she... Maddie glanced between the open crack where Alicia was still visible, looking around the room.
I know. But leave this to me for now. Marcus put his hand on Maddie's head gently.
When she looked down and nodded, Marcus gently pushed her back into the closet away from the door so she would remain hidden. Casually, Marcus walked out of the closet, making sure to open the door as little as possible and nearly close it again behind him.
"Alicia...? Is that really you?" Marcus said, stepping away from the closet and further into the room.
With a start, Alicia grabbed her whip at her side and spun to face him, though her posture relaxed a little bit when she recognized him. "Marcus. Aaron said I should be on the lookout for you."
"So, Aaron knew I'd come looking." Marcus half smiled, trying to put her at ease.
"We all did. We're just surprised it took you this long." Alicia's eyes looked him up and down. "Gotta say, it doesn't look like you wasted the time you weren't looking for us."
"Alicia, I have been looking for you! What happened to you? That night-" Marcus stepped closer again, almost to the couch in the center of the room.
"I don't want to talk about that night Marcus." Alicia's eyes were downcast, and she mumbled quietly to herself. "Gods, why did you have to be here? Now? I'm so not ready for this..."
Marcus couldn't help but feel a little confused. Conflicted. She's nervous... but why? "Fine then. A different question. What are you doing here?"
"Same as you, probably. Aaron wanted us to search for older artifacts, and considering I knew this place best having... having been here with you..." To Marcus' surprise, Alicia blushed and raised her eyes to meet his again. "Marcus... I've spent so long wondering what I'd say to you when I saw you again..."
"Artifacts? Like... Age of Jackson artifacts?" A chill ran down Marcus' spine. There are still so many powerful items from then unaccounted for... Riptide , The Stygian Iron sword, Leo Valdez's toolbelt...
"Yeah. For some reason they seem to think having them will help our cause..." Alicia's eyes were searching Marcus' face, almost like... No. That's impossible. There's no way.
"So, did you find one?" Marcus asked, attempting to be casual as he leaned against the side of the couch. Just a few more feet and I can take her by surprise...
"Come on, Marcus. You used to be better at foreplay than that." Alicia smiled flirtatiously at him.
Marcus couldn't help but smile in response. "What can I say? Maybe I just missed you too much..."
The day darkened outside the windows, casting shadows in the house, but even with them Marcus could see Alicia's eyes light up when he spoke. What is she thinking? "Well, don't I feel special... Besides, I know you can't have missed this, so why play dumb?" She unsnapped the cap from her belt and held it up for him to see.
"Is that...?"
"Yes. Annabeth's Invisibility Cap. Thing still works too." Alicia seemed to relax as she took a step towards Marcus. "Now, I've told you my secret... Why don't you tell me yours?"
"What are you talking about?" Marcus tried to keep his face clear, even as Alicia got close enough he could he feel her breath on his cheek.
"Oh Marcus. There's no need to try with me. I know you. And I know when you're hiding something." Alicia whispered.
Marcus was about to make some excuse, but Alicia took the situation out of his control. Stepping back and with a snap of her fingers, her hellhound appeared behind her. The size of a lion, it filled the room. Dammit. I knew that pawprint firepit had to be her.
"What? No hello for Roxy? You two used to be much better friends than that." Alicia laughed a bit to herself. "Ah well. Whatever you're hiding here, Roxy will find it."
Marcus let his hand slowly creep to his pocket, but he stopped when he saw that Alicia had already unclipped her whip. She knew I was hiding something from the beginning... Dammit I've been played. Marcus watched the hellhound start to search the room, sniffing the air around her. Before he could do anything else, Maddie stepped out of the closet carefully.
"It's okay Alicia." Maddie said, her nervous eyes on the hellhound. "It's just me. I'm what Marcus was hiding."
Marcus saw the look of disbelief flow across Alicia's face. A look quickly replaced with rage. Dammit Maddie!
"You. Why is it always you?" Alicia spat. "I'm finally reunited with Marcus and you just have to be... wait." Alicia's gaze went back and forth between Maddie and Marcus. "Marcus... did you bring her here?"
"Ali, it's not what you think-" Marcus started.
"Don't call me that! Don't you dare call me that!" Alicia cried out. Roxy started growling as she felt her master's distress, a sound that could shake the room. "Not when you brought her here!" The air grew still and tense as Alicia stood for a moment. The day brightened again outside the home, but the shadows never seemed to leave Alicia's face. Alicia's voice came out barely above a whisper. "Why... Why is she always there...?"
"Alicia..." Maddie started.
"You be quiet !" Alicia screamed. At that moment, all hell broke loose. Roxy pounced toward Maddie, and Marcus leaped over the couch. While flying through the air he lashed out with b oth his legs, hitting the hellhound in the side with all his strength. He immediately fell, feeling as though he'd kicked a solid stone wall, but it had done its job, pushing Roxy off balance and causing the hellhound to miss Maddie. Maddie grabbed her spear and Marcus saw the change come over her. Shit. Nothing fo r it now. As Marcus was rolling back to his feet, he saw Jason and Joel crash out of the drafting room, weapons drawn and ready to help Maddie.
"Look at that! More guests!" Alicia cried out. "Marcus you naughty boy. You've learned to lie to me so well!" Alicia cracked her whip over their heads, catching Joel on the shoulder.
Marcus pulled out his pocket watch and swung into whip form. I'll need the reach with this one... "You guys handle Roxy! I have some unfinished business with my Leash."
"Your 'leash'? Dude what the fuck?" Jason said, before yelping and jumping to the side out of Roxy's reach as she pawed at him.
"Fine. But ya got a lot of explainin' to do when this is over." Joel called back, shifting his duffel bag into its great sword state.
"First Ali, then Leash..." Alicia flicked her whip at Marcus, forcing him to have to dodge to the side. "Those are some mixed signals Marcus. Which is it? The cute pet name you gave me, or the name you always hated people calling me? Which am I to you? "
"Right now, you're a girl attacking somebody I care about." Marcus cracked his whip back at Alicia in response, who side-stepped the strike.
" I was somebody you cared about!" She screamed back. With a flick of her wrist, Alicia wrapped her whip around Marcus' foot, pulling him off his feet. Kicking the whip off of him, Marcus had to roll quickly to avoid Alicia's next attack which left a dent in the floor. As he got back to his feet, Marcus attempted the same trick, but Alicia deftly stepped over his whip and Marcus had to quickly pull it back to avoid her stepping down and trapping his weapon. "Poor Marcus. Did you forget who taught you how to use that whip?"
"No, I haven't forgotten." Marcus growled. He was about to attack again when Alicia's whip wrapped itself around his wrist. Shit! Alicia smiled at Marcus and pulled to the side, forcing him off balance and crashing his arm into the wall, making him drop his whip. Double shit! Alicia pulled again, this time pulling Marcus forward and causing him to trip over the remains of furniture that had been splintered from the other's battle with Roxy. As he fell, Alicia sprung forward, pinning him to the ground with his hands over his head.
"Now, isn't this familiar?" She practically purred at him, her face mere inches from his, before attempting to swing the handle of her whip towards his head.
Marcus managed to move his head out of the way and twisted with his hips, throwing Alicia off balance enough that he could push her off. Quickly, he spun around behind her and grabbed her whip with his hands, attempting to use it to bind her hands behind her. "I always thought you preferred this one." He said.
"Aw, so many things you never got quite right then." Alicia responded, throwing her head back in a headbutt, causing him to have to dodge away. By the time he had rolled to his feet, Alicia was already on hers, pulling the cap off of her belt. Triple shit! Before he could react, Alicia winked at him and slipped the cap on her head. Look around, Marcus tried to catch any movement that might give away Alicia's movement . Without warning, Marcus felt a slap hit him across the face, knocking him back against the wall. Of all the ways to hit me, she gets me with a slap... Dammit Alicia! Before he could move, Marcus got hit again. Raising his arms to defend himself, Marcus heard a whisper in his ear.
"You're lucky I was told to return as soon as possible Marcus." Alicia's voice came to him. He swung in the direction of the voice but heard it again in his other ear. "It was good to see you again... Hopefully next time we won't be... interrupted." He felt a kiss on his cheek, and as he went to grab where the voice had come from, his hands grabbed nothing but air.
A whistle split the air, and Roxy ran towards him. Marcus looked around for a weapon, but Roxy just leaped above his head towards the shadows in the stairway. As she hit the shadows, she faded into it. Shadow Travel... Almost forgot you had that trick Alicia...
Marcus pushed himself off the wall and hurried over to Maddie, resting his hand on her head gently and ruffling her hair, bringing her back to herself. As soon as she was, Marcus fell back onto the couch, which miraculously was still standing. Glancing over, he saw Jason lying on the floor, breathing heavy.
"What... The... Fuck!" Jason panted.
"Ya can say that again kid. Maybe instead of 'Boulder Boy', we should call you 'Chew Toy'" Joel chuckled.
Jason propped himself up on his elbows and threw a glare at Joel. "No. Just... no."