An Impossible Choice|| Lani Jackson Book 2|| Piper McLean

Reunited At Last

Annabeth

A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for me as I walked through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one was armed. No one attacked.

Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. I saw couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parent's legs, even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes. Were all of them demigods? I suspected so, though I'd never seen a place like this. At Camp Half-Blood, most demigods were teens. If they survived long enough to graduate from high school, they either stayed on as counselors or left to start lives as best they could in the mortal world. Here, it was an entire multigenerational community.

At the far end of the crowd, I spotted Tyson the Cyclops and Lani's hellhound, though the twins will insist they share her, Mrs. O'Leary- who had been the scouting party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter. They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved and grinned. He was wearing an SPQR banner like a giant bib.

Some part of my mind registered how beautiful the city was- the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture... gods, the architecture- gilded marble columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, and terraced villas.

In front of me, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian.

Reyna.

Jason had described his girlfriend well. Even without that, I would have singled her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.

Annabeth recognized something else in her face, too- in the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raised her chin like she was ready to accept any challenge. Reyna was forcing a look of courage, while holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear that she couldn't show in public.

I knew that expression. I saw it every time I looked in a mirror.

Reyna and I considered each other. My friends fanned out on either side. The Romans murmured Jason's name, staring at him in awe.

Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and my vision tunneled.

Percy smiled at me- that sarcastic troublemaker smile that had annoyed me for years but eventually had become endearing. His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as I remembered. His dark hair was swept to one side, like he'd just come from a walk on the beach. He looked even better than he had six months ago- tanner and taller, leaner and more muscular.

I was too stunned to move. I felt that if I got any closer to him, all the molecules in my body might combust. I'd secretly had a crush on him since we were twelve years old. Last summer, I'd fallen for him hard. We'd been a happy couple for four months- and then he'd disappeared.

During our separation, something had happened to my feelings. They'd grown painfully intense- like I'd been forced to withdraw from a life-saving medication. Now I wasn't sure which was more excruciating- living with that horrible absence, or being with him again.

The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason.

"Jason Grace, my former colleague..." She spoke the word colleague like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends-"

I didn't mean to, but I surged forward. Percy rushed toward me at the same time. The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there.

Percy threw his arms around me. We kissed, and for a moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could have hit the planet and wiped out all life, and I wouldn't have cared.