Those eyes.
She would recognize those eyes from anywhere.
They had plagued her dreams since she was twelve years old.
"You are not supposed to be here," she stated. She took no notice of how the Legion reacted to that. Livia had never given any indication that she had a brother out there. They all knew her background. She had been left at the Wolf House as a baby where she was raised and trained by Lupa and whatever recruit that came there. No part of that included a brother, least of all a twin brother.
They looked just alike aside from the eyes.
Octavian made his way to her side, "Queen Juno brought him to us." Juno? Her chest ached at the thought. Jason was still missing and his matron was sending someone else to replace him.
Those greeks had done something to him. And now they think they could see her brother to infiltrate them?
"Do I know you," her brother asked. Livia looked at him, curious. He should know her, but— there was not a trace of recognition on his face. Amnesia? She looked him up and down, "I am Livia, consul of the Twelfth Legion and no, you're not supposed to." Her eyes lingered onto the tattoo that was marked into his skin. She looked at Octavian, "You accepted him into the Legion?"
The auger nodded, "He has our gods' blessing. The Fifth Cohort accepted him." Her jaw clenched tightly at that. It was as if the Parcae was trying to erase Jason's presence with him. Still–at least it wasn't the Fourth. "Very well," she muttered. She turned towards her brother once more, "I do not trust you, Perseus Jackson. I do not like what your arrival means for the future of New Rome. But for the sake of peace, I welcome you."
"Reyna," Livia said. "Come with me. I want your report on what happened in my absence."
—
🌪🌊🌪
—
Livia was thankful to eat the camp food.
She was getting sick of hunting for game. Anytime she thought of eating fast food; the image of Pranjal standing behind her holding a portal blood pressure machine with a fierce glare.
The boy was terrifying.
Reyna sat at her side alongside Octavian though the boy was too busy flirting with one of the fauns that ventured too close. The mess hall seemed especially noisy tonight. Laughter echoed off the walls. War banners rustled from cedar ceiling beams as aurae blew back and forth, keeping everyone's plates full. The campers dined Roman style, sitting on couches around low tables. Kids were constantly getting up and trading places, spreading rumors about who liked whom and all the other gossip.
Livia was honestly a little surprised that Octavian wasn't in the middle of that. He tended to play them like a fiddle, sowing discontent within them so it was quite easy to gain information. Some of the kids like to pretend that they were closed off with excellent poker faces, but Octavian had learned how to read people from his uncle, Julis. As far as he was concerned, at least half the legion should stick to their day jobs and never become lawyers or actors.
Her gaze turned to the tables that were at the back of the dining hall next to the kitchen. She remembered sitting amongst the people there for years with Jason at her side. When she had Jason made centurion, the tables had become the hangout spot. The Fourth and Fifth Cohort were always stumbling over themselves to make sure they had a seat next to her and Jason.
Now two other children of the Big Three sat there. Well, three if they counted Nico but he was not a full member of the Legion.
She drained her salt water as Reyna finished her report.
"No memory at all?" she asked. "He remembers nothing?"
"Fuzzy bits and pieces." Reyna looked at her. "You once said that you didn't know him." Livia's features closed off. "That out there implies that you've always known."
