𝐂œ𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐬é𝐬 [Percy Jackson]

8

Until they met the exploding statue, Annabeth looked like she was the one who was going to explode from the nerves.

She was making Hadrian anxious with the way she paced around the deck, trying to make sure everything was perfect. Hadrian had tried not to roll his eyes. Everyone knew demigods work better under pressure. No amount of planning and plan B and plan C would hold if something completely unexpected happened. And in those cases, their reflexes and past knowledge helped the most.

The warship descended through the clouds, and Hadrian loved the thrill of it, especially since it felt like going down a roller coaster.

The clouds broke around their hull, revealing the gold-and-green carpet of the Oakland Hills below them. Annabeth gripped one of the bronze shields that lined the starboard rail.

"Relax" Hadrian debated putting a hand on her shoulder, but decided against it. His powers were stronger when he was touching the person, but he didn't want to lose a hand.

He saw Annabeth's tense back muscles and arms relax. She took a deep breath, and turned to glare at him.

"If you charm speak me again, I'll-"

"Stab me, yes I know" he rolled his eyes. It wasn't exactly a hidden secret that most people on board didn't quite trust him. He didn't care. He hated them too. Coach was fine... He was a little weird but he hadn't said anything to Hadrian directly. Jason was a little aloof the past few months, Hadrian knew he was a little spooked by getting charmspoken, and Leo was the only one who was sort of decent with him.

Spending the last three months with these demigods that didn't fully trust him had been a challenge to say the least. Everyday he woke up, and he half expected to have Kira ruffle his hair, to have them hit him with a pillow, complaining about how hard he was to wake up. But none of that happened. He didn't hear her voice, he didn't see her face. It was just him alone in his cabin.

Gods, he wished Kira was here with him. Their laugh made you think of all the beautiful sunsets and sunrises. But most of all, they were the only one who understood him. There's no use fretting over the dead, and besides, Hadrian had a plan. He wasn't giving up on her, he would never.

Sometimes he wondered if it was all his fault. Any person he got close to, something bad happened. First his mom, then his first girlfriend, then his first boyfriend who broke his heart and then finally... Kira.

He would keep people at an arms length if that's what it took to keep them safe. He decided that years ago, being hostile to people and making them hate him was the only way to keep others safe from himself.

Of course his Eros charm didn't help in that department.

The other demigods took their places.

On the stern quarterdeck, Leo rushed around like a madman, checking his gauges and wrestling levers. Most helmsmen would've been satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a tiller. Leo had also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album, or raise sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast. Even by demigod standards, Leo was seriously ADHD.

Hadrian himself had a part to play. Charmspeaking was hard without any training, but he figured he had been doing it since he was a kid. This was the one time he needed people to like him, to trust him, to listen. Drew, although jealous of him going on the quest, had helped him control his powers a lot.

Instead of downplaying his attractiveness, he tried to accentuate it.

They weren't looking to become besties with the Romans so his "keep people at an arms length" thing was at the back of his mind.

Hadrian ran a hand through his hair. It was a mousy, boring brown now. He'd told Annabeth he dyed it back to his natural hair color. But something told him, she was definitely not buying it.

Hadrian turned away from her and looked across the deck. Jason stood at the bow on the raised crossbow platform, where the Romans could easily spot him. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his golden sword. Otherwise he looked calm for a guy who was making himself a target. Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, he'd donned a toga and a purple cloak—symbols of his old rank as praetor. With his wind-ruffled blond hair and his icy blue eyes, he looked sort of handsome and in control—just like a son of Jupiter should. Hadrian sucked in a breath. Geez why was everyone so hot?

Jason had grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitant to blow the ship out of the sky.

All this talk about a completely different camp- a Roman camp was infuriatingly confusing to Hadrian. He suddenly felt completely out of his depth, as if he was a child working for Luke, just following orders blindly.

Annabeth had done her best to explain, but Hadrian had to remember she was new to this too. The two camps had been purposefully kept apart for a fear of an all out war. And now they were supposed to bring the camps together? This was unheard of.

Hadrian felt so out of place with these confident demigods. He knew he wasn't going to be considered as much part of the seven as the others. The other demigods knew each other, or at least knew of each other.

To get what he wanted, he had to make them trust him. And then what? Break their trust? If that's what it took, Hadrian would do it in a heartbeat.

The mistrust wasn't contained to just him.

Annabeth tried to hide it, but she still didn't completely trust Jason either. He acted too perfect—always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. He even looked too perfect.

He'd been part of Hera's forced "exchange program" to introduce the two camps. The queen of Olympus, had convinced the other gods that their two sets of children—Roman and Greek—had to combine forces to save the world from the evil goddess Gaea, who was awakening from the earth, and her horrible children the giants.

Without warning, Hera had plucked up Percy Jackson, Annabeth's best friend, wiped his memory, and sent him to the Roman camp. In exchange, the Greeks had gotten Jason.

Hadrian watched her shiver, a ghost chill traveled down her spine.

She turned, to face him again. She looked like she really would stab him now, but then, in the valley below, horns sounded. The Romans had spotted them.

Hadrian thought he knew what to expect. Jason had described Camp Jupiter to them in great detail. Still, he had trouble believing his eyes. Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley was at least twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. A small river snaked around one side and curled toward the center like a capital letter G, emptying into a sparkling blue lake.

Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. He recognized landmarks Jason had told them about—the hippodrome, the coliseum, the temples and parks, the neighborhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colorful villas, and flowering gardens.

He saw evidence of the Romans' recent battle with an army of monsters. The dome was cracked open on a building he guessed was the Senate House. The forum's broad plaza was pitted with craters. Some fountains and statues were in ruins.

Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the Argo II. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafés, gawking and pointing as the ship descended.

About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill with a defensive trench lined with spikes, high walls, and watchtowers armed with scorpion ballistae. Inside, perfect rows of white barracks lined the main road—the Via Principalis.

A column of demigods emerged from the gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city. In the midst of their ranks was an actual war elephant.

Then something behind them went BOOM!