𝐂œ𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐬é𝐬 [Percy Jackson]

73

Under different circumstances, wandering through Rome with Annabeth would have been pretty awesome. They navigated the winding streets, dodging cars and crazy Vespa drivers, squeezing through mobs of tourists, and wading through oceans of pigeons. The day warmed up quickly. Once they got away from the car exhaust on the main roads, the air smelled of baking bread and freshly cut flowers.

Percy's mind wandered to their breakfast- the way Hadrian smiled so wide it was a wonder his cheeks didn't hurt. He looked happy. Percy always wanted him to be happy. Happiness looked good on him.

Annabeth had given him a crude stick figure drawing of a guy with blue hair and even she had smiled when he slammed into her, pulling her into a bear hug. Frank gave him one of his arrows, since they didn't exactly have time to search for gifts. Hadrian had run after him, trying to kiss him while he tried not to fall from laughing too much.

Hazel gifted him eyeliner that Percy was 80% sure actually belonged to Annabeth and Hadrian had hugged her too. Leo had made a functioning toy helicopter that floated a couple feet off the ground and was made out of celestial bronze nuts and bolts, Percy desperately hoped he hadn't used any screws essential to the ship.

Percy himself had taken a bunch of photos at Hadrian's request. He didn't exactly have a gift, but he had a cool sea shell he'd picked up in the Charleston harbor which he offered and Hadrian had insisted on poking a hole in it and threading it so he could wear it around his neck. Even Hedge gave him a baseball hat.

Jason- the only person who had left the ship for "patrol" came back with a rainbow tie dye shirt that said "CIAO". But Percy hadn't been surprised at that, what came after however was definitely interesting.

Jason kissed Hadrian's cheek as he wished him Happy Birthday which caused the girls and Leo to "ooooooh" while Coach ranted about demigods and hormones, and Frank and Percy stood to the side awkwardly.

After that, they had to leave on their respective quests. Percy didn't like leaving Hadrian on board with Jason, but so what? He tried to convince himself. Good for them if they got together. Hadrian deserved to be happy.

Percy and Annabeth aimed for the Colosseum because that was an easy landmark, but getting there proved harder than Percy anticipated. As big and confusing as the city had looked from above, it was even more so on the ground. Several times they got lost on dead-end streets. They found beautiful fountains and huge monuments by accident.

Annabeth commented on the architecture, but Percy kept his eyes open for other things. Once he spotted a glowing purple ghost—a Lar—glaring at them from the window of an apartment building. Another time he saw a white-robed woman—maybe a nymph or a goddess—holding a wicked-looking knife, slipping between ruined columns in a public park. Nothing attacked them, but Percy felt like they were being watched, and the watchers were not friendly.

Finally they reached the Colosseum, where a dozen guys in cheap gladiator costumes were scuffling with the police—plastic swords versus batons. Percy wasn't sure what that was about, but he and Annabeth decided to keep walking. Sometimes mortals were even stranger than monsters.

They made their way west, stopping every once in a while to ask directions to the river. Percy hadn't considered that—duh—people in Italy spoke Italian, while he did not. As it turned out, though, that wasn't much of a problem. The few times someone approached them on the street and asked a question, Percy just looked at them in confusion, and they switched to English.

Next discovery: the Italians used euros, and Percy didn't have any. He regretted this as soon as he found a tourist shop that sold sodas. By then it was almost noon, getting really hot, and Percy was starting to wish he had a trireme filled with Diet Coke.

Annabeth solved the problem. She dug around in her backpack, brought out Daedalus's laptop, and typed in a few commands. A plastic card ejected from a slot in the side.

Annabeth waved it triumphantly. "International credit card. For emergencies."

Percy stared at her in amazement. "How did you—? No. Never mind. I don't want to know. Just keep being awesome."

The sodas helped, but they were still hot and tired by the time they arrived at the Tiber River. The shore was edged with a stone embankment. A chaotic assortment of warehouses, apartments, stores, and cafés crowded the riverfront.

The Tiber itself was wide, lazy, and caramel-colored. A few tall cypress trees hung over the banks. The nearest bridge looked fairly new, made from iron girders, but right next to it stood a crumbling line of stone arches that stopped halfway across the river—ruins that might've been left over from the days of the Caesars.

"This is it." Annabeth pointed at the old stone bridge. "I recognize that from the map. But what do we do now?"

Percy was glad she had said we. He didn't want to leave her yet. In fact, he wasn't sure he could make himself do it when the time came. Gaea's words came back to him: Will you fall alone?

He stared at the river, wondering how they could make contact with the god Tiberinus. He didn't really want to jump in. The Tiber didn't look much cleaner than the East River back home, where he'd had too many encounters with grouchy river spirits.

He gestured to a nearby café with tables overlooking the water. "It's about lunchtime. How about we try your credit card again?"

Even though it was later than noon, the place was empty. They picked a table outside by the river, and a waiter hurried over. He looked a bit surprised to see them—especially when they said they wanted lunch.

"American?" he asked, with a pained smile.

"Yes," Annabeth said.

"And I'd love a pizza," Percy said.

The waiter looked like he was trying to swallow a euro coin. "Of course you would, signor. And let me guess: a Coca-Cola? With ice?"

"Awesome," Percy said. He didn't understand why the guy was giving him such a sour face. It wasn't like Percy had asked for a blue Coke.

Annabeth ordered a panini and some fizzy water. After the waiter left, she smiled at Percy. "I think Italians eat a lot later in the day. They don't put ice in their drinks. And they only do pizza for tourists."

"Oh." Percy shrugged. "The best Italian food, and they don't even eat it?"

"I wouldn't say that in front of the waiter."