Eleutheromania

2)

A SEA OF HASTILY ASSEMBLED demigods parted for Annabeth as she 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 parents' 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 Percy's hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary—who had been the first 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 us, 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 her 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.
      I held my breath. So she's my sister. Who would have known?
      The Annabeth and Reyna considered each other. We fanned out on either side of Annabeth.       The Romans murmured Jason's name, staring at him in awe.
      Then someone else appeared from the crowd.
      Percy smiled at us—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.
      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—"
      Annabeth surged forward. Percy rushed toward her at the same time. The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there.
      Percy threw his arms around her. They kissed, and I whistled.
      Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement. Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!"
      Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat.
      "If you ever leave me again," she said, her eyes stinging, "I swear to all the gods—"
      Percy had the nerve to laugh.
      "Consider me warned," Percy said. "I missed you, too."
      Annabeth rose and helped him to his feet.
      Jason cleared his throat. "So, yeah....It's good to be back."
      He introduced Reyna to Piper, who looked a little miffed that she hadn't gotten to say the lines she'd been practicing, then to Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign. He looked at me and gave me a small smile introducing me. I smiled at everyone suddenly feeling a little awkward. Reyna eyed me for a moment, she frowned then faced away from me.
      "And this is Annabeth," Jason said. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."
Reyna's eyes sparkled. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?"
      Annabeth held out her hand. "I only attack my boyfriend like that," she promised. "Pleased to meet you."
      Reyna clasped her hand firmly. "It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"
      A few of the Roman campers hustled forward—apparently the senior officers. Two kids appeared at Percy's side. The burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about fifteen. He was cute in a sort of oversized-cuddly-panda-bear way. The girl was younger, maybe thirteen, with amber eyes and chocolate skin and long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm.
I could tell from their body language that they felt close to Percy. They stood next to him protectively, like they'd already shared many adventures.
      There was one thing I didn't understand: what was the girl staring at? She kept frowning in Piper and Leo's direction, like she recognized one of them and the memory was painful.
      Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "...tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"
      "You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A tall guy with stringy blond hair elbowed his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks—"
      "We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here, in the forum."
      "Oh, much better," Octavian grumbled. He seemed to be the only one who didn't defer to Reyna as his superior, despite the fact that he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt. He reminded me of..."You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."
      "These are our guests." Reyna clipped off every word. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."
      "Good idea," Percy put in. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."
      Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."
      The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy a look of absolute loathing. Then he gave Annabeth a suspicious once-over and stalked away.
      Percy slipped his hand into Annabeth's. "Don't worry about Octavian," he said. "Most of the Romans are good people—like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. We'll be fine."
       I felt as if someone had draped a cold washcloth across my neck. I heard that whispering laughter again, as if the presence had followed me from the ship.
       Annabeth and I looked at each other. For a moment I realized we were having the same feeling.
      "We'll be fine," she repeated, trying to believe it.
      "Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason, and Annabeth thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."

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