"Percy!" Tyson comes running to me. I'm sitting by the fountains in the forum with Frank and Hazel.
"Special delivery." Ella tells me, fluttering around Tyson. "From an aura. A wind spirit. Yes, Ella got a special delivery."
"Good morning, brothers!" Tyson has hay in his hair and peanut butter in his teeth. "The scroll is from Leo and Theo. Leo is funny and small. You know Theo. Your friend, Theo."
I do know Theo. She's really good friends with Annabeth. I'm pretty close with her too. She's funny, and really sweet. And she kicks ass. I saw her, attaching a dragon head to the massive Greek warship I keep seeing in my dreams.
The scroll itself looks unremarkable, but when I spread it across my lap, a video recording flickers to life on the parchment. A kid in Greek armor grins up at us. He has an impish face, curly black hair, and wild eyes, like he's just had several cups of coffee. He's sitting in a dark room with timber walls like a ship's cabin. Oil lamps swing back and forth on the ceiling. Next to him is Theo. I recognize her instantly. She looks really happy now. I wonder what's been going on since I've been gone.
Hazel stifles a scream next to me.
"What?" Frank asks her. "What's wrong?"
I slowly realize that this kid looks familiar, and not just from my dreams. He looks like the guy in the photo Hazel had.
"Hey!" Says the guy. "Greetings from your friends at Camp Half-Blood, et cetera. This is Leo, I'm the..." He turns to Theo. "What's my title? Am I like admiral, or captain, or-"
"Repair boy." Theo tells him, smiling at him affectionately.
"Very funny." He grumbles back. He turns back to the screen. "So... yeah, I'm ah... supreme commander of the Argo II. Yeah! I like that."
Theo rolls her eyes next to him. "Look, Percy, we're gonna be sailing towards you in about, oh, I dunno, an hour in this big mother warship. We'd really appreciate it if you'd tell the Romans not to like, blow us out of the sky or anything."
"So, okay!" Leo claps his hands together. "If you could tell the Romans that. See you soon. Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out."
The image starts to fade. "Yours in demigodishness?" I hear Theo ask him.
"What? Its-"
The audio cuts out before he can finish.
~
"Why should we trust the Greeks? And this Theo girl, I've told you, I saw her in the auguries. She's dangerous. Why should we trust any of them?" Octavian asks.
He's been pacing the senate floor for five minutes, going on and on, trying to counter what I told them about Juno's plan and the Great Prophecy.
The senate shifts restlessly, but most are too afraid to interrupt Octavian while he's on a roll. Meanwhile, the sun climbs in the sky, shining through the broken senate roof and giving Octavian a natural spotlight.
I'm sitting in a praetor's chair next to Reyna, which makes me very self-conscious. It's not easy to look dignified when I'm wearing a bed sheet and purple cape.
"The camp is safe." Octavian continues. "I'll be the first to congratulate our heroes for bringing back the legion's eagle and so much Imperial gold! Truly, we have been blessed with good fortune. But why do more? Why tempt fate?"
"I'm glad you asked." I take this as my opportunity to cut him off.
"I wasn't-"
"Part of the quest." I finish his sentence. "Yes, I know. And you're wise to let me explain, since I was."
Some of the senators snicker. Octavian has no choice but to sit down and try not to look embarrassed.
"Gaea is waking." I remind them. "We've defeated two of her giants, but that's only the beginning. The real war will take place in the old land of the gods. The quest will take us to Rome, and eventually to Greece."
An uneasy ripple spreads through the senate.
"I know, I know." I continue. "You've always thought of the Greeks as your enemies. And there's good reason for that. I think the gods have kept our two camps apart because whenever we meet, we fight. But that can change. It has to change if we're to defeat Gaea. That's what the prophecy means. Seven demigods, and my friend Theo, who I've told you already is the clay, Greek and Roman, will have to close the Doors of Death together."
"Ha!" Shouts a Lar from the back row. "The last time a praetor tried to interpret the Prophecy of seven, it was Michael Varus, who lost our eagle in Alaska! Why should we believe you now?"
Octavian smiles smugly. Some of his allies in the senate nod and grumble. Even some of the veterans look uncertain.
"I carried Juno across the Tiber." I remind them. "She told me that the Prophecy of Seven is coming to pass. Mars also appeared to you in person. Do you think two of your most important gods would appear at camp if the situation wasn't serious?"
"He's right." Gwen says from the second row. "I, for one, trust Percy's word. Greek or not, he restored the honor of the legion. You saw him on the battlefield last night. Would anyone here say he is not a true hero of Rome?"
Nobody argues. A few nod in agreement.
Reyna stands, and I watch her anxiously. Her opinion can change everything.
"You claim this is a combined quest." She says. "You claim Juno intends for us to work with this... this other group, Camp Half-Blood. Yet, the Greeks have been our enemies for eons. They are known for their deceptions."
"Maybe so." I tell her. "But enemies can become friends. A week ago, would you have thought Romans and Amazons would be fighting side by side?"
Queen Hylla laughs. "He's got a point."
"The demigods at Camp Half-Blood have already been working with Camp Jupiter." I insist. "We just didn't realize it. During the Titan War last summer, while you were attacking Mount Othrys, we were defending Mount Olympus in Manhattan. I fought Kronos myself."
Reyna backs up, almost tripping over her toga. "You what?"
"I know it's hard to believe. But I think I've earned your trust. I'm on your side. Hazel and Frank, I'm sure they're meant to go with me on this quest. The other five are on their way from Camp Half-Blood right now. One of them is Jason Grace, your old praetor."
"Oh, come on!" Octavian shouts. "He's making things up now!"
Reyna frowns. "It is a lot to believe. Jason is coming back with a bunch of Greek demigods? You say they're going to appear in the sky in a heavily armed warship, but we shouldn't be worried."
"Yes." I look over at the rows of nervous, doubtful spectators. "Just let them land. Hear them out. Jason will backup everything I'm telling you. I swear it on my life."
"On your life?" Octavian looks menacingly at the senate. "We will remember that, if this turns out to be a trick."
Right on cue, a messenger rushes into the Senate House, gasping for breath. "Praetors! I'm sorry to interrupt, but our scouts report-"
"Ship!" Tyson exclaims happily, pointing at the hole in the ceiling. "Yay!"
