Child of the Moon

Octavian Is A Prick

The Feast of Fortuna had nothing to do with tuna.  Thank the gods.  Campers, Amazons and Lares crowded the mess hall for a lavish dinner.  Even the fauns were invited, since they'd helped out by bandaging the wounded after the battle.  Wind nymphs zipped around the room, delivering orders of pizza, burgers, steaks, salads, Chinese food, and burritos, all flying at terminal velocity.  Despite the exhausting battle, everyone was in good spirits.  Casualties had been light, and the few campers who'd previously died and come back to life, like Gwen, hadn't been taken to the Underworld.  Maybe Thanatos had turned a blind eye.  Or maybe Pluto had given those folks a pass, like he had for Zoe and Hazel.  Whatever the case, nobody complained.  Colorful Amazon and Roman banners hung side by side from the rafters.  The restored golden eagle stood proudly behind the praetor's table, and the walls were decorated with cornucopias, magical horns of plenty that spilled out recycling waterfalls of fruit, chocolate, and fresh baked cookies.  The cohorts mingled freely with the Amazons, jumping from couch to couch as they pleased, and for once the soldiers of the Fifth were welcome everywhere.  Percy and I changed seats so many times, I lost track of my dinner.  There was a lot of flirting and arm wrestling, which seemed to be the same thing for the Amazons.  At one point Percy was cornered by Kinzie.  He looked at me pleadingly but I whistled and walked away.  He had to explain that he already had a girlfriend.  Fortunately Kinzie took it well.  She told him what had happened after we'd left Seattle, how Hylla had defeated Otrera in two consecutive duels to the death, so that the Amazons were now calling their queen Hylla Twice-Kill.

Kinzie: Otrera stayed dead the second time.  We have you and YN to thank for that. If you ever need a new girlfriend... well, I think you'd look great in an iron collar and an orange jumpsuit.

I was sitting with Zoe, Frank, and Hazel, and Frank and I were laughing our asses off at this point.  Percy politely thanked her and changed seats.  Once everyone had eaten and the plates stopped flying, Reyna made a short speech.  She formally welcomed the Amazons, thanking them for their help.  Then she hugged her sister and everybody applauded.  Reyna raised her hands for quiet.

Reyna: My sister and I haven't always seen eye to eye-

Hylla: That's an understatement.

Reyna: She joined the Amazons.  I joined Camp Jupiter.  But looking around this room, I think we both made good choices.  Strangely, our destinies were made possible by the heroes you all just raised to praetor on the battlefield... Percy Jackson and YN Ernten.

More cheering.  The sisters raised their glasses to Percy and I, then beckoned us forward.  Everybody asked for a speech, but neither of us really knew what to say.  I mostly stayed quiet while Percy protested that he really wasn't the best person for praetor, but the campers drowned him out with applause.  Reyna took away our probatio tablets.  Octavian shot us a dirty look, but I glared back at him, my right eye glowing, and he looked away, nervously, then turned to the crowd and smiled like this was all his idea.  He ripped open a teddy bear and pronounced good omens for the coming year.  Fortuna would bless us!  He passed his hand over Percy's arm.

Octavian: Percy Jackson, son of Neptune, first year of service!

The Roman symbols burned onto Percy's arm.  A trident, SPQR, and a single stripe.  He embraced him and I just barely heard him whisper in Percy's ear.

Octavian: I hope it hurt.

He then walked over to me and did the same thing.

Octavian: YN LN, son of Diana, first year of service.

The same SPQR and stripe burnt into my arm, along with a tattoo of a bow and arrow.  It hurt a little, but I smirked and whispered to him.

YN: That tickled a bit, dickhead.