The Warrior | Heroes of Olympus

1

Horns blew from the watchtowers. Intruder. 

The sentries shouted and swiveled their crossbows toward the gorgons. I shouted commands to the first cohort as I placed my helmet upon my head and tightened the armor on my body. With a sword drawn I headed to the river. 

 A boy with dark hair forged into the river. The river was icy cold but it didn't seem to matter to him. He reached the other side and put the old woman down as the camp's gates opened. Dozens of kids in armor poured out with me leading them. 

Frank, a boy from the fifth cohort, was halfway across the river when the gorgons caught him. They swooped out of the sky and grabbed him by either arm. He screamed in pain as their claws dug into his skin.The sentries yelled, but I knew they couldn't get a clear shot. They'd end up killing Frank. The other kids drew swords and got ready to charge into the water, but they'd be too late.

Think. Jasper. Think. 

I was in charge. I should know what to do. 

Think. 

Think.

The boy in the water thrust his hands out. 

The river surged. Whirlpools formed on either side of Frank. Giant watery hands erupted from the stream, copying the boy's movements. The giant hands grabbed the gorgons, who dropped Frank in surprise. Then the hands lifted the squawking monsters in a liquidvise grip.I heard the other kids yelping and backing away, but I stayed. I didn't like this boy. He made a smashing gesture with his fists, and the giant hands plunged the gorgons into the Tiber. 

The monsters hit the bottom and broke into dust. Glittering clouds of gorgon essence struggled to reform, but the river pulled them apart like a blender. Soon every trace of the gorgons was swept downstream. The whirlpools vanished, and the current returned to normal.The boy stood on the riverbank. His clothes and his skin steamed as if the Tiber's waters had given him an acid bath. 

My face hardened as my eyes narrowed at the new boy. In the middle of the Tiber, Frank stumbled around, looking stunned but perfectly fine. Hazel waded out and helped him ashore. Everyone had gone silent. I stepped forward from the crowd, replacing my sword with my spear. 

Reyna stood by my side. 

"Well, that was a lovely trip," The lady said. "Thank you, Percy Jackson, for bringing me to Camp Jupiter." 

Reyna made a choking sound. "Percy...Jackson?"She sounded as if she recognized his name. 

Reyna wore her regal purple cloak over her armor. Her chest was decorated with her medals. She looked to be about the same age as Percy, with dark, piercing eyes and long black hair. Percy didn't recognize her, but she stared at him as if she'd seen him in her nightmares. 

The lady laughed with delight. "Oh, yes. You'll have such fun together!"

Then, just because the day hadn't been weird enough already, the old lady began to glow and change form. She grew until she was a shining,seven-foot-tall goddess in a blue dress, with a cloak that looked like goat's skin over her shoulders. Her face was stern and stately. In her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower.If it was possible for the campers to look more stunned, they did. Reyna with the purple cloak knelt. The others followed her lead. One kid got down so hastily he almost impaled himself on his sword.  

Hazel was the first to speak. "Juno."She and Frank also fell to their knees, leaving Percy the only one standing. 

"Juno, huh?" he said. "If I passed your test, can I have my memory and my life back?"The goddess smiled. "In time, Percy Jackson, if you succeed here at camp. You've done well today, which is a good start. Perhaps there's hope for you yet."