Finding Hope (Book 1)

Chapter 24: Camp Jupiter

I paced the deck of the flying warship. The Argo II definitely did not look friendly. Two hundred feet long, with a bronze-plated hull, mounted repeating crossbows fore and aft, a flaming metal dragon for a figurehead, and two rotating ballistae amidships that could fire explosive bolts powerful enough to blast through concrete.

Annabeth had reviewed the plan with the crew—and the backup plan, and the backup plan for the backup plan. It was crazy how much she really was Athena's daughter.

Everything seemed to be in order. Even that mysterious chill I'd been feeling since the ship launched had dissipated. I didn't tell anyone about it knowing that it probably was just me feeling the cold wind.

The warship descended through the clouds.  Definitely now too late to turn back.

I could now spot the gold-and-green carpet of the Oakland Hills below us, and my crew mates took their places.

On the quarterdeck, Leo rushed around like a madman, checking his gauges and wrestling levers. Most helmsmen would've been satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a tiller. Leo had also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album, or raise sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast. Leo was so amazing, with how he could even imagine this ship and put it together. 

Piper paced back and forth between the mainmast and the ballistae, practicing her lines. "Lower your weapons," she murmured. "We just want to talk."

Her charmspeak was so powerful, the words flowed over me, filling me with the desire to take off my bow and arrow from my back and then just have a chat. For a child of Aphrodite, Piper tried hard to play down her beauty. Today she was dressed in tattered jeans, worn-out sneakers, and a white tank top with pink Hello Kitty designs. Her choppy brown hair was braided down the right side with an eagle's feather. Even though she tried to hide her beauty, everyone could see that she was gorgeous.

Jason stood at the bow on the raised crossbow platform, where the Romans should be able to easily spot him. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his golden sword. Otherwise he looked calm for a guy who was making himself a target. Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, he'd donned a toga and a purple cloak—symbols of his old rank as praetor. With his wind-ruffled blond hair and his icy blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control—just like a son of Jupiter should. He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitant to blow the ship out of the sky.

I felt it again—that familiar shiver, as if a psychotic snowman had crept up behind me and was breathing down my neck. I turned, but no one was there.

Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. I recognized landmarks Jason had told us about—the hippodrome, the coliseum, the temples and parks, the neighborhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colorful villas, and flowering gardens.

She saw evidence of the Romans' recent battle with an army of monsters. The dome was cracked open on a building she guessed was the Senate House. The forum's broad plaza was pitted with craters. Some fountains and statues were in ruins.

Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the Argo II. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafés, gawking and pointing as the ship descended. About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill. 

Then something behind me went BOOM!

The explosion almost knocked her overboard. She whirled and found herself eye to eye with an angry statue.