The Forbidden Child

Chapter 25: At Camp Jupiter

Leo POV

"WOW THIS IS AMAZING!!!" Leo yelled at the top of his lungs. Even though he got to train with the pegasus at camp, the view was unbeatable in the city. Jason said they'll arrive at Camp Jupiter in the early morning. The sun was starting to set, making the journey even more beautiful.

"Get some rest now!" Jason yelled over the wind. Tempest, his storm spirit, was trying to show off his wind riding skills. The pegasus tried to steer clear of the crazy wind horse.

Piper was sitting with Jason and immediately closed her eyes. Percy was on Blackjack, but shook his head when Jason said sleep. Leo remembered that Percy didn't fancy air travel, so he probably wanted to stay awake their whole trip.

Leo was afraid that if he slept, he would fall off his ride. But the word sleep made his eyes heavy. Just five minutes couldn't hurt, right?

*****

Leo was standing at the entrance of the Caldecott Tunnel. How he knew it, he wasn't sure. He's never been to this side of Camp Jupiter.

It's just a dream, Leo thought. But still, it was unnerving.

He walked towards it and entered the camp. Leo noticed a river standing between his way and the campgrounds. But on the other side of the river was a barren land. No campers in sight. By the sight of it, there was a war or a fight and the Romans didn't win.

Welcome back, hero. A woman's voice so soft and luring rolled over the camp. An unfortunate sight, isn't it?

Leo spun around, looking for a person who wasn't there.

The voice chuckled. Leo Valdez, you will meet me soon enough. I'm here to give you a warning. Your quest will fail if you do not find me. I am your only hope.

"Lady, I don't even know who you are!" Leo yelled into the air.

Patience, my hero. All things happen in its own time. But what I can share with you is this: word is power. Write your story and make it come true. I promise that you will know what that means because WE ARE HERE.

Leo jolted awake. Percy was flying next to Leo.

"We've arrived!" Percy shouted.

Leo looked down and saw beautiful rolling hills, Roman temples, and tiny little people milling around. Thankfully, the sight was nothing like his dreams.

They all landed near the Field of Mars. Reyna Ramirez Arellano and Frank Zhang, the current praetors of Camp Jupiter, were awaiting them.

"Welcome, Greeks!" Reyna shouted.

"It's good to see you guys again," Frank said.

Leo ran to Frank and gave him a big hug. Frank was flustered but hugged him back.

"I missed you big guy," Leo said contentedly.

"Let us walk the pegasus to the stables. We can then head to where you will be staying for the time being." Reyna said after greeting everyone.

On the way to the stables, Leo couldn't help but stare at the ghosts that milled around on the campgrounds. He knew they were nice and harmless but after his journey to Greece, he didn't want to deal with anymore deadly beings.

After making sure the pegasus were comfortable in the stables, the campers made their way to the camp headquarters for a meeting. Leo was loving all the buildings and the machines he could reinvent. Maybe he could make the water fountain in this style or the buildings a bit bigger. He was so distracted he almost ran into Reyna.

"I'm glad you are enjoying Camp Jupiter, considering your first visit wasn't exactly... perfect," Reyna said warily.

Leo winced. The first time he came, he was possessed by spirits and almost destroyed the camp.

"Don't worry, Reyna. It won't happen again." Percy assured her. He was possessed, too and understood how Leo felt.

As they arrived at the front of the camp headquarters, Jason breathed in deeply.

"Wow, it feels different to visit the headquarters as a camper." Jason said.

"You're not just a regular camper, you're helping to honor all the gods. You have an important role." Piper squeezed his hands.

"We're all important here and unfortunately that means a lot of work to do." Frank said a little sadly.

As they made their way inside, Frank and Reyna both paused and reached for their weapons. That made everyone else stop and reach for theirs.

"Someone was here," Reyna glared.