The Mark of Janus (Book 2)

Chapter 2

We hadn't even done anything yet but I felt exhausted. I wiped away a tear, trying to stand tall and even my breathing. I was scared out of my mind. Annabeth marched through the crowd, the rest of us following behind her.

I bit my lip nervously as we kept walking. I didn't stop even though my mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood.

We stopped in the center of the crowd, Annabeth staring at a certain black haired, green eyed boy in front of us.

"Oh gods." I muttered, my knees buckling.

Jason quickly caught me and hoisted me up before I could pass out.

"Are you okay?" He murmured.

I watched as Annabeth judo flipped him, before pulling him into a warm embrace.

I couldn't focus on any of the noise that was going on.

I faced him. "I don't know."

It felt like I was back on my first day at camp. The Romans were standing around me, firing squad style, and my whole being was overwhelmed by senses and feelings. I felt like I could see nothing and everything all at once. My hearing was completely botched, and I had trouble piecing together sentences.

It felt worse every time I looked at Percy. My breath caught in my throat and I didn't know how to talk or move.

Jason furrowed his eyebrows, looking at me. "Hey, It's going to be okay. It's overwhelming, but we've handled worse. Just take a few deep breaths."

I looked into his eyes, before completely losing it. I broke into tears, not caring that all of these Romans were watching.

"We have to go back." I muttered, trying to get out of his grasp. He held on tight, pulling me to his chest and rocking back and forth.

"C'mon Pepper, we've got this." He whispered. "I'm right here with you. You've been through a lot, but it's all going to be worth it." He spoke softly. I could feel his voice in his chest.

After a couple of agonizingly long minutes with soft spoken words from not only Jason, but also Piper, I could finally breathe again. I suspected that I was only better because Piper had used a bit of charmspeak on me.

"Reyna, this is Piper, Leo and Pepper." Jason gestured to each of us as he spoke. Reyna was a strong girl, with dark brown hair and onyx eyes. She was clearly a leader.

She nodded firmly, taking in each of our appearances. I probably looked horrible. I had lost a lot of weight in the past month, and I was probably red faced from crying. I probably looked not worthy of being a hero in the second great prophecy, and I wasn't sure I completely felt like one at that moment.

I turned slightly and saw that the crowd had mostly dispersed. And now two other individuals stood next to Percy. A burly looking asian dude, and a small, but powerful girl with strong gold eyes and chocolate colored hair.

"You're letting these intruders into camp? The security threats--"

"We'll eat here in the Forum." She stated bluntly, clearly not taking any of this guy's shit.

He sneered. "You want us to eat in the shadow of their battleship."

She frowned. "We are welcoming our guests. As an augur you should burn a sacrifice to the gods to thank them for bringing Jason back to us."

"Yeah, go burn your teddy bears, Octavian." Percy added.

I felt a lump rise up in my throat. I still hadn't been introduced to Percy and it felt like a horrible secret I didn't want to keep anymore. As Octavian stalked off I took a step forward, finally looking Percy in the eyes. I felt a surge of fear rise up as he looked back at me, slightly confused.

Jason placed a gentle, encouraging hand on my shoulder.

I took a deep breath. It was too long to be drawing out the moment. "Hi, Percy." I tried not to let my voice shake, but in vain. "I'm your sister, Primrose." I choked lightly on my words.

He thought for a second, before beaming and rushing forward. He picked me up and spun me around, laughing. "Rosie? I told you we'd see each other again." He grabbed me in a bear hug, a little too tight. "Gods I missed you, Silly Eyes." He stared at my eyes grinning and ruffling my hair.

"I thought you would have forgotten." I wiped away another set of tears.

He smirked. "What did I tell you about crying last time?"

I only cried more, pulling him back to me. Things couldn't get more sappy, but I didn't care. I finally had a family again.