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CHAPTER ONE i. it will all become painfully clear soon enough _______
Perseus Jackson felt intimidated. The past few days of his life - which were the only days he remembered - had been hectic to say the least. Running from Gorgons, carrying a goddess across a river and now this.
The legion of Camp Jupiter had assembled. The first four cohorts, each forty kids strong, stood in rows in front of their barracks on either side of the Via Praetoria. The Fifth Cohort assembled at the very end, in front of the principia, since their barracks were tucked in the back corner of camp next to the stables and the latrines.
The campers were dressed for war. Their polished chain mail and greaves gleamed over purple T-shirts and jeans. Sword-and-skull designs decorated their helmets. Even their leather combat boots looked ferocious with their iron cleats, great for marching through mud or stomping on faces.
In front of the legionnaires stood their red and gold shields, each the size of a refrigerator door. Every legionnaire carried a harpoon-like spear called a pilum, a gladius, a dagger, and about a hundred pounds of other equipment.
Hazel Levesque, however, was missing most of her equipment as she hurried to her place in line and stood to attention. Her brother, Nico di Angelo, went to go stand beside Percy. He wasn't actually a member of the legion, Percy recalled from their earlier conversation. He tried to think of anything but the anxiety gnawing away at him. The whole situation made him uncomfortable.
"Romans!" Reyna finally announced. "You've probably heard about the incursion today. Two gorgons were swept into the river by this newcomer, Percy Jackson. Juno herself guided him here, and proclaimed him a son of Neptune."
The kids in the back rows craned their necks to see Percy. He raised his hand and said, "Hi."
"He seeks to join the legion," Reyna continued. "What do the auguries say?"
"I have read the entrails!" Octavian announced, as if he'd killed a lion with his bare hands rather than ripping up a stuffed panda pillow. "The auguries are favourable. He is qualified to serve!"
The campers gave a shout: "Ave!" Hail!
Frank was a little late with his "ave," so it came out as a high-pitched echo. The other legionnaires snickered.
Reyna motioned the senior officers forward - one from each cohort. Octavian, as the most senior centurion, turned to Percy.
"Recruit," he asked, "do you have credentials? Letters of reference?"
A lot of kids brought letters from older demigods in the outside world, adults who were veterans of the camp. Some recruits had rich and famous sponsors. Some were third - or fourth -generation campers. A good letter could get you a position in the better cohorts, sometimes even special jobs like legion messenger, which made you exempt from the grunt work like digging ditches or conjugating Latin verbs.
