Invisible ― Jason Grace

vi. camilla and jason finally say hello

LUCKILY, CAMILLA GOT a chance to clean up before their big meeting in the mess hall. She was glad to clean her face free of the permanent marker tattoos and change into a shirt that didn't declare her undying adoration for a son of Hephaestus she'd only just met that day.

Unluckily—depending on who you asked—that meant she was the last one to reach the mess hall for dinner, and the only seat open was at the end, next to Jason.

Camilla had a feeling Hazel had something to do with that.

As she sat down, Jason slid a bowl of what looked like chicken tortilla soup in front of her. "Chicken tortilla soup," he said quietly. "Is it still your favorite?"

Camilla had to fight to temper her grin. "Yeah," she whispered back. "Thanks."

Jason grinned. "No problem."

Camilla purposefully ignored the teasing look Hazel shot her across the table.

The crew compared notes on what had happened in Salt Lake City, but even Leo's ridiculous story about how he'd tricked Narcissus wasn't enough raise everyone's spirits.

"So, where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. "I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic."

"We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter," Percy said. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans aren't far behind us."

That didn't improve the mood around the table.

"I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans?" Piper asked. "Maybe—Maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."

Jason shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's," he added quickly. "Whatever happened, it was Gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart."

"Maybe if we could explain that, though—"

"With no proof?" Annabeth asked. "And no idea what really happened? I appreciate what you're saying, Piper. I don't want the Romans on our bad side, but until we understand what Gaea's up to, going back is suicide."

"She's right," Hazel said. She looked a little queasy—she didn't do well on boats—but she was trying to eat a few saltine crackers. The rim of her plate was embedded with rubies. "Reyna might listen, but Octavian won't. The Romans have honor to think about. They've been attacked. They'll shoot first and ask questions post hac."

Piper sighed. "You're right," she said. "We have to keep going. Not just because of the Romans. We have to hurry."

Hazel nodded. "Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."

Jason frowned. "You mean Rome Rome, not New Rome?"

"I think," Hazel said. "But if so, that's not much time."

"Why six days?" Percy wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome?"

No one answered.

"There's more," Piper said. "I've been seeing some things in my knife."

Camilla blinked, surprise.

Frank froze with a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. "Things such as...?"

"They don't really make sense," Piper said, "just garbled images, but I saw two giants, dressed alike. Maybe twins."

Camilla stared at the walls that displayed scenes from what must have been the Greek camp, Camp Half-Blood. Right now it showed a living room: a cozy fire on the hearth and a stuffed leopard head... was it snoring?