awesome post!!! :D

i cant post right now...someone post soon!! :D

NEW PAGE!!! :D

coolio! the page before this has nothing but posts from the chapter!

pugluv98 how bout you u post? ps piper the chapter was awesome!!!!

Someone post! I would but I'm on my phone right now... So someone post!

i can post (again) if someone else isn't going to

I can do dialouge, because like i said, I LOST MY BOOK!

someone POST!!!!

BOLDNESS!!!

plz post itsjustamonster

kk it will be up in maybe an hour?

^ yay!! :D

Yay! Thx!!!

“It’s complicated,” she said “my brother”- nico tried again to get out of his chains, but no one noticed. –“Says Death isn’t-“ She was interrupted by an elephant. “AN ELEPHANT!!!!!!!” the demigods hollered while Jason just blushed and said “yes, an elephant.” Someone behind them shouted, “Make way!” Hazel dragged Percy out of the road as a demigod rode past on a full-grown elephant covered in black Kevlar armor. The word ELEPHANT was printed on the side- “Obvious much?” Thalia asked of his armor, which seemed a little obvious to Percy. “Thalia, I think you’ve been percy-ified.” Jake Mason joked “you did not just say that!” thalia yelled the elephant thundered down the road- “now how can a elephant thunder?” Zeus wondered “can we go one sentence without getting interrupted I swear the next person that talks will die?!” Athena yelled, everyone was silent. and turned north, heading toward a big open field where some fortifications were under construction. annabeth opened her mouth to say something about fortifications and architecture but closed it remembering her mothers warning. percy spit the dust out of his mouth “what the-?” “Elephant.” the laughter could have been heard miles away despite athenas warning. “SILENCE I KILL YOU!!!” this just caused another round of laughter and Athena got ricola in front of her “how about I read.” Thalia said trying to stop laughing. Athena passed the book ands glared at the ricola like trying to figure out the best way to maim it. “yeah, I read the sign. Why do you have an elephant in a bulletproof vest?” “war games tonight,” Hazel said “that’s Hannibal-“ annabeth started laughing while everyone stared at her. “whats so funny?” leo asked “Hanni-Hannibal was a man in ancient times that if you were smart you would know why im laughing.” “well im not smart miss. Know-it-all!”leo yelled back then relised he just insulted himself and sat down. if we didn’t include him, he’d get upset.” “we can’t have that.” Hazel laughed. “HE MADE HER LAUGH AGAIN!!!” Travis shouted “ANNIE GIRL YOU ARE SOOOOO BEING REPLACED!!!!” Conner yelled two minutes later both brothers were tied up and gagged and annabeth had the ricola. It was hard to belive she’d looked so moody a moment ago. Percy wondered what she’d been about to say. She had a brother. Yet she had claimed she’d be alone if this camp sorted her by her godly parent. nico, again tried to get out of the chains. While everyone thought “maybe she has a half brother who can see through the mist.” Grover suggested “hmmmm maybe…” Athena said percy couldn’t figure her out. “he can’t figure any girl out. Hes completely oblivious when it comes to girls.” Annabeth muttered She seemed so nice and easy-going, mature for somebody who couldn’t have been more then thirteen. But she also seemed to be hiding a great sadness, like she felt guilty about something. “percy seems really good at reading emotions.” Piper commented Hazel pointed south across the river. Dark clouds were gathering over Temple Hill. Red flashes of lightning washed the monuments “aww poor monuments.” Annabeth said in blood colored light. “Octavtain is busy,” Hazel said “We’d better get over there.”


good? bad? longer? shorter? ok the hannibal thing my sister told me that story a long time ago so correct me if i got wrong. and someone post the next part soon! and i posted it before an hour im so proud of myself!! :)

^ that was sooo good!
but could you space is out? thx XD

k thanks next time i post i try and space it out but other than that whos posting next?

^ idk XD

i have to go find my book---but im too lazy :P

if no one else does, ill reach over my dresser to get it

yes, im that lazy XD

I could post, but I don't know if I want to walk three steps to my dresser either Universal... Wait no, that's my HoO, my SoN is actually within arm's reach. Anyone want to motivate me? It's 8:30 am here, so yes, I am that lazy right now. More so than you Universal. My book is within arms reach.

^^&^stop being so lazy and get your book and post something!!!!!!!!


but really whos posting next i dont feel like it so someone else post

I FOUND MY SoN Copy and did you realize the initials spell SON and itjustamonster you kind of got the whole book wrong. No offense



"Octavian?" Leo asked. Cue face palms. "What?" This time it came out as a a shriek. "You sound like a girl!" Connor said laughing. Nico tried to fall out of his chair, but the black bar restricted him. "How about another break?" Nico asked, heads turning his way. Annabeth looked at him wearily. She knows I'm stalling. A part of his brain said. You have them on an oath! Then Annabeth looked away, and Nico relaxed. Don't continue reading! PLEASE! But Athena kept on reading.
Compared to Neptune's toolshed, Jupiter's temple was definitely optimus and maximus.
"What does that mean?" Hermes asked, hoping one of his sons could answer and not Athena or Annabeth so they couldn't go into an hour debate about the word. Luckily it was Jason who answered.
"If you were listing it means the 'best and the greatest' in Latin." Jason answered, the Latin meanings popped in his head better than the Greek translations.
Hermes nodded fully embarrassed.
The marble floor was etched with with fancy mosaics and Latin inscriptions.







Done all i am going to post now

^ i can
i have to walk all the way to my dresser..i dont want to ....
im lazy XD

:D
ill post soon XD

^stop being lazy and post already!!!

POST!!!

got my book XD

yerr long live(haha thats the song annabeth sang on your post)lazyness
ps:die bibber
pps:keep rockin dam its contages(hlep me plz(by posting)help)dude/dudets

oh and jason fan, you missed a HUGE portion!
like, the don the faun conversation, and the visit to the temples!
where did you start off there?
so im gonna start from the person before you-sorry :P

sorri guys, i have my own forums to worry about :P

its short---just warning you XP



On the way, they passed some goat-legged guys hanging out on the side of the road.

“Of course he doesn’t remember.” Grover muttered. “Just totally forget everyone except his girlfriend.”
He coughed when he saw everyone giving him death glares.
He got the cough drops.
It became a game of hot potato.
From Grover, to Annabeth, Jason, Leo, Piper, back to Leo, Travis, Connor, Clarisse, to Ares, to Aphrodite, to Hades, to Zeus who blasted it into a smoldering pile of ashes.
Satisfied, he sat back and ignored the strange looks.
”Hazel!” One of them cried.

Uh-oh. thought Annabeth.

He trotted over with a big grin on his face. He wore a faded Hawaiian shirt

On cue, everybody turned to Poseidon.
“I can see where this one got their fashion sense.” Aphrodite remarked.
“Wannabees.” Poseidon muttered angrily.

And nothing for pants

“NUDE!” Leo yelled.
Thalia dragged him out and didn’t come back for a long time.

except thick brown goat fur. His massive afro jiggled. His eyes were hidden behind little round rainbow tinted glasses.

Grover snorted. “Hippie.” Ares said.
Athena coughed, and everyone waited for the exchange of the cough drops, only to remember and glance at the pile of ashes on the floor.

He read a cardboard sign that read: Will work sing talk Go away for a denarii.

“Whats a denarri?” Leo asked.
“A roman money thingy.” Jason said simplifying it.
“Oh...What?”

”Hi, Don,” Hazel said. “Sorry, we don’t have time-” “Oh that’s cool! That’s cool!”

“See? Hippie.” Ares snorted. “Too happy.”

Don trotted along with them. “Hey this guy’s new!” He grinned at Percy.

“No duh.” Connor said, finally regaining the use of his mouth.

”Do you have three denarii for the bus? Because I left my wallet at home, and I’ve got to get to work and-”

“Not likely.” Grover laughed. “We satyrs are afraid of buses.”

”Don,” Hazel chided. “Fauns don’t have wallets. Or jobs.

“WHAT?” Grover yelled. “We do too have jobs!”
“I think Annabeth is being replaced.” Travis whispered to his brother.
“Me too.”
Leo walked in and Thalia cam back in.
Leo just sat down and looked up. “Can you guys continue reading?”

Or homes. And we don’t have buses.” “Right,” he said cheerfully, “but do you have a denarii?” “Your name is Don the Faun?” Percy asked.

The gods and demigods burst out laughing. Grover pouted. “It’s happened...my uncle’s name was Don...I think...”

”Yeah, so?” “Nothing.” Percy tried to keep a straight face.

Everyone else failed at keeping a straight face, and burst out laughing again.

Someone Please Post!

SOmeone please post i haven't been on this in forever!! can't wait till nico comes in, in SON

someone please post!

were did leo go with thalia(make out/struk by lighting/fight/slap/make cake!?)

Hey is it ok if i post? Just got back from the play!

Ok, im just going to, sorry if anyone planned on it!

As everyone was laughing, no one noticed Travis sneak out, except Connor, of course. When they finally calmed down, Travis came back in discreetly, holding something in his pocket.
"Ok, ok, I'll continue now," Thalia said, regaining composure.
"Why don't fauns have jobs? Shouldn't they work for the camp?"
"Uh, no duh, dude! I mean, they have to...right?" Connor asked.
Don bleated. "Fauns? Work for the camp? Hilarious!"
Grover shot up. "What? WHAT?!"
"Fauns are, um, free spirits," Hazel explained. "They hang out here because, well, it's a safe place to hang out and beg. We tolerate them, but-"
"Okay, we are changing that when we get there!" Grover yelled.
Everyone else smirked at his antics. "You got it, Grover," Jason said, hiding his laughter.
"Thank you," Grover replied, sitting down.
"Oh, Hazel is awesome," Don said. "She's so nice! All the other campers are like, 'Go away, Don.' But she's like, 'Please go away, Don.' I love her!"
Everyone busted out laughing. "This hippy goat dude is hilarious!" Connor gasped.
Grover coughed offended.
Suddenly, Travis jumped up. "YES! YOU COUGHED!" he yelled, fishing through his pocket. He pulled out a package of Halls.
"What? The Ricola is back?" Zeus asked.
"NO! IT IS NOT RICOLA! Halls! Halls! Halls!" Travis chanted.
"What? But I like Ricola!" Zeus whined. Everyone else nodded their heads.
"Seriously dude. The Ricola was like a tradition," Connor said, shaking his head at his brother.
"Well, I, uh, I had some logic behind it!" Travis stuttered.
Everyone stared at him. "This," Annabeth said, "even I would like to hear."
"Ok, so you know, we started with Halls, right? So then we had Ricola, Ricola, and Ricola...like bam bam bam! 3 innocent packages of cough drops, just vaporized! I thought, since we only had one Halls pack, and it lasted the longest, that it would have better luck! DUH!" Travis concluded.
"That is so true!" Connor said, with Leo nodding earnestly.
Apollo sniffled and wiped a tear from his cheek. "3 packages. And that one pack of Halls! 4 PACKAGES! Just...just gone..."

someone post something sooooooooooooooon!!!! ps great chappie piper!!

Fine, I'll post as I have a few minutes to kill before bed.

"Thalia, keep reading" Annabeth motioned with her hand helpfully, as a scorning Artemis muttered "How pathetic of men."

The faun seemed harmless, but Percy still found him unsettling. He couldn't shake the feeling that fauns should be more than homeless guys begging for denarii

"Blah-ah-ah, you go that right Perce"
"Dude, take those drops, your laugh is getting weird."
"Connor, that's an irritated bleat, if you studied saytr anatomy and habits for just a day, you woul-"
"*cough* Annabeth! *cough*" Jason earned the Halls. "keep reading sis." He finished. staring at the Halls as if he was having trouble interpreting what it was.

Don looked at the ground in front of them and gasped. 'Score!'

"wait, he scored a goal, like in soccer?" Leo asked naively.
*cue eyerolls and facepalms. And artemis once again commenting on boy stupidity.*

He reached for something, but Hazel screamed, 'Don, no!'

demi-gods and Olympians alike leaned forward in anticipation,

She pushed him out of the way and snatched up a small shiny object. Percy caught a glimpse of it before hazel slipped it into her pocket He could have sworn it was a diamond.

"A diamond?!" the demi-gods exclaimed.
"Definite score for Hazel!"
"Seriously? A real diamond just popping on the road of wanna-be Rome? What are the odds?" Travis was practically yelling. Jason scowled and snatched the book to hit Travis' head with.
"looks like we have volenteer to continue reading!" Aphrodite excitedly exclaimed. Then Hephaestus' throne exploded in smoke.
*coughing* WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS HERMES SPAWN?! Hephaestus spluttered with his beard randomly igniting and being put out. Aphrodite was moaning about getting black stains off her throne and clothes.
Jason caught a glance from the Stolls and quickly passed the Halls to Hephaestus. Before he could react Jason was already reading so he wouldn't end up being Hephaestus' next project while the Stolls hi fived each other.
"Looks like Jason participated in a prank!He isn't cardboard Roman afterall!".

'Come on Hazel,' Don complained. 'I could've bought a year's worth of doughnuts with that!'
'Don please,' Hazel said. 'Go away,'

its really good who posts next?

AWESOME POST SOON

Jason glanced at Nico, who was clawing at his 'seat belt' Hazel is a daughter of Pluto, and Nico is a son of Hades. Jason thought. This can't be a coincidence.
"Er, Lightning boy?" Leo asked, waving his hand over his face.
Jason stopped looking at Nico, and turned his attention to Connor and Travis's seats. They were empty. Again.
"Guys," Jason said, looking around. "CONNOR AND TRAVIS ARE GONE!"
Everybody went into their positions. Hermes, Apollo, Ares, and Hephaestus guarded the thrones. Poseidon, Athena, Zeus, Hades, and Hera guarded the doors. Leo 'guarded' Thalia, who was cursing at him in ancient Greek. Jason, Piper, and everybody else, did the safest thing. Which is to say they hid. The only person not hiding was Nico, who still trying to escape his seat.

its good thanks for posting jasonfan44

i wonder what travis and connor are doing now!

"Where are they?" Piper asked, whispering. "I don't know." Jason answered. He really wanted to find out what that slimy, skunk rat, Octavian does to Percy. "WILL SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Nico shouted. Then they was a puff a smoke. Everybody that was hidden, ducked. When the puff went away Leo, Thalia, Nico, Ares, Apollo, Hades, Zeus, Nico, Hephaestus, Athena, Hera, and Hermes, their faces were covered with clown makeup and a mark. The mark was a T and a C. The mark of Connor and Travis. "YOU JUST GOT CONNOR'D AND TRAVIS'D!" Connor sang out, emerging from the shadows. "When did you start the T and C?" Annabeth asked, bewildered. "RIGHT NOW!" Travis boomed. "NOW YOU GOTTA WATCH YOUR BACK! THE MARK WILL NEVER COME OFF!" Travis and Connor started laughing. They were laughing so hard that they were crying. Nobody knew why. Everybody(except for Connor and Travis), thought they were pulling another prank, with the mark.

Hilariously funny! Post soon

someone post soon!!!!

Um can I post the part where they meet Nico....PLEASE!!! i really want to but I thought I should ask so...

"Why do you have to prank?" Leo asked, whining. He was trying to rub off the clown makeup.
"It's the only thing we are good at." Connor answered. "We are not as smart as the Athena kids, not good at building things like the Hephaestus cabin, not good at gardening as the Demeter cabin. Also pranking is our specialty. Besides lying and thievery. We are Hermes's kids."
"Did someone prank?" Thalia asked, avoiding the word Luke.
Connor and Travis stopped smiling and laughing. Their faces were stone hard. "No he did not" Travis answered, his voice hollow.
Connor couldn't contain it.
"LUKE WAS A $$%%$^%$! HE WAS THE ONLY CHILD OF HERMES THAT GOT TO GO ON A QUEST! HE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT ANYBODY BUT HIMSELF AND ANNABETH!" Connor shouted, tears streaming down his face. He fell down on a couch stuffing a pillow over his head. Annabeth raced out of the room and went to Camp Half-Blood, to get Chiron. The only sound was Connor's crying.
Nobody dared to crack a joke. No one smiled. No one tried to comfort Connor. Nobody make a move. No one talked. Silence fell filled the throne room as Connor cried himself to sleep.

No sorry I called that part sorry

Okay^ if you're doing the part about the Nico can I do the part about Frank getting claimed....?

yeah I CALL THAT PART (Frank getting claimed)

Okay MY TURN!!!!!


"Lets get back to reading." Jason said eyeing the Stolls. Everyone was still tensed but they got ready to read,

She sounded shaken, like she’d just saved Don from a charging bulletproof elephant.

Everyone laughed even the Stolls and Annabeth back in with Chiron. "Typical Percy line" Thalia snickered,
"Leave it to a Percy line to take away the tension and make everything okay again." Piper muttered to Jason who nodded.
Annabeth saw the Stolls laughing and Chiron looked annoyed about being called up here for nothing,

The faun sighed. ‘Aw, I can’t stay mad at you. But I swear, it’s like you’re good luck. Every time you walk by –’

"Someones in loooove!" Travis sang, Nico's eyes flashed murderously, though no one saw.

‘Goodbye, Don,’ Hazel said quickly. ‘Let’s go, Percy.’

"And....REJECTION!" Connor yelled.This time Nico clenched his fists and asked Piper to hit Connor, "My pleasure." She said, Piper got up slapped Connor and sat back down.

She started jogging. Percy had to sprint to catch up.

"Talk about out of shape." Rachel muttered.
"At least my girls can run." Artemis said proudly.
"At least I can power the sun!" Apollo said just as proud.

‘What was that about?’ Percy asked. ‘That diamond in the road –’

"Dimond biscuit!" Leo yelled.
"What?" Jason asked.
"Never mind." Leo replied quickly.

‘Please,’ she said. ‘Don’t ask.’

"Ooooh Percy you made Hazel mad nice job." Leo snickered.

They walked in uneasy silence the rest of the way to Temple Hill. A crooked stone path led past a crazy assortment of tiny altars and massive domed vaults. Statues of gods seemed to follow Percy with their eyes.


"As usual." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

Hazel pointed out the Temple of Bellona. ‘Goddess of war,’ she said. ‘That’s Reyna’s mom.’ Then they passed a massive red crypt decorated with human skulls on iron spikes.

"Yeah." Jason said sadly.
"Iron spikes? SICK!" Clarisse said.

‘Please tell me we’re not going in there,’ Percy said.

"Wimp." Ares and Clarisse muttered.
"JINX!" Connor said.
"I was going to say that." Travis whined.

Hazel shook her head. ‘That’s the Temple of Mars Ultor.’
‘Mars … Ares, the war god?’

"Stupid!" Hera slapped her forehead, "Nice way to give yourself away."

‘That’s his Greek name,’ Hazel said. ‘But, yeah, same guy. Ultor means “the Avenger”. He’s the second-most important god of Rome.’

"I'm the first!" Zeus said.
"Yes we need to know that." Athena said.
"Yes they did."

Percy wasn’t thrilled to hear that. For some reason, just looking at the ugly red building made him feel angry.

Everyone laughed, "Yeah you make me angry to." Ares said nodding he flashed to his Mars form.

He pointed towards the summit. Clouds swirled over the largest temple, a round pavilion with a ring of white columns supporting a domed roof. ‘I’m guessing that’s Zeus – uh, I mean, Jupiter’s? That’s where we’re heading?’

"Wow Percy knows Zeus's equvielent!" Annabeth said with raised eyebrows. (A/N I know I spelled it wrong)
"You've taught well." Connor bowed.

‘Yeah.’ Hazel sounded edgy. ‘Octavian reads auguries there – the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.’

"Octavian." Jason scowled.

Percy had to think about it, but the Latin words clicked into English. ‘Jupiter … the best and the greatest?’

Everyone clapped at least everyone who knew Percy, "He knows!" Annabeth jumped up grinning.

‘Right.’
‘What’s Neptune’s title?’ Percy asked. ‘The coolest and most awesome?’

Everyone laughed and Poseidon said, "It should be."

‘Um, not quite.’ Hazel gestured to a small blue building the size of a toolshed. A cobweb-covered trident was nailed above the door.

"Haha! My place is better than yours!!!" Zeus said dancing.
"I did not need to see that." Thalia mumbled covering her eyes,

Percy peeked inside. On a small altar sat a bowl with three dried-up, mouldy apples.
His heart sank. ‘Popular place.’
‘I’m sorry, Percy,’ Hazel said. ‘It’s just … Romans were always scared of the sea. They only used ships if they had to. Even in modern times, having a child of Neptune around has always been a bad omen. The last time one joined the legion … well, it was 1906, when Camp Jupiter was located across the bay in San Francisco. There was this huge earthquake –’

"Woah." Annabeth said, "PERCY"S GONNA DIE!" She screamed.
"No he won't, well I don't know but..." Jason said.
"Jason....shut up." Piper said wacking him.
"Sorry!"

‘You’re telling me a child of Neptune caused that?’

"No I did." Travis said.

‘So they say.’ Hazel looked apologetic. ‘Anyway … Romans fear Neptune, but they don’t love him much.’

"I do!" Rachel said.
"Team NEPTUNE!" Poseidon said bumping Rachel's fist everyone rolled their eyes. Suck up....

Percy stared at the cobwebs on the trident

"Cobwebs are made by spiders." Connor said.
"Good job Connor." Piper said nodding.
"Where's my golden star?" He said looking worried.
"I'll show you a golden star." Zeus muttered.

I'll post next!

Hey! I'm gonna post now! :)

Great, he thought. Even if he joined the camp, he would never be loved.
"He'll always be loved by someone. Percy just that effect on people," Annabeth said, the pain obvious in her voice. All the campers who knew him nodded sadly.
His best hope was to be scary to his new campmates.
"Well," Travis said, "he is pretty scary, at least when you see him in battle." Once again, the campers nodded.
Maybe if he did really well, they'd give him some moldy apples.
A light chuckle spread through the room. "Even at that moment, he can still be sarcastic. I want to meet this kid!" Leo exclaimed.
"Me too," Jason said.
"He seems like a cool guy," Piper agreed.
"He is," Annabeth sighed, along with the older campers.
Still..standing at Neptune's altar, he felt something stirring inside him, like waves rippling through his veins.
"Of course he does..." Thalia muttered, while Poseidon beamed.
He reached in his backpack and dug out the last bit of food from his trip-a stale bagel. It wasn't much, but he set it on the altar.
"Thank you!" Poseidon stood up, flickering between his Greek and Roman form. "Those apples had been there for 5 months!"
"Ewwwww!" Aphrodite squealed and the girls wrinkled their noses.
"Hey...uh, Dad." He felt pretty stupid talking to a bowl of fruit.
Everyone laughed again. "Of course he does! Even I would!" Connor exclaimed.
"If you can hear me, help me out, okay? Give me my memory back. Tell me-tell me what to do."
His voice cracked. He hadn't meant to get emotional, but he was exhausted and scared, and he'd been lost for so long, he would've given anything for some guidance. He wanted to know something about his life for sure, without grabbing for missing memories.
No one cracked a joke at that or made fun of him for crying. Not even Clarisse. Annabeth looked really shaken up after hearing that.
Hazel put her hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay. You're here now. You're one of us."
Nico made a mental note to thank Hazel. He felt really sorry for Percy, but he hadn't done anything to help him. If he had known how lost Percy felt, he might have something. But he didn't.
He felt awkward, depending on an eighth-grade girl he barely knew for comfort, but he was glad she was there.
Jason seemed in a trance. "Yeah, Hazel's awesome..." Then the moment he said it, he looked like his thoughts became muddled again. He rubbed his temples.
"Jason? Are you okay?" Piper looked at him, concerned.
"Yeah, I think so," he replied. Then his head snapped up. He looked right at Nico. They seemed to come to a silent agreement. "It's just, the memories are coming back."
"Oh, that's great!" Piper said. Everyone nodded, and Nico tried to look as enthusiastic. When they started reading again, Jason looked at Nico meaningfully.
Above them, thunder rumbled. Red lightning lit up the hill.
"Octavian's almost done," Hazel said. "Let's go."
"Stupid Octavian...hate him..." Jason muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Annabeth started twisting her hair nervously. This guy had Percy's fate in his hands.
Compared to Neptune's tool shed, Jupiter's temple was definitely optimus and maximus.
Zeus bolted out of his chair. "YES!"
Poseidon just glared at him.
The marble floor was etched with fancy mosaics and Latin inscriptions. Sixty feet above, the domed ceiling sparkled gold. The whole temple was open to the wind.
"Ooohh, dramatic!" Travis said.
In the center stood a marble altar, where a kid in a toga was doing some sort of ritual in front of a massive golden statue of the big dude himself: Jupiter the sky god, dressed in a silk XXXL purple toga, holding a lightning bolt.
"It doesn't look like that," Percy muttered.
"What?" Hazel asked.
"The master bolt," Percy said.
"How does he know?" Jason asked.
"Percy, Grover, and I went on a quest a few years ago to get it. It was right after he came to camp," Annabeth supplied.
"And you trespassed into my territory! But it was okay, because after that I got to see that little kid beat Ares," Hades said, chuckling to himself.
"He did not beat me! He just, er, cut my ankle..." Ares faltered.
"How old was he?" Piper asked, awestruck.
"Twelve," Annabeth replied.
"Twelve?!" Leo exclaimed.
"What are you talking about?"
"I-" Percy frowned. For a second, he'd thought he remembered something. Now it was gone.
"Gods, I hate those moments," Jason muttered. Piper put a hand on his shoulder.
"Nothing, I guess."
"WHAT?!" Travis exploded. "How could he forget THAT? Even I remember everything you guys said when you came back!" Connor nodded furiously. Annabeth just looked down, sadly.
The kid at the altar raised his hands. More red lightning flashed in the sky, shaking the temple. Then he put his hands down and the rumbling stopped. The clouds turned from gray to white and broke apart.
"Octavian," Jason grumbled.
A pretty impressive trick, considering the kid didn't look like much. He was tall and skinny, with straw colored hair, oversized, a baggy T-shirt, and a drooping toga. He looked like a scarecrow wearing a bed sheet.
Everyone broke into fits of laughter. "Wow, only Percy would think of that!" Thalia exclaimed.
"What's he doing?" Percy murmured.
The guy in the toga turned. He had a crooked smile and a slightly crazy look in his eyes, like he'd just been playing an intense video game. In one hand he held a knife. In the other was something like a dead animal.
"Creep..." Piper muttered.
That didn't make him look any less crazy.
Again, everyone cracked up at Percy's sarcasm.
"Percy," Hazel said. "This is Octavian."
"The graecus!" Octavian announced. "How interesting."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Annabeth asked defensively.
"Uh, hi," Percy said. "Are you killing small animals?"
"Of course he would say that!" Thalia smiled.
Octavian looked at the fuzzy thing in his hand and laughed. "No, no. Once upon a time, yes. We used to read the will of the gods by examining animal guts-chickens, goats, that sort of thing. Nowadays, we use these."
He tossed the fuzzy thing to Percy. It was a disemboweled teddy bear.
"NO!" Apollo yelled. "Not the teddy bear!"
"...you realize he is doing your work, right?" Artemis asked.
Apollo gasped.
Then, Percy noticed that there was a whole pile of mutilated stuffed animals at the foot of Jupiter's statue.
"Woooww..." Leo said.
"Seriously?" Percy asked.
"That'll make Octavian mad..." Jason murmured.
Octavian stepped off the dais. He was probably eighteen, but so skinny and sickly pale, he could've passed for younger. At first he looked harmless, but as he got closer, Percy wasn't so sure. Octavian's eyes glittered with a harsh curiosity, like he might gut Percy just as easily as a teddy bear if he thought he could learn something from it.
"That," Travis said, "is so weird and...really, creepy."
"He probably would," Jason responded.
Octavian narrowed his eyes. "You seem nervous."
"You remind me of someone," Percy said. "I can't remember who."
"Probably my namesake, Octavian-Augustus Caesar," Jason imitated.
"Probably my namesake, Octavian-Augustus Caesar. Everyone says I bear a resemblance."
"Dude...that was creepy." Leo stared at Jason, along with everyone else.
Percy didn't think that was it, but he couldn't pin down the memory. "Why did you call me 'the Greek'?"
"I saw it in the auguries," Octavian waved his knife at the pile of stuffing on the altar. "The message said: 'The Greek has arrived.' Or possibly: 'The goose has cried.' I'm thinking the first interpretation is correct."
"No," Travis said, deadly serious, "it was definitely the second." His brother nodded solemnly.
"You seek to join the legion?"
Hazel spoke for him. She told Octavian everything that had happened since they met at the tunnel-the gorgons, the fight at the river, the appearance of Juno, their conversation with Reyna.
"Gods," Jason said. "Percy probably had the Romans scared out of their wits."
When she mentioned Juno, Octavian looked surprised.
"Juno," he mused. "We call her Juno Moneta. Juno the Warner. She appears in times of crisis, to counsel Rome about great threats."
He glanced at Percy, as if to say: 'like mysterious Greeks, for instance.'
"Jerk..." Annabeth muttered.
I hear the Feast of Fortuna is this week," Percy said. "The gorgons warned there'd be an invasion on that day. Did you see that in your stuffing?"
"OUCH! BURN!" Travis whooped.
"Sadly, no." Octavian sighed. "The will of the gods is hard to discern. And these days, my vision is even darker."
"Don't you have...I don't know," Percy said, "an oracle or something?"
"HA! At least he remembers what I am!" Rachel exclaimed.
"An oracle!" Octavian smiled. "What a cute idea. No, I'm afraid we're fresh out of oracles. Now if we'd gone questing for Sibylline books, like I recommended-"
"The Siba-what?" Leo asked.
Thalia snickered as she read the next line. "The Siba-what?" Percy asked.
"Books of prophecy," Hazel said, "which Octavian is obsessed with. Romans used to consult them after disasters happened. Most people believe that they burned up when Rome fell."
"Gods, she really is replacing you, Annabeth!" Travis said.
"Dude, she's an eighth grader..." Connor said.
"And your point is?" Travis asked, with Annabeth's knife at his throat.
"SOME people believe that," Octavian corrected. "Unfortunately, our present leadership won't authorize a quest to look for them-"
"Because Reyna isn't stupid," Hazel said.
"-so we only have scraps from the books," Octavian continued. "A few mysterious predictions like these."
He nodded to the inscriptions on the marble floor. Percy stared at the lines, not really expecting to understand them. He almost choked.
"What was it?" Travis asked.
"If you let me read, maybe you will find out!" Thalia replied.
"That one." He pointed, translating as he read aloud: "Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall-"
"Yes, yes." Octavian finished without looking. "An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."
"I-I know that one."
"YES!" The older counselors cheered.
Percy thought the thunder was shaking the temple again. Then he realized his whole body was trembling. "That's IMPORTANT."
"Yeah, no duh!" Leo yelled.
Octavian arched an eyebrow. "Of course it's important. We call it the Prophecy of the Seven, but it's several thousand years old. Every time someone tries to interpret it...Well, Hazel can tell you. Bad things happen."
"What's that supposed to mean? 'Ask Hazel'?" Jason asked.
Hazel glared at him. "Just read the augury for Percy. Can he join the legion or not?"
Percy could almost see his mind working, calculating whether or not Percy would be useful. He held out his hand for Percy's backpack. "That's a beautiful specimen. May I?"
Everyone nearly choked. "What?" Piper asked.
Percy didn't understand what he meant, but Octavian snatched the Bargain Mart panda pillow pet that was sticking out of his pack. It was just a silly stuffed toy, but Percy had carried it a long way. He was kind of fond of it. Octavian turned toward the altar and raised his knife.
Apollo cowered behind his throne. "No...no...NO!!!"
"Hey!" Percy protested.
Octavian slashed open the panda's belly and poured its stuffing over the altar. He tossed the carcass aside, muttered a few words over the fluff, and turned with a big smile on his face.
"That guy is really freaky..." Piper murmured.
"Good news!" he said. "Percy may join the legion. We'll assign him a cohort at evening muster. Tell Reyna that I approve."
Hazel's shoulders relaxed. "Uh...great. Come on, Percy."
Nico started fidgeting a lot in his chains. He looked really worried.
"Oh, and Hazel," Octavian said. "I'm happy to welcome Percy into the legion. But when the election for praetor comes up, I hope you'll remember-"
"Jason isn't dead," Hazel snapped. "You're the augur. You're supposed to be looking for him!"
"Thank you!" Jason said.
"Oh, I am!" Octavian pointed at the pile of gutted stuffed animals. "I consult the gods everyday! Alas, after eight months, I've found nothing. Of course, I'm still looking. But if Jason doesn't return by the Feast of Fortuna, we must act. We can't have a power vacuum any longer. I hope you'll support me for praetor. It would mean so much to me."
Jason laughed. "Yeah, right..."
Hazel clenched her fists. "Me. Support. You?"
Octavian took off his toga, setting it and his knife on the altar. Percy noticed seven lines on Octavian's arm-seven years of camp, Percy guessed.
"Ding ding ding! You guessed correctly!" Travis yelled. "Wait...he did guess correctly, right, Jason?"
"Yeah. Each line represents one year."
"Whoa, Percy was right?" Connor acted astonished.
"Wow...y'all are really supportive..." Piper said.
Octavian's mark was a harp, the symbol of Apollo.
Travis made a buzzing sound. "Wrong!"
"Um...no, that was right," Annabeth said.
"Really?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Oh..."
"After all," Octavian told Hazel, "I might be able to help you. It would be a shame if those awful rumors about you kept circulating...or, gods forbid, if they turned out to be true."
Percy slipped his hand in his pocket and grabbed his pen. This guy was blackmailing Hazel.
"Wow, he is really loyal. He barely knows her," Piper noted.
"Yeah. Yeah, he is..." Annabeth said with a faraway look in her stormy eyes.
That was obvious. One sign from Hazel, and Percy was ready to bust out Riptide and see how Octavian liked being at the other end of the blade.
"Probably not very much..." Travis mused, deep in thought about if he would like it or not.
"Really?" Annabeth asked, sarcastically.
"Yeah!"
"Wow..."
Hazel took a deep breath. Her knuckles were white. "I'll think about it."
"Excellent," Octavian said. "By the way, your brother is here."
Hazel stiffened. "My brother? Why?"
Octavian shrugged. "Why does your brother do anything?"
"Yeah, why does he?" Jason asked, glancing at Nico.
"Um...okay..." Leo looked at Jason strangely.
"He's waiting at your father's shrine. Just...ah, don't invite him to stay too long. He has a disturbing effect on others. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to keep searching for our poor lost friend, Jason. Nice to meet you, Percy."
"Um...why don't we take a break for a few minutes?" Nico asked.
"No, I want to see who Hazel's brother is!" Leo exclaimed. Everyone nodded.
Nico gulped.
Hazel stormed out of the pavilion, and Percy followed. He was sure he'd never been so glad to leave a temple in his whole life.
As Hazel marched down the hill, she cursed in Latin. Percy didn't understand all of it, but he got 'son of a gorgon, power-hungry snake', and a few choice words of where Octavian could stick his knife.
"I hate that guy," she muttered in English. "If I had it my way-"
"He won't really get elected praetor, will he?" Percy asked.
"I wish I could be certain. Octavian has a lot of friends, most of them bought. The rest of the campers are afraid of him."
"Afraid of that skinny little guy?"
"Gods, I'm really thirsty. Can I go get some water?" Nico asked, nervous.
Thalia walked over and gave him a bottle of water. "There. Now stop interrupting!"
"Don't underestimate him. Reyna's not so bad herself, but if Octavian shares her power..." Hazel shuddered. "Let's go see my brother. He'll want to meet you."
"I think I need a little fresh air, could I step out for a second?" Nico asked.
Zeus sent a blast of wind at him. "There, now shhh!"
Percy didn't argue. He wanted to meet this mysterious brother, maybe learn something about Hazel's background-who her dad was, what secret she was hiding. Percy couldn't believe she'd done anything to be guilty about. She seemed too nice. But Octavian had acted like he had some first class dirt on her.
"Like Aphrodite has on everyone!" Hermes said.
Aphrodite looked up from her cell phone. "Well, everyone tells me everything!"
"Exactly..."
Hazel led Percy to a black crypt built into the side of the hill. Standing in front was a teenage boy in black jeans and an aviator jacket.
"Must be Pluto's kid..." Annabeth mused.
"Hey," Hazel called. "I've brought a friend."
The boy turned. Percy had one of those weird flashes: like this was someone he should know. The kid was almost as pale as Octavian, but with dark eyes and messy black hair. He didn't look anything like Hazel.
"Hey, can I step out for a minute? I get...er, claustrophobic," Nico asked, grasping for anything to get him out.
Everyone stared at him. "Dude, this room is like, the size of a football field," Leo said.
"And your dad is the god of the Underworld!" Annabeth exclaimed.
"Oh, right..." he said.
He wore a silver skull ring, a chain for a belt, and a black T-shirt with skull designs.
Nico cringed, wishing he hadn't worn those same things today.
At his side hung a pure black sword.
Nico paled as he tried to hide the sword described.
For a microsecond when he saw Percy, the boy seemed shocked-panicked even, like he'd been caught in a searchlight.
"I wonder who it is..." Travis pondered. Thank the gods he was so dense, Nico thought.
"This is Percy Jackson," Hazel said. "He's a good guy. Percy, this is my brother, son of Pluto."
Thalia nearly choked as she read the next line. The boy regained his composure and held out his hand. "Pleases to meet you," he said. "I'm Nico di Angelo."



CLIFFHANGER! Now Jasonfan44 can post whatever they wanted to!!