Leo Valdez was sizzling.

  Well, he was on fire, yes. But he was also sizzling with excitement as he sprinted up the hill. Just yards away was the pine tree of saving, the one that led to the only home Leo ever had. His rescue from cold nights, from wandering alone, and from scars of the past.

  Oh, and also from the canine monster the size of a van trying to get some Leo-flavored dog food. Which might have been the most concerning at the moment.

  “RAWF!” The hellhound lunged at Leo, forcing him to abandon his sprint to dive away. Though Leo managed to narrowly dodge the sword-sized fangs, he was not able to get away completely unscathed.

  “Aw, come on!” Leo complained as his mechanic pants became mechanic shorts, cleanly torn off. “Those were my last pair of pants!”

  Sitting on the burnt grass, Leo glared at the beast, who chewed menacingly, unsatisfied with the mouthful of clothing. “I’m not going to taste much better than that, y’know. Unless you think fire is a good spice for demigod chow.”

  He willed the flames on his arms to grow larger, but he had a feeling it wasn’t very intimidating to the hellhound. In fact, the monster seemed to tilt its head slightly, as if considering the exotic taste of a burning hero for lunch.

  That was not the thought process Leo wanted it to have. He scrambled off his butt, backing up the hill. Just a little more, and Leo would go home, while the hellhound would have to go home hungry.

  With a snarl, the hellhound lunged up the grassy slope, and Leo frantically kicked at it, sending flames back and forth. The monster’s fur caught fire, but it stubbornly ignored it even as embers sparked on its pelt.

  “Geez! Give up, you stupid dog!” Leo jumped onto a small ledge from the hill, glaring down at the hellhound. One hand reached into his backpack, grabbing his secret weapon. Which was just a monkey wrench, but the hellhound didn’t know that. “It’s over! I have the high ground!”

  The hellhound snorted as if calling Leo’s bluff. It crouched, focusing its beady eyes and gleaming teeth on him. “Don’t try it!”

  Apparently, they didn’t air Star Wars in Tartarus, which was a damn shame, in Leo’s professional opinion. The hellhound leaped high into the air, ready to pounce on a scrawny defenseless Latino boy.

  Leo threw the flaming monkey wrench at the hellhound, eliciting a surprised yelp, but that, unfortunately, didn’t change the fact that a half-ton monster was still going to crush him into the dirt.

  POOF!

  Instead of flattening Leo like a pancake, only a light sprinkle of golden dust fell on him. Leo blinked slowly at the suddenly empty space. “…Huh.”

  “Nothing else?” He instantly perked up at the voice, turning around with a stupid grin that he knew she would return. “You’re lucky I saw you coming.”

  “Didn’t know you had ninja skills, Beauty Queen. Guess Coach Hedge wasn’t lying about the Boreads after all.” Leo looked at the weapon on the ground. “Got your fancy doom-showing knife back?”

  The one and only Piper McLean just snorted, rolling her eyes at him. Ah, how he had missed that look. “It’s supposed to be a ceremonial dagger, Leo. Pretty sure using it like a throwing knife was sacrilegious or something.”

  “Never stopped us before.” Leo shrugged, picking up Katoptris and handing it back to Piper. She took it, before suddenly pulling him into a bear hug.

  Leo blinked in surprise but felt himself smiling softly. “It’s good to be back, isn’t it? A little warning next time, Pipes. I just had a near-death experience.”

  “Oh, shut up, Valdez.” She released him, sighing slightly. “Can’t I hug one of my best friends if I feel like it?”

  He raised an eyebrow at her, noticing just how young she looked now. “Uh, so you’re not just more emotional because, you know?”

  “More like nightmares about our death, Leo.” She deadpanned at him, but after a moment, Piper shrugged, her multicolored eyes glazing over in thought. “Though that might be a reason. I can’t say I’m looking forward to puberty all over again, and Mom’s blessing definitely didn’t help, either. Real glad that’s over, at least.”

  Leo hummed thoughtfully. He didn’t remember much about puberty. He had a lot more things to worry about, like Aunt Rosa and foster homes. Now those issues felt a lot more trivial with what they had to do this time around.

  But Leo didn’t want to bring up doom and gloom right now. He didn’t want to talk about their responsibilities in this future, and definitely not the depressing end to their past. He would just keep moving forward and not think about the bad stuff

  Smile and joke even when you don’t feel like it. Especially when you don’t feel like it. “I can only imagine you getting beauty-zapped again. I mean, you already look like the neighbor’s adorable kid, Piper.” At eleven years old, Piper was like the favorite daughter that the father doted on, and all her siblings resented as the ‘golden child’.

  Which was a little ironic, but it still caused a half-laugh to escape from Piper. She pointed at him with a grin. “Have you seen yourself? You’re barely older than Harley was! You’re like the definition of the cute kid . But like, the mischievous gremlin one.”

  “Mirrors aren’t really in short supply in sewers, McLean!” Leo jogged up to the pine tree, throwing his arms open with a whoop. “Guess who’s back–!”

  Leo’s cheer died in his throat as he realized about twenty kids below were staring at him, and Leo realized he might have been a little loud.

  Just below them, Athena kids at the arts and crafts center paused their weaving. The game on the nearby volleyball court halted suddenly, and a guy took a spike straight to the face. “Um…hi everyone.”

  “Piper!” A girl, maybe fifteen or so, ran up to them in a baffled panic, and Leo’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly recovered and tried to stand up straighter. “Wha–I mean, who is this?”

  “Leo Valdez.” Leo cleared his throat, trying to ignore the girl’s obvious beauty. Old habits died hard, he guessed. Piper shot him an annoyed, knowing look, and Leo thought that Calypso probably would have given him the same look.

  “He’s like us.” Piper added, and Silena relaxed at her words. Charmspeak, or just Piper’s natural charisma and persuasiveness? “Leo, this is Silena Beauregard, head counselor of the Aphrodite cabin.”

  “Um, nice to meet you.” Leo waved halfheartedly, and Silena looked at him curiously, as if studying him.

  By now, the commotion had drawn more campers, and from the Big House came Chiron, trotting regally forward in his equine form. He looked exactly the same unlike anyone else Leo remembered, which he supposed immortality would help with. Silena went up to the centaur first, saying something to him.

  The director of Camp Half-Blood turned to the two of them. “Leo Valdez, was it? Another of the many new half-bloods who have arrived here suddenly…ah, right. I take it you know who you are?”

  “If you mean I know I’m the son of one of the big dudes up there, then yeah.” Leo quipped. Chiron’s brow furrowed, and Leo wondered if he should have played dumb instead. Was he suspicious?

  “How did you get here alone, young man?” Chiron asked gently, but there was a dangerous caution in his eyes, as if he was delicately unlocking a mystery chest that was Leo’s secrets.

  Leo gulped. He hadn’t thought this far. “Uh…”

  “Annabeth sent him here, he told me.” Piper quickly interjected, placing a hand in front of her chest, her voice firm. “He met them on their quest.”

  Chiron hesitated at the claim, but didn’t seem completely convinced. However, he seemed to be the only one as Piper’s words brought an almost magical feeling of reassurance. Understanding and trust seemed to wash over them, even Leo, who shuddered slightly. Had she been practicing her charmspeak?

  An older camper stepped forward, one with a pale scar on his cheek. He had an easy smile on his face, but Piper stiffened next to him. “You met Annabeth? How is she?”

  Leo and Piper exchanged glances. Leo was pretty sure this was the guy, their future big bad. He didn’t really look like the villain, with his sandy blonde hair and kind blue eyes. In fact, he kind of looked like Jason, but more rugged and sharp, though Leo doubted Piper would have appreciated the comparison.

  Leo racked his head, trying to remember his last IM with Annabeth. “She’s fine, I think. She’s with Percy and um…Grover, right?”

  “Anything else?”

  Piper gave him a look, and Leo stopped. “Nope. She just told me to come this way after finding me. And realizing I was a demigod, of course.”

  The boy (Luke, Leo finally remembered his name) stared at them for a few more moments, before nodding. “Chiron, we should bring him to the Big House. He knows a lot about himself, unlike most newcomers.”

  “Indeed he does.” Chiron turned to the campers, clearing his throat. “Back to your activities, children! We will address our new arrival tonight.”

  Most dispersed, shooting Leo curious glances, but Piper stayed, which Leo appreciated since both Chiron and Luke were looking at him like they wanted to interrogate him. Leo fidgeted, wishing he had something in his hands. He was really missing his tool belt.

  Chiron’s expression softened, likely noticing his nervousness. “Do not worry, young one. While this may be strange for now, I assure you you will find yourself safe here.”

  Leo nodded, trying to relax. He knew that was true. Camp Half-Blood was the safest place for him right now, and it would remain that way for a while. Percy and Annabeth were making sure of that right now.

  Leo followed Chiron and Luke down the hill, but his eyes flickered over to the forest up ahead of them. The woods of Camp Half-Blood, where the only monsters in Camp resided. Even though campers weren’t allowed to enter the woods alone, it usually was just common monsters of low intelligence that didn’t seem to pose much of a threat to campers, as long as they were prepared.

  Of course, every once in a while there were more dangerous beasts, such as the drakon they had met during the whole scuffle with the Maenads. The older campers knew of the Ant Hill, which everyone steered clear of, even during Capture the Flag. And near that hill, somewhere, was a buried bronze dragon and a hidden bunker just waiting for someone to find them.

  Katoptris shined iridescently in the sunlight, but stubbornly refused to cooperate with Piper, as always. Piper growled at the knife, shaking it above her head in frustration, but the dagger did nothing but glint smugly, as if saying Piper had reached her future vision quota for today.

  Piper gave up, sheathing and tossing the knife away. Piper collapsed on the bed in disappointment. She sighed, wondering if she was being dramatic or not. Thank the gods Drew wasn’t in the cabin right now.

  She had been almost obsessively checking the mirror for days now. Trying to see something, anything that might help them. The only actually useful information she got was of Leo arriving at Camp Half-Blood, which led her to furiously volunteer for patrol duty two days in a row.

  Most of the time, though, Katoptris was wholly unhelpful, but it still showed her visions of the future, at least. Piper saw glimpses of a young Thalia standing by her pine tree with a conflicted look, her and Leo wandering aimlessly through an underground cavern of sorts, and a sickly and pale Luke trembling, hand outstretched as if he was beckoning at someone.

  It was that last vision that had unnerved her the most, but Piper wasn’t sure why. She considered telling Annabeth about the visions, but she didn’t want to burden Annabeth more. Percy and Annabeth had gone through so much during the Titan War, and Piper wanted to make things easier for them this time around. She knew that’s what Frank was doing with Jason, after all.

  At the very least, they had successfully changed the future. Piper remembered staring into Katoptris day after day before their final battle with Gaia, watching them fight a losing battle before it even happened. Each time they lost, but each time Piper hoped to see a different outcome every time she looked into the glass-like blade.

  She never told the others about these bleak visions, though Piper suspected they all knew their struggle was futile, especially after Camp Jupiter was overrun, leaving them with no home to go back to, even if they did win.

  There weren’t any more visions like that, not since Piper took Katoptris from the armory for the second time. Just vague visions of her and her friends. Some were mysterious and confusing, like the ones of Luke and Thalia. Some were heartwarming, like seeing glimpses of Jason and Frank at Camp Jupiter. Others were more worrisome.

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  But again, few were helpful. She glared at the sheathed knife on the floor, resisting the urge to take it and try again.

  It was probably a good idea to take a break from staring at Katoptris like a teenager addicted to the TV. She got up, heading for the door.

  Fine. If her knife wasn’t going to tell her, then Piper didn’t need to know the future. She already knew how one future would end, and that was already enough of a heavy burden. Piper’s only focus had to be on changing their past ‘destiny’, and preparing herself for what the Fates would throw at her and her friends.

  The Fates really liked throwing random stuff at Percy, didn’t they?

  Well, maybe that was blaming them too much. It was more so Leo’s fault. “Yup. Scrawny kid, mischievous little dude. Met him a while back, yep. That’s Leo.”

  Percy slumped back into his seat, trying not to look uncomfortable talking to Luke, which was a lot more difficult than expected. The passengers around him didn’t seem to pay attention to the shimmering rainbow message, acting like Percy was just on a phone call or something.

  “Good, good. I called you just to make sure…not sure why, but something just didn’t feel right with him.” Luke ran a hand through his hair, and Percy was once again shaken by how healthy he looked. How…human.

  Percy remembered how sickly and pale from holding the sky. Then in the Labyrinth, he was almost too healthy, almost shining. Percy wondered if he himself had glowed like that after bathing in the River Styx.

  “You guys found another way to LA, right?”

  “Uh-huh.” Luke nodded, satisfied. An awkward silence ensued as Percy cringed internally, wondering what to say to his past/future nemesis.

  “Um, the train will take us to Denver at least, anyway. We’ll figure it out from there. I mean, we have a plan, of course.” Percy was well aware he was rambling at this point. “We have over a week, we should be able to make it, I guess. Annabeth wants to go see the Gateway Arch at St. Louis though, you know how she is…”

  Next to him, Annabeth met his eyes with a raised eyebrow, and Percy trailed off. He stared pleadingly at her, begging her to save him. After a few moments of eye contact, she sighed in defeat, and Percy eagerly swapped seats with her, letting Luke’s rainbow face her.

  Percy breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Annabeth took over the conversation easily. Her voice was neutral and composed as she spoke with Luke, but Percy could tell it was overly calm. It was forced.

  He winced in guilt at the realization. His own conflicted feelings with Luke had to have paled in comparison to hers, but it was too late to change that now. He listened silently to their discussion, as Annabeth detailed their battle with Medusa.

  “Thank the gods,” Luke responded to Annabeth, and man was it weird to hear him say that. “It’s good to see you all are doing okay. We’re having issues with the campers here.”

  Issues that were being fueled by his actions, Percy knew. He stood in the image, with a concerned look on his face, as if everything happening wasn’t his fault, as if he hadn’t stolen the bolt just months earlier. He joked and smiled at them as if he wasn’t actively planning to kill Percy if he returned alive,

  How in the world was Percy supposed to handle this? It was a new time, a new reality, but how was he supposed to just pretend all that never happened?

  Annabeth’s jaw tensed slightly as Luke explained how the Zeus-Poseidon standoff had been revealed to the campers accidentally. Her fists clenched tightly on her lap, and Percy realized she had the same problem as him.

  “Are you alright, Annabeth? You look really tense.” Luke hesitantly asked, and Annabeth’s head snapped up.

  “I’m fine, Luke. You always have to be on guard on a quest, anyway.” She responded, a little snappish, but Percy didn’t blame her.

  Luke frowned, and a dark look quickly fell over his face a second later. “Yeah. You’re right about that.”

  “Well, take care of yourselves.” Luke sighed solemnly, turning his head toward the camp behind him. “And tell Grover it’ll be better this time. Nobody’s turning into a pine tree, alright?”

  The rainbow dissipated, and Percy put a hand on Annabeth’s fist, still clenched and trembling. “Sorry. I should have realized you wouldn’t have wanted to talk to him either.”

  Annabeth shrugged half-heartedly, blinking fast. “I kind of did want to talk to him. There are a lot of things I want to ask, to talk about again. But…knowing what he’ll do, what he’s already done…”

  “It’s difficult.” Percy agreed. “One moment I want to try and convince him to turn from Kronos, the other I want to strangle him for causing all this in the first place.”

  Annabeth sighed but didn’t refute the idea. She leaned her head against his shoulder, grumbling softly. “Stupid Leo, causing Luke to call us. Making me feel all moody and sad.”

  “Would a trip to the Arch make you feel better?” Percy proposed, smiling crookedly at her.

  She blinked, a little surprised. “But won’t the Chimera and Echidna be there?”

  Percy shrugged. “Maybe. But if I have to kill them this time to get you a better view, will you at least help me?”

  At that moment, Grover snorted in the seat across them, jolting awake and sending a few tin cans clattering on the train floor. “Huh?! What day is it? Who’s killing who? Food?”

  Percy snickered. “What do you say we hit the snack bar and go sightseeing, Grover?”

  His best friend blinked, before shrugging non-committedly. “As long as there’s one without any monsters.”

  “No monsters? Oh, have a little faith now.”

  Annabeth told him not to tempt Fate, but Percy was pretty sure he didn’t need to tempt Fate for them to mess with him anyway.

  The Arch was impressive, Annabeth was delighted, and despite his uncomfortableness of heights, Percy was feeling pretty good too.

  That is, until Echidna showed up with two leashes instead of one. Then things went to chaos very quickly—fire, broken glass, screaming, all the works.

  “I told you we should have gone to the park!” Grover bleated frantically, hugging up against the glass walls of the Arch observatory.

  Percy didn’t respond, too busy swinging Riptide wildly at not one, but two deadly lion monsters.

  “The Nemean Lion and the Chimera?!” Annabeth cursed in Ancient Greek. She eyed the elevator, but they both knew there was no way it was getting back up in time. At least because of this, no mortals would be caught in the crossfire. “Why didn’t you tell us this would happen?!”

  “Cause I wanted us to have a challenge–obviously, I didn’t know!” Percy screeched back as the Chimera almost took his left arm off.

  The Nemean Lion stalked behind its sibling, blocking the observatory’s emergency exit doors. Its haunches tensed, preparing to spring at any moment, all while Echidna watched leisurely. “Is this all you’ve got? They just don’t make heroes like they used to, don’t they!”

  She hissed in laughter, her forked tongue flicking back and forth like a snake. Percy just glared at her. She ruined his and Annabeth’s first date!

  Well, technically not a date, but still.

  Annabeth put on her cap, vanishing from view. Percy lunged at the Chimera, jabbing at the goathead jutting out of its right shoulder. The Chimera lashed out, but Percy had fought hundreds of monsters like it. He easily leaned back to avoid the lionhead, then with Riptide struck its face, earning a satisfying roar of pain.

  “Percy, watch its tail!” Grover jumped out from beside him, stomping his hooves on the snakehead as it whipped around, and it hissed in surprise, recoiling back.

  Percy breathed a sigh of relief, remembering how much that tail messed him up last time. “Thanks, man!”

  The Chimera growled in annoyance, as if wondering ‘ Why won’t these little mortals die?’ The monsters glanced at her brother, but the Nemean Lion was currently occupied, thrashing wildly at nothing, and recoiling in pain for no reason. One of its eyes suddenly went dark, and the beast roared in agony, shaking the observatory. It stumbled away, dripping golden ichor from its face.

  Annabeth reappeared next to Grover, her dagger dripping gold. Echidna’s face soured, watching the Nemean Lion stagger around in pain. “How dare you! Sonny, destroy them, right now!”

  The Chimera focused all three heads on the three heroes, and Percy swallowed, eyeing the glass behind him. “Okay guys, I think it’s time to go.”

  “What?”

  The goathead opened its jaw, which began to glow bright orange. Its mother cackled evilly, “Die, heroes!”

  Percy slashed Riptide across the glass behind him, then kicked the window to completely shatter it. “Follow me!”

  Grover stared at him, wide-eyed. “Perce–”

  “Trust me!”

  Annabeth grabbed his hand, and the Chimera sent a column of fire at the three of them, and it was now or never. Percy threw himself and his flaming clothes out of the broken window, plummeting straight to the river below. Some things never change, it seemed.

  Though on the bright side, at least his two best friends were falling out of the sky with him.

  Frank rolled his eyes as Jason landed in front of him, his toga billowing dramatically as the wind set him down gently. “Show off.”

  His friend just chuckled. “Let’s go.”

  They followed the line of senators and spectators, and Frank wondered if Lupa was already waiting in the Senate House. After he and Frank had reported the Trojan Sea Monster to Lupa and the Praetors, the wolf goddess had insisted on summoning the Senate. She didn’t explain why, but Frank had a pretty good guess.

  “I’m a bit worried, honestly,” Frank asked, following Jason toward the Pomerian Line. “There’ll be veterans and lares present. Won’t revealing the Titans returning cause panic in New Rome?”

  When Gaia started to rise, morale was really poor in Camp Jupiter, but they honestly didn’t know much about it until Mars appeared to them on Frank’s birthday. It was merely rumors, here and there about monsters rising. Then he had left for Alaska, and by the time they got back, the legion was already fighting Gaia’s army.

  There should have been a city-wide panic over New Rome, especially after Polybotes himself almost broke through the Pomerian Line. But there wasn’t, since New Rome was suddenly attacked by the Argo II, giving Camp Jupiter a new scapegoat, which to them, made much more sense than an ancient sleeping goddess.

  Jason didn’t answer Frank’s worry, his focus on those around them. Frank followed his gaze, and he realized that the senators–centurions, and other long-standing members of the legion–all were unnaturally tense. Their gait was stiff, and their faces were apprehensive, if not slightly anxious. “Are they…worried?”

  “Lupa hasn’t personally summoned a Senate meeting in decades.” Jason explained. “The last time she did was right before World War II broke out.”

  There was little doubt on what Lupa was going to reveal now, then. Frank grimaced, his stomach turning. The events were starting. The stones had begun to roll down the hill, and their little peace would soon be over.

  They passed by Terminus, and Jason handed his golden coin to Terminus (a surprisingly confusing process, given the god had no hand to receive it with). Frank flashed his probatio tablet, before crossing the border.

  “Woah!” Frank stumbled, stepping on Jason’s toga. He managed to catch himself, but then realized something. “Hold on, why are you wearing a toga? You’re not a senator.”

  Jason grinned, but it was a little sheepish. “We’re going to sit with the senators, so it fits right in, I guess. Besides, I think it looks nice.”

  Frank blinked once, twice, and concluded that Jason was serious. “I think you might be the only person in Camp who enjoys wearing that toga.”

  “It’s neat and formal!” Jason protested weakly, entering the Senate House.

  They took their seats near the edge of the semicircle, facing the podium where Lupa waited quietly, the praetors by her sides, still as stone. Frank suspected it was to hide their nervousness about what Lupa might say.

  The same could not be said for the senators and spectators. Floating lares paced back and forth, occasionally passing through an unsuspecting person. Retired members of the legion and others filled the rows behind the senators. This was the most people in the Senate House than Frank had ever seen.

  There was an aura of uneasiness, but no one dared speak, waiting for Lupa to start the meeting, something the praetors would usually do. The wolf goddess seemed to loom over them all, much bigger than any normal wolf.

  “There are tidings from Olympus and turmoil from the seas.” Lupa began, her growl sending shivers down Frank’s spine. “War is coming, and an old enemy is rising. As we speak, Saturn himself regains his strength, biding his time for revenge.”

  There was a hushed murmur of horror that echoed around the room, but no one dared interrupt. Frank did notice many pale faces, but he just clenched his jaw and kept listening.

  Lupa didn’t seem to care for their discomfort at all. “Soon, monsters will begin to band together and gather at Mount Othrys, the ruins of the Titans. In time, they may be able to overrun New Rome. If Rome falls, then the gods will be weakened in the face of their oldest enemy. We must be ready.”

  “Do not rush war. Preparation will take years, and it will be years if we are to storm Mount Othrys itself.” Lupa warned. “The coming years will have the fate of the gods in balance. Olympos to preserve, or raze.”

  “That is all.” With that, Lupa prowled out of the Senate House, and no one dared to call her back.

  As soon as she exited the door, however, murmuring started to rise. And very quickly, it became shouting and arguing. The Senate was in an uproar, trying to make sense of the situation.

  “Mobilize the legion! We must march on Othrys!”

  “Did you not hear the Wolf Mother?! We need time to prepare!”

  “Do we even have years?! What if the Titans wipe us out in months?”

  “Are you doubting the words of Lady Lupa?”

  Beside him, Jason sighed as veterans argued with lares and senators argued with each other.

  “Enough!” Praetor Anthony slammed his hand on the podium, silencing the chatter. “We have more matters to discuss before we are finished. Our enemy has already declared war. Less than a day ago, the Trojan Sea Monster appeared on the shoreline.”

  A ghost in the third row let out a loud Latin curse. “The Trojan Sea Monster could wreak havoc on New Rome! If it gets into the Little Tiber, the devastation that would ensue–”

  “We’re well aware, Cato.” Julia, the second praetor (Frank liked her, she reminded him of Reyna’s no-nonsense attitude), snapped at the lar. “Which is why we must vote on a quest to track it down and kill it. This quest has already been recommended by Lady Lupa, but we will vote nonetheless.”

  Needless to say, the vote passed unanimously. Everyone knew about the dangers the Trojan Sea Monster posed, and if it was still out and about, it could pose a serious problem to the well-being of Rome as a whole.

  Anthony nodded and gestured at Jason. “Enough of the formalities, then. Legionary Grace, explain what happened yesterday.”

  Jason stood, handling the spotlight with poise and perfection, as expected. His speaking was confident and clear, and it quickly gained the undivided attention of the Senate. Jason explained how they had driven the Trojan Sea Monster away, “However, it will soon come back to finish what it started. I believe we must strike it before it can cause casualties in our home territory.”

  “Then we shall strike.” Julia agreed. “Jason Grace, you will be on this quest.”

  “Forgive me, praetor,” A weasly voice called out, and Frank held back a sigh. It was the new augur, and familiar face, Octavian. Oddly enough, he didn’t look as skinny at thirteen years old. But every other aspect was the same: his crazed blue eyes, pale skin, and cunning tongue. “A leader of a quest must be of a centurion rank or higher. Jason Grace is only a legionary.”

  “Thank you for bringing that to our attention, Augur.” Anthony drawled, and beckoned at Jason. “Legionary Grace, step forth.”

  The Senate went quiet, as Jason approached the dais. Julia held a bronze crescent in her hands. “The Fifth Cohort has been looking for a second centurion for some time now. Your efforts in last year’s quest in San Bernadino have not gone unnoticed. For your continued service in the last four years, you have earned your promotion to the rank of centurion.”

  Unlike Frank’s impromptu promotion, there were no complaints this time. In fact, everyone but Octavian looked pleased about this outcome. He heard one of the centurions whisper quietly, “The youngest centurion in history…”

  It was reverence and honor. However, seeing Jason’s dark expression, Frank had to wonder how much of their awe came from Jason’s actions and deeds, and how much came from his status as ‘son of Jupiter, king of the gods’.

  “Do you pledge your life and honor to serve the legion, the gods, and the people of Rome?”

  Jason nodded, his face stony. “I do.”

  She pinned the badge onto his shirt, and as one, the Senate shouted, “ Senatus Romanus Populusque!”

  Frank forgot the cue and hastily chimed in at the end, hoping no one noticed.

  “As centurion and quest leader, you will pick your quest teammates. The legion will provide you with transportation, and you leave tomorrow morning. That is all. This senate meeting is dismissed.” If there was a gavel, Anthony would have banged it.

  Jason turned to Frank as the senators began to clear out. “Ready for your first quest?”

  “I feel like I should be at this point, but no, not really.” Frank grumbled.

  ‘The cogs have been set in place, and the wheels have begun to turn. Their moments have begun, with new elements ready to take their place in this time’s story.

  How will the Son of Mars’ presence change this quest? What will the Son of Hephaestus and Daughter of Aphrodite do while their friends travel the land and sea?

  There are so many possibilities and so many fates. The weave is unraveling before my very eyes. Its threads are branching off left, right, in every direction. None of this is supposed to happen, and fate is reshaping itself. Destiny is becoming anew.

  My daughters must be furious with me. If only they knew what would have happened if I had not done this. Ah, well…not even they will try to tamper with the course of fate. They are its caretakers, its enforcers. They are not its manipulators.

  That is my job, after all. And I intend to watch them, unhindered by destiny.