The Forgotten Olympian |BOOK 1| PJO X HP | Alexandra Marine

Chapter 18 - Alex - Dam the Roman Gods!

In the middle of the Tiber, Frank stumbled around, looking stunned but perfectly fine. Hazel waded out and helped him ashore. Only then did I realize how quiet the other kids had become.

Everyone was staring at us. Only the old lady June looked unfazed.

"Well, that was a lovely trip," she said. "Thank you, Percy Jackson, and Alexandra Marine, for bringing me to Camp Jupiter. "

One of the girls made a choking sound. "Percy...Alexandra?"

She sounded as if she recognized the names. Percy focused on her, hoping to see a familiar face. She was obviously a leader. She wore a regal purple cloak over her armor. Her chest was decorated with medals. She must have been about our age, with dark, piercing eyes and long black hair. I didn't recognize her, but the girl stared at us as if she'd seen us in her nightmares.

June laughed with delight. "Oh, yes. You'll have such fun together!"

Then, just because the day hadn't been weird enough already, the old lady began to glow and change form. She grew until she was a shining, seven-foot-tall goddess in a blue dress, with a cloak that looked like goat's skin over her shoulders. Her face was stern and stately. In her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower.

If it was possible for the campers to look more stunned, they did. The girl with the purple cloak knelt. The others followed her lead. One kid got down so hastily he almost impaled himself on his sword.

Hazel was the first to speak. "Juno."

She and Frank also fell to their knees, leaving Percy and I were standing. I wasn't willing to kneel in front of her after carrying her around with Percy.

"Juno, huh?" he said. "If I passed your test, can I have my memory and my life back?"

The goddess smiled. "In time, Percy Jackson, if you succeed here at camp. You've done well today, which is a good start. Perhaps there's hope for you yet. You too, Alexandra."

Yeah, right. Let's all give Percy all that attention and just say 'ditto that for yourself, Alex.'

She turned to the other kids. "Romans, I present to you the son and daughter of Neptune. For months they have been slumbering, but now they are awake. Their fate is in your hands. The Feast of Fortune comes quickly, and Death must be unleashed if you are to stand any hope in the battle. Do not fail me!"

Juno shimmered and disappeared. Percy looked at Hazel and Frank for some kind of explanation, but they seemed just as confused as he was. Frank was holding something I hadn't noticed before—two small clay flasks with cork stoppers, like potions, one in each hand. I saw Frank slip them into his pockets. Frank gave me a look like: We'll talk about it later.

The girl in the purple cloak stepped forward. She examined Percy warily.

"So," she said coldly, "a son of Neptune, who comes to us with the blessing of Juno."

"Look," he said, "my memory's a little fuzzy. Um, it's gone, actually. Do I know you?"

The girl hesitated. "I am Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion. And...no, I don't know you."

That last part was a lie. I could tell from her eyes. I didn't like this one. She wasn't paying any attention to me. 

Why is Percy Jackson more important than Alexandra Marine? For the sake of the gods, I was keeping him alive as well! I am not asking for much, just don't act like I'm invisible.

"Hazel," said Reyna, "bring them inside. I want to question them at the principia. Then we'll send them to Octavian. We must consult the auguries before we decide what to do with them."

"What do you mean," I asked, "'decide what to do with' me?"

Reyna's hand tightened on her dagger. Obviously she was not used to having her orders questioned. "Before we accept anyone into camp, we must interrogate them and read the auguries. Juno said your fate is in our hands. We have to know whether the goddess has brought us as a new recruit..."

Reyna studied me as if she found that doubtful.

"Or," she said more hopefully, "if she's brought us an enemy to kill."

"Oh."

Half the people in camp were dead. Shimmering purple warriors stood outside the armory, polishing ethereal swords. Others hung out in front of the barracks. A ghostly boy chased a ghostly dog down the street. And at the stables, a big glowing red dude with the head of a wolf guarded a herd of...were those unicorns?

None of the campers paid the ghosts much attention, but as we walked by, with Reyna in the lead and Frank and Hazel on either side, all the spirits stopped what they were doing and stared at us. A few looked angry. The little boy ghost shrieked something like "Greggus!" and turned invisible.

At least everyone was looking at Percy, not me. He stayed between Hazel and Frank and tried to look inconspicuous. I was, on the other hand, rather free, because no one was looking at me.

"Am I seeing things?" he asked. "Or are those—"

"Ghosts?" Hazel turned. She had startling eyes, like fourteen-karat gold. "They're Lares. House gods."

"House gods," I said. "Like...smaller than real gods, but larger than apartment gods?"

"They're ancestral spirits," Frank explained. He'd removed his helmet, revealing a babyish face that didn't go with his military haircut or his big burly frame. He looked like a toddler who'd taken steroids and joined the Marines (Marine pun!)

"The Lares are kind of like mascots," he continued. "Mostly they're harmless, but I've never seen them so agitated."

"They're staring at me," Percy said. "That ghost kid called me Greggus. My name isn't Greg."

"Maybe it's your actual name and Percy was just your incognito name," I said, smirking.

"Graecus," Hazel said. "Once you've been here awhile, you'll start understanding Latin. Demigods have a natural sense for it. Graecus means Greek."

"Is that bad?" Percy asked.

Frank cleared his throat. "Maybe not. You've both got that type of complexion, the dark hair and all. Maybe they think you're actually Greek. Is your family from there?"

"Don't know. Like I said, our memories are gone," I said.

"Or maybe..." Frank hesitated.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Probably nothing," Frank said. "Romans and Greeks have an old rivalry. Sometimes Romans use graecus as an insult for someone who's an outsider—an enemy. I wouldn't worry about it."

He sounded pretty worried.

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