Daughter of Wine

Callida

I move as quickly as I can through the streets of Rome. It's almost time for our rendez-vous anyways. I just hope I can get everyone to the Pantheon in time to halp Hazel, Leo, and Frank with Nico. I hate the idea of leaving Leo, but this is the best option. 

I wish Hazel hadn't made us backtrack and go in so many circles. Retracing our steps is almost impossible. I ask a few locals about nearby parks, but there's so many parks in Rome, that I get sent in a million different directions. 

I stop, sweaty and tired, on a street corner. I want to give up. I'm completely lost. Maybe, if I can get up somewhere high, I can see the Argo II. I don't know how much time has passed, but it has to be past 3:00. 

I'm about to teleport myself to the roof of a building when a voice stops me. 

"Lost?" 

The hair on the back of my neck stands up. I don't feel like I'm in danger though. It's more of a familiar tingle. 

I turn around and see that I'd stopped in front of a touristy-looking winery. There's a statue of a little pudgy italian man in the window with a moustache and an apron with the Italian flag on it, holding a bottle of wine the size of his body. But in the doorway, there's a man, leaning on the frame. He feels so familiar, yet I'm sure I've never seen him in my life. 

"Who-"

"Callida. I've heard good things about you."

He's wearing a broad-rimmed hat, with a purple T-shirt, similar to the ones of Camp Jupiter, khaki shorts, and sandals with white socks. He's got a thyrsus in his hands, leaning on it like it's a cane. When he looks up into my eyes, a purple fire flickers. 

"Dad?" I squeak out. This guy looks nothing like Dionysus. He's meaner, leaner, and has more of a spring in his step. And, he has way more anger in his eyes, which I didn't think was possible. I hope he's not angry at me. 

"Sort of." He steps out of the doorway, offering me his arm. "Walk with me."

Walking with Bacchus through Rome was not one of the things on my to-do list for the day, but he quickly assures me he's not just taking me on a leisurely stroll. 

"Your friends in Archimedes's shop will be fine. As long as Leo figures out the spheres, that is."

I gulp. "And if he doesn't?"

"Then he won't be fine."

I stop. "I should go back and-"

"Nonsense." He insists. "Your other friends need you more."

My heart crawls into my throat. "Jason, Piper, and Percy?"

He nods. 

A panic begins to settle in my chest. Leo, Hazel, and Frank are in danger. But so are Jason, Piper, and Percy. I can't be in two places at once. 

Bacchus seems to read my mind. "I'm taking you to where you are meant to be. The fate of your other friends depends on your boyfriend, not you."

My mouth feels incredibly dry. I trust Leo, but I still don't want to leave him alone. Even if I can't help, I want to be there.

"Here." Bacchus hands me an ornate goblet, filled with a deep red wine. 

"Uh, thanks." I take a sip and involuntarily raise my eyebrows. "Oh, wow."

"That's the vines I've been cultivating in secret. Of course, I haven't started mass production yet, but that's a sample of what it will be like."

"Cool." I take another sip. "So... my friends. If they're in trouble, shouldn't we be hurrying?"

Bacchus laughs. "We're on our way. I'm just waiting for the perfect timing. I am the god of theater, after all." 

"And... what are we going to do when we get there?"

"I received your tribute. That's why I'm here." He informs me. "But I need to see if you and your friends are worthy of my help."

I can't help but scowl. "I feel like we've done enough to prove that we're worthy."

He scratches his stubble thoughtfully. "Well, that trick you pulled on Chrysaor, that was especially impressive. And when you trapped the maenads with the party? That was alright too. But still, I need more dazzle. So, you and your friends must dazzle me."

"Dazzle you." I repeat. "Of course."

"Dionysus thinks very highly of you." Bacchus tells me. 

"But you don't?" I guess

He shrugs. "I don't know you. I have seen what you have accomplished on the quest. And I have heard what the other gods think."

"What do the other gods think?"

"Venus said your life is about to get very interesting, but that you're a sweet girl." He frowns. "Even though I am not your father, I do worry about that. Her form of interesting tends to involve heartbreak, betrayal, and- well, not good things. Speaking of your romantic life, Vulcan seems to like you a lot as well."

My heart crawls further into my throat. "Vulcan? As in-"

"Hephaestus, you'd call him."

I feel my cheeks burning. I worry about what Venus said, too. Heartbreak? I'm really starting to regret having left Leo alone. 

"He said you are rather intelligent." He continues. "Alas, I need to see for myself what you can do." 

We stop at a clearing packed with tourists. 

"Ah, here we are!" He exclaims. "Come." 

He walks through the crowd, which parts for him and I naturally, as usual. No one seems to pay attention to the god on my arm. Everyone is looking at and snapping photos of the massive stone structure in the center of the clearing. The Roman colosseum. Three tiers of stone archways work their way up the side of the building, leading to an intricately designed border. Annabeth would be drooling. 

"Don't stop and gawk now." Bacchus tisks. "It's just about time for our grand entrance!"

He leads me inside, which is surprisingly empty. No tourists in sight. I wonder if they're even allowed inside, or if Bacchus has cleared it out. 

"Where are my friends?" I ask him nervously. 

He brings me to a small room up and off to the side of the pit. The emperor's box. "Stand here with me. Look scary, like you did with the pirates."

I try and do as he says, though my heart is racing. I push my panic down and force a look of threatening confidence onto my face, like I did with the pirates. We lean casually on our thryrsi, and the box begins to descend into the dark.