The Warship Arrives
The daughter of Bellona rocked back and forth on the bench as her hair blew around wildly in the wind. Currently, she was on the Argo II, just a mile or so away from Camp Jupiter. This wasn't a good idea.
"I can practically hear your thoughts," said Hector, who was leaning on the railing that overlooked the land below. "You have nothing to be worrying about m'lady, and even if you did it's not like we couldn't find a way out now, is it."
Let's back up a little.
After waking from her minor coma and visiting Aspen, Kassandra had found Hector wandering the forests. He told her all about Ichiro and the monsters, and had a little bit of blood on him but apart from that he was fine.
After the day of the assault, she spent all of her time training and mastering her strengths. She couldn't afford to act so weak next time she was caught off guard like that, fate wouldn't let her off so lightly next time.
Eventually, the Argo II, masterpiece of the Hephaestus cabin, was completed. Annabeth, Jason, Leo and Piper were set to leave camp to find New Rome, collect the other half of the prophesied seven and save the world. Apparently, Hedge was to go with them too for surveillance. Chiron had put him up to it, and it was probably for the best.
Just as the five were about to leave, Kassandra spoke with Chiron. She was brief and left out quite a bit, but she more or less explained that she had to go with them. Somehow, the centaur wasn't surprised or taken aback in the slightest. He had simply nodded his head with a weary smile and made a remark under his breath about old times or something of the like.
By the time she had thanked Chiron for understanding, the warship had already begun to rise into the air for its long trip. She couldn't air travel too far despite her constant training, but could to some sort of extent.
With blinding speed and a few for time, she rushed into the forest she had spent so much time in and found Aspen, in her usual spot. With rushed speech and stumbling over her words, she hastily explained the situation at hand, constantly apologising for her soon to be absence.
Eventually, the nature nymph placed her finger on Kassandra's lips and silenced her. She explained that she understood, and how time worked differently for people like her and the goddess so it wouldn't be that bad. She seemed to take it really well, as in really well to the point Kassandra only really thought about when she had left camp.
After leaving Aspen and travelling with the godly method of air travel, she magically appeared on the ship which had already left camp boundaries. Stumbling onto the deck, she fell directly into Annabeth, surprising the girl. The demigods and satyr, startled, all drew weapons.
Kassandra explained herself, how she was going to go with them on their journey to New Rome and beyond. When she explained herself, even she didn't know what her plan or proper purpose was exactly. 'Guiding' the prophesied seven was rather vague.
The five sheathed their weapons and Hedge hung his bat over his shoulders. She didn't want to tell them of her prophecy, and if she needed to that could come later.
So for a while the six of them travelled together on the Argo II. Unfortunately, the ship wasn't designed with an additional member in mind, so there wasn't a room for her. Instead, she spent her free time in the mess hall and on the deck, watching the clouds and landscape drift by. When it came to sleep it was wherever she wanted, but in particular she would find herself collapsing in the crows nest to watch the stars.
There were some positives. Hector had learnt how to mask himself from others and only keep himself revealed to Kassandra, so at least she could talk to him without too much risk. She would continue to spar with him, and even Annabeth and Jason on occasion. The demigods were friends, but Hector was arguably her best friend, she had spent so much time with him, forgetting the fact he would leave her side when it was all over.
(Sorry if this seems a little vague, it was a little difficult trying to work out how to translate over from TLH to TMoA)
Recap over
"Well this hasn't exactly been easy you know. I forgot to bring any of my stuff, well it's not like I had much anyway."
"You managed to bring me," smirked Hector, mockingly bowing.
"Oh, and what an asset you are," laughed Kassandra.
"Better than from what I've seen from the satyr!" chuckled the prince of Troy. True to that, thought the daughter of (Y/N).
"Hedge is his own case. I think that's why Annabeth set him aside this morning as to not ruin negotiations with the Romans."
The two sighed. The Romans. Her people just as much as the Greeks were. She was a little excited to meet them, the other half of her heritage. Perhaps if she indulged her Roman half, her mater would visit her once more.
"Ma'am-"
"Oh, Hector. I think we've come to know each other well enough for you to call me Kassandra by now."
"Well, Kassandra, I think you need put the thought of your parents to rest."
Damn his ability to see inside her mind and speak what needed to be spoke.
"What could you possibly mean?"
"Recently, or well ever since I've known you, there's been so much coverage of your parents inside your head. And whilst I'm not saying you need to completely forget about them, I think it would be for the best if you just slightly put them to the side."
"I don't see why," responded Kassandra ignorantly, despite knowing it to be the best thing for her.
"You've become so wrapped around them and finding them that it has begun to eat away at you, invading too much of your own life. You seem to forget that you are your own person, not just the creation of your parents. You should have hopes and dreams besides them."
"I... I understand. You know what's right for me. As usual."
"Kassandra!" called out a new voice, one she recognised as Jason. The boy himself swung around the corner.
Over his jeans and orange Camp HalfBlood T-shirt, he'd donned a toga and a purple cloak—symbols of his old rank as praetor. With his wind-ruffled blond hair and his icy blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control— just like a son of Jupiter should. He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitant to blow the ship out of the sky.
"Can I get a word with you? There's something I think you should know."
"Sure thing! Need me to go anywhere or-"
"Here's good," said the son of Jupiter, swooping in and sitting down next to her. He looked so royal whereas she in her standard camp clothes and messy hair looked so... meh. She was a goddess for crying out loud, she needed to take better care of herself.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" asked Kassandra.
"Well, I recently remembered something, something very important. You see, it's about your mother and when we arrive in Camp Jupiter it'll make a lot more sense." The boy coughed, clearing his throat. "The current praetor in office, she's like you, a daughter of Bellona. Your half sibling."
"A half sibling!" shrieked Kassandra in shock.
"Yeah, it's sort of weird, now I know both of you, the two of you are real different. Her name is Reyna and from what I remember she was really close with your father too. Anyone who saw them could have believed they were blood related."
Jason tilted his head to the side as he stared at Kassandra. "Now I really think about thee two of you, you're eerily similar."
"Is that a compliment?" asked Kassandra, calming down from the initial shock.
The praetor shrugged. "You be the judge when you meet her. I suspect she doesn't know who you are though. From what you told us at that counsellor meeting and more recently on the Argo, I assume no one over there really knows who you are."
Great, a fresh start to leave her best impression. The two sat in silence for a minute, Jason trying to calm down a bit before his reunion with the Romans and Kassandra processing the new information.
"Well, I should get to the front of the ship. Hopefully if the Romans see me they won't blow us up the second they see us if I'm there." And with that Jason snapped up, launching a miniature salute to Kassandra and marching off in proper military style.
"This is great!" said Hector, rejoicing and voicing himself once more. "A new member of the family for you to get to know!"
"I don't know," mumbled the ex-huntress. "Didn't you hear what he said? She's not my fathers daughter yet everyone associated them together. I never had that, even after telling everyone (Y/N) was my pater. I don't think some people believed me at the time, I never could live up to the expectations he left imprinted on them."
"Hey, you really gotta stop thinking like that. You've got so much time to work up a reputation anyway. I didn't earn by place in the war against the Achaeans overnight, it took ten years to work up some sort of respect. Besides, you haven't even met this 'Reyna' yet, you're building up an idea before you've heard anything about her beside from Mr Amnesiac."
Kassandra sniffled. "I guess."
Hector turned around, and looked overboard. "Hey, maybe this sight will pick your mood up. It's sort of... sort of looks like home." The prince of Troy got a faraway look in his eyes as the daughter of Rome looked over. She gasped. They were there.
Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley below was at least twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. A small river snaked around one side and curled toward the centre like a capital letter G, emptying into a sparkling blue lake.Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. Kassandra recognised landmarks Jason had told them about- the hippodrome, the coliseum, the temples and parks, the neighbourhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colourful villas, and flowering gardens.
There must have been a recent battle. The dome was cracked open on a building she guessed was the Senate House. The forum's broad plaza was pitted with craters. Some fountains and statues were in ruins.Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the Argo II. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafés, gawking and pointing as the ship descended.
Kassandra turned to face Hector, who was still lost in thought. He was glad that he could see in her mind and not the other way round.
"Should I even tell them who I am?" pondered Kassandra. "I mean, it's like you said, a fresh slate for me to build on. Yeah, that's exactly what I'll do. I'll disassociate myself with (Y/N), be a demigod daughter of Bellona. That way, I'm sure I'll be better accepted! Besides, the Romans have no idea (Y/N) had a child with Bellona. I don't even know if they know he had a relationship with Bellona, so this should play out perfectly!"
She hated having to move away from her father and his legacy, but it was just for a little bit of time, she'd reveal her true parentage when the time was right.
"I... I can understand that," said Hector, slightly nodding his head. His hand rested on the hilt of his blade. Whilst externally agreed, he wanted to object. But he feared it wasn't his place to do so. "Well, we should get to the head of the ship-"
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the ship.
Kassandra, with Hector invisibly in tow, sprinted to the source of the explosion. When they arrived on the scene, the demigods and satyr were present, along with an angry statue.
Apparently he had exploded into existence, right there on the deck. Sulphurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders. Cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal. From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga.
"I will not have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced in a fussy voice. "I certainly will not have Greeks!"
Jason who stood on the opposite side of Kassandra and Hector shot Annabeth a look that said 'I've got this'.
"Terminus," he said. "It's me. Jason Grace."
Terminus... she had heard that name before. Of course, one of the strictly Roman deities her mother had taught her about
"Oh, I remember you, Jason!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!"
"But they're not enemies—"
"That's right," Piper jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could—"
"Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charm speak on me, young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands!"
Piper glanced at her bronze dagger, which she'd apparently forgotten she was holding.
"Um...okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."
"Impertinence!"
There was a sharp POP and a flash of yellow. Piper yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking.
"Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"
"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I know you didn't do that."
The idea that Leo might attack the statue with his gaming device was enough to snap Annabeth out of her shock."Let's all calm down." She raised her hands to show she had no weapons. "I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of—"
"Oh, I know who you are!" The statue glared at her with its blank white eyes. "A child of Athena, Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for that goddess."
Annabeth clenched her jaw. This statue wasn't making it easy to be diplomatic. "What exactly do you mean, that goddess? And what's so scandalous about—"
"Terminus!" said Kassandra in a warm voice. "It's lovely to finally meet you! I'm Kassandra, demigod daughter of Bellona. I hear you Romans know her well."
The statue turned around, and his face almost lit up when he saw her.
"Ahh, now someone who knows and obeys the rules with a real meaningful lineage!" he said with a glint of happiness in his eyes. In reality, Kassandra had just left her daggers and one of her bows in storage. She found it easier to just make energy weapons on the spot rather than carrying around her stuff. Then again, her weapons were important to her, so she had to have them.
"Of course! I'm so sorry for my... allies here, they're a little forgetful. We're here on a mission of peace, and if we could just get your landing permission then that really would be great."
Then the statue frowned. "If you're a Roman, where are your legionnaire tattoos?"
Kassandra looked down at her arm. True, that unlike Jason it was bare of any markings. "I was picked up on the way here by these demigods, I haven't been to Camp Jupiter or New Rome before," she lied.
And at first, the statue seemed to consider it.
"Well I'm sorry Kassandra, even if you are related to the praetor I cannot allow this ship past the Pomerian line."
"The what?" Piper asked.
"City limits, no weapons inside," Jason translated.
"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "You cannot land!"Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now.
"Leo, stop the ship," Annabeth ordered. She made for a good captain.
"What?"
"You heard me. Keep us right where we are."
Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.
"Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?"
The statue frowned. "Well, no..."
"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."
The statue seemed to ponder this.
"I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still..."
"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Annabeth promised. "I assume the Romans—even those reinforcements marching toward us—will also have to honour your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?"
"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"
"Uh, Annabeth..." Leo said. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"It'll be fine," she said. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She looked at the marble statue. "Do we have an agreement?"
Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. Please try not to destroy my town. Daughter of Bellona, if you're as good as your half-sibling, please keep your little crew in check."
"There's something I need to talk to you guys about before we go down there," said Kassandra just as they were about to descend the ladder.
"Uhh, sure. What you got to say?" asked Jason.
"When we go down there, I'm going to pretend to be a demigod daughter of Bellona and sort of disassociate from (Y/N) being my other parent. I ask you back me up on this."
The others looked at each other.
"Any reason why? If I were an immortal god, I'd be flaunting it around everywhere!" joked Leo, scratching the back of his neck.
Kassandra cracked her back. "Yeah, it can be a cool get of jail free card, but I want to try and make a normal relation with my half sister and the Romans. I'm meant to be some sort of guide or assistance, so it's not my job to steal the spotlight. You guys need all the respect of the Romans and I can't mess that up for you and jeopardise the quest. Plus, I want to try and have a normal meeting with my new half-sister."
Chase, who was already on the ladder, looked up at her thoughtfully. It was clear her mind was in another place entirely, that being in the world of Percy Jackson. "For sure. Right guys?"
The others nodded, and that was enough to satisfy Kassandra.
Annabeth led the group march through the sea of Romans, the crowd parting for her as she walked on with determination. Of course, she was here for Percy.
Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle, but no one was armed. No one attacked. Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. There were couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes.
Kassandra could sense that the majority had divine blood, but their mortal genetics outweighed that of the godly stuff. When her mater had told her of a society that mixed half bloods and what was referred to as 'legacies', she brushed off the idea as simple. But it was so much more than that.
The daughter of Bellona registered how beautiful the city was- the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture was truly stunning too, she was sure Annabeth was going to have a field day here just walking around and taking it all in.
The place also just felt right to Kassandra, like how Camp Half blood did. Then again, since her mother was one hundred percent Roman, and her father was more fifty/fifty, didn't that make her more Roman than Greek?
The order in which the group walked had formed with Annabeth at the lead, followed closely by Jason and Piper, with Leo behind them and Kassandra even further back. Despite the goddess being a few inches taller than Jason already, she shrunk herself down (not literally) a bit to better fit in. A little slouch made all the difference.
She wasn't ignorant to people still looking at her though. Men, women, children, teenagers, elderly, so many eyes on her. It was slightly overwhelming. She wished she had brought Hector along, but instead she had him posted to guard the ship just in case anything bad went down.
As she walked on, a little boy peeped through the crowds and suddenly rushed forwards. He must have been around 7 or 8, innocent and young. Despite a few adults reaching out to stop him, he prevailed in reaching Kassandra. The boy grabbed onto her leg, startling her. She looked down, and the kid stared up at her.
Many of the Romans hadn't noticed, much of the crowd still focused on Annabeth and the others that were moving on without her. She crouched down on one knee to be at eye level with the boy. He had a dark skin complexion and dark hair, his small clothes made him look adorable.
"Hey, what's your name?" she asked.
"I... I'm Taurus. Are you... are you a Greek?"
Kassandra wondered what the Romans taught their youth about the Greeks. The two sides had bad blood, but they built so much culture upon each other that they had to have some form of mutual respect, right? Besides, this was just a kid, she could be clear with him.
"Sort of. I'm a hybrid, so my mater was Roman and my pater was mostly Greek."
The boys eyes lit up. "That's so cool! Are you a demigod? Who are your parents?"
The barrage of questions and curiosity of the boy were enough to make Kassandra laugh, she covered her mouth. Unfortunately, before she could answer a woman moved forwards from the crowd and scooped up the boy in her arms.
"I'm so sorry about my son!" she apologised profusely, "He means no offence, he is young and inexperienced socially and-"
"Ahh, do not worry. He's an entertaining little boy whose curiosity just got the better of him."
Kassandra stood up and moved over to the woman. She had black curly hair and must have been in her late 30s or early 40s, with dark skin but lacking the tattoo Jason had. Looking down at the boy, he also lacked the tattoo. Must have been a demigod or a military thing, the Romans took warfare a lot more seriously than the Greeks did.
Looking back to the others, they really had moved on, and Kassnadra didn't want to get lost.
"It was nice to meet you Taurus, maybe I'll find you again and be able to answer your questions."
She smiled before quick walking back to her friends.
Annabeth had come to a halt, and so had the others. The Romans had made way for a girl in full Roman armour and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian. Medals decorated her armour. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.
Past all that though, Kassandra could see through the facade. She was forcing a look of courage, while holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear that she couldn't show in public. Kassandra knew that look, she had to throw it on way too often.
This had to be Reyna, her half-sibling.
Gods, she was exactly as Jason had described her. She could easily imagine why (Y/N) and her would be closely associated, they both had the same aura of strength and control around them. How the hell was she meant to introduce herself to someone of such a high standard?
Even worse, she resembled their mother so well, from her hair to her facial structure. But behind her was the one they were really here for.
Percy Jackson.
Sea green eyes, dark hair swept to one side, tanned, lean, muscular. Yep, everything Annabeth had droned on about to her for the last few weeks. She never saw the appeal in guys when a 'gal' could offer just as much in her eyes.
The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason.
"Jason Grace, my former colleague..." She spoke the word colleague like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends—"
Suddenly, Annabeth burst forwards like some sort of wind up toy. Percy rushed forwards at the same time, and just about everyone tensed. Subconsciously, a golden dagger appeared in Kassandra's hand. But it vanished to dust when the two threw their arms around each other and kissed.
It was so pure, she could sort of understand why Aphrodite did what she did. Then the lovey-dovey atmosphere broke when Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement.
Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!"
Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat. She muttered something to him and Percy laughed a great laugh. Annabeth rose and helped him to his feet.
Jason cleared his throat. "So,yeah....It's good to be back."He introduced Reyna to Piper, who looked a little miffed that she hadn't gotten to say the lines she'd been practising, then to Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign. Kassandra had heard Piper rehearsing for hours in her room at night.
"And this is Annabeth," Jason said. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."
Reyna's eyes sparkled. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?"
"I only attack my boyfriend like that," the daughter of Athena promised. "Pleased to meet you."
Reyna clasped her hand firmly. "It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"A few of the Roman campers hustled forward—apparently the senior officers. Two of them practically materialised to Percy's side.
There was a burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about fifteen. He was cute in a sort of oversized-cuddly-panda bear way. The girl was younger, maybe thirteen, with amber eyes and chocolate skin and long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm.
All the while introductions were being made, Kassandra stood back in the crowd. Her voice was stuck in her throat. That was Reyna, her half-sister. And if she really was so close with (Y/N), perhaps she might as well consider her a sister all together.
Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "...tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"
"You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A tall guy with stringy blond hair elbowed his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks—"
"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here, in the forum."
"Oh, much better," Octavian grumbled. He seemed to be the only one who didn't defer to Reyna as his superior, despite the fact that he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."
"These are our guests." Reyna clipped off every word. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."
"Good idea," Percy put in. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."
Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."
The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy a look of absolute loathing. Then he gave Annabeth a suspicious once-over and stalked away. Jackson clasped Annabeth's hand in his own, and they both looked afraid they'd lose the other again. Kassandra couldn't wait to get back to Aspen.
She was so caught up in the thought that she didn't notice Percy had locked eyes onto her.
"Kassandra!" he shouted over, "Is that you?"
Suddenly the crowd parted and she was left vulnerable in the open, with Piper, Jason, Leo, Percy, Annabeth and Reyna all staring down at her. Gods, she felt like a tortoise on its belly, all exposed to the world and defenceless.
Snapping back to her normal posture to carry herself much better, she coughed and moved forwards.
"Yeah, it's good to see you again Jackson. How've you been?"
The son of Poseidon grinned like he had won the lottery. "It's been great, especially now you and wise-girl are here!" he beamed, Annabeth completely and utterly infatuated with the fact she had found her boyfriend after so long of searching.
Behind them, were only Kassandra could see, Reyna squinted her eyes at the ex-huntress. There was suspicion weaved into her gaze.
"And you too are a Greek demigod?" asked the decorated praetor, raising a brow.
Percy opened his mouth to make introductions, but Kassandra beat him to it.
"No, not at all. I'm Kassandra, the demigod daughter of Bellona."
Jackson's jaw hit the floor and Reyna's eyes expanded to the size of a kylix.
"But when we first met, you said you were the daughter of-" started Percy.
"Hey! Let's go over here for a second!" interrupted Annabeth, winking at Kassandra and dragging Percy off from the conversation to explain things.
Reyna marched over so fast that the daughter of (Y/N) didn't notice she had moved till she was right in front of her face. Kassandra almost stumbled back.
The praetor got pretty close, inspecting her up and down, prodding her shoulder at one point which had the goddess wince a little. It was healing, but the Roman applied so much pressure it may have hurt even on the other shoulder.
"Come with me," she said after a minute, and spun on her heel.
Looking around at the forum that was filling with furniture and food and people, she gave a confused look towards the others before tailing after her half-sister.