The Son of Neptune hoo-2, Page 3

  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.’

  She turned to the other kids. ‘Romans, I present to you the son of Neptune. For months he has been slumbering, but now he is awake. His 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 Percy hadn’t noticed before – two small clay flasks with cork stoppers, like potions, one in each hand. Percy had no idea where they’d come from, but he saw Frank slip them into his pockets. Frank gave him a look like: We’ll talk about it later.

  The girl in the purple cloak stepped forward. She examined Percy warily, and Percy couldn’t shake the feeling that she wanted to run him through with her dagger.

  ‘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. Percy could tell from her eyes. But he also understood that if he argued with her about it here, in front of her soldiers, she wouldn’t appreciate it.

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

  ‘What do you mean,’ Percy 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 a new recruit …’

  Reyna studied Percy as if she found that doubtful.

  ‘Or,’ she said more hopefully, ‘if she’s brought us an enemy to kill.’

  III

  Percy

  PERCY WASN’T SCARED OF GHOSTS, which was lucky. Half the people in camp were dead.

  Shimmering purple warriors stood outside the armoury, 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 Percy’s entourage 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 Percy. A few looked angry. The little boy ghost shrieked something like ‘Greggus!’ and turned invisible.

  Percy wished he could turn invisible too. After weeks on his own, all this attention made him uneasy. He stayed between Hazel and Frank and tried to look inconspicuous.

  ‘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,’ Percy 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.

  ‘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.’

  ‘Graecus,’ Hazel said. ‘Once you’ve been here a while, 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 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, my memory is gone.’

  ‘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.

  They stopped at the centre of camp, where two wide stone-paved roads met at a T.

  A street sign labelled the road to the main gates as VIA PRAETORIA. The other road, cutting across the middle of camp, was labelled VIA PRINCIPALIS. Under those markers were hand-painted signs like BERKELEY 5 MILES; NEW ROME 1 MILE; OLD ROME 7,280 MILES; HADES 2,310 MILES (pointing straight down); RENO 208 MILES; and CERTAIN DEATH: YOU ARE HERE!

  For certain death, the place looked pretty clean and orderly. The buildings were freshly whitewashed, laid out in neat grids like the camp had been designed by a fussy maths teacher. The barracks had shady porches, where campers lounged in hammocks or played cards and drank sodas. Each dorm had a different collection of banners out front displaying Roman numerals and various animals – eagle, bear, wolf, horse and something that looked like a hamster.

  Along the Via Praetoria, rows of shops advertised food, armour, weapons, coffee, gladiator equipment and toga rentals. A chariot dealership had a big advertisement out front: CAESAR XLS W/ANTILOCK BRAKES, NO DENARII DOWN!

  At one corner of the crossroads stood the most impressive building – a two-storey wedge of white marble with a columned portico like an old-fashioned bank. Roman guards stood out front. Over the doorway hung a big purple banner with the gold letters SPQR embroidered inside a laurel wreath.

  ‘Your headquarters?’ Percy asked.

  Reyna faced him, her eyes still cold and hostile. ‘It’s called the principia.’

  She scanned the mob of curious campers who had followed them from the river. ‘Everyone back to your duties. I’ll give you an update at evening muster. Remember, we have war games after dinner.’

  The thought of dinner made Percy’s stomach rumble. The scent of barbecue from the dining hall made his mouth water. The bakery down the street smelled pretty wonderful too, but he doubted Reyna would let him get an order to go.

  The crowd dispersed reluctantly. Some muttered comments about Percy’s chances.

  ‘He’s dead,’ said one.

  ‘Would be those two who found him,’ said another.

  ‘Yeah,’ muttered another. ‘Let him join the Fifth Cohort. Greeks and geeks.’

  Several kids laughed at that, but Reyna scowled at them, and they cleared off.

  ‘Hazel,’ Reyna said. ‘Come with us. I want your report on what happened at the gates.’

  ‘Me too?’ Frank said. ‘Percy saved my life. We’ve got to let him -’

  Reyna gave Frank such a harsh look that he stepped back.

  ‘I’d remind you, Frank Zhang,’ she said, ‘you are on Probatio yourself. You’ve caused enough trouble this week.’

  Frank’s ears turned red. He fiddled with a little tablet on a cord round his neck. Percy hadn’t paid much attention to it, but it looked like a name tag made out of lead.

  ‘Go to the armoury,’ Reyna told him. ‘Check our inventory. I’ll call you if I need you.’

  ‘But -’ Frank caught himself. ‘Yes, Reyna.’

  He hurried off.

  Reyna waved Hazel and Percy towards the headquarters. ‘Now, Percy Jackson, let’s see if we can improve your memory.’

  The principia was even more impressive inside.

  On the ceiling glittered a mosaic of Romulus and Remus under their adopted mama she-wolf (Lupa had told Percy that story a million times). The floor was polished marble. The walls were draped in velvet, so Percy felt like he wa
s inside the world’s most expensive camping tent. Along the back wall stood a display of banners and wooden poles studded with bronze medals – military symbols, Percy guessed. In the centre was one empty display stand, as if the main banner had been taken down for cleaning or something.

  In the back corner, a stairwell led down. It was blocked by a row of iron bars like a prison door. Percy wondered what was down there – monsters? Treasure? Amnesiac demigods who had got on Reyna’s bad side?

  In the centre of the room, a long wooden table was cluttered with scrolls, notebooks, tablet computers, daggers and a large bowl filled with jelly beans, which seemed kind of out of place. Two life-sized statues of greyhounds – one silver, one gold – flanked the table.

  Reyna walked behind the table and sat in one of two high-backed chairs. Percy wished he could sit in the other, but Hazel remained standing. Percy got the feeling he was supposed to also.

  ‘So …’ he started to say.

  The dog statues bared their teeth and growled.

  Percy froze. Normally he liked dogs, but these glared at him with ruby eyes. Their fangs looked sharp as razors.

  ‘Easy, guys,’ Reyna told the greyhounds.

  They stopped growling, but kept eyeing Percy as though they were imagining him in a doggie bag.

  ‘They won’t attack,’ Reyna said, ‘unless you try to steal something, or unless I tell them to. That’s Argentum and Aurum.’

  ‘Silver and Gold,’ Percy said. The Latin meanings popped into his head like Hazel had said they would. He almost asked which dog was which. Then he realized that that was a stupid question.

  Reyna set her dagger on the table. Percy had the vague feeling he’d seen her before. Her hair was black and glossy as volcanic rock, woven in a single braid down her back. She had the poise of a sword fighter – relaxed yet vigilant, as if ready to spring into action at any moment. The worry lines around her eyes made her look older than she probably was.

  ‘We have met,’ he decided. ‘I don’t remember when. Please, if you can tell me anything -’

  ‘First things first,’ Reyna said. ‘I want to hear your story. What do you remember? How did you get here? And don’t lie. My dogs don’t like liars.’

  Argentum and Aurum snarled to emphasize the point.

  Percy told his story – how he’d woken up at the ruined mansion in the woods of Sonoma. He described his time with Lupa and her pack, learning their language of gestures and expressions, learning to survive and fight.

  Lupa had taught him about demigods, monsters and gods. She’d explained that she was one of the guardian spirits of Ancient Rome. Demigods like Percy were still responsible for carrying on Roman traditions in modern times – fighting monsters, serving the gods, protecting mortals and upholding the memory of the empire. She’d spent weeks training him, until he was as strong and tough and vicious as a wolf. When she was satisfied with his skills, she’d sent him south, telling him that, if he survived the journey, he might find a new home and regain his memory.

  None of it seemed to surprise Reyna. In fact, she seemed to find it pretty ordinary – except for one thing.

  ‘No memory at all?’ she asked. ‘You still remember nothing?’

  ‘Fuzzy bits and pieces.’ Percy glanced at the greyhounds. He didn’t want to mention Annabeth. It seemed too private, and he was still confused about where to find her. He was sure they’d met at a camp – but this one didn’t feel like the right place.

  Also, he was reluctant to share his one clear memory: Annabeth’s face, her blonde hair and grey eyes, the way she laughed, threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss whenever he did something stupid.

  She must have kissed me a lot, Percy thought.

  He feared that if he spoke about that memory to anyone it would evaporate like a dream. He couldn’t risk that.

  Reyna spun her dagger. ‘Most of what you’re describing is normal for demigods. At a certain age, one way or another, we find our way to the Wolf House. We’re tested and trained. If Lupa thinks we’re worthy, she sends us south to join the legion. But I’ve never heard of someone losing his memory. How did you find Camp Jupiter?’

  Percy told her about the last three days – the gorgons who wouldn’t die, the old lady who turned out to be a goddess and finally meeting Hazel and Frank at the tunnel in the hill.

  Hazel took the story from there. She described Percy as brave and heroic, which made him uncomfortable. All he’d done was carry a hippie bag lady.

  Reyna studied him. ‘You’re old for a recruit. You’re what, sixteen?’

  ‘I think so,’ Percy said.

  ‘If you spent that many years on your own, without training or help, you should be dead. A son of Neptune? You’d have a powerful aura that would attract all kinds of monsters.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Percy said. ‘I’ve been told that I smell.’

  Reyna almost cracked a smile, which gave Percy hope. Maybe she was human after all.

  ‘You must’ve been somewhere before the Wolf House,’ she said.

  Percy shrugged. Juno had said something about him slumbering, and he did have a vague feeling that he’d been asleep – maybe for a long time. But that didn’t make sense.

  Reyna sighed. ‘Well, the dogs haven’t eaten you, so I suppose you’re telling the truth.’

  ‘Great,’ Percy said. ‘Next time, can I take a polygraph?’

  Reyna stood. She paced in front of the banners. Her metal dogs watched her go back and forth.

  ‘Even if I accept that you’re not an enemy,’ she said, ‘you’re not a typical recruit. The Queen of Olympus simply doesn’t appear at camp, announcing a new demigod. The last time a major god visited us in person like that …’ She shook her head. ‘I’ve only heard legends about such things. And a son of Neptune … that’s not a good omen. Especially now.’

  ‘What’s wrong with Neptune?’ Percy asked. ‘And what do you mean, “especially now”?’

  Hazel shot him a warning look.

  Reyna kept pacing. ‘You’ve fought Medusa’s sisters, who haven’t been seen in thousands of years. You’ve agitated our Lares, who are calling you a graecus. And you wear strange symbols – that shirt, the beads on your necklace. What do they mean?’

  Percy looked down at his tattered orange T-shirt. It might have had words on it at one point, but they were too faded to read. He should have thrown the shirt away weeks ago. It was worn to shreds, but he couldn’t bear to get rid of it. He just kept washing it in streams and water fountains as best he could and putting it back on.

  As for the necklace, the four clay beads were each decorated with a different symbol. One showed a trident. Another displayed a miniature Golden Fleece. The third was etched with the design of a maze, and the last had an image of a building – maybe the Empire State Building? – with names Percy didn’t recognize engraved around it. The beads felt important, like pictures from a family album, but he couldn’t remember what they meant.

  ‘I don’t know,’ he said.

  ‘And your sword?’ Reyna asked.

  Percy checked his pocket. The pen had reappeared as it always did. He pulled it out, but then realized he’d never shown Reyna the sword. Hazel and Frank hadn’t seen it either. How had Reyna known about it?

  Too late to pretend it didn’t exist … He uncapped the pen. Riptide sprang to full form. Hazel gasped. The greyhounds barked apprehensively.

  ‘What is that?’ Hazel asked. ‘I’ve never seen a sword like that.’

  ‘I have,’ Reyna said darkly. ‘It’s very old – a Greek design. We used to have a few in the armoury before …’ She stopped herself. ‘The metal is called Celestial bronze. It’s deadly to monsters, like Imperial gold, but even rarer.’

  ‘Imperial gold?’ Percy asked.

  Reyna unsheathed her dagger. Sure enough, the blade was gold. ‘The metal was consecrated in ancient times, at the Pantheon in Rome. Its existence was a closely guarded secret of the emperors – a way for their champions to slay monster
s that threatened the empire. We used to have more weapons like this, but now … well, we scrape by. I use this dagger. Hazel has a spatha, a cavalry sword. Most legionnaires use a shorter sword called a gladius. But that weapon of yours is not Roman at all. It’s another sign you’re not a typical demigod. And your arm …’

  ‘What about it?’ Percy asked.

  Reyna held up her own forearm. Percy hadn’t noticed before, but she had a tattoo on the inside: the letters SPQR, a crossed sword and torch, and, under that, four parallel lines like score marks.

  Percy glanced at Hazel.

  ‘We all have them,’ she confirmed, holding up her arm. ‘All full members of the legion do.’

  Hazel’s tattoo also had the letters SPQR, but she only had one score mark, and her emblem was different: a black glyph like a cross with curved arms and a head:

  Percy looked at his own arms. A few scrapes, some mud and a fleck of Crispy Cheese ’n’ Wiener, but no tattoos.

  ‘So you’ve never been a member of the legion,’ Reyna said. ‘These marks can’t be removed. I thought perhaps …’ She shook her head, as if dismissing an idea.

  Hazel leaned forward. ‘If he’s survived as a loner all this time, maybe he’s seen Jason.’ She turned to Percy. ‘Have you ever met a demigod like us before? A guy in a purple shirt, with marks on his arm -’

  ‘Hazel.’ Reyna’s voice tightened. ‘Percy’s got enough to worry about.’

  Percy touched the point of his sword, and Riptide shrank back into a pen. ‘I haven’t seen anyone like you guys before. Who’s Jason?’

  Reyna gave Hazel an irritated look. ‘He is … he was my colleague.’ She waved her hand at the second empty chair. ‘The legion normally has two elected praetors. Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, was our other praetor until he disappeared last October.’

  Percy tried to calculate. He hadn’t paid much attention to the calendar out in the wilderness, but Juno had mentioned that it was now June. ‘You mean he’s been gone eight months, and you haven’t replaced him?’

  ‘He might not be dead,’ Hazel said. ‘We haven’t given up.’