MOA: Chapter 2

The Mark of Athena: Chapter List

Chapter 2: Annabeth
New Rome was amazing, Annabeth thought. Its buildings shamed the cabins at Camp Half-Blood. But, she thought smugly, it was nowhere near the impressiveness of Olympus as she had designed it. It was the perfect day. They had set aside this first day for everyone to get to know each other, to avoid future conflict. Despite the urgency of the massive quest, she was glad to have rest after constant traveling. She was with Percy, and they were exploring a beautiful city of demigods. Here she imagined a bright future for her and Percy. If they could survive the upcoming adventure, that is.

"I missed you," Percy said lovingly.

Annabeth blushed, "I missed you too."

"We've looked around enough, how 'bout I introduce you to some of my new friends." He suggested.

Annabeth nodded, and followed Percy out of the city boundaries, past the crazy statue-god. Annabeth looked around. There were so many campers, nearly twice as many as Camp Half-Blood. She asked Percy about this.

"Many of these campers aren't demigods, they could be descendants of demigods." He said. "Oh, here's Frank. Frank, this is my girlfriend Annabeth, Annabeth, Frank Zhang, son of Mars. He's a total beast."

Frank snorted, "That I am." He proceeded to become an eagle, and changed back.

Annabeth was stunned. Laughing, Percy said, "He is the descendant of an Argonaut, Perry-something. Apparently he got the gift from Poseidon, which is completely unfair."

Annabeth replied, "Oh! Periclymenus, I've read about him."

"You've read about everything," Percy joked.

"Well, let's go find Hazel, I think you'll like her." Frank suggested.

Anabeth went with them to the fifth cohort barracks, which, by the way, badly needed a redesign. There Frank introduced Annabeth to an olive-skinned girl named Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto.

"Nice to meet you, Percy's told us a lot about you," Hazel said shyly.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they went to dinner. Dinner, Annabeth preferred Camp Half-Blood's version. The winds carrying the food was too chaotic for her, and soon she was splattered by spaghetti sauce and various other condiments. Dinner was lound, Annabeth noticed Clarisse and another Ares kid had made fast-friends with some fierce looking Romans. The Greeks were socializing with the Romans, and demonstrating various powers. Others were explaining the way Camp Half-Blood worked.

Annabeth noticed however, not all the Romans were accepting of the Greeks. Foremost among them was Octavian. She knew he would make a dangerous enemy, but she was also confident she could outsmart him if needed.

The rest of the day passed in a flurry. She learned so new names that her mind was in a jumble. For her, that was unheard of.

The next day, preparations were underway. The leaders of both camps met at the senate house, but it was so crowded many people had to stand. Percy, Reyna, Jason, and Annabeth were leading the meeting.

Reyna began, as the Romans trusted her the most, having served for a long time. "We must send our best warriors to Rome. There we will decide how to proceed. Jason has returned, and he will also be leading this trip. Now, each cohort must choose a few members to accompany the Greeks to the ancient lands. There they will combat the giants, and hopefully win the trust of the gods. Once that will have been done, gods and demigods will work together to destroy the giants, once and for all."

The centurions debated over who to invite on the trip. Meanwhile, Octavian stopp up. Annabeth heard a groan from Percy, confirming her suspicions concerning Octavian. She whispered, "Just wait, I'll find a weakness or loophole. He's going down."

Percy grinned at her. Octavian said, "Is it wise to send our best warriors? What if another army attacks when our most capable warriors are gone. We will be utterly destroyed. I motion that at least the first and second cohorts refrain from sending warriors."

Annabeth noticed his mistake, and stated, "The most impotant thing now is to defeat Gaea. And with so much at stake, I believe it is highly unlikely that Gaea would spare any warriors attacking Camp Jupiter. And if the First and Second cohorts are so good, we will need them even more."

Annabeth smirked at Octavian, who sputtered incredulously. Reyna whispered to Annabeth, "I would not make enemies with him so quickly, he can be very dangerous."

Annabeth whispered back, "If I don't make any enemies in my life, I would be a coward, or worse. Besides, he is messing our plan up. He could have caused the rise of Gaea!"

Reyna nodded, "True, let's just wait and see then."