The Son of Neptune
Page 64

“He’s right,” Gwen said from the second row. “I, for one, trust Percy’s word. Greek or not, he restored the honor of the legion. You saw him on the battlefield last night. Would anyone here say he is not a true hero of Rome?”
Nobody argued. A few nodded in agreement.
Reyna stood. Percy watched her anxiously. Her opinion could change everything—for better or worse.
“You claim this is a combined quest,” she said. “You claim Juno intends for us to work with this—this other group, Camp
Half-Blood. Yet the Greeks have been our enemies for eons.
They are known for their deceptions.”
“Maybe so,” Percy said. “But enemies can become friends. A week ago, would you have thought Romans and Amazons would be fighting side by side?”
Queen Hylla laughed. “He’s got a point.”
“The demigods of Camp Half-Blood have already been working with Camp Jupiter,” Percy said. “We just didn’t realize it. During the Titan War last summer, while you were attacking Mount Othrys, we were defending Mount Olympus in Manhattan. I fought Kronos myself.”
Reyna backed up, almost tripping over her toga. “You… what?”
“I know it’s hard to believe,” Percy said. “But I think I’ve earned your trust. I’m on your side. Hazel and Frank—I’m sure they’re meant to go with me on this quest. The other four are on their way from Camp Half-Blood right now. One of them is Jason Grace, your old praetor.”
“Oh, come on!” Octavian shouted. “He’s making things up, now.”
Reyna frowned. “It is a lot to believe. Jason is coming back with a bunch of Greek demigods? You say they’re going to appear in the sky in a heavily armed warship, but we shouldn’t be worried.”
“Yes.” Percy looked over the rows of nervous, doubtful spectators. “Just let them land. Hear them out. Jason will backup everything I’m telling you. I swear it on my life.”
“On your life?” Octavian looked meaningfully at the senate. “We will remember that, if this turns out to be a trick.”
Right on cue, a messenger rushed into the Senate House, gasping as if he’d run all the way from camp. “Praetors! I’m sorry to interrupt, but our scouts report—”
“Ship!” Tyson said happily, pointing at the hole in the ceiling. “Yay!
Sure enough, a Greek warship appeared out of the clouds, about a half a mile away, descending toward the Senate House. As it got closer, Percy could see bronze shields glinting along the sides, billowing sails, and a familiar-looking figurehead shaped like a metal dragon. On the tallest mast, a big white flag of truce snapped in the wind.
The Argo II. It was the most incredible ship he’d ever seen.
“Praetors!” the messenger cried. “What are your orders?”
Octavian shot to his feet. “You need to ask?” His face was red with rage. He was strangling his teddy bear. “The omens are horrible! This is a trick, a deception. Beware Greeks bearing gifts!”
He jabbed a finger at Percy. “His friends are attacking in a warship. He has led them here. We must attack!”
“No,” Percy said firmly. “You all raised me as praetor for a reason. I will fight to defend this camp with my life. But these aren’t enemies. I say we stand ready, but do not attack. Let them land. Let them speak. If it is a trick, then I will fight with you, as I did last night. But it is not a trick.”
All eyes turned toward Reyna.
She studied the approaching warship. Her expression hardened. If she vetoed Percy’s orders…well, he didn’t know what would happen. Chaos and confusion, at the very least.
Most likely, the Romans would follow her lead. She’d been their leader much longer than Percy.
“Hold your fire,” Reyna said. “But have the legion stand ready. Percy Jackson is your duly chosen praetor. We will trus this word—unless we are given clear reason not to. Senators, let us adjourn to the forum and meet our…new friends.”
The senators stampeded out of the auditorium—whether from excitement or panic, Percy wasn’t sure. Tyson ran after them, yelling, “Yay! Yay!” with Ella fluttering around his head.
Octavian gave Percy a disgusted look, then threw down his teddy bear and followed the crowd.
Reyna stood at Percy’s shoulder.
“I support you, Percy,” she said. “I trust your judgment. But for all our sakes, I hope we can keep the peace between our campers and your Greek friends.”
“We will,” he promised. “You’ll see.”
She glanced up at the warship. Her expression turned a little wistful. “You say Jason is aboard…I hope that’s true.
I’ve missed him.”
She marched outside, leaving Percy alone with Hazel and Frank.
“They’re coming down right in the forum,” Frank said nervously. “Terminus is going to have a heart attack.”
“Percy,” Hazel said, “you swore on your life. Romans take that seriously. If anything goes wrong, even by accident, Octavian is going to kill you. You know that, right?”
Percy smiled. He knew the stakes were high. He knew this day could go horribly wrong. But he also knew that Annabeth was on that ship. If things went right, this would be the best day of his life.
He threw one arm around Hazel and one arm around Frank.
“Come on,” he said. “Let me introduce you to my other family.”

Glossary
absurdus out of place, discordant
Achilles the mightiest of the Greek demigods who fought in the Trojan War
Aesculapius the Roman god of medicine and healing
Alcyoneus the eldest of the giants born to Gaea, destined to fight Pluto
Amazons a nation of all-female warriors
Anaklusmos Riptide. The name of Percy Jackson’s sword.
argentum silver
Argonauts a band of Greek heroes who accompanied Jason on his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo,
which was named after its builder, Argus.
augury a sign of something coming, an omen; the practice of divining the future
aurae invisible wind spirits
aurum gold
basilisk snake, literally “little crown”
Bellerophon a Greek demigod, son of Poseidon, whodefeated monsters while riding on Pegasus
Bellona the Roman goddess of war
Byzantiumthe eastern empire that lasted another 1,000 years after Rome fell, under Greek influence
Celestial bronze a rare metal deadly to monsters
Centaur a race of creatures that is half human, half horse
centurion an officer of the Roman army
Cerberus the three-headed dog that guards the gates ofthe Underworld
Ceres the Roman goddess of agriculture
Charon the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of thenewly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron, which divide the world of the living
from the world of the dead
cognomen third name
cohort a Roman military unit
Cyclops a member of a primordial race of giants (Cyclopes, pl.), each with a single eye in the middle of his or herforehead
denarius (denarii, pl.) the most common coin in the Roman currency system
drachma the silver coin of ancient Greece
Elysiumthe final resting place of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous in the Underworld
Erebos a place of darkness between Earth and Hades
faun a Roman forest god, part goat and part man. Greek form: satyr
Fields of Asphodel the section of the Underworld where the souls of people who lived lives of equal good and evil rest
Fields of Punishment the section of the Underworld where evil souls are eternally tortured
Fortuna the Roman goddess of fortune and good luck
Fulminata armed with lightning. A Roman legion under Julius Caesar whose emblem was a lightning bolt (fulmen).
Gaea the earth goddess; mother of Titans, giants, Cyclopes, and other monsters. Known to the Romans as Terra
Gegenes earthborn monsters
gladius a short sword
gorgons three monstrous sisters (Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa) who have hair of living, venomous snakes; Medusa’s eyes can turn the beholder
to stone
graecus Greek; enemy; outsider
greaves shin armor
gris-gris a voodoo amulet that protects from evil or brings luck
harpy a winged female creature that snatches things
Hercules the Roman equivalent of Heracles; the son of Jupiter and Alcmene, who was born with great strength
Hyperboreans peaceful northern giants
ichor the golden blood of immortals
Imperial gold a rare metal deadly to monsters, consecrated at the Pantheon; its existence was a closely guarded secret of the emperors
Iris the rainbow goddess
Juno Roman goddess of women, marriage, and fertility; sister and wife of Jupiter; mother of Mars. Greek form: Hera
Jupiter Roman king of the gods; also called Jupiter Optimus Maximus (the best and the greatest). Greek form: Zeus
karpoi grain spirits
Laistrygonians tall cannibals from the north, possibly the source of the Sasquatch legend
Lar house god, ancestral spirit (Lares, pl.)
legion the major unit of the Roman army, consisting of infantry and cavalry troops
legionnaire a member of a legion
Liberalia a Roman festival that celebrated a boy’s rite of passage into manhood
Lupa the sacred Roman she-wolf that nursed the foundling twins Romulus and Remus
Mars the Roman god of war; also called Mars Ultor. Patronof the empire; divine father of Romulus and Remus. Greekform: Ares
Minerva Roman goddess of wisdom. Greek form: Athena
Mist magic force that disguises things from mortals
Mount Othrys the base of the Titans during the ten-year war with the Olympian gods; Saturn’s headquarters
muster formal military inspection
nebulae cloud nymphs
Neptune the Roman god of the sea. Greek form: Poseidon
Otrera first Amazon queen, daughter of Ares
pallium a cloak or mantle worn by the Romans
Pantheon a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome
Penthesilea a queen of the Amazons; daughter of Ares andOtrera, another Amazon queen
Periclymenus a Greek prince of Pylos and a son ofPoseidon, who granted him the ability to shape-shift. He was renowned for his strength and
participated in the voyage of the Argonauts.
Phineas a son of Poseidon, who had the gift of prophecy. When he revealed too much of the plans of the gods, Zeuspunished him by blinding him.
pilum a Roman spear
Pluto the Roman god of death and riches. Greek equivalent: Hades
Polybotes the giant son of Gaea, the Earth Mother
praetor an elected Roman magistrate and commander of the army
Priamthe king of Troy during the Trojan War
principia the headquarters of a Roman camp
probatio testing period for a new recruit in a legion
pugio a Roman dagger
Queen Hippolyta’s belt Hippolyta wore a golden waist belt, a gift from her father,Ares, that signified her Amazonian queenship and also gave her
strength.
retiarius Roman gladiator who fought with a net and trident
River Styx the river that forms the boundary betweenEarth and the Underworld
Romulus and Remus the twin sons of Mars and the priestess Rhea Silvia who were thrown into the RiverTiber by their human father, Amulius.
They were rescued and raised by a she-wolf and, upon reaching adulthood, founded Rome.
Saturn the Roman god of agriculture, the son of Uranus and Gaea and the father of Jupiter. Greek equivalent:Kronos
scorpion ballista a Roman missile siege weapon that launched a large projectile at a distant target
Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) “The Senate and People of Rome”; refers to the government of the Roman Republic and is used as an
official emblem of Rome
shades spirits
Sibylline Books a collection of prophecies in rhyme writtenin Greek. Tarquinius Superbus, a king of Rome, bought them from a prophetess
named Sibyl and consulted them in times of great danger.
spartus a skeleton warrior
spatha a cavalry sword
Stygian iron like Celestial bronze and Imperial gold, amagical metal capable of killing monsters
Tartarus husband of Gaea; spirit of the abyss; father of the giants; also the lowest region of the world
Terminus the Roman god of boundaries and landmarks
Thanatos the Greek god of death. Roman equivalent: Letus
Tiber River the third-longest river in Italy. Rome wasfounded on its banks. In ancient Rome, executed criminals were thrown into the river.
trireme a type of warship
triumph a ceremonial procession for Roman generals and their troops in celebration of a great military victory
Trojan War the war that was waged against the city of Troyby the Greeks after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband, Menelaus, the king of
Sparta. It started with a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite.