I know I should be expecting it, but I still flinch when the rest of Cabin 9 starts talking all at once.

They have so many questions — perfectly understandable, in my opinion. At least one person asks why I'm not one of the seven, which I very much appreciate. I don't know how to explain it, but while I know I'm not one of the seven, I still think I need to go with them to Greece. Maybe it has something to do with my mystery box. Maybe it's just because Leo and Piper are two of my best friends and Jason is my Jason, and I just don't want to be left behind. I don't know, it's just a feeling I have.

"Heroes!" Chiron crows, striking the floor with his hoof to get them to settle. "All the details are not clear yet, but Leo is correct. He will need your help to build the Argo II. It is perhaps the greatest project Cabin 9 has ever undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon."

"It'll take a year at least," Nyssa estimates, her face scrunched up in thought. "Do we have that much time?"

"You have six months at most," Chiron says. Instantly, everyone in Cabin 9 pouts. I think they can get it done in six months, but I know they wish they didn't have to. Can't say I blame them on that front. Chiron carries on, "You should sail by summer solstice, when the gods' power is strongest. Besides, we evidently cannot trust the wind gods, and the summer winds are the least powerful and easiest to navigate. You dare not sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the giants. You must avoid ground travel, using only air and sea, so this vehicle is perfect. Jason being the son of the sky god..."

Chiron trails off. He's thinking about Percy. I know because I am too. It's only been a little over a week, but I miss him a lot. 

Jake clears his throat and turns to Leo. "Well, one thing's for sure. You are now senior counselor. This is the biggest honor the cabin has ever had. Anyone object?"

No one objects — they just smile. It's the first time since Beckendorf's death that I've seen them look this optimistic and hopeful. I can almost see the weight leaving their shoulders, can hear the chains of their curse breaking. It's a beautiful thing to witness.

"It's official, then," Jake says. "You're the man."

I start clapping and squealing like a child at the circus. I can't help myself — I fucking love seeing my friends thrive. That means Jason, Piper, and Leo are all senior counselors now, making me the odd egg out. Man. I don't get to be one of the seven, I don't get to be senior counselor. What's next? Are they gonna make a group chat and leave me out of it? No, they're not cruel enough for that.

It takes Leo a second to find his words, but he does eventually, and they are, "Well, if you guys elect me leader, you must be even crazier than I am. So let's build a spankin' hot war machine!"

*

Jason needs some time alone before the counselors' meeting, so he drops me off at Cabin 14 with a kiss on the cheek and the promise of a much deeper conversation very soon. I just nod and wish him luck at the meeting. Then I slip inside and kick off my shoes.

"Where have you been?" Roz asks, crinkling her nose at me. "Why do you look like you just went on a hike through the woods?"

"Probably because I just went on a hike through the woods," I tell her. "I'll explain later. First, I'm gonna shower."

She doesn't stop me, so I head into the bathroom and take a quick shower. All the while, I'm humming the song Noelle and I wrote. I thought putting it down on paper would get it out of my head, but it hasn't. I think it's made it worse, actually. Maybe it's because the song is untitled and unfinished. Maybe if I can just find the right title for it and finish the lyrics, it'll finally let my brain rest.

When I get out of the shower, I pull on a pair of gray sweatpants and a white tank top — comfy enough to be pajamas, but close enough to real clothes that people won't judge me too harshly when I wear this to dinner. Roz demands an explanation out of me as soon I'm out of the bathroom, so I tell her about Bunker 9 while she sketches on her bed. Then I start brainstorming song titles while I wait for dinnertime or for Jason to swing by after the counselors' meeting— whichever comes first.

By the time Butch joins us, I've gotten distracted with editing the few lyrics the song does have. I'm so into it that I don't even notice him until he snaps his fingers under my nose.

"Oh, hey," I greet warmly before glancing at the clock on the wall — rainbow-themed, of course. "Shouldn't you be at the meeting?"

Butch looks at me like I've gone insane. "What are you talking about?"

"The meeting," I say. "The senior counselors' meeting? The one where Jason is supposed to fill all of you in and you're all supposed to decide what our next move is or whatever?"

"Why would I be going to the senior counselors' meeting?" Butch asks. I look over at Roz. Thankfully, she seems just as confused as I am.

"Maybe because you're the senior counselor for our cabin?" Roz suggests, and I nod enthusiastically. 

Butch smacks the palm of his hand against his forehead. "Shit, I forgot!"

"You can still make it if you hurry," I tell him, taking another peek at the clock. "They probably only just started."

"No, I mean I forgot to tell you that I'm stepping down as senior counselor," he says.

"What?" Roz and I chorus. We don't really look alike, but we make the same facial expressions. Thanks to Butch's news, our brows are furrowed, our jaws dropped, our eyes wide, and our heads tilted at the same angle.

Butch rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "I, uh, meant to tell you guys this morning. I'm stepping down. Cordy, I think you should be our counselor. I mean, you're the only one of us that's been on a proper quest."

For some reason, Roz lets out a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping. "Oh, thank the gods you said something, Butch. I was gonna suggest the same thing, but I didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"Wait, what?" I feel like my brain is short-circuiting. "But if I'm senior counselor, that means..."

I jump to my feet when the pieces click together. "I'm late for the meeting!"

While I hastily stuff my feet into my Converse, Roz grabs me a pink hoodie. She tosses it to me as I open the door and I catch it with one hand. Butch hands me the jewelry box, and then I take off, leaving Butch or Roz to close the door behind me. Running is the last thing I want to be doing right now, but I kind of don't have a choice. As I sprint to the Big House, I tuck the box under one arm, stick my free arm in the corresponding hoodie sleeve, then switch the box over and slip my other arm into the hoodie, all while mentally preparing to get chewed out for being late.

But it turns out I have nothing to worry about, because when I finally burst into the rec room, Chiron just goes, "Ah, Cordelia. Here to tell us why Butch is running late?"

"Yes and no," I say, taking the only empty seat left at the table, which happens to be between Clovis and Travis. I set the box down in front of me and adjust my hoodie so it's, you know, actually properly on. "So, Butch decided to step down and make me senior counselor, but he didn't tell anyone including me until like, a few minutes ago so then I ran all the way here. So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing at all," Annabeth answers, offering me a strained smile. She's wearing armor over her camp shirt and jeans, which seems slightly excessive to me, but oh well. "We were just about to get started. Glad you're not dead, by the way."

"Thanks!" I gush, beaming at her. "I'm glad you're not dead, too!"

Chiron clears his throat. "As I was saying, Jason, Piper, Leo, and Cordelia have returned successfully...more or less. Some of you have heard parts of their story, but I will let them fill you in."

For the most part, Jason tells the story, and Piper, Leo, and I chime in with any details he forgets. Shockingly, everyone is at rapt attention, which is just about a miracle considering how many of us have ADHD. Jason concludes the tale by telling us about how Hera visited him in his cabin just before the meeting. 

Annabeth narrows her eyes. "So Hera was here. Talking to you."

Jason nods. "Look, I'm not saying I trust her—"

"That's smart," Annabeth interjects.

"—but she isn't making this up about another group of demigods. That's where I came from."

"Romans," Clarisse says. Inexplicably, someone had brought Seymour into the rec room and now Clarisse tosses him a Snausage. "You expect us to believe there's another camp with demigods, but they follow the Roman forms of the gods. And we've never even heard of them."

"The gods have kept the two groups apart," Piper explains, leaning forward in her seat, "because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other."

"Not every time," Jason blurts out. He's looking directly at me. My face gets warm and I duck my head shyly.

Clarisse scowls. "What do you mean?"

I fuss with the sleeves of my hoodie. "Like I said at the campfire, Jason and I met before I came to camp. It was after I ran away from foster care."

"She killed a gryphon," he says. "It was super badass."

I grin. "Thanks. Anyway, he was going to take me to the Wolf House to train, but before we got there, we ran into a chimera and I sort of ended up falling off a cliff."

"You fell off a cliff?" Annabeth raises her eyebrows, her lips curling into a little smirk. "We should start a club."

"Definitely," I agree. "But yeah. I fell off of a cliff, Hera saved me, wiped my memories, and plopped me down on that highway where the satyr found me and brought me here."

A shadow passes over Jason's face and he looks down. "I spent three years thinking you were dead."

"You..." My face softens. I want to reach for him, but he's seated too far down the table. "You thought I was dead? For three years?"

"You fell off of a cliff, Dee-Dee."

I open my mouth to say something snarky, then think better of it. "Yeah, fair enough. Um, sorry about that."

"You don't have to—"

"Why haven't we ever run across each other on quests?" Clarisse interrupts, done with our sentimental bullshit. She's not usually one for touchy-feely things unless it has to do with her boyfriend, Chris. Or Silena, once upon a time.

Chiron accepts the redirect in the conversation with grace (pun intended). "Oh, yes. You have, many times. It's almost always a tragedy, and always the gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved. The rivalry goes all the way back to the Trojan War, Clarisse. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful, worshipping the same gods but under different names, and with slightly different personalities."

"More warlike," Jason adds. "More united. More about expansion, conquest, and discipline."

"Yuck," Travis says. He's clearly not a fan of that idea, and it seems most of the others feel the same way. If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't love the concept either. 

Annabeth draws her knife and takes to twirling it on the table, almost absentmindedly. "And the Romans hated the Greeks. They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles and made them part of the Roman Empire."

"Not exactly hated them," Jason corrects, sounding defensive. "The Romans admired Greek culture and were a little jealous. In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So during Roman times, demigods started to divide — either Greek or Roman."

"And it's been that way ever since," she deduces. "But this is crazy. Chiron, where were the Romans during the Titan War? Didn't they want to help?"

Chiron tugs at his beard, visibly uncomfortable. "They did help, Annabeth. While you and Percy were leading the battle to save Manhattan, who do you think conquered Mount Othrys, the Titans' base in California?"

"Hold on," Travis says. He leans back in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck. "You said Mount Othrys just crumbled when we beat Kronos."

"No," Jason says with a shake of his head. Another shadow crosses his face, and man, I really wish I got here earlier so I could've snagged a seat next to him. I could be holding his hand right now, providing even just an ounce of comfort. "It didn't just fall. We destroyed their palace. I defeated the Titan Krios myself."

That's hot, I think, and then everyone except Annabeth looks at me and I realize I just said that out loud. Oops.

Luckily, Annabeth is deep in thought and not at all paying attention to my tomfoolery, as Chiron would say. She brings the conversation back on track. "The Bay Area. We demigods were always told to stay away from it because Mount Othrys was there. But that wasn't the only reason, was it? The Roman camp — it's got to be somewhere near San Francisco. I bet it was put there to keep watch on the Titans' territory. Where is it?"

"I cannot say," Chiron says, bowing his head. "Honestly, even I have never been trusted with that information. My counterpart, Lupa, is not exactly the sharing type. Jason's memory, too, has been burned away."

"Cordy?" Annabeth prompts hopefully.

I grimace. "Sorry. Baby Jason was tight-lipped about the actual location."

"The camp's heavily veiled with magic," Jason tacks on. "And heavily guarded. We could search for years and never find it."

"But you'll try, won't you?" Rachel asks, lacing her fingers. She seems weirdly at ease. Maybe it's just a front, or maybe once you traverse the labyrinth and witness the death of a god, there's nothing left that can really faze you. "You'll build Leo's boat, the Argo II. And before you make for Greece, you'll sail for the Roman camp. You'll need their help to confront the giants."

"Bad idea," Clarisse warns. "If those Romans see a warship coming, they'll assume we're attacking."

I shrug, shifting to fold my legs under me. "Not if we send them some kind of message first. Or paint a smiley face on the bottom."

"Oh, I like the smiley face idea," Leo chimes in, grinning like the madman he is.

"We have to try," Jason says. "I was sent here to learn about Camp Half-Blood, to try to convince you the two camps don't have to be enemies. A peace offering."

"Hmm," Rachel hums. "Because Hera is convinced we need both camps to win the war with the giants. Seven heroes of Olympus — some Greek, some Roman."

Annabeth nods. "Your Great Prophecy — what's the last line?"

"And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

"Gaea has opened the Doors of Death," Annabeth says, sheathing her knife. "She's letting out the worst villains of the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas — there'll be more, I'm sure. Maybe the line means that the Roman and Greek demigods will unite, and find the doors, and close them."

"Or it could mean they fight each other at the doors of death," Clarisse so optimistically points out. "It doesn't say we'll cooperate."

I cross my arms over my chest, sending her a look. "Well, that's not a very positive outlook."

Clarisse flips me off.

"I'm going," Annabeth declares, her gray eyes stormier than ever. "Jason, when you get this ship built, let me go with you."

"I was hoping you'd offer," Jason admits. "You of all people — we'll need you."

"Wait," Leo interjects, frowning. "I mean that's cool with me and all. But why Annabeth of all people?"

I wince. I have a feeling I know the answer, but I'm not happy about it. Annabeth, Jason, and I all exchange looks. Annabeth's pieced it together. Of course, she has. She's Annabeth Chase.

"Hera said my coming here was an exchange of leaders," Jason says hesitantly. "A way for the two camps to learn of each other's existence."

Leo shrugs. "Yeah? So?"

I bite my tongue to keep from saying something snarky. Jason just knows somehow and shoots me an appreciative look before answering Leo's question. "An exchange goes two ways. When I got here, my memory was wiped. I didn't know who I was or where I belonged. Fortunately, you guys took me in and I found a new home. I know you're not my enemy. The Roman camp — they're not so friendly. You prove your worth quickly, or you don't survive. They may not be so nice to him, and if they learn where he comes from, he's going to be in serious trouble."

I watch as it sinks in for some people. Miranda's eyes widen. Clarisse curses under her breath. Travis rubs his face tiredly. Lou Ellen's whole body tenses up. Chiron looks away, gripping the arms of his wheelchair tightly. He's probably known this entire time. 

"Him?" Leo echoes. He still doesn't get it. "Who are you talking about?"

"My boyfriend," Annabeth says, a grim expression on her face, her eyes sharp and steely. "He disappeared around the same time Jason appeared. If Jason came to Camp Half-Blood—"

"Exactly," Jason says. "Percy Jackson is at the other camp, and he probably doesn't even remember who he is."

Lou Ellen sighs and leans back in her chair. "Well, fuck."

"Lou Ellen," Chiron admonishes.

"Wait, hold on," Miranda says, spreading her hands in a 'stop' gesture. "I'm so confused. What about Cordy? She's not one of the seven? But she was on the quest with you guys. And what's with the box?"

Everyone turns to look at me expectantly, which is terrifying.

I take a deep breath and get to my feet. "I'm not one of the seven. I've known that for a while now. Hera said this box was hidden in a chimney at the Wolf House by a Roman half-sister of mine years and years ago. I'm guessing the things inside are a part of...whatever my destiny is."

"So what's inside?" Piper questions.

Opening the box, I say, "A locked locket..." I take it out and stretch to pass it to Leo. "And a scroll, but it's in Latin." I toss the scroll to Jason. He catches it with ease.

Leo examines the locket with some kind of magnifying glass he'd pulled from his tool belt. Jason unfurls the scroll and reads it over.

"Comments, questions, concerns?" I rattle off, sitting back down.

"There's a keyhole," Leo says, squinting. "It's pretty small, easy to miss. I might be able to force the lock, but that could break it."

"Let me see," Lou Ellen asks. Leo passes the locket down to her, and she examines it carefully. "Hm. Mind if I keep this for a couple of days? There might be something I can do."

I nod. "Go for it. It's not much use to me without the key, anyway."

"Jason?" Annabeth prompts, brow furrowed. "What does the scroll say?"

Jason looks up from the weathered paper, his expression grim. "I think...I think it's a prophecy."

*

hahahaha

just the epilogue left, and then we're done :,)