The Son of Neptune - Chapter 52

THE NEXT MORNING, PERCY, HAZEL AND FRANK ate breakfast
early, then headed into the city before the senate was due
to convene. As Percy was a praetor now, he could go
pretty much wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
On the way, they passed the stables, where Tyson and
Mrs O’Leary were sleeping in. Tyson snored on a bed of
hay next to the unicorns, a blissful look on his face like he
was dreaming of ponies. Mrs O’Leary had rolled on her
back and covered her ears with her paws. On the stable
roof, Ella roosted in a pile of old Roman scrolls, her head
tucked under her wings.
When they got to the forum, they sat by the fountains
and watched the sun come up. The citizens were already
busy sweeping up cupcake simulations, confetti and party
hats from last night’s celebration. The engineer corps was
working on a new arch that would commemorate the
victory over Polybotes.
Hazel said she’d even heard talk of a formal triumph for
the three of them – a parade around the city followed by a
week of games and celebrations – but Percy knew they’d
never get the chance. They didn’t have time.
Percy told them about his dream of Juno.
Hazel frowned. ‘The gods were busy last night. Show
him, Frank.’
Frank reached into his coat pocket. Percy thought he
might bring out his piece of firewood, but instead he
produced a thin paperback book and a note on red
stationery.
‘These were on my pillow this morning.’ He passed
them to Percy. ‘Like the Tooth Fairy visited.’
The book was The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Percy had
never heard of it, but he could guess who sent it. The letter
read: Good job, kid. A real man’s best weapon is his mind.
This was your mom’s favourite book. Give it a read. P.S. –
I hope your friend Percy has learned some respect for
me.
‘Wow.’ Percy handed back the book. ‘Maybe Mars is
different than Ares. I don’t think Ares can read.’
Frank flipped through the pages. ‘There’s a lot in here
about sacrifice, knowing the cost of war. Back in
Vancouver, Mars told me I’d have to put my duty ahead of
my life or the entire war would go sideways. I thought he
meant freeing Thanatos, but now … I don’t know. I’m still
alive, so maybe the worst is yet to come.’
He glanced nervously at Percy, and Percy got the
feeling Frank wasn’t telling him everything. He wondered if
Mars had said something about him, but Percy wasn’t
sure he wanted to know.
Besides, Frank had already given enough. He had
watched his family home burn down. He’d lost his mother
and his grandmother.
‘You risked your life,’ Percy said. ‘You were willing to
burn up to save the quest. Mars can’t expect more than
that.’
‘Maybe,’ Frank said doubtfully.
Hazel squeezed Frank’s hand.
They seemed more comfortable around each other this
morning, not quite as nervous and awkward. Percy
wondered if they’d started dating. He hoped so, but he
decided it was better not to ask.
‘Hazel, how about you?’ Percy asked. ‘Any word from
Pluto?’
She looked down. Several diamonds popped out of the
ground at her feet. ‘No,’ she admitted. ‘In a way, I think he
sent a message through Thanatos. My name wasn’t on
that list of escaped souls. It should have been.’
‘You think your dad is giving you a pass?’ Percy asked.
Hazel shrugged. ‘Pluto can’t visit me or even talk to me
without acknowledging I’m alive. Then he’d have to
enforce the laws of death and have Thanatos bring me
back to the Underworld. I think my dad is turning a blind
eye. I think – I think he wants me to find Nico.’
Percy glanced at the sunrise, hoping to see a warship
descending from the sky. So far, nothing.
‘We’ll find your brother,’ Percy promised. ‘As soon as
the ship gets here, we’ll sail for Rome.’
Hazel and Frank exchanged uneasy looks, like they’d
already talked about this.
‘Percy …’ Frank said. ‘If you want us to come along,
we’re in. But are you sure? I mean … we know you’ve got
tons of friends at the other camp. And you could pick
anyone at Camp Jupiter now. If we’re not part of the seven,
we’d understand –’
‘Are you kidding?’ Percy said. ‘You think I’d leave my
team behind? After surviving Fleecy’s wheat germ,
running from cannibals and hiding under blue giant butts
in Alaska? Come on!’
The tension broke. All three of them started cracking
up, maybe a little too much, but it was a relief to be alive,
with the warm sun shining, and not worrying – at least for
the moment – about sinister faces appearing in the
shadows of the hills.
Hazel took a deep breath. ‘The prophecy Ella gave us –
about the child of wisdom, and the mark of Athena
burning through Rome … do you know what that’s about?’
Percy remembered his dream. Juno had warned that
Annabeth had a difficult job ahead of her, and that she’d
cause trouble for the quest. He couldn’t believe that, but
still … it worried him.
‘I’m not sure,’ he admitted. ‘I think there’s more to the
prophecy. Maybe Ella can remember the rest of it.’
Frank slipped his book into his pocket. ‘We need to
take her with us – I mean, for her own safety. If Octavian
finds out Ella has the Sibylline Books memorized …’
Percy shuddered. Octavian used prophecies to keep
his power at camp. Now that Percy had taken away his
chance at praetor, Octavian would be looking for other
ways to exert influence. If he got hold of Ella …
‘You’re right,’ Percy said. ‘We’ve got to protect her. I just
hope we can convince her –’
‘Percy!’ Tyson came running across the forum, Ella
fluttering behind him with a scroll in her talons. When they
reached the fountain, Ella dropped the scroll in Percy’s
lap.
‘Special delivery,’ she said. ‘From an aura. A wind spirit.
Yes, Ella got a special delivery.’
‘Good morning, brothers!’ Tyson had hay in his hair and
peanut butter in his teeth. ‘The scroll is from Leo. He is
funny and small.’
The scroll looked unremarkable, but when Percy
spread it across his lap, a video recording flickered on the
parchment. A kid in Greek armour grinned up at them. He
had an impish face, curly black hair and wild eyes, like
he’d just had several cups of coffee. He was sitting in a
dark room with timber walls like a ship’s cabin. Oil lamps
swung back and forth on the ceiling.
Hazel stifled a scream.
‘What?’ Frank asked. ‘What’s wrong?’
Slowly, Percy realized the curly-haired kid looked
familiar – and not just from his dreams. He’d seen that
face in an old photo.
‘Hey!’ said the guy in the video. ‘Greetings from your
friends at Camp Half-Blood, et cetera. This is Leo. I’m
the …’ He looked off screen and yelled: ‘What’s my title?
Am I like admiral, or captain, or –’
A girl’s voice yelled back, ‘Repair boy.’
‘Very funny, Piper,’ Leo grumbled. He turned back to
the parchment screen. ‘So yeah, I’m … ah … supreme
commander of the Argo II. Yeah, I like that! Anyway, we’re
gonna be sailing towards you in about, I dunno, an hour in
this big mother warship. We’d appreciate it if you’d not,
like, blow us out of the sky or anything. So okay! If you
could tell the Romans that. See you soon. Yours in
demigodishness, and all that. Peace out.’
The parchment turned blank.
‘It can’t be,’ Hazel said.
‘What?’ Frank asked. ‘You know that guy?’
Hazel looked like she’d seen a ghost. Percy understood
why. He remembered the photo in Hazel’s abandoned
house in Seward. The kid on the warship looked exactly
like Hazel’s old boyfriend.
‘It’s Sammy Valdez,’ she said. ‘But how … how –’
‘It can’t be,’ Percy said. ‘That guy’s name is Leo. And it’s
been seventy-something years. It has to be a …’
He wanted to say a coincidence, but he couldn’t make
himself believe that. Over the past few years he’d seen a
lot of things: destiny, prophecy, magic, monsters, fate. But
he’d never yet run across a coincidence.
They were interrupted by horns blowing in the distance.
The senators came marching into the forum with Reyna at
the lead.
‘It’s meeting time,’ Percy said. ‘Come on. We’ve got to
warn them about the warship.’
‘Why should we trust these Greeks?’ Octavian was saying.
He’d been pacing the senate floor for five minutes,
going on and on, trying to counter what Percy had told
them about Juno’s plan and the Prophecy of Seven.
The senate shifted restlessly, but most of them were too
afraid to interrupt Octavian while he was on a roll.
Meanwhile the sun climbed in the sky, shining through the
broken senate roof and giving Octavian a natural
spotlight.
The Senate House was packed. Queen Hylla, Frank
and Hazel sat in the front row with the senators. Veterans
and ghosts filled the back rows. Even Tyson and Ella had
been allowed to sit in the back. Tyson kept waving and
grinning at Percy.
Percy and Reyna occupied matching praetors’ chairs
on the dais, which made Percy self-conscious. It wasn’t
easy looking dignified wearing a bedsheet and a purple
cape.
‘The camp is safe,’ Octavian continued. ‘I’ll be the first to
congratulate our heroes for bringing back the legion’s
eagle and so much Imperial gold! Truly we have been
blessed with good fortune. But why do more? Why tempt
fate?’
‘I’m glad you asked.’ Percy stood, taking the question as
an opening.
Octavian stammered, ‘I wasn’t –’
‘– part of the quest,’ Percy said. ‘Yes, I know. And you’re
wise to let me explain, since I was.’
Some of the senators snickered. Octavian had no
choice but to sit down and try not to look embarrassed.
‘Gaia is waking,’ Percy said. ‘We’ve defeated two of her
giants, but that’s only the beginning. The real war will take
place in the old land of the gods. The quest will take us to
Rome, and eventually to Greece.’
An uneasy ripple spread through the senate.
‘I know, I know,’ Percy said. ‘You’ve always thought of the
Greeks as your enemies. And there’s a good reason for
that. I think the gods have kept our two camps apart
because whenever we meet we fight. But that can change.
It has to change if we’re to defeat Gaia. That’s what the
Prophecy of Seven means. Seven demigods, Greek and
Roman, will have to close the Doors of Death together.’
‘Ha!’ shouted a Lar from the back row. ‘The last time a
praetor tried to interpret the Prophecy of Seven, it was
Michael Varus, who lost our eagle in Alaska! Why should
we believe you now?’
Octavian smiled smugly. Some of his allies in the
senate began nodding and grumbling. Even some of the
veterans looked uncertain.
‘I carried Juno across the Tiber,’ Percy reminded them,
speaking as firmly as he could. ‘She told me that the
Prophecy of Seven is coming to pass. Mars also
appeared to you in person. Do you think two of your most
important gods would appear at camp if the situation
wasn’t serious?’
‘He’s right,’ Gwen said from the second row. ‘I, for one,
trust Percy’s word. Greek or not, he restored the honour 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 aeons. 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
back up 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 towards 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 towards 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
trust his 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 judgement.
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 round Hazel and one arm round
Frank.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Let me introduce you to my other
family.’

Categories: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune - Chapter 51

THE FEAST OF FORTUNA HAD NOTHING to do with tuna, which
was fine with Percy.
Campers, Amazons and Lares crowded the mess hall
for a lavish dinner. Even the fauns were invited, since
they’d helped out by bandaging the wounded after the
battle. Wind nymphs zipped around the room, delivering
orders of pizza, burgers, steaks, salads, Chinese food and
burritos, all flying at terminal velocity.
Despite the exhausting battle, everyone was in good
spirits. Casualties had been light, and the few campers
who’d previously died and come back to life, like Gwen,
hadn’t been taken to the Underworld. Maybe Thanatos
had turned a blind eye. Or maybe Pluto had given those
folks a pass, like he had for Hazel. Whatever the case,
nobody complained.
Colourful Amazon and Roman banners hung side by
side from the rafters. The restored golden eagle stood
proudly behind the praetor’s table, and the walls were
decorated with cornucopias – magical horns of plenty that
spilled out recycling waterfalls of fruit, chocolate and
fresh-baked cookies.
The cohorts mingled freely with the Amazons, jumping
from couch to couch as they pleased, and for once the
soldiers of the Fifth were welcome everywhere. Percy
changed seats so many times he lost track of his dinner.
There was a lot of flirting and arm-wrestling – which
seemed to be the same thing for the Amazons. At one
point Percy was cornered by Kinzie, the Amazon who’d
disarmed him in Seattle. He had to explain that he
already had a girlfriend. Fortunately Kinzie took it well.
She told him what had happened after they’d left Seattle –
how Hylla had defeated her challenger Otrera in two
consecutive duels to the death, so that the Amazons were
now calling their queen Hylla Twice-Kill.
‘Otrera stayed dead the second time,’ Kinzie said,
batting her eyes. ‘We have you to thank for that. If you
ever need a new girlfriend … well, I think you’d look great
in an iron collar and an orange jumpsuit.’
Percy couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not. He politely
thanked her and changed seats.
Once everyone had eaten and the plates stopped
flying, Reyna made a short speech. She formally
welcomed the Amazons, thanking them for their help.
Then she hugged her sister and everybody applauded.
Reyna raised her hands for quiet. ‘My sister and I
haven’t always seen eye to eye –’
Hylla laughed. ‘That’s an understatement.’
‘She joined the Amazons,’ Reyna continued. ‘I joined
Camp Jupiter. But, looking around this room, I think we
both made good choices. Strangely, our destinies were
made possible by the hero you all just raised to praetor
on the battlefield – Percy Jackson.’
More cheering. The sisters raised their glasses to
Percy and beckoned him forward.
Everybody asked for a speech, but Percy didn’t know
what to say. He protested that he really wasn’t the best
person for praetor, but the campers drowned him out with
applause. Reyna took away his probatio neck plate.
Octavian shot him a dirty look, then turned to the crowd
and smiled like this was all his idea. He ripped open a
teddy bear and pronounced good omens for the coming
year – Fortuna would bless them! He passed his hand
over Percy’s arm and shouted: ‘Percy Jackson, son of
Neptune, first year of service!’
The Roman symbols burned onto Percy’s arm: a
trident, SPQR and a single stripe. It felt like someone was
pressing a hot iron into his skin, but Percy managed not
to scream.
Octavian embraced him and whispered, ‘I hope it hurt.’
Then Reyna gave him an eagle medal and purple
cloak, symbols of the praetor. ‘You earned these, Percy.’
Queen Hylla pounded him on the back. ‘And I’ve
decided not to kill you.’
‘Um, thanks,’ Percy said.
He made his way around the mess hall one more time,
because all the campers wanted him at their table.
Vitellius the Lar followed, stumbling over his shimmering
purple toga and readjusting his sword, telling everyone
how he’d predicted Percy’s rise to greatness.
‘I demanded he join the Fifth Cohort!’ the ghost said
proudly. ‘Spotted his talent right away!’
Don the faun popped up in a nurse’s hat, a stack of
cookies in each hand. ‘Man, congrats and stuff! Awesome!
Hey, do you have any spare change?’
All the attention embarrassed Percy, but he was happy
to see how well Hazel and Frank were being treated.
Everyone called them the saviours of Rome, and they
deserved it. There was even talk about reinstating Frank’s
great-grandfather, Shen Lun, to the legion’s roll of honour.
Apparently he hadn’t caused the 1906 earthquake after
all. Percy sat for a while with Tyson and Ella, who were
honoured guests at Dakota’s table. Tyson kept calling for
peanut-butter sandwiches, eating them as fast as the
nymphs could deliver. Ella perched at his shoulder on top
of the couch and nibbled furiously on cinnamon rolls.
‘Cinnamon rolls are good for harpies,’ she said. ‘June
twenty-fourth is a good day. Roy Disney’s birthday, and
Fortuna’s Feast, and Independence Day for Zanzibar. And
Tyson.’
She glanced at Tyson, then blushed and looked away.
After dinner, the entire legion got the night off. Percy and
his friends drifted down to the city, which wasn’t quite
recovered from the battle, but the fires were out, most of
the debris had been swept up, and the citizens were
determined to celebrate.
At the Pomerian Line, the statue of Terminus wore a
paper party hat.
‘Welcome, praetor!’ he said. ‘You need any giants’ faces
smashed while you’re in town, just let me know.’
‘Thanks, Terminus,’ Percy said. ‘I’ll keep that in mind.’
‘Yes, good. Your praetor’s cape is an inch too low on the
left. There – that’s better. Where is my assistant? Julia!’
The little girl ran out from behind the pedestal. She was
wearing a green dress tonight, and her hair was still in
pigtails. When she smiled, Percy saw that her front teeth
were starting to come in. She held up a box full of party
hats.
Percy tried to decline, but Julia gave him the big
adoring eyes.
‘Ah, sure,’ he said. ‘I’ll take the blue crown.’
She offered Hazel a gold pirate hat. ‘I’m gonna be Percy
Jackson when I grow up,’ she told Hazel solemnly.
Hazel smiled and ruffled her hair. ‘That’s a good thing to
be, Julia.’
‘Although,’ Frank said, picking out a hat shaped like a
polar bear’s head, ‘Frank Zhang would be good, too.’
‘Frank!’ Hazel said.
They put on their hats and continued to the forum,
which was lit up with multicoloured lanterns. The fountains
glowed purple. The coffee shops were doing a brisk
business, and street musicians filled the air with the
sounds of guitar, lyre, panpipes and armpit noises. (Percy
didn’t get that last one. Maybe it was an old Roman
musical tradition.)
The goddess Iris must’ve been in a party mood too. As
Percy and his friends strolled past the damaged Senate
House, a dazzling rainbow appeared in the night sky.
Unfortunately the goddess sent another blessing, too – a
gentle rain of gluten-free R.O.F.L. cupcake simulations,
which Percy figured would either make cleaning up
harder, or rebuilding easier. The cupcakes would make
great bricks.
For a while, Percy wandered the streets with Hazel and
Frank, who kept brushing shoulders.
Finally he said, ‘I’m a little tired, guys. You go ahead.’
Hazel and Frank protested, but Percy could tell they
wanted some time alone.
As he headed back to camp, he saw Mrs O’Leary
playing with Hannibal in the Field of Mars. Finally, she’d
found a playmate she could roughhouse with. They
frolicked around, slamming into each other, breaking
fortifications and generally having an excellent time.
At the fort gates, Percy stopped and gazed across the
valley. It seemed like so long ago that he’d stood here with
Hazel, getting his first good view of camp. Now he was
more interested in watching the eastern horizon.
Tomorrow, maybe the next day, his friends from Camp
Half-Blood would arrive. As much as he cared about
Camp Jupiter, he couldn’t wait to see Annabeth again. He
yearned for his old life – New York and Camp Half-Blood
– but something told him it might be a while before he
returned home. Gaia and the giants weren’t done causing
trouble – not by a long shot.
Reyna had given him the second praetor’s house on
the Via Principalis, but as soon as Percy looked inside he
knew he couldn’t stay there. It was nice, but it was also full
of Jason Grace’s stuff. Percy already felt uneasy taking
Jason’s title of praetor. He didn’t want to take the guy’s
house, too. Things would be awkward enough when Jason
came back – and Percy was sure that he would be on that
dragon-headed warship.
Percy headed back to the Fifth Cohort barracks and
climbed into his bunk. He passed out instantly.
He dreamed he was carrying Juno across the Little Tiber.
She was disguised as a crazy old bag lady, smiling and
singing an Ancient Greek lullaby as her leathery hands
gripped Percy’s neck.
‘Do you still want to slap me, dear?’ she asked.
Percy stopped midstream. He let go and dumped the
goddess in the river.
The moment she hit the water, she vanished and
reappeared on the shore. ‘Oh, my,’ she cackled, ‘that
wasn’t very heroic, even in a dream!’
‘Eight months,’ Percy said. ‘You stole eight months of
my life for a quest that took a week. Why?’
Juno tutted disapprovingly. ‘You mortals and your short
lives. Eight months is nothing, my dear. I lost eight
centuries once, missed most of the Byzantine Empire.’
Percy summoned the power of the river. It swirled round
him, spinning into a froth of white water.
‘Now, now,’ Juno said. ‘Don’t get testy. If we are to defeat
Gaia, our plans must be timed perfectly. First, I needed
Jason and his friends to free me from my prison –’
‘Your prison? You were in prison and they let you out?’
‘Don’t sound so surprised, dear! I’m a sweet old woman.
At any rate, you weren’t needed at Camp Jupiter until now,
to save the Romans at their moment of greatest crisis.
The eight months between … well, I do have other plans
brewing, my boy. Opposing Gaia, working behind Jupiter’s
back, protecting your friends – it’s a full-time job! If I had to
guard you from Gaia’s monsters and schemes as well,
and keep you hidden from your friends back east all that
time – no, much better you take a safe nap. You would
have been a distraction – a loose cannon.’
‘A distraction.’ Percy felt the water rising with his anger,
spinning faster round him. ‘A loose cannon.’
‘Exactly. I’m glad you understand.’
Percy sent a wave crashing down on the old woman, but
Juno simply disappeared and materialized further down
the shore.
‘My,’ she said, ‘you are in a bad mood. But you know I’m
right. Your timing here was perfect. They trust you now.
You are a hero of Rome. And while you slept Jason Grace
has learned to trust the Greeks. They’ve had time to build
the Argo II. Together, you and Jason will unite the camps.’
‘Why me?’ Percy demanded. ‘You and I never got
along. Why would you want a loose cannon on your
team?’
‘Because I know you, Percy Jackson. In many ways, you
are impulsive, but when it comes to your friends you are
as constant as a compass needle. You are unswervingly
loyal, and you inspire loyalty. You are the glue that will
unite the seven.’
‘Great,’ Percy said. ‘I always wanted to be glue.’
Juno laced her crooked fingers. ‘The Heroes of
Olympus must unite! After your victory over Kronos in
Manhattan … well, I fear that wounded Jupiter’s selfesteem.’
‘Because I was right,’ Percy said. ‘And he was wrong.’
The old lady shrugged. ‘He should be used to that, after
so many aeons married to me, but alas! My proud and
obstinate husband refuses to ask mere demigods for help
again. He believes the giants can be fought without you,
and Gaia can be forced back to her slumbers. I know
better. But you must prove yourself. Only by sailing to the
ancient lands and closing the Doors of Death will you
convince Jupiter that you are worthy of fighting side by
side with the gods. It will be the greatest quest since
Aeneas sailed from Troy!’
‘And if we fail?’ Percy said. ‘If Romans and Greeks don’t
get along?’
‘Then Gaia has already won. I’ll tell you this, Percy
Jackson. The one who will cause you the most trouble is
the one closest to you – the one who hates me most.’
‘Annabeth?’ Percy felt his anger rising again. ‘You
never liked her. Now you’re calling her a troublemaker?
You don’t know her at all. She’s the person I most want
watching my back.’
The goddess smiled dryly. ‘We will see, young hero.
She has a hard task ahead of her when you arrive in
Rome. Whether she is up to it … I do not know.’
Percy summoned a fist of water and smashed it down at
the old lady. When the wave receded, she was gone.
The river swirled out of Percy’s control. He sank into the
darkness of the whirlpool.

Categories: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune - Chapter 50

THEY WERE, WITHOUT A DOUBT, the strangest reinforcements
in Roman military history. Hazel rode Arion, who had
recovered enough to carry one person at normal horse
speed, though he cursed about his aching hooves all the
way downhill.
Frank transformed into a bald eagle – which Percy still
found totally unfair – and soared above them. Tyson ran
down the hill, waving his club and yelling, ‘Bad pony-men!
BOO!’ while Ella fluttered around him, reciting facts from
the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
As for Percy, he rode Mrs O’Leary into battle with a
chariot full of Imperial gold equipment clanking and
clinking behind, the golden eagle standard of the Twelfth
Legion raised high above him.
They skirted the perimeter of the camp and took the
northernmost bridge over the Little Tiber, charging onto
the Field of Mars at the western edge of the battle. A
horde of Cyclopes was hammering away at the campers
of the Fifth Cohort, who were trying to keep their shields
locked just to stay alive.
Seeing them in trouble, Percy felt a surge of protective
rage. These were the kids who’d taken him in. This was his
family.
He shouted, ‘Fifth Cohort!’ and slammed into the
nearest Cyclops. The last things the poor monster saw
were Mrs O’Leary’s teeth.
After the Cyclops disintegrated – and stayed
disintegrated, thanks to Death – Percy leaped off his
hellhound and slashed wildly through the other monsters.
Tyson charged at the Cyclops leader, Ma Gasket, her
chain-mail dress spattered with mud and decorated with
broken spears.
She gawked at Tyson and started to say, ‘Who – ?’
Tyson hit her in the head so hard she spun in a circle
and landed on her rump.
‘Bad Cyclops Lady!’ he bellowed. ‘General Tyson says
GO AWAY!’
He hit her again, and Ma Gasket broke into dust.
Meanwhile Hazel charged around on Arion, slicing her
spatha through one Cyclops after another, while Frank
blinded the enemies with his talons.
Once every Cyclops within fifty yards had been reduced
to ashes, Frank landed in front of his troops and
transformed into a human. His centurion’s badge and
Mural Crown gleamed on his winter jacket.
‘Fifth Cohort!’ he bellowed. ‘Get your Imperial gold
weapons right here!’
The campers recovered from their shock and mobbed
the chariot. Percy did his best to hand out equipment
quickly.
‘Let’s go, let’s go!’ Dakota urged, grinning like a
madman as he swigged red Kool-Aid from his flask. ‘Our
comrades need help!’
Soon the Fifth Cohort was equipped with new weapons
and shields and helmets. They weren’t exactly consistent.
In fact they looked like they’d been shopping at a King
Midas clearance sale. But they were suddenly the most
powerful cohort in the legion.
‘Follow the eagle!’ Frank ordered. ‘To battle!’
The campers cheered. As Percy and Mrs O’Leary
charged onward, the entire cohort followed – forty
extremely shiny gold-plated warriors screaming for blood.
They slammed into a herd of wild centaurs that were
attacking the Third Cohort. When the campers of the
Third saw the eagle standard, they shouted insanely and
fought with renewed effort.
The centaurs didn’t stand a chance. The two cohorts
crushed them like a vice. Soon there was nothing left but
piles of dust and assorted hooves and horns. Percy
hoped Chiron would forgive him, but these centaurs
weren’t like the Party Ponies he’d met before. They were
some other breed. They had to be defeated.
‘Form ranks!’ the centurions shouted. The two cohorts
came together, their military training kicking in. Shields
locked, they marched into battle against the Earthborn.
Frank shouted, ‘Pila!’
A hundred spears bristled. When Frank yelled, ‘Fire!’
they sailed through the air – a wave of death cutting
through the six-armed monsters. The campers drew
swords and advanced towards the centre of the battle.
At the base of the aqueduct, the First and Second
Cohorts were trying to encircle Polybotes, but they were
taking a pounding. The remaining Earthborn threw
barrage after barrage of stone and mud. Karpoi grain
spirits – those horrible little piranha Cupids – were rushing
through the tall grass abducting campers at random,
pulling them away from the line. The giant himself kept
shaking basilisks out of his hair. Every time one landed,
the Romans panicked and ran. Judging from their
corroded shields and the smoking plumes on their
helmets, they’d already learned about the basilisks’
poison and fire.
Reyna soared above the giant, diving in with her javelin
whenever he turned his attention to the ground troops. Her
purple cloak snapped in the wind. Her golden armour
gleamed. Polybotes jabbed his trident and swung his
weighted net, but Scipio was almost as nimble as Arion.
Then Reyna noticed the Fifth Cohort marching to their
aid with the eagle. She was so stunned that the giant
almost swatted her out of the air, but Scipio dodged.
Reyna locked eyes with Percy and gave him a huge
smile.
‘Romans!’ Her voice boomed across the fields. ‘Rally to
the eagle!’
Demigods and monsters alike turned and gawked as
Percy bounded forward on his hellhound.
‘What is this?’ Polybotes demanded. ‘What is this?’
Percy felt a rush of power coursing through the
standard’s staff. He raised the eagle and shouted, ‘Twelfth
Legion Fulminata!’
Thunder shook the valley. The eagle let loose a
blinding flash, and a thousand tendrils of lightning
exploded from its golden wings – arcing in front of Percy
like the branches of an enormous deadly tree, connecting
with the nearest monsters, leaping from one to another,
completely ignoring the Roman forces.
When the lightning stopped, the First and Second
Cohorts were facing one surprised-looking giant and
several hundred smoking piles of ash. The enemy’s
centre line had been charred to oblivion.
The look on Octavian’s face was priceless. The
centurion stared at Percy with shock, then outrage. Then,
when his own troops started to cheer, he had no choice
except to join the shouting: ‘Rome! Rome!’
The giant Polybotes backed up uncertainly, but Percy
knew the battle wasn’t over.
The Fourth Cohort was still surrounded by Cyclopes.
Even Hannibal the elephant was having a hard time
wading through so many monsters. His black Kevlar
armour was ripped so that his label just said ANT.
The veterans and Lares on the eastern flank were being
pushed towards the city. The monsters’ siege tower was
still hurling explosive green fireballs into the streets. The
gorgons had disabled the giant eagles and now flew
unchallenged over the giant’s remaining centaurs and the
Earthborn, trying to rally them.
‘Stand your ground!’ Stheno yelled. ‘I’ve got free
samples!’
Polybotes bellowed. A dozen fresh basilisks fell out of
his hair, turning the grass to poison yellow. ‘You think this
changes anything, Percy Jackson? I cannot be destroyed!
Come forward, son of Neptune. I will break you!’
Percy dismounted. He handed Dakota the standard.
‘You are the cohort’s senior centurion. Take care of this.’
Dakota blinked, then he straightened with pride. He
dropped his Kool-Aid flask and took the eagle. ‘I will carry
it with honour.’
‘Frank, Hazel, Tyson,’ Percy said, ‘help the Fourth
Cohort. I’ve got a giant to kill.’
He raised Riptide, but before he could advance, horns
blew in the northern hills. Another army appeared on the
ridge – hundreds of warriors in black-and-grey
camouflage, armed with spears and shields. Interspersed
among their ranks were a dozen battle forklifts, their
sharpened tines gleaming in the sunset and flaming bolts
nocked in their crossbows.
‘Amazons,’ Frank said. ‘Great.’
Polybotes laughed. ‘You see? Our reinforcements have
arrived! Rome will fall today!’
The Amazons lowered their spears and charged down
the hill. Their forklifts barrelled into battle. The giant’s
army cheered – until the Amazons changed course and
headed straight for the monsters’ intact eastern flank.
‘Amazons, forward!’ On the largest forklift stood a girl
who looked like an older version of Reyna, in black
combat armour with a glittering gold belt round her waist.
‘Queen Hylla!’ said Hazel. ‘She survived!’
The Amazon queen shouted: ‘To my sister’s aid!
Destroy the monsters!’
‘Destroy!’ Her troops’ cry echoed through the valley.
Reyna wheeled her pegasus towards Percy. Her eyes
gleamed. Her expression said: I could hug you right now.
She shouted, ‘Romans! Advance!’
The battlefield descended into absolute chaos.
Amazon and Roman lines swung towards the enemy like
the Doors of Death themselves.
But Percy had only one goal. He pointed at the giant.
‘You. Me. To the finish.’
They met by the aqueduct, which had somehow survived
the battle so far. Polybotes fixed that. He swiped his
trident and smashed the nearest brick arch, unleashing a
waterfall.
‘Go on, then, son of Neptune!’ Polybotes taunted. ‘Let
me see your power! Does water do your bidding? Does it
heal you? But I am born to oppose Neptune.’
The giant thrust his hand under the water. As the torrent
passed through his fingers it turned dark green. He flung
some at Percy, who instinctively deflected it with his will.
The liquid splattered the ground in front of him. With a
nasty hiss, the grass withered and smoked.
‘My touch turns water to poison,’ Polybotes said. ‘Let’s
see what it does to your blood!’
He threw his net at Percy, but Percy rolled out of the
way. He diverted the waterfall straight into the giant’s face.
While Polybotes was blinded, Percy charged. He plunged
Riptide into the giant’s belly then withdrew it and vaulted
away, leaving the giant roaring in pain.
The strike would have dissolved any lesser monster,
but Polybotes just staggered and looked down at the
golden ichor – the blood of immortals – spilling from his
wound. The cut was already closing.
‘Good try, demigod,’ he snarled. ‘But I will break you
still.’
‘Gotta catch me first,’ Percy said.
He turned and bolted towards the city.
‘What?’ the giant yelled incredulously. ‘You run,
coward? Stand still and die!’
Percy had no intention of doing that. He knew he
couldn’t kill Polybotes alone. But he did have a plan.
He passed Mrs O’Leary, who looked up curiously with a
gorgon wriggling in her mouth.
‘I’m fine!’ Percy yelled as he ran by, followed by a giant
screaming bloody murder.
He jumped over a burning scorpion and ducked as
hannibal threw a Cyclops across his path. Out of the
corner of his eye, he saw Tyson pounding the Earthborn
into the ground like a game of whack-a-mole. Ella was
fluttering above him, dodging missiles and calling out
advice: ‘The groin. The Earthborn’s groin is sensitive.’
SMASH!
‘Good. Yes. Tyson found its groin.’
‘Percy needs help?’ Tyson called.
‘I’m good!’
‘Die!’ Polybotes yelled, closing fast. Percy kept running.
In the distance, he saw Hazel and Arion galloping
across the battlefield, cutting down centaurs and karpoi.
One grain spirit yelled, ‘Wheat! I’ll give you wheat!’ but
Arion stomped him into a pile of breakfast cereal. Queen
Hylla and Reyna joined forces, forklift and pegasus riding
together, scattering the dark shades of fallen warriors.
Frank turned himself into an elephant and stomped
through some Cyclopes, and Dakota held the golden
eagle high, blasting lightning at any monsters that dared
to challenge the Fifth Cohort.
All that was great, but Percy needed a different kind of
help. He needed a god.
He glanced back and saw the giant almost within arm’s
reach. To buy some time, Percy ducked behind one of the
aqueduct’s columns. The giant swung his trident. When
the column crumbled, Percy used the unleashed water to
guide the collapse – bringing down several tons of bricks
on the giant’s head.
Percy bolted for the city limits.
‘Terminus!’ he yelled.
The nearest statue of the god was about sixty feet
ahead. His stone eyes snapped open as Percy ran
towards him.
‘Completely unacceptable!’ he complained. ‘Buildings
on fire! Invaders! Get them out of here, Percy Jackson!’
‘I’m trying,’ he said. ‘But there’s this giant, Polybotes.’
‘Yes, I know! Wait – Excuse me a moment.’ Terminus
closed his eyes in concentration. A flaming green
cannonball sailed overhead and suddenly vaporized. ‘I
can’t stop all the missiles,’ Terminus complained. ‘Why
can’t they be civilized and attack more slowly? I’m only
one god.’
‘Help me kill the giant,’ Percy said, ‘and this will all be
over. A god and demigod working together – that’s the
only way to kill him.’
Terminus sniffed. ‘I guard borders. I don’t kill giants. It’s
not in my job description.’
‘Terminus, come on!’ Percy took another step forward,
and the god shrieked indignantly.
‘Stop right there, young man! No weapons inside the
Pomerian Line!’
‘But we’re under attack.’
‘I don’t care! Rules are rules. When people don’t follow
the rules, I get very, very angry.’
Percy smiled. ‘Hold that thought.’
He sprinted back towards the giant. ‘Hey, ugly!’
‘Rarrr!’ Polybotes burst from the ruins of the aqueduct.
The water was still pouring over him, turning to poison and
creating a steaming marsh around his feet.
‘You … you will die slowly,’ the giant promised. He
picked up his trident, now dripping with green venom.
All around them, the battle was winding down. As the
last monsters were mopped up, Percy’s friends started
gathering, forming a ring around the giant.
‘I will take you prisoner, Percy Jackson,’ Polybotes
snarled. ‘I will torture you under the sea. Every day the
water will heal you, and every day I will bring you closer to
death.’
‘Great offer,’ Percy said. ‘But I think I’ll just kill you
instead.’
Polybotes bellowed in rage. He shook his head, and
more basilisks flew from his hair.
‘Get back!’ Frank warned.
Fresh chaos spread through the ranks. Hazel spurred
Arion and put herself between the basilisks and the
campers. Frank changed form – shrinking into something
lean and furry … a weasel? Percy thought Frank had lost
his mind, but when Frank charged the basilisks, they
absolutely freaked out. They slithered away with Frank
chasing after them in hot weasely pursuit.
Polybotes pointed his trident and ran towards Percy. As
the giant reached the Pomerian Line, Percy jumped aside
like a bullfighter. Polybotes barrelled across the city
limits.
‘THAT’S IT!’ Terminus cried. ‘That’s AGAINST THE
RULES!’
Polybotes frowned, obviously confused that he was
being told off by a statue. ‘What are you?’ he growled.
‘Shut up!’
He pushed the statue over and turned back to Percy.
‘Now I’m MAD!’ Terminus shrieked. ‘I’m strangling you.
Feel that? Those are my hands round your neck, you big
bully. Get over here! I’m going to head-butt you so hard –’
‘Enough!’ The giant stepped on the statue and broke
Terminus in three pieces – pedestal, body and head.
‘You DIDN’T!’ shouted Terminus. ‘Percy Jackson,
you’ve got yourself a deal! Let’s kill this upstart.’
The giant laughed so hard that he didn’t realize Percy
was charging until it was too late. Percy jumped up,
vaulting off the giant’s knee, and drove Riptide straight
through one of the metal mouths on Polybotes’s
breastplate, sinking the Celestial bronze hilt-deep in his
chest. The giant stumbled backwards, tripping over
Terminus’s pedestal and crashing to the ground. While he
was trying to get up, clawing at the sword in his chest,
Percy hefted the head of the statue.
‘You’ll never win!’ the giant groaned. ‘You cannot defeat
me alone.’
‘I’m not alone.’ Percy raised the stone head above the
giant’s face. ‘I’d like you to meet my friend Terminus. He’s
a god!’
Too late, awareness and fear dawned in the giant’s face.
Percy smashed the god’s head as hard as he could into
Polybotes’s nose, and the giant dissolved, crumbling into
a steaming heap of seaweed, reptile skin and poisonous
muck.
Percy staggered away, completely exhausted.
‘Ha!’ said the head of Terminus. ‘That will teach him to
obey the rules of Rome.’
For a moment, the battlefield was silent except for a few
fires burning, and a few retreating monsters screaming in
panic.
A ragged circle of Romans and Amazons stood around
Percy. Tyson, Ella and Mrs O’Leary were there. Frank and
Hazel were grinning at him with pride. Arion was nibbling
contentedly on a golden shield.
The Romans began to chant, ‘Percy! Percy!’
They mobbed him. Before he knew it, they were raising
him on a shield. The cry changed to, ‘Praetor! Praetor!’
Among the chanters was Reyna herself, who held up
her hand and grasped Percy’s in congratulation. Then the
mob of cheering Romans carried him around the
Pomerian Line, carefully avoiding Terminus’s borders,
and escorted him back home to Camp

Categories: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune - Chapter 49

FOUR HOURS.
That’s how long it took the fastest horse on the planet to
get from Alaska to San Francisco Bay, heading straight
over the water down the North-west Coast.
That’s also how long it took for Percy’s memory to return
completely. The process had started in Portland when he
had drunk the gorgon’s blood, but his past life had still
been maddeningly fuzzy. Now, as they headed back into
the Olympian gods’ territory, Percy remembered
everything: the war with Kronos; his sixteenth birthday at
Camp Half-Blood; his trainer Chiron the centaur; his best
friend, Grover; his brother, Tyson; and most of all
Annabeth – two great months of dating, and then BOOM.
He’d been abducted by the alien known as Hera. Or
Juno … whatever.
Eight months of his life stolen. Next time Percy saw the
Queen of Olympus, he was definitely going to give her a
goddess-sized slap upside the head.
His friends and family must be going out of their minds.
If Camp Jupiter was in such bad trouble, he could only
guess what Camp Half-Blood must be facing without him.
Even worse: saving both camps would be only the
beginning. According to Alcyoneus, the real war would
happen far away, in the homeland of the gods. The giants
intended to attack the original Mount Olympus and
destroy the gods forever.
Percy knew that giants couldn’t die unless demigods
and gods fought them together. Nico had told him that.
Annabeth had mentioned it, too, back in August, when
she’d speculated that the giants might be part of the new
Great Prophecy – what the Romans called the Prophecy
of Seven. (That was the downside of dating the smartest
girl at camp: you learn stuff.)
He understood Juno’s plan: unite the Roman and
Greek demigods to create an elite team of heroes, then
somehow convince the gods to fight alongside them. But
first they had to save Camp Jupiter.
The coastline began to look familiar. They raced past
the Mendocino lighthouse. Shortly afterwards, Mount Tam
and the Marin headlands loomed out of the fog. Arion
shot straight under the Golden Gate Bridge into San
Francisco Bay.
They tore through Berkeley and into the Oakland Hills.
When they reached the hilltop above the Caldecott
Tunnel, Arion shuddered like a broken car and came to a
stop, his chest heaving.
Hazel patted his sides lovingly. ‘You did great, Arion.’
The horse was too tired even to cuss: Of course I did
great. What did you expect?
Percy and Frank jumped off the chariot. Percy wished
there’d been comfortable seats or an in-flight meal. His
legs were wobbly. His joints were so stiff he could barely
walk. If he went into battle like this, the enemy would call
him Old Man Jackson.
Frank didn’t look much better. He hobbled to the top of
the hill and peered down at the camp. ‘Guys … you need
to see this.’
When Percy and Hazel joined him, Percy’s heart sank.
The battle had begun, and it wasn’t going well. The Twelfth
Legion was arrayed on the Field of Mars, trying to protect
the city. Scorpions fired into the ranks of the Earthborn.
Hannibal the elephant ploughed down monsters right and
left, but the defenders were badly outnumbered.
On her pegasus Scipio, Reyna flew around the giant
Polybotes, trying to keep him occupied. The Lares had
formed shimmering purple lines against a mob of black,
vaporous shades in ancient armour. Veteran demigods
from the city had joined the battle, and were pushing their
shield wall against an onslaught of wild centaurs. Giant
eagles circled the battlefield, doing aerial combat with two
snake-haired ladies in green Bargain Mart vests – Stheno
and Euryale.
The legion itself was taking the brunt of the attack, but
their formation was breaking. Each cohort was an island in
a sea of enemies. The Cyclopes’ siege tower shot glowing
green cannonballs into the city, blasting craters in the
forum, reducing houses to ruins. As Percy watched, a
cannonball hit the Senate House and the dome partially
collapsed.
‘We’re too late,’ Hazel said.
‘No,’ Percy said. ‘They’re still fighting. We can do this.’
‘Where’s Lupa?’ Frank asked, desperation creeping into
his voice. ‘She and the wolves … they should be here.’
Percy thought about his time with the wolf goddess.
He’d come to respect her teachings, but he’d also learned
that wolves had limits. They weren’t front-line fighters.
They only attacked when they had vastly superior
numbers, and usually under the cover of darkness.
Besides, Lupa’s first rule was self-sufficiency. She would
help her children as much as she could, train them to fight
– but in the end they were either predator or prey. Romans
had to fight for themselves. They had to prove their worth
or die. That was Lupa’s way.
‘She did what she could,’ Percy said. ‘She slowed down
the army on its way south. Now it’s up to us. We’ve got to
get the gold eagle and these weapons to the legion.’
‘But Arion is out of steam!’ Hazel said. ‘We can’t haul
this stuff ourselves.’
‘Maybe we don’t have to.’ Percy scanned the hilltops. If
Tyson had got his dream message in Vancouver, help
might be close.
He whistled as loud as he could – a good New York cab
whistle that would’ve been heard all the way from Times
Square to Central Park.
Shadows rippled in the trees. A huge black shape
bounded out of nowhere – a mastiff the size of an SUV,
with a Cyclops and a harpy on her back.
‘Hellhound!’ Frank scrambled backwards.
‘It’s okay!’ Percy grinned. ‘These are friends.’
‘Brother!’ Tyson climbed off and ran towards Percy.
Percy tried to brace himself, but it was no good. Tyson
slammed into him and smothered him in a hug. For a few
seconds, Percy could only see black spots and lots of
flannel. Then Tyson let go and laughed with delight,
looking Percy over with that massive baby brown eye.
‘You are not dead!’ he said. ‘I like it when you are not
dead!’
Ella fluttered to the ground and began preening her
feathers. ‘Ella found a dog,’ she announced. ‘A large dog.
And a Cyclops.’
Was she blushing? Before Percy could decide, his
black mastiff pounced on him, knocking Percy to the
ground and barking so loudly that even Arion backed up.
‘Hey, Mrs O’Leary,’ Percy said. ‘Yeah, I love you, too,
girl. Good dog.’
Hazel made a squeaking sound. ‘You have a hellhound
named Mrs O’Leary?’
‘Long story.’ Percy managed to get to his feet and wipe
off the dog slobber. ‘You can ask your brother …’
His voice wavered when he saw Hazel’s expression.
He’d almost forgotten that Nico di Angelo was missing.
Hazel had told him what Thanatos had said about
searching for the Doors of Death in Rome, and Percy was
anxious to find Nico for his own reasons – to wring the
kid’s neck for having pretended he didn’t know Percy when
he first came to camp. Still, he was Hazel’s brother, and
finding him was a conversation for another time.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘But, yeah, this is my dog, Mrs O’Leary.
Tyson – these are my friends, Frank and Hazel.’
Percy turned to Ella, who was counting all the barbs in
one of her feathers.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked. ‘We were worried about you.’
‘Ella is not strong,’ she said. ‘Cyclopes are strong.
Tyson found Ella. Tyson took care of Ella.’
Percy raised his eyebrows. Ella was blushing.
‘Tyson,’ he said, ‘you big charmer, you.’
Tyson turned the same colour as Ella’s plumage.
‘Um … No.’ He leaned down and whispered nervously,
loud enough for all the others to hear: ‘She is pretty.’
Frank tapped his head like he was afraid his brain had
short-circuited. ‘Anyway, there’s this battle happening.’
‘Right,’ Percy agreed. ‘Tyson, where’s Annabeth? Is any
other help coming?’
Tyson pouted. His big brown eye got misty. ‘The big
ship is not ready. Leo says tomorrow, maybe two days.
Then they will come.’
‘We don’t have two minutes,’ Percy said. ‘Okay, here’s
the plan.’
As quickly as possible, he pointed out which were the
good guys and the bad guys on the battlefield. Tyson was
alarmed to learn that bad Cyclopes and bad centaurs
were in the giant’s army. ‘I have to hit pony-men?’
‘Just scare them away,’ Percy promised.
‘Um, Percy?’ Frank looked at Tyson with trepidation. ‘I
just … don’t want our friend here getting hurt. Is Tyson a
fighter?’
Percy smiled. ‘Is he a fighter? Frank, you’re looking at
General Tyson of the Cyclops army. And, by the way,
Tyson, Frank is a descendant of Poseidon.’
‘Brother!’ Tyson crushed Frank in a hug.
Percy stifled a laugh. ‘Actually he’s more like a greatgreat-
… Oh, never mind. Yeah, he’s your brother.’
‘Thanks,’ Frank mumbled through a mouthful of flannel.
‘But if the legion mistakes Tyson for an enemy –’
‘I’ve got it!’ Hazel ran to the chariot and dug out the
biggest Roman helmet she could find, plus an old Roman
banner embroidered with SPQR.
She handed them to Tyson. ‘Put those on, big guy.
Then our friends will know you’re on our team.’
‘Yay!’ Tyson said. ‘I’m on your team!’
The helmet was ridiculously small, and he put the cape
on backwards, like a SPQR baby bib.
‘It’ll do,’ Percy said. ‘Ella, just stay here. Stay safe.’
‘Safe,’ Ella repeated. ‘Ella likes being safe. Safety in
numbers. Safety deposit boxes. Ella will go with Tyson.’
‘What?’ Percy said. ‘Oh … fine. Whatever. Just don

Categories: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune - Chapter 48

PERCY WAS WAITING FOR THEM. He looked mad.
He stood at the edge of the glacier, leaning on the staff
with the golden eagle, gazing down at the wreckage he’d
caused: several hundred acres of newly open water dotted
with icebergs and flotsam from the ruined camp.
The only remains on the glacier were the main gates,
which listed sideways, and a tattered blue banner lying
over a pile of snow-bricks.
When they ran up to him, Percy said, ‘Hey,’ like they
were just meeting for lunch or something.
‘You’re alive!’ Frank marvelled.
Percy frowned. ‘The fall? That was nothing. I fell twice
that far from the St Louis Arch.’
‘You did what?’ Hazel asked.
‘Never mind. The important thing was I didn’t drown.’
‘So the prophecy was incomplete!’ Hazel grinned. ‘It
probably said something like: The son of Neptune will
drown a whole bunch of ghosts.’
Percy shrugged. He was still looking at Frank like he
was miffed. ‘I got a bone to pick with you, Zhang. You can
turn into an eagle? And a bear?’
‘And an elephant,’ Hazel said proudly.
‘An elephant.’ Percy shook his head in disbelief. ‘That’s
your family gift? You can change shape?’
Frank shuffled his feet. ‘Um … yeah. Periclymenus, my
ancestor, the Argonaut – he could do that. He passed
down the ability.’
‘And he got that gift from Poseidon,’ Percy said. ‘That’s
completely unfair. I can’t turn into animals.’
Frank stared at him. ‘Unfair? You can breathe
underwater and blow up glaciers and summon freaking
hurricanes – and it’s unfair that I can be an elephant?’
Percy considered. ‘Okay. I guess you got a point. But
next time I say you’re totally beast –’
‘Just shut up,’ Frank said. ‘Please.’
Percy cracked a smile.
‘If you guys are done,’ Hazel said, ‘we need to go. Camp
Jupiter is under attack. They could use that gold eagle.’
Percy nodded. ‘One thing first, though. Hazel, there’s
about a ton of Imperial gold weapons and armour at the
bottom of the bay now, plus a really nice chariot. I’m
betting that stuff could come in handy …’
It took them a long time – too long – but they all knew
those weapons could make the difference between victory
and defeat if they got them back to camp in time.
Hazel used her abilities to levitate some items from the
bottom of the sea. Percy swam down and brought up
more. Even Frank helped by turning into a seal, which was
kind of cool, though Percy claimed his breath smelled like
fish.
It took all three of them to raise the chariot, but finally
they’d managed to haul everything ashore to a black sand
beach near the base of the glacier. They couldn’t fit
everything in the chariot, but they used Frank’s rope to
strap down most of the gold weapons and the best pieces
of armour.
‘It looks like Santa’s sleigh,’ Frank said. ‘Can Arion even
pull that much?’
Arion huffed.
‘Hazel,’ Percy said, ‘I am seriously going to wash your
horse’s mouth with soap. He says, yes, he can pull it, but
he needs food.’
Hazel picked up an old Roman dagger, a pugio. It was
bent and dull, so it wouldn’t be much good in a fight, but it
looked like solid Imperial gold.
‘Here you go, Arion,’ she said. ‘High-performance fuel.’
The horse took the dagger in his teeth and chewed it
like an apple. Frank made a silent oath never to put his
hand near that horse’s mouth.
‘I’m not doubting Arion’s strength,’ he said carefully, ‘but
will the chariot hold up? The last one –’
‘This one has Imperial gold wheels and axle,’ Percy
said. ‘It should hold.’
‘If not,’ Hazel said, ‘this is going to be a short trip. But
we’re out of time. Come on!’
Frank and Percy climbed into the chariot. Hazel swung
up onto Arion’s back.
‘Giddyup!’ she yelled.
The horse’s sonic boom echoed across the bay. They
sped south, avalanches tumbling down the mountains as
they passed.

Categories: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune - Chapter 47

FRANK WAS SO STUNNED THAT Hazel had to yell his name a
dozen times before he realized Alcyoneus was getting up
again.
He slammed his shield into the giant’s nose until
Alcyoneus began to snore. Meanwhile the glacier kept
crumbling, the edge getting closer and closer.
Thanatos glided towards them on his black wings, his
expression serene.
‘Ah, yes,’ he said with satisfaction. ‘There go some
souls. Drowning, drowning. You’d best hurry, my friends,
or you’ll drown, too.’
‘But Percy …’ Frank could barely speak his friend’s
name. ‘Is he –?’
‘Too soon to tell. As for this one …’ Thanatos looked
down at Alcyoneus with distaste. ‘You’ll never kill him
here. You know what to do?’
Frank nodded numbly. ‘I think so.’
‘Then our business is complete.’
Frank and Hazel exchanged nervous looks.
‘Um …’ Hazel faltered. ‘You mean you won’t … you’re
not going to –’
‘Claim your life?’ Thanatos asked. ‘Well, let’s see …’
He pulled a pure-black iPad from thin air. Death tapped
the screen a few times, and all Frank could think was:
Please don’t let there be an app for reaping souls.
‘I don’t see you on the list,’ Thanatos said. ‘Pluto gives
me specific orders for escaped souls, you see. For some
reason, he has not issued a warrant for yours. Perhaps he
feels your life is not finished, or it could be an oversight. If
you’d like me to call and ask –’
‘No!’ Hazel yelped. ‘That’s okay.’
‘Are you sure?’ Death asked helpfully. ‘I have videoconferencing
enabled. I have his Skype address here
somewhere …’
‘Really, no.’ Hazel looked as if several thousand
pounds of worry had just been lifted from her shoulders.
‘Thank you.’
‘Urgg,’ Alcyoneus mumbled.
Frank hit him over the head again.
Death looked up from his iPad. ‘As for you, Frank
Zhang, it isn’t your time, either. You’ve got a little fuel left
to burn. But don’t think I’m doing either of you a favour. We
will meet again under less pleasant circumstances.’
The cliff was still crumbling, the edge only twenty feet
away now. Arion whinnied impatiently. Frank knew they
had to leave, but there was one more question he had to
ask.
‘What about the Doors of Death?’ he said. ‘Where are
they? How do we close them?’
‘Ah, yes.’ A look of irritation flickered across Thanatos’s
face. ‘The Doors of Me. Closing them would be good, but I
fear it is beyond my power. How you would do it, I haven’t
the faintest idea. I can’t tell you exactly where they are.
The location isn’t … well, it’s not entirely a physical place.
They must be located through questing. I can tell you to
start your search in Rome. The original Rome. You will
need a special guide. Only one sort of demigod can read
the signs that will ultimately lead you to the Doors of Me.’
Cracks appeared in the ice under their feet. Hazel
patted Arion’s neck to keep him from bolting.
‘What about my brother?’ she asked. ‘Is Nico alive?’
Thanatos gave her a strange look – possibly pity,
though that didn’t seem like an emotion Death would
understand. ‘You will find the answer in Rome. And now I
must fly south to your Camp Jupiter. I have a feeling there
will be many souls to reap, very soon. Farewell,
demigods, until we meet again.’
Thanatos dissipated into black smoke.
The cracks widened in the ice under Frank’s feet.
‘Hurry!’ he told Hazel. ‘We’ve got to take Alcyoneus
about ten miles due north!’
He climbed onto the giant’s chest and Arion took off,
racing across the ice, dragging Alcyoneus like the world’s
ugliest sled.
It was a short trip.
Arion rode the glacier like a highway, zipping across the
ice, leaping crevices and skidding down slopes that
would’ve made a snowboarder’s eyes light up.
Frank didn’t have to knock out Alcyoneus too many
times, because the giant’s head kept bouncing and hitting
the ice. As they raced along, the half-conscious Golden
Boy mumbled a tune that sounded like ‘Jingle Bells’.
Frank felt pretty stunned himself. He’d just turned into
an eagle and a bear. He could still feel fluid energy
rippling through his body, like he was halfway between a
solid and liquid state.
Not only that: Hazel and he had released Death, and
both of them had survived. And Percy … Frank swallowed
down his fear. Percy had gone over the side of the glacier
to save them.
The son of Neptune shall drown.
No. Frank refused to believe Percy was dead. They
hadn’t come all this way just to lose their friend. Frank
would find him – but first they had to deal with Alcyoneus.
He visualized the map he had been studying on the
train from Anchorage. He knew roughly where they were
going, but there were no signs or markers on top of the
glacier. He’d just have to take his best guess.
Finally Arion zoomed between two mountains into a
valley of ice and rocks, like a massive bowl of frozen milk
with bits of Cocoa Puffs. The giant’s golden skin paled as
if it were turning to brass. Frank felt a subtle vibration in
his own body, like a tuning fork pressed against his
sternum. He knew he’d crossed into friendly territory –
home territory.
‘Here!’ Frank shouted.
Arion veered to one side. Hazel cut the rope and
Alcyoneus went skidding past. Frank leaped off just
before the giant slammed into a boulder.
Immediately Alcyoneus jumped to his feet. ‘What?
Where? Who?’
His nose was bent in an odd direction. His wounds had
healed, though his golden skin had lost some of its lustre.
He looked around for his iron staff, which was still back at
Hubbard Glacier. Then he gave up and pounded the
nearest boulder to pieces with his fist.
‘You dare take me for a sleigh ride?’ He tensed and
sniffed the air. ‘That smell … like snuffed-out souls.
Thanatos is free, eh? Bah! It doesn’t matter. Gaia still
controls the Doors of Death. Now, why have you brought
me here, son of Mars?’
‘To kill you,’ Frank said. ‘Next question?’
The giant’s eyes narrowed. ‘I’ve never known a child of
Mars who can change his form, but that doesn’t mean you
can defeat me. Do you think your stupid soldier of a father
gave you the strength to face me in one-on-one combat?’
Hazel drew her sword. ‘How about two on one?’
The giant growled and charged at Hazel, but Arion
nimbly darted out of the way. Hazel slashed her sword
across the back of the giant’s calf. Black oil spouted from
the wound.
Alcyoneus stumbled. ‘You can’t kill me, Thanatos or
no!’ Hazel made a grabbing gesture with her free hand. An
invisible force yanked the giant’s jewel-encrusted hair
backwards. Hazel rushed in, slashed his other leg and
raced away before he could regain his balance.
‘Stop that!’ Alcyoneus shouted. ‘This is Alaska. I am
immortal in my homeland!’
‘Actually,’ Frank said, ‘I have some bad news about that.
See, I got more from my dad than strength.’
The giant snarled. ‘What are you talking about, war
brat?’
‘Tactics,’ Frank said. ‘That’s my gift from Mars. A battle
can be won before it’s ever fought by choosing the right
ground.’ He pointed over his shoulder. ‘We crossed the
border a few hundred yards back. You’re not in Alaska any
more. Can’t you feel it, Al? You want to get to Alaska
… you have to go through me.’
Slowly, understanding dawned in the giant’s eyes. He
looked down incredulously at his wounded legs. Oil still
poured from his calves, turning the ice black.
‘Impossible!’ the giant bellowed. ‘I’ll – I’ll – Gah!’
He charged at Frank, determined to reach the
international boundary. For a split second, Frank doubted
his plan. If he couldn’t use his gift again, if he froze, he was
dead. Then he remembered his grandmother’s
instructions:
It helps if you know the creature well. Check.
It also helps if you are in a life-and-death situation, such
as combat. Double check.
The giant kept coming. Twenty yards. Ten yards.
‘Frank?’ Hazel called nervously.
Frank stood his ground. ‘I got this.’
Just before Alcyoneus smashed into him, Frank
changed. He’d always felt too big and clumsy. Now he
used that feeling. His body swelled to massive size. His
skin thickened. His arms changed to stout front legs. His
mouth grew tusks and his nose elongated. He became
the animal he knew best – the one he’d cared for, fed,
bathed and even given indigestion to at Camp Jupiter.
Alcyoneus slammed into a full-grown ten-ton elephant.
The giant staggered sideways. He screamed in frustration
and slammed into Frank again, but Alcyoneus was
completely out of his weight division. Frank head-butted
him so hard Alcyoneus flew backwards and landed
spread-eagled on the ice.
‘You – can’t – kill me,’ Alcyoneus growled. ‘You can’t –’
Frank turned back to his normal form. He walked up to
the giant, whose oily wounds were steaming. The gems
fell out of his hair and sizzled in the snow. His golden skin
began to corrode, breaking into chunks.
Hazel dismounted and stood next to Frank, her sword
ready. ‘May I?’
Frank nodded. He looked into the giant’s seething eyes.
‘Here’s a tip, Alcyoneus. Next time you choose the
biggest state for your home, don’t set up base in the part
that’s only ten miles wide. Welcome to Canada, idiot.’
Hazel’s sword came down on the giant’s neck.
Alcyoneus dissolved into a pile of very expensive rocks.
For a while Hazel and Frank stood together, watching
the remains of the giant melt into the ice. Frank picked up
his rope.
‘An elephant?’ Hazel asked.
Frank scratched his neck. ‘Yeah. It seemed like a good
idea.’
He couldn’t read her expression. He was afraid he’d
finally done something so weird that she’d never want to
be around him again. Frank Zhang: lumbering klutz, child
of Mars, part-time pachyderm.
Then she kissed him – a real kiss on the lips, much
better than the kind of kiss she’d given Percy on the
aeroplane.
‘You are amazing,’ she said. ‘And you make a very
handsome elephant.’
Frank felt so flustered that he thought his boots might
melt through the ice. Before he could say anything, a
voice echoed across the valley:
You haven’t won.
Frank looked up. Shadows were shifting across the
nearest mountain, forming the face of a sleeping woman.
You will never reach home in time, taunted the voice of
Gaia. Even now, Thanatos is attending the death of Camp
Jupiter, the final destruction of your Roman friends.
The mountain rumbled as if the whole earth were
laughing. The shadows disappeared.
Hazel and Frank looked at each other. Neither said a
word. They climbed onto Arion and sped back towards
Glacier Bay.

Categories: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune - Chapter 46

FRANK UNWRAPPED THE FIREWOOD and knelt at the feet of
Thanatos.
He was aware of Percy standing over him, swinging his
sword and yelling in defiance as the ghosts closed in. He
heard the giant bellow and Arion whinny angrily, but he
didn’t dare look.
His hands trembling, he held his piece of tinder next to
the chains on Death’s right leg. He thought about flames,
and instantly the wood blazed.
Horrible warmth spread through Frank’s body. The icy
metal began to melt, the flame so bright it was more
blinding than the ice.
‘Good,’ Thanatos said. ‘Very good, Frank Zhang.’
Frank had heard about people’s lives flashing before
their eyes, but now he experienced it literally. He saw his
mother the day she left for Afghanistan. She smiled and
hugged him. He tried to breath in her jasmine scent so
he’d never forget it.
I will always be proud of you, Frank, she said. Some
day, you’ll travel even further than I. You’ll bring our family
full circle. Years from now, our descendants will be telling
stories about the hero Frank Zhang, their great-greatgreat-
– She poked him in the belly for old times’ sake. It
would be the last time Frank smiled for months.
He saw himself at the picnic bench in Moose Pass,
watching the stars and the northern lights as Hazel snored
softly beside him, Percy saying, Frank, you are a leader.
We need you.
He saw Percy disappearing into the muskeg, then
Hazel diving after him. Frank remembered how alone he
had felt holding on to the bow, how utterly powerless. He
had pleaded with the Olympian gods – even Mars – to
help his friends, but he knew they were beyond the gods’
reach.
With a clank, the first chain broke. Quickly, Frank
stabbed the firewood at the chain on Death’s other leg.
He risked a glance over his shoulder.
Percy was fighting like a whirlwind. In fact … he was a
whirlwind. A miniature hurricane of water and ice vapour
churned around him as he waded through the enemy,
knocking Roman ghosts away, deflecting arrows and
spears. Since when did he have that power?
He moved through the enemy lines, and even though
he seemed to be leaving Frank undefended, the enemy
was completely focused on Percy. Frank wasn’t sure why –
then he saw Percy’s goal. One of the black vapoury ghosts
was wearing the lion-skin cape of a standard bearer and
holding a pole with a golden eagle, icicles frozen to its
wings.
The legion’s standard.
Frank watched as Percy ploughed through a line of
legionnaires, scattering their shields with his personal
cyclone. He knocked down the standard bearer and
grabbed the eagle.
‘You want it back?’ he shouted at the ghosts. ‘Come and
get it!’
He drew them away, and Frank couldn’t help being
awed by his bold strategy. As much as those shades
wanted to keep Thanatos chained, they were Roman
spirits. Their minds were fuzzy at best, like the ghosts
Frank had seen in Asphodel, but they remembered one
thing clearly: they were supposed to protect their eagle.
Still, Percy couldn’t fight off that many enemies forever.
Maintaining a storm like that had to be difficult. Despite
the cold, his face was already beaded with sweat.
Frank looked for Hazel. He couldn’t see her or the giant.
‘Watch your fire, boy,’ Death warned. ‘You don’t have
any to waste.’
Frank cursed. He’d got so distracted, he hadn’t noticed
the second chain had melted.
He moved his fire to the shackles on the god’s right
hand. The piece of tinder was almost half gone now. Frank
started to shiver. More images flashed through his mind.
He saw Mars sitting at his grandmother’s bedside, looking
at Frank with those nuclear-explosion eyes: You’re Juno’s
secret weapon. Have you figured out your gift yet?
He heard his mother say: You can be anything.
Then he saw Grandmother’s stern face, her skin as thin
as rice paper, her white hair spread across her pillow. Yes,
Fai Zhang. Your mother was not simply boosting your
self-esteem. She was telling you the literal truth.
He thought of the grizzly bear his mother had
intercepted at the edge of the woods. He thought of the
large black bird circling over the flames of their family
mansion.
The third chain snapped. Frank thrust the tinder at the
last shackle. His body was racked with pain. Yellow
splotches danced in his eyes.
He saw Percy at the end of the Via Principalis, holding
off the army of ghosts. He’d overturned the chariot and
destroyed several buildings, but every time he threw off a
wave of attackers in his hurricane, the ghosts simply got
up and charged again. Every time Percy slashed one of
them down with his sword, the ghost re-formed
immediately. Percy had backed up almost as far as he
could go. Behind him was the side gate of the camp and,
about twenty feet beyond that, the edge of the glacier.
As for Hazel, she and Alcyoneus had managed to
destroy most of the barracks in their battle. Now they were
fighting in the wreckage at the main gate. Arion was
playing a dangerous game of tag, charging around the
giant while Alyconeus swiped at them with his staff,
knocking over walls and cleaving massive chasms in the
ice. Only Arion’s speed kept them alive.
Finally, Death’s last chain snapped. With a desperate
yelp, Frank jabbed his firewood into a pile of snow and
extinguished the flame. His pain faded. He was still alive.
But when he took out the piece of tinder it was no more
than a stub, smaller than a candy bar.
Thanatos raised his arms.
‘Free,’ he said with satisfaction.
‘Great.’ Frank blinked the spots from his eyes. ‘Then do
something!’
Thanatos gave him a calm smile. ‘Do something? Of
course. I will watch. Those who die in this battle will stay
dead.’
‘Thanks,’ Frank muttered, slipping his firewood into his
coat. ‘Very helpful.’
‘You’re most welcome,’ Thanatos said agreeably.
‘Percy!’ Frank yelled. ‘They can die now!’
Percy nodded understanding, but he looked worn out.
His hurricane was slowing down. His strikes were getting
slower. The entire ghostly army had him surrounded,
gradually forcing him towards the edge of the glacier.
Frank drew his bow to help. Then he dropped it. Normal
arrows from a hunting store in Seward wouldn’t do any
good. Frank would have to use his gift.
He thought he understood his powers at last.
Something about watching the firewood burn, smelling the
acrid smoke of his own life, had made him feel strangely
confident.
Is it fair your life burns so short and bright? Death had
asked.
‘No such thing as fair,’ Frank told himself. ‘If I’m going to
burn, it might as well be bright.’
He took one step towards Percy. Then, from across the
camp, Hazel yelled in pain. Arion screamed as the giant
got a lucky shot. His staff sent horse and rider tumbling
over the ice, crashing into the ramparts.
‘Hazel!’ Frank glanced back at Percy, wishing he had
his spear. If he could just summon Grey … but he couldn’t
be in two places at once.
‘Go help her!’ Percy yelled, holding the golden eagle
aloft. ‘I’ve got these guys!’
Percy didn’t have them. Frank knew that. The son of
Poseidon was about to be overwhelmed, but Frank ran to
Hazel’s aid.
She was half-buried in a collapsed pile of snow-bricks.
Arion stood over her, trying to protect her, rearing and
swatting at the giant with his front hooves.
The giant laughed. ‘Hello, little pony. You want to play?’
Alcyoneus raised his icy staff.
Frank was too far away to help … but he imagined
himself rushing forward, his feet leaving the ground.
Be anything.
He remembered the bald eagles they’d seen on the
train ride. His body became smaller and lighter. His arms
stretched into wings, and his sight became a thousand
times sharper. He soared upward, then dived at the giant
with his talons extended, his razor-sharp claws raking
across the giant’s eyes.
Alcyoneus bellowed in pain. He staggered backwards
as Frank landed in front of Hazel and returned to his
normal form.
‘Frank …’ She stared at him in amazement, a cap of
snow dripping off her head. ‘What just … how did – ?’
‘Fool!’ Alcyoneus shouted. His face was slashed, black
oil dripping into his eyes instead of blood, but the wounds
were already closing. ‘I am immortal in my homeland,
Frank Zhang! And thanks to your friend Hazel, my new
homeland is Alaska. You cannot kill me here!’
‘We’ll see,’ Frank said. Power coursed through his arms
and legs. ‘Hazel, get back on your horse.’
The giant charged, and Frank charged to meet him. He
remembered the bear he’d met face to face when he was a
child. As he ran, his body became heavier, thicker,
rippling with muscles. He crashed into the giant as a fullgrown
grizzly, a thousand pounds of pure force. He was
still small compared to Alcyoneus, but he slammed into
the giant with such momentum that Alcyoneus toppled
into an icy watchtower that collapsed on top of him.
Frank sprang at the giant’s head. A swipe of his claw
was like a heavyweight fighter swinging a chain saw. Frank
bashed the giant’s face back and forth until his metallic
features began to dent.
‘Urgg,’ the giant mumbled in a stupor.
Frank changed to his regular form. His backpack was
still with him. He grabbed the rope he’d bought in Seward,
quickly made a noose and fastened it round the giant’s
scaly dragon foot.
‘Hazel, here!’ He tossed her the other end of the rope.
‘I’ve got an idea, but we’ll have to –’
‘Kill – uh – you – uh …’ Alcyoneus muttered.
Frank ran to the giant’s head, picked up the nearest
heavy object he could find – a legion shield – and
slammed it into the giant’s nose.
The giant said, ‘Urgg.’
Frank looked back at Hazel. ‘How far can Arion pull this
guy?’
Hazel just stared at him. ‘You – you were a bird. Then a
bear. And –’
‘I’ll explain later,’ Frank said. ‘We need to drag this guy
inland, as fast and far as we can.’
‘But Percy!’ Hazel said.
Frank cursed. How could he have forgotten?
Through the ruins of the camp, he saw Percy with his
back to the edge of the cliff. His hurricane was gone. He
held Riptide in one hand and the legion’s golden eagle in
the other. The entire army of shades edged forward, their
weapons bristling.
‘Percy!’ Frank yelled.
Percy glanced over. He saw the fallen giant and
seemed to understand what was happening. He yelled
something that was lost in the wind, probably: Go!
Then he slammed Riptide into the ice at his feet. The
entire glacier shuddered. Ghosts fell to their knees.
Behind Percy, a wave surged up from the bay – a wall of
grey water even taller than the glacier. Water shot from the
chasms and crevices in the ice. As the wave hit, the back
half of the camp crumbled. The entire edge of the glacier
peeled away, cascading into the void – carrying buildings,
ghosts and Percy Jackson over the edge.

Categories: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune - Chapter 45

NO FAIRNESS IN DEATH. Those words kept ringing in Frank’s
head.
The golden giant didn’t scare him. The army of shades
didn’t scare him. But the thought of freeing Thanatos
made Frank want to curl into the foetal position. This god
had taken his mother.
Frank understood what he had to do to break those
chains. Mars had warned him. He’d explained why he
loved Emily Zhang so much: She always put her duty first,
ahead of everything. Even her life.
Now it was Frank’s turn.
His mother’s sacrifice medal felt warm in his pocket. He
finally understood his mother’s choice, saving her
comrades at the cost of her own life. He got what Mars had
been trying to tell him – Duty. Sacrifice. They mean
something.
In Frank’s chest, a hard knot of anger and resentment –
a lump of grief he’d been carrying since the funeral –
finally began to dissolve. He understood why his mother
never came home. Some things were worth dying for.
‘Hazel.’ He tried to keep his voice steady. ‘That package
you’re keeping for me? I need it.’
Hazel glanced at him in dismay. Sitting on Arion, she
looked like a queen, powerful and beautiful, her brown hair
swept over her shoulders and a wreath of icy mist around
her head. ‘Frank, no. There has to be another way.’
‘Please. I – I know what I’m doing.’
Thanatos smiled and lifted his manacled wrists. ‘You’re
right, Frank Zhang. Sacrifices must be made.’
Great. If Death approved of his plan, Frank was pretty
sure he wasn’t going to like the results.
The giant Alcyoneus stepped forward, his reptilian feet
shaking the ground. ‘What package do you speak of,
Frank Zhang? Have you brought me a present?’
‘Nothing for you, Golden Boy,’ Frank said. ‘Except a
whole lot of pain.’
The giant roared with laughter. ‘Spoken like a child of
Mars! Too bad I have to kill you. And this one … my, my,
I’ve been waiting to meet the famous Percy Jackson.’
The giant grinned. His silver teeth made his mouth look
like a car grille.
‘I’ve followed your progress, son of Neptune,’ said
Alcyoneus. ‘Your fight with Kronos? Well done. Gaia
hates you above all others … except perhaps for that
upstart Jason Grace. I’m sorry I can’t kill you right away,
but my brother Polybotes wishes to keep you as a pet. He
thinks it will be amusing when he destroys Neptune to
have the god’s favourite son on a leash. After that, of
course, Gaia has plans for you.’
‘Yeah, flattering.’ Percy raised Riptide. ‘But actually I’m
the son of Poseidon. I’m from Camp Half-Blood.’
The ghosts stirred. Some drew swords and lifted
shields. Alcyoneus raised his hand, gesturing for them to
wait.
‘Greek, Roman, it doesn’t matter,’ the giant said easily.
‘We will crush both camps underfoot. You see, the Titans
didn’t think big enough. They planned to destroy the gods
in their new home of America. We giants know better! To
kill a weed, you must pull up its roots. Even now, while my
forces destroy your little Roman camp, my brother
Porphyrion is preparing for the real battle in the ancient
lands! We will destroy the gods at their source.’
The ghosts pounded their swords against their shields.
The sound echoed across the mountains.
‘The source?’ Frank asked. ‘You mean Greece?’
Alcyoneus chuckled. ‘No need to worry about that, son
of Mars. You won’t live long enough to see our ultimate
victory. I will replace Pluto as Lord of the Underworld. I
already have Death in my custody. With Hazel Levesque
in my service, I will have all the riches under the earth as
well!’
Hazel gripped her spatha. ‘I don’t do service.’
‘Oh, but you gave me life!’ Alcyoneus said. ‘True, we
hoped to awaken Gaia during World War II. That would’ve
been glorious. But, really, the world is in almost as bad a
shape now. Soon, your civilization will be wiped out. The
Doors of Death will stand open. Those who serve us will
never perish. Alive or dead, you three will join my army.’
Percy shook his head. ‘Fat chance, Golden Boy. You’re
going down.’
‘Wait.’ Hazel spurred her horse towards the giant. ‘I
raised this monster from the earth. I’m the daughter of
Pluto. It’s my place to kill him.’
‘Ah, little Hazel.’ Alcyoneus planted his staff on the ice.
His hair glittered with millions of dollars’ worth of gems.
‘Are you sure you will not join us of your own free will? You
could be quite … precious to us. Why die again?’
Hazel’s eyes flashed with anger. She looked down at
Frank and pulled the wrapped-up piece of firewood from
her coat. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yeah,’ he said.
She pursed her lips. ‘You’re my best friend, too, Frank. I
should have told you that.’ She tossed him the stick. ‘Do
what you have to. And, Percy … can you protect him?’
Percy gazed at the ranks of ghostly Romans. ‘Against a
small army? Sure, no problem.’
‘Then I’ve got Golden Boy,’ Hazel said.
She charged the giant.

Categories: The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune - Chapter 44

THE GHOSTS FORMED RANKS AND ENCIRCLED the crossroads.
There were about a hundred in all – not an entire legion,
but more than a cohort. Some carried the tattered
lightning-bolt banners of the Twelfth Legion, Fifth Cohort –
Michael Varus’s doomed expedition from the 1980s.
Others carried standards and insignia Hazel didn’t
recognize, as if they’d died at different times, on different
quests – maybe not even from Camp Jupiter.
Most were armed with Imperial gold weapons – more
Imperial gold than the entire Twelfth Legion possessed.
Hazel could feel the combined power of all that gold
humming around her, even scarier than the crackling of
the glacier. She wondered if she could use her power to
control the weapons, maybe disarm the ghosts, but she
was afraid to try. Imperial gold wasn’t just a precious
metal. It was deadly to demigods and monsters. Trying to
control that much at once would be like trying to control
plutonium in a reactor. If she failed, she might wipe
Hubbard Glacier off the map and kill her friends.
‘Thanatos!’ Hazel turned to the robed figure. ‘We’re here
to rescue you. If you control these shades, tell them –’
Her voice faltered. The god’s hood fell away and his
robes dropped off as he spread his wings, leaving him in
only a sleeveless black tunic belted at the waist. He was
the most beautiful man Hazel had ever seen.
His skin was the colour of teakwood, dark and glistening
like Queen Marie’s old séance table. His eyes were as
honey gold as Hazel’s. He was lean and muscular, with a
regal face and black hair flowing down his shoulders. His
wings glimmered in shades of blue, black and purple.
Hazel reminded herself to breathe.
Beautiful was the right word for Thanatos – not
handsome, or hot, or anything like that. He was beautiful
the way an angel is beautiful – timeless, perfect, remote.
‘Oh,’ she said in a small voice.
The god’s wrists were shackled in icy manacles, with
chains that ran straight into the glacier floor. His feet were
bare, shackled round the ankles and also chained.
‘It’s Cupid,’ Frank said.
‘A really buff Cupid,’ Percy agreed.
‘You compliment me,’ Thanatos said. His voice was as
gorgeous as he was – deep and melodious. ‘I am
frequently mistaken for the god of love. Death has more in
common with Love than you might imagine. But I am
Death. I assure you.’
Hazel didn’t doubt it. She felt as if she were made of
ashes. Any second, she might crumble and be sucked
into the vacuum. She doubted Thanatos even needed to
touch her to kill her. He could simply tell her to die. She
would keel over on the spot, her soul obeying that
beautiful voice and those kind eyes.
‘We’re – we’re here to save you,’ she managed. ‘Where’s
Alcyoneus?’
‘Save me … ?’ Thanatos narrowed his eyes. ‘Do you
understand what you are saying, Hazel Levesque? Do
you understand what that will mean?’
Percy stepped forward. ‘We’re wasting time.’
He swung his sword at the god’s chains. Celestial
bronze rang against the ice, but Riptide stuck to the chain
like glue. Frost began creeping up the blade. Percy pulled
frantically. Frank ran to help. Together, they just managed
to yank Riptide free before the frost reached their hands.
‘That won’t work,’ Thanatos said simply. ‘As for the giant,
he is close. These shades are not mine. They are his.’
Thanatos’s eyes scanned the ghost soldiers. They
shifted uncomfortably, as if an Arctic wind were rattling
through their ranks.
‘So how do we get you out?’ Hazel demanded.
Thanatos turned his attention back to her. ‘Daughter of
Pluto, child of my master, you of all people should not
wish me released.’
‘Don’t you think I know that?’ Hazel’s eyes stung, but she
was done being afraid. She’d been a scared little girl
seventy years ago. She’d lost her mother because she
acted too late. Now she was a soldier of Rome. She wasn’t
going to fail again. She wasn’t going to let down her
friends.
‘Listen, Death.’ She drew her cavalry sword, and Arion
reared in defiance. ‘I didn’t come back from the
Underworld and travel thousands of miles to be told that
I’m stupid for setting you free. If I die, I die. I’ll fight this
whole army if I have to. Just tell us how to break your
chains.’
Thanatos studied her for a heartbeat. ‘Interesting. You
do understand that these shades were once demigods
like you. They fought for Rome. They died without
completing their heroic quests. Like you, they were sent to
Asphodel. Now Gaia has promised them a second life if
they fight for her today. Of course, if you release me and
defeat them, they will have to return to the Underworld
where they belong. For treason against the gods, they will
face eternal punishment. They are not so different from
you, Hazel Levesque. Are you sure you want to release
me and damn these souls forever?’
Frank clenched his fists. ‘That’s not fair! Do you want to
be freed or not?’
‘Fair …’ Death mused. ‘You’d be amazed how often I
hear that word, Frank Zhang, and how meaningless it is. Is
it fair that your life will burn so short and bright? Was it fair
when I guided your mother to the Underworld?’
Frank staggered like he’d been punched.
‘No,’ Death said sadly. ‘Not fair. And yet it was her time.
There is no fairness in Death. If you free me, I will do my
duty. But of course these shades will try to stop you.’
‘So if we let you go,’ Percy summed up, ‘we get mobbed
by a bunch of black vapour dudes with gold swords. Fine.
How do we break those chains?’
Thanatos smiled. ‘Only the fire of life can melt the
chains of death.’
‘Without the riddles, please?’ Percy asked.
Frank drew a shaky breath. ‘It isn’t a riddle.’
‘Frank, no,’ Hazel said weakly. ‘There’s got to be another
way.’
Laughter boomed across the glacier. A rumbling voice
said: ‘My friends. I’ve waited so long!’
Standing at the gates of the camp was Alcyoneus. He
was even larger than the giant Polybotes they’d seen in
California. He had metallic golden skin, armour made
from platinum links and an iron staff the size of a totem
pole. His rust-red dragon legs pounded against the ice as
he entered the camp. Precious stones glinted in his red
braided hair.
Hazel had never seen him fully formed, but she knew
him better than she knew her own parents. She had made
him. For months, she had raised gold and gems from the
earth to create this monster. She knew the diamonds he
used for a heart. She knew the oil that ran in his veins
instead of blood. More than anything, she wanted to
destroy him.
The giant approached, grinning at her with his solid
silver teeth.
‘Ah, Hazel Levesque,’ he said, ‘you cost me dearly! If
not for you, I would have risen decades ago, and this world
would already be Gaia’s. But no matter!’
He spread his hands, showing off the ranks of ghostly
soldiers. ‘Welcome, Percy Jackson! Welcome, Frank
Zhang! I am Alcyoneus, the bane of Pluto, the new master
of Death. And this is your new legion.’

Categories: The Son of Neptune