Pertemis: Chasing Time

Chapter 3: Camp Jupiter

Percy's POV

I was walking with Reyna around the camp. All the way, I didn't really paying attention to what she said. My eyes just kept staring at her beautiful face. She reminded me so much of Artemis, all though I just only saw her in my dreams. Reyna has a smile of an angle. Her eyes sparkling under the sun as her hair waving when the wind passed, even it was worn in a single braid, created a strong scent of rose. She suddenly stopped and I nearly bumped into her.

"This is the Principia" she told me.

The place was the most impressive building in the whole camp, a two stories wedge of white marble with a columned portico like an old-fashioned bank. Roman guards stood out front. Over the doorway hung a big purple banner with the gold letter SQPR embroidered inside a laurel wreath.

A strange wind blew passed me made me shivered. That was until I noticed something weird in this camp. I wasn't afraid of ghosts, which was lucky. Half of the people in camp were dead.

Shimmering purple warriors stood outside the armory, polishing ethereal swords. Others hung out in front of the barracks. A ghost boy chased a ghostly dog down the street. And at the stables a big glowing red dude with the head of a wolf guarded a herd of... Are these unicorns?

None of the campers paid the ghost much attention. Most of the spirits stopped and stared at me. Some looked angry. The little boy ghost shrieked something like 'Greggus!' and turned invisible.

"Am I seeing things?" I asked "or are those-"

"Ghosts?" Reyna turned. "They're Lares. House gods."

"House god," I said.

"Like...smaller than real gods, but larger than apartment gods?"

She chuckled. "No, they're ancestral spirits." She explained "the Lares are kind of like mascots, mostly they're harmless, but why are they so agitated today?"

"A ghost kid called me Greggus. My name isn't Greg."

"Graecus," Reyna said. "Once you've been here a while, you'll start understanding Latin. Demigods have natural sense of it. Greacus means Greek."

"Is that bad?" I asked.

Reyna face darkened like I had said something relate to a horrible secret. She scanned the mob of curious campers, which was forming outside the Principia. "Everyone back to your duties. I'll give you an update at the evening muster. Remember we have war games after dinner."

I didn't know how powerful she was, but the crowd dispersed reluctantly. Some muttered comments like.

"He's dead," one said.

"Yeah" muttered another. "Let him join the Fifth Cohort. Greeks and geeks."

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

"Let's go inside" Reyna told me with a softened voice.

Just when we started to move, a soldier ran up calling "Praetor!"

Reyna turned back at him, "what is it?"

"Centurion of Second Cohort needs to discuss with you about something?" He reported.

"Go" Reyna said "I'll be there."

The kid nodded and gave me a glare before taking off. Reyna sighed and turned back to me.

"Stay here okay? I'll be right back." She told me and walked away.

I folded my arms and leaned my back on the golden doors. This place looked familiar for me and all. Like I have been to somewhere looked like this. But I couldn't figure out where it was. The harder I tried, the more headaches I would have. Then a group of kids walked up to me.

"Well, well, well. Is this the Greacus kid at the riverbank?" The first one sneered.

"Yeah" the other said. "Son of Neptune, eh? Didn't think he would have a freak like this."

I clenched my fists. These

people could disrespect me, but not my dad. The water in the fountain seemed to rise. I was about to blast them into pieces when a voice came up.

"Leave him alone, Josh." A girl said. She was an African American girl about thirteen I think with shoulder-length curly cinnamon brown hair and gold eyes. The kids looked at her and smirked.

"What are you going to do then, the Fifth?"

The girl walked closer as her face showing dangerous. Somehow, she had some features that reminded me of a certain powerful god. "Oh, what if I report to Reyna about disrespecting an officer? I can't guarantee the consequences for you."

Fear came into the leader of the kid's eyes. He stepped back and bowed sarcastically. "As you wish, Centurion" and walked away.

"Wow" I breathed.

She turned to me with a smile. "Life in here is that. The higher rank you are, the more powerful you will be."

"Your power was enough to wet their pants" I said. "No need to do that"

She just laughed. "Thanks. Oh, are you the guy that defeated the cyclops this morning? I'm Hazel, centurion of the Fifth Cohort and daughter of Pluto. Nice to meet you" She offered me her hand to shake.

"I'm Percy Jackson, nice to meet you too." I shook it.

"You were really amazing this morning" she said. "Where did you learn that power from? Did Lupa teach you?"

"Uh who is Lupa?" I asked dumbfound.

She looked surprise. Right when she was about to opened her mouth, Reyna walked back.

"Percy-oh, Hazel, you're here too" Reyna said.

"Uh yeah, just saved him from the bullies" Hazel told her.

Reyna growled under her throat. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself and looked up. "Never mind, let's go inside and Hazel, come along"

The principia was even more impressive inside. On the ceiling glittered a mosaic of two babies under their mama she-wolf. The floor was polished marble. The walls were draped in velvet, so I felt like I was inside the world's most expensive camping tent. Along the back wall stood a display of banners and wooden poles studded with bronze medals-military symbols, I guess. In the center was one empty display stand, as if the main banner had been taken down for cleaning or something.

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

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

"So..." I started to say.

The dog statues bared their teeth and glowed. I froze. Normally I like dogs, but these glared at me with ruby eyes. Their fangs looked sharp as razors.

"Easy, guys," Reyna told the greyhounds.

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

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

"Silver and Gold" I mumbled. The Latin meanings popped into my head like Reyna said they would. I almost asked which was which. Then I realised that would be a stupid question.

"Now Percy," Reyna said. "I want to hear your story. How did you get here? How did you learn the sword fighting techniques and controlling water? Don't lie. My dogs don't like lairs."

"Well to be honest," I said "I lost my memory. This morning I woke up in a tunnel and then found out you guys fighting with a cyclops. I don't know where those skills come from. About how I know about my god parent because he told me in my dream."

Reyna looked surprise. "No memory at all?" she asked. "You still remember nothing?"

"Fuzzy bits and pieces" I

glanced at the greyhounds. I didn't want to mention Artemis. It seemed too private, and I was still confused where to find her.

Reyna stepped down from the chair and paced around. "This is not good, especially this time. You're son of a big three. Also, gods never come to claim their child directly, unless there is something bad is going to happen. Also the Lares called you a graecus, and the sword you were holding."

I checked my pocket. The pen was there. I thought I lost it at the river somehow. I pulled it out and uncapped it. Riptide sprang to full form. Hazel gasped. The greyhounds barked apprehensively.

"What is that?" Hazel asked. "I have never seen a sword like that"

"I have" Reyna said darkly "It's really old-a Greek design. We used to have a few in the armory before..." she stopped herself. "The metal is called Celestial bronze. It's deadly to monsters, like Imperial gold, but even rarer."

"And your forearm" Reyna said

"What about it?" I asked.

Reyna held up her own forearm. I didn't notice before, but she had a tattoo on the inside: the letters SPQR, a crossed sword and torch, and, under that, four parallel lines like score marks. I glanced at Hazel

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

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

"Never mind that" Reyna chinned in "With the power you are possessed. You could be a great help for us. Hazel, take him to Temple Hill. Find Octavian. On the way you can answer Percy's questions. Tell him about the legion."

"Yes Reyna"

Reyna stepped closer to me and looked into my eyes "Good luck with the augury Percy" she said "if Octavian lets you live, perhaps we can compare notes...about your past."