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Ren had the nagging feeling that he was forgetting something.

Since it was a Saturday and he didn’t have to worry about a cabin inspection, he’d indulged in the privilege of waking up a little later than usual. Then it was time for breakfast. Probably nothing, he thought to himself as he stumbled out of bed. Whatever it was could wait until after he ate.

Camp Half-Blood was buzzing with life. In the distance, the strawberry fields were a lush carpet of green. Campers milled around the grounds, competing on the volleyball court or passing by Ren en route to other activities. On his way to the dining pavilion, Ren caught sight of Haru Okumura, planting flowers outside the Demeter cabin. As usual, she looked happily at home with her knees in the dirt and a pair of thick gardening gloves on her hands. 

“Hey, Haru,” Ren said. “How’s the gardening going?” 

“Perfectly well! But Ren…” Haru cocked her head. “I thought the head counselors were meeting at the Big House right now.” 

Oh. So that was what he was forgetting about.

“Yeah. I’m gonna… go deal with that,” Ren said, and bolted.  

“See you later!” Haru called cheerfully behind him. 

He burst in to the meeting room at the Big House few minutes later, trying not to look too rushed or sweaty. All of the cabin counselors were already sitting at the table. They turned to look at him as he entered.

“Kind of you to join us, Amamiya,” Kawakami said. Beside her, Sojiro the satyr raised an eyebrow. 

Ren gave her what he hoped was a winning smile and slid into the empty seat between Ann and Ryuji.

“Took you long enough, man,” Ryuji murmured.

Ann shook her head at him. "I tried to cover for you," she whispered. 

"Gave 'em the old Aphrodite charm?" Ren whispered back, smiling. “What’d I miss?”

“Nothing yet,” Ann replied softly. “Just Kawakami saying she has an important announcement to make.” 

Kawakami was the camp director. A daughter of Dionysus and the oldest demigod any of the campers had ever known, she commanded a lot of respect.

“As I was saying,” Kawakami said, and folded her arms. She cocked her head and appeared to consider her next words thoroughly. 

Ren traded a questioning glance with Ann.

“For the past year,” Kawakami said, after a moment, “we’ve been trying to foster a greater sense of unity at camp. We’re all demigods…” she glanced at Sojiro… “and related creatures. We need to stand together, no matter who our parents are or which rivalries we’ve inherited.”

The counselors all nodded. Ren noticed that everybody’s expressions reflected exactly what he was thinking– where is this going? 

“And this isn’t just wishy-washy nonsense I’m spewing,” Kawakami added. “This is about survival. Being a demigod is dangerous, and staying together means staying safe. Even in situations where we feel we may not be able to find common ground… we have no choice but to try.”

“Alright,” Ryuji broke in. “I can’t stand this suspense. Why are we all here, again?” 

The other counselors made noises of assent, and voices rose in chatter before Kawakami slammed a hand down on the table, and said, over the din, “You’re all here because of the cause of Greco-Roman unity!”

Silence fell.

“That’s right,” Kawakami said calmly. “We’ve organized a trip to Camp Jupiter. In five days, three Greek demigods will travel to California and stay there for a week. And next summer, three Roman demigods will come and stay with us. Any questions?” 

The silence didn’t last very long after that. 

It took a while for the yelling, general agonizing, and shouted questioning to die down, but Ren eventually became aware of a few key facts. The plans for this trip had been in the works for quite a while, with the administrators of both camps working together. Delegates would be chosen on a volunteer basis, but if no one stepped up Kawakami didn’t have qualms about choosing people. And no, this was not an elaborate trick and the Romans were not going to kill them. Probably. 

After everyone was satisfied, it was time to pick the three demigods. 

After a pause, Kawakami said dryly, “Don’t all volunteer at once."

“I’ll go,” someone said suddenly. 

The voice was unmistakably Ann’s. 

Ryuji and Ren turned in unison to give Ann incredulous looks. 

“I mean… it shouldn’t be too bad, right? Roman demigods aren’t monsters or aliens or anything. They’re just like us, and we barely know anything about them at all. It’s silly.” She shrugged. “And… it could be fun!”

“It could also be lethal,” Ryuji pointed out, but then he shook his head. “Alright. Fine.” He turned to Kawakami. “I’m in.”

“So am I,” Ren said easily. 

Ann looked at them. “You guys, you don’t have to–”

“Oh yes, we do,” Ryuji cut in. “I’m not gonna let you have all the adventures while we sit around here, anyway.” 

Ren smiled. “Yeah. The gang sticks together.” Ryuji and Ann were his closest friends at camp. If they were going, so was he– no question about it. And he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about how the other side lived. 

They campers at Half-Blood had only become aware of the existence of Camp Jupiter recently– the home of the Roman demigods on the other side of the country. They weren’t exactly on friendly terms, though. After initial hostilities had been overcome, they’d just barely managed to avoid all-out war, and now the two camps were mostly just wary of each other. Campers heard the name Jupiter whispered sometimes, but no one really knew anything about what the other camp was like. Maybe it really was time to lift the veil. Leave it to Ann to volunteer herself to be the one to do it. 

“You three… of course.” Kawakami shook her head, but she was smiling slightly. “Who has more of a knack for getting into trouble? I suppose this concludes this meeting. We’ll announce the quest to the rest of the camp at the bonfire tonight.” She looked around at the other campers. “Oh– are there any objections?” 

No one was opposed. So, this was happening, Ren thought as he left the room with Ryuji and Ann a moment later. This morning, he could barely be bothered to get out of bed, and now, he was headed to what might as well have been a foreign country. 

Well… thinking about that could wait until after he got some food.

That night, Yusuke found them at the bonfire. 

"I felt the need to congratulate you all," he told them. "May you have a successful quest."

"Man. This really is my first quest." Ann's eyes widened. "I guess I wasn't thinking about it that way."

"As quests go, it's pretty easy," Ryuji said. "Just gotta get there, survive for a week, and head back." He frowned. “Actually, I kinda wish it was a less boring job.” 

“You know how dangerous traveling is for demigods,” Ren said. “Trust me, it won’t be boring.” 

"You say that with such an excited look on your face," Ryuji said wryly.

Ren shrugged and smiled.

"Any danger will be well worth it, in my opinion. I have always thought it ludicrous that we treat our Roman counterparts as hostiles." Yusuke crossed his arms. "I think we could find valuable allies and counterparts within their numbers, if we so chose."

"Well, the whole rivalry does have some historical precedent," Ren replied, grinning. 

Yusuke waved a hand dismissively. "And must we repeat the folly of our forefathers? I'm in favor of progress, and so your quest has certainly interested me. I thought I might even write a commemorative poem to celebrate it, and to honor my father. But, alas, my literary skills continue to be merely... adequate. And Apollo vastly prefers the written word over visual art.”  

“Hey, I’ll also accept a life-size commemorative painting," Ren said. 

“Perhaps I would have better luck with an elegy,” Yusuke murmured. “A heartfelt funeral dirge… I’m sure I could work with that.” 

“Dude, are you already assuming we’re gonna die? I thought you were rooting for us!" Ryuji demanded.

“I’m hardly assuming,” Yusuke countered, "but I will follow inspiration wherever it leads. And might I add that they’ve decided to make burial shrouds for the three of you?"

“Already?” Ren hadn't seen that one coming.

“Wait, what?!” Ryuji was distraught. “They only make shrouds for campers who go on dangerous quests! This is just… like an exchange-program type thing!”

“I hope my cabin makes me a pretty shroud.” Ann seemed to be lost in thought. “With lace, maybe.”

“Don’t get too excited,” Ren told her. “You’ll have to burn it if you come back alive.” 

“If?” Ann replied skeptically.

“Oops,” Ren said. “Definitely meant when.” 

“Dude, I know it’s hard to faze you, but at least try to be less nonchalant about our fates,” Ryuji said, sighing. 

“If you succeed, I could burn my elegy as well,” Yusuke said thoughtfully. “As an offering to Apollo, perhaps.”

“I don’t know if Apollo wants to read about our miserable deaths,” Ryuji said gloomily. 

“I’ll include word of your heroic deeds,” Yusuke promised. “Such as the time you won capture-the-flag for the Hermes cabin, Ryuji, and when Ann innovatively popularized the choker as an alternative to the beaded camp necklace.” 

“They looked so cool before they got banned,” Ann sighed. “What did Kawakami say again?”

“That they were an insult to tradition, or something,” Ren said. “I did offer to help you get revenge.”

Ann shook her head sagely. “Pick your battles, Ren… pick your battles. That said, Yusuke, you should write about the time Ren engineered the campaign for better working conditions for the cleaning harpies.” 

“That was all the harpies’ work,” Ren said modestly. “I was just the administrative liaison.” 

A few minutes before curfew, Ryuji, Ren, and Ann were the last ones at the bonfire, watching the last embers slowly die. They'd fallen into a silence. Ren was thinking about their task, and he was certain his friends were, too. 

It wasn’t just that traveling was dangerous for demigods– existing was dangerous for demigods. And now they were going to journey to a hostile land, filled with people who had no great love for Greeks.

“Could've gotten a cooler quest,” Ryuji sighed, breaking the silence. "Could've chased a monster or something. I'm good at chasing stuff."

“You know, you guys didn’t have to volunteer if you didn’t want to come!” Ann said accusingly.

“Don’t be dumb,” Ren cut in. “Who’d keep you out of trouble?” 

“Ha, ha." Ann rolled her eyes, but she seemed pacified. “Just wait. The two of you guys are gonna get me into even more trouble, probably. Especially Ryuji.” She elbowed him in the arm.

“Hey!” Ryuji protested, rubbing his arm. “Ren’s just as much of a troublemaker as me. He’s just more… insidious about it.”

Ren kept his expression innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Wow, Ryuji, you know the word insidious?”  

“Shut up, Ann!” 

Ren smiled as they started to bicker. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into, but he had his friends beside him. Things couldn’t be that bad. 

“Futaba, isn’t this… kind of a lot?” Ann asked uncertainly.

“It’s barely enough. You’re venturing into unknown territory. You need all the protection you can get!” Futaba stuck out her tongue. “I don’t trust those Romans as far as I can throw them! And I probably couldn't even throw them very far. Too heavy from all the armor.”

Futaba, Ren, Ann, and Ryuji were sitting on the steps of the amphitheater, the day after the quest had been assigned. There weren't any events happening today, so they were undisturbed. 

Futaba had taken it upon herself to show them all the wonders of magical weaponry that the Hecate cabin could provide. As she'd informed them enthusiastically, most of the things she'd brought were of her own design. So far she'd shown them a sturdy Celestial bronze dagger for Ann that was also supposed to be able to instantly light a fire. And for Ren, she'd procured a tiny pouch, smaller than the size of his palm, tied with a drawstring. Inside, there were seven colorful objects that looked like dice. "Throw those up in the air," she'd told him with a wicked grin. "But only when you're about to die."

Ren had to admit that it all looked very impressive. And kind of scary. He was going to make sure he never got on Futaba's bad side. 

“None of us really know them, though,” Ann protested, continuing the conversation about the Romans. “They’re not gonna sic hellhounds on us or something the second we walk in through the front door.” She put a finger to her chin. “Right?”

“Don’t think it has a front door,” Ryuji said.

“Shut up. You know what I mean. Besides, it could. You never know. Maybe the entrance to Camp Jupiter is, like, somebody's house."

Ren sighed. “That’s so anticlimactic. I’m hoping for a wall of flames or an endless chasm.”

“Hey, hey, Futaba?” Ryuji cut in. “Did you happen to magic up a weapon for me?”

“Naturally. Be patient.” Futaba took a large canvas bag from the ground next to her and passed it to him.

Ryuji opened it and pulled out a bow and a quiver of arrows. “Oh,” he said, looking slightly disappointed. “Thanks, Futaba. I kinda have my own bow, though, so…”  

“I’m not done yet. This is the other thing I wanna give you.” Futaba held up a vial to the light. It burned with a green substance.

Ann's mouth fell open. "Is that Greek fire?"

"Hey, awesome!" Ryuji said enthusiastically. "Now we're talkin'!"

He grabbed for it, but before he could, Futaba snatched it back.

"Hey!" Ryuji protested.

Futaba’s eyes were serious. “This is heavy-duty stuff, Ryuji. You should only use it in conjunction with your weapon. I made it so the arrows and that bow are magically able to withstand the corrosive effect, so your arrows will be powered with Greek fire and do a lot of damage to whoever they hit. But you have to be careful!”  

“I will!” Ryuji said quickly. “I totally will.” 

"Are you sure about this, Futaba?" Ann said dubiously. "Ryuji’ll probably break it and vaporize all of us."

“Let me see that,” Ren said. 

Futaba passed the vial to him.

Ren held it up to his eye level. The liquid swirled luminously inside, a lethal shade of fiery jade. 

“Hey, Ren…” Futaba stared him down. “What do you think about this? I mean the whole quest. Sojiro and Kawakami are really pushing this new camp unity thing, but it doesn't seem much like Nemesis' MO."

Ren thought about his mother. In the first dream he'd had of her, she, sitting atop her motorcycle and looking perfectly immovable, had called him a restless child. And before camp, he had been restless– wounded, from all the times he’d opened his mouth in and regretted it, still smarting from the cuts, still wanting revenge, lamenting the unfairness of life as a demigod who never seemed to fit in. 

But coming into his own as Nemesis' son had taught him he didn't have to sit back and helplessly gnash his teeth in frustration as the karmic wheel turned onward. He could initiate action himself. There was nothing wrong with a healthy dose of vengeance. 

I guess I'm still pretty restless, Ren thought. Enough to wish for a little excitement. 

Enough to think maybe this plan could work. And if it didn't… well, it'd be a good story. 

“Nemesis is also the goddess of balance, you know,” Ren said. He smiled slightly. "There’s two camps, one on each coast. We’ve all been worried for a while, even if no one wants to say it. Everyone thinks there could still be war. That’s what happens when the scales are tipped too far in one direction.” He shrugged. “We can find balance again, if we just do everything we can to achieve it. I think the quest is a good idea.” 

“Jeez, Ren,” Ryuji said, after a short silence. “Way to be profound.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean it.” Ren smirked. “Take this.” He tossed Ryuji the vial of Greek fire, and his friend yelped and caught it. 

“Be careful with that, please!” Futaba screeched. She exhaled. “Actually, just be careful in general, guys. Okay?”

“Don’t worry about us!” Ann raised her dagger and gazed at it, admiring the shiny surface of the metal. “With these weapons, I bet we can handle almost anything.” 

Getting to California had been difficult. 

They'd had a smooth flight from New York for the first few hours, and then the captain had suddenly announced that they would need to land to refuel, confusing all the passengers. They touched down in Salt Lake City, and then, the three demigods had become abruptly aware that the captain was actually an empousa and three of the flight attendants were harpies. 

In the chaos and carnage that followed they’d barely managed to escape and find a bus that would take them the rest of the way. When they got off at the terminal in Oakland, five more harpies were waiting for them. Their lovely stalkers had chased them all the way across Berkeley and seemed to show no signs of letting them be anytime soon. 

Ren gritted his teeth as he ran, looking back to make sure his friends were following. They were close behind him. Ann’s face was twisted with discomfort and annoyance. “We–  can’t– outrun them,” she puffed. “We have to fight!” 

“Agreed,” Ryuji moaned. “We’ll be shred to pieces before we get to Jupiter at this rate!” 

“Fine,” Ren called back. “I’m tired of running, anyway!” 

The three demigods stopped simultaneously and raised their weapons.

“Demigod meat!” one harpy shrieked. She went straight for Ann, who raised her dagger.

“Leave us alone!” Ann snapped. She slashed decisively with her dagger, and the harpy wailed before being immediately vaporized. 

“Nice one!” Ryuji called. He took down another harpy himself with an arrow and smiled triumphantly. “Take that!” 

Another harpy was coming for Ren. He gritted his teeth and readied his sword. It was his usual weapon, and he was particularly fond of it, since, for his last birthday, his mother had given it to him. Whomever is wounded by this blade shall bear my curse, Nemesis had proclaimed at the time. Or, you know, whatever. 

Now, Ren used it to stab the harpy’s shoulder. It hissed with pain and flew back. Though weakened by the gash, it seemed like it had some fight left in it. 

The other remaining harpy gave them a bit more trouble. It was faster than the others, and it took all three of them to coordinate their attacks before they were able to run further through the hills and take it down. By that time, they were all exhausted. They’d reached a construction area, and navigating around the equipment on the ground was making the fight harder. 

The only harpy left was the one that Ren had injured. Ann was trying repeatedly to stab it, but it kept evading her dagger’s point. “Ryuji!” she bellowed.

Ryuji had suffered a gash to his side and was barely able to stand. Nevertheless, he aimed and let loose an arrow. No luck– the harpy flew behind a bulldozer and evaded the attack. “Ren!” he called weakly. 

Before Ren could react, the harpy screeched in triumph. It opened its mouth to unleash another taunt– 

–and then, it was suddenly crushed by a falling section of scaffolding. 

For a moment, Ryuji, Ren, and Ann only gaped. Then they rushed over to where it had happened. The harpy had been completely reduced to dust. 

“How the heck,” Ann whispered, “did that happen?”

Ren smiled and remembered the wound he’d left with Nemesis’ sword– the cursed wound. “Bad luck,” he said.

“Uh…”

Ren looked at his friends to see who’d said that, but it hadn’t been Ann or Ryuji. The voice had come from further away. He turned, in the opposite direction, and saw a bewildering sight.

Across the street– it was the entrance to a service tunnel that he hadn’t noticed in all the commotion. Standing in front of it were two figures, clad in armor like a guard would wear. The voice had come from one of them.  

“Those are…” Ryuji said slowly.

“...Demigods,” Ren finished. “Roman demigods.” 

His friends looked at each other, exchanging a glance. Then, slowly, they made their way across the street. 

When they reached the tunnel, the Roman demigods looked at them in disbelief. Ren could understand why. The three of them looked like they had been through Tartarus. 

Ann took charge. "Hi there!" she said to the gaping guards, smiling sunnily. "We're the Greek delegation? From Camp Half-Blood!"

The Little Tiber gave Ren bad vibes. 

Crossing the river was the only way to enter the Roman camp, and its shallow waters as they waded through it felt unfriendly and cold. It was clear that this was no place for Greek demigods. If the river hadn’t expressed that enough, Ren would have gotten it from the way everyone was looking at them as if they were aliens. 

The person who greeted them at the entrance was a girl who looked about their age. She had short, dark hair and a serious expression. "Welcome," she told them. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you three… okay?"

"We had a few run-ins with some harpies," Ann confessed. "But we're alright now!"

“Ah. Well, I'm glad you're all safe. I’m Makoto Niijima,” she told them. “I’m a member of the First Cohort, and the co-praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fuliminata.” 

“The what?” Ryuji said.

Makoto frowned minutely, and Ren got the impression that she was displeased by their lack of knowledge. “The Twelfth Legion is the last surviving division of the Roman military. Along with New Rome, we've held out since the fall of the Roman empire, maintaining our base here."

"New Rome?" Ann asked.

"The city next to camp. It houses the Coliseum and our Senate building, and much more. Once you’re all…” She gave them a once-over, with their dirty clothes and scratches. Ren glanced at Ann, who looked self-conscious for the first time. “...cleaned up," she continued, "then my co-praetor and I can further explain the structure of our encampment to you, and show you the city.” She opened her mouth to say something else, but Ren would never find out what it was, because at that moment, a commotion and a screech behind them cut her off.

They whipped around and were greeted with a sight that filled Ren with dismay. It seemed that the monsters weren't finished with them yet. 

And this one was a little bigger than a harpy. A large, muscled monster with one large eye had barrelled in through the tunnel entrance.

"A Cyclops?" Makoto gasped. "Here?" She narrowed her eyes and charged forward, reaching for the sword at her belt.

“No,” shouted a new voice.

Weird, because it wasn’t an anguished nooo! like Ren might have expected. There was no sound of fear in the voice. It sounded instead like a reprimand.

Turning his head in the direction of the voice, Ren saw at once where it had come from: a boy with a confident posture who was walking in a rather leisurely manner towards the Cyclops. He had shoulder-length, tawny brown hair and a slim figure.

"Calm down," the boy shouted. 

Ren blinked. He couldn't be talking to the monster, could he?

Ren turned to Ann. “What the hell is he doing?”

Ann’s eyes were trained on the boy. “Talking.” 

"That's a Cyclops! We have to kill it, not talk to it–" Ryuji started to move forward. 

"Ryuji." Ann grabbed his arm and held him back. "That isn't just talk. Can’t you feel it? That's charmspeak."

Charmspeak? Ren knew of it– a power that belonged to children of Aphrodite back in Camp Half-Blood. Ann could charmspeak, to an extent. So could some of her half-siblings. But Ren had never seen it used in an actual battle. 

But apparently, charmspeaking a monster could actually work, since instead of attacking, the other Romans were only watching the boy and the Cyclops. Even Makoto had stopped charging forwards. Instead she was standing, sword at the ready, studying the interaction with a wary look on her face. 

"Destroy!" bellowed the Cyclops. It had stopped its advance, though. In fact, it seemed slightly confused as it stared at the boy. 

"No," the boy said clearly. "That's not what you really want. What you want is to atone for your crime of ever having entered this place.” His eyes flashed. “Without permission.” 

The Cyclops hesitated, giving a confused-sounding growl. 

“Why don't you pick up that spear right there?" the boy suggested. He gestured towards a javelin on the ground that someone had thrown during the first moments of the Cyclops' charge. His voice was layered with so much persuasive power that Ren caught himself looking around for a spear before he could stop himself. Around him, he could see others doing the same. 

The monster's attention was still fixed on the boy. It grunted before slowly trudging over to the fallen javelin, bending over, and picking it up. 

None of the other demigods were making a sound. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. 

"That's right," said the boy. His expression was cold and determined, but his voice was honey-sweet. "Now…" His eyes flashed. "To dust, return."

In one movement, the Cyclops lifted the spear and drove it through its own throat. With devastating suddenness, it exploded into dust.  

For a few seconds, there was only silence. Then, the other Romans begin to shout out loud, and the cacophony eventually transformed into heartfelt whoops and cheers. 

“Well,” Makoto said. Ren looked over at her face and noticed that she didn’t seem surprised. “That’s taken care of.” 

Ryuji moved to the side, speaking into Ren’s ear. “Dude, that was…”

“Disturbing,” Ren muttered.  

Ann blinked rapidly at the spectacle in front of her, looking shocked herself, before turning to Makoto. “There were a bunch of harpies following us from the bus station. There must have been more monsters waiting for us. I'm sorry– this was all our fault.” 

“Hmm,” Makoto murmured. For a moment, she seemed as if she might get angry, and Ren tensed. But her face soon relaxed. "Well, I suppose it’s to be expected," she said. "A journey of this significance… monsters will naturally take notice.” 

“Makoto,” came a nearby voice. 

She turned. “Ah,” she said. “There you are.”

Ren looked over at who was approaching. It was the boy– the one who had charmspoken. A son of Aphrodite– Venus, here , Ren corrected himself. He had to be if he’d used charmspeak. Ren didn’t know of any other demigods who had that power. And he definitely looked like a child of the goddess of beauty. 

He stopped in front of them and smiled. "I'm Goro Akechi, of the Third Cohort," he said. "Co-praetor of the Twelfth Legion. And you three must be the Greeks.” He said Greeks like he was saying infestation of cockroaches or group of telemarketers. 

Ann seemed to take no notice, though. "You– that was the most powerful charmspeaking I've ever seen!" 

Goro smiled. “Thank you.” 

"Again with the magical cajolery," Makoto said, sounding disapproving. "Next time there’s danger, you might try making a more direct attack. After all, that’s the Roman way.” 

"Really, Makoto?” Goro tossed some hair over his shoulder. “You would criticize me for an unconventional fighting style?"

He seemed to hit a nerve; Makoto suddenly flushed and kept silent. 

Ren raised an eyebrow. Wonder what that's about. “So you two are both praetors,” he said. 

“Yes,” Makoto said. “We serve as Camp Jupiter’s leaders.” 

Ren glanced between Makoto and Goro. At first glance, they seemed similar, with the same upright demeanor, but Ren remembered Makoto’s disapproval of Goro’s charmspeaking powers and wondered how well the two of them actually worked together. 

Ren and his friends were shown to the dorms– Ren found them to be quite different from the cabins back at Camp Half-Blood– and took some time to clean up. Afterwards, Makoto and Goro met the three of them at the gates to New Rome. 

"Funny," Goro said cheerfully as they stood before the entrance. "When I first found my way to Camp Jupiter, I never thought that one day I'd be here to show Greek demigods around."

“Well, let’s get started, shall we?” said Makoto.

No weapons were allowed inside the city, so the five of them had to leave all that they carried at the border. Ren felt slightly uncomfortable about having to give them up, and he could tell Ryuji wasn’t too happy about it either, but Makoto and Goro having to do the same made him feel a little more reassured. 

Ren waited for someone to ask who his godly parent was– that was the first thing people wanted to know at Camp Half-Blood. But no one did. Makoto didn’t say anything about her own lineage, either. All Ren found out was that she apparently belonged to the First Cohort. 

“New Rome is a safe place to live for demigods who have served in the legion for ten years, and for their families,” Makoto said as they walked in. "Here, there are residences, shops, and colleges for demigods to attend after finishing their service."

Unlike Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter resembled a military encampment. The town was a whole different story, though. It seemed like a nice place to live. Marble buildings were everywhere, and there were a variety of restaurants and open spaces. Demigods milled around, and Ren was struck by how old some of them were. Aside from Kawakami, every other demigod he’d met had been a teenager like himself, or younger. 

“There’s the Coliseum.” Makoto gestured towards a tall, imposing circular structure that looked as if it had come straight out of ancient times. 

“Whoaaaa,” Ann exclaimed. “The actual Coliseum?” 

"If you mean the original building, that one is in Italy," Makoto said, looking pained. "The one you see is a model. It serves a purpose as an arena, but it’s also here to remind us of our history.” 

"At Camp Jupiter," Goro said, "we value our heritage. We’re the last remnants of Rome’s former greatness, and it’s both a privilege and a duty to live and train in the right way. Being a part of the Twelfth Legion means something." He gave Ren and his friends a sideways glance, as if saying, unlike being a Greek demigod from a raggedy summer camp. 

"We remember our history at Camp Half-Blood, too," Ren said. He reached for the necklace tucked under his shirt and pulled it forward. "Every demigod at Camp Half-Blood has one of these. Each of the beads represents a year at camp," he said calmly. "Another year of survival, of finding more demigods to take to safety, and of making the camp stronger. You may train differently as soldiers, but Greek demigods fight just as hard to survive."

Goro looked at him, frowning. He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Ann piped up. "They look good as chokers, too!"

Everyone looked at her. 

"Er," she said, embarrassed, "sorry."

Makoto looked between Ren and Goro and frowned a little before carrying on the tour. They saw all the major sights, like the Senate building and the Circus Maximus, before passing through the Forum and returning to the shops. 

“Ah, and here’s the dessert place,” Makoto said. “Goro’s favorite.” 

“I wouldn’t say favorite,” Goro protested. 

“In any case, you’re definitely that waiter‘s favorite customer.” Makoto raised a brow. 

Goro shrugged. “He’s hardly the first to feel that way.” 

Ren hid a smirk. Aside from the charmspeak, that was the first time he’d seen Goro act like a son of Venus. He and Makoto kind of bickered in a grudgingly fond way when they weren’t glaring at each other, Ren noticed. 

“You like desserts, Goro? Do you know if they have crepes there?” Ann asked.

“They do make good crepes, actually,” Goro replied, looking a little surprised at being addressed in such a friendly manner. “I take it you have a sweet tooth?”

“Well, maybe a little.” Ann grinned sheepishly. 

“Understatement of the century,” Ryuji remarked.

“Yeah, yeah. Maybe it’s a child of Aphrodite thing!” Ann smiled at Goro. “Or Venus, too, I mean.”

“Maybe it is,” Goro said, cautiously returning the smile. 

During the rest of the tour, Ren found that Goro kept drawing his attention. There was something about him. Sometimes he'd be sweet and charming, but his tone when he spoke about camp matters was fiercely serious. He could be flirtatious, but at the same time, Ren noticed that he was watchful of his words around the Greeks. 

It was getting dark, so after the tour of the city was over, Ren, Ryuji and Ann returned to their rooms. They were staying in the Fifth Cohort’s dorm. Ann joined Ryuji and Ren in their room to convene before bed. 

“So, instead of grouping campers by parent, everything’s done by cohort,” Ren said.

“Yeah,” Ryuji said. “It’s a big difference. Not really sure how I feel about it yet, honestly.” 

Ann looked lost in thought. "I wasn't thinking about this before, but some of the demigods here are our siblings. Like Goro! His mom's Venus, the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite. So basically, he's my brother."

"That guy," Ryuji muttered. "There's something off about him. He got that monster to kill itself. That was…”

“Bonkers,” suggested Ren.

“Bonkers!” Ryuji repeated vehemently. “Also, terrifying and creepy!”

“Yeah. I mean, it was kind of cool, but it did give me a weird feeling.” Ann looked worried, her eyebrows knitting together. "I don't know… they do things so differently here. I feel like I have culture shock."

"Me too," Ryuji commented. "Legions, cohorts, centurions… Is there a point to all of it besides making everything annoying and complicated?"

“And they rank the cohorts, too,” Ann mused. “First is the best, and fifth is the worst… right? That’s kind of intimidating.”

“Well, good to know they gave us the worst accommodations,” Ren said drily. 

“I guess I’m not too surprised. At the end of the day, to them, we're just Greeks.” Ann stretched and yawned. “I'm going back to my room. Let’s get some sleep, okay? I'm exhausted after everything today.” 

Being at Camp Jupiter, Ren soon discovered, wasn't dangerous, or life-threatening, or even particularly tense.

It was worse than all of that. It was boring.

For the next three days, they attended classes, but they weren't allowed to participate– only to sit and "observe". They visited the training grounds along with the other members of the Fifth Cohort, but they weren't even permitted to touch weapons. 

They even had to attend an excruciatingly long and boring Senate meeting– and wear togas during it, to boot. Only the senators had to wear them, but the Greeks had been strongly encouraged– read, forced– to do so as well. "Praetor Goro thinks it'll help you acclimate to our ways here at camp," one of the centurions had informed them. Ren was fairly certain he just wanted to see them suffer. Regardless, Goro did look pretty good in a toga, as it turned out. 

"This kinda sucks," Ryuji griped on the third day. "I feel like I'm bein' held hostage." He flexed his fingers as the three of them spoke in low voices in the mess hall. 

"Maybe they're just waiting a little bit to let us get used to things," Ann said doubtfully. 

"They didn't say anything like that, though," Ren murmured. "They just want us to keep quiet, see only what they show us, and not make any trouble."

"Well, that's no way to do this! We're good at making trouble! They're wasting our talent," Ryuji argued.

"Honestly, I have to agree," said Ann. 

"I feel kinda dumb," Ryuji muttered. "I thought we'd have to worry about Romans trying to kill us. But they're sneakier than that. They're just… watching us all the time. It's almost worse."

"Well," said Ren, smirking, "we can be sneaky too."

At first, it was easy to get out of the dorm after curfew that night. Ren and Ryuji made sure to avoid making noise as they quietly slipped out. They met Ann at the entrance to her room and headed carefully outside.

"Okay," Ann said, once they'd stepped out into the night air. "What now?"

"I want to visit the baths!" Ryuji said enthusiastically. "They're supposed to be amazing."

"Ooh, good idea," Ann said. "Let's–" 

"Wait." Ren squinted out at the horizon. "What is that?"

At first, what he noticed were just specks in the distance, barely visible in the dim light. But those specks were moving closer, he could see that they were a flock of large, winged creatures. 

They had beaks and the heads of eagles, but they were far larger than any bird Ren had ever seen, and their bodies didn't look avian at all. They were the bodies of deadly, feline mammals– panthers. 

"Damn it," Ryuji hissed. "Monsters!"

Ann pulled out her dagger and moved into a fighting stance. "Those things," she said, her voice tight with worry. "I remember learning about them at camp. They're…"

"Gryphons," Ren said grimly. His mind raced, considering the options. There wasn't time to call for help– the three of them would have to fight. He reached for his sword, but ended up grasping at nothing. He'd left it back in the barracks. "Damn it!"

"Leave it to me!" Ryujj unzipped the backpack he carried with him and pulled out his bow… and the vial of Greek fire he'd been given. "I came on this trip to protect you guys, and I'm not gonna go down when it matters!"

He opened the vial, and Ren and Ann instinctively stepped back. Taking one of his arrows, he placed its end into the vial.

"Ryuji…" Ann said nervously. The monsters were coming closer, squawking angrily. 

"I got it!" Ryuji strung his bow.

Ren held his breath, feeling frustratingly powerless. There would only be time for one shot.

Ryuji raised his bow, aimed, and loosed the arrow. 

It was a perfect hit. Ryuji's arrow had struck the head of one member of the swarm, and the ensuing explosion caught all the other gryphons in the emerald flames. It looked as if somebody had set off fireworks. Ren forgot his fear for a moment as he stared at the sky, marvelling that something so destructive could be so beautiful.  

"And what do you think you're doing?" called an outraged voice.

The three of them turned to look.

"Oh, crap," Ryuji muttered.

Goro and Makoto were running over to them, looking as if they'd rushed out of their beds– Makoto was in pajamas and Goro's hair looked messy. 

"Great," Ann whispered. "The gryphons didn't kill us, but they might."

"What happened here?" Makoto demanded after they reached Ren and the others. Ren noticed with dismay that she was brandishing a dagger. 

Ann raised her hands in a placating gesture. "There were flying gryphons– right over there!" She pointed towards the place where the monsters had exploded into dust and the fading remnants of the Greek fireworks could still be seen. "Ryuji used his bow and killed them."

"Monsters getting past our defenses?" Goro looked incredulous. 

"It happened before!" Ryuji argued. "Or are you forgetting about that Cyclops you talked to death?"

"These incidents have all been happening after your arrival," Makoto said quietly.

Ann stomped her foot. Her expression was one of outrage. "It wasn't us who let in the monsters! Ryuji saved us, and probably more demigods, too! If it wasn't for him–" 

"None of this matters right now. You drew weapons in secrecy. And not just any weapon– Greek fire, the use of which is forbidden here." Goro looked as if he was ready to gnash his teeth. "We should take them in for questioning, and–"

"Wait," said Makoto.

They all turned to her. Her forehead was creased in thought. "I don't believe they'd attack without reason. Considering the way their faces looked when we arrived..." She looked at them. "They at least believed they'd been in danger."

"We were in danger," Ren said firmly. 

"But why were you outside in the first place?" Makoto said sharply. 

"Oh," Ren said. "We were sneaking out."

"Ren!" Ryuji hissed.

Ren shrugged. "I won't lie, now that we're in this mess. For the past three days, you guys have been keeping us separate from everything and everyone. Everybody is wary of us, and neither of you have been saying anything to address the tension. You clearly don't want us here. We just wanted to look around without feeling like aliens for once."

He meant to speak to both of them, but he found himself only looking at Goro. 

"Exactly," Ann added. "It isn't fair. I volunteered to come here because I thought we'd be bridging the gap between Greek and Roman demigods. But you guys aren't doing anything to help, and now you won't believe us when we tell you what we saw!"

Makoto put a hand to her chin. "Your concerns are noted. I suppose… we haven't been the most welcoming."

"Makoto…" Goro began.

She cut him off. "For that, I sincerely apologize."

She looked at Goro. He looked back at her dubiously, but finally turned to them and smiled fixedly. "I suppose it's to everyone's advantage that you raised these concerns. I... apologize as well. But we still need to investigate this incident." 

"Yes. I'm sorry, but it seems like we'll have to question you three about what happened here," Makoto told them. "If the camp's defenses are compromised, that's a matter that requires serious attention. Goro and I will need to gather information before deciding on a course of action. That includes consulting the augur." She glanced at Goro, who nodded. 

"In the meantime…" Goro began. He smiled with more truth to it– an expression that filled Ren with sudden dread. "If you're all so eager to be further involved in camp activities, I have a friendly suggestion."

Ren was usually able to easily adjust to most situations, but he was starting to get a little annoyed. For one thing, he and his friends had been kept up for half the night, answering questions about the gryphon attack. Exhaustion was weighing on him, and he'd still had to get up early, along with the rest of the Fifth Cohort. 

And now, most of his day was going to be spent doing chores– Praetor Goro's idea of an important camp activity.

Ren sighed as he carried another bucket of water into the bull pens at the Coliseum. He'd been assigned to clean them today and had been doing so for the past hour. He was beginning to regret ever signing up for this trip. At least he had plenty of people to blame. Ann, Goro, gryphons, the gods… he cursed them all in his head silently. 

"Do you need some help?"

Ren raised his head. A girl was looking at him sympathetically. He recognized her– she'd been training in the Coliseum for as long as he'd been working, sparring with a few others. 

"Well, if you're offering," he said.

The girl laughed. "I'm Hifumi," she said. "Hifumi Togo."

"Ren Amamiya," Ren said. "I'm…"

"A Greek, yes," Hifumi said, smiling. "I've heard a lot about you."

Unlike almost every other Roman Ren had met, his heritage didn't seem to faze Hifumi. Ren decided that he liked her. 

As Ren and Hifumi carried more buckets back and forth, they talked. 

"A lot of people here are descended from or related to other demigods, but I'm the first in my family– my mother's Bellona. My father is very insistent that I become a high-ranking member of the legion," Hifumi admitted. "He lives in New Rome, but he doesn't understand a lot about the way things work at camp. People place a lot of value on ambition. I'm a centurion in my cohort and a member of the Senate, but I don't really have the desire to move higher. There's a lot I can do to help the legion without being praetor."

"What determines who gets placed in which cohort, anyway?" Ren asked, pouring out a bucket and watching more filth wash away. 

"Recommendation letters, mostly," Hifumi replied. "For example, Praetor Makoto has an older sister who's also a daughter of Mars, so she's been training like a Roman from a young age. Her sister was a powerful fighter in the legion, so she vouched for Makoto's abilities, and after Makoto proved her fighting skills were superior, she was placed in the First Cohort."

"Huh," Ren said. "What about Goro?"

"Praetor Goro? Like a lot of others, he came to Camp Jupiter with nothing. He's a strong fighter like Makoto, but because he didn't have any recommendation letters, he's a member of the Third Cohort."

Ren had come to Camp Half-Blood with nothing, too. He thought about Goro’s serious expressions, and how they always seemed to closely follow his sunny smiles. “I don’t get the feeling he’s very comfortable with us,” he said. “Me and Ann and Ryuji, I mean.” 

"To be honest, I think he really doesn't know what to make of Greek demigods. A lot of us don't. Uh, I don't mean that in a cruel way," Hifumi said quickly. "It's just… from what I know, it seems like the ways our camps conduct things are quite different."

That was definitely true, Ren thought. "Is there anyone he's close to?"

"You mean like a boyfriend or girlfriend?" Hifumi smiled. "Not that I know of, though he can be a flirt. I suppose that comes naturally to children of Venus."

"That sounds a lot like the children of Aphrodite I know back home," Ren said, smiling slightly. Ann, hilariously, in Ren's opinion, was an outlier, who was generally unaware of when she was actually being flirted with. 

"Are you interested in him, Ren?"

Ren sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Interested, yes, but I don't know if it's like that. I’m curious about him. And I guess he always draws my attention when I see him with other people, or when I hear his voice. I’d like to talk to him more. And he’s pretty cute. But I don’t know if…”  

He looked back at Hifumi, who had put a hand over her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to hide her giggling. 

Ren cracked a smile. “All right,” he admitted. “Maybe a little like that.” 

That night, Ren had a dream.

Prophetic or otherwise special dreams weren't unusual for demigods. This one, though… This one was weird.

Ren found himself seated in a chair at what looked like a beauty salon. There were rows of vanity tables with mirrors, a waiting area in the front, and several salon chairs with hair dryers in the back. The walls were painted mint green, lending the room a cheerful feeling. The salon was especially neat– Ren couldn't see a speck of dust anywhere. 

He stood up slowly and looked around. All of the other chairs were empty– there was nobody else there. The complete solitude was unnerving. 

"Hello, dear."

Ren yelped and was so startled that he staggered backwards, plopping back down into the chair he'd been sitting on.

"Oh, sorry!" said the woman who'd suddenly appeared in front of him. "Did I startle you?" 

The woman was beautiful. That was obvious enough. What wasn't as obvious was how, exactly, she looked. Even as Ren was staring right at her, he wasn't sure of the color of her hair or what shape her face was– the qualities of her appearance seemed to continue to subtly change as she stood before him. It was almost as if she was too beautiful for his eyes to really comprehend. 

"Uh," Ren managed. "Who are you?"

"Look at you," the woman cooed, instead of answering. "Just adorable. Child of Nemesis, are you? Well, she has a terrible sense of fashion, but I suppose there could be worse mothers. Those glasses are working for you. Maybe if your hair was just a little different…"

She reached out to Ren, but he instinctively jerked away.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," she said breezily, finally noticing his confusion. "I didn't introduce myself. I'm Venus."

"Venus," Ren said slowly. "The Roman goddess of love and beauty."

"And don't I look the part?" She laughed. 

Ren tried once again to get a handle on how the goddess appeared. Finally, he could identify one thing that didn't change– her eyes were a deep brown color that looked almost red. Where had he seen those eyes before?

"Don't squint, honey," Venus advised. "You'll ruin your little mortal eyes."

Ren tried to snap out of it. "Why are you appearing to me?" he managed. "I'm a Greek demigod, and you're…" 

"A Roman goddess, yes. Well, my Greek and Roman counterparts are very similar, so don't worry about that too much. Love is universal, after all. I'm here because I pride myself on being a good mother." She beamed. 

"A good mother? You're… Goro's mom, aren't you?"

"Yes!" She clapped her hands. "And of course your friend Ann is my daughter as well. I have other plans for her, though. So let's talk about my son. Isn't he the sweetest? He can be a little grumpy, but it's been a long time since I've had a son so charming. Don't you agree?"

"I, uh…" Ren's cheeks felt hot.

Venus laughed. "There's no need to be shy. I know what you're thinking. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time." She sighed, before perking up and smiling at him again. "So I'll just give you my blessing and be on my way."

"Your what?"

Venus snapped her fingers. 

Ren felt suddenly different. He wasn't sure how, exactly, but he could tell that there was something about him that had changed. He felt fresher. Cleaner. More… 

"Beautiful!" Venus cheered. "Oh, this is going to be so exciting! Yes, I’d been getting bored for a while. Greeks and Romans… think of the drama! The star-crossed romances! It’s enough to get your ichor pumping. You know, I don't care about what the others think. I'm in full support of this little unity project.” 

"Wait," Ren said. "Who are the others?"

"No time to explain, sweetie," Venus said matter-of-factly. "I really do have to be going now. So follow your heart, Ren Amamiya, child of Nemesis. And by that, I mean– don't waste my blessing. Now do me a favor and wake up. Okay?"

Ren opened his mouth to say "Huh?" but before he could, he was awake– back in his bed in the barracks of the Fifth Cohort. 

Ren blinked and slowly sat up. It was still dark outside– it looked like it was the middle of the night. 

He scratched his head. He wouldn't be able to get back to sleep– he felt wired and energetic. After spending a few moments staring at the wall, he sighed and got out of bed. 

He filled his pockets with a few necessities and prepared to creep outside the barracks. Something told him he wouldn't be stopped this time.

When he was outside, he began to make his way to Temple Hill, the spot in Camp Jupiter where all the gods' temples could be found. He had only been there once, during the initial tour, but he hadn't had much time to look around and see if there was a temple dedicated to his mother.

It was chilly and dark, but the moonlight lit his path. After a few more minutes of walking, he reached the top of the hill.

Passing by the temples at the entrance, Ren went deeper into the night. After a few minutes of searching, he found Nemesis' temple. He started to climb the steps to go inside, when a movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. 

Ren was instantly on his guard, remembering the monsters that had plagued them earlier. He'd brought protection– the bag of magical dice Futaba had made for him was in his pocket. He held onto it and looked closer at where he'd seen the disturbance. 

His eyes slowly made out a figure in the darkness, but it wasn't a monster. It was a person. Ren stepped closer just as the figure turned towards the moonlight. When their eyes met, the other person's eyes widened a fraction. 

It was Goro. His hair was tied back and there were bags under his eyes. He wore an oversized jacket over sweatpants, and seemed tired. 

"You," he said. "Why are you here?" He peered at Ren and frowned. "You look… nice." Rather than a compliment, his suspicious tone made it sound like an accusation.

Damn it, what had that blessing done? "Couldn't sleep," Ren said, after a moment. He felt an unexpected rush of embarrassment, remembering the dream with Venus. What had the goddess meant? "How about you?"

Goro looked distrustfully at him for a moment before seeming to relax slightly. "I had a dream," he admitted. He looked up at the face of the temple. "Nemesis is your mother."

"Yeah," Ren said. "You knew that?"

"Of course. I made sure I knew all the important information about the Greek demigods we were inviting into our territory."

Ren grinned. "You were researching me?"

Goro raised a brow. "I was researching all of you." 

"What was your dream about?" Ren asked. He had been briefly worried that Goro had had the same weird vision as Ren, but that didn't seem to be the case– Goro didn't seem fazed by Ren's presence in the way he might have been otherwise. 

Goro didn't speak for a moment. Then, he said, "When Roman demigods are found, they're taken to the Wolf House. Do you know where that is?”

Ren shook his head.

“It's the home of Lupa, the she-wolf, the same goddess who raised Romulus and Remus. She and her pack take in the demigods they deem strong enough. She trains them until they've learned all they can, and then she sends them here, to camp, as a final test. If they can make it, they join the legion. If not, they die."

Ren waited, but Goro didn't go on. He said, "That happened to you?"

"Yes," Goro replied. "It's the same for everyone here at camp. We all fought tooth and nail to survive– literally raised by wolves. We struggled to claim our places, leaving behind everything about our old lives– shame and pride alike."

Goro lapsed into a moody silence. It seemed like that was all Ren was going to be learning about him tonight. 

They remained silent for a minute. Ren turned his eyes heavenward, gazing at the stars shining brightly in the dark night sky. Then he remembered what was in his pocket and pulled it out. Goro, taking notice, turned to him. 

Ren pulled out a bag of dinner rolls saved from the mess hall and some candy. "I was going to sacrifice to my mother," he said, nodding at the temple. 

Goro looked affronted. "That's hardly material fit for an offering." He reached into his own pockets and retrieved a carefully-folded paper bag with a logo on it that Ren recognized as belonging to the bakery in New Rome. 

Ren raised an eyebrow. 

"Gods like sweets," Goro said defensively.

The two of them climbed the steps to the temple and walked over to the altar. They took their food out from the bags and set it there. 

"O Nemesis," said Goro, "accept our offering."

"Please protect us, Mom," Ren said quietly. 

"We should be getting back now," Goro said, after a moment. "It's past curfew." He glanced at Ren. "I should punish you for being outside."

"Should you? I feel like cleaning those bullpens was enough punishment for all of the bad things I'll do for the rest of my life."

A corner of Goro's mouth turned up. "Are you already making plans to get into more trouble?"

"Trouble comes with the demigod territory," Ren replied.

"But some demigods have more of a knack for it than others." Goro shook his head, but he didn't say anything else about punishments, so Ren considered himself in the clear. 

"Hey," Ren said. "You…"

"What is it?"

Ren paused. “It's just that I'm glad to be here– I’m glad I came. I know we always talk about how different our two camps are, but I think we might have a lot in common, too. I know you might not feel the same way, but I thought you should know that."

Goro considered him. "I'm protective of this place,” he said slowly. “It's the only home I've ever known. It’s probably the only place I’ll ever feel like I belong. I suppose that sometimes, that makes me a little… defensive. You…” He seemed apprehensive. “You feel the same way about your camp, don’t you?”

Ren smiled slightly. “Yeah.”

“That’s what I thought.” Goro looked away. “For what it’s worth… I suppose I'm glad you came here as well.”

Ren’s expression blossomed fully into a grin.  

"Now let's head back to the dorms," Goro said with an air of finality. 

"You want to take a moonlight walk with me?"

"Cute," Goro said, sounding unfazed. Ren supposed it would take more than just a little flirting to fluster a son of Venus. "Let's just return quickly."

They stepped out of the temple.

Ren glanced at Goro, and suddenly, in the moonlight, he could see it clearly. 

Those eyes he'd seen on Venus, the ones he'd been so captivated by– they were Goro's.

When Ren and Ann walked in to the training grounds the next day, Makoto was the only one there.

She had her back to them and was practicing some fighting moves that looked unfamiliar. She had no weapons in her hands– instead, she wore some wide-legged, traditional-looking pants and a shirt with equally wide sleeves. 

When she noticed them, she stopped, looking embarrassed. “You’re not supposed to be here,”

“We’re on cleaning duty,” Ann said curiously.

“What kind of fighting style is that?” Ren asked.

Makoto tucked some hair behind her ear self-consciously. “I’m practicing aikido. It's a martial art.” 

"Cool!" Ann said. "But it doesn't seem very Roman."

Ann's tone hadn't been offensive, but Makoto flinched like she'd hit a sore point. "It isn’t a traditional fighting style for a Roman demigod. But my family is also Japanese, and I want to preserve that part of my heritage, too. There may come a day where my aikido skills are more helpful to me in combat than anything I learned during my regular training here. After all, you can never know for sure what will happen during a battle."

Ren considered her words. He'd always thought of his Japanese heritage as completely separate from his identity as a Greek demigod, but here Makoto was melding two cultures without even so much as an identity crisis. He felt like this was something he could think deeply about for a long ti– 

"Awesome!" Ann exclaimed, interrupting his deep thoughts. "Could you teach me some moves?"

Makoto blinked a few times. "Huh?"

“You looked really graceful when you were practicing. I’d love to make my fighting more like that, you know? More coordinated.” Ann beamed. "Plus, I'm Japanese too, which makes what you were saying sound even cooler."

“Well, I’ve never… I suppose we could…” Makoto looked flummoxed. And was her face a little red? 

Ren remembered what Venus said about Ann– that she had other plans for her. Huh. 

“I’m afraid I don't have time in my schedule today,” Makoto said. "But tomorrow, if you're available...”

“Absolutely!” Ann replied. "It's a date."

Makoto's face was definitely red now. Ren hid a smile. 

"You know what I was thinking?" Ann said. "We've gotten to know a lot about how you guys do things here, but you all barely know anything about Camp Half-Blood at all."

"Recently, I was thinking the same thing," Makoto admitted.

"Why don't we hang out tonight?" Ann suggested. "Ren and Ryuji and I, and you and Goro. You can ask us any questions you want!"

Makoto looked surprised, but she nodded. "Well, I'll have to check with Goro, but I'm sure he won't mind."

"Great! This'll be fun." Ann nudged him. "Right, Ren?"

"Uh, yup," Ren said, a little bemused.

"I should get going," Makoto said, stepping out of the training area. "I'll see the two of you later, then." 

They said their goodbyes, and then Ren and Ann were left alone. 

"Didn't expect you to say that," Ren told her.

“Honestly, I was planning on this for a while," Ann said. "I think it's best that we try to have a good relationship with the camp leaders. After all, we're representing all of the Greeks."

"That's a good point," Ren admitted.

“And it’s not like I wouldn’t mind spending some time with Makoto.” Ann smiled. “She’s cute, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” Ren said, but he was thinking about Goro, the previous night in front of the temple, and the careful sound of his voice as he spoke of wolves and offerings.  

"Hey, Ren," Ann said. "Is it just me, or do you look different today?" She peered at him. "I don't know… it's like you're glowing or something. And did you use my mascara?"

Ren sighed. "I may have gotten a blessing from the goddess of beauty."

"Huh?!"

“I think I much prefer Ionic columns,” Goro said. “Corinthian columns seem overly ostentatious.” 

New Rome was pretty in the early evening. The ghostly-looking spirits that Makoto had called household gods milled around. The light from the streetlights illuminated the white marble of the buildings. And as the five of them walked through the streets, Goro and Makoto were having a conversation Ren couldn't understand.   

“A Roman with a preference for Ionic columns?” Makoto laughed. “Color me shocked. In any case, Doric columns are my favorite.”

“You don’t think they’re too austere?”

“Uh, hey, guys,” Ryuji interrupted. “Where are we going again?” 

“Oh,” Makoto said, turning around. “We were thinking of getting ice cream. Is that all right with everyone?” 

Ren and his friends nodded quickly. They had no idea about classical architecture, but dessert was something they knew well. 

At the ice cream parlor, Ann noticed something. “Hey! They named an ice cream flavor after us!” 

“Greek Fire Green Tea,” Ren read from the label. “Wow.” 

“Looks like the story of that little incident spread,” Makoto sighed.

Goro looked as if he was suppressing a smile, and Ren’s heart did a little flip at the expression on his face. “Quite a legacy you three are leaving behind.” 

“That’s the flavor I’m trying,” Ryuji announced. 

Ren and Ann had the same idea. Makoto got a scoop of Roman Raspberry, and Goro asked for Legionnaire Lemon in a cone. 

They sat down with their ice cream.

"I'm not sure if you three know about it," Goro said, "but tomorrow, we're holding war games."

"Heard about those," Ryuji said. "What are they, though?"

“Exercises in which cohorts compete against each other, and members of the legion get a chance to put their fighting prowess to the test,” Goro replied. “What’s the setup for tomorrow, again, Makoto?”

“A standard siege game,” she said. “The Third Cohort will be defending their banners.”

“Ah, a siege,” Goro said brightly. “Our setup with the highest casualty rate.”

“Casualties?” Ann asked nervously.

“Don’t listen to him,” Makoto said, offhand. “No one’s died in at least a year.” 

“Um…”

“The First, Second, Fourth and Fifth cohorts will lay siege to a fortress that will be built for the occasion,” Goro continued, “in which the Third Cohort, the defending champions, will be protecting their banners. Whichever cohort captures our banners wins.” He smirked. “If any, indeed, can.”    

"Like Capture the Flag back home," Ren said.

"Well… I suppose. Anyway, it’s a Camp Jupiter tradition. It’ll be a fitting way to mark your last evening here."

Their last evening… Goro was right. Their week was almost up. Ren frowned minutely and slumped in his seat. 

Conversation turned towards the reason Ann had suggested the outing in the first place.

"So," Makoto said, leaning forwards. "Is it true that at Camp Half-Blood, the director crushes misbehaving campers and turns them into wine?"

Ann, who had just eaten a mouthful of green tea-flavored ice cream, nearly choked on it. "No! I mean, Kawakami's tough, but not that tough."

"I don't know," Ryuji murmured. "I can kinda see it."

"Ryuji!"

It turned out that Goro and Makoto had a lot of questions about what life was like for the Greek demigods. Ren and his friends did his best to answer, and in the process, they learned more about customs at Camp Jupiter, too. Eventually, the conversation became lighter. At one point Ryuji laughed so hard that he almost fell out of his chair. 

Goro was laughing, too, and Ren felt surprised and pleased to see him so lighthearted. Whenever Ren caught his eye, they exchanged glances that felt laden with meaning. That made Ren’s heart feel light, too. 

After all the excitement, Ren was surprised when someone pointed out they'd been sitting there for an hour and a half. The owner was giving their group a look, so they stood up to leave. 

Makoto and Ann were talking to each other, and Ryuji was already walking out the door. 

Ren saw his chance. “Goro,” he said.

Goro turned to him, eyebrows raised. “What is it?”

“Could… we talk for a while? Just you and me.”

“What for?” Goro sized him up.

Ren’s mind went blank. He hadn’t been thinking of a reason– he’d only felt like talking to Goro. “Uh,” he said. “I’ll tell you later.” 

"Uh-huh,” Goro said, unconvinced. “All right, but only for a little while. It's almost curfew time."

Ann shot Ren a questioning look when he and Goro stepped outside. Ren motioned for her to go ahead, and her eyes widened in understanding. "Good luck!" she mouthed. Ren had spoken to her about Venus’ blessing earlier. He could always count on her to be supportive of potential romance– after all, it was in her genes. 

He and Goro took a walk over to a bench at the edge of the Forum. Outside, things still felt lively. Residents were taking walks or on their way back to their homes, and the sounds of their voices and laughter filled the air. 

Goro sat down on a bench and crossed one of his legs over the other. “I still find it hard to believe that at your camp, you stay in cabins.” 

“They’re not like the log cabins you’re imagining. Most of them have magical upgrades.” Ren sat down next to him. “Everyone’s assigned to a cabin based on who their godly parent is.”

“Sounds like a recipe for disaster.” Goro frowned. “Our system of cohorts fosters unity. Demigods are encouraged to find common ground, and the legion is stronger as a result. Separating people based on their parent would quickly undo all that progress.” 

“I guess you have a point.” 

“And some people aren’t interested in being reminded of who their godly parent is at every turn. Even I occasionally…” Goro trailed off. When he spoke up again, his voice was measured.  “I’ve always been inspired by Aeneas.” He glanced at Ren. “Please tell me you know who that is.”  

“Er…” 

Goro sighed. “Do they teach you anything at that camp? Aeneas was Venus’ most famous son. In the Iliad, it was foretold that he would escape the carnage of the Trojan War and go forth to establish Rome in Italy. And the Aeneid tells the story of his adventures. The Aeneid, by Vergil? You’ve at least heard that name.” 

“Yeah, the guy who ripped off Homer.”

“I wouldn’t call it ripping off –” Goro caught the sly grin on Ren’s face and huffed. “You’re messing with me.”

“Maybe just a little.”

“Anyway. Aeneas struggled with his fate. He knew what his task was, but he often found himself conflicted. In the end, though… he found his way to Italy, and then he founded his city. He may have lost some of himself to the bleakness of war in the process. But he knew what he had to do."

Goro's voice was measured and deliberate. Ren listened closely. 

"Juno hated the Trojans, so at one point, she convinced Venus to help her distract Aeneas with love." He glanced up at the sky. "Sorry." 

"Distract him?"

"Yes. A woman fell in love with him because Venus sent Cupid to enchant her. Aeneas was drawn to that woman, too. But in the end, he left her."

"Not very nice of him."

"It was the only thing he could have done. Founding Rome was his destiny, not falling in love."

"You sure know a lot about this story." Ren considered the words, and then considered Goro. “You’ve got beauty and brains, huh?"

“You’d do well to remember it,” Goro said matter-of-factly.“Speaking of beauty… it’s a good thing you asked to speak with me. There’s something I wanted to ascertain.”

“Er, what is it?” 

Suddenly, Goro leaned forwards. Really forwards, until his face was inches from Ren’s own.

“Uh,” Ren said. 

Goro squinted his chestnut-colored eyes at him. Then, just as quickly as he’d come closer, he leaned back and sighed. “I knew it. You’ve received Venus’ blessing.” 

“Well…” Ren felt his face grow hot. 

“It’s starting to fade now, but it looks good on you. Well, not that you needed it.” Goro’s tone was so flat that Ren almost didn’t register the compliment. “I swear… She's always meddling in her children's affairs." He had a pouty expression on his face. It was pretty cute. "I'm well able to make my own way without her manipulation. You shouldn't feel compelled to anything just because she's got it into her head to matchmake." 

“Well, I don’t–” 

“It’s fine.” Goro ran a hand through his hair. “I really should be going, actually. Good night.” He stood up. 

"Wait," Ren blurted. He took hold of Goro's wrist.

Goro sighed and looked back at him. "What is it?"

"I don’t feel… compelled… because of your mom. I know I've only known you for a few days– but I like you. And I like you because of you."

Goro paused, looking briefly shocked. Then he smiled a little. "You do, do you? You like me… only for me?”

"Yes."

“Well then, Ren,” Goro said. He sat back down on the bench and turned to Ren. “Kiss me.” 

There was magic in his voice. Ren could tell, and he tried to resist– but he was powerless. He was leaning in before he could stop himself. 

Goro stopped him instead, reaching up and gently pushing Ren’s forehead away. 

Befuddled, Ren sat back.   

“My apologies. That was just a demonstration, of course. Do you see, now?” Goro laughed, but it sounded humorless. “No one really likes me just for me. Even if I'm not trying, some aspect of who I am, my powers or my lineage, renders that impossible. It’s ironic, really."

“Goro, that’s not–”  

“It’s been nice to spend time with you, Ren. I suppose Greek demigods aren’t half-bad, once you get to know them.” He stood up again. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the war games. I'm sure they’ll be much improved by your participation. Take care you don’t break curfew.”

Ren watched him go, but in the dim light, he was barely visible after a few moments.

He bit the inside of his cheek. Damn it. 

There had been an ominous portent.

“The augur has never been wrong,” Makoto said tightly. Her arms were crossed, and she was pacing the floor. “If we don’t act, it could mean disaster.” 

Ren raised his eyebrows. “And you’re okay with us knowing about this?”

The war games were due to start in an hour, but the praetors had abruptly called Ren, Ryuji and Ann to the principia. All Ren had been able to glean so far was that the camp augur, someone similar to the oracle they had back home, had made a prediction– and it didn’t sound like good news. 

Despite the potential disaster that seemed to be hanging over their heads, Ren couldn't stop thinking about last night's disaster. He kept trying to catch Goro's eye, but Goro was very obviously not looking at him. It couldn't end like this between them, could it? Ren still felt the longing to know Goro for who he really was. Did it have to feel so impossible?

“In this case, yes, because it directly concerns you three,” Makoto said, bringing his attention back to the matter at hand. “The gods… aren’t too happy, it seems, about our exchange program.”

“What? But I thought that Dionysus told Kawakami… I thought the gods were fine with this!” Ann cried. 

“Some of the gods, both Roman and Greek, approved,” Goro corrected. He was frowning. “We assumed the dissenters, a minority, would fall in line with the others. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Hang on,” Ryuji said. “Is that the reason monsters have been on our backs?”

“That would make sense,” Ren murmured. “I thought the monsters were just free agents who managed to get through the camp’s defenses. But if they’re being sent by gods…” 

“We have to make a decision,” Goro said. “The augur has foretold that if we proceed with tonight’s war games, things could take a turn for the worse.” 

They were silent for a moment.

“I don’t want to cancel them,” Makoto said abruptly, breaking it. “The legion needs a morale booster. People have been looking forward to this for quite some time. And it’s not just that… it’s about what these games represent.”

“A Camp Jupiter tradition, which could now potentially include Greek demigods for the first time,” Goro intoned. “We intended for these games to be a show of unity. It has sacred significance. If we cancel the games…” He hesitated.

“It means we’d be conceding,” Ren said. “To the idea that Greek and Roman demigods can never come together.” 

Ann shook her head. “No. I don’t believe that! And if some petty gods have decided to play sabotage… well, I don’t mind showing them that I don’t believe it.”

“Yeah,” Ryuji added. “I mean, you Romans are a little crazy and weird, and you have way too many rules, but I’m kinda starting to like you guys.”

“Thanks,” Goro said wryly. “For what it’s worth, I’m in agreement. Admittedly, prior to your arrival, I expected all of you to be uncouth, lazy, and generally lacking in decorum.”

“Thanks,” Ryuji said flatly.

“And my first impression of you three did nothing to dispel that assumption–”

“Goro,” Makoto said.

“But now,” he continued, “after getting to know the three of you better, I’ve come to see you differently. As allies, and siblings–” he smiled at Ann– “and…” His eyes flitted to Ren’s face, for just a moment, before returning to the others. “And as friends.”  

“It’s decided, then,” Makoto said quietly. “We hold the games. We’ll inform the legion of what the augur foretold, but after that, all we can do is be on our guard.”    

The moment of silence that followed was tense. Ren found himself, for just a moment, doubtful. He wasn’t sure if they’d made the right decision. The anger of the gods was no light hindrance to their lives. 

Then his eyes met Goro’s. Goro looked back at him, steadfast, and nodded, just slightly.  

Conviction returned to him. This was the right choice. Now they just had to see it through. 

At first, the war games went well. 

Makoto’s announcement of the augur’s prediction had worried the Roman demigods, but everyone had agreed that the games were too important to cancel. Hifumi Togo had vouched for the Greek demigods, and others had followed. It was a far cry from the near-open hostility they’d been met with upon arriving at Camp Jupiter just a week earlier, and Ren had even felt touched. 

Charging with the rest of the Fifth Cohort on the Field of Mars, Ren, along with his friends, had felt invincible. They were making good progress, carving a path to the fortress where the Third Cohort were holding onto their banners. Ren was looking forward to the fight that would soon ensue. He knew Goro would be inside, standing at the ready to defend his cohort’s victory. Ren wanted to face him head-on. 

Then monsters appeared and everything went to Tartarus. 

This time, the legionnaires were confronted with a host of enemies that seemed to materialize out of nowhere and barrel in over the hills. There were more terrifying gryphons swooping in with talons out, but now there were also giants– Earthborn beasts, huge and possessing six arms each. They’d charged immediately towards the field. 

Now everything was in disarray. Though campers had known about the possibility of attack, they’d never had their war games interrupted in such a manner before. There was shouting and confusion as they tried to deal with the new enemies. Gryphons swept the battlefield, making awful cawing noises as they closed in on demigods. 

Makoto rose above it all. She was sitting atop Hannibal, the camp elephant, and riding him along the battle lines as she battled gryphons with her sword. “Fall back!” she was yelling. Her face was pale. “Fall back from the fortress! Giants are attacking!” 

The problem was that while everyone was busy trying to take down the flying gryphons in the field, the giants had taken a different course. They were headed straight for the fortress. 

Ren saw and felt helpless. He looked at Ann, who was fighting beside him. “Goro’s in there!” Ren yelled. “With the rest of the Third Cohort!” 

“Go!” Ann bellowed, attacking a gryphon with her dagger. Behind her, Ren saw Ryuji take down another with an arrow. “We’ll handle the gryphons!” 

Ren swallowed, nodded, turned, and ran in the direction of the fortress. 

Demigods from the other cohorts charged with him, but they were soon stopped by what they saw in front of them. Giants were coming out of the fortress. Some were being driven out by demigods who were fighting them– but others had captured demigods held in their arms.

One of those demigods, Ren saw immediately, was Goro. Without hesitating, Ren immediately ran to get closer. 

Goro was struggling in one of the six arms of a particularly burly Earthborn.  “Put– me– down!” he demanded through gritted teeth. The magic in his voice was so strong that Ren recoiled, almost feeling the force of it like a physical shockwave, but the monster only faltered for a moment before regaining its grip. Clearly, it was stronger than the Cyclops that Ren had watched Goro face previously. 

“Rude boy!” the giant growled. “Your pitiful charmspeak will not work on me. Just for that, I’ll crush you!”

The monster tightened its grip, and Goro cried out. 

Ren saw red. 

Children of Nemesis were protective of their own. Perhaps his mother wouldn't approve. She  wasn't a biased goddess– she brought down those who were too fortunate, no matter who they were, because an equal balance of all things were paramount. But Ren was a mortal, and he cared about what was important to him. 

Yes, he was protective of his own– and in that moment, he was really only thinking of Goro as his. 

Ren reached into his pocket, where his bag of dice was safely stored. He pulled out a die from the bag at random and tossed it in the air. Come through for me, Futaba. Without stopping to see what it had landed on, he brandished his sword and charged forward. 

"Huh?" said the giant, noticing him, but before he could react, Ren reached up and sliced off one of his arms.

The monster howled with pain, but he still didn't release Goro. 

Ren turned to the demigods behind him. "Fight the giants!"

The legionnaires roared and charged. As they battled the other giants, Ren returned to the one who had Goro. 

"You'll pay for my arm, young demigod," the giant hissed. "Today, the Fates smile upon my kind."

"Actually, you just got attacked by a cursed blade, and I used… uh, an even more dangerous weapon before that," Ren said, glossing over the fact that he didn't really know what Futaba's dice did. "So I'd say right now, your luck is pretty bad."

"What are you…"

And then the giant's head exploded into flames. 

The giant flailed and dropped Goro immediately. He fell on the ground and groaned a curse.

"Are you okay?" Ren ran to his side and helped him up.

"I'm fine," Goro replied weakly, brushing some dirt off his clothes. "We have to fight on!" 

Ren nodded and returned to the battle. On his way back to the field, he saw the dice he'd left on the ground and picked it up. The side that it had landed on was etched with an engraving of a flame. Well, there you have it, Ren thought.

He saw Makoto battling a giant on the ground. When she was knocked down, she managed to duck into an elegant-looking roll and spring back up, yelling, "Haah!" Ann was helping an injured demigod get away from the fighting, holding out her dagger in defense and baring her teeth. Ryuji had his bow slung over his shoulder and was now using a sword to battle one of the last remaining gryphons. 

Goro was charmspeaking another giant. “You,” he hissed. The giant actually stepped back. “You are going to step back, and cower, and allow yourself to be obliterated.” 

Just as he finished speaking, the monster, petrified by his voice, failed to notice another demigod rushing towards him and swinging an axe through the monster's head. The giant wailed and exploded into dust.

Goro flipped his hair. “Yes, like that,” he said. “Lovely.” 

The Roman demigods fought well. Soon enough, it was over– the Field of Mars was cleared of monsters.

Demigods were helping each other up and clearing the field of debris. Ren saw some of the children of Apollo treating injuries in the corner. Everyone looked tired, but people also looked victorious. Some were even laughing. Ren smiled. The battle had gone as best as it could have went.

Examining the chaos and looking out at the tired-looking demigods, Ren felt exhausted himself. Now, he had to go find Ryuji and Ann– 

"Ren!"

Ren turned at the sound of his name. 

Goro was standing next to him. Despite the dust and dirt on his clothes and the weariness of his face, he looked as good as he always did. Ren felt his heart beat faster.

"I was looking for you," Goro said. 

Ren stepped closer to him. “Goro–”  

Goro charged forward, threw his arms around Ren’s neck, and kissed him. 

Ren was so caught off-guard that he almost didn't kiss back, but eventually he got a bearing on his senses. The chaos and noise of the battlefield faded into nothingness. When Goro pulled away, he felt it all return at once and blinked rapidly, overwhelmed.

"I thought…" he began. "I thought you said…" 

“Yes, well,” Goro said. His face was glowing. “I think we’ve already demonstrated here today that it’s possible to defy the paths that have been set for us, if what we want is that important.” 

Ren smiled. "And I'm important?"

"Yes," Goro said, looking at him fixedly. "You are."

The next day was their last at Camp Jupiter. 

Ren, Ryuji, and Ann were tired, to say the least. There'd been a party after the battle, and they'd spoken to a countless number of Romans. The Greeks had helped defend the Roman camp, and now they'd risen in everyone's esteem. Then they'd had to Iris-message Camp Half-Blood and explain everything to Kawakami, who had seemed incensed about the involvement of a few gods in the attack. "I swear," she kept muttering. "I'll demand to be heard by Olympus. The nerve…" 

Regardless, it seemed as if the discontent gods had settled down, as camp had been calm ever since the attack. Ren wasn't really thinking about godly drama, anyway– he was telling Goro how Iris messages worked. Apparently, Romans didn't use them.

“So even Roman coins will work?" Goro was asking.

“Yeah,” Ren said. “Throw currency into any rainbow you see and ask Iris to accept your offering. Then ask to see me at Camp Half-Blood.”

“Contacting a Greek goddess to see a Greek demigod,” Goro marveled. “I never thought I’d…”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ren grinned. “Just don’t forget all about me.” 

“I won’t,” Goro said quietly. “I won’t.” 

They looked at each other.

"Hey, lovebirds!"

Ren looked over. Ryuji was looking at them, one eyebrow raised. Ann was smiling widely. Next to her, Makoto had a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you have all the provisions you need for your journey?" Makoto asked them.

"I think we have everything," Ann said. "Right, guys?"

Ren and Ryuji nodded. Ren walked over to stand with the rest of his friends, pulling his backpack tighter around his shoulders.

"Thanks," Ren said, "for everything. You know, I'm gonna miss it here." He didn't bother hiding that he was looking straight at Goro. 

"We should be thanking you all," Goro said. "You stood with us and defended Camp Jupiter."

"Next summer, we'll be choosing three Romans to come to your camp," Makoto said. "I'm sure a number of people will be interested."

"Will… you be there?" Ann asked her. She was very clearly giving Makoto puppy-dog eyes.

"Well…" Makoto blushed. "I'll put myself in the running."

"As will I," said Goro. He grinned at Ren.

Ren had only known Goro for a week– but he had the feeling that he'd be missing his presence acutely for the next year. It wasn't the end of everything, though. There were letters, and Iris messages, and more. There was the bond they'd formed– one that distance couldn't eradicate. 

"Well," Ann said finally. "I guess this is it."

They were standing at the entrance to camp, on one side of the tunnel. Ren looked through it.

"I assume your journey will be less dangerous this time around," Makoto said. "The gods have gotten the message– Greek and Roman demigods are allies."

"They better have!" Ann said.

"Danger or not," Ryuji said, "we're ready for anything. Right, Ren?"

Ren took one last look at the camp, at Goro and Makoto, and at his friends before turning towards the tunnel.

He smiled. "Right."