𝐖𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐂! percy jackson

xxvi. Happy the Dragon

━━ chapter twenty-six
happy the dragon

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅。.。༅:*·ﾟﾟ·⭑

    ━━Everything was fine until the Argo II started firing on New Rome. Before that, Fiona actually thought that this was some sort of dream, it was going so well. Yes, they didn't get the chance to show Annabeth around, for Reyna took her away straight away for a talk, and Fiona couldn't get rid of that chill at the base of her neck. But apart from that, it was good. Fiona leaned back against Percy's chest and enjoyed the rest of her grapes in the hour awaiting the Senate meeting, chatting with Frank and Hazel, for Piper and Jason were also off by themselves━him giving her a tour. Fiona tried to enjoy this moment of peace before she had to go on another quest just a day after she came back from the last one. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and rested in the nook she had created in between Percy's arm and his chest. The wind blew gently against her face, and she found herself praying: let us win this.

    Fiona hated being short, but at the same time, she loved how she could just cuddle right up next to her boyfriend━hehe, boyfriend━and seem like some sort of pillow next to a giant. Which was obviously an exaggeration, but let her have this moment. And not to mention, but his praetor's cape was a great blanket. As she let out a long sigh, Fiona tried to ignore the terrible feeling, and instead focused on the rise and fall of Percy's chest.

    When the first missile hit, it was a silence of confusion following the blast. Fiona sat up, her hair on end. Percy frowned looking around and up as if not wanting to believe it━and then the second missile hit, and the riots began.

    "The Greeks have betrayed us!" someone yelled, and following it were screams, fights, and immediate grouping for and against. Fiona was on her feet, her breath hitched in the back of her throat.

    "What's happen━?" Frank didn't have time to ask before another missile from the Argo II hit, landing in New Rome and the toga shop burst into flames. Fiona's heart skipped ... if someone had been in there━

    "Duck!" Percy pulled her down, and she narrowly missed getting hit in the head by a flying plate. "Go━go!"

    Fiona was confused as she was pulled away from the mob by Percy with Frank and Hazel in tow. Up above, the Argo II was raining down hellfire onto New Rome, and the only people she knew to be on there was Leo and Octavian. She didn't want to think ill of Percy's new friends ... she wanted it to be some sort of scheme Octavian had come up with ... but even he wouldn't destroy New Rome to prove a point.

    They stood back-to-back on a fountain as angry Romans flooded around them. Fiona looked across the mob to see Jason and Piper desperately trying to keep legionnares and flying objects away. It was chaos━burning buildings and couches, angry Romans, hundreds of purple ghosts passing straight through bodies, fauns darting to and fro, grabbig any food they could ...

    Fiona didn't have a weapon, and so she stood, helpless on the marble fountain as Percy pushed back angry Romans with blasts of water. She tried to reason with them, but who could ever reason with angry Romans? Another explosion rocked the forum━directly overhead. One of their catapults had fired, and the Argo II groaned and tilted sideways, flames bubbling over its bronze-plated hull. Fiona noticed a figure clinging desperately to the rope ladder, tryihng to climb down. It was Octavian, his robes steaming and his face black with soot.

    Through the crowd, Annabeth appeared, pushing aside a Terminus statue and manouvering around ghosts, fauns and Romans. Seeing her, Percy shouted, "Annabeth! What━?"