Bewitched || P. Jackson

𝔹ack together!

A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for Nicki as she led the group of Greek demigods through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one was armed. No one attacked.

Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. Nicki saw couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, and even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes. Nicki had never seen a place like this. Her grandmother was the first and only fully-grown demigod she knew. At Camp Half-Blood, most demigods were teens. If they survived long enough to graduate from high school, they either stayed on as counsellors or left to start lives as best they could in the mortal world. Here, it was an entire multigenerational community.

At the far end of the crowd, Nicki spotted Tyson the Cyclops and Percy's hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary—who had been the first scouting party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter. They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved. He bounced up and down with an ear-splitting grin. He was wearing an SPQR banner like a giant bib.

Some part of Nicki's mind registered how beautiful the city was—the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture was something she could feel Annabeth foaming over behind her: gilded marble columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, and terraced villas.

"Keep it in your pants, Annie," Ethan whispered, forcing Annabeth to look away from the buildings. "I think you're drooling."

Annabeth huffed. Her arms crossed. "I don't like you anymore."

"Okay, and?"

In front of them, the demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armour and a purple cape. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian. Reyna.

Jason had described her well. Even without that, Nicki would have singled her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armour. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze. Nicki recognized something else in her face, too—in the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raised her chin like she was ready to accept any challenge. Reyna was forcing a look of courage while holding back a mixture of hopefulness, worry, and fear that she couldn't show in public. She knew that expression. Nicki saw it every time she looked at Annabeth. Nicki nodded her head politely.

The other demigods fanned out behind Nicki on either side. Annabeth and Ethan stood directly off her shoulders, with Leo and Jason in a close second. Piper stood beside Jason. Her eyes never stopped scanning the crowd. The Romans murmured Jason's name, staring at him in awe.

Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and Nicki's vision tunnelled.

If Apollo had crashed the sun into the earth, Nicki wouldn't have noticed. She couldn't see anything other than him.

Percy smiled at her—that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that she adored. His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as she remembered. His dark hair was swept to one side, like he'd just come from a walk on the beach. He looked even better than he had six months ago—tanner and taller, leaner and more muscular. Watching as his eyes raked over her body sucked the air from her lungs. If it wasn't for Annabeth's firm hand on her back, Nicki was sure she would've fainted. She had never been looked upon so intently before. It felt like she was reliving every moment with him.

Nicki was too stunned to move. She felt that if she got any closer to him, all the molecules in her body might combust. After everything they had been through. Years of pining, missed opportunities, and awful choices. Even death wasn't able to keep them apart. Last summer, she'd finally been free. Free to love him like she had since she was 13. They'd been a happy couple for four months—and then he'd disappeared. During their separation, something happened to Nicki's feelings. They'd grown painfully intense—like she'd been forced to withdraw from a life-saving medication. Now she wasn't sure which was more excruciating—living with that horrible absence or being with him again.