Demigod Journals (Percy Jackson FanFic - Blood Of Olympus)

Greeks and Romans (Nico)

POV: Nico

((@ CHB...))

It was a fine morning. The weather still perfect as usual under the magical borders of Camp Half Blood. If this was any normal day, I would have just stood there, admiring the view, savoring the feeling of being in a safe haven and maybe reflecting on how much I missed this place - more than I would ever care to admit..

But well, a demigod rarely get a normal day. So rare that it's the normal thing for us. I sighed as i took in the scene before me.

Tension was so thick, so obvious in the air that no one dared to even break the long eerie silence. The roman legionnaires were led to the mess hall where the Greek campers were already waiting, anticipating to meet the newcomers that were just, until recently, have been trying to blow their precious camp to bits. It's plain in their faces that no one was happy.

The same sentiment was echoed too by the romans though they were more restrained in showing their discomfort. Maybe it's because Reyna, who looked also a bit guarded, was watching them carefully. That and they knew full well that this wasn't their territory.

Despite the call of truce, the legionnaires and campers alike refused to sheath and drop their weapons. The roman demigods were in a protective battle formation, their shields hoisted up, stacked along side each other in a defensive form. The Greek side, on the other hand, has the Ares campers in the front line, looking as scary and ready to pummel anyone who they deemed dangerous to camp. They were flanked by archers from the Apollo cabin and some hunters of Artemis. Even the Aphrodite kids - you could spot them in a mile, with their shiny armors that were almost sparkling, uh were those bejeweled? Anyway, even they held weapons and were ready to fight.

And as the two sets of campers continued to size each other up, I stood there, in the middle feeling slightly awkward. Okay, not slightly, more like very. Yeah, I've decided to play the neutral ball. I declared that I'm Switzerland. It wasn't a secret anymore that I knew both camps long before Hera began playing the switch up. Because of that, I've received quite a few kinds of welcome from the Greek campers.

There's the Rachel and Grover kind of welcome with praises and thank yous for bringing the statue whole and with me alive. There's also the 'hey-death-breath-we-missed-you-here-and-your-skeleton-tricks' kind which mostly came from the Hermes cabin that had originally adopted me when I first came to camp. However, I also got the sneers and glares that just plainly said that they'd want to dip my head in the toilet for being a double agent. I kind of expected that.

It was Chiron who decided to break the silence. "Why don't we all enter the mess hall now? We've prepared food for everybody." The centaur was also dressed for battle though he had his bow slung on his back and tried to look as less theatening as he can. He spoke gently and addressed everyone calmly.

Someone from the Roman side spoke up. "What guarantee do we have that we won't be poisoned?" Many of them looked at Chiron skeptically. Most were probably thinking if he really were indeed the Chiron of the old myths.

"Then let's shove it down your throat and you'll see." Retorted by an offended Greek camper which started a round of taunts and threats and offensive comments.

Reyna and Chiron both tried to calm both camps but the antagonism between the two sides just kept on mounting higher.

"Hey!" I decided to step in. "Guys!" But not even I could get everyone's attention. I contemplated on summoning a bunch of dead guys just to keep them from going further. It's only a matter of time before someone released a one misguided arrow and end the truce that we would all be sorry for. Just like the Trojan war all over again. Not a happy picture. "Calm down!"

And then suddenly, my prayers were heard - a distraction bounded up to our direction. A ton of furry, saggy, barking kind of distraction.

I had a moment to turn and see the incoming black ball of fur before I was swallowed up by it whole. "Uggghhh..." I groaned as my back hit the ground and a wet sloppy dog kiss greeted my face. The campers on both sides murmured their surprise and sympathy at my recent predicament. "Oh man, I mean, that's really sweet girl but, ugh..." I couldn't help but complain as I got showered up with hell hound drool.

"Uhh, Nico, is that?" It was Reyna's awed voice who, among the muffled chatters of everyone around me, still managed to reach my ears clearly.

"Yeah." I tried my best to keep the over excited dog off me for a second so I could respond. "If by that you mean the same dog that Percy brought to your camp then yep. Same one. Hey Mrs. O'Leary. Long time to see, girl." The tank-sized dog whimpered happily above me. I heard some whispered questions then some snickers on my now amused audience. Ugh, this is not my day. But then they have stopped screaming at each other so at least I've got that one going for me.

"Now I get what Percy Jackson meant by friendly." Reyna said with an undisguised grin on her face. "She was really a great help at our camp during the last giant attack." 

"If you have met both, then you must know that the pet is much more better and way more reliable than the master." Clarisse stepped forward from the front line and extend a hand towards Reyna who quickly hid her surprise in a look of dignified welcome. "I'm Clarisse La Rue. Daughter of Ares. Head councilor of Ares' cabin and Head Senior camper."

Reyna stepped forward too, to accept Clarisse's hand and shook it firmly. "Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano. Daughter of Bellona. Praetor of Camp Jupiter."

"A war goddess' daughter too huh?" Clarisse sized her up with a smirk. "Your campers did quite well building that fort outside. I've never seen anything like it."

Reyna returned her grin. "I could tell you more about it if you want but you'd also have to tell me about your Greek fire. That green flame looks destructive and could be very handy in war."

"Hah! You bet it is! You've got a good eye, Roman." Clarisse smiled even wider. I groaned as Mrs. O'Leary licked my face again.

"Girls," Chiron piped in, now looking a bit relieved. "Let's continue this conversation inside the mess hall. I know everyone's hungry." He turned with a kind smile to the Roman legionnaires. "I gave you my personal assurance that the food we've prepared aren't poisoned, so please, join us in breakfast."

My year in camp half blood thought me that there was Chiron being nice and there was also Chiron being extra overly nice. Today was the extra overly kind thatn no one could really say no to.He exuded the kind of good-fatherly aura that made us all want to please him and have him be proud of us. And so carefully, and if not a bit excitedly, everyone started to enter the mess hall.

"Hey man, you need a hand in there?" A familiar voice asked me and a sober Dakota greeted me with a cheerful smile.

"Ghost boy, how long do you plan on lying there on the ground?" Another face appeared on my other side and the face of Pollux looked at me with half amused smile. His usually red and puffy face were less red than normal. Even he was armed to the teeth. I've known the guy more after the second Titan war. He approached me with a serious face, asking about his dead twin. Knowing how it felt to lose a sibling, I complied with his request and told him what I knew. It's the least I could do. After that, we've been kind of buddies. Kind of, well, not really super friends, just- ugh, nevermind. It's complicated.

"Uhm yeah, i-uh, I could use some help." I wheezed giving my best to push off the heavy furry paw at my chest but failing at every attempt. "She's really heavy."

"Looks like you've got an overly attached girlfriend here, di Angelo." Dakota teased as both he and Pollux took each of my arms and pulled me out. Mrs. O'Leary whimpered the moment she lost her impromptu demigod pillow.

"You should have seen her with Percy," Pollux turned to Dakota after they helped me up to my feet. "Hey, I'm Pollux, by the way. Uh, son of Dionysus."

"Uhhhh Dionysus? That's the Greek god of Kool aid, right?"

Pollux grinned. "It's wine to be exact but dad also loves diet coke."

I tapped Dakota in the shoulder. "Dakota here is a son of Bacchus. The Roman form of Mr. D." I turned to Dakota. "We call Dionysus here as Mr. D because he's the camp director before the gods went AWOL. Anyways, that makse you two like uh half-half siblings."

Dakota grinned and accepted the hand Pollux stretched to give him a hug. The son of the Greek god of wine looked momentarily surprised but he returned the bro-mantic hug. "Awesome!" Dakota chirped with a wide grin. "I found a new brother. Hey, Greek brother from the same father, do you like Kool-aid?"

Pollux shared the grin. "As a matter of fact, I do. And I like mine extra sweet. Want some?"

"Hell yeah! And i like mine extra extra sweet! Heheh." Dakota said happily and I've got a feeling that this would be the last time I'd see Dakota sober again for a while. The two went off to the mess hall almost like some good old friends and completely forgetting my presence.

"Arfff?" Mrs. O'Leary's furry head bumped to my side.

I scratched the back of her ear, knowing how she liked that. "It's okay, girl. At least some of them are getting along." The hell hound barked happily. "Yep, you did a great job. You good girl, you. You managed to diffuse the tension. Thank you." I ruffled her fur more which made her whimper in canine delight.

"Hey, Nico?"

I raised my head to find Chiron looking down at me with a gentle expression. "Why don't you   come in too, boy? Your praetor has been looking for you." He added with a knowing smile that just made my cheeks felt hot. And the way he said 'your praetor', well, there's really nothing a demigod can hide from Chiron. "Let's go. You must be hungry too. I'll make sure Mrs' O'Leary is well rewarded for her efforts later."

I gave the hell hound a last pat then followed after Chiron, not minding to mention that my now girlfriend/self-implied babysitter had seen to it that I should be well fed all the time. I smiled to myself as the word girlfriend sounded so nice in my head.

...

The feast was absolutely a feast. There was no longer the distinction of tables between the Greek campers. The only division between everyone was the one between the Greeks and the Romans. A few dared to breach the invisible wall though. Like Reyna and some of the centurions who shared the table with the head councilors. Dakota dined in with Pollux and some of the Apollo healers went to those who still carried an unconscious Octavian. They offered to heal him and in no time, he was up and awake, looking even less happy than before but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut throught out the meal.

Magical plates and cups were everywhere, granting everyone's request. Reyna set an example to her legionnaires when she followed the Greek campers example of offering to the sacrificial fire before eating. The fire burned dozen of different colors that day .

Several satyrs joined in after some time which brought some shock to the Romans. But they quickly learned the difference between the satyrs in camp and the fauns in New Rome. And soon they accepted them, especially when Coach Hedge started to regale everyone with his own version of the events since he and the seven left New Rome. Both Romans and Greeks alike seemed to agree with Coach that the best way to defeat any opponent was to bang them in the head or blast them to kingdom come. Reyna and I had to pipe in a couple of times just to set the story back on its original track.

The trend that the war freak satyr has caught on and so soon, stories became the main course of the feast. Both sides shared their tales of the second Titan war and the events after. Both sides told their stories, often gathering some disbelief then respect from the other side.

"Mount Olympus is in where?!"

"You go on field trips to see the gods?"

"You fought Saturn, I mean Kronos?! Wow! That's wicked!"

Those were most of the questions from the legionnaires and they were answered eagerly and if I may add, a bit smugly by the Greeks. It was also then that people started to move around. Hephaestus kids went around asking how the Romans built the fort so easily. The Ares kids found the other kids of Mars and shared battle strategies and talked about weapons. The Hermes campers talked with the legacies of Mercury and exchanged some prank secrets.

Everyone was starting to get cozy with one another that suddenly I felt the relief that I was waiting for coursed through me. This was a good progress towards fully uniting both the Greeks and Romans.

Most had drifted off to their own conversations with their new found half sibling or friend when suddenly a voice asked by my ear and a finger poked my cheek. "Hey, what are you thinking, oh great and mighty ghost king, destroyer of the labyrinth and savior of Manhattan?"

I jumped on my seat, the gelato I was eating spilled on the table, as I turned to the girl that sat next to me. Reyna, still in her tattered dress shirt from Circe's island, looked very much like the Reyna I knew from our journey but also has the usual air of command and authority that she always carry on Camp Jupiter. "You... You surprised me." I said, slumping back on my seat.

Reyna chuckled and moved to me closer. "I surprised you?! Huh, that's new."

I cleared my throat as I began to notice the weird look everyone's been giving us. "Uhm Reyna?"

"Yes?" She picked some fries from my plate and chewed happily.

"Uhhh... Looking. Everyone's looking." I said and I wasn't kidding. The happy, individual chatter everyone has been into momentarily stopped for them to look at us. For the second time today, I was the subject under everyone's gaze. I'd have to admit, I really don't like it one bit.

"Really?" She turned her gaze away from me and looked around. "Hmm, you're right." Then she did what I expected her to do. She stared down at her legionnaires until they blushed and looked away, even the Greek campers weren't immune to her intimidating stare. Chiron, who sat across the table from us, just smiled along with the other head councilors in our table. Coach Hedge, on the other hand, gave us a thumbs up before continuing to eat his tin cans with his fellow satyrs. "There. they're not looking anymore. Better."

I smiled at the smug look on her face. "Well, yes actually. Thank you." I pushed my plate closer to her. "So, what did you and your new buddy Clarisse talked about there? It seemed serious."

"Oh, she proposed that we have a build-off. To see whose better in building stuffs, Greeks or Romans."

"A build-off?"

"Yeah. Chiron said that the big house doesn't have enough room for two hundred legionnaires and so if we could spend a bit of time, we could build a temporary barracks on the open land near the cabins and arena. He wants us to settle in first before we have any war meetings regarding the giants and Gaea. My legionnaires will build the boys barracks and the Greeks will do the girls'." Her eyes lit up in excitement. "I know my legionnaires would do well but I'm more curious to see how you Greeks do it." She wiggled her eyebrows.

I smiled remembering the time when the new cabins were built one after the other after the Titan war. "Oh, you are in for a surprise then. The Hephaestus' cabin on the move is truly a sight to see, especially with a little magic from Hecate's. Sorry praetor, but my money's with the Greeks this time."

"Oh yeah? The bet is on then, death boy. You'll see, the Romans aren't without our own bag of tricks." Reyna stood from her seat and motioned for her campers. The Romans all sat on alert. Clarisse stood too and together, she and Reyna announced the plan to everyone. And from the crowds active response, it was suffice to say that they loved the idea.

Reyna pulled me back before she went off with the rest of the campers to start with the preparations. "You better rest, Nico. We have a hell lot of things to talk about later. You'll need your energy."

"You should rest too. You've been through a lot."

She smiled a rare gentle smile. "Ah, dont worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm not the one who's been shadow traveling almost every night. Besides, someone needs to keep my campers in line or they could be a rowdy bunch. I'll meet you after we beat your precious Greek friends, okay?"

I held her hand and squeezed to offer my support. I knew she''l be just fine. All of this was possible because of her. She'd have the Greeks and Romans working together in no time. "Well, if you could beat them." I replied.

"Heh, watch and learn." She made a quick look around us before kissing me swiftly on the cheek. "And I'll be expecting a tour from you later, is that clear? Okay? Good!" She tried to run off after that but not before I got a kiss that I much prefer.

"Go get them, praetor." I kissed her on the lips after making sure that the mess hall was empty aside from us. "Go make friends. You're good at it, you know. Well, at least better than me."

Reyna grinned. "True." She laughed. "No worries, death boy. I managed to get through to you, how hard can your Greek friends be?"

"Fine. point taken. Later?"

"Yes. Laters." She kissed me again before running after her legionnaires. I watched her retreating back long enough before I backed into a shadowy column and let myself dissolve into shadows once again. There's some place that I needed to visit and it's better for Reyna to not know about it. I'd be back soon. Probably.

*****

 

Achhh!!! I could feel it... it's coming! Soon! So Soon! Ach No! I still dont want to go to school!!!!!! @_@

There's also another thing thats coming soon but this time, im so thrilled, im really so excited for it... Ahhh BLOOD OF OLYMPUS, when art thou will you come to my local bookstore? I could almost smell you! that newly, opened book smell... agh... *faints*

I quickly scanned my last chapter and im horrified at the amount of typogrphical and grammatical errors in it. I apologize! Really, it's just that it's hard to spellcheck everything without my glasses. And i won't start with my iPad's autocorrect. I'll edit things when i get the chance... Sorry. 

Anyways, thank you wonderful readers for ah reading (right, ofcourse =P). Special thanks to those GENEROUS GODS who shower, and kindly give votes and comments. hehehe. thank you for the holy blessings!  i'll be burning a part of my meal in offering to you guys tonight! XD