I am glad that you are enjoying the story so far. This chapter is lighter in tone and this mood, I hope, will carry over to the next chapter, but no promises. Enjoy the levity and Frazel insertion ;)

Chapter 4: Where Will You Be?

There is something tainting and brewing in the streets. Lies pass through the Elmer glued cracks like rain, falling into the foundation of the rocks. The city lights twinkle as the little heathens race through the streets, heads thrown back as peals of laughter fall from heroin-stained pink lips. Sometimes, the time feels infinite; it stretches longer than it should to let the villains creep up dirty brick roads and the cells remain empty because who is truly left to keep the peace? So the little boys and little girls curl into one another, on straw beds in the prison, cradle themselves in the dirty alleyways deep in the dark gaps, just some children who have their souls to keep.

…

Sometimes Annabeth forgot about the strength of emotions. She forgot that the youth, whom wield the swords and spathas and bows with unparalleled skill, were just as susceptible to misfortune as she was. They were not invincible. She knew, and hated to admit, that she was fallible and Percy would fall with her with every mistake. But others…those who did not rely on her or her boyfriend (lover…paramour…words could not describe what he was to her anymore) were responsible for their own choices. And they were made of flesh and blood, not steel and iron—two concessions she did not take lightly. Annabeth used to believe Luke hung the moon. Now she knows he fell to hell and never managed to climb all the way out.

In hindsight of her own struggles, she forgot that there were others, her friends and companions, who were suffering. Not physically apparent, but there was an internal struggle that was trapped under the surface of skin. Some mental affliction or personal malady was more taxing than getting stabbed. And, despite not having a psychology degree, Annabeth noticed when those feelings manifested themselves in the material world with a vengeance she was unused to. She certainly was not expecting to view it from the least likely person.

Once the arrow had been removed from his back, Jason had no trouble extricating himself from the barrier of friends surrounding him. He moved purposefully to where the green grass was now dyed a pitiful gray and settled down between two mother hens and their clutch. Reyna and Hazel gave him flummoxed expressions, but that did not stop the son of Zeus from grabbing Nico and pulling him into a large bear hug. Even Nico startled before trying to withdraw.

"Jason, let go," came the muffled request.

"That's the second time Cupid's shot at us. Excuse me for being glad you're not going crazy right now."

"Crazy!" His outraged squawk made Annabeth wince. "Why the hell would you think that?"

"Last time…" Jason drawled.

"Last time was a lapse in control. I'm fine now." Nico looked over his shoulder. "It won't happen again."

"We should take you two to the infirmary where you can get treated and then explain whatever you are talking about." Annabeth commented.

"Is it common to get attacked during breakfast?" Frank questioned, to add some levity.

Piper, bless her, shook her head. "Only during dinner and that is if Percy is here." Percy let out a bashful grin.

"C'mon guys. You have a whole cavalry of demigods waiting to ambush you for gossip. Let's go to the infirmary. When I was last here, the Apollo Cabin had plans to have it rebuilt. I want to see what it looks like." Percy grinned.

Nico managed to push himself out of Jason's hold and stood up, brushing himself off. "I'm sorry." He spoke softly to his sister and kissed her forehead. "For scaring you, I mean."

"You better not do that again. I thought it was like those dreams, you were talking to yourself." Hazel rambled on, wrapping her hands around his middle. Her forehead banged against his chin, but Annabeth watched as he embraced her with an expression of clam. She had never seen something so tender on him.

"It's different," Percy frowned.

"You can make amends to him later, Seaweed Brain." She kissed his cheek and grabbed his calloused hand in her own. "We're going to find out what is really going on before Chiron comes to investigate."

The group walked away from the patch of deadened grass. Piper had wrapped herself around Jason, who calmly obliged her request to be close. She stroked his hair, nuzzled his cheek, and gave him worried glances the entire way. It made sense, Annabeth reasoned. He had only been inflicted a mortal wound not too long ago and now there was this mess a day after Leo's death. Jason just gave her smile, assured her he was fine, and they kept walking.

The new infirmary was located not too far from the Big House. The health care facility was two stories tall, exterior reinforced with wood and insulated concrete. Large blue windows streamed light into the reception area, which was visible from the outside. Smaller windows decorated the in-patient rooms and the upper floor. Annabeth led her friends through the oaken door and smiled at Kayla behind the desk. Kayla was buried deep in her book.

"He's waiting for you in room 213. Go upstairs and take a left," The daughter of Apollo licked her finger and turned the page of the large text in her lap.

"Thank you," with that, Annabeth ushered her friends up the stairs. The walls of the infirmary were not covered in garish wallpaper. Instead, it stuck to nude walls with cream crown-molding, Malcolm's signature. Her heart ached a little at the thought of her brother.

"I really like this. The design," Piper clarified. Annabeth had to agree. The infirmary had adopted a rustic atmosphere that made the building feel as though it was a real cabin. The only qualities that detracted from the country setting were the inner plumbing and modified lighting. They reached the Room 213, only to hear rising voices.

"Drew, get out of here! I am about to tend to patients."

"As if," there was the demeaning scoff. "So the wonder boys were struck by Cupid. They'll be fine eventually, but it was you he specifically called out before he left. Imagine what my brother wants with you, honey." Drew laughed.

Piper knocked on the door before opening it. Drew Tanaka was seated on the arm of a brown window seat under the sunlight. Will Solace stood across from her, an aggravated sigh slipping from his mouth before he flashed his customary blinding smile.

"Drew, I think it's time to go."

"Nope, I want to meet the newbies. Hello, handsome," she winked at Jason and Piper frowned.

"Hi to you too Drew," Jason rolled his eyes. "Are you free Will? We can come back later if you want."

"Naw, it's fine," The son of Apollo shook his head. The entourage entered the room and Will's eyes widened when he took in Percy and Annabeth.

"You're both alright." Somehow his smile brightened and Annabeth could not stop herself from returning the gesture. Will managed to make every one smile—either it was a sign of his father or he had natural charisma oozing out of his pores. Annabeth knew it was the latter.

"We are okay." Annabeth said, the words not feeling right on her tongue. Best to assuage the fears of others, she thought, than draw more attention to yourself.

"Can't keep me away," Percy joked and Will grinned.

"I didn't expect you all here so quickly." Will admitted. "Thanks for passing on the message." Hazel shook her head.

"Nico was shot by an arrow, so I was hoping you could…" She started, but was soon cut off by Solace.

"I leave you alone for less than twenty-four hours and you manage to get yourself shot, Death Boy! Are you trying to set a new record for causing heart attacks? Wait, don't answer that question. Just get on the bed." Annabeth raised an eyebrow. Will was usually jovial, an even-tempered sort of guy with a penchant for nagging, yes, but not outbursts. Even Percy was puzzled by the uncharacteristic display.

"Excuse me, no." Nico shrugged his shoulders. "I already said I'm fine and I am not going to waste time in here. Reyna, Frank and I have somewhere to be."

"We just need Jason and Nico checked out. After that, we'll be out of your hair." Frank said. Will nodded.

"I already have your patient charts, so we can start. We'll start with Jason since he is more agreeable to treatment." He shot a look at Nico.

"I don't need your treatment. What I need isn't here." A frown appeared on Will's face, and it drew lines across the top of his head. He shrugged and turned to Jason, who obediently sat on a cot.

Will gave him a once over before reaching out his hand, "May I?"

"Uh, sure," Jason's head cocked to the side, but grasped his hand. Annabeth remembered how it worked. Children of Apollo could catalogue health profiles through touch. Of course, it required strict focus and it was not immediate, but it shortened the process of slowly identifying all injuries.

"Hmm, you need to develop some more muscle tone around the stomach. I'm not saying that you aren't fit; however, your recent abdominal wound may prohibit or hinder some actions as you age, so you'll want to start an exercise regimen to prevent that. Also, eat more carrots to preserve your eyesight. Your prescription is a little high," Will rattled off as he walked around Jason. "The arrow wound was not major, so you should be fine to continue your normal activities. Any questions?"

"Wow," Frank muttered. "No one does that in our camp."

"I presume you are from the Roman group?"

"Yes, I'm Praetor Frank Zhang."

"Nice to meet you," Will shook his hand. "Either your bunch doesn't vocally relay the injuries or they aren't as in tune with it as I am. I've been working in the infirmary since I was nine and I am the best healer in the camp, so I guess it's just an automatic skill now."

Annabeth ignored the rest of the exchange. Drew's words echoed in her head. Cupid did mention Solace, but why? She had been at the camp the longest, but nothing had ever happened to the Will while she had been there. Unless, she thought, it had happened during a quest, which was quite possible. Yet, no one had bothered to mention any strange occurrences during her absences. She shook her head. Annabeth had too many puzzles to solve.

"I need to leave," Reyna stood abruptly. "If you are going to stay for medical attention, then you can. Frank, you need to come with me."

Frank rose from his position on the couch to exit, as well as Nico and Hazel, both of whom Reyna pushed back into their seats.

"You need my help." Nico argued.

"We already established that you are going to get treated first, and then you can come help me." She remained firm. "Zhang, meet me by the Praetor's tent and tell Kimi to send out the message that we are having a meeting at noon. You may join him, Levesque." Hazel jumped to follow the order and latched onto Frank's hand, the two disappearing out the door.

"Reyna, what are you doing?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow. Reyna looked back at her with a cooler glance.

"We have to announce Zhang's new praetorship and with Jason's confirmed bill of health, we can proceed to have a Senate meeting and discuss the change in authority." Reyna replied calmly. "However, we will need witnesses."

"Technically, you will need two." Nico supplied.

"Which is why I have Grace and Levesque," she curtly replied. Annabeth watched the exchange with clear amusement and Percy was watching the two go back and forth. Even Drew was watching the pair.

"The Senate won't listen to a panel made up of a former Praetor who has now assumed a Greek identity, and another who they assume is a deserter because she followed Percy willingly. You know the Romans have no respect for the prophecy. Thus, your only choice is me because the people believe I have no ties to the Greeks."

"Isn't that a lie?" Percy leaned forward. "You've always been Greek."

"Nationality-wise, I was born in Rome. I'm more Roman than all of you." Nico turned his head to Jason. "And you know I chose my side long ago, and it was not for the Greeks."

"That is utter bull!" Will shouted and the group jumped. "You helped Lou, Cecil, and I do recon against the Romans."

"That's because Octavian needed to be stopped." Nico shakily rose from his chair. "I side with the group that helps me and keeps my sister safe. That's the Romans. I have no loyalty to the Greeks and I never will."

"No, you helped us during the Titan war and you didn't have to. You could have sided with Kronos, but you rallied Hades, Persephone, Demeter, and an army of the undead to help us. So something was tying you to us." Percy stood and grabbed Nico's arm.

"I only help the people I love!" he yelled and Percy took a step back from the smaller teen, who shook with indignation.

"Nico, don't—" Jason started.

"What part of that do you not understand? I probably would have went to Kronos, believe me I considered it was not for the fact that I love—" Nico clamped his hand and his eyes went wide. The room was deathly quiet and Nico closed his mouth.

"I'm going to meet with my sister at your tent. I…I," he ran out the room. Jason stood and kissed Piper softly on the cheek.

"I need to make sure he doesn't try to…jeez." Jason gave up and stalked out the room. Drew interrupted the startled silence with a laugh.

"Oh please, don't tell me you all didn't know." She laughed again.

"Know what?" Piper asked.

"The rumors are true."

"What rumors?" Annabeth asked. "Since when did the camp have rumors about di Angelo?"

"Oh, not recently. It was a while before he left because he couldn't get over your sickening displays of affection." Drew examined her manicure.

"Just answer the question." Reyna snapped.

"Death Boy has always been in love with Annabeth. It's the only reason he returns to camp: to fight the wars Annabeth and Percy are in, because he has a shot at protecting you from more enemies." Drew released a sigh before a saccharine grin grew on her plump lips. "Don't tell me you didn't know. I'm a daughter of Aphrodite and I can read the signs. He's loved you since he met you."

Will's frown grew and he turned to the side. looking dejected, he clicked his tongue. "I need to check on my other patients." And he left the room.

Somehow, with the newly presented information and the surprise apparent on both Piper and Reyna's faces, Annabeth could only doubt it. It had some merit—the way he glared at their held hands, the way he would frown when Percy and her kissed, and how he always seemed a little hurt when the two were affectionate in public. That was the merit. But Annabeth cannot help he is in love with her. Nope, there was no love there.

…

Somehow, the tent managed to fit all the Centurions and the chief advisors for the Roman Army. It was an unofficial meeting with only a portion of the Senate, but it would have to do for his instatement as Praetor. Reyna stood at the head of the table, Jason sitting to her right and the left seat vacant. Kimi Abney stood behind her. To his left, Dakota, Michael, and Leila were seated. On the other side, Larry, Nathan, Marcus, and Ryan. Hank was absent due to an injury. Olivia Collins smirked. Hazel sat near the end of the table, as it was her first council meeting and she was not officially part of the council, but not an unimportant individual. Frank wished he could pull her into the seat beside him, have her close to draw strength from. Instead, there was distance and a black curtain.

"Have you seen Nico?" Jason leaned over to him and whispered. He shook his head. "Dammit, he took off after the infirmary and said he would meet us here."

"Did something happen?" Now Frank was curious. Jason always showed concern for everyone, but his newfound fixation on Hazel's brother was confusing.

"He exploded on Percy in the infirmary shortly after you guys left and I couldn't find him," he admitted.

"It was probably nothing. He's volatile with a short temper." Frank shrugged.

"I am glad you could all join for today." Reyna stated. "I only have two important matter to discuss, and one of those has to be investigated when he get back to New Rome. So first, we need to discuss the situation about our augur. The position is currently vacant and the only viable candidate is Thea Payne, legacy of Apollo who is only thirteen years old and we have no one to teach her."

"If I may make a suggestion, Praetor, we do have Jennifer." Nathan raked a hand through his blond hair. "She's present, aiding in the medical tents. I know she served twelve years ago, but she does have amazing experience and was a better augur than the one we had before."

"I will take your candidate into consideration. Thank you," Reyna opened her mouth to start on something else when a large shadow spat out Nico wearing his black toga over his clothing. He took the seat next to Praetor.

"Sorry, Praetor. I had some urgent affairs to attend to." Olivia leaned forward.

"You did not miss anything, Ambassador. Praetor Ramirez-Arellano was only informing us of our new augur and the candidate to train her." She added the words sickly-sweet.

"Of course," Nico nodded in her direction.

"What we should discuss is the vacant Praetor position. It is a sign of weakness if we only have one ." Ryan spoke calmly. "Since the debacle with Octavian, we have only appeared to be a symbol of weak leadership. I apologize to you, Reyna, for the wavering loyalty of our legionnaires during this time. We should not have listened to Octavian."

"I accept your apology. As for praetorship, Jason Grace will not be returning to us as praetor. He has taken the honorary position of Pontifex Maximus by the gods and will be frequenting between both camps to establish peace between us." Jason gave a nod as many of the council began to clap.

"It is good to see you again Jason." Marcus nodded in his direction.

"He has appointed Frank Zhang to be his successor." And then there was an uproar.

"You can't make Zhang our Praetor!"

"Really, Frank. You couldn't chose anyone better."

"What is wrong with Frank? He's better than having you!" The cacophonous sounds rose as more and more members started arguing for or against his position.

"ENOUGH!" They quieted when Jason yelled. "Zhang has showed remarkable leadership qualities during our quest. He has guided us during our fight against the Giants and Gaea and he deserves your respect."

"I would rather have someone else as our praetor than a deserter." Marcus crossed his arms. "I do not own my support to someone who ditched us after the Greeks attacked. They set my mother's house on fire." Frank groaned internally.

"That wasn't the Greeks fault. That was an eidolon's. Roman wards do not stop possession because Roman spirits can easily invade a person's body when they are unwanted." Nico examined his nails. "I was not there for the attack, but I know enough about the dead to know that they wanted to cause harm. You have some very intolerable spirits on your streets. Handle them."

"And you agree with Zhang's praetorship?" Olivia questioned.

"I have worked with Zhang before. I was there when Grace appointed him as his successor and I proclaim him to be a great leader. Grace would never lead you astray with his choice and you can trust that I would not salute anyone who is willing to harm the infrastructure of New Rome. Let Zhang prove himself to you when you reach the West Coast and then proceed from there." Frank looked at him quizzically. Hazel was beaming as her brother spoke in her boyfriend's defense. The other was quieted and nodded.

"Are you sure there is no one else?" Michael asked.

"I am not sure you should be talking, Kahale." Frank turned to him. "You may be the Centurion of the First Cohort, but you still supported Octavian's war effort with little resistance. You and some of your co-conspirators are only in this room because you have been a dependable and reliable person in the past. Don't think your future actions will not be scrutinized."

"Spoken like a true Praetor," Ryan laughed. "Reyna, if you sponsor him and get him properly trained before our arrival at New Rome, then I will whole-heartedly advocate for his installation." Frank blushed from the praise.

"Don't blush. They like it when your tough." Jason supplied.

"We will have an official vote in New Rome. But for now, those not in favor of Frank Zhang becoming our Praetor raise your hands."

Surprisingly, no one raised their hands. Reyna waited a beat or two, before smiling softly at Frank. "Welcome to the Senate, Frank Zhang. The rest of you can go. We will be eating at the Greek pavilion and Zhang and I will be speaking to Chiron. Spend some time with your friends and family until we can set an official meeting date with the leaders of Camp Half-Blood. Thank you."

The Centurions slowly left the tent one by one until Hazel, Jason, and Nico and himself were left. Reyna let out a sigh and stretched in her chair. Her dogs moved to sit by her feat like loyal servants and Reyna released a weary laugh.

"That went well. Thank you for speaking up for him. You know they barely take a grain of salt from my words."

"The Second, Third, and Fifth Cohorts are loyal to you for the most part, Rey." Jason clapped her on the arm. "You shouldn't worry. They will help you and Frank as long as they can."

"It actually went better than expected." Frank stood and rolled his shoulders. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"That's the thing. I have already talked with some of the cohorts and they are open to getting to know their Greek counterparts or spending time with wounded friends. You are free to do whatever you want to, for today at least."

"Are you sure?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah," Reyna nodded.

"So, then we all go hang out. That was the plan before," Hazel frowned. "Never mind, let's just spend time together."

"I can't," Reyna confessed. "Your brother and I need to discuss somethings, but the rest of you are free to go."

"But—"

"Just go, Hazel. I'll see you later." Nico rolled his eyes.

Hazel grabbed onto his arm. "Promise," she pleaded and Nico nodded, leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Go hang out with Jason and Frank, I'm certain the others miss you too."

They parted with a smile and Hazel walked back to Frank. Frank stood there like a sentinel. He knew he did not speak much, and when he did it was to state an important fact or a rational option. So, as calmly as he knew, he wrapped his arms around Hazel and let out a shuddering breath. Then he looked down into her golden eyes and smiled.

"How does it feel to be dating the new Praetor?"

"It feels pretty good." She laughed. "Come on, we should go find the others." She started to walk away, but Frank pulled her back to kiss her on the lips. Usually their kisses were a short, cut press of the lips. But now, it was slow and encompassing. He could almost taste the strawberry lip gloss smeared on her lips and in the back of his mind, he was on his way to counting five Mississippi's. She pulled away first, a delicate blush blossoming under her skin. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist, following behind Jason to Camp Half-Blood. Frank Zhang may have started as no one, but now he was Praetor. With his friends by his side, he could live up to the responsibility. But, before he doomed himself to a stressful job, he was going to relax with some of his favorite people. Because that what a teenager does. They immerse themselves in all the things that make them happy, and Frank was going to be a teen for once. He simply deserved it.