Heyy guys! Here's chapter 2 of The Mark of Athena! I don't own Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan does.

There was a long pause before anyone dared to move. The gods looked at the 12 year old Percy and Annabeth and shrugged. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with people being sent forward in time anymore. The demigods however had different reactions. Piper ran up to Annabeth and engulfed her in a huge hug. Annabeth was startled and just sat there, as still as a statue. while strangers assaulted her. Jason looked at the young Percy with a look of complete shock. Percy looked so young and short and just.. not like what Jason was used to seeing. Frank patted Percy's back, and Hazel hugged him. Leo was shocked. Completely and utterly shocked. He didn't expect to ever see them again, and now here they were. Nico hobbled over to Annabeth and Percy and examined them. There wasn't a dry eye with the 6 future-comers. The gods were taken aback by this response.

"Annabeth." Percy whispered. "Do you know who these people are?"

"I have absolutely no idea seaweed brain. Can you uh, tell me who you are, please?

Piper froze. This was young Annabeth, of course she had no idea who Piper was. "Of course sweetie. I'm Piper. We're good friends in the future."

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other. Who said anything about the future?

"What year is it?" Annabeth asked carefully.

"2012." Athena said, examining her daughter.

"Wow, really? That's cool." Percy said, while smiling weakly. His whole body still hurt. He felt like a truck had backed over him.

"I'm Hazel, and we're also friends in the future. Well, we all are. We're all your friends." She smiled at the two younger demigods.

"I'm Jason." he said quietly, still shocked.

"Uh, Leo?" It came out as a question, but come on. Two of his friends basically come back from the dead and he can't be surprised?

"I'm Nico." Nico said staring at two of his best friends.

"Frank." He was too surprised to say anything else.

Annabeth nodded. "And, why are we here?"

Zeus decided to answer her. "We've been reading a book about a future quest you go on."

Percy groaned. "More quests? I thought I was done with all of that."

Everyone snorted at him. "Punk, you go on plenty more quests." Ares said, sneering at Percy. Percy glared at him, remembering his fight with Ares. Ares glared back.

"We were just about to read chapter 2. Would you mind joining us? Hestia said calmly. Annabeth and Percy nodded and sat down. "Who wants to read?"

Athena raised her hand. "I will Lady Hestia. Hestia passed her the book and Athena cleared her throat.

"Annabeth II"

Annabeth paled. "It's in my point of view?" she chocked out. Percy snickered at her and she slapped his arm.

The 6 demigods all looked at this exchange with teary eyes.

A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for Annabeth as she walk through the forum.

"Where am I?" she asked again.

"Roman camp." Dionysus said while flipping through his magazine.

"Okay." she said.

"You're not surprised?" Jason asked her.

"Not really, I mean, the gods still have a Roman form, so why wouldn't they have Roman children?" Jason nodded at her logic.

Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants, but no one was armed. No one attacked.

"Well that's good." Artemis said.

Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. Annabeth saw couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes. Were all of them demigods?

"No." Hermes said, "Some are legacies. Descendants of demigods." Annabeth and Percy were wide eyed and nodded.

Annabeth suspected so, though she'd never seen a place like this. At Camp Half-Blood, demigods were teens. If they survived long enough to graduate from high school, they either stayed on as counselors or left to start lives as best they could in the mortal world. Here, it was an entire multi-generational community.

At the far end of the crowd, Annabeth spotted Tyson the Cyclops and Percy's hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary

Percy looked surprised. Annabeth looked disgusted. Cyclops? That's the reason Thalia died. "You have a hellhound?"

"Apparently so." Percy said blinking. "I wonder how that works."

-who had been the first party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter. They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved and grinned. He was wearing a SPQR banner like a giant bib.

"Why does that monster know me?" Annabeth growled.

"I claimed him and he is Percy's brother. He sometimes resides in my cabin and he has helped you on many quests." Poseidon said

Percy blanched. "Wh-hat? he stuttered.

The demigods, Apollo, Ares, and Hermes all laughed at the bewildered expression on his face.

Some part of Annabeth's mind registered how beautiful the place was-the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture... gods, the architecture-gilded marble columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, and terraced villas.

"You do want to be an architect, Wise Girl." Percy said, regaining some of his wit. She just rolled her eyes at him and smiled.

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

"Reyna." All of the older demigods said.

Reyna. Jason had described her well. Even without that, Annabeth would've singled her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.

Apollo wolf whistled and Artemis slapped him.

Annabeth recognized something else in her face, too-in the 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 and worry and fear that she couldn't show in public. Annabeth knew that face. She saw it every time she looked in a mirror.

She blushed, and Percy looked at her. He hesitantly patted her shoulder and she smiled at him. Aphrodite looked like she was about to explode because of the cuteness.

Percy blushed and looked away. The demigods all snickered at the two blushing children.

The two girls considered each other. Annabeth's friends fanned out on either side. The Romans murmured Jason's name, staring at him in awe.

Jason blushed.

Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and Annabeth's vision tunneled.

Percy glared at the ground, and found himself jealous for unknown reasons. The demigods smiled at his expression.

Percy smiled at her

Percy looked up and he and Annabeth regarded each other with confused looks on their faces.

Frank began to laugh, and Hazel looked at him. He whispered something in her ear and she began to giggle as well. What are they going to look like when they find out they're dating?

-that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that had annoyed her for years but eventually had become endearing.

Annabeth's eyes widened. Percy chocked on nothing. "Endearing?" he asked his voice a bit higher than normal. Everyone laughed and Annabeth blushed, and looked at the ground. "I don't know what's happening." She said quietly and Piper patted her shoulder.

His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as she remembered.

Her face got even redder, and Percy joined in on the blush-fest and looked anywhere but at Annabeth. Aphrodite was squealing at the two of them. Athena was stony faced and Poseidon turned to her.

"My eyes are gorgeous, aren't they." He said, smirking at her. Athena sent an owl after him and he just shot it with water.

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.

"CAN WE PLEASE STOP READING THIS?" Annabeth squeaked out. She was about to die of embarrassment. Percy nodded.

"Nope, nope nope!" Leo said. "We have to keep reading about the love birds." They got even redder and the demigods all continued to laugh at them.

Annabeth was too stunned to move. She felt that if she got any closer to him, all the molecules in her body would implode.

She groaned and hid her face in her hands.

Athena looked at the next line and threw the book at Poseidon. She crossed her arms and sat, glaring into space.

Poseidon picked up where she left off.

She'd secretly had a crush on him since they were twelve years old.

Annabeth's head shot up and Percy was as red as Apollo's sun cows. He looked at her in surprise. "THAT IS NOT TRUE!" she screamed "GET THAT LOOK OFF YOUR FACE SEAWEED BRAIN. THE BOOK IS LYING." She moved and sat on the other end of the couch, far away from Percy, blushing like a maniac. Percy was looking at the ground, red faced and thoroughly embarrassed.

Last summer she'd fallen for him hard. They'd been a happy couple for four months

"LIES!" she screamed at the ground. Percy was too shocked for words.

-then he'd disappeared.

Nico frowned. He hated it when Percy was gone. Percy looked at the demigods. "I was missing?"

They all nodded and Annabeth glared at the floor.

During their separation, something had happened to Annabeth's feelings. They'd grown painfully intense-like she's been forced to withdraw from a life-saving medication.

She blushed again. When would the embarrassment be over?

Now she wasn't sure which was more excruciating-living with that horrible absence, or being with him again.

She began to hit her head on the arm of the sofa, and Percy shoved his face into his hands. Everyone laughed again.

The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned to Jason.

Jason frowned. "Reluctance?"

The demigods shrugged.

"Jason Grace, my former colleague..." She spoke the word colleague like it was a dangerous thing.

He frowned again.

"I welcome you home. And these, your friends-"

Annabeth didn't mean to, but she surged forward.

"Oh dear gods." She mumbled to herself. "Please don't do what I think you're doing."

Piper smiled and rubbed Annabeths back, comforting her.

Percy rushed toward her at the same time.

Percy groaned and everyone snickered.

The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there.

Percy threw his arms around her.

"ughhgurnwiunvqqn." Percy made an unfathomable noise into his hands and turned ever redder. Annabeth was wide eyed and gaping in his direction.

They kissed,

She buried her head in Piper's shoulder and Percy looked in her direction, just to look back at the ground.

and for a moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could've hit the planet and wiped out all life, and Annabeth wouldn't have cared.

Annabeth groaned again, and Percy looked like he was being stabbed, he was sooo embarrassed.

Percy smelled of ocean air. His lips were salty.

"OKAY, CAN WE PLEASE END THIS CHAPTER." Percy whined.

"Yes please?" Annabeth said.

Seaweed brain, she thought giddily.

She covered her face, and blushed even more.

Percy pulled away and studied her face. "Gods, I never thought-"

Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement.

Athena smiled at her daughter.

Romans cried out. Some surged forward, but Reyna shouted,"Hold! Stand down!"

Hazel laughed. "It surprised everyone when she suddenly flipped him."

"Thanks Annabeth. I feel awesome now." Percy said grumbling.

"Kid you probably feel awesome cause you just had a little makeout session with your girly-friend." Apollo said seriously, then burst out laughing along with everyone else.

Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat.

Everyone winced, that had to hurt. Athena smirked again.

She didn't care what the Romans thought. A white-hot lump of anger expanded in her chest-a tumor of worry and bitterness that she'd been carrying around since last autumn.

"Last autumn? I was gone for that long?" Percy asked quietly.

Everyone nodded and Percy frowned.

"If you ever leave me again," she said, her eyes stinging,"I swear to all the gods-"

"Where did he go?" Annabeth asked hesitantly.

Leo answered "Hera kidnaped him for 6 months and hid him from everyone's vision and threw him to Camp Jupiter a few weeks ago."

Annabeth glared at Hera and Percy looked down. The Roman Camp? Wow.

Percy had the nerve to laugh.

Poseidon smirked and the demigods all shook their heads.

Suddenly the lump of heated emotions melted inside Annabeth.

Aphrodite squealed to herself. SO MUCH PERCABETH.

"Consider me warned," Percy said. "I missed you, too."

She squealed, again.

Annabeth rose and helped him to his feet. She wanted to kiss him again so badly, but she managed to restrain herself.

Annabeth and Percy blushed again. Everyone snickered at them again.

Jason cleared his throat. "So, yeah. . . .It's good to be back."

He introduced Reyna to Piper, who looked a little miffed that she hadn't gotten to say her lines that she'd been practicing, then to Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign.

Leo grinned and Piper rolled her eyes. "Well I practiced for like 3 hours, and I put a lot of work into saying those few words, and I didn't even get to say them."

"And this is Annabeth," Jason said. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."

"Says who?" Annabeth grumbled.

Reyna's eyes sparkled. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?"

Annabeth didn't know if that was a compliment or not, but she held out her hand. "I only attack my boyfriend like that," she promised. "Pleased to meet you."

"Boyfriend?" She squeaked out. "In the future, Percy and I are.. dating?"

"Well obviously hun. You just kissed and made lovey eyes at each other, what did you think?" Hermes said in a lisp-y voice.

"I was ignoring the possibility" she said, red faced.

Everyone laughed and Percy blushed.

Reyna clasped her hand firmly. "It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"

A few of the Roman campers hustled forward-apparently the senior officers. Two kids appeared at Percy's side, the same ones Annabeth had seen him chumming around with earlier.

"US!" Frank and Hazel said smiling.

The burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about fifteen. He was cute in a sort of oversized-cuddly-panda-bear-way.

"Thanks Annabeth. I feel the love." Frank said. Hazel smacked his arm playfully.

The girl was younger, maybe thirteen, with amber eyes and chocolate skin and long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm.

"Me!" Hazel said.

"It was a very accurate description." Hades said to his daughter. Hazel smiled hesitantly.

Annabeth could tell from their body language that they felt close to Percy. They stood next to him protectively, like they'd shared many adventures. She fought down a twinge of jealousy.

"Awwww, is little Annie jealous?" Apollo said in a baby voice.

Annabeth turned red with anger. She was done being embarrassed. "Don't call me Annie." She said with venom covering each word. Apollo and Hermes both stopped laughing and looked at her, and she was glaring at the both of them. They shrunk back slightly and looked anywhere but at her.

Was it possible Percy and this girl...no. The chemistry between the three of them wasn't like that.

"She thought Percy and I were dating?" Hazel said wide eyed. She met Franks gaze and burst out laughing. "He's like my older brother."

Annabeth had spent her whole life learning to read people. It was a survival skill. If she had to guess, she'd say the big Asian guy was the girl's boyfriend, though she suspected they hadn't been together long.

"Wow she got that all from reading us? Cool. You were right Annabeth." Frank said in awe.

"She's always right", Percy said to the floor, and Annabeth heard him and stuck her tongue out.

There was one thing she didn't understand: what was the girl staring at? She kept frowning in Piper and Leo's direction, like she recognized one of them and the memory was painful.

Leo and Hazel exchanged a knowing look.

Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "...tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian-"

"You're letting these intruders into the camp?" A tall guy with stringy blonde hair elbowed his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks-"

"Octavian." The demigods growled.

"I have a feeling I won't like him, will I? Percy asked.

"No, you won't. You make him your enemy, basically." Hazel said

"Wow, seaweed brain, how many enemies do you need? Ares, Zeus, Mr. D possibly, Medusa, Echidna, Hades, and Luke." Her voice turned dreamy at the end, and Percy looked away sharply and glared at the floor, then at the scorpion sting mark on his finger. Annabeth saw and frowned at him, oh yeah, Luke's…. Luke's bad now.

"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern glance. "We'll eat here, in the forum."

"Oh, much better," Octavian grumbled. He seemed to be the only one who didn't defer Reyna as his superior, despite the fact that he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."

"Yup." Leo said.

"These are are guests." Reyna clipped off every word. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."

"Good idea," Percy put in. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."

Everyone laughed.

Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."

The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy a look of absolute loathing.

"Well he doesn't like me at all." Percy said smiling.

Then he gave Annabeth a suspicious once-over and stalked away.

Annabeth huffed.

Percy slipped his hand into Annabeth's.

They both blushed again.

"Don't worry about Octavian," he said. "Most of the Romans are good people-like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. We'll be fine."

Frank and Hazel smiled

Annabeth felt as if someone had draped a cold washcloth across her neck. She heard that whispering laugh again, as if the presence had followed her from the ship.

Annabeth frowned and looked at everyone questioningly.

She looked up at the Argo II. Its massive bronze hull glittered in the sunlight. Part of her wanted to kidnap Percy right now, climb on board, and get out of here while they still could.

"Kidnap me?" Percy asked and she shrugged.

She couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. And there was no way she would ever risk losing Percy again.

Everyone smiled at the blushing Annabeth.

"We'll be fine," she repeated, trying to believe it.

"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason, and Annabeth thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."

Poseidon closed the book and stretched. "Chapter's over. Who wants to read next?"

Artemis raised her hand and Poseidon tossed her the book. "Annabeth III"

Wooh! Another chapter done. Favorite and Review and tell me who I should add next!