I

-Camp Imperium-

Night fell, and lightning crackled across the sky, charging the damp air with white-hot energy. There was a flash and rain poured heavily over the San Francisco Bay Area. Three seconds of torrential downpour and then nothing. The sky ceased its roaring, the water ceased its pouring, and the bay became silent. In the center of the region there lay tucked within a barrier of densely packed trees a heavily fortified camp. It was no ordinary camp, befitting of the camp's inhabitants. It was a camp for demigods.

Although neither the rain nor the lightning intruded on their perfect-weather haven, the inhabitants of the camp were both startled and wary. The weather was unusual, even for them. Weather so erratic and unpredictable was most likely a bad omen from the gods.

Commodus, the stoic, burly director of the camp stared up at the skies, his lower lip trembling from either horror or anticipation. His shaggy black hair and rugged beard seemed to quiver along with the rest of his body. "Jupiter forbid…" he muttered, before turning his heel and marching back into his purple command pavilion. Above the entrance was emblazoned a crest bearing the letters SPQR. Senatus Populusque Romanus.

Throughout the entire camp, similar reactions were displayed on the faces of the campers. They did not yet know what these events meant, but they knew something was up, and that something couldn't be good. It never was.

One by one, campers filed out of their cabins, seemingly drawn by a force of sorts. The camp ground, empty just minutes before, was now filled with a crowd of teenagers all dressed in mandatory purple sleepwear. From Mars Cabin marched out a group of muscular teens, their weapons drawn and at the ready. Across from them, another group filed out, noisier than the rest. They were children of Bacchus, god of Partying and Wine, naturally, and despite their rowdy nature, even they were affected in a way by the weather. Through the Bacchus crowd a dark haired boy pushed through.

"Excuse me!" he shouted as he shoved aside a girl holding an empty wine glass. Seconds later the glass shattered.

"Watch where you're going, Bob!" the girl screeched, angrily. "That glass was magical!"

Bobby winced, but pushed forward anyways. A couple more glasses shattered as he continued on, finally reaching a clearing. After a quick glance around, Bobby followed the direction of each camper's gaze. He looked skyward, noticing the clear, dark skies. He furrowed his brow, confused. All of this noise just to stare at the skies? He didn't get it. Bobby crossed his arms. He was normally the smartest one in his cabin. Being the smartest also came with a couple stereotypes. He was Asian, with light-brown skin and as such, many of his cabin mates connected his intelligence with his background, which annoyed him as if his gifts and accomplishments meant nothing. His brothers and sisters were cool but sometimes the alcohol gets to them.

"Bobby!" a girl's voice cried.

Bobby turned around, spotting a flurry of red hair. He knew at once who possessed such wild and extravagant hair. "'Sup Reyna!" he said, cool as a cucumber. The daughter of Venus stopped in front of him, her hands clutching her jeans as she panted. Her face was red and her eyes were glassy as if she were crying; though that did not stop her from being beautiful. Uh-oh, Bobby thought. This couldn't be good. He pondered as she caught her breath the reasons which could evoke such extreme behaviour. Reyna almost never cried. Did she and Jason…

"It's Jason." She finally said, gulping. She sniffed. "He's gone missing."

Bobby's world suddenly stopped. Jason? Missing? His best friend was gone? His stomach sank and he tried hard not to shed tears. "Have you guys looked for him?" Bobby asked, despite knowing the answer he would receive.

"Yes." Reyna, replied as she stood straight, her breath caught. Her crimson hair flowed perfectly and naturally around her face and a single bang obscured her left eye momentarily before she brushed it away. Her eyes, though puffy, were a warm auburn colour and her face was flawless. She was seventeen, a year older than Bobby, but already she was the most beautiful girl he'd seen, apart from Venus, her mother, whom he had seen but briefly before their attack on Mount Tam. He however did not possess romantic feelings for her as his heart belonged to someone else. Who that someone was, he knew not, but he had a feeling that he'd find out eventually.

"We haven't found him. Not a single trace." She finished, her eyes half closing as she stared sadly at the ground. Jason was Bobby's best friend and Reyna's girlfriend. They had just hooked up after several years and Bobby realized how devastated Reyna must be. He reached out a hand to comfort her but before he could do so, a single clear horn blared across camp. The sound of hooves trampling the grass was heard and Bobby spun around. The magical torches scattered across the camp were enough for one to see clearly during the night.

Squinting, Bobby gasped. A unit of thirty horsemen stood at the edge of the cabins, their weapons sheathed. One horseman carried a pole with a banner that bore the letters SPQR and a statue of an eagle which was perched on top. He was the emblem bearer, and it was said to be bad luck if he fell in battle and his emblem was taken by enemy hands. These men were original cavalry of the Roman armies, but were brought back to life to serve the camp. They were men who accepted offers from the gods to become immortal as long as they served Camp Imperium and as long as their eagle did not fall. Within the center of the camp was a circular construction of pillars, veiled with black cloth so that it looked like a circular tent with a flat roof. That was the rebirthing station, where the Camp's immortal guardians would reform as long as the requirements of their pact were kept. The eagles must not fall.

The leader of the turmae (cavalry squadron) trotted forward on his horse. He was clean shaven and wore a Roman legionary helmet with a red feathered Mohawk coming down its center. He dropped the reins and announced in a loud voice. "We have found an intruder!"

A collective gasp spread among the ranks of campers, numbering at least fifty. Whispers were heard as the many campers began deciphering the news. Reyna, however, ran forward, Bobby trailing behind her. She paused in front of the commander.

"Tiberius." She addressed him in a clear voice, bowing her head in respect. Tiberius returned the bow. "Have you found him?" Reyna asked, in an anticipated tone.

Tiberius shook his head, sadly. "We have searched everywhere. Jason Grace could not be found. We have sent out the dogs, but they are expected to return empty handed."

Reyna looked as if she was going to burst out crying, but with an effort, she held her tears. Tiberius cleared his throat. "Marcus!" he shouted. A man behind him responded with a "Yes sir?"

"Bring forward the prisoner."

The sound of clanging chains was heard as Marcus led the prisoner with his horse. He brought him before the crowd and the exhausted teenager dropped to his knees. He had jet black hair, light skin, and ocean green eyes. He wore a dirty orange shirt. Commodus stepped out from his pavilion and examined the boy, his eyes widening. "You!" he said, with shock.

"This is our prisoner." Tiberius announced. The crowd gasped as he showed them Percy Jackson.

Author's Note #1: Hello all! I have just read the book and figured it would be kinda neat to try writing a fanfic about it. As the title suggests, this fic will be about my ideas of how book 2 will turn out. It's my first Percy Jackson fanfic so perhaps you'll be kind on me with the critiques. I like constructive criticism so if you find any flaws in my writing please tell me about them so that I could improve! Thanks!

Edit: Found that Aphrodite/Venus/Mother mixup! It's been rectified! Sorry for the confusion!

Author's Note #2: For clarification to new readers, this fic was started BEFORE the release of the actual Son of Neptune novel, and will therefore deviate from anything that has happened after The Lost Hero as I have not read those books yet.