Nico figured it must be about lunchtime, so he shuffled over to the mess hall. Even if he didn’t find his friends there, he could at least deal with the yawning pit of hunger in his stomach.
Along the Via Principalis, Roman demigods did a double take when they saw him. Some saluted awkwardly. Others gave him a wide berth and whispered behind his back.
Maybe Hazel was right. His reputation meant something here. Or maybe the Romans just weren’t used to seeing a guy with disheveled black clothes and an extreme case of midday bedhead wandering through camp.
The savory smell of barbecue hit him before he reached the mess hall. He said a silent prayer of thanks to whatever god oversaw grilled hickory-smoked meat.
Inside, he found lunch in full swing. Each of the five cohorts sat in their own dining area, with comfortable sofas surrounding a low table. Pitchers of iced lemonade and baskets of fresh corn bread zipped through the air, carried by invisible wind spirits—venti. A dozen glowing purple Lares mingled with the living, offering free lectures about the Good Old Days and occasionally trying to grab goblets of lemonade before remembering that they were ghosts.
At the officers’ table, in front of a row of Roman battle standards, Will and Hazel were in the middle of an animated conversation. Hazel waved to him. Nico really wanted to load up a plate of BBQ, but he drifted over to join them.
“Sleep well?” Hazel asked. “I just finished giving Will a tour of New Rome.”
“Nico, they have a perfect replica of the Circus Maximus!” Will said. “And the lake is crystal clear, and the perfect temperature for swimming!”
“Well, we have theoceanat our camp,” Nico said as he sat down.
Hazel stuck her tongue out. “Don’t be jealous.”
“Jealous of Camp Jupiter?” He cackled. “Ours is the superior demigod camp.”
“All right, you two, play nice.” Will poured Nico some lemonade. “By the way, I contacted Mr. D and Chiron while you were asleep.”
Nico winced. “Thanks. I forgot about checking in with them.”
“Don’t worry. I explained the situation. They said they could handle the camp for as long as we needed.”
“I’m sure Mr. D was incredibly annoying about it.”
Will grinned. “He said he eagerly awaits news that a werewolf has turned us both during the full moon.”
Nico gaped at Hazel. “Is one of the monsters Asterion brought a werewolf?”
“No,” she said. “And I’m trying to call themmythics, though old habits die hard.”
“Right,” said Nico. “I guess we’ll have to rethink a lot of things.” He scanned the dining hall. “Where’s Asterion, anyway? And Frank?”
Hazel fiddled with her earlobe—one of her nervous habits. “They’re both on Temple Hill, actually. Frank needed help with some repairs on Mars’s temple, and Asterion volunteered.”
The tension in her voice was subtle, but Nico caught it. He wondered if maybe Frank and Hazel weren’t in complete agreement about the whole mythic/monster asylum issue.
“How are you holding up?” Nico asked her. “This has to be a lot for you. Youngest praetor in history, and you’ve already fought off an army, rebuilt the city, and welcomed a group of refugees from Tartarus.”
“I’m not so young, remember?” Hazel said, then squeezed his wrist. “But I’m hanging in there. Honestly, after spending a week with Asterion, his presence already seems normal to me. But I definitely felt like you did when I first spoke with him.” She picked up a drumstick, which made Nico’s mouth water. “Do you remember that I once met his mom?”
A bulb flickered on in his mind. “In the House of Hades, right?”
She nodded. “And let me tell you, Pasiphaë was a piece of work. Cruel and bitter. She saw her child as nothing more than a punishment. So when Asterion told me his story, I believed him. I felt sorry for him. And as hard as it is to say it, I also related to him. My mother said some terrible things to me when she was under Gaea’s influence.”
Her eyes went distant. “Have I made a mistake? Allowing him and his friends to stay here?”
“Of course not,” Will said. “You couldn’t have turned him away.”
She picked at her drumstick. “I’m worried that I’m biased. Or at least that’s what Frank thinks.”
There it is, Nico thought.Trouble in paradise.
“How so?” He tried to keep his voice even.
