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There was an answer The Mark of Athena could lead her there--if she survived

"I’ the Mark of Athena to Rome"

The praetor shook her head "You have no idea what awaits you"

"Yes, I do," Annabeth said "This grudge between our cae is thousands of years old How can one person fix it?"

Annabeth wished she could give a convincing answer, show Reyna a 3-D diagram or a brilliant schematic, but she couldn’t She just knew she had to try She remembered that lost look on her mother’s face: I must return home

"The quest has to succeed," she said "You can try to stop ht to the death Or you can let o, and I’ll try to save both our camps If you must march on Camp Half-Blood, at least try to delay Slow Octavian down"

Reyna’s eyes narrowed "One daughter of a war goddess to another, I respect your boldness But if you leave now, you doom your camp to destruction"

"Don’t underestimate Camp Half-Blood," Annabeth warned

"You’ve never seen the legion at war," Reyna countered

Over by the docks, a familiar voice shrieked over the wind: "Kill them! Kill them all!"

Octavian had survived his swi encourageled toward the ship, holding up their shields as if that would deflect the storo II, Percy and Jason stood together, their swords crossed Annabeth got a tingle down her spine as she realized the boys orking as one, su Water and wind churned together Waves heaved against the rales were knocked out of the sky Wreckage of the flying chariot burned in the water, and Coach Hedge swung apotshots at the Roman birds as they flew overhead

"You see?" Reyna said bitterly "The spear is thrown Our people are at war"

"Not if I succeed," Annabeth said

Reyna’s expression looked the same as it had at Cairl The praetor was too alone, too bitter and betrayed to believe anything could go right for her ever again Annabeth waited for her to attack

Instead, Reyna flicked her hand The s backed away "Annabeth Chase," she said, "e ain, ill be enemies on the field of battle"

The praetor turned and walked across the rareyhounds behind her

Annabeth feared it ht be some sort of trick, but she had no time to wonder She ran for the ship

The winds that battered the Romans didn’t seeh their lines Octavian yelled, "Stop her!"

A spear flew past her ear The Argo II was already pulling away froplank, her hand outstretched

Annabeth leaped and grabbed Piper’s hand The gangplank fell into the sea, and the two girls tumbled onto the deck

"Go!" Annabeth screaines rued the course of the wind, and Percy called up a her than the fort’s walls and pushed it out to sea By the tio II reached top speed, Fort Su across the waves toward the ancient lands

Chapter 21

After raiding a hosts, Leo didn’t think his day could get any worse He rong

They hadn’t found anything in the Civil War sub or elsewhere in the uard, and--when they tried to inspect the artifacts--a whole battalion of glowing zoray uniforms

The idea that Frank should be able to control the spirits? Yeah…that prettythem about the Ro been chased through don Charleston by a pack of angry dead Confederates

Then--oh, boy!--Leo got to hitch a ride with Frank the Friendly Eagle so they could fight a bunch of Rootten around that Leo was the one who had fired on their little city, because those Romans seemed especially anxious to kill hie shot them out of the sky; Frank dropped him (that was no accident); and they crash-landed in Fort Suo II raced across the waves, Leo had to use all his skill just to keep the ship in one piece Percy and Jason were a little too good at cooking up massive storms

At one point, Annabeth stood next to hiainst the roar of the wind: "Percy says he talked to a Nereid in Charleston Harbor!"

"Good for him!" Leo yelled back

"The Nereid said we should seek help from Chiron’s brothers"

"What does that mean? The Party Ponies?" Leo had never met Chiron’s crazy centaur relatives, but he’d heard ru contests, and Super Soakers filled with pressurized whipped cream