PERCY STRUGGLES TO tear himself away from Lila. 

He can't quite explain why. She's been mostly living in his dreams and memories up to now; non-corporeal, ephemeral. Now she's finally physically before him. When he runs his fingers over her arm, she shivers. When he pokes her side, her body tenses up in an attempt to stop her giggles. When she reaches for his hand he can feel her fingers wrapped around his own. 

She seems to share his sentiment. Immediately she wrapped himself into him, shoved her fingers into his palm, and burrowed into his side like she was scared he'd fade away. Percy is glad they feel the same, but he can't help the feeling that something is wrong. On the surface, she's smiling. She's happy, she's almost glowing. But there's a trembling to her hands, a shakiness to her lips that he's not even sure she's aware of. 

Lila turns to him, after shoving a handful of fries into her mouth. "Umfhthgodd."

He doesn't try to hold back his grin. "Is that Ancient Greek?"

She kicks his shin gently. "This food is so good." 

"Wow," he says, shaking his head and taking a bite of his pizza himself. "You haven't seen me for months, and all you care about is the food."

Lila laughs, and the sound relaxes him. He can breathe a bit easier now, now that she's beside him. Now he's certain she's alive and safe. "I have all the time in the world to appreciate you. I might not ever be in New Rome again. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

They both know she's lying. She hasn't let go of his hand since they met again, as if afraid he'll disappear. 

He raises an eyebrow, playing along. "Who knew you could be so cruel? I'm beginning to regret -  " He's cut off by Reyna toasting to friendship. The word friendship has never been so venomous as in her voice as she looks toward Piper and Jason, both smiling at each other gently. 

Still, the meeting continues. Percy listens intently as Jason tells his story, so similar to his own. From waking up on the bus to saving Hera, through all the months they've spent building the ship, Camp has been busy without him. Beside him, Lila plays with her fries, paying no attention. 

"Impossible!" Octavian interrupts at one point. "That's our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there --" 

"They would have destroyed her," Piper interrupts. "And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish." 

Octavian opens his mouth but no sound comes out. Percy tries to hide his amusement; he's a praetor now, he's supposed to be slightly serious at least. Though, between them, Reyna and Jason are serious enough for them all. 

"So," Jason continues, "that's how we found out about the earth goddess Gaia. She's still half asleep, but she's the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House: he said he was retreating to the ancient lands—Greece itself. He plans on awakening Gaia and destroying the gods by...what did he call it? Pulling up their roots."

Percy nods, understanding. His encounters with Gaia have been . . . interesting. "Gaea's been busy over here, too. We had our own encounter with Queen Dirt Face."

Lila snickers at the nickname, though it's a little shaky. She's always been a bit sensitive on the topic of Gaia. Percy's not sure that sensitivity will survive this quest, much less the conversation. 

He begins to tell his own story. Somehow, he manages to keep his tone as calm and apathetic as possible, trying to sound unbothered by Hera wiping his memories and sending them on another death mission. Every time he looks at Lila, she's pale, her eyes downcast. But every time their eyes meet, she forces a smile as if nothing bothers her. That's new; she never used to try so hard to hide how she was feeling.

Jason whistles at the end of the tale. "No wonder they made you praetor."

Octavian sniffs, and Percy resists the urge to smash his face in with a pizza. "Which means we now have three praetors! The rules clearly state that we can only have two!"

"On the bright side," Percy adds, "both Jason and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can both tell you to shut up." 

He fist bumps Jason. Annabeth rolls her eyes.  

"We'll have to figure out the extra praetor problem later," Reyna says. "Right now we have more serious issues to deal with."

"I'll step aside for Jason," Percy says quickly. "It's no biggie." Plus, he has other things to worry about. He needs to get his life together first, without being the leader of a camp of Roman demigods. He needs to talk to Lila and make sure she's okay. He needs her to make him feel okay. He needs to talk to Annabeth and Grover and feel like himself again.

"No biggie?" He's broken Octavian. "The praetorship of Rome is no biggie?"

Percy ignores him. "You're Thalia Grace's brother, huh? Wow. You guys look nothing alike." He's not wrong, though he senses from Lila's sigh that he could have been a little more tactful. Jason is blond and smartly dressed, while Thalia is the hugest bad-ass, with spiky black hair. Though, they do have similar eyes. 

"Yeah, I noticed," Jason replies. "Anyway, thanks for helping my camp while I was gone. You did an awesome job."

Percy grins. "Back at you." 

He's pretty sure Annabeth rolls her eyes again. "We should talk about the Great Prophecy. It sounds like the Romans are aware of it too?"

Reyna nods. "We call it the Prophecy of Eight. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?"

"Of course." 

"Recite it, please. In English, not Latin."

Octavian heaves a sigh. "Eight half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall. One forged in earth can make the choice, and at her wake all will rejoice. - "

"An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death." Annabeth continues. 

Frank leans forward. "Is it true you're a child of Min - I mean, Athena?"

Why is that so strange? Percy doesn't understand it. Then again, he hasn't seen any children of Minerva around the Camp. He'd not thought much of it. 

"Yes," Annabeth's tone is sharp, razor-like. "Why is that such a surprise?"

Octavian gives a scoff, one that makes Percy want to break his nose. "If you're truly a child of the wisdom goddess - " 

"Enough," Reyna leaves no room for discussion. "Annabeth is what she says. She's here in peace."

Percy spots Lila give Annabeth's foot a reassuring nudge beneath the table. Lila is shifting in her seat, and her eyes keep flicking to Hazel and Leo. Percy can't quite figure out why, but he knows that Lila has always had a knack for picking up on things that other people miss. While Annabeth may be genius and smart in a more traditional sense, Lila's always been good at understanding emotions. Both her own, and that of others. She never seems to notice herself, though. 

"Thanks," Annabeth says to Reyna awkwardly. "At any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. Foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death...that means Romans and Greeks. We have to combine forces to find those doors." 

Hazel slips a ruby into her pocket. "My brother, Nico, went looking for those doors."

"Nico di Angelo?" Annabeth frowns.  

Lila splutters beside Percy, her eyes narrowing. "Brother?"

Ah. That might be a detail he should have mentioned. Technically, Hazel is Lila's step-sibling. Though, Percy knows that Lila and Nico have always considered each other siblings, without any restrictions. Maybe not by blood, but by something else, something deeper. 

Hazel nods, like it's obvious. Lila does not look convinced. "So your father is . . . " 

"Pluto," Octavian scoffs. 

Lila looks even more confused. "But - "

"It doesn't matter," Annabeth whispers to Lila, loud enough for only Lila and Percy to hear. "We can figure this out later." Her voice returns to its normal volume. "You were saying?"

"He disappeared." Hazel stares at her plate. "I'm afraid . . . I'm not sure. I think something's happened to him."

Lila is pale. Percy squeezes her hand, but she doesn't look at all reassured. He doesn't blame her. Nico di Angelo is one of the most powerful demigods alive, and for something to happen to him . . . well, it's concerning, to say the least. 

"We'll look for him," Percy promises, half directing the words to comfort Lila. "We have to find the Doors of Death anyway. Thanatos told us we'd find both answers in Rome—like, the original Rome. That's on the way to Greece, right?"

"Thanatos told you this? The death god?" Annabeth says.

"Now that Death is free, monsters will disintegrate and return to Tartarus again like they used to. But as long as the Doors of Death are open, they'll just keep coming back." Percy takes a bite of his burger, hoping he appears totally un-freaked out and calm. As opposed to how he's feeling, which is very freaked out. 

Lila squeezes his hand, and it's all a little better. "They'll take longer to come back, though. Right?"

"Theoretically." Annabeth muses. 

"Theoretically?"

"Like water leaking through a dam," Piper suggests, and Percy grins, remembering Zoe Nightshade. Sometimes he still sees her in the stars. 

"Yeah. We've got a dam hole." 

"What?" 

"Nothing," Percy says quickly. "Inside joke. The point is we'll have to find the doors and close them before we can head to Greece. It's the only way we'll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure they stay defeated."

Lila tilts her head. "So we have no idea where the doors even are? How are we supposed to search the entirety of the Mediterranean?"

Reyna studies an apple in her hands, turning it over her fingers. "That suggests you'll make it there alive. You do realize that the ancient lands—and the Mare Nostrum—are dangerous? The territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the gods. It's also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans, and giants...and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America, there it would be ten times worse."

"What's worse than giants?" Lila murmurs to Percy.

"Let's not find out," he mutters back. To Reyna, he adds, "You said Alaska would be bad. We survived that."

Lila sighs. "Gods, is there anywhere that isn't dangerous?"

Reyna laughs a little at that, but her tone is somber as she turns back to Percy. "Percy, traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It's been off-limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there."

"Then we're good!" Leo grins, spinning a pin-wheel - where did he get that? "Because we're all crazy, right? Besides, the Argo II is a top-of-the-line warship. She'll get us through."

Leo does not inspire confidence. He's spinning his pinwheel with way too much glee. 

"We'll have to hurry," Jason adds. "I don't know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. She's invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully." 

Lila audibly gulps. "How long until that?"

"Who knows?" Annabeth answers. "However long, we have no time to waste. Eight half-bloods. We need a mix from each camp - Jason, Leo, Piper, Lila, me. That's five. "

"And me," Percy adds. "Along with Hazel and Frank. That's eight."

"What?" Octavian pushes himself to his feet, which is so unnecessarily dramatic that it's almost comic. "We're just supposed to accept that? Without a vote in the Senate? Without a proper debate? Without—"

"Who else should go?" Lila blinks at him, her tone sweet. "Do you really want to venture into the most dangerous place in the world that badly?" 

Percy can't hide his grin. Leave it to Lila to finally stop Octavian's complaining. And he thought he couldn't love her any more than he already did.

Octavian splutters. "Well - I - no, but - "

"Percy!" Tyson's voice cuts through the crowd in a boom, and as glad as Percy is to see him, he can't help but bemoan his timing. Ella is with him -- if Ella recites a prophecy. . . 

Tyson wrings his hands. "Ella is scared."

"No more boats," Ella mutters. "Titanic, Lusitania, Pax . . . boats are not for harpies."

Leo squints at Hazel, who refuses to meet his eyes. "Did that chicken girl just compare my ship to the Titanic?"

"She's not a chicken," Hazel says, her eyes flitting around the table as if to ask for help. 

"She also compared it to the Lusitania," Lila offers helpfully. Percy's not sure who she's helping. "Pretty sure that one also sank and killed a whole bunch of people."

"Wow, thanks, Lila," Leo rolls his eyes, and Percy eyes him. Lila's not at all put off by his sarcastic tone, suggesting the two of them are close friends. "You are a true ray of sunshine today."

"No ships," Ella agrees. Then she turns to Annabeth, something glinting in her eyes. "Wisdom's daughter walks alone - "

"Ella!" Frank suddenly stands, voice raising in pitch by an octave. "Maybe it's not the best time - " 

"The Mark of Athena burns through Rome." Ella cups her hand over her mouth and raises her voice, just to make sure that everyone hears her. Sometimes Percy wonders whether Ella has a death wish. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death. Giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail."

The table is silent. It's amazing what a foreboding prophecy can do to a mood. Lila is frowning, confused. Percy blinks, unsure of what to do. The Mark of Athena? What's that? Absolutely none of that prophecy made sense. The most coherent section was the bit about Wisdom's daughter: clearly Annabeth. The rest is a mystery. 

He snaps back to his senses quicker than the rest, standing to grab Tyson's arm. "I know!" His tone is too enthusiastic, but he's not the best liar. "How about you take Ella to get some fresh air? You and Mrs. O'Leary—"

"Hold on," Octavian strangles a teddy bear. "What was that she said? It sounded like - " 

"Ella reads a lot!" Frank bursts out. "We found her in a library."

"Yes!" Hazel adds. "Probably something she read in a book." 

Nobody seems to buy that explanation. Percy can feel panic seizing him - he can't let Ella get taken captive, not again. She doesn't deserve that. Especially not by Octavian. Who knows what he'll do to her? He may only sacrifice teddy bears, but Percy wouldn't be surprised if he was perfectly amenable to harpy-sacrifice too.  

"That was a prophecy," Octavian snaps. "It sounded like a prophecy."

Percy's mind is blank. How can he refute that? Ella recited a prophecy and nobody at the table looks the least bit fooled by whatever story Hazel and Frank were attempting. 

Annabeth laughs. It's hollow and echoes like a tin can in a cave, but it's enough to relax some of the tension. "Really, Octavian? Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?"

Percy is so glad Annabeth is his best friend. 

Octavian drops his teddy bear. "I  - no, but - " 

"She's just spouting lines from a book, like Hazel suggested," Annabeth says. "Besides, we already have a real prophecy to worry about." To Tyson, she says, "Percy's right. Why don't you take Ella and Mrs. O'Leary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while? Is Ella okay with that?"

"Large dogs are good," is as good as any agreement they'll get from Ella. "Old Yeller, 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg."

Percy smiles. "Great! We'll Iris-message you guys when we're done and catch up with you later."

There's a moment of silence while everyone waits for Reyna's agreement. Percy can tell that she'll agree, though. Reyna's always been logical. "Fine, go." 

"Yay!" Tyson climbs around the couches and gives everyone a huge goodbye hug. Percy doesn't really want to say goodbye; it's been so long since he saw Tyson, and now he's bidding him farewell again. It doesn't seem right. But in their hug there's an unspoken promise; that they'll see each other soon. 

Once they are gone, the meeting resumes. 

"Octavian is right about one thing. We must gain the senate's approval before we let any of our legionnaires go on a quest—especially one as dangerous as you're suggesting." Reyna says. 

"This whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian mutters. "That trireme is not a ship of peace!"

Percy really wants to hit him.

"Come aboard, man," Leo offers, spinning his pinwheel again. "I'll give you a tour. You can steer the boat, and if you're really good I'll give you a little paper captain's hat to wear."

Lila snorts from beside Percy. He resists the urge to smile, too. 

"How dare you - " 

"It's a good idea," Reyna affirms. "Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We'll convene a senate meeting in one hour."

"Fine," the augur agrees grudgingly. 

"Back soon," Leo grins. "This is gonna be epic." 

As they head off, Percy squeezes Lila's hand. "I want to show you around New Rome. Just us two."

Lila smiles back at him, her eyes so deep and blue he could drown in them. "Okay." 

Jason must share his sentiment. "Reyna, if you don't mind, I'd like to show Piper around before the senate meeting. She's never seen New Rome."

"Of course," Reyna says, looking mildly pained.

"Yeah, me too," Percy says. "I'd like to show Lila - "

"Fine," Reyna's tone is severe. "But I'd like a few words with Annabeth. Alone. If you don't mind, my fellow praetor." 

Well, no one can say no to that. Not even Annabeth, who accepts her fate with a smile. 

ABSENCE MAKES THE heart grow fonder. It's a strange proverb, Percy thinks. It's been proved wrong many times; the stereotype tainting long-distance relationships is proof of that. Yet, it seems to be true, in his case. In his months away from Lila, it seems like everything about her has been doubled, tripled. He can't even bear to tear himself away from her.

"So," Lila begins. 

"So?"

"So," she continues. "You're alive." She grins, and his heart skips a beat.

"Disappointed?"

"Very." 

They grin at each other for a moment, the silence taut between them. Then Percy is grabbing her waist and she is holding his neck, their bodies molding together perfectly as if they have been crafted for this very purpose. Their lips press together, the universe grinding to a halt. 

It feels so good to hold her again. For a moment, Percy can forget everything; Gaia, the giants, the Doors of Death. They aren't two of the most powerful demigods in the world, destined for death, they are just Percy and Lila, two people in love. 

Her lips are soft against his when she pulls away. Percy leans forward, unable to tear his lips away from hers, but she just blushes and laughs. 

"Later," she whispers, her eyes glittering. "You wanted to show me New Rome, remember?" 

He grudgingly allows her to drag him along the white pathways and crafted statues. Yes, he did say that. He regrets it. "It's amazing, right?"

"I suppose," her tone is bitter. Percy frowns, wondering why. He thought she'd love it - the first thing he'd thought when he'd seen the terraced gardens was that Lila needed her own. He'd imagined them owning a villa on one of these cobbled streets, with Lila tending to her gardens and having a life, while he attended university, perhaps with her if she wanted, or with Annabeth. "I guess the gardens are pretty."

Percy grabs her hand, forcing her to a stop. "Li, what's wrong?"

She hesitates. "It's just - " her eyes catches on something behind Percy, and her attention is completely captured. It's a wonder they get anything done at all, considering they both have such short attention spans. "Is that silphium?"

He has no idea what she's talking about. 

"Silphium?"

Lila gestures to the plant aggressively, her expression akin to Annabeth's when she sees some particularly fascinating historical monument. "Silphium! Can I take this?"

Percy has no idea. He's not sure whether the garden is public or belonging to a Roman villa. Then again, he's basically a praetor, right? He saved the camp. Surely no one would object . . . 

"Uh, maybe?"

Lila hesitates. "Can I take a leaf? Maybe I can grow it myself, now I've seen it's possible."

"What? Why wouldn't it be?" Percy is thoroughly confused. 

"It's silphium." Her tone implies that it's obvious. 

"Okay," he pulls her away from the plant gently. "You're doing that thing you and Annabeth do when you think something is obvious but it's really not - " 

"That's not a thing."

"Yes, it is."

It's no surprise Lila and Annabeth are often confused as sisters, considering all their similar mannerisms. They probably got it from Chiron, or just from spending so much time together growing up.

"Maybe it's a thing," Lila concedes, and Percy can't stop his smile. She's so cute sometimes. He'd forgotten how much of a nerd she was about plants. "Okay, so silphium is an ancient plant. It went extinct ages ago. The Romans used it as perfume, medicine, a contraceptive - " she shoves him, spotting his grin. "- the point is, it's useful. And cool. I mean, everyone thought it was extinct. I don't even know how it got here. Maybe a god left it as a gift - the original silphium was thought to be a gift from Apollo, so that wouldn't be - "

"Okay," Percy interrupts, thoroughly more confused. Lila tends to ramble when she gets excited. "But how do you know what it looks like? If it went extinct thousands of years ago." 

Lila laughs. "Oh, yeah, I forgot, you missed Christmas - " he feels a pang of guilt, but he knows she doesn't mean it harshly.  She must see his face drop, because she squeezes his hand, her own way of reassuring him. "Annabeth got me this huge book, can you believe that?" - he can believe it - "and it's all about ancient plants. Like silphium!"

"You're so excited about this," he says mildly. 

"You'd be excited too," she laughs. "Imagine if you saw an ancient thought-to-be extinct creature in the ocean or something."

"You mean, like Bessie?" (The Ophiotaurus.)

"Nevermind. You wouldn't know a rare marine animal if it slapped you in the face." 

He snorts. "Shut up," he says, humour colouring his devastating retort. 

"Hurtful. Can we get hot chocolate?" 

He follows her gaze to a cafe on the corner of another cobbled street. Lila is gazing at it lovingly, though he notices she's stolen a little bit of the silphium for later. "You're getting predictable. Is food all I need to keep you happy?"

"Food and rare plants," she grins, and he copies her motion. He can't help but think that all he needs to be kept happy is Lila, and perhaps the ocean. He could spend eternity beneath the sea if she were with him. "Maybe you, too."

He'd been thinking the same, but still to hear her say it makes him grin. "I need you, too."

Lila rolls her eyes, but Percy can see that it's to stop her from blushing. 

He laughs, kissing her again. She grins into his lips, pulling him closer. He feels it's a little more uncomfortable for her, now, considering he's put on a few inches, and she's definitely not grown. He can feel her stretching onto the top of her tip-toes. He doesn't dare try to pick her up in the centre of New Rome. She'd laugh too much.

When they've gotten their hot chocolate, they sit on the bench outside the cafe to drink it. Lila curls into his side, leaning onto one of his shoulders as she sips her drink. It's a comfortable silence, so Percy takes the chance to observe her. If she senses his eyes on her, she doesn't react, her own gaze captured by something far in the distance. 

She looks a lot more like her mother today. Percy's only seen Persephone a handful of times, mostly in dreams, but he can see it. Lila has always borne a resemblance to her mother's blonde hair, blue eyes, and even her facial structure (actually, Lila is almost a carbon copy of her mother in that way). Still, there's always been something in Lila's face that is unlike Persephone's - a sweetness, a light where Persephone has darkness. Poems have been written about the duality of Persephone, and Percy has always noticed the two extremes of her personality. Lila's not like that, though - she's always embodied the lighter part of Persephone, always stronger in the spring and summer. 

Today, he can sense something dark surfacing within her. Whatever happened while he was missing, whatever he was catalyst to, it's affected her. She may not even be aware of it. But Percy notices; her power is more easily wielded, at the tip of her fingers. The plants bend their stalks to follow her as if she were their sun, and he pretended not to notice a few of the almost dead Roman herbs perking up back to life as they walked. 

He doesn't care about that. He's always wanted Lila to reach her full potential, always knowing it was more than she showed. 

But what worries him is that she hardly seems to notice. 

He dismisses the thoughts, watching her sip on her hot chocolate. Her camp necklace is wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet - it confuses him, until he sees the necklace he gave her sitting at her collarbone. He got it from his father - well, he got the stone from his father. It's jet - shiny and black, the same shade as his hair. Plus, Lila loved it. 

"I missed you a lot, you know," Percy says quietly. 

Lila smiles at him. "I missed you, too. I don't know how I survived without you."

 "Don't say that," he winces, thinking of all those months she must've been alone. He can't imagine what he would do, if he'd been the one to wake up and find his girlfriend missing.

"Hey, it's okay," Lila squeezes his hand. "We're together now, right? It's going to be - "

She's interrupted by an explosion back at the forum, and she nearly jumps out of her skin. Percy tenses, reaching for his sword - of course, it's not there, because of Terminus's stupid rules. 

"What's going on?" he asks, as they run toward the forum. It's clear what's happened. The Argo II has fired on the Camp. It doesn't make sense - why would they attack after advocating for peace? Why now? Why attack at all? They need the Romans to cooperate for this to work. "Why have you fired on the Camp?" 

Lila looks equally confused. "I - what? I don't know."

He believes her. But still, half the forum is on fire. 

It doesn't matter. Their fingers wrap around each other, and they sprint towards the explosions.

unedited

these chapters have been written since like chapter 15 of flowergirl haha so it'll take me longer to update from now on (making sure i don't set a precedent lmao) 

anyways I'm kind of curious if you guys have any questions for me, like about anything - about lila, flowergirl, earthwoman, my life, future fics, anything? pleaseee actually i need icebreakers for tutoring we're supposed to start each session with a question but everything seems lame, do you guys have any good icebreakers?

oh wait i actually have a question!! if i agreed to a translation in Spanish for flowergirl already, does that mean i shouldn't agree to another? or is it okay? i don't know the etiquette haha