Chapter Text
Magnus’ heart still raced when he woke up. He laid in bed longer than he meant to, staring at the clutter in the office, telling himself it was just a dream. It didn’t mean anything. And it surely wasn’t prophetic. But it still left a bad taste in his mouth. His limbs felt jittery from a fading adrenaline rush.
He got out of bed more than an hour later, after he more or less managed to shake the nightmare. Magnus made a stop to the bathroom, then walked through the living room and into the kitchen.
Annabeth sat at the table, her hair braided down her back and a pencil behind her ear. She’d cleared some of it off while Magnus was sleeping, but only so that she could use it as a desk. “Morning sleepyhead,” Annabeth said.
“It’s eight am,” Magnus replied. He opened the fridge for some milk. There were cereal containers on top of the fridge and after some examination, Magnus chose Cocoa Puffs. He poured himself a bowl, then cleared off a chair and sat down. “What are you doing?”
“Homework,” Annabeth replied.
“You sure have a lot of homework,” Magnus noted. He was not envious. It would have been cool to graduate high school but Magnus and homework never got along. There were some perks to being dead.
Annabeth nodded. She tapped her lips with the end of her pencil. “Twice as much as Percy. I’m taking more classes than he is.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s lazy and doesn’t apply himself,” Annabeth said.
Magnus wasn’t sure what to say, so he ate his cereal.
A few minutes later, Annabeth added, “And I’m trying to graduate the same time he does.”
Magnus thought about that. “If he did extra classes, he would graduate before you still, right? Maybe he just wants to graduate together.”
Annabeth hummed.
After breakfast, Magnus got dressed. He pulled on his hiking boots and grabbed a water bottle. Annabeth was where he left her. “Do you want to go hiking with me?”
Annabeth glanced at him. “Right now?”
Magnus nodded. He could wait, but he was getting antsy. There was a whole world to explore out there and Magnus wanted to be out in it.
“Yeah. Sure.” Annabeth was already wearing shorts and a ratty orange t-shirt. She got her sneakers on and a bottle of water for herself.
They left the apartment and walked downstairs, chatting about which trail to take and the weather. Annabeth chose a trail that she and Percy used sometimes; long enough for a good stretch but not so long that they’d need to pack food. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and a breeze to keep them cool.
They talked about school and Chase Space - both were going fine - and their families - Blitz and Hearth were doing good, Annabeth hadn't seen her family in years but she occasionally wrote her dad letters - and the differences between the East and West coasts. There were a few other people who passed by them on the trail, panting hi and hello before moving on.
Magnus couldn’t help but notice that they were still getting looks. He thought having Annabeth with him would make people less rude.
At the halfway point, they chose a shady spot to rest. Magnus flopped onto the ground. He didn’t mind getting dirty. He took a drink of water.
Annabeth sat on a rock and pulled the tie out of her braid. She ran her fingers through it, undoing it. “Did you and Alex ever talk about having kids?” Annabeth asked as she rebraided her hair.
“No,” Magnus said without hesitation. “We’re both dead, so we couldn’t have biological kids anyway.” He gazed up at the light that filtered through the trees. It felt good to be away from people.
Annabeth snapped her fingers. “I always forget about that.”
“And we have Chase Space, which is kind of like having our own kids,” Magnus continued. His heart twinged at the thought of all the kids he left behind.
Annabeth hummed.
Magnus watched her for a few moments, trying to read her. “Are you and Percy thinking about having kids?”
Annabeth laughed in a way that implied she thought the question was stupid. “Oh, no. Kids are too time consuming and needy.” She gestured to her body in an up and down motion. “And pregnancy would ruin my figure.”
Magnus raised an eyebrow. “Why did you bring it up?”
Annabeth made a face. “Percy wants kids.”
“Oh.” Considering how much he seemed to like his baby sister, Percy wanting kids wasn’t surprising. Magnus wasn’t sure what to say. Their life and relationship weren’t really his business.
A red tail hawk flew down from the sky and landed on a rock beside Annabeth. It gazed at the two of them with black eyes.
“Hi, Frank,” Annabeth said, unfazed. Her braid was finished and she retied the end.
The hawk turned into a very large man. It was very strange to watch. The man was the same one from yesterday. “Annabeth,” Frank said. He turned to Magnus. “My partner, Hazel, would like to meet you. And so would the rest of the council.”
“Okay,” Magnus said. “Right now?”
Frank nodded. “I’ll escort you. Annabeth, do you want to come?”
Annabeth stood up and flipped her braid over her shoulder. “You couldn’t keep me away.”
A muscle twitched in Frank’s jaw. “Let’s get going,” he said.
They hiked out the same way they’d come in, this time with Frank leading them. When they emerged from the woods, it felt like even more people were openly staring at them. Frank led Magnus and Annabeth into the city proper, where even more people stared. These ones were armed with weapons.
Magnus didn’t want to fight them. He technically had a weapon but in reality he didn’t know where Jack was. Maybe trying to cuddle up to Riptide. The idea made Magnus blush.
Frank led them to a big white-domed building. The inside looked like one of the meeting rooms at the Hotel Valhalla except less fancy. Magnus was not going to bring this up to the Romans. A small semicircle of tiered seats faced a dais with a podium and two chairs. The chairs were empty.
Annabeth and Magnus sat on the left side of the semicircle. The ten senators occupied the rest of the front row, with one seat empty. Frank sat in the empty seat. The upper rows were filled with several dozen ghosts and a few older veterans, all in formal togas.
Behind the upper rows, the shadows were deep and spread across the ceiling like spiderwebs. In one corner, it looked like two shining teal eyes were gazing down upon them. No one else seemed to notice.
A Black woman walked to the podium and raised her hand. “This is an emergency meeting,” she said. “We won’t stand on formalities.”
“I love formalities,” a ghost complained.
The woman shot him a look. Her curly hair was so dark brown it was almost black; except in the places it was dusted with cinnamon gold highlights as though someone had sprinkled pixie dust on her hair. When she turned her attention on Magnus, her expression thawed only a little bit. “Please introduce yourself.”
Magnus stood up. He was glad that he was used to dealing with groups or he might be nervous. “I’m Magnus Chase, Annabeth’s cousin.”
“Another Greek?” Someone muttered.
“Who are your parents?” The Black woman asked.
“Natalie Chase and Freyr,” Magnus replied. “The god of summer.”
There was a heartbeat of silence.
Someone stood up. “HE’s NORSE?!” They shrieked.
“There can’t be real Norse gods!” Someone else shouted.
“Is he here to attack us?” Asked a third.
The Black woman raised her hand for silence. It took a second before everyone complied and settled back into their seats, but there was tension there that wasn’t present before. She gazed down at Magnus with eyes the color of liquid gold. “I am Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto and praetor of Camp Jupiter, Hero of Olympus.”
Magnus inclined his head, wondering if he was supposed to bow or something.
It was a relief when Hazel’s lips quirked in a smile. He hadn’t offended her. “Magnus Chase, son of Natalie Chase and Freyr, the Norse god of summer, do you have any intentions to attack our city?”
“No,” Magnus said.
“Do you know of anyone who has any intentions to attack our city?”
“No,” Magnus said again.
“Can you guarantee that your presence here won’t attract the Norse gods’ attention?”
“No?” Magnus said, letting his confusion slip into his voice.
“You can’t guarantee?” Hazel asked, raising an eyebrow. Something about her tone…
This was a test, Magnus realized. He glanced at the other senators. All of them except for Frank were hanging off the edges of their seats. This is preformative, Magnus thought, Hazel and Frank have already made up their minds and now they’re trying to convince everyone else. Magnus smiled. “I don’t presume to control the attentions or actions of gods. My gods may or may not have realized that I’m here but I’m only one demigod and they have nine realms to entertain them. I don’t think they’ll attack but I can’t guarantee that they won’t.” He let his gaze go dead and looked at the other senators. “Do Roman demigods control their gods?”
The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees...both figuratively and literally. Everyone shivered.
Hazel said, “The Roman demigods do not control any gods.” Her tone was calm but firm.
The temperature in the room crept up a few cautious degrees.
“Why are you here, Magnus?” Hazel asked, her tone gentler, as though she were only asking a question.
Magnus didn’t want to talk about this. He shuffled his feet. “Um...my partner and I...broke up. Annabeth said I could stay with her and Percy for...a while.”
Hazel’s golden eyes flicked to Annabeth. She did not look pleased that Annabeth - a Greek - had invited someone with a whole new set of unrelated gods into their territory. Hazel turned her attention back to Magnus, her gaze going sweet as honey. “I see.” She turned her attention to the senators. “Percy Jackson has vouched for Magnus Chase’s good behavior, the penalty of which is death for both of them should Magnus break our laws. Does Rome allow Magnus to continue to live in her city temporarily?”
“Don’t you need two vouchers?” Annabeth cut in, standing up. She put her hands on her hips.
Every eye in the room went to her. No one looked pleased by the interruption, but Hazel and Frank looked furious.
“Percy Jackson is as much a Roman as he is a Greek. He’s been named and numbered among us, accepted by our gods and our people. He was named praetor and Hero of Olympus. He bears the mark of Rome and of service to Roman.” Hazel turned her wrist so that the SPQR tattoo was visible. It was subtly different from Percy’s, but Magnus recognized it immediately.
Magnus realized that Percy lied to him about what the tattoo meant; it didn’t mean those Romans are crazy. This was how they identified themselves to each other and the world and their gods. Why would Percy lie about it?
“Percy’s word is all we need when deciding whether or not outsiders are allowed to live within our borders,” Hazel finished.
Annabeth narrowed her eyes. There was no warmth or fondness in her silver eyes. “So does my cousin get to stay or not?”
Hazel turned to the senators.
Every single one of them nodded their agreement. Some of them didn’t look happy but their gazes were on Annabeth, not Magnus.
Once they voted, Hazel turned back to Magnus. “You may stay within Rome’s borders, Magnus Chase. But I must reiterate that any conspiring against Rome or any attacks on Rome by your gods will be considered treason and we will execute both you and Percy Jackson.”
Magnus blinked. Maybe coming here was a mistake. If Loki was looking for some misplaced revenge, attacking New Rome would be a good way to start taking it. “Yes, ma’am,” Magnus said and didn’t mention that he was already dead. It didn’t matter, the threat was still effective, because Magnus wasn’t going to allow Percy Jackson to die because of him.
“This meeting is adjourned,” Hazel said. She glanced at Frank.
Frank stood up. He put an arm around Hazel’s waist as they crossed to Magnus and Annabeth. Their steps were in perfect sync.
“Magnus,” Hazel said warmly. “We would love to have you over for dinner one night.”
Magnus wondered if he was still in hot water. But he wasn’t dumb enough to refuse an olive branch. “Oh, um, sure. I would like that.”
“We need to clear up our schedule but expect a more formal invitation sometime in the next couple of weeks,” Frank said. “Provided you’re still going to be here?”
Magnus thought of Alex back at home, living her life without him, and his heart felt like it was breaking all over again. “I will be as long as Annabeth and Percy don’t kick me out,” he said, trying to keep his tone light but failing.
Frank put his hand on Magnus’ shoulder. “Percy isn’t the type to kick someone to the streets.”
“As if I’d let him kick my cousin out,” Annabeth said haughtily. She slid her arm through Magnus’ arm. “Well, I’m sure that you two are terribly busy trying to figure out what to do with everything you’ve learned and Magnus and I have a hike to finish.” She tugged on Magnus’ arm.
“Uh, goodbye,” Magnus said. “It was nice meeting you.” Then Annabeth was pulling him to the door and Magnus couldn’t say anymore. The fine hairs on the back of his neck rose as they were leaving. He twisted his head.
A pale man with black hair stood beside Hazel and Frank. He looked blurry somehow, like he wasn’t entirely there.
And standing beside the pale man, shadows clinging to him like cobwebs, was Percy. He lifted a finger to his lips. Don’t tell.
As soon as they were out of the building, Magnus pulled his arm free. He rubbed his skin, trying to erase the feeling of someone else touching him.
Annabeth didn’t speak when they were outside but she didn’t need to to make her feelings known. Every single line of her body was rigid with tension. Her footsteps came down heavy. Her silver eyes were stormy and her mouth twisted in a scowl. Annabeth turned onto a dirt path that led into the woods. After thirty minutes of walking, Annabeth let out an annoyed huff. “What, did she forget that I’m a Hero of Olympus too? I went to Tartarus to stop Gaea. I’m one of the Seven!”
Magnus was still trying to figure out where the pale man and Percy had come from. They weren’t in the room originally. Why didn’t Percy want Magnus to tell anyone - no, not anyone, Annabeth - that he was at the meeting. “The seven dwarves?” Magnus asked, only half listening to her.
Annabeth punched him. “No, idiot. The Seven prophesied Heroes of Olympus.” She explained about a prophecy from a few years ago in which several Greek and Roman demigods had to save the world from….Mother Earth because it turned out she was actually a bitch. “But of course the Romans only care about themselves. Their tattoos are barbaric. Only savages would brand someone like that.” She touched the string of clay beads around her neck.
“What do the tattoos actually mean?” Magnus asked, because that felt like the safest topic at hand. He’d forgotten - or maybe just didn’t know - that Annabeth had a temper.
“It’s Latin for Senātus Populusque Rōmānus, which translates to The Senate and the People of Rome,” Annabeth explained. “Beneath that is the symbol of the god who claimed them. Percy’s is a trident because Neptune claimed him.” Annabeth rolled her eyes. “The number of lines beneath that is how many years of service they’ve completed. Percy has two years of service. This will be his third year, which means he’ll get another of those stupid lines.” A furrow appeared between Annabeth’s brows as she scowled. “I’ve asked our gods, the Greek ones, to remove it but they won’t.”
“Why?” Magnus asked.
“Because Percy is Greek and he belongs to the Greeks,” Annabeth snarled. Her anger didn’t seem to be aimed at Magnus but her hackles were definitely up. She looked at her watch. “Come on, Percy is going to beat us home at this rate.”
Magnus knew that the gods were complicated. He supposed it made sense that demigods were also complicated. But the Greek and Roman demigods felt more complicated than the Norse ones. Magnus was left reeling from information overload. The worst part was that he was missing something and he couldn’t figure it out. Oh well. Magnus wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so he had plenty of time to figure this mystery out.
The hike and subsequent walk home seemed to cool Annabeth’s temper. By the time they reached the street that held her apartment, Annabeth was back to talking about architecture. Mostly about how she would have designed New Rome but still. This at least was familiar territory.
“I made brownies!” Percy yelled as soon as they entered the apartment.
Magnus and Annabeth took off their shoes before making their way into the kitchen. It smelled delicious.
Percy turned his head so far that he was presenting his ear more than his cheek to be kissed. Annabeth’s lips barely grazed Percy’s skin before he pulled away and grabbed a big glass of chocolate milk. He drank half of it before pausing for breath. “Sorry, I was thirsty,” he said. He caught Annabeth around the waist and kissed her. “Have a brownie. You too, Magnus.”
There was one perfect square cut out of the brownies, showing a perfectly clean corner of the tray. Magnus was reluctantly impressed with Percy’s brownie cutting skills. He cut himself a brownie, but his did not lift off the tray clean and it wasn’t perfectly square. He set it on a plate and handed it to Annabeth, then cut his own slice. “Thanks, man.”
“Yeah, no problem.” Percy smiled. “I was craving brownies.”
Annabeth glanced at her watch. “My show is on in two minutes!” She hurried into the living room. “Percy, get me some milk.”
“Chocolate or regular?”
“Almond!”
Percy got Annabeth’s milk. “Do you want any?”
“I can get it,” Magnus said.
“It’s not a problem. I’m already in the fridge.” Percy fixed those intense sea green eyes on Magnus. His expression was too intense for this to be about milk.
“Chocolate,” Magnus said, looking away. He didn’t want to challenge Percy and Percy wasn’t the type to be intimidated by soulless gray eyes. He’s dealt with Annabeth and her gray eyes for a long time. “Thanks.” He joined Annabeth in the living room, took a seat in the armchair because he was not going to share a couch with the couple. “What are we watching?”
Annabeth was stretched out on the couch, eating her brownie and flipping through channels. “Ancient Aliens,” she said and barked out a laugh that said she thought it was a stupid show.
“Okay.”
Percy set Magnus’ chocolate milk on a stack of magazines piled on the side table. It balanced precariously beside a foot tall statue of Medusa that was missing both arms and several of the snake heads in her hair. The broken pieces were in a pile beside it. He joined Annabeth on the couch, crawling over her to stretch out behind her. Percy gave no indication that he’d been at the meeting or that he even knew about it.
The show started. It was, well, there was a reason that Magnus didn’t watch television. Mindless was a word that came to mind. Racist was another one, because Magnus was pretty sure that there were explanations that didn’t involve aliens...or gods, for that matter.
Throughout the show, Percy looked like he was having a difficult time staying awake. He responded to Annabeth’s critiques and added his own quips, he made all the right noises while she explained how things were actually built, but Percy looked like he was about to pass out at any second. His head bobbed slightly, his eyes drooped.
By the time Magnus got up to take a shower, Percy was fast asleep with one arm around Annabeth. As for Annabeth herself, she was texting and rolling her eyes at the show. Neither of them seemed to notice Magnus leaving.
Shortly after he got back from his shower, Annabeth stretched. She rolled out of Percy’s grip and onto her feet. She stretched a second time, body going taut like the string on a bow. “We’re off to bed. Good night, Magnus.” Annabeth pinched a bit of Percy’s bicep and twisted.
Percy woke up with a yelp. He woke up ready to swing, fist already curled, but curbed himself when he realized it was Annabeth who woke him. “You could try kissing me awake,” Percy suggested dryly. He slowly sat up.
Annabeth took both of his hands. “Where’s the fun in that?” she asked as she pulled Percy to his feet.
The two went down the hall and into their bedroom.
Magnus thought about going to bed too, but he wasn’t tired. He stayed up, watching videos on his phone of flowers blooming and dying and blooming again. Every time one video ended, Magnus told himself he’d put the phone down and go to bed. But it was hard to convince himself to sleep when he had no plans and nowhere to be tomorrow. Plus, auto play was on so a new video loaded every few seconds. The hours passed quickly.
Movement in the corner of his eye caught Magnus’ attention. He jumped in surprise, heart racing.
Percy stood in the hallway, mostly obscured by shadows. His eyes shone teal. He stared at Magnus, expression unreadable.
The hairs on the back of Magnus’ neck rose. He didn’t move, didn’t even breathe.
Percy took a lurching step forward.
Magnus swallowed down a scream. He clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ached.
Every step Percy took to the couch was unsteady, as though he were drunk. When he got to the couch, Percy tripped over Magnus’ foot and almost fell onto him.
Magnus caught him, hands on Percy’s bare shoulders. His skin was cold and slick with sweat.
Percy mumbled something incoherent, then half fell and half flung himself onto the couch cushions that Magnus wasn’t taking up. He landed on his back and kicked one leg over the back of the couch, leaving the other on the floor. Percy lay there, eyes closed and mouth open.
Magnus finally took a breath. His lungs hurt. He stared at Percy, wondering if he’d left the bedroom of his own volition or if he’d been banished to the couch by Annabeth.
Without opening his eyes, Percy said, “Go to bed Magnus.” His words were slow and slightly slurred.
Magnus didn’t hesitate to rise. He knew when he wasn’t wanted and Percy wasn’t someone Magnus wanted to anger. “G’night,” he mumbled and escaped to the office room.