Roman Camp

{Oakland Hills, 4th of May 2005}

The wolf - who I was now almost certain was Lupa - led me tirelessly northward. We traveled for what felt like hours, the landscape gradually changing from the rugged terrain of Mount Tamalpais to more urban surroundings. Despite my exhaustion from the recent quest, I found myself reinvigorated by the newfound ability to see colors. Every sight was a wonder, from the deep green of the trees to the vibrant blue of the sky.

As we approached what appeared to be a large tunnel cut into a hillside, Lupa slowed her pace. A sign nearby read "Caldecott Tunnel," and I realized we must be somewhere near Berkeley. The wolf goddess led me not towards the main entrance, but to a small, inconspicuous maintenance door at one end of the tunnel.

Lupa stopped in front of the door and turned to face me, her yellow eyes seeming to glow with an otherworldly intelligence. She barked once, the sound echoing off the tunnel walls, and suddenly the door swung open.

A young boy, no older than twelve or thirteen, stepped out. He had close-cropped blond hair and startlingly blue eyes that reminded me of the sky I'd just been admiring. Despite his youth, he carried himself with a confidence that spoke of experience beyond his years. A golden sword hung at his side, looking almost comically large on his small frame.

"Ave, Lupa," the boy said, his voice carrying a hint of excitement. Then his eyes fell on me, and his expression turned curious. "Who's this?"

Before I could introduce myself, Lupa began to change. Her form shimmered and grew, morphing from wolf to woman. In moments, where the wolf had stood was now a tall, regal woman with auburn hair and the same piercing yellow eyes. She was dressed in Roman-style robes, and a silver circlet rested on her brow.

"Jason," Lupa said, her voice warm as she embraced the boy. "This is Odysseus, a... special case. He carries something of great importance to Rome."

Jason's eyes widened, and he looked at me with renewed interest. "The eagle?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lupa nodded, and I felt compelled to speak. "Um, yeah," I said, still a bit overwhelmed by everything that had happened. "I found it by accident up in Alaska. It's in my shadow right now."

Jason's eyebrows shot up. "In your shadow? Are you a son of Pluto?"

A grin formed on my face. "I'm more like his boss' son."

Jason blinked in surprise. "Pluto has a boss?"

"Yeah, I think you guys call him Erebos."

Then as if by magic, something seemed to click in his head, as if he had realized something. "Wait a minute. How do you know about being a demigod or the roman gods? Also, what do you mean by 'you guys'? And how come you aren't questioning this?" He finished saying as he pointed at his sword.

"Well, I have one of those too," I replied, summoning my spear into my hand, laying my eyes on its true form for the first time, the celestial bronze almost glittering.

Jason's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the celestial bronze spear materializing in my hand. He seemed momentarily at a loss for words, his gaze darting between the weapon and me.

"That's... impressive," Jason finally managed. "But you still haven't answered my questions. How do you know about all this? And what did you mean by 'you guys'?"

I took a deep breath. "Well, the truth is, I'm a Greek demigod. I've known about this world for a while now."

Jason's jaw dropped. "Greek? But... how? I thought..."

"That we didn't exist?" I finished with a wry smile. "Yeah, it's complicated. But we're out there. Now, what about you? You mentioned Pluto earlier, so I'm guessing you're Roman?"

Jason nodded, still processing this revelation. "Yeah, I'm a son of Jupiter. My father is king of the gods."

Something clicked in my mind. "Wait a second. What's your last name?"

"Grace," Jason replied, a hint of wariness in his voice. "Jason Grace. Why?"

My expression softened. "Jason, do you... do you know about Thalia?"

Jason's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know about my sister?"

My voice was gentle as I replied, "Thalia and I were close. We... we went through a lot together."

"Where is she?" Jason asked eagerly. "Is she okay?"

My face fell, and I struggled to find the right words. "Jason, I'm so sorry. Thalia... she was struck down. She sacrificed herself to save her friends and was turned into a tree on Half-Blood Hill."

Jason staggered back as if he'd been struck. "No... that can't be..."

Lupa, who had been silently observing our exchange, finally spoke up. "Perhaps it would be best if you two continued this conversation as Jason shows you around the camp, Odysseus. There is much to discuss, and I believe you both have stories to share."

Jason nodded numbly, still reeling from the news about his sister. "Yeah... yeah, that's a good idea. Come on, Ozzy. I'll show you around."

As we entered the camp, people began to murmur and stare at me, the newcomer being escorted by Jason, a centurion. I took in the sights of the Roman camp, noticing the differences from Camp Half-Blood.

"So, what's the deal with this place?" I asked, trying to distract Jason from his grief. "How does it all work?"

Jason explained the camp hierarchy, the cohorts, and the various traditions of Camp Jupiter as we walked. "We have five cohorts," he said, pointing to different areas of the camp. "The First is considered the most prestigious, and the Fifth... well, let's just say they've seen better days."

I nodded, taking it all in. "And you're a centurion? That's like a leader, right?"

"Yeah," Jason confirmed. "Each cohort has two centurions. I'm one of the youngest ever to hold the position."

As we continued our tour, I couldn't help but marvel at the differences between this camp and Camp Half-Blood. The organization, the discipline, the sheer Roman-ness of it all was both fascinating and a little intimidating.

When we reached the Fifth Cohort, I decided it was time. "Jason," I said solemnly, "I think it's time I gave this back to its rightful owners." With a gesture, I pulled the golden eagle standard from my shadow, presenting it to the young centurion.

Jason's eyes widened in awe as he carefully took the eagle. "This... this is incredible. You have no idea what this means to us."

I smiled. "I think I'm starting to. Listen, Jason, if you ever want to talk more about Thalia or anything else, you can always come visit me. The Greek camp is in Long Island."

Jason managed a small smile. "I... I think I'd like that. To visit where my sister lived, I mean."

I nodded. "You're welcome anytime. And hey, who knows? Maybe someday our camps can work together."

Jason's expression turned thoughtful. "That's... an interesting idea. But I don't think the others would take as kindly to greek demigods as I."

"True," I agreed. "But maybe it's time for that to change. We're all demigods, after all. We should be working together, not staying divided."

Jason nodded slowly. "Maybe you're right. It's definitely something to think about."

The tour came to an end, our discussion along with it we now succumbed to an awkward silence.

"Thank you for showing me around," I said to Jason. "And for listening about Thalia. I know it can't be easy, but if there is a way for me to save her don't worry I will find out."

Jason swallowed hard. "Thank you for telling me. At least now I know what happened to her. And... thank you for bringing back the eagle. It means more than you know."

I smiled. "Demigods even different kinds should stick together. Greek, Roman... in the end, we're all in this together, kids fighting monsters, most under the whims of our parents."

Jason nodded, a small smile forming on his face.

With a final nod to Jason, I stepped back into the shadows, concentrating on Camp Half-Blood. The familiar sensation of shadow travel enveloped me, and in moments, I reappeared at the edge of the strawberry fields.

As I looked out over the familiar sights of Camp Half-Blood, my mind was reeling from all that had occurred, in such a small amount of time. The quest, the recovery of my sight, the discovery of the Roman camp... it was definitely one of the most eventful days I had in a while.

I didn't know exactly why greeks and romans had been separated or what would happen if all of us came together to one big camp, there would probably be a lot of infighting and scuffles, after all not everyone would be as friendly as Jason, yet somehow that brought a small smile to my face.

[Greek Myth Fact: Lupa, often depicted as the she-wolf, is a significant figure in Roman mythology, which was prevalent from 8th century BC until the formal adoption of Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century AD.

While not strictly considered a goddess in the traditional sense, Lupa holds a crucial role in Roman mythology. She is a she-wolf, famously known for nurturing Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.

Lupa is represented by the symbol of the she-wolf, a testament to her nurturing role in the origin myth of Rome. As for colors, while no specific hues are directly associated with Lupa, natural colors like brown and grey might symbolically represent her.

Lupa is central to Rome's founding myth. According to legend, after being cast into the River Tiber by their uncle, the infants Romulus and Remus were rescued and nursed by a she-wolf, Lupa. This act allowed them to survive and later establish the city of Rome.]