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These Solstice field trips were a lot more tedious than Octavian ever thought they’d be.
At first, he had been excited to see Olympus in all its glory. He couldn’t wait to see what he had been missing out on for so many years, even more so when he heard that the Greeks were allowed trips on a yearly basis.
That had been a shock for him to hear. Not only were the Greeks still around, but they were also granted access to Olympus. And they didn’t even act like it was a big deal! He was astounded.
At first, he had mistrusted the Greeks. Why wouldn’t he? All he’d ever heard of them was how deceitful and treacherous they were, and about how they would bring the fall of Rome for perceived slights.
And yet, as he learned about them before this field trip, he couldn’t help but feel his entire worldview shift. He saw no conniving plotters, no treacherous villains, no enemies. He saw children, not even his age. He saw a small camp, barely even a section of the city in New Rome. He saw children much like him, only wanting to protect their home.
It had been a massive shift in his perception of the Greeks. It had especially been hard to hear that the average Greek demigod did not live to see sixteen years, most of them dying young. He had thought that the Greeks would be living easy lives being this close to Olympus, to the Heart of The Gods. And yet, he was once again wrong.
That aside, he was still excited to see Olympus. That was at least until he got the tour. The Council was busy, and as such the touring duties were given to Chiron. Octavian didn’t know much about the centaur, only some bits of history, and as such he did not know what to expect.
He still managed to find himself disappointed with the old teacher’s methods. He would barely explain anything, take them from spot to spot without any fanfare, and he was generally dull to listen to. Octavian couldn’t handle much more of this, so he broke off from the main group to explore on his own.
As he was making his way through breathtaking sights, he heard an unfamiliar voice in the distance.
“I don’t know why I even put up with you, Seaweed Brain.” Despite the words, Octavian could tell the speaker was fond of whoever this ‘Seaweed Brain’ was.
“Because you looove me.” Gods above was that irritating, but he got the feeling it was meant to be.
Curiosity getting the best of him and he found himself approaching the pair. He could see them clearly now. They were both quite tall, but that was about all they had in common in terms of appearance. One was blond and the other had black hair. One had grey eyes and the other had green. The two noticed him quickly, tensing for a moment before relaxing.
“You must be one of the Romans.” The blond one came forward. “I’m Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena.” That had been an adjustment for Octavian, learning that Athena not only had children but was still a maiden. “And that’s Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon.”
Ah, a child of Neptune. Even though the Romans did not do much sailing, Octavian held a level of respect for Neptune. How could he not? He’d seen the sea after all.
“Octavian, legacy of Apollo, augur of the Legion.” Of course, that wasn’t exactly accurate, but the fools in the Senate insisted on calling him an augur, so he didn’t have much of a choice.
“So, why aren’t you with the rest of the Roman group?” Percy asked him with nothing but curiosity in his voice.
“Well, if I’m being completely honest, Chiron was not a good tour guide so I decided to go off on my own.”
The two of them snorted in unison. “That’s one way to put it.” Percy shook his head. He seemed to think for a moment before his expression lit up. “How about we give you a tour?”
Annabeth seemed to consider that before she nodded. “Not a bad idea, Perce.”
Octavian was not entirely opposed, and yet. “How would you two give me a tour?”
Percy smiled. “Annabeth here is the official Architect of Olympus. She knows her way around this place very well.”
His pride was evident in his voice and Annabeth beamed at his words. Octavian was impressed. He detected no lie in Percy’s words, and so he accepted.
He quickly found the duo to be equal parts irritating and interesting. They managed to give him a good tour, one that he enjoyed far more than Chiron’s, but they would not stop bickering the whole way.
Had it not been for the clear fondness behind each insult, and the kisses they thought they hid from him, Octavian might have thought they hated each other.
On top of learning about Olympus, he learned a decent amount surrounding the Titan War on the Greek side. The fact that they’d managed to survive astounded him.
Finally, it was time for him to leave. He found that he didn’t want to, having enjoyed his time with the two greatly. They’d given him a way to contact them through the year though, so it wasn’t like he was never going to speak with them again. He would make sure they did not lose contact with each other.
Another year, another WInter Solstice field trip. This time, Octavian didn’t bother staying within the group, instead breaking off immediately to go find his friends.
He found them exactly where they said they’d be, standing near the temple Neptune would stay in on Olympus. They’d remained in contact over the past year, through Iris Messages and letters, and he found himself getting closer to the pair. Considering his situation at Camp Jupiter and how most there distrusted him, he found it hard not to enjoy the letters and conversations he had with the two.
They were bickering, as usual, so he stood off to the side and waited to see whether they would notice him or not. Percy was the first to see him, and his eyes lit up as he did.
“Tavie!” He’d long given up trying to stop Percy from calling him that. Truth be told, he did enjoy it, though he would never admit it out loud.
Percy threw his arms around Octavian who held him back. It was quick, just a greeting, but Octavian loved every moment of it. Annabeth was next, and it warmed him just the same.
“So, what do you have planned for me today?” He would soon regret that question.
They took him all around Olympus, showing him parts they had not managed to show him last time, along with new additions that Annabeth had managed to make over the past year. He was truly impressed with all of it, especially Annabeth’s designs. She was truly a magnificent architect.
Still, that didn’t mean they had to run him into the ground with their running. The two of them were the greatest fighters at their camp and had the stamina to prove it, but Octavian was always more of a tactical mind. He could make excellent plans that few could counter, but he wasn’t one for prolonged combat, nor was he one for all this running.
They seemed to notice as their gaze turned sheepish. “Maybe it’s time we take a break.” Annabeth tried for a smile and he glared at her playfully.
As they sat, their conversations turned to just about anything they could think of. Octavian would tell them about how things are handled in New Rome and they would be appalled at it.
“The adults just sit by and let kids do all the fighting?” And there was Commander Percy Jackson as Octavian had heard. Annabeth cut an impressive war face at that as well.
“I’ve been trying to fix things, but there’s only so much I can do.” He huffed in frustration. “Jason and Reyna try to help out, but only the Senate can truly do anything. And only through a majority vote can any change happen.”
The two exchanged looks before Annabeth proposed an idea. “How about we help come up with a plan? We won’t be doing anything on the field of course, it wouldn’t look good for a Greek to change the way you guys work, but maybe we can help out in some way.”
Octavian thought about it for a moment. The two of them were quite competent in general, and they were driven as well. If anyone could come up with a way to fix this, it would be them.
“Alright,” he told them. “I’ll have to speak with Jason and Reyna about it, but I would appreciate the help.”
The two beaming at him shouldn’t have made him feel this happy. Annabeth kissing his cheek also shouldn’t have felt this good. And yet, he found he didn’t mind as much.
The third trip was different.
Over the past year, things have changed. New Rome was completely overhauled thanks to the combined efforts of the praetors, Octavian, and the Greek leaders. It hadn’t been easy convincing Reyna to accept their help, something about them having a complicated past, but they managed to move past that.
After that, it was just a matter of time and patience, but things went well.
Other than that, Octavian found a way to spend more time with Percy and Annabeth, be it them visiting during their breaks or him dropping by whenever he could. He wasn’t sure how they managed it, but they managed. He would visit them in their college dorms, both of them going to college in New York, and they would see him in Camp Jupiter.
At some point, their friendship became more to all three of them, which is how Octavian found himself where he was now.
“There you are!” He barely had a moment before he was brought into Percy’s arms into a kiss that scrambled his brain. Annabeth followed suit shortly after.
“Miss us?” Annabeth’s grin was cheeky but her eyes were soft, a look mirrored by Percy as well.
“Yes,” he found no reason to lie. “I missed you a lot.”
It wouldn’t be easy maintaining this relationship of theirs, but he found he didn’t mind. As long as he could have them, he would be happy.