Blackjack and I landed in New Rome gracefully, after a stop at a doughnut shop of course. Some of the campers nodded towards me. I noticed that all the centurions and the two praetors were missing. I guess they were having a senate meeting, which reminds me, I need to get a stripe for my second year of service. Thankfully, the pontifex maximus was Jason this time and not that rat Octavian.

I jogged over to the barracks to see if anyone was there.

I had just finished checking the fifth cohort barracks and was headed towards the pomerian line, when someone shouted after me.

"What are you doing here? Do you want me to report you to the Praetors?"

I had never seen this girl before. She had black wavy shoulder length hair with greenish blue eyes and a slight tan.

She looked like she might be my sister.

"I've never seen you before. Who the hell are you? Why were you in the barracks? Did you steal something?" The girl asked, pulling out a gladius.

I raised an eyebrow at her tone. "I was at the Greek camp. I have one year of service for the twelfth legion. I'm a part of the fifth cohort. I'm going to visit my friends Frank and Hazel, who are probably at the senate house."

With that, I turned around and walked towards the statue of Terminus.

"Ah Perseus Jackson, son of Neptune, fifth cohort, due to recieve your stripe for your second year of service I see. Congratulations young man. Please do leave any weapons in the tray I'm pointing at."

I smirked at Terminus and placed my pen in the tray. I waved to the little girl Julia and crossed the line.

All of a sudden, I felt the drain underneath me tremble. I narrowed my eyes and stood firmly on it and turned around.

As I did, the drain exploded and water swirled towards me. This was not under my control. Eh whatever.

I let the water crash into me and swirl around me for what I felt was like a good minute, which was enough to drown a normal human being. But you see, I'm not normal. Even when it comes to demigod standards, I'm special.

Once the water fell back into the drain, I proceeded to turn around and lock eyes with my drenched sister.

"Hello sister, I didn't expect we would meet this way. It was a blast meeting you," I said with a wink and stopped levitating.

I turned on my heel and walked off towards the senate house. If that was the child of my dad's roman counterpart, I wasn't too keen on getting know Neptune. She was way too grumpy.

I entered the senate house to find it in utter chaos. Reyna sat on her chair, rubbing her temples, while Frank looked like he was about to die from boredom.

Nobody noticed me at all.

I cleared my throat. Nobody noticed me.

This was seriously getting out of hand. I stomped my foot on the ground, causing a minor tremor.

All eyes turned towards me.

Ah so that's how it works I see? You stomp on the ground and cause an earthquake and now you've got a bunch of Romans and Lares looking at you.

"Um, I'll just go stand at the back. I'm here for my second stripe," I muttered and started to walk towards the back of the senate house. That much attention really gets to the nerves.

"Actually, we're glad you're here, Percy," Reyna said.

"You are?"

"Yes, it's about your half sister."

I raised my eyebrows and gestured for her to go on.

"Well, you see," Frank started, "after the previous war games, someone was stabbed in the back."

Reyna nodded, "your half sister, Julia Jackson of the second cohort, is suspected of stabbing one of the legionnares. Thankfully, the medics got to him in time and he was saved, but the question is what do we do with her?"

I was rather shocked by this news. My half sister stabbed someone in the back? Romans were supposed to fight honourably, and my sister of all, doing something like this?

"Yeah, it's a lot to take in," Bobby said from the side. "We had quite high hopes for her."

"What do you guys suggest?" I asked the praetors.

"She is also suspected of doing a lot of other things. One year of stable and bathroom cleaning and exile if she continues," Reyna said, while Frank nodded.

"Execution," a Lare yelled.

I stared at the Lare and he backed away.

"Cleaning seems alright," I said to the praetors. "I'll have a chat with her. Meanwhile, can I have my stripe, please?"

"Now that you've entered the city, you'll get it automatically in the next twenty four hours," Reyna said, suppressing a smile.

"Oh."

"It'll burn a bit," Frank warned, showing me his second stripe.

"Alright... Uh, thanks then."

I walked out of the senate house before things could get any weirder.

After retrieving Riptide from Terminus, I walked off to find my sister.

After searching for gods know how long and getting lost around three times, I finally found her at the stables, stroking a unicorn.

She seemed to be pretty depressed, with tears streaking her cheeks.

I decided to give her some space for now. I entered the stable to find a unicorn running away from Blackjack.

"Real smooth Blackjack," I said. "Next thing you know, they'll develop wings to be able fly away from you."

'They love me!'

A unicorn in the next pen shuddered.

Blackjack huffed and stalked out of the cabin with me tailing him.

As we walked outside, there was a gasp from my sister.

"Lord Pegasus," she said, kneeling.

Blackjack and I shared a glance and I could almost see him smirk to himself.

I shook my head and patted Blackjack on the back.

Julia's eyes widened, "Do you have a death wish? Just because you're related to him it doesn't mean you get to treat him like a friend."

I grinned. "This is Blackjack, not Pegasus," I said.

'Hey! I am a pegasus.'

I rolled my eyes.

"Can I touch him?" Julia asked.

"Ask him."

Blackjack trotted towards her.

"Were you crying?" I asked.

She avoided my eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked gently.

"I don't like this place," she said quietly.

"Why not? What happened?"

"Someone here is trying to frame me. They keep doing things to make me get into trouble. Someone was stabbed yesterday. They blamed it on me. Someone's chariot was stolen and I was unironically the only one in the place where it was found."

I thought for a moment about what she had just told me.

"I have an idea," I said.

"Tell Reyna about this. Her dogs can sense if someone's lying. That way you'll be proved innocent."

Julia shook her head, tears spilling out of her eyes. "That's the point, someone stole her dogs as well."

Now I was shocked. I didn't have the courage to as much as take a candy from the bowl in Reyna's room in front of those dogs, much less kidnap the dogs themselves."

"Come with me," I said. "We're going to prove you innocent."