Only a square of scorched stone remained where Malcolm's pyre had burned the night before. The wind had already spread the ashes, so all Clarisse could focus on was the bed of stone. She gripped the two halves of her spear in her hands, her grip tightening as she was left alone in her thoughts. Eventually, she stepped forward, placing the broken spear on the stone, and turned, coming to face Lucas, allowing him to notice the dark circles under her eyes; clearly, she hadn't slept well.
Lucas said nothing. He had already comforted her yesterday; continuing to do so now would seem like he was pitying her, looking down on her. That wouldn't end well. Instead, he informed her it was time to pack up. Under Annabeth's planning, it was time to leave for a flight to Rome, to continue the trail for the Parthenos and hopefully draw out the three who killed Malcolm.
...
As the demigods exited the airport, they were presented with a city blending both the past and the present, ancient architecture beside modern construction, old stone bridges connecting tar roads; it was a beautiful mixture of history and the contemporary era.
Knowing they had been spotted in Istanbul soon after leaving the airport, this time Lucas cast some magic to cloak the demigods, and instead of taking the main roads, they travelled through cobbled alleys and plazas, following the map Annabeth was currently studying. Fortunately for Selena, instead of an 8-hour march from the airport to their destination, they decided to rent some bicycles, shortening the journey to just over an hour.
Soon, before them, was the Roman Forum.
The heart of the Roman Republic. When discovering the SPQR mural and the Mark of Athena, without any other clues to go off, this is where Annabeth determined would be the best location to start, the centre of the republic's power and the most likely place to house a clue.
They weren't the only people there; tourists were led around the Open-air museum by local tour guides, and even some locals walked around, enjoying the sights too.
Between the mutterings of surprise for the lack of expected flies and mosquitoes, the restrained shouts of a mother calling her children back, and the constant rabble of conversation, they managed to pick up word that a nearby tour group was heading to the senate house, and so the demigods decided to follow along.
With no specific direction to search, they decided to tag along the passing tour group, following a few feet behind while they searched for anything that could be considered a clue, all while keeping an eye out for the three strangers who attacked them in Istanbul.
They passed the Temple of Saturn, the broken Arch of Septimius Severus, and crossed the flagstone causeway toward the deeper Forum ruins where the remains of the Curia Julia, the old Senate house, waited. Arriving at their destination, they split from the tour group and walked towards the ancient Roman Senate House.
The Curia Julia.
The structure was imposing in its simplicity, its brick-faced concrete walls rising square and sharp above the marble slabs at its base with rusting bronze doors to serve as entrances. Wide buttresses reinforced the corners, and the front steps, though cracked by time, still held the gravity and solemnness they were designed for.
With no one looking, they snuck inside, closing the door behind them and locking it.
Inside, the air was cooler, heavier. The interior hall was bare but for the marble-veneered walls and the floor, whose color still shone under the dust: patterns of rosettes and entwined cornucopias worked into the stone in vibrant green and red porphyry, all laid on a field of Phrygian purple and Numidian yellow.
At the far end stood the Altar of Victory. Victoria, the Roman personification of triumph, stood upon a globe, her arm outstretched with a wreath of conquest.
With no direct clue, they searched the room. After ten minutes, Selena, who was studying the statue of Victoria, found a lead.
"Here," she said, her voice low, yet it managed to reach everyone in the room's quietness. Her hand touched the plinth, stroking a symbol at its base.
When everyone gathered, they managed to find what the symbol was, the mark of Athena, but no matter what they did, it wouldn't activate. Thinking of the other times she found the symbol active, Annabeth reached the idea that maybe it was meant to activate only when she was alone.
Although it was risky to leave her alone, they decided to give her the room, stepping outside but staying on guard in case she called for them.
Annabeth stepped forward, her hand hovering over the mark. When her palm touched it, it glowed silver; bright and blinding. Then Victoria moved, sliding backwards as the marble beneath her trembled and folded away. A stone staircase was revealed, one that spiraled down into the dark.
Annabeth took a breath. She understood she was alone and needed to prepare herself to finish this. With one last look at the bronze doors behind her, Annabeth started descending, disappearing into the darkness as the statue rumbled, once again covering the stone steps.