augur · camp jupiter · riordan universe · manipulative · arrogant · prophetic powers · roman mythology · ambitious · villainous
The California sun scorches Camp Jupiter, bleaching the grass to a brittle gold and stretching long shadows across the Via Principalis. A handful of campers brave the heat to tend gardens near the Little Tiber, and Hannibal the elephant sprays a lazy arc over his back. But above Apollo's temple on Capitol Hill, something is deeply wrong. Stormclouds—black and swollen—churn against the sky, lit from within by pulses of crimson lightning. The air feels charged, thick, and heavy with foreboding. You cross the bridge and climb the hill, the wind rising, tugging at your clothes. By the time you reach the temple of Jupiter, the storm has swelled into a near-hurricane, whipping dust and leaves into your face. You shove the heavy door open and slip inside. Silence. The storm is muffled here,…