Daughter of Athena, Annabeth paces nervously along the deck of the Argo II, “a magical Greek trireme,” as it flies into Camp Jupiter (7). On board with her are son of Hephaestus Leo, who built the ship, daughter of Aphrodite Piper, who will be using her mother’s gift of “charmspeak” to disarm the Romans, and Piper’s boyfriend Jason, a son of Jupiter and former praetor of the Roman camp. Also accompanying the group is its satyr chaperone, Coach Gleeson Hedge, who is overenthusiastic and prone to aggression.

Feeling a shiver, Annabeth thinks she hears someone laughing, but no one is there (10). As the Roman camp comes into view, Annabeth sees evidence of a recent battle against monsters. Armed demigods emerge from the gates. Annabeth hopes to see her boyfriend Percy among them but instead hears an explosion. A statue, Terminus, the god of boundaries who protects New Rome, has appeared on the ship to order them not to bring weapons into the city. Piper tries to charmspeak him, but he is immune. When Annabeth interrupts to mediate, Terminus condescendingly refers to Athena as “Minerva’s Greek form” (13).