"Praetor, if I may," Octavian said. "Oh, great," Percy muttered. "Here it comes." "The camp is in grave danger," Octavian said. "Two gods have warned us we will be attacked four days from now. We must not spread our resources too thin, especially by funding projects that have a slim chance of success." Octavian looked at the three of them with pity, as if to say, "Poor little things". "Mars has clearly chosen the least likely candidates for this quest. Perhaps that is because he considers them the most expendable. Perhaps Mars is playing the long odds. Whatever the case, he wisely didn’t order a massive expedition, nor did he ask us to fund their adventure. I say we keep our resources here and defend the camp. This is where the battle will be lost or won. If these three succeed, wonderful! But they should do so by their own ingenuity." An uneasy murmur passed through the crowd. Frank jumped to his feet. Before he could start a fight, Percy said, "Fine! No problem. But at least give us transportation. Gaia is the earth goddess, right? Going overland, across the earth – I’m guessing we should avoid that. Plus, it’ll be too slow." Octavian laughed. "Would you like us to charter you an airplane?" The idea made Percy nauseous. "No. Air travel … I have a feeling that would be bad, too. But a boat. Can you at least give us a boat?" Hazel made a grunting sound. Percy glanced over. She shook her head and mouthed, "Fine. I’m fine." "A boat!" Octavian turned to the senators. "The son of Neptune wants a boat. Sea travel has never been the Roman way, but he isn’t much of a Roman!" "Octavian,’ Reyna said sternly, "a boat is little enough to ask. And providing no other aid seems very -" "Traditional!" Octavian exclaimed. "It is very traditional. Let us see if these questers have the strength to survive without help, like true Romans!"
I understand Octavian! He's distrustful of these three, because they're all new to camp and full of secrets (and/or they're seen as bad luck). Although I love Frank, Hazel and Percy, I can't fault Octavian. And he's right about Percy not being very roman! That would concern me too! I understand his distrust, because i'd probably be super hesitant too. Octavian is not evil! He's just being reasonable!
