The Middle Ground

by valkyriecain2110

Gwen didn't really like surprises, but she supposed that a lot of other people did. Of course, a lot of other people didn't come outside from a check up at the infirmary a week after dying from a spear through their body and see a gigantic airship - it didn't help that Romans and Greeks naturally didn't like each other. A lot of other people are very lucky. Extended summary inside.

Disclaimer: My dreams of being an amazing writer who owns the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, will have to remain that. Just dreams. Since, I'm not American, or y'know, male.

Author's Note: Okay, so I wrote this a loooooong time ago for a book report, and then I was all like, hey! Totally fanfiction! I wanted to update sooner, but, meh. I didn't feel like it. Y'know, fanfiction. Why write, when you can read?

Rating: T. I'm paranoid.

Warning: Mentioned death, meetings, cursing in the form of saying a Roman god's name, hostility, children of Hermes, Percy Jackson, missing girlfriend's.

Summary: Gwen didn't really like surprises, but she supposed that a lot of other people did. Of course, a lot of other people didn't come outside from a check up at the infirmary a week after dying from a spear through their body and see a gigantic airship - it didn't help that Romans and Greeks naturally didn't like each other. A lot of other people are very lucky.

Now that Percy has recovered his memory, what will be the reaction of his and Jason's meeting? Will the two camps be able to look past their hatred and work together? Or will this drive them even farther apart? In this extension of Rick Riordan's The Son of Neptune, we witness the encounter of the Romans and Greeks from both sides...

EXTENDED ENDING FOR THE SON OF NEPTUNE, BY RICK RIORDAN, WRITTEN BY valkyriecain2110, FOR FANFICTION PURPOSES.

"THE MIDDLE GROUND"

GWENDOLYN

I stared at the gigantic airship in the sky. Obviously, I had missed something while I was at college.

"What the Pluto is going on?" I asked out loud.

"The Greeks are here!" someone shouted from somewhere in the crowd.

"Well, that answers my question." I snorted.

The airship lowered itself until it hovered three feet above the ground, the dragon's head on the prow glinting in the sunlight.

I heard a whirring noise and a ramp extended from the side of the ship. It lodged itself into the ground, and then an opening appeared just above the ramp.

A hush fell over the camp. We waited with bated anticipation for someone to walk out of what I now recognized to be a doorway.

"What do you think they'll be like?" a girl beside me asked. She gnawed a lip, grey eyes scanning over the ship.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I assume that they'll be a bit like us, y'know? They're half-bloods too – just like us." As I watched her, a part of me questioned why I had never seen this girl before.

The girl smiled at me indulgently. "The Romans came after the Greeks." She corrected. "You are half-bloods too – just like us." She winked at me and tugged a Yankee's baseball cap over her blond hair. The next moment, she was gone.

Too late, a spark of recognition lit inside me. "GREEK!" I snarled. My hands flew to the pommels of my swords, only to find them gone.

"Looking for these?" A voice asked. I whirled around but didn't see anyone. "You should really be more careful of your weapons." The same voice breathed in my ear. I froze. One of my swords slipped back into its sheath and I felt a pat on my back. "If you want the other one, ask for Coriki."

When I turned, there was no one there. Both the person who had taken my sword and the blond girl were gone.

I burned with rage. 'No one would touch my swords and get away with it. No one.'

The Legion stirred "Greek." The whisperers said "Graecus," they hissed. "Outsiders."

I flushed angrily when I realized that the Greeks had infiltrated our camp. While we had been distracted by their airship, they had sneaked past our defenses.

'Typical of Greeks, no?' A part of my mind muttered. 'They're all liars. Greeks have always been betrayers and thieves.' Yet, hadn't I told the Greek girl that the Greeks would be like us. Or, as she had corrected me, we would be like them. Did that mean that we were also liars and betrayers and thieves?

How could the gods think that we would be able to reconcile a split between two cultures that was centuries, maybe even millennia old and still growing? Did they think that we could forgive someone thought of as the enemy? That we were able to forge a bond strong enough that we wouldn't kill each other?

Those questions buzzed through my mind, as I kept a trembling hand on the pommel of my sword.

'Don't think about death.' I reminded myself, biting my lip unconsciously as I remembered the feeling of the spear going through my body. The pain as my muscles tore, the wetness of the blood trickling down my front. And just thinking, 'Oh Thanatos, let me live.'

A thudding noise brought me out of painful memories, and I watched as one by one, people dropped from the ship. As they stood warily, I saw a glimpse of the same uncertainty on their faces. Then it was gone. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it created a spark of hope that maybe we were in the same boat after all.

Then one of them stepped forward. I gasped when I saw his face.

"Hey guys," Jason Grace grinned sheepishly. "Sorry I didn't come home sooner."

There was a moment; a heartbeat of silence. Then chaos erupted.

I heard Romans shouting accusations, protests.

"Why did you leave?" Some shouted.

"How could you leave us? How could you betray us?"

Of course, the Greeks didn't take too well to the uproar. They yelled back, defending themselves and our former praetor.

My hand tightened around my sword. Take deep breaths. I reminded myself. Breath in, breath out. Concentrate on one thing. Despite my efforts, my vision blurred and I felt my breath catch.

"Easy." A hand gripped my arm. I looked up to see a boy with dark skin and deep brown eyes. Rowan Gravi looked at me worriedly. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Thanks. You can let go now."

"Oh." Rowan grinned, teeth flashing. "Sorry 'bout that."

I looked around at the Romans around me. "Think they'll let up anytime soon?"

The son of Ceres shook his head. "They were pretty mad when Jason disappeared. We don't take well to betrayal and most of us have been holding this back for a while."

"I can see that." I said. I stood, dusting off my jeans. "Why is –"

"Skaseis!" someone yelled. I didn't know what it translated to, but the meaning was pretty clear.

The campers – both Roman and Greek - froze, both by the authority in the person's voice, and by the fact that they were literally paralyzed.

Sparks of electricity raced down my body and over my sword. Surprisingly, my skin only prickled where they landed.

A girl wearing a silver parka stalked between the two camps. "What is going on here?" she demanded. Her blue-streaked, black hair fell in front of her face, and she brushed it out of the way. "You can't be at each other's throats already!" Electric-blue eyes glared at us. "Well?" she asked, crossing her arms "I'm waiting for an explanation."

We stared at her, unable to respond. "Father give me patience!" she exclaimed throwing her hands up. "It's like working with statues!" She snapped her fingers.

Almost immediately, my tongue felt normal. I gave a sigh of relief when I realized that I could move again.

Reyna stepped forward. 'Good,' I thought. 'She can deal with this mess.'

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the Praetor demanded.

The girl smirked cockily "The name's Thalia Grace." she said. "I'm the lieutenant of Artemis and I'm here for my cousin."

My first thought was, 'Not another Greek. There's too many of them already!' Then the first part of her introduction crashed in.

"Grace?" Reyna spluttered, losing her cool for the first time I had ever seen. "But that would mean-"

That was when I saw Percy Jackson shouldering his way through the crowd.

"Thalia!" he grinned, drawing the newcomer into a hug. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

Reyna glared at the son of Neptune "Percy, you know this girl?" she asked.

I was more surprised that a Hunter was allowing a boy to hug her.

Percy scratched his head. "I should think so." he frowned "I saved her from dying as a tree."

My thoughts as of that moment were 'What?' I'm pretty sure that the sentiment was echoed by the rest of the Legion.

The girl punched Percy in the shoulder. "Don't mess with their heads, Seaweed Brain." she grinned. "When did you remember?"

Percy shrugged. "A few days?"

I gaped at the easy interaction between our newly instated Praetor and the Lieutenant of Artemis - who I'm pretty sure was a daughter of Jupiter - or, since she was Greek, Zeus.

Jason stepped forward. "Hello Thalia." he greeted. "Hey Reyna." Then he looked at Percy. "I assume you were my replacement?"

Percy raised his eyebrows "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" he asked.

I held my breath as the two stared each other down.

Percy relaxed and I'm pretty sure that the tension went out of the Legion and the Greek camp.

"Percy Jackson." he said, sticking out a hand.

Jason cracked a grin "So I've heard." he laughed "Jason Grace."

The two shook hands.

Final Note: THIS WILL BE IN TWO PARTS! I felt that it didn't really flow when I had two point of views in the same chapter, so look out for a new one in a day or so.

Skaseis, is what "σκάσεις" sounds like to me. It's Greek, and means "Shut up!"

I hope that you enjoyed this piece! Please give me some constructive criticism.