A recent pjato story. This is a short version of what i would like to see in SoN. Percabeth lovers beware. I own nothing.
They say that omens come in threes. They say that history repeats it's self. he dimly remembers that last one from... He's not sure where he remembers it from. Somewhere important, he is sure.
The first of those three omens comes when he least expects it.
He woke up with a splitting headache and his memory reduced to nothing. He lacks even the memory of his own name, damn it!
He wandered for days in the wilderness, starving and alone. The most encouraging thing to happen for the entire span of the last four days is when the giant wolf promised to wait to eat him. Then, she finds him.
When the daughter of the king of darkness found him, she was fascinated by him. He wore no shirt, and clearly visible was the tan line of some sort of think band around his neck, like a leather neckless. There is nothing there now. His face is that of a classic marble statue's, and his body is that of a Spartan ripped straight from a movie. And his presence... She is drawn into him, as if by the rip tide of an ocean. It is only later that Reyna realizes how appropriate the metaphor is to him.
For his part, he finds her stunning. She seems perfect, so perfect. A mix of beauty and wisdom are the first things he notices. Her eyes, however, are the most important attribute. The face they rest in may be the face of a teenager, but the eyes belong in the face of a weary, jaded old soldier.
She takes him prisoner (He is in no position to argue) and brings him before Lupa. Lupa is not amused. She orders him thrown into the coliseum, to fight until he dies. The combat lasts for hours, with monster after monster thrown in to try to kill him. In the end, he is left standing alone, waist deep in the golden dust of destroyed monsters. At this, the assembled Romans howl in anger and charge into the arena, determined to throw down this seemingly invulnerable Greek. With this, he gives a mighty roar and stabs the tip of the imperial gold gladius they have given him deep into the ground. The earth shakes in a horrific rumbling, and water gushes from the ground and begins to swirl around, catching all but him. In the end, they have no choice. He has passed where no other could, surviving where they would perish. So they bow to him, accept him as a son of Neptune.
That night, there is a ceremony. The alter is light, the brand heated. Reyna herself drives it into his arm, and because he still remembers nothing, gives him a new name. She names him Tavarus Lupus, in honor of his strength. He likes this new name. It fits him, like a well worn glove. Reyna grabs his hand and lifts it high, shining the scorched black brand on his arm to all. He is proud. He feels like he has come home.
He loves it here at the Legion. They respect strength and hard work, and he excels at both. And then, it happens. The flying ship with the head of a metal dragon mounted ad a figurehead lands at the camp. He is filled with a sense of apprehension, although as the second in command, behind only Reyna, he can't afford to show fear. His fears, however, are vindicated when the crew steps down from the ship. A short Latino santa's elf comes first, followed by a tall blond boy and a gorgeous girl who can only be a daughter of Venus. They stand arm in arm, and he hears Reyna's pained whisper. "Jason..."
He knows her pain. She had cared deeply about the son of Jupiter. A selfish part of him can't help but be glad. He knows, deep down inside, that he loves Reyna now, and to lose her to that deserter Jason would kill him.
The last member of the crew steps down from the ship, eyes casting around looking for someone. "Percy!" the blond haired, gray eyed girl calls out. She does not see anyone. Tavarus, his face hidden beneath his crested helm, and holding the eagle standard of the legion thinks for a moment that she looks familiar, and then shrugs it off as his mind playing tricks on him.
The next days are bizarre. He learns that they are Greeks, although he never tells them of his suspicions of his own origins. Soon they sail for Mount Olympus. The journey is long and difficult. They battle their way through hordes of monsters to reach the summit. Jason and his daughter of Venus whore perish at the top during the battle with Gaia. And at the end of the battle, his helmet is knocked from his head, and his face exposed for the world (Annabeth) to see. He ignores her for the moment and turns to Reyna. No words are wanted or needed. For the first time, they kiss. It is perfect, and he never wants it to stop. But stop it does. Their gods pull the heroes away from the battle field, back to their respective camps. And so ends the second omen.
Things do not go well for the children of the gods. The Romans blame the Greeks for the death of Jason. The Greeks blame the Romans for the loss of Piper. The only way it could end was in war and death. And so they fought. Formations of disciplined Romans fought the swift, agile Greeks under their deadly commander. He still went by Tavarus. It was like most wars in almost all respects. Almost. In one, it was different. Here was the third omen. After all, how often does a supreme commander meet their opposite under cover of darkness, for talk and more of love and peace? Surely it is rare. And yet, Tavarus still saw Reyna. In time, the war came to a close. Having an invulnerable leader of tue Greeks was too great an advantage to beat. And at the end, during the unconditional surrender of Roman forces to Greek, (The second American Civil War also ended), the soldiers of both sides were treated by the strangest sight imaginable. A Greek with Roman tattoos and wearing Roman armor and a Greek sword made of Imperial Gold walked forward to embrace the leader of the Roman legions. "Tavarus," she breathed.
"Reyna, love." he responded.
At the signal of Tavarus, the Greeks too Dropped their weapons. There was no more need for distinctions. Greek, Roman, it did not matter. And this was Juno's plan all along, to reunite her oft divided family. Hera's reach was long and foresight longer. The plan was a success. The family of the gods was once more one.
Hope you enjoyed this story. Kudos to anyone who can guess where i got the name Tavarus from. Leave a review on your way out.
