Lupa sniffed the unconscious boy. "Are you sure he isn't dead?"
Juno nodded. "Quite sure, Lupa. In fact, he should wake up today." The goddess flinched, "Speaking of, I ought to be going. I know he's Greek, but he'll make a good Roman too. Trust me, Lupa."
The she-wolf snorted. "A Greek is a Greek, Juno. I bet he's too weak to last in battle. Why else would he smell of the Achilles Curse?" She looked up, and Juno was gone. She'd been left with a sleeping Greek boy, a boy who'd been taught as a Greek, learned all Greek ways, even spoke Greek.
She shook her head. Rome had taken over Greece once. If Juno's scheme failed, Lupa was confident they would again.
If Terra doesn't get them both first… Lupa growled. Much as she disliked this plan, she would go along if it meant New Rome would survive. If it really was the only way.
While the wolf was absorbed in her thoughts, the boy slowly regained consciousness. He stretched and groaned, catching her attention.
Lupa swiveled her head, then pounced. She knew she wouldn't hurt him, but she needed to know if the boy had any strength.
The boy looked very startled, but swiftly rolled to the side and groped for a weapon. Lupa chuckled. All he had was a pen.
She clawed after him, and suddenly, he had a huge, heavy sword. Only thing was, the boy seemed more surprised than Lupa did. Still, he swung as she advanced, still too rattled to form an organized attack.
"Come on, Son of Neptune. Show me your strength," Lupa taunted.
Mostly calm now, the boy narrowed his eyes. "You talk?"
"How else would you be hearing a voice come out of my mouth? After all-" the wolf cut off to remove the boy's weapon. He'd been trying to use the pause to catch her off guard. Typical Greek.
"We aren't fighting any more, boy," she snarled.
"Then why'd you attack me?"
"To test you, Percy Jackson." She set his sword down, then grimaced. "This is only the beginning."
"The beginning of what?"
Did Greeks not believe in respect? "The beginning of your training."
"Training?"
"Yes, boy! Training." Lupa slid his sword back over, though he didn't pick it up. "You're going to be trained in the legion now."
The demigod looked around, eyes empty as a small child's. He really does have no memories, Lupa realized.
"Annabeth…"
"What did you say, demigod?" Lupa inquired, slightly bored.
"I know that name, somehow," The boy turned towards her. "Ever met a demigod named Annabeth?"
Lupa eyed him cautiously. Had Juno messed up? "I know of no demigods by that name."
"Where are we?"
"We're inside the Wolf House."
"What's that?"
"This house!" the she-wolf snapped. "This house is the Wolf House, the Wolf House is this house!"
The boy looked up, unfazed. How disrespectful. "Okay, what's the Wolf House for?"
Finally, a question she could work with. "This is where all children of the Immortal gods come for training. First, I must give you an initial test of strength, which you passed. Then you must find Camp Jupiter, where you will join others like you."
"Where's the Camp? Are you supposed to guide me there?"
Lupa snorted. "You are to find it from here. Show strength and hard work, and you will deserve a place in New Rome. Show any weakness," she snarled. "And you will be destroyed before you finish the journey."
The boy gulped. "Does this happen much? Demigods never finding the Camp?"
The large wolf chuckled. "It's happened before. Don't stoop to such a low rank. Now's your first chance to prove you aren't gr..." she stopped herself.
He stared at her, blank eyes clouding with confusion. "Aren't what?"
"Aren't weak! Now go!" Lupa chased him out. The son of Neptune looked more confused than ever, but left, taking the sword with him.
She watched him go. Lupa knew monsters would find him, knew he'd have to fight them all the way to Rome.
'Things can't be like they once were, Lupa. Terra's waking up. Death is losing its grip…' Juno's words rang in her head like tolling bells. 'For any chance of survival, Greek and Roman will have to unite. You know about Jason, the tribute of Rome. It's the Greek's turn.'
Lupa snorted. Juno was foolish if she believed this would work. Two people couldn't possibly be enough to heal millennia of hatred. 'This can't possibly work.'
'We have to try, Lupa. Chiron accepted Jason, why can't you accept Percy?'
'Never compare me to graceis!' Lupa growled, but submitted. Now, she wondered if it was the right choice. Would Rome accept such a rude, ignorant boy to their midst?
Jason had been accepted just fine, Juno had said. Supposedly, he'd made friends there. People relied on him.
Lupa smiled with pride. He'd even led a quest. Jason was a success only Rome could claim, but would the Greek boy measure up?
He'd have to give up the Achilles' curse, for sure. Can he even defend himself without it? She wondered.
They'd both lost their memory, and so far, Jason had handled it better. And who was that Annabeth girl? He'd remembered her, when Jason had had nothing. How was that even fair?
Comparing them was an easy victory, and Camp Jupiter wasn't even as open to outsiders as Camp Half-Blood (what a terrible name for a camp). Odds were, this Percy Jackson wouldn't even be accepted in. Juno would have to admit her hare-brained idea was impossible.
And Terra would come back, soon having the world at her feet.
Lupa growled. I'll make this work, Rome will have to accept him. It had to be done.
She cringed. She may wish monsters would destroy him before an opportunity came, but that couldn't happen.
For the greater good, she would set differences aside. For the greater good, she would back this plan.
Remember, all I do is for Rome's own good…
A/N: Hello, world! This is my first PJO fic ever, and I couldn't wait to share it! Hope you all enjoyed it, and please review.