Alright, so I'm officially back now. This is kicking off my posting schedule, and I'll have my other stories coming later this week as usual. As I said, this should be a very interesting week for all of my stories, so I'm sure you will not be disappointed. I definitely felt the love in the reviews. Thank you all for reviewing, and I'm just as glad as you are to be posting again.

Now, Bragi is supposed to be uploading his own story at some point today, so you should all go check out his new story, Shattering Fate. He's been working on it for some time now, and he is finally publishing it. I kept asking him why it wasn't published yet, and he just said not everyone writes as fast as I do :P. This fic does seem to be slowing me down. Usually, it takes me a day to write a chapter, but chapters for this story are taking me around two days. That may be a bad thing, depending on if it gets me behind in writing.

I'm trying to find the perfect imagery for this fic, but I can't find anything I like to put for it. Also, I was elated to find out that Bioware has officially announced Dragon Age III today. It was a nice present to wake up to. Oh, and if for any confusion, Sally died in the prologue and you'll see what happened to Percy this chapter. But yes, I know, Sally died and that is tragic, but this is going to involve tragedy. Oh, before I forget, if you know who Flemeth from Dragon Age is, that's who inspired Gaea in this. So, when you hear Gaea laugh, cackle, or speak, imagine Flemeth's voice and laughter. It just had to be done, Flemeth is too awesome to leave out. Also, see if you can guess the molds from Dragon Age in Percy, Thalia, and Nico in this chapter.

Warning: All previously stated things. Sex talk this chapter. Implied past sex? Talk of future sex. Implied friends with benefits.

Disclaimer: I own nothing :(

Chapter 1

Percy absentmindedly watched airships fly overhead. One large airship flew directly over the Grand Cathedral, sending a thundering roar through the air overhead. It was just an average day for the city of Clotho. They were the trade capital of the east, and all major business east of the Elder Mountains was conducted here. Percy was currently leaning against a wall, tuning out the nearby conversation. Ouranos and Hyperion were bickering again, and Hestia would soon have to interrupt them to quell the hostilities.

Percy turned his head when he heard snickering. He smiled at Kronos who was mocking the two arguing Judges. With Percy having been raised in the church his whole life, Kronos had quickly become his best friend. Ouranos hadn't been too happy about his son becoming friends with a future Arbiter, but he had eventually let it go. He would still keep an eye on Percy, though.

Sixteen years had passed since he had been delivered to the Covenant. Two years ago, he had taken his oath and become an Arbiter. He had been so excited to receive his armor. He had wanted to be in the Oracle's elite force ever since he was a toddler. They were called the Oracle's shield arm, sent to handle delicate matters. Percy had always stared in awe at the Arbiters' black armor. It blended blended seamlessly with the dark, making it perfect for their stealth missions. On the breastplate stood the emblem of the Arbiters, a white eye. The pauldrons were sculpted perfectly onto the shoulders of the Arbiters. The armor itself was slim and made for maneuverability.

At the age of eighteen, Percy had risen quickly through the ranks of the Arbiters. Hyperion said he showed great promise and that he deserved everything he got. Percy had to wonder if Hestia had pulled some strings. When Percy had arrived at the Grand Cathedral, Hestia had taken it upon herself to adopt Percy. However, because of her position, Percy had been raised in the Grand Cathedral's orphanage. He just did not want her influence getting him special treatment.

Percy rolled his eyes at Kronos. "You're going to get yourself in trouble," he whispered.

Kronos grinned back at him. "They're too busy to notice," Kronos whispered back.

Kronos was the same age as Percy, and was a Justicar like his father. He had short black hair that was parted on either side of his face complimented by a pair of wild brown eyes. He was pale, just like his father. He was tall, but had always been an inch shorter than Percy. While they were best friends, they did have their disagreements. Kronos shared his father's overall distaste for Mages. Like the rest of the Covenant order, the only Mages both father and son liked were Covenant Mages. Mages were supposed to be contained and serve the Architect, not rule over man. And that brought everything back to Hyperion and Ouranos's argument.

"We cannot sit by and do nothing," barked Ouranos.

"We lack the capacity to take the Imperium, in case you have forgotten," Hyperion shot back.

"They are heathens and need to be dealt with, Your Grace."

Hestia sighed and glanced over to Percy and Kronos. Percy smiled at her. She frowned and returned her gaze to the two Judges. "Hyperion is right, Ouranos. We simply do not have the resources to launch an Exalted March on the Imperium," Hestia replied.

"Then we should move in from the south. We can start with Gragh, and then we can take Haval after that."

"And the Imperium would aid both of them. Not to mention, Haval would aid Gragh. The three of them will never let each other fall," Hyperion said.

"And we already tried an air assault, twice," Hestia reminded Ouranos. "The fact of the matter is that the Imperium is well defended."

"So, you would have us sit by and let them continue to practice their dark arts?" growled Ouranos.

"I am asking for reason!" snapped Hestia. All four of the others straightened up at her raised voice. Percy and Kronos gawked at her with wide eyes, while Hyperion and Ouranos simply bowed their head.

"As you wish, Your Grace," mumbled Ouranos, placing his right hand over his breastplate.

Hestia glanced at Percy. "Leave us. I wish to speak to Percy in private."

The two Judges nodded before bowing and walking off. Kronos gave Percy a two finger salute, heading after his father and Hyperion. Percy bent down and picked up his helmet from the ground. He walked over to where Hestia sat on a bench. He had been very grateful for her kindness over the years, but his Arbiter training had gotten in the way of them having a proper relationship as adoptive mother and son.

She was dressed in her traditional garb, a white dress with a short gold tabard over it. On the tabard was the golden symbol of the Covenant, a sun. Her brown hair was hidden underneath a white headdress that covered all but her face. A small golden sun was also embroidered on the front of the headdress, right above her eyebrows.

"Is there something you wish of me, Your Holiness?" Percy asked, bowing in front of her.

Hestia smiled at him. She placed a hand on his chin, commanding him to look up. "Percy, the acts of respect are for the public. We have been over this, many times," she said with a smile.

Percy smiled and stood up straight. "Sorry, old habit from the Academy," he mumbled. He brushed his hair off to the side. They had to keep their hair short, being a religious military order, but he got away with keeping it at his eyebrows. He looked back at Hestia, taking in the fire-like look of her red eyes. "What is it you wish of me?"

Hestia took Percy's hand between her hands, patting the top of his. "I have never asked, but what is your opinion on all of this?"

Percy blinked at her in confusion. "I believe that the Imperium must change their ways. They practice their old magic and we aren't supposed to let such acts stand."

Hestia's eyes crinkled. "I wanted your opinion, not what you have been taught."

Percy chuckled. He cleared his throat, resting his helmet against his hip. "Well, I don't know really know what to think on the matter besides what I've been taught," he explained. "I've never actually got to meet one. They rarely leave the safety of their borders, but I know many Mages east of the Elder Mountains desperately seek to reach Albia."

Hestia laced her fingers together. "It is a complicated subject. Do you ever feel guilt for hunting your own kind? We are taught not to hate ourselves, but those who refuse to turn to the light of the Covenant are evil."

Percy shrugged. "I don't really think about it. They are dangerous if not kept in check. I mean, look what happened in the old days of the Imperium."

Hestia nodded. "They returned to our world with dark magic. These warlocks and witches are the worst of all the Mages. The Imperium claims to have learned from that experience, but we know they still keep those evil mirrors in their country."

"Is there really no way of breaching their borders? Something like that is too dangerous to be left in their hands," Percy reasoned.

Hestia sighed, looking down at her lap. "We have tried, several times, to march on the Imperium, but we simply cannot take it. Those mountains keep us back by both land and air, Haval and Gragh would never allow us to pass between them to invade the Imperium, and we know Jahara does some vital trading with the Imperium, so they would not allow us passage either." Hestia nodded her head, while staring off blankly. "We should just be thankful that they have not turned to the offensive, we are not as protected as they are."

"But we have a ton of terrain to fight them on. Besides, while Archadia and Jahara do trade with them, there's no way they would side against us if the Imperium actually attacked."

Hestia shrugged. She stood up and faced Percy. "That may be, but for now, they are choosing to keep quiet in their hive, so we should not go poking them with a stick."

Percy smiled and nodded. "A wise decision, Your Holi...Mother."

Hestia shook her head, smiling softly. "Nice try." She began walking out of the cathedral's gardens. Percy smiled and walked after her, making sure to keep a few steps behind her. "I have recommended you for an assignment to Hyperion," Hestia announced as they walked.

Percy perked up. "Oh? What is it?"

"I will leave that for him to tell you."

"As you wish," Percy said.

Once back inside, they stopped in front of the doors of the Oracle's chambers. Hestia turned around to face Percy. Percy bowed respectfully to her and headed towards out down the right wing. He tossed his helmet up into the air and caught it. As he turned a corner, two small kids came barreling around the corner. With Percy's strong stature, the two ended up getting knocked to the ground.

Percy chuckled at them. "What are you two doing?" he asked.

The small girl on the right peered up at Percy with wide eyes. "Percy, quick, hide us. Triton is after us," she hissed. The small boy beside her nodded his head, getting up to stand behind Percy.

Percy rolled his eyes and ushered them to a nearby window, opening it, and dropping them into a bush outside. A few seconds after Percy had re-closed the window, one of the higher ranking Arbiters, Triton, came around the corner, egg yolk dripping down his face. Percy pursed his lips, placing a hand over his mouth to cover his laughter. Triton glared at Percy.

"I think you are headed the wrong way, Triton. The showers are back down the hall," Percy chuckled.

Triton huffed. "I'm looking for two orphans. They hid an egg in my helmet," Triton grumbled.

"Perhaps you should check your helmet before putting it on."

"Don't defend them because you used to be the same way. You are an Arbiter now. You should be more mature about these things."

"I am plenty mature," Percy said innocently.

Triton rolled his eyes. "Of course you are. Anyways, if you see them, do let me know."

Percy nodded and Triton marched off, grumbling to himself. Percy chuckled and opened the window again, helping the two children back inside. "You two better keep out of his way for a few days, he looked pretty mad," Percy suggested.

The two orphans nodded with huge grins on their faces. Percy rolled his eyes and ushered them off. They scampered off towards the orphanage, which was also housed in the Grand Cathedral, snickering to themselves. Percy continued on his way, eventually reaching the Arbiters' barracks. He found a few of his brothers and sisters already sitting around in the common area, drinking some mead. A few of them greeted him as he made his way through to the sleeping quarters.

He pushed the door open to his room, which he shared with seven other men. It was an unfortunate consequence of their living arrangements, but being raised in the orphanage, Percy was used to not having privacy. While they weren't celibate, it was hard to find a private place for intercourse in the barracks. But many people, including Percy, always found a way to have sex.

Some of the others sometimes ended up going down to the brothel in the city, and had several sex partners. Percy never really indulged himself in such things. He wasn't a virgin, but he preferred romance and monogamy. He sometimes found himself teased by the others for his morality, but it did get him a lot of attention from anyone interested in him. People wanted him because they saw him as innocent, which he supposed he was when compared to the others. The only person Percy had ever had sex with was Kronos. They were best friends, but during their time growing up together, they had discovered a way to enjoy each other's company in other ways.

For now, they had just decided to keep it on a friendly level with the benefits of intimacy. Kronos did appeal to Percy, but his temper and some of his views on Percy's kind didn't appeal so much to Percy. He was attractive and good in bed, but Percy wanted something more. Something he wasn't sure Kronos could give him.

Percy shook his head, trying to clear it. He placed his helmet on his bed and began to fiddle with his armor to remove it. Piece by piece, the armor was placed on the bed until Percy stood in his tunic and pants. Percy stretched and popped his back, thankful to be free of the armor for now. He turned back around and headed back to the common area to get himself something to eat. He would need to find Hyperion eventually so that he could find out what his assignment would be.


Thalia winced as her mother tightened the strings on the back of her dress. Her mother was in another one of her moods today, probably due to Thalia's own actions. Her parents were once again trying to arrange a marriage for her, and Thalia had once again expressed her utmost displeasure for the suitor. She was going to be meeting this new one tonight, and her mother was making it clear that Thalia was to be on her best behavior.

"Now, you will not dump your food on this one, nor will you shove him into the river," Hera ordered. Thalia nodded her head absentmindedly as her mother spoke. "Do not speak to him disrespectfully. And, for the love of the Matriarch, do not talk about your combat training. I do not know what I was thinking when I let your father teach you how to fight with a blade or shoot a bow."

Thalia shrugged. "Could come in handy," she mumbled. She brushed her bangs out of her face. Her mother had insisted on her getting rid of her braid a few years ago, but Thalia was refusing to grow her hair out to be a "proper lady". She kept her hair short, hanging a few inches above her shoulders. She kept her hair parted, where her bangs fell over the right side of her face. She liked it this way. She was not a lady, and had no intentions of becoming one.

"And who are you planning on fighting?" Hera scoffed.

"Well, if I end up getting married, I could always duel my husband, subdue him, and make an escape."

Hera rolled her eyes, hiding a faint smile. "And where would you go?"

Thalia blew out a breath. "Haval?" she suggested.

"All places west of the Elder Mountains are barbaric, child. They don't like the Covenant out west. How would you survive like that?"

Thalia shrugged. "Perhaps I could spread the word to them."

Hera shook her head. "They would probably hang you." She turned Thalia around to fix the front of her dress. "What makes you think you could survive with sky pirates and assassins?"

"I'm pretty tough," Thalia said.

"Yes, well, you should be a delicate flower. That is what will snare you a husband. You need to start acting like a proper lady."

Thalia frowned. "I don't want to be a lady. I want to see the world. Part of me wants away from the Empire."

Hera frowned as she fixed Thalia's hair. "The Empire has been good to us, Thalia. Your father is close to Emperor Minos, why would you want to throw that away?" Hera asked.

"Because the Emperor needs to change his ways."

"Hush, child."

"It's true. He exploits his ties with the church, getting himself land from every one of their Exalted Marches."

Hera's face became solemn. "That is enough, child. I will hear no more of this." She turned to face one of their maids. "Help her finish getting ready and send her down when she's done." She turned back to Thalia. "Remember, best behavior at dinner." Thalia rolled her eyes and nodded.

After Thalia had finished getting ready, she made her way downstairs to the dining room. Zeus, her father, and Hera sat at the dining table with an older man and a young man. Hera spotted Thalia first, nudging her husband to make the introductions.

Zeus cleared his throat and stood up. By this time, the two guests had also noticed Thalia's presence. Zeus gestured to Thalia as she arrived at the table. "Let me introduce my daughter. Thalia, this is Lord Midas and his son, Lityerses," Zeus stated.

Lityerses stood and took Thalia's hand into his own, kissing it gently. Thalia quirked an eyebrow, taking in the young lord's appearance. He had curly dark brown hair and red eyes. His left cheek had two scars running horizontally across his face. There was also a scar on his neck and also one on his right hand. Thalia had to wonder how many other scars this young man had. He was muscular, with large arms. He was probably capable of breaking Thalia in half. He would also probably use this to assert his complete dominance over Thalia, and Thalia would not be having any of that. She had already decided she needed to be rid of this suitor.

Thalia sat down at the table beside her mother, already trying to formulate a plan to get rid of this new suitor. It would have to be subtle, so her parents wouldn't get too upset with her. It was a good thing stealth was her specialty, she supposed.

It might take some time, she realized. Subtly often took time to pull off. However, it also meant she could find amusement from this for much longer. As long as she pulled it off before a wedding date was set, she would be fine. Well, there was also the possibility of Lityerses being violent, but Thalia figured she could handle him. He might be strong, but she was undoubtedly faster.

Throughout dinner, Lityerses kept glancing at Thalia and winking at her. By the fourth time he winked at her, she had had enough of it. When he winked at her the fifth time, she raised her hand to her mouth and made a lurching motion. It sufficiently wiped the smirk off the young lord's face. His face grew red and he looked back down at his place. Whether it was out of embarrassment or anger, Thalia could not tell, but at the same time, she could not bring herself to care.

Zeus had apparently noticed her action, because when she looked over at her father, he was glaring at her. He turned his attention back to Lityerses and cleared his throat. "Lityerses, why don't you tell my daughter a little about yourself?" Zeus suggested.

Lityerses nodded, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Well, I come for a prestigious family. Our family has been a prominent family in the Empire since it was founded. I was also knighted recently. I'm pretty good with a sword," he said.

Thalia tried to hide her bored expression as the older boy talked. So he could fight, that only meant she could have a challenge. If his family had been high class ever since the Empire was founded, he would probably be a firm supporter of the Empire, like her father.

She didn't hate the Empire, but she did believe it needed to change. Change would never happen, though. Not while people like her father and the Emperor were in charge of it. They were blind to the corruption of the Empire. The Emperor was supposed to be a follower of the Covenant, but the Covenant's teachings did not agree with some of his actions. The Emperor abused his connections with the Covenant, mainly the Justicars, gaining himself land whenever the Oracle ordered an Exalted March. It gave him land that his own men didn't have to go conquer for him.

If Thalia had to make an assumption on his character, she would have to say he was power hungry. The Empire could fit five Imperiums inside of it and still probably have some room. It was never enough for Minos, he always wanted more. Obviously Minos had never sat down and read the Covenant's teachings in detail, or he would have found the passage about greed.

There was nothing that could be done, though. The only threat to the Empire was the Imperium, and they were hiding like cowards behind their mountains. There was no power east of those mountains that could stand against the Empire, and she wouldn't want to go to the Imperium for help either. They would destroy the Empire if given the chance. Thalia did not want to see the Empire destroyed, just reformed. There just was not anyone that had the power to see any changes made in the Atropian Empire.

Eventually, Thalia had had enough of dinner conversations. She yawned, with the intent to draw attention to herself. Her father quirked an eyebrow at her. "If you all will excuse me, I am fairly tired and would like to retire for the evening," she announced.

Zeus nodded and gestured for her to hurry along. She smiled at him and stood up, but so did Lityerses. Thalia sighed and turned around at the base of the stairs. Lityerses took Thalia's hand in his. "It was a pleasure meeting you tonight, Thalia. You are truly a beauty and I hope we may have many more encounters like this," he said with a smile.

Thalia smiled innocently back at him. "Oh, I'm sure we will," she assured him.

Lityerses's smile widened and he began to lean in. Thalia's eyes darted around the room, trying to figure out an escape. She heard footsteps on the stairs, one of the servants coming down. She acted quickly as the man reached the bottom, sticking her foot out. The man tripped, sending the man into Lityerses. The two men fell to the floor, the servant's knee landing on Lityerses's crotch upon impact. Lityerses howled in pain, attempting to push the servant off of him while holding his injured organ.

Zeus, Hera, and Midas had all risen from the table and were hurrying over to the scene. Thalia took the moment of chaos as a time to escape. She dashed up the stairs, finding two servants snickering upon her arrival. "You will not speak of what you saw," Thalia warned them.

They smiled at her innocently and nodded their heads, bowing in front of her. Thalia tossed them a final warning glare before heading to her room, where she locked the door behind her. As she was working on getting her dress off, she came up with idea. She had to remember to pay a visit to one of her friends tomorrow.


Nico quietly finished strapping up his boot. He froze when he felt movement behind him. He turned his head to look at the blond whose bed he was getting out of. He raised an eyebrow as he watched Jason cuddle the pillow that Nico had been laying on a few moments ago. He didn't usually sneak off in the mornings, but then again, he usually didn't sleep over, either. He had just been so tired last night that he had fallen asleep shortly after he and Jason had finished having sex.

Jason knew the arrangement. It wasn't like he was being completely heartless. Jason knew that Nico wasn't looking for something serious. Nico figured he never would be. He saw relationships as a weakness that people could exploit, just like love.

Jason's father, Jupiter, was a Mage on the Council of Mages, and since Nico had been raised by the Magister, they had pretty much been raised together. They had become best friends, but about a year ago, Jason had made the move to go farther with Nico. Nico honestly hadn't minded. He found Jason to be attractive, and he had made it clear that it would just be a physical thing, something which Jason had agreed to. That didn't mean Jason didn't occasionally press for something more, though.

As Nico finished with his belt, he looked back at Jason, taking in the blond's appearance. Jason had always been taller than Nico, and had a full head over his friend. He kept his blond hair short, unlike Nico's black locks, which hung down into his eyes. Also unlike Nico, he was tan, looking like he had been kissed by the sun. His blue eyes reminded Nico of the weather, sometimes they were bright and others they looked like lightning flash across them.

Should he wake the blond up to let him know that he was leaving? Nico smirked to himself as he pointed two fingers out towards Jason. He flipped his hand over so his palm was facing upwards and flipped his fingers upwards as well. Jason's body flew a few inches off the bed before crashing back onto the mattress.

Jason shot up in bed, a ball of electricity appearing in his hand. He glared at Nico as he spotted the dark haired boy smirking at him. "Can't you wake me up more gently? Perhaps with a little affection?" Jason grumbled, the ball of electricity vanishing. Jason rubbed at his eyes before yawning. He stretched his arms above his head, giving Nico a view of his lean torso. "Where are you going anyways?"

Nico shrugged. "Out to the market," Nico answered.

"Why? It's early." Jason pouted at Nico. "You could stay in bed with me."

Nico tapped his finger against his lip. "Well, when you put it that way...no." He chuckled and grabbed his staff from the wall. "I'll see you during lessons."

"You know, for being my best friend, you don't ask me to go many places with you," Jason pointed out.

"Yes, it's called alone time. I like it."

Jason rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his messed up hair. "Whatever, I'll see you for lessons," he said with a smile.

"Try actually paying attention to something else besides my ass this time," Nico teased, leaning down and grabbing Jason's head for a brief fierce kiss.

"But it's such a nice ass."

"Well, I do have to agree with you there."

"Conceited."

"You're one to talk."

"Touché," Jason smirked. "Another round back here later tonight?"

Nico turned back to look at Jason as he was stepping out the door. "Wouldn't miss it," he said with a wink. Nico shut the door behind him. He made his way down the hall to the stairs, running his hand through his dark locks as he went. He wanted to go to the market before lessons started, just to get some time to himself. Once the day started, it was sometimes hard for Mages in the Black Palace to find free time. The students were always in class or studying. Even during free time, it was usually spent with other Mages. The older Mages had business to conduct. So, alone time was something Nico had to make time for on most days.

When he reached the front doors, he waved his hand with a yawn, opening the doors magically. He made his way towards the market first, wanting to see if he could find any new items in stock. As Chiron's ward, Chiron did give him extra lessons, hoping to further Nico's education, so he needed to look for some a few supplies. Alchemy had to be his least favorite subject. Damn potions.

Nico pushed open the door of Soothehold's alchemist shop. The shopkeeper already in the process of setting up shop for the morning. "Good morning, Demeter," Nico greeted the woman.

Demeter had been running this shop ever since Nico could remember. She was also where the Black Palace got some of their alchemy supplies, outside of the ones they didn't grow. She was a short woman, with long, wavy black hair and large brown eyes. Her outfits were always colorful, today's reminding Nico of the color of wheat. She tended to be fussy and somewhat motherly towards the students that came into her shop, especially towards Nico. She had repeatedly stated that Nico needed a good mother figure in his life, to which Nico would just chuckle.

"Ah, Nico, Chiron already sent a list of what you would be looking for. I just need to go in the back to get it," she announced. "Feel free to look around."

Nico nodded as she sauntered into the back room, humming to herself on the way. Nico went to looking at her stock as she waited. It was mostly average alchemy supplies here, but occasionally, people could stumble across rare items in Demeter's shop.

He poked a mandrake root, heating the object. A high pitched scream rang out in the shop. Demeter poked her head back into the room and Nico did his best to look innocent. Demeter tossed him a glare before returning to the back room.

A few minutes later, Demeter returned with a sack in hand. She placed it on the counter as Nico made his way over. He fished out some gold coins from pack he kept tied around his waist and handed them over to Demeter. "Thanks again, Demeter," Nico said, picking the sack up and heading for the door.

"Anytime, Nico. Now make sure you are taking care of yourself. You're eating properly, aren't you?"

Nico rolled his eyes, but she was unable to see the action because he was facing the door. "Yes, Demeter. I try to stay as healthy as possible."

"Good. Now, off with you."

Nico shook his head as he opened the door, tossing the woman a wave as he let the door close behind him. Feeling a little hungry, Nico decided to find some food from a vendor. He stopped off at the fruit stand and picked up an apple and a pear. Paying the woman at the stand, he thanked her and headed towards his favorite spot in the city, the lake.

He stood and looked up at the white towers for a while. "Never gets old," he mused. The sound of the waterfalls always managed to relax him. It had to be his favorite place to be alone. He walked up to one of the stone railings and looked down at one of the waterfalls. He took the pear out of his pack and took a bite of it. His eyes wandered over to one of the stone carvings of an Old God.

He had to feel thankful that he lived here, opposed to the Empire. They did not have strict laws on religion, and were tolerant of most. The only religion not found to be practiced in the Imperium was the Covenant. With so many refugees seeking shelter here, the Council of Mages could not bring themselves to forbid people from practicing their own faiths. No one ever wanted to practice the Covenant here, though, probably because those that fled from the east had been so frightened by the Covenant that they hated the religion themselves.

A lot of people did convert to the Pantheon, the religion of the Imperium, though. Mages especially flocked to it. It was freedom. Freedom that did not condemn them for what they were. The Pantheon did not force Mages to confine themselves to particular types of magic. The only rule in the Imperium was that Mages were not to turn to the dark arts. The arts that warlocks and witches practiced were forbidden. It had gotten them in trouble thousands of years ago, and since then, the council had decreed those dark arts to never be practiced here.

People surprisingly kept to that law. It was broken on occasion, but that was fairly rare. Nico theorized that Mages did it more often in the east because they were being hunted like dogs. Take out the threat, and the need to turn to sources like that are taken out as well.

Nico pushed away from the railing and made his way over to some stone stairs that led down to the lake. He took another bite of his pear. He stopped mid-bite when he noticed an old woman sitting in his usual spot. He sent her a glare, which went unnoticed by the woman, who was watching the waterfalls.

Nico walked up to her and glared down at her. "You're in my spot, old woman," Nico grumbled.

The woman turned her brown eyes upon Nico. "Oh my, I didn't realize that you owned this particular spot. Please excuse my rudeness," the woman replied, with a faint hint of sarcasm.

Nico titled his head to the side, quirking an eyebrow. He forced his face to stay serious, but part of him wanted to laugh. While he wasn't much of a people person, this woman amused him with her banter. Nico huffed and sat down on a bench close by. "Well, I suppose you'll just have to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Well, aren't you disrespectful?"

"What respect do you deserve from me?"

The woman started laughing. "Tell me, are you a conceited Mage of the Imperium?"

"No. You confuse anti-social with conceited," Nico scoffed.

"Don't like the company of others, eh?"

"No, which is why I wish you would leave my spot."

The woman cackled again. "Blunt as well. You I like."

Nico leaned back against the railing, bringing his left leg up onto the bench. "Lucky me," Nico said with fake enthusiasm.

The woman gave one final laugh. "Tell me, boy, do you know who I am?"

Nico eyed her funny. "No. Should I?"

He took in her appearance for the first time. He had never seen her around before, which he found a little strange if she thought he should know her. Nico knew all the important Mages in the Imperium, and she was not one of them. The woman had a mix of grey and brown hair that was frazzled looking and hung down to her back. Her brown eyes were what unnerved Nico a little, seeming to glow at times. Nico could not tell how old she was. She had wrinkles, but underneath, Nico seemed to notice a look of youth.

"Well, you may call me Gaea," she told him.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Great. You may call me uninterested."

"My, you do have a sharp tongue."

Nico grinned at her. "Makes life more interesting."

"I suppose it does, but perhaps you should take caution in who you speak to in such a manner," she said somewhat darkly.

Nico raised an eyebrow. "What, are you going to turn me into a flower? Oh no, the big scary old lady is going to hex me," Nico mocked her. Nico's eyes then caught sight of a book sitting beside her. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to get a better look at it.

Gaea noticed his interest and smirked at him. "Ah, do you want to see my book?" She pulled the book the rest of the way out from under her cloak, revealing a thick black book with an ancient symbol on the front that Nico had never seen.

"Wh-What is that?" Nico asked.

"This? This is a very old book of magic. I thought I'd come to the Imperium to see if the Black Palace would like it, but if you would rather have it..."

Nico stared at it, transfixed on the object. An ancient grimoire. Who knew how many opportunities he would get to look at something like that? Not to mention it would contain spells that not even the teachers in the Black Palace could teach him. Forgotten magic was always considered to be valued treasures to Mages in the Imperium. Nico licked his lips as he reached out for the book. He needed it.

Gaea pulled the book back, away from Nico's grasp. "Not so fast, young Mage. Why should I give it to you?" she asked.

Nico blinked, focusing his attention back on the woman's face. "I'm a skilled Mage. I could benefit a great deal from that tome."

"So could your guardian."

Nico's eyebrows furrowed. "How do you know who my guardian is?"

"I know plenty of things, young Mage," she replied simply. "Like how you lay awake at night, wondering if the Empire will find a way to invade this country. You fear that it will happen and that one day you'll have to live in fear like all Mages do east of the Elder Mountains."

Nico's blood ran cold as she spoke. He suddenly found it hard to swallow. "How do you know that?"

"Like I said, I know many things."

Nico chewed on his lip. "I don't-I hate the Empire, as well as the people of the Covenant. They fear Mages for what they are, instead of working with them to make a better world. They control their Mages, dictating every part of their lives. How can they live like that? They are nothing but trained dogs," Nico spat. "I'd sooner die than be a part of their religious order. The Empire needs to be destroyed so this world can move forward. They would enslave me and force me to only practice magic they sanction."

Gaea cackled. "Come now, young Nico, they wouldn't do that. You're too dangerous for them. They'd kill you."

Nico shrugged, staring off at a waterfall. "Not without a fight." His eyes flickered back to Gaea. "How did you know my name?"

"So many questions," Gaea replied.

"That didn't answer what I asked."

"Nor will you get a proper answer."

Nico huffed at her. "Whatever," he mumbled. He looked back at the water. "Well, if I were to meet one of those Justicars or Arbiters, they should fear for their lives. The Arbiters are nothing but traitors to their own kind."

Gaea cackled. "Wouldn't have any use for them, eh?"

Nico shook his head. "No, they are all pretentious religious fanatics that need to learn some humility, or something." Gaea nodded to herself before standing up, the grimoire dropping to the ground at Nico's feet. Gaea started to walk off. Nico stared at her in confusion. He grabbed the book and held it out in her direction. "You dropped the grimoire."

Gaea turned back to look at Nico. "That thing? Never seen it before in my life," she replied.

Nico cocked his head to the side. "But-Who are you?"

Gaea laughed loudly. "I am simply an old woman, Nico, beyond that, you need not concern yourself." She started making her way up the steps. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go see a merchant about some stockings."

Nico stared at the old woman in disbelief. When she reached the top of the stairs, he looked back at the black book in his hands. He ran his hand down the cover, basking in the feel of the texture against his skin. He had an ancient grimoire, something that was both rare and valuable to all Mages. He flipped the book open to look at a few of the pages.

It was beyond anything that he could imagine. There were spells and recipes that were long forgotten by even the Imperium. Some of the writing in the book even looked to be the language of the Fae, the original beings of magic. If this was authentic, the book contained writings that dated back to ancient days, before Mages were looked down upon.

"Nico!" Nico's eyes widened at the sound of Chiron's yells. He pulled some cloth out of his pack and wrapped the book up in it to hide it from his guardian's eyes. Just as he was finishing, Chiron came into sight at the top of the stairs, a frown set firmly on his face. "I figured I would find you down here," Chiron said.

"Just trying to enjoy some peace and quiet," Nico replied. He grabbed the sack that Demeter gave him and handed it to Chiron. "From Demeter."

Chiron nodded and tied the sack to his waist. "We need to get you back to the palace, lessons are starting soon."

Nico's eyes widened. He hadn't realized how much time had passed. He had hoped to get back before anyone noticed he had slipped out of the palace. "Sorry, I guess I lost track of time," he mumbled.

Chiron sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's just get you back before your teachers throw a fit. You know they don't like it when you show up late, and then I get to hear their complaints that I'm giving you special treatment."

"Jealous harpies, I'm sure," Nico said with a smirk.

"I'm not sure how many people actually want my job." Nico stood up, clutching the wrapped up book to his chest. He shrugged and the two started walking back to the palace. Chiron eyed the object in Nico's hands. "Find something interesting today?"

Nico shrugged again. "Not really. It's just a book to read in my spare time."

Chiron nodded. "Speaking of time, when you get some today, would you come by my chambers? I need to talk to you about something."

Nico raised a brow. "Oh? What about?"

"We'll talk about it later," Chiron answered.

Nico eyed Chiron out of the corner of his eye. Besides Jason, Chiron was one of the few people that Nico would actually let into his life. He usually treated people like he did with the old woman. Chiron had looked after him like he was his own son, though. He had raised Nico himself. Nico had asked Chiron about his parents a few times, but Chiron always said he didn't know anything about them. He had explained that Nico had just been dropped off on their doorstep one day.

Once they were back at the Black Palace, Chiron ushered Nico off into his first lesson of the day. The Mage in charge of overseeing the class sent him a glare as he took his place beside Jason. The blond smirked at him as he sat down beside the blond. "Well, she looks happy to see me," Nico whispered to Jason.

Jason grinned, while keeping his eyes on the teacher. "I'd say that is a normal reaction for people when they see you," he joked.

"Oh, I see my wit has started rubbing off on you."

"Yes, you're a horrible influence," Jason said, placing his hand on Nico's thigh.

"Careful, don't want to get me too excited. I might straddle you right here."

Jason shrugged. "Fine by me," he teased, slipping his hand farther up Nico's thigh. He leaned in so he could whisper in Nico's ear. "Perhaps if you hadn't left so quickly this morning, we could have taken care of this before class."

Nico let his eyes shut as Jason squeezed his crotch. He bit his lip to keep a moan in. The two of them looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, sharing a smile when they noticed they were safe. "I'll make sure to keep that in mind," Nico whispered back huskily.

"When lessons are over today, your ass is going to be getting well acquainted with my dick."

"So, just a normal day then?"

Jason chuckled quietly. "Pretty much."

The teacher cleared her throat, sending the two boys a glare. Nico rolled his eyes when she went back to speaking. "If you don't stop grabbing me in places you shouldn't, we're going to have to leave class early."

Jason shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

Nico rolled his eyes and removed Jason's hand from his private area. "Oh yeah, I have to see Chiron at some point today, so I might have to put a hold on our bed activities," he informed the blond.

Jason pouted. "I'm fine with late night activities in the sheets." He glanced at the teacher to make sure the woman wasn't paying attention to them. "What does Chiron want?"

Nico shrugged. "Not sure. He wouldn't tell me. Sounded important, though."

I thought it was a funny thing to stick in where Nico talks with Gaea about the Arbiters. See Gaea probably knows what's going to happen with Percy and Nico, so that's why she added little comment about not having a use for an Arbiter. You'll another funny line either in the next chapter or chapter three. But yes, Percy and Nico have the 'friend with benefits' thing going on. Though, Nico's is more, trying to deny feelings that may be there, opposed to Percy's just a physical thing. So, it'll also be fun with Percy meets Jason and Nico meets Kronos. Don't expect Gaea to play a huge part in the story, but she will pop up throughout the story. Anyways, that's all for now. I'll see you guys Friday, if you read my other stories, and I'll see you back here on Monday. Bye!