Blood and Honor Chapter 4, a percy jackson and the olympians fanfic

A/N - Yo, sorry for the late update. I work full-time so I haven't really had the chance yet till now to sit down and write. Thanks for all the reviews and comments, seems like most are enjoying the story so far. Enjoy the chapter!

Previously on Blood and Honor

That night Perseus sat alone in his cell, his body aching in pain. He had yet to bathe, dried blood and sand stuck to his skin as he carefully removed his armor so it wouldn't hurt his wounds further.

"His reputation is well earned," Perseus said carefully to the figure that stood in front of his cell late at night "My blade could find no weakness."

The doctore took a deep breath and sighed and walked into his cell and sat stood right in front of him, "And yet a weakness was there, at least ten points. Where you could've seized advantage." The doctore shook his head, "You needed more training."

Perseus looked up into the eyes of the doctore, a newfound determination shining in his bright green eyes. "I shall train harder then."

"No." The doctore disagreed, "It is far too late for such things." He walked away with that last sentence.

Perseus grabbed the trident necklace and clutched it to his chest as it once again glowed a bright green.

A tear ran down his face.

Third Person POV

The next morning, two guards and came and picked him up. Cuffs were put around his wrists as he was pulled towards the cliff beside the ludus. The guards didn't care, they threw him down as he looked down and realized just how high they were. The ocean beneath them rushed and would come in waves.

Batiatus stood before him and placed his foot on his abdomen and pushed down hard, knocking the breath out of him. "Do you think me a fool?"

Perseus shook his head no.

"Yet you dishonor me, an oath was sworn. You would submit to gladiatorial training, call me master, tend to the rules. But instead, your haste bested you. Defying the doctore, usurping the other gladiator for his position in the final primus to face Luke in the arena." He laughed incredulously, "Your first fight as a gladiator against Luke, the champion of fucking Capua."

Perseus looked up, "I have realized my mistake."

"Mistake!" Batiatus sighed and ran his hands through his wild curly dark gray hair. "Fuck!" He pointed his finger down at Perseus and leaned forward, "You had the crowd, you survived against four gladiators before I bought you, your name was on every tongue, now? After your showing with Luke, your name is spoken of with contempt. Your little mistake makes things problematic." He spit in Perseus' face and stood up.

"I will try harder in the arena. My winnings will grant me my freedom."

Batiatus laughed again, "Your winnings? The crowd does not want to see you fight anymore. You are nothing but a lost cause to me."

Two guards came and picked Perseus up by his arms and picked him up, he stood eye to eye with Batiatus, "There must be a way for me to fight." The determination was evident in his bright green eyes.

Batiatus rubbed his palms together, "Only one. A place where no rules exist." He walked closer to Perseus, "The pits of the Underworld. Fight there and survive and you will fill both our hands with coin.

He motioned for the guards to take him away.

Perseus was pushed back into his cell and was forced to lay on the cold hard floor as two gladiators were picked to help him prepare for the pit.

"A word, master." The doctore stopped Batiatus as he was making his way back to his bedroom chambers.

"Word has spread of the pit."

Batiatus raised his eyebrow, "You object?"

"It is a place full of agony and suffering. Beasts dying without honor. Your father would have never approved."

"The decision has been made." Batiatus said sternly as he looked at his doctore's face, "If the beast cannot be tamed, it must be unleashed."

The doctore looked on as his master walked away, a strange expression evident on his face.

Perseus walked out of his cell hours later covered in soot and ash, his face adorned in a red paint.

One of the gladiators looked up and jerked his head over to the direction of Perseus, "Where will they be taking him?"

Luke answered, "The underworld, where he belongs."

Perseus looked off to his left at the other gladiator that was also covered in paint, soot and ash, "Please tell me I don't look like shit like you?"

The man beside him didn't answer, "I won't be dying in the pits. I'll kill them all!"

An axe was swung at the man's head as he thought back to his words that he had spoken a few hours earlier, he hadn't managed to kill anyone but here he was, watching as the axe was swung at his head and that was all he remembered.

His head rolled off his neck and down to the grounds, joining the rest of the heads and limbs that adorned the grounds of the pit.

The pit had a large crowd and they all cheered at the bloody sight, their eyes wild and crazy, lustful for more blood. Some even going as far as picking limbs off the ground, sinking their teeth into it and sucking the blood and chewing on human flesh.

"Fuck!" Batiatus cursed as his man died.

Perseus stood off to the right in a smaller cell compared to his old one back in the ludus, he could hear the screams of joy and the screams of agony but what was the difference at this point, a scream of agony could also be a scream of joy, joy to finally die and get away to the afterlife.

The man crouched down beside the dead body of the gladiator who was once Batiatus' man and took a scythe from his pocket and proceeded to carve his face off his dead body. A symbol of victory.

He raised the flimsy skin that once covered the gladiator's face in the air and yelled in victory, the crowd around him joining along.

A second man came out to drag the dead body out of the pits, his blood staining the sands even more.

Perseus' cell door was unlocked moments later, a man grabbed his arm and pulled him out just as the man from earlier walked by with the face of the gladiator still raised in the air.

"May the gods favor you better, Thracian." Batiatus wished him luck as now it was Perseus' time in the pit. "For both our sakes."

"Your neck does not bare my gift."

Thalia shook her head, "It does not."

"You did not like it then?" Luke asked quietly as he was being led to the lady's bed chambers once again. "The necklace I gave you?"

She turned around and hushed him, "Lower your voice!" She stood before him in the hallway of the house of Batiatus, "Your gift." She reached inside her dress and took out the necklace he had given her a couple nights ago. "I cannot take it."

Luke grabbed it from her hands, his face covered in disappointment and hurt, but he covered that up fairly well. "Pardon my mistake."

"You must understand! I cann-"

Luke brushed past her, "You've made your intentions quite clear." He walked up the stairs to the lady's room and left her there in the dimly lit corridors of the house.

He walked into the bedroom chambers to see the wife of Batiatus standing against the wall with only a see through thin robe on.

"Does it excite you? Your very own footsteps turns your lady on."

Luke inwardly was disgusted, but he played along, "I would have you dripping even more."

She walked toward him, dropping the robe in the process, "Well, draw closer and make it so."

She noticed something in his hands, "What are you clutching?"

He turned to his side so she wouldn't see, "Show me." She demanded as he raised his hand up and showed her the necklace and said, "A humble gift, for a goddess."

She turned her back to him and moved her hair that was flowing down her back, "Put it on."

Luke draped it over her neck and clasped it around her neck, "Does it please you my lady?"

She didn't turn around, but instead walked toward her bed, bent over and arched her back, "I know what you can do to please me even more." She whispered.

But what they both didn't know was that the girl, Thalia, stood outside her bedroom and heard it all. A lonesome tear ran down her face.

Perseus was ushered to the makeshift podium that was created by the men of the pit, he saw another man off to the left, who he assumed would be his opponent. A dark skinned man stood in the center with a helm over his head.

"Witness the captive beasts!" He spoke wildly and loudly. "These beasts thirst for blood! Set to die in the pits! Let death descend upon them all!"

"Behold! Manticore Thorn!" Perseus was right, the man to the left was his opponent, he had a visor covering his face and you could only see his eyes. He had hair all over his body, more so than others.

"Behold! Perseus!" The dark skinned man pointed at him and introduced him to the crowd, an immediate response came from the crowd in the form of boo's.

"What weapons shall the god's bless them with?" The dark skinned man asked the crowd.

A nude woman walked forward with a bin full of thin sheets of parchment, she stood in front of the man named Thorn first as he picked a piece of parchment up.

"Thorn has been blessed with brass knuckles!"

The crowd cheered as he was handed them and he put on them on rather quickly.

The woman stood in front of Perseus as he drew.

"Perseus has drawn nothing! The god's have cursed him!"

The crowd cheered at his doom, hoping that he would die sooner with no real weapon.

Ethan stood behind Batiatus, "Thorn has the advantage."

Batiatus turned to him, "Thank you for the fucking obvious."

He turned his attention back to Perseus, "Fuck the gods!"

The dark skinned man spoke again, "Only one survives!"

"Let the games begin!"

Both men were taken to opposite sides of the pit by the guards and at once the man named Thorn came at Perseus, swing his arms one by one, his reach was incredible but it was also a weakness.

Perseus was now starting to realize what the doctore said about staying calm and calculative.

Thorn kept swinging his arms until Perseus' back was against the wall, with nowhere left to go, Thorn punched Perseus twice and Perseus left the brass knuckles tearing at his skin. His chest was already covered in blood.

Perseus pushed the man back and punched him in the stomach, he noticed he was much quicker than the man and had quicker reflexes. He could use that to his advantage. Thorn's movements were solely based on strength and he moved rather sluggishly.

Thorn rushed at him and kicked him down and started mercilessly beating him, his brass knuckled digging deeper wounds in his back. Perseus grabbed the man's ankle and pulled him down and got on top of him, bringing his fists down on his face one after another. He watched in satisfaction as blood ran down the man's face. His nose was already broken, he could tell. One more punch and three teeth flew from Thorn's mouth and into the sands under their feet.

Perseus grabbed the man's hand and used it to punch Thorn, the brass knuckles doing more than just make his face bleed, a crack sounded and Perseus could once again tell that his jaw had been broken in several places and he could barely keep his mouth shut.

Thorn pushed him off him as he slowly stood up and charged at Perseus only to be evaded. Perseus noticed a large hook that was hanging down from the roof of the cave that they were in and grabbed it and brought it upwards and watched as it stabbed through the side of Thorn's neck and out the other side. Blood sprayed from the open wound as the crowd cheered, Perseus had won their favor once again.

The dark skinned man yelled, "Perseus! Victor!"

Batiatus cheered along with the crowd, the return on his investment had begun. "Give him a moment's rest and then fight him again."

Perseus stood in the middle of the pit with blood all over his body, he basked in the cheers of the crowd, it fueled him with more power.

A medic tended to his wounds a few moments later, stitching him up wherever needed. He grunted in pain when the needle entered his skin but got used to the pain in a few seconds.

He could hear his mother's voice, "You're hurt."

He replied as if she were there, "I'm alright."

"You push yourself too far."

"And yet, I live."

She looked upset, "But for how long?"

He stared at the wall in front of him, "As long as it takes."

"Then kill them all." She whispered in his ear.

Perseus hissed in pain as the medic inserted a bigger needle to close up the wound that was on his back, he looked around and his mother was nowhere in sight.

He was taken to his cell in the ludus late that night, the gladiators of the ludus were all sprawled out on the floors leaving him barely any room.

He was thrown into the cell as the gladiators woke up.

"Ah, the man lives. I told you he'd live."

"What of the other one?"

Perseus shook his head, "He has fallen in the pits, never to rise again."

One of the gladiators stood up and walked over to him, "This is where gladiators sleep, dogs of the pit sleep with the dogs. Stay and you will wake up in the afterlife with the other who died."

The little boy from the other day sat beside him, "Perseus, don't mind those inbred fucks."

Perseus shook his head, "They speak the truth. I am no longer a gladiator, just a dog in the pit."

Grover put a hand on his shoulder, "You will become a gladiator once again."

Perseus looked at the hand that was on his shoulder, "What do you know of the pit?"

"Too much. " Grover sadly said.

"I wish to know."

Grover leaned back, "These fights in the pits, they're different than the arena. They twist the mind, turning men into beasts with no control."

Grover looked up at Perseus only to realize he had fallen asleep, he smiled, "Sleep then, and dream of better days my new friend."

The next morning's training had already begun before sunrise as gladiators were paired up into two's and were practicing forms one after another.

"Practice your opponent's flaws. Attack with your body and mind. Or risk tumbling into the pits of the Underworld just like Perseus." The doctore said as his eyes met Perseus' who was sitting off to the side watching them.

The men started laughing, only to be snapped at by the doctore, "The man is not a humor to be laughed at. He is a tale of caution."

"Eat!" He dismissed them as he walked back into the house.

Batiatus walked up to the balcony, "Ethan! I want Perseus well prepared for tonight. I want him fighting again."

Ethan walked over to Perseus, "Arise dog!" He grabbed ahold of him and pulled him inside the ludus cells to prepare him once again. "More death awaits."

The god's had blessed him with a weapon this time, a small dagger about ten inches while his opponent was given a ball and chain which he swung with expertise.

Batiatus stood nervously beside his men as he watched the fight. He could not afford to lose any more money than what he had already lost when he bought the Thracian.

The man swung the ball and chain at him once again as it bounced off Perseus' chest, fracturing his ribs. He ignored the pain as he continued dodging attack after attack. Weaving inside his opponent's guard was easy, he left himself wide open when he raised the chain and swung the ball.

Perseus ducked underneath the ball and slashed at the man's legs multiple times, cuts littered his thighs as blood dripped down onto the sands.

Perseus swiped the man's legs from underneath him and rolled them over until he was right on top of him, he grabbed the man's face and dug his thumbs into his eyes, crushing his eyes were easy but the man still fought even without his eyesight so he rolled them over and grabbed the man's head in a headlock and squeezed. Second by second the man lost strength and lost consciousness. Perseus grabbed his dagger off the ground and stabbed it right through the men's skull.

The crowd cheered with bloodlust at Perseus' victory once again.

"Yes!" Batiatus yelled, "Now that's how you send a dog to the afterlife!"

Perseus breathing heavily stood up slowly, and dusted himself off.

"Perseus! Victor!" The dark skinned man announced.

Batiatus walked forward, "Prepare yourself, you fight again."

More and more dead bodies littered the pit arena, Perseus was heavily covered in blood as he slew yet another man that he was up against. The crowd favored him once again, they considered him the beast that defies death. No matter who he fought, the outcome would be the same. The dark skinned man would yell out, "Perseus! Victor!"

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Luke exited the baths. A guard stopped him, "Luke you are summoned."

Thalia stood outside the cell as the guard unlocked it and let Luke out.

"Thank you." She nodded to the guard as she led Luke up the stairs.

Luke made way to his lady's chambers when she whispered, "Wait!"

He stopped, "You know I can not take too long, my lady's desires can not kept waiting."

"She did not summon you."

He turned around, "Then why am I here?"

"The necklace, you purchased it for me but why does it grace the neck of our lady?"

Luke laughed, "You have the mind of a woman." He walked back down the stairs and stood in front of her, "You deflect my gesture, only to question where it lands. Your words, I do not wish to hear." He turned around and was about to call out to the guard to open the cell door.

She grabbed his face and turned him around, "Yes, my words that you cut off earlier before completion."

"Well then, complete."

"It is impossible for me to keep the necklace despite my desire in doing so, there is nothing in my possession that wasn't given to me by our lady. Did you not think that she would not notice?"

Realization dawned upon his face, "I misunderstood your meaning in returning my gesture."

"Of course you misunderstood it. You have no mind outside the arena. You think only with your sword and shield, you stupi-"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence, Luke caught her lips with his own and kissed her with as much passion as he could muster.

She kissed him back only for a moment before stepping back, "You are a fool. Guard!"

Luke smiled as she walked up the stairs and back to the house as a guard came and opened the cell door allowing Luke to step back inside.

Perseus sat alone in his cell inside the ludus, he could hear all the chants of death all around him. Now he understood what Grover had meant by the pit twisting a man.

He could remember the screams of agony the men had screamed before he killed them in the pit, the crowd chanting his name, the blood of his opponents dripping down his body. Like a madman he cracked a smile at it. Not because of killing the men, but because he basked in the crowd's chants. He loved it. He loved every second of it.

He wanted more.

"How much longer?" The voice of his mother asked him.

"How much more blood will you spill until you're free?"

"Soon." He replied. "I promise you, mother."

"I remember the day you were born, I held you so close to my heart, I wanted to protect you from everything. But the god's did not give me that, instead, you're here fighting against what I wanted to protect you from most."

"You look like shit." A voice interrupted him from his thoughts, the boy from earlier, Grover, stood before him.

Perseus scoffed, "I've endured worse."

"What man could, and still consider him a part of this world? The pit is starting to get to you, I can see that."

The voice of his mother rang in his ears once again, "This world is full of suffering."

Perseus nodded, "It will all end one day and we will be reunited."

"As gladiators?" Grover asked, Perseus looked up and jarred himself awake from his daydream of his mother.

Grover nodded, "That is a welcomed thought."

Perseus nodded as well, "A thought that keeps me from going to the afterlife."

Grover reached inside his pocket and pulled out a cloth, and unfolded it. "Mandrake root, given to me by Travis to numb the pain."

Perseus shook his head, "Your offer is well received but I can not take it. I cannot forget this pain, nor will I try to hide from it."

"Are our scales balanced?"

Collecting the wins of Perseus had largely tipped the scales in Batiatus' favor but he was nowhere in a condition to pay the man his thirty percent plus principal.

The senator's cousin was a slippery one, threatening him at any occasion for Batiatus to give him his money back or he would cease to give the man food and grain.

Batiatus had an idea for everything, and he surely had an idea to give the man what he truly deserved.

He smirked, and motioned for the guard beside him in his study room. "Tell Ethan to get ready."

One more body hit the floor with a thud as Perseus stood victoriously above him.

"Perseus! Victor!"

He did not care for victory anymore, he only wanted to be let out of the pit. But the only way to be let out of the pit was to fight your way out.

The next fighter had been sent out before Perseus could even finish thinking to himself.

The man in front of him had a mask on, a mask made out of flash, a mask that was in the shape of another man's face. He was given two axes as a weapon, while Perseus was given just a single sword.

Their fight was evenly matched, but Perseus thought back to all those times doctore said to evaluate your opponent. He could see plenty of points to strike.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see his master Batiatus standing with two of his gladiators, he also saw two assassins making their way towards them.

Perseus yelled, "No!"

Ethan saw one of the assassins coming towards them and grabbing the small knife that was in his hands and turned it against him and stabbed the man in the chest multiple times and left him there to die.

Unfortunately for Batiatus however, another assassin had already sliced his stomach with his knife. Blood covered his robes as he kneeled down in pain, the cut wasn't too deep but still enough to draw pain.

Perseus knocked the man over and grabbed one of his axes and flung it towards the assassin that hovered over Batiatus, and watched as the blade embedded itself in the assassin's back. Batiatus stood up and looked up towards Perseus, a grateful look on his usual frowning face.

Batiatus knew who sent assassins after him, like he had previously said, the senator's cousin was always a slippery one. His time will come soon enough he thought.

The bodies of the assassins were dragged outside the pits later that night, "You stand as my protector but here I stand bloody." Batiatus yelled towards Ethan.

"I am sorry, master. I did not see that there were two."

"Open your fucking eyes when my life is in danger or I'll have them ripped out that fucking skull of yours."

"The bodies carry a tattoo, master Batiatus." One of his men said as Batiatus stood beside Ethan grabbing his wound, "So they send slaves to kill Batiatus, huh?" He walked over and kicked the dead body of one of the slaves.

"Common fucking slaves!" With each word, a stronger kick was delivered.

"Send these bodies back to the master's house, I will deal with him personally."

"Perseus." The doctore stood outside his cell once more. "Batiatus summons you."

Perseus stood and walked outside and stood under the full moon with his master, Batiatus.

"My wife thinks you're cursed by the gods. I'm inclined to agree."

Perseus shook his head, "I would agree as well."

"The best option would be to end your miserable life, before it can further affect my own." Batiatus walked forward with a sword in his hands, and pointed the blade at him "But here I stand, alive, all because of you."

He turned the blade around and held the hilt for Perseus to grab, "He is to join the gladiator's once again as soon as he is well recovered. Welcome back to the brotherhood."

Batiatus walked inside as Perseus stood underneath the moon with the doctore, "I had once told you that it was too late for such things, but however, you have reclaimed your purpose. You start training tomorrow."

Perseus nodded, "Thank you, doctore."

The doctore walked past him, "You have done well and have earned the priviledge to know my name. Call me, Chiron."

A/N- Thank you for reading, please do give me your thoughts and opinions on this chapter and the story as a whole so far. More to come, stay tuned.