Author's Note: This still isn't as long as the first two chapters, but it is longer than the last one, so I hope it will make up for it. This is another chapter with more character development and history/preview than action. I'm getting there, I promise. Be patient with me, please! Haha.
As always, please review and let me know what you guys think! :)
Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympians and all things related are property of Rick Riordan and Disney Hyperion. I am not making any profit off of this work in any way, shape, or form.
Fort Olympus
Chapter 4: Precedent
Leo tried to contain his excitement at seeing the familiar island showing up over the horizon. He had been at sea for three days. Poseidon had obviously been in a good mood all this time because he hadn't faced a single problem. All in all, it was a peaceful journey, and he was ready to see the goddess once again.
Just as the Argo II beached, Calypso came out from her house at the foreign sound. She had a perplexed expression on her face.
"Miss me?" Leo called.
Calypso whirled to see him, and her jaw dropped.
"Careful," Leo said, grinning, "You might catch a fly."
Calypso snapped her jaw shut and glared at him. She marched over to him and punched his shoulder.
"How fucking dare you!" She screamed in his face.
Leo looked sheepish at her outburst. "Uh… sorry…"
Calypso's glare fell. It morphed into an expression of pain and grief.
She began crying, sobs lost to the oceanic mist.
Leo looked at the goddess in alarm. "Calypso—"
She stopped him with a kiss. Leo's eyes widened at the unexpected response. Well this is embarrassing.
Calypso pulled away and hugged him fiercely. She continued crying into his chest, her sobs muffled by his shirt.
Leo didn't know what to do. He had come to save this woman from her curse, but she was giving him completely mixed reactions to his appearance.
"Why Leo?" she murmured into his chest.
"I promised, Calypso," he muttered into her ear. "I told you I'd come back. I swore on the Great River."
Calypso pulled back and glared at him again. "I told you not to! Why would you do that? You could have gotten yourself destroyed!"
She was almost in panic at this point.
"Calypso," Leo soothed, "I couldn't just leave you here. The gods didn't keep their promise. Everyone else had forgotten you and left you to rot. I wasn't going to let myself do the same. You deserve a second change."
Calypso turned sad eyes to him. "Leo, you don't understand. Once you're here, you can never return to the real world. You'll be stuck with me forever."
She looked sorrowful at this, and Leo couldn't help but be hurt by this.
"I thought you wanted to be freed…"
"Leo, I do want to be freed, but I didn't want you to do something like this! You understand that the gods won't allow you to leave, right?"
Leo shook his head. "Wrong again," he smiled, "The gods gave me permission to free you. I'm your ticket back to the real world."
Calypso looked at him as if he'd grown an extra head. "What?"
Leo laughed, a rich, full laugh, one that got Calypso's heart to flutter. "After the war, the gods gave us all a gift. I asked for permission to come and free you."
"I—"
"I'm here with the Blessing of the Council of Olympus and the permission of Poseidon himself," he interrupted.
Calypso stared at him in shock. Then tears began to fill her eyes again. "But why?" she whispered.
Leo looked her square in the eye. She was in jeans and a normal t-shirt. Her hair was let loose, and it was blowing in his face. Hesitantly, he reached his hand outward to hers. He didn't know how she would respond, but so far, she hadn't smacked him away yet. He grasped her hand and laced their fingers together.
"I could never forget you, Calypso," he said softly. Her brown eyes reflected his honesty.
She shook her head again. "But no hero ever finds Calypso twice. How?"
Leo smiled hesitantly. "Odysseus wanted to find you again, you know."
She was dumbfounded at this. "What do you mean?"
"Uh, yeah… He invented a new navigation device… It was the last thing he made before he died. I found it in Bologna and added the one thing missing to find you again."
Calypso laughed. "But why Leo? You're a hero who will be remembered forever. You could have any woman in the world. Why would you return to my cursed island?"
"Because I don't want anyone else," he responded truthfully, "I couldn't, after I met you."
"But—"
"No other woman I've ever met is feisty and willing to work as hard as you. Calypso, even when I was fighting the giants in Marathon, I couldn't stop thinking about you. You're amazing."
He stared at her with passion and intensity. Calypso was slightly taken aback by his expression. No one had ever looked at her with such interest before. She found herself leaning into him again. "Thank you," she whispered.
"It is my destiny," Leo muttered against her lips before claiming them with his own.
"You didn't have to do this."
"Yes, I did. It's not possible for me to turn my back on those I care about, Calypso."
Calypso laughed, but she almost sounded bitter. "Thank you, Leo," she said, "you're the first hero who didn't forget you. It means the world to me."
"Calypso," Leo said forcefully, "no one forgets you. Trust me, I would know."
Calypso shook her head. "Leo, no one has ever thought of me again after they've left me. It's never happened. You're special."
She ruffled his fair with a fond expression. "You're my little soldier."
Leo's face turned bright red, but he forced himself to regain control over his thoughts.
"Are you ready to leave Ogygia?"
"Leo, you just arrived. Let's at least eat first."
Leo's stomach grumbled, causing him to blush again and Calypso to crack up.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," he agreed in embarrassment.
Calypso laughed all over again.
"Hey," a voice behind him said.
Nico turned to see her just as Reyna came to stand next to him.
"You should be asleep," he remarked. And in truth, she should have been. It was pitch black, almost midnight.
"So should you," she shot back, a hint of a smile at the corners of her lips.
Nico just shook his head.
"So why are you up?" Reyna asked.
Nico gazed ahead. It was the middle of the night, and the two of them, the Prince of the Underworld and the Daughter of War, were standing on Half-Blood Hill, next to Thalia's tree, looking at the world beyond them.
The gods had already purchased the surrounding land for Fort Olympus, and the magic boundaries had moved to their new locations.
He didn't know how to answer Reyna's question without sounding like a coward. After another minute of contemplation, he decided to go with honesty. If he was going to be working with these people for years to come now and become their patron, he might as well start by taking them into his confidence.
"Nightmares," he said simply. There was no emotion in his voice. He said it as though one might remark about the sky being blue.
Reyna nodded. "About Tartarus?"
Nico's appearance of strength finally collapsed at this as he flinched.
Slowly, he turned to her. "Why do you ask?" He asked, guardedly.
Reyna raised her eyebrow at him. Her hair was draped over her shoulders, and she had a bathrobe over her. For once, she didn't look ready to jump into battle; she looked like an average sixteen year old, as average as a demigod and praetor of New Rome can be, anyway.
"I thought we all agreed to trust each other," she said.
Nico had his usual black t-shirt, but he had forgone his normal black jeans for an almost human look with dark blue sweatpants.
At her comment, he laughed without mirth. "Reyna, there are some secrets that only the Son of Death can bear."
"First of all," she shot back, "you're not the Son of Death. Last I checked, Thanatos was the god of Death, not Pluto."
Nico turned to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Why the sudden companionship?"
"Sudden?"
He smiled wryly. "I seem to remember that you weren't exactly the most welcoming whenever I would stop by Camp Jupiter."
"Are we seriously going to do this again?" She was exasperated.
"Fine, I'll stop."
Nico kept gazing over the hill, towards the mortal world. Then he pivoted around to overlook Camp Half-Blood.
"Yeah," he said finally. "It was about Tartarus."
Reyna knew that he had tried to hide it, but his voice broke a bit at the word of Hell itself. But she knew not to pity him. They were both leaders, one welcome and the other unwelcome, but she knew that he would appreciate pity and sympathy just as much as she would.
"How did you survive it?" She asked.
Nico turned to her with an emotionless visage, but she could see the guarded look in his eyes. He was still under the impression that he had to protect himself by himself. She couldn't help but feel remorseful for that fact. She knew that she had played a big part of that self-image he had now with how much she had alienated him whenever he would visit Camp Jupiter. She knew the past could not be changed, but now, they had the future in their hands. And they could definitely shape their own future, Fates or no.
"You don't have to suffer by yourself, you know," she said softly. "Percy and Annabeth went through there, too. Maybe you should talk to one of them."
Nico snorted. "And why, pray tell, Reyna, would I ever talk go to the love birds for comfort or empathy?"
"Why not?" She shot back.
Nico looked at her, and she finally saw the true pain of the situation in his eyes. "Reyna, I don't know what they saw in there, but they saw the censored version."
He continued before she could interrupt at the insult to her friends. "I'm not trying to diminish their greatness or their strength. I admire them just as much as anyone else, but you have to understand that the true form of Tartarus cannot be seen without eternal death by a mortal's eyes, including demigod's…"
Reyna's eyes slightly widened.
"Unless they're a child of the Underworld," he finished. "Tartarus is too horrible a place for a human's eyes to understand upon sight. It's like the Mist. Mortals wouldn't be able to comprehend what they're seeing if they ever had to come across monsters or gods, so the Mist gives them something that distorts their version of reality."
"But there's always those select few with perfect vision," she continued for him.
He nodded, and his eyes suddenly had the look of a deer in headlights.
She seemed to get it now: Why he was so unwilling to share. Unless Percy and Annabeth had been near death in Tartarus, they would have seen a "Mist"-ed version of Tartarus. But since Nico was a Child of the Underworld, he was clear sighted in Hell. He had seen Tartarus in all its horror and glory.
"What was it like?" She asked subconsciously.
Nico looked at with a worried expression.
"Nico, you're the one who went through Hell. You shouldn't be worried about me!"
Nico continued to look at her, pained. "Do you really want to know?"
She hesitated for a minute, then nodded.
Nico turned back towards the camp. "The entire place is the god Tartarus himself. The air is acid, the Underworld Rivers are his blood, the monsters are his blood cells."
Nico began to shake, and his voice began to break.
"The air you breathe is the acid formed from all the rivers merging in his body. He's asleep… But his dreams are all the obstacles he throws at you. He hates intruders; he makes it impossible for people to leave. He tries his hardest to kill you if he's having a good dream…"
Nico stopped himself.
"And if he's having a bad dream?" She prompted. She was hiding her terror well, and she knew it. Her face was blank, she showed no emotion, and she somehow had her control over her movements still.
Nico looked at her, and she saw that his pupils were fully dilated. He was terrified. "If he's having a bad dream," he whispered, "he finds your worst fears, and he throws them against you. He tortures you by hitting you where it hurts most. He breaks you apart from the inside. And then he tries to kill you."
Reyna was shocked. Even by primordial standards, this was inhumane and cruel.
"Do they know?" She asked softly.
"Who?"
"Percy and Annabeth. Do they know what it's actually like?"
Nico turned away, but Reyna saw that his eyes looked like broken glass. Percy had described him as looking like that when they had saved him from the twin giants' jar in Rome, but she hadn't understood at the time. Now, though, looking at him as he struggled to keep his composure together, she did understand. She understood what it truly meant to look upon a 'broken' person. All of a sudden, at that moment, Reyna knew for a fact that she had never met a braver person before in her entire life, not Jason, and not even Percy.
"I don't know," Nico answered in the end. "I never asked them what they saw. Those types of memories aren't exactly something anyone wants to relive."
Reyna looked down in embarrassment. "Sorry," she said.
"No, don't. You didn't know before."
Reyna hesitantly reached for his hand, interlacing their fingers. Nico stiffened for a minute but squeezed her hand.
"Why didn't you tell us that day when we asked you?"
"I didn't want to scare you guys any more than you already were. I couldn't do that so quickly."
Reyna moved closer to him and pulled him into a hug. Nico was shocked, and his eyes widened in response. It was well known that he disliked physical affection or any physical interaction. But he found himself enjoying the warmth of having another person next to him. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around Reyna, pulling her into him. It was nice to not have to suffer by himself for once. He noticed that her hair smelled like the morning dew, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the comfort of one who, at least seemed to, care about him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered into his chest. "I never knew…"
"You couldn't have known," he said into her ear. "I never told anyone, and I don't think Percy and Annabeth knew what I had gone through, either."
Reyna pulled back, and Nico pulled let her go, his arms dropping to his side. He was suddenly self-conscious again. Reyna grabbed his hand again. "You're a lot stronger than people give you credit for," she said to the wind.
"So I've heard," Nico remarked dryly.
Reyna giggled at this. This action surprised Nico so much that he chuckled, too. Who knew that the, stoic praetor of New Rome would be giggling at midnight looking over what was once her enemy's stronghold.
"I admire you, Nico," she said sincerely, turning to him. "I'm glad you consider you my friend. And I'm glad that you were my patron this past year, and continue to be my patron and be by my side today."
Nico was taken aback at her statements. He nodded, not trusting himself to say anything in response.
After a moment passed, he turned back to her, "So why did you get up at the middle of the night?"
Reyna didn't respond for a moment and kept her gaze towards the camp.
Then, she sighed in dejection. "I couldn't sleep," she admitted.
"Why?"
She glared at the horizon, almost wishing that everything would go up in flames.
"We're supposed to be starting a new beginning," she said in frustration, "but then, Octavian had to go and fuck it up!"
Nico raised his eyebrow at her outburst, half amused at her choice of language and half saddened at the reality of the situation they were facing.
"You couldn't do anything to stop him."
"That's not what makes me mad," she said in anger. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you," she backtracked.
Nico shook his head, "It's okay. So what does make you mad?"
"We're supposed to be looking towards a new future of peace, but Octavian just had to destroy any semblance of it being peaceful when he attacked Percy. Why couldn't he let his stupidity and resentment hold for a while? And now, because of him, we have to start our 'new beginning' at Fort Olympus with blood on our hands. Seriously, what sort of precedent does this set? And not only does it have to be blood, it has to be a member of the Council of Demigods. Why? What sort of precedent does this set for the future? We're supposed to becoming together here, not living in a tenuous peace."
Nico didn't say anything. He had no answer. "At least we won't have to deal with his treachery and word power anymore," he said.
Reyna kept glaring at everything in front of her. "I just hate that this happened. And now, I have to find a Roman son of Apollo who has the gift of prophecy to take his post. And I need to find someone to take over the First Cohort."
"You know," Nico interrupted, "the Twelfth Legion Fulminta won't exist after noon today when the gods create Fort Olympus. If you want, you can just wait until then to take care of Octavian."
Reyna turned to him in question. "What do you mean?"
"Well, when the Council takes over, the Senate won't exist anymore, so you won't have to worry about filling Octavian's position on the Senate—"
"But Octavian's a member of the Council," Reyna reminded him.
"Yes, but he's a nonvoting advisor. If you want, you can just name someone else to temporarily work as the Augur of Apollo, meaning that the seat would still be occupied until you find a Roman son of Apollo with the gift of prophecy."
Reyna seemed to consider this. "What about his position as senior centurion of the First Cohort?"
"You've been filling it these past few days, anyway, just keep doing it until noon, and then, when the legion and Camp Half-Blood merge as one entity at noon, there won't be a need to appoint a new centurion because the legion won't exist anymore."
"But even if the Council judges Octavian, that just means that our first action to develop peace was to kill someone."
"It's better than the last action of the Senate being to kill someone. At least we will be doing it to assure the peace. If the Senate does it, history might interpret it as a last move by Rome to avoid peace."
Reyna looked at Nico in appraisal. "No wonder Minerva gave you her blessing. You really are a mad genius when it comes to political games and strategy."
Nico grinned at her. "At your service, milady."
The two of them laughed.
In the silence of the night, they just enjoyed each other's presence.
Suddenly, Nico chuckled. Reyna turned to him, intrigued. "What's so funny?"
Nico just laughed harder. "Well, a sixteen year-old male and female meeting up in the middle of the night. If we both weren't sworn to chastity, this wouldn't exactly be the most proper of situations."
Reyna rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were tinged with pink. "Boys," she muttered under her breath.
Nico just chuckled more before lying on his back, staring up at the stars. "You couldn't live without us," he said playfully.
In response, Reyna merely punched him in the gut. Nico doubled over and screamed in pain.
"Sure about that?" she asked with a straight face, but her eyes betrayed her mischief. "The Huntresses of Artemis don't seem to have a problem doing so."
Nico laughed in response before spreading out over the grass once again.
Reyna smiled, content with the world around her for the first time in a long time, before lying down next to Nico.
"Thanks, Nico," she said softly.
Nico looked down at her. She had snuggled into him so that their sides were flushed together.
He smiled. "No, Reyna. Thank you."
Reyna smiled up at him.
The two friends enjoyed the views of the night for a bit longer before returning to their cabins for the night.
Annabeth was frantically working at her drawing table. The designs and plans had been finalized yesterday, but she was still making last minute revisions. Everything about Fort Olympus and New Rome had to be perfect.
"Annabeth," Percy whined next to her, "It's fine! Why are you so worried."
"It can't just be fine, Percy," she snapped back, "It has to be perfect."
Percy camp up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her cheek from behind her, and she stiffened, enjoying herself far more than she would admit.
"Annabeth, it's already perfect," he whispered into her ear.
She turned in his grip to glare at him, but her anger melted away at the sight of his sea green eyes and usual disheveled hair.
"And how do you know that?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
"Because I know you. You've put everything you've had into this. There's nothing else you have to do."
Percy had been discharged from the infirmary just yesterday, and he had been dying to spend time with his girlfriend. But Annabeth had spent so much time at his side while he was being treated that she had neglected her plans. And the gods were going to be here any minute to transform Camp Half-Blood into Fort Olympus. She couldn't help her slightly obsessive, compulsive nature to make sure that every detail was fine-tuned and ready.
Someone behind them coughed. The two beloveds broke from their embrace to see the Goddess of Wisdom herself standing at the door to the drawing room of the Big House. Minerva (she had assumed her Roman form, for whatever reason) had an unreadable expression.
"Am I interrupting? I can return later," her tone was emotionless, so Annabeth couldn't tell if her mother was mad at them or not.
"No, no," Percy coughed, "Uh, sorry, Lady Minerva. We were just getting ready to present the final draft of the plans for Fort Olympus."
Annabeth elbowed him. "Uh, yeah, mom. I'm done with them."
"Are you sure have finished everything you want?"
Annabeth nodded to Minerva.
The goddess held out her hand, and Annabeth placed the scroll of parchment with the plans in it.
Nodding to the two, Minerva left the room.
Annabeth turned to Percy. Percy was sweating, and his face was curled into an expression of fear.
Annabeth laughed. "Oh, calm down, Seaweed Brain," she smirked. "She's not going to kill you."
"That's just what she wants you to think," he muttered. Ananbeth punched his arm.
"Ow!" he pouted. Annabeth smirked at him.
"My Lady," Nico was kneeling before Minerva. The Council of Demigods, minus Nico, had taken their seats on the stage of the amphitheater. The Senior Council of Camp Half-Blood, Roman Senate, Lupa, and Chiron were in the stands.
"You may rise, my champion," Minerva said, with the tone of an order.
Nico stood before the Third Queen of Eternal Rome. Minerva nodded at him, and Nico returned to his seat.
"Demigod leaders," Minerva addressed everyone. "You all know why I am here today."
Most of the people in the stands looked at each other in confusion.
"I am here today as the Regent of the Council of Olympus," Minerva sounded annoyed at the lack of memory in some of the demigods before her, " I am here to bring forth Fort Olympus onto this Earth, the new safe haven for all demigods."
No one spoke, but realization dawned onto their faces.
Minerva continued, "The Council of Gods, the Council of Demigods, and your teachers have all approved the plans. I am informed that the Senate of New Rome and the Senior Council of Camp Half-Blood are also in approval?"
There was grumbling among those assembled, but there was general assent.
Minerva put up the designs for everyone to see. "If anyone has any objections," she interrupted their trains of thought, "speak now or forever be silent."
No one said anything.
Minerva nodded at the Council of Demigods.
"If there are no objections, you all have exactly fifteen minutes to get all of the demigods either into this amphitheater or the Big House. Every other part of the camp will be redone. In order to prevent any potential injury or harm in this reorganization and expansion, all demigods are asked to stay in one of these two locations for an hour as the camp is transformed."
The Senate, Senior Council, and Demigod Council all left the arena to do their duty.
Only Nico stayed behind.
After everyone but Nico left, Minerva changed into her Greek form.
Athena smiled at him. "I can read your thoughts, you know."
Nico flinched. "Sorry, My Lady!"
"You are my Champion, Nico di Angelo," she reassured, "I will not harm you. You are entitled to your own opinion; in fact, I expect you to have your own opinion as I chose you as my champion."
Nico blushed.
"You are right to fear me in my Roman form," she continued. "Most do. It is why the Romans didn't import me so easily."
"They resented you for making them lose in the Trojan War and for protecting Greece for so long."
Athena nodded. "My stepmother, Hera, was the Patron of Greece as a whole, but I was the symbol of Greek military power. I led the Greek armies in the Trojan War to victory with my interventions and teachings of their leaders. And when Rome tried to conquer Greece, they didn't forget this fact."
"They resented you," Nico guessed, and Athena nodded. "They didn't like the fact that you kept Greece from being conquered by them. They were used to defeating everyone in their path without any problems or any real challenge. But when they got to Greece, they faced an enemy worth their time for once. And it was because you were in charge."
Athena looked at Nico appraisingly. "You know your history, Nico di Angelo; I am happy."
Nico's face turned even redder at this compliment from the goddess of wisdom.
"The Romans tried to turn me into their native Etruscan goddess of wisdom, Menrva. She was tame and was not a goddess of war. She stayed out of most battles. But I am Athena, and my nature is to fight when people try to conquer me."
"So when they tried to make you tamer, you fought back, and eventually you became the Patron of Eternal Rome after they made you part of the Capitoline Triad. You took on even more power as Minerva than you had as Athena because you had influence over a whole empire instead of just a city-state now."
Athena smiled wryly. "I was never just the patron of Athens, Nico. Athens was just my most favored city, but I was protector of all of Greece. Like I said, I was the symbol of Greek military power, and until the Romans managed to steal the Athena Parthenos, they were not able to conquer Greece."
"They literally had to steal the symbol of Greek power. They had to take away your influence before they could take Greece."
Athena nodded.
"But why did you protect Rome after all they did to you?" Nico's question came out harsher than he intended it to have.
Athena looked at him impassively. "I am a goddess, Nico. I help those who need me. I exist to protect those who ask for it. My sole duty is to the people who worship me. And as much as the Romans would like to believe that they didn't need me as a goddess of war, they wouldn't have had their greatest military victories without me. They needed my leadership or else they wouldn't have the legacy that they do. They sacrificed to me before every fight they would engage in so that I would give them the wisdom to win the battle. If they viewed me correctly, in my Greek form, I served them. If they didn't, well, I'm still a goddess."
Nico shuddered at her ominous tone at the end. "So why did the Roman demigods treat you like this for so long?"
"It's a combination of Rome unlawfully sacking Athens and resentment at the Byzantine Empire," the goddess answered simply.
"By stealing the Athena Parthenos," Nico guessed, "the Romans changed it from being a symbol of Greek military power to one of Roman military power."
Athena nodded. "They changed me from Athena Promachos to Minerva Bellipotens. The same thing, really; they were just too hubristic to admit that they needed the help of the goddess who had fought against them for so long."
"But how does the Byzantine Empire have to do anything with this? Wasn't it Christian?"
Athena snorted. "So what? There are people who have always and will always follow the ancient ways, the ways of the gods."
Nico didn't have anything to say to that.
"Nico, the eastern half of the Roman Empire was always more Greek than Roman. When Rome fell in 455 AD to the Barbarians, the center of the west, ironically, moved east. The gods went back to Greece, we went back to the original Mount Olympus. The Romans hated the fact that they had lost to Greece so many times. They had lost in the Trojan War, they had lost battles against Greece for a thousand years, and then finally, it was the Greek half of the empire that survived the test of time, not the Roman. It was pretty much the biggest insult to the Romans."
"And you once again became the protector of the Greek peoples," Nico guessed.
Athena nodded. "When we went back to Greece, the capital had shifted from Athens to Constantinople, but we were still very much Greek. We took on our Greek forms all over again. And I was returned to my original mantle, this time by the full choice and support of the people instead of out of necessity as the Romans did."
Nico looked at the goddess in amazement. "Well isn't that a soap opera," he commented dryly.
Athena burst into laughter. "You're telling me," she responded.
"That was the first civil war between Greek and Roman demigods, wasn't it?" Nico asked after a minute of silence. "Emperor Justinian's invasions of the old Roman lands to reunite the old empire was the first clash between Greek and Roman demigods, right?"
Athena nodded. "The Greek demigods had attacked their Roman counterparts, and feeling the need to reunite the empire, Justinian followed their example. It was also the last time that the Greek demigods win in a civil war with the Romans."
"But didn't Justinian win?"
"Oh, he won, alright. He almost got the Byzantine Empire to cover the full area of the former Roman Empire, but he failed in the end to achieve his goal, and the reason for that is that the Roman demigods attacked with a new vigor. The Greeks were pushed back to the east, and the Romans won. And at the same time, Justinian's new unified empire fell apart after a few decades, and the west returned to its diseased self."
"Lady Athena, not to say that history isn't fascinating, but why are you telling me this no?"
Athena raised her eyebrow at him. "I would imagine you would know. Why do we study the past, Nico?"
"So we don't make the same mistakes in the future."
"Correct. So why would I be telling you about our past as a Western Civilization?"
"So that I don't make the same mistake when the Council of Demigods takes over today."
Athena nodded. "Very astute, my Champion. Now come, take your seat. The demigods return."
After everyone had taken their protection in the Big House or the amphitheater, Athena flicked her wrist. Around them, in front of their very eyes, Camp Half-Blood changed into Fort Olympus.
Forty-foot-tall walls rose around the periphery of the fort with battlements adorning the top every twenty feet. There were reinforced gates every twenty feet, giving ease of access into and out of the fort.
The eastern half of the beach became a full naval yard. Dry docks appeared magically on the sand, and a harbor was built up. Piers were prepared as well as docking points. Fort Olympus was ready to host a full navy. There were docking points to accommodate every type of ship, from Ancient Greek triremes to modern-day aircraft carriers. The western half of the beach stayed the same for existing Camp Half-Blood traditions.
The Big House was expanded to facilitate a larger infirmary. The Council House came up out of the ground right next to the Big House. It was made of pure marble with gold leafing telling the stories of heroes past, from the greats Perseus, Son of Zeus, to the stories of heroes today, the greats of Perseus, Son of Poseidon. The building was domed, and marble columns supported the roof.
Behind the Council House and Big House was the city. It had a similar layout to New Rome, but it was much larger to accommodate all Greco-Roman demigods.
Four temples came into being on Half-Blood Hill, all with traditional Greco-Roman architecture and made of pure marble. Thalia's tree was in the middle of all four temples, and a hearth had appeared next to it with an eight-year-old girl tending the flames of the Sacred Hearth. The largest (and most ornate) temple was for the sixteen gods of the Olympian Council, and the other three were for all of the other gods.
The cabins had been changed. No longer were the main twelve in a U formation at the center. All of the cabins had moved to face the Big House, with rows of five. They were all expanded to be the same size, and the façade of each patron god was removed. They were uniform. Once the twenty existing cabins formed the first four rows, five more rose from the ground to form the final row behind them. Each cabin was prepared to host seventy demigods.
The existing mess hall was expanded to accommodate 1,500 people if necessary, and the amphitheater expanded. Opposite the amphitheater, on the other side of the field for war games (an empty and closed off area of twelve acres), a Roman Coliseum rose from the ground, undamaged and made of pure marble.
When the fort was finished, everyone looked around in wonder. It was magnificent!
"Uh, mom," Annabeth asked uncertainly, "are the walls necessary?"
Athena turned to her daughter with a raised eyebrow. "It is up to the Council of Demigods whether they wish to keep the walls or not. The Council of Gods had asked me to put them up, but if you decide that it is unnecessary, then they will be removed."
"Are the magical boundaries still working?" Thalia asked the goddess.
Athena nodded. "Fort Olympus has taken on the blessing you gave Camp Half-Blood, Thalia Grace."
"I say we leave them be for now," Reyna said. "It makes no difference, and I'm sure if they become a problem, we can ask the gods to take them away later."
There was a murmur of agreement among everyone gathered.
"Anything else?" Athena asked the demigods at large.
No one said anything.
"Then it is done," Athena proclaimed. "As of right now, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter are dissolved for good. All Greek and Roman demigods will find their way to Fort Olympus. Fort Olympus has absolved all of the resources, fields, people, duties, and roles of the predecessors. The Council of Demigods will take on the role of the prior Camp Half-Blood Senior Council and Senate of New Rome. The Council of Demigods will have ten permanent voting members, two nonvoting permanent advisees reserved for the Oracle of Delphi and the Augur of Apollo, and ten members elected by the population of Fort Olympus every year on the day before the Summer Solstice. Until the elections at the next summer solstice, the permanent members will serve as a full Council. The will of the Council of Demigods is law for all demigods. Any motion to pass the Council of Demigods requires a simple majority of all of the voting members as well as a simple majority of all of the permanent voting members. I take leave of you and return to Olympus. Good luck, demigods. The world depends on you. Do not forget your duty."
With that, Athena vanished in a flash of light.
Just as one light vanished, another flashed in. Over one of the last unclaimed Roman demigods shone a lyre made of pure sunlight.
"I believe," Reyna announced, "that we have our new Augur of Apollo."
"Come forward," Frank ordered, "Augur of Apollo."
The child who couldn't be more than fifteen lumbered down the amphitheater to the Council of Demigods assembled at the front. He stood there awkwardly as the nine assembled members and Chiron and Lupa looked at him with calculating looks.
"What is your name, child?" Chiron asked gently.
"Ryan Tae," he barely whispered.
"Ryan Tae, Son of Apollo," Reyna announced, "do you have the gift of prophecy?"
"He does," a voice from the stands announced.
Everyone turned to watch Rachel Dare, Oracle of Delphi, come down the stairs to join the council at the front.
"He is destined to take the place of Octavian Abehu as the Augur of Apollo. I support this as the Oracle of Delphi, Speaker of the Prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, Seer of Fate, and Giver of the Past, Present, and Future."
Rachel watched the Council with no emotion.
"So be it," Reyna announced finally. "Ryan Tae, do you accept this mantle and responsibility as the Augur of Apollo?"
Ryan clenched his hands into fists and looked at the Council with a determined expression. "I accept."
"Then go to the Temple of Apollo and receive his blessing," Reyna ordered.
Ryan pivoted towards Half-Blood Hill and marched over.
"That leaves the final business of the Council of Demigods today," Thalia announced.
All of the demigods from both former camps watched in fascination at their new leaders.
"We must elect a leader of the Council and deal with the issue of Octavian Abehu's treachery, a duty passed on to us by the former Senate of New Rome."
"I nominate Annabeth," Nico said.
Annabeth's eyes widened.
"I second the nomination," announced Piper, Hazel, and Frank.
"All in favor?" Thalia called.
All of the nine assembled members except for Annabeth raised their hands.
"Ananbeth Chase," Chiron announced, "you shall be the Marshall of Fort Olympus until the Summer Solstice when full elections shall take place."
Annabeth nodded.
"What does the Council wish to do about Octavian Abehu's treachery?" Lupa asked.
"We have discussed this prior to today, Lupa," Annabeth said. "We will wait until Councilmember Leo Valdez returns from his journey. Until then, he is to remain in the custody of Fort Olympus."
"It shall be so," Lupa said. "Chiron and I will retire to our training grounds. The satyrs have already begun bringing demigods from around the world. We will leave the Council to its devices now. Thank you."
With that, Chiron and Lupa left the amphitheater, and all the demigods in the stands weren't far behind them.
Soon, it was just the Council of Demigods in the amphitheater once again.
Author's Note: Hope it was decent! Let me know what you guys think in a review! :)
Review Replies:
The Son Of Hades123: (Chapter 2) Haha, yeah I've noticed that, too. I kind of like it, to be honest!
TheGoddessIsAlive: (Chapter 2) Thank you so much for your kind words! :)
TheGoddessIsAlive: (Chapter 3) Thank you for your kind words! :D I'm looking forward to exploring Leo more haha.
smeagol26: (Chapter 3) I disagree. Percy doesn't even acknowledge Hestia's existence until The Last Olympian, and that, too, only because he has no choice. Nico, however, despite all his hardships and tribulations, willingly serves the gods and tries to work with Hestia. At least in my eyes, it makes more sense to make Nico the Champion of Hestia. And I've already explained why I made him the Champion of two gods.