Chapter 7 – When In Rome
A/N: Yo, not dead yet. It's been a very busy time for me recently, hence the silence. Apologies.
New Rome. Home to countless numbers of Demi-Gods who had once been in the dark about their Greek counterparts on the other side of the country.
The tall raven haired Angel walked through the streets of the city, unphased by the powerful wards concealing the place from anyone who didn't share some form of divine blood. He had been able to materialize in the middle of the city without even having to think about it but for almost anyone else they would have had to fight their way across the bastard river out the front of the city walls and get permission to come inside from the city guards.
As he walked on through he found that a certain presence had detected his arrival and was closing in on him. He knew who it was; Terminus, the God of borders or something that Percy equally didn't care much about.
"YOU! HOW DID YOU GET IN!" The God that Percy had sensed seemed to have appeared out of thin air, materialized as a statuesque bust. His eyes were blaring red and blue like that of police sirens as if to match the actual sirens that were sounding off somewhere in the closest building.
Where even was he to warrant such a massive defensive procedure? It looked vaguely like the forum. Which he realized was most likely where he'd actually found himself. "Chill out stoney, I was sent here by my masters. If I was here to cause harm you'd all already be dead." Percy responded with a defensive stature, crossing his arms and waiting for Terminus to respond.
A tall slender woman walked out from behind him, she had flowing brown hair and tanned skin that matched his own. She must have only been in her late twenties but damn she looked incredibly fine. He could tell that she was sporting a very athletic body underneath the gold plates of armour that covered her. Her outfit was completed by two swords made of Olympic gold that matched her armour. They were tucked away just beneath the seems of a silky purple cape.
"Terminus stand down, I know this man." She chimed in, instantly silencing the God who vanished on her words. He might not have liked it but he respected the patron Goddess of the city.
After he'd completely vanished, she turned her attention back to Percy, "It's been a long time, I bet you don't even remember me. I ran this city fifteen years ago back when we were all at war. You saved my life... And you didn't even realize I was there." She said wistfully.
"Enlighten me." Percy responded, not even sure what she was talking about. She'd been looking just slightly offset of where he was stood, as if she was vividly reliving the memory.
Her eyes returned from her visage and locked with his, Gaia, she and all of her Giants were about to run us through, they were about to well and truly ring Rome out, then a small legion of Greeks appeared on the battlefield, followed by the Gods. You were leading the charge. It was like you were possessed, you tore through literally everything that came your way, stopping me from being killed by a giant when you ripped out it's throat with your hands and a bronze sword." She told him, being very sure of her words, knowing that deep down this was definitely the man that saved her life and disappeared.
"I was in that throne room on Olympus you know, I watched everything as you refused immortality from the Gods and left us all. I didn't even know your name and never got the chance to thank you." She continued, musing slightly as she turned and started to walk away.
Percy didn't need any instruction to know that now was his time to follow and listen to what she had to say, even if it turned out that she didn't actually have anything good to say.
"You've been gone for fifteen years and you come casually walking into our city with no prior announcement. You cannot possibly even know how much has changed in our way of life, why are you here, Perseus?" She said his name with a strange tone, one of intrigue if Percy didn't know any better. It was clear that the Romans had been brought in on the manhunt for the saviour of Olympus as well.
Percy looked around with a slight huff. He was meant to be meeting a contact that also served Lady Hemera, was this woman who he was looking for? "Taco Tuesdays?" He asked with a well hidden grin.
He was here walking around New Rome with a beautiful woman while Cain was presumably in a bar fight with half of Olympus. Which would be undeniably very much up Cain's alley.
"No, our lifestyle didn't change around tacos." She glared. "A lot of us ascended after the defeat of Gaia, most were due to the God's attempting to broaden their searching power in trying to find you but some of us actually were given stations. I became a guardian of New Rome, which wasn't so bad as it turns out, I mean, I'm thirty four and look like a twenty year old." She smiled, never taking her eyes away from his.
"I'm seventy." Percy shot back with a slight grin.
"Touché old man." The woman smiled. Percy could suddenly feel a presence make itself known as another woman approached her. This one had shorter brown hair and wore a typical Roman legionnaire's set of armour. The only thing missing was a grand shield on the arm, this woman was definitely a Goddess, an older Goddess from a time long before.
"You're the Angel?" The new arrival asked, looking on with authority.
"An Angel without wings but one nonetheless." Percy nodded, frowning towards the sky. He knew that she was always listening but for the love of everything Hemera really wasn't giving him any clues as to how he'd get his wings.
"My name is Bellona, I am-" She began but was quickly cut off by the raven Angel. He put his hand up in front of her to stop her.
"I know. I guess you're the contact Cain told me about, but I-" Percy lost his train of thought as his eyes turned pure white. He looked onwards with a completely deadpan face not registering any kind of presence inside his mind.
"Um?" The younger Goddess hummed, looking towards Bellona for any kind of insight into what just happened to Percy. It was almost like a robot had it's mind wiped.
Before long the light faded from Percy's eyes and his expression seemed to warm. "That dumbass actually did it. Excuse me for a few minutes would you? Thanks." Percy smiled. Neither Goddess got the chance to answer him as his body was covered in light and promptly vanished.
Line Break
A small bar in Manhattan had been turned upside down. Gods and Goddesses littered the room, blood everywhere. The occasional rhythmic breathing of a dozen unconscious deities could be heard. Cain was slumped against the door frame, smoking a cigarette, covered in blood, both that of the Gods and his own.
The bar was totally trashed, tables were broken, chairs smashed, the whole service bar had been broken in two where Ares had been forced through it. Athena was buried by a pile of tables. Hermes had been beaten through the ceiling and was occasionally being slapped by the ceiling fan that was barely still attached.
Percy appeared in the middle of the room, looking around in mild awe at the absolute carnage that had happened. "Not bad, oh, damn, they did a number on you." Percy grinned, looking at the only conscious person in the building.
Cain grunted with entertainment, "They brought swords and spears, cheaters." He said, breathing out a cloud of smoke.
"And you didn't use a sword? This place is totalled." Percy asked.
"I was under the impression that it was going to be a fair fist fight." Cain pouted, pulling himself off the floor with a tremendous effort needed.
"Against a dozen Olympians?" Percy raised a single eyebrow with amusement. Cain was a dumbass sometimes.
"Yeah, trust me, the look on their faces when I punched Apollo through a wall, they totally never saw it coming." Cain laughed for a second before clutching his sides. "They really did a number on me, I think I've cracked a rib. Definitely broke most Ares, and Hermes... And all of them." Cain laughed again at himself before the pain came back once more.
"Race you to New Rome." Cain announced before disappearing, he promptly stepped forwards now in New Rome right where he'd felt a cluster of strong presences. Two Gods, that was most likely where Percy had been before.
"I desperately need to have a bath." He said, suddenly finding himself face to face with a beautiful Goddess, standing right next to his mother of all people. "Oh for fucks sake, why are you always ruining my fun?" He groaned.
"I didn't say anything." She glared.
"Yeah but... You murdered me, you filicidal bitch." Cain glared. His eyes got brighter slightly at the prospect that he might have been able to get a rise out of her. Percy materialized next to them,
"The bathhouse is definitely not your worst idea." He agreed, missing the tension between Cain and Bellona.
"Hey, I'm a Roman too." Cain told the younger Goddess, clearly trying to begin something between them. She looked on, waiting for him to say something else, clearly she wasn't impressed yet.
"My name is Reyna, the guardian of New Rome. Don't be idiots in this city and we might just be able to get along." She told them sternly.
"Reading you loud and clear. Come on Rook, we'd best relax before the oncoming storm. It seems that these two are our only support right now." Cain told Percy as the two of them marched onwards to what Cain believed were the bath houses.
Percy didn't mind, he had a point after all. The Olympians were no doubt going to come knocking on their door for round two, and they wouldn't be nice about it either, not after Cain systematically beat them senseless without even using any weapons. He got some damage back but what he'd received from the Gods was already starting to heal.
They were going to have a lot on their hands in the next few days so perhaps relaxing wouldn't be so bad after all. Besides, both of the Goddesses they'd walked away from were pretty easy on the eyes.
He'd never hear the end of it if he ended up sleeping with Bellona, Cain's mother of all people.
Worth it.
