Chapter 10 is here :)

Chapter 10: Iron Titan

The machines hummed and beeped as they registered her heartbeat. Sam stared at her chest that moved up and down. Sarah had suffered head trauma by a blunt weapon as well as bruises and scratches. Her hair had been braided by the nurses to keep it from the wound and dressing. He held her hand as thoughts swam through his head.

'You wanted to talk to me?' asked Reyna as she closed the door.

Sam turned to the praetor. 'I do. Is there something special we need to do?'

'Something special?' Reyna took a seat opposite of Sam. 'You're talking about the funerals?'

Sam nodded. 'Among others. They always talked about being cremated, but I don't know if the Romans have different traditions than the Greeks.' Sam grimaced and popped off his leg.

'We have the same traditions at the camps, although we usually burn Romans with coffins. Hazel and Nico have volunteered to take care of them until the time is there.' Reyna reached for his shoulder. 'Some of the Apollo campers have asked if they can help with designing the shrouds. You don't have to do this alone.'

'I know,' replied Sam turning his attention back on Sarah.

'What is that other thing you wanted to talk about?'

'About her.' Sam nodded at Sarah. 'What happens next? Do we send her to camp? Does she need those special letters? I don't know if mom and dad have those.'

'You don't need to worry about that now,' said Reyna comfortingly. 'I guess that Lupa will take her when she wakes up, as she'll need to join the legion.'

'Alright. Thanks for the information.'

'Let us know when you're ready,' finished Reyna before standing up and leaving the room.

Sam felt his throat closing up. His vision blurred up as he grabbed his head in frustration. Tears stained the bedsheets.

'How is he holding up?' asked Annabeth.

'He asked if there's anything special that needs to be done for their funerals, so I'm guessing that he is trying to get his head around it,' replied Reyna as she took a seat in the waiting room.

Hecate was still looking after Lou, who had complained of pain when they had returned from the scene.

'Any ideas on who is responsible?' asked Percy.

'Cyclops most likely, although something must've sent them as they bypassed Sam's protection,' replied John as he took a swig of nectar.

They fell silent again as the second couplet had been completed.

After a couple of hours, Sam walked towards the Big House. He had heard about the meeting between the leaders of the community to discuss further steps. As he walked up the porch he heard the voices.

'This could be the thing that set's him over the edge,' said Reyna. 'He's lost people he loves dearly. Remember what I told you about a son of magic breaking Olympus.'

'We know,' replied Piper. 'But come on, the kid's just lost his family, again. We can't go after him.'

'The gods are angry at each other,' continued Chiron. 'Poseidon has accused Zeus of attacking Sally and the family, whilst Ares is being targeted for yet another war on the horizon.'

Sam opened the door and stared at the people sitting in front of him. 'It's Nyx. She's after Percy and Annabeth because they humiliated her. I was targeted because she's wanted me out of the picture.'

'Sam,' said Thalia as she rose, but Sam stopped her.

'She went after the easiest to control to disrupt the entire community. Set up Rome against Greece, whilst also splitting up the gods. She hid Typhon from the gods. He's the storm.'

'Kings's bane and fear,' said Annabeth with a gasp. 'Of course. We must tell the gods.'

'Did she tell you anything else?' asked a pale Nico. Sam guessed that he had been up all night to prepare the bodies.

'She won't rest until she has had her revenge.' Sam turned around and walked towards the door. Before leaving he turned to Reyna. 'But neither will I.'

Sam immediately transported himself to Bunker 9 where George and Marie were working on the mecha and other projects. He walked over to the table and took a seat.

'Sam,' started the brown haired, but grey eyed daughter of Athena. 'I'm sorry.' She gave him a hug.

'Thanks.'

'How are you holding up?'

'They'd send a message if Sarah wakes up, but I couldn't sit there anymore. I don't know how I need to tell her. I need to take my mind off of it for a night.' He grabbed one of the plans and looked at it, while the others returned to theirs.

Sam occasionally vanished to reappear with books from the library. He scribbled down references and notes. He wrote and read for hours on end before George and Marie went to their own cabins.

'You are not going to give this a rest, are you?' asked John. 'George mentioned that you were here.'

'She won't either,' replied the younger mage doodling a sigil.

'I understand that you want to go after her, but you need a plan. Reading books won't do you much good. You need to channel all of this anger, hate, and revenge into your magic, that's what creates great magic: emotion and imagination.'

'I know.'

'No, you don't,' said a female voice. She stepped out of the shadows. She was dressed in a white cloak with silver runes and had a golden pin holding her black hair up. Armoured sandals and leg protection poked from under the cloak.

'Circe,' said John. 'How are you?' They hugged.

'Could ask you the same thing, fisherman, but I'm not here for you. I am here for him.' She pointed at Sam.

'Me, why? And what don't I know?'

'Because my eldest siblings and mother are too shocked by the events to pick it up. You've been pumping magic into your sigil since it happened and you're radiating anger and hate which only strengthens you more. But you're not going after Nyx, you're going after the Olympians.'

Sam dropped the pencil. 'How'd you guess?'

'She's gotten in your head,' continued Circe as she approached him. 'It was never her ultimate plan to go after the lovebirds' parents. You are her pawn in this game. Nyx' is only using you for her own gain. Sarah will need you when she wakes up.'

'Don't,' said Sam. 'The legion will take care of her until I am eighteen, then I will become her legal guardian. I have it all here. At eighteen I could transfer to school and college in New Rome while she becomes a legionnaire.'

'You can't do that if you're dead!' yelled Circe. 'Nyx will finish you once she is done with you. Just sit back and let the grownups handle this.'

'Relax, Circe,' said Sam with a grin. 'I'm not going after the Olympians for revenge, but for a favour.'

The minor goddess looked at her elder brother and back to the younger one. 'Still don't see why you need the magic.'

'That's for this thing.' Sam pointed at the mecha. 'I wanted to enchant it.'

'Oh.'

'Jeez C, you'd think I'd go and offend the gods? I've escaped them before, but I don't think they'd let me live again. Especially Ares.'

Circe grinned. 'What did you actually do?'

Sam laughed before telling the story.

Before dawn some people and gods had gathered to the funeral site. Two coffins laid on funeral pyres covered by shrouds. One was white with a golden sun on it and an eagle with a lyre beneath it. The other one was dark blue with a silver caduceus on it. Beneath it stood the eagle of Rome and Roman coins.

As the sun appeared on the horizon, the Apollo cabin started playing the morning tune. Sam lit the pyres with magical fire. He placed his scutum shield in front of him and stood there as the other walked away. It wasn't until both pyres has disappeared that Sam cried.

Later that day he and Hecate had brought another visit to the house. The story in the news talked about a burglary gone wrong. Luckily the children were at summer camp at the time, where they had been informed of their deaths. A mixture of Mist and divine intervention had cleaned up the house as they stepped into the living room.

Sam made his way upstairs where he walked into Sarah's room packing a bag while Hecate searched the office space for the necessary documents. After finding their birth certificates and other medical and familial documents, Hecate had discovered the lacquered box that contained several letters, some old, with two recent ones. The box also contained a bank book to Sarah's name for the bank in New Rome.

'Mom, you ready?' said Sam as he entered carrying a duffel bag with a bunny sticking out of it.

'Yes,' replied the goddess as she closed the box.

That night, just before the hours of dawn, Sam sat by Sarah's bed. He had placed the box and a family picture on the table next to her bed, while putting the bunny next to her under the sheets.

'I am sorry for what happened. I hope that you can forgive me.' He kissed her forehead before walking out of the room.

Sam made his way to Bunker 9 where he boarded the mecha. Not bothering to strap in, he closed his eyes and focused on his heartbeat. He thought about the images of his father and foster parents. The blood dripping from their bodies, them not responding to his cries. He pictured Nyx smiling at him. The magic in his sigil reacted. Magic flowed from his sigil and heart to the symbols on the mecha. The lines glowed as magic seeped into the iron of the mecha, effectively fuelling it with raw magic. Sam sweated and started panting as he continued this method until the power slipped through his fingers.

The magic escaped the bounds and shattered the windows of the bunker, escaping into the night. Sam cut off the magic and stepped out of the mecha. His leg hurt. He took a bite of ambrosia and drank some nectar before making the mecha disappear in his pouch. Quickly, he walked to the door and vanished.

Elsewhere, mages and gods of magic reacted to the spike.

Clutching the key card in his hand, he made his way to the very top. Muzak played for a minute or so, before the doors opened up. Sam was greeted by a yawning nymph.

'This is a highly uncommon visit,' said the nymph.

'No problem, they know I'm coming.'

Sam took the lanyard with the visitors badge and started climbing the path up the hill with the sun rising on the horizon.

'Where is he?' asked George the following morning at breakfast. 'The mecha is gone from the bunker.'

'We don't know. He's vanished from camp,' replied Suzan. 'We've tried searching for him with magic, but nothing. Circe and Hecate might know, but they have been summoned to Olympus.'

George groaned as he left, leaving the mages among themselves.

'Where is he?' asked John.

'Somewhere in New York,' replied Suzan. 'And yes, we've checked the house, but nothing.'

'Di immortals,' cursed Ronan.

'He's on path we cannot follow,' said Lou grimly.

The golden doors opened the moment he arrived at the throne room. A rumbling voice called him inside. Sam found himself standing in the large marble room once again. Thirteen major thrones in a semicircle , with several smaller thrones and benches for minor gods. The last Olympian sat on a bench next to the hearth, tending to the large fire.

The twelve Olympians had fallen silent when he had walked inside. They all watched him. Sam felt the magic radiating from the pouch.

'We welcome you to Olympus once again,' said Hera calmly before Zeus could yell at him.

'Thank you, lady Hera,' replied Sam as he bowed.

'I would like to offer you my condolences,' said Hera. 'I know you are plagued by your family's death.'

'Then you know why I am here.'

'Of course,' interjected Aphrodite nervously. 'I can feel the love for your sister. You wish for her safety.'

'Why should we offer her our protection?' barked Ares which got him a look from Aphrodite and Hera.

'You do not, but I would like to ask for the blessing of her grandfathers.' Sam gave Apollo and Hermes a look.

'You insult us,' boomed Zeus. 'Who are you to come and command us?'

'Who are you to remain so passive when your children are in danger?' replied Sam defiantly. 'Nyx is out to get you, yet you remain in here, safely tucked away while we get the beatings.' Sam felt his anger rising.

'We all feel your pain,' said Aphrodite. 'But this is out of our hands, the Fates are the keepers of Fate.'

'I am going after them next, but first I need you to grant me my wish.'

'Sam,' said Hestia as she approached the scene. 'I understand how you feel, but this is not the place, not the time. Please calm down and return to camp. Let us forget that this ever happened.' The maiden goddess grabbed his hands and looked him in the eye.

'Nyx said that you'd try to shrug it off. No more.'

Sam quickly drew a protective barrier on the ground around Hestia and activated it. In the same movement, he exposed his forearms that bore his Roman tattoo and a sequence of sigils. He crossed his arms and spoke the incantation: "In lucem ut tu." before uncrossing his arms.

The shockwave changed the gods into their Roman forms. Twelve had been rendered more militaristic with Roman armours adorning their bodies. Minerva wore her hiking boots, flannel shirt and walking stick as she stared at Sam. He seemed vaguely familiar.

'Apollo, Mercury,' announced Sam. 'I have come before you to ask you for your blessing.'

'What have you done?' asked Hecate as she stared at the Roman gods before her.

'You granddaughter needs your guidance, she needs your blessing,' continued Sam. 'I cannot provide her with it, so I am begging you to save her.'

'What did you do?' asked Hestia as she walked outside of the barrier.

'He made them shift to Roman,' stammered Hecate. 'Impossible.'

'We are aware of our granddaughter's demise,' replied Mercury. 'The legion takes care of its own.'

'I know, yet she'll need your guidance.'

'We do not accept these actions,' replied Apollo. 'But we will grant your request, for once.' He finished raising a single finger.

'Thank you.' Sam crossed his arms and ended the spell reverting all Romans back to Greek.

'You foolish mortal,' yelled Ares unsheathing his blade and standing up. Athena and Hephaestus held him back.

Hecate stood before her son and stared at him. 'Go, before they agree to kill you, or worse.'

Sam nodded and turned around.

'You are not going anywhere,' boomed Zeus. He clapped his hand and the doors closed.

Sam turned back and watched the gods. He put his hand in his pocket and gripped the miniature of the mecha.

'You are a danger to Olympus and we need to take care of you,' said the lord of the sky as he reached to his quiver of bolts.

'Zeus,' said Aphrodite. 'He's grieving, his thoughts have been clouded, so has his judgement. Do not harm him.'

'Listen to her, father,' said Athena. 'He did this for his sister.'

'Enough,' said Zeus. 'I've made my judgement. For crimes against, Olympus, I sentence you to death.'

In an instant, the king of the gods, threw a bolt of lightning at the demigod before him. The bolt hit him and threw him backwards. Smoke flowed in the air. Screams reverberated against the marble. Hestia held Hecate as both goddesses slumped to the ground, while Circe ran to Sam. Twelve Olympians held their breaths as Zeus sat himself down. Suddenly a coughing noise filled the air.

Sam pushed Circe off of him and stood shakily on his legs. A grin stood on his face. From his pouch he took the mecha. While the machine started growing, Sam grabbed it and entered the cockpit. Once seated he let the magic flow freely. In an matter of moments there stood a twelve foot tall mecha in the throne room of Olympus. On its arm stood a name: Iron Titan

The gods were nailed to the ground as Sam charged the mecha and magic. In a flash, the mecha hurled lightning at the lord of the sky. Zeus was thrown from his throne. The other gods stood there for a moment, before Poseidon and Hades advanced weapons drawn.

'Stand down, Sam,' said Poseidon aiming the trident at him.

'Not anymore, I am done obeying gods for their games.'

'So be it,' said Hades as he used his sword to break the floor of the throne room and pushing the mecha through the hole.

If you ask either god of what happened next, they will swear that they heard laughter coming from the giant machine as Sam Parker plummeted from Olympus.