Chapter 8

Circa 44 BCE
Gaius Julius Caesar - Dictator Perpetuo
Troad, Province of Asia

Percy approached the figure standing near the shore.

She turned as he approached, giving him a hesitant smile. He couldn't find in himself not to smile back, as awkward as it was. It had been a while since they last met. Probably before he had met Caesar and Spartacus. She hadn't changed, as usual, though her gaze was a lot sadder than it used to be.

With Zoë as a member of the Hunters, led by Apollo's sister, Irene had become his go-to partner in his quest for revenge. In recent decades, she'd become increasingly ambivalent, which frustrated him.

"You wanted to meet?" she said.

Percy nodded. He stopped about ten paces from her. He didn't feel comfortable being any closer.

"We haven't spoken in a while," he started. "I was thinking you might have pulled yourself off the grid."

"With the Civil War?" Irene scoffed. Her eyes flickered out toward the sea. "As if I would be inactive during that. It's practically my job to intervene."

"Fair enough."

Irene didn't look at him. He could see her discomfort. And he could hear the unspoken question: What's the real reason you want to speak to me?

He took a deep breath. "I was told that you've been working for the Romans. A couple of the Greek scouts saw someone like you leading a couple of cohorts of the Tenth Legion, a legion that was disbanded last year."

"And so what?"

"The balance of power remains with the Romans. Why are you helping them? You said you would help the Greek cause."

"Depends on what you think constitutes 'help.' I definitely wasn't helping them fight. You're right. Equestris disbanded last year, and they're still disbanded. I was converting them."

"Converting them to what?"

Irene shot him a look, as if he should've already known the answer. "To the Senate's side. To help Brutus and Cassius."

"Why would you target disbanded legionnaires? They no longer have any power."

"They need any help they can get convincing the regular citizens to join their cause. It's why Caesar is so popular. Because the ordinary folk all love him. It's not the nobles that have granted him all his power, though many try to appease him and support him in hopes of being granted higher positions once he does obtain power. But the will of the majority can overrule the wisdom of the few. The Senate is not popular. I'm only trying to mitigate the damage."

Percy pressed his lips together. "I know that Caesar is popular amongst the masses. That's part of my plan. I just don't see how the Tenth fits into this whole narrative. They were loyal to Caesar."

"Not anymore."

"How can you be so sure?" He crossed his arms. "This is like convincing me to make peace with Apollo. I will never. Not after he made Rhode disappear. I'll do the very same thing to him. And like with my half-sister, I'll make sure no one knows he's gone."

"I heard about Rhode and Helios." Irene didn't look surprised. "They've been gone for over a century, Percy. It's not news."

He gave her a bewildered look. "You knew about this?"

"I found out not much longer after they faded. When did you find out?"

"Last month. Why didn't you tell me?"

Irene shrugged her shoulders. "Am I supposed to tell you? We're not exactly on the same side, are we?"

His fingers twitched and he took a step toward her. "You told me you wanted to help."

"Yes, to help bring balance," she nodded. She gestured to the ruins of Troy behind them. "Not destruction."

Percy regarded her coldly. "Don't pretend to be noble. You dislike the Romans just as much as I do."

"Nowhere near as much as you," she scoffed. "Perhaps you're right to say I dislike them after what my brother did to me, what his new family did to me. I didn't agree with him back then. I don't agree with his descendants now. But I'm also of the opinion that there's no reason to enable a lunatic who wishes to tear everything down. That would be worse than anything the Romans have done."

He laughed soulessly. "I'm a lunatic? Even crazier than when I was literally on the verge of turning into a mania?"

Irene walked over to the shore. She slipped out of her sandals and took a few steps into the water. With a deep sigh, she said, "I regret this life, but I'm too afraid to leave it. You understand, don't you?" She turned to him and gave him an ominous look. "But, because you're too afraid of leaving this life yourself, you're going to destroy everything if you continue this way, Percy."

"Everyone loves to say that."

"And you should listen." Irene's words washed over him like spring water. "I don't want you to destroy yourself in the process. You act as if you would sacrifice your soul to bring down Apollo and Mars. What good would that do? What solace would come of that?"

"I'm immune to your charmspeak," he scowled.

"I know that very well." Her eyes were sad. "If I was strong enough to stop you, I would have done it a long time ago."

"But you're not."

"You're right. I was never strong enough to stop you. I've never thought of stopping you. Only... only to save you. All I can do is to try and help you find a different path."

With the sun setting off to his left, and the desperate look Irene was giving him, it almost felt like it was his last chance to turn back. If he didn't turn away before his plan to assassinate Caesar, then he would finally give himself up.

But he was so close to beginning the final phase of his plan. Caesar would become a martyr to the people. The Senate would crumble, authoritarianism would rise, and without the dissent and discourse of conflicting opinions, it would be easy to manipulate the everyday citizen. The only thing he needed to figure out was how to wipe Apollo away from history. He couldn't give up after coming this far.

Irene spoke again, "I don't belong to either world, Greek or Roman. True Trojans died out a long time ago. But you belong to both. Must you insist on absolute annihilation? Things should revert to the way they were before the war. Back then… before you were exiled, you were the coolest hero I had ever known... have ever known to this very day."

Percy clenched his jaw. "I was weak."

"No… the current you is weak," she said, shaking her head. "Back then, you were the strongest demigod in the world. I want that Percy back. The one I admired. And I'll do what I can to help him return."

He held her gaze for a while, as the sky above them turned orange and pink. She didn't waver. She didn't back down.

"But if you must kill Caesar, then do it," she said. Her expression was strong and resolute. "If he's gone back on his word, if he's decided to fight against us, then do what you have to. I'll stick by you so long as the Romans hold the upper hand. But, please, don't push your limits. It'll only be a matter of time before you break yourself. And when that time comes, I guarantee you, no one will be there to save you."

Percy scowled. "There will always be those who agree with my sentiment."

"Not of the ones who have compassion and empathy. Only the young, the hateful, stay by you. And for those who see the light too late, by the time they realize, they're doomed to death."

"Have you seen what the Romans have done to the Greeks?" He ground his teeth. "Did you not see what they did to Greek demigods after they took over? Mass slaughters were completely erased from their history books. They coerced our people into fighting with them, and then when they finally annexed Achaea, they systematically raped and slaughtered everyone!"

"And what use is it to fight back with the same cruelty?" She stepped out of the surf and approached him. "You'll just continue an endless cycle of hatred. This war will never end."

Percy stepped forward and put a hand to his belt. "Don't test me, Irene."

"If the only one left in the world that can sway your heart is Zoë, then you are already doomed," Irene said. "She nearly sacrificed her life to try and save you. Have you done anything in the centuries since your return to make it up to her?"

"I didn't ask her to follow me into that hell," he said coldly.

Irene bowed her head and closed her eyes, acting as if he was a lost cause. She sounded irritated, her voice gruff. "If I had let you turn into a mania, we wouldn't have to go through all this pain and suffering. How many lives have you sacrificed in your journey to destroy Apollo and Mars? Should I go and destroy those spheres and return the memories to you? Should I let you deteriorate until you're no longer human?"

"Go ahead and try!" he shouted.

Irene clenched her jaw and glared at him, trying her best, but miserably failing, to maintain her composure. "This is what Zoë wanted to avoid. Go ahead, then! Go and kill and destroy everything this world has to offer. Plunge this world into chaos and devastation. When nothing is left, when the only thing that remains is a wasteland of nothing but human remains, then enjoy your pitiful excuse for victory!"

Percy was ready to explode, but he stopped when he looked into her eyes. Normally guarded and secretive, Irene usually kept a façade up to hide her true emotions. But he could see the hurt in her expression, masked by layers of anger and fear. She tried to blink the tears out of her eyes.

Before he even really knew what he was doing, he found himself reaching out toward her face.

She slapped his hand away, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "Don't act like you care, Percy. You ignored Zoë when she reached out toward you. You don't deserve to reach out for anyone."

"I..."

Irene turned away from him. "I think we're done here. Go. Kill Caesar. I'll find Octavian."

He opened his mouth to call out to her, but his voice was lost in his throat. He couldn't say a word. He looked down. He felt conflicted.

He turned. He walked away.

Circa 550 CE
Justinian Dynasty
Ilion, Asia

They sat on the shore near where the old Myrmidon camp was.

The fleet had to make a pit stop in Ilion for food and supplies. There were too many campers, and the suppliers had been woefully unprepared for the amount of bodies they needed to support. Percy didn't mind all that much. It gave him more time with the Trio.

The last time he saw Athanasios this close was when the boy was a toddler. His mother was a legacy of Mercury, a member of the Twelfth Legion. She developed a sickness after she gave birth to her baby boy, and word spread around the legion that she'd slept with a Greek. Percy tried to bring them both to the camp, but the woman died from her disease before they could get there. Despite his matrilineal ancestry, Athanasios was dominantly Greek and often acted that way.

He'd seen Leon in brief visits with Sophia, but he only watched from a distance. It was all he needed to determine the boy's potential. And he knew Xanthe from his early visits to Sophia's household, where he'd spent a decade watching her and her children after failing to kill a promising young warrior in the Eleventh Legion named Marcus.

He could hardly remember the last time he'd been so invested in the lives of demigods from childhood to adulthood. The last demigod or legacy he'd attended to must have been Trajan, whom Percy had genuinely liked. In the centuries following, Percy had turned his attention toward the rise of Christianity and a broader view of the whole war.

It had also been a long time since he'd visited Troy. Even if it had been turned into a completely different city centuries ago, Percy would always remember these lands as Trojan. The memory of the city burning to the ground was as clear as day, unlike all of his memories of the east. That day, he'd succumbed to a sort of madness. Nothing mattered but vengeance for the gods. But in the east, everything was done on his own accord. He'd made the decisions without outside influence. Those memories haunted him the most. It was why he put then away.

"It's definitely interesting to see how land changes over time," Percy told the Trio. He pointed at the shoreline. "There used to be a larger bay here. The sea, at high tide, was very close to the city. The Scamander deposited a lot of loose sediment, extending the plains all the way up where it is today."

"How does it work?" Leon frowned. He was the only one of the three in the mood to speak with him. "Is the soil just deposited because the water brings it? Like, it breaks off of the land upriver, and then as the river flows into the ocean, the loose soil just... collects here?"

"Something like that."

"Wow." Leon stared out at the boats. "I can't really believe I'm here. I've never been out to Asia. The closest I've gotten is Adrianople. I heard about a lot from the seer about the Trojan War. I mean, he's a seer so he doesn't really know all the details about the past, but still. It's amazing."

"What do you know about the Trojan War?"

"The seer talked a lot about Achilles. I think that's the story that gets passed down because of Homer. It's written so that we can understand Achilles' story."

"What do you think of Achilles?"

Leon pursed his lips. "Hm, that's a difficult question. Um, I think he's arrogant and proud, but I also think that he's fiercely loyal and protective of those he cares about. I think he genuinely cared for Briseis. His desire or call for revenge I think was justified to some extent. I... If my mother was taken like a prize or killed, or my closest friend was murdered because everyone went against my command, I think I'd snap too."

The son of Zeus suddenly turned toward Xanthe, his eyes wide. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as he seemed to realize that Xanthe's mother had just died the day before.

Percy put a hand on his shoulder to calm him and leaned over toward Xanthe. "Hey, kiddo. How are you?"

Xanthe nodded glumly. "I'm fine."

She looked as though the life had been sucked out of her. Her eyes stared blankly at the sea, a cold blue like the deep ocean. She hadn't cried yet, though he figured she might once reality hit her. He wouldn't hold it against her. Crying was a natural reaction to loss and sorrow. Sophia wasn't a good mother by any means, but she spent the last decade of her life doing her best to atone for all the mistakes she'd made in her younger days. Percy could respect that.

Leon slumped forward, as if disappointed that he couldn't console her.

Athanasios let out a resigned sigh. The son of Hades turned to Percy. "So... who are you, first of all? And what do you want from us? Why does Chiron seem to hate you? Who was that girl with you?"

"All good questions, Athanasios." Percy slid forward and turned so that he was facing the Trio. He gave him the warmest smile he could muster up. "Let's start with the easiest one. That girl is Irene. She's a friend, for now. She could easily become our enemy, but that's a different story. She's going to track down someone we've been looking for, so that's why she isn't here. The second easiest question is who I am. My name is Perseus. But I go by Percy. Though, I'm sure you know a little more about me than the other two."

Athanasios flushed. Percy hoped he remembered the dream that he'd seen of Ionna.

"You're the leader of this war, aren't you?" Leon said suddenly. "I don't quite understand everything yet, but that must be why Chiron gave you that look. You're older than you look. You don't carry yourself like you're our age. You carry yourself like you're our commander."

"Good observation," Percy smiled.

Xanthe blinked and tilted her head slowly. "You... you're the one that put me on Chiron's back before we escaped. You... my mother..."

Percy's smile faltered. He stared sadly at her. "I'm sorry. But Sophia knew what she was getting into. She would've wanted you to survive over her. You're more important to the cause."

Her eyes flashed angrily and she shot to her feet. "So it's okay to let my mother die?!"

"No, it's not okay," he replied coolly. He could feel the sea behind him bubbling, ready to explode at Xanthe's command. "Had we all stayed, we would have all died. Would you rather that than the opportunity for revenge?"

"I would rather have died with her!" She let out a cry of grief, shutting her eyes like she was expecting the world to explode around them. When she opened her eyes, and nothing had changed, she looked shocked. "What... how... how are we not soaking with...?"

Percy raised his hand up to eye-level. "That would be my doing."

"You...?"

"I'm a son of Poseidon. Hello, sister."

Xanthe didn't blink once as she slowly sat down in shock. She kept her eyes on him, as if she couldn't believe she'd encountered a demigod who was powerful enough to counter her.

They settled into a brief silence.

Leon glanced back and forth between Athanasios and Xanthe, unsure of what to say. He pressed his lips together in thought. It must have been a whirlwind for the son of Zeus. Percy knew that he'd been living in his village for years up until the day before, and to suddenly be in Ilion had to have been overwhelming. But he was handling it well. Much better than the other experienced campers. Percy wondered if Leon's unorthodox training helped him in some ways.

Then, suddenly, Athanasios straightened his posture and gave Percy a hard look. "You want us to help you, then. Leon must be right. You are one of the leaders of the war effort, even if we've never heard of you specifically. I can't think of any other reason why you'd come to us here."

"And am I wrong to believe you would join me?" Percy asked.

Athanasios glared at him. "I want to fight. There's nothing else I'd rather do. But why should we follow you? We hardly know you."

Percy smiled. "Well, it's simple, Thanas. I have the key to what you want."

Athanasios' scowl didn't disappear, but he gestured for him to continue.

"You're right, there is no trust between us yet. How can you trust me? How can I trust you? But we all have the same goal here. We want to survive. We want to protect the ones we care about."

Leon scratched his head. "Um, even me?"

"Even you, Leon."

"Okay, I'm listening." Leon turned to the other two. "Aren't you two curious? How does he know... no, what does he know? Why not hear him out? If you decide you don't want to help him, what's the worst that can happen? We die? Would you kill us, Percy?"

"Probably," Athanasios muttered.

Percy took a long look at Leon. He was definitely different from the other two. His instincts were sharp and well-tuned. Leon could sense that he was no threat. He could tell it was wholly on Percy to convince them to join his side.

"Well?" Leon challenged.

Percy crossed his arms and laughed. "Of course not. You're free to accept or reject as you please. But, might I remind you, Empress Theodora can only protect so many of you. Constantinople is not free of Romans. They will have their scouts and informants. If you want to live a comfortable life there until the Romans combine forces and converge on you, then be my guest. You're sure to die if you walk that path."

"And the other path is us following you and surviving?"

He shook his head. "There aren't always only two options. Sometimes there are more. You can choose to split up, fragment yourselves as you lead on your different lives. You can choose to lead the campers east in an attempt to escape the hunt and disappear into old Persian lands. You can head north and escape into obscurity, run away from the fight. There are a plethora of options, Leon. But, of course, my job is to recommend one."

"To join you," Athanasios said.

He nodded.

The Trio all looked at each other, trying gauge each other's opinions. Percy was surprised and happy to see that Leon fit in almost instantly. They already looked like they were a team.

Percy put his hands on his knees and leaned forward. "Thanas. You want to fight this war. You want to destroy the Romans. You have a reason to end it. Once it's over, you and the love of your life will get married."

Athanasios' weak point was Ionna. The way his eyes immediately focused when he mentioned 'love' was all Percy needed to confirm. Athanasios must have fallen for her hard.

"But Ionna's on her way to Italia," Percy continued. "She's headed straight into enemy territory. She's headed off to complete an insane quest that no one has ever completed successfully. Even if this war ends, there's a chance that your love will no longer be with you."

"You could have stopped her," Athanasios said, clenching his jaw. "Are you trying to provoke me?"

"No one ever said you couldn't go to fight by her side." Percy raised his eyebrows. "Unless Chiron told you that you need to stay safe and remain within the camp."

"Well... no."

"Isn't that the thing you fear the most right now, Thanas? That Ionna will be slain before you even get the chance to say goodbye? How could you just let her go and not do anything about it?"

"I..." Athanasios seemed at a loss for words. "Well, I just..."

"Xanthe," Percy said, leaving Athanasios to ponder. "Your mother... she was killed by those stupid Romans. The Eleventh Legion was there to kill all of you. What about Cyril? What about the dead that never made it to Thessalonica? You've been training to become powerful enough to fight the Romans. Will you give up on that dream, on that hope, this easily?"

Xanthe looked down.

"The Romans are the ones that killed your mother in the end. Not yourself. Not Chiron. Not me. It was the Romans."

"I... Yeah, I know that's what we're supposed to be fighting for but..."

"Does it feel like a part of you has gone missing? Like your mother's death as left a hole in your heart?"

Xanthe nodded, clutching the fabric of her clothes. "I feel lost."

"Don't feel lost. Channel it. Channel that strength and power. Avenge your mother. She worked so hard to protect you from danger, so that you would live a great life. Fight and end this war in her honor. Fight to achieve the life that your mother so desperately wanted you to have."

She couldn't lift her head.

Percy turned to Leon, who was watching expectantly. "And last, but not least, Leon. This is the world you were built for. Not your village's world. For your whole life, you've felt out of place. You've felt like an imposter, living in a world that's not your own. And now, after being threatened with death, you've run away. This time, the Romans didn't attack your home. But they spent the effort to find you, target you, come to your village. What will happen the next time they want to send a message?"

Leon's ears twitched. "They wouldn't attack a village full of mortals."

"How do you know?" Percy could tell Athanasios and Xanthe believed him. "Some of Rome's most pagan-influenced leaders initiated terrible purges against Christians. Moreover, they would have known that you were a member of that village for years. They now know, after you ran away, that you are aware of your heritage. There's a chance you could return home one day. Perhaps your home will be used as bait, as a trap, to lure you out."

"You have no proof that that will happen," Leon said, his voice more irritated.

No, I don't, Percy thought. But all I need to do is convince you that it might.

"The Romans have no mercy, Leon," Xanthe said, turning to face him. "Viviana, Alexandros and I were on a mission once to find a daughter of Ares near Larissa. Her home was burned to the ground, the village was sacked, and the next morning it was nearly a ghost town. Men's heads were lined up on spears like a fence. Some women were killed, but the majority had been taken as prizes. Boys lay dead and disfigured in the rubble. We were far too late."

"Some legions were instructed by Mars to hunt down Greeks to the last survivor," Athanasios said darkly. "Fortunately, mortals have become so abundant that it's a lot easier to hide."

"Yes, you can go back to your village and protect them," Percy continued, thankful that the other two had unknowingly supported his case. "Or you can take the fight to the Romans themselves and prevent them from touching your village. Of course, there's no guarantee. But there's no guarantee that you will be able to protect your village on your own."

Leon clenched his jaw.

Percy watched him closely. Each of them was driven by a loved one, which he found fascinating. Xanthe and Athanasios were far more aware of the impending fight with the Romans and displayed far more hostility toward said Romans. Leon, however, was an interesting case. He had no reason to hate the Romans. He had no reason to fight in the war other than the fact that Marcus had gone to his village to kill him. And his ultimate breaking point, like Athanasios, was one woman.

Percy softened his voice. "Listen, Leon. I get it. You don't know where you belong. This fight against the Romans seems so foreign to you. You don't really understand why this war is being fought. All you know is that it is being fought. You want to be at home with your mother. But, even there, you don't quite fit in. Their very beliefs speak against your existence. Now, you have a chance to make a home. This is your chance to finally seize the day and find out where you truly belong."

The son of Zeus looked up at him. There was conflict in his eyes for sure. Then, Leon turned to Athanasios, who gave him an uncertain look. Lastly, Leon faced Xanthe.

Something seemed to click in his mind. He reached out and grabbed Xanthe's hand.

Xanthe looked up at him in surprise.

Leon gave her a small smile as if to comfort her. "I... I didn't know your mother that well. Outside of two isolated incidents, I've only ever seen her in dreams. But it must be hard knowing that she's dead. I..." He caught himself, like he was holding back sorrow of his own. "I'm not a good person. I've done bad things. But if joining this war means I can protect people from being killed by bloodthirsty attackers, then I'll do it. Don't worry. We'll avenge your mother. We'll protect Ionna."

Athanasios straightened as Leon turned to face him. He stared at Leon curiously for a moment before his expression hardened in determination. "You're right. We won't let them hurt any more of us."

Xanthe's eyes started to well with tears. "We hardly know each other, Leon... How can you say that so easily?"

"Well, we're both Greek demigods, aren't we?" Leon was still holding her hand. "And, most importantly, we're both human. It hurt a lot, coming to the realization that I was a killer, that I killed my uncle. But seeing how my entire village, even the ones that didn't know my uncle very well, came together to comfort my mother, I know that everyone in my village is a good person. Regardless of the fact that I'm not supposed to exist to them, we're human in the end."

"Are the Romans still humans then?" Athanasios asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course," Leon nodded. His gaze turned cold. "But if they're humans who kill innocent people defending themselves, simply because they don't like their origins, simply because they don't like people who have no control of where they come from, then that's unforgivable."

"My... my brother..." Xanthe's voice cracked. "He's..."

"Whatever happens," Leon said, "we should stick by each other. If we don't... then who will? Let's remember your mother for the good she did. Let's honor her legacy."

She leaned over and wrapped him in an embrace, sobbing into his shoulder. Leon returned the embrace, the lost look in his eyes morphing into one of determination.

Athanasios hung his head in mourning. He muttered something underneath his breath that must have been some sort of prayer for Sophia's passage into the Underworld.

Percy held back a smile. The Trio had become close to each other in far less time than he'd expected. He was glad that they were connecting on an emotional level. Emotions were far more powerful than any other means of persuasion.

A part of his mind, somewhere in the back, flashed in alarm. If Leon ever got wind of his true intentions, there was nothing stopping the son of Zeus from turning on him. But he pushed it aside. Leon would come to see that the world wasn't as simple as that. Morals and ethics are never as clear-cut as that.

Xanthe apologized after she stopped crying. Athanasios and Leon helped her clean her face and brought her back to the ships. The cargo was fully loaded. The Greeks would be ready to sail to Constantinople soon. But the Trio assured him that they weren't going with them, that they would convince Chiron to let them free, and if he didn't, they would sneak out.

Percy stared out at the bay. The lapping waves reminded him of the past, back before Augustus built Ilion.

"If I don't deserve to reach out for anyone, am I supposed to fade?" he asked the waves. He hoped the Fates were listening. "Give me Apollo's death and I'll stop. Kill him and spare the lives of millions. Or I'll drag everyone into this mess."

Percy sniffed and spat on the ground.

"I already destroyed myself. Don't make me destroy the world too."