(1/20/15) A/N: Hi all! I know most of you probably despise me for my inactivity, and I have no real excuse (excluding exam week and the week of Christmas, where I was extremely busy). But on the other days I wasn't too busy, and I'm sorry I didn't update. Hopefully this chapter will be up to par, but I'm still running into some plot walls that I trying to figure out. Hope you all like it. Please review! I need some incentive to write!
(1/20/15) Chapter Eleven! Thank you for sticking with me this long! This chapter has action, action, and even more action. I know you guys waned some, so I incorporated a ton in. After this section, the quests to stop Krios and topple the Black Throne will begin. Enjoy!
(7/2/15) Ok...this is the part where I expect swords and spears to be thrown at me (or tomatoes) but I'd like to apologize for disappointing you all with my extremely long hiatus (like a couple months) but I've recently gotten back into writing and my targets are set on this story. I'm completely blown out of the water by all the reviews asking me to come back (yes, I read them ALL and they really help and inspire me) and I think it's time I do just that . . . please enjoy this chapter. More to come.
Nicole Di Angelo: Wow that's a lot of questions. I'll try to answer them in order. Percy is going to be placed in the Fifth since he left the arena. Reyna will not have romantic feelings—or at least won't admit them—until after Jason disappears after being kidnapped by Juno. No, I probably won't update my other stories for a while. This is the one I'm focused on, and barely have enough time to write for this one. Percy and Jason are now separated by their Cohorts, so they will become rivals of sorts. Thanks for reviewing!
Flamingmonkey0: Thank you! That's good to here. I wasn't confident in my ability to write since it had been so long since I last updated.
xRinneandSharinx: Yes, Thalia will definitely be breaking up fights once she comes into the story.
Zedicus101: It will become clearer later on why Jason is being pulled into the spotlight.
Alti: Soon. Not quite yet.
: I'm sorry I bored you. But I have to develop their childhoods or it seems too random just to thrust them into quests. They have to be connected to New Rome and the people in it, so I have to spend time on it. It will hopefully pick up soon. And by the way, they are twelve now, when Saturn first began appearing. I'm not in their childhood anymore. That ended with the last chapter.
Celestele14: I'm kind of trashing Percy right now, but his life will pick up before and around the time of the Giant War. During the war with Saturn, Jason will be the star. Unfortunately. But Percy WILL be the main man. He just has to have a RISE to greatness. It wouldn't be a very entertaining story if he was just automagically amazing.
XxBanewolvesLiveAgainxX: Reyna.
LavenderMoonRose: Yes, Bianca will be the Greek child of the prophecy. And you guessed it. Bianca and Jason will be swapped. And I'm not sure what to do with Nico yet. He will probably come in.
CallToMuster: Oh, definitely. I'm getting there.
Chapter Eleven: War Games
Percy
Percy shoved the tip of his spear through the straw dummy. Sweat rolled down his face in streams, and sparks erratically shot off of his skin, openly displaying his emotions. He stepped back and went through the motions again: hack, slash, stab, repeat. Percy's irritation and fury hit its peak, causing him to send an accidental—but satisfying—blast of electricity into the dummy. The top of the poor dummy was ripped from the lower half, and flew across the Coliseum before hitting the sand with a large thump. Percy was about to prepare another dummy to annihilate, but was stopped by a sudden, chastising voice.
"That rather unkind, don't you think?"
Percy whirled around, thoroughly startled by the spontaneous outburst from an unknown person. When Percy had entered the arena earlier, he had been the only one inside. He had been training for an hour, and not once had he heard someone enter. So when he had heard to shapeless voice, he was rather frightened.
But when he turned to locate the source, he saw a young lady seated in the front row of the Coliseum with her legs crossed. She wore immaculate white robes that seemed to catch rays of the sun, and violently lavender eyes that were deep contrasts to her clothing. Long, dark hair cascaded down from her head, and spilled around her pale, kind face.
For the first time since his initiation, which was a week ago, Percy's face split into a small grin. The sight of his surrogate mother and patron could even overpower his bitterness about being placed in the Fifth Cohort. Even though he had left the arena for a noble cause, Cassie was unable to reverse the denouement of his trial. Even a Praetor couldn't change century-old laws.
"Mom," Percy whispered, flipping Augustus back into coin form.
Trivia floated out of her seat and dropped into arena, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Trivia smiled warmly as she engulfed her adopted son in a tight hug.
"You're still angry," Trivia commented knowingly as she stepped back, "but you shouldn't direct your anger at the daughter of Bellona, Percy. It isn't her fault."
Percy's smile faded and his lips formed a thin line at the mention or Reyna Avila Arellano Ramirez, the Puerto Rican daughter of Bellona who had inadvertently forced him to join the Fifth Cohort: something he was made fun of about already, even though it had been mere days since the attack on the camp.
The girl, as stunningly beautiful as she was, was overwhelmingly irritating to Percy. Perhaps that was due to the fact that she single-handedly ruined all of his aspirations, but . . . well, actually, that was the only reason he despised her. It was the only reason he needed.
Only a day after Percy had been coerced into the Fifth Cohort's barracks, Reyna suggested that she participate in her own test. And of course—as if Fate itself wished to spite Percy—she made it straight into the First Cohort with his twin. Since then, Percy had been training nonstop in order to funnel out his resentment in a method that wouldn't be physically harming to anyone other than the unfortunate straw mannequins located in the storeroom of the arena.
However, Dakota had also been placed in the Fifth Cohort. Percy suspected the son of Bacchus could have at least made it to the Second Cohort, but he fell short of even that. Either Dakota was truly a dreadful warrior, or he had deliberately failed the first test in order to be in a Cohort with one of his two best friends. Either way, Percy was actually comforted by the presence of one of his close friends. Maybe his time with the Fifth wouldn't be too terrible if Dakota was there with him.
"I have every right to be mad at her," Percy retorted, "if only she hadn't—"
"Been chased by a large monster attempting to brutally murder her and then devour her?" Trivia suggested innocently, but with a certain amused look in her eyes, as if she knew she had already won the argument.
The words Percy was about to say were sucked straight out of his mouth by Trivia's intelligent reply. What Trivia had said made total sense, but the defiant son of Jupiter still wanted something—someone, even—to blame for his misfortune. And his mind had subconsciously pegged Reyna as the cause of his recent problems, and he'd be damned before he just let her off the hook for indirectly ruining all of his dreams for his future. And to make it even worse, Jason had befriended Percy's new, mental nemesis. For reasons blatantly obvious (their appearances), the two had been almost inseparable since Jason had rescued the daughter of Bellona from being killed by the Drakon. While jogging on his daily, morning runs, Percy would often see the two of them sitting in the gardens of Bacchus just talking and looking over the camp. Percy doubted they even noticed he ran by them each day.
Jason hadn't spoken to Percy since the initiation. Percy supposed that wasn't entirely his twin's fault, because Percy himself hadn't made an effort to speak with his brother either. But whenever the idea of speaking to Jason popped into Percy's head, a bitter feeling of jealousy would surface and cause him to become so aggravated that he would have to go blow off steam in the arena, like he was currently.
"Fine," Percy conceded, much to his chagrin. "Maybe you're right. But I'm still going to blame her. She ruined everything, Mom."
Trivia brightened a bit when Percy called her "Mom", but Percy didn't seem to notice.
"No she hasn't, Percy," Trivia stated.
Percy's eyebrows knit together and his sea green orbs met Trivia's lavender ones.
"You may not have realized it yet, Percy, but Reyna has given you a rare opportunity that most do not receive. Since you are currently in the most disreputable Cohort, you will have to work to make a name for yourself. Show the camp that you might not be in the First, but you are definitely a force to be reckoned with. If you work hard enough, the camp will always remember you as the hero from the Fifth. An underdog, if you will. She hasn't destroyed your dreams; she has merely opened an alternative route that still leads to the same end result. Do you see?"
Percy nodded, and a different light seemed to shine over his situation: a more hopeful one with less acrimony. While that didn't exactly erase all the dislike he held for the daughter of Bellona, Trivia had succeeded when it came to making Percy's future seem less grim to him. Clairvoyance is a rare occurrence, but at that moment Percy felt as omniscient as Apollo himself.
"I believe War Games are tomorrow, correct?" Trivia inquired.
Percy nodded his head in response. "Starting tomorrow morning at eight."
Trivia smiled then. "Good. This is a good opportunity to make yourself known. Good luck, Percy. I'm afraid I have overstayed my welcome. I'll try to come back as soon as I can, alright?"
The two quickly hugged, and Percy averted his eyes as his surrogate mother flashed away from the arena. Trivia had one thing right for sure;
All the Romans would know the name Percy Grace after tomorrow.
-X-
One Day Later
Jason
"Get up, you lazy soldiers! It's go time! Gear up!"
Jason groaned as the sound of his Centurion's voice echoed loudly through the barracks of the First Cohort.
The male members of the First Cohort slowly rose and rolled out of their bunk beds and began to get dressed. Jason threw on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, purple t-shirt before pulling his armor out from beneath his bunk.
After donning the shining, plated armor and dropping Julius inside the pocket of his jeans, Jason exited the boys' room and into the central hallway separating the two rooms for sleeping (one room for each gender). His fellow soldiers were all geared up like he was, and were standing at attention in front of their Centurion, a son of Mercury by the name of Ramos. Ramos was a Hispanic boy of about sixteen or seventeen years of age. From his short time training with his Cohort, Jason had learned that the son of Mercury was deadly with his gladius—as good, if not better—than Jason or Percy. Ramos was tall and lanky, but muscles could easily be spotted. His biceps, which weren't concealed by his torso armor, were defined and toned from years of pre-Legion training and preparation.
"You excited?"
Jason jumped a bit, his hand instinctively shooting into his pocket where Julius rested inertly. The blond son of Jupiter relaxed when his sapphire eyes landed on the culprit—a tan daughter of Bellona with long, dark hair. Her lips were inclined slightly—a smile from Reyna was actually quite rare. Jason hadn't known her for very long, but had definitely taken note of how reserved Reyna was, and how efficient she was at keeping her emotions in check. Jason wore his heart on his sleeve; Reyna kept her heart locked inside a secure safe deposit box that was located on some inconspicuous island that wasn't visible on a map. Perhaps that metaphor was a bit drastic, but it seemed that way to Jason.
Perhaps that comparison was enough to describe how emotionless Reyna was.
In a strange way, she was like Percy. Jason's twin was exceptional in keeping his cool, something he was rarely able to do while he was younger. But in the last year or so, Percy had become more mature—more controlled. It was hard to read him now; Jason could occasionally detect Percy's emotion through his eyes, but even that was difficult to do now.
But back to the point, Reyna wasn't the easiest person to get along with. The only reason Jason was able to talk to her without getting kicked in the groin or thrashed with hand-to-hand combat was the fact that Jason had rescued her from being crushed by the drakon that had attempted to invade the camp nearly a week ago. But even with their partial relationship, Reyna was still quite closed when it came to her opinions or feelings.
She'd make a good leader, Jason thought unintentionally.
"Don't sneak up on me like that," Jason chastised as Reyna tightened a strap on her chest plate.
Reyna snorted. "Don't be a wimp. Let's go."
Ramos led the group out of their barracks and onto the Via Principia, which would lead to the Field of Mars. They filed into two, orderly columns—Romans loved their order—to walk down the street. Reyna was in front of him, and was nervously gripping the hilt of her sheathed sword.
A door opened nearby, drawing most of the Legionnaires' attention. A disorderly mass of Legionnaires filed out, all talking and stumbling around like drunken idiots. Their Centurion, a boy named Daniel Watson, stood at the front of the crowd with his plumed helmet.
"Assemble!" He yelled.
The soldiers continued to chatter amongst themselves, hardly paying an ounce of attention to their Centurion. Some of the Legionnaires in the First Cohort snickered, while Ramos was casting a rather condescending gaze at Daniel.
"Fifth Cohort, assemble!" Daniel shouted again.
The effect was the same. The soldiers of the First were openly laughing now, and all were making snide and insulting comments about the Fifth. Jason wanted to smile or laugh along with his fellow soldiers, but his piercing cobalt eyes had found a head of raven hair among the disorderly crowd.
"That is your brother?" Reyna inquired; it seemed to be more of a statement than a question, however.
"Yeah," Jason replied distractedly.
The Hispanic girl's eyes scanned Percy, seeming to take in his appearance.
"I saw him fighting the drakon," Reyna commented, "and he seemed like a well-trained soldier. Why is he in that Cohort?"
"You put him there," Jason responded automatically, before turning to Reyna, eyes wide.
"That came out wrong," Jason followed up hastily, realizing how accusing that sounded out loud.
"How—" Reyna began.
"FORWARD MARCH!" Ramos yelled to the First Cohort, cutting off Reyna mid-sentence, "TO THE FIELDS OF MARS!"
A huge, deafening roar erupted from the soldiers of the First Cohort. They took off at a slight jog, heading down into the massive field.
The Field of Mars was a gargantuan expanse that was maybe seven hundred yards long, and five hundred yards wide. It was riddled with craters and rocks that were left over from the previous war game. On one side of the field was a towering, stone fortress with intricate guard towers, a functioning gate, and a moat filled with water. Pitfalls and snare traps littered the area around the front, while massive water cannons dotted the top of the walls.
Five groups of soldiers—separated by Cohorts—formed equally proportional battle lines and silently waited to be addressed by their Praetors, who were standing in front of the groups. Jason and Reyna ended up on the front line, so they had a clear view of their two leaders.
Cassie was wearing her usual, purple cape—the symbol of Praetorship—over her gleaming, golden chest plate. A plumed helmet rested between her side and her arm. In her other hand was a reflective, Imperial gold sword that had several embedded gems in its hilt. Its sheath hung limply at Cassie's side. Her fiery red hair was pulled into a pony tail, and her icy blue eyes held a fierce excitement.
David was adorned in the same clothing, but his helmet was already on. His maroon eyes shone through the darkness—that the helmet casted on his tan face—like two lanterns burning through a murky night's fog. And instead of a sword, David was brandishing a double-ended spear that looked just as lethal as it actually was. David disliked using shields, so his other hand was empty.
A soft gust of wind whipped through the field, blowing the Praetors' capes like flags. The plumes on the helmets of the Centurions shifted slightly as well. But other than the quiet whispering of the wind, all was quiet. After a couple moments of silence, David stepped forward.
"Good morning, Legionnaires. This week's war game is the same as it always is; one team defends the fortress, and the other attacks it. I assume all of you are educated on the rules?"
No one spoke from the crowd.
"Good," David continued, before gesturing to side of the field where a few dozen Legionnaires were standing next to Pegasi, "our healers are prepared to swoop in to save those who are dangerously injured. Try not to maim or kill your fellow soldiers. Is everyone clear?"
A synchronized mutter of "Yes Sir" emanated from each of the five crowds of troops.
"Fifth and Third attack, and First, Second, and Fourth defend."
A large cheer erupted from the defenders at the same time groans came from the Third, who had been stuck with the worst Cohort possible. In reality, it was the Third versus the others. Jason doubted the Fifth would be able to do much, especially with a leader so weak.
However, the nagging thought of his brother unnerved Jason. The blond son of Jupiter knew exactly how much of a threat Percy was.
A big one.
"Twenty minutes to prepare!" Cassie yelled.
The crowd of soldiers hustled to their assigned locations. Jason knew it should be an easy battle, but his gut told him otherwise.
-X-
Percy
"We are going to get crushed!"
"We are so dead."
"I wonder if we can just hide and wait for it to be over?"
Percy tried to drown out his fellow soldiers' pessimistic comments by taking a few practice stabs with Augustus. It was in its spear form—a sleek, grey shaft with a golden spearhead. Percy had put on a facade of serenity, but his anxiety was eating him alive. His hands and body shook a bit from anticipation, and he had begun to sweat already.
But also, adrenaline had begun to seep into his bloodstream. His fear was slowly creeping away, and he was getting psyched up for the fighting. Percy knew that his Cohort might not be strong, but he sure as hell was. Percy would not be laughed at like the rest of the Cohort. He would follow Trivia's advice—he would prove himself today.
Percy and his Cohort finished getting ready, and lined up with their supporting force—the Third Cohort. Their faces were anything but confident, and weren't exactly much of a morale booster. Percy wished he could do something about it, but he didn't exactly have enough pull to rally a group of rejects. Percy doubted he would do much better than Daniel, who was—in short—a terrible motivational speaker.
"This probably won't end well," a voice sounded from beside him.
Percy recognized his best friend's voice, which was thick with negativity. Percy and Dakota had become much closer since Jason had been placed in a different Cohort. Back when they were younger, Dakota was more of a third wheel than anything else. Jason and Percy were like peanut butter and jelly, and Dakota was more of an extraneous ingredient. But recently, Percy had begun to appreciate the son on Bacchus's presence more than ever. Percy hadn't even realized that he didn't have many close friends; the son of Jupiter thought all he needed was his brother.
But then again, Percy hadn't planned on being forced into the Fifth Cohort.
Dakota was a quiet boy most of the time (that quality made him even more difficult to notice). Dakota was the adoptive son of a pair of demigods who lived in the residential area of the camp. His adoptive parents were named Rita Wilson, a daughter of Venus, and Arthur Wilson, a demigod of unknown parentage. Percy always thought it was weird that Arthur didn't know who his godly parent was, but Cassie had told him that it was actually quite common for gods not to claim their children. Percy remembered his reaction as an eight year old; he had frowned deeply and told Cassie that it wasn't fair for their kids. Cassie had smiled wistfully at him, but had supplied no response.
Percy couldn't help but agree with Dakota—as well as the other kids. This fight was going to be severely one-sided, and everyone knew it. Why had David and Cassie made the teams so lopsided?
"Maybe," Percy admitted, "but I'm not going to roll over for them. They'll have to knock me out before I stop."
The corners of Dakota's mouth twitched upward into a slight smile.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Suddenly, David's amplified voice stretched across the field.
"ASSEMBLE, LEGIONNAIRES!"
Percy and Dakota moved to their formation, both taking places on the front lines, since no one else wanted too. The tension was thick in the crowd of inexperienced and nervous Legionnaires of the Fifth and Third Cohort. The auras of the soldiers around Percy began to feel smothering, like he was being suffocated. Strangely enough, it reminded Percy of his magic training with Trivia.
"Let it flow, Percy," Trivia ordered, "don't try to force it."
A ten-year-old Percy was covered in sweat; his damp hair was plastered to his tan forehead, and his head was pounding with a raging headache.
"I'm trying," Percy whined, closing his eyes to focus again.
"Exactly," Trivia replied, "stop trying—let it come naturally."
Percy shot her an incredulous look. "What does that even mean?"
Trivia rolled her eyes at Percy's facial expression, before taking a seat in a chair. The two were in Percy's bedroom in Cassie's villa. The room had been cleared by Trivia (she promised she'd put everything back, after Cassie's continuous complaining) so that Percy could have room to work (or to be destructive). The two had been working for two hours straight now, and Trivia seemed extremely confident that Percy could figure out how to use his power over magic.
"You know that tug in your gut you get when you use your lightning?" Trivia inquired, her violet eyes trained on Percy's emerald ones.
Percy nodded in response.
"That's the feeling you'll get when using sorcery. The magic, like electricity, is constantly inside of you. All you have to do is channel it to your hands, or wherever you want it to come out. Try again."
Needless to say, Percy had been much more successful after that. But the memory had triggered something else, besides a powerful blast of nostalgia.
An idea.
Percy took a sweeping glance of the anxious soldiers around him before turning to Dakota, whose harshly violet eyes were filled with anticipation.
"I can fix this," Percy breathed out quietly, "I can make this fair."
Dakota turned to the son of Jupiter, his eyes filled with confusion. "How?"
Percy didn't answer. He felt a soft tug in his gut, straining against his body, as if it wished to be released. Percy couldn't tell, but his eyes glowed a soft maroon as his hands slowly opened as if he was waiting for a low high-five. His eyelids slowly slid closed, and thin, almost imperceptible trails of smoke began to funnel from his open palms. Soft incantations began to spill from Percy's mouth, barely audible to Dakota, who was mere inches away from the son of Jupiter.
Dakota's violet eyes widened in shock as the smoke settled over the two collaborating cohorts without causing any commotion whatsoever. And as the son of Bacchus watched, he was able to notice expressions of fear and anxiety slowly shifting to those of confidence and positive anticipation. The cohorts stopped looking like cornered rats, and more like stalking cats.
"What in Jupiter's name?" Dakota whispered quietly, dumbstruck by Percy's extraterrestrial demonstration.
Beads of sweat formed on Percy's brow, slowly running down his tanned face. His eyes slowly opened, and his quiet chanting stopped. The soldiers were moving around now, flexing and stretching their muscles. Dakota was in awe, but also extremely confused.
"Percy? Did you hear me? How in hell did you do that?"
Percy acknowledged Dakota for the first time since he had begun chanting. His sapphire eyes looked much more weary than they had just moments earlier. His hand, which was now gripping Augustus, slowly shook from exhaustion.
"I, um, might have just used magic," Percy said with a nervous laugh.
"Magic?" Dakota exclaimed incredulously.
"Lower your voice," Percy hissed, glancing around to see if anyone had heard Dakota's outburst. Fortunately, all of them were too distracted by straightening armor and preparing weapons.
"I, um," Percy began, "I might have been adopted by Trivia?"
His voice rose to a high pitch at the end of his sentence, making it come out as if he was asking a question. Dakota just stared at him, his jaw hanging open slightly. Then, he shook his head and held out his hands to stop Percy from continuing.
"Okay . . . well I'm not sure how to respond to that, but you can give me the long version later. What did you do to . . ." Dakota trailed off and gestured at the Fifth and Third Cohorts.
"I used some basic magic I learned during my training with Trivia. I manipulated their bodies to allow more adrenaline to be dumped into their bloodstreams," Percy answered.
Dakota sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Okay, well we can finish this conversation later. Looks like we are about to begin."
Percy followed Dakota's eyes down to the center of the Field of Mars, where David and Cassie were standing. David held a massive horn in his hand, which he then raised to his lips after shouting, "LET THE GAME BEGIN!"
A deep and long noise emanated from the horn, and Fifth and Third Cohort made a thundering battle cry as they began to sprint across the Field of Mars and towards the fortress protecting the flag. Percy was in the very front, as expected, wielding Augustus in spear form. He held no shield, and was confident that he wouldn't need one. His sapphire eyes sparkled with electricity and excitement as the neared the massive construct that was being guarded by the other three cohorts. As the water cannons began to spray continuous streams at the attackers, Percy let loose a sizeable thunderbolt towards the sky that he knew all the defenders would see.
They'd taste the electricity of Percy Grace.
-X-
Reyna
Reyna had predicted the battle would be a short one, but thirty minutes in she realized that the Fifth and Third were not as weak as she had previously assumed. They were driven by something—maybe a desire to prove themselves. But no matter what the reasons were that motivated these Legionnaires, Reyna was having the fight of her life. She'd already fought Dakota, and surprisingly enough he wasn't as bad as she had heard. She had even been cut across her bicep by the son of Bacchus, and was actually quite impressed by his ability to deceive her with feints. Now, she wondered if the whole "weak son of Bacchus" had simply been a cover to get opponents to underestimate him. But nevertheless, Reyna had won that battle and had knocked Dakota on his ass in an unconscious heap.
She had originally stuck with Jason, but found that some of his windy and electrical attacks were hurting her as well. Jason was certainly not a precision attacker when using his powers, so Reyna had drifted away to have some fun on her own. She was not being challenged enough during this fight, and was secretly hoping that someone of a larger caliber would find her and engage her—like Jason's brother Percy. Reyna was pretty confident that she could beat Percy, but she couldn't shut out the reasonable voice in her head that was advising her not to test that belief.
She was pulled out her thoughts by a weak thrust towards her torso—one that she avoided easily. She slammed the hilt of her gladius into the attacker's wrist, sending his weapon into the ground. She then gave a well-placed kick, causing her foe's knees to buckle. Then, as a powerful finishing move, she delivered a roundhouse kick to his temple, knocking him out cold. Their front line was holding well, disallowing the Fifth and Third from getting anywhere close to the fortress.
"More on the left flank!" Reyna heard Ramos shout over the white noise of the battle.
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Ramos was hit in the chest by an arrow glowing a harsh blue hue. The arrow was blunt, but it discharged a sizeable amount of electricity that blew Ramos onto his back, smoke funneling up from his singed hair. Reyna's looked over the front line, at the attacking soldiers, and somehow managed to pinpoint the shooter—a slender son of Jupiter. Percy's eyes were locked on her, but before Reyna could move he had disappeared back into the fray.
Percy was intelligent—he knew that taking out the Centurion would jumble up the order of the First Cohort. Without someone to direct them, the fight would most likely turn into a disorderly skirmish rather than an organized defense. Percy planned to cause chaos by striking Ramos off the list, knowing that there was no one to replace him.
I'm here, Reyna thought.
But could she truly lead an entire Cohort? Would they even listen to her? Reyna was certainly not a high-ranking officer, nor did she know many people inside her own Cohort. It was likely that they'd all ignore her and continue doing as they pleased. Being thwarted by the Fifth Cohort was not an option—that was sure. Reyna had solidified her resolve.
She would lead them to victory.
-X-
Percy
Percy's thrust his hand forward, spraying a stream of sparks into the crowd of Legionnaires. When an enemy attempted to spear him, Percy sidestepped and sent a small gust of wind that blew him back into the crowd. Soldiers were beginning to make wide berths around Percy, due to the small whirlwind whipping around him at high speeds. He was doing it subconsciously, however—Percy was so focused on the fight that he didn't even realize that he had been cut several times in the past couple fights. His adrenaline was still pumping through his veins, keeping him and his powers running effectively throughout the fight.
Undeniably, the First Cohort's front line was experienced. Their shields were locked together, and they were effectively running off any people trying to penetrate their defenses. Earlier, Percy had shot Ramos in order to screw up their organization, but Reyna—unfortunately—had taken control and was making sure the First Cohorts soldiers stayed where they needed to be.
The Third Cohort was attacking a separate side of the fortress now, distracting the Second Cohort from being able to reinforce the First Cohort. Daniel, surprisingly enough, was a good leader—when influenced by a high amount of adrenaline and confidence—and was barking commands to just about every soldier he could find. Once the front line of the First Cohort was broken, it would be easy enough to clean the Fourth Cohort out of the fortress itself.
But Percy would cross that bridge when he got to it. The front line needed some breaking.
"Daniel!" Percy called to his Centurion.
The scrawny Centurion's eyes flicked to the son of Jupiter.
"I'm a little busy, Percy!"
"I have an idea!" Percy called. "A good one!"
Daniel looked conflicted, but eventually sighed. He turned to a boy standing next to him.
"Take over, Johnny," he ordered. "I'll be right back!"
Daniel hustled over to Percy, who was gazing at the front line of the First Cohort, who was in a close-quartered fight with the Fifth. Their metal shields were still locked together, and were fighting as a single war machine. However, Percy reckoned the machine would fall apart if electrocuted enough.
Percy let a satisfied grin appear on his face, causing Daniel to frown confusedly.
"What?"
-X-
Trivia
Trivia was walking through the hallways of Olympus when she heard the muffled shouting. It was clearly Jupiter's voice—it was impossible not to realize it was him, judging by the volume and baritone—and that of another man. Trivia was a curious goddess—she had always been that way—and couldn't resist walking to the doors of the Olympian throne room and peeking through the small crack that was visible between the two doors.
Jupiter, wearing robes for once, sat atop his throne, angrily shouting at the other god inside the throne room—his brother Neptune. Unlike Jupiter, Neptune looked much relaxed and casual, wearing a simple Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts. Jupiter was in the middle of an angry rant, while Neptune listened patiently.
"—are not ready! He wasn't supposed to be back for another couple centuries! And the Greeks are no doubt ill-prepared as well, even with that daughter of Hades at the camp now!"
Jupiter flickered a bit, and his form changed to that of his Greek persona. Neptune, after seeing Zeus, transformed as well. Trivia couldn't stop her chronic schizophrenia, and found herself shifting into Hecate before she could stop herself. Zeus continued his rant, ignoring his shift.
"And on top of Kronos's return, Krios is now in California—an immediate threat for the Romans. Mt. Othrys is too close to Camp Jupiter, Poseidon."
With the mention of the Roman camp, the two gods—and the eavesdropping goddess—shifted back to their Roman aspects. Jupiter growled in an irritated manner before rubbing his temples tenderly.
"All this shifting is giving me a migraine," he complained.
"Do not worry, brother. Your boys will be more than effective at taking down Krios—they have potential to be first-rate heroes. And as for the . . . other camp, I'm sure Pluto's spawn will be able to dispatch of our slightly larger threat. A plan is already in motion for her," Neptune explained.
Jupiter stopped rubbing his head and nodded.
"Yes, I suppose that is good news. Saturn may be a tougher foe, but Krios is no pushover, Neptune. Jason and Percy might not be able to handle him. They aren't even teenagers yet."
"You underestimate them," Neptune told him. "Have you been watching the war games today?"
Jupiter's eyes widened. "No, I haven't. I completely forgot about them."
Neptune fished (no pun intended) a denarius from his pocket. He flicked his wrist, sending a spray of mist into the air before tossing the denarius into its midst.
"Field of Mars, Iris."
The Iris message formed a screen, which, luckily, was angled where Trivia could still see it through the crack between the doors. The screen showed Jason, incapacitating soldiers from the Fifth Cohort with well-aimed, powerful bolts of lightning. Occasionally, he'd push a gust of wind into the crowd, blowing over most of his targets. To sum it up, Jason was dominating all of his opponents. Trivia doubted he had even broken a sweat yet.
Then, the screen changed and Trivia recognized her adopted son. Percy's hair—unlike Jason's—was covered in sweat and dirt. Percy had obviously been over-exerting himself, attempting to make up for the lack of skill and experience that dominated most of the Fifth Cohort's soldiers. However, Trivia—due to her intrinsic powers and knowledge of magic—immediately noticed that the soldiers around him had been affected by a spell that was most likely casted by Percy. Trivia internally cursed—she needed to have a talk with Percy about using magic. Magic was frowned upon by the Roman demigods and, and Percy was risking his reputation with his friends and family (Trivia counted Cassie as Percy's family) by using his powers so flippantly. Trivia shook away the thoughts—she'd deal with that later.
Percy, unlike Jason, was not locked in combat. Trivia saw Jupiter frown at the Iris message.
"What is he doing? Why isn't he fighting?"
However, Trivia knew better than Jupiter. Percy wasn't sitting out or hiding—he was waiting.
Suddenly, a voice tore through the Iris message. A scrawny boy wearing Centurion armor, screamed at the Fifth Cohort.
"NOW!"
The effects of his shout were completely astounding. All at once, the Fifth Cohort soldiers ceased their attack, and swiftly retreated, leaving a space maybe ten or fifteen yards from the defending troops. The front line of the First Cohort stared at them in confusion, their shields still locked together.
Jupiter scratched his head. "What in Pluto's name are they—"
Jupiter stopped talking as Percy suddenly charged forward, his right arm entirely cloaked with blue electricity. The front line stood no chance to escape what was coming. A Fifth Cohort soldier crouched in front of Percy, allowing the son of Jupiter to step on his back and vault into the air. Percy raised his coated arm, and almost seemed to descend in slow motion.
Percy slammed his fist into the ground as he landed, creating a massive shockwave of electricity that shot outward towards the front line. The shockwave hit them in the blink of an eye, the electricity travelling through the metal shields that were locked together.
"He's using the shields as conductors," Jupiter muttered in amazement.
The electricity spread quickly, shocking and numbing body parts, sending the soldiers with weaker tolerances or more metal equipment into unconsciousness. People along the front line began to fall, forming apertures in the defense. The scrawny boy laughed in victory before pointing his gladius at the front line.
"FIFTH COHORT! SHOW NEW ROME WHO WE ARE! CHARGE!"
With a deafening battle cry, the Fifth Cohort slammed into the First Cohort's front line like a tidal wave hitting a beach. The line broke immediately, allowing Fifth Cohort soldiers to finally pass through to get closer to the flag located in the center of the fortress. The Iris message refocused on Percy, who was admiring his handiwork with a satisfied smile. He then pulled Augustus from his pocket and gave it a flip. Then, Percy surged forward with his spear to assist his fellow soldiers.
The Iris message cut off, and Jupiter looked at the ground.
"Perhaps you are right, Neptune. My boys seem strong."
Neptune nodded in agreement. "They are. And if they aren't ready now, then they certainly will be by the time we require their services. They won't let us down."
Trivia backed away from the door, knowing that she had over stayed her welcome inside the palace. She had learned valuable information, but she didn't know if the Ancient Laws would bar her from informing Jason and Percy. She needed to find somewhere peaceful to consider her options.
With a soft pop and a dim flash, Trivia disappeared from Olympus.
-X-
Percy
His plan, luckily enough, had succeeded. His electric wave had been enough to get the line to break, and now the First Cohort was on its last legs. Most of them had retreated into the fortress, but there weren't many left now. After the Fifth Cohort broke through the line, they had incapacitated a huge amount of enemy combatants, crippling the First Cohort. Percy had caught Reyna's eye again as she entered the fortress herself, and he had even given her a mocking wink.
Percy felt ecstatic about his accomplishment; everyone knew who made and executed that strategy, and Percy would finally get some of the identification that he so desired. He was tried of being the guy who fell in front of New Rome and the guy who went to the Fifth because he left the arena. He was done being that guy.
Percy was going to be the guy who took the flag during his first game legitimate game as a soldier of New Rome.
The fight getting to the fortress was a blur. The gates had been closed, and wouldn't budge despite the siege equipment being rammed into them. Percy however, had a better plan than ramming right through the gates. His eyes drifted to the high, stone walls of the fortress.
At the top, archers and water cannon operators shot projectiles down at the breaching soldiers. The wall was too tall to be climbed, but Percy didn't even need to touch the wall to get over it. Percy turned to his left, and grabbed the nearest soldier he could find. The Fifth Cohorts soldier he grabbed was a bulky Asian guy that was holding a sword that looked like it might be heavier than Percy. He was a bit on the chubby side, but he still seemed to be fit somehow. He looked out of place—clumsy, even. The guy looked strong, and Percy didn't have the time to sit him down and interview him.
"Come with me!" Percy yelled.
The guy looked surprised, his eyebrows knitting together. "Me?"
"Yes, you," Percy answered, grabbing the Asian guy's arm and dragging him toward the base of the wall.
"You ready?" Percy asked him.
"Ready?" He asked, trying to pull away from Percy's iron grip. "Ready for what?"
Without any more warning, Percy felt the harsh tug in his gut as he manipulated the air currents around him. It took a little more effort than usual since he was moving an extra person besides himself, but the son of Jupiter still had enough energy to lift them into the air. With a groan of discomfort, Percy amplified the currents. The air lifted them up to the top of the wall quickly—so quick that the archers on the section they had flown up to had no time to react as Percy knocked them out with the blunt end of Augustus.
The Asian guy looked totally astonished that he had been flown to the top of the wall, but he promptly snapped out of it as someone tried to shoot him with an arrow. He and Percy fought back to back as they cleared out the archers. Percy hurled a lightning bolt at a nearby water cannon, both blowing it up and shocking its operator.
Percy had removed the First Cohort's support, but the Fifth Cohort was still having trouble breaking into the fortress. Reyna was standing in front of the gates, fighting along side those in the First Cohort who were still standing. They were little more than a nuisance since the Fifth Cohort heavily outnumbered them, but they were still managing to delay the advance. Percy thoughts about going to get some personal revenge against Reyna—which would basically involve beating her into the earth with the blunt end of Augustus—but thought better of it when his eyes landed on the purple flag flowing in the wind on the top of the tower.
"Let's go get that flag," Percy called to the Asian guy, who had just finished slamming the hilt of his sword into someone's helmet.
The tower was connected to the top of the walls by four bridges that extended to each side of the fortress. Ropes and ledges dotted the tower for ordinary troops—the ones who couldn't fly, like Percy—but Percy knew he wouldn't have to deal with the physical exertion that would be a consequence of attempting to climb the construct to reach the flag. Percy and his new comrade crossed the bridge and gazed up at the tower.
This was Percy's moment. He'd retrieve the tag for his Cohort, and he would be praised and admired for it. Percy could erase his embarrassing failures of the past, and New Rome would finally stop talking about his trip or his arena mishap. They'd talk about the time Percy Grace executed a flawless victory for the underdogs. This was the moment Trivia had talked to him about—it was time to show them what he was made of.
"Wait here," Percy said to the Asian boy, "I'll fly up and get it. Fight anyone off who tries to stop me, okay?"
He nodded, and Percy faced the tower and began to feel the acute tug in his gut. Just before he was able to take off, however, a gust of wind hit him so forcefully that it slammed his body into the tower. He stumbled backwards, holding his now bleeding nose, before turning around. The Asian guy backed up some, until he was even with Percy, who was busy staring down his brother.
"I can't let you touch that thing, Perce," Jason said, nodding his head up at the flag.
Percy had a decision to make. He could leave the Asian guy to get thrashed by Jason and grab the flag, or he could hold Jason off and let the Asian boy get the glory of taking the flag. Percy internally sighed, going against everything his ambitious nature wanted. He wouldn't use this guy as a body shield. Percy was one of the few people that could go toe to toe with Jason. Percy knew all of Jason's moves and knew how he liked to fight; Percy knew which side he favored, and that he always dodged right for some reason. He could have listed off more quirks that Jason employed during battle, but he had already made the point to himself. The Asian guy would know none of the things that Percy did, and he wouldn't last long.
Percy cursed quietly under his breath at his predicament, but his morals triumphed over the annoying flaw that he received from his father—ambition. Percy leveled his spear towards Jason before speaking to the Asian guy.
"Go get that flag. I'll hold him off."
"Are you sure?" The guy sounded nervous and unconfident.
Percy nodded without looking at him. "You can do it. Just don't think about high up you are once you start climbing."
The Asian guy groaned as he thought about it, but quickly headed towards the tower when Jason spontaneously emitted sparks around him. Percy assumed he'd rather deal with the tower than a walking Taser. Pushing the fact that he had just given up his potential fame away, Percy gave his brother—and his rival—a confident grin.
"Let's go, Thunder Butt."
Jason surged forward with Julius in gladius form, but Percy sidestepped and sent a gust of wind that blew him back a couple steps. Percy tried to follow up to take advantage of his momentary imbalance, but Jason somehow managed to parry Percy's attack before firing a bolt of lightning at his face.
Percy and Jason had a natural kinship with lightning, so Percy immediately absorbed the bolt without taking any sort of damage or feeling any pain. Percy had just begun to wonder why Jason used such an ineffective attack when his primal instincts made him duck.
Jason had used the bolt to distract him, and had fired it at Percy's face to blind him so he wouldn't be able to deflect or avoid the next attack. Luckily, Percy's instinct saved him and Jason's swing passed by harmlessly. Jason attempted to stab Percy after that, but Percy slapped away his blade with Augustus before planting a nice kick into Jason's chest. Percy knocked the breath out of Jason, but Percy's blond-haired brother was agile enough to jump over Percy's next attack: a sweep with his spear. Jason then delivered a punishing blow with his free hand to Percy's cheek.
"Shit," Percy muttered painfully as he stepped away from Jason.
Jason lifted himself into the air and attempted to tackle Percy, but the raven-haired boy sidestepped before swinging Augustus so the blunt end connected with Jason's nose. Jason lost his focus and the air dropped him back onto the small bridge. His face was covered in blood now, just like Percy's.
Jason chuckled as he wiped away the blood with his arm.
"Well . . . now we both have nosebleeds."
Percy attempted to knock him off balance with another gust of wind, but Jason threw up his free hand and stopped it just before it reached him. Jason grit his teeth and thrust his hand forward, pushing the wind back into Percy. It was such a powerful current that Augustus was ripped from his hands, and was carried off the side of the bridge and to the earth below. Jason tossed Julius off the bridge as well, before cracking his knuckles excitedly.
"It's been too long since we've had a good fistfight, hasn't it?" Percy asked.
Jason smiled back at him, but he was hell-bent on winning this fight—that was for sure. Percy gave an experimental jab, but Jason caught his wrist before throwing it to the side and attempting to knee Percy in the stomach. The agile son of Jupiter stepped back quickly, before hitting Jason in the jaw with a strong cross. Jason backed up and spat blood onto the stone bridge, before giving Percy an angry glare.
"Ouch."
Jason then threw a punch, but Percy evaded it. Percy thought he had avoided all danger, but an unexpected kick hit him in the abdomen, pushing him backwards. Jason continued the offensive, and drove his knee into Percy's face. Percy stumbled backwards, dazed, and clutching his face. His vision was spinning, and he felt like he was about to fall over or throw up. He might even do both.
Jason tried to hit him again, but Percy fortunately regained his focus and grabbed his arm and pulled, slamming Jason's body into the base of the tower. Percy then swept Jason's feet out from under him and straddled his chest, preparing to give a finishing blow. Unfortunately, Jason was still energized enough to manipulate the wind to blow Percy off of him and onto his back. Jason got up quickly and tried to deliver a punch, but Percy rolled out of the way, making Jason's connect with the stone bridge. Jason shouted painfully as he clutched his fist.
Subconsciously, Percy heard the gates splinter and fall, and the battle cries of the Fifth Cohort. They had finally defeated what was left of the First Cohort outside—which Percy partially hoped included Reyna (the thought of her being beaten down was a guilty pleasure)—and had broken down the massive wooden gates with their siege equipment. Whatever was left of the soldiers inside the fort—meaning the ones Percy and the Asian guy hadn't thrashed—raced down to the gates to engage them. Percy risked a look at the Asian boy, who was nearing the top of the tower. Jason's sky-blue eyes followed Percy's gaze and thrust out his hand, electricity beginning to emit from his arm.
Percy ran as fast as he could to Jason, tackling him just as the arc of lightning was launched from his brother's hand. Percy managed to get there fast enough to throw off Jason's aim, making the bolt hit just beside where the Asian guy was climbing. The impact of the bolt sent small pieces of stone debris raining onto the fighting brothers, and nearly made the Asian guy lose his grip on the ledge he was currently climbing onto.
Jason rolled them over so he was on top, but Percy shoved his twin off of him before rising with his fists raised.
"Hurry up!" Percy shouted at his new friend, who was so close to the top that he could almost reach it.
Jason stood shakily, blood streaming from his nose. Percy didn't look much better; he had a nearly identical nosebleed plus a busted lip that was a result of Jason's kneecap being driven into Percy's mouth. Their hair was soaked in sweat, and their knuckles were bruised and bloody from the punching. Percy still saw spots in his vision from the lightning bolt that was launched into his face, and Jason was still painfully clutching the arm with which he had punched the bridge. However, despite looking so exhausted, Jason threw a punch. Percy leaned to the side, avoiding the attack entirely, before shoving Jason backwards. Then, Percy delivered the most painful attack he could ever inflict.
Percy kicked his brother in the groin.
Jason groaned in an almost guttural manner, before falling to his knees.
"Sorry, Jace," Percy told him, just as a horn was blown furiously in outside the fort.
Percy looked up at the tower to see the Asian boy holding the purple flag high above his head, a huge smile plastered across his face.
"THE GAME IS OVER!" David called, "THE ATTACKERS HAVE WON!"
Confused murmurs broke out among the defenders as they raised their gazes up to the tower and, much to their shock and chagrin, noticed the Asian boy holding the flag triumphantly.
"FRANK ZHANG OF THE FIFTH COHORT HAS SEIZED THE FLAG!"
A/N: Well, at long last, the chapter is finished. Frank Zhang has been introduced, and we've witnessed Percy overpower his fatal flaw of ambition. He is a protector and still shows traits of loyalty even though he isn't a son of Poseidon/Neptune. He picks protecting Frank over the flag because he would feel bad sacrificing Frank in order to get the flag for himself . . . I hope this chapter somewhat made up for my absence, since it is my longest yet (~9200 words).
Please leave reviews because I love hearing from the readers! Thank you all for reading and for sticking with me even though I keep letting you all down :(