Chapter Eleven

Hazel screamed as she watched Percy fall off the edge of the glacier, taking the army of ghosts with him. Frank swore loudly at her side, before ramming his Gladius into Alcyoneus heart, and since they were in Canada, the giant dissolved into dust, cursing the both of them. Hazel fell to her knees, knowing that Percy was dead because she wasn't fast enough. Before Frank could say anything, a massive eruption of water occurred, and Percy tumbled from the air onto the ground, before rolling onto his back.

"Ow." He muttered, his eyes screwed shut, before cracking one open, and looking at Frank and Hazel. "I'd really appreciate it if Reyna doesn't hear about this."

Hazel didn't say anything, instead rushing over, and wrapping Percy up in a tight hug. He squeezed her gently, before pushing her back a little.

"There's a massive cache of Imperial Gold weapons and armour at the ocean floor. Do you think you can pull it all out?" He asked her, and she wiped her eyes before nodding.

"Good." He said. "I'm going to pass out now, so please don't panic."

Percy proceeded to exactly that, and Frank picked him up, slinging him over his shoulder, and moving him away from the edge of the glacier, not risking him falling off again. Hazel reached out with her powers, feeling the mass of Imperial Gold that Percy had mentioned, and pulled it towards her. It took a few moments, but the weapons began popping out of the ground, or out of the water, piling up around her. After ten minutes, Hazel had almost a hundred sets of Imperial Gold Armour, and thrice as many weapons. She didn't even know that the Legion had these resources.

Behind her, Percy regained consciousness with a groan, before becoming silent again.

"Hazel?" He said, and she turned to him. "You, my dear, are amazing."

She blushed, and looked down, earning a laugh from Percy and Frank before Frank stopped.

"How are we getting this all back to camp?" He asked, and Percy smiled at him, before letting out an incredibly loud taxi cab whistle. There was nothing, and then Arion appeared before them again, neighing angrily.

"Yeah, yeah, nice to see you too, you bastard." Percy replied. "You can keep swearing at me, at which point, I'll cut your foal-maker off, or you can listen, and do as Hazel says."

He gave her a meaningful glance, and she cleared her throat, causing the horse to flick his head towards her.

"We need to bring all this weapons and armour back to Camp Jupiter. Can you help?" She asked, earning another series of neighs from the horse.

"Hey! Watch your language! Hazel doesn't need to hear that." Percy snapped at the horse. "It doesn't matter that she doesn't understand you, you don't say things like that around a person like Hazel!"

"Percy, argue with the horse later, help now." Frank grunted at him, pulling armour onto Arion's chariot. "Gods of Olympus, are we even going to be able to fit this all in?"

"It's enchanted, it'll fit." Hazel told him, before helping as well. Arion waited patiently, neighing loudly occasionally, earning rebukes from Percy. After an hour, they had packed the chariot up, and climbed in, before shooting off towards Camp Jupiter.

Percy sat down next to Hazel, playing with the SPQR ring he had begun wearing on his right hand. It was a bulky signet ring, made of silver, a large eagle in the centre, though he was the only one who wore it. Not even Reyna wore one. He had left one day, and come back with it on, a goofy smile on his face.

"You did great, Hazel." He told her. "Not many could've handled their cool like you did, especially not with as many traumas as we faced, especially on this quest."

"But what about my past? This entire thing is my fault." She sniffled, and Percy wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his chest.

"You listen to me, Hazel Levesque, none of this is your fault. You were manipulated, lied to, and betrayed, and when it mattered, you were a hero." He said into her hair. "I'm proud to call you not only one of my legionnaires, but one of my friends. I'll defend you to my dying day, I promise."

She burrowed into his chest, letting the safety of being held by Percy was over her. Here was a leader that she would follow. If the leaders of the world in her time had been like Percy, she doubted the war would ever have broken out.

"Uh, guys, we have a problem." Frank cut in, and Percy was on his feet in an instant, almost throwing Hazel off him, though it didn't bother her, because she was up shortly after as well. In front of them, a huge monster army was battering away at the legion, being forced back by the large tower-shields of the soldiers. Percy swore loudly.

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While he had scolded Arion for swearing in front of Hazel, what he said at that moment could've given the horse a run for his money, and Hazel could understand him. He turned to his two quest mates.

"All right, take the chariot behind our lines, start handing out weapons to all of those who need them." He ordered, grabbing the shaft of the Eagle. "I'll draw their attention from the legion."

"How are you going to do that?" Frank cried out, grabbing Percy's arm. The Praetor smiled at him sadly.

"Painfully, most likely. Good luck, Optio Zhang." He grasped Frank's forearm, before rolling out the back of the chariot into a group of monsters.

He swung the Eagle, bludgeoning the group, and forcing them to dissolve. He was currently in front of the legion, and they could all see him. He rose the Eagle, so that both sides knew it had been returned.

"Twelfth Legion!" He roared out, before a massive lightning bolt dropped from the sky, obliterating hundreds of monsters. "Fulminata!"

The legion echoed his cry, before centurions began barking out orders, and the legion moved forward, marching their way to reunite with their praetor. The few monsters that survived the blast of the lightning bolt were quickly despatched, and soon, the legion was a full hundred yards ahead of where they had been before. Percy handed the Eagle off to Dakota, the junior Centurion of the Fifth, and would allow him to use it to redeem his cohort.

Percy was a whirlwind of death and destruction, fighting in an entirely un-Roman manner, spinning and ducking, smacking with the flat of his blade, and using his powers, becoming a one-man army, tearing his way towards Polybotes, who was waiting for him at the end of the horde of monsters. Percy barely noticed as the Amazons joined in the fight on the side of the Legion, so focused was he on destroying the Giant declared to be Neptune's Bane.

"Terminus!" He called out, and the armless statue appeared at his side.

"Praetor Jackson, how can I help you?" The god asked, as if there wasn't a battle going on around them.

"I need your help to defeat Polybotes." Percy told the god, who gave him an armless shrug.

"Can't help you. He isn't inside the Pomerian." Terminus responded, but Percy wasn't having any of it.

In a surprising display of strength, Percy grabbed the statue, and launched him at Polybotes, who was blindsided by the flying god. Percy didn't wait to press his advantage, throwing himself at the giant, his gladius jabbing in and out, slashing and slicing, before he jumped from the Giant's knee, and impaled his blade into its heart.

"Neptune sends his regards." He told the giant, who only had time to look surprised before fading into dust.

He turned and looked around. Despite the reinforcements from the Amazons, the fight was still hard pressed, or it was, until Percy gathered up all the rage and anger he felt, and directed it upwards. Storm-clouds gathered over head, and the sun vanished, before massive lightning strikes, on par with the one the Eagle had produced, began falling from the sky, eradicating dozens of monsters at a time, yet avoiding the legionnaires, and the Amazons. The remaining monsters quickly fled, trying to avoid the godly wrath that had become incarnate in Percy.

They didn't get far.

With a yell, Percy thrust his hand out, forming a barrier of water from the Little Tiber that blocked off the escaping monsters, before bringing it crashing down on them, drowning them, washing them away, or even crushing them under the pressure. He stumbled forward, but someone caught his arms. It was Leila, his old friend. Before either of them could say anything, he was swarmed by legionnaires, who hoisted him into their shields, carrying him. Normally, this was how a Praetor was elected, but he was already Praetor, so he didn't know what they were doing, until he registered the calls he was hearing. He blanched, as one of his worst fears came true.

"Imperator! Imperator! Imperator!" The legion was chanting over and over again, and soon, the cheer travelled not only from the legion before him, but the city they had been defending, as civilians rushed out to join the celebration.

"Imperator Jackson!"

MMXVII

AN: Right, so this was the idea all along. Percy, though displays of leadership and power, has just been proclaimed Imperator, which, in the Roman Republic, meant that a general could request a triumph. In the Empire, however, Imperator was one of the titles that would be granted, which was meant to represent their control over the military. It's also, unsurprisingly, where we get the word 'emperor'. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.

Cheers, CombatTombat