You, my fellow members of the Percabeth Club, now have my permission to call me a crummy updater.
I fully accept my status as "Fanfic Author Who Should Update More". If FFN had their own Oscars and included categories like that, I wouldn't be surprised if I got nominated for such an award. Heck, I could prepare my speech right now.
I would like to thank Fanfiction Dot Net for bestowing such a great dishonour to me. I'd also like to thank my parents, who are my biggest supporters, despite the fact that they are unaware of my interest in fanfiction. Oh, and my teachers too, for giving me craploads of homework and tests that detract from my writing time...
Ahh, yeah it's late. I should probably sleep.
For some reason, I assumed Octavian performed his auguries like reading the bottom of a teacup. I prefer to believe that Octavian's auguries are more or less accurate. In this chapter, you may notice that his predictions do come true to some extent. He may be a little piece of pegasus poop, but he does seem to know his stuff(ing).
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PJO OR HOO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO RICK RIORDAN AND HIS DISNEY HYPERION BUDDIES.
OCTAVIAN
Set during The Mark Of Athena
The proof was in the stuffing.
Using my trustiest dagger, I continued ravaging through the contents of the adorable fluffy teddy bear in my hand, searching for more prophetic secrets of the universe. I needed to convince everybody to not trust the Greeks, especially if they bore gifts. Very soon, Camp Jupiter would welcome our most dangerous rivals. Earlier I warned the Senate of the awful omens I found in previous auguries but no we had to give them a chance.
Determined to find a sign concerning the future of the near-approaching airship's passengers, I poked my dagger around the entrails of Mr. Teddy.
Ooh, excellent! There it was! The image of a crab, indicating an enemy. I tilted my head to check if it really was a crab. When I did, it started to look a bit more like a bush, which represented new friends and fresh opportunities.
A crab it was.
After decapitating Mr. Teddy, I studied the inside of his neck. How wonderful! The cotton formed the likeness of a dragon, foreboding unforeseen changes and pure trouble... Or it could possibly be a donkey, which meant "be patient and optimistic".
It had been like this for a while now. When I finally saw a sign that could support my claims for inevitable disaster, a new perspective insinuated an alternate, completely different meaning. An aircraft, representing a sudden journey, could also be perceived as a marshmallow on a stick, which symbolized camaraderie. From another angle, the face of a cliff - which predicted a shocking, terrible fall into an even more terrible abyss - turned into a treasure chest, suggesting the future discovery of valuable items.
So... From what I had gathered from this augury, the future held an adventure (awesome!) with lots of new enemies (yuck!), friends and opportunities (yay!), but at the same time there was trouble up ahead (aww!), treasure hunting (cool!) and accidental cliff-jumping (ouch!). Oh, and we should all be "patient and optimistic" too!
Ridiculous.
Frustrated, I forcefully drove my dagger through the teddy bear, ending the augury. Feeling the adrenaline rush throughout my entire body, I continued ripping it into shreds. As always, I felt a sense of satisfaction as I ran my blade through the bear's abdomen. The sound of tearing seams was music to my ears. For me, the disposal of the sacrificial stuffed toy had always been the most exhilarating part of any augury.
I recalled a precious memory from my younger days in New Rome. One night, when I six years old, I woke up in cold sweat (or was it urine from wetting my bed?) after a horrible nightmare. Clutching my teddy bear close, I shivered in the darkness alone. I remembered being so afraid. So terrified that I wouldn't even go to my parents' room because the last thing I needed was my Apollo-loving parents to write another song about my... never mind. Not important. Anyway, to make a long story short, my teddy bear did not provide sufficient comfort so I ripped its head off and slashed through the stuffing with a toy knife. Then I found out I could read the future!
Yes, my childhood was unique to say the least.
Meanwhile, back to the present, instead of falling into the fire, bits of stuffing floated down onto the floor like dandelion seeds. While I thought about how I'd have to blackmail somebody into cleaning everything up later, I caught sight of something strange. Suddenly, I stopped mid-annihilation. As carefully as I could, I examined the remnant of Mr. Teddy's left arm.
A triangle. A perfect, equilateral triangle. The symbol of the unexpected.
I carefully studied the rest of the arm, scrutinizing the fabric with a keen eye. There was, with no doubt, a volcano. An omen that emotions would get out of control. Beside the volcano was a gondola, foretelling romance and travel.
Romance and travel... Well, well, well. It looked like the goddess Venus was keeping an eye out as well. I wondered what role love would play in this crisis. Could the omen I read earlier about uncontrolled emotions possibly be connected to a pair of lovers? Did this mean that a clash between Greek and Romans would, in fact, result in the blossoming of new romantic relationships? Or maybe - just maybe - did this predict I would finally meet my soul-mate, a graceful creature as prophetic, charming and good-looking as myself?
"Octavian!"
A straw-haired boy stood outside the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, panting. Although I had no idea what was his name nor his cohort (Third? But he looked like a loser, so maybe the Fifth?), I specifically ordered the boy to keep an eye out for anything remotely Greek. His appearance must have meant he had something interesting to tell me.
I tossed the remains of the stuffed bear's arm into the pile of stuffing on the floor. While I wiped the stuffing off my dagger, I watched the boy's face morph into an expression of abject horror as he stared at the torn-up teddy bear cadaver.
"What is it?" I asked innocently, hiding a smirk. Even from across the temple, I could see the boy gulp.
"A flying metal ship with a dragon's face was seen in the sky. It's sailing towards New Rome," the boy explained in a tremulous voice. His eyes were glued on my dagger as I set it down.
An aircraft and a dragon. A sudden journey as well as unforeseen changes and pure trouble. Indeed, my predictions were beginning to unfold.
"Ahh yes." With three teddy bears strapped to my belt, I strode out of the temple, elbowing my messenger aside. "The Greeks are here."
...
A crowd had already begun to form down at the forum when I left the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Hovering above New Rome was a gigantic, metal Greek trireme with dozens of mechanical oars. Though it pained me to admit it, the flying vessel was quite spectacular. Sunlight reflected off its smooth bronze hull, making it gleam amidst the clear, azure sky. At the top of the mast was a magnificent dragon head breathing out tiny wisps of smoke through its nostrils. The airship was truly a masterpiece of engineering.
I instantly hated it.
As I ran down to the forum, I saw four figures climbing down a ladder dangling from the airship. Even from a distance, I could see that the tallest of the four was wearing a toga and a purple cloak, the traditional attire of a praetor. There was no doubt about it. Jason Grace, our only competent praetor, has returned with enemies.
When I reached the crowd, it had already parted a path for the newcomers as they approached Reyna. Leading the small group of Greek delegates was a statuesque girl with flowing blonde hair. I guessed this girl was somewhat of a Reyna counterpart for the Greeks. Behind her was Jason in all his near-intolerable golden goodness, walking side by side with two other Greeks. One was a short, curly-haired Hispanic boy who fidgeted like a caffeine-addict. The other was a lovely girl with glossy chestnut hair braided with feathers. I would have found her quite attractive if it wasn't for the atrocious Hello Kitty tank top she was wearing.
The sight of Jason, and his "swoon-worthy" trademark blond hair, induced whispers from the crowd. I could hear people voicing their wonders in hushed tones. Who were these new, foreign companions of our praetor? Vapid pre-teen girls pondered about the possibility of a romantic relationship between Jason and the pretty brunette. Others pointed out the mysterious black substance - motor oil, perhaps? - that stained the curly-haired boy's pants. However, clearly everyone was asking the same question. Has Jason completely abandoned us and sided with the Greeks, or has he returned with the most useful prisoners?
Soon the Greeks (plus Jason) were face-to-face with Reyna. Standing regally, her numerous medals proudly hanging on her chest, Reyna cleared her throat. All fell silent and Reyna turned to our returning praetor.
"Jason Grace, my former colleague," Reyna stated formally, regarding our visitors with caution, "I welcome you home. And these, your friends-"
Suddenly, the tall blonde girl rushed forward, her grey eyes blazing. There was a collective gasp among the New Romans. Many, including myself, instinctively reached for weapons that were not there. At the same time, Percy Jackson, that incorrigible son of Neptune - ahem, Poseidon - pushed his way through the crowd.
Obviously, there was something up with these two.
It only took a few seconds for them to clash, but it was enough to flood my mind with countless theories as to why they were running towards each other in the first place. They could be allies plotting to burn New Rome to the ground. They could be preparing to perform the most elaborate handshake of all time. The ax-crazy part of me dearly hoped that the girl was a Greek assassin whose life goal was to eliminate Percy Jackson.
Alas, to my immense disappointment, Percy and the Greek girl romantically leaped into each others arms. It was as if they were re-enacting the climactic scene of any Nicholas Sparks movie - though, of course, I wouldn't know because, you know, those movies were not my thing, obviously. Anyway, right there in the middle of the crowd, in front of every single citizen of New Rome - legionnaires, university students, grandmothers knitting armored mittens, pets, pooping babies, you name it -, the two of them began full-on making out.
Jason and the other Greeks stared at the passionate couple confusedly. Evidently, this sort of behavior was not abnormal for the blonde girl. To be honest, although I barely knew anything about the girl, I assumed she was the headstrong, intelligent, leader type, just like Reyna. The last thing I expected from the blonde girl - that is to say, the last thing I would expect from anyone like Reyna - was, well, this. Among the New Romans, jaws dropped in total surprise. Even Reyna lost her composure and straight-up gaped at the kissing couple.
Well, then... Clearly, what we were witnessing at the moment was actually the reunion between two teenage sweethearts.
Wow. I couldn't believe a theory like that never crossed my mind.
Then to everybody's surprise, the blonde girl flung Percy over her shoulder. She slammed him down onto the stone pavement with a wondrously loud THUD! Bystanders gasped and Reyna ordered all legionnaires to hold their ground. Needless to say, I was entertained. To put things lightly, Percy Jackson was far from being my favourite person in the world. Knowing that he had a girlfriend who had no qualms about hurting him definitely gave me a bit of satisfaction.
With Percy firmly pinned down, the blonde girl spat out a threat. "If you ever leave me again, I swear to all the gods-"
"Consider me warned," Percy choked, the girl's forearm tight against his neck. "I missed you too."
A volcanic eruption of emotion. At least I got that right.
Afterwards, introductions were made. Judo-flipping Blondie was revealed to be named Annabeth. The hyper Hispanic boy and Hello Kitty girl was introduced as Leo and Piper, respectively. Then, to my dismay, Reyna decided to throw a feast to welcome our visiting enemies.
"You're letting these intruders into camp?" I shoved my way to the front of the crowd. "Reyna, the security risks-"
"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian," Reyna said curtly, "We'll eat here in the forum."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, much better. You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."
Reyna gave me an icy look. "These are our guests. We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."
"Good idea." Percy smiled sarcastically, one arm wrapped around Annabeth's waist. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."
Good idea? I thought, Maybe instead, Jackson, I should go burn your b-
Reyna lifted her chin higher, her mouth in a tight line. "You have my orders. Go."
Inwardly, I cursed Reyna's idiocy. Inviting our enemies over to our territory for dinner? A moronic move, I'd say. Not to mention, there was a giant freaking airship, most likely armed with all sorts of ballistic goodies,levitating above our very heads. Godsdammit, how I wished to be praetor. It was a shame how the legion selected its leaders based on fighting skills rather than their dedication to this fair city.
Unfortunately, I supposed right now all I could do was, indeed, burn my bears. Hopefully, Fortuna would be kind enough to show me that our Greek "friends" were truly evil and must be terminated.
I could not help but glower at Percy and his equally detestable girlfriend. Suddenly it struck me. Maybe Fortuna was already being kind. I realized a couple of my predictions have already came true and it seemed that they all revolved around New Rome's foes. Uncontrolled emotions. An enemy. The unexpected. Romance.
I walked back to the temple, chuckling to myself as I recalled the other results of my augury. Sure, there were some nice signs - friendship, adventure, treasure hunting, all that fluff. On the other hand, there were some terrible omens too. Deliciously terrible future hardships for those fellas.
How could I be so sure? The proof was all in the stuffing.
Although this chapter was SUPER fun to write, I got a little too into Octavian's POV. Hopefully I won't end up as a slightly psychopathic teddy-bear-torturer after this.
Anyway, I'd really like to thank anyone who has taken the time to acknowledge the details in this fanfic. Each and every single one-shot here was written with genuine effort. It always makes my day when somebody points out certain elements that I strive to incorporate into "The Percabeth Club", e.g. pop-culture references, insight into minor characters' minds, attempts to provide new perspectives on actual scenes from the books... In short, thank you for the fantastic reviews!
POV requests go in the reviews! Same thing goes to suggestions, critiques, compliments (*winky face*), etc...
Anybody need help with proofreading/editing? Perhaps I can be of assistance! Because I'm an official beta, you can send stories for me to check out. Interested? PM me :)
-Spec