Percy woke in a daze. His ears were ringing. He had to blink half a dozen times before his eyes adjusted to the light and his head was throbbing in two different places. He was sitting in a chair, he could tell that much. He tried to stand up but found his wrists and feet unable to move — he was tied up.
He turned his head to look around, and quickly found that to be a mistake. He was blinded by a wave of dizziness and let out an involuntary groan at the pain. He gave it a minute before he attempted to observe his surroundings again. The ringing lessened and he could hear voices behind him, but the room was still spinning.
Slowly, he looked around and recognized the interior of the Temple of Apollo — at least as well as he could, having only gotten a few seconds to take a look at it before being attacked. Sitting on her three-legged stool at the back of the building was the Oracle. She was staring right at him with sorrowful eyes. Pandora's Pithos stood next to her, thankfully unopened. Percy struggled with his binds again to no avail, but it seemed that that was enough to alert whoever was behind him.
Two armed men appeared before him. They were both pretty muscled and wearing revealing clothing in order to show it off. The larger of the two had a shortsword strapped to each hip and the smaller one had a full warhammer on his back. Both looked malicious, but neither had the face that gave off the immediate impression of intelligence.
"One of them's awake," said Warhammer.
"I can see that," Shortswords replied curtly.
Upon hearing "one of them" Percy remembered Jason. He looked around in a panic. His injured head protested but he saw his friend tied up in a chair next to him, completely motionless. He had to concentrate, but he was able to see his chest rise and fall as he breathed, meaning he was only unconscious.
Once he knew Jason was relatively safe, he looked to his captors. "Who are you?"
Warhammer laughed, for some reason. Shortswords, who didn't seem all that fond of his partner, gave him a cold look before responding. "We're the one asking questions. Who are you, demigods, and why did you come to Delphi?"
Percy's eyes widened. They knew they were demigods? He started to wonder how, but then he his eyes found the Oracle again. He didn't really know how her powers worked, but figured she was the most likely one to have told them.
"Well we came to learn about our futures, obviously," Percy lied.
"Mhmm," Warhammer said thoughtfully.
"Then what's with the jar?" Shortswords asked.
Percy thought for a moment. "Just a family heirloom. We thought she might take it as payment."
They seemed to accept that answer, but one glance at the Oracle told him she knew what it actually was. For some reason though, she kept her mouth shut instead of telling them.
"Well a dusty old jar isn't going to cut it," Warhammer said flatly. "You want to consult her, you need to pay in coin."
"How much?" Percy asked. He just needed to keep them talking until he figured out a way to get out of this. Plus, there was no way he could fight in his state. If he could wait until Jason woke up, their chances of not dying would be a lot better.
"Hundred drachmas," Warhammer answered.
Shortswords elbowed him. "Two hundred."
Warhammer coughed and scratched his head sheepishly. "Uh, right. That's what I meant."
Shortswords put his palm to his forehead and sighed.
"That's absurd!" Percy protested.
"Is it?" Shortswords countered. "There's only one woman in the entire world who can do what she can. Her services are very valuable. Titan's being generous only asking a hundr — I mean two hundred drachmas."
Percy had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Well you've got a point there. But who's Titan?"
"The boss," Warhammer answered.
"Of what?"
"Delphi, you idiot," said Shortswords. "And the entire guild. Are you daft?"
"I'm not from around here."
"Clearly. And what about him?" He pointed at Jason.
"He's my brother." Percy surprised himself with that. The words just came out of his mouth without him even thinking.
"But where's he from?" Warhammer asked stupidly.
Shortswords just stared at him incredulously. "The same place, you imbecile — not here. They're brothers."
"They don't look the same," Warhammer commented.
Shortswords hit himself in the forehead again and then ignored his comrade.
"What does that matter?" Percy asked.
They both opened their mouths to respond but just then a soft bang! could be heard. Percy heard a sword being drawn behind him. The two thugs took their own weapons into hand, calling out "Halt!" and "Give me that!" while they ran to engage the intruder. Percy tried to look at what was going on but couldn't turn his head far enough. The sound of fighting ensued for all of ten seconds. Two thumping sounds told him that his captors had been defeated.
"Who's there?" Percy called over his shoulder, fighting against his binds all the while.
Footsteps approached and then he heard a woman's voice whisper to him — a voice that made him freeze up completely. "Stop struggling."
A knife severed the ropes that held him to the chair and Percy cautiously stood up. He turned around and saw a black haired woman freeing Jason from his own binds, who still hadn't woken up yet. Finally she looked up at him and smiled.
Reyna was missing her legatus's armor and purple cape. She wasn't even dressed like she usually was on off days. She wore rather simple clothing in lieu of her regular tailored garbs, relying on a full set of leather armor to hide most of her skin. Her arms were left bare except for shoulder pads and bracers. She wore leather boots that extended up to her knees where it met the hem of a leather skirt. Her torso was covered by a fitting leather breastplate and her hair was tied back in its usual braid. She looked just as beautiful as ever.
There were a lot of questions he should have been asking right then. How was she here? How had she found them? Why wasn't she back at Rome, being the best legatus their legion had ever seen? Was she going to join them on the quest? But he didn't ask any of those; he didn't care about them just yet. All that mattered to him was that she was standing right in front of him, and probably just saved their lives.
Instead of asking her how she happened to wind up in the same place as him right when he needed her, he just kissed her. Or at least, he tried to. When he took a step toward her, he was struck with a pang of dizziness that made him lose balance. He stumbled forward and might've hit the floor had she not caught him.
"Hey!" she said. "Careful now. None of that."
With her hands on his shoulders holding him upright, he felt more stable. Then an unnatural surge of energy rushed through him. The pain in his head lessened and the room stopped spinning. The ground felt more solid and he was able to stand on his own now. She slowly lowered her hands, ready to catch him if he fell again; he didn't.
"Thanks," he said, remembering the ability she'd told him about after his fight with Luke.
She responded by kissing him, and he readily wrapped his arms around her and kissed back. Relatively speaking, they hadn't been apart for that long. But he'd still missed her — up until just then he hadn't realized exactly how much. He'd missed kissing her, making love with her, looking at her, and just being near her. He felt like he deserved a medal for having given up all of that to go on this quest.
"Gods, I love you," he told her after separating their lips.
Her eyes sparkled. She looked just as ready as he was to kiss again, but then Jason's groaning pulled them to their senses. Reyna stepped around to face him while Percy's eyes warily settled on the Oracle. She continued just sitting there, playing the role of the silent observer with her hand on the Pithos. He decided she wasn't a threat at the moment and resolved to deal with her later.
He looked to Jason just as he opened his eyes. He had a bump on his forehead and Percy realized he probably had a matching one. He looked up at the two of them groggily and Percy could see the confusion in his eyes as he saw Reyna.
"I'm dreaming," he muttered.
"No," she said. "You're awake. How do you feel?"
Percy heard a bit of tension in her voice, like she was upset with him for some reason. He almost asked her about it, but decided it wasn't important at the moment. What was important was figuring out the hundred new mysteries he was suddenly plagued with.
"Awful," Jason answered.
Reyna put her hand on the back of his. His pain visibly lessened.
"Can you do that with two people at once?" Percy asked her. "The lending strength thing?"
"Yes," she replied. "Not for as long though."
"How are you here?" said Jason.
"We'll discuss it later," she replied shortly. "Right now we need to get somewhere safe so you two can rest."
Jason looked at her with guilty eyes and said, "Reyna I'm sorry for —"
"Later."
He looked like he wanted to press the subject further, but kept quiet. He stood up and furrowed his brow at the unconscious grunts but didn't comment. He looked to Percy as if he'd have answers but he shrugged; he knew just as little as he did.
"Let's go," Reyna said.
"No," said Percy. "Not yet. I need answers first."
She hesitated. "Percy, we can —"
"Not from you." He motioned his head toward the end of the room where an older woman still sat silently on her stool. "Her."
She looked at him for a few seconds before nodding. "Fine, but make it quick. I don't want you two walking around after I run out of strength to give. You look like you've suffered head trauma."
"You're not wrong." Percy turned away from her and approached the Oracle.
She tensed up as if she expected him to attack her but he stopped several steps from where she sat. He couldn't help but notice the desperate look in her eyes. It was so sincere that the anger he had for her almost lessened, but he couldn't get over the fact that she'd led them into an ambush. Still, she'd had plenty of opportunity to run or call for more men to come attack them and hadn't. Perhaps she wasn't all bad.
"You are the Pythia, yes?" he said to her.
She nodded.
"Explain yourself."
"They have my daughter," she told them. "I had no choice."
"I thought oracles couldn't have kids," said Jason.
"Rachel was already three years old when Apollo passed the gift on to me."
"You've met him?" said Percy.
"Not in person. He was just a voice in my head that spoke to me numerous times leading up to the previous Oracle's passing."
"What did he say?"
"A lot of things. He just wanted to help lead me here to accept my destiny."
"You know about what happened though, right? Apollo and the rest of the gods are asleep now."
"I do."
Reyna cleared her throat and made a gesture with her hand for him to get on with it.
Percy glanced at her. "Right. Who were those men and why did they attack us?"
"They were a couple of Titan's goons. When I had a vision of two demigods visiting this temple, he was very interested in interrogating you. They were supposed to send for him once you were both awake."
"Why did you tell them?" Jason asked. "We could have helped you."
"They have my daughter," she repeated. "Any little act of defiance could end her life. I'm fearful enough just talking to you."
"We won't let them kill your daughter," Percy promised. "Just tell us. Who is this 'Titan'?"
"It's like they said — he's the boss. He's not an actual titan, if you were wondering; it's just a name. Shortly after the war he moved in and took control of Delphi and has held onto it ever since. He demands exorbitant taxes from its citizens which he uses to pay his army of mercenaries so he can keep them in line. On top of that he runs a whole organization of thieves and cutthroats that he sends to cities like Athens and Sparta to work in the shadows, bringing him even more profit. He also has a couple of crews of pirates out sailing around the Mare Nostrum, bullying and plundering any ships they can get out of sight of Rome's fleet."
"How can he get away with this?" Reyna asked. She had a single bead of sweat on her forehead now. "Rome would never let this go on under their watch."
"They would," the Pythia disagreed. "Titan pays this region's legion enough."
"What kind of legatus accepts bribes?" Reyna was clearly offended.
"Do you know who he is?" Percy asked her.
"No, which is saying something. He's a legatus, but if he was important I'd know his name."
"From what I heard he's nobody," the Pythia inserted. "He orders his troops around to keep peace, but other than that he's rather unremarkable."
Jason gestured around. "He's not doing a very good job of that."
"He should be fired," Reyna agreed.
"Well depending on how you parted ways with Rome, I don't think any of our opinions will hold much weight," Percy said to Reyna. He returned his attention to the Oracle. "But that's not important right now. Hestia told us to bring you the Pithos. Why?"
"You spoke with Hestia?" Reyna said, surprised.
Percy just nodded and waited for the Oracle's answer.
She shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't seen that yet. I could try and scry for the answers you seek, but I won't. Not for free."
"You want us to pay Titan's fee?"
"No! No, of course not. I just want my daughter's safety. Please. You're demigods. If anyone can stand up to Titan, it's you."
"Why should we trust you?" Percy asked coldly.
She seemed to think hard before coming to an idea. She picked up the Pithos and presented it to them. "I told them it was empty to protect it, but rightfully this is yours."
Percy cautiously accepted it. "We were supposed to give this to you."
She shook her head. "I don't believe so. The spirit of hope, Elpis, is all that remains in there. A mortal should not possess her. But you three, you're strong. If you can take down Titan, you'd be giving hope to all of Delphi."
Percy contemplated silently.
"What would we have to do?" Jason asked. "Just find this guy and kill him?"
"That wouldn't be enough," the Pythia replied. "I don't know what would be, but I know someone who can help you. Titan has a son. He visits me every so often to talk and cry. He's a good heart, and more reason to hate his father than most."
Percy sighed. "Where do we find him?"
He wanted to turn her down. He wanted to just intimidate her into telling them what they needed to know so they could be on their way. But beneath the contempt he held for her, he knew she was a victim too. And she was asking them to help more than just her; she was asking them to save an entire city of innocent, oppressed people. He couldn't just turn his back on them.
"He only visits me at night," the Oracle answered, "when his father is asleep. Come back tonight and you might find him."
Percy looked at Reyna. She was sweating even more now, and he was beginning to feel the effects of her revitalization wear off. She gave him a nod and then he met the Oracle's eyes one more time. "We'll do it."
She smiled. "Thank you, heroes. Without Rachel, I have nothing."
Percy extended the pithos back to her. "I need you to keep this safe for me until we defeat Titan. Can you do that?"
She stared at it for a moment, then nodded. She took it and set it down beside her. "I wish you luck."
Reyna gestured toward the door. The three of them stepped over Titan's unconscious goons and left the Temple.
By the time they got into an inn room, all three of them were pretty worn out. Jason crashed onto the bed while Percy just slumped down onto the floor. Reyna left and came back a few minutes later with a bucket of water. She set it down in front of Percy and then took a seat in a chair. She'd tapped into all her strength to keep them going for that long, but was still far more energized than either of them.
Percy proceeded to dip his entire face into the bucket as soon as she set it down. It was freshwater, which was disappointing. Even if it'd been a bucket of seawater his healing would still be far more diluted than actually going for a dip in the ocean. Still, he'd take what he could get. Water is water, after all, and it was lessening the pain. He felt bad for Jason, though. Perhaps he'd get similar healing capabilities if Scipio dropped him into a cloud or something.
After a couple minutes he raised his head from the bucket, becoming instantly dry, and leaned back against the wall. He rested his wrist on the edge of it and let his fingertips make contact with the water. His head was still killing him, but it was definitely more tolerable now. He looked at Reyna who'd been watching him with an amused smile on her face.
"How are you here?" he finally asked her.
Her smile disappeared. "Shortly after he —" she pointed an accusatory finger at Jason, who pretended to be asleep "— disappeared without so much as leaving a note, my mother showed up in my quarters."
Percy's eyes widened. "Bellona spoke to you again?"
She nodded. "We talked for a bit. She said. . ." She paused. "She left me with a lot to think about. A couple days later, she appeared again and told me you two would wind up ambushed here and would need my help. And I realized that I'm meant for more than being the leader of a mortal army during a time of peace."
Percy stared at her. "So you gave up your position for us?"
"No. Not really. Even if I hadn't needed to come to your aid, I think I would have wound up at the same decision anyway. My mother just helped me get there faster, and I guess you two getting captured did too."
"You're welcome," he muttered.
She smirked. "So after she left, I hung up my cape and armor and resigned from the legion. I took the first boat to Delphi and arrived here just a few days ago."
Percy rubbed his head with his free hand. "You've been here a few days? I'd comment about you not interfering before we got hit in the head, but I'll just be glad you came at all."
"Sorry. I was expecting you to arrive by boat, so I cycled between checking the Temple of Apollo and watching the southern road. Then I heard murmurs of two strangers arriving from the north and found you two already tied up."
"Well Delphi wasn't our first stop. Once we reached Greece — or what used to be, anyway — we went straight for Mount Olympus."
"You went to Mount Olympus? Why?"
"For answers. We went to the city of the gods and. . . I saw my dad, Reyna."
She looked too surprised to say anything.
"We saw the rest of the Olympians, too. They were all asleep, like Chiron said, but it was them."
She took a second to think on that. "Tell me everything. Start from the beginning."
The next night, Percy was feeling a lot better, Jason only slightly; he hadn't found Percy's idea about dropping him into a cloud amusing. The three of them sat a ways away from the Temple of Apollo, waiting. They'd done as the Oracle had suggested the previous night and come back, but Titan's son hadn't shown up. And now that Reyna was with them, Percy suddenly didn't care so much about getting the mission done as quickly as possible, so he was okay with just coming back each night until they could meet with Titan's son.
Presently Percy and Reyna sat side by side while Jason was far enough away for them to talk in private. Percy's hand had naturally found its way to hers and they just sat there peacefully, enjoying each other's company. It was simple moments like these he'd longed for since leaving Rome.
He looked over to Reyna and caught her staring at him. "What?"
Her cheeks turned pink. "Nothing. I just. . . I really you missed you."
He smiled. "Yeah. I missed you too."
There was a pause as her eyes returned to the Temple.
"What else did your mother say to you?" he asked. He'd been meaning to bring up the subject, but hadn't had a good opportunity until now.
She took a second before answering. "Nothing important but. . . I asked her about my sister."
"Hylla?"
She nodded and then looked annoyed. "She wouldn't tell me anything."
"What? Why not?"
"I don't know!" she said frustratedly. She squeezed his hand a little too hard and then loosened her grip once she realized she was doing it. "Sorry. But, after she said she couldn't tell me, I just asked to know if she was even still alive. She wouldn't answer that either."
"What did she tell you?"
"Other than the part about you needing my help? Just normal nonsensical goddess stuff you're not supposed to understand right away."
Percy remembered his conversation with Hestia and when his patron goddess had visited him in his dreams. Then he suddenly realized why Hestia had seemed so familiar to him — because she reminded him of her. For a hot second he considered the idea that Hestia was his patron goddess, and then realized how absurd that was. Hestia was asleep, so she couldn't be her. But. . .
"Vesta," he said aloud.
Reyna looked at him, confused. "What?"
"She's my patron goddess." A warm gust of wind blew over him just then. It wasn't necessary, since he was already certain he was right, but was glad for the confirmation nonetheless.
"How do you know?" Reyna asked.
"There was just this feeling I had when I met Hestia, like I'd met her before. But I couldn't have, because she wasn't awake before we went to Olympus. But who's more alike to Hestia than her Roman counterpart?"
"Hmm. I suppose Vesta would be the most likely candidate. And with what Hestia said about saving both Greek and Roman pantheons at the same time it explains why she'd patron a Greek."
"I really wish goddesses would just tell you stuff rather than acting all mysterious. It's not like it takes a long time to go, 'Oh, yeah. I'm Vesta by the way.'"
Reyna smirked. "It would be nice."
"Hey!" Jason suddenly called over to them. He pointed at the Temple of Apollo.
Percy noticed someone wearing a helmet walking through the entrance. "You think that's him?"
"It could be. Let's check it out."
All three of them instantly stood and walked to it. Once inside, they found the man on his knees in front of the Pythia with his helmet on the ground beside him. He turned upon hearing them enter and stared with startled eyes.
He looked similar to the burly man they'd seen leaving the Temple yesterday. His face was a similar shape, skin of an identical complexion, and his hair the same dark brown. The similarities ended there, though. First of all, he was smaller and had little to no muscles. His face was a tiny bit chubby and decorated with stubble. His eyes were hazel and a lot less menacing whereas the other man's had been dark and threatening. Overall, he looked a lot less hostile.
"You!" he said, his gaze darting between each of them.
"T- Titus?" Jason said in shock.
The name rang a bell. Percy looked at the man closer and a memory came to him. Shortly after he joined the legion he was surrounded by legionnaires in the prison building, and this man was one of the ones who'd wanted to kill him. He'd learned after the fact that his name was Titus, and then one day stopped seeing him around the castrum.
Percy stepped forward threateningly. "You tried to kill me."
Titus drew his sword. The three demigods instantly reached for their own but then Titus threw his way off to the side, disarming himself. Percy was surprised at that, but still kept a wary hand on his sword handle.
"You're Titan's son?" said Reyna.
Titus nodded. When he answered, his voice was shaky. "Yes."
"Titus, Titan," Percy said. "A little on the nose, isn't it?"
"Titan's not his real name," the man responded, eyeing Percy's sword warily. "He's Titus I. He changed it to seem more threatening."
The Oracle stood and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I told you you'd have a chance to alleviate your guilt. This is it."
Titus looked up at her, and then back to Percy. He took a deep breath and started talking. "My best friend, Alexi. He was killed by the rebellion. When you showed up in Rome, all I cared about was revenge. I didn't even stop to think if it was possible you were innocent; I just acted. After he —" he pointed at Jason "— stopped us from killing you, I knew I wouldn't get another chance to do it. Being in the castrum without him was hard enough, but seeing you walk free was just too much. I deserted and came here to my father, because it was the only place I could think to go.
"A while later, word got around about everything that happened. The rebels slaughtering themselves and then you taking down the rest of them. It was then that I knew I was wrong about you. So I'm sorry for what I did. And thank you, for bringing justice to Alexi's killer."
A silence followed. The air was tense as everyone waited to see what Percy would do. Finally, after taking some time to process all of that, he spoke up. "Did you rehearse all that?"
Titus's eyes widened. Whatever response he'd been expecting, it wasn't that. Before he could say anything, Percy let go of his sword handle and walked up to the kneeling deserter. He offered him his hand, and then pulled him to his feet when he gingerly accepted it.
"You wouldn't have been able to kill me," he told him. "I definitely would have been punished for knocking you all out, though, maybe executed if I decided not to flee."
"I'm sor —"
"Stop. Lots of people have tried to kill me, and you had a better reason than most. But if you really want my forgiveness, then you'll help us take down your father. The Pythia said you hated him."
His face showed surprise, then he nodded vigorously. "I do. You really mean to kill him?"
"I never said kill."
The Pythia suddenly cleared her throat. Titus turned around to look at her.
"Not here," she said. "Discuss these things anywhere but here. They're already suspicious enough after your escape."
"She's right," said Reyna. "We should go somewhere private to talk."
"Outside the city," Titus offered. "Plenty of places out there to speak unbothered."
"We have an inn room," Jason told him.
Titus shook his head. "My father has ordered his men to get the entire city on alert for you. Staying at an inn once was risky enough, but showing your faces there a second time would be just asking to get recaptured. We'll leave two at a time. When you exit the Temple, go left and stick to the shadows. We'll meet up down the road."
Percy looked to Reyna, and she shrugged.
"Sounds good," said Jason. "You and me will go out first. Percy and Reyna can follow after."
Titus nodded. Without wasting anymore time, he picked up his helmet and went straight for the exit. Jason followed behind him and they left. Reyna walked over and picked up the sword Titus left behind.
Percy faced the Oracle once more. "Do you really believe we can trust him?"
"I do," she replied. "Wholeheartedly."
The four of them met up as planned without attracting any attention. They were a few minutes away from the nearest building and about fifty paces from the road. They'd found a secluded little spot within the trees and sat down. After everyone had gotten comfortable, all eyes were on Titus.
"Start talking," Percy said to him.
He took a moment to respond. "If we want to take down my father's operation we'll have to —"
"No," Percy interrupted. "We'll get to that. First, I want to know about you."
He looked confused. "What about me?"
"Just tell me your story. Make it abridged, if you want. But I want to know how your father was some kind of kingpin out here in Delphi while you served as a legionnaire in Rome."
"Optio," Jason corrected.
Percy looked at him. "What?"
"Titus was an optio."
"Oh. Well, whatever." Percy turned back to Titus. "I want to know all of that and why you'd want to help us take down your father."
Titus looked to Jason and then Reyna as if either of them would object. When they didn't, he took a second to steel himself before he began his story. "I wasn't supposed to be Titus II. My mother was pregnant once before she had me, but he was stillborn. My father was angry, but decided to 'keep her around to try again', as he put it. Then she had me, and I was supposed to be his heir. I was never much of a fighter, though. I was a disappointment."
He paused. His voice was so bitter that Percy had to wonder how he could stand being back here with the father he seemed to loathe. Titus popped open his canteen and took a sip before continuing.
"After giving up hope on me, he tried again for a suitable heir. But my mother birthed a daughter. I remember how furious he was, but I was too scared and powerless to do anything. So. . . so he —" Titus choked back a sob. "He threw them on a boat and sailed away, then came back without them. When I asked where they were, he told me — explicitly. He was very descriptive about how my baby sister wailed in my mother's arms while she screamed and tried to keep them both afloat. He told me he laughed while he sailed away, leaving them both to drown. He said, word for word. . . 'That whore and her poisoned womb got better than she deserved.'"
He was now furiously wiping tears out of his eyes and struggling to keep his composure. He took a few shaky breaths and opened his mouth to continue talking.
"You don't have to keep going," Percy said. "I'm sorry."
"No," Titus said shakily. "You wanted to know. And I never told any of this to anyone before meeting the Pythia, including Alexi. I want to finish."
Percy didn't like it, but he nodded. He felt guilty having asked him to relive his traumatic life experiences, but it was his choice to continue. If one good thing did come from this, it was that Percy now really wanted to put Titan in his place. He still knew relatively little about the man, but knew enough that he wouldn't be leaving Delphi before he'd faced justice.
"After the boat," said Titus, "my father told me he'd be doubling down on my training, instructing me himself. I was always hopeless with a sword, and my trainers weren't doing much to help me get better. The last thing I wanted was to spend more time with him, so I stole a pouch of drachmas from him and used it to bribe a ship captain. Next thing I knew I was in Rome with nothing and nowhere to go. The legion took me in and I met Alexi on the first day of training. I lied to him and said the reason I was bad was because I'd never held a sword before, because I didn't want to be thrown out for being untrainable. But Alexi helped me get better and did a far better job than my old trainers ever could, although I still wasn't really good.
"We became friends, best friends. Then one day he left with you —" he gestured to Jason and Reyna "— to fight a rebellion, and you came back without him. With my mother and sister dead, he was the last thing I had left to lose. I was tired of losing things, and I wanted vengeance. Jason stopped that, thankfully, but at the time I couldn't bear to watch a rebel walk around freely, so I left.
"I was a deserter, and didn't want to be caught. I could have gone to any other city and never been recognized, but I was never one for taking even the slightest risk. So I came back here. My father was furious with me for leaving in the first place. I remember him hitting me, and then waking up bruised and battered. I don't know why he didn't just finish me off, but when he saw I'd gotten better with a sword and knew how to bark orders, he decided I might not be useless to him after all. And here I've been ever since."
A silence followed the end of his story. The wind rustled the trees and an owl softly hooted somewhere overhead. A cricket was chirping somewhere in the distance. Other than that, it was quiet. Despite none of them having anything to immediately say in response to his story, Titus smiled. Then he let out a chuckle.
"That feels good," he said, still smiling. "Being able to just talk freely and get that off my chest. I'm not sure if I can really trust you guys, but thanks for letting me talk."
"You can," said Reyna. "And about Alexi. What happened to him on my watch is somethi —"
"No," Percy interrupted. "I was in charge of leading that weapons raid. If I'd been there, he wouldn't have died. But I fell for a trap and was sitting in a cell while it happened. If anyone's at fault, it's me."
"But I was the one who had the idea to set the trap," Jason argued. "If I hadn't —"
"Stop!" Titus interceded. "I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, the only person to blame is whichever rebel pu. . . put an arrow in his head. You killed them all, so that's all that matters to me."
"Yeah," Percy said darkly. "I did."
Reyna squeezed his shoulder and he felt better. It was just a minimal amount of physical contact, yet it was able to improve his mood by a surprising amount. Despite that, his heart still felt heavy. Being reminded that you've killed a lot of people you once considered family can do that.
"So," Jason spoke up. "We should talk about Titan."
"Right," Percy said eagerly, glad to be distracted from his thoughts. He looked to Titus. "What can you tell us about him? What'll it take to take him down?"
"He's very powerful," Titus warned. "And I don't just mean in strength and skill. He doesn't look it, but my father was always pretty smart. He set up an organization that would continue to thrive even if he died."
"How?" said Reyna.
"With a hierarchy. He runs Delphi kind of like a legion. You can think of him like a legatus, and I'm sort of like his personal optio — set to be his successor, but don't have all that much power currently. He has five henchmen, though, that he trusts a lot more than me. Think of them like centurions, while one is his primus pilus. If we kill my father, the primus pilus will be able to step forward and take control. If we kill them both, any of the centurions can assume control."
"So we need to take care of all six of them," said Jason.
"Hold on," Percy interjected. "I don't want to kill anyone else."
Everyone stared at him. Titus looked confused while Jason and Reyna seemed to understand him well enough.
"What?" said Titus. "That's the whole point."
"No," Percy argued, "the point was to take down his operation."
"How are we supposed to do that without killing them?"
"I don't know. We can figure something out."
"But —"
Reyna held up her hand to stop him. Percy looked at her and her brow was furrowed, like she was concentrating hard on whatever she was thinking about. Then he looked at Jason.
"I told you I don't want to be that person again," he said to him.
Jason seemed to know what he was referring to. "I know. But. . . I don't think there's another way."
"We'll let the people decide," Reyna announced.
"What?" Percy and Titus said simultaneously.
"We apprehend Titan and his lackeys and present them before the citizens of Delphi," she explained. "They can choose what to do with them."
"They'll kill them," said Titus.
"Then that's their choice," she said heavily.
"There's no choice there. If they don't kill them, they'll definitely find their way back to power. If they attempt to keep them prisoner, they'll convince someone to release them. If they try to turn them in to Rome, they'll just buy their freedom. None of this works without them dying."
"Whatever," Percy said. "They're the ones that suffered under them, they'll get to be the ones to rid the world from them."
"If we do it this way," said Jason, "all of their soldiers will be on us. We'd have to fight them all before the citizens of Delphi got the chance to finish them."
"It'd be a lot easier to just assassinate them all and be done with it," Titus agreed.
"Not soldiers," said Reyna. "Mercenaries. I have an idea."
A/N: Anyone remember Chapter 9? Or Chapter 15, where Titan was first introduced? Or maybe Chapter 16, where Reyna made a passing comment about a deserter? There's no point to this, really. I just wanted to brag about how far ahead I was thinking. . . (checks calendar) damn, six months ago? Wow, I introduced Titus half a year ago and am only just now using him. I honestly didn't realize until now how long I've been working on this story. It still feels relatively recent.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next one!