Chapter Seventeen

Percy's chest rose and fell at a pretty steady rate, though there were moments here and there where his breath would catch and stutter. Michael watched it with morbid curiosity because despite everything he had seen, stabbings like this were rare. Greer had caught Percy by surprise, something he hadn't thought possible, and the damage had been intense. His first strike had slipped between Percy's ribs and punctured his lung, a deadly blow on its own, but he had managed to get another stab into Percy's shoulder, and a gash along his throat up towards his jaw before Michael, Hank, and Julian had arrived.

Michael knew he was strong. He didn't know he was strong enough to crush someone's wrist, but circumstances had shown that he could. Michael was also of the belief that if Possessorus hadn't intervened to stop them, Greer would have been a bloody corpse on the ground, but the lar had stressed that Percy would want to deal with him once he had recovered. If he recovered. Michael's first thought had been to just roll Percy into the Tiber to heal, but Reyna had refused, claiming that the punctured lung would be filled and he wouldn't be able to breath. That meant that for the first eighteen hours, Percy was in surgery. Their new doctor, Savannah, was just as skilled as Dustin had been since he had trained her, and she had refused to even let Reyna be allowed in the room with Percy as the operation was conducted. It didn't look good. They needed to let the tissue on Percy's lung heal before they could submerge him, and that would take several days, even with the magical healing they had. There was a common misconception among the younger recruits that Unicorn draught healed everything. That wasn't true—it facilitated the healing process and sped it up, but when the damage was severe, there was only so much it could do.

It had taken Michael, Larry, and Leila together to convince Reyna that she needed to take control of the situation in the city, and she only conceded when Michael promised that he would personally stand watch over Percy. He had also assigned twelve legionaries from the First to different spots in the hospital, and they were supported by another eight from the Fourth, all members of Percy's former squads when he served in that cohort. He was surrounded by those intensely loyal to him, and no one was getting through Michael without leaving him dead on the floor first.

The thing he didn't understand though, the thing that had been on everyone's mind was just why Greer was so successful. Percy had been right next to the Tiber. Even though the scuffle couldn't have lasted longer than a minute, if even that, Percy hadn't summoned the water to aide him. Michael knew he wasn't the only one who was wondering why, and Dakota had revealed that there were some whispers that Percy planned to be attacked. If he had—which Michael doubted, because Percy absolutely hated being injured in any capacity—he wouldn't have let himself be so gravely wounded. It all made no sense.

In all honesty, Michael didn't know what was happening in the outside world. He had been in Percy's room for nearly three days now, only sleeping when he had two of his legionaries posted on the door out front, so he had gotten maybe ten hours total. He knew he couldn't keep it up, but if he left, Reyna would come and she wouldn't leave. That would cause more problems then it would—

"Michael," a voice said so quietly he thought he was hearing things at first. But he looked around and found himself staring at a horrified Jason through some sort rainbow image. "Mike, what happened?"

"Am I seeing things?" He blinked, but Jason was still there, "what is this?"

"Michael, why is Percy in the hospital?" Jason repeated so forcefully that it shocked him from his stupor.

"There was…Senator Greer attacked Percy. Outside of the city. Stabbed him twice, caught him with a blow to the neck as well. We don't know why, but Greer's been stashed in the Wolf House with Lupa and her pack until Percy's healed."

"How…how bad is it?"

"Well, Jason, we couldn't put him in the water because we were worried about his lung filling up, so how do you think?" Michael reported bitterly. "Why the hell were we attacked, Jace? Why would you bring people here who would attack civilians?"

"It's…complicated, Mike," Jason sighed, running a hand down his face in imitation of Percy when he was tired. Or maybe Percy did it in imitation of Jason. "I need you to know that it wasn't us. Leo was possessed by a spirit working for Gaea, trying to spark a war between Greeks and Romans."

"Yeah, well, it worked, and now Percy's been stabbed." He said, "what are you even doing here? Have you been spying on us?"

"No!" Jason cried out, "I was calling Percy to find out what he knew about—about a thing. And then I saw him, and you, and I just—"

"It's not important," Michael cut him off, "I'm sorry, Jason, but you're officially enemies of Rome. I can't help you, and I can't let Percy be seen helping you."

"I…I understand, Mike. Just…let him know that I called?" Jason asked.

"When I can," he promised. Jason nodded, and after a moment swiped his hand through the rainbow, which vanished into thin air. Michael was still staring at the spot on the wall where he had been when the legionaries outside burst in, swords drawn.

"We heard voices!" One said, scanning the room.

"Ah, crap, sorry guys, I think I'm so tired I was having a conversation with myself," Michael said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Look, I'm going to need a nap, so if you guys could…?"

"Right. Yes, sir. Sorry sir."

"All good, I appreciate the dedication you're showing." He assured them, and they backed out of the room, throwing a glance at him before closing the door. Michael let out a sigh and dropped his head back against the wall. His eyes were barely shut before he was out of it.

XXX

It was a little past six when he woke up, and the first thing he became aware of was that he wasn't alone anymore. Leila was in the room with him, standing beside Percy's bed with a hand on his cheek. Maybe part of him should have been worried about that, but he knew the two of them had a relationship closer to that of siblings than anything else. His chair creaked as he sat up, and Leila turned to him, giving him a warm yet sad smile.

"I've been sent to officially relieve you," she said, "I'm going to be honest; things have been crazy and we kind of forgot that you were here. I'll take over Percy watching duties."

"Can you give me the update?"

"There were a couple senators who thought the attempt was a publicity stunt by Percy, and a member of the Eagle Party actually beat one who said as much directly to Reyna, so the Senate's in an uproar. Then we had another group try to claim that Reyna didn't have the authority to call them to assembly anymore, which almost led to another brawl, but thankfully the consuls stepped in and put things back to order. Possessorus testified personally about the attack, and Lupa confirmed that Greer has admitted to it. I guess enough time with the Wolf Mother broke him. So the senate no longer things it's a hoax, but now there's questions about the campaign. Reyna absolutely refuses to leave before Percy's healed but some are making the argument that by his own timetable, we might have to leave without him. It's turning into a standoff, and we're trying to figure out what to do. Percy splitting the military from the government couldn't have come at a worse time with all this going on."

While Michael was processing that information, his attention was drawn to Percy when they heard a slight rasping. His eyes were open, and his mouth was moving, but nothing but air was coming out. Leila was faster than him and darted out the door. She returned a moment later with Savannah, who quickly began examining Percy. Michael watched him and it wasn't until he noticed that his eyes kept darting to the glass of water next to his bed that he realised what he wanted.

"Can he drink?" He asked Savannah. She blinked at him before making the same conclusion.

"Small amounts, Imperator," she said, holding the glass to Percy's lips and letting a little of the liquid into his mouth. "One of you find the Legate."

"I'll go," Leila said immediately.

Savannah slowly let Percy drink the glass, and once it was empty, she sent an orderly to refill it. It seemed like it was enough for Percy, though.

"There's a-a document in my office," he said, his voice as rough as sandpaper, "in a safe. Reyna knows the code."

"That can wait, Imperator," Savannah said firmly, "how do you feel?"

"Like I was stabbed twice," Percy replied slowly, "is Greer alive?"

"It. Can. Wait." Savannah repeated. "Are you still in pain?"

"Yes," Percy ground out, "more water?"

"In a moment. I don't want to overwhelm your body. Alright, after consulting all of Dustin's notes, I'm going to ask this again—are you in enough pain that it would impede you from moving?"

Percy was silent for a moment longer than what was perhaps needed, and the doctor took that as all the information she needed.

"We can't submerge you until the hole in your lung is fully healed," she told him, "it's been coming along nicely, but it'll still be another two or three days before we're at the point to try. Can you remember what happened?"

"Marcus Greer attacked me."

"Yes. Do you remember the attack itself?"

"Vividly, doc."

"Then we'll address that later. Do you want a rundown of your injuries?"

Percy nodded, and Savannah held the new glass of water to his mouth while she talked.

"You had a knife slip between your ribs into your right lung, which pretty quickly started filling with blood. We had to pump it before we could start repairing. You had another stab wound in the shoulder. It nicked the bone, so we had to pull some fragments out, but that's healed well for the most part. It'll be sore for a few weeks, and you won't have full range of motion, but should heal fully. The last blow was probably the least damaging. You received a gash up your neck and jaw. It's going to scar, but it missed any major veins and arteries." She explained. Only once Percy was finished drinking did speak again.

"There was a faun—"

"Marco," Michael nodded, "unfortunately, Greer killed him. He reincarnated as a Dogwood tree."

"Did he have family? Friends?"

"I—I don't know, Percy." Michael admitted. "I can find out."

"Make sure you do." Percy nodded slightly. "Doc, can you give us a moment?"

"I'd rather not, but I am sworn to obey you," Savannah sighed. "I'll give you until the Legate shows up, which I'm guessing isn't that long."

She stepped out of the room, and Percy stared at Michael until he shifted. Finally, he couldn't help it.

"You were next to the Little Tiber," he said, "why didn't you use it?"

"I was caught by surprise," Percy's voice had regained some strength but it was still far weaker than Michael had ever heard it. "It seems so stupid, but I really didn't think that anyone would try to kill me before I was an adult."

"What?"

"I'm seventeen, Mike," he explained. "I'm still a minor, both by American law and by Roman law. This was also my first time getting stabbed, which was…new. I've been bitten, beaten, burned, and crushed, but never stabbed. It's not fun. I don't recommend it."

"Perce."

"Right, not funny. I didn't think to use the river because I didn't really understand what was happening. Shock's a hell of a thing, and I was shocked. Greer wasn't a slouch either. He'd clearly been preparing for this. I think he might have taken classes in knife fighting, because he managed to counter most of my attempts to get the knife away from him."

"His vacation?"

"Maybe," Percy shrugged before wincing. "Ow. Wrong shoulder to do that with."

Reyna burst into the room before Michael could speak again, hair frazzled and one shoe untied. She started to lunge towards Percy but he stepped between them before she could reach him, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Hey, he's hurt, remember? Gentle," he reminded her softly. Reyna seemed to realise what she had been about to do and went red in the ears and cheeks. "I'll give you two a moment and stall Savannah."

The two legionaries outside were doing their best to pretend that they hadn't been trying to eavesdrop, and Michael did his best to pretend he didn't know what they had been up to. Chances were that they hadn't heard anything, and if they had, they knew better than to blab. Leila was waiting in the foyer with Julian DeSanto, Decurion of the Ala Legionis. The new cavalry commander had been with Michael when they found Greer kneeling over Percy, about to deliver a death-blow, and he had reacted quickly, driving his foot into the Senator's jaw after Michael had grabbed his wrist. For that alone, Michael had let any doubts about the man go.

"Primus Pilus, with your permission, the Ala will take over security here. You and your legionaries can get some rest."

"Reyna approved it on the run over," Leila added.

"Please," he grabbed Julian's shoulder. "I need to sleep so badly."

"Of course," Julian nodded, and within a minute, new legionaries were streaming in to take over. Those of his cohort present had been on rotation for thirteen hours, and they stumbled out of the hospital like they were drunk.

"I'm probably not going to be able to make it to the barracks under my own power," Michael admitted, and had the wonderful timing of having Savannah overhear it. Before he could blink, she had grabbed his ear. "Ow-ow-ow."

"Oh, you big cry baby," she laughed, before flinging a door open. "Honestly, we prepared this room for you on the first day, but you never even asked. Clean bed. Sleep. You'll be fine until the morning."

At this point, the hospital bed was like laying on a cloud. Michael was out of it almost instantly, but just before he was completely gone, he felt another weight on the bed beside him, and the familiar scent of Leila's shampoo filled his senses. He made a pleased sound, and then he was asleep.

XXXMXXX

Reyna hadnt wanted to leave Percy on his own, but apparently he had overheard Leila telling Michael about the situation in the city, and he refused to let her stay with him until that was resolved. They had argued about it.

Loudly.

So loudly, in fact, that Savannah come in and threatened to kick her out. That was when she had caved, and did as Percy asked. In his office, there was a painting of Caesar accepting Vercingetorix's surrender, and behind that, a safe. Cliché? Yes. She didn't judge, though. Of course, she knew the code (it was their anniversary) and she managed to find the document he had told her to look for rather easily.

Per Percy's instructions, she read it first, and couldn't help but wonder if maybe he was giving her too much power just because of their relationship. It was an issue that would have to be addressed another time. She had a meeting with the Senate and some very rude politicians to put in their place, and that was something that Reyna loved doing.

Unlike the last time she had called the Senate to session, she wasn't met by any pushback. The Consuls had both supported her publicly the last time, and any naysayers knew they couldn't press their luck so soon.

"I'll get straight to the point," she said once everyone was accounted for. "The Imperator has woken, though whether or not that'll last remains to be seen. In the time he was awake, however, he directed me to retrieve a document to present to the Senate. This signing of this document was witnessed by both Lady Lupa and Lord Terminus, as well as the lar Sextus Julius Possessorus. Consul Scott, if you'd read the contents of the document?"

Andrew Scott was a member of the Populares party, but Percy making him Consul had made him far more amiable to his wishes, and he took the document without any hesitation. She watched as he scanned the words before glancing up at her in surprise. She gave him a small nod, and he cleared his throat.

"By the decree of Imperator Caesar Perseus Jackson Augustus, Senator Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano will hold the position of Princeps Senatus. This title confers the following privileges and authority; the Princeps Senatus may summon and adjourn the Senate, may decide the agenda of the session, impose the orders and rules of the session, may meet with…with foreign emissaries in the name of the senate, and may write letters and despatches in the name of the senate." Scott read off. There were a few murmurs, but nothing major. Yet. "Senator Reyna will hold the position for five years, at which point the Senate will vote another senator to the position, to be approved by the Imperator. Once the position is held, it cannot be held for another term—that would be five years—unless the Senate votes on extending the tenure of the holder. The Princeps Senatus holds no imperium, and while they direct and guide the Senate during its sessions, that is the extent of their power."

"And both Lady Lupa and Lord Terminus witnessed this?" Daniel Horn rose from his seat.

"Have you ever known the Imperator to lie about the gods?" Reyna countered. Horn nodded to himself, content with the answer and sat back down. "Truthfully, I wasn't aware of this document until I retrieved it an hour ago. This isn't a recent development on his part, but I believe the news of…developments spurred him to implement it sooner."

That got some nervous squirming, and Reyna relished it.

"Senator Reyna, you have the floor," Scott said, and returned to his seat.

"This was the only issue the Imperator wished to have discussed, but it would be a waste of everyone's time to dismiss so soon, so I'm going to give a report on the status of the legion in my capacity as the Legatus Legionis. All legionaries have been fully equipped with armour, and only a few remain to be assigned weapons. Again, any loans or donations to the armoury would be appreciated, and everything will be documented if you wish to have the weapon returned at the end of the campaign. Faun and Nymph auxilia have found what seems to be the quickest route to Long Island. It'll take us through Nevada to Salt Lake City and the on to Chicago. As we travel, the Legion will actively be performing search and destroy missions on any and all hostile monster warbands in our vicinity, so our estimates have us arriving at Long Island after about a week, maybe two."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Legate, but how exactly is the legion getting to the East Coast?"

"We've had a small fleet of vehicles at our disposal for quite some time, but the Imperator has managed to gather twelve greyhound busses to transport the legion and its equipment across the country. The Ala Legionis will travel by bus, and their Pegasi will follow in the air."

"This wasn't reported in the budget, ma'am," Vanessa Gray noted. "How does the Imperator plan to pay for them?"

"We're not paying for them," she explained, "some months ago, when the Imperator was still the Primus Pilus, I sent him to do a favour for the Amazonian Queen, per her request. He accomplished the task set out by the Amazons and strengthened our alliance. As a result, when he reached out, the Amazons answered. They furnished the vehicles, and they're paying for the logistics and maintenance."

"The…Amazons who are ruled by your sister?"

"Whoever said that family can't be useful?" Reyna smirked. "But yes, the Amazonian queen is my sister. I facilitated the initial alliance, but since he took over the Imperator has been responsible for maintaining it."

"And your new responsibility of meeting with foreign emissaries…"

"That's actually a traditional role of the Princeps Senatus," Danial Horn spoke up, "but it proves quite useful in this case."

"What do we give the Amazons in return for their support, Legate?" Vanessa pressed.

"We have a mutual aid pact," she explained, "if the Amazons should come to conflict, the Legion will dispatch a proportionate force to support them. They run a multi-billion-dollar industry—there's not a lot of material goods we can offer, but we do have a professional military. I can't imagine them calling that aspect of our alliance in considering we're going to war, but it is a part of the terms."

"This is the second time they've supported us though, isn't it?" Richard Horn asked. "They directly came to our aide during the Battle on the Field of Mars."

"That they did, though from what I understand, Juno made that decision for them, and as their patron, they couldn't refuse her." Reyna said. "The alliance has proven to be quite beneficial to us. And we can explore it further in the future, but for now, let's move on. The next issue—"

XXX

It was nearing sunset by the time the Senate meeting was adjourned, and Reyna went straight back to Percy, not letting anyone or anything get in her way. He was awake when she arrived, Savannah fretting over him in a distinctly different manner than Dustin would have. She supposed she'd have to get used to the fact that it wouldn't be Dustin anymore.

"I swear to all the gods, Percy, I will strap you to this bed if that's what it takes!" Savannah threatened, pointing as finger right at him. "I don't care what work you think is so essential, if you move another inch out of this bed, I'll sedate you faster than you can say your girlfriends name."

"I…I asked if I could do some reading," Percy protested. "I don't need to go anywhere for that. It can come to me! That's why it's so cool."

"Yeah, I know enough about you to know that caving at one thing is caving for all things," the doctor shook her head. "While you're in here, you don't have a say on what you can and can't do. I'm telling you that for today, there's no reading, no working, and now that Reyna is here, I can definitely tell you that there should be no interactions between the two of you."

"Woah, okay, I'm not sure we're that close, doc," Percy raised his hands. "But what's the big deal? It's just a stab wound. Honestly, considering all I've gone through—"

"Never been stabbed before," Savannah noted, flipping through his chart. "A whole buffet of other injuries recorded here, but no stab wounds. Throw in the fact that there's definitely some shock-induced trauma present, and that we need your lung to heal properly, you're definitely not doing anything I don't say you explicitly can. So, again, no work, no play. Just lay there like a coma patient. Huh. Now there's an idea."

"Okay, okay, I'll behave," Percy pouted.

"Make sure he does," Savannah told him, "I'm going to trust you to be the responsible one here, because Percy seems intent to push every button I have."

"It's one of my most charming traits!" He called after her as she walked out the door. Once she was gone, however, the genial smile vanished from his face and he laid back in his bed. "She's good."

"Yeah, Perce, she's easily the most qualified person in the Bay Area, maybe even the state," Reyna squinted at him to see if anything looked off.

"No, I know that." Percy shook his head, "I meant that she knew that my fun persona was nothing but an act. Didn't call me out on it but worked around it. Dustin didn't care for it, so he'd always just give me this look. She's willing to humour but not enable me. It's interesting."

"I think…I think we're both going to need to stop comparing Savannah to Dustin," she said after a moment. "They're not the same."

"Yeah…" he fell quiet, "so how do you feel about your new job?"

"Pretty useless considering I'm leaving to go fight a war."

"It might not seem like it, but my hope is that we don't have to keep running off to kill bad monsters," Percy sighed. "I think Princeps Senatus is a good role for you to hold in a civilian capacity. We won't be soldiers forever."

"Let's hope," she muttered. "Any bombshells you want to drop on me while we're here? So that I don't have to find out by looking in your safe?"

"Uh, I don't think so," Percy frowned, "I asked Michael to look into the Faun that was killed trying to protect me, Marco, but I heard Mike's pretty much comatose in a room down the hall, so could you put Dakota on it? I want to know everything about him."

"Okay," she said quietly. "I know you've probably got a lot on your mind, but could you do me a favour?"

"Always."

"Try to sleep?" She asked, ghosting her hand over his face. Percy leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. She sat beside him and gently began carding her hand through his hair and humming quietly.

If he hadn't been planning on sleeping, it didn't last long. After a few minutes, he was gone. Reyna slipped out of the room. There were two members of the Ala on guard outside, and Julian DeSanto had rounded the corner to go check out the rest of the hospital as she came out. When she stepped out of the hospital itself, she was greeted by Lupa, towering over her in wolf form.

"Walk with me," the goddess said, "Centurion Dakota is at the Principia right now. We will talk on the way there." Reyna wasn't going to question how Lupa knew where she needed to go and who she needed to see, so she fell into step beside the goddess. "This assassination attempt is troublesome. It was unrelated to the Giant War."

"Forgive me, my lady, but that doesn't seem right." Reyna said as carefully as she could.

"Let me rephrase, then. Terra had no influence, direct or otherwise, in Marcus Greer deciding to attempt to kill Perseus." Lupa corrected herself. "He did it for the Republic."

"Sic Semper Tyrannis," she whispered.

"Indeed, Greer hoped that the death of Perseus would allow the Senate to seize the powers of the Old Republic. He's still of the belief that he succeeded in his attempt, and I will not be the one to disabuse him of that notion."

"You want Percy to meet him once he's healed?"

"I want the last thing that traitorous cur sees is the face of the man he failed to kill," Lupa spat, "and then I will have my wolves tear him into pieces not even fit for the carrion birds."

Reyna hadn't even considered Lupa in all of this. The Goddess loved Percy like he was her son, and she had only been able to briefly see him as he was rushed into the hospital after the attack, when Greer was placed in her custody.

"Forgive my impertinence, Lady Lupa, but…are you okay? The attack on Percy was awful for me. Do you…have someone you talk to about these things?"

"I do, my dear," Lupa said, "and you are very kind for worrying about me, but you need not. All you need to know is that while I breath, I will do everything in my power to ensure that no further harm befalls Perseus from New Rome."

"My lady?"

"I have been remiss. By spending all my time in the Wolf House, I have ignored the politics of the city, and that is unacceptable. I have yet to inform Perseus, but I will begin training demigods here in New Rome. It will also allow me to supervise the politicians. I will not allow another conspiracy to grow in this city." Lupa stated. "My presence should serve as an effective deterrent."

"If that is your will, then I'm sure that Percy will do what he can to support you," Reyna said diplomatically. "He always will."

"Ah, but this is not about him supporting me, child, but rather the inverse," Lupa huffed, which Reyna was pretty sure was a laugh. "Just as you support him. Well, perhaps not just as you support him, but in a similar vein."

Reyna was grateful for the dark covering her blush, but she was sure that Lupa could see it anyway. Thankfully, they reached the Principia, and the Mother of Rome came to a stop.

"The Legion went to war against the Greeks a hundred fifty years ago," Lupa told her, "I will have the records brought to you. Study them, and learn from them. I will not have my legionaries defeated by Graeci."

"Thank you, my lady," Reyna gave a slight bow.

"It has been many centuries since the legion last had a legate, Reyna," Lupa said before she left. "Perseus could not have picked a more qualified person than you. I look forward to seeing your future."

Like a ghost, Lupa melted into the darkness. Reyna blinked, before reaching for the door of the Principia. It opened before her, and she found herself face to face with the person she had come for in the first place.

"Dakota, good," she said in greeting, "I have a job for you."

MMXX

I just wanted to start this author's note by showing what not to do when leaving a review. This came from a guest called Nolan Hobbs, because I stand by my belief that people who leave stupid reviews on guest accounts are fucking cowards. I didn't let it go through because I have that power, but I thought I should share.

"You have 3 days to write another chapter or I'm stabbing you 4 times slashing you and punching you Got It"

You've seen it. Don't be Nolan. I don't know if it was meant to be a joke or something like that, but I've said it so many times that I absolutely hate people demanding I write, and this isn't just a demand, it's a threat. I'm not worried about the threat itself, I've never given enough information to let someone figure out where I am, but it's just so inappropriate to send something like this. It doesn't make me want to write, it actually makes me want to stop. By the time I saw this review, I was halfway done with this chapter. I actually had to walk away from my computer because I was so disturbed. I can handle criticism. I can handle people not liking what I've said or written. I in no way want to have to deal with this. Comments like this are why I moderate my guest reviews. I've said it so many times but I'll say it again—don't ask me when next update is, don't demand that I update faster. I do this for fun, and shit like that doesn't make this fun. Just be decent humans, and don't forget that I'm a person too.

Now, the latest 'promotion'. Reyna's title of Princeps Senatus is an actual one that existed, and all of the responsibilities and authority that comes with the role are what the position actually held, though it should be noted that in the 1st Century BC it was pretty much a ceremonial role. One particularly famous Princeps Senatus was none other than Marcus Tullius Cicero, which is interesting because he wasn't a patrician, whereas almost every other holder had been of that social rank. I cannot make it clearer that Percy had this role in mind for Reyna, but it was a long term solution, not something to be introduced immediately. It was only because of the Senate that he had her use it to her advantage. Politics are messy, and Percy's got the unfortunate job of essentially creating a whole new government using new and old ideas in a way that won't weaken his authority but allows him to take a step back if necessary. Reyna straight up says that she's concerned about all the authority she's getting, and it's something that will be looked at more closely in this story and any sequels.

For reference, the alliance between the Amazons and New Rome came to be in Vas Bellicosum, and its why Percy went to help them at the beginning of this story. It'll also be incredibly important for the future, so pay attention in the coming chapters, and if you're interested, maybe do some research into some of the special roman units from Germany to get an understanding of where I'm going with this. Just don't spoil it for other people!

Finally, it's really crazy, but I've actually finished this chapter on 9/13/2020, the day after I finished the previous chapter. I have seriously got my groove back, and if I manage to keep this tempo up, we may see a chapter a week, or even every few days, until I finish this story. I'd ask that you guys check out my profile and look at some of the projects I have in mind for the future. As I get closer to finishing FD, I might put a poll up to see what you guys want me to work on next, but if I do decide to do that, I'll go into more detail when it happens.

Please leave a review or send a PM but don't be like Nolan Hobbs.

Eternally tired,

CombatTombat