Chapter 21

Thanas never anticipated how complicated the whole war effort really was. Until he'd met Percy and Irene, it had always been a war between two groups that hated each other. Sure, he knew it stemmed from the Trojan War, but he had no idea of the true magnitude of it all.

It hadn't always been all-out war. There had been periods of peace. But, in the end, Percy had orchestrated nearly everything. He was the one who gave the Romans power. He was the one that helped the Christians rise to power in the east. It wasn't like the war wouldn't happen without him, but he was dictating its pace. Everyone else had joined along for the ride.

Except Irene.

The memory she showed him in that golden sphere of hers was almost too much for him to bear. He didn't want to think about it; it made him angry. But it continued to creep into his thoughts, reminding him of the cruel nature of power. There was a reason why Irene was fighting on their side. The things that the Trojans did to her were horrifying beyond belief.

But he understood why Irene showed it to him. It was to show him that she, too, had been broken in the past. Yet, in spite of it all, she fought to stay above it. She fought to live as honourably as she could. Although she told him that she'd done things people could condemn her for and that she was far from perfect, she did what she had to do to save as many as she could.

She told him that, in the end, the fact that Greeks and Romans were dying wasn't the problem. Even without intervention, without Percy's guidance, the Romans would come to dislike the Greeks anyway. Especially for what they did in Troy. The real story was the hero that had fallen from grace.

They needed to defeat the Romans to right the imbalance of power. They needed to eliminate the unfair advantage and protect their own kin. But that was only one step in the plan to restore Percy's status as a hero of Olympus.

Thanas wasn't sure what to think. This whole time, he'd thought Percy was fighting this war to protect the Greeks. But Irene had showed him that other memory of hers, the one where she'd met him not long before Caesar's assassination. It was never really about protecting the Greeks. It was about destroying the Romans.

He spent a few nights pondering why Irene felt Xanthe and Leon weren't ready for the truth. He figured she wanted Leon to assimilate more. She probably wanted him to feel like he belonged here before revealing that defeating the Romans wasn't the end goal. Or was it the fact that neither Xanthe or Leon would try to save someone they had little connection to? Why was he the optimal choice?

He didn't know the answer to any of that. He just hoped Irene knew what she was doing.

Thanas sat in the meeting room, arms crossed, barely listening in on the conversation around him. News had spread amongst the campers that Empress Theodora was actually sick and that they needed to launch their counterattack sooner rather than later. Alexandros and Viviana were doing their best to calm everyone down and contain the rumours before they got out of hand. No one was supposed to know about her condition, especially not any potential Roman spies.

The two had called in the head representative of each god or goddess to figure out how to explain that to the other campers. As the only son of Hades, Thanas didn't really need to be a part of the conversation. He was just there because Alexandros and Viviana were supposed to go over the plan for the first step of the counterattack right after.

Thanas wasn't all that surprised Empress Theodora was sick. It was one of his first impressions of her. She seemed a lot more frail that she probably should have been.

Irene stepped into the room, and immediately the group went silent.

Thanas didn't know much about her, other than the fact that she was a child of Aphrodite and the fact that she'd been there at Troy when it fell. But she carried herself like she was a war commander, not a daughter of the love goddess. Then again, if someone went through what she did, it would be hard not to be jaded.

"Carry on," she told them, making her way to a seat in the back of the room.

Alexandros cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "As I was saying, we need to keep a close eye on everyone. Any information that gets leaked out can be used against us. We aren't safe here. Constantinople may be safer than being out there in the wild, since we can use the mortals as a sort of shield, but that doesn't mean you can't be murdered in the streets by Roman spies. They can be anywhere."

"But what do we do after Empress Theodora dies?" one of the Apollo kids asked.

"We're working on a plan," Alexandros responded. He hesitated. "We'll have something worked out by the end of the year. Hopefully... hopefully we're given that much time."

"You have until the Summer Solstice," Irene spoke up. "She'll be dead by then."

Alexandros glanced nervously at Viviana. Neither of them seemed entirely sure of what to do. Chiron, who was usually present during such meetings, was gone. He'd gone off to search for a new home somewhere in the wilderness. That effectively made Percy and Irene the de facto leaders of the evacuees.

Most were inclined to follow Percy, simply because he was a man. It was easier to follow a man in their society than it was to follow a woman. Unless it was Empress Theodora, but that was because Emperor Justinian truly loved her and valued her. She could keep them safe no matter what.

"We shouldn't rush anything," Thanas spoke up.

Everyone's eyes turned to him. He didn't like the attention but he had to say something. Alexandros and Viviana clearly didn't know where to go.

"We'll take our time to execute our plan," he continued. "That's all we can really do. Better safe than sorry."

"What about when Theodora is dead?" the son of Apollo countered. "Will Justinian still protect us?"

"There's no guarantee that she can even protect us now, not to mention after she dies." Thanas stood, knowing that he would appear more powerful if he looked bigger and taller than the others. "If we only have until the Summer Solstice, that's far less than a year. What will Justinian think when a bunch of mysterious misfits show up and then his beloved wife dies just months later? He won't be fond of us. He'll probably blame us for her death. But that doesn't mean we're ready to just go out there and fight. We must prepare for a reality where Justinian kicks us out, but we have to act like we live in a reality where this is our only safe haven."

"Then what do you suggest we do to prepare?"

Thanas glanced at Irene. She was watching him expectantly. He sighed and stared at each and every single person in the room. "All of us, even the ones who don't care for fighting, have to learn to survive. Whether that means learning to fight. Whether that means hardening your mental constitution. Whether that means sacrificing your body. You have to learn to survive."

"That's a lot harder to do than it is to say, Thanas," Alexandros pointed out.

Vivana frowned. "But he's right."

Alexandros turned to stare at her. "Still, it's—"

"If we have to steal to survive, we'll steal," she interrupted. "If we have to kill to survive, we'll kill. If we have to sacrifice our own life to let ten others survive, we'll sacrifice."

"The Romans don't care if there's one of us or an army of us," Thanas added. "They'll try to kill us either way."

"Not all of them," Irene said. "Not all the Romans believe killing Greeks is the answer. The same as how not all Greeks believe it's right to kill all Romans. Choose your battles. Don't let the battles choose you. If you make the choice, you can control the outcome. If the choice is made for you, then you must follow the path you have been provided. Sometimes the right choice is to stay your blade. Sometimes the right choice is to never stop swinging."

"The point is that none of us can live a comfortable life." He leaned on the table. "Look at the person on your left. Then look at the person on your right. It could be tomorrow, or the day after, or a few months down the line, but there's no guarantee that these people will be by your side when the future arrives. We need to reach a point where we can look to our left and look to our right and still feel like we have a chance at surviving when we see no one. Each and everyone one of us, including those that aren't present in this meeting room today."

It was a grim truth, but the group seemed to understand.

"I know most of you would rather trust Alexandros and Viviana with deciding our livelihood and our future, but I'm a part of this fight, too. If there's one thing that I've studied for, it's this very situation. Ionna... Ionna died trying to give us an advantage in this war. I'm going to do the same. You can follow me or you can stay here and cower. Regardless of the decision you make, regardless of whether you are by my side, know that I will do what it takes to destroy the Romans. Because I have the power."

"And how will you use that power?" Irene asked.

"Our first course of action," Thanas replied, meeting her eyes, "is to rid Constantinople of Roman spies. That plan begins now. And here's how we're going to do it."

Zoë stared out at Constantinople. "So this is how you're going to play, Irene?"

She paused, letting the warm breeze pass over her exposed arms.

"So be it."

The Champion of None wanted to play by her own rules. Still, she wasn't technically deviating from the plan. She'd just switched their roles. Instead of the Hunters trapping Percy in one location, it would be Irene. That would leave the Hunters the role of hunting down Percy's network of informants. Fair enough, Zoë thought, since the Hunters were meant to hunt. Trapping game in a corner and waiting made for a boring hunt.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Phoebe quietly sneaking off toward Sykai. Zoë held her tongue and watched as her right-hand woman disappeared into the night.

Zoë sighed. Phoebe had been restless ever since Zoë found her in Athens. She was still fuming about Percy, angry that Zoë had to go on a stupid mission with him. Zoë didn't mind. She figured the gods were trying something, anything, to get Percy to return to normal. But Zoë didn't have the confidence to rectify his wrongs. She felt powerless.

Maybe it was better that Irene was holding Percy down.

Zoë wouldn't be surprised if Phoebe wanted to go into Constantinople to kill Percy herself. She sighed in resignation. Better to let Phoebe think that she was acting behind Zoë's back than for Zoë to acknowledge it. That way she wouldn't have to deal with the fallout. She wanted no part of it.

Percy would be stopped. If that meant the Hunters were in charge of destroying his network, so be it. Zoë felt more comfortable neutralizing unfamiliar targets. It made her feel less guilty.

"What a dark and cruel way to think about it," she muttered.

"About what?" a voice asked from behind her.

Zoë turned to face Helene, who was watching her curiously.

"Looks like we're changing our course of action," Zoë said. She glanced toward Sykai, where Phoebe had disappeared off to. "I hope the girl doesn't wander off too far. We're going to go after Percy's network of spies and informants instead."

Helene frowned. "But Irene agreed to the deal where we—"

"It doesn't matter what she agreed to. She'll do what she wants. And, as of right now, I trust myself even less than her when it comes to a task involving Percy."

"Then we'll—"

"Follow my orders," Zoë said with finality. She looked at the old Hunter in the eyes. "Listen, I get it. You don't like Percy. Most of the Hunters dislike him. But if you try to attack him, without me leading the charge, he'll slaughter you all. If Irene is right, that is. If Percy still cares about me, then the only way we can even get close to him is if I am there. I'm not willing to risk that, and I need time to prepare myself to fight him."

Helene clenched her jaw. Zoë could tell she didn't like it. But orders were orders, and the old Hunter respected them.

"But, if you and Phoebe feel strongly enough about it... pretend to obey me." Zoë turned back to face Constantinople. "I can't see anything that goes on behind my back."

She hoped Helene would understand her hint.

There was a brief pause before Helene responded: "Of course, Zoë."

"Good. You're free. Tell the other girls of our new plan."

"Yes, Zoë."

She could hear Helene turn and march back to the campsite.

Zoë knew she was playing a dangerous game, but if they had to stop Percy, she couldn't do it herself. She wasn't prepared, mentally, to fight Percy. She was angry with him, with everything that he'd done over the years. She wanted to stop him from resorting to his contingency plan. But her body wouldn't comply with her mind.

"Fuck it," she swore under her breath. "The pupil has become the master. Irene, I hope you know what you're doing. I'll be back to check. If Percy lays a foot outside the Capital Region, Phoebe and Helene will know. They'll be ready to strike. And, unlike me, they'll be looking for a kill."

Xanthe clenched her teeth as the storm swirled around her.

"Keep focusing!"

"I've held it for a whole hour!" she said through gritted teeth. "I can't... manage it for much longer..."

"It hasn't even been a tenth of an hour," Percy replied.

"Well, it feels like it's been an hour!"

She drew from all her remaining strength to maintain the storm. It was one thing to summon a storm in battle with the adrenaline flowing through her. It was another to maintain the storm over a significant length of time in a low-stress situation. Like most sea storms, it worked best when it was feeding off warm waters. In other words, the more active and more energetic she was, the stronger and wilder the storm.

Xanthe had asked to learn from Percy after hearing from Thanas about what he'd done to the Eleventh Legion. She wanted to be able to do that in future battles.

But she couldn't hold on any longer. She lost her concentration, and the storm died.

Percy walked up to her, grinning with his arms crossed.

"Stop smiling like that," she grumbled. "You make me feel like I'm powerless."

"Trust me, I don't really understand it either," a voice said from behind her.

Xanthe whirled around to see Leon approaching her. She suddenly felt more self-conscious, and her senses went on double-time. "You were watching?"

"Pretty hard to miss a swirling storm," he said with a small smile. He pointed upward. "Especially when you're looking down from up there."

"Practising your control of the winds?" Percy asked.

Leon nodded. "Thanas said my power is still too raw. Though, I'm not sure what that means."

Percy looked at him up and down for a moment, as if analyzing him to figure out how he could best clarify the confusion. "Hm, tell me your thought process when you summon the power of the winds. Or when you blast something with lightning. Explain how it feels to use your powers."

The son of Zeus glanced at Xanthe. She shrugged, unsure of what Percy wanted to hear.

"Um, well, it's like... I just think of the enemy that's in front of me, think about blasting it apart with lightning, and then it... happens. It's hard to explain. There's this tug in my gut, and it just happens. Isn't that how our powers work? We just call upon them and they bend to our will."

"Kind of," Percy said, rocking his head from side to side in hesitation. "But not really."

She and Leon met eyes again. She wasn't sure what message to give him.

"Think about it like this," Percy said. He turned toward the sea and extended an arm. His hand was parallel to the ground for a moment before he suddenly flicked it up. Simultaneously, a huge fountain of water, several stories high, shot up like he was flicking the water with his hand. "I'm not calling upon my powers. I am my powers. I am the sea. It is an extension of my body, of who I am. I flick the water up, as if I am playing with the water with my hand. It is only after you learn to control your powers as if they are an extension of yourself that you can unlock your true potential."

Xanthe blinked. Up until that point, she hadn't really understood why Percy wanted her to control a storm while standing still in a friendly environment. It had no practical use. She would only need to use the storm in the middle of a battle. But what if the storm was already powerful without needing to draw from the "heat" of battle? How much more destructive could it be?

"That's why you wanted me to practise this," Xanthe blurted. She stared at Percy. "You want me to become an impenetrable force in battle."

Percy gave her a sarcastic look. "Someone catches on quick."

She scowled and glared at him.

"Do you remember the feeling you had that day you knocked the Roman eagles out of the sky?" Percy asked, turning back to Leon. "Think about lightning like that. Think about the winds like you're just walking on air."

Leon scratched his head. "Like I'm using a spear or something?"

Percy pointed out at the sea again, lifting lumpy, humanoid shapes made of water up above the surface. "Try it."

Leon took a deep breath and focused his gaze. He reached out with his hand, hesitantly at first, before he straightened his arm and opened his palm outward. Lightning shot out of his hand, reaching out and blasting through the humanoid water-figures. The tendrils reached out like arms, building off of one another and slicing through the water.

When Leon lowered his arm, he looked like he'd just had a nice walk in a garden. A large smile split his face, and he hardly looked like he broke a sweat.

"Better?"

"I will be a lot better," Leon nodded. "How... how did I never think of that before?"

"If I never became immortal, I doubt I'd even be as powerful as Xanthe," Percy admitted. "It took a long time for me to hone my powers and become as powerful as I am today. The advice I give you is from over a thousand years of practice."

Xanthe was flattered by the compliment, but also a little surprised. She wondered how powerful a fifteen-year-old Percy was. From her dreams, she figured he was a good swordsman, but she couldn't tell how far his control over water had developed. She'd assumed he was as proficient with his powers as he was with his blade. But that may not have been entirely true.

Then again, if he'd survived mostly alone for years, then he had to have been powerful already.

Percy stretched his arms and glanced at the two of them. "Well, I suppose we should take a break. Xanthe, meet me at Theodora's favorite garden in two hours. Until then, you have free rein. Do what you please. Just try not to kill yourself."

She had a feeling that he still wanted her to practice her powers, but she was glad he was taking a step back. He was being a little receptive to their wishes. Leon called it "not being controlled", but Xanthe felt Percy hadn't intended on controlling them. He was just trying to persuade them to fight with him.

Percy left them alone on the shores near Sykai.

They stood in silence for a while, staring out at the waves. It was a cloudy, windy day. Made conditions rough for a smooth boat ride over the strait, but that didn't concern Xanthe. She didn't get seasick easily. And Leon could just fly over.

"How long do you think it'll take the remaining legions to reach Constantinople?" Leon asked.

Xanthe shrugged. "No idea. I'm not a strategist. I'm a fighter."

He cracked a smile. "You're not wrong about that."

She looked out at the city. It was a beautiful town with spectacular domed architecture and strong, proud walls. Tucked on the peninsula, surrounded by water, it was like paradise compared to camp. Some of it seemed too lavish for her, especially the richer neighborhoods, but she could only imagine how beautiful Rome must have looked when it stood as grand as Constantinople. The difference between the two cities today was like night and day.

On sunny days, Constantinople looked even more beautiful.

"Honestly," she sighed, "I hope they don't come for a while. I don't know how ready we are to fight them. Sure, we succeeded in destroying the Eleventh, but that was because of the lake. We hardly managed to stop them when they attacked our camp. In fact, we didn't stop them."

"I just... I hope that, with Marcus dead, and the Eleventh Legion gone, the Romans focus on me instead of my village." Leon frowned as he looked out at Constantinople. "I know it's going to sound selfish, but I don't want to live through what Thanas or you have to live through. I don't want the ones I love to die."

She smiled bitterly. "If only that was possible. With the war, people are going to start dying."

He kept his gaze level and his face expressionless. "I know. You heard about Empress Theodora, right? Thanas told me he heard from Irene that Empress Theodora has an incurable illness."

Xanthe turned to him, blinking in surprise. "No, I hadn't heard that."

"Really?" He looked equally as surprised. "I thought Thanas must've told you already. I mean, I don't think anyone else knows except Thanas. Maybe Alex and Viv."

"Alex and Viv?"

She'd never heard anyone call them that before. It caught her so off-guard that, for a moment, she completely forgot about the shocking news that Theodora was going to die. She couldn't contain her bewilderment at his nicknames as she stared at him like he'd fallen from the sky.

"What?" The son of Zeus shrugged his shoulders. "I've been here for a couple of weeks now. There's gotta be an easier way to say their names instead of reciting their full given name. Alex and Viv. Those nicknames are much shorter and easier to say."

"Then what am I?" Xanthe asked. "Xan? The? Nth?"

"Babe," he joked, shooting her a wink.

While her mind immediately thought he sounded like an absolute idiot, her face suddenly felt hot. "Thanas was right. You are insane. And not the good insane."

"You call Athanasios by the name Thanas," he pointed out. "That's a nickname."

She huffed and looked away. "Half the time, I find it hard to believe that you were raised in a remote village."

"I spent a lot of time around some... rowdy boys in Thessalonica at the military school." He shuddered, asif haunted by the memory. "And the girls... Those impulsive and... uh... driven girls spent a lot of time around them. Not a good combination by any means. But that's beside the point. Yeah, I was raised in a village, but I got a taste of city life. Not that I enjoy that lifestyle by any means. You have to like the person, not the body."

"How did we even get to this topic?" Xanthe said uncomfortably. She didn't like the way her thoughts were beginning to spiral, or the way her eyes seemed to latch onto different parts of Leon's body. "What were we talking about again?"

Leon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Right... um, Empress Theodora's death?"

"Right." Her heart sank. She tried to absorb the news as best as she could, but it was depressing to think about. "What does it mean for us? Isn't she the one keeping us safe in Constantinople?"

"One would presume so."

"So we get kicked out by the emperor when she passes? How are we going to fight the Romans if we don't have a steady source of sustenance? Food and water and shelter are incredibly important if we want to have a fighting chance."

He hesitated. "Well, maybe Percy and Irene can talk Justinian into keeping them around. He's... he's not going to be that cruel, is he? He's not going to kick out a bunch of kids who need a home, who are contributing to his city and paying taxes, is he?"

Xanthe didn't have an answer. And, even if she did, she wasn't sure if it would be an answer they were satisfied with. Now, the cloud cover seemed more ominous, as if foretelling of the dark days ahead of them.

"We should probably head back," she said.

He nodded.

"Race you," she grinned.

"You know I can fly, right?"

"And I can swim really fast."

"As fast as I can fly? Yeah right."

"Wanna bet?"

"Five drachma."

Xanthe smirked. "You're on."

He just winked at her and blasted off into the sky. She ran for the water and dove in. Willing the water around her to bend to her will, she propelled across the strait. She tried to use what Percy taught her. She imagined that she was an embodiment of the water, as if she could dissolve and materialize on opposite shores, as if she embodied the whole strait.

Unfortunately, Leon hadn't taken the bet lightly, and when she emerged from the water, he was already there, waiting for her.

"Damn," she cursed under her breath.

"Money?" Leon held his hand out and teased her with a grin of his own. "I believe I won our bet."

Xanthe reluctantly dug her coins from her pocket and handed them over. Leon gladly took them and laughed as he put an arm around her shoulders. She wanted to be mad at him, but she couldn't help but blush. Why did the feeling of his arm around her shoulders and his side pressed against hers make her heart race? She wasn't the type to crush on guys that easily. At least, she thought she wasn't.

He pulled out a solidus from his other pocket. "Should we grab a drink? Something nice and refreshing?"

"Whatever," she managed, forcing her gaze away from him.

As they walked, Xanthe realized they were close to Justinian's palace. In fact, they were standing on the outside of Theodora's garden.

"My dear husband..."

Xanthe blinked. She thought she heard the Empress' voice and stopped in her tracks. Leon had noticed too, because he was staring right at the fence like he'd heard a ghost pop out of nowhere. They glanced at each other. While eavesdropping wasn't really her thing, she couldn't help it. A bad feeling crept up her chest as she and Leon approached the voice.

They could see Empress Theodora and Emperor Justinian through the cracks of the fence.

"I... I'm dying, Justinian."

Justinian blinked before turning to the doctor and laughing. "She's delirious, isn't she?"

The doctor stayed silent.

It took a few moments for it to register in his head. Xanthe could see different stages his mind was going through. He was in disbelief, like he thought it was all a prank. Then he realized the magnitude of what she was saying, and fear glimmered in his eyes. His eyes searched Theodora for any trace of a lie, of any fib whatsoever. When he couldn't find any, his eyes flashed angrily, like he wanted to hit her.

But then he came to an understanding. Theodora looked terrified. She looked sorrowful. She wasn't lying for some silly reason. She was telling the truth.

Xanthe could see the moment Justinian's heart broke.

"You..."

"I won't survive past the end of the year," Theodora said, her voice cracking. "I know... I know we've lived more comfortably and more lavishly than many others. I've lived a long life compared to so many of our poorest subjects. But I know it's too early. It's far too early."

"End of the year..."

"I want you to prepare for this," she told him. "My friends, the leaders of the group I took in from Achaea, tried to help me. Even beyond the doctor's help. They're like magical healers, and even they could not find a way to save me. I didn't want to worry you until it became apparent that this would be our fate."

Justinian stared at her for a moment, desperate longing in his eyes. She was right in front of him, but she had never felt further away.

Xanthe's heart sank as the emperor enveloped his wife in a sorrowful embrace. She could hear his soft weeping. She could hear his sorrow, feel his helplessness. Instinctively, she grabbed Leon's hand for comfort.

"Please..." Theodora said through tears. "Protect my friends. For as long as you can."

"I..."

"I don't ask you to promise," she said. "I request this. My last request to you as a subject of the Roman Empire."

All that came out of Emperor Justinian's mouth was, "Don't leave me."

"I love you."

"I love you more."

As they watched something they clearly were not meant to watch, Xanthe couldn't help but think about whether Justinian would grant her last request. Would he protect them as she wished? Her gut told her he would do his best. Because, in the end, he truly loved Theodora. That was easy to see.

"Let's go," Leon whispered from behind her. "We shouldn't intrude any longer."

Xanthe nodded and followed Leon away, off toward the palace's main garden. She didn't pay attention to the fact that she was still holding his hand. She didn't pay attention to the fact that they were supposed to meet Percy for further training.

Her heart hurt for Justinian. The war was going to take off and escalate. The Roman legions were going to march onward to Constantiople. Empress Theodora was going to die. He had to deal with his army in the west, in Italia, getting smacked around by the Ostrogoths. He had to deal with the Persians in the east. Now, his wife was requesting he keep a bunch of kids safe from an unknown enemy. She would only be the first casualty in this war. Xanthe thought of all the others: Alexandros, Viviana, and other campers. Would they suffer the same fate as Ionna?

She wasn't sure how much heartache she could take. But she would be tested. Ionna was the first. Theodora was the second.

And there would be many more deaths than just two.