Review Responses will be moved to the bottom of chapters now, I tend to ramble, and you guys should not have to scroll down to start reading. Also, a longer chapter today!

I do not own PJO or anyone of its characters.

Ch. III

Leaving Fairfield, and the Cordelia Junction, Percy decided to take Eisenhower Highway, a barista told him that it should lead to the Grove Shafter Freeway and from there it was a direct path to the Caldecott Tunnel, to the legion. As he made his way towards the legion, monsters had grown attracted to his rather strong scent. The first one to try and take his life as a prize and his body for a meal had been a Laistrygonian Giant, and no he did not get out unscathed. Thirty minutes of running away and desperately trying to keep out of the things grasp, and out of the way of its club, landed him with a dislocated shoulder, a broken sword, and a shower of golden monster dust. While there was plenty bad that came from the fight, he was able to salvage the giant's plaid shirt, and after a thorough washing, he was making his way with a fresh shirt, albeit a damp one. And while he was apprehensive about the legion, the lack of monster activity the closer he got to it was very reassuring. The journey, however, was not easy, he was hanging on a lot of hope and very generous drivers to help him get to Oakland and to where he was currently, in front of the Caldecott tunnel and staring at two soldiers, one clearly his age the other he could not tell, armed to the teeth. The way they were looking at him was starting to piss him off.

"You seem lost kid, you should turn around and get back to your family." The guy whose age he could not tell said, his voice coming off a bit more gruff than a young teens should be, his face covered by his helmet. Though he was far taller than Percy, probably six foot, so maybe he was not such a young teen. It was at this point that the one on the left stepped forward and removed his helmet, it was the same Asian demigod he had seen just before his… fallout with Lupa. "I've seen you before, haven't I?" came his pensive declaration. Before Percy could answer the gruff Roman answered for him. "Look Zhang, if he is a Roman, he needs to get to the medics, kid looks like he's been throttle six ways to Sunday." And as he ushered us into the tunnel, and we were leaving he muttered under his breath "I swear, they get weaker every year."

At this point he was curious, so Percy asked my guide "What's up with Optimus back there, did somebody piss in his cereal or something?" Zhang, as 'Optimus' called him, started laughing, taking a bit of time to work back a stoic expression. When that failed, he simply held a small smile. "My name is Frank Zhang, Probatio, nice to meet you. 'Optimus' as you called him is Derek, the centurion of the Fifth. He's an interesting case, legacy of Mars and son of Vulcan, so he's particularly adamant about trying to be the perfect soldier." Well, that was interesting, not many people with that kind of lineage.

"That is all well and good, but what does him being in the fifth got to do with that, other than his leadership role, no soldier is perfect. Doesn't that seem a bit self-destructive to you?" Percy replied, "My name's Percy by the way, short for Perseus, nice to meet you, Frank." At this Frank's face seemed to darken and grow serious for the first time since Percy met him, "It is not so much about his position as it is about his lineage, I suspect. You see, the Fifth is seen as a joke, not to be taken seriously at best and ridiculed at worst. So, when he came to the legion with his unorthodox lineage and was placed in the fifth after no one else, but our last centurion would speak for him he took it as a personal mission to improve the Cohort's reputation in New Rome."

After Frank's enlightening response Percy could not help but feel a sort of kinship with the outcast centurion and made a mental note of talking to him and getting his perspective of the legion as it stands now. Either way there were more important matters. "So Frank, who's your parent, or are you a legacy?" Percy noticed that the serious expression turned to one of…longing, or maybe just indecision, Percy could not be sure. "I don't actually know, but I know it's my father, I honestly hope it's Apollo. I am not much good with anything other than a bow, and I have family that has served the legion going back a while, but we settled in Canada. How about you Perce, what did you draw in the divine lottery." He asked, Percy found himself not worrying about telling Frank, he had heard, and experienced, how hostile Romans could be towards Neptune but something about Frank told him otherwise.

They had left the tunnel and the Little Tiber was in sight when Percy finally answered him. "I'm actually a son of Neptune, though I don't really know either of my parents, for some reason I grew up with Lupa for as long as I can remember." he replied, watching his face for any signs about any of the information he had just provided Frank. Said Roman just looked up at the sky and quickly checked their surroundings, and Percy started to expect the worst. "You know you should really address the gods and goddesses with their due respect." Came Frank's reply, not in the condescending tone that Percy was expecting, but more worried, whether it was for himself or Percy was yet to be seen. "But hey being a son of Neptune is awesome, we have another child of the big three here already, though she's in the First, you might want to avoid her." Percy was stunned, not only did he not care about his father, but he was actively helping him navigate New Rome's power players, he could feel a friendship starting, and he would be damned if he let it slip through his fingers. "wow… you-you're not angry or annoyed about who my dad is?" came Percy's reply, and although he tried hard not to let it out, it was filled with a rarely seen vulnerability.

As they walked through the Little Tiber and into the area of New Rome controlled by the legion what came next solidified the idea that they would be friends. "Nah, man. My family has done some things we are not proud of. I had to go to the Praetors specifically and ask for forgiveness and permission to join the legion. The way I see it, Perce, is that us outcasts have to stick together and guard each other's backs. You with me?" Frank offered his arm expectantly at Percy. Without a second thought, he grasped Frank's forearm and they shook their arms, forging a covenant of mutual respect. "now let's get you patched up and placed in a Cohort." And with that they left for the medics.

With bandages wrapped around various parts of his body and the memories of the sickening crunch that put his shoulder back into its place, the two demigods made their way to the field of mars. "Alright, so how much did Lady Lupa tell you about the placement process?" Percy looked at Frank in a puzzled way that told him all he needed to know. "Okay, so when we get there, you'll go in front of the legion and introduce yourself and your lineage. Then the Praetors will take volunteers from each of the Cohorts. The volunteers will consist of the Centurion, the Optio, or the Tesserarius. Once you fight through as many of the volunteers as you can, any Cohort can speak for you, including those that you did not beat, and from there you'll be given your Probatio tablet and join your Cohort." And with Frank's explanation done, they had come upon the legion attending their afternoon muster. Having waited for the Praetors to ask if there were any new legionnaires, he stepped up last and lined up with a few others. He had lined up last and would introduce himself last, he decided to tune out all the other new recruits and when it came to his turn he stepped forward.

"My name is Perseus, son of Neptune, and I wish to join the legion!" He looked and saw the expected reaction. The legion was eerily quiet and were shifting around as if they were standing in front of a bomb without knowing when it would go off. That was when one of the Praetors spoke up. "Alright well get on with the placement of these recruits!" and the legion seemed, for the moment, to forget all about him and definingly cheered "Twelfth Legion Fulminata!" And with that the recruits fought volunteers one at a time. It was a rather dull affair, Percy thought, watching them all fight the same way. Though they were all Romans, and they were taught all the same moves and fighting styles. Though something peculiar happened when it came to his placement.

Percy knew something was wrong when no one volunteered to fight him, so he was standing in the middle of a legion who were giving each other weary looks. "Is there no one that will volunteer to determine this recruits' placement?" came the booming voice of the Praetor that talked earlier, seemingly to his defense. Though that thought was quickly shattered as their gaze, as well as the other Praetors, dared anyone to go against the unspoken order to stand aside. "Alright then, although unorthodox, we will go straight to Cohort placement and skip the Proving Ground. Which Cohort will speak for him?" With that the decision was final.

… Silence, that was all Percy could hear. That and his own heartbeat, that was getting louder and louder with each passing second as was his anger. When he finally felt a tug in his gut, he heard a voice off to the side. "I will speak for him!" all the tension in his shoulder and the tug in his gut fell away as he heard Frank's voice. "You are on Probatio, Zhang, you cannot speak for a recruit." Frank's centurion, 'Optimus' he remembered, responded and his heart sunk. "But I respect the soldiers under my command, and I will support them. I will speak for this new recruit." And he had a newfound respect for this centurion, maybe he would have to reconsider what he called him. "There you have it, the Fifth have another soldier." Came the response form the vocal Praetor, as well as snickers erupting from all over the legion. "here's your tablet, join up with your Cohort. Legion, you are dismissed! Go about your duties, and remember dinner is at 0800 hours." And with that the different Cohorts dispersed, but Percy could feel some lingering eyes on him but when he looked to where the first was a moment ago whoever was watching him was gone.

"welcome to the fifth." 'Optimus' said. He really needed to start calling his new centurion by his name, Percy thought. There was something more important than his name that Percy needed answering. "Why did you speak for me?" He sighed, "Because, Probatio, I saw how you got here. Covered in monster dust, a dislocated shoulder, cuts all over, and a broken sword. You clearly have potential and having you in the Cohort will make things easier." And with that reply Percy looked at him a bit more suspicious. "We're training here in the Field of Mars so get some gear from the armory, tell them I sent you." And as Percy nodded and started walking away, he heard his centurion tell him "Oh and Autobot, make sure when you're talking it doesn't echo, rollout." Percy had never felt more embarrassed before.

When Percy got back to the Field of Mars the First was there as well, Percy was not looking forward to this. It was at this time that both Cohorts saw him and the First started parting, "So, this is the mighty son of Neptune? Doesn't look like much to me." Came the snide remark of, judging by the armor, the First's Centurion. What was more interesting was that he was flanked by a scrawny, almost sickly, kid with a mangled nose, and the girl with electric blue eyes he had seen at the Wolf House many times. "This is my Optio and her Tesserarius, would you like to finally test your mettle, Probatio?" That was when the girl stepped forward and talked with her centurion in hushed tones, he nodded, and she walked forward. "I will be your opponent, ready yourself, soldier." Came her smooth and even voice, almost like honey Percy remarked, but the prideful tone was grating on the ears.

That was when she charged with a spear and a crescent moon shield. Percy, in an attempt to buy time to create a strategy, lifted his armory issue scutum. This, Percy would acknowledge later, was a terrible move because the moment the spear tip met his shield his arm went numb. Deciding that this was just going to slow him down, he threw his shield, as well as he could, at his opponent and she merely side stepped it. This was when the assault truly came, as fast as lightning she jabbed her spear all over his body, mainly focusing on his limbs and joints. Soon his whole body was numb, and his sword fell to the ground and he fell to his feet. "Watch yourself, sea spawn, this is the real power of the big three. Power you cannot and will not ever begin to fathom. My name is Thalia, daughter of Jupiter, do not forget where you belong."

Authors Notes: hope you guys liked the chapter, still working on getting fight scenes better. This chapter was longer simply because there were more characters I wanted to set up. I am currently looking for ideas on the Praetors, so send me ideas in either the reviews or a PM and your character could show up in the story. Chapters will be coming out a bit faster till June, I am finally back home from college and I start my summer job starting June. Hope you guys liked the dynamic between Frank, my OC Derek, or as Percy calls him Optimus, and Percy himself. Do not worry you will see more of Thalia too.

Review Responses:

HellRaiderS: thanks so much that means a lot since this started out as a random thought.

Theseus-Theo: Thanks, my man.

Anonymously96: you hit the nail right on the head, no one in their right mind would join the titans, this is the case with Percy too. He'll be a character doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, and hopefully be a well written character doing it. I'll be talking with some fellow authors about the ship but it won't be revealed for a bit.