Chapter Twenty Five

The Senate House was pure chaos. Jason watched as Senators yelled at their opponents, at their allies, and everyone in between. Even the Centurions weren't immune to the yelling, though they managed to mostly keep their cool. The only noticeable exception was Decurion Julian DeSanto, who lost his cool with a Senator who made some comment about Percy. Jason didn't hear it from where he was sitting but considering both Mike and Frank had to pull the officer back into his seat, it probably wasn't anything flattering. He had never seen the senators like this before. The Consuls were trying their best to restore order, but there was just so much going on. But Percy…Percy was sitting silently, watching the proceedings without a hint of annoyance or concern. His was a calculated look, the one he got when he had a plan that would most definitely ruffle some feathers.

"Quiet." He ordered. He didn't shout, he didn't yell. His voice was barely louder than it would be in a conversation, yet it somehow carried across the entire room. The result was immediate, and the pandemonium died down like its throat had been cut. Senators from both parties, previously in each other's faces, were motionless. He had everyone's attention, and that was how he wanted it. "Who proposed the bill to bring back the patron system? I noticed there were no names on it."

"It was—" An Aquila Party member started, but Percy raised a hand.

"I want the senator in question to tell me."

A hushed murmur ran across the room. After a long two minutes, a senator stepped forward.

"Andrej Nikolayevich, Imperator." The man introduced himself. "Legacy of Vulcan, veteran of the Third Cohort."

"I know who you are." Percy tilted his head to the side slightly. "Which is how I know you didn't write it. Why'd you present the bill, then? Did you volunteer, or did you draw the short straw?"

"I volunteered." Andrej said firmly. "And respectfully, Imperator, but how could you know that I didn't contribute to the bill? Do you have spies among us?"

"No, I read your opinion pieces in the New Rome Daily." Percy's lips twitched with the hint of a smile. "It would've been much more fun to read if you had written it. Probably would have taken me longer to figure out what it really meant. As it stands, the proposed bill is…well, it's a load of crap."

"I beg your pardon, Imperator?" Another senator stood up. She was a tall, leggy blonde with a striking French accent. "That's rather rude."

"Senator Chauveau," Percy tipped his head in greeting. "I apologise for my language, but let's break this bill down, shall we? It calls for the reimplementation of the patron-client relationship of the Republic, quite noticeably handing the position of patron to the sitting senators. Furthermore, since the senators now become patrons to their respective districts, it ensures that they will continuously be re-elected. The Legion proclaimed me Imperator, but I believe that the people of New Rome should still have the choice of electing their representatives. After all, as the representatives of New Rome, it's your responsibility to bring their issues and complaints to me. If there's no longer a reason for you to listen to them, why would you?"

The Senator muttered something in French and retook her seat. Likewise, Andrej now seemed extremely uncomfortable with his position.

"And let's not even mention the proposed amendment to the bill to reintroduce the different levels of Roman citizens," Percy continued breezily. "I mean, honestly, did you expect me to approve even more classism? Did you think I would gladly stand before the people of New Rome and tell them 'sorry guys, but we've decided that you're all Plebians now!' Which brings me to my next question—why the hell was that a joint proposal?"

Percy's gaze swept to the Aquila Party. "Did you think I wouldn't recognise the language? I've worked with all of you for a year now. I know how you speak; I know how you write. Why are you all so determined to create an aristocratic class?"

No one answered him. The Senators were clearly nervous, sending glances to their fellows.

"I get it." Percy told them. "I was gone for a month, and you suddenly had a lot of power and influence, and you wanted to make sure you kept it. I don't blame you. Really, I don't. Which is why I'm going to do all of you a favour and forget this little debacle. I'm vetoing the bill, effective immediately. But I'm not going to investigate it further. I'm not going to dig into the exact conditions and terms set by this bill, and I'm not going to seek out the authors of it."

At least half of the senators sagged in relief. The others, Jason noticed, eyed Percy with suspicion. He didn't blame them. It was an amazingly lenient decision on Percy's part. He was willing to bet his villa that there was something else going on behind the scenes.

"Moving on," Percy continued. "There's a few matters I want to address. As you have been made aware, Legionaries Zhang and Levesque, along with Citizen Grace, are present at this assembly. There were some of you who called for Damnatio Memoriae after Terra's attack on the city. And yes, make no mistake, what happened was the fault of Terra, something that has been confirmed by multiple sources. I fought that then, and I fight it now. Those three are heroes of New Rome, and they will be treated as such."

Percy paused, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"Legionary Zhang was given a field promotion to Praetor by Citizen Grace, though both were unaware of the removal of the rank from its military duties. After discussion with both Legate Reyna and Lady Lupa, as well as my centurions, I have made the decision to appoint Legionary Frank Zhang as Tribune Militum Angusticlavius, or for those of you whose Latin is still rusty, Military Tribune. It is not a command role, but instead, Tribune Zhang will serve as part of the Legate's Staff." Percy informed them. Jason's eyes immediately shot to Frank, who had gone pale, mouth hanging agape. "Sorry for the surprise, Tribune. I thought it would be funny, and boy was I right."

A nervous chuckle ran through the crowd, but Mike clapped Frank on the back, while Dakota shook his hand.

"Likewise, Legionary Levesque has proven herself as a competent soldier, and has potential as an officer, so she'll be given the same rank and duties, though I am granting her an additional title, based on her skills as a practitioner of Mystiokinesis." Percy said, eyes locked on Hazel. "Imperatoria Magus. Tribune Levesque will be tasked with seeking out, training, and training with the children of Trivia in the Legion, so that if the situation calls for it, we can shuffle them around to different task forces that may require magical assistance."

"A question, Imperator." Finally, a senator Jason did know stood up. Daniel Voss was a good man, and since Percy didn't shut him down, he guessed that he had a good opinion of him as well. "There were traditionally five military tribunes of the rank you've reinstated. You've promoted two. Do you intend for there to be more?"

"Ah, Daniel, you sly fox." Percy grinned. "Good catch. And yes. But before I promote anyone, I want to speak with my candidates first. It would be a…change for them, and I don't want them forced into a job they don't want."

"Understandable," Voss nodded. "But you do intend to fill the positions?"

"Yes, I do." He answered. "Ideally, within two years, we'll have a fully structured command staff for the legion. But this is a conversation for another day, if you don't mind. I have one final announcement. For the sake of friendship and peace, I am going to send an embassy to the Greek camp."

Immediately, protests broke out. Percy rolled his eyes quite visibly and then slammed his palm onto the marble arm-rest of his seat, stopping it before it could really begin.

"Relax. I haven't finished talking." He said calmly. "I understand your feelings. I have some of my own, believe it or not, but the fact remains that the gods had ordered peace, and to ensure that there is peace, an embassy is necessary. I haven't selected anyone, and I'm not going to force anyone to do it. I'm asking for volunteers for the position. This is just a formal announcement. I'll be releasing the details regarding what makes a person qualified for the role shortly."

Percy's focus never shifted from the Senate as a whole, but Reyna's flicked to Jason, almost like it had been planned. He blinked, trying to figure out what she was trying to tell him. It took him an embarrassing amount of time, but once he put it all together, it painted a very clear picture of what was going on. Percy needed an ambassador to Camp Half Blood. He wasn't forcing anyone to do it. He was asking for volunteers, and he was releasing details about what made a person qualified for the job, not a senator. Jason was willing to bet the job was tailored so that he met all the requirements and then some. For the first time in quite a while, Jason was blown away by just how calculating Percy could be, and how kind he could be while still being so politically savvy.

"That about brings me to the end of my talking points." Percy finished dryly. "I'm returning to my villa because I have a stupid amount of work to do, but feel free to make an appointment with my adjutant if you want to talk. It might just stop me from ramming my head into the wall when I get so bored from all the paperwork I have to read. The Consuls will conclude this session of the Senate."

Another chuckle, far less awkward than the first, ran through the audience. As Percy stood up, the doors opened, revealing four Amazons waiting outside. He had sent them back to Hylla for the funerals of their dead sisters, but the Amazonian Queen had sent the force back at the end of the process, along with three new guards, citing the original contract she had formed with him. They went with Percy everywhere, Jason had noticed, always screening him, scouting buildings out ahead of his entrance, but they never, ever, entered the Curia. They stood guard outside. Percy hadn't explained it to Jason, but he could figure it out. It wouldn't take much for whispers of intimidation to spread throughout the Senate and then the city if Percy's bodyguards stood with him while he was telling them what was what. Personally, Jason thought that was incredibly stupid of them. If Percy wanted to intimidate senators, he didn't need bodyguards to do it, he was easily capable of it on his own.

But that was beside the point. While Jason had been caught up in his thoughts, Percy had slipped away. Jason was a 'guest of the Senate' so he had to stick around while the two consuls brought up a few minor issues, and then adjourned the session of the Senate. That still took an hour, and Jason needed lunch before he did anything else. There was a café on the Via Cornelia he and Percy had frequented before the Titan War, and he was both hoping it was intact, and that they weren't going to bar him entrance. He had gotten some stares in the two days he had been back in New Rome, but no one had actually said anything to him, yet. He had a distinct feeling Lupa was involved, but he couldn't prove it. And he doubted he ever would be able to, even if he really wanted to. Which he didn't.

Thankfully, Café Drusilla was still standing, and they not only didn't turn Jason away, but took him in eagerly. The owner, a middle-aged woman named Anna, had all but screamed when she saw him, and Jason had thought he was about to get attacked. Instead, she had shooed away the waitress who had begun to serve him and took over the job herself.

"It's so good to see you again, honey." She said to him as she brought him a coffee. "And you've grown so much, too! You'll be a real heartbreaker soon enough!"

"I hope not." Jason chuckled. "My girlfriend would be pretty upset."

"A girlfriend?" Anna slipped into the seat across from him. "Tell me all about her! A Roman girl, or is it one of the G-Greeks?

The stutter was just slight enough that Jason wouldn't have noticed it if he weren't listening closely. Anna didn't seem upset by the idea that he was dating a Greek, but more cautious about uttering the word.

"Greek." He answered. "Her name is Piper. She's a daughter of Aphrodite—Venus."

"Was she one of the ones who came here with you?"

"Yeah. We went on our quest together as well." Jason nodded. "She's amazing."

"Well, I'm just happy you've finally found someone you're happy with." Anna told him, patting his arm. "Do you know when you'll see her next?"

Jason's mind immediately jumped to the ambassador role Percy was forming. "Soon, I hope."

"Well, if she ever comes here, bring her to meet me, I'd love to talk to whoever's able to steal your heart!" Anna grinned. "Now, what do you want to eat?"

An hour and a half later, Jason was still entertaining Anna, mostly with stories of the antics he and the others had gotten up to during their quest. Of course, any mention of Europe was omitted, since it was still technically illegal that he had gone there, and there was nothing he could do about it. The ball was in Percy's court, and he needed to—oh, damn, that was why he had been so lenient on the Senate. Jason shook his head in amazement. Once again, Percy was two steps ahead of everyone else. To her credit, Anna didn't seem insulted when Jason drifted off mid-sentence and got lost in his thoughts, nor did she make fun of him when he suddenly picked up where he had left off. She was like that, Jason realised. And not just with him. He had been going to Café Drusilla since he was thirteen, and anytime Anna engaged with a person, she was nothing but kind. But with legionaries and veterans? There was no teasing. No fun pranks. She wasn't just kind, she was kindness. It had taken Jason a lot of time to see it, but he understood now. The average demigod in the legion saw three times as much conflict as a demigod who didn't serve—few as they were—and it tended to show. Anna recognised that, and while she treated them differently, it was also with much more respect than they normally got, which said something.

It wasn't long after that revelation that two Amazons strode into the café like they owned the place, waving the waiter who had immediately made a beeline for them away, and marched right up to where Jason and Anna were still talking. Even more interesting, Anna didn't seem shocked by their appearance in anyway or form. Instead, she smiled broadly at them.

"Leah! Dacey! So good to see you! What brings you around this time?"

"Him." One of the girls nodded at Jason. "The Imperator has requested your presence."

"And he sent two of you to find me?"

"Emiko sent the two of us." The other girl said. "In case you decided to misbehave. Something about 'too much time with the Greeks.' We don't question it."

"Uh huh." Jason looked at them. "Am I needed now, or can I finish here?"

The two Amazons exchanged glances with one another, before the first shrugged and turned back to him. "We'll get ourselves a coffee, but then you've got to come with us."

"Fair enough," Jason turned back to Anna. "Where was I?"

"Meeting Kymopoleia, I believe?"

"Right. So there I was—"

XXXVXXX

Percy didn't even look up from the petition he was reading when Jason was announced. As much as he wanted to engage with his cousin, there were some things that couldn't be ignored. That didn't mean he couldn't speak to him, however. So while he was looking at a request to expand the Via Principa half a mile further in each direction, he took the opportunity to thank Jason.

"I really appreciate you signing up to be ambassador to the Greeks." He said, sliding a piece of paper in front of him. "It takes a major burden off my shoulders knowing that I won't have to send someone who might start a war."

"I…haven't signed up yet though?" He could hear the frown in Jason's voice, and put down the petition. As expected, Jason was frowning, and the confusion was clear. Percy, in turn, held up the form. "Did…did you forge my signature?"

"Yeah, I learnt to do that when I was fourteen." He grinned. "Come on, man, did you really think I was going to send anyone else? You need to be back there as much as I need someone I can trust there."

"And you trust me that much?" Jason looked unconvinced. "After everything?"

"I think you're underestimating our relationship, Jason." Percy leaned forward in his desk. "I didn't trust the Greeks. I was worried that you might become more like them the longer you stayed with them. I was worried about the effect being around people so unlike us would have on Frank and Hazel, and while there were moments where I doubted them, I never, ever, lost faith in you. Greek, Roman, Portuguese, it doesn't matter to me. You're my best friend and my family. If I can't trust you, who can I trust?"

"And what if I don't want to go, Percy?"

"That's a lie, and we both know it." He shook his head. "You don't know how you feel about being back—you were more comfortable with the Greeks than I expected, and I can tell that you struggled to leave. This isn't a permanent post—six months at the most. Then you come back for a couple years, and if you want to, you can go back again."

"I have commitments here, though." Jason told him. "I made a promise to a goddess, one that I intend to keep."

"Making promises to immortals is dangerous, Jason." Percy sighed. Out of all the idiotic things Jason could have done—while already doing one of the most idiotic things possible—he had done something far up there. "What was the promise, and to who?"

"Kymopoleia. A half-sister of yours, in fact." Jason explained, finally taking the seat across from Percy. "She's been neglected in worship, and I promised I would see her with a shrine in New Rome. That I would do it for all the gods who were forgotten."

"Do you have a list of these gods, or is it just whoever you feel like remembering?" Percy pressed. "It's not a bad idea. We can make it happen, but it needs to be clear and concise. You can't bring a half-assed plan to the Senate."

"What?"

Percy pressed his face into his hands and exhaled slowly. Jason had been so quick on the uptake before. Now he was slow. That was completely and utterly traumatising for him.

"Take the ambassador job." Percy explained, emphasising each word. "I will make you a senator. As a senator, you can propose bills. You can propose a bill to build a temple for however many freaking gods and goddesses you need to. I, as Imperator, can make sure that you, as a senator, get your bill passed. Am I making sense?"

"In an unnecessarily condescending way, yes, you are making sense." He clearly wasn't impressed with him. "This is my job to do, though. I can't just hand it off to you and then leave!"

"You're not handing it off, you're delegating, like any good leader." He rolled his eyes. "Come on, man, we spent a year and a half being tutored by Lupa and now you're acting like this is all basic news to you. Besides, did you really think I'd make you go through this alone, did you?"

"Do you think I can't do it alone?" Jason asked him quietly. "Is that why you're doing this? Or are you doing this because you regret how you treated me—how you treated us—in front of our friends?"

"Are we having this conversation now?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay, just a second then. Emiko!"

The Amazon entered the room with the easy swagger of a warrior, leaning against her steel rod.

"Things are going to get…emotional in here. Keep everyone away, and don't let anyone listen in." He ordered.

"Everyone everyone, or the normal everyone?" She glanced at Jason, clearly weighing if 'emotional' meant 'physical.' Percy admired that about her, but even if it did turn physical, there was no way in hell he'd let her intervene.

"Everyone." He confirmed. "She won't be happy, but don't cave in."

"My pleasure, Imperator." Emiko grinned, before stepping out of the room, closing the door behind her. He heard a bark of orders and knew that he was about to be well and truly alone.

"I don't like the Greeks." Percy told Jason. "I don't trust them, and honestly, I think it's a miracle they've lasted as long as they have, after fighting alongside them."

"That's insulting and frankly, wrong." Jason countered immediately. "Just because they don't act and fight like us doesn't mean that they're useless."

"That's not the issue I have with them, Jason. They're independent fighters—fine, it's a good skill to have, but very few of them were able to fight together properly. It took me a solid hour to convince them the benefits a proper phalanx would have in defending the camp. They did well enough, but for most of them, teamwork is just a means of getting ahead personally." He explained. "How am I supposed to trust someone like that, let alone a camp full of them?"

"The same way you trusted the Senate not to run New Rome into the ground while you were gone!" He exclaimed. "They're not going to do anything the Gods don't want them to, and they're definitely not going to do anything that might harm their home. Percy, I don't think you understand just how scared they are of us. What if we hadn't made it back in time? Would you have wiped Camp Half-Blood out?"

"I—" Percy stopped himself. It was a question he had avoided so fervently up until this point, to the extent that he hadn't even considered it at all. Everyone just assumed he knew what he'd do if they had gone to and won the war, but…he hadn't. "I don't know."

It was a tough admission, but a necessary one.

"Yes, you do." Jason sighed. "You just won't admit it."

"What do you want me to say, Jason? Seriously? If it came down to it, would I have ended the Greeks so that no more Romans had to die? Do you understand the implications behind that question, aside from the moral dilemma it puts me in? You're asking me if I would have been comfortable wiping out children. Do you think I'm capable of that?"

"I don't know, Percy! I was missing for nine months, and when I came back, you were Imperator! I didn't even have a day to process that before we were being forced away!"

"Because one of your people was weak enough to get possessed and bombed the city!" In hindsight, calling Jason's recently dead friend 'weak' probably wasn't the smartest move. Percy wasn't dumb enough to miss that. But apparently, Jason was dumb enough to launch himself over the desk. He barely had time to kick himself backwards to avoid getting speared in the gut by Jason's head, but wasn't fast enough that Jason wasn't able to grab his ankle and bring him tumbling to the ground. "Gods damn it, calm down!"

His words had no effect, and he had to duck underneath a wild haymaker. Fine, if Jason wanted a fight, he'd give him one. He leaned back from a second haymaker and threw a jab at Jason's face, which was easily batted aside. The cross right behind it wasn't, but Jason barely flinched as it made contact with his jaw, instead snapping forward with a cross of his own, which was much faster than Percy expected it to be. Better yet, when it made contact with his cheek, he felt a surge of energy pass through it, causing the left side of his face to spasm as it ran through. This wasn't just some moment of anger—Percy had set Jason off in a way he had never seen before. The Vikings had a term for it—Berserk. The Romans had their own. Furor Tuetonicus, referring to the ferocity that the Germanic tribes had fought with. Percy sure as all hell didn't like being on the receiving end of it.

"Jason, cut it out before I make you." Percy warned. "This isn't friendly hand-to-hand, if you keep this up, I will put you down."

"Because that's your only option, isn't it?" Jason snarled. "Violence. When belittling stops working, you need to be aggressive, don't you? Need to put everyone in their place? Follow you like obedient little slaves, right? Newsflash, Percy, but people aren't machines. They have feelings!"

"You massive idiot, I know that!" Percy smacked another jab away, managing to handle the transfer of lightning much better. "And I'm sorry that I upset yours, but you want the truth? Fine. Valdez felt threatened and insecure, and that's why he was able to be possessed! He didn't attack New Rome, but his fear allowed it to happen. Does that make you mad, Jason? It should. But taking it out on me is stupid and immature."

Again, not his best move. Percy should have been playing peacemaker, trying to deescalate the situation, but he was so sick of it all. The challenges, the questioning, the betrayals. It wasn't just Jason, it was the Senate, it was the Greeks, it was that prick Greer—all of them. Jason lunged at him, and Percy drove his knee into his gut, grasping his shoulders and then slamming his head down onto Jason's nose, but he broke the grip quickly, driving an uppercut into Percy's jaw. Both stumbled back and took a moment to study the other. Jason's eyes flicked over Percy's shoulder, and before he realised what was happening, the son of Jupiter bull rushed him, driving his shoulder into Percy's stomach and lifting him up. The next thing he heard was the sound of glass breaking, and then he was hit with a feeling of weightless as Jason tackled him out of the window, conveniently forgetting that they were on the second floor of his villa. Or just not caring. Percy wasn't sure.

He managed to turn them both so that they landed on their sides, rather than fully on Percy's back, but he definitely felt something crack as he hit the ground. Someone nearby screamed, and then there was yelling. Percy was too busy dealing with Jason, who was trying to pin him down. He brought a fist down onto Jason's jaw, but was immediately hit with a kidney punch in return. He brought his elbow back up to block the next hit, only for it to slip past and rake down the side of his face, sliding off his nose with an audible pop. A ground fight was not where he wanted to be, so he scrambled away from Jason, only to get tripped up again. This time, he managed to land a solid kick on his shoulder and was able to pull himself to his feet. Right as Jason made it up, three Amazons landed in the middle of the street.

"Stay out of this!" He barked. They looked at him with confusion. "OUT!"

They scurried out of his way, and he ran a hand under his nose. It came back bloody. Spitting the liquid in his mouth revealed blood. Charming.

"Alright Jason, if you want to do this, let's do this." He raised his fists. "It's about time I put the whispers to an end."

The first jab connected with Jason's gut, and the one that followed caught him in the chin. Likewise, he took a hook to the ribs—one of the cracked ones, no less—and an upper-cut right to the solar plexus. He felt the wind leave his body, but didn't give Jason the chance to follow up, hitting him with another knee-elbow combo. Jason drove his palm into Percy's chin, snapping his head back, before executing a flawless front-kick directly into his chest, sending him stumbling backwards. He side-stepped the lunge-kick that followed it and threw his weight forward with a superman punch. The irony of punching Jason with that would have been funny on any other day. He didn't let up, launching a flurry of jabs, crosses, backfists, and drops on Jason, who managed to block most of them.

Something in his guard must have slipped because Jason managed land a hit on his ribs—again—and this time, it was more than just a manageable shock. It was genuine lightning, and Percy had to force his opposite hand upwards so that it was redirected towards the sky, and not any of the civilians around. He let out a grunt and did something reckless, leaping up and hitting Jason square in the chest with a drop kick, before rolling backwards onto his feet. His body was sore, his nose wouldn't stop streaming blood, there was an almost agonising pain in his ribs, and he was almost certain he had broken a knuckle as well.

On the bright side, Jason didn't look much better than him. The downside was that he knew neither of them were going to give up anytime soon.

XXXVXXX

Reyna had never seen an Amazon look scared, but as Maria Liuzzo ran towards her, she knew something was wrong. She had been in the middle of explaining to Frank and Hazel what exactly their new role entailed when she spotted Maria rounding the corner at a full sprint. That alone put her on alert—the Amazons weren't messengers, and Percy never used them as such. Emiko would have put her foot down hard if that ever happened. How she looked as she made it closer didn't help. Eyes wide, face pale, and body all but shaking. Whatever she was about to hear, it wouldn't be good.

"What's wrong?" She asked as soon as the girl was within earshot.

"Fight." She panted. "Imperator. Jason. Tackled out a window. They're killing each other!"

Like it was on cue, a bolt of lightning shot up into the air from the general area of Percy's Villa. Reyna had already been moving, her sword tossed aside before she was even close to the border of the city.

"Someone go find Lupa!" She heard Mike bellow from behind her. For once, Terminus didn't stall her as she crossed the Pomerium, Frank and Hazel hot on her heels as she took the direct path to Percy's house. She had known that he and Jason would probably end up arguing, but she had never expected it to turn into a fight. At least, not one serious enough that the Amazons were worried about how it would end.

There was a steady stream of civilians heading both towards and away from Percy's Villa. That was actually pretty normal—it was the speed in which they were moving that was unusual. The end of the street, however, was congested with people, and Reyna's heart sunk as she realised she wouldn't be able to push her way through them, no matter how hard she tried—Romans loved bloody spectacle, and this was likely the Olympics of bloody spectacle. Thankfully, Frank seemed to understand the same thing, and he easily overtook her, body morphing mid-run into an honest-to-gods bear. She had forgotten that he could do that.

The crowd, wisely, did not try to get in the way of a raging bear, and almost immediately scattered. As she reached the end of the street, she came across a horrifying sight she had prayed she would never have to see. Percy was holding Jason by the collar of his shirt, landing punch after punch into him. Jason's right arm was gripping Percy's arm, but his left was hanging limply at his side, unable to stop the barrage of blows he was taking. Both were covered in blood—their own and each other's, presumably, and both were bleeding in several places.

"Holy shit." Mike swore as he came upon them. "What do we do?"

Reyna barely heard him; transfixed on the two demigods. Despite the beating, Jason's eyes blazed with anger, and Percy's looked no different. There was a primal rage in the both of them that she had never seen before. Not even when Percy had lost his temper with her before fleeing to discover Andy, and that had been the angriest she had ever seen him. Maria's fear, that they were 'killing each other' suddenly made a lot more sense.

"Reyna, what do we do?" Mike asked again, panic creeping into his voice. But it was Hazel's sob that broke her from her stupor. "Reyna?"

"You and Frank need to get Percy off of Jason." She ordered. "Now!"

They barely hesitated, rushing forward, each grabbing one of Percy's arms and yanking him back. He struggled, at first, and even managed to break Frank's hold on him for a moment. It was only when Jason staggered to his feet and began stumbling towards Percy that Reyna realised it wasn't over. She moved quickly, stepping between them, placing a hand on each of them, and leeching the strength from their bodies. Jason gave out first, collapsing to the ground, chest rising and falling unevenly. Percy managed to last a little longer, but he was gone too. Reyna stumbled back as she felt a white-hot rage run through her body. It was unnatural. No one had any right to be that angry.

Before she could act on that anger, there was a snarl, and a shadow overtook the street. She glanced up to see a blur of grey, which quickly crashed into the street. There was a woman pinned beneath Lupa's maw, grinning madly up at the Wolf Goddess, not at all concerned with her position, even as the she-wolf snapped her jaws.

"What have you done?" Lupa demanded. "Speak now, before I tear your throat out!"

"Oh, Lupa," The woman sighed dreamily, eyes fluttering closed, "it was magnificent. There was so much anger and resentment built up in the two of them, it barely took any provoking. If those Amazons hadn't sent for help, one of them would be dead. Such a shame. We almost had war between Neptune and Jupiter. How lovely would that have been?"

"Did Discordia put you up to this?"

"She'd love to be a part of this, but she's been annoyingly Greek recently and won't talk to me." The woman pouted. "None of you would. I was getting lonely."

"Did…did you do this for attention?" Lupa seemed genuinely caught off guard. "You tried to spark a war between Neptune and Jupiter because you felt neglected?"

"You do understand." She seemed happy. "Oh, Lupa, I knew you would get it. I just get so sad, with no one else talking to me. What better way than pitting the two most powerful Romans against each other? Always gets people talking."

"They are family, Ira!" Lupa growled. "They may have quarrelled in the past, but you had them nearly kill each other! Do you understand what will happen to you? Ignoring the official response of the Olympians, Neptune loves that boy more than any before him. He has sacrificed a future of knowing his son so that he might be healthy. What do you think he will do to you?"

"Nothing that will happen here."

It had been years since Reyna had heard the voice, but she recognised it instantly. Like Percy's, but deeper and more refined. Neptune stepped into sight, his trident digging into the stone of the road, knuckles turning white around the haft.

"Neptune!" Ira beamed. "Are you taking me to Olympus? Or Atlantis? Oh, I can't wait!"

"Yes." Neptune said bluntly. "I am taking you to Olympus. My least favourite part of it, to be precise. A place that I'm sure you will…enjoy immensely."

The smirk that covered the god's face was unsettling, and it reminded Reyna of Percy when he was planning something truly devious. Ira seemed to understand that she was not going to enjoy wherever she was going.

"Oh, but can't we just let bygones?" She blinked innocently up at the sea god. "No one died, after all!"

"Not for lack of trying. Thank you for capturing her, Lupa. It will not be forgotten." Poseidon grabbed Ira by the shoulder and yanked her upwards. He slammed his trident into the ground, and they were surrounded by a swirl of water. When it dropped, they were gone.

The water, however, remained. And almost like magic, it flowed towards Percy. The moment the first drop touched the tips of his fingers, his whole body twitched. It flowed faster, coiled around his arm, along his neck, vanishing under his clothes. In less than ten seconds, it was all gone. Three seconds after that, Percy jerked upright. The movement startled Frank, who had been holding him, and it was all Percy needed to shrug Michael off him and rise to his feet. The anger was gone, but in its place was a calculated coldness she hated to see.

"What happened?" He asked Lupa, who was staring at him with a cocked head. Then his gaze landed on her, still between him and Jason "I felt…ah. Okay."

The Wolf Goddess shifted with ease, her strikingly beautiful human form stalking closer to Percy and tipping his head up as she studied the bruises and scrapes. "You know of Ira?"

"No." He replied bluntly. "Tell me."

"The goddess of frenzy and mad rage. Infamous for cursing Hercules the night he murdered his family. She struck Jason first, but you gave her an opening, and she weaved her magic in you as well."

"Respectfully, Lupa, but I need a point here, not a lesson."

"The point, Perseus, is that you were both weak." Lupa said sharply. "I trained you not to give into emotion."

"Is that what it was?" Percy asked wryly. It was bold, challenging Lupa as he was. It was even bolder when he turned his back on her, looking at Frank and Michael, who suddenly seemed a lot more nervous. After a moment, he nodded to himself. "Get Jason to the healer. No magical treatment—tell them to go all natural."

"His arm's broken, Perce." Michael murmured quietly.

"Then have it set, Michael." Percy said slowly, enunciating each word. "Have them send word to me once he's conscious."

"Your nose is broken too, Percy." Frank pointed out.

In the most dramatic display of machoism that Reyna had seen from her boyfriend—and that was something he was annoyingly good at—he reached up and set his nose with a loud crack. "There. Fixed for now. If you'd excuse me, I need to go find someone to repair my window. And probably my study, too."

"Percy." Lupa said quietly, but there was enough warning that he knew better to ignore her. Once she had regained his focus, she continued. "We will speak at the Temple of Neptune. You will come as well, Reyna."

"Yes, Lady Lupa." She bowed her head. "As you command."

"Now?" Percy asked. At her nod, he sighed. "Very well. Michael, can you—"

"Yeah, I'll get on it." The son of Mars nodded. "But, uh…there'll be questions from the Senate."

"I'll handle it." Percy waved dismissively. "Thank you."

Percy followed Lupa, and Reyna followed Percy. There was no talking, and more than a few people stopped and stared at them as they passed—which she totally understood. In the lead was a woman who was unnaturally beautiful and trotting behind her was an incredibly bloody and beat up Percy. There would be questions alright. Whether or not all of them would be answered was another thing. When they finally reached Temple Hill, Percy paused a moment, studying his surroundings before continuing again. It was weird—it didn't look like he was looking for threats, so she didn't know what he could be looking for. Once they were inside the Temple, Lupa turned on Percy faster than she had ever seen.

"I understand you are frustrated at many things, but if you ever take it out on me again, I will remind you exactly who I am, Child." Lupa warned. "I love you dearly, but I will not tolerate disrespect. Are we clear on that issue?"

"Crystal, my lady." Percy nodded once.

"Good. There's another issue that needs to be addressed. Jason seems to have made a…sweeping promise during his quest."

"He told me." Percy said. "Just before things got fisty. A promise to build a shrine for every god. I have an idea, but after today…I'm not sure I want to try and push anything forward."

"Of course you know." Lupa chuckled. "Unfortunately, it is a promise that must be kept. Consulting the Pontifex would be a wise decision. The rest, however, I leave up to you."

"Anything else while I'm here?"

"The Gods wish for you to visit Olympus for the Winter Solstice."

"What?"

"It is an unusual request to be made of a Roman, but the Greeks were all rewarded on Olympus after the war ended and you had left. Mars, Pluto, and Neptune complained loudly and frequently for nearly a week straight that the Romans weren't awarded the same respect. When the Winter Solstice comes, you will travel to the Empire State building with your centurions and the members of the Seven to receive rewards and accolades for your actions in the War against Terra."

"That seems a little inconvenient." Reyna frowned. "Travelling all the way there, be given a gift or too, and then travelling all the way back?"

"The Gods aren't considering the travel for us." Percy said neutrally. "But we've been summoned, so we must answer."

"One final matter." Lupa cut the conversation off before it could really start. "You ordered that Jason not be treated magically. That will drastically extend the time it takes for him to heal."

"That's the point." Percy said. "And it's not like I'm being unfair—I'm going to do the same thing. I've still got at least two broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and my nose needs to be set properly, and that's after someone dumped a bucket of water on me."

"Oh, uh…no one dumped a bucket of water on you." Reyna said quietly. Lupa let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Your dad showed up to take Ira into custody. The water was from his disappearing act."

"Sorry, he what?"

"Neptune was the one sent to take Ira to Olympus for punishment." Lupa spoke up. "You were unconscious. He did not stay long but make no mistake—the sea water was intentional."

"Of course that happened." Percy groaned. "Anytime something interesting happens I'm always unconscious!"

"Maybe you should try getting knocked out less, then." Lupa suggested mildly, before smirking at Percy. "I would like a gold statue at my shrine, please."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll treat you extra special." Percy waved. "Like there was ever any doubt."

The goddess snorted in amusement, before stepping out of the temple. A bright light shone through the door, leaving Percy and Reyna on their own. He stared at her for a few moments before sitting down on the floor, patting the ground beside him. She joined him, and he gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Careful, my side is tender." He said as she leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder—not the dislocated one. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Knocking me out." Percy sounded tired, and not physically. "Lupa was right about my emotions getting the better of me. Gods know that I try not to let them, but recently it's been…hard."

"I know." She nodded absently. "I figured it out right before we left Camp Half Blood. I think you need a vacation."

"Ha! Like I have the luxury of time off. The Senate would stage a coup before I was back."

"And they'd fail, you know that." She told him. "But seriously, Percy. When I found you asleep on the bus, you were protecting yourself where you had been injured by Greer. I've never known you to feel unsafe anywhere you are, let alone where you sleep."

"Oh."

"Which is why I think you need time away. Too much has happened to you in a very brief period of time. Once you've repealed the ban, maybe go to Rome?"

"You're saying that like you wouldn't come with me."

"I think…I think maybe you need some time by yourself." She said carefully. "I haven't said anything yet because I was waiting for the right time, but I don't think there is a right time for it."

"I don't like where this is going." He didn't sound tired now. He sounded scared. It took her a second to figure out why.

"Oh, gods, no, I'm not breaking up with you!" She said quickly, her face warming up immediately. "Sorry, I realise how that sounded. I love you, Percy. Seriously, like a lot. I just think that you taking some time for yourself to reflect might be healthy, without having to worry about making me happy or taking care of me."

"You make me happy." Percy said quietly. "Just…being with you makes me happy."

"I know. You make me happy too." She leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek. "Doing something alone isn't bad. It doesn't make you a bad boyfriend. We both need to have experiences that belong to us as individuals, as well as us as a couple. But more importantly, I think you need a little peace. I can hold down the fort here for you, you know that."

"I'll…think about it." He eventually said. "I don't necessarily disagree. I just can't do it right now."

"Right now might be the best time." She countered. "Especially now. You just had a no-bars fight with Jason that could have ended with you killing him, or him killing you. And that was after a war. And an assassination attempt. Now more than ever, you need a break. Just think about it, but don't think about it too long."

"Okay." Percy said, before slowly pulling himself up. "Come outside? I want to run something by you."

She followed him onto the open hill, and he swept an arm across from them. The Gardens of Bacchus. Not a temple, and not even dedicated to the god, they just sort of…were.

"A garden." She deadpanned. "Awesome."

"What if we replace it with a Pantheum? A Temple to All Gods? Considering how freaking big the gardens are, we could definitely get a few hundred shrines in it."

"More if it's multi-levelled." She agreed. "It'll be expensive. And take a while to build."

"Yeah." Percy said, staring at the gardens. "But it's about time we did it. It's a bit insulting we didn't already have one, to be honest."

"What about the smaller temples? Mercury, Bellona?"

"We'll figure something out." He promised her. "For now, let's take it one step at a time. Sound good?"

"Sounds good." She held a hand out, and he linked his with hers. "Now, let's get you to the doctor. You need to get checked out."

XXXVXXX

It was the middle of September when Jason returned to Camp Half Blood, just barely a month after he had gone back to his 'home' with the other Romans. Annabeth hadn't been present when he showed up out of the blue, but Andy had, and from what she had heard, it hadn't been the heart-warming reunion Piper had been hoping for.

"He looked awful." Her girlfriend had said. "Arm was in a sling, he has a chipped tooth, and he was walking with a limp. He hasn't told anyone what happened, either. Just said it was a personal matter, and then disappeared with Chiron. He barely said hello to Piper."

"Do you think it was his own people?" Annabeth had asked. "Maybe that's why he's back so soon? They mobbed us when we fled, and there's probably still a lot of resentment there."

"Maybe." Andy shrugged. "We'll probably find out sooner or later."

It turned out that it was sooner. A couple hours after Jason arrived, the camp counsellors had been called for a meeting. Jason was waiting for them in the rec room, already taken his seat, his leg elevated on a little stool. Clarisse whistled appreciatively as she came in.

"Hope the other guy looks worse." She said with a grin.

"He doesn't, actually." Jason admitted quietly. "I lost the fight."

"Who could—" Travis began, before getting very, very quiet. "Was it…you-know-who?"

"You-know-who?" Jason blinked. "We're not talking about Voldemort, are we?"

Connor glanced nervously at Annabeth before speaking up.

"Your cousin. Percy."

"Sort of. It's a complicated story."

"Percy did that to you?" Andy blinked. "Why?"

"Like I said. Complicated story." Jason repeated. "I'll explain in a moment."

Once the last counsellor had arrived, Chiron ceded the floor to Jason.

"A few days after we returned to New Rome, I was cursed by the Goddess Ira. I think you guys call her Lyssa?"

Annabeth hissed immediately. Yeah, she knew who Lyssa was. This wasn't going to be a pretty story.

"I was with Percy, and we, uh, got into a bit of a heated argument. Ira's curse was…well, I went crazy with rage. Literally. We fought inside his office, I tackled him out a window, and then we fought in the street. I…did not win the fight. If outside forces hadn't stepped in, I'd probably be dead."

"Shit, seriously?" Clarisse didn't look amused anymore. "From a fistfight?"

"This is how a look after three weeks of treatment." Jason said bluntly. "It was a lot worse at first. Especially because there was no magic involved."

"That's cruel!" Will spoke up. "Denying you magical treatment means the injuries might not heal properly."

"They'll heal just fine." Jason waved his good arm dismissively. "It's a reminder. The same one Percy gave himself."

"Which is?" Piper asked, speaking up for the first time. "How could you possibly be okay with this? You look like you were hit by a car!"

"Actually, we fell from the second story window." Jason joked. It didn't take. "Look, guys, this sucks. I am in a decent amount of pain always. But it's a reminder that I let myself become weak, and I was taken advantage of as a result. The same thing, you'll remember, that happened to Leo. I was lucky, because I didn't hurt anyone other than Percy, and that was only because he stopped me. I wish it hadn't taken me getting beaten to a pulp, but seriously, I didn't give him any other option. I attacked him. I wouldn't stop, even when people were in danger. That's what Ira did to me. It's part of the reason I'm here."

"Oh?" Andy leaned forward. "Exile? Is it exile?"

"More like a 'punishment.'" Jason did air quotes with his fingers. "The Gods wanted peace, and the only way Percy saw that happening was if there was someone to talk with both sides. He was going to send an ambassador, and it was going to be me anyways. This just…well, it's a bit of political theatre."

"What?" Katie blinked. "What does that even mean?"

"Jackson's publicly seen sending Jason away after their fight." Annabeth sneered. "To a job that no one else wanted, right?"

"Pretty much, yep." He nodded in response. "There's a lot going on back in New Rome. Military, economic, and social reforms are getting pushed through the Senate. I had to give an hour long speech defending my bill to create a temple for all the gods, and Frank had to spend three days explaining in explicit detail everything he did while a brevet-Praetor. We've got new families showing up every week, and new demigods arriving every day. According to the records, the last time New Rome saw this much growth, the American Revolution had just ended."

"We've been getting a lot of demigods too." Andy noted. "Think its related?"

"It always is." Jason sighed. "Anyway, this is me, formally reintroducing myself as Legatus Imperatoria Jason Grace. It's, uh, a lot of formal stuff, but pretty much I'm Percy's personal representative to the Greek Camp. My job's to make sure that the relationship between our camps is peaceful and smooth."

"Cool." Andy grinned. "Are you staying in the Zeus Cabin?"

"For now." Jason nodded. "I talked with Chiron, and we agreed that some level of separation should be kept, so a small house is going to be built for me on the Eastern Hills. The Embassy, if you want to think of it that way."

"Even cooler." She tapped her fingers on the table. "Want Will to take a look at you?"

"Please, let me." The son of Apollo begged. "Please."

"No thank you." Jason replied politely, though it was clear to Annabeth that he wanted to take both up on the offer. "This is penance."

"It wasn't your fault though!" Piper exclaimed. "You were cursed—you said so yourself!"

"I know. But I'm getting off easy." He shifted uncomfortably. "I tried to kill Percy. The last person to do that…"

"What happened to them?" Pollux asked quietly.

"Nothing I want to talk about." Jason said firmly. "That's all I really had to say. I'll be around for a year, and Percy will either extend my ambassadorship or he'll recall me."

"You guys are weird." Jake Mason declared. "Way too formal. I don't like it."

"I know." He replied. "But its who we are. We're not changing any time soon."

"You changed." Annabeth pointed out. "So did Frank and Hazel."

"Less than you think." He told her. "But I'm not a representative of New Rome as a whole. Neither are Frank and Hazel. Honestly, Percy embodies who we are pretty well."

"Encouraging." She drawled.

"Anyway." He cleared his throat. "I thought you should also know that during the Winter Solstice, the Roman officer staff, along with Frank and Hazel, will be going to Olympus."

"Why?" Piper asked.

"From what Lupa said, the Roman aspects were really insulted that their children weren't rewarded the same way as the Greeks were." He admitted. "Neptune, Mars, and Pluto apparently annoyed my dad enough that he agreed to do it. Everyone seems pretty annoyed by it, to be fair. A lot of unnecessary travel."

"You guys don't want rewards?"

"It's…a bit more complicated than that." Jason said carefully. "We honestly don't think we need them. We didn't do anything special. Just our job."

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at him. Naturally it was the Stoll brothers who broke the silence.

"What," Travis began, "does that even mean?

"And why do I feel insulted?" Connor added.

"Do you guys think you're better than us or something?" Clarisse added with a glare. "Not doing anything special my ass. You stopped the end of the world—how is that not special?"

"Look, it's a cultural thing, okay?" Jason put his hand up. "I'm sorry that it doesn't match with what you think, but it's how we think. To us, our duty always has been to make sure that the Gods are safe from any threats they can't directly handle. Since Jupiter first handed that mission down to us fifteen hundred years ago, that's been our purpose—keep Rome alive, and keep the gods unharmed."

"We helped with that though!" Katie protested.

"I know, and the others know that too." He assured them. "We're not discounting your actions. In fact, despite everything that happened, you're all greatly admired for fighting as hard as you did. It's just for us, we were doing what we were…well, made to do. It's not personal, and we don't think less of you guys. It's our job, nothing more, nothing less."

"Well then isn't this like getting a bonus?" Andy said. "That makes it acceptable, right?

"Most people don't have to travel across the country for a bonus." Jason replied dryly. "We're pragmatists. There's no point in excessive travel when a pat on the back will do, and we've got Lupa for those."

Thunder rumbled above them, and Jason looked up, muttering a quiet prayer in Latin. It brought the thundering to a halt immediately.

"Oh, yeah, one last thing." Jason snapped his fingers. "Annabeth, do you mind giving us some input on our Pantheum?"

"Do you mean Pantheon?" She blinked.

"No, you mean Pantheon." Jason chuckled. "I mean Pantheum. Latin. Percy heard that you had helped rebuild Olympus and thought you might have some insight on how we could design shrines for the gods."

"I'll…go over my notes." Annabeth replied carefully. She didn't want to say no, just yet. Even if it meant doing Jackson a favour. "Why does he want my input though?"

"Because you helped rebuild Olympus?" Jason said slowly. "Did I forget to say that?"

"No, no, it's just—"

"Oh. Ha, no, he still doesn't like you. This is his olive branch, pardon the pun." Jason grimaced. "To start a 'working relationship' was how he described it."

"Sounds about right." Andy sighed. "What's he up to, by the way?"

"Taking a well-deserved vacation. Percy's spending the next two months travelling Europe. Well actually, he's hitting all the old Roman sites, but that's what he finds interesting, so yeah."

"Oh, he and Reyna'll have fun." She smiled.

"He's going on his own."

"Jeez, okay, I'm just going to stop talking." Andy sighed. "This is me, stopping talking."

"You're really bad at that." Clarisse noted mildly.

"Hey, that's rude! I'm very good at being quiet." Andy protested, before her eyes widened. "I see what you did there. I'll remember that."

Half an hour later, they all made their way out of the Big House, Jason vanishing somewhere with Piper. Andy, in turn, had to go teach a sword fighting class, so Annabeth was left to her own devices. That placed at her the base of the Parthenos Athena, a sketchbook on her lap as she began the rough outlines of a pantheon. It would have to be big—there were a lot of gods, and they all needed space to be properly worshipped. That led her to the realisation that she actually had no idea what kind of space they might be working with. New Rome was nestled in a hidden mountain cove, and it clearly had room to expand, but how much they wanted to expand was another question. She'd need to go there and see for herself, if they wanted her help.

And that, she came to realise, was the whole point. Jackson didn't like her. She didn't like him. But, she happened to like some of the people who were there. And since they couldn't go to her, she'd go to them. He was both giving her a job and letting her hang out with her friends at the same time, and it pissed her off. It was a fundamentally nice thing to do, and if it had come from anyone else, she probably would have been fine with it. But something about the fact that it came from him just made her want to punch something. She took several deep breaths. Jason had literally just told them that he had been cursed by a god for feeling the exact same way. That was the last thing she needed.

But she came to a decision. Or at least the beginnings of one. Annabeth was going to go to New Rome. She was going to help them build a temple for all gods. And maybe, if she was lucky, she'd be able to help them realise that they didn't need an 'Emperor' to function as a society.

MMXXI

Okay, right off the bat, because I know y'all, I am not not not setting Annabeth up to be an antagonist. She and Percy do not get along for a bunch of reasons, and that leads to both of them making some pretty impulsive and dumb decisions regarding each other. To put it simply, Annabeth is going to get vibe-checked when she (eventually) makes it to New Rome. It's going to be the start of a process where she and Percy eventually put aside their differences and figure out how to work together as somewhat-friendly acquaintances. Now that that's out of the way, I can talk about what I really want to.

This story has been a wild ride. I started publishing this story on Valentine's Day of 2019—over two years ago now. Throw in when I started publishing Vas Bellicosum, and we're all the way back to 2018. And if we want to be super nostalgic and look at The Son of Neptune, which was like my second story, that's 2017. Four years of nursing this particular AU. And I am by no means done with it. As I've stated on several different platforms, I have a sort of mini-sequel planned to bridge the story between Filii Deorum and our eventual Book Three: Invictus. That story is prophetically titled Interbellum.

However, my first priority is working on Book Two of Go Into the Water. For those of you who don't read my other works, first of all, please do, and second of all, Go Into the Water is a super-hero AU inspired by DC comics, and Aquaman in particular. It's kinda evolved from the original premise, but I dig it. Luckily, I haven't been idle, and I've already got a bunch of chapters written and ready to go, which means y'all won't be starved for content for long. On top of GitW, I also have my rewrite of the Perseid and Eternal, titled Firstborn: Fall of Troy, the first part of a planned trilogy. As with GitW, I have a bunch of chapters already written, and I might start publishing them before the year is out. I have other projects as well, but these are the main two.

But wait, there's more! This story isn't quite done just yet. I have an epilogue planned, though I haven't started working on it as of finishing this chapter. Keep an eye out for that in the near future. ;)

And as always, but especially with this chapter and the end of this story, leave a review telling me what you think. Send me PM's. Message me on my tumblr, which is also CombatTombat. Give me feedback. My writing soul craves it. It needs it like fuel. The more you comment and review, the more powerful I become, and the more willing and able I am to write.

Cheers, CombatTombat