Prologue

Young Perseus Jackson was running. Running from the bad man, running from the monsters, running from the loss of his mother. The boy would stop and let out a ground shaking screams filled with rage and agony over his loss every so often when monsters would approach, and the locals probably thought it was a normal day in the Bay Area.

Go to the water my son. You will be safe there.

Percy put his hands over his ears panicking at the sound of the voice that entered his head. Even at eight years old he thought it wasn't normal to be hearing such loud, clear, booming voices in his head, and It wasn't the first time he had heard such a voice. He had told his mother about these odd happenings, and she merely smiled stating that his father was looking out for him. A father that he had never met.

He heard the laughter of the monsters chasing behind him and they jeered, "You can't run forever little demigod."

Feeling his heart bounce around in his chest he decided to follow the voice in his head and get to the water as fast as possible. Perhaps the monsters couldn't swim?

It didn't take long for Percy to reach the water, all he had to do was get under this Caldecott Tunnel and the water opened up before him, and when he jumped in, he felt his energy renewed like caffeine was running through his blood! He began swimming across the channel to a nearby island with buildings in the close distance. He hoped he could hide there for a while, but his luck was running out.

"I got him Euryale!" The monster called out gleefully as it grabbed Percy's ankle forcing him under water.

Most kids would drown after so long being under water, but Percy seemed to be having no trouble at all breathing in fact he was invigorated with energy. He was thrashing around as the monster held him under trying to keep him from surfacing. When he noticed the one eyed creature was trying to take a bite of his leg he panicked, and threw his arms forward trying to push the large one-eyed beast away from him. Somehow the grip was dropped immediately, and he tore across the channel with all his energy desperately trying to get him to the shore. When he reached land, he took off again towards the buildings in the distance screaming for help, but he dropped when a sharp object tore into his leg. The boy yelled in pain causing the ground to rumble around him.

When the two monsters caught up with him, they jumped for joy, "Oh Stheno I think we found ourselves one of Neptune's boys. I haven't had a son of the Sea in a millennium!"

Percy was desperately trying to crawl away, but the one-eyed monster picked him up by the ankle having no regard for his injury causing Percy to wail in agony, "Let's have a bite!"

As the monsters got closer to Percy's leg suddenly a large golden lance hit the beast in the side of the head causing it to drop the young boy, and dissolve into Golden Dust. Percy hit the ground harder than his injury would've wanted him too, and he rolled to the side to see another young boy around his age in a purple shirt and gym shorts. He had short blonde hair, and blue eyes that seemed unafraid much unlike Percy. Percy couldn't hear what the boy was screaming because the blood was still ringing in his ears from the pain, but the boy had now run to stand in between Percy and the monster, "Stay away from him."

Percy's savior now had the lance that killed Euryale in his hand shoving it in Stheno's direction trying to keep the beast back, "Ah son of Jupiter. What a meal you two will make. Two children of the eldest Olympians in one place is quite the omen, but no matter, I will take the burden off Camp Jupiter's hands."

The voice spoke again in Percy's head, "The water my son. The sea must always repay its debts."

The young boy swallowed his fear trying to feel brave for his savior who he could see was now shaking in the face of this monster. He was going to get hurt if he did nothing. With a raise of his hand water began to rise from the river nearby. A tug that started in his gut was going through his body, and when he slammed his hand down towards the ground the water enveloped the last one-eyed monster and swept it back into the river causing it to scream in fury and pain.

The water that splashed onto Percy allowed him to breathe more steadily and the piece of silver platter that had flown through his leg had fallen out, and his wound was sealing. The boy gasped, and the thundering of steps nearby made Percy wonder if they were about to be attacked again.

The first voice he heard was a female, "Probatio Grace what happened here?"

The boy named Grace stood at attention, "Praetor Maria I was walking by the river when I saw this kid swimming across the channel being chased by a cyclops. I started screaming for help, but no one seemed to hear me. I was trying to wait for backup, but the big Cyclops tried to take a bite out of this guy. I beat the first one by surprise, and tried to protect him from the second, but…"

"Yes Jason?" A male voice asked.

He swallowed hard, "Well sir, a wall of water came out from the river and destroyed the beast sweeping it away with the river."

Silence and Jason spoke again after a few moments, "The cyclops said that there has not been a Son of Neptune and Jupiter at Camp in a long time sir."

The girl spoke, "There sure hasn't it is most certainly an omen that we will have to look into the auguries for more detail and hopefully get a glimpse at our future."

Percy tried to stand, and Jason quickly put a hand on his chest, "Stay down there. Medics are coming."

The boy in the purple cape motioned for someone behind him and a young teenager of about thirteen or fourteen years came over to Percy, "Hey kid what's your name?"

"Perseus Jackson."

"Okay can I call you Percy?"

"Everyone does."

"Alright Percy my name is Gwen can you tell me what happened, and I will see what I can do about treating that little leg injury you have?"

Percy looked at the gathering of more and more people coming respectfully behind the two that Jason spoke to in the purple capes and decided he would take his solitude by looking in the sky and recounting his story. He told them of how his mother had been killed by the bad man some days ago, and that he had been running ever since. He told them of how the monsters had been following him for at least two days, and he had not slept or stopped ever since.

Stunned silence followed the telling of his story, and then the chatter began. Percy quickly realized that what had happened was a big deal to these people. Some were chattering about sending him to Lupa, or the Wolf House, and before the people in the purple capes, who were clearly in charge, could make a decision a low growl rolled across the valley, and silenced the growing crowd instantly, "My pack and I have been following this boy for days. He has a strength to him as a son of the Seas. He has proven himself strong enough to survive, now we only need to see that he learns the way of Rome."

A young man in his early twenties stepped forward respectfully, "Lady Lupa this boy has no letters of introduction, no recommendations, and we are expected to have a legionnaire vouch for him? He could be a spy, or a Graceus."

"How about my presence as an introduction?"

A man materialized from the sea, and his lime green skin was different from anything Percy had ever seen. The man was nearly seven feet in height which was inhumanly large to the young people before him, and his long ponytail made him look like a huge surfer alien. For a brief moment he wondered if he was going to be attacked by yet another monster. However many bowed before the long black haired man. Percy however just stared as he attempted to find his feet. Something felt familial about this man with the ponytail, and for a brief moment he wondered if this was his father. He spoke calmly, "Perseus Jackson. Our father sends his regards."

Percy felt his insides roll, "Our father?"

"That's right little brother. Lord Neptune asked me to provide my presence so no one would question your entrance into the legion. As far as claiming goes this is as good as it gets." The man said, looking at Lupa and the two young adults in purple capes.

Lupa spoke calmly back, "Lord Triden, it has been many years since we last saw each other, yet this is a strange turn of events. Lord Neptune has never sent an ambassador for the arrival of any of his other children."

The man named Triden gave a low bow back, "This one is special Lady Lupa. I will oversee parts of training myself per my father's demands. He has a big destiny on his shoulder as you know. He is now the oldest child of the eldest Gods."

Lupa looked surprised by this, "I had heard whispers of another, but-"

"She is disposed of, I am afraid. My father now wishes to take lengthy steps to ensure that his son is prepared for his destiny. We will however stick with tradition. I am merely an immortal and not a God so I may interfere more freely than certain others no matter how much they wish they could."

Triden gave Percy a pointed look at this, and his eight year old mind didn't quite comprehend what was being said, but the man frowned, "With my appearance I am assuming there won't be any trouble will there? I personally voted for his induction to Camp Half Fish Blood, so if there is going to be a problem I can certainly take him there."

The male in the purple cape stepped forward giving a short bow, "No Lord Triden. We will accept Perseus Jackson as a member on Probatio of course as per tradition. We will still need a legion to claim him though."

Gwen the medic that was treating Percy spoke, "I will take him in the fifth Praetor. Two sons of the big three will grow into powerful demigods, and perhaps they can...wash away some of the bad name my cohort has gotten over the years."

Triden gave the girl a smile, "You have gained the favor of the sea today daughter of Ceres. My father wanted his son to have a normal chance of life. We will not forget this."

Triden stroked his short facial hair, "I seem to be forgetting something."

The man looked at his little brother and then smiled, "Ah yes of course."

The man snapped his fingers and a huge 7 foot trident appeared in his hands. The man then tossed the weapon towards Percy and the boy knew he should probably duck and run for cover as the huge weapon flew towards him, but instinct took over as his hand reached out to catch what was only a weapon of four and a half feet in height just like him. Triden spoke, "The weapon will grow with you Perseus. We will see each other very soon. Your training is only just beginning."

The man launched himself into the air and landed in the water without a splash quickly disappearing from view. When the spectacle was over all eyes were on Percy, and many began to get down on one knee as the male Praetor called out, "AVE PERSEUS JACKSON THE SON OF NEPTUNE."

Percy felt a lot of heat rise to his cheeks, and turned to the boy who had saved his life as the legion rose, "Thank you Grace for saving me from the monster."

The boy smiled at him holding out his fist, "We made a good team. I'm Jason. My last name is Grace."

The two bumped fist, and Lupa stalked towards them, "Our saving Grace...I think it would be good for your training to teach little Perseus everything there is to know about Rome. This whole case has broken some traditions, but I think it will be good for the two of you. You are family after all."

The two gave a hopeful look to one another when the goddess said this. The two didn't have much family left anymore, and Lupa knew that. Their stories were both tragedies, and perhaps together they could shed some light on each other's world, "I will leave you to it to begin immediately. We will be watching young Percy Jackson in the coming days. Don't let me down pups."

With that the wolf stalked back towards the woods, and the two wearing the Purple Capes came forward the female addressing him first, "My name is Maria Martinez the daughter of Nike and Praetor of the Twelfth Legion. This is my counterpart Mark Urso the son of Mars Ultor. We are the leaders of Camp Jupiter, and the legion. There are five cohorts in the legion, and you belong in the fifth. Your leader is Gwen. She is the daughter of Ceres, and Zach Butler the son of Trivia. You are not to question any of those people if they give you orders. You should also respect all your senior officers while you are here at camp Probatio Jackson."

Percy nodded his head, "Yes, ma'am."

The girl put a hand on his shoulder, "We will make a legionnaire out of you yet. Gwen, Jason, please take Percy and teach him to be Roman."

Chapter 1

"A Centurion at age 12 thats legendary man! I am so proud to be the cousin of the almighty Jason Grace. The legionnaires will tremble in your presence." The young man teased the blonde boy who was holding up his Centurion badge as if it belonged to someone much bigger than him.

"It's just such a huge responsibility. I have only been Optio for a year. I had no idea Zach was thinking of retiring to the city, and leaving me in charge. I thought he might be a lifer, or that he might run for Praetor when Cassie stepped down." Jason said, still in awe of the situation.

"You deserve it Jason seriously plus Gwen will keep you on the right path. Everyone in the cohort respects you. Olympus knows you have saved my life more times than I care to count, and you're the son of Jupiter this is just a stepping stone for you." Percy told the young man seriously.

Jason frowned, "You think they are grooming me for Praetor?"

"Literally no doubt in my mind. Give it another three or four years. Maybe you will lead a quest, or maybe lead the cohort into battle, or if nothing else you will keep leading us to victory in the War Games." Percy said with a smug grin.

"Okay that last one was just stupid. We were the first ones over the walls, and they turned water cannons on us? I thought Octavion was going to have a conniption over that boneheaded decision." Jason said, causing both boys to erupt in laughter.

Percy mimicked, "WATER UP MY NOSE!"

This caused the boys to nearly roll on the ground at the outburst that came after the games from the nitwit who had attempted to blast Percy and Jason off the walls. It had been a good year for the two sons of the Eldest Olympians.

The two looked over the river, the spot where they had met five years before. They were holding coke bottles in their hands from the local cafe. It was a celebration after all. The two quieted down after a few minutes, and Jason said, "Percy, I want you to be my optio. I know when we talked about it years ago you said that it wasn't a good idea but-"

"It's still not a good idea Jason. I know Gwen would approve, but like I told you they are grooming you for Praetor, and you would totally ruin it by making me your optio. Being the Son of Neptune is like a curse to the legion. Even with Triden's training, presence, and approval, I can tell most of the legion doesn't like me. I think most of them tolerate me because we are so close, but if you make me optio you are putting that target on your back. I mean face it the senate will have your head on a platter inside of six weeks if you do this." Percy said sadly.

Jason huffed, "I don't care what others think. Unless our cohort discharges me it's not like they can do anything else. So it takes me 10 years instead of 5 to become Praetor, if that means you are Centurion Jackson at that point it's okay with me. Besides maybe Gwen will be a lifer, and you can put the moves on her when you're Centurion.."

Percy sighed shaking his head, but the smile on his face was irrefutable. He ignored the comment about Gwen not wanting to get into the crush he had on his Centurion. The two sipped their drinks and stared off towards the clear skies. Percy asked, "What do you think about the gladiator challenge tomorrow?"

Jason grinned, "Probably come down to you, Michael Kahale, myself, and Larry could be Hank too. Your trident work has gotten really good over the last year, and most don't know how to fight it, but Larry, and Michael are both too damn good to lay down and take it."

"We could fight in finals, and make all these older teenagers look stupid. That would be pretty funny." Percy said with that damnable grin he always wears.

Chuckling the boy responded, "It would be something."

Small talk wasn't necessary between the two boys; they were much too close for that. Jason had taught Percy everything there was to know about Rome when they were just eight years old. All the gods and goddesses, the monsters, the cohorts, the fighting styles, the maps, the strategies, tactics, and anything that it took to keep a demigod alive. Percy owed a lot to his cousin, and they had been through a lot over the last five years together. Training together every day, learning to live with the grief of being the only mortals left in their respective families, and of course finding family in each other. It wasn't easy in New Rome watching all the families interact everyday. Percy remembered when Larry was raised to the second Cohort Centurion his family threw him a huge party in the city. Percy or Jason would never get anything like that. This quiet little celebration between the two of them was as good as it would get, but to them that wasn't a bad thing.

Jason spoke after minutes of silence, "You ever wonder what it's like out there?"

Percy laughed, "Well if you listen to our monsters education class it sounds like nothing but doom, gloom, and monsters straight out of Tartarus."

Jason shook his head, "Oh come on man it can't all be like that. We train so hard, and I just want to go out there and see it all. Put our skills to the test. I want to go to Rome and fight my way through the Mare Nostrum. I want to fight through the world and its problems one monster at a time. You and I against the world, it's the way it should be!"

Percy grinned. Jason couldn't say these things to the average person. The Mare Nostrum was forbidden territory, and any person who attempted to venture it would be subjected to decimatio but he trusted his cousin with his life, "Well we are only five years from retirement if we want it. I'll follow you anywhere, cousin."

The boy held up his bottle and the two clicked their Cokes, and began their stroll back into camp after a few moments of silence. As they made it through Temple Hill Percy steered off the path wishing 'Centurion Grace' goodnight as he wandered over to his father's shrine. As he got older this shrine really bothered him. In Greece Poseidon had been one of the big three, and one of the most powerful Gods. He was nearly as revered as Zeus, but in Rome Neptune was feared more than worshipped. This shrine spoke monuments to that. It was the size of a tool shed, and admittedly it was an eyesore among the beautiful monuments and temples here on Temple Hill.

When Percy had first arrived he was angry at Rome for doing this to his father, but instead of wallowing in the anger he took his first wages for serving in the legion, bought cleaning supplies, and at least took down the cobwebs from the altars and ceilings.

He bowed his head and took a knee pointing his eyes towards the floor, "Father. I won't let you down tomorrow. I will show you and Triden that the tutelage of the sea is not being wasted. After I win this contest I will bring honor to the House of Neptune, and I will set about building you a temple father. With all the accomplishments the sea will help me with in my life I will repay it here. This i swear father."

With that Percy rose placing a hand on the pedestal sprouting from the ground, and felt a small wave of anger burn through him. The Romans feared his father, and he would teach them to fear him as well.

(A/N) Good news my friends I am back! Welcome to 2021. HAPPY NEW YEARS. So this is the Rise of House Neptune, and I have been working on this story for months. I am 27 chapters into writing this, (about 75k wordS) so there is A LOT of content to be unveiled. I am planning to update once a week until I finish and then I will update twice a week. If the story gains crazy popularity maybe I will update faster, but big things are coming with this story. So please give it a follow and stay tuned till Next Friday. Cheers!

-OrionB15