Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Percy Jackson. That belongs to Rick Riordan. I'm just playing in his world.

Author's Note: Firstly, I'd like to apologize for the long delay in getting this chapter out. There have been many factors in that — school, work, a one-shot I wrote, and a nasty bout of writer's block.

I'm back, though, and am hoping that it won't take another 4 months to release another chapter because that's no fun for anyone — especially me.

Finally, I'd like to extend my immense gratitude to my wonderful Beta Reader, Athena, for her work on this chapter.

Self-Promotion: I have a Discord Server where you can talk with me and other readers for free. Also as part of the server, you get early access to all of my chapters. To join, just paste the following link into a new tab and remove the spaces: discord . gg / Bfwywpf

Reyna POV:

It had been four years since she had arrived at Camp Jupiter and sworn her loyalty to Terra. In that time, she had become Praetor of the Twelfth Legion and recruited a few others to the cause — mostly legacies who had become disillusioned with their godly forefathers and demigods who sought some sort of revenge for a perceived slight against them.

The two demigods Reyna had wanted to recruit the most she was unable to. The first was Bryce Lawrence, a legacy of Orcus from a rather wealthy family who had been accused of killing his centurion shortly after enlistment. Unfortunately, while Reyna wanted to give Bryce a second chance merely to get him in her good graces — and therefore make him more likely to join Terra — the Senate had gathered enough evidence to easily convict and banish him if tried. It would have been too suspicious for Reyna to brush that under the rug.

The other demigod Reyna had desired to recruit was her co-Praetor, Jason Grace, son of Jupiter. He was the most powerful demigod at the Camp and was quite charismatic — an ability that could come in handy when attempting to recruit new members to the cause. He would have been the perfect second-in-command. Unfortunately, he was too insufferably loyal to his father and the other gods. There were no cracks Reyna could exploit to attempt to facilitate his fall.

Reyna brushed those thoughts out of her mind as she awaited the notification of a new arrival to camp. Terra had told her during their daily 'meeting' that morning that a new demigod would be arriving at Camp — a powerful one that would be a perfect addition to their cause.

She was hesitant to believe that any demigod could be a more perfect addition to their cause than Jason — who had gone missing a few months ago — but if there was one thing Reyna had learned over her four years working for Terra, it was to trust what the goddess told her. The information she had given Reyna had not been wrong once in the past four years.

"Praetor! Praetor!" came the call of Centurion Daniel Masters of the Fourth Cohort. Daniel was a son of Letus, the god of death, and had joined the Legion two years before Reyna. From what Reyna knew, he had had a rough childhood before Lupa and her pack found him. When Reyna had first begun to subtly search for allies after gaining the position of Praetor, Daniel was one of the first to join her.

While originally wary, the ivory-skinned boy eventually fully committed himself to Reyna and the cause, gaining Reyna her first Senatorial ally. As Daniel came to attention, he informed her, "There is a new recruit attempting to cross the Little Tiber with an old woman on his shoulders, being chased by a pair of what appear to be Gorgons. Frank and Hazel are doing their best to hold them off, but I fear they may need assistance."

"Thank you for informing me, Centurion. Gather as many campers as you can and go aid Frank and Hazel. I will be over there shortly as well."

"Yes, Praetor!" Daniel cried out before dashing back out the door to gather members of his Cohort.

'Well, Lady Terra,' Reyna thought to herself as she donned her own armor and Praetor's cloak, 'let's go see what this new recruit is made of.'

Percy POV:

"Percy, come on!" he heard Hazel yell from across the Little Tiber.

Up on the watchtowers, horns blew; sentries shouted and swiveled their crossbows toward the gorgons.

Realizing that crossing the Little Tiber was the only way he could stay alive, Percy forged into the river. It was icy cold and much swifter than he'd imagined, but that didn't bother him. New strength surged through his limbs. His senses tingled like he'd been injected with caffeine. He reached the other side and put the old woman down as the camp's gates opened. Dozens of kids in armor poured out.

Hazel turned with a relieved smile. Then she looked over Percy's shoulder, and her expression changed to horror. "Frank!"

Frank was halfway across the river when the gorgons caught him. They swooped out of the sky and grabbed him by either arm. He screamed in pain as their claws dug into his skin.

The sentries yelled, but somehow Percy knew they couldn't get a clear shot. They'd end up killing Frank. The other kids drew swords and got ready to charge into the water, but they'd be too late.

There was only one way to save Frank.

As if an autopilot system had been engaged, Percy thrust out his hands, not knowing what was about to happen. An intense tugging sensation filled his gut, and the Tiber obeyed his will. The river surged. Whirlpools formed on either side of Frank. Giant watery hands erupted from the stream, copying Percy's movements. The giant hands grabbed the gorgons, who dropped Frank in surprise. Then the hands lifted the squawking monsters in a liquid vise grip.

Percy heard the other kids yelping and backing away, but he remained focused. He made a smashing gesture with his fists, and the giant hands plunged the gorgons into the Tiber. The monsters hit bottom and broke into dust. Glittering clouds of gorgon essence struggled to re-form, but the river pulled them apart like a blender. Soon every trace of the gorgons was swept downstream. The whirlpools vanished, and the current returned to normal

Percy stood on the riverbank. His clothes and his skin steamed as if the Tiber's waters had given him an acid bath. He felt exposed, raw…vulnerable.

'What the Pluto just happened?' Percy thought to himself. He knew he had used water powers — which he assumed came from his Godly parent — but didn't know exactly how he'd used them. He had probably learned how before he lost his memories and his body was just acting instinctively.

In the middle of the Tiber, Frank stumbled around, looking stunned but perfectly fine. Hazel waded out and helped him ashore. Only then did Percy realize how quiet the other kids had become.

Everyone was staring at him.

Only the old lady June looked unfazed. "Well, that was a lovely trip," she said. "Thank you, Percy Jackson, for bringing me to Camp Jupiter."

One of the girls made a choking sound. "Percy… Jackson?"

She sounded as if she recognized his name. Percy focused on her, hoping to see a familiar face — which would be a nice surprise, considering he remembered literally nothing about his past life besides his name.

She was obviously a leader. She wore a regal purple cloak over her armor. Her chest was decorated with medals. She must have been about Percy's age, with dark, piercing eyes and long black hair. Percy didn't recognize her, but the girl stared at him as if she'd seen him in her nightmares.

'So… not a friendly face then. Dammit.'

June laughed with delight. "Oh, yes. You'll have such fun together!"

Then, just because the day hadn't been weird enough already, the old lady began to glow and change form. She grew until she was a shining, seven-foot-tall goddess in a blue dress, with a cloak that looked like goat's skin over her shoulders. Her face was stern and stately. In her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower.

If it was possible for the campers to look more stunned, they did. The girl with the purple cloak knelt. The others followed her lead. One kid got down so hastily he almost impaled himself on his sword.

Hazel was the first to speak. "Juno."

She and Frank also fell to their knees, leaving Percy the only one standing. He knew he should probably kneel too, but after carrying the old lady so far, he didn't feel like showing her that much respect.

"Juno, huh?" he said. "If I passed your test, can I have my memory and my life back?"

The goddess smiled. "In time, Percy Jackson, if you succeed here at camp. You've done well today, which is a good start. Perhaps there's hope for you yet."

She turned to the other kids. "Romans, I present to you the son of Neptune. For months he has been slumbering, but now he is awake. His fate is in your hands. The Feast of Fortune comes quickly, and Death must be unleashed if you are to stand any hope in the battle. Do not fail me!"

Juno shimmered and disappeared. Percy looked at Hazel and Frank for some kind of explanation, but they seemed just as confused as he was. Frank was holding something Percy hadn't noticed before — two small clay flasks with cork stoppers, like potions, one in each hand. Percy had no idea where they'd come from, but he saw Frank slip them into his pockets. Noticing Percy watching him, Frank gave him a look that said 'We'll talk about it later.'

The girl in the purple cloak stepped forward. She examined Percy warily, and Percy couldn't shake the feeling that she wanted to run him through with her dagger.

"So," she said appraisingly, "a son of Neptune, who comes to us with the blessing of Juno."

"Look, my memory's a little fuzzy. Um, it's gone, actually. Do I know you?"

Reyna POV:

Reyna recognized him instantly. How could she not? He was the reason her life had gone to shit. He was the reason she was here at Camp Jupiter, rather than with Hylla at C.C.'s back in the Sea of Monsters. While Reyna may be completely loyal to Terra and overall pleased with her position within both Camp Jupiter and Terra's plans for the future, there was still a loathing deep within her for this Percy Jackson.

However, Reyna trusted Terra and there was no mistaking that Percy Jackson was the demigod that Terra had referred to that morning. If it meant proving to her motherand Hylla that she too was a powerful demigoddess, deserving of respect and adoration. Reyna was all for it. She would turn Percy Jackson, alright. She would turn him into a pawn that she and Terra could move wherever they so chose.

She was getting ahead of herself, though. Before she could convert Jacks — no, Percy — to her way of thinking, she needed to befriend him and gain his trust.

Returning from her thoughts to the present moment, she replied to Percy, "No memory, you say… interesting. As for whether we know each other, we have met once before, many years ago. Before even I arrived here at Camp Jupiter. We never interacted with one another. I doubt you would remember me even if you were not amnesic."

"Oh… okay, then," he replied, crestfallen.

Before Percy could ask any further questions, Reyna decided it was time to end the spectacle and take the conversation to a more private setting. "For your information, my name is Reyna and I am the Praetor of the Twelfth Legion.

"Hazel, bring him inside. I want to question him at the principia. Then we'll send him to Octavian. We must consult the auguries before we decide what to do with him."

"What do you mean," Percy asked, "'decide what to do with' me?"

Reyna's hand tightened on her dagger. She was not used to having her orders questioned — especially by a new arrival. "Before we accept anyone into camp, we must interrogate them and read the auguries. Juno said your fate is in our hands. We have to know whether the goddess has brought us as a new recruit or a new enemy to kill."

"Woah, woah, enemy to kill? I don't like the sound of that," Percy replied nervously.

Reyna smiled reassuringly, "There is no need to worry, Jackson, Octavian may be a little… high strung at times, but I doubt that will influence his reading of the omens. I, for one, trust the judgment of Juno."

With that, she turned around and walked back to the principia to await Legionnaire Levesque's arrival with the newest probatio member of the legion.

Percy POV:

As Percy was led to the principia — a two-story wedge of a building, made from white marble with a columned portico like an old-fashioned bank and a large purple banner with the gold letters SPQR embroidered inside a laurel wreath hanging over the doorway — he couldn't help but notice that he was followed by a swarm of campers. What he had done to deserve such an escort, he didn't know. All he could do was hope that it was nothing negative.

When he arrived, Reyna was waiting for him on the portico, flanked on either side by heavily armed Roman guards. When she noticed the mob of campers following Percy, she called out, "Everyone back to your duties. I'll give you an update at evening muster. Remember, we have war games after dinner."

As the crowd reluctantly dispersed, Percy overheard multiple comments about himself.

"He's dead," said one.

"Would be those two who found him," said another.

"Yeah," muttered a third. "Let him join the Fifth Cohort. Greeks and geeks."

Several of the remaining kids laughed at that, but Reyna scowled at them until they cleared off.

After the final camper dispersed, Reyna turned to Hazel and Frank — who had joined Percy and Hazel on their walk to the principia. "Thank you, Hazel, for bringing Percy. If you wouldn't mind joining us to explain what happened at the gates, that would be much appreciated. Probatio Zhang, you are dismissed."

As Frank opened his mouth to object, Reyna continued, "You are not yet a full member of the legion and have caused enough trouble this week. Go to the armory, check the inventory for tonight's war games. I will send for you if needed."

"Yes, Reyna," Frank muttered before running off, presumably to check the inventory.

Reyna waved Hazel and Percy toward the headquarters. "Now, Percy Jackson, let's see if we can improve your memory."

The principia was even more impressive inside than outside. On the ceiling glittered a mosaic of Romulus and Remus under their adopted she-wolf mother — Lupa had told Percy that story a million times.

The center of the room was consumed by a long wooden table cluttered with scrolls, notebooks, tablet computers, daggers, and a large bowl filled with jelly beans, which seemed quite out of place. Two life-sized statues of greyhounds — one silver, one gold — flanked the table. Reyna walked behind the table and sat in one of two high-backed chairs. Percy wished he could sit in the other, but Hazel remained standing, so he presumed he should remain standing as well.

"So—" he began.

The dog statues bared their teeth and growled.

Percy froze. Normally he liked dogs, but these glared at him with ruby eyes with fangs that looked sharp as razors.

"Easy, boys," Reyna told the greyhounds. They stopped growling, but kept eyeing Percy as though they were imagining him in a doggie bag.

"They won't attack," Reyna said, "unless you try to steal something, or unless I tell them to. That's Argentum and Aurum."

"Silver and Gold," Percy said. The Latin meanings popped into his head, as if he had been speaking the language for years. He almost asked which dog was which, before realizing that that was a stupid question. Reyna set her dagger on the table, before turning to Percy.

"First thing's first," she said. "I want to hear your story. What do you remember? How did you get here? And don't lie. My dogs don't like liars."

As Aurum and Argentum snarled to emphasize the point, Percy began his story — how he'd woken up at the ruined mansion in the woods of Sonoma. He described his time with Lupa and her pack, learning their language of gestures and expressions, learning to survive and fight. Lupa had taught him about demigods, monsters, and gods. She had explained that she was one of the guardian spirits of Ancient Rome. Demigods like Percy were still responsible for carrying on Roman traditions in modern times — fighting monsters, serving the gods, protecting mortals, and upholding the memory of the empire. She had spent weeks training him, until he was as strong and tough and vicious as a wolf. When she was satisfied with his skills, she'd sent him south. Telling him that if he survived the journey, he might find a new home and regain his memory.

Based upon her body language, none of it seemed to surprise Reyna. In fact, she seemed to find it pretty ordinary— except for one thing.

"No memory at all?" she asked. "You remember nothing?"

"Fuzzy bits and pieces, but nothing major, no"

Reyna spun her dagger. "Most of what you're describing is normal for demigods. At a certain age, one way or another, we find our way to the Wolf House. We are tested and trained by Lupa and, if found worthy, sent south to join the legion. But I have never heard of someone losing his memory. How did you find Camp Jupiter?"

Percy told her about the last three days — the gorgons who wouldn't die, the old lady who turned out to be a goddess, and finally meeting Hazel and Frank at the tunnel in the hill.

Hazel took over from there. She described Percy as brave and heroic, which made him rather uncomfortable. After all, all he had done was carry an old lady across a river.

Reyna POV:

As Hazel finished her account of events, a pensive look developed on Reyna's face. "You are rather old for a recruit, Jackson. You can't be older than, what, sixteen?"

Percy nodded, "I think I'm sixteen."

"Sixteen and a son of Neptune to boot. You supposedly have spent years on your own with no training whatsoever. To be blunt, you should be long dead. Your aura would be way too strong not to attract all kinds of monsters."

"Yeah, I've been told I smell," Percy wisecracked, causing Reyna's mouth to twitch slightly upwards in amusement.

"You must have been somewhere before the Wolf House," Reyna pressed on, hoping to get something from Percy.

Percy merely shrugged in response.

Clearly, he didn't know anything more. Reyna sighed before standing and pacing back and forth in front of the banners, Aurum and Argentum watching her every move.

"Even if I accept that you're not an enemy," she mused, "you're not a typical recruit. The Queen of Olympus simply doesn't appear at camp, announcing a new demigod. The last time a major god visited us in person like that…" She shook her head. "I've only heard legends about such things. And a son of Neptune… that's not a good omen. Especially now."

Sensing Percy was about to retort, Reyna continued, "It's clear that you have had training from someone outside of Camp Jupiter. And yet, you arrive with no letter of reference from them, indicating that they once served in the legion. Your sword is also distinctly Greek — something that nobody in the legion has used in —"

Before Reyna could finish, Percy blurted, "What makes you so sure I was never a camper here?"

"You don't have a tattoo on your forearm. All members of the legion are given them upon the end of their probatio period. The marks cannot be removed."

Before either Percy or Reyna could say anything, Hazel jumped into the conversation, "If he's survived as a loner all this time, maybe he's seen Jason."

"Jason?" Percy asked, a quizzical expression on his face.

"A former colleague, of sorts," Reyna said, rather pleased that Hazel had brought Jason up, though she didn't outwardly show it. "You see," she continued, waving her hand at the second chair next to her, "the legion normally has two elected praetors. Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, was our other praetor until he disappeared last October."

"You mean… he's been gone for eight months and you haven't replaced him?"

"Praetors are only appointed in two ways. Either the legion raises someone on a shield after a major success on the battlefield — and we haven't had any major battles since he went missing — or we hold a ballot on the evening of June 24, at the Feast of Fortuna. That's in five days."

"You have a feast for tuna?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Fortuna," Hazel corrected before Reyna could even open her mouth. "She's the goddess of luck and fortune. Whatever happens on her feast day can affect the entire rest of the year. She can grant the camp good luck…or really bad luck."

Reyna glanced over at the seat next to her, 'Losing Jason was not ideal, but if Terra is correct, his replacement is standing right before me — and is more willing to join the cause.'

As Reyna snapped out of her thoughts, Percy began to talk in a worried tone, "The Feast of Fortune… The gorgons mentioned that. So did Juno. They said the camp was going to be attacked on that day, something about a big bad goddess named Gaea, an army, and Death being unleashed. You're telling me that day is this week?"

A chill ran down Reyna's back. Gaea was the Greek name for Terra. If Juno had told Percy enough about Terra's plans, then the chances of Reyna successfully converting Percy to Terra's cause had just plummeted.

Reyna's grip instinctively tightened around the hilt of her dagger. "You will say nothing about that outside of this room," she commanded. "I will not have either of you spreading panic within Camp.

"We've talked enough for now," Reyna said, forestalling any further conversation about the matter. "Hazel, take him to Temple Hill. Find Octavian. On the way, you can answer Percy's questions. Tell him about the legion. I will fill in the gaps later."

"Yes, Reyna," Hazel replied, leading Percy out of the room.

Author's Note: That took way too long to write. Once again, I'd like to apologize for the long delay in releasing this. Life got very busy for me after I released the prologue and Drowning in Darkness is, unashamedly, the fic I will write a new chapter for first. Drowning in Darkness, for those of you that don't know, is my first multi-chapter Harry Potter work, featuring a Dark Harry/Dark Katie Bell pairing. Additionally, writer's block was hell when I actually had time to write this. I promise, though, I will finish this story no matter what it takes.

As for the plot of the fic itself, we just hit the first change to written canon. It only spirals outwards from here. Right now it's the build-up to the main action, but once we hit that, I expect updates to come quicker — barring college business, that is.

I do have another Percy Jackson fic that I will be working on during periods of writer's block just so I'm doing something productive. When that will come out, I have no clue, but be on the lookout.

Finally, I need to give a massive thank you to the Sprint Gang on the Flowerpot Discord Server — JusticeRings, A Murky Paradave, akujiki, and especially Alex VA The Silent Prophet. The vast majority of these almost 3700 words were written while racing against them to see who could write the most words within 30 minutes or 1 hour. I honestly don't think I would have finished this chapter without the sprints. From the bottom of my heart, thank you guys for the motivation!

Thank you all for bearing with the long wait and I'll see you either at the next chapter drop or on my Discord server, whose link is at the top of the fic and in my profile.

- Asmodeus Stahl