Rome's Blade
Percy was less than popular in middle school. He was bullied constantly for his abnormal height. Most kids were nearly 6 inches to a foot shorter than him.
One day after school, while walking home, Barrett and his cronies caught up to him.
"Hey, Cyclops." they liked to call him cyclops. "Going home to your mommy?" he mocked, and the cronies laughed.
"Shut up, Barrett." Percy mumbled.
"I can't hear you, maybe if you had a father you'd speak up." One of the kids, Diezel, Percy recognized him as, said. Diezel wasn't one of the bad ones, he just mocked Percy to try and fit in. Percy sighed.
"Can you leave me alone today? I've had a bad day." Percy pleaded. Barrett belly-laughed.
"Fuck no! Freak!" Barrett and his boys laughed. A tear formed in Percy's eye. "Look, the loser is gonna cry. Go cry to your daddy. Oh, wait!" Barrett laughed again. Percy's fists clenched, and his eyes closed.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he screamed, and the boys jolted back. Barrett screamed. Percy opened his eyes to see Barret's hand burnt really bad. Percy gasped, and ran back home. Tears streamed down his face, and his hand tingled. He looked down, and emerging from his palm, a black tendril spiraled around his hand, and Percy's eyes widened. He made it home, and ran into his mother's apartment.
"Mom! Mom!" Percy yelled, not caring if his abusive stepfather was home. Sally ran into the living room, seeing her son in distress. He showed her his hand, and her eyes widened, and she frowned. He cried, "Get it off! Please!" She rushed him to the sink and washed it with hot water. It didn't go away. Sally cursed, before looking to the sky.
"Mom?"
A man appeared in the living room, wearing a black suit, with black hair, looking around worryingly.
"Sall-" the man started, before seeing the two of them. He rushed towards the two.
"The tattoo." Sally started. The man nodded.
"It's started. We have to get him west." The man said seriously. Sally frowned.
"What is west?"
"Rome, my love."
X
Percy slowly walked through the woods. The man had forced his mom to leave him about two miles back. He still didn't know who that was, but Percy resented him with every fiber in his being at the moment. He trudged forward, until coming to a clearing where a run-down house stood, a mess of red and gray bricks and beams strewn around the lot. Percy pushed onward towards the site, where beyond the broken down walls was an empty space between them, where a boy with the blondest hair Percy had ever seen was fighting an… air spirit? With swords? Percy frowned, not wanting to bother the two. The spirit whacked the kid's sword away and he muttered a word Percy didn't hear, before a gorgeous wolf stalked towards the kid, clearly scorning him. Percy stepped back, stepping on a branch, gathering the attention of the kid and the wolf, before Percy fell on to his ass, groaning in pain. The wolf appeared before him, almost inspecting Percy.
"Hello…?" Percy said. The kid also appeared, his face popping up on the other side of the half-wall that was broken down. Percy realized they looked about the same age.
"Hello, pup." the wolf spoke, and Percy scrambled back.
"You…" Percy started.
"Yes. You find yourself treading in dangerous territory, demigod." The wolf spoke, and Percy shook his head.
"I gotta be dreaming…" before the blonde laughed. Percy shot him a glare before standing. Percy was already an inch shorter than six-foot, but still rose at least four inches taller than the blonde kid. When seeing the size difference, blondie took a step back, much to Percy's pleasure.
"And who is your parent…" the wolf questioned, walking around Percy.
"My mom is Sally Jackson and I've never met my father." Percy responded warily.
"I see. You smell… dare I say different, demigod. I can't trace who you belong to. I've never smelled it before." the wolf finished in front of Percy, before a sword appeared between them out of thin air. Percy was shocked.
"Jason, fight him." the wolf said, and the blonde guy, Jason, grinned. Percy shook his head.
"I've never used one of these," he said, picking up the sword. Something about it in his grip felt natural, like it belonged there. Like hand was molded to carry the sword. Jason lunged forward, but a scared Percy jumped back. Jason followed him, and swung.
The strength difference was clear. Jason had more muscle, was more built. Percy was 5'11' and as scrawny as they come. Jason noticed it as well, and pushed forward with his strikes. Percy managed to parry and dodge, but barely. Jason swung for Percy's head, who ducked, and jumped up, startled.
"Are you trying to kill me man?!" Percy growled, and Jason didn't acknowledge the black-haired boy's comments. Percy kept playing defensive, so scared to retaliate.
"Fight back, pup. The enemy will not wait forever." The wolf growled at Percy, who scowled, before deciding he'd fight back. Jason's wild swung was ducked by Percy, who kicked at Jason's legs, who managed to dodge backwards. The two boys stared down one another, and Percy jabbed forward, as Jason caught his sword wrist, and Percy swung his fist into Jason's chest, flying him backwards over fifteen feet. Percy looked at his hand shocked. He'd never done anything like that before. Jason was in disbelief as well. Percy charged forwards, with newfound confidence. He faked a jab at Jason's left, and tried for another leg sweep, which was dodged. Jason saw an opening, and swung his sword at Percy's right arm, but Percy caught Jason's sword with his own, and flicked his wrist outwards, disarming Jason, whose eyes were as wide as saucers. Percy's were the same, looking at his own sword arm like he was some demon.
"You fight well, for an eleven year old." The wolf growled, before walking forward. Percy rubbed his head awkwardly.
"I'm… Percy." he started, reaching his hand forward to the boy opposite of him. Jason smirked and shook it.
"Jason Grace."
X
Lupa took Percy in, teaching him about the Pantheon and how the gods were real, whilst still struggling to find Percy's true parentage. Jason and Percy bonded over their training together. They became instant friends, and wanting nothing more but to just hang out together. One day, after sparring for over four hours, Lupa came to them.
"It is time, my children." Jason and Percy frowned.
"For what?" Percy asked.
"You are now twelve. I cannot teach you anymore, as you have learned everything I had to teach you over the last six months. You must head to Rome." Jason smiled and Percy was still frowning.
"Did you find who my dad was?" Percy asked, and Lupa looked at the ground.
"I regretfully say no, Perseus. Your father remains a mystery. This will give you hardships throughout your journey, you must pray to Olympus for a god to claim you as their own." Percy nodded. Jason patted his friend on the back.
"We'll do amazing together, man." Jason smiled. The presence of who Percy considered a sibling was warming for him.
"Go, children. Find Rome, and make me proud."
X
Percy and Jason traveled six hours before coming across the Caldecott Tunnel, where they crossed through the heavy traffic of rush hour and onto the other side.
"The compass says this way, dude." Percy said, and Jason shook his head.
"No, man. The compass clearly says-" Percy shook Jason's shoulder and pointed towards a hole in the wall, a tunnel.
"Bingo." Percy said, smiling.
The happiness was ruined, as a roar came from behind them, and a beast with the head of a bull and the furry body of a man rose, running towards them.
"What the fu-" Jason started, but Percy grabbed him and ran to the tunnel. They sprinted through, the Minotaur following closely behind, destroying walls and ceilings to get through. They ran into two kids, a big Asian guy and a small African-American girl, who looked at them worryingly.
"Halt!" The Asian guy said. Percy and Jason shook their heads.
"No time! Run!" Percy said, and the Minotaur busted through the wall behind them. The two kids ran with Percy and Jason through the tunnel, until they reached light, where they emerged. In front of them stood what Percy identified as a city, with a large wall surrounding what looked like a camp. Percy checked behind them, and sure enough, big ugly was following them. The Asian guy kept pelting it with arrows, to no avail.
"Keep running! To the Tiber!" the girl said, and Percy just kept going, not knowing what the 'Tiber' was. They reached a river, that was between them and the city, where a man sat in a camping chair, reading a book. Upon Percy stopping in front of the man, he stood, taller than Percy. The man was big, with tan skin and jet black hair. The man's sea-green eyes bore into Percy's soul, almost judging him.
"Do you need help, Demigod?" the man asked. Percy nodded urgently. Jason looked worryingly at the Minotaur.
"I can provide that. A birdie told me you had no parentage." The man smiled at Percy. "I want to change that." Percy frowned.
"Who are you?"
"Lord Neptune of the Seas, but to you, father, Perseus Jackson." The man tapped Percy's forehead, who blinked twice, and he was gone. Suddenly, there was a sudden sense of familiarity with the river, the water. Percy felt connected. He turned around, to see the Asian guy still shooting arrows, and the Minotaur smack Jason across the river.
"Jason!" Percy screamed, becoming enraged. A crowd had emerged from the camp, watching the scene across the river with horror. Percy let out a primal roar, and a tug in his gut responded. The river rose, forming hands, before picking up the Minotaur, who was thrashing in the water. Percy started to choke the beast, but the Minotaur wiggled out, landing on his feet, growling at Percy. The Minotaur started to dig its hooves into the ground, and charged at Percy, who felt the same tug in his gut.
This time, water did not respond.
Percy's hand shot out, and with it, a black, shadow-y tendril of power, straight into the Minotaur's heart, stopping the beast in its tracks. Percy walked up to the fading corpse of the monster, and kicked its horn off of its head. Percy took it, and realized, the same tattoo had emerged from his hand, but this time, it wasn't just circling his fingers. It had came up to his elbow. He wanted to throw up. He just killed something. Then he remembered.
Jason.
Percy's heart dropped, before sprinting across the river, the water giving him a sense of strength and power. He walked to the boy's body, and checked his pulse. To his relief, Jason's heart was beating, He was merely unconscious. Percy sighed a relief, but looked up, and saw a large group of kids older than him looking at him with terror. He looked back, and the Asian guy and the girl were giving him the same looks. From the crowd in front of him, a girl emerged, with blonde hair down to her shoulders, and a sword drawn.
"Give me a reason to not execute you for your power, child." the girl said, and Percy's heart dropped, and he stood.
"My name is Perseus Jackson, and this is Jason Grace." he pointed at the snoring body of Jason. "We were trained by Lupa to be soldiers of the Twelfth Legion of Rome, Ma'am." he said, mustering as much respect as he could. The girl's eyebrows scrunched. Beside her, a taller boy stood. He was big, built. Muscular. Percy could tell the guy was well respected and demanded excellence. Behind him, Percy heard running, and the guy and the girl were coming up behind him.
"Probatio Zhang, Probatio Levesque. Explain this." The woman said.
"Praetor Julia, we were simply doing our duties on guard in the Caldecott when these two ran in, with the Minotaur behind them. It seems as if it was chasing them from before." 'Zhang' said.
"That… dark thing… can you do it again?" the girl asked, and Percy's heart dropped. He looked down at his hand. The tattoo was gone.
"You saw his power, Praetor. Do you wish for that not to be in your ranks?" A familiar voice said, as Lupa walked forward from behind Percy and Jason. "I believe I am introducing, Jason Grace, son of Jupiter," to many gasps, "and Perseus Jackson, son of Neptune." to many growls.
"Lady Lupa, my apologies. They had no letters of recommendation." Lupa merely nodded. "I was busy dealing with Neptune's… decisions, so I wasn't able to give full introductions." Lupa said, and looked at Percy.
"They are to be inducted into the Legion on the moment's notice." Lupa said.
"I'd like to vouch, as well." The same voice from the river spoke, and Neptune stood behind Percy. "I believe it is time I was given respect in this camp, and this boy will give that to me." Percy frowned.
"Very well. We will begin with auguries, and the two boys will be inducted into the legion." the girl, Julia, spoke.
yeah- this chapter was kinda speedy, but I find the whole training with lupa thing to be so boring... so...
i have like 20k words already written, so chapters should come pretty quick. lets go!