The trio traveled north for nearly two days before anything happened. They were in the far north of Richmond, California, when they'd seen three cyclops patrolling around the city. Percy hadn't noticed at first, but Reyna slapped him to get him to notice the three. He nodded, and walked towards the three.
"Stop, brother." One said, sniffing the air. "I smell demigod." He whispered, before his eyes snapped to Percy, who was caught off guard by the quickness, but confident, nonetheless.
"I smell shit." Percy said, and one of the cyclops growled, stalking towards the demigod. Percy smiled. "Any notes before we get down to business, fellas?" he asked, summoning his trident. He threw the trident into the closest one's chest, which impaled the cyclops, and the monster turned to dust. Another ran forward, and Percy ducked under the cyclops, reaching for his trident, but was smacked into a store by the third. He stood on the broken glass, walking out.
"Are you trying to get me killed?" he asked, smirking. The one who hit him charged him, and Percy lunged back from a wild swing, punching the cyclops in the cheek. The cyclops fell over. Percy ran for his trident, getting it just in time to block a downward swing from the second's club. Percy kicked the cyclops' legs out from under him, and drove his trident into the monster's throat. He walked over to the last one, standing over it.
"Where's the army?" he asked simply, and the cyclops didn't say anything. Percy snarled, and put the trident to the cyclops' throat. "Tell me where the army is, and maybe I won't force you to reform." The cyclops visibly gulped.
"East of the San Pablo Reservoir. We weary, demigod. Iapetus awaits you, as well as his army. He will not be as easy." The cyclops said, and Percy nodded, before removing his trident from the cyclops' throat.
"You are free to go. Just don't eat any demigods." The cyclops ran off, and Percy turned back, where Reyna and Frank stared wide-eyed.
"Dude, you killed those things like they were nothing." Frank said, and Percy laughed it off.
"They weren't that hard."
"So? What now, commander?" Reyna asked with a smile.
"East of the San Pablo Reservoir, which is a few miles southeast."
X
Percy underestimated that distance. It would be another three days before they reach the reservoir, with every day the anxiety growing more and more. Thankfully, Percy got to spend some quality time with two of his greatest friends, which he was never going to complain about. Especially Reyna. He was open with himself about his crush on her but didn't want to say anything. He was scared as hell that he would say it too early, or she wouldn't like him back. Why would she? He was just another camper from the fifth.
"Percy, look." His eyes snapped up, and the reservoir was in front of them, and much to the cyclops' word, across the reservoir in the clearing was an army, a camp. Percy could spot out Iapetus from the crowd easily. He stood at a good seven feet tall and was bossing the monsters around.
"Do we want to do this now?" Percy asked, and Reyna and Frank both nodded.
"Let's get it over with." Frank said, and Reyna nodded in agreement.
"Then we approach slowly. If things break down, we can fight our way out. If it comes to it, Iapetus is mine." Percy growled, and the other two understood instantly. Percy wanted this titan kill.
They walked up slowly. Percy was trying to gauge numbers, and he could tell the army was easily in the hundreds. He didn't think it was in the thousands, but it was big. He could hear Iapetus barking orders to the unfortunate monsters from the other side of the reservoir. He took the lead, approaching the camp, with Reyna and Frank behind him. He forced his ring to materialize into a knife and stalked forward. He came across a resting Empousa, quickly killing the monster, and instantly, a horn blared, and Percy's heart dropped. Monsters started rushing to certain spots, almost looking for someone.
"They've been alerted!" Percy said, and Reyna and Frank took steps back. "Go! To the woods, I'll buy you time."
"No! We fight together, or we don't fight at all." Reyna said, and Percy growled in agitation. Realizing he wouldn't win, he let go.
"My word stands. Iapetus is mine."
Speaking of the titan, he stomped through the camp, roaring about demigods. He demanded that Percy and his friends reveal themselves.
"Come forth, demigods! I will not hurt you!" Iapetus bellowed, monsters following his feet loosely. Percy turned his back to his friends, stepping out from the tent they were behind.
"Iapetus!" Percy yelled back, his voice nowhere near as loud as the Titan's. Iapetus stopped in his tracks, turning towards Percy, his grin turning sinister.
"Hello, little demigod. Where are your friends?"
"None of your business. Now, you and your little army can leave before I have to kill them all." Percy said, and Iapetus laughed.
"Brave little demigod, but it will not matter. I am Iapetus, Titan of Mortality and Death!" he reached out, and a large broadsword appeared. Percy was honest, he felt intimidated by the titan. He forced his trident to appear, much to the titan's pleasure.
"The son of Neptune wields the weapon of his father and the army of the seas, how cute." Percy growled, charging the Titan. "Today you meet your maker, Perseus Jackson!" Percy ducked under the first swing, and cut a small wound on Iapetus's calf, before the titan backhanded him into the monster army. Percy rose, but the monsters weren't attacking him. They were letting Iapetus fight. Percy raised his trident defensively, preparing for the downward strike that Iapetus threw. The Titan's strength heavily overmatched Percy, but he stood in with the titan. Percy ducked out of the lock, and threw quick strikes at Iapetus's midsection, who dodged, parried, but Percy was too fast. He gashed Iapetus's midsection open, who screamed in pain. The titan whirled around, hitting Percy, who flew back into a tree.
"Curse you, demigod. After I've destroyed you, I'll make you watch me kill your little girlfriend…" Iapetus trailed off. Percy didn't know why, but this guy threatening Reyna really hit a string or two. He stood from the broken tree, cracked his back, and readied his trident. He glanced at Reyna and Frank, who were seemingly doing fine against the few monsters that dared challenge him. Percy felt confident and strode forward. His arm tingled, but Percy ignored it. His only focus was the titan before him.
"Cocky little demigod. Too bad your blessing of Neptune is too little to help you. Puny god can't even help his own son." Iapetus said, hitting his wound on his chest. Percy growled and closed his eyes. Streams of water from the reservoir traced behind him, following his every step. Iapetus was unsettled by the sight of water. Percy reached his hand out, and the water blasted forward, throwing Iapetus backwards, but the titan found his feet, catching himself from flying back. The water stopped, and the titan looked at Percy with rage, and charged the demigod. Iapetus came with newfound speed, speed Percy was unready for. Iapetus swung at Percy's midsection, who barely dodged, but the edge of the blade caught his chest, making a gash. Percy cried in pain, but it was quickly dissipating. Percy looked down, and there was no wound.
Darkness enveloped where the wound should've been, healing the cut. Percy finally looked at his arm. The tattoo had come back, wrapping up his arm, around his shoulder in a flame pattern, and all along his chest. Percy saw it and felt rage. He suspected this had something to do with his father, and Percy hated his father. For never being there, for never protecting them.
Percy let out a barbaric, rage-filled scream, and his hand shot out, against Percy's control. The same darkness emerged from when he killed the Minotaur and shot to Iapetus's legs. The titan frowned, and tried to move, but couldn't.
"What is this trickery, Jackson?" the titan bellowed, and Percy strode forward. Two more tendrils shot forward, locking the Titan's arm in place.
"You at my mercy, titan." The words came out of Percy's mouth but were very much not Percy. He wasn't controlling his body. He walked to the titan's head, where he called for the trident, and it flew into his hands. "I'd torture you, but I'm on a time restriction. I believe we will see each other when I'm sixteen, titan." And Percy plunged the Trident into the Titan's neck, who faded into ichor and dust. Percy regained control of his body and looked around. The monsters were fearful, many running away.
"Scram!" he screamed, and the monsters ran. He heard footsteps, and turned. Reyna and Frank ran to him.
"Percy? Are you okay? What the hell was that?" Reyna asked, and Percy let a tear fall, before he became nauseous.
"I-I'm sorry." He blacked out.
X
Reyna was more in awe of Percy fighting a titan one on one. She knew he wanted to prove himself, but this was pushing it a bit. She saw him use his waterpowers to throw the titan back, and Iapetus come back with newfound strength. Her heart dropped when she saw Iapetus land the slash, and started to run to him, before Frank stopped her.
"Look!" Frank pointed. Reyna was confused. Her friend was about to die, and-
Oh.
There was no wound, just darkness surrounding and morphing the wound back into… regular flesh? Then she paid more attention. His entire arm was almost tribal banded by this darkness, and it was spreading to his neck. Then he used it to submit the titan and kill him. Reyna was stunned, but brought out of her stupor by Frank running to their friend. He apologized for whatever reason, and passed out, per usual.
"We have to tell someone of this." Frank muttered, but Reyna slapped him.
"If we tell anyone, the first cohort and their followers will want his head. This is our secret, for now." Reyna hissed, and Frank frowned.
"This is unmatched power, Reyna. If we tell someone, they will gain respect for him! Fear him! That's what he wants, is it not?" Reyna stood in front of Frank.
"Not everyone's life is as easy as yours, son of Mars. He is a son of Neptune, and people will want him publicly hung for possessing great power. The last descendant of Neptune was killed for having less!" She screamed, and Frank shrunk back. "Our. Secret." She demanded, and Frank nodded.
X
When Percy woke, he was sitting in a tent. It was warm. He could see the campfire through the fabric and walked out. Reyna and Frank sat there, and both pairs of eyes flicked to him upon arrival. Percy noticed Frank a little more intimidated, while Reyna was more worried.
"What was that Percy?" Reyna started and Percy sat.
"I don't know. I discovered it before I came to camp. I actually believe it's the reason I came to camp." Percy whispered, and Reyna's arm slithered around him. "I don't know what it does, just that it heals me now, I guess."
"Do you know what triggers it?" Frank asked, sternly.
"No idea. I presume something along the lines of pure anger, hatred, rage. The three times it's appeared I've been very angry."
"But that's not a Neptune thing…" Frank trailed off. Percy sighed.
"Frank, I'm not a son of Neptune." Frank's eyes shot wide. "I don't know who my father is. Neither does Lupa, neither does Olympus. Neptune was just the god who happened to be there and claim little old me when me and Jason arrived." Frank nodded.
"Who knows?"
"You two. And Jason."
"You told Reyna?" Percy smiled, remembering their time after the fight.
"I had to get it off my chest, and she came to me after the fight in the Coliseum, so I told her." Percy sighed. "Please don't tell anyone of that… incident." He didn't want to tell them that he was basically being controlled for the entire time the tattoo was there, he didn't want to scare them.
"I swear I won't, Percy." Frank said first. Reyna followed suite.
X
They trekked back to Rome, where the legionnaires at the gates to the Caldecott informed them that some of the legion had presumed the three of them dead. Percy nodded, understanding. Now here they stood, in front of the senate.
"Summarize your mission, Percy."
"We found a group of cyclops in Richmond, where I killed two and interrogated the third into telling us where the army was located. It was east of the San Pablo Reservoir, where an army of nearly five hundred monsters was awaiting us." Gasps along the senate house. "Along with the Titan Iapetus." That sparked outrage. Words of Titans stirring had been rumored, but nothing had been confirmed.
"Silence!" Derek roared, and the senate quieted down. "Continue."
"We tried to sneak into the camp to gather as much intel as possible, but the army was alerted of our presence. We tried to fight them off, but…" Percy trailed off.
"But what, Legionnaire?" Julia demanded.
"But Percy killed Iapetus, and made the entire army flee." Frank said, stepping forward. People gasped, eyes widened.
"Legionnaire Reyna?" Julia questioned, and Reyna shrugged.
"I hear no lie. Percy singlehandedly fought the Titan of Mortality and won. After killing the Titan, he told the monsters to disperse, to which they followed."
"Blasphemy!" A voice screeched, and Octavian approached the floor. "He's barely thirteen! Killing a titan at such a young, novice age is unheard of! I demand we put these three on trial for their lies, Praetors!" Percy was about to speak up when another person interrupted.
"First you insult me in front of my temple, and now you question my son's feats? I'm assuming you have a problem with us, Octavian." Neptune appeared behind Percy, where he put a hand on Percy's shoulder. "You have mine & Olympus's word, my son has defeated the Titan Iapetus, singlehandedly, and given you time to prepare."
"For what, Lord Neptune?" Julia asked.
"For a war, Praetor. Mount Othrys, the Black Throne, is rising. I suggest you double recruiting and training, as this war will not be easy, Praetors." More loud gasps around the room. "Three days before my son turns sixteen, it is destined that the Roman Legion shall march for Mount Othrys, siege it, and destroy the black throne before Saturn has a chance to rise. It is prophesized that his choices shall either save Olympus or raze it to the ground. And you, Augur." Neptune turned, walking towards Octavian. "Insult me or my son like that again, and I swear on my power Perseus will have Olympus's blessing to hang you in front of your cohort." Octavian nodded. "Do you understand me?" Neptune growled, and Octavian kept nodding. "I said, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" the voice filled the senate room, and Octavian fell on his ass, much to the laughter of Percy.
"Yes, sir!" Octavian squealed, and Neptune turned, smiling to Percy, and disappeared.
"Meeting adjourned, senators. We will meet tomorrow, at eight-A.M., to discuss the news brought here today by Lord Neptune."
little late today but expect more stuff tomorrow!