Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Today will be a busy day so I am skipping replying to reviews and will reply to them all next chapter! Sorry, also-just for context with Percy's age in the Kane Chronicles AU. She's five when she meets Carter and Julius, Carter is ten, and Sadie is 8
As they approached the forum, Percy was struck by the sheer number of people. College-age kids were hanging out at the fountain. Several of them waved at the senators as they passed. One guy in his late twenties stood at a bakery counter, flirting with a young woman who was buying coffee. An older couple was watching a little boy in diapers and a miniature Camp Jupiter shirt toddle after seagulls. Merchants were opening their shops for the day, putting out signs in
Latin that advertised pottery, jewelry, and half-price tickets for the Hippodrome.
"All these people are demigods?" Percy asked.
"Or descended from demigods," Hazel said. "Like I told you, it's a good place to go to college or raise a family without worrying about monster attacks every day. Maybe two, three hundred people live here? The veterans act as, like, advisers and reserve forces as needed, but mostly they're just citizens living their lives."
Percy imagined what that would be like: getting an apartment in this tiny replica of Rome, protected by the legion and Terminus the OCD border god. She imagined holding hands with Annabeth and Rachel at a café. Maybe when they were older, watching their own kid chase seagulls across the forum.
Percy dismissed though thoughts quickly- with the way things had been going for her lately just living another year would be impressive.
In any case- she didn't belong here, this wasn't her home. And Camp Jupiter was in danger. If Juno was right, an attack was coming in less than five days.
Percy imagined that sleeping woman's face—the face of Gaea—forming in the hills above camp. She imagined hordes of monsters descending into this valley. If you don't succeed, Mars had warned, there won't be any camp left to return to. Rome will be overrun, its legacy lost forever.
She thought about the little girl Julia, the families with kids, her new friends in the Fifth Cohort, even those silly fauns. She didn't want to picture what might happen to them if this place was destroyed.
The senators made their way to a big white-domed building on the west end of the forum. Percy paused at the doorway, trying not to think about Julius Caesar getting slashed to death at a senate meeting. Then she took a deep breath and followed Hazel and Frank inside.
The senate house interior looked like a high school lecture hall. A semicircle of tiered seats faced a dais with a podium and two chairs. The chairs were empty, but one had a small velvet package on the seat.
Percy, Hazel, and Frank sat on the left side of the semicircle. The ten senators and Bianca di Angelo occupied the rest of the front row. The upper rows were filled with several dozen ghosts and a few older veterans from the city, all in formal togas. Octavian stood in front with a knife and a Beanie Baby lion, just in case anyone needed to consult the god of cutesy collectibles. Reyna walked to the podium and raised her hand for attention. "Right, this is an emergency meeting," she said. "We won't stand on formalities."
"I love formalities!" a ghost complained.
Reyna shot him a cross look.
"First of all," she said, "we're not here to vote on the quest itself. The quest has been issued by Mars Ultor, patron of Rome. We will obey his wishes. Nor are we here to debate the choice of Frank Zhang's companions."
"All three from the Fifth Cohort?" called out Hank from the Third. "That's not fair."
"And not smart," said the boy next to him. "We know the Fifth will mess up. They should take somebody good."
Dakota got up so fast, he spilled Kool-Aid from his flask. "We were plenty good last night when we whipped your podex, Larry!"
"Enough, Dakota," Reyna said. "Let's leave Larry's podexout of this. As quest leader, Frank has the right to choose his companions. He has chosen Percy Jackson and Hazel Levesque."
A ghost from the second row yelled, "Absurdus! Frank Zhang isn't even a full member of the legion! He's on probatio. A quest must be led by someone of
centurion rank or higher. This is completely—"
"Cato," Reyna snapped. "We must obey the wishes of Mars Ultor. That means certain... adjustments."
Reyna clapped her hands, and Octavian came forward. He set down his knife and Beanie Baby and took the velvet package from the chair.
"Frank Zhang," he said, "come forward."
Frank glanced nervously at Percy. Then he got to his feet and approached the augur.
"It is my…pleasure," Octavian said, forcing out the last word, "to bestow upon you the Mural Crown for being first over the walls in siege warfare." Octavian handed him a bronze badge shaped like a laurel wreath. "Also, by order of Praetor Reyna, to promote you to the rank of centurion."
He handed Frank another badge, a bronze crescent, and the senate exploded in protest.
"He's still a probie!" one yelled.
"Impossible!" said another.
"Water cannon up my nose!" yelled a third.
"Silence!" Octavian's voice sounded a lot more commanding than it had the previous night on the battlefield. "Our praetor recognizes that no one below the rank of centurion may lead a quest. For good or ill, Frank must lead this quest—so our praetor has decreed that Frank Zhang must be made centurion."
Suddenly Percy understood what an effective speaker Octavian was. He sounded reasonable and supportive, but his expression was pained. He carefully crafted his words to put all the responsibility on Reyna. This was her idea, he seemed to say.
It made her dislike him even more than she already had- she was tempted to do it again- to make him suffer- but her eyes caught Bianca's, and the daughter of Pluto gave her a warning look. If it went wrong, Reyna was to blame. If only Octavian had been the one in charge, things would have been done more sensibly. But alas, he had no choice but to support Reyna, because Octavian was a loyal Roman soldier.
Octavian managed to convey all that without saying it, simultaneously calming the senate and sympathizing with them. For the first time, Percy realized this scrawny, funny-looking scarecrow of a kid might be a dangerous enemy.
Reyna must have recognized this too. A look of irritation flashed across her face. "There is an opening for centurion," she said. "One of our officers, also a senator, has decided to step down. After ten years in the legion, she will retire to the city and attend college. Gwen of the Fifth Cohort, we thank you for your service."
Everyone turned to Gwen, who managed a brave smile. She looked tired from the previous night's ordeal, but also relieved. Percy couldn't blame her. Compared to getting skewered with a pilum, college sounded pretty good.
"As praetor," Reyna continued, "I have the right to replace officers. I admit it's unusual for a camper on probatio to rise directly to the rank of centurion, but I
think we can agree…last night was unusual. Frank Zhang, your ID, please."
Frank removed the lead tablet from around his neck and handed it to Octavian.
"Your arm," Octavian said.
Frank held up his forearm. Octavian raised his hands to the heavens. "We accept Frank Zhang, Son of Mars, to the Twelfth Legion Fulminata for his first year of service. Do you pledge your life to the senate and people of Rome?"
Frank muttered something like "Ud-dud." Then he cleared his throat and managed: "I do."
The senators shouted, "Senatus Populusque Romanus!"
Fire blazed on Frank's arm. For a moment his eyes filled with terror, and Percy was afraid his friend might pass out. Then the smoke and flame died, and new marks were seared onto Frank's skin: SPQR, an image of crossed spears, and a single stripe, representing the first year of service.
"You may sit down." Octavian glanced at the audience as if to say: This wasn't my idea, folks.
"Now," Reyna said, "we must discuss the quest."
The senators shifted and muttered as Frank returned to his seat.
"Did it hurt?" Percy whispered.
Frank looked at his forearm, which was still steaming. "Yeah. A lot." He seemed mystified by the badges in his hand—the centurion's mark and the Mural Crown—like he wasn't sure what to do with them.
"Here." Hazel's eyes shone with pride. "Let me."
She pinned the medals to Frank's shirt.
Percy smiled. She'd only known Frank for a day, but she felt proud of him too. "You deserve it, man," she said. "What you did last night? Natural leadership.
And I speak as someone who-" she paused, "I dunno-" and Frank and Hazel both snickered.
Frank scowled. "But centurion—"
"Centurion Zhang," called Octavian. "Did you hear the question?"
Frank blinked. "Um…sorry. What?"
Octavian turned to the senate and smirked, like What did I tell you?
"I was asking," Octavian said like he was talking to a three-year-old, "if you have a plan for the quest. Do you even know where you are going?"
"Um..."
Hazel put her hand on Frank's shoulder and stood. "Weren't you listening last night, Octavian? Mars was pretty clear. We're going to the land beyond the gods—Alaska."
The senators squirmed in their togas. Some of the ghosts shimmered and disappeared. Even Reyna's metal dogs rolled over on their backs and whimpered.
Finally Senator Larry stood. "I know what Mars said, but that's crazy. Alaska is cursed! They call it the land beyond the gods for a reason. It's so far north, the Roman gods have no power there. The place is swarming with monsters. No demigod has come back from there alive since—"
"Since you lost your eagle," Percy said.
Larry was so startled, he fell back on his podex.
"Look," Percy continued, "I know I'm new here. I know you guys don't like to mention that massacre in the nineteen-eighties—"
"She mentioned it!" one of the ghosts whimpered.
"—But don't you get it?" Percy continued. "The Fifth Cohort led that expedition. We failed, and we have to be responsible for making things right. That's why Mars is sending us. This giant, the son of Gaea—he's the one who defeated your forces thirty years ago. I'm sure of it. Now he's sitting up there in Alaska with a chained death god, and all your old equipment. He's mustering his armies and sending them south to attack this camp." she tried to force down her memories of her dreams.
"Really?" Octavian said. "You seem to know a lot about our enemy's plans, Percy Jackson."
It took Percy a long moment to realise what he was implying- clearly he'd decided after yesterday that any chance of gaining her favor wasn't going to work out. And now he was accusing her of being a spy.
She pressed her lips together into a thin line, her eyes narrowing. Her first instinct was to go sprinting at him and beat the ever loving shit into him- but she caught Bianca shaking her head frantically- clearly the other girl knew her well enough to know how she'd react to that, and she breathed in slowly, calming herself by imagining Octavian with a nice crooked bloody nose.
She caught the eye of a figure sat amongst the crowds- Archie, his expression beyond murderous as he glared at Octavian- and yeah, that was not comforting.
"Listen." her voice was strained at first, "I don't know who I am, all I know is that Juno sent me here for a reason, Mar's chose me for this quest, and honestly, it's pretty obvious what we have to do. We're going to confront this son of Gaea-" she forced herself not to shake at the memory of that dream- his words and what they implied. "And we'll get back your eagle and unchain this god…" she glanced at Hazel. "Thanatos, right?"
She nodded. "Letus, in Roman. But his old Greek name is Thanatos. When it comes to Death…we're happy to let him stay Greek."
Octavian sighed in exasperation. "Well, whatever you call him…how do you expect to do all this and get back by the Feast of Fortuna? That's the evening of the twenty-fourth. It's the twentieth now. Do you even know where to look? Do you even know who this son of Gaea is?"
"Yes." Hazel spoke with such certainty that even Percy was surprised. "I don't know exactly where to look, but I have a pretty good idea. The giant's name is Alcyoneus."
That name seemed to lower the temperature in the room by fifty degrees. The senators shivered.
Reyna gripped her podium. "How do you know this, Hazel? Because you're a child of Pluto?"
Bianca stood at that, her expression grim "Praetor, if I may. Hazel and I…we learned a little about the giants from our father. Each giant was bred specifically to oppose one of the twelve Olympian gods—to usurp that god's domain. The king of giants was Porphyrion, the anti-Jupiter. But the eldest giant was Alcyoneus. He was born to oppose Pluto. That's why we know of him in particular."
Reyna frowned. "Indeed? You sound quite familiar with him."
Bianca gave a small shrug, "Only through our fathers lessons. Anyway…the giants were hard to kill. According to prophecy, they could only be defeated by gods and demigods working together."