Kaisariani Forest, Attica
She heard the screams before she saw anything. The woods were dark and thick. The screams were clearly from a young girl. How the motherfuck am I here? Where the fuck is here. She thought. She reached for her bow but found it gone. Her quiver was gone as well. Her spear lay next to her and the band around her wrist seemed familiar. The onyx haired girl stood and began sprinting toward the screams.
She paused on the edge of a clearing to observe five men attempting to tie the hands of a young girl together. Three men in blue cloaks lay dead on the ground. Two in the red attire of those living lay dead as well. The girl was covered in blood. Her dark hair was matted with it and it stained her arms. She was maybe ten but seemed to be fighting off the men with all her might. The girl's green eyes caught hers and she suddenly went slack in the men's arms. They attempted to regain their grip on the girl but she slipped away and ran across the clearing.
"Help me," the girl whispered as she hid behind Thalia Grace. The men were eyeing Thalia warily. She had extended her shield and the spear was still clutched in her right hand. The men were drawing their swords. They were not in either the kopis or xiphos style, they were Roman gladii.
"Give us the girl." The leader of the men was speaking. He had closed to within ten feet of Thalia.
"Why should I?"
"She is ours, a runaway slave."
"I'm no one's damned slave." Hissed the girl behind her. "They killed my guards. They were going to take me away to wherever they are from. Away from my matér and patér."
"She is property of Rome. Give us the girl and there will be no issues here."
"If you want her, come and take her." Thalia settled into a crouch and brought her shield to cover her front. The first man did not even attempt to defend himself as he rushed forward. Thalia knew his momentum would carry him too far into the spear for her to be able to react to the next attack.
She spun her arm and now held the shield parallel to the ground before driving it forward and crushing the man's throat. He collapsed and she drove the heavy brass butt spike through his chest. She swung the spear forward like a whip and drove off an attack before a second fighter countered the spear's arc with a rectangular shield. The recoil spun the spear back to her and she allowed the momentum to carry the spear until it rested across her shoulders behind her neck. She was again crouched behind the replica of Aegis. Her right arm was extended, keeping the spear point just over her should as the remaining four men attempted to flank her.
She lunged forward and with the spear still being guided with her shoulders the razor sharp edge nearly penetrated one of the men's abdomen before he deflected it at the last moment. Again she whipped the spear from its fulcrum on her right should and this time the blade whistled as it sliced through first the air and then the chest of one of the Romans. It did not kill him but blood began to run down his chest. A quick jerk of her wrist brought her grip on the spear from two-thirds of the way down the haft to the halfway point.
Thalia caught a sword on Aegis and forced it and the arm with it toward the sky before thrusting forward with the spear and twisting as she pulled it from his stomach. She parried a blade with the spear and bashed Medusa's face into the swordsman's chest, driving away the attacker. Three of the men remained, including the one who's chest was already bleeding. Thalia noticed the girl had secured a dagger, a pugio, she believed it to be called and was attempting to cut the ropes binding her hands. The leader of the men took a step forward.
"We could use a fighter like you in the legion, even if you are just a Graecus whore." Thalia's ears perked suddenly. Behind her she heard a sound she had heard a thousand times. The whisper of the wooden shaft of an arrow behind drawn against the wood of a bow. She spun as the archer released the arrow and a bolt of lightning shot from the sky to strike him a moment too late. The steel arrowhead sliced through her left trapezius as the lightning vaporized the archer. Again she spun and dropped to a knee so that Aegis took the brunt of the three sword strikes that rained down on her. One missed the shield whether due to his skill or lack thereof she did not know and cut deeply into her right calf which was exposed and laying upon the ground.
"Motherfucker!" she shouted and swept the ground with the spear. Two men jumped out of the way. The third was caught and fell on his back. With a savage punch Thalia drove the edge of Aegis into his face just above the bridge of his nose, creating a crater of bone and blood. She had to use her spear to stand up. The men attacked together. She blocked one's strike with the shield while stabbing out with the spear. It connected and buried itself in the man's throat but in his death he grabbed the haft and tore it from her grip. The last swordsmen squatted quickly and came up with a handful of dust. He threw it into Thalia's eyes and in her attempt to blink it away she backed up and fell across one of the men she had already killed. He pounced on her, his weight high enough on her torse that she could not extract her arms, but not so high that she could buck her hips and dislodge him.
"If more of my men were alive, I would have enjoyed you. When you fight back makes it more fun for us men." He pressed his gladius against her throat and Thalia saw her death in his eyes. Six on one, she thought, not too fucking bad.
A voice as cold as artic water came from behind him. Eyes that flamed like Greek fire appeared over his shoulder. Thalia looked into them, ignoring the man threatening rape and about to kill her. Dark hair and olive skin and two of the greenest eyes she had ever seen. "A man does not do this to women." The ten year old girl swiftly drew the pugio across the man's throat and Thalia screwed her dirt filled eyes shut to avoid the torrent of blood that shot from the severed carotid arteries.
The young girl helped Thalia out from under the man and assisted her to her feet. "There is a stream nearby, keep your eyes closed so the blood doesn't get in. I will take you there." Thalia felt for her shield and spear. "I have your weapons. Do not worry, lightning girl." Thalia realized suddenly that despite waking up in this new place she apparently had continued to not age. To this girl she was a peer, someone just a few years older than her, not someone who had been stuck as a fifteen year old for how long now? Something fucking weird is going on, she thought but felt the younger girl take her hand and begin to lead her away from the blood soaked clearing. Thalia thought the young girl seemed peculiarly calm considering what just happened.
"Was that the first man you have killed?"
"No, the two who killed my guards were the first. They killed them last night and planned to leave this morning. I escaped the ropes and killed those two, but they caught me trying to steal a horse."
"You are very calm about it." The girl did not answer. Thalia could hear the water and soon she felt it washing the blood and dirt from her face. But she did not feel a cloth. She opened her eyes to see the girl with her eyes closed and arms extended. A small tendril of water was cleaning Thalia's face. Beads of sweat were appearing on the girl's face. She moved the water back to the stream and when she released it she was gasping for air like someone who had just finished a foot race.
The girl was having to take a deep breath between every word but finally answered Thalia's statement. "Death has always been a part of my life. My mother died when I was young, that caused a war. I was brought to my father, who as good a man as he is, has had to kill many people to protect Greece. Then I got a new mother, but death followed that too. I was going to run away from the guards. Go find Artemis and her hunters. But it appears I am one of Thanatos' favorites. Patér taught me to fight, he said I was descended from some of the greatest warriors ever, and then him." The little girl smiled and laughed but a tear appeared in her eyes. "Since my brother did not survive birth, he and matér have not been the same. But I still think he is a much better patér and warrior than he likes to say."
"What is your patér's name?"
"Perseus, King of Greece. The son of…"
Thalia cut her off, "Poseidon." The girl nodded enthusiastically. "That explains the water." Thalia snorted a short laugh from her nose. "Only he would find himself king and then say he's not very good at it or not a good warrior. Fucking Percy."
"Do you know him? And fucking? I have never heard that word, I like it, it sounds fun."
"Shit," muttered Thalia. Then she winced when the girl began repeating that one as well. It was only now that she realized the two of them were conversing in Ancient Greek. She of course knew demigods could understand the language but did not realize it was so much so that she could speak it without knowing. "But yes I know your father, he is my cousin. What is your name, little one?"
"I am Zoë, Thalia." The girl smiled as she said it and nodded in a way that said there was no room for debate. Thalia nodded she was correct. "I knew you were a daughter of Zeus after the lightning. Matér and patér have spoken about you. Though patér calls you Pinecone Face, I think Lightning Girl is better."
Thalia smiled widely and laughed, "So do I. Who is your mother?"
"Annabeth, the daughter of Athena." Thalia wanted to ask if that was her birth mother or the one she now called matér, but she could not bring herself to ask considering that one of the options included her oldest and best friend being dead. The little girl looked to the sky. "I was supposed to be home yesterday. We should go to Athens before father and grandfather get angry or worried and the fucking storms come. Did I use fucking right."
"Unfortunately. Wouldn't they have done that if you had run away to Artemis?" The girl shrugged as if that was no longer an important piece of detail and just stood and began to walk. Thalia shook her head and began to follow. She definitely acts like Percy's child, he'll laugh when she says fucking. If, fuck I guess it is an if right now, if Annabeth is there too, she'll fucking kill me for teaching her that.
Dalmatian Coast
A report had come from Frank and Hazel. They were responsible for the occupation of Macedon. They reported temples being restored and upgraded. Perseus was pushing for the adoption of the Roman gods in his lands, in accordance with his agreement with Jason. Some of the commoners resented the changes, but none of them would counter their king with two Roman legions enforcing his word. There were some skirmishes occurring near Thrace but nothing serious. Thebes was along the southern edge of Macedonia and bit of a wildcard. They opposed outside rule by anyone, Roman, Macedonian, or southern Greeks. Michael Kahale opened the flap to Reyna's tent and stepped inside.
"Praetor, we have orders."
Reyna looked up sharply. "I am not a praetor." Michael held up a message scroll from the signet of the senate on it. He smiled.
"Then why is this addressed to Praetor Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano?" She snatched the scroll from his hand and rapidly unbound it.
'Reyna,
The people of Rome have deemed me worthy to be elected Consul, succeeding Scipio. In that position, I have presented to the Senate and received authority to promote you to Praetor. It has been decided that instead of pressing into Greece we are moving west into Gaul. I argued against this, but at the same time we might be able to avoid the Empire and keep the Republic because if Gaul is pacified before Caesar he cannot use it to propel himself to the creation of the empire. I need you to bring the legions including Michael's north. We will move against the Cimbri first, before moving on to the Helvetii. Between Legio I that I will bring to join us under, and the three legions you are bringing we will have twenty-four thousand soldiers. We will hire more auxilia from tribes that oppose the Cimbri. The Senate also authorized the formation of two more permanent legion. Once they are formed, Gwen will lead them north to join us.
You have probably heard. I was married to Scipio's daughter earlier this year. It is for political reasons only. Nothing has changed in my feelings towards you. –Jason, Son of Jupiter, Consul of Rome'
Fuck me for ever thinking it would be so easy as the daughter of Venus being gone and he would love me. Fucking stupid, Reyna. She said mentally. Out loud she said, "Michael, prepare the legions. We're marching tomorrow."
"Greece?"
"No, we're meeting Consul Jason in the north of Italy and invading Gaul."
"Consul? That's impressive."
"Between you and me, it will not be as impressive as what comes after Gaul. Do you remember what that was for Caesar?"
"Imperator." Reyna nodded and closed her eyes. Jason was supposedly the perfect son of Rome, supporter of the Senate, statesman, not politician. But in the end it was Rome and Rome respected power and victory, the son of Jupiter had both and soon he would have more. He claimed in the missive to be protecting the Empire. She did not believe him so stupid as to not see that he was following Caesar's exact steps into power.
Who is guiding you, Jason? Why slaughter Macedonians, but not barbarians. Why leave Perseus of Macedon in charge and extract a payment of slaves? What happened to you? Someone is playing you like a godsdamn fiddle and you won't let me close enough to find out who. For not the first time she considered riding south towards Greece and finding Percy Jackson. He might not be a Roman, but she felt that he would be able to help her figure out what was wrong with Jason. Especially if he had managed to find the daughter of Athena. Percy had moments of brilliance, surrounded by a goofiness that was annoyingly endearing. She knew he was not dumb, but there was something about him that allowed him to appear much more lighthearted and unencumbered than she suspected he felt.