Thermopylae, The Hot Gates, Greek Camp

Thalia ducked as Percy hurled a wine jar across the room at her. She had seen Percy angry on several occasions, none of them reached this level. Annabeth stood to the side with Zoë Nightshade, Phoebe, Naomi, and Hunter. Even Annabeth looked afraid of Percy right now. Phoebe and the one who shared his natural born daughter's name were ashen. Naomi and Hunter were stone faced.

"What. The. FUCK. THALIA? I said she doesn't go! You take her anyway!" The ground trembled slightly. "And not only do you take her with you, YOU FUCKING LEAVE HER TO BE CAPTURED BY THE GODSDAMN ROMANS!"

"Percy, that's not…"

"Shut the fuck up!" He snapped and Thalia quit speaking. His anger was something she had never seen before.

"Patér." Percy spun his glare to Zoë. The demi-titan held his glare. Later she would admit it was more terrifying than facing down her father on Mount Tamalpais, that Percy's glare was unlike anything she had ever endured.

"Fucking speak." His lack of reaction at her calling him father was more of a dagger to her heart than she would have expected.

"Patér. Thy rage is being thrown at another of thy daughters. If any deserve thy wrath it is I, I was the deciding vote that she accompany us." Percy's jaw clenched and the Greek fire eyes met the onyx of Zoë Nightshade's. Annabeth watched Phoebe's hand drift to her hunting knife. Annabeth wished that in this state, she had been certain that Percy would not do something he would regret.

Percy's eyes were settled on the daughter of Atlas. Before him was a teenage girl. She had aged at least four years and he believed she was roughly eighteen now. But in his eyes, she was maybe fourteen, wearing a circlet, and happy she could see the stars again, despite her body being broken by her father. In his eyes, her mistress was putting "The Huntress" in the stars so that she could hunt forever. A single tear came to his eyes. But that single tear opened the path for the ones that followed and he dropped to his knees and began to sob.

Annabeth watched the five girls surround him. She made her way over as well. Outside the tent a small crowd of friends had gathered. Piper, Reyna, Michael, and Gwen had been his prisoners already. Nico and Frank had seen the damage done to them. Hazel was seated on a small bench, her shoulders heaving as she wept. Hylla had an arm around her.

"What is wrong, Hazel Zhang?" Red rimmed eyes looked up to the group.

"We may have lost Jason long ago to that creature, but if Percy goes into battle like this… If he goes into battle full of hate and anger. The eidolon will have a new home before we can strike him down." Piper had witnessed a battle between Percy and Jason while both had been possessed by eidolons, as teenagers they had been destructive. At their current states she did not want to think about what it could turn into. Michael spoke next.

"Regardless, history is going to be different. Despite what those two might do, one of the Romans killed by your Spartans," he could not help the venom in his voice, "Was the great-grandfather of Julius Caesar. Sextus Julius Caesar's wife has not given birth to an heir yet. Caesar cannot rise."

Frank's voice was cold. "It means without Jason as imperator we might can save the Republic."

Thermopylae, The Hot Gates, Roman Camp

"Not a single tear or cry for help," Zoë glared at Roman officer in front of her. She had heard his name enough to know this was Jason, Thalia's brother. She was bound to a wooden cross, each arm outstretched while her feet were bound together against upright beam. The left side of her body was throbbing. One of the legionaries had not taken to her lack of answers to their questioning. Her left cheek was swollen and split by the punch that threw her to the ground. His sandaled foot had seen to her ribs for a solid minute or more before he was ordered to stop. She was also fairly certain that there was the red imprint of a hand on her right cheek where the one named Luke had slapped her after she told him to "go fuck yourself."

Jason had spoken in Latin and his surprise at her response in the same language was visible. "That will not happen."

"Everyone has their breaking point, Heir of Greece." Beside him a Roman was pulling a pugio from a bed of coals. The blade glowed orange. The soldier handed the blade to Jason. He turned toward Zoë and she saw gold flash through his eyes. Her efforts against the bonds holding her to the cross redoubled. Grunts and groans of frustration only made Jason smile wickedly.

Boeotian Plain

Clarisse saw the eighty or so female cavalry approaching. She had met Queen Hylla in Athens, but was unsure why the Amazon queen was approaching her. The queen rode closer and guided a spare horse to Clarisse. Clarisse looked at it and then turned back to her infantry.

"We do not ride horses, Queen Hylla."

"The king requests you, something has happened." The daughter of Ares hardened her face.

"What?"

"They have his daughter." There was no hesitation as Clarisse leapt onto the back of the horse.

Thermopylae, The Hot Gates, Roman Camp

Her body had betrayed her with tears as the Roman commander applied the knife to her young body. Still yet she had no screamed or begged for anything. I am daughter of King Perseus and Annabeth, I will not dishonor them by being broken by a Roman cunt. Another part of her mind was becoming increasingly fearful of the man before her. With each resistance it appeared more of him disappeared behind the golden flashes in his eyes. She had heard of the eidolon that supposedly possessed him, but the flashes of gold seemed, to her, more like a reassertion of control than a complete ownership. Like something was fighting against the possession.

"So blood and pain will not loosen your tongue?" He motioned to two young legionaries. If she was being honest she was so committed to not crying out from the pain she could not remember what he had been asking her at all. "Take her to my tent, strip her down, and tie her to the bed. It's time she learn what Romans do to Greek whores." Had her face not been covered in bruises they would have seen the blood drain from it.

"No!" she shouted and began trying to resist the soldiers dragging her to their commander's tent.

"It's too late for that, daughter of Percy, far too late."

Thermopylae, The Hot Gates, Greek Camp

Percy's face looked as if it was carved by marble. On his left were Annabeth, Hunter, and Naomi. To his right stood Thalia, Phoebe, and Zoë Nightshade. Arrayed before them were friends and allies he had accumulated throughout his life. There were the demigods of New Rome: Frank, Hazel, Reyna, Michael, and Gwen. Queen Hylla of the Amazons stood between them and the Greek heroes. Clarisse, Nico, Piper, Will who had accompanied the Spartan column and now rejoined Nico. Then there were the mortals. Warlike men from Thebes, Corinth, and Argos, soldiers from every corner of Percy's pseudo-empire and more were arriving daily. The Amazons had stiffened when triremes from Ephesus arrived carrying five thousand soldiers, Percy had put them at ease.

It was one of the few times Frank had been able to study the face of the man he had first met carrying a disguised Juno across the Little Tiber. Hazel had warned him that time had began to catch the Son of Poseidon. That did not prepare him for what he saw. Gray hair was winning the battle for dominance in his beard, on his head it was swiftly expanding beyond the streak he had long and his temples. His eyes were just as green, but the wrinkles around them and his near inability to keep them from being half closed revealed the strain he felt. There was not a physical inch of him viewable that was not scarred in some way. Rumors had circled throughout Rome of the Greek warrior king, but just looking at his old friend Frank knew they were not rumors. The battered, though expertly repaired, armor was testament enough. Annabeth had confided that Enyo, goddess of destruction, had blessed the armor and it had increased his ability to fight. Frank did not see how he could have gotten better, Percy was the best combat asset he had ever seen, though maybe that was the issue right there. Percy's a human man with an exceptional gift, HE isn't the weapon. Though I think we've all thought of him that way at one point or another, the fucking gods included. What was it the soldier from Argos said? "That man was born to end lives." How is it the mortals of Greece understand our friend better than us? He is the asset to us even when we know him well, to them he is a man with many gifts. And look at him, I don't think we deserve him.

"Frank, care to share with the group?" he looked sideways at Nico who smirked. Frank awkwardly shuffled foot to foot. He shook his head.

"No, just thinking." Annabeth was studying him as was Hazel. He was beginning to wonder if he had said some of those things out loud on accident. The war council did not last long, but Frank would remember little of it as he was lost in his thoughts. Later seated around the fire, Reyna studied him for a long time before opening her mouth. Unlike Piper, who just did not speak anymore and mouthed her questions through Phoebe for the most part, Reyna still spoke her mind.

"Wha ish wong, Fwank?"

"I'm thinking about Percy." Other conversation died and he felt eyes focus on him. "He doesn't deserve this. Shit, we don't deserve what's happened to us. But it happened to us. He's sitting in this camp with his daughter a prisoner in the Roman one. Look at his face, it's tearing him apart. His daughter with who knows what hell happening to her versus his kingdom. What man should be forced to make that decision?"

Nobody answered. They studied the ground, their hands, the fire, anything to not answer Frank's comment, because they could see the Greek fire eyes of the Son of Poseidon standing at the edge of the light behind him.

"I appreciate that very much, my old friend." Percy's voice was soft and sadness was easily distinguishable. Frank stood and turned to face him. They were nearly the same height thought Frank was broader.

"You are my brother, Percy. Whatever you need, you will have it from me." Percy's face suddenly froze and his eyes grew wide. He gripped Frank's arm and began to sprint to the cliffside. Holy shit he's lost it, thought Frank.

"I need a giant eagle, now!" Percy shouted and threw the two of them off the cliff.

Thermopylae, The Hot Gates, Roman Camp

Zoë had struggled against the bonds holding her down until her wrists and ankles were bleeding. Tears of frustration fell from her eyes. The two soldiers had stripped her and left her on the bed, though the Roman Commander had yet to appear. In her mind she was trying to gather all the insults she could berate him with upon his arrival. Most of them were borrowed the soldiers she had listened to in the barracks on her secretive trips to see Brasidas. She sniffled slightly at his memory, before her mind began cataloguing all the various ways to say a man had a small cock or that his mother was a whore. The tent flap swung open and Jason entered. His footing was slightly off and she could smell the wine.

"Is this the only way you can fuck a woman?" she asked. "Tie her up and get the courage from wine?" He stumbled forward and buried his fist into her stomach. As her diaphragm spasmed she coughed and attempted to catch her breath. She tasted iron in her mouth and assumed she was bleeding internally.

He began to remove his armor. "You have quite the mouth, I'll find a way to put it to use."

"Fuck you." He slapped her. "So this is the big Jason I heard about growing up. My father's friend. Defeater of Titans and Giants. Now a thug who rapes girls?" He slapped her again. She watched as his head seemed to shake and his eyes flip between blue and gold. Is he in there anymore? "Raping your adoptive sister? Very Roman of you, you sick bastard." The eyes were blue as they focused on her face.

"Sister?" his voice sounded different.

"There are no Hunters anymore. My father, your friend, adopted Thalia and some of the others. That makes me your sister." The blue eyes focused on her and he drew a sword. A flash of gold and the first voice was back.

"You're far too mouthy, your Athena spawn mother must have taught you how to think. But you can't get him back it's too far gone."

"Well my father taught me to say this, go fuck yourself." He raised the sword over top of her. This is it, she thought, Either he kills me or rapes me and then kills me. I hope I did not dishonor you patér. She closed her eyes.

Suddenly the ropes fell slack, as she heard the gladius cut through them. She opened her eyes to find blue ones inches away. His jaw was clinching over and over and his face appeared twisted in pain.

"I am seeing all I've done. I can't hold him back. Run, run now. Go to the water. Your father will know." Both of Jason Grace's arms were shaking with the effort to keep the sword away from her, she could see the veins bulging as the two beings fought for control. "Tell them they have to kill me." He was speaking through gritted teeth. "His hold is too strong. Run now, daughter of Percy. Tell them all I am sorry, but it is too late to undo what I have wrought. Run!" His body began to convulse. A scream of agony ripped through him.

Zoë grabbed a dark cloak from the top of the trunk next to the bed and throwing it over herself began to run. A small voice told her the direction of the water as if it was calling to her. Granddaughter of the sea, come to us. She ran. She ran faster than she had ever run. Her nakedness meant nothing to her and in many cases probably helped as stunned legionaries did not comprehend what they were seeing. She saw a pier leading into the dark waters of gulf. You are of the sea. Come to us. She felt her toes curl around the furthest board of the dock and propelled herself from it.

Behind her were shouts from soldiers and a bellow of rage from a Roman commander no longer speaking like the real Jason Grace. She felt rather than heard Roman's enter the water behind her. She kept kicking toward the open water. She could not fully breath underwater like her father, but she could outbreath and out swim the Roman's chasing her. As soon as she entered the water however she heard three voices in her head. The owner of the deepest appeared in front of her.

"Niece, do not fear Romans in the water." Triton's blue tail swished and two large sharks swam quickly passed them both and she felt the panic in the water as it turned red. He waved his hand and an air bubble formed around her.

"Your father is on his way." He turned and began to swim away.

"How?"

"The sea knows its own, niece. And I am a god." With the slight twinkle in his eyes he vanished and she was reminded of her grandfather's mischievous grin that he had passed onto her father as well. Another splash was quickly followed by two large arms wrapping around her.

"Patér," she whispered and let him carry her.