Summary: Some rare demigods have an extraordinary ability, determined by their parentage, they can tap into when in a dire situation. Find out what these powers are and what they entail. What might happen when someone is given power over all of them? AU and OCs.
Author's Note: This is my first attempt at Fanfiction. This is not connected to the events of the Second Titan War or the Second Giant War, as I want to stay away from the perfection that is Rick Riordan's work. He built such an amazing world and I wanted to tell some stories in it. That being said this will be fraught with OCs. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the related content.
Chapter 1: The Aegis
71 BCE - Southern Campania
The Third Servile War was coming to a close. The gods knew it, Maachah knew it, even if Spartacus couldn't see it. He was blind to the power that command gave him and driven by the hope of freedom. Spartacus, the son of Ares, had escaped from servitude and started one of the biggest slave revolts Rome had ever seen. But now they were trapped. Trapped in walls that the Romans had built around them, and by the Silarius River at their backs.
There were many demigods among Spartacus' army. There was a fearsome son Apollo whose bow could bring justice upon all who stood in its path. His name was Arcus, an escaped slave from Macedonia. In the ranks was a son of Hermes who could move so fast that he earned a name for himself as, the Rabbit. Rabbit was a messenger who joined up after he saw, what he claimed, as a sign from the gods. Joining up with his brethren was none other than Tank, a half-giant, whose size and strength could only be rivaled by a boulder. Tank came from the same gladiator school that Spartacus escaped from. There was a son of Aphrodite, named Holt, who wielded his blade like an artist, painting through his enemies.
There were many more mortals, though most of them were about average when it came to battle. There was one mortal however who could give any of the demigods a run for their money when it came to metallurgy. Ferrous had personally overseen the creation of all of the new weaponry that Spartacus' army needed. Many said he was blessed by Hephaestus, and they could have been right.
Maachah was a son of Athena. He was a Hebrew who was captured at a young age and taken into the household of Lentulus Batiatus. Being a scrawny boy, Maachah did not participate in Lentulus' gladiator school. Maachah longed to be free and see the world, and always stayed awake at night looking at the stars and dreaming of lands far away. Maachah picked up many forms of combat while being enslaved at Lentulus' but never went far in any of them. He preferred to read and study history. His favorite historical figure was Alexander the Great. He looked up to his battle tactics and that he got to travel the world at such a young age. When Spartacus rose up and escaped Lentulus' gladiator school, Maachah took flight as well. He quickly rose through the ranks of Spartacus' army to become one of his most trusted tacticians.
When Maachah told Spartacus that the end was near, Spartacus looked him in the eye and with venom and betrayal said, "No, we have tried to sue for peace but this has gone too far. Think about those who we have lost; think about Balfour and Herrington, Gaius and Krieg. You have been a faithful tactician, but we are in too deep." Spartacus continued with sorrow, "I know it looks helpless but we just need to break out of this box surrounding us, then we can get more men and launch a counter-assault."
"But sir," Maachah interjected, "If we can't break out of these walls, we will be making our last stand here. I hope we have a course of action here that does not involve blindly charging out of our camp swinging our weapons."
"Maachah, my friend, you should know me well enough by now. Who do I turn to when I need a plan?" Spartacus questioned.
"Me," Maachah answered somewhat hesitantly.
"Exactly, now what is the plan?" Spartacus asked.
"Here is what I have so far. Our spies report that the Romans are attacking in the morning and that they are camped to the North. I say that we dismantle the Southside of the wall quietly, then slip everyone out of the camp." Maachah said, picking up steam and energized by the hopeful optimism of Spartacus.
"This is sounding an awful lot like abandoning the camp and running away," Spartacus warned.
"No, I wasn't finished yet. We leave anything unnecessary in the camp and then repair the wall from the outside. We set up our lines in the woods off to the East, away from the river. While the Romans are searching our camp for where the heck we went, we take advantage of the confusion and charge in swinging our weapons." Maachah finished with finality.
"This could work," Spartacus said with even more optimism, "Maachah you have outdone yourself. It is almost like a reverse Trojan Horse. The trick will be getting us all out of the camp and the walls without alerting the Romans, but I think I know just the man for the job. Lucius, go get Ferrous, bring him here and I will tell him the plan. This is truly a plan for the ages."
"Athena always has a plan," stated Maachah with a knowing smile.
"Now go get some rest, my friend," said Spartacus.
Maachah obeyed his commander and friend's orders, while Lucius completes. During this mundane assignment Lucius has been sent on he thinks about how he is always looked down upon by Spartacus and the men of his army and decides he has had enough. He was forced into being Spartacus' servant and he was done. Lucius openly surrenders to the Romans and is willing to tell them Maachah's entire plan. In exchange, he asked for a pardon and a handsome sum of gold.
Crassus contemplates his offer as he knows Pompey is on his way to steal all of the glory. "How do we know this information is genuine?" Crassus asked.
"I swear on the River Styx, that I know and will share the rebel's entire scheme if I am granted my wishes," Lucius swore. Thunder rumbled loudly in the background, sealing the oath.
"An oath on the Styx eh? Well, I accept your terms. Bring in the gold! Now, what do you know, traitor?" Crassus said sternly.
Lucius left Crassus' tent that night a rich free man. Crassus stayed up the rest of the night planning his assault on the rebels. He knew he had an overwhelming force and the loyalty of his men. He knew that Spartacus' army was cracked and near being routed. Crassus was also heavily aware of his approaching reinforcements. But come morning, Crassus had a plan.
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As Apollo started his daily journey across the sky, the rebels were in position. They looked out across the opening plane and saw a terrifying sight. The Romans dressed all in red with a few hints of yellow, pilum and gladii gleaming in the sunlight, spread out in formation as they marched to the abandoned camp. Their gold standards stood tall over the legion as they marched. The sound of boots crunching earth was deafening.
"Today, we will win our everlasting freedom. Today will be the day that we will force our will upon our once captors. Today, we leave our mark on history. Let all who come after us know the story of how the oppressed rose up and defied all odds. We will prevail." Spartacus said to his men, trying to hype them up for the upcoming battle.
After a few moments, the rebels watched as the Romans approached their camp. They watched with anticipation as the time to strike came nearer. They were enthralled by the prospect of being free that they failed to notice that the Legion looked to only have sent in two-thirds of their army to destroy the camp. But what they did notice, however, was that the second the Romans hit the wall they turned around and marched straight for where the rebels were now hidden.
"Dam! They knew. Someone must have tipped them off. Get ready for the fight of our lives, brothers!" shouted Spartacus with all the vigor and confidence he could muster. He ordered his men to set up a phalanx to combat the approaching Romans. They quickly set up haphazard phalanx, and as soon as they were done, a large rumble could be heard from behind them.
Spartacus then realized what was going on. They were encircled. Maachah realized the same thing and looked over at Spartacus. They saw in each other's eyes that each one knew this was likely the end. Spartacus let out an expletive.
"We are going to have a lot of company. The Romans have outflanked us. This is do or die time and we will win. Never surrender!" Spartacus shouted to his men.
After another few agonizing moments, the rebels could see the Romans plain as day in front of and behind them. They formed a makeshift testudo formation to block the oncoming pilum assault. Then the sky darkened as thousands of pilum flew towards them. A resounding crack was heard and then the whimpering of men. Rabbit took a pilum to the chest and was dead before he hit the ground.
"For freedom! For honor! For victory! Charge!" Spartacus ordered over the cries of the wounded. The rebels charged in all directions. The attack was futile and they knew it. They did not want to suffer the punishments that would befall them. They were in a mad rage. The fighting lasted a short while. Spartacus' rebels dwindled in size until there were only two hundred and fifty or so left. Arcus got into close-range combat with the Primus Pilus and was soon sliced down. The battlefield was stained a horrific red and the dead were everywhere. Tank had had enough. He charged straight towards the Roman line only to be stabbed by four different soldiers. He yelled and kept charging. He made it to the third line with twelve stab wounds and four swords still embedded in his body. At this point, he took a deep breath, grabbed a sword from a soldier he trampled and another stuck in his leg, then went on a one-man rampage hacking and cleaving anything in his way. All the while receiving cuts over his body. This rampage lasted about thirty seconds, but it had to end. Tank took his final breath and fell to the ground.
Maachah had had enough of seeing his friends die. He sent a prayer to his mother, which he had never done before. He yelled as loud as he could, pouring all of his heart and soul into it and letting out all of his power. He knew he had to protect what little was left of the rebellion. He felt his body start to tingle and fizz. Then he blacked out.
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Spartacus saw it all. He saw his friend become enraged and start to glow grey. He saw a holographic golden aura around him. He saw it expand outward and encompass the entire rebellion. From there it hid them. It created an illusion. From the rebels' perspective, it looked like the skin of a golden goat.
"The Aegis," muttered Spartacus bewildered by the power his friend was channeling.
The Romans thought they had won the day, but it was only a trick of the mist. Two hundred thirty-two men were saved. When the Romans had gone, the shield dropped and so did Maachah.
Spartacus wasted no time rushing over to his fallen friend. He could swiftly see that he was dead and his life force burnout. He kneeled next to Maachah and thought about all they had been through together. He started mourning. No words were said by Spartacus but he could hear his remaining soldiers whisper about the holographic goatskin and the powers of the shield of Athena.
The gods of Olympus were astounded by the show of bravery and the power that Maachah had shown. They did not care much for mortals but every once and a while a certain one piques their interest. Athena was proud of her son and the life he had led. Ares begrudgingly admitted that Maachah was okay in his books. Demeter was disappointed that he did not eat enough cereal. They each had their own opinion about Maachah. While it was sad that he died the gods would not interfere even if they wanted to.
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The remaining soldiers knew their rebellion was finished and left wearily to try and start new lives outside of the clutches of Rome. Some lead interesting lives while others sulked into the shades of history. Ferrous, with his forging skills, got himself an apprenticeship with a skilled blacksmith. He went on to make beautiful swords and armor befit for a king. Holt moved to the Parthian Empire and fought against Crassus again in the battle of Carrhae. He met an end fighting the Republic that had taken so much from him. Spartacus never got over the death of his friend and became a recluse never to be seen or heard from again.
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2035 CE - Long Island Sound
"There you have it, my girl. One of the rarest powers for a child of Athena. I hope this sedates your curiosity, but alas I know it will not. You are so much like your mother." Said a grizzled old centaur.
"Thank you, Chiron, for telling me this amazing story. I love learning about history!" Said an excited eight-year-old. "But you are right. I have more questions. What is…"
"ZOË JACKSON! Where are you? It is time to go, cousin Magnus will arrive at our house in fifteen minutes." Screamed a hectic Annabeth.
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One bestowed the greatest power
Will be needed in the most desperate hour
Lands uncharted they must go to conquer the enemy
And return Olympus to serenity
The world lies on their shoulders
Otherwise, the world will smolder
Hold the evil one in a final gaze
And you will see many more days
Author's Note: This is probably really poorly written and if anyone has any suggestions please do not hesitate to let me know. Thanks for giving this a shot.
Live long and prosper,
Merlin Sylvestris