He came by in the winter. The boy looked to be twelve, black hair, green eyes, and a quiet, angry look on his face. He was worn and tired, and had been fighting monsters for a week on end, so as per custom, we allowed him refuge into New Rome.
I asked him why he came, how he came here, and he did not respond- or, more accurately, he did, yet I received no answer for my questions.
I learned, later, however, that he came here on account of being kicked out of a previous home of his. A mistake, I was assured, and he had no ill will towards them.
I asked who he had murdered- although I admit was a tad brash of me.
The boy- of whom's name I will not speak- said, " Someone I knew. A Her- Mercury, kid."
I was curious then. " What did he do?"
" He killed someone." The boy responded, face furrowing in further rage.
I chose not to ask questions further, allowing him to rest.
The boy was evidently a half-blood, if nothing proved it other than the fact he was able to drink nectar without combusting. He was apparently aware of his heritage before arriving, although he didn't say who or where or why.
It was after careful consideration that we allowed him into the Fifth.
It was there that things seemed to mellow down after a while. He did his duties, a good Roman. We allowed him to go on several quests, some more dangerous than others, yet he would always return.
In his second year here, I came up to him to speak.
" We have to know your godly parent." I said. " We can't allow you to stay here without knowing." I had informed him earlier of how we marked up our demigods, and how if we did not know his parent, we couldn't give him an SPQR symbol on his arm, let alone a good status.
He was hesitant to respond. " My parent wouldn't accept me anyways."
" Which one?"
" The godly one, as you said," he responded. " If you don't want me in the legion, I could just stay in the city. I won't mind. He kind of kicked me out of his family anyways."
" Why?" I asked. There were few reasons why I could think of any god kicking out their offspring. And if the boy's murder was as justified as it appeared, then there was even less.
" I killed someone, remember?" he responded. " I know he deserved it, but no one else really saw it the same way."
He wasn't blaming them. I rarely heard him blame anyone.
" Who did he kill?"
He stiffened again, as though living a memory in his head. He probably was.
" A friend of mine. A Minerva kid."
" You knew her well?"
The boy shook his head. " I- sort of. Not actually all that long. It was- well, it was more of the circumstances and how she died that upset me the most."
I was intrigued, of course, and pressed forwards. " How did she die?"
He scoffed. " Flying sneakers." His gaze darkened. " They were for me. I was supposed to die in them, but- she took my place."
He looked darker now, more angry and guilty and afraid. I chose not to answer, and brought up his words with the Praetor.
They were more than upset upon hearing my words. Octavian, our Auger, was more than adamant about removing him from the Cohort.
" He does not reveal his past, and we cannot trust him. He has confessed to the murder of another demigod, and we have no proof of his righteousness in the act! His godly parent have all but denounced him!"
I myself stayed silent during the Senate meeting. We were not able to come to an agreement on what to do, as many of us believed him to be a just and noble member of the Cohort. I myself had no intention of forcing him off the Legion.
Eventually, it was decided to bring him before the Senate to speak.
He was dressed in white, and he did not seem angered or worried as he stood before the Senate. We started with an introduction, which he listened to fairly patiently were it not for the scuffling of shoes and the darting of eyes across the room.
The conversation proceeded similar to what I have asked here before, who did he kill- we were given a name, Luke Castellan- why, circumstances, and much of it proceeded as normal, until-
" How did Annabeth Chase die?"
That was her name, the Daughter of Minerva. I was curious as well. Flying shoes did not give much information, astonishing as the concept was.
The boy grimaced, his fingers clasping into fists, and I could see the rage vibrating from him. Frustration, too.
" The flying shoes." He said, with no trace of humor.
The senator grit his teeth in annoyance, " Elaborate further."
Finally, he looked up. " Tartarus." he said boldly, and none of us could believe our ears. We stood up, shocked, and a gasp escaped from the senator's lips, confusion in his eyes, as well as fear. I waited with bated breath for the earth to open up beneath us to swallow us whole.
The boy continued, his back straight. He looked almost regal, defiant. " The shoes were designed to carry me into the Underworld, and then Tartarus. She put it on instead, so she was pulled in there. We weren't able to save her."
The senator had barely recovered from his shock, his eyes widened slightly. His fingers barely trembled onto the paper.
" Why were you in the Underworld?" he asked.
" To rescue my mother."
" Was she dead?"
" Is. She's probably dead now." His eyes blinked, grimaced. I could see vague forms of tears off the corner of his eyes, twinkling before they disappeared altogether.
" How did you go into the Underworld?"
A shrug. It was a forceful one, and I could tell he appeared uncomfortable.
" A passageway in Vegas." He muttered. " We had a- a faun, with us. He lead us down there."
" And the shoes?"
" A gift, remember? From- from." He cleared his throat, anger clotting up his breath. " Luke."
" And how did he get those?"
" From Mercury."
I nodded slowly. the senator wrote it down onto his paper.
" He was given those from a god?"
" He was his favorite. I- maybe that was. A reason why they didn't want to hear me out."
" The other gods? Your parent?"
" I- yeah. Sure. Yes, them."
He took a breath. " It's why I didn't want to be acknowledged as their son. They don't want to recognize me anymore, and I don't. Either."
The senator sighed. " You understand that we need your godly parent to let you stay."
" Does it have to be my godly parent?" he retorted strongly.
We paused. That was hardly thinkable, I wanted to say.
Still, I stepped up.
" If you must." I said.
He looked at me. Nodded.
" Her name was Sally Jackson."