Chapter 8

When Jason pushed the massive doors to the throne room open he strided forward with purpose. Percy was immediately glad Jason led the way, because the intimidation of what lied in front of him nearly made him stumble. He had never seen the gods in their more comfortable divine forms. Usually they were all around seven feet tall when around mortals, but now they were easily fifteen to twenty sitting atop massive thrones in a U shape.

Jason strolled forward and it was clear all the eyes of the twelve Olympians were upon them. Jason kneeled to the ground, while Percy and Bianca followed his example behind him, "Lord and Ladies of Olympus my allies and I come on behalf of Rome to return the stolen Master Bolt of Lord Jupiter."

There was silence in the throne room, and three demigods kept their heads down in a sign of obedience until the man at the top of the circle spoke, "Jason Grace. My son. Return me my weapon."

Jason rose to his feet, and immediately threw the Master Bolt towards his father who summoned it to his hands causing thunder to shake the temple around them. The man who Percy dared to look up at was smiling now, "You have done well my son. It has been a long time since any of our children have visited us here on Olympus. I must ask how you came across my bolt though? My brothers and I were on the verge of war looking for this. Now you and your companion may rise, and tell us your tale."

Jason did as instructed and began the tale. It started with Percy being summoned by Triden and facing the council in Atlantis. It then went to Percy asking Jason to come on the quest with him, and journeying to the Underworld where they bargained for information. Jason had left out Percy's promises to the Lord of the Dead to take in his daughter, but continued on with the information about being taken to New York and confronting the Lightning Thief. It was here where the gods clearly began shifting nervously.

"The son of Hermes..Mercury fought us with all he had. He explained to us that he planned to frame Bianca's brother Nico Di Angelo for stealing the bolt. He left us with the impression that he was luring the boy here from a safe place. We told him he was under arrest, and he attempted to kill us with the Master Bolt. He damn near succeeded if it hadn't been for our new ally Bianca Di Angelo we wouldn't have won. She saved our lives by plunging her sword into the back of the traitor while he attempted to kill my friend Percy. He spoke of a threat on the horizon from his Lord. He claims the Titan Lord Saturn was whispering in his ear." Jason said ominously.

A woman with startling grey eyes was the first of the Olympians to speak, "Lord Jupiter it seems my brother speaks the truth. Though I sense confusion."

Jupiter was looking at the woman until his eyes went back to Jason to answer the accusation, "My Lord...Percy and I met others who referred to the old empire. The empire before Rome. They refer to old aspects of the Olympians, and claim to be children of them. Luke claimed to be a son of Hermes, not Mercury. Bianca was raised to know the Graceus form of Olympians, but it has become obvious she knows Latin and understands the Roman ways. I don't understand why. This was merely a legend passed through Camp Jupiter to keep our senate paranoid. At least that is what was believed by most of the legion."

A large man with massive arms stood from his seat. All the gods were wearing togas, but even in a toga this man looked absolutely dangerous and his eyes seemed to be lit with fire as he spoke, "Careful of your words demigod. You tread on dangerous grounds."

Jupiter held up a hand to silence the man when he saw Percy looking calculating at his own father, "Perseus Jackson. Speak your mind."

Percy bowed his head, "This traitor spoke of a safe haven. At one point he used the word camp, and I realized something that even the most paranoid in our senate only speculated. There is a camp of half-bloods worshipping the old ways."

Stunned silence, and another god spoke, "They must either be killed or sent to the Lethe at once this information could destroy us all."

This time Percy's father spoke dangerously slamming his trident on the ground, "No one will touch my son. Besides he is the child of the prophecy and we cannot afford his brain to be addled."

Many around the circle flinched at his tone, but Jupiter merely looked interested, "Your desire for vengeance is understandable Mercury, but wiping the memories of these three would be fruitless. My brother in the Underworld would never allow us or our followers to reach his domain and dip these demigods in the Lethe. Killing them would also make the next Great Prophecy fall into undesirable hands."

This silenced the group, and Jupiter along with Neptune held eyes for long moments. Neptune spoke again, "You three are to be trusted to remain silent on these worshippers of the old way. This is the only way if peace is to be maintained."

Jason frowned at this, "My Lord these are our enemies. We are sworn to fight the Graceus, and their archaic ways."

"A fight for another day Jason Grace. One day you may face them in open combat, but we need every demigod we can muster if we are to defeat your Grandfather, our father. There is simply no time for it, and for that reason if you wish to leave this throne room alive, all three of you must be silent on this matter for now." Neptune spoke leaving no room for argument.

Jupiter nodded his head at the words of his brother, "It is the only way my son. Your kind is not ready to deal with this secret, and if you were to unveil it the destruction of modern civilization would likely follow."

Jason, Percy, and Bianca all merely bowed clearly unhappy with the situation, and only partially understanding the severity of the situation.

Jupiter spoke again, "Perseus Jackson. As you live and breathe you are the child of an ancient prophecy. You have surrounded yourself with powerful potential allies, and the weight of Rome's might will stand with you as well. This may not be the last time you encounter demigods who worship the old ways, and you must remember that not all things that came from that empire were bad. Leave here knowing that you are a free man, and that Olympus will be watching."

Percy gave a final bow accepting the dismissal, but before he could turn to leave he posed a question, "Lord Jupiter? May I ask a question?"

The King of the Gods seemed surprised at this request, but nodded his head in assent. Percy posed a question that had plagued him for years, "Am I to know this Great Prophesy that I have been trained for? I have only been told in summary that it predicts Doomsday, and it refers to a child of the Eldest gods. I wish to know the rest if possible. I need to know what I am up against."

All the gods turned to Jupiter, even Neptune clearly curious as to his decision. Jupiter merely ran a hand through his beard, "There will be a time for you to know the prophecy demigod. Today however is not that day. The next time you appear before this council I will divulge the prophecy to you. You have my word as King of Olympus."

Giving a deep bow to the man Percy accepted the promise, but Bianca stepped beside him, "My Lords and Ladies my brother is at this camp now. The son of Hermes told us that he had taken him to this safe place. Is there anything that can be done?"

Jupiter frowned deeply at this, "Young daughter of Pluto, your situation is not one Olympus has ever faced before, but that does not mean your circumstances are completely unique." Percy noticed the woman on his right Queen Juno glared at him at these words, but no one commented further, "I insist that you go to Camp Jupiter. Join the legion, and train your hardest. I can only say that the fates have the intention of your reunion with your brother, but only if you are strong enough to survive the tasks ahead."

Bianca looked like she wanted to say more, but Percy grabbed her by the arm shaking his head slightly. The girl became subdued immediately, and gave a respectful bow to the council. This made Jupiter nod as he rose from his throne, giving a final nod to his son, and then summoning a lightning bolt that caused him to disappear. The other gods quickly followed, but one remained behind, and began striding toward Percy.

Neptune shrunk himself down to a normal six feet in height, and faced Jason and Bianca, "Nephew, Niece. You have the gratitude of my House for assisting him. The sea will be safe for you in your travels. As for you Bianca Di Angelo the sword is a gift and I expect you to continue to use it well. I will favor you, and provide you transport to mother Lupa so you may begin your journey to Rome. I expect my son to be ready to vouch for you upon arrival. I know you wished to see your brother again, but I fear the time will only come in the future. You have my word that he is safe for now."

Before she could respond with even a bow or more questions she was enveloped in Golden Light and taken away. Neptune then turned to Jason, "Jason Grace, my oldest son gave you the gratitude of House Neptune when you last spoke with him, but let me thank you again for sticking beside Perseus in his time of need."

Jason bowed, "It has been an honor my Lord. He is my best friend. We are like brothers."

The man smiled at this, "I believe you. Now please give me a moment with my son."

A final bow, and a gentle pat on the back from Jason to Percy allowed the Lord of the Seas a private audience with his son, "You have made me, and Triden very proud these last few days. There was much worry, but you proved the resilience of the sea, and completed your task successfully. For that you have my congratulations."

Percy didn't feel it was right to bow, but did so anyway causing a painful look to appear in his fathers eyes, "Thank you father. I made oaths to you at your altar. I am merely sticking to my word."

The man smiled at this, "Yes, and I think it is time you begin rectifying that mistake. None of my children have done a deed for Rome in a very long time. When you return to Camp, build something new in the...Temple. Something worthy of our house, but nothing too grand. You must ease your fellow Roman's into this change. Too much at once will cause whispers, and conspiracy."

The young man nodded and gave a bow to his father trying to keep the frown off his face from the results of the meeting. Neptune studied his son carefully. His sea green eyes like a hurricane of intensity, "The news of the old worshippers disturbs you and your friends greatly."

"I would be lying if I said it didn't. Do I have a sibling out there?" Percy asked with something akin to hope.

The man gave him a sad smile relaxing slightly, "No Perseus. You are my first and only child in over seventy years. You will find no other of my mortal children in the world. I swear it. I also swear that the council did not decide lightly when asking you to keep this a secret. I will tell you that at one time there was open war between the Graceus and the Romans, and our children spilt blood across this violent country. It killed us Olympians to watch that happen, and we separated the groups for a reason. Trust us that the reason was good."

"I will dad." Percy promised.

The man put both hands on his son's shoulders looking him in the eye, "I will continue to help guide you to success, as will your brother. You did very well, and I look forward to watching you grow into the hero I know you can be."

Percy was tempted to hug his dad, but before the thought could go further into his mind his father disappeared in a gentle sea breeze that came from nowhere. Before he could ponder the conversation he felt his body begin to heat up once again with godly energy, and he quickly closed his eyes, and when he opened them he was standing beside Jason at the River Tiber.

Presenting the results of the quest to the senate was an undertaking. Percy and Jason had come up with the version of the story as they marched their way back into camp. It was just before midnight California time, and the two had plenty of time to agree upon the story that would be told the next day. When they made it to the barracks Dakota, and Gwen were the only two left awake, and they were looking anxious, but extremely relieved when the two came through the door.

It was clear Gwen and Dakota wanted to know what happened, but after seeing Percy's injuries and clear exhaustion the Senior Centurion of the fifth sent them both to bed after a firm hug, and a thanks to the gods for returning them home safely.

It was early the next morning when the Senate was called together. They told the story of the Underworld, Vegas, and confronting the lightning thief. They had the Senate on the edge of their seats, and had everyone nervous when they told of the incoming daughter of Pluto, and then screaming in rage when Jason swore on the Styx that the Titan Lord Saturn was rising. It was eventually decided that war exercises would be conducted more often, and the legion would practice more aggressive tactics with multiple cohorts to bring the twelfth legion to a war footing.

When it was all said and done they were both dismissed back to the 5th cohort barracks where they were welcomed back heroes.

There was a lot of retelling of the same story, and by the end of the day Jason and Percy were glad for some time alone. Jason sighed wearily as they reached the Tiber, "I know we were gone for three days, but it feels like this has all just been one really long one."

"I don't even understand the concept of time anymore Grace. The Lotus thing threw me off my kilter so far I don't even know anymore." Percy said warily.

Jason chuckled and threw a rock across the water making it skip. Percy stared off in the distance however, and Jason caught his glance, "Thinking about Bianca? Or about what we learned on Olympus?"

"Both. I feel like we are missing a big play here. I feel like we are allowing our enemies to fester and grow in strength, and I feel Bianca should be here with us enjoying her time adjusting to life in the legion." Percy said carefully.

Jason looked thoughtful and took a seat next to Percy on the bank, "Maybe we are meant to grow in strength? Maybe a war is coming, and the gods just want us to be ready. As for Bianca I think a little time to adjust on her own is good. She has a big task ahead of her to get into this time period. She has been in basically stasis for sixty years, and she has lost her brother. When she gets here she is going to need our help to adjust."

"We will take her with open arms." Percy said firmly.

"She saved our lives. We owe it to her. Even more importantly though, she's family." Jason agreed.

Looking out towards the Sunset the two boys watched it sadly wishing they had been given more time in the open world, but knew more adventure would lie ahead. Finishing his coke in a single chug Percy stood up from the banks, "There is still something I need to do for my father. I'll see you at morning training tomorrow?"

Jason gave his friend a small smile, "Yeah man, be ready to march."

Percy fist bumped the boy, and made his way towards the Pomerian Line. He sought out a member of his cohort for help in his final task. Bobby, a son of Vulcan, was quite a skilled builder, and was one of the very best at building fortifications. With a promise of pay, and recognition Bobby easily followed Percy into the city where they purchased the necessary supplies.

After several explanations of what needed to be done, Percy confidently took his purchased supplies and let Bobby return to his barracks; he needed to do this alone.

It took most of the evening, and when Percy finished he stepped back and stared at his finished product. A sixty five inch three tier water fountain now replaced the small altar that had once been the only place to worship his father, and now Percy fell to his knees in prayer. His prayers were answered almost immediately as seawater began to fill the basin, and begin filling the fountains. It was a beautiful piece of art, and Percy stared happily knowing that the first alteration to the shrine of Neptune was completed, "I will continue to make you proud father. Consider this a small attempt to pay debt to the sea."

With that Percy stood, and left the temple to a slight sea breeze that seemed to sing its approval.

(A/N) Sorry for the delay! I live down in Texas and have been without power for several days. Finally got it all back together, and posted as soon as i could. Thanks for your understanding and please review to tell me what you think so far!

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