Chapter 14

If Octavian's meltdown frightened any of the Roman questers, none allowed it to show. The departure from Camp Jupiter had been a quiet one. Jason swore to Percy that they would be as fast they could so he could help him hunt the monster in the Oceans, but the son of Neptune tried not to hope for his help too much. After all Jason had been given his own quest from Olympus, and he couldn't mess that up to help Percy with his. The goodbyes were short, the hugs, and promises were given while the questers all went off in their own direction.

Initially Percy thought they were going to have a problem with transportation and resources since the Praetor had not shared his plan with his traveling companions, but Mark had it all covered from the get go. It immediately became clear to the children of the Eldest Olympians that Mark had been prepared for something like this for a long time. Their first stop was a garage in South Berkley. Mark greeted a young Hispanic man with a hug, and big smiles. He introduced Bianca, and Percy to Tino the owner of the shop. The young man owned the garage, and was once in the legion as a member of the third cohort. The legacy of Vulcan took some cash from Mark, and showed them the way towards a four door compact crossover SUV. He promised the vehicle was armored with bits of Imperial Gold inlay into the metal, and would survive an average monster attack. Percy didn't have the heart to tell the man they weren't hunting an average monster, but with papers signed Mark had the keys, and they were off. They were thirteen hundred miles from Pikes Peak after all, and they had some serious ground to cover.

In the car Mark talked about splitting the drive in two segments of ten hour drives. Their first stop would be in Salt Lake City where they would get some rest before resuming their journey. It was the only way to travel with Bianca and Percy being taken into consideration. Percy may have been on the quest at the request of Lord Jupiter, but flying two of his brother's children into his domain may have been too much temptation for the Lord of the Skies to strike them down.

The first stop was in Reno where Mark decided it would be a good idea to teach Percy how to drive. He would be fifteen in a few short weeks, and his ability to traverse the roads for coming quests could be invaluable. It didn't take long for Mark to teach Percy everything there was to know about cars. From learning how they drive to actually driving one on the interstate system. Percy took to driving quickly as they passed through the remains of Nevada. The first day was winding down quickly.

Mark, Percy, and Bianca held many conversations of Camp to pass the time. This came along with legion politics, and what life had been like in the legion before Mark was Praetor. It was a little before Mark's time, but his mother was a legacy of Venus while his father was obviously Mars Ultor. His mom went on the Michael Varus' expedition. The expedition was nothing but a legend to Percy, Bianca, and their cohort. They were fascinated to learn from someone who had been affected by it first hand. His mother had fought for the fifth cohort explaining why he held such a soft spot for their particular group. He was among the few who wanted to see the glory of the fifth cohort return. Mark himself had served in the third cohort, and rose to Praetor in an election after being the most dominant fighter for years. Being a descendant of a legacy, and having a father for an Olympian made him powerful and well respected throughout New Rome. He took his Praetorship just a year before they arrived, and Cassie had taken over from her sister Maria nearly three years after Percy had arrived.

The conversations were light into their arrival at Salt Lake City. Mark had booked them a room on the phone with another legionnaire son of Mercury that owned a place on the outskirts. The Praetor's connections seemed endless, and this impressed Percy greatly as their journey had been nothing but smooth sailing thus far. Of course with Bianca and Percy traveling together it made their scents dangerously powerful, and an attack would be imminent at this point.

They all settled into adjacent rooms, and set the time for departure to be 0500 hours. That only gave them about six hours of sleep, but it was going to have to do. Percy had gone many days on less sleep, and it appeared tonight would be one of those nights when he got to his room and saw a woman sitting in the corner at the desk. He reached for his trident so fast that he was certain he wouldn't be at a disadvantage, but the call of his name stopped him cold, "Perseus Jackson."

His hand stopped at the hilt of his trident without pulling it out. Only Gods and monsters knew his name, and this woman didn't look like a monster. In fact as he took in the woman's regal appearance, and the goat skin jacket she was wearing he quickly realized he was in the presence of Olympian Royalty. He dropped to one knee quickly, "Queen Juno. I am at your service."

The lights turned on at his words and she rose from the chair, "That is why I have always favored Romans. You have always known your place."

She walked towards him, and circled him while he remained on one knee, "You are quite the specimen Perseus Jackson. I once thought my champion foolish to stand by you upon your entrance into the Legion, but now you are one of the most powerful Demigods alive, and Jason's most valuable ally. It seems that perhaps his desire for family outweighed his reason, and it paid off...this time."

Staying on the ground with his head bowed Percy asked, "Jason is okay right? You didn't come to me-"

"No, my champion is safe for now. Himself and the daughter of Bellona reached Charleston today without any problems, but tomorrow they will face their real test of the quest. I believe he will be back in time to assist you in the slaying of your monster, but I am afraid your traveling companions are going to continue to the Wind Gods Palace alone. If you are successful in the task I have set out for you then I will return you to the Praetor and daughter of Pluto."

Thoughts swirled through Percy's mind quickly, and settled with an odd conclusion. He asked, "My Lady, the gods have not interfered with Roman affairs in many centuries. If I may ask why we have been honored by the presence of both our greatest Patron's in such a short time period?"

Percy didn't have to look up to know that the question initially displeased the Queen of the Heavens, but after a short moment the flare of anger disappeared, "Your generation is destined to be the greatest generation of demigods in history. You will be tested more so than any before you. You yourself are destined to complete a prophecy that Rome predicted many hundreds of years ago, and one the Greeks have feared for less than a century. Afterwards though will be the real test of not just you but the Olympians themselves. We will soon find out if my brethren and yours can rise to a challenge that we have not seen in many millennia. It is for that reason we appear to you. To test you, and to make you stronger."

If possible Percy dipped his head lower, "I understand and apologize for my questions my lady. What needs to be done?"

"Rise Demigod." The woman commanded.

Percy stood to his feet, and saw that the woman had her lips pursed together clearly thinking hard about what was to come, "Rome will need you one day Perseus Jackson. A day is going to come where you will need to be accepted and respected by every Roman in the legion to do what must be done, and Jason may not be around to help you accomplish this or persuade the minds of those most stubborn. You need your own set of accomplishments which is why I set this task before you. There are three artifacts from three of the greatest Trojans in history. King Priam, Prince Paris, and Prince Hector each have an item that was not lost to antiquity. The armor of Priam, the sword of Paris, and spear of Hector are all here in the United States. One of them, the armor of King Priam is here in Salt Lake City, but it is defended by an old Roman enemy. Defeat him, and reclaim the armor. It will serve you well in battle against the Trojan Sea Monster. It was blessed by my son Vulcan, and the poison from the great beast will not break or corrode the armor. Find this sacred item, and take your first step towards greatness."

His mind popped with so many questions, but something told him further questioning the Queen of the Gods would only end with him being reduced to a puddle of Sea Water if he was lucky, so instead he spoke calmly, "I accept this task Lady Juno."

The woman nodded her head, "If you are to be successful we must make haste to catch you up with your companions, and aid will appear to you when it is time to go after the other items. It would be wise not yet to reveal the history of your armor if you retrieve it. That is all demigod. Good luck, and let the gods go with you in your task."

Before Percy could raise questions, or points he felt the familiar weightlessness enter his body, and knew he was being transported elsewhere. When the feeling subsided, and he opened his eyes he was standing on the shore of a smelly lake, and knew that he wasn't even going to get a chance to tell his friends what happened.

He spent hours hiking the shoreline in an attempt to discover what Juno had sent him to find. He even spoke to nature spirits from the Great Salt Lake asking if they had seen anything odd in the lake, or around it, but none confessed to anything but rumors. The rumors were odd. Two nature spirits swore to him that on occasion over the last hundred years or so someone in a purple shirt like the very one he was wearing would turn up dead on the shoreline. They confirmed the last only being a few years ago, but Percy knew nature spirits and time weren't necessarily reliable.

The sunrise came shortly, and he knew if Juno had not told Bianca, and Mark of his departure they would be worried about him by this time. He thought about trying to convince or beg the nature spirits to pass a message, but instead he held faith that Juno conveyed the message and wasted no time in continuing his search.

By the time the sun had started to set Percy had walked the entire day without a lick of luck. He knew Bianca and Mark would've made it to Pikes Peak by now, and would be waiting for him, but he was starting to think Juno had sent him on a wild goose chase. In frustration he threw his hand forward launching water from the shore into a backwards tidal wave, and as he decided that he was going to have to leave without his prize he heard a familiar clang. He stopped in his tracks, and heard it again. The sound was coming from the water, and it was a consistent steady beat.

He turned to see a large man step out of a wave that was perfectly still and at least ten feet tall. The man could have easily been a son of Hercules or perhaps even Hercules himself. He wore golden armored breast plates that turned into laced metal at his hips, and covered all the way down to his knees. Golden greaves covered the knee down to his ankles, while his shoulders and arms were covered in a type of silver that Percy had never encountered before. His left arm also held some type of energy source he had never seen before. It appeared to be a type of electric energy that was flowing through a sapphire like gem, and Percy was not anxious to figure out what it did. What little of his face he could see through the golden helmet with a blue plume was that the man had a full face of facial hair, but it seemed neatly kept. The man would have easily been an Olympian with all the perfect physical features, and shiny armor. The man was a physical specimen of muscle, height, and a look that radiated royalty. His sandals were about the only thing that didn't quite fit the part of royalty.

The man stopped clanging his sword to his shield, "I see a new challenger has finally arrived for my prize."

Percy drew his trident wearily, staring at the man who he would have assumed was a God if he didn't hold a ghostly pale skin color, "Who are you?"

The man bellowed a laugh, "You don't recognize me boy? I am Menalaus, the Spartan King that brought Troy to its knees. The gods came to me claiming that someone was looking to take my prize away, and that I was to defend it with my life from the enemy who had relations to the people who abducted my wife."

Percy shifted uneasily wishing Bianca was here. Her control over the dead would've made this an easy victory, "Five thousand years, and you are still holding that grudge? Where is King Priam's armor? It is my people's birth right. You have no claim to it."

The man grinned, "So you are a descendant of Troy. The last few punks I creamed wore purple shirts just like yours. Though I have to say it's been some time since a challenger arrived on my beach."

Percy glared at the man, "You killed Romans like me?"

"Thousands back in the day. Dozens in recent history. My people were the greatest warriors to ever live. To this day the word Sparta strikes reverence in the hearts of men who wished to be like us. Companies have been formed, races have been held, but nothing compares to who we were. No one could defeat us on the field of battle in a fair fight. We were a race so great that Lord Ares granted the greatest warriors in history a chance to come back and avenge our great fallen ancestors to the enemy. Our jobs are simple. Terrorize and destroy the legacies of Troy for all eternity." Menalaus boasted.

Percy felt his anger swell at the arrogance of the man, "In the name of the Twelfth Legion I find you guilty of murdering Roman Legionnaires, and stealing the armor of King Priam. If you don't surrender the armor over I will peel it from your corpse."

The man gave a howl of laughter, but Percy's fury surged him forward to lock into combat with the man, but before he could get in range a blast of electricity shot forth from the man's armored arm, and hit Percy in the chest sending him sprawling backwards into the sand. He gasped for breath as he shook off the electric power coursing through his veins. He felt his heart was having a hard time finding its regular beat, and felt in that moment he had underestimated Jason's ability over lightning. He had of course been electrocuted a few times by the son of Jupiter, but nothing like this. Menalaus grinned at him, "Another gift from Lord Ares. I admit most of the time the enemy doesn't get back up after the first hit, so perhaps the gods have sent me a worthy adversary." The man then shrugged his shoulders, "Or perhaps not."

Pointing his left arm at Percy another electric current blasted out of the armor, but this time the son of the sea was ready, and threw his hand forward making water intercept the blast. After he saw the charge was over he quickly reverted the water to douse the man and sweep him off his feet. The man roared with anger, recovering quickly, "A SON OF NEPTUNE! Your father would be ashamed. He was a blessed Olympian in the Greek Empire. You shame him by siding with him, Trojan."

Percy rolled his eyes, "I don't know if this is how they did it in your day, but we don't usually do this much talking when we are trying to kill each other."

The man grunted, spinning his sword across his body in circles as he advanced forward. The motions were hypnotising, but Percy shook it off and leapt forward with his trident engaging the man in close quarters combat. The man's speed was faster than any mortal he had ever faced. The only person he could compare this man's speed to was Triton himself. Not even Luke had this man's ferocity with a single weapon, and his use of a shield impressed Percy to the point of wishing he didn't have to kill this man for the armor.

With a solid block and counter technique Percy embedded his trident into the armor, and swirled it around stepping back quickly thinking the man would be done for. His shock when the man surged back at him as if nothing had happened almost took him out of the fight forever. As he dodged, and weaved under powerful sword strikes he saw that the armor didn't even appear dented. That seemed impossible, but he remembered what Juno said about it being made by Vulcan himself. He realized that the man before him was hardly even alive anyhow, and likely wouldn't bleed like a normal mortal. He wasn't even sure if his Imperial Gold tipped trident would kill the remnants of the man before him. With a swipe of his hand he crushed the man with more water, and wrapped him into a cocoon hoping to drown him, but with a bellow and a flare of the gauntlet on his arm electricity burned through the water seemingly vaporizing it instantly. The follow up strike from the gauntlet certainly would've killed Percy, but he summoned even more water from the Salt Lake and absorbed the blast of energy.

Percy internally began to pray to Lord Pluto that he was listening. He would need help forcing this immortal spirit to rest. When Menalaus recovered he spat on the ground at Percy, "Not bad kid. You could've been a great warrior with the right teachings, but let's end this."

With a battlecry the man came back forward, but this time Percy had an idea along with a prayer as he hurled his trident at the man. Menalaus didn't even bat an eyelash as he swatted the weapon away, "You fool. Sacrificing your only weapon in a last ditch attempt will cost you your life Trojan."

Menalaus started to close the distance, lowering his sword to run him through, "Any last words?"

Percy began to pray out loud, "Lord Pluto, I beg you to help me force this spirit to rest."

Menalaus laughed as he swung to take Percy's life away, "Your gods can't help you now boy."

Waiting till the final moment he shot out his hand and summoned the trident from the ground behind Menalaus and watched as it came straight through the man's neck. Black smoke immediately started to flow rapidly as the Spartan stared at the prongs in shock. Percy then made the man's body turn as he summoned the trident to him, and kicked him to the ground. Slowly the shadows started to dissolve the man's body more and more until nothing but the armor of King Priam, and the sword of the Greek warrior remained.

Percy stared at the armor in triumph. This was one of the great legacies of Rome lost to history, and it had been tainted by a Graceus. He would return it to Camp Jupiter and restore its honor one day he swore.

"You should take the sword Perseus. You never know when you may need it to barter. I also thank you for returning that particular spirit to my domain. I am afraid this is not the last of the fallen warrior spirits you may face. Mars Greek altar ego's little experiment over fallen warriors is extensive, and I ask that you merely pray to me as you come across these men." A deep voice came from behind.

Lord Pluto stood in his dark black suit watching the young man with great interest as he took a knee before him, "Uncle. It is good to see you again. I thank you for your assistance."

The man shrugged it off, "I could not defeat the warrior for you Perseus. I could only make the fight fair. Lady Juno informed me of her plans. I was unhappy that my daughter was left in the company of the Praetor alone, but I trust you will return to her shortly, and see to her safety."

Percy looked to the man in surprise, "My Lord our quest guarantees no safety. The Trojan Sea Monster is one of the greatest threats ever faced by mortals. Hercules defeated it more out of dumb luck then skill or courage."

The man put a hand on his face as if he was in deep contemplation, "It is true that the monster you face is going to be a formidable, but I believe the son of Jupiter will arrive at your side to help take this monster down, and of course with the aid of my own child I believe our side will be successful with minimal casualties."

"Your confidence in us is inspiring Lord Pluto." Percy said gratefully.

He grinned at his nephew, "Yes, you're quite welcome for that. Now I believe I once told you that if you went above and beyond to help my daughter into the Legion I would consider myself in your debt. Well you certainly went far beyond even what I would've guessed or hoped for, and now it is time to...even the score a little. What do you say?"

"I don't understand?" Percy asked questiongly.

Pluto gave his nephew a full smile that screamed mischievousness, "Lady Juno wants you to gather the three ancient relics of Troy. I think this is a worthy adventure of your time, however the items are a little...bulkier than what is practical. I propose that you allow me to take this with me to the Underworld, and I will return it to you in time for your battle with the Trojan Sea Monster. After all, your family gave my daughter a very powerful weapon, and it is my turn to repay this favor."

Surprised at the offer Percy gave a low bow to the Lord of the Underworld, "Thank you Uncle. I greatly appreciate the offer."

Pluto snapped his fingers and the fallen armor was sucked up into the ground in a dark shadow that came from nowhere, and the man put a hand on Percy's shoulder, "Now that those affairs are in order. Let's get you back with your companions. I assume since you and the Praetor were traveling by car with my daughter she is unaware of her gift with the shadows?"

The look of confusion on Percy's face clearly answered the man's question as Lord Pluto blew a whistle so loud the ground shook as he turned to face a nearby shadow. It wasn't much just a small shadow from a nearby tree off the shoreline, and out of it came a massive hellhound. Percy froze in place as his eyes landed on the beast that began trotting towards them with its tongue out, and tail wagging. Percy turned his head to his Uncle who still had a hand on his shoulder, "My Lord...the hellhound...is it-"

"Your transportation? Certainly. This is Mrs. O'Leary. This hell hound was domesticated by an ancient Greek scientist. She is in need of a new master, and that is a very long story we don't have time to get into now. Trust me on this one." The man turned to the creature, and held a hand out where a silver whistle appeared, "Sit."

The hellhound was a massive dump truck sized dog, and it immediately followed the command of the Lord of the Underworld, and sat wagging its tail. Percy watched in absolute shock as Pluto handed him the whistle, "Blow this whistle, and she will find the nearest shadow, and help you if she can."

Percy let out a deep breath of air, "I'll give you this my lord, you've got a way with things."

This caused the man to actually laugh, "Well our business is concluded here. I will see you soon Perseus, and don't forget my advice about the sword."

With that he felt the presence of the God vanish. Thinking over the Lord of the Underworlds words he turned to pick up the sword and place it through his belt cautiously. Then he turned his eyes towards the massive hellhound carefully. He held up both hands as the creature turned its head both ways looking him up and down, "Alright good girl. Good Mrs. O'Leary."

The hellhound's head perked up at her name, and her foot thumped the ground causing it to shake as she stood. Percy did everything he could not to draw his trident and fight the beast, but the creature had other ideas in mind as it closed the distance between the two and licked Percy's entire face. Percy's heart was trying to beat out of his chest as he realized if the creature had brought the business end of her teeth that would've been the end of his life, but instead received the biggest dog kiss in history. The situation made him laugh, as he patted the massive creature on the chest, and attempted to find his way on top of the beast. After some modicum of success he mounted the beast, and said, "Alright Mrs. O'Leary to Pikes Peak."

The hound's ears went up, and seemed to search the skies for her location, and then suddenly darted off into the shadow it appeared from earlier, and they bounded off at a speed that scared many years off Percy's life, and they were gone.

(A/N) This wasn't my best work, but I promise some really good chapters are coming soon. The next two chapters are not the most exciting, but I have to say the fight with the Trojan Sea Monster that is coming is probably...if not my best work, then certainly among my favorite to write.

To answer some reviewers:

Coolhunter:

Your statement about Greeks using Celestial Bronze, and Romans using Imperial Gold is only partially true. Reyna says in the Son of Neptune that the sword he uses is a metal that is no longer in the legions armory, but that was only because it was all lost when the legion lost its Eagle in Alaska. So Percy having a Celestial Bronze Weapon or Bianca getting one isn't impossible just unusual, but so are they!

I really like how lots of people are Pro PercyXGwen because I enjoyed writing their brief romance, and it really picks up, but the pairing will not change. A lot like Percy and Annabeth in canon the romance will not be so easy as love at first sight.

Finally a shoutout to AgellosIsAngel I love reading your reviews, and hearing your insight to where you think the story might go, keep up the good work!

Thanks to all who reviewed, and please keep it up!

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