Chapter 20
Last time the announcement from the gods had ruined the party atmosphere. On this go around it hardly even subdued it. Idle chatter had filled the rest of the night practically immediately. Speculation flourished throughout New Rome of who Percy would fill his Elite team of warriors with, and many would note how much time Praetor Mark had spent near the young man for the remainder of the evening discussing who only knows what, but nothing would come of the speculation that Percy refused to comment on.
Apollo's interruption of their party had not been enough to take Percy off Cloud Nine the next day as they all sat gathered in the Senate Hall. News of Gwen and Percy's budding relationship had been the talk of the legion, and it seemed everyone wanted to know the truth to it. The message couldn't have been clearer when the two walked hand in hand through New Rome that morning, and as usual whispers followed Percy everywhere.
"He's barely an officer. Why should he get to pick the legions' most Elite fighters? It's never been done in the history of Rome! The Augur, and Praetors in the past have together sworn in a captain of the guard. Never before have we received such a decree from Olympus." Octavion complained loudly.
Percy was sitting in his toga quietly with Reyna on his left, and Jason along with Gwen on his right. The reason the senate meeting had been called was so they could all discuss Lord Apollo's words from last night, and get Percy's preliminary picks for the team.
Octavian had been rambling for quite some time, and finally Jason spoke up interrupting the boy, "Forgive my intrusion Augur, but it sounds as if you disagree with Lord Apollo's decree. Though that wouldn't make sense because he is your legacy, and you are his Augur."
The boy spluttered, "Of course not Centurion Grace! I merely wish to document the historical nature of this unprecedented decision."
Mark shot Jason a grateful look at the interruption, and ran with it, "Historically unprecedented or not this decree came from Olympus that Centurion Jackson will lead this team, and despite his rank among the Senior Officers he is going to have the final say in the way this team is ran, and who will be on it. My own experience with Centurion Jackson is that he is very reasonable, and will take any of our advice into account. Now Centurion please tell us who you are thinking of putting on this team."
Mark gestured his hand to the son of Neptune who rose to his feet, "Praetor there are many good legionnaires throughout the twelfth, and it was very difficult to come to a consensus on this, but I did my best, and consulted with other senior member of the legions to do so. Firstly I must say that I wish my second to be Jason Grace, the son of Jupiter, and Centurion of the fifth cohort."
Not a single person in the senate was surprised by Percy's pick, but Jason nodded as he stood, "Praetors, Centurion Jackson I accept."
Slight applause came from the lares, and other senators as Percy gave him a nod of thanks, "Bianca Di Angelo the daughter of Pluto is one of our best sword fighters, and her power over her fathers domain is invaluable. I will select her if she will be a part of this."
Bianca stood quickly to her feet, "Praetors, Centurion Jackson I accept."
Less applause came from the audience, but Percy gave her a nod, "Centurion Brown, all personal thoughts aside you are the best healer in the legion. If I have to place my life in someone else's hands I would trust no one more. Do you accept?"
The young woman stood before the Senate with a small smile, "Praetors, Centurion Jackson I would trust no one else to keep you and Jason out of trouble. I accept."
He gave her a grateful smile, and he knew it could get difficult from here. Those three knew their invitation was coming before the senate meeting the rest would be getting a surprise. Before he could continue though Octavion interrupted again, "Centurion Jackson how do you expect the fifth cohort to operate if you take both Centurions?"
Mark interrupted this time, "Augur I do believe myself and fellow Praetor can handle the fifth in their absence. We also received intelligence that Mother Lupa will be joining us in human form in the coming days to help maintain order in the event of Centurions being absent. I was also told she intends to see to the training of the Praetorian Guard herself at the request of Lord Mars."
This made Percy's insides clench. Jason had told him stories about the ferocity of Lupa's training to young demigods. He couldn't imagine what she would expect out of the legions special forces unit. He steeled his nerves over though as Cassie called for him to continue, "Centurion Dylan Paine, fourth cohort, son of Trivia. Like Bianca you are a great warrior, and your power over the mist, and magic is unmatched. Please accept my invitation to our team?"
Dylan stood up in surprise, but with a grin shook his head at Percy, "Praetors, Centurion Jackson I accept. You're a good fighter Percy. I would be happy to serve on this team."
Percy mentally fist pumped at this as he thought of his third cohort candidates, "Centurion Hank Latrell, arguably one of the most powerful legacies in the legion. You're downright dangerous with a sword, and good with the pegasi. I think you would be a good addition if you will accept?"
The large African American son of Vulcan stood to his feet, and gave a simple nod, "Praetors, Centurion Jackson I accept."
Percy gave the boy a nod turning to Reyna, "Legionnaire Reyna Ramirez Arellano, my own optio, you're a damn good fighter, and we could use your ferocity. We need a daughter of war to show us the way against the enemy. Do you accept?"
She gave a smile as she rose to her feet, "Praetors, Centurion Jackson I accept."
That was seven warriors total. Only a few more as Percy turned to another Senator, "Centurion Larry Bard. You are one of our best swordsmen, and one of the best Roman fighters in the legion. We will need a child of Victory with us, so please accept my invitation to this team?"
"Praetors, Centurion Jackson I accept." The man said standing tall.
His final invites to Summer, the daughter of Apollo in cohort one, and of course Michael Kahale the Primus Pilus himself accepted. With the final invitation being given Percy turned to the front of the room, "Praetors I have selected who I believe will be the most efficient team to defeat the Titans, but I have a final request. Praetor Cassie your leadership proved flawless in the absence of Praetor Mark, and I ask that in the future I may rely on those skills again, and allow me to have our Praetor join me on the battlefield."
The room was dead silent as his request, and Mark merely stared at him with a blank face. Cassie looked at the boy with a slight bit of surprise in her eyes, "Your faith in me is moving Centurion, but with the warriors you have chosen do you not believe it is enough?"
Percy recalled his dream from the night before. A vision he had before long ago had reappeared to him in greater clarity. A woman holding up the sky, and a man that could only be a Titan standing above her in triumph. A monster army attacking the camp. An invasion from the legion to the foot of the fortress that they were clearly going to attempt to usurp, and lastly the vision from the Queen of the Heavens herself. He saw himself locked in combat with the greatest Greek warrior in history fighting for a piece of his ancestry with a crowd roaring its approval. He knew they needed all the help they could get, "Praetor Cassie I am supremely confident in my selection, but Praetor Mark has proven his battlefield prowess to me in a way I dare not even attempt to explain. I would not request his presence for every mission, but if I feel that it is too much for our team I wish to be able to request his leadership, and skills to lead us into battle."
It was an omission. Percy was supposed to be the head of the team, but he could bow to Mark's experience if the man was willing to confer, and occasionally join the team. If they were going to fight Titans they would need the blessing of Mars that the Senior Praetor possessed. The two Praetors exchanged looks when Mark broke the silence, "Well it is the Praetorian Guard, and if you deem it absolutely necessary for my assistance Centurion Jackson then yes I will lead your team into battle."
Percy gave a low bow of thanks to the man, "Thank you Praetor. Your assurance brings much comfort."
Cassie then turned to Octavian, "Augur take the Guard over to the Temple of Jupiter and make a sacrifice, and see if we could get a reading into our future."
Octavion stood with an annoyed look on his face, "Of course Praetor."
Mark nodded, "Cassie and I will join this meeting. The rest of the Senate is dismissed, thank you for your time and service."
With his dismissal most of the chairs rose to light chatter, and began exciting the building. Gwen came to Percy's side at once sliding a hand through his arm, "Are you okay?"
Giving the girl a smile he sighed, "I am just looking forward to our date tonight Centurion."
She gave him a slight bump of the shoulder as the two shared a smile, and followed the others towards the Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Octavian and the Praetors led the way a good way ahead, chatting quietly among themselves as Percy turned to Michael, Summer, Larry, Hank, and Dylan, "I think it would be best if we left a lot of the normal formality out of the team. It would get annoying to address each other as Centurion such, and such over and over again. If we can agree to it I'd like among ourselves to just be on a first name basis if that's okay?"
Unsurprisingly they all looked to Michael for his opinion and he surprised them with a grin, "Sounds good. With the exception of Summer, and Reyna we are all senior officers of this legion. I think we have all known each other long enough to be on a first name basis. Besides it would be ridiculous to have to shout our titles in the middle of a battle."
Summer however looked disappointed, "I was really looking forward to the first time I got to yell out Centurion and see all your heads whip towards me. Oh well!"
This caused everyone to chuckle, and Percy was looking forward to training with this team. Percy had crossed blades at some point with all of them except the Primus Pilus himself. They were supposed to face each other in his first gladiator tournament, but due to his withdrawal from the contest it never got to take place. He looked forward to the training days ahead, and hoped he had some downtime before his next quest, or the guards first mission. After all, his fifteenth birthday would be coming up soon, and he wanted to enjoy it with his friends.
As the group entered the grand temple of Zeus Percy looked down to the area where his father's shrine stood with a smile. Tomorrow would begin the construction of his father's temple, right on the water of the lake. He couldn't wait to have a nice place to pray to his father, and show that his faith was not misplaced when he put it in his youngest son.
His ponderance made him the last person to enter Jupiter Optimus Maximus, and Octavian was already chanting a prayer in Latin. He slowly pulled the knife from his belt and motioned to Percy, "Son of Neptune come forth, and receive your blessings."
The group began to form something of a semi circle, and allowed him to pass through. Octavian gave him a superior look, "Kneel Praetorian Guard Leader Jackson, and receive your blessing from Olympus."
Percy did as he was told and bowed his head as Octavian stood above him, teddy bear in hand, "Lords and Ladies of Olympus, Perseus Jackson was hand picked by the wisdom of the council, and now give us a look into the future of our Guard."
With the final words being said Percy knew another helpless stuffed animal had lost its stuffing. He rose his head to watch Octavian's usual nonsense of plucking through the animal stuffing, but when he noticed everyone gasping his eyes shot towards the blood dripping from Octavian. Percy rose to his feet, turning to Gwen about to spur her into action for medical support, but when their eyes met she shook her head and gestured towards Octavian. His eyes knit in confusion, but when he turned back to the Augur he noticed the blood wasn't dripping from the Legacy of Apollo, but from the stuffed animal. He stared for long seconds in shock while Octavian did the same. Finally the legacy of Apollo's eyes seemed to glaze over a bit saying, "Olympus predicts blood. The blood of our comrades. The blood of friends. The blood of our enemies. I am uncertain of the future of the guard, but one thing is for sure." He turned his eyes to Percy, "Their path will be paved in blood."
Mark turned to Gwen, "I want a sample of this blood taken. I want to know what kind of blood it is, and if it is a person I want to know whose. Take a sample from every person on the team, and I will send a runner into the city, and have my contact run it for matches."
Cassie then chimed in, "Octavian when was the last time something like this happened? Have you ever pulled blood out of a stuffed animal?"
The Augur quickly shook his head, "No Praetor...I have only heard stories of such a thing happening. My grandfather, the son of Apollo, pulled bloody entrails out days before the second World War started, but to my knowledge nothing like that has occurred since. I will check my family's records, but I have read through them many times before. Whatever is happening Praetor it has been happening for sometime."
Percy broke the silence that followed, "Your power over telling the future is stronger. On our first quest to find Zeus' Master Bolt Octavian gave us a prophecy. An actual prophecy that came to fruition."
Mark looked at Jason for confirmation, and the pale son of Jupiter merely nodded, "Why were we not informed of this Octavian?"
The Augur shook his head, "It seemed unimportant at the time. A one in a million fluke that My Lord Apollo would use me as a conduit to tell the future. I am not an oracle Praetors, nor has anyone in my family been one. Whatever is happening, Lord Apollo's clairvoyance to the future is becoming clearer, and he is using my methods to send us messages. This hasn't happened sinceā¦"
Bianca finished his thought immediately, "The old Empire."
All heads went towards her and Cassie asked, "How do you know that?"
She looked embarrassed by her outburst, "My little brother used to play a stupid card game with figurines...The Oracles of Delphi were one of them. He read me the descriptions of every character probably a thousand times over the years."
No one questioned the talk of her brother at this time, and Mark along with Jason already knew, but Michael asked Octavian, "Is that accurate Octavian? Rome hasn't had this clear reading of the future since the Oracles?"
The Legacy of Apollo thought on it, "It is true, and those Oracles were all required to take sacred vowels. They were also all female. Rome was given a book of prophecies many centuries ago, but they were lost to time. The Sybilline Books would be able to tell us more if we could send a quest after them. This is another historically unprecedented issue we are dealing with."
Percy touched the dripping blood, and all eyes were on him when he spoke, "The last times the Titans were a threat it was before the Demigod Era had begun. Our mothers and fathers, and legacies defeated this threat alone. Now they will have an army of their children, and childrens children to help fight. It's historically unprecedented because never before have demigods faced such a threat. I believe this is a sign of Olympus trying to give us every bit of help they can. Four major Gods of the Roman Pantheon have appeared in Camp or around it. It is clear they want us to succeed. Now all we have to do is show them we are worthy of their help. We pray to them everyday and show our faith in them, this may be their way of showing their faith in us."
Silence as everyone contemplated his words before Octavian spoke, "Well said Centurion Jackson. I believe he is correct. I will increase, and continue our daily prayers, and sacrifices to attempt to glean a clearer picture of the future."
Cassie immediately added, "No one speaks of what happened here. Grumblings have been loud enough in the City with the Activation of the City Watch guards. If the fear mongers get a hold of the fact our Auger pulled blood from a Teddy Bear there will be panic. We cannot have riots and fear spreading through our streets as we prepare for war."
The calls of yes Praetor were immediate from all gathered, and she looked satisfied as she began to stroll towards the exit of the Temple. Mark looked over the group with a sigh, "Percy picked this team well. We spoke at length about it last night throughout the end of the party, and beyond in the principia. You wouldn't be in this spot today if Cassie, Percy, and I didn't think you were the best of the best. Raise your heads up with pride as you walk through New Rome today, and tomorrow the real work begins."
With that the man led the group out of Jupiter's Temple, and they all dispersed.
(A/N) Good day my friends. Sorry for the late delay in this update, but as people have become less interested in this story my updates will go to every other week. I have slowed my production immensely, because I am still only on chapter 35, but I am hoping since I am so far ahead I will have the story finished before I ever catch up to myself. To the people who've enjoyed this story, thanks for sticking around, and I promise to see this story to completion within a reasonable time schedule.
Cheers, and thanks for reading!
