Chapter 36

Percy hardly had any time to even contemplate his brother's words as he ducked under the lunge of an empousa, and with a quick side swipe of his trident vaporized the monster with little effort. Surveying the battlefield he quickly realized it was a catastrophe. The cohorts were holding, but barely. He could see familiar faces scattered throughout the field, and occasionally even saw blasts of lightning, or black auras of power surging through the ranks of monsters.

Saturn may have left them temporarily, but it was still a far cry from calling this battle a victory. With a deep breath Percy twirled his trident in an intricate pattern as he saw three enemy demigods line up in formation in front of him clearly thinking they were going to take him together. Growling out in warning Percy shouted, "Drop your weapons and surrender yourself to the authority of Rome. Or die."

One of the demigods in gladiator armor however charged forward with a battle cry in Kronos' name, and Percy easily intercepted the blow with his trident, ripped the blade from the enemies hands, and impaled the attacker in the throat killing him instantly. The blood of his enemy fell, and Percy's eyes flashed dangerously to the two remaining attackers, who were not deterred but enraged by their fallen comrade. With them both attempting to swing at his head the son of Neptune ducked between them thrusting his trident through one's chest, and leaving his weapon in the fallen demigod while taking the sword from his hands, and in a mighty swing decapitating the final of the three.

Percy couldn't stop to register the horror of killing demigods, because he quickly deflected the powerful blow of a cyclops with the fallen demigods sword. The creature had run out to confront him from the enemy ranks, and with a lethal strike Percy rammed the stolen sword into the cyclops knee, while summoning his trident in the time that the beast roared in rage. By the time the Cyclops removed the sword from its leg the Praetor of Rome had taken the trident and stabbed the creature in its eye effectively making it explode into a pile of golden dust.

A mere minute had passed since Triton had left the battlefield, and the enemy could seemingly sense the son of Neptune was a force of nature now that their lord had left them to die. While the monster army hesitated to take the Praetor on, Percy held no such restraint. He began jogging his way towards the enemy line that was attempting to break down the first cohort, and every monster that crossed his path was struck down in a fury of swipes by the trident that the heir of Atlantis had gifted to him. It took no time at all before he had created a hole in the monster army, and reunited with Michael Kahale who looked relieved as Percy had thrown his trident into one of the giants killing the beast on impact, and summoning the weapon back to his hand, "You guys look like you need an assist."

Michael grinned and called out, "First cohort to Praetor Jackson!"

A roar of approval followed his cry, and Percy turned to face the enemy, and noticed Michael and Summer come to each side of them, "Lets reform ranks with the other cohorts. They had us scattered when everyone was avoiding Lord Saturn."

Summer shook her head, "Of all the crazy shit I've seen you do in the years we have known each other Percy that might've been the worst. I watched you attack Atlas at Tampaliais, but this was something-"

The daughter of Apollo was cut off by an inhuman screech that lit up the battlefield causing a shudder to pass through the ranks as a massive winged beast Percy recognized from Saturn's honor guard took flight. Percy immediately shouted, "First cohort archers fire."

A brief moment passed, but two dozen arrows went whizzing through the air towards the femine humanoid creature that shrieked as most of the arrows impacted her wings and bent on impact. At that moment Percy seemed to realize that the creatures body must be much more solid than it looked, and the son of seas looked to the Primus Pilus asking, "Either of you recognize this thing?"

Both shook their heads, but before Percy could devise a plan of attack a massive lightning bolt came falling from the heavens, and nearly fried the winged giant. Jason Grace came surging out of a group of monsters twirling his lance in a deadly ark taking down two telkhines in the blow.

The son of Neptune grinned as he turned to his highest commanding officer on the field, "You have my orders. Start forming ranks back with the other cohorts. Jason and I will take care of the big bads that keep popping up."

Michael offered a nod of acknowledgment that Percy only saw at the corner of his eyes as he began walking towards the beast that was screeching in anger. Jason joined him commenting immediately, "Glad to see you survived another encounter with a Titan. Now we just have to fight their best jailor."

Percy frowned, getting into a deep stance preparing for the fight in front of him while asking, "You recognize this thing?"

"You don't? It's Kampe. The jailor that imprisoned the hundred handed ones. Your father was good friends with them during the first war with the Titans. I am surprised you don't recognize her." Jason said with a very matter of fact tone.

The story sounded familiar to Percy, but disregarded that for a moment as he lunged forward and with a mighty throw hoping to incapacitate the beast, but with speed that surprised the son of Neptune Kampe shot into the air dodging the trident completely, and charged at the now unarmed Praetor. Jason met the jailor head on however, giving Percy time to summon his weapon back to his hand, and take a leap into the air attempting to come down hard on one of the animal heads that was attached to the flying humanoid. The attack was short lived however as a tail came from nowhere, battering him out of the sky, and making him knock into the back of an empousa hard. Percy groaned as he rose to his feet, and finished the job on the creature that had broken his fall as he refocused on how to take the Tartarus jailor down.

Admittedly Jason was doing a hell of a job on his own. His training with the guard had made him faster than ever before, and his control of the elements had come a long way since they had slain the Minotaur together all those years ago. He piloted himself through the air with ease through the use of the winds, and Kampe had more than her claws full when Percy reentered the fray by lunging at the creature's massive legs attempting to provide an opening for Jason to land another strike.

Percy's blow with the trident was more successful than the first, but golden ichor began pouring from the wound, and this only seemed to infuriate the beast who let out a massive roar. Her whip cut through the air with a hiss of speed, and Percy braced himself for pain, but before it found him a black sword flashed before his eyes, and cut the whip in two just before it found its mark.

Nico Di Angelo was now at his side, and the young man quickly rolled to the side dodging the wings of Kampe who was infuriated at her broken whip, and had now drawn two scimitars in a rage. Percy called out, "Thanks for the save, but I think you pissed her off."

The three demigods had triangulated the beast containing her, as the rest of the cohorts seemed to be pushing the monsters back, keeping them from interfering in the show down. Jason with his lance, Percy with his trident, and Nico with his black sword of Stygian iron had surrounded the jailor that was now acting like a cornered animal, and appeared to be considering fleeing to the skies as she raged out, "You demigods are in for an eternity of punishment. I will flay the flesh off your bones."

Percy shook his head, "If I had a nickel for every monster that said that to me or my friends I'd be as wealthy as Midas. It'll be a lot easier for all of us if you do less talking, and just skip to the part where you try to kill us."

Jason and Nico looked at him disbelieving while even Kampe seemed to stop and think of his words for a moment. In this time Percy rolled his eyes, and went forward with a twirl of his trident attempting to land a strike in the midsection, but one of the scimitars blocked it while another tried to remove Percy's head. A black wall of power came from the ground intercepting this strike however as Nico came from behind slashing at Kampes wing landing the first successful blow. Making the creature cry with fury. In this time Jason reached out to the sky as another lightning bolt rang from the heavens striking Kampe directly. The blast seemed to daze the beast as she began swinging her weapons at her surroundings with no obvious targets. Nico disappeared, melted into the shadows at this, and appeared behind the beast once again slashing straight through the humanoid's wings, making her fall to the ground in agony. Percy wasted no time as the jailor had fallen to go forward with his trident and thrust it into her head. In a cry of rage and pain a golden explosion of dust followed the death throes of Kampe, and the three sons of the eldest gods sat their heaving for breath. Jason then turned towards a small hoard of monsters nearby and shrugged, "Onto the next one?"

The two boys merely nodded, not allowing the joy of victory to overtake them when a battle still needed to be fought. The three became a small force of nature as the ground shook, lightning rocked the skies, and undead warriors joined their side. At some point their solo force had reunited with the cohorts being led by Bianca and Michael. A charge of all five cohorts brought the remaining devastation to the enemy, and within the hour the remaining forces had been struck down.

The final moments of fighting were ringing across the battlefield when the Praetorian Guard had formed up with Percy. They were leading the cohorts to a victory charge extinguishing the remaining enemies with extreme prejudice. There was no interest in taking prisoners among the Romans. Stepping over their fallen comrades throughout the battle had hardened their resolve to have no mercy.

A disturbance up ahead brought the cohorts to a stop. There seemed to be one monster left that had everyone frozen in shock. Surrounding the beast were the fallen bodies of over a dozen legionnaires, and a fire lit in Percy's gut as he made eye contact with the creature.

Kyle Logan barely had any remainder of clothing covering his body. It had been slashed to pieces though his skin that remained unblemished. He appeared tired, but still held a massive two handed blade in his hands. Percy held a hand in the air commanding a stop among his forces as he strode forward towards the son of Hercules.

Holding his trident in his hand Percy called out to the massive demigod, "Hello Kyle. I have waited for this day for a long time now. You are going to pay for every Roman life you have taken today, and every life taken before now."

Kyle grinned at the son of Neptune spitting on the ground, "Don't be foolish now Percy. You have put on an impressive performance today, but as you can see-" He gestured to the fallen bodies around him arrogantly, and then to his own unblemished body, "I am quite invincible."

Glaring at the boy Percy turned towards Jason who had electricity seemingly radiating from his body, "Jason take the cohorts and surround this man."

Without hesitation Jason started shouting orders, and the cohorts began disassembling quickly running into place forming a massive circle around the son of Hercules who did not even attempt to flee. Once the young man was surrounded the Guard stepped behind Percy in a show of support, while the son of Neptune thudded his trident into the ground, "Your arrogance will be your undoing. I will kill you myself for what you have done to our people. You can only be assured if I am to fall in battle though that our friends and family here will avenge me shortly. Surely you do not believe you can take us all."

Jason cried out, "Twelfth Legion."

As one a massive voice boomed back, "Fulminata."

Percy held out his hands as he stepped forward leaving his trident behind him, "Kyle Logan. Today Rome defeated the Titans army and its allies. I find you guilty of slaying a senior Roman officer as well as multiple Roman Legionnaires. I will personally send you to Lord Pluto to answer for your crimes."

Kyle took several slow steps towards Percy where he was nearly in striking range, and the two glared at each other hatefully, "I bathed in the Styx Perseus Jackson. I have seen things that you couldn't even dream of. I have felt the power of Lord Saturn that your precious Olympians have feared for thousands of years, and completely understand why they fear him."

"My brother is not an Olympian yet he showed up to fight your all powerful Lord Saturn today. I think you grossly overestimated his power in his mortal form because we sent him with his tail between his legs." Percy spat angrily at the man.

With a cry of hatred Kyle surged towards Percy attempting to cleave him in half with his broadsword, but the son of the seas dove under the swipe, and summoned his trident to his hands. The two met in a clash of sparks, and the green eyed young man could feel the power behind the blow. With a quick deflection Percy swiped at the boy's ribs, and felt his trident bounce off his iron skin. Knowing this was a likelihood however Percy was already spinning out of the way man's follow up strike. Creating a tremor in the ground Percy tripped up the massive demigod as he attempted to come forward, and the son of the earthshaker reached for with the prongs of his trident, and ripped the blade from his hands, and sent it clattering to the ground several yards away. With a quick counter Percy hit the son of Hercules in the jawline with the butt side of his Trident, which barely made the man even flinch.

Kyle roared out, "I don't need a sword to kill you."

Staying in rhythm however Percy dodged a halestorm of punches, kicks, charges, and other varieties of strikes. With each strike came a counter as the son of the sea methodically began striking the hulking demigod in different places searching for a mortal point. One miscalculated move nearly cost Percy his life however as a fist caught his shoulder and sent him spinning to the ground. A gasp from the legion went up, and Percy shot his hand out making the ground rumble much more aggressively making the son of Hercules fall to the ground. Percy was back on his feet in seconds turning towards the Guard who looked ready to intervene, "Stay out of this. I will kill him myself."

The Guard looked pained, and the son of Neptune specifically avoided the eyes of Bianca as Kyle got back to his feet laughing, "Please Percy I can do this all day. Let us dispense with the possibility that you will truly defeat me."

Growling Percy summoned his trident and burst forward in a fit of speed and ferocity, as he began circling the demigod finding more and more places to hit in hopes of finishing him off. A stab straight into the steel back of Kyle sent a pain lancing into Percy's arm as he nearly dropped his trident. The second mistake caused a fist to find his rib cage causing them to snap, and sending him spiraling backwards. Another groan from his fellow demigods followed, but the laugh of Kyle made him grunt as he rose back to his feet, "You called me arrogant Jackson, but here you are with the numbers to surround me, and finish me off, but you decide to face me one on one. Your arrogance would make our Roman ancestors proud."

Standing back to his feet Percy spat blood at the man, "You said you could do this all day. I am still getting warmed up too."

A cheer rang throughout the surrounding demigods, and the son of Hercules frowned, "I will kill you just like I killed her. Just like I killed your little girlfriend."

Percy stared at the man with hatred, but he didn't rush back into the fight just yet, and Kyle didn't seem to be done talking, "I wanted to have a little fun with her first. I was supposed to have more time, but she proved to be as stubborn as you are being right now. Fought me every step of the way."

Feeling a rush of anger go through him Percy shook his head, "Is that why you hated me so much all these years. Did I steal your crush right out from under you?"

"She always had a soft spot for little weaklings like you Jackson. You got lucky in the combat pit, and you only got to take her out because of your trickery. She was supposed to be mine, and my only regret is that I didn't get to take her right before I killed her." His eyes then went to the Guard behind Percy, and he smirked, "Maybe after I wipe out all your friends there I will take your new squeeze and have my fun with her. Maybe then we can be even after all these years."

The anger flooded Percy's mind like a tidal wave. The thought of losing and exposing his friends, his Bianca, to this monster sent him into a frenzy. With a cry he reached out with one hand and screamed with anger.

The humidity in the air climbed rapidly to an unbearable level. The air became so thick it was nearly visible to all who were watching the fight. Logan laughed at the son of the sea's rage, but only for a moment. Then he began tugging at his throat. Percy for his part just stared, and felt his power sweep through his veins. A power he had never tapped into before. It was addicting. It was exhilarating. He watched as suddenly the arrogant son of Hercules dropped his sword, and fell to his knees reaching for his throat.

Percy felt a sinister feeling go through his body, but he couldn't stop it. He didn't want to stop it. Impaling the but of his trident into the dirt Percy reached out with both hands making the boy raise off the ground clawing at his throat in hopes of catching air. Stepping towards the struggling demigod Percy spat through gritted teeth, "Your skin may be invincible. You may be stronger than every demigod alive, but if you can't breathe you will die like the rest of us. Goodbye Kyle Logan. I will see your name struck from every record you ever existed in. Enjoy the fields of punishment you son of a bitch."

A few more moments passed, and Percy realized the young man wasn't resisting his hold any longer as he slumped into unconsciousness. Releasing his hold the events of the day began to set over Percy. Exhaustion began to set in, and he immediately knew that rest was necessary. He had likely never used his powers to the extent he had today, and he had never experienced the type of power he used on Kyle Logan as the toll began to feel apparent on his body.

With a deep breath Percy turned back to face the Guard who all looked awed by his performance. He walked over to them feeling every bit as exhausted as he likely looked, but before he could greet them Michael stepped forward, and went down to one knee. The effect the Primus Pilus held over the legion was immediate. As one the cohorts went down to one knee. A show of complete silence and respect for the Praetor, and his display of power.

Percy cleared his throat, "Romans we have won a great victory today over the Titans, and the defeat of an enemy that has eluded our grasp for far too long. I stand before you humbled by the death of our former comrade. We must honor our fallen, burn our enemies, and praise the gods for our victory."

The words seemed to echo across the valley. Percy looked around to see mounds of monster dust, and fallen friends along with foes scattered across the area. He knew it had been a terrible day for Rome and its brethren, but they would persevere.

A whisper started somewhere in the crowd, and it quickly picked up. A single word. Consul. It started as a word, rose to a shout, and began a deafening crescendo as the Romans began to show fealty to the man that had saved their way of life.

It wasn't long before he was swarmed by the survivors of the battle. The chants of victory, consul, and champion of Rome drowned out all other sounds. Demigods from every cohort rushed forward to shake his hand, to touch some part of his armor. When he made it to the Guard he took the time to embrace every single one of them grateful for their survival. He hugged Jason and Bianca the longest, and felt a tear slide down his face in relief that they had all made it out of the battle alive.

Leading the march back to camp Percy knew the war was far from over, but he couldn't help the feeling that they had crossed a major obstacle that would pave their way to victory.

(A/N) Readers, for many of you the New Year is already upon you, so please let me express my gratitude towards all of you. This story started its journey one year ago, and we are approaching the end game. Your words of encouragement and support have meant the world to me, and for those of you who have joined my growing community on discord I am grateful.

2022 is going to be a big year for content on my channel, and it will start with the launch of a story I am actually almost finished with tomorrow. It will be a HarryXFleur story so if any of you are Harry Potter fans I implore you to give it a read. I will be sharing advanced content for this new story, as well as The Rise of House Neptune, starting tomorrow, so if that is something that interests you please follow the link below.

Cheers everyone, and I hope you all have a wonderful, and prosperous New Years!

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