Prelude to the Fifth Life

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! I can honestly say I had a good year. It had its ups and downs, but we made it. I can also say that this is the first year I actually completed my Resolution.

The book has been published!

If you don't follow my Good News status updates, then here you go: the book is on the Kindle Store under the title "Controversiae Tamen Liber (Ligulae Monitum" by a pseudonym I came up with that's a play on my fanfic name: David Ingraham.

Get it? DelayedInspiration? David Ingraham?

Anyway, the book is 155k+ words and is currently sitting at $19.99. Before you think that's too high, you're actually only paying me $7.00. Amazon's taking almost 2/3s out of all sales, since I have it set to 35% royalties. I could've set it to 70%, but then they cap the price to $9.99, and as it turns out 70% of $9.99 is less than 35% of $19.99.

So, yeah.

Controversiae Tamen Liber (Ligulae Monitum), David Ingraham, 155k+, $19.99. I was able to find it just by looking up "Tamen Liber." The cover art features a setting sun behind some mountains with a tree and a lake.

Go check it out!

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or AC

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Inspired by historical events and an over-active imagination, this work of fiction was designed, developed, and produced by a single-cultural team of one religious faith and belief, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

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"That was beautiful."

Percy, Nico, and Bianca all whipped around with weapons drawn at the speaker. They saw the silhouette of a woman sitting in the dark. None of them recognized the voice, but it was ringing a bell in Percy's head.

"Show yourself," he said shortly.

"Come on, Percy. Is that any way to talk to your old girlfriend?"

"Lou Ellen…?"

And the person rose from the chair they were sitting in and entered the light. The three demigods gasped.

Lou Ellen was a grown woman, no longer a girl in any sense. She wore former business attire, her hair was pulled back, and she honestly looked like she had just left the office for lunch.

"Hey guys. It's…been a while."

"What…what happened?" Nico breathed. "We were only gone a few minutes! We-!"

Lou Ellen held her hand up, making Nico quiet back down. "Time moves differently between places like hell and Earth. You were gone not even an hour, while here, twenty years have passed."

"Twenty…years?" Percy demanded.

Lou Ellen nodded sadly. "Yeah. The Assassins are doing great, um, now. We outed the Templar front company, Abstergo, and with our people in government and elsewhere, we systematically dismantled the Templars. Now the Assassins are back on top, fighting the good fight."

Percy crossed his arms. "You're not funny. Now drop the act."

Nico and Bianca looked at him, and then they looked at Lou Ellen when she snickered. Her form shimmered and shifted, and before their eyes, the illusion dropped and she seemingly reverted back to her fourteen-year-old self.

"Got'cha!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "You had me until you said we had Assassins working in the government. The Assassins never work such high-profile day jobs."

Lou snapped her fingers. "Darn it. But I had you two, didn't I?"

The di Angelo siblings only nodded, still reeling from the little witch's trick.

"In all seriousness, though, Thalia and I checked in on the Brotherhood. They're getting back on their feet across the globe, and William has some Assassins looking into Abstergo right now. The Templars are up to something called the Animus. Based on what they've gathered so far, it looks like the Animus is some device that's supposed to be able to see your memories."

Percy cocked a brow. "That doesn't seem…too bad."

Lou shrugged. "Like I said: looks like. That was just a preliminary report."

"What Assassins are on this assignment?"

"Clay Kaczmarek and Lucy Stillman are in the actual building right now, with Sean Hastings and Rebecca Crane providing outside help. Desmond's doing a world tour, convincing the other Bureaus that he's Altaïr, Ezio, and Edward reincarnated. Thalia's doing the same right now. We're working the idea that they used the Pieces of Eden to move their consciousness through time, and now some of the greatest Assassins that ever lived are back and ready to take up the fight again. It's great for morale."

"So, they're being believed?" Percy asked.

"Yep!" Lou chirped.

"I take it you have something to do with that?"

"Only some smoke and mirror stuff."

"You did a great job, Lou. I'm proud of you."

Lou Ellen flushed. "Th-Thanks. Um, how was hell?"

Percy shared a look with Nico.

"Mostly uneventful," Percy shrugged.

"Remarkably empty," Nico supplied.

"Hot," said Bianca.

Lou's brow furrowed. "So…there weren't, like, huge pits full of wicked souls being overseen by demons?"

"Nope," Percy answered.

"No Grand Palace of the Fallen One?"

"Grand what for who?"

"Has everything I've read been a lie!?" Lou Ellen cried.

"Have you read anything out of the Bible?" Nico asked.

"Yes!"

"Then not everything you've read has been a lie."

Lou Ellen blinked. "Well, you're not wrong."

"How long have we really been gone for?" Percy asked, getting things back on track.

"Actually, only a week and a few days. So, Merry late Christmas, and Happy New Year! In two days."

Percy nodded. "Anything major happening right now?"

"We found the Labyrinth on accident three days ago during a training exercise in the woods. Some giant scorpions. Fun stuff. One unlucky guy decided to hide from them around the Deer Poop Rocks and ended up falling down a hidden tunnel. Lost him for a while down there before he just popped back up. Chiron's sent some search parties since he thinks the Labyrinth's appearance at this time isn't coincidental, and while all of them have come back, they're…a bit touched in the head. I've been working with the Apollo cabin to fix the damage. Thalia's down there in the Labyrinth right now, looking for Luke. From what we've gathered, he's traversing the maze with an army, intending to launch an attack on camp."

Percy nodded. "Can you locate Thalia from here?"

"Yep, got a tracer on her for that exact purpose. Right now, she's in Constantinople. Ten minutes ago, she was in Mexico City."

"How?" Percy asked.

Lou Ellen smiled. "The Labyrinth is kind of like a subspace dimension. It's semi-sentient and has a will and mind of its own. Inside, time gets fuzzy, and distance means nothing. Like, that guy that found the Labyrinth here in camp? He was gone for six hours, but to him, it wasn't even five minutes. As for distance, you can enter the Labyrinth in some back alley in Manhattan, walk twenty feet, exit some rando-spawned door, and boom. You're in Shanghai."

"And Thalia's in there by herself."

"Yeah. But I've got my eye on her."

"Why aren't you with her?"

"Saw you guys were coming back, so I came to meet you and fill you in on current events."

"Thanks." Percy's demeanor shifted, making Nico stand up straighter and not a moment too soon as Il Mentore gave orders. Percy turned to the di Angelo's. "Bianca, welcome back. Lou Ellen and I are going into the Labyrinth. We're going to find Thalia, then Luke, and put an end to him. I need you two up here. Fortify the camp. If we fail, there'll be an attack. Rout it, and then carry on the mission."

"Si, Padre," Nico said without question or hesitation.

"Watch out for any time traveling Pieces of Eden, aye?"

"Aye," Percy nodded.

There was an exchange of hugs, and then the di Angelo's dropped into their own shadows.

"Wow," Lou Ellen said.

"What?"

"Well, it's just, typically, situations like that always go along the lines of something like, 'No, take us with you. You need us, it's dangerous.' 'I know that, but I don't want you to get hurt, so I'm doing it by myself. Trust me.' 'Don't be stupid. Let us help,' yadda, yadda. But here it was only, 'I'm going on this dangerous mission. You two stay up here and get ready for a battle.' 'Yessir, got it.' Was kinda refreshing, skipping the whole argument thing."

"That's what happens when you're the Mentor of the Assassin Brotherhood. Your underlings are less likely to argue with you. Now, come on."

Percy left Lou's private cabin in the woods, and the witch followed.

"Something else you should know," Lou said. "The Labyrinth doesn't play nice or fair. It's hard to navigate, even for me, and Thalia's having trouble, even with Eagle Vision. However, there are two surefire ways of getting through without problems: get your hands on Ariadne's string, or find a clearsighted human to help."

"I take it Luke has the string."

"Yeah, and uh, a clearsighted human I know of right now is Robert Eliezer Dare."

Percy stopped. "Arno's reincarnation."

Lou Ellen nodded.

"…what are the odds we're going to have to go get him for this mission?"

"High," Lou said simply. "It's one of those that's just how it is kind of things."

"Let's cut out the middleman, then," Percy said.

Since they ran into each other at the Hoover Dam, Percy had known this encounter was coming. He'd even stated that it needed to happen. He needed to talk with Arno. The man was still hung up on Cheyenne, and it just wasn't so. Cheyenne was gone, now one with Percy and the other Assassins. Not just to get any potential romance and drama squared away, but to give Arno closure as well.

This needed to be put to rest. Percy had just wanted it to be on his terms, when he had nothing else going. Not during a life-and-death mission.

Lou Ellen nodded, and spoke in her Backwards magic. "Nepo a latrop ot Trebor Rezeile Erad."

A hole in space and time opened before the two, and on the other side was one frightened Robert. Honestly, Lou had been stupid with her magic. Arno could've been in the shower or on the toilet, or doing something with family, or even jerking off, and then suddenly a portal opens in front of him. Memory alteration magic or not, that had been stupid on Lou's end.

And Percy made that clear with an annoyed look.

"Sorry," the witch blushed. "Got carried away. Heat of the moment, sense of urgency, and all."

Percy rolled his eyes and stepped through, Lou Ellen bringing up the rear, the portal closing behind them.

Luckily, Arno was alone in his rather spacious room, not acting on his teenage hormones with his phone in one hand, his other hand occupied.

Arno's demeanor shifted entirely when he saw it was Percy. "Cheyenne!"

"For the most part," Percy answered evenly, totally aware of how dangerous a man in love could be. "I'm also Faris Ibn La-A'had, Virgil Cavaliere da Roma, and Captain Jake Swallow."

Arno halted in place, as he had been coming over with his arms spread wide to engulf Cheyenne in a big hug, seemingly ignoring the presence of Lou Ellen. "Oh. Wow. I always had a big respect for Virgil."

"I was pretty awesome, wasn't I?"

"Was? You're pretty now—I mean, pretty awesome. Still are pretty girl—awesome. Pretty awesome."

Lou crossed her arms at Arno's stuttering.

Percy sighed. "I'm sorry, Arno. It didn't work then, and it'll never work now. This is Lou Ellen, the girl I'm courting in this life."

"Hi."

"And Zoë was alive this day, too, but there was a battle almost two weeks ago, and now she's dead."

Arno did not look happy. He looked embittered and crestfallen, angry and resentful, hurt and betrayed, heartbroken. "I am…very sorry to hear that," he managed. "I know Zoë meant a lot to you—being married, and all."

"Thank you, Arno. How's life treating you now?"

"Decently, I suppose. I actually have a father that's alive this time. A developer that's turned a lot of grass into shopping malls and parking lots. Wants me to go to a finishing school, then college to earn a Ph. D in business so I can work for him, then take over the company. Do you have any idea what it's like being a grown man in a boy's body, one that was an Assassin and part of a much bigger world than land development? It's underwhelming, and everything I can do to not smack this man upside his head."

"Why, yes, Arno, I know exactly what it's like being an adult in a child's body having other adults look down on me."

Arno's cheeks turned about as red as his hair. "R-Right. Um, how's life treating you these days?"

"Pretty good. The Assassins still exist, and so do the Templars, so I have plenty to keep me busy. By any chance, do you know of Abstergo Industries?"

Arno smiled thinly. "My latest father is business partners with them."

"…I don't need to kill your father, do I?"

"Well, not yet. I've been keeping my own tabs on them, and so far, Father has no idea he's dealing with Templars."

"Good."

"I get the feeling you aren't here just to catch up with me."

"It's about three-quarters of the reason," Percy said truthfully. "We needed to get this ironed out. Who we are to each other in this day. The remaining bit is that things are moving on the mythological side of things. Do I need to tell you about the gods and monsters?"

"No," Arno smiled ruefully. "This new life of mine, Robert Dare—my few friends call me Robby—has its own perks. All my life now, I've been having dreams, seeing things about a world of fantasy."

Arno went over and grabbed a binder. He opened it to reveal pages of artwork, all pieces about the myths. There were even battle scenes of Percy's recent exploits. Including a page of Amon.

Percy stared at Arno. "Vivid dreams."

"Oui. That's how I knew you were, well, Cheyenne. Just not…anyone else. Or with anyone else."

Percy hummed. "It's good you're up to speed. Saves time. We need your help navigating the Labyrinth. The Titans are rising, and the army they've raised is moving through the maze, planning an attack on Camp Half-Blood, the safe haven for the children of the Greek gods."

"And me, being clearsighted in this life, will be able to navigate the maze to get you where you need to go."

"Right."

"Let me gear up and I'll be ready to go."

Percy cocked a brow. "Just like that?"

"You have no idea how badly I've been itching to get back to my real line of work."

"No, I suppose not."

Arno crossed his room to what was apparently his closest, and he shut the door behind him to get change out of his pajamas and into whatever outfit he planned to wear for the coming mission.

"This is going a whole lot better than I thought it would," Lou Ellen mused.

"Oh, trust me. He's screaming on the inside."

Arno came back out a few minutes later dressed in the modern rendition of his French Brotherhood outfit, with a blue jacket under a light brown Kevlar vest that had pockets at the sides with loaded magazines in them. The undersides of the sleeves had been cut and modified to allow for the use of what appeared to be dual phantom blades. Leather gloves with metal studs on the knuckles adorned his hands, blue jeans covered his legs, his feet were protected by steel-toed boots, and around his waist was the kind of utility belt you'd see a construction worker wear. Amongst the pouches was a flashlight, a suppressor, an actual cutlass, and along the back, where he'd kept his pistol two centuries ago, was a Glock-17L.

"How did you get all of that?" Lou Ellen asked, referring to a Kevlar vest in a fourteen-year-old boy's size, a sword, a gun, and all the gadgets Arno had on him.

"Having access to the money I do in this life, combined with my skills as an Assassin, makes for an effective combination."

"Alright, Batman."

Arno rolled his eyes.

Percy had a look in his eye, one that made Arno shift in place, because he knew from enough experience with Cheyenne what that look meant.

"I am sorry," he said.

"For?" Percy prompted.

"Ah, losing my mind and going on a murderous rampage with Zoë after she and I saw your Memory Seal, wiping out the French Brotherhood, and paving the way for the Templars to be in the position they are now. Among other things."

Yeah, in case you forgot, the whole reason the Templars were in the huge position of power they were in now was because of Arno. When he eradicated the French Assassins along with Zoë, he created a vacuum that had been filled by the Templars, and from there, they'd gained control of London. Despite the efforts of the Frye siblings in undoing the work of Crawford Starrick, the damage was done, and now the Templars were a super conglomerate that had a foothold in every industry on the planet.

A short burst of air left Percy's nose. "You have much to answer for, Arno."

Arno winced. He was pretty much responsible for the state of the Brotherhood as it was. But there was a small fire in him.

"How can you side with the Brotherhood after everything they did to you? They beat you, abused you, poisoned you, tortured you, tried to kill you—Bellec raped you, and the Mentor covered it up. How can any part of you still stand with the Assassins?"

"Same as you. I healed and moved on. I decided not to live my life hung up on hatred. I'm also three other grown men, and I've had help in getting back on my feet. Besides, everyone that wronged me paid for it in full, so there's no need for a grudge in any case."

Arno exhaled. "I suppose that's true."

"Let's get going," Percy said. "Thalia's in the Labyrinth somewhere, and Luke is on the move."

And when he said that, that's when he remembered something.

"Lou?"

"Oh, thanks for finally noticing me. What can I do for you?"

"How is Luke still alive? I thought Thalia blasted him off the side of Mt. Tam. With a lightning bolt to his face."

"That is a good question. We can ask him that when we find him."

"Thalia first."

Lou nodded. "Right."

She opened up another portal, this one to the Fist of Zeus at camp.

"Why don't you just open a portal straight to Thalia?" Arno asked.

"She's in the Labyrinth. That place has a lot of old magic to it. Trying to open a portal in the Labyrinth could be a disaster," the witch answered seriously.

Arno nodded.

They went through the portal and right to the pile of rocks. Lou led the way down inside, and then just like that, she, Percy, and Arno were in the deadliest maze in all of existence.

"Lead on," Percy said to Arno. "We're looking for Thalia first."

Arno nodded and looked down each passage, before starting down to the left. Percy followed behind, and Lou was in the back, her eyes glued to Arno's reincarnation.

Was she a jealous girl? Not at all. She knew that Arno's reincarnation didn't stand a snowball's chance on the surface of the Sun of ever being in a romantic relationship with Percy. Even if all Percy remembered was Cheyenne's life, even if he were still a girl, he still wouldn't love Arno like that (though to be fair, he probably wouldn't love Lou like that either). Any romance Cheyenne felt for Arno was applied to Zoë, and the man became just a what if…?

No, Lou Ellen entertained no possibilities that Arno would somehow steal Percy from her.

What Lou Ellen feared was that Arno wouldn't be able to handle the rejection a second time. He'd put on a brave face and agreed to the mission in the name of duty. It seemed he sought redemption for what he'd done in his final days, and had taken up the mantle of Assassin once more to atone for his genocide. He was here only to give himself something to focus on, something to occupy his mind. Beyond that, Lou Ellen figured he was a hairsbreadth away from a psychotic breakdown.

She was ready to put him down. Based on his body language, Percy was also ready to kill Arno should he lose his mind again like he did in his first life.

And no, it did not escape Lou Ellen's notice how Percy was seemingly dumping the entire French fiasco on Arno's shoulders, and was excluding Zoë from any kind of blame or fault. She debated whether to bring this up with him later or not, and decided that yes, she needed to have that talk.

If only to make sure he was alright in his mind.

Lou could only feel that Arno was here out of necessity for the situation. If they didn't need him, Lou figured the way the conversation between Percy and Arno would've ended with Arno getting violent, flipping his shit because even in another life he still couldn't be with Cheyenne, and there would either be a dead body to hide, or she would've had to alter Arno's memories and make him totally forget his life as Arno Dorian.

One or the other still might happen.

Bottom line, Lou Ellen viewed Dick here as both a timebomb and a loose cannon.

She was sure that Percy thought the same, and Arno had to be an idiot or delusional if he wasn't thinking along their lines.

He had to know he was not being viewed in a favorable light right now. He had to know that Percy was ready to kill him the second he did something wrong. He had to know that he was tiptoeing on thin ice.

If he didn't, then he was still sick with love.

The walk through the Labyrinth was one of silence and tension, which confirmed Lou's suspicions that Percy had his eyes on Arno, and Arno was aware of it. They went left and went right over and over, following Robert Dare through the maze to where Thalia was supposed to be, and after so much time passed while they travelled, Lou Ellen finally popped the question.

"Are you lost?"

Arno stopped. "No," he said. "I can see a line on the ground. It is leading us to Thalia."

Lou Ellen hummed. "Okay."

The look on Percy's face said he was with Lou in doubting Arno. The reincarnation of the genocidal Frenchman offered a strained, placating smile, like please bear with me. Percy looked at Lou and she shrugged, like it is the Labyrinth.

They resumed the journey, and they eventually ended up in front of a big metal door. Without turning to look at the two behind him, Arno grabbed the big handle and turned. It creaked as it open, and it revealed one Thalia Grace.

In the middle of yanking a dagger out of some guy's neck.

Her outfit was different, more in line with what she used to wear as Evie Frye. To be smore specific, her leather Nighthawk outfit, a black tailcoat that went down to the back of her knees.

She flicked her knife so hard the blood came off, and she sheathed the blade into the length of a cane, meaning she had a cane sword. She tucked it away somewhere within the inside of her coat and looked up.

"Oh, hey. You found me."

It should be noted that Thalia was actually surrounded by bodies. A total of eight of them. All young, not even in their twenties.

"What's happening here?" Percy asked.

Thalia sighed. "Demigods from Luke's army. We managed to run into each other here and they attacked. I don't think any of them were older than seventeen."

All three of the others collectively winced.

Thalia shifted gears and looked at Percy, her eyes brightening at seeing the reincarnation of her little sis—brother. Little brother. It technically didn't count.

"Hey, Percy."

"Hi. Haven't remembered Peter yet."

Thalia's smile became strained with anticipation, nervousness, and guilt. "That's okay. You will eventually. Probably."

"Definitely. Truth be told, I'm expecting it to happen fairly soon, since there's a pattern between when important things happen in this life and when I remember my old ones."

Thalia nodded. "Well, I'm here for you."

Lou Ellen, who had seen the life of Peter Frye in her dreams, winced.

It was not missed by any of the Assassins.

"Who are you?" Thalia asked the young Dare.

He hesitated before answering. "…Robert Dare. Formerly…Arno Dorian."

Thalia jerked at the name. "Arno Dorian? The Arno Dorian? The man that crippled the French Brotherhood and is one of the biggest reasons that the Templars are in so much control right now?"

"The very same."

Thalia yanked her cane sword out and drew the blade. "Son of a bitch!"

Arno pulled his gun and sword, while Percy stepped between them with his hands up.

"Enough."

Thalia stopped her advance, snarl still firmly in place.

Percy looked at her. "What's done is done. It was done two hundred years ago. Today, we've been blessed with the return of the greatest Assassins that ever lived. We have all we need to take down the Templars once more."

Percy's head was turned away from Arno, and so the Frenchman didn't see the other look Percy sent at Thalia, the one that said I'll kill him if he gets crazy.

Remember, before Cheyenne merged Percy, she had said they had to be ready for Robert if he couldn't accept the fact that he and Percy could never be together the way Arno and Cheyenne could've been if things had been different. Even Cheyenne had been ready to kill Arno if came to that in this life.

Thalia read that look, couldn't shake how disturbed she felt seeing such a look on the face of Peter's current self, and accepted the situation. She sheathed her sword and put it away.

"Right, then," Percy said, standing down himself. "Now that we're all together, Arno, lead us to Luke, please, sir."

Arno nodded and looked at the ground. He started off in a direction. Lou Ellen caught Percy's eye and followed in second, which gave Thalia the window she needed to start walking next to Percy.

"Why's he here?"

"He's not a demigod. He's a clearsighted human in this life, which means he's able to navigate the Labyrinth without Ariadne's String. He's one of the only people on the planet that can get through the maze without getting lost."

"Is that the only reason he's here?"

"Closure. We need to put Arno and Cheyenne to rest. I'm at peace with Cheyenne. Now Robert needs to make peace with Arno."

"If he can't?"

"Depends. If he tried to force himself on me, I'm going to kill him."

Thalia snorted. "Not if I kill him first."

"You'd kill for me?" Percy asked with a raised brow.

"I will now."

"Now?"

Thalia sighed. "Evie and Jacob…we weren't good to Peter. We were five when Father brought you home. He told us you were a mistake, and that we're not supposed to love you. Being young as we were, raised in the Brotherhood, and raised so that we were always seeking Father's approval, we did just that. What didn't help was that you…was that Peter was weird. I think if we tested Peter today, he'd be on the Autism spectrum. The lower end, but still."

Percy hummed. "Can't wait to remember this one."

Thalia winced. "I'm sorry. I'm not…I'm sorry. Jacob and I…just a heads up. We weren't good to you. What we did…Father…we should've been better. We weren't, and…it had…it did its damage. I was a bad big sister. I still am, I suppose. Ah…goddammit, Priscilla, I'm so sorry."

Percy almost jumped out of his skin. "Priscilla!?"

The Labyrinth shook as if it were a toy in the hand of an overly energetic toddler. The four Assassins stumbled and tripped over themselves, unable to find their footing in the quaking maze. Out of the corner of Percy's eye, he saw Lou and Arno go falling down a tunnel that wasn't there before, and then Thalia managed to grab onto him, and they both went falling down a tunnel of their own.

It was not a gentle descent. Thalia was wrapped around Percy, shielding his body with her own in a show of cosmic irony, because Percy was wearing the Nemean Lion pelt and would've been just fine with all the bumps they hit going down, but Thalia didn't know that. She was trying to make up for her failure.

The two were suddenly in freefall before they slammed into unforgiving floor.

Thalia groaned. "Ow~."

"You okay?" Percy asked his other big sister.

"Some bruises. They'll be gone in a few minutes though. Managed to get the Precursor gene again."

"Nice. Now could you get off me? Your boobs are restricting my breathing."

Thalia hopped off with a blush. "S-Sorry."

Percy got up, and that's when they finally got around to looking at their surroundings. An old chamber with a high ceiling filled with empty bookshelves covered in dust and cobwebs. Further down was a chair with what looked like a slumped skeleton sitting in it.

A golden light began to shine softly behind the two Assassins, and they turned. Thalia gasped while Percy sighed.

"A Piece of Eden," said the daughter of Zeus.

"Yeah," Percy said, none too thrilled. "Time to remember Peter, I suppose."

Thalia frowned. She went over and slipped her hand into Percy's. "I'm here. Remember that. Even when you remember and you hate me, just please remember that I'm here for you."

"I will."

Thalia hugged him tightly, her eyes starting to water as the memories of her behavior came back. Percy hugged her back and gave her a squeeze to signal it was time to disengage. With a deep breath, Percy went up to the softly glowing Apple of Eden.

"Please don't send to me to a different time," Percy muttered.

He reached out and touched the Apple. It pulsed with light, energy surging through his body, resonating with the Sword of Destiny.

Then Percy collapsed, Thalia dashing forward to catch him before his head could smack against the ground.

"Here we go…" she muttered.

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Just in time for the New Year.

Yeah, go check out my book. Kindle Store. Look up "tamen liber," should be the top hit, picture of a setting sun with some mountains, a tree, and a lake. David Ingraham.

On a more serious note, what do you guys think of Lou Ellen? Kind of late to ask, I think, being over 70 chapters in over the course of almost five years now, but a Guest Reviewer brought up some food for thought. Is Lou a blank slate, as the phrase goes, being a bland character?

Initially, I didn't think so, but I stopped to think about it for a little bit and…kind of? I mean, she's the magic girl that can relate to and identify with Percy because her magic has let her see his past lives. Now, there was a whole chapter more or less dedicated to her characterization, what with her bedwetting, the history behind it, her relationship with father, her childhood, and sprinkled here and there are her own qualms about who she is to Percy, what with him being a bunch of grown adults in a child's body, but other than that…

Well, I suppose the next question would be if I have done a bad job characterizing Lou, what would be the right way to flesh her out and add the needed depth?

Something to think about as you read your preview to the Fifth Life.

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London, 1868

Labor laws were a lot different back in this day compared to our modern one. Case in point, ten-year-old kids, some younger and some older, were working alongside the adults in deadly factories, working the same hours, doing the same jobs, and making less money for their troubles.

Starrick Industries, headed by Templar Grand Master Crawford Starrick, was at the forefront of child labor, with the idea in mind that starting them off young was the perfect way to create dedicated and resilient hard workers for the Templar cause. If they died in workplace accidents or contracted diseases from the filthy environments and nasty air, then oh well.

However, there was light in the darkness of the chimney smoke.

The Frye twins, elder Evie and junior Jacob, both twenty, were now in town.

Among the allies they'd made was one Clara O'Dea, a girl in her own right at the age of twelve, that was the ringleader of a network of children throughout the city that served as spies and pickpockets. It was her deal with the Assassins that in exchange for information about Starrick's operations, they put an end to the exploitation of the city's children.

One such factory was in for a rough day, because the twins were on the scene.

"We need to sneak in," Evie said, observing the factory from across the street on a rooftop. "Use stealth to our advantage, like Father taught us."

"Oh, please," Jacob rolled his eyes. He drew his kukri knife from its holster on his leg. "These chumps don't stand a chance against us, and certainly not with my Rooks."

Down below was a group of green-clad individuals, ready to fight.

"I say we just storm the place, wipe out the Blighters inside, and be done before the stroke of noon…which is in ten minutes."

Evie rolled her eyes. "Do you remember nothing from Father? About the Creed? Hide in plain sight? Never compromise the Brotherhood? We storm in there, and those kids could get caught in the crossfire and injured, or even killed. No, we do this quietly."

"Fine," Jacob huffed.

The two fired their ziplines across the way and pulled themselves through the air. They dropped down on the roof of the factory, and then dropped to the balcony that led inside. That's when gunshots rang from inside.

Gunshots from guns that the twins recognized.

"Oh, not him," Jacob groaned. "I thought you had him doing something on the opposite side of the burrow?"

"I did," Evie huffed, just as annoyed as her younger brother.

"And you were getting onto me about going in guns blazing."

"Shut it. Let's get in there before he gets killed."

"Would that be so bad? I mean, honestly."

Evie shook her head. "It'd be bad enough. Let's go."

The two ran inside. It was only a few feet; they'd stood there deliberating while combat was going on just behind them, and they decided to finally jump into the fray at the end. Almost too late, since all the Blighters were dead save for one big brute of a man who was facing off against the source of the twins' ire: their little half-brother, Peter.

It seemed he was out of ammo in the cylinders of his revolvers since he hadn't just blown this brute's head off.

Jacob just dropped down from above, performing a textbook air assassination. "What were you thinking!?" he thundered.

Peter flinched and jumped. "I-I-I-"

Evie dropped down too. "Totally irresponsible. You could've gotten these kids hurt!"

"But-"

"But nothing!" Jacob interrupted. "This is exactly why we don't ever want you coming along with us on these missions. You're too hasty!"

Evie intentionally ignored her brother's hypocrisy in favor of jumping on Peter's case. Like Father had instructed. "I told you to help the Rooks deliver a shipment. Did you even do that correctly?"

"Y-Yes!" Peter insisted. "And-And then I remembered you were going to be in hitting the factory, so I came here as fast as I could to help, and-"

"Ah-Ah!" Jacob cut him off. "There's the thing: help. You helping. We don't need your help. We had this perfectly under control."

"Well, yeah, but I thought-"

"And what have we told you about thinking?" Evie barked.

"To not to…" Peter mumbled. "I just figured that if I could free a factory myself, without getting hurt, without getting anyone else hurt, then maybe, I don't know, maybe…"

"Maybe what?" Jacob prompted.

"Maybe you'd like me more…"

Jacob rolled his eyes. "We like you just fine. It's how you're constantly getting in our way-"

"Screwing up on missions," Evie added.

"Getting caught."

"Raising alarms."

"Breaking stuff."

"Putting yourself in a position to where we always have to come save you."

"But, I -" Peter tried.

"Will you shut up!?" Jacob snapped. "Quit interrupting us when we're talking to you!"

Peter's lip trembled when Jacob shouted at him. "I'm sorry…"

"You're always sorry," Evie said. "Always sorry but never improving. Always making the same mistakes."

"What…what mistake did I make this time?"

The twins actually had to think for a bit about it, because, looking around, Peter had done nothing wrong. All the Blighters were dead, and based on the way their bodies were arranged, they'd been cut down quietly. Those gunshots must've been the last few alive, and truth be told, that brute Jacob killed had looked ready to run for his life. Knowing Peter, he probably was going to let the man do just that.

"…you didn't wait on us," Evie decided. "We're your seniors in the Brotherhood-"

"We're the same rank," Peter blurted.

And Jacob hit him. Not a love tap, not a playful whack, but a solid, aimed strike that connected solidly with the side of Peter's head, sending him sprawling to the dirt. The worst part was how his eyes had shut tight and his whole body braced before Jacob had even moved.

"Stop. Interrupting. Us," Jacob hissed. "And we're not the same rank."

Yes, they were.

Evie stared coldly down at Peter. "Just get back to the train. Don't leave there until I expressly give you permission to leave, understand? And don't you ever think of butting in our mission ever again! Bloody nuisance."

And the twins left, exiting the building. They fired their ziplines and ascended to the rooftops of London, leaving Peter to cry by himself on the floor of the factory. Except he wasn't by himself. The kids he'd just freed, grateful beyond words for what he'd done for them, had just watched that whole exchange, and they were shocked.

Peter dragged himself back to his feet, rubbing the side of his face where a bruise was forming, and started making his way for the train station.

On the roofs, the twins had their own chat.

"I think hitting him was a bit extreme," Evie said flippantly.

"Ah, he needs a good beating every now and then," Jacob shrugged. "Father would agree."

Evie rolled her eyes. "I suppose." She sighed. "Are we too hard on him? I mean, he did clear that whole factory himself."

"Almost by himself. I had to save him. Again."

"To be fair, I think that last man was going to run."

"All the more reason for me to intervene. Peter's too soft. We need to toughen him up. Father would also agree with me on that one."

Too soft. The fifteen-year-old had killed thirteen people in less than two minutes.

In truth, Peter had arrived behind his siblings to hear them bickering. While they did that, he'd saw a golden opportunity to prove himself to them and finally earn their favor by demonstrating his ability and skills. However, this was the pattern of his life. He would go above and beyond, and it was his Father that would always find something wrong, and he'd always come down like an avalanche on Peter.

It was something he'd taught the twins.

And it was something that they would answer for.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And so begins the Fifth Life.