DISCLAIMER: All the characters except the OC's, belong to Rick Riordan.


Chapter 5: I enjoy hell and Rome.

Percy was plunged into Hell the moment he received a knock on his front door.

He had wanted to take things slow for a bit. Adding Piper to the picture and looking after her from monster attacks until she was capable of handling herself alone took a lot out of his schedule. Handling training while maintaining good progress in school for two people was, even more, harder than he'd imagined. He dearly craved a time-out from all the hubbub, but that hope extinguished when the man in his early twenties showed up on his doorstep unannounced just one week into the summer holidays.

The dude had pale-blue skin with washed-blue hair in a ponytail and two rows of shark-like teeth. He had bright blue eyes like neon lights and small fan-like fin ears. He was dressed in clothes made of algae and kelp under light armor and an armband made of seashells.

Monster! A dangerous one!

Percy was stunned for a second before instincts took over. It was an ugly situation for a monster to come looking for him at his home when his mom was right in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He brandished his sword—Hurricane—into full size. Before he could glance at his elongated sword and attack, it was knocked out of his hands.

A long three-pronged spear—a trident—was pointed at his throat. Just as Percy was preparing to launch back to draw the enemy out of the house, the monster-dude lowered his trident and grinned at him with appreciation in his eyes.

Percy was flummoxed once again at the human-like appearance and demeanor of a monster.

"You have good reflexes and judgment, Perseus. What you lack is proper training and experience. This is almost fatal in any battle."

Percy refused to respond and studied his opponent. He was wracking his mind to come up with a suitable plan to kill the monster before his mother could notice.

The dude before him nodded in appreciation. "Calm and collected. Good, very good." he grinned. "Relax, I'm not here to harm anyone."

"Though you lack any murderous intent, why should I trust you when I know nothing about you," Percy asked testily. His fear grew by the second for his mom could come out any moment.

"Fair point. I believe introductions are due." he leveled his trident straight along with his body with his other fist across his chest as a salute. "My name is Bill. Under Lord Poseidon's directive, I'm here to practice swords with young Perseus Jackson," he announced.

Percy was flabbergasted at the dude's intro, motive, and the underlying meaning behind everything. His father—The one & only Poseidon—has sent someone to train him. He was still reeling in from the shock when he heard a scream from the kitchen. His mom looked terrified of the dude's appearance. He was contemplating erasing her memory before the dude beat him to it.

"There's no need to be afraid, ma'am. I'm a merman in Atlantis military and am here under his Majesty's order to practice with young Perseus for the next six weeks." Bill turned to him and handed him an envelope. "This is for you."

Percy eyed the merman carefully before taking the letter from him. He still didn't fully trust the story the dude was feeding him, but his hands were tied with his mom still in the area. He decided to go along until he finds something suspicious. His mom nodded, catching his eye.

Percy opened the envelope, his eyes darting at the merman named Bill. He found a bronze band with engravings on the surface and an opening—a bracelet—along with a letter inside. He unfolded the letter, written in ancient Greek and it read.

Perseus,

First, let me say I deeply regret not being there for you. I had wanted to raise you myself but if my brothers ever come to know about you, you'd be the target of their wrath. Anonymity was the best protection I could provide on my part. Unless you come of age, keeping you in the dark was necessary for your safety. The gods are bound by ancient law and are prohibited from directly interfering in mortal's lives, including our children. Since you're aware of your heritage, I can become more involved in your life, albeit indirectly.

I too am saddened by the fact that you had to live your life without me around, but I'm helpless in this, just as much you are...

Percy's hands trembled at the written apology. He knew the gods are arrogant and conniving, but Poseidon seemed to be saddened for not being there for him.

He wanted to get angry at him for leaving them behind to fend for themselves. He wanted to resent the god with his entire being, but if all gods are tied by such constriction, there was nothing he could do to vent his frustration.

Forgive and forget.

He blinked back tears that threatened to spill and read the rest.

A godling must be raised by their mortal parents. It's a test to build your character and learn values and morals of life. The gods see this world with different eyes. We're knowledgeable but not omniscient. Things slip by fast from our eyes, and a human life is only a blink of an eye to us.

Percy read, unable to comprehend Poseidon's reasoning for leaving his mom behind.

The veil I placed on the sword you now wield alerted me about your presence. I've been keeping an eye on you since then for the rest of your vacation and school year. Everything you've done to keep your mother safe and your achievements has left me gratified.

I know it'd sound superfluous when I say I was worried about your lack of training, having been absent for your entire life, but I truly am. I'm not implying you require a trainer, but I'd rest easy with improved combat ability and experience under your belt. The person with you, Bill, is a capable mer-hero skilled in weapon combat and would be very helpful to you. Learn as much as you can.

The band is your birthday gift, though a little early. It's a shield created in my forges. Use as you see fit.

Hope we meet soon, in person.

Poseidon.

Percy put down the letter with heavy hands. This is the first time Poseidon made a conscious effort to reach out to him. He even knew Percy's birthday. It felt a little nice for having a father, visiting him often, rather than having none at all. He came to know about the restrictions imposed on the gods, but that doesn't mean he has to like them.

He decided to ignore the resentment and focus on the task at hand, for the time being.

Percy attached the band to his wrist and twisted his forearm a bit. A magnificent Greek-style round shield sprang to life. It was made up of celestial bronze and was around two feet in diameter. The edges were smoothed out with a Greek trident carved in the center. All in all, it was a work of art. Then he was brought out of the reverie by his mother's voice.

"Percy, who is this?" she asked after watching Bill for a while, trembling in the doorway. He beckoned her to join him in the living room.

"He is merfolk named Bill. My father has been watching me for the past year and sent him to train me."

"That's right, ma'am. I was ordered to practice with Perseus for the next six weeks." Bill supplied, unnecessarily.

"If you're merfolk, how are you walking on the land? I thought merfolk had fish tails." she enquired, slowly overcoming her jitters.

"We're capable of changing into bipedal forms on the surface." his response was stoic. Percy guessed that sea-folk are conscious of their difference on the land.

"Will you be staying here then?" she asked him. It seemed like she was mentally preparing herself for the inevitable.

"If I have to. Even though we are capable of staying on the land, we prefer to be in the water. if there is a lake or river nearby, I would prefer to stay there."

"Then I shall ask Elaine about housing you. I don't think she'd have any problems with it," he concluded the matter finish. His mom could only nod in return.

"Pardon my intrusion. who is Elaine?" Bill enquired, probably wondering about his shelter.

"A naiad of a nearby lake I befriended. You're all from the same origin. I don't think she'd have any problems."

"I appreciate the offer. Thank you."

"By the way, Bill. How exactly did you find this place?" he queried.

"I was magically sent outside the doorway."

"Ah. That clears things then. Let's go meet Elaine, shall we?"

"Of course."

Elaine, it seemed has no problem housing handsome merfolk—as she put it—in her lake. She looked a bit flustered, which looked a little weird considering her age and all. Bill seemed to like the clean water of the lake too and graciously accepted her hospitality. After he had settled all his things in the lake, Percy took him around the neighborhood for a suitable place for training. He thought they'd find some clearing in the forest nearby but after a few hours of walking around, they found an abandoned warehouse a few miles from Percy's house.

To avoid mortal interference, Bill brought out several strange things and carefully planted them into the ground around the warehouse. He carefully covered up the tracks and put away the rest. Percy was unable to make head or tail of the mer-hero's actions.

"What exactly are you doing?" Unable to hide his curiosity any longer, he asked.

"Planting illusions around the place to redirect any mortals stumbling upon us. The blue ones are to manipulate the mist to erase their memories of this place." Bill explained the blue stones but omitted the red ones. Percy dropped the subject since the dude was disinclined to answer him. Bill's technique of manipulating the mist was lot complicated to Elaine's. The results differed way too much too.

"Everything's in order now, Perseus. Your training starts tomorrow. You will be here by seven in the morning and train till the evening. Pack everything you need. I have to impart years of training in a few weeks."

Percy wanted to argue about the timing but Bill left no room for that. So he meekly nodded and agreed.

"Then scram. I have to make some early preparations. His majesty has only informed me about this an hour ago before I left Atlantis." he let out his frustration on him. "And Perseus?"

"Yes?" he replied awkwardly.

"Prepare for hell." He groaned at the sadistic look from the warrior.

Percy was floored at the unfairness of things he was suddenly thrust into. He returned home with trepidations about the next day.

oOo

The period of the next six weeks, as Bill promised was a hellish nightmare. On the first day, Percy reached the training ground fifteen minutes late. The resulting punishment was push-ups until his muscles screamed for a break and Percy had never been late again. The entire day was spent on assessing Percy's skill levels and they established that he can handle himself in hand-hand combat with an opponent his size. He was way too far in using his water manipulation skills during combat, but the foundation has been laid during his early years fighting monsters regularly. He can slowly develop the skills with age and experience gained. He was trounced to the ground in weapon combat, as his skill level in swordsmanship was quite abysmal.

"Unless you recklessly charge immortals, your hand-hand combat is adequate for your age bracket. Your naiad friend seemed to have helped you in water manipulation, but they were meek and gentle techniques. Water is an all-encompassing force of nature. Its destructive nature is what you ought to control and embrace."

"We're short on time and one must create their path. Do as you see fit. In the meantime, let's focus on armed combat."

Bill handed a wooden sword to Percy and asked him for a spar. There were a lot of wooden weapons at the corner; it looked like Bill took his time to prepare them for the training.

Percy cautiously rounded up Bill, noticing his stances and positions before attacking him head-on. Bill parried his strike and kicked him to the ground.

"Just because a sword is all I'm carrying doesn't mean you should focus your attention on it." he hefted the sword on his shoulder. "Get up."

The very same situation continued for a while, with Bill pummeling Percy to the ground every time. Percy was wondering when did he sign up for pounding lessons.

Observing his confused looks, Bill paused. "I get what you're thinking. I mentioned I'm here to practice swords with you. Not to train you in the way of swords. Whether you learn anything or not, is entirely up to you." he stated.

"You're kidding!"

"I'm not. I never said anything about training. Now, get up."

After an entire day, Percy was on the floor completely drenched, breathing raggedly. His muscles screamed at him for a rest. He was beaten black and blue.

"So how about it?" Bill asked, packing his stuff. "I think I did a good job of controlling myself, considering your bones are still intact."

Percy wheezed in response.

"Try to incorporate your hands, feet, knees, and elbows into attacks. It'll be easier to incorporate water into your attacks later." Percy mutely nodded from the ground.

"Tomorrow. Seven A.M, sharp." Bill left with the final instruction.

Percy miraculously reached home in one piece and collapsed in the bathroom to heal his sore muscles and injuries. Barely two minutes into the bath, he passed out in exhaustion and slept in for the night.

He arrived at the location before Bill and practiced the moves he observed from Bill the previous day. He remembered the attack patterns and made adjustments to correct his positions. He had the flexibility and maneuverability a swordsman must possess which kind of made up for his lack of skill, period.

Their practice sessions continued with intense fervor. Percy's endurance grew exponentially with the nonstop pummeling-healing routine he was subjected to. The more they fought, the less he suffered direct hits. His time in the combat studio had honed Percy's sense of danger to a new level. He even caught up with the minimal movement to dodge technique Bill was so proud of.

Barely into two weeks, Bill couldn't land an attack on Percy easily. Every strike was parried, dodged, or missed by a small margin. With his heightened senses and astounding hand-eye coordination, Percy was able to switch his dominant hand in between the attacks and always managed to step out of Bill's range.

From his eyes, tensed muscles, hand movements, and even small gestures, Percy managed to predict Bill's next attack and devise counter moves on the fly to avoid consecutive blows. Their sessions turned from Percy being pummeled to the ground to one disarming the other.

The only drawback Percy was unable to overcome in the sessions was the practice sword's balance. No matter how many wooden swords he replaced, they were not suited for him, and could last only for a while; they either lack balance or weight. It was the same for Bill too, but much more manageable than him.

Though Bill stated that he wouldn't train him, he never refused when Percy had any question regarding a technique or the questions related to experience. They exchanged new ideas and a lot of Percy's questions intrigued the mer-hero to think them over.

"Hey, Bill. How old are you?" Percy asked during their lunch break. They've grown closer in their time together. Bill was strict, but a straight-faced and honest person. Percy was determined and hard-working. Neither of them is arrogant, so they hit it off well.

"I'm hundred and seventeen this year. We mature slowly and I'm barely considered an adult in Atlantis. There are heroes several centuries older than me." Percy choked on his food at the dude's age.

He then grinned slyly. "So you're an old cow chewing on young grass. Oh, poor Elaine." he mock-sighed, lamenting for his sister figure. The mer-hero and the nature spirit got together just one week into the training.

Black lines formed on Bill's face. He hmphed, "Elaine is a lot older than me, I'll have you know. She's nearing two hundred, to be precise." he grinned at the gobsmacked look on the kid.

"W-what..?" he stuttered. "H-how can that b-be?" he asked only to get silence as a response. So, he finished his lunch without another question.

"Meh, I'm just an innocent little kid compared to you old foggies. What's there to be proud of beating me up?" he crossed his legs, arms in a sage posture, and declared pompously. Bill's expression contorted at being called an old foggy.

"Bitch, please! You've been to the ancient lands in an airplane. What do you not dare now?" Bill grumbled.

"Speaking of dare, where did you get your training from?" he asked quickly, hoping to change the topic.

We have a similar training camp, just like demigods, in Atlantis. It's Camp..." he made some weird clicking noises with his throat towards the end. "I get it you didn't understand a word from it. It's ancient Atlantean dialect; only the residents of Atlantis are aware of it." he clarified when Percy looked at him strangely.

"Oh!"

"It was named by the two ichthyocentaur brothers, Afros and Bythos, some millennia ago. Afros teach poetry & cooking while Bythos handles combat and espionage. The sea folk attend the camp for training and are enlisted in Poseidon's army upon successful completion. Even the royal families are no exception to this." Bill's voice took a tone of reverence while speaking of the ichthyocentaur brothers.

"Poetry? Cooking?" Despite the positive aspects of the Atlantean camp, Percy couldn't help but ask.

"Don't ask me about that. Even I don't know why they taught poetry & cooking; skills we've never used in real life." Bill's ears turned blue in embarrassment. "Less nonsense, more pummeling. I mean, more practice. Let's start." he amended it immediately.

Percy groaned at that.

They continued their spars and in-between breaks, Percy took notes on the key points regarding techniques or any anecdotes on skills from Bill's experience. They didn't have enough time to turn Percy into a battle-ready veteran so Bill could only instill knowledge in Percy that could be used in the future and talk about his experience as a warrior.

Bill added most of the combat-used techniques and skills into their practices for Percy to get a hang of them. The last week was dedicated entirely to pure power. Bill incorporated his water manipulation into their session which rather proved to be a disadvantage to him. Bill was far above Percy regarding skill and experience, but add in water manipulation to the mix, Percy outclassed Bill by quite a margin.

"Oh!" Bill's face was downcast. "I get it. No wonder you're one of the royalties." his mood turned somber and a little despondent.

"What happened? Did I do something wrong again?" Percy asked cautiously.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's been a while since I last saw a child of sea bend the water to his will. You royals sure are gifted." he mocked.

"What do you mean it has been a while? Is it that hard to see Poseidon's children? Aren't they all in Atlantis?" he asked dubiously.

"Sure there are. Aside from Triton and a few from the royal families, the rest are...different." he explained vaguely. "But you are the only known godling of Poseidon in the last seventy years. Don't you know?" Bill asked in return.

Percy shook his head. It has only been two years since he knew of his heritage, partly.

"Let's focus on the task. You have the raw potential for water manipulation, but you lack maneuverability. Watch this." Bill lifted his palm to bring out a stream of water. He circled the stream with his hands until it took shape of a crescent moon, the size of his arm with sharp edges.

He motioned the blade to the entrance, out into the open forest. The blade whirled in circles and created a path of destruction and left a patch of tree stumps behind.

"Chop the wood into sword sizes and save them for later. Now it's your turn." there was a hungry gleam in his eyes. That fired Percy up.

"What do I do?" he asked once he formed his water sphere.

"Concentrate. Try to will it to take on a shape of your choosing."

"Just will it?"

"Yes. You can start simple. Try thinking the shape of a dagger."

"A dagger. But how?"

"Imagine liquid rock hardening. Your will is the pressure." Bill recited the words like a spell. "Apply it to the rock and you form a crystal of your liking. Now picture it happening."

Percy complied with the instructions. But instead of a dagger, he imagined a basic structure of a plane with a curved top and flat bottom for mobility. He adjusted the hardness and density to max out and created a similar crescent blade, but with a slender design and more power.

He motioned the blade towards the tree and willed it upward. The blade whirled around the tree, creating a sonic hum, and severed all the branches leaving the trunk bare.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and he coughed lightly. He glanced at his mentor for corrections, only for Bill to watch him in scrutiny.

"Not bad for a first timer. This much sharpness doesn't put a dent on any scaled monsters, but you could handle wild animals with this." Percy felt doused with a pail of cold water. He had hoped to shock Bill with his imagination, but the reality spoke differently.

"This level of control and sharpness is acceptable for a beginner, but you're a son of Poseidon. The laws converge towards you." he brought him to the nearest stump. It was like a polished plate, grinded to perfection. Whereas his work looked like it had been yanked and bludgeoned.

"But don't let this bother you. You're too young to be doing all these. All young ones in the empire attend camp after they reach a certain age."

"I see.."

"Perseus, I envy you. I do. You didn't grow arrogant like the nobles in the court, even though you're of royal blood. You don't slack off even with your amazing potential. You're still a kid wet behind ears, but you possess incredible judgment and assessment." Bill told him while they packed for the day.

"Are there groups in Atlantis too? Which do you belong to then? What separates them?" Percy asked, intrigued about Poseidon's empire.

"I'll tell you a little about it, but don't get any ideas about revealing anything about yourself to them or try to visit Atlantis just yet, alright?" he gravely warned that Percy could only nod in agreement.

"Just like an empire, the bloodline and hierarchy hold a lot of importance in the royal court. Mineral deposits, armed personal squadrons, resources, power, positions, and much more are decided based on the pecking order in the court."

"The royal court is full of plots and schemes to secure resources for their respective factions. There are mainly three factions; the royals, the military families and the noble faction. The nobles are a bunch of individuals who refuse to serve under Poseidon obediently and have their units and all. But don't get me wrong. They won't betray Atlantis or anything. They scheme against their kind for profits."

"The closer to the royal bloodline, the more amazing your aptitude for water manipulation tends to be. Aptitude, potential, and sensory abilities are mostly determined at birth. Hard work without talent and a backer can only take you so much. I'm what you can call a commoner in general opinion. I'm not from any prominent family and was of simple birth."

"Oh, but that didn't stop you from being here. Your talent and hard work brought you where you are, didn't they?"

"Yeah, but still..." he lamented. "That's why it is still too early for you to visit Atlantis. You'll become a huge chunk of meat thrown into a pack of starving wolves struggling for power." he warned.

"It's fine. I never had any intention to visit, anyway." he doesn't.

Percy was not that interested in visiting the underworld empire Poseidon rules over. He was mainly interested in the camp that merfolk go to for training. He wondered if he could ever visit the camp. His thoughts might've been written on his face since Bill chuckled lightly and ruffled his hair.

"I suggest you visit camp Half-Blood for any training or fun in the future. Atlantis is beautiful, but there's a lot of politics involved in the empire surrounding the camp. It's a major resource for talented individuals, you know. And it's always under tight surveillance." he reminded him once again.

"And I've heard that Chiron has trained multiple heroes of the era." Despite the positive endorsement, there was something about camp Half-Blood that everyone was hiding from him.

The day for Bill to leave for Atlantis had finally arrived at their doorstep. Before leaving, the mer-hero asked for one last spar. "I won't hold back and I suggest you the same."

The session has started like the same, but halfway into the battle, Bill created two clones of himself, entirely made up of water bodies. They simply exerted psychological pressure on Percy; intimidating him with numbers. The clones were only capable of performing a certain limited number of moves and Bill acted as their relay station. He acted as the main attacking body with one clone for applying pressure and the other one for the pincer tactic.

Such a strategy was a sure strike for anyone the first time. Anyone but Percy. Using short bursts of his heightened senses to grasp the clone's location in his blind spots, Percy managed to evade attacks on his flank. He dodged, evaded, and parried the strikes with minimal movement to reduce his energy consumption and managed to drag out the battle as an endurance game.

Despite the advantage in number and strategy, Bill failed to secure a victory in their last round and the session ended in a draw, with neither side gaining any particular advantage.

"Good battle. Tell me why you failed to secure a victory. You were this close." Bill's grin was quite in contrast to his near-loss. He was jubilant even.

"That's what I want to know. Why didn't you take the bait?" Percy demanded.

"Oh? What bait? Tell me your strategy." Bill crossed his arms and sat down.

"I observed your moves to predict your attack patterns and dragged the battle to tire you out. And I even left myself wide open for you to attack in desperation. Was the enticement not enough?" he murmured the last to himself, but Bill heard him.

"Oh, it's enough, alright. But that tactic won't work against seasoned veterans. Your survival instincts kick in when you sense danger. Though you've left yourself wide open, a veteran can see through the superficial openings you gave out easily." Bill advised.

"It's the same with monsters. The instincts of strong monsters would scream at them that should they attack the openings in your defense, you would've killed them without any remorse." he went on.

"What you need to do is mask your instincts to fool the opponent's senses. You're not the only one watching your opponents, you know. Your breathing, heartbeat, line of sight, smell, sweating, muscle contractions, sword position. Everything gives away your strategy unwittingly. You need to mask that."

Percy broke out in cold sweat. He only observed a few among the list and brashly weaved a trap for his opponent. No wonder Bill saw through it.

A huge difference in experience, perhaps.

"Oh, I get it!" Percy acknowledged his mistake in projecting his strategy and made note of it. What he needs is a web of feints and deceptions.

Soon, it was time for farewell. Bill shook his hand and left a small pouch with him. It contained a small, squished-up square pieces and a small jar of some yellow beverage.

"Ambrosia and nectar. Food of the gods. My parting gift. Use it only for emergencies. It's a high demand and scarce in supply commodity." he went on with the necessary precautions to use the items.

"Perseus. You've everything a fine swordsman ought to have, except your unique sword style. You have to find your sword way. You're ambidextrous and have nimble fingers." Bill called Percy back for one last piece of advice before his departure.

"The twin weapon style is a unique form among the mid-ranged weapons since its agility makes the wielder almost invincible when mastered to the peak. The only known limitation is its short range. Otherwise, there are no flaws to it. Think about it." Percy nodded earnestly.

"Thank you, Bill, not just for the training. For everything." they shook hands for one last time.

"Well, goodbye for now." Percy departed early to leave the adults for their much-awaited privacy before the farewell.

oOo

Even after a week, Percy continued his training regiment without lax. After observing Bill from close range, Percy experienced how out of league he was compared to the experienced warriors firsthand. He had been warned that there were so many skilled warriors with decades of training under their belts out there and Percy would be hard-pressed against them. He took Bill's advice and tried the twin blade usage on training dummies he made out of straw.

He didn't have the noble birth or status like the royals in Atlantis. He neither has any resources to spend nor the time to play catch up and start over. He doesn't have subordinates for him to lord over or someone to protect him all the time.

For a mediocre boy to defeat monsters and protect those around him, he must become a demon.

For that, he must train and learn everything while he still can. He would leave no stone unturned.

Though his hand-eye coordination supported him, his movements were rigid and tense at the beginning. He slowly adapted to the fighting style, but a lack of a partner proved to be a hindrance to his improvement. He set out to the forest during the daytime and used the wild animals as his training dummies.

He refrained from killing any of them and resorted to only injuring or escaping, if necessary. Bill agreed to leave the mist on the warehouse to use it as a monster trap house for his training, but seldom do monsters wander into his surroundings.

Piper was still on the west coast with her dad. She accompanied him on his movie shoot and would be going on a trip to the ancient lands with him. He was still lost in thought when his mom called out from the kitchen.

"Tell you what. Why don't we go on another vacation? Somewhere nice, just to relax." Sally proposed.

"Huh, what do you have in mind?" he wasn't exactly thrilled about a vacation, but he wasn't about to dampen his mom's excitement.

"Since we visited Greece, how about Italy this time? I mean, I watched you research Rome and Latin. So, how about it?" she clapped her hands excitedly.

"Sure thing, mom. Let's visit Rome for a change then." he acquiesced.

Percy hoped Rome would be educational and entertaining too, just like Ancient Greece.

All his instincts screamed 'DANGER' in bold-red letters once he stepped on the ancient land. Add in his eight-hour flight journey to the mix, his nerves had been stretched taut. Though his mom had warned him about the rivalry between Greeks and the Romans, he hadn't paid it much heed before.

But standing in Da Vinci Int. Airport, he felt like standing on a battlefield, and even on enemy territory to boot. He didn't feel welcome at all, despite the pleasant weather and people around. They hailed a cab to rest at their hotel in the Rione Monti district and started exploring the city the following day.

"Mom, do you know anything about the rivalry between the Greeks and the Romans? What caused it?" he asked while walking towards the Coliseum.

"The only thing I know is that the ancient Greek kingdoms fell to the Romans. Slowly the Romans replaced the Greeks and announced themselves as the rulers."

That didn't add up with the history Percy knew of. The western civilization moved from Greece to Rome, so where did the rivalry exist?

Who fought against who?

"So, is it okay for us to be here then? You know, because of the rivalry..." he trailed off, unable to come up with any arguments.

"Why not? As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Let's just enjoy our stay here, Percy. Don't think about it too much." Sally placated him.

But he was immediately enthralled after seeing the Coliseum. The Colosseum or Coliseum also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre is the largest oval Amphitheatre ever built and is situated in the middle of the Roman city. The Coliseum could hold—it is estimated—between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators, having an average audience of 65,000 for a single event.

It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on classical mythology. It was partially in ruins because of earthquakes and a section of the arena that was once underground was now available for tourists too.

Percy could only imagine the monument in full glory in its heyday. The fact that it was still standing is a credit to Roman architecture. The only thing that's a little pushy is the flock of salesmen around the Coliseum, promoting their merchandise and making the monument tacky.

The Roman forum was the next place on the list. It is a rectangular plaza surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. It is just west of the Colosseum. The citizens of the ancient city referred to this space—originally a marketplace—as the Forum. It was the center of Roman public life for centuries, the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, gladiatorial matches, and the hub of commercial affairs.

Most of the temples for the gods were either destroyed during invasions or converted into churches in time. Unlike Greece, Percy couldn't find any leftover residual aura of the ancient Roman empire or the gods associated with them. There was nothing noteworthy in the ancient lands as most of the ancient buildings were renovated.

The National Roman Museum housed many sculptures from ancient times and some of them are enthralling in their beauty. The works of many legendary painters and sculptors were displayed all along with the city. The history details from the guides were muddled or altered to suit the reality and flawed from passing down through generations.

After their tour around the ancient monuments, Percy formed an opinion about the Romans. The Romans copied the Greeks for the structural foundation of the new empire but didn't build it from scratch. They picked out a few flaws in the Greek style, added their verse to the culture, and called it the roman civilization.

Unlike the Greeks who are more passionate and free-spirited, Romans opted for a more disciplined and ordered way to rule their empire. Their approach was pragmatic and militaristic since conquest was their agenda. They divided the gods with the same approach; pragmatic and authority. They worshipped the gods with practical and authoritative power in their domain and discarded the rest.

Comparing his conclusions and the history that has been fed into the society, Percy found some new questions that troubled him.

How did the Roman gods with no Greek counterpart come to be? What does the western migration of the gods mean?

He told himself to let the sleeping dog lie until someone with answers come along and tried to relax, amidst the monster-infested land. The ancient land of Rome was full of monsters he has never seen in Manhattan so far.

But, as long as he kept to himself and refused to acknowledge them being there, nothing bothered him at all during his trip.

They spend their last three days on Santa Marinella beach. It was one of the most beautiful beaches in Rome. After all the hard work during this summer just relaxing for three days on this pretty beach felt heavenly to Percy.

xXx

A/N: A pavement step for Percy before he learns about the existence of another camp. How's it?