When Octavian was six, his mother, Aelia, climb to the roof of their home and read the Iliad to him every sunset. It was his favorite story.
"Troy is the father of Rome, Okto," she would say every time they finished it. She always pointed out the important details that lead to the greeks victory. The most important fact of it all was that Odysseus with Helen's help, he and Diomedes stole the Athena Parthenos. Which had prophesied that as long as it stayed within Troy's borders... the kingdom would not fall. The Statue would eventually manage to make its way to Rome through the family lineage of Mark Antony and be lost forever by Constantiople.
Octavian's ancestor.
"We are the victims of a curse through no fault of our own," Aelia would cry as she held her son close.
When Octavian was eight, it was to the mocking hooting of owls that he found his home burning down with his parents and newborn baby sister still within it. He was sent to live with his aunt and uncle before making his way to the wolf house when he was eleven.
He would be prepped by his older cousin, Augustus, to take over as the future auger. He had been warned that he would be the most intuitive auger that their family had ever seen, but it also made him more vulnerable to mental attacks.
He was fourteen when his aunt and uncle died.
He was fifteen when Augustus banned him from using his eyes to read the future and gave him the stuffing out of plushies.
"You have to bring honor back to our family name, Okto," Augustus told him. "You cannot do that if you are blind. It will just give the goddess more ammunition to use against you. Besides knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."
Augustus' sister, Annia, died that year.
Augustus, himself, died the next year and Octavian was left all alone to stew in his anger and his grief and his need for revenge.
He was eighteen when he was asked if he needed a surrogate to restart his family line. He stood in between dusty boxes filled with his family heirlooms and told them no.
He was eighteen when Percy Jackson came to camp and—
Octavian was a legacy of Apollo, but he had never seen a person more beloved by the sun.
He was eighteen when that curly haired blonde abomination with fair eyes stood in front of his home and asked for peace.
Octavian's family was gone... murdered by the goddess that the girl claimed to be her mother.
He looked into those fair eyes and all he saw was his doom.
He was eighteen when he died and his last thought was: Troy is the father of Rome.
He was eighteen when he washed up on the banks of Rhode Island. He had been rescued by Omira, the daughter of the sea goddess Helle. She healed him, cared for him, and when he felt strong enough to return to New Rome... she accompanied him.
If Octavian was being honest, it wasn't even noticeable at first.
Unlike the other legacies of Apollo and their greek counterparts, Octavian made it his mission to stay far away from Percy Jackson. It was just that he did not visit the camps.
(He would admit only to himself how much it hurt to be exiled from his home when every roman that was on the Argo II went to the ancient lands without permission. Why was he punished for following the laws of the Legion? The Legion needed someone to blame, so of course they'd picked the handsomest, most talented, most popular legacy in the legion: him.)
No, Octavian spent his time backpacking (being chased down by Lupa) across the North America continent with Omira who wanted to see the world. As per his agreement with his ancestor, he was to physically check in at least twice a month.
He had let his guard down while Omira was inside the boutique shopping for new clothes. He had been distracted trying to figure out where they would go next. (Even if he hadn't been exiled, he'd be damned before he went back to Camp Jupiter. To see those greeks in his home after all they had done to his family.)
It cost him.
Octavian was a good swordsman. He was good at a plethora of weapons. His mother and aunt had expected nothing less. Lupa and the Legion had only enhanced those skills. And yet– Fera (he was once her favorite) ripped into him with no hesitation.
He had lost a lot of blood when Omira nearly killed the wolf. He was unconscious before he could tell her to just leave him to die; (he should have known the goddess wouldn't be happy until his entire family line was gone for a fault not their own. )
Omira stole a car and drove him to the closest place that she felt could help him.
Camp Half-Blood.
Let it be known that Omira only respected Percy Jackson because he was the son of her king. But like everyone, the boy managed to charm her because as soon as she drove her car over the border not even slowing down for their stupid dragon... Percy was the first one to try to help Octavian.
She sat at his bedside faithfully, watching with a careful eye of everyone that came and left the room he had been given. She asked question after question for each healer that looked over him, just hoping to catch them in a lie to end their miserable existence if they did anything devious towards him.
(She nearly started a fight in the infirmary when the romans especially those of the Seven, tried to visit him. They lost any right to him when they exiled him. When they chose peace instead of allowing him his revenge after what those greeks did to his family.)
Percy had always been the exception and somehow he made it past her defenses.
"Why do you care about him," he had asked. She looked him in the eye and said, "He is my friend."
And that was that.
When Octavian awakened, he had been told that he was allowed to stay in the Camp to recover from his injuries. He had also been told that while he had been exiled from Camp Jupiter... everyone had assumed that he knew that he could go to Camp Half-Blood to make amends.
(But who would make amends for his murdered family?)
Octavian was not an easy person to be around. The campers had thought that with time he had gotten over whatever amnomisty he had with the greeks, but it had just seemed that being stuck there with that damned statue watching his every move made him even worse.
Octavian wasn't a fan of Percy Jackson, but when the boy offered him a hiding place alongside the beaches of the camp, he took the chance with desperate hands. Omira watched with suspicion, but Octavian was old enough to make his own decisions and she would not stand in his way.
"I don't get it," Percy Jackson had stated once. "You can be nice. You can be kind. Yet, you walk around like the world owes you something."
"When you break a person, he can't be fixed." Octavian had laughed, bitter and cruel, "And if the world owes me anything, it's to be free of it."
He should not have said that because Octavian found himself being plagued by Percy Jackson whenever he awakened inside of the cabin of Poseidon. (The campers felt better with him sleeping under the eyes of Percy Jackson as if Octavian would bother killing him. Omira had threatened to castrate the boy if he so much as glanced at Octavian wrong.)
His breakfast, lunch, and dinner found the younger demigod at his side and Octavian would admit to no one that it was a nice feeling even if he felt suffocated. They talked a lot. And consequently, being around the demigod meant being around his ancestor.
And that brought him back to before: it wasn't even noticeable at first.
It was the daughter of doves that pointed it out; their cabin leader, Drew. She had walked up to him one day as he attempted to sunbathe. Percy was not far away, speaking with Omira about politics at sea. Both subtly watching to make sure he didn't try to drown himself in their elements. (Octavian did not want to die, but he figured it would be a lot easier if he walked up to the statue of that goddess.)
"What did you do," the girl had questioned. Octavian raised a brow and she rolled her eyes. "Ever since you came here, Percy's mother hen tendencies has been dialed to one hundred. And his skin has never looked better."
Octavian snorted as he looked away, "It's because he uses my retinol before he goes to bed and he sleeps on his back now. And he puts sunscreen on before he leaves the cabin." She stood there before quietly whispering, "I've been trying to get him to do that for years and all I got for my efforts was his eyebags having eyebags."
Octavian shrugged as he absently traced one of the claw marks on his legs. "He's been doing it since I started living with him."
And that was that.
The next time it (well something similar) happened was during 'history night' which was supposed to help the campers bond . Octavian sat on the edge of the group with Omira... away from Percy. Away from that damn statue.
One of the kids of Athena had quietly questioned why the Romans had stolen the statue. He and Omira had tensed. None of the others; (they call themselves Romans?) could say anything and Octavian snapped: "Maybe you should blame yourself!" He should've kept his mouth shut, but all he could think about was stumbling over Annia's body. He was the one to see the girl had been bitten to death by itsy bitsy spiders. Eyes pecked out and mouth opened as if she had died screaming. Octavian had cried over her, holding her form close and deaf to the people around him. All he could think about was watching them pull his baby sister's body out of the fire and her little stuffed owl being the only thing in pristine condition. "Maybe you should ask why Ulysessy stole it first and then lost it.
Percy stared at him, a feeling of deja vu washing over him.
Octavian clenched his teeth. "You have no idea how much I have sacrificed, how much—" His voice broke, and he blinked back tears. "My mom, my little sister..." He sounded so devastated that no one knew what to say. One minute he was ready to kill them all. And then in the next, he looked like he needed a hug. The look on his face wasn't really anger, though. It was pain. Deep, incredible pain.
He had stormed off, unwilling to hear anything else. And he ended up on the beach. Not even a minute later, Lord Apollo sat at his side. "You remind me of someone," the god said. Octavian didn't say anything because as much as he respected the god... where was he when his family prayed for salvation? "The fate of the world on your shoulders and your family looking at you to lead them back into grace."
"Who," he had asked.
"Percy," the god had said. It was his tone of voice that had tipped Octavian off. It was besotted and full of wonder. "You love him," he stated. The god startled as if he couldn't comprehend those words. "I love him?"
Octavian thought of how Athena hated Poseidon. He thought of how Percy and that Chase girl had once dated. He thought of how Percy spent most of his time (when he was not hounding Octavian) with the children of Cabin 7. He thought of how Percy doted on them all (Octavian included) as if he was ages older than them... as if he were their own parents. How the boy would put on his sunscreen and then step outside to bask in the feeling of the sun. He looked at the god beside him, "He loves you too."
The god sat in silence and the boy took that as a chance to leave, but before he could... his wrist was grabbed in a gentle hold. He traced it back to the gold and Octavian found himself picking out details from mother to his cousins to his grandfather to himself. He thought the god would say something pertaining to the feelings shared between him and Jackson, but instead, he said: "It's not how long you live that matters. It's what you live for."
Octavian looked at the god and he knew what he was asking. He wanted him to let go of his anger and pain and revenge. But Octavian was not him nor was he, Percy Jackson, who had supposedly given his enemy the weapon needed to defeat Kronos.
All Octavian had left was his revenge and if he did not have that, what did he have to live for?
The last moment he was once again on the beach. More importantly, he was swimming in the river. Most Romans did not know how, but his father, Ovidius, had made it clear that it was nothing more than another tool he may need to keep living. He wasn't a good swimmer, but he could swim.
Omira, however, was swimming laps around him, smiling as he tried and failed to catch her.
"You're laughing at me," he complained.
"I am not!"
"You are so not making this easy."
Then she laughed for real, and she put her hands around his neck. "I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Okto. Get used to it."
The naiads giggled around them and pulled them under, but hey—when you're the daughter of a sea goddess, you don't have to worry about breathing.
And it was pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.
Octavian found Percy standing with the children of cabin seven. He paused as he looked at them and he swore that if Percy was blond and blue eyed, he would fit right in. He had thought it once before but he couldn't help but to think it again: he had never seen someone more beloved by the sun.
"Perseus," he called as he neared. The boy grimaced but he turned to look at him. Lightning up as he smiled at Octavian's approaching figure, "What's up, Octavian?"
The auger smiled lightly, "My wounds are all healed. I have the all clear to leave." The son of the sea smile dimmed a little at his words. "That's awesome, dude."
"Yeah. I think," he turned his gaze to Omira who was packing their belongings into their stolen car. "I think I finally understood why they wanted me to come here."
"And why is that?" Octavian noted that he and the girl (was her name Kayla?) both tilted their heads like little puppies at the question. He smiled at the two, "My family was cursed by Athena because Ulysseus stole her statue from Troy and my roman ancestor eventually lost it."
Percy and Kayla blanched at his words. Octavian noticed the other children of Apollo peeking out and listening in from the cabin. He nodded his head as they all, Percy included, wore the same look of understanding. "I am the sole survivor of my family lineage. All I had left was my anger and the need to avenge my family but I had no one to turn that anger to until–"
"Until you found out the greeks were alive and that Athena killed your family while having kids of her own," Kayla stated. Octavian inclined his head in acknowledgement, "I thought I could regain my families' honor by ridding the world of the people that stole it from them. I was supposed to die that day. I thought the curse would activate at that moment. But here I am... Romans and greeks alike are friends and family while I have no one."
"We're your family too," another child stated. Austin, he thinks Percy had said. Octavian shrugged, "Maybe so, but you're not them either. I was just going wherever the sun set with no real purpose."
"Do you have one now," a familiar musical voice asked from beside him. He turned to see his ancestor standing and listening to him. He turned to see who he could only assume was Athena standing beside him. He turned to the goddess and boldly looked at her in her fair eyes, "Yes. I cannot live for the faults of my ancestors. I cannot live as the vessel for my family's honor. If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself."
He looked away to the demigod who had so many expectations weighing on him like the sky. "I–I think I'm done with being Troy's son."
He gave the demigod one last smile before he turned to where Omira was waiting for him. "Where to next," she asked.
"Wherever the sun sets."