Hello again, friends! This is a slightly shorter, but very important plot-building chapter. I had done some research and found that the conflict between Greeks and Romans (which is a major focus in this part) took place in the American Civil War, which is good because the majority of you wanted the story to include Greeks vs. Romans. For the people voting for WWII, that was between the kids of the Big Three, so I don't think I'm going to do it, sorry. But there is a possibility of flashbacks to it if I can fit it in. I also got a request for the story to be set during the Puritan Reformation, and I'm super sad to say that I don't know how to fit the pagan gods into a Christian conflict. Again, sorry if I disappointed anyone, but hopefully you will like where I'm going with this.
One more thing: This is too early to tell for sure, but I think this story will probably end up around 30 chapters more or less, for those who were curious. Yeah... random note... Well, on with the story! Thank you guys for your continued support and kind words. Please read, enjoy, and review!
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HoO *sad face*. It all belongs to Mr. Rick Riordan *happy face*!
When History Repeats
September, 1849: Dorchester County, Maryland
A streak of silver glinted beneath the last rays of the setting sun streaming through the towering oaks of the Maryland woods. The flash was quickly followed by a pained howl and a thud, indicating a successful hunt for the hidden archer. As the wounded hellhound writhed in agony from the fatal projectile, a woman, donned in a loose blouse and brown trousers, leapt gingerly from the lower branches of a nearby tree.
Walking over to her prey, the huntress drew her hunting knife from her sheathe and watched in satisfaction as the monstrous canine disintegrated into golden dust. She habitually retrieved her arrow from the pile of monster remains and scanned the area suspiciously, wondering how many more monsters she would encounter. As she set off on her way once more, a sudden disturbance in the area's balance of power put her on even higher alert. The huntress narrowed her eyes as she scanned the perimeter of the clearing, sensing a familiar aura.
"What is it, Perseus?" she asked in exasperation, locating the intruder sitting amidst a pile of bracken.
The man stood up from his seat and approached the woman, bowing as he drew nearer. "Milady," he said casually, almost jokingly, "Why so harsh?"
The huntress glared at the disrespectful minor god and snapped, "Is that any way to speak to your superior?"
Perseus straightened and glanced at the woman, surprised by her uncharacteristic response before understanding skirted across his face, and he chuckled, "Ah yes, hello Diana."
The Roman goddess glared at her Greek companion condescendingly, an action that allowed the god to re-familiarize himself with the slight differences between the moon goddess' two forms. The familiar face was much sterner in this form, much more angular and much harsher, a look that the Greek Perseus felt did not suit her in the slightest.
Diana watched the god in irritation as he smiled crookedly at her and walked even closer. The goddess stepped back, notching an arrow into her bow and pointing it at him, hissing threateningly, "Do not come near me, Greek!" She said the last word with such true venom in her voice that Perseus had to struggle not to remind her that she had a Greek form as well.
Instead, he shrugged nonchalantly, an action that annoyed the moon goddess' militaristic side to no end, and began to change form as well. Perseus morphed right before her eyes, his eyes narrowing and becoming steelier, his mouth setting into a firm line, and his unruly hair cropping slightly shorter. He turned his now-purple eyes on the goddess and saluted much more formally, his newly-materialized battle armor clinking with the movement. "I apologize, Lady Diana. The Greek me does not know when to stop," Perseus declared emotionlessly, masking his embarrassment over his own actions.
"Yes, so it would seem," Diana replied exasperatedly, raising an eyebrow mockingly at the god, "It has been a while since I have seen you in Roman form. You generally stay in your pathetic Grecian one."
"Aye, it is the one I prefer," Perseus said plainly, "As well as the one you do as well."
"While that may be true, we are required to maintain a Roman form for this operation, a fact that I see did not elude you."
The corner of Perseus' lip curved upward amusedly at the backhanded compliment, "You underestimate me, Milady. However, for this mission to succeed, we must let go of our petty prejudice against the Greeks as well. Good leaders are not hypocrites."
Diana sneered in contempt, turning away from the older god, "Tell that to all the Classical gods to ever grace this earth."
"That is a fair argument," Perseus conceded, "But we must change our own beliefs if we ever wish to truly convince the demigods to let go of their ill feelings toward one another."
Diana hummed noncommittally, but nodded slightly as she looked back toward the other deity, "I will think about it. Now, are you coming or not?"
Perseus smiled ever-so-slightly and saluted, preparing to teleport away when he suddenly felt two Greek presences about a mile off, one of a demigod or legacy and one of a god. It seemed Diana noticed too because she quickly changed forms along with Perseus.
Artemis shook her head in irritation as soon as she changed back and motioned for Perseus to follow her. The god grinned as his best friend returned to her normal form and crept stealthily in her wake. The two ascended the trees with a lightness of foot and precision born of millennia of practice. Once fully hidden in the canopy, Perseus worked to mask their auras as he felt the two presences approach at a rapid pace.
After a few minutes, Artemis' eyes widened in recognition. "Hermes," she whispered to Perseus who nodded in agreement. Within seconds, the aforementioned god made his grand entrance in the form of a falcon circling above the trees. As the bird swooped down to perch in the same tree as the two other deities, Perseus' hand shot out and grabbed it. Hermes squawked in surprise at being caught and glared fiercely at his assailants before realizing who they were.
He struggled out of Perseus' grasp and ruffled his feathers angrily before resuming his human form. The messenger god scowled at the gods in the dim moonlight that managed to filter through the leaves as he hissed, "What is it?"
Artemis frowned disapprovingly and asked, "What are you doing, Hermes? And who is that descendant of yours?"
"That is none of your business," Hermes replied curtly, staring down to the ground worriedly.
"If you tell us what is going on, we can help," Perseus offered kindly, noting the look of worry and fear marring the younger god's face.
Hermes hesitated, seemingly conflicted with himself, before relenting, "Fine. It's one of my legacies. She's fleeing from her master's plantation, and I feel it is my duty to protect her in her journey."
Artemis softened and smiled slightly at Hermes. She would never admit it, but he was one of her favorite gods simply because of the fact that he genuinely cared about his children and legacies, taking responsibility for them as well. "I see," she said, "Perseus and I are here to help in any way we can."
Hermes grinned at his half-sister in appreciation before grimacing down at the ground again, "I actually do need your help. There has been an unusual increase in monster activity lately, especially in the woods, and it gets worse the deeper in we get. It's gotten to a point where I have started struggling to simultaneously watch over my legacy and keep the monsters away from her. Plus, the groups of slave catchers are not making the task any easier."
The moon goddess' brow furrowed in thought, "You are right. I noticed the unusual amount of monsters as well. I must have killed about fifty before Perseus interrupted me."
"Well, I'm sorry, Milady!" Perseus said defensively, "I had to fetch you for our little job." Artemis rolled her eyes at him.
Hermes seemed torn between laughing in amusement and snapping at the two to focus. Instead, he pulled out his caduceus and jumped to the ground with Artemis and Perseus following after.
"Say, Hermes," Perseus said as they crept through the underbrush, "what is the name of that legacy of yours?"
There was a pause, then "Harriet Tubman," he finally responded proudly as they caught sight of the woman in question plodding through a stream.
Artemis suddenly hushed the gods as she took cover behind some bushes, dragging them with her as well, "Be quiet. We can't be discovered. If she finds out about the mythological world, the monsters will hunt her even more."
"How are you so sure she doesn't know about the Greek gods?" Hermes asked knowingly.
"If she knew about us, then those monsters would have been swarming a long time ago," Artemis answered shortly.
"You're right," the god of messengers said, "But we needn't worry. Harriet's a devout Christian. She would need some extreme evidence against her beliefs for her to recognize her heritage, so as long as we are not too overt, we should be––"
Whatever he was about to say was cut off as a Cyclops loomed out of the undergrowth, ready to pounce on his midnight snack. Hermes was poised to throw his caduceus at the monster in an instant, but Artemis got to the monster first, firing three arrows neatly into its eye. The Cyclops howled in pain as it disintegrated into golden dust.
The gods waited with bated breath as the woman looked around wildly. Her eyes swept over the three Greek gods several times, but she showed no indication that she had seen them as she plowed on at an even faster pace.
Their divine interference duty had commenced. The gods followed the fugitive for miles on end, the flow of monsters getting thicker and thicker. Perseus' sword never caught a break, Artemis had resorted to using her hunting knives as arrows grew useless under the sheer numbers, and Hermes' caduceus had monster dust in all its niches and crannies. Just as Hermes was beginning to lose hope of succeeding in protecting his granddaughter, the unrelenting droves of monsters began to waver. Within the hour, they finally saw starlight peeking through the trees and heard the sound of train engines and other indicators of civilization. They had reached the border into Pennsylvania, a free state for a freed soul.
Hermes beamed in joy as he turned to his companions, "Thank you! Thank you! I can't describe how lucky I am that I ran into you. I'll tell you what, as a thank you, you're both allowed free deliveries and Iris messages for as long as I remember I made this promise."
"It was my pleasure, Hermes, and you really don't need to––," Perseus started, shaking his head rapidly, but Hermes interrupted.
"Just accept this token of gratitude. It's not something I offer every day," he added with a wink, "Now don't you two have a job from Big Daddy Zeus to get to? Sorry I held you up."
Thunder rumbled ominously overhead, but Perseus just rolled his eyes and checked the pocket watch he dug out of his trousers, "Oh, look at that. We need to get going Artemis."
"Of course we do," Artemis sighed reluctantly as she waved to Hermes, "See you later, Hermes. Good luck."
The god chuckled and waved back, "I think you guys need it more."
"Tell me about it," Artemis grumbled, watching Hermes slowly disappear into the distance as Perseus waved goodbye as well. By the time she turned to the God of Destruction, he had already reverted to his Roman form and was waiting patiently for her to as well.
"Lady Artemis," he bowed formally, "I am sorry to rush you, but we must make haste."
Artemis sighed in annoyance and quickly shifted forms as well. Diana blinked up at Perseus and scowled, "I find it immensely irritating that your forms have so few personality differences."
"I was already Roman enough," Perseus stated proudly, tapping his newly armored head for emphasis before turning away briskly to teleport.
The usual hustle and bustle in the forum of New Rome was abruptly disrupted by two bursts of light. The citizens quickly averted their eyes and glanced to the newly-materialized gods hesitantly. As soon as their eyes landed upon the forms of an Olympian goddess and the oldest god, those present hurriedly threw themselves down in respectful bows, dropping produce, books, and even a child in the process.
Diana rolled her eyes at the mortals' ridiculous behavior. Perseus on the other hand sighed and walked over the crying toddler who had been unceremoniously dumped upon the ground by her father. Bending down, he gently pulled the girl back onto her feet and ruffled her hair, producing a delicate, pink flower for her in hopes of stemming the flow of tears. The gift worked miraculously as she gasped in wonder, thanked Perseus, and ran off to show it to a little group of innocent children playing nearby.
Perseus then directed his gaze disapprovingly to the little girl's guilty father, watching in amusement as he shrank down further and paled. Diana chose to that moment to interject, sensing Perseus' excessive enjoyment of the man's discomfort, "Rise, people of Rome. Call the praetors, and lend me your undivided attention."
Silence descended upon the crowd as a son of Mercury rushed to deliver the message. After a moment, the two leaders of New Rome arrived, along with several members of the Senate. The moon goddess waited until all were situated before continuing, "Romans, Lord Perseus and I are here on behalf of the Olympian gods. Your petty feuding with the Greeks must end. It will bring you nothing but ill if you are to continue."
"But, Milady," the female praetor bravely stepped up, "the Greeks are worthless scumbags. We must seize control of them, or we risk them tainting the world with their laziness."
"For the good of the future, you must let go of your hatred," Diana restated, frustrated at the human's obstinacy and feeling that nothing she could order them to do would truly break the tension between the two cultures.
"W-With all due respect, Lady Diana," the male praetor stammered out, "we will not relinquish our hatred that easily. So long as the Greeks are not under our control, we fill fight on."
The goddess sighed in resignation, gesturing for Perseus to follow her and preparing to depart. Perseus nodded in acknowledgement before turning to the people in the forum, "Heed my final warning, Romans. The gods cannot force you into making peace with the Greeks, but know this. If and when the fighting starts, the death and destruction to follow will be earth-shattering. Believe me, I would know."
With that ominous declaration, the gods disappeared, leaving the Romans glued to their place in shock.
When Perseus and Artemis reappeared in the Hunters' camp, they were immediately swarmed by a mob of worried girls. After explaining what had happened and beginning to feel uncomfortable in the all-encompassing silence, Perseus tried to lighten the mood by cracking a joke (one of such little comedic value that it must never be repeated), resulting in about thirty arrows being pointed at him, five of which came from Artemis alone.
"Please excuse us, girls," the Goddess of the Hunt groaned exasperatedly as the girls disbanded all while throwing half-hearted dirty looks at Perseus. Artemis led Perseus to her tent and turned to him, frowning, "First of all, never say that again."
"I learned it from Apollo," Perseus deadpanned, "I found it quite amusing."
"Why am I not surprised?" Artemis scowled before returning to the real matter at hand, "Perseus, I'm worried."
"For my sense of humor? Or lack thereof?" the god smirked, sitting down on the bear rug in the center of the tent lazily.
"I'm being serious! Something doesn't add up," the moon goddess mused, pacing back and forth in front of Perseus, "Why would the Greeks and Romans choose now to begin feuding again? They settled their differences centuries ago. Also, the abnormal monster activity is quite concerning. I feel like there is some higher power involved here."
Perseus pondered the goddess's words as he grew more and more on edge. The Fates' words all those years ago echoed in his mind, Ancient powers are awakening, ones you are destined to fight…
"I have a hunch as to what could be happening," he whispered after a moment of tense silence, "But I must meet with the Oracle at Delphi."
Artemis looked at him curiously, "No need. I can call Apollo. But what could it be?"
"I have to be sure first. If Apollo doesn't give me a clear prophecy, I will explain."
The goddess nodded and shouted to thin air, "Apollo! Come here at once!"
Within seconds, her twin materialized in front of her, adjusting his bow tie and touching his top hat in greeting, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Both Perseus and Artemis stared at the blonde, gaping at the pure ludicrousness of his outfit. "You look ridiculous," they blurted simultaneously before glancing at each other, blushing.
Apollo, however, was oblivious as always and gasped indignantly, "I will have you know that this is the peak of fashion right now. You two prudes can only gape in admiration."
Artemis' eye actually twitched as she absorbed her brother's words. Perseus' own mind had been blown by the other god's ignorance, wondering where Zeus went wrong with him. Artemis finally snapped out of her irritated daze and sighed, "Whatever. Apollo, or rather the Oracle, please tell us what is the cause of the strange increase in monsters."
The blonde god looked at his sister questioningly before he stiffened. His eyes glowed, and a noxious, green smoke billowed from his mouth. Apollo turned his gaze to Perseus as he began to speak with the chilling hiss of three female voices.
"The Sky's slow waking had begun this day,
His vengeance to wreak without delay.
The gods' old enemies will rise to the challenge.
The lives of all they seek to scavenge.
Pay utmost attention to Human Emotion,
One to destroy in a single motion,
The other to protect with total devotion.
When the Moon finds love around the bend,
Only then will Earth approach her end.
As the smoke dissipated and Apollo's eyes returned to normal, everything stood frozen in shock and terror. Perseus felt a crushing sensation descend upon his shoulders, and he found it exceedingly difficult to breathe. The words of prophecy swirled within his mind, clouding his focus and dragging him deeper into despair. The language was presented in such a lavish, poetic form, but the hidden meaning promised nothing but pain.
Artemis was pale, in total shock over what had just been said. Uncertain sea blue eyes met her own confused silver ones as they turned to the other for comfort and support. Apollo suddenly swayed on the spot, dangerously close to collapse, causing Artemis to start. She darted out and caught him as he crumpled, laying him down on the couch. Unfocused blue eyes blinked up at her, and Apollo slurred, "Tell me what I said when I wake up." He was out like a light before Artemis could even nod.
The moon goddess frowned worriedly at her brother's state and the prophecy itself. There was a level of obscurity in the words that meant it could be taken in multiple ways. Even the Fates themselves encountered several crossroads. It seemed that it would eventually be up to the gods and demigods to choose their paths.
"What does he mean when he said, 'The Sky's slow wakening had begun this day'?" Artemis mused aloud, "Father Zeus has been awake this whole time."
Perseus inhaled quickly and said solemnly, "Just as I suspected. It's not Zeus to which the line refers. It refers to the Sky itself, my father, Ouranos."
Artemis grew even paler, asking, "Then the vengeance he will wreak must be on Gaea and Kronos, who overthrew him."
Perseus nodded in agreement and continued, "Yes, that makes sense since 'the gods' old enemies will rise to the challenge.' But here's where we encounter the first obscurity. They could be scavenging as in saving lives, or they could be scavenging to consume them."
"If the Titans and Gaea were to fight Ouranos, the world would be left in ruins for sure... But let's pull out the information we know for sure first," Artemis suggested. The God of Destruction hummed the affirmative as she moved on, "Next, the prophecy said to beware two human emotions. We can't really be sure who they are yet, though."
Perseus picked up where she left off, "We will find out eventually. The only problem is they both have the power to save or destroy the world. Then, the only clear-cut sentence is the most obscure of all. You (or Lady Selene, which I doubt) will someday fall in love, which will bring about the true end of the world."
The Goddess of Chastity snorted in irritation, "Who says I will fall in love? I have sworn off of it, remember?"
"One never knows when, where, and with whom they can find love," Perseus pointed out, feeling a slight twinge in his gut at the thought of Artemis in love. The feeling in the pit of his stomach was enough for him to pause, but he brushed it off as friendly protection. Gathering himself together, he finished describing the rest of his thoughts, "That's the most cryptic part of the whole thing. Just assume this won't take place for at least a couple hundred years."
"You're right," Artemis agreed grudgingly, "But now we need to worry about the matter at hand. You know the Greeks and Romans will forget your warning eventually."
Perseus nodded as he looked determinedly at her, "Which is why we must be ready for any violence that may occur."
April 12, 1861: American Civil War Era
The explosions of artillery shells disrupted the quiet atmosphere of Fort Sumter in the early morning of April 12. The first shots of a new war had been released, a war that would wrench the United States in two. Union forces within the fort surged up bravely to defend their stronghold, but their resistance was futile.
As the capture of Fort Sumter by the Confederates commenced within the mortal world, the classical demigods clashed in a conflict of their own. Greeks and Romans butted heads in their greatest feud since ancient times, a feud that would change the course of history. Nobody could escape the repercussions of this brewing storm, not demigods, mortals, or even the gods themselves.
That's a wrap on chapter 7! I can't say how much I appreciate all of you. It's you guys who really motivate me to continue to write, improve, and actually update. I hope the reviewers out there are content with just having questions answered either in PM or as part of the A/N as I prefer not to do individual responses in the A/N.
As a side note, according to the Percy Jackson Wiki, Harriet Tubman is a child of Hermes in the PJO universe. I changed it so she's a legacy because she actually has a confirmed father. I like Hermes and feel like he cares for his descendants too, not just his children. Also, I like the idea of Greek legacies, since New Rome has the only confirmed ones.
So, yeah... I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and please leave a review with any questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, etc. you might have! Thanks.