Neptune Sucks

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO

3rd Pov

Percy saw Frank visibly pale from the glare. "I'd remind you Frank Zhang" Reyna said, "you are on probatio yourself. You have caused the legion enough problems this week already"

Frank's cheeks turned red as he fiddled with a little tablet on a chord around his neck. Percy hadn't paid much attention to it, but it looked like a name tag made of lead..

"I want you to go to the armoury," Reyna said. "Check our inventory. I will call you if I need your assistance"

"But-"Frank caught himself. "Yes, Praetor"

He hurried off

Reyna waved Hazel and Percy towards the headquarters. "Now Percy Jackson, let's see if we can improve your memory"

T he principia was even more impressive inside. On the ceiling glittered a mosaic of Romulus and Remus under their adoptive mama she-wolf (Lupa had told Percy the story a million times). The floor was polished marble. The walls were draped in velvet, so Percy felt like he was in the worlds most expensive camping tent. Along the back wall stood a display of banners and wooden poles studded with bronze medals…military symbols, Percy guessed. In the centre was one empty display stand, as if the main banner had been taken down for cleaning or something. In the back corner, a stairwell led down. It was blocked by a row of iron bars like a prison door. Percy wondered what was down there…monsters? Treasure? Amnesiac Half-Bloods who had gotten on Reyna's bad side?

Percy saw Reyna walking up to a long wooden table that was cluttered with scrolls, tablets, daggers and a bowl filled with jelly beans, which made Percy want to chuckle out loud. Reyna may be the Praetor, but she was still just a child. On either side of the hard oak table were two life size statues of grey hounds, one was silver and the other was gold. Reyna went and sat on one of the high backed chairs in the room. Percy wished he could sit on the other, but seeing that Hazel remained standing he felt he would rather allow her to get the other chair.

"So…" He started to say before the dog statues bared their teeth and growled. Percy's eyes flashed bright blue in outrage causing the whole room to quickly become saturated with the scent of the sea. Percy's body began to tremble in a fit of rage.

Percy was about to attack the two filthy tin cans, but he was interrupted by Hazel placing a hand on his shoulder and calmed down. "Easy, guys" Reyna said clearly noticing the fight that was brewing and based on how strong the scent of the sea was, she knew full well that her dogs would be destroyed.

The two dogs stopped growling, but they kept eyeing Percy as though they were imaging him as a nice doggy bag.

"They won't attack," Reyna said "unless you try to steal something or unless I tell them to. They are called Argentum and Aurum"

"Silver and Gold. Is that supposed to be threat little Praetor?" Percy asked glaring at the two dogs. "because if it is, well I will destroy them"

Reyna glared expecting him to flinch, but he simply stood there with emotionless eyes. Reyna bristled her teeth in indignation, but relented that Percy was beyond her ability to intimidate which worried her. She set her dagger on the wooden table. Percy looked at Reyna and noticed how beautiful she was with her glossy black hair and dark brown, almost volcanic eyes that reminded Percy of someone called. "Zoë Nightshade" he blurted out. Both Reyna and Hazel looked at him in surprise, but he did not see their surprised looks or their questioning eyes. His thoughts wonder to Mount Tam and he could see a girl who could easily be mistaken for a Persian Royal dying in the arms of an Auburn haired Twelve year old girl, but Percy knew that she was Artemis goddess of the Moon, the wilderness and the Hunt. At the thought of seeing Zoë die was filling Percy with sadness. Tears that glittered liked liquid diamonds spilled from the corner Percy's eyes. "Sorry"

"It's fine, tell us your story, what do you remember? How did you get here? And why do you shed your tears?" she asked looked startled

Percy told his story of how he had woken up in the ruined mansion in the woods of Sonoma. He described his time with Lupa and her pack where they trained him in their ways before She sent south when she figured that he was strong enough. Reyna seemed to find this pretty ordinary, except one thing.

"No memory at all?" she asked. "You honestly remember nothing before than?"

"I remember watching the best friend of goddess die in her arms and you reminded me of her, you have the same black hair and volcanic eyes, but she was more regal in appearance than you like she was Persian Princess, but either than that I remember nothing" Percy glance at the two greyhounds that were still glaring at him. He didn't mention Annabeth as she felt too personal and he was still confused about where to find her. He was sure they'd met at a camp, but this place didn't feel right.

"Most of what you described is rather ordinary for us, but I would like to know how did you find Camp Jupiter if you lost your memory"

Percy told her everything he knows. He told her about the gorgon and how he came across Juno and finally meeting Frank and Hazel at the tunnel. Hazel took over from where Percy stopped. She described Percy as brave and heroic, which made him feel uncomfortable. All he had done was carry the lazy goddess lady

Reyna studied him. "You're old for a recruit. You are what sixteen?"

"Yes and No" Percy said without really thinking. Reyna raised an eyebrow gesturing him to continue "I feel sixteen, but at the same time I feel old, really old and I mean an ancient kind of old, But with age how I feel is not really important, so I am sixteen"

"Well if you have spent many years on your own, you would be dead, without training or no help. A son of Neptune? You'd have a powerful aura that would attract monsters to you"

"Yeah" Percy said. "I have been told I smell like freshly baked scones with butter"

Reyna felt the urge to crack a smile. Percy saw the smile creeping on Reyna's face and it gave him hope that she was human, even though Percy knew he himself was not.

"You clearly have been trained before you were in the wolf house, but seeing at my wolves haven't attacked, you must be telling the truth" she said.

Reyna stood from her chair and began pacing around the room before her eyes landed on Percy. "Even if I accept that you are not an enemy" she said, "you're not a typical recruit. The Queen of Olympus simply doesn't appear at camp announcing demigods. The last time a major god visited us in person like that…" she shook head at the thought "I've only heard legends about such things and a son of Neptune…that's not a good omen. Especially now."

"Hey, what's wrong with my dad?" Percy asked using the word dad casually to the surprise of both Reyna and Hazel again much to his annoyance. "and what do you mean especially now?"

Hazel shot him a warning looked, but he shrugged it off.

Reyna stopped her pacing. "You have fought Medusa's sister, who haven't be seen in thousands of years. You have agitated the Lares, who call you Graecus Primordialis, you wear strange symbols and that shirt, the beads on you neck. What do they mean? Especially Primordialis"

Percy honestly had no answer to most of what Reyna asked him except for Primordialis which he knew meant Protogenos. "I only know that Primordialis means Protogenos, but I don't know what that is" he said.

The two greyhounds bowed their heads in what could be said to be fear. They backed themselves against the wall of the room and whined pathetically. Reyna's eyes twitched as she did know what that meant. "Let me see you weapon" Reyna said

Percy checked his pocket and took out a pen and uncapped it. Anaklusmos sprang out in all her glory. The blade radiated a god like aura of power. Hazel gasped and Reyna looked confused. They greyhound continued to whine meekly in their corner.

"What is that?" Hazel asked in awe at the waves of power the sword was giving off. "I've never seen a sword like that"

"I have," Reyna said darkly "It's old, very old and a…Greek design. We used to have a few in the armoury before…"She stopped herself "the metal is celestial bronze, it's deadlier to monsters, like imperial gold, but even rarer"

"Imperial gold? Like gold blessed by Jove during Roman times?" Percy asked. Reyna just nodded and unsheathed her dagger.

Percy stopped really paying attention after Reyna showed him the tattoo with the words SPQR. He only started paying careful attention again when he saw Reyna's grimace at the mention of this Jason guy's name. "We are going to have election on the evening of June 24 at the feast of Fortuna. That's in five days" Reyna said

Percy frowned. "You have a feast for tuna?"

"Fortuna," Hazel corrected. "She's the goddess of luck. What happens on her feast day can affect the entire year. She may grant good…or really bad luck"

Reyna and Hazel both glanced at the empty display stand, as if thinking about what was missing.

A chill went down Percy's spine. "The feast of Fortuna…The Gorgons mentioned that and so did Juno. They said the camp was going to be attacked on that day, something about a big bad goddess named Gaea, and an army, and death being unleashed. You're telling me it's this week?"

Reyna's grip on her dagger tightened. "You will say nothing about that outside this room," She ordered. "I will not have you spread more panic in the camp"

Percy simply shrugged. "I don't actually care if you don't want to warn your people about an attack, would you rather have them be caught by surprise or would it be better to prepare them? Either way, I don't really care" Percy said without conviction. Reyna looked about to attack Percy before she remembered that her greyhounds seemed to fear him and that made her knees weak while also sending a chill down her spine. "Look, I don't want people to get hurt"

"We've talked enough for now," Reyna said. "Hazel, take him to Temple Hill. Find Octavian. On the way you can answer Percy's questions. Tell him about the legion"

"Yes, Reyna" said Hazel

Percy's form flickered rapidly for a second before it settled on a singular form. His features looked the same, but they held an air of seriousness. Hazel and Reyna saw the change, but dismissed it. The two dog inched closer with their tails waging from side to side.

"Good luck with the augury, Percy Jackson," she said "If Octavian lets you live, perhaps we can compare notes…about your past."

On the way out of camp Hazel bought Percy an espresso and a cherry muffin from Bombilo. Hazel also went on to explain the general structure of Camp Jove, how they were arranged into Cohort instead of cabins. He was told that each Cohort has ten barracks. Hazel also told him that the camp was full of Demigods as well as their children or grandchildren. There thing Percy was most interested in was the bath house. Percy could barely contain his anticipation when he was told that he would take a Roman bath before dinner.

"So, these Legos-"he started

"Legacies" Hazel corrected.

"They have powers like a demigod?" Percy asked.

"Sometimes, sometimes not, but they are trained. All the best Roman generals and emperors…you know, they all claimed to be descended from the gods. Most of the time, they were telling the truth. The camp augur we're going to meet, Octavian, he's a Legacy, descendent of Apollo. He's go the gift of prophecy, supposedly."

"Supposedly?" Percy asked

Hazel made a sour face. "You'll see"

Percy and Hazel continued walking toward the Augur and they even met an annoying Lare that Percy wanted to vaporise of the spot. When they entered the city they nearly collided with Hannibal the elephant and they met pathetic looking faun named Don. After the two encounters they walked in uneasy silence the rest of the way to temple hill. A crooked stone path led to a crazy assortment of tiny altars and massive domed vaults. Statues of the gods seemed to follow Percy with their eyes. Hazel pointed out the temple of Bellona "Goddess of war" she said

"That's Reyna's mom" Then they passed a massive red crypt decorated with human skulls and iron spikes.

Percy scrunched his nose in sheer disgust. "Please tell me we're not going in there" he said in distain.

Hazel shook her head. "That's the temple of Mars Ultor"

"Mars…Ares, the god of war? Figures" Percy said bluntly.

"That's his Greek name," Hazel said. "But, yeah, it's the same guy. Ultor means 'the Avenger' He's the second most important god of Rome."

Percy was not thrilled looking at the hideous red building made him furious.

Percy pointed to the summit. Clouds swirled over the largest temple, a round pavilion with a ring of white columns supporting a domed roof. "I'm guessing that's Zeus'-um, I mean Jove's? That's where we are heading?"

"Yeah" Hazel sounded on edge. "Octavian reads auguries there…the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus."

"Jupiter…the best and the greatest?" Percy asked

"What's Neptune's Title?" Percy asked "The coolest and most awesome?"

"Um, not quite." Hazel gestured to a small blue building the size of a tool shed. Cobwebs covered trident was nailed above the door.

Percy's eyes and nostrils flared in outrage. The skies darkened quickly, and every few seconds lightening strikes could be seen and each more powerful than the last. The claps of thunder were so furious that Hazel stood frozen in fear. Percy out the corner of his eyes saw the terrified face of Hazel and took a deep breath calming himself down, but he had on intention of storming the rain that was going to fall anytime soon. The dangerous thunder became a mere rumbles in the back ground.

Chapter 3 done. Hope you don't hate it, I know it's not good.

Addio