A/N Updated by popular demand, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed. Please tell me if this chapter is up to the same standard as the first, as your reviews keep me writing. Also, Jason may seem different in this chapter, keep in mind that this is Percy's POV, and how he acted while taking charge in THL and chapter 1. Also, Percy will be a bit different from the books. Sorry about that, but I'm not Rick Riordan, so my Percy is probably more towards what I would like him to be rather than what he actually is at that time. THERE WILL BE A THIRD CHAPTER, THE MORE YOU REVIEW THE FASTER I WILL UPDATE!
PERCY II
Percy hated Jason. It wasn't the 'I'm Greek and you're Roman' hate. It wasn't the 'you're the son of Zeus and I'm the son of Poseidon' hate either. It wasn't even the 'you're Hera's golden boy that got to spend the past eight months with my girlfriend while I slept and became a Roman amnesiac'. It was the fact that Jason thought he didn't understand the gravity of the situation in the initial meeting, that he needed to be reminded to be completely Roman. He probably would have made it work -Percy had a way with people- while still cutting his old friends a break, but Jason had to be the leader. He was right in the way he wanted to do things, but it wasn't the way Percy himself would have handled it. It irked him that Jason was the predetermined leader, and that everyone else on the quest that was a natural leader had to fall in line like good little soldiers. Percy was supposed to not only support that, but stop dissent by being the 'glue' that held everyone together. This whole teamwork thing was going to take some getting used to, and the final outcome would either make or break them, regardless of what roles they were 'supposed' to do.
Percy wasn't surprised when everyone looked at him like he had grown a third head when he asked Jason if he could drop the act, but he was surprised that he had to ask. From the moment their eyes first met, Jason had taken charge of the situation, so Percy figured it was high time he earned it. His musing about the son of Jupiter didn't stop the flow of time, however, and so he was blindsided by the slap Annabeth gave him. Looking at her, his heart almost broke seeing the distraught state she was in, she didn't even bother to factor in his old Curse of Achilles when she slapped him, which was a testament to how out of it she was. Suddenly finding himself at the center of attention, Percy figured that he ad to quickly appease the masses before they tore him apart. "Uh, hey guys, it's still me in here, just so you know..." He trailed off and turned to Annabeth, "Wise Girl, c'mon, you know me." She shook her head, but already there was a fire in her eyes that wasn't there before "Then why did you have to make your act so gods-forsaken perfect! Even in here, when all the contingents of Camp Jupiter had left, why did you have to continue like that! I thought I knew you, Seaweed-Brain, but I don't get this."
Percy straightened up to look at Jason, who was looking out over proceedings with what appeared to be amusement. He knew that look, it was the look of one that found the viable course of action that was the most entertaining, and proceeded to implement that plan because it was suddenly their gods-given right to do so. It was alright for him, Percy thought darkly, he was the one sponsored by Juno all his life. Juno was just like Hera in that aspect, forgetting to remain objective because her self-righteous morals proved beyond a doubt that some people were better than others, and as the Queen of Heaven it was her right to judge those worthy and curse all those that didn't fit the bill. Percy spoke, "Jason, dude, just remember that you don't know us all yet, and just because Juno chose you to play leader doesn't mean that we're all suddenly your puppets." Jason smirked as he responded "Percy, you're the only person I don't know. Leo and Piper are good people, they came with me on our quest, and I would trust them with with my life. Hazel here was becoming a good friend of mine, and if she chose Frank to be her boyfriend, then I trust her judgment. All I know of you are the rumours that I've heard, and we both know that those are hardly reliable. I've seen Annabeth deteriorate in both mind and body looking for you, she hasn't gotten any better. I've seen you here, and I'm grateful for all you've done for Camp Jupiter, but this isn't a one-man army. This isn't even a three man team, this is seven, and the leader needs to be the one who can organise legions to their most effective. I was Praetor of New Rome after growing up Roman all my life, who better than me? Lady Juno chose me, so why don't you get with the program so we can start planning our trip to Old Rome?"
Percy wasn't a patient person. Powerful, yes, but not patient. Jason rubbed him the wrong way, and despite the fact that it was done purely because that was how he habitually handled things, Percy needed to show Jason why he couldn't just play toy soldiers with their lives. Running his hand through his hair and looking around the room in frustration, he took note of the others' reactions. Frank looked nervous at the aura of power coming from the two, but he looked equally likely to just turn into an elephant and pin them down while they sorted out their issues. Hazel looked distinctly uncomfortable, but she looked like she would side with Percy if he needed the help. Frank would too, but this was a tactics game to him, and he needed a way to diffuse the tension with minimal bloodshed. Piper looked worried, like this was simply how Jason got sometimes and she couldn't do anything about it. Leo's face kept flickering between indignant anger, shame, and annoyance which made Percy think that Leo had seen this before, it rubbed him the wrong way too, but his higher dose of ADHD made him start something he would have regretted of it had been allowed to finish. Annabeth just studied them, she would come to a conclusion, which Percy was glad about. Even at his own peril, it was good to see Annabeth do something so normal, but Percy didn't have much time for thought as he stared down Jason.
Frank was the one to interrupt, which was good, as the tension was continuing to mount. Percy was grateful for the interruption, and also eager to see what Frank would come up with. Frank's prowess with battle tactics had grown ever since Mars had claimed him, however much he denied it. "Alright, um we need to sort this out, because we can't have our two most powerful members at blows, so we need a contest to get rid of the excess aggression. Roman combat, one on one, in front of the Legion and the Greeks. We'll make it an exhibition, with no holds barred, and each of you will have a gladius." Percy was surprised at the details of the suggestion, but inwardly smiled, as only Frank could have come up with something this simple and unbiased. Any suggestions from him or Jason would have been tantamount to declaring war on each other, and Percy watched the shocked look on Jason's face with smug satisfaction.
Percy was thinking as he prepared himself for the fight with Jason. Frank had taken the idea to Reyna, and she had agreed to host the event in the miniature Colosseum of New Rome. In keeping with the ancient traditions of Rome, the 12th Legion had built one in each of the countries the gods had settled in when building each New Rome. Usually it was used as a training ground on a day-to-day basis, as security meant that they could not follow the tradition of stealing people for slaves and rebuilding the Roman Empire on their backs. Because it was scaled down, the Colosseum looked full with the 200 Legionnaires, the Contingent of Amazons, Artemis' Hunters and the Greek Demigods that came with the Argo II. Percy reflected on his training with Lupa as he fitted and adjusted his armour. She didn't teach Romans things like how to wield a sword, or how march in time, or any of the official training received at Camp Jupiter. She taught them instead how to live on your instincts alone and to have the heart of a true Roman. During the months that Percy spent with her, it was apparent that he was suited to the lifestyle, and mostly needed the time for discipline. Since regaining his memories, it was an interesting contrast of how Greek and Roman soldiers were trained to think. Greeks were all about the skills, so you were supposed to learn to wield the sword, become one with the sword, and put the sword down at the end of the day. It was a good balance of humanity vs killer, and the strongest Greek heroes such as Heracles and Achilles were renown for their fighting prowess, but also for their individualism. Greek soldiers took care of themselves, and fought well together only when the situation applied for it. Romans weren't about the individual soldier. It was all about the Legion. When you joined, you lived, fought, killed, and died for the Legion until you were discharged. The fighting style mainly focused on honing specific instincts, so everyone moved in perfect sync. Because of this, Roman heroes were fewer and of less acclaim than Greek heroes, but were usually the generals that led the Legions and Empire to greatness, such as Julius Caesar. The differences between the cultures showed in their fighting styles, as Greeks were opportunists that improvised a lot whereas Romans were purely logical in their approach.
Percy tested the weight and balance of the gladius in his hand, which was Imperial Gold despite the fact that he and Jason were only fighting until one of them yielded. Even though it was unfamiliar, it didn't feel like the balance was wrong as all the other Greek swords felt before he was given Anaklusmos. Giving it a few practice swings, he could feel his Roman instincts hum in harmony, and all of the techniques he had seen various Romans execute became obvious to him, as well as a few that he hadn't seen. Holding it while in gladiator-style armour gave him a sense of the power the Roman Empire once must have held, and he attuned himself to it. He knew that in pure Roman fighting that Jason was better than him, but his instincts were strong and his reflexes were fast; he could probably take on most Romans here one on one. Percy was planning on gauging Jason's skill with a sword while attuning himself to the Roman style as he was with the Greek, before doing what he did best and making things interesting. As the sky was open to Jason, Reyna had declared advantage and flooded the outer ring of the stadium, where water was supplied from in the old ship battles in Old Rome. Percy felt the water flowing, the time was near. Praying that Jason hadn't learnt the Greek style, Percy walked out into the arena.
The roar of the crowd was deafening as Percy walked out into the Colosseum. He looked around to see the faces that recognised him in the crowd, and sent a smile to Tyson who had stayed since the battle with Polybotes. His eyes found the Praetors' seats in the crowd, and saw Reyna standing, obviously announcing the event to the crowd. He watched with a smirk as Octavian slunk up to her, only to be met by her drawn sword. Turning his eyes back to his opponent, he saw Jason walk up fully at the ready, his body language not underestimating him, but still with a cocky smile on his face. Percy, watching him, had an epiphany of how Jason was set up. Hera had a plan for the prophesy while Olympus was closed, and Jason was her champion. Jason was the one chosen by Hera to lead this quest. Jason was the son of Jupiter, who was a more powerful Zeus in his eyes, while Percy was the son of Poseidon, and Romans feared only Neptune, who had to be stronger than Poseidon ever was, and Neptune was still less than Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Jason, who was recovering his memory at the time, had to have heard rumours and tales of how Percy fought, but as the memories of Camp Jupiter began to become clear again, it would become painfully obvious how much more militaristic Rome is to Greece, and he would have disregarded those tales as exaggerations because Greeks were much better at writing legends than recognising a good warrior. Now, Jason was on his home turf, and in front of the people he grew up with. Only this son of a Sea God stood in his way of saving the world and bringing glory to Juno and Rome. He was meant to lead the charge on Gaea herself, who did this upstart demigod think he was?
Percy almost felt sorry for Jason, but was heavily reminded of the Roman traits he didn't like, mainly the pursuit of power and glory in the name of Rome, and being a ruthless bastard while doing it. Camp Jupiter praised him for his strength, but saw his kindness as a novelty, something to be curious about, but certainly not expect from true Romans, and his fighting proved that Percy wasn't very Roman, so he had to finish imprinting the message. As Reyna gave the signal to fight, Jason started on the psychological warfare. "So, Percy, are you Roman enough to wield a gladius? It's not the sword you used to kill Saturn, not that he could have put up much of a fight once I had defeated Krios and toppled his Black Throne!" Percy continued to circle, Jason too busy speaking to actually start fighting, "I'm the greatest warrior the Legion has seen in centuries! I've already beaten the famous Lityerses, Reaper of Men, do you really think you stand a chance!" With a battle cry Jason leapt towards Percy. Percy was on his toes trying to keep away from Jason's stabs, he really was good with a blade. Percy held back, not countering yet as this blade was so much lighter than Riptide, and the last thing he wanted to do was overextend and find himself at Jason's mercy. Hearing the crowd turn ugly at the lack of real action, Percy sidestepped an upward thrust and countered with his own. Jason was forced to backpedal as they began a true Roman fight. The part of his brain that was disengaged from the fighting noticed that Jason's style was powerful, but jerky as he struck like lightning, or an annoying wasp. On the other hand, Percy's reactions had always been fluid, and he quickly grew to be in control of the swordplay. Jason was becoming desperate, Percy noticed, as of he saw Percy mastering his weapon more and more as the fight progressed. Percy began to swat away Jason's thrusts with the flat of his blade, turning into the following riposte, getting in close enough to start swiping with the sword in a more Greek manner. As they clashed and fell back, Jason started to increase the strength of his strikes, generating sparks whenever their swords met. His power was as great as a Titan's, but Percy had just come from a mostly solo fight with the Giant meant to kill his father, so his strength held out. As nothing was changing, Percy tested the versatility of the blade and turned it blade back in his hand. He had to increase his grip and adjust his center of balance after the first strike as it nearly lost him his blade, the flashy technique not working so well in parctice. Percy decided to kick it up one more notch, even as he heard Annabeth's future lecture on unreliable flashy tactics in the middle of a serious fight.
Disengaging from the last clash, Percy leapt back an extra foot as he brought his blade forward like the ninjas he used to watch on TV when he was young. Dashing forward, he pulled lightly at the pit of his stomach as their blades met, making a slight tremor in the ground. Everyone paused in shock as they disengaged. Silence echoed throughout the stadium until Frank stood up and yelled "And you say Neptune's gift to me is unfair!" Jason, now uncertain, flew up into the air as he called "How did you do that!" Percy smirked and called the water on the edges of the stadium to him as he announced "My father is Earthshaker!" He called the water to make a miniature hurricane under his feet as he rose to Jason's level, "And Stormbringer!" He charged Jason in middair.
Percy was in his zone now, that fighting state he pushed himself to when battling Titans and Giants. He absorbed excess water from his hurricane to augment his strength, and he flew at Jason, while mentally promising the gods he would apologise to Zeus for being in his territory after the fight. Jason skidded through the air after blocking the first strike, and called lightning to him in desperation. He hurled the bolts at Percy, who casually deflected them into his storm, which was gathering thunderclouds. Jason was terrified as Percy continued to approach, and commanded the winds in a last-ditch effort to stop the storm that was growing to surround Percy as a weapon. Percy charged him one last time and held him close with the storm. The gladius was torn from Jason's hand and flung to the ground beneath them. Percy tried a new trick as he made fists out of the swirling storm and beating Jason with them. The lightning didn't effect him, but the buffeting winds and torrential water tore through his clothes and scratched him up a bit. Bringing his gladius to Jason's throat, Percy said "Yield." Shivering and bloody, Jason submitted. Knocking him out with the hilt of his sword, Percy let Jason drop to the ground hard before regaining consciousness. Lowering himself and sending a silent apology to the Lord of the Sky, Percy gratefully floated back to the earth before dissipating his storm. The audience was stunned at the display as Reyna gave Percy the victory signal. Percy turned to walk away, bone tired but not letting anyone see. Jason stirred "How did you get your father to help you?" Percy turned back one last time, "I didn't, that was all me."
The seven sat in the infirmary by Jason's bed, where he sat nibbling on ambrosia. Percy was lying down on a spare bed, his eyes closed as he rested, but not slept. Everyone looked tired from the stress caused by Percy and Jason, but everyone seemed in a better mood. No-one seemed willing to break the silence until Percy spoke. "Sorry for the delay on the planning guys, heh, I hope no-one but Sparky got hurt at the exhibition." Annabeth rolled her eyes and Jason scowled. Jason went to ask something but was interrupted by Percy, who seemed to sense where the conversation was going. "Sorry for doing that to you Jason, but I guess we needed to get that out. I wasn't lying when I said that was all me, in quests at Camp Half-Blood, we'd get separated all the time, it only took a few years before I caught on to the fact that everyone had to take care of their own training, so we could rely on each other. My growth seemed to speed up during the Titan war, and I learnt a few things on our last quest. I won't be the weak link, Jason, so factor that in when you're leading us." Everyone's heads jerked to look at Percy. "What, did you think I would take that away from you? Just do a good job so I won't have to step in and do it for you."
