The astonished heads in the room swiveled towards the back where a dark figure clad in a cloak emerged from the shadows. The mysterious figure treaded through the center aisle of tables. The shadow walked at an erie pace that caused not even a sound from his very footsteps. This stranger's arrival resulted in Jason slowly sitting back down in his chair. Murmurs were heard throughout the hall. As he walked by the various camper the temperature dropped creating a chill that crawled up and down their spines.
They were whispers of the name, "Thanatos."
Realizing he was neglecting his role, Chiron urgently trotted to Thanatos's side in the center aisle and declaimed, "Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you the God of Death; Lord Thanatos."
People got out of their seats to kneel but Thanatos stopped them with the wave of his hand and gestured them to remain as they were.
"Like I was saying," said Thanatos clearing his throat, "why would you want to just fight like the heroes of your ancestors when you could fight with them instead."
As if it was rehearsed, Chiron exclaimed, "Isn't that impossible My Lord?"
"Before it was very trick," Thanatos answered promptly. "However, things have changed. I am aware that you have been made aware that Gaea has captured my door's and is using them at her disposal bringing anyone she deems worthy back to life. She has changed the rules of the game." He paused for dramatic affect. "By doing so she has forced our hand. We, the gods, have reached a decision that some could say is a last resort type of thin or an abomination. However you may sit though the decision that was made will definitely give Gaea a run for her money."
"And what would make this decision so great that the gods could deem it a masterful plan My Lord?" Chiron asked in a scripted tone.
Thalia shot up out of seat in a petulant manner,"Enough with the theatrics Thanatos! Just tell us why you're here."
"Why do young ones always have to rush these things?" Thanatos complained.
"Lord Thanatos I know you are a God but I do not see the logic in wasting time any further. If the news that you have with you is so urgent, wouldn't it be wise to tell us immediately," Lupa contributed.
"That makes sense," Chiron agreed breaking away from the script.
"Same," Jason, Percy, Reyna, and pretty much everyone else agreed.
"Fine, be like this," Thanatos shouted and took his turn being the impatient one.
In a childish manner Thanatos began to speak quickly, "The great decision that was made by the Gods is to allow Gaea to have a taste of her own medicine. We're going to fight fire with fire. She can bring back as many treacherous souls as she wants but if she is going to do so then she's going to have to do battle with the souls we choose that come back to life. We chose the original monster killers, the greatest heroes that Greece and Rome has ever known, and they have a bone to pick with her."
Everyone in the room had a hunch that Thanatos was going to say something similar to what he said, it was obvious from his hinting tone, but now that the words came out of his mouth they sounded false. Was what he was implying true or was it some trick for the heroes to pledge their undying allegiance to the gods further.
"The Gods have selected History's finest and have brought them back to this time so they can aid you on your quest or stopping Gaea. They will be joining you on the Argo II as you fly to Rome to shut my gods damned doors."
Still looks of disbelief and skepticism.
"You still don't believe me?" Thanatos asked not surprised. "Reveal yourselves," Thanatos said but not to his current audience but to hidden figures behind him.
From the shadows emerged about forty men all heavily armored, well muscled, and disciplined expressions. Some were more armed than others, some stood taller, and some looked older, but each figure commanded an appearance of respect and knowledge in their craft.
"I give you Olympus's Finest!" Thanatos proclaimed in a grand accent. "Chiron these were once the heroes that you trained so it's only right of you to introduce them. Take it away!"
Chiron cleared his throat like he had been practicing this all day and transformed into what the Camp Half-Blood members recognized as his Shakespearean form. He only transformed himself into this person when he posed as school teach while recruiting new demigods, rallying warriors for battle, reciting an epic proem, or delivering a monumental speech.
Chiron waited for silence before he began speaking.
"Let us begin by allowing me to introduce you to the greek champion and hero of the Trojan War. You might know him from his famous curse of invincibility like that of our friend Percy Jackson, but he too has managed to rid himself of it by walking through the Little Tiber. This may be one of the greatest spearman and warriors you'll have the pleasure to witness on the battlefield. He lead the Greeks to victory against the Trojans with his well-planned tactics, his mastery over his weapons, and pure determination. I give to you the son of Peleus, ACHILLES!"
Achilles was dressed in his full traditional bronze Greek armor, his dark, shaved hair was concealed inside his war helmet, he was tall, muscular, looked about thirty, and had a scarred face that of the war god Ares. There was a sword at his belt, a shield on his left arm, and his large spear that only he was skilled enough to wield in his right hand. The legend went that his weapons and armor were forged in the fires of Mount Olympus by Hephaestus himself.
At first the audience couldn't decide wether or not what they were hearing and seeing was the truth and not some phony hoax. However their hesitation faded and they appeased to Thanatos and gave Achilles a thunderous round of applause. Achilles just merely nodded his head politely while he twirled his spear expertly.
Chiron continued down the list. "Now that brings us to one of the very first killer of monsters. He is the slayer of the Chimaera, the conquerer of the Amazons, and the master of the first Pegasus. He is as deadly with his spear as with his bow but combined in combat with his intelligence he is not one you would wan't to tangle with. I give you the son of King Glaucus, BELLEROPHON!"
The twenty year old Bellerophon sat upon a pure white Pegasus, in fact the original one. The young man had a head of curly black hair and small goatee on his chin. His bow and quiver were slung over his shoulder and his spear laid across his lap. Everyone knew the story of how Bellerophon used a lead tipped spear to poison the Chimaera. The greek and roman heroes inspected charcoal black spear tip and gulped in fear as steam simmered off of it.
The crowd gave him a respectable applause. Pegasus neighed proudly as he stood on his hind legs while Bellerophon beat his chest. The onlookers looked on in wonderment of the majestic pair. Many aspiring warriors studied the physique of the hero however many of the looks from the daughters of Aphrodite and Hazel Levesque were instead diverted toward Pegasus. The Amazons were the only unimpressed ones.
After the applause faded Chiron proceeded, "This hero you may all know him for his famous Hollywood pictures. He is the one who sailed across the Sea of Monsters to retrieve the famed Golden Fleece by cutting his way through waves the ocean and monsters alike, he overcame perilous tasks, defeated the skeleton warriors of the dragon teeth, solved the most puzzling puzzles, and slew the dragon that guarded the Fleece. I give to you the namesake of Jason Grace, the leader of the Argonauts, the son of Aeson and grandson of Peleus, JASON."
Jason stood before them seemed like any other Greek warrior except he had an aura superiority. He had cropped brown hair and neatly tripped bird. On his right shoulder he wore a golden shoulder plate which appeared to share similar properties to the Golden Fleece. He had a regular xiphos strapped to his side and his shield rested against his shins. He was one of the older heroes and looked almost forty. His response to the applause was just a pound on his chest and a wave to the crowd.
Chiron carried on, "This next hero is another one who sailed across the treacherous Sea of Monsters. A returning hero from the Trojan War on quest to return to his family. He overcame dozens of islands full of traps, evil sorcerers, and deadly monster. He sailed on that ocean for ten years conquering monsters and claiming lives, and ruling islands as he went. He is the master of the bow, some say the proudest and wisest of heroes, and some may know him as 'Nobody,' the King of Ithaca, son of Laertes, ODYSSEUS!"
He was dressed plainly in a tunic, a cloak wrapped around his shoulders, and Greek helmet. He was more older looking than Jason with long dirty-blonde hair, sun beaten skin, and majestic beard that was able to command a respect. What made him impressive though was the humungous long bow that he leaned upon. Odysseus was only a couple feet shorter than Bellerophon who was sitting upon Pegasus. The bow was as tall as him and the arrows were only half that. A man would require immense strength to even draw the bow string back a quarter way. The Hunters, Frank Zhang, and the children viewed Odysseus with a new light at the sight of his awe inspiring bow and hoped to see his archery in action one day.
Odysseus replied to his introduction with a waving gesture to the audience which suggested to say, "Make some noise," and the crowd did. The cheering went on till Chiron politely raised his hand for silence.
"This next hero has an impressive track record. His description goes beyond the saying, "Armed and dangerous." He is the slayer of the Gorgon Medusa, the husband of Andromeda, the King of Mycenae, the namesake of Percy Jackson, and the son of Zeus, PERSEUS!"
A replica of Hades's Helm of Darkness sat atop the twenty-five year old's head and managed to contain his flowing yellow hair and concealed his sky blue eyes. The helm retained the invisibility capabilities like Annabeth's baseball cap but did not share the control of darkness like Hades's Helm. It only turned the wearer invisible for short periods of time but it was equally as useful. Perseus wore standard Greek armor that gleamed in the reflection of the fire light, in his right hand he held a pale green sword made of adamantine which could cut through almost anything, strapped to his left arm was a shining silver shied that reflected like the clearest ocean, on his feet he wore winged Hermes boots, and strapped to his belt was a black sack in the shape of a head. The audience concluded that it contained none other than the Gorgon Medusa's head.
The crowd didn't need an invitation this time like they did for Odysseus. They went ballistic as Perseus showed off his sword swinging capabilities as he hovered in the air, disappearing and then reappearing with the aid of his Helm, and flailing his head shaped sack.
Chiron jumped to the next hero, "Now let us the youngest but the most intellectual one. The only one who was ever smart enough to admit he needed help. He is the killer of Periphetes, the one to dismember Procustes, the ripper of Sinis, the washer of Sciron, and the first to solve King Minos's maze, the killer of the Minotaur, and the defeater of King Minos. He is the founder-king of Athens, and the son of Aegeus, THESEUS!"
He didn't get as warm of welcome as the heroes that came before him but he still earned a reputable applause. The reason that Theseus was so out place from the other heroes was because compared to the others he was the youngest. He looked about the age of seventeen or eighteen, he had tanned olive skin, a beautiful head of dark hair, and piercing green eyes. The way he stood nonchalantly and the manner in which he brandished his plain sword and cudgel maid him popular with the females. However it didn't take an expert to see through the transparency of his act. Behind the lazy demeanor he carried his face revealed all as his eyes with sadness. Percy noticed Theseus shared the same expression as all the other heroes. The old heroes tried but failed in the act of concealing their blatant despair.
Chiron continued, "So far we have met heroes that are best know for their individual deeds, choices, and actions….But now let us take a look at a man who works better as a unit. Some wouldn't really call this man hero but he is best represented as loyal soldier and one of the greatest generals in history. He is a direct descendant from Hercules himself. I give you the King of the Spartans accompanied by thirty of his finest Spartan warriors, LEONIDAS I!"
Leonidas and his Spartans were armored in their standard issued Spartan armor. On theirs waists they had their famed spartan short swords, they all had their famous shields that weren't only good for defense but offense, and finally their massive spears. Each one had more muscles than a clam bake. King Leonidas stood apart from his fellow Spartans by wearing a red cape and a special plumed helmet.
"SPARTANS!" Leonidas roared as bring them to attention.
In response to his call the thirty spartans began pounding on their shields with their spears while chanting, "AHOO! AHOO!" The children of Ares and Mars followed suit and started pounding on their shields and started chanting as well. The building exploded with the booming thunder of percussions.
Chiron held his hands up for silence again and patiently waited for the noise to die down.
"Finally we come to the our final hero. He is last but not least. The most famous and most legendary hero in all of Greek and Roman history...no, not just Greece and Rome, but of all time!" Everyone knew the hero of whom Chiron was speaking of. The hairs on their backs and arms began to rise and the chills started to flow through their blood veins causing them to shiver in anticipation.
"He is the one who completed the Twelve Labors of the God's, he single handedly defeated the Nemean lion, the slayer of the Hydra, the one who wrestled Cerberus to the ground with his bear hands, the capturer of the Ceryneian Hind, the trapper of the Eymanthian Boar, the cleaner of the Augean Stables, the bane of the Stymphalian Birds, the conquerer of the Creten Bull, and the master of the Mares of Diomedes. He is the fetcher of Hippolyte's Girdle, the Cattle of Geryon, and the golden apple of Hesperides which was protected by the dragon Ladon. I present the son of Zeus, the one and only, the man, the myth, the legend, HERCULES!"
The whole place erupted in noise. Every single living creature made some sort of sound with their body in some way. The spartans pounded their shields along with the other campers who had brought theirs and if a shield could not be found a table top was pounded equally. The pegasi, horses, and unicorns neighed, the satyr/faun bleated, and the wolves howled. Even Achilles, Bellerophon, Jason, Odysseus, Perseus, and Theseus led a chant: "Hercules, Hercules, Hercules!"The only ones who were unmasked were Percy Jackson and the Hunters of Artemis who refused to clap for their personal beliefs and inferences.
Hercules stepped forward out of the shadows for the first time. He was dressed in golden armor that took the shape of a lion appendages. The helmet he wore took the form of a majestic lion's head which was connected to a beautiful Nemean Lion cape that draped his whole body. Contrasted his armor his simple club that he wielded seemed out of place but the pure size of the weapon seemed to compliment the rest of his appearance. Hercules was the perfect specimen. He was the tallest of all the heroes standing at seven feet tall, golden and oiled skin that stretched over his muscles, a pure white smile, a handsome face, and a neatly shaven head of almond hair. Percy Jackson hated him instantly. Percy's hatred either came from the knowledge of the hero's past or the fact that Hercules, all the other Heroes of Old for that matter, were a facade that was all too obvious.
Hercules responded to his fans, the people cheering for him, and praising him by raising his hands in a modest gesture which said, "I don't deserve this. You guys are the real heroes." Then he pointed towards the line of heroes that clapped for him and he clapped for them in return. They repaid him by giving smart salutes. Percy Jackson felt his eyes roll back into his skull due to utter disgust. He and the Heroes of Old knew this was just show, an act, but they had to make it look good in order to have Thanatos believe they were upholding their end of the bargain.
There was a one last final applause for the Heroes of Old as a collective and eventually the noised died but slowly.
Thanatos was about to say some words, a possible speech maybe, but Annabeth Chase upstaged him, and took the reins:
"Hi I'm Annabeth Chase," she paused for a moment to clear hear throat and let out the nerves, "I know that a lot of you don't know me and I don't command a lot of respect here but just hear me out. Eight months ago it seemed that the odds were against us. My camp was informed that Gaea was rising again and she was summoning her sons out of slumber. We were told we would have to fight an army of immortal giants who could only be killed if the Gods and Heroes were working together. Then we were told that monsters couldn't die anymore because the God of Death was kidnapped and that we ordered to go on a possible suicide mission to try and recapture Death's Doors. They said that the greeks and the romans could never unite. It seemed like all hope was lost and that we should just give up. But the experiences we have shared today have shown us differently. They showed us we do have a chance to win. The romans and greeks are coming together is proving that we may have differences but they are negligible when it comes to defeating a common enemy. Throughout the day we have formed many new friendships which led to all of use forming a new alliance. The greeks, the romans, the Hunters, the Amazons, and eventually many more will join together so we can win this fight. And now this night, this night, the gods have truly blessed us with a gift. The heroes from the old legends have returned to help us wage our war against the Giants and help us achieve victory."
There was about to be another round of cheering when Octavian decided to speak up. "So what? How do we even know these people are eve who they say they are? They could just be Gaea's spies in disguise."
Octavian was really losing his touch and charisma. Ever since he was humiliated in front of everyone earlier that afternoon he lost his ability to be an effective speaker. His frustration and his refusal of defeat was making him irrational.
"BOO!" The Stoll Brothers yelled. The rest of the demigods followed suit.
"You insolent little wretch!" barked Lupa.
Percy, Jason, Leo, Clarisse and Frank rose from their seats and stormed over to Octavian to toss him out of the hall and many others began to rise as well.
"Okay," Octavian admitted, "they may not be Gaea's spies but they could be phonies. No disrespect Lord Thanatos but how can we trust you?"
"Stop!" Thanatos ordered. "The scrawny kid may actually have a good point."
"What are you talking about My Lord?" Reyna asked.
"Yes, what are you talking about?" Odysseus asked also.
"The boy wants proof that you really are the true Odysseus, you are the real Jason, and so on. I say lets give him proof and what better way to show proof than by proving yourselves worthy through contest." Thanatos was excited.
"We have nothing to prove to them. Of all things they should be proving themselves to us," said Perseus.
"And I agree," agreed Thanatos. "These contestsI'm proposing will prove the worth of both sides. It will give evidence that the Heroes of Old are really who they say they are and the modern heroes can prove they are capable warrior. The contests will be modern heroes versus original heroes. The competitions will also give the demigods a chance to work together, to learn from each other, and learn from the Originals. "
The Heroes of Old nodded in understanding along with the majority of the crowd.
"What say you Octavian?" Thanatos asked.
"Fine by me, but I pick the first event." Octavian declared.
"Okay, what might that be?"
"A sword duel."
"And will you be the one competing in this duel against one these fine gentlemen?" Thanatos asked gesturing to the line of ancient heroes that stood behind him.
"Not me!" Octavian said quickly.
"Of course not you. We don't want little bitty Octavian to get hurt," Thanatos said mockingly. "Besides I bet you can barley pick up a sword. I will be the one who picks the fighters."
The crowd held their breathe as they watched Thanatos think it over in his mind. It was if the God of Death was playing iny-meany-miny-moe in his head.
Finally he spoke. "All right, the terms: there will be no use of demigod powers or magical items. This is not a fight to the death but maiming is okay as long as the victim can be healed back to the original health they were in before the beginning of the fight. This will be a duel with teams of two. Since it is a sword fight I have decided it will between the best swordsman so that's why I choose Perseus and Jason to fight for the Originals...and Perseus Jackson and Jason Grace will fight against them representing the moderns. This will be a battle of namesakes."
Review please and if you haven't already hit that favorite button, you can do so bellow, and it's much appreciated. Constructive criticism is welcomed and questions and comments will be answered. If you add the story or review you also get a high-five. Note that I just gave you one for incentive.