Chapter Seven: Hello Again Old Friends
"Victory for the fifth!" Gwen shouted, soon followed by every single legionary in the fifth cohort.
Hazel just laughed happily as the Mural Crown was given to her. Never before during her time in the legion had she been this happy.
The cheers cam to an abrupt stop with a loud scream.
Jason and Reyna quickly rushed towards the direction towards the scream, only to see a protective circle being formed by the fifth cohort. Inside the circle, Octavian was screaming for his dear life while an enraged Percy Jackson drove Anaklusmos through Octavian's right shoulder, imbedding the legacy of Apollo into a wall.
"Percy!" Jason shouted, but the son of Vesta just ignored his cousin as he twisted his blade slowly in Octavian's shoulder, causing the poor auger to scream even more loudly while two children of Apollo tended a fallen legionary on the ground.
"PERSEUS JACKSON!" Reyna yelled, causing the enraged centurion to finally turn away from Octavian.
"What's going on?" Reyna demanded.
"That coward," Percy spat angrily while pointing a finger to the terrified Octavian, " Stabbed Gwen in the back with his pilum purposely after the games were over!"
Octavian's body is now shaking in fear, but before he could defend himself, the medic who was tending Gwen shock his head sadly, "It's no use, she's gone."
Percy led out a painful scream and grasped the hilt of Anaklusmos. He then pushed his blade down forcefully, severing Octavian's right arm clean off his shoulder while the auger screamed again.
"Percy!" Jason cried out, "How do you know for sure it's him?"
"Because I saw it with my own eyes!" Percy shouted, "That coward sneaked onto Gwen from behind and stabbed her before I could shove her out off the way."
"There," Percy continued and picked up a pilum on the floor before tossing it to Jason, "Gwen was stabbed by a pilum from the first cohort, while Octavian here, doesn't have one."
Reyna just stared at the scene in front of her unfold in disbelief, "Who else saw it?"
"I did." Said an angry voice from behind. Reyna turned to see a certain son of Bacchus who looked ready to tear Octavian apart with his bare hands.
Reyna raised an eyebrow at him but another voice cut in, "I did too."
A small figure slide down from the wall of the fortress on a rope, revealing the mad face of Piper McLean.
"I saw the attack happened exactly how Percy described it, I swear it on River Styx."
Jason now looks murderous as sparks of electricity danced wildly his around his body. He lunged forward and brought his hand down angrily, blasting Octavian with a massive bolt of lightning that would make Jupiter jealous, "You son of a bitch!"
Before Jason could blast Octavian again, a loud gasp came beside him, he turned and his jaw dropped.
Gwen was alive and breathing, looking around confused, "Um… Can anyone tell me exactly what's going on? And why is everyone staring at me like I'm an alien?"
"Gwen," Dakota answered, his voice cracked, "Y-You were dead."
"What?" Gwen exclaimed loudly, "But I feel very much alive!"
"Gwen," Reyna questioned calmly, "What do you remember."
Gwen growled as she put a hand over for forehead, experiencing a major headache, "Oh Gods. I remember Charon asking me for Denarius for ferry, then I saw a door behind me and I walked trough it. Then… Then I'm here."
"Impossible…" Percy muttered.
Reyna glanced at him questioningly, but Percy just shock his head, "Let's just pray to the Gods that I'm wrong."
"Now," Said Percy evilly with a twisted grin stretched on his face, making everyone, including Reyna shiver at the amount of evilness Percy's voice possessed, "For this murderer."
Percy held out his right hand, summoning the silver hunting knife he got from Artemis that Zoe used to carry and aimed it at Octavian's head, only to have a hand put on his shoulder, stopping him from finishing the auger off.
He turned to see a newly revived Gwen staring at him disapprovingly, "Percy, don't."
"He killed you!" Percy argued.
Gwen shock her head while sending Octavian a distasteful stare, "I'm alive Percy. You are better than him, don't be like him."
Percy nodded and closed his eyes in concentration, sending a silent prayer to a certain Olympian.
Not a moment later, a column of fire blasted into New Rome, revealing a huge soldier holding an oversized M16 rifle.
Percy growled at the sight of his least favorite Olympian while the other Romans stumbled back and dropped into a bow, "Mars, what fuck are you doing here?"
A few Romans stared at Percy in shock, but the son of Vesta just ignored them as his glare was fixed on the God of War.
"Punk," Mars said in an irritated tone, "Wasn't expecting to see you here. You know it's polite for you to bow in the presence of a superior being, right?"
Percy sneered at Mars, much to the Roman's shock, "I'll be sure to bow when I see one then."
Mars' face reddened angrily, "You are going to get a piece of it punk!"
Percy just laughed at Mars' face, "Said the douchebag who got stabbed in the heel by a twelve-year-old demigod five years ago."
Mars flickered into another muscular figure who looked nothing like Mars with a very different aura and a lot more pissed facial expression, "Then I am going to teach you a lesson today, punk!"
Percy laughed again, "Bring it on Ares, I've been dying to kick your ugly ass again for years now."
Ares growled loudly and charged with his broad sword, only to meet a certain Celestial Bronze blade, while the Romans just watched the scene unfold in front of their eyes in a mixture of shock, surprise, curiosity and fear.
Soon, all those emotions were replaced by one thing and one thing only, awe. They watched as Ares and Percy locked blades, neither gaining upper hand while Percy's aura power grew more and more intense every second, soon reached the level of a Gods. Surpassing Ares as Percy was, at the moment as powerful, if not more powerful than Jupiter himself, only his mother Vesta was able to out power him on that instant.
Percy and Ares went back and forth. Ares' frustration only grew as Percy deflected every single one of his strike with ease. His movements became faster, wilder and more unpredictable yet harder to parry every time Percy blocks an attack.
Ares, was out of Percy's league in the strength department, that is un doubtable, but other than that, he isn't even a mile close to the son of Vesta. Percy is a far more skilled, intelligent and talent fighter than Ares or Mars when it comes to swordsmanship.
Ares made a powerful swing at Percy's exposed right ribs, only to by blocked by Anaklusmos with ease. Playing dirty, the war god slashed his sword down at Percy's stomach while sending blast of godly energy at Percy's chest, sending the son of Vesta flying.
Ares laughed at Percy cruelly, "Such as a wimp! Know I can see why daddy doesn't want you, son of Vesta. Or should I say son of Neptune?" Ares taunted.
Percy's eyes flashed with rage as he waved his hand at Ares, blasting the God of War straight into the tall walls of the fortress with a powerful pure golden energy beam as his eyes, for a second shifted into gold, radiating an immense amount of raw power that would have made Saturn himself tremble, causing the legionaries who were watching the fight between Ares and Percy intensively to drop their jaws.
"I don't care what Jupiter says, you are going down today Ares." Percy growled in rage as he vanished from the spot, only to reappear in front of Ares who just struggled to get back on his feet.
The son of Vesta twisted his ring, transforming it into the most powerful weapon ever built in history. A horrifying aura of power radiating from the blade in its original form as well as its most fearful form, the Bane of the Gods, Kronos' Scythe.
Without warning, Percy slashed his scythe deeply down Ares' chest, causing the God of War to scream in absolute agonizing pain. Litters of golden ichor poured out from Ares' terrifying wound as they turned into red, the blood of mortals.
Percy led out a twisted smirk at Ares' terrified face, "Yes Ares, this blade can kill an immortal for good, e.g. you. You don't go to Tartarus to reform, you fade into the Void immediately and never to return to Earth again."
Percy sighed before driving the Scythe into Ares' other heel, twisting it in the process, giving the war god an identical wound he gave him back on his first quest. He then roughly yanked the blade out of the screaming God of War, "Unfortunately, I can't kill you. Not yet, not today. Guess I'll just have to settle for maiming you then."
Without warning, Percy flipped the blade with a twist of his wrist and drove it through Ares' stomach, not forgetting to give it a good size of cut before ripping it out of his body, "You are lucky I'm feeling merciful today Mars. State your purpose here and get the fuck out of my face before I change my mind and kill you instead."
Ares swallowed nervously at Percy before flickering back to Mars. He coughed loudly and blood poured out of his mouth, "I-I'm he-here because… Because t-th-the Doors… The Doors of D-Death ar-are open. T-Thanatos… Thanatos is missing. Tha… That's w-why the girl was… The girl was able to c-come back to… Come back to life. We-We'll inform… We'll inform you on-once we find out where death is…" Mars stuttered out painfully before flashing back to Olympus to try to heal his wounded ego.
Before any Roman could get over their shock and make a comment, a hysterical laughter came from a certain Goddess of Moon who just made herself seen to the Romans, "Well that was certainly entertaining to watch Percy. I'm so proud of you, but I doubt if that's why you called me here for."
Percy's expression mirrored Diana's, "Oh yes milady. You see, we have a traitor who tried to murder a friend of mine, I thought you'd love this."
Diana eyed her cousin in confusion, only to make Percy's grin grow as he whispered something into Diana's ear that only her could hear.
Diana grinned evilly as she made her way to the terrified Octavian.
"P-Please," Octavian stuttered out while stumbling back away from the man-hating Goddess, only to meet a wall of bricks, "Have mercy lady Diana, I-I didn't mean to k-kill h-her."
Diana glared at Octavian harshly, "Be silent boy! Only someone related to my fool twin brother Apollo could possibly possess such stupidity!"
Before Octavian could beg for his life again, Diana snapped her fingers. A silver glow engulfed Octavian's body and when it died down, Octavian was gone.
In his place was… An one-arm jackalope!
Dead silence engulfed the legion before a hysterical laughter abruptly broke it. All eyes turned to Percy who was clutching his stomach, laughing his head off. A few moments later, he was joined by the entire Twelfth Legion.
"N-Nice…" Jason muttered between gaps of his laughter.
"Oh Gods… My stomach hurts…" That would be Leo.
Even Diana was laughing like there is no tomorrow herself.
"Alright everyone," Percy said once he manage to calm himself down, "Bid your final farewells to Octavian if you wish. If not back to your normal activities."
Once everyone took their cue to leave, Percy spoke up, "What am I doing here, really?"
Diana shock her head apologetically, "I'm sorry Percy, but you'll have to figure that out by yourself. For now, earn people's trust and respect at camp and get Rome ready for war mode when you get there."
Percy nodded, "How's the hunt?"
Diana grinned, "Nice. Although do try to sneak out and come visit soon, it's not as fun without you."
Percy mirrored her grin, "How's Thalia?"
Diana nodded, "Thalia is fine, she does miss you though. We all do." She exclaimed.
Percy then whispered to Diana's ear in a soft voice only the Goddess of Hunt herself could here, "And Gracie?"
Diana smile, "Your sister is fine Percy. Oh Gods, she is so adorable. She would make a fine hunter when she grows up, she is a clear-sighted one as well."
Percy nodded, before grinning evilly, "Well, send Phoebe and her wolf my best regards and tell her I've got her a new toy to play with." Percy said as he pointed at Octavian, I mean the jackalope.
Diana had a grin on her face that matched Percy's as she snapped her fingers. A silver light engulfed the jackalope's body before it disappeared, only causing Diana's grin to stretch, "Phoebe just received a new pet and a note to have fun."
Percy grinned wildly at the thought of a vile male like Octavian at Phoebe's hands.
"Have you told her yet?" Percy's face morphed into seriousness.
"Her brother or the Romans?" Diana asked.
"Both."
Diana shock her head, "She only knows about Camp Jupiter, not her brother. I fear the time is not right yet."
Percy raised an eyebrow at Diana, trying to pry as much information regarding to what the Pluto ever is coming in the future, but Diana just glanced him apologetically.
Percy sighed when he figured out he's not going to get anything out of Diana anytime soon, "Do you ever plan to?"
Diana nodded, "I will, eventually."
"If you don't mind milady," Percy interrupted, "I'd like to be the one to tell her."
Diana nodded again, "Of course."
"That brings me to the real reason I called you here milady," Percy said seriously as he put a hand on Diana's shoulder, flashing them both back to his room in the barrack of fifth cohort. A good thing about being a centurion is, you get your own room along with private washing facilities.
"I was on border patrol yesterday," Percy stated as his face morphed into worriedness, "I saw here constellation being reflected onto Anaklusmos under the light of full moon, that's when a heard a loud thud behind me. I turned around, and I saw her there, lying on the floor unconscious. I brought here back and kept here. She hasn't waken up yet." Said the son of Vest with an immense amount of both awe and disbelief in his voice.
Diana raised a questioning eyebrow at Percy, and her jaw dropped when she saw what Percy was talking about. Lying on the bed, was none other than Zoe Nightshade, her former lieutenant.
Slowly, Zoe opened her eyes.
"BIANCA!"
A relatively longer chapter, done!
I know Percy might be overpowered for a bit, but I just hate Ares with my guts.
Next update I'll be returning to Son of Chaos: Road to Vengeance, so expect the next chapter after that.
Check out my two other stories if you haven't already, one of them is going to be re-written soon.
For your information Bianca didn't go for rebirth in this fic and yes Zoe is supposed to be in the stars, but I'll explain how she is back.
Just a quick question, who do you want the seven to be in this fic?
Rome is going to war! Rome is going to war!
SENATUS POPULUSQUE ROMANUS!
Review, have fun and til the next time!
By the way good me luck on my exam the day after tomorrow, I must have hit my head pretty hard when I chose art because I totally suck at it.
T.C. ya!