Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. All characters belong to Rick Riordan.

Just to avoid any confusion, Odysseus's Roman name is Ulysses (you can google it to confirm). I would think the Romans prefer using Ulysses instead of Odysseus. Please read, enjoy and don't forget to review.

V
Gray Eyes

Besides Lupa and Terminus, Jason could safely say that he had never been in the presence of a god. Roman gods were after all known to distance themselves from the mortal world. Technically the god wasn't even here, he was using magic to speak through Octavian. But Jason could still feel the power emanating from Octavian's skinny form. The usually hunched up kid was now standing straight and confidently as he, or rather Mars, appraised the legion. The entire legion had converged on the spot where Octavian stood in front of the weapons hut. Even the praetors had gotten off their eagles. Everyone was still too shocked to make a sound. The praetors knelt hastily, and the legion followed their lead without question.

The figure wreathed in flames cleared his throat, the resulting noise sounding like artillery shells being fired.

"You can stand up now. So, like I said, I'm Mars," he said. "And I'm speaking though this kid, your augur."

The legion got on their feet warily. Olivia, their actual augur, was the first to react.

"Pardon me, Lord Mars," she said while taking a step forward. "But that's just my cousin, Octavian. He's not the augur. I am."

"Oh, really? Well, this is awkward. I guess you have a lot to discuss during the next senate meeting," he said, chuckling.

Olivia's eyes widened in surprise. True, most augurs came from their family, but Octavian did not look like augur material.

"As I was saying," Mars continued. "Dark times have befallen Olympus. On the winter solstice, Jupiter's Master Bolt, his symbol of power, was stolen." The crowd gasped. How could the king of the gods' weapon be stolen? "If you haven't realized yet, this is bad. Lightning has since disappeared from the skies. Jupiter sent out his greatest children to find the weapon, but so far we've been unsuccessful. The thief is hidden from us, and is currently in the mortal realm. While searching the streets of New York yesterday, I was suddenly hit with an idea. Why look for the Master Bolt myself when I have an entire city of heroes who can do it for me. So Romans, I'm in need of the greatest hero you've got. A hero to retrieve the Master Bolt."

Jason could hardly process the news. His father's symbol of power was missing. That couldn't possibly end well.

"I've heard rumors of the perfect hero for the job. Bring forth the son of Jupiter."

Murmur arose as legionnaires craned their necks to find Jason. He could only stand there transfixed. How could Mars entrust him with such a mission?

"You must be him," Mars said, pointing at Hadrian. The praetor only shook his head. "You're not him? You're the coolest looking kid here, who else can be my little brother?"

Jason remained firmly rooted to the spot. He still felt lightheaded from the poison pellet that had hit him on the forehead. Next to him, Jenny gave him a forceful shove toward the god. Jason moved forward until he stood in front of Mars.

"Lord Mars," he said. "I'm the son of Jupiter."

Mars arched Octavian's eyebrows.

"But you're just a little kid." he sighed heavily. "I could just pick the praetor kid over here, or my kid even, but then again it would be pretty cool if Jupiter's kid found the weapon." He turned to Jason. "Fine, I'll give you the quest. Find the Master Bolt and return it to me before the year ends. Don't disappoint me."

"No pressure, then," Jason said quietly.

Octavian's body shuddered and the circle of flames around him disappeared. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again they were back to normal. He stumbled backwards and two legionnaires rushed to catch him. Once it was clear that Mars was gone, noise broke out as the legion discussed what has just occurred.

"Are you okay?" Jenny asked him.

Jason had suddenly felt woozy as the entire encounter with Mars caught up with him. The fact that Jupiter's Master Bolt was missing was so surreal, yet in a way it made sense. On the bridge, Jason should have been able to summon lightning. Back then he hadn't understood why, but now he was sure it was because the bolt somehow affected him as well. Which was a relief because he was starting to think he was the problem. That he was somehow defective. That wouldn't do at all. It was so much pressure being the son of Jupiter.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he said.

Jenny didn't look convinced, but she left to check on the other fifth cohort kids. By now the crowd was almost in a panic, and the two praetors had to bring them to order. Jessica looked slightly angry, probably because her dad had hardly acknowledged her during his visit. Jason reckoned he would be unhappy too if his dad came to camp for the first time in his lifetime and didn't even look his way.

"Death ball is over," Jessica said. "The first cohort has won, again."

"A rare occurrence has befallen us today," Hadrian added. "Our patron god visited our city. However, we will need to hold a senate meeting tomorrow morning to discuss the most recent events."

"Tomorrow? But it's Christmas," a legionnaire complained.

Jessica moved to stand in front of the kid, her face twisted in annoyance.

"First of all, its Saturnalia," she said. "Secondly, we have been given an important quest by my da-I mean by Mars-that we cannot possibly ignore."

"Right," Hadrian continued. "You're free to return to your normal activities. Again, well done first cohort."

The crowd dispersed, and a couple of kids had to carry Octavian back to camp since he insisted that he was not feeling well. Jason started towards his fifth cohort friends, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. It was Hadrian.

"Jason, why don't you help me carry some stuff back to the principia," the praetor said.

"Sure, Hadrian," Jason agreed. After all, he couldn't refuse a direct order from a praetor.

He gathered a couple of death ball guns and bundled them in his arms. He started after Hadrian, the praetor already a few yards ahead. He expected Hadrian to call down an eagle to help them carry the stuff, that was after all the easiest way to carry the equipment, but the praetor started walking towards camp at a leisurely pace, carrying a few pieces of bent armor in his hands. Jason caught up to him, and he smiled in acknowledgement.

"Big quest, huh?" Hadrian said. "Are you nervous?"

"A little bit," Jason admitted.

"Don't worry yourself too much. I remember my first quest, I was barely older than you. I had to raid Medea's lair. I scored some pretty awesome sunscreen."

"I wish my quest goes as well as yours."

Hadrian chuckled. "It hardly went well, few quests do, but I see what you mean. I have a feeling your quest will be infinitely more dangerous."

They walked on in brief silence. They were now on the via praetoria, and there were a few first cohort kids still celebrating on the road. A chilly breeze caused Jason's teeth to chatter involuntarily and goose bumps to form on his exposed arm.

"Who do you think stole the master bolt?" he asked sincerely.

"It's hard to determine. Its obviously not an immortal, the ancient laws prevent gods from directly taking another god's symbol of power. But this person, whoever it is, must be pretty skilled to steal the most powerful weapon in the world right from under the gods' noses."

"I had a feeling he wouldn't be easy to beat."

Hadrian nodded. "Coming back to your question, I have a few suspicions about who's behind this. It could be Jupiter's brothers, Neptune and Pluto. They have always expressed their unhappiness about how the world was divided among them. Plus, they are angry at Jupiter for breaking the oath they made seventy years ago not to have any more demigod children."

Jason's mouth felt like ash. Technically he shouldn't even exist.

"So they figured it was best to steal his symbol of power?" he said bitterly.

"I can't really say, Jason. If one of them did steal the bolt, it's probably because he wants to overthrow Jupiter. It could be Pluto, though I doubt it. It's more likely Neptune, after all he's tried to do it before."

Jason tried to recall the myth. "He captured Jupiter in a net, didn't he? Then the Olympians made Jupiter promise to be a better leader before they released him."

"So Neptune is capable. Jupiter will surely suspect him first. This could lead to a war among the gods that would devastate mankind. That's why you have to find the bolt as quickly as possible."

They were now inside camp with the principia directly in front of them. They entered the whitewashed building and found no one inside. Fires burned in golden braziers that were on the walls around the main room, casting shadows on their faces. From where he was standing, Jason couldn't clearly see the praetor's face. It was obscured in shadow, and he couldn't tell what expression it had.

"The thief may not even be working for Neptune," Hadrian said. "He could have just stolen the bolt for himself, which worries me the most. If the master bolt stays in the mortal world away from Jupiter any longer, it may be noticed by other forces. Dark forces. Enemies of the Olympus. They may take it from the thief and use it to bring Western civilization crashing into the ground."

Jason nodded grimly. The praetor dropped the pieces of armor on the ground in a messy pile and gestured to Jason to do the same. He turned to Jason again and in the firelight he looked like those marble statues in the city.

"You have to find the bolt quickly," he reiterated. "Not only Mars or your father, but the whole of Olympus may be depending on you to succeed."

Hadrian walked to the long praetor's table and rearranged some scrolls. Clearly the conversation was over.

"Do you want me to sort out this pile?" Jason asked.

"Leave it. I'll do it myself, it will give me some time to think. But don't tell Jess, she thinks I'm way too easy on you guys."

Jason nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem. Don't forget to attend the senate meeting tomorrow morning."

With that Jason left the principia. As he walked towards the fifth cohort barracks, fatigue finally caught up to him. It was about nine in the evening and legionnaires were still about, chatting and hanging out, but Jason decided to turn in. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

That night he dreamed. The first dream didn't make much sense. He was being chased by a giant stapler that was hell bent on consuming him. The second dream made even less sense.

He was in a dark forest at night. Suddenly flashlights flared all around him and police officers in blue uniform weaved between the trees, clearly in pursuit of someone. They had police dogs in loose leashes which barked and sniffed out an unseen fugitive. They chased and chased, but they simply couldn't catch up to the escapee. Finally they reached a clearing, and they found the fugitive waiting for them. He had his back to them, and his orange prison jumpsuit stood out starkly against the dark trees around him. The police officers trained every gun and flashlight on him, and the dogs were restrained before they could tear the prisoner apart. Except the dogs no longer looked like they were hunting. They looked terrified and were pulling at their leashes, eager to be set free.

"Freeze!" one cop shouted. "Turn around and put your hands in the air."

The fugitive turned around, and one officer dropped his pistol. Another whimpered in fear. They hadn't noticed this before, but the figure was more than ten feet tall. He had an impressive build, muscles bulging underneath his prison clothes. His face was the most surprising of all his features. It was an ashen gray, like wrought iron, and it was as smooth and shiny as if it was made from metal. His eyes were a solid but lighter gray like two dull coins. His hair was tousled, wild and in the limited light it looked black, but Jason knew somehow that it was gray as well. As the figure stood there, still with his hands raised, he looked like a statue carved out of iron enriched rock. Then his face twisted into a cruel smile.
Jason woke up with a start. He remembered the dream vividly, and it worried him. Who was that fugitive? More importantly, what was he? Somehow Jason knew that none of those police officers had survived that attack, if the dream was real. The guy seemed incredibly powerful and malicious. Jason prayed it was only just a dream.

Pushing the dream to the back of his mind, he got himself ready for the senate meeting. There was no muster on Saturnalia, it didn't seem right to pledge allegiance to the gods while paying homage to the Titan Lord. He made his way to New Rome alone as none of his friends could attend the meeting. The fauns were more active on the via praetoria, harassing senators for spare denarii. He reached the city borders and came across the first marble statue of Terminus, the Roman god of boundaries. His armless form eyed him with disapproval.

"You're not a senator," he said. "What is your business in the city this morning.

Jason was no longer surprised by the talking statue. Terminus seemed to forget the names of all the legionnaires that made their way into the city, but Jason didn't mind.

"I'm here for the senate meeting. I've been issued a quest that's the subject of this meeting."

"Wow, they give quests to anybody these days. Okay, you know the drill, no weapons inside the Pomerian Line. Empty your pockets."

Jason pulled out his coin and held it before Terminus uncertainly.

"So how are you gonna take it from me?" he asked the statue.

"Don't get smart with me, boy. I'm slapping your face for asking that question. Do you feel that?"

"Uh, ohhhhkay?"

"Julia," the god called. "Come here, you wretched girl. Kids these days!"

Jason hadn't noticed the little girl behind the statue. She looked really young, about two years old, and he wasn't sure how she could work for Terminus. She sat in front of a platter with an assortment of weapons on it, and she was absorbed in sucking on a jeweled pommel of a sword.

"She's still an intern," Terminus said.

Jason walked around the statue and placed Ivlivs on the platter. Unfortunately for him, Julia let go of the sword she was eating and busied herself with Jason's coin. Great, she's gonna get baby slop all over it, he thought.

"What's your name, kid?" Terminus asked.

"Jason Grace. You should know, my weapon returns to my pocket when I drop it. So if it comes to me while I'm still in the city-"

"Don't worry about that, it will stay here with me."

"Thanks, I guess," Jason said and walked past the statue.

"Don't die on your quest, boy!" Terminus called after him.

The city was as impressive and chaotic as ever, with people milling about in a combination of togas and modern clothes. It had been a while since he had been into New Rome, and he had almost forgotten all the sights. He passed statues of old Roman heroes (sadly these ones couldn't talk) on his way to the senate building. The structure stood tall with its domed roof and white columns. Senators stood beneath the columns importantly in their white togas in deep discussion. They eyed Jason warily as he approached. A group of elderly ghosts made their way into the building. Shortly after, the meeting began.

It started with the senators arguing amongst themselves.

"We can't let go on such a big quest," Hank, a senator, was saying. "He's too young."

"We can't disobey an order from Mars," Leila argued.

"Yeah," Larry agreed. "Besides, this could be the start of the prophecy."

Jason hadn't considered that. "Isn't the prophecy for when I turn sixteen?"

The senators turned to look at him. It seemed they had forgotten that he was still there. They seemed surprised that he knew about the prophecy. It was supposed to be a closely guarded secret within the senate.

"He's right," Jessica said from the praetor table. "But you can never be sure with prophecy."

"And we can't be too sure the prophecy is even about him. There could be another Big Three demigod out there."

"Don't be an idiot, Larry," another senate said. "There can't possibly be another one out there."

The senators broke into more arguments across the room. Hadrian raised his hands to silence the crowd.

"I suggest we don't bother ourselves too much with the prophecy. If I'm correct, then it is not for another four years or so. We should be concerned about the stolen master bolt."

Commotion rose again as senators fought to talk over each other.

"The first Olympian to contact us in five years, and he asks us for the impossible," Marcus said. "Who would steal Jupiter's symbol of power?"

Senators came up with different theories to answer this question. One kid suggested that the bolt wasn't even stolen, that the gods were testing them. Almost everybody disagreed with that theory.

"Whatever the reason," Jessica said. "Jason will discover it on his quest."

She turned to Jason. "Have you decided who you are taking on your quest? Remember, you need two other heroes to accompany you."

Jason didn't even hesitate. He had the perfect heroes in mind.

"Yes, I have," he said. "I will take Dakota and Gwen."

There was uproar in the room.

"They are inexperienced..."

"...not good enough..."

"...Gwen is still on probatio. Only a full member of the legion can go on quests."

"That can easily be solved," Hadrian said. "I've been told Gwen performed extraordinarily well against the dracaenae on the bridge. Since she helped save the fifth cohort, this is considered an act of valour. She will be promoted to full legion member after the meeting."

"You can't just promote her based on that." It was Octavian. Jason was surprised that the skinny kid was even here. He was neither a senator nor a centurion. Then again, Mars had channeled his essence through him, which was only possible with augurs.

"There is nothing in the rulebook that says we can't," Jessica said."Besides, I believe a hero's best companions are the ones he or she chooses personally."

"It's good you decide to speak up now, Octavian," Hadrian said. "Because we need to discuss your channeling of the War god. Olivia, what does this mean?"

Jason hadn't noticed the augur. She had been sitting quietly until now, lost in deep thought.

"Honestly, I don't know. Lord Mars was supposed to speak through me. But Octavian is a descendant of Apollo, just like me, so he may have the gift. I guess he will need to be trained, by me of course, in order to become the augur some day."

"Thank you, Olivia," Jessica said. "I'm sure Octavian will make a fine augur." She didn't look like she meant what she said.

Octavian looked unsure for a moment, but quickly recovered and took up his usual arrogant manner.

"I will accept your training, cousin. It will be an honor to someday glean the will of the gods."

Great, Jason thought. Of all the people to become future augurs, the Fates had to pick the most irritating, most arrogant kid.

"That being said," Hadrian said, "Octavian will learn the ways of the augur. Jason will leave on his quest today, accompanied by Gwen and Dakota. All in favor?"

Many hands went up, but a few senators grumbled in disagreement.

"It is decided, then," Olivia said, standing up. "Jason, come with me to Temple hill to receive your augury. May the gods be with you."

A/N: The story is about to really take off. I've got great plans for this story. Can someone guess who or what the gray dude is? Stay tuned!