Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus Series.
Story: Divided Soul
Chapter 5: Plans and Confessions
Mount Olympus
Athena marched out of the throne room with a determined look on her face. As she strode past minor gods and goddesses they all looked away quickly. It was never wise to get in the way of a determined Olympian, especially the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy.
Finally, she reached her destination. Athena looked up at the Greek temple in front of her. Multiple carvings were etched in the newly constructed temple. It was the second temple that Annabeth had designed and built after the end of the second Titan War. The carvings in the marble showed sea creatures of many varieties, battle scenes with the lord of the seas battling the Titan Oceanus, and the defeat of the giant Typhon at the hands of the gods with significant aid from Poseidon's army of Cyclops and mermen. Athena stopped to marvel at her daughter's designs and the precision of the craftsmen that built it.
After a few minutes Athena looked down at the celestial bronze door at the front of the temple. Her determined look returned as she pushed open the door, and walked inside. A look of surprise crossed her face when she saw Poseidon sitting on his throne watching something in a floating ball of water in front of him. Athena closed the door behind her in order to make her presence known. Poseidon looked away from the orb of water as the object dissolved into the air.
"Athena, can I help you?" Poseidon asked curiously. Athena looked closely at her longtime rival. His green eyes looked dull and lifeless, and his forehead was creased in worry. It looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. Athena had never seen her uncle in such a state before.
"I could ask you the same thing," Athena said. Poseidon looked at his niece carefully, as if he was trying to determine whether her words were sincere or not.
Poseidon sighed loudly. "I'm worried about Percy."
Athena nodded. "I'm worried about my daughter." Poseidon and Athena looked at each other for a few seconds, before they both looked away.
"How is she?" Athena looked at her uncle. He wore a sincere expression, but his eyes were sad.
"She is miserable without him. She has done nothing but search for him since his disappearance."
"Does she know where he is?"
"Thanks to Jason, she knows he's with the Romans." Poseidon nodded. He slumped in his throne in defeat.
"I cannot help him; my sister and your annoying half-brother have ruined him, as you know."
Athena flinched at the word ruin. "As you know he is now a Consul of Rome, no small feat."
Poseidon nodded half-heartedly. "He will never be a disappointment to me, but he's no longer Percy. He's someone else now."
Athena's determined look returned. "I've come to ask for your help."
Poseidon's eyes widened at Athena's words. "It must be serious, if you're asking for my assistance."
"My daughter must know about Scipio."
Poseidon's eyes widened even more as a look of shock crossed his face. Athena's eyes shined with amusement briefly before they returned to their serious glare.
"We would be disobeying your father." Poseidon looked at his niece with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"A small risk, and with your assistance we would be able to do it covertly." Athena smiled at her uncle.
Poseidon smiled back knowingly. "You have a plan; I can see it in your eyes."
"Are you in, or not?" she asked. She was already starting to get annoyed with her rival's childish ways.
"I'm in, now what's the plan?" Poseidon leaned forward on his throne to listen to his niece's idea.
Castra Semideus
Scipio entered the command tent. He stood around a large table in the middle of the room as he glared at the entrance. Suddenly, Lupa stalked in followed by Reyna and her twin brother Bobby.
I hope you will explain yourself, Lupa said, as she stood across the table. She began to glow as she turned into her human form. She wore a silver hunter's outfit with a bow over her shoulder. The outfit looked almost identical to the standard dress of the Hunter's of Diana. One that Lupa wore in respect to the goddess of the moon.
Scipio eyed her for a moment, as if he remembered something about the outfit. He shook his head once, as he looked at Bobby and Reyna. The twins stood at the end of the table looking between Lupa and Scipio.
"Explain what?" Scipio asked.
Lupa let out a growl that sounded surprisingly like a wolf's, even in her human form. "How you broke that werewolf's claws and what you did to the others?" Lupa asked.
Scipio gave her a slight smile. "Oh, that," he said.
Lupa's eye's narrowed.
Scipio cleared his throat as he continued. "Lycaon can't scratch someone who has the Curse of Achilles."
"What?" Bobby yelled.
Lupa gave the young Roman a stern glare that made him step back from the table.
"You have the curse?" Reyna asked.
"Yes, I do," Scipio said.
"When did you obtain it?" Lupa asked as she looked at the son of Neptune with a mix of curiosity and respect.
"During the war. It was how I was able to stand up to Saturn, and the other Titans," Scipio said.
"You fought Titans?" Bobby asked in awe.
Scipio ignored his tone. "Yes, I did," Scipio said.
The others seemed to accept this. It was hard to argue with what they had just witnessed.
"What did you do to the other werewolves?" Lupa asked as she looked at Scipio as if she was still trying to figure him out.
"Yeah, it was like they were frozen in place," Bobby said excitedly. "Did you use the water in their blood to freeze them?"
Reyna and Lupa both looked at Scipio expectantly.
Scipio looked at the son of Minerva with an amused grin. Reyna and Lupa stared at Scipio. His grin seemed to light up the room, but as soon as it appeared it was replaced with a familiar emotionless expression.
"Children of Neptune cannot use the water in someone's blood. The other elements in the blood prevent that sort of control. However, all animals breathe air or pull oxygen out of the water using gills. The werewolves like humans breathe in air, and air contains water vapor. During respiration people breathe in air and other molecules like water. They also exhale water vapor as well as carbon dioxide. I can condense the water in their lungs to drown them, plus I can freeze the water as well. A terrible way to die, don't you think?"
Lupa, Bobby and Reyna all stared at the son of Neptune in wonder and in fear.
"You have great power, child of the sea." Lupa admitted.
Scipio nodded. "Thank you, but I prefer to fight with weapons. When I need to, though, I will use my powers," Scipio said.
"What are we going to do now?" Bobby asked.
Reyna looked at Lupa, and then toward Scipio.
"The legions are going to continue to train hard. Reyna, work with the other praetors to establish a guard rotation around the camp boundary. The ocean is the only safe boundary." Scipio said.
"Yes, Consul, come on Bobby," Reyna said, as she pulled her brother out of the tent.
Once the twins were gone, Lupa turned and looked at Scipio carefully. Scipio for his part returned the stare.
"How much do you know of Juno's plan?" Scipio asked. Lupa's eyes widened at the question.
Lupa paced in front of Scipio with a worried expression. "She sent Jason to the Greek camp."
Scipio nodded. "Yes, he worked with the Greeks to free Juno from the giants." Scipio gave her a knowing smile.
Lupa smiled at the knowledge of Jason's accomplishment. "Does Jason know who he is?"
"He does now. He doesn't remember everything, but yes, he knows about us."
Lupa stopped her pacing as she stared into the eyes of the son of Neptune. "What is the next part of the plan?"
"The Greeks are building a special ship, one that will carry the prophesied seven to Greece. There they will go to the ancient entrance to the Underworld and fight the forces of Tartarus to close the Doors of Death. But first, they will come here. The seven demigods of the prophecy include other Romans." Scipio kept his arms crossed in front of his chest as he spoke.
"What about the giants and Gaea?" Lupa's eyes darkened.
"After the Doors of Death are closed, we will fight and destroy the forces of the giants. That final battle will not take place in Greece, but here in the west."
Lupa's eyes widened at Scipio's words. "How do you know that?"
Scipio looked at the map on the table before him. "Gaea is not in Greece. She's here in the west. Juno discovered this during her captivity. Mars informed me before I arrived."
Lupa's eyes widened until it appeared that they might pop out of their sockets. "Where?"
Scipio looked up from the map. "Yellowstone National Park."
Lupa stared at Scipio at first before she nodded. "The mega volcano?"
Scipio smiled at Lupa's conclusion. "Yes, the massive volcano under Yellowstone is actually the power of Gaea. She rests beneath the park."
"Why are we concerned with Greece?" Lupa asked curiously.
"The doors of death are in Greece, plus the giants want to destroy the foundations of power for Olympus. Therefore, they will destroy the remnants of the original palace of the gods that sits on top of Mount Olympus. This will weaken the gods greatly. Before we can fight them, we need to close the Doors of Death. The monsters reform too quickly and Tartarus is providing more aid to the enemy every day."
Lupa nodded. "A good plan and what do we do until this ship arrives?"
"We fight to keep this camp safe. Both camps are important, but ours is the most vulnerable. The enemy, like the Titans before them, is based here in the west."
Lupa nodded, but the look in her eyes showed her concern for the safety of her Romans.
"I understand your concern, but we must be ready for the unthinkable." Scipio said.
Lupa was pacing again as she listened to Scipio. She stopped and said, "What is that?"
"We may have to abandon this camp for a location that is safer." Lupa's eyes widened before she nodded.
"I know that I don't show it, but I am grateful for your presence here. You have done well so far."
Scipio smiled at Lupa. "Thank you, but I'm afraid that we will face greater horrors to come. We must be ready. I want all of our legionnaires to survive, but we must be prepared for casualties." Scipio looked down at his feet when he talked about casualties.
"We are Romans; death is a part of life. It is how we live that matters."
Scipio looked up at Lupa with a determined smile. "Better to fight for something than live for nothing."
Lupa smiled at the demigod. "Patton again."
"What can I say, he may have been a hard ass, but he had great quotes," Scipio said as he smiled a genuine friendly grin at the mother of Rome. Lupa for her part just shook her head in amusement.
"It's getting late Consul, time for sleep."
Scipio looked at Lupa curiously. "Where do I sleep?"
"The legions sleep together, but you are a consul. You may sleep here in the command tent. There is a cot in the back. Sleep well, son of the sea."
Scipio nodded as Lupa walked out of the tent. Scipio looked after her, as he turned his gaze back to the map stretched out on the command tent table. He looked down at the floor, and found his black duffel bag.
"Now, how did you get there?" Scipio stared at his silver ring as the red eyes of the Boar began to glow. "Thank you, my lord." Scipio opened the duffel bag and pulled out a large red hardcover book. The cover of the book read, Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Scipio opened the well worn book to a particular section and read, "Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack." Scipio closed the book and looked back at the map. "General, I pray that you're right about that."
Castrus Semideus – Hours later
After a few hours of trying to sleep, Scipio sat up in his cot. He slipped on a pair of shorts and a purple camp shirt as he walked out of the command tent. He looked at the training area, but then he stared off toward the sound of the ocean waves breaking against the sandy beach. He walked towards the ocean almost like he was in a trance. The steady movement of the waves rolling across the beach seemed to beckon him forward. After a few minutes the Consul of Rome plopped down on the sand as the waves rushed forward to touch his bare feet.
The night was dark, but the full moon in the sky cast shadows down on the beige sand. A sudden movement of a shadow alerted the Roman to an uninvited guest. Scipio jumped to his feet just as his silver dagger appeared in his left hand. He looked down at the surprised face of the praetor of the first legion.
Reyna stepped back in fear at the sight of the son of Neptune in his battle stance. "I'm s-sorry s-sir," Reyna stammered.
Scipio's dagger disappeared and became his ring again. Reyna's eyes widened at the sight.
"You're out past curfew, praetor," Scipio said.
"I couldn't sleep. I always come down here to think," Reyna explained.
Scipio's eyebrow raised questioningly.
"What?" Reyna asked curiously.
"A child of Minerva taking comfort from the sea. Unusual, don't you think?"
"Jason and I use to come down here together to think. If a son of Jupiter can take comfort from the sea, why can't a daughter of Minerva?"
Scipio nodded. "You miss him, don't you?"
Reyna looked down at the sand sadly. "Yes, he's my best friend."
"Don't take this wrong, but I overheard you and your brother talk about him before I arrived."
Reyna's eyes widened. "How did you overhear us?"
"I was in the sea, waiting for the opportunity to make my presence known."
Reyna sighed slightly. "Bobby didn't mean to be disrespectful. Jason was his best friend, too."
Scipio nodded. "Nonetheless, you did a good job correcting your brother's outburst."
Reyna looked at Scipio. This was the first time he had complimented her.
"Thanks." Reyna looked at the son of the sea god closely, trying to analyze him like a great puzzle.
"What?" Scipio asked, his voice had a hint of amusement in it.
"Yes?" Reyna regained her composure.
Scipio smiled at daughter of Minerva. "You were staring at me."
"Sorry, it's just; you're hard to figure out." Scipio chuckled softly. Reyna smiled at the sound of his laugh.
"I get that a lot; I guess I'm different, especially since the war." Scipio stared off into the dark rolling sea as he mentioned the war.
"I didn't mean to drag up unpleasant memories."
"You didn't, I just haven't been the same since the war. I guess you heard me talk to Lupa about the Praetorian Guard?" Scipio asked, as he turned his gaze away from the rolling waves to look at Reyna.
"Yeah, it must have been tough fighting the Titans in Manhattan." Reyna looked back at Scipio curiously.
Scipio nodded. "I lost everyone in that battle. I'm the last of the guard."
Reyna's eyes widened at his confession. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you for the concern. It was war, terrible things happen." Scipio's eyes lightened slightly.
Reyna nodded, remembering her own experiences in the war. "You were the child of the prophecy?"
Scipio's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
"I'm a daughter of Minerva; I figured it out after you talked about fighting Titans."
Scipio nodded. "Yes, I was the child of the prophecy, but not the hero."
Reyna's brow furrowed with confusion.
"I was the half-blood of the eldest gods, in this case Neptune, but I wasn't the hero, whose soul cursed blade shall reap."
"Who was?"
Scipio looked down sadly. "He was like a brother to me. He betrayed all of us to Saturn, but at the end, he redeemed himself. He's the reason we won."
"What was his name?" Reyna asked not even trying to restrain the curiosity in her voice.
"Luke. Luke Castellan… son of Mercury."
AN: So, Scipio knows about Luke, but he has different memories of him. Athena and Poseidon are working together. One of Scipio's powers is revealed; not power over water in blood, but power over the water vapor in the air that people or animals breathe in and out. Scipio knows about the plan to reunite the camp, plus he revealed a little more about Juno's plan. Lupa appears to be on board with it. She also seems to be warming up to Scipio, at least as much as a wolf can. Scipio and Reyna had a nice little scene together at the end. Don't read too much into it, Scipio will not be getting romantically involved, for reasons to be discussed later, plus Annabeth is Percy's link to the mortal world. A big thank you to Starlit Reader my Beta for her review, I think this chapter is much improved. New chapters for my other stories are being worked on, plus chapters 2, 3 and 4 of this story have been updated based on my Beta's review. More to come, so stay tuned.