Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus Series.
Story: Divided Soul
Chapter 11: Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts
The beach on the far side of the island
A sudden movement from behind the demigods caught Scipio's attention. He looked up to see twelve girls dressed in silver Hunters outfits; they were accompanied by the faun and the brown haired girl he had seen in the ocean earlier.
"Stay away from them," a tall girl with reddish brown hair said. The four demigods on the ground turned to look at the Huntress.
"Phoebe stop, we didn't come here to start trouble," Thalia ordered. Phoebe nodded reluctantly.
"Why did you come here?" Scipio asked.
Thalia looked at Annabeth, but her friend was still frozen as she continued to stare at the son of Neptune before her.
"We came to help you," Jason said. He carefully stood up and stepped toward the son of Neptune. "I am Jason Grace, Praetor of the first legion."
Scipio's eyes flashed for just a moment. "Former Praetor of the first legion," Scipio said coldly.
Jason was taken aback by that news. "Who are you?" he asked cautiously.
"I am Scipio Marcellus, son of Neptune, Cliens of Mars and Consul of Rome." Jason and all the Greeks stared in shock at the Roman in front of them. "I'll ask one more time. Why are you here?"
"We came to help you. We found out that the forces of Gaea were about to attack you. We want to help," Jason said.
Scipio frowned at Jason's words. "Some help you provided. You ruined my plan for that battle. I had to improvise. I hate improvising," Scipio said. Thalia laughed softly before Annabeth elbowed her in the ribs.
"What's so funny, whoever you are?"
Thalia stood up and stepped beside her brother. "I am Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus and lieutenant of Artemis," Thalia said. At the names of Zeus and Artemis, Scipio's eyes widened.
"Greeks," Scipio said warily. "You're Greeks."
Thalia nodded. Annabeth had finally awoken from her daze, as she stood up quickly.
"Yes, we're Greeks," Annabeth said. "We have come to offer our assistance in the war with Gaea."
Scipio looked at the daughter of Athena curiously. "And you are?" he asked.
"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," she said. Scipio looked at the teenage girl in front of him. His face didn't show any emotion, but his eyes seemed to lighten as he stared into her grey eyes.
"What about the rest of you?" Scipio asked as he pointed to Piper, Clarisse and Grover.
Annabeth looked around for Nico, but he was nowhere to be found. She would have panicked, but she had the strange feeling that he was hiding in the shadows somewhere.
Piper stepped up her hair was still wet from the ocean, but she looked as beautiful as ever. Jason couldn't help but stare at her when she stepped forward. "I'm Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite."
Clarisse huffed loudly before she stepped forward. She glared at Scipio, but the son of Neptune never flinched, he just stared back with a hint of a smirk on his face. "I am Clarisse LaRue, daughter of Ares," Clarisse said. Scipio nodded.
Grover hobbled forward, he was soaking wet and he limped a little as his hooves sunk into the wet sand. "My name is Grover Underwood, Lord of the Wild," Grover said. Scipio gave the faun a slight bow, which made Grover smile happily.
The sound of someone running and breathing hard distracted everyone from their conversation. Alex ran down the beach towards the odd group that surrounded his leader. He stopped short as the Hunters glared at him. He shot Scipio a concerned glare as he was about to pull out his shotgun. Scipio raised his hand. Alex stopped and stood at attention.
"Alex, report," Scipio ordered. At the name Alex, Jason turned and stared at the son of Mars. Alex's face morphed into one of surprise as he stared at his old friend. He was about to jump forward and hug Jason, when he realized that Scipio had just asked him to report.
"Yes sir. No casualties and only two slight injuries. They are being taken to the healers," Alex said. Scipio sighed in relief at the news.
"Good work, now take your group back to the forest. I need to see the rest of the legions here as soon as possible, understand?" Scipio asked.
"Yes sir," Alex said. He smiled at Jason before saluting Scipio and running off toward the forest. The Hunters all watched the Roman demigod suspiciously as he moved toward the trees.
Scipio pulled out his gladius, the Hunters stiffened at the movement. Scipio began to pace back and forth in front of the group, spinning his sword nervously. He moved so lightly that his feet barely made any indention in the wet sand. The sound of the spinning sword mesmerized many of the demigods.
Annabeth finally stepped toward Scipio. The Consul of Rome stared at her curiously.
"What are you going to do to us?" Annabeth asked worriedly. The not knowing had finally gotten to her.
Scipio stopped pacing, the spinning sword stopped, the son of Neptune looked at the daughter of Athena skeptically. "For interfering and trespassing on Roman property, I should have all of you thrown in prison," Scipio said. The Hunters raised their bows; Scipio just smiled at them, almost daring them to try something. "However, you are correct; we need each other's help to have any chance of defeating the giants."
A collective sigh ran through the ranks of the Greeks. "Thank you," Jason said.
Scipio turned to the son of Jupiter. "Don't thank me just yet. All of you must turn over your weapons," Scipio said. The Hunters raised their bows and pointed their arrows toward Scipio. The son of Neptune frowned at first, but then a mischievous grin crossed his lips. The Hunters stared at him in disbelief. Suddenly, the sound of shotguns being readied to fire echoed down the beach. The Hunters, the Greeks and Jason all turned around to see nearly fifty Roman demigods wearing golden armor and all carrying shotguns. The weapons were pointed directly at the Greeks. "That wasn't a request."
Thalia and the Hunters all frowned at the Consul of Rome. Scipio motioned towards the ground in front of his feet. All of the Greeks, including the Hunters, placed their weapons at Scipio's feet.
Jason stood still watching the events unfold in front of him. After the Greeks had placed all of their weapons at Scipio's feet, Annabeth and Thalia both stepped toward the Roman leader. "Satisfied?" Thalia asked sarcastically.
Scipio glared at the daughter of Zeus, Thalia for her part flinched at the sight of those dark green eyes. They were a color she had never seen in Percy's eyes before. She had to keep reminding herself that this wasn't Percy. "Actually, I'm not satisfied. Jason, drop your weapon as well," Scipio said.
Jason stared at Scipio in disbelief. "Why? I'm Roman," he protested. He looked at the legions behind him. He saw the face of Reyna and his eyes widened. Reyna's face held no emotion, she just glared at him.
"Yes you are, but you've been gone for a long time. We need to know if you're still loyal to Rome," Scipio explained. By the tone of his voice he almost sounded sad that he had to do this. "Lupa will determine whether you will remain welcome at camp."
Jason glared at Scipio, but the Consul of Rome stared back, daring the son of Jupiter to try something. Jason approached the son of Neptune and tossed his sword on the ground angrily and said, "Fine."
Reyna stepped forward. "Scipio, what are your orders?"
"Form the legions in a circle around our guests. We will escort them back to camp. Lupa and I will debrief them," Scipio said.
"I would like to participate, if I may?" Reyna asked.
"Yes, I want the first legion there. We'll meet in the mess hall," Scipio said. He looked at the height of the sun in the sky. "We have a few hours until dinner."
Reyna saluted before ordering the legions to move the Greeks forward. Jason looked at Reyna hopefully, while Piper glared at the daughter of Minerva. "Move it, Grace," Reyna said as she pointed her shotgun at the son of Jupiter.
Annabeth and Thalia both stayed, until Alex and a few other Legionnaires began to usher them forward. Scipio watched the two demigods, he shook his head a few times like he was trying to remove water from his ears, but that didn't seem to be the reason or the motion. Scipio suddenly stiffened. Alex, Thalia and Annabeth looked at him curiously.
Scipio's eyes seemed to darken as if a light had been turned off behind them. A long shadow was on the ground next to the Consul of Rome. Suddenly, Scipio moved with such speed that Thalia's and Annabeth's mouths hung open. Scipio reached quickly into the shadow with one hand while pulling out his sword with the other. As he pulled his arm out of the shadows he was holding a young teenage boy in his grasp. The boy was dressed in black with dark hair and a pale complexion. Scipio held him by his collar with his gladius positioned at the boy's throat.
"It's not right to spy on people, especially Romans," Scipio warned.
Nico's eyes grew twice their normal size. The son of Hades had never looked scared before, but right now he was terrified. Scipio's eyes were nearly as black as the boy's clothes. The point of the gladius was positioned at Nico's throat.
"Don't hurt him," Annabeth yelled. Scipio turned toward her angrily.
"So much for friendly cooperation," Scipio spat.
Annabeth froze at the hostility in Percy's voice. She mentally slapped herself for forgetting that the person talking to her wasn't her boyfriend.
"It wasn't their fault, I wanted to make sure that you wouldn't hurt them," Nico defended.
Scipio lowered the boy to the ground. "Who are you?" he asked warily.
Nico unwrinkled his shirt and rubbed his throat carefully. "Nico di Angelo, son of Hades," Nico said. It was Scipio's turn to be surprised.
"A son of the lord of the dead. You Greeks are full of surprises," Scipio spat. The Consul of Rome slid his sword into its scabbard. Nico's eyes never left Scipio's sword. "Put your sword with your friend's weapons."
Nico jumped at Scipio's voice. The son of Hades looked at Annabeth and Thalia; his two friends both nodded. Nico placed his sword on the pile of weapons on the beach. He stepped away from his lost friend; the boy couldn't get over how different Scipio was from his friend.
Alex grabbed Nico under the arm and roughly pulled him toward Annabeth and Thalia. The Romans led the Greeks and Jason through the forest. Eventually, the group reached the far wall of the Roman camp.
The Greeks all stared at the tall walls of the camp in wonder.
Scipio stepped toward the gates. A guard on top of the wall saluted as the son of Neptune approached. "We have won the battle. We also found some guests," Scipio relayed. The guard motioned toward someone behind him. The gates opened slowly revealing the inside of the camp.
The Greeks all looked on at the militaristic camp before them. The Romans led the Greeks to the mess hall. Once inside, Scipio motioned for the other legions to leave, all except for Reyna and the first legion.
"Dakota, go find Lupa. I need her here," Scipio said. Dakota nodded before running off at full speed to find the mother of Rome. Scipio motioned for the rest of the first legion to sit at the large table in the center of the mess hall. "You may sit here." Scipio motioned for the Greeks to sit across from the first legion.
Reyna and Bobby sat across from Annabeth and Thalia. Jason sat across from Alex, while Piper was positioned across from Gwendolyn. Clarisse, Grover and Nico sat down at the table. They looked across the table to see Frank, Hazel and Hector staring at them curiously. Phoebe was the only other Hunter who was seated at the table. The rest of the Hunters sat on a table at the far wall of the mess hall, but they kept a close eye on their fellow Greeks.
Dakota ran back in followed by a large black wolf. Lupa stared at the Greeks warily before she began to glow. The Greeks stared in wonder as the giant wolf turned into a beautiful dark haired woman. Lupa wore a Hunter's outfit similar to Thalia's and Phoebe's. Lupa sat at one end of the table, while Scipio sat at the other end. Dakota sat down across from Phoebe. The Hunter gave the son of Mercury the death glare, which made him fidget nervously.
"Lupa, thank you for joining us," Scipio said as he bowed toward the other Consul of Rome. Lupa nodded. "I take it that Dakota filled you in on what happened?"
"Yes, congratulations on another victory," Lupa said. Thalia and Annabeth looked at each other curiously when they heard that Scipio had other victories.
"Thank you, but as you can see we have some… guests." He gestured toward the Greeks. Lupa eyed Annabeth and Thalia, trying to analyze their threat level. When her yellow eyes landed on Jason, a small smile crossed her lips.
"It is good to see you, pup," Lupa said as she looked directly into Jason's electric blue eyes.
"Thank you, mother Lupa," Jason said. "I wish I could have returned under better circumstances."
Scipio cleared his throat, everyone turned toward him. "You have arrived earlier than what was anticipated," he said. Thalia and Annabeth both looked at the Consul of Rome in disbelief.
"You knew we were coming?" Thalia asked.
"Lord Mars informed me that the Greeks would arrive in a great flying ship, one that would be instrumental in defeating the plans of the giants in the god's homeland," Scipio explained.
"You know about sailing to Greece?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes, I also know about the new great prophecy, it appears that some of you are part of the seven, just as some of the Romans will be," Scipio said.
"It appears that Juno wasn't the only one who disobeyed my father's orders," Jason said.
Scipio smiled. "Mars and Juno don't take orders, especially when those orders are wrong," Scipio said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Reyna asked with a bit of resentment in her voice. Lupa growled slightly, Reyna's eyes widened with fear.
"Lupa and I were under orders, but now all of you need to know," Scipio explained. He looked at the rest of the first legion. He gave them a reassuring smile before turning back toward Jason and the Greeks.
"So, why are you all here so early?" Scipio asked.
"Athena told me that the Roman camp was in danger and that we should send help to reinforce your camp's defenses," Annabeth said. Reyna looked at Annabeth carefully, like she was trying to figure her out.
"You're a daughter of Min… I mean Athena, aren't you?" Reyna asked.
"Yes, I am," Annabeth confirmed.
"I'm Reyna Cato and this is my brother Bobby. We're twins, also children of Minerva," Reyna said. Bobby nodded. Annabeth stared at the two demigods in disbelief.
"Twins of Minerva, that's rare. To my knowledge, Athena has never had twins before," Annabeth said.
"Minerva neither, at least not until we were born," Reyna explained.
Lupa growled. Everyone turned toward her, but Scipio had a slight smirk on his face. "We are here to discuss the war, not childbirth," Lupa said.
Scipio clapped his hands together loudly. "Quite right," he said. "The battle that we just faced was another test by the giants. The real attack is yet to come."
"What do we do?" Bobby asked anxiously. Reyna looked at Bobby pointedly. Bobby bowed his head. "Sorry."
"Don't worry. You all can speak, for today, in this place, I'm not worried about formalities," Scipio said.
Lupa was about to argue, but she thought better of it as Scipio was about to continue.
"Frank, I need you and your siblings to make more guns and ammunition. Those weapons are the only thing keeping the enemy from reforming," Scipio said. Frank stood and saluted, before heading to find the other children of Vulcan.
"Alex, Dakota and Hector, I want you all to help train the other legions in the use of the guns," Scipio ordered. The three demigods rose and walked out of the mess hall.
"Gwen, work with the Hunters, get them weapons and set their tents up near Lupa's cave," Scipio ordered. Gwen nodded before walking toward the Hunters.
"Phoebe, go with them and see to it that our tents are set up properly," Thalia ordered. Phoebe nodded before going with Gwen and the other Hunters.
"Jason Grace, do you still wish to be part of the Roman camp?" Scipio asked pointedly. Jason bowed his head at the Consul of Rome. He looked at Piper sadly, before turning back to the son of Neptune.
"Yes, I wish to remain a Roman," Jason said. Thalia and Piper both gave the son of Jupiter sad glances.
"Lupa, it is your decision," Scipio said.
Lupa looked at Jason; the son of Jupiter could feel her analyzing his posture, his facial expression and even the light in his eyes. "He is welcome to rejoin the first legion, but Reyna shall remain Praetor," Lupa said. Jason looked at Reyna, but the daughter of Minerva avoided his stare.
"Bobby, please take Jason to the first legion tents," Scipio ordered. Bobby nodded. He walked to Jason, the two hugged tightly before walking out of the mess hall together.
"Now for the rest of our guests," Scipio said as he motioned toward the Greeks.
"I think they should set up tents between the command tent and my lair," Lupa suggested.
"I agree," Scipio said. "Reyna and Hazel please escort our guests and see to it that they are given two tents." Reyna and Hazel nodded; they stood up and were joined by the rest of the Greeks. "This meeting is adjourned." Scipio and Lupa both left the mess hall together. Annabeth and Thalia watched them leave.
"Follow us," Reyna ordered. The Greeks followed Reyna and Hazel to the camp warehouse. The Greeks were shocked at the military structure of the camp. All the Romans were either training or working on some task, no one was having fun. They procured two tents and all needed provisions from the camp warehouse.
"It's like this camp is full of Ares kids," Thalia quipped as they followed the two Romans. Reyna and Hazel both turned on the daughter of Zeus instantly.
"We don't care what you think... Greek," Reyna exclaimed. Hazel held her shotgun in both hands, ready for any aggressive action by the Greek demigods.
Clarisse stepped forward and got in Reyna's face. "I don't like your tone kid," Clarisse said. She was a few years older than Reyna, but the daughter of Minerva just glared at Clarisse angrily.
"I don't care what you like," Reyna spat.
Clarisse was about to start something, but Annabeth placed a hand on her shoulder. The daughter of Ares just stared into Annabeth's eyes. The daughter of Athena looked at Clarisse sternly. Clarisse huffed, and then stepped away from the Romans
Reyna and Hazel looked at each other with smirks on their faces, and then they continued to lead the group to the location between the command tent and Lupa's lair. "This is where you will set up your tents, if you need something, you can find us over there." Reyna pointed towards two large tents with the Roman numeral one on the main tent post.
"Thank you," Annabeth said. Reyna and Hazel both nodded before leaving the Greek demigods alone.
The Greeks spent the next two hours setting up their tents and cots. Thalia, Annabeth, Piper and Clarisse shared one tent, while Nico and Grover shared the other.
Annabeth and her three friends sat in their tent as they looked out over the Roman camp. Clarisse stayed silent, she was still fuming over the confrontation with Reyna. Annabeth and the others just left her alone.
"It's so different than Camp Half Blood," Piper declared.
"Tell me about it, it's like a boot camp here," Thalia added. "I thought that Hazel girl was going to shoot me."
"We didn't come here to analyze their camp or start fights," Annabeth corrected harshly.
"Are you okay?" Thalia asked her friend. Annabeth just stared out the door of the tent. Thalia followed her gaze. Annabeth was staring at the command tent. "He's really different, isn't he?"
Annabeth sighed softly. "How can someone become that different in just a few months?"
"You have to admit, he's pretty hot," Piper said. Annabeth and Thalia both stared at her. "Not that I'm interested or anything, but he is."
"I don't look at guys that way, I'm a Hunter," Thalia reminded her. "Plus, he's my cousin." Thalia shivered visibly.
Piper gave her a knowing glance. "Right," Piper said. Thalia gave her the death glare.
"He's taller… and his hair is so short now," Annabeth said.
"That hair cut is just like Jason's, it must be standard Roman issue," Piper reasoned.
"Did you notice his armament, or should I say lack thereof?" Thalia asked.
"Of course. I definitely didn't see Riptide. He was using a gladius, and that armor seemed different somehow," Annabeth said.
"I bet Mars or Juno gave those to him," Thalia said.
Suddenly, Annabeth sat up on the edge of her cot. Thalia and Piper followed her gaze. Scipio had just exited the command tent. He wore a simple purple camp shirt that fit tightly around his muscled torso and khaki shorts that showed off his toned and tanned legs. He was barefoot and seemed like he was intent on going in a certain direction.
"I wonder where he's going," Thalia said. Annabeth stood up.
"I'm going to follow him," Annabeth declared.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Piper asked worriedly.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Thalia offered.
"I think it would be better, if I go alone. You have a tendency to piss him off, that's one thing that hasn't changed," Annabeth said. Thalia just glared at her.
Annabeth left the tent and followed Scipio. She stayed a good distance away as the son of Neptune walked toward the ocean. He reached the sandy shore and sat down at the edge of the sea. Annabeth walked onto the beach carefully. She made it to within a few steps of the Consul of Rome.
"Do you need something, daughter of Athena?" Scipio questioned.
"How did you know it was me?" Annabeth asked, surprised.
"Your scent and you Greeks stomp around like a heard of buffalo."
Annabeth glared at him, but her cheeks reddened slightly.
"Can I talk to you?"
Scipio gestured toward the ground beside him. Annabeth sat down a few feet away from the Consul of Rome. She stared at the young man beside her; it was hard not to see her lost boyfriend. The urge to hug him was enormous, but Annabeth was somehow able to restrain herself.
"What would you like to discuss?" Scipio turned his head to look at the daughter of Athena. His dark green eyes met her stormy grey eyes.
"What's it like being the Consul of Rome?"
Scipio turned back toward the sea. His eyes seemed to darken. "It's a lot of responsibility." His eyes flickered over to her again. "Everyone looks to you for answers. I have trained all my life for this, but I'll never get used to it."
"Tell me about you. The person, not the leader," Annabeth said.
"Why so interested?" Scipio raised an eyebrow at her.
"You're avoiding the question," Annabeth said. Scipio chuckled lightly and told the daughter of Athena about himself. Annabeth listened carefully as Scipio relayed his life at military school and his actions durng the second Titan war. She was in awe of the elaborate persona that was Scipio Marcellus. Juno and Mars had gone all out with this fictional life.
"So you were the child of the last Great Prophecy?" Annabeth asked. She was curious as to why Juno had left that bit of knowledge in Scipio/Percy's memory.
"I was the child of the prophecy, not the hero," Scipio answered. He went on to talk about Luke and how he betrayed him, before helping to defeat Saturn in the end. Annabeth was completely dumbfounded. She thought about Luke, but now she realized that Scipio's memories were like a combination of her story with Luke and Percy's. Luke was a hero to Scipio just like he was to her.
"It must have been hard to watch him die like that," Annabeth said.
Scipio studied the daughter of Athena; he wanted to see if she was sincere or not. "Yes, it was." Scipio smiled slightly at her before continuing. "It was hard to watch all of them die." Annabeth nodded in agreement. She remembered the deaths of her friends.
"I lost many people in the war too."
Scipio looked at her sadly. "The Greeks fought too," he guessed.
Annabeth nodded forlornly.
"I'm sorry to bring up bad memories." Scipio and Annabeth were both facing each other by now with their legs crossed. They were only a few feet apart. Scipio couldn't help but stare at her. He was mesmerized by her eyes and he could feel some connection, one that he had never felt before.
Annabeth looked in Scipio's eyes. They were so different than Percy's. The son of Neptune's eyes were dark green like the lake at camp. They were filled with such pain, sadness and regret, it was hard to look at them, but she couldn't help to be drawn to them.
The two finally broke eye contact. Scipio stood up quickly and offered his hand to her. Annabeth took it carefully. A jolt of electricity shot up her hand at his touch. She saw Scipio's eyes flicker, like he felt it as well. Then Scipio easily lifted her up, and Annabeth marveled at his strength.
"I need to go; we have a long day ahead of us." Scipio looked into her eyes one more time.
"Thanks for the talk." Annabeth flashed him a warm smile, which he returned awkwardly.
"You're welcome. Good night, Annabeth." Scipio started to walk off toward the command tent.
"Good night."
Scipio nodded before he disappeared into the camp.
Annabeth stood on the beach looking out over the ocean as the sun sunk below the sea. The orange glow of the sun reflected across the sea causing the water to look like fire. She looked at the hand that Scipio had held as he helped her to her feet. The daughter of Athena couldn't help but remember the feeling of looking into his eyes or the spark she felt when he held her hand. It was familiar, but also very different than what she felt when she was with Percy.
Annabeth stared at the sea as she thought about Percy. He was so close to her now, but still so far away. She could feel the connection between them, even as Scipio stared at her with those dark green eyes.
Annabeth looked out at the sea again. "Lord Poseidon, please help me if you can, I need him. Please, help me get him back," Annabeth prayed. It was weird praying to Poseidon, but under the circumstances it felt right. Annabeth looked down at the sand before she followed Scipio's footsteps back into camp.
AN: A long chapter, but I hope everyone like it. Another great job of betaing by Starlit Reader and great advice on the whole Percy/Scipio/Annabeth triangle. Stay tuned more to come.