Guest: when is Sorus/Aita going to be reunited with Artemis and Apollo? and his wife?

Not until the very end of this story…like, the last chapter. I'll let you know beforehand.

The Forgotten One

Chapter Eight: Nero

"What happened!?" Hemera demanded.

"I have no idea," Aita said. "One minute everything was fine and the next the Greeks were firing on the Romans."

Hemera balled her fists. "Gaea must have done something to sabotage the ship. She's crafty, I'll admit."

"What do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do," Hemera said, "loath as I am to admit it."

"There must be something."

Hemera put her hand under her chin. "Maybe there is something…"

"What?" Aita asked.

Hemera looked up. "The augur, Octavian, has whipped the Romans into a frenzy. He's got them preparing for a full-scale attack on Camp Half-Blood."

"What do I do?"

"Eliminate him."

"What?" Aita asked. "There must be another way."

Hemera's face softened and she put a hand on his shoulder. "I wish there was, really, I do. But Octavian has proven himself a war mongering and unstable leader. If he is allowed to continue, the entire Legion could suffer."

Aita looked down. "I…I understand," he said after a minute, "I'll leave for Camp Jupiter immediately."

Hemera nodded. "How's Sorus?" she asked after a minute.

Aita turned around. "Contained." Then he was gone.

-o-

Aita stood on the northern hill of Camp Jupiter. He watched as hundreds of soldiers ran around, strengthening their defenses, carrying weapons and armor, and preparing for a long-haul across-country. In the center of it all, Octavian screamed at the top of his lungs and waved his hands around frantically while a large group of younger demigods raised their fists and weapons in anger and screamed their grievances to the gods.

Deep within him, Sorus was stirring. His Roman half sympathized with his people and wanted to see justice delivered, but Aita forced those thoughts down. He opened his hand and a large, black composite bow appeared in his hands. On his back was a quiver full of ebony-black arrows. He reached behind him and pulled out a single arrow and nocked it carefully into his bow. He raised the bow and aimed.

Deep down, he felt a sense of sorrow at what he was doing; after all, this boy was technically his great-great-great-grandnephew, and Aita had no pleasure in killing family. He closed his eyes and swallowed his hesitance; there was no use trying to wait. For the greater good, Octavian had to die.

He opened one eye and pulled the drawstring back as hard as he could. He hoped Apollo would forgive him. Hundreds of pounds of pressure wound as tight as they could, and one target.

Aita released the string.

The arrow soured through the air so fast that it was only noticeable to godly eyes. For a solid ten seconds there was nothing but silence as the arrow sped toward its mark. Then Octavian's head snapped back with such force that his neck broke and he fell back, an arrow dead-center in his forehead, eyes rolled back and mouth open mid-shout.

The Romans surrounded his body, worry and fear palpable.

"Hemera," said Aita, "it's done."

Then he was gone, leaving no trace that he had been there in the first place.

-o-

"It's done," Aita said. "Octavian is dead."

Hemera nodded in satisfaction. "Good. The Romans will still wage war on Camp Half-Blood, but at least we've slowed them down."

Aita nodded. "Now what?"

"Now, we kill Nero."

"You've found him?"

Hemera nodded. "He's staying in the penthouse suite of the Mandarin Oriental in New York. Go there, pierce his heart with your spear, and we will have dealt a serious blow to Triumvirate Holdings."

Aita nodded. "I won't fail."

"I don't expect you to," Hemera said kindly.

-o-

The hotel was so large that it seemed to scrape the sky. It was made of white concrete, with large windows as tall as the eye could see. Balconies extended from doorways cut into the side of the building, with ornate chairs and tables spread out. Potted plants hung from the railings. A man in a dark suit with white gloves held the door for men and women as the bustled about.

Here we go, Aita thought. He began to walk toward the door. He was sure that the doorman was going to give him a onceover and tell him to get lost; what with his black stealth suit, bow, knives, and swords, but all he did was nod politely, open the door and wave him inside with a pleasant "Morning."

The lobby was wonderful, with velvet rugs and expensive leather couches lining the walls. Detailed paintings hung delicately, and a massive glass chandelier hung in the center of the room. Columns held up the ceiling, and rich folks in suits or elegant gowns either chatted with one another or spoke in hushed tones into small bricks in their hands.

Aita made a mental note to ask Hemera about that later.

He walked up to the front desk where a middle-aged woman was doing a crossword puzzle. She looked up when he stopped in front of her. "Can I help you?"

"I'd like the key to the penthouse, please," he said.

The woman looked surprised. "I'm sorry, sugar, but I can allow you to"-he snapped his fingers-"What was I saying? Oh, yes! Here you are, sir." She handed him a small golden key. "Enjoy your stay!"

He smiled pleasantly. "Thank you." The elevator began to ascend slowly as classical music began to play over the speakers.

When he was about five floors below the penthouse, he said, "Don't do anything stupid, Sorus, or I'll tighten that leash of yours."

They had arrived at the penthouse floor, and when the doors opened, a man in metal armor stepped out.

"Don't you threaten me, Aita, or you'll find yourself riding shotgun more and more." He donned his helm and summoned his spear. The pushed the key into the doorknob and turned. The door clicked and slid open silently.

The penthouse was absolutely gorgeous, with expensive rugs covering the floor and windows that gave an amazing sight of the expansive New York skyline. Sorus' attention, however, was drawn to the man standing in front of the window.

He was dressed in an expensive purple wool Italian suit and golden chains that hung from his neck, and Sorus was tempted to strangle him with them. On his feet were hand-tooled leather shoes. His target: Nero.

Next to him was a small girl with dark hair that reached down to her shoulders. She wore a green dress with yellow leggings and red shoes. Two golden rings were on her middle fingers, and the man had his hand on her shoulder, looking proud.

Sorus took a step forward and raised his spear to throw it, but Nero spoke, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

The god-emperor turned. Sorus had to stop himself from gagging. The man looked like a hippopotamus, with his bloated belly and hideous face. His mouth was fixed into a permanent sneer while his curly hair extended into a wraparound neck beard that fell past his incredibly weak chin. The girl had glasses and looked at him blankly.

Sorus shrugged. "Are you talking about the city or you? Because one looks impressive and the other…less so."

Nero's smirk thinned. The girl paled and stepped back. Nero laughed and waved his hand. "You're funny, you know that? Can I offer you some wine?" He snapped his fingers and two servants appeared from another room. One was carrying two glasses while another a pitcher. They poured the wine into the glasses and handed one to Nero, who took it and sloshed the drink in his hand.

Sorus waved his hand and the servant bowed before retreating from the room, soon followed by the other.

Nero took a long sip before he smacked his lips and set his glass down. "Delicious."

Sorus arched an eyebrow. "If I didn't know any better, I'd ask if you were Bacchus's son, what with the fat gut and party-beard."

Nero's eyes seemed to darken. "And what do you know, if I may be so inclined to ask?"

"I know that you're Nero, also called the Beast for your practice of burning Christians alive. I know you're a descendent of Apollo, and that you ruled Rome as emperor. I also know that you forced others to worship you to become a god, and that you've spent millennia preparing to destroy Olympus."

Nero spread his arms. "You've clearly done your homework, young man. I never would have believed Python's warnings had they not had merit. You've been quiet the busy bee, haven't you? Destroying over a dozen warehouses in such short time must be quite the endeavor. How do you do it?"

"Why don't you come down here and I'll show you," Sorus said.

Nero laughed. "As tempting as that sounds, I'll just leave that to others." He turned to the girl. "Megan, dear, kill him please."

The girl lunged forward, her golden rings turning into scimitars. She slashed forward and Sorus probably would have been killed if it weren't for his godly speed. He twirled and kicked the girl into a wall. She went limp.

Nero pursed his worm-like lips. "Hm. Impressive. There aren't many demigods who can match my Meg's speed or reflexes."

Sorus' eyes widened before he began to laugh. Nero's face twisted in irritation. "What's so funny?"

Sorus put a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. After a moment he managed to recover and began to walk in a semicircle around Nero. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Clearly Python has yet to regain full control over the Oracle of Delphi," said Sorus, "or he would've informed you that I am no mere demigod."

Nero scoffed. "Then what are you?"

Sorus smiled wickedly. "I am Sorus, brother of Apollo and Diana, I am a god."-he leveled his spear-"And now, nephew, I will destroy you."

Nero's eyes widened. He grabbed his wrist and spoke into a golden wristwatch. "I need help! Get up-urk!"

Sorus had sprung forward and stabbed his spear through Nero's chest, right where his heard was. He grabbed Nero's neck and pushed the spear in deeper. "You are no god," he said. "You are nothing but an ant to be crushed beneath my boot."

He pulled the spear from his victim, and the skin on Nero's face began to grow paler and paler. His hair turned gray and began to fall out in large clumps. His face became covered in wrinkles and his eyes dimmed.

In a matter of seconds, the Beast went from a somewhat young man to an old, decrepit crone. His skin and hair turned to dust and all that was left was a purple suit and pearl white bones, which shattered when they hit the ground.

"No!" Meg cried. She was standing in the middle of the room, clearly having woken from her bout of unconsciousness. Her swords were in her hands, though they were dipped so low they were touching the floor.

"You killed him!" she cried. She leapt at him again, but her caught her by the neck. She flailed in his arms and tried to get free, but his grip remained firm.

You'd better hurry, said Aita. You've only got a few more minutes before security shows up.

Sorus closed his eyes and read the girl's mind. He saw Nero kill her father and claim that it had been the Beast. He saw Nero raise her as his own, training her and shaping her to be a merciless killer. He opened his eyes.

"The Beast is dead," he said.

Meg stopped flailing. "You're lying."

He shook his head. "I'm not, I swear it. Nero and the Beast were one in the same. He's been using you from day one."

"You're lying!" she cried. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"I'm not," Sorus said. "He killed your father. He took you from your home and manipulated you into being his puppet."

"No," Meg whimpered.

One minute, Aita said.

"It's true, Meg. Nero and his allies are evil manipulators who care for nobody but themselves."

"I don't believe you!"

Thirty seconds.

"Then let me show you! Come with me, and I can prove it to you. Please, Meg."

She hesitated for a long moment, but then she gave a small nod.

Ten seconds.

Sorus threw her over his shoulder, shouted "Hold on!" and ran toward the window. The doors to the penthouse burst open, and Sorus jumped through the window, Meg screaming from his shoulder.

Then they were gone…

-o-

"What were you thinking!?" Hemera asked frantically. "How could you bring her here?"

Aita shrugged. "Technically, I didn't bring her here."

Hemera narrowed her eyes. "Don't be coy with me, Aita. Why is she here?"

"I'm right here, you know," Meg said from her place on the couch. Her legs were bound with rope and her arms were tied behind her back.

"Quiet!" both gods said.

Aita crossed his arms. "I wasn't about to abandon her, Hemera. I'd never forgive myself if I did."

"Then why not drop her off at Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter?"

Aita's eyebrows rose. "Are you joking? Both those camps are about to go to war, and monsters and giants and immortal, evil emperors are everywhere. There's no way she'd survive."

"Thanks," Meg muttered.

"Quiet!" both gods said.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Hemera said.

"Then you can get rid of her," Aita said.

"Wait, what?" Meg said.

After a minute Hemera put a hand to her temple and sighed. "Fine. Do what you want, just don't be surprised if she betrays you and I say 'I told you so.'"

Aita smirked. "I have faith in her." He walked over to where she was and pulled out a hunting knife. She yelped when he slashed forward with the knife but all he did was cut through her bindings on her legs. He then reached behind her and cut her arms free.

"Thanks," she muttered as she massaged her wrists.

"Don't make me regret this, little girl," Hemera said from just behind Aita. He threw a half-hearted glare over his shoulder. "You aren't making this easy, Hemera."

"Well, excuse me for being a little concerned about letting the daughter of one of our targets continue to breathe."

"You're a primordial. Why not just snap your fingers and turn her into a rat or something?"

Hemera crossed her arms. "Because you trust her, and I trust you. But if she proves to be a liability, I'll dispose of her."

"I'm sure she can be of some assistance."

"Is that right? And how exactly can she provide some 'assistance?'"

"I can help," Meg said.

Aita turned and raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"I can tell you where to find Commodus."

A/N: If you guys enjoyed than please leave a review telling me what you thought, if you had any questions, or anything wise. If you feel like continuing this story than please follow and favorite and you'll be alerted as soon as I update. If you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me and I'll do my best to answer.

One last thing: would you guys be open to seeing a few chapters that are told from the POV of Artemis, Apollo, Hecate, etc. that would basically about them dealing with Aita's "death" or would you prefer we stay focused on Aita. Let me know in a review what you want.