"I swear, this better be the last chapter from my point of view for some time." Frank shook his head. Zeus flipped a few pages and nodded.

"It is. The next one is Percy's." he said

"Brilliant." Percy sighed

AFTER THAT, THE BATTLE WAS MAYHEM

"You don't say." Clarisse grinned

Frank, Percy, and Hazel waded…sheer novelty of being on the losing side.

"A touch of humility now and then won't hurt them." Percy said with a half smirk

"Ah, welcome, Steve Harrington." Nico teased. Percy bowed.

Part of their problem was Percy

"Percy's always part of the problem." Thalia nodded in agreement. On Percy's pout, she smirked.

"Always part of the problem to the enemies." She finished. Percy beamed at her.

He fought like a demon…—but Percy put a stop to it

"Thank the gods. Honestly, I do not want the mental image of Octavian singing soprano let alone hear his voice." Dakota shook his head

"Agreed." Everybody said in unison.

He somersaulted over a line of shields…collapsed like a sock puppet.

Everybody cheered.

Frank shot arrows until his quiver…she's beautiful, Frank thought.

"Somebody's knee deep." Silena chuckled.

"I'm all deep." Frank corrected. Silena chuckled and winked.

"That's good." She said

"Hey! I'm all deep too." Beckendorf pouted teasingly. Silena chuckled fondly and placed a kiss on his cheek.

They ran to the center…playing Mythomagic with cards and figurines.

"You should join them." Will said to Nico with a grin.

"You too!" Nico complained. Will and Thalia fist bumped each other.

The cohort's emblems were propped… "Assemble for honors!"

The fifth cohort whooped and their parents high fived them.

Slowly the campers regrouped on the…until he saw Gwen

Dakota pursed his lips. He was not looking forward to reading about his girlfriend's death and not death situation.

"Daughter of?" Athena asked

"Venus." Reyna responded. Aphrodite sucked in a breath.

"Help!" somebody yelled…Her face was ashen gray.

Hades shook his head and Dakota gritted his teeth, his eyes were brighter than usual.

Finally one of the medics looked…after the game had ended.

"That is absolutely horrific." Aphrodite gritted out.

"I wish Octavian was here." Frank muttered, wanting the ex centurion to get the crap beat out of him. As if the fates had heard his wish, the legacy appeared right in the middle of the group. Dakota let out a growl which was more feline than normal. Castor, Pollux and Dionysus looked at him with slightly wide eyes.

Frank scanned the crowd for Octavian…He didn't have a pilum

And that was when Dakota lost it. He pounced onto Octavian just as a leopard on its prey. He began punching the legacy as he shouted and yelled. There were a few satisfying crunches which indicated that Dakota had broken Octavian's jaw, nose and certainly a few teeth.

"Listen to me, you little bastard." Dakota growled as he held Octavian in a chokehold "I don't know what the fates have planned for you but trust me if you are brought back to life in some form of mercy, I'll make sure that its torment if you ever come near anybody especially Gwen again. I'll make sure that you're the one the pilum is sticking out of rather than anybody else." He said, his voice a threatening whisper with his godly- self showing as his eyes glowed with a purple fire.

Octavian's voice came out muffled against Dakota's arm.

"Do I make myself clear?" Dakota demanded. Octavian tried to say something but just nodded with wide eyes. Dakota released the legacy and the blonde haired boy rubbed his neck and looked at Dakota in a way which could be identified as fear.

Castor and Pollux had to drag back Dakota. Though they wanted Octavian injured as much as anybody else, they had to stop their brother from going too far. Octavian was about ready to wet himself but he hid it well enough. Dakota glared at Octavian one last time before the legacy disappeared.

"Guess the fates sent him only for a beating." Nico snorted

"They should do that throughout the reading. Only to send him to be beat up after every wrong act." Percy said

"Nah, that would probably result in him being there for the entirety of the last two books." Leo shook his head.

"Lets just continue reading." Hera said.

Blood roared in Frank's ears.

Ares felt a rush of anger and it was as if he was momentarily deafened by it. He looked at Frank and nodded.

"I totally get how you feel." He said with a small smile. There were a few chuckles at that.

He wanted to strangle Octavian with his…She has to be dead."

"Now see mate, there is a difference between 'has' and 'is' and 'should'. She has to be dead, then that gives a feel that you feel like you're hallucinating which isn't true. She is dead, is when she would certainly be dead which is no heartbeat, no nothing. Then there is she should be dead when morally she should be dead without any reason to be brought back." Nico said with slight sarcasm but mostly in an explanatory tone.

Hades chuckled in amusement at his son while Nico just shrugged.

"I'm right, am I not?" he said

"You're right." Hades chuckled. Nico grinned and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah, back then it wasn't too amusing." Reyna said with a raised eyebrow.

"Its not amusing now either. I'm just explaining what the medic was saying and what that meant. See, being dead and coming back to life is complicated. So the terms should probably be handled carefully especially in our world. Shock doesn't really give us the correct sense at that time but still. I'm just saying." Nico told Reyna seriously.

Gwen tried to sit up…and a man asking…for a coin?

"Ah so you've met the man with the fascination for Italian suits." Nico chuckled.

"The same guy that we had told that 3 people drowned in a big bath tub." Grover nodded sagely. Percy and Annabeth grinned and Grover snickered.

I turned around and the exit door…Deal with him later.

"Yeah, you'd probably get into trouble just then due to your rank even if he was responsible at the moment." Reyna winced.

"No offense, but that's a load of crap." Castor snapped.

"I'm not defending what I said." Reyna placated him.

"Gwen," Hazel said gently...people return from the dead."

Hades nodded in agreement. Hazel grimaced.

"Yours was different. See, you died before your time. Your correct time to be born was at this point to be part of the prophecy. It was the wrong time the last time you were born and that's why I didn't say anything when Nico let you return." Hades said to her quietly. Hazel nodded in understanding.

A thunderous voice rolled across…He didn't sound pleased.

"This is gonna be good." Dakota grinned.

"Oh don't even." Percy sighed and groaned dramatically.

In the midst of the legion…soldier stepped out of the explosion

"Ares." Everybody said in unison.

"Me." Ares said with a nod. He was rubbing his eyelashes as he felt the burning sensation on them.

Frank didn't have much hair…hands was an oversized M16 rifle

"And they say that I'm dramatic." Zeus rolled his eyes, looking up from the book.

"Firstly, he's your son so that's not surprising-" Hades started with a smirk

"Secondly, you would be much more dramatic." Poseidon finished with a grin. Everybody burst out laughing as Zeus glowered, somewhat teasingly at his brothers who just high fived.

The worst thing was that Frank…was glaring at the giant soldier.

Ares grinned at Percy.

"Well well, little cousin." He said

"Well well, big cousin." Percy snickered. Everybody then burst into uncontrollable laughter at that. Ares face palmed and Percy grinned.

"You're Ares," Percy said…new friend with that extra-large M16.

"Nah, we go way back." Percy stated.

"Oh trust us, we know." Triton said, shaking his head. Ares and Percy just fist bumped. The sight was still extremely weird to those who weren't used to it by now and Katie just spoke what was on their minds.

"Its so strange to see you guys as friends." She said as she shook her head.

"Funnily enough, we've all had a change of heart." Ares said to her.

Instead, the god bared his brilliant…he was still shivering with fear

Ares trembled and then frowned. Apollo furrowed his eyebrows at him.

"Huh, that sounds kind of creepy if you imagine hearing it for the first time." Rachel said and then shrugged.

"I've always wanted to say that.

Everybody snorted in amusement.

I come from Olympus with a message.

"Messages are my thing." Hermes pouted.

"I had a claiming to do, Hermes. Couldn't let you do that for me." Ares said to his brother as leant behind Clarisse's back.

"Fair enough." Hermes grinned.

Jupiter doesn't like us communicating…the god glare at Nico di Angelo?

"Always my fault, eh?" Nico said to Ares with a raised eyebrow.

"I was talking about… a few circumstances in particular and that you were there when Gwen came back." Ares explained with a pause at the start.

"Thanatos has been chained,"… "Oh, you can get up now.

There were a few snickers at that.

"Any questions?"… "So far beyond honored—"

Ares rolled his eyes and he wasn't the only one.

"The extreme buttering. Uh, my digestive system can't handle it." Will said, burying his face in his hands. Some people laughed and Nico chuckled fondly. Apollo and Artemis just looked extremely proud and approving.

"Well?" Mars snapped.

"Even dad's just done." Clarisse said.

"Well," Reyna said…like your friend Centurion Shishkebab.

Dakota glowered at Ares and Aphrodite raised her eyebrows at Ares.

"Seriously?" she said

"Sorry, my dear." Ares grimaced "And to you too." He said to Dakota who nodded.

Gwen winced…If we can stay alive indefinitely—"

"Oh for fuck's sake." Hades and Nico swore in unison, both of them burying their heads in their hands.

"See, see. That's the exact mindset that gets us in trouble." Hades complained.

"I swear. You dumb idiot, if you had some brains or some information of how the moral reasoning of the world worked, then you'd know. Its basically endless death without any conclusion. All the enemies you kill, they won't die. There is no point in wasting resources on battle. All the good acts that you have committed, those go to waste." Nico shook his head.

"And the population increase would be drastic as well as the amount of catastrophes around the world." Hades groaned.

"Don't be foolish, boy!"… Is that what you want?"

"Thank you." Nico and Hades groaned. Ares nodded.

"You're most welcome." He said. A few people chuckled.

"You're the god of war,"… "Don't you want endless carnage?"

"The boy poses a fair point." Athena said

"You don't." Clarisse snapped. Athena glowered at her. "Look, dad doesn't want war without reason. You have no idea the amount of wars that would've been happening had he wanted a war without any reason at all and just took pleasure in carnage without reason. And nor would he want a war without an end because there's just no point in it." She said. Athena stopped glaring at Clarisse and gave a nod to Ares who smiled at Clarisse and kept a hand on her shoulder.

"That's basically what he said." Dakota informed.

Mars's infrared goggles glowed brighter…I don't want war without end.

"See." Frank said to Athena.

You will discover this…were two old buddies talking trash.

Ares and Percy laughed.

"He told you, we go way back." He said.

"Not on the best terms though." Frank reminded his father.

"Eh, we've sorted that out." Ares shrugged.

"I figured." Frank chuckled.

"I order a quest!"… So my advice is: Don't fail."

"Extremely motivating. Thanks." Dakota said dryly.

"Anytime." Ares said

Octavian somehow managed to bow…stuffed animals and possibly a knife—"

"Here comes the best part." Percy grinned while rubbing his hands.

"Oh, you're not going to like this much." Frank said to Apollo whose eyes went wide wondering just what the heck is brother was about to do.

"You're the augur?"… Never mind!"

"They literally just finished war games." Athena shook her head

"Still didn't expect them to not have a pen on them." Ares responded.

He slung his M16 onto his back…There were many screaming Romans.

Ares snorted.

Then the grenade morphed…Mars began to write.

"Now that's epic." The Stolls grinned.

"I know right." Ares grinned back. The three of them immediately got talking.

"Oh I don't like this. I don't like this at all." Chris said with wide eyes.

Frank looked at Percy with wide…Can your sword do grenade form?

"Ah, alas, I wish but sadly no." Percy said with a flair of dramatics.

"Now I wonder where he gets that from." Zeus said with a raised eyebrow. Poseidon grinned sheepishly.

Percy mouthed back…sundown on June twenty-fourth or die.'

There was silence for a while before everybody roared with laughter. The house of heroes were clutching their stomachs, even the Apollo kids. Apollo on the other hand looked bewildered and traumatized. Ares grinned smugly while Athena rolled her eyes.

"I love it!" Jason laughed. Everybody else just cheered.

"Certainly interesting." Chiron chuckled.

"I must agree." Hestia said with a smile.

"What have I ever done to you?!" Apollo groaned dramatically to Ares.

"Let me take out the list." Ares said with a mock clearance of his throat which just added to the laughter. Once everybody calmed down, Zeus continued reading.

"Yes," Mars said…another grenade off his belt. "Yes?"

Everybody snickered.

"Brilliant." Clarisse said approvingly.

"The prophecy is clear!"… He stepped forward against his will.

The smile fell off Ares' face as Frank's total dread washed over him. He tried to hide the effect that it had on him but obviously Apollo noticed it as he was keeping a close eye on him every time such instances came up. Ares might have noticed Apollo's worried gaze this time but he waved it away mouthing that he was fine but hey, you can't lie to the god of truth.

Mars grinned. "Nice job taking…he gets the Mural Crown," Mars demanded.

"Thanks dad." Frank said

"My kid, here!"… up to a real man's weapon."

"Can we please stop unnecessarily gendering weapons? Thank you." Michael sighed.

"Yeah. Sorry." Ares said, not really too focused because he was thinking about Frank but he knew what he was saying.

He tossed Frank his M16…Frank with envy, jealousy, anger, bitterness.

Everybody rolled their eyes.

You can take two companions,"… Mars on this trip, or die trying

"Dying's a bit much." Amphitrite said.

As for the second…His perfect night had been ruined.

Ares was honestly just wincing internally by now. Even Will looked concerned now and looked at his father as he sensed Ares' heartbeat increasing.

"I'll handle it." Apollo said to him quietly

"I'm worried, dad. I'll help if I can. Its not right for the heartbeat to increase that much. Even Percy's sensing that something's wrong." Will said, jerking his head towards the god of liquids and fluids whose eyebrows were furrowed as well as he looked at Ares, no doubt sensing the increase in the blood rush. Percy's eyes met Apollo and Will's and they came to a silent agreement.

Mars was his father…been handed a death sentence.

"Chapter's done." Zeus stated

"Maybe one more chapter and a break." Apollo suggested but it came out more like a statement. Everybody nodded in agreement.

"I'll read." Aphrodite said.