Caput XXIV

***CCLXXXIV***

Instead of pain or nothingness, as he suspected death truly felt like, a shower of sparks and rock shards showered Percy. A crashing of metal, the likes of which nearly deafened him rang out simultaneously and, in its attenuation, a roiling voice spoke deliberately.

"Do not suppose that you speak for all gods, niece." Percy opened his eyes, more effort required than he appreciated. To his left, the sauroter sat in a crater of stone. The cavity between two of the three golden prongs held the spear away from Percy. His eyes followed the haft of the trident. Before he reached the owner's face, Athena spoke.

"He is not your son, Neptune. You have made that quite clear."

"He was not my son, but here I claim him. He shall be known Neptuni filius, for in honoring Rome, he has honored me." Percy still could not see his face but felt the stone tremble at Neptune's soft laugh.

"Speak, Uncle!" Athena shouted. Percy watched a thick wristed hand rise and point to where Percy's sword made its only mark of the one-sided fight.

"It seems he has opened your skirt more than any other man." Percy could sense, rather than see the smirk upon Neptune's face.

***CCLXXXV***

In fury, the Goddess of Wisdom spun away, before slashing at Neptune with her spear. The end of the trident slapped it away, though the god did not move. He reacted similarly to her second attack, a thrust. "Return to Olympus, niece." In answer, Athena shifted targets and stabbed toward the still supine Percy. She never saw the blow that caused her to skid across the stones.

"He attacked me, it is my right…" the elder god cut her off.

"He damaged your rendering and more so he cut to the quick of your pride. Turning him to a spider would do you no good here, so instead you created a reason by claiming your statue to be your person." She lunged. Neptune did not respond, but with a short twist. That was not enough to avoid the strike and golden ichor ran in a small rivulet down his arm. The air began to smell of a sea storm. The God of the Sea's first blow connected with where it was aimed, Aegis. The three prongs showered sparks across the courtyard. Percy could not be certain what those around him saw. Considering their continued commitment to killing each other, he did not believe the Greeks nor the Romans could see what occurred within their midst. Athena recovered from the blow, adjusting her shield and spear. Before she completed the adjustment, however, the butt of the trident crashed into the shield again. Again, she was forced back. Now she attacked before Neptune could blade of her spear shot toward Neptune's face. Less than six inches from his green eyes, his great left hand zipped upward. The spear stopped as quickly as an arrow against stone.

"Now, niece, you have gone too far." While it appeared his right hand barely moved, his trident's haft whipped through the air at a murderous speed. The haft cracked against the center of her back. The goddess stumbled forward, knowing the blow would have obliterated any being but a goddess. She settled into a battle stance, poised with all the potential energy of a serpent. Like one, she struck. Her shield aimed at Neptunes's trident to force it aside. The spear angled for his heart.

Spinning the cyclopean weapon, Neptune first altered the trajectory of the shield, striking its inner edge and throwing Aegis aside. The spinning trident then forced the spear upward as the triple head aimed toward the stones. With a sharp thrust, he buried the central one into the thigh above the knee. Athena gasped at the penetration, before screaming as Neptune extracted his weapon with a twist. The outer blades sliced semi-circular gashes into her thigh and shin.

As most wounded predators would, she lashed out with her spear, but at such close range the haft connected with his hip and the elder of the Dii Consentes did not flinch. His left hand rose and viciously delivered a backhand to the Greek goddess's left cheek. Her head snapped around, but she came up with her spear aimed at Neptune's groin. As she thrust, she came to her feet.

Spinning to his right, Neptune thrust toward the ground. Athena laughed at his miss, until with a heave he threw her into the air by her right ankle. For the "miss" placed the goddess's ankle between two prongs of the trident and as he twisted and heaved, her body could not adapt and flew upward. The sauroter like base of the weapon found her chest and Neptune now batted her to the stone.

Athena looked up to find the trident at her throat and Neptune's foot upon her chest. "You are strong, girl, but do not forget which of us overthrew the Titans." The very air seemed to roil as anger pulsed from the God of the Sea. "Return to Olympus; and no more shall you interfere in mortal affairs."

***CCLXXXVI***

The god now looked down upon his newly adopted son. It could not be properly counted how much blood was on his hands. How many Romans at Philippi, Alexandria, Actium, or off the coast of Sicily or the sands of Syria? Illyrians, Gauls, and Germans defending their homes? How many Greeks on this campaign alone? Mortals perceived Neptune riding the sea waves, it appeared this mortal rode upon a tidal wave of blood. Yet, in him, Neptune saw flashes of past heroes. The fighting of Achilles, the doggedness of Ulysses, and the command presence of one not considered a hero but more influential upon Athens than most. His prowess at, well, Neptune doubted any hero could match that. Perseus already surpassed the abilities of Theseus, Poseidon's most famous child.

"It does not serve Rome well to recline on such a day." The Greek-born man stood slowly. His eyes not leaving the god's.

"This arm will not serve it well either." Percy's left arm still hung nearly worthless. Neptune reached out with his trident; its ichor covered center prong touching his arm. His arm seized as the bones snapped into place, the veins pulsing with power as the limb reformed.

"It would not do for my newest son to be unable to fulfill his duty." He laughed softly, "You might be the first Son of Neptune that Salacia is not incensed over."

"Why? Why did you do this?"

"You may be a son of Poseidon, but the sea does forget not its own. Adoption has been a Roman means of honoring those who have brought honor to them, Publius Ventidius Bassus Perseanus. Your actions bring me honor, I return that." Neptune placed a hand on his Percy's shoulder. "Go forth, Neptuni filius, there is a battle to finish." With a soft pop, he was gone.

***CCLXXXVII***

"I cannot leave him!" Aspasia shouted and broke from Annabeth's grip. She turned to follow, but with her injuries, the girl was gone before she could. She turned to follow, but with her injuries the girl was gone before Annabeth could react. Soon the shadows of the Labyrinth swallowed her niece. Beside her, Clarisse watched, while Zoë looked down from Chiron's back. Somehow, Chiron managed to turn.

"We will turn back and collect her." The clip-clop of his hooves vanished more quickly than it should have. Annabeth and Clarisse resigned themselves to this course of action and returned to following Myrinne through the maze.

***CCLXXXVIII***

"Pater! Pater!" Malcolm spun to see Aspasia rushing from the door of the Labyrinth. Gods help me, he thought. Four legionaries died under his blade making it this far and he could hear more behind him. Despite this, he wrapped his daughter tightly in his arms. Suddenly he heard a blade slide along the stone walls of the Erechtheion.

"Run, my dear." Malcolm wrapped an arm around Aspasia and shoved his daughter toward the darkness of the Labyrinth. "I will always love you," he said before turning. His right leg drug across the stones, unable to fully function. Always may not last very long. The delay between the actual footstep and the echo which foretold their arrival decreased until the figure who possessed them arrived in the torchlit. "Not long at all," he muttered aloud. He tried to keep the resignation from his face but having witnessed what he had between his mother and the man before him, he could not. "You should be dead."

"It seems your mother has made an enemy of my father; their disagreement saved me further altercations" the Roman commander replied as he tilted his sword to the stone wall again. The Gallic sword hissed as he brought it along the stone wall. Malcolm knew he could not attack, he prepared himself for the defense, but could not be prepared for the speed at which the Roman moved. The tip of the sword snaked through the air, connecting with Malcolm's shield at the last second. The force of the blow threw him back. He attempted a strike of his own and in his current condition the only reward was the Roman's blade slicing along the length of his right forearm. The Roman lunged forward and the power in the lunge, centered solely at the tip of his sword, overpowered Malcolm's one good leg.

Malcolm lay on his back. The Roman's knee slowly crushed his chest while his sword hovered inches from his neck. Always is not too long it seems, he thought. He looked up into the Roman's green eyes in time to see a chunk of stone strike the man in the face and split the skin along his cheek. Anger flared in the green eyes and Malcolm struggled to follow his gaze. However, at the voice that followed they closed in terror.

"Bastard, I'll kill you." Percy's eyes leveled upon the girl holding another rock.

"You are quite brave."

"You hurt my father." Percy looked down on the man beneath him. He thought of his daughters, that he did not even know what they looked like. He felt the blood run down his face.

"You might be the first Greek I have feared since being here." He stood and looked down on Malcolm. "Go, raise your daughter." He started to turn. "With one that fierce, you will raise her or the fucking Hunters will claim her."

"How do you know I will not attack your back?"

"Because I saw the fear in your eyes when mine turned to her." Percy did not turn as he walked away. He heard new voices behind him. Then the flexing of a bow and the creak of a bowstring as it flexed. He froze.

"I could put this arrow through your skull now," Percy turned to see the Lieutenant of Artemis perched on the back of a centaur. A drawn bow rested in her hands.

"You could." She let the arrow fly. Perseus spun; his sword crossing his body. Only that motion deflected the arrow from his throat to his right shoulder. By the time his grimace passed, a second arrow rested on her bow string. Surprisingly, the centaur spoke.

"A mercy was shown here. As much as we may hate it, I am afraid one must be returned." Percy could not tell if the Hunter would follow that instruction. The centaur clearly believed the same and adjusted his human torso to block the archer's path. "My dear boy, how different would life be if you had found a home with us first?"

"Only the Fates know, I'm afraid."

"Perhaps, in another life we will try again, boy."

***CCLXXXIX***

Painfully, the prefect made his way out of the Erectheion. No more fighting existed upon the wide courtyards of the Acropolis. Romans shepherded captives throughout the expanse, while a half dozen stood before the massive statue of Athena. He recognized three of them.

"Jason, Marcus, Paulus, is the city secure?"

"More so than your health it seems," responded Paulus the oldest of the three. He looked over the Praefectus Achaea, taking in the bruises, reopened wounds, and the new ones. "I see your shield and armor did not last," he motioned to them discarded on the stones, broken.

"I encountered quite the adversary." Percy responded and began to walk again.

"Prefect! Where are you going?" His green eyes met the blue ones of Jason.

"I have an appointment with the cunt who caused this." He made it not thirty yards, slowly, before a centurion stopped him. An assortment of captives sat bound, surrounded by Roman soldiers. Most seemed to be Greeks, almost entirely women, he noticed. He suspected the bodies around them belonged to the men in their lives, those would be replaced by the highest bidders at market. His eyes fell on ten girls in silver fur.

"Praefectus, who do you wish to deal with them?" He turned to the centurion and then studied them. Four would not live the night with their wounds. One was the fighter whose arm he had broken earlier. Two appeared so young they would live long enduring what soldiers and slavers would do to them. Two seemed to have only suffered superficial wounds. Finally, he rested his eyes on the redheaded girl. The one he had watched drag away the Lieutenant of Artemis in his camp. He suspected she fired the arrow that killed Tiberius.

"Those six, hang them from the Propylaea." He aimed his hand at the four wounded and the two most healthy. He pointed to the young ones and the girl he had harmed. "These three, well," he smiled wickedly, "I need some more slaves and someone to help that other Greek bitch warm my bed." The soldiers around him laughed, his desired result. The poor bastards endured too much under his orders, a laugh is the least he could do.

"Fucking animal," the large Hunter hissed, before spitting on his foot. He looked down on the one he injured with judgement.

"I am not the one, bound, crawling in the dirt, and spitting on things." He turned to his men, "I think she volunteered to warm it tonight." He pointed to the Propylaea, "Get to it." They began to lead away the six he condemned to death. He now turned one that he believed killed Tiberius. She would suffer the cruelest fate. Living with the knowledge of what happened to her sisters. "That one," he pointed at Phoebe. "Release her so that the word can spread that not even a goddess can protect traitors from Rome. They will all suffer the same fate." They struggled with all their might as the soldiers drug them off. He hoped in the afterlife, as they met others who had suffered through a siege, that he saved them from the unbridled desires of a victories soldier.

The Praefectus Achaea watched the hangings, then moved at a pace that did not equal his wounds. A score of legionaries formed behind him. They covered the distance to the great temple to Athena. They passed the sekos to the right. Through the gaps in the columns, they could see the city burning beneath them. Their pace did not suffer a moment to think about such things and soon they found themselves at the entrance to the naos, home of the great statue.

Percy entered first, his eyes enamored, despite his desires by the beauty of the statue. Athena wore a long flowing peplos, open upon her right shoulder. It was partially covered by the ivory gorgoneion. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, while atop her head it was covered by an Attic helmet with gryphons upon the paragnathides to protect her cheeks. Winged horses flanked the sphinx as crests upon the helmet. Over six feet of the goddess Nike rested in her right hand. The sacred snake guarded her feet. The dory and the shield, sixteen feet in diameter, seemed more benign here than when they attempted to kill him.

Suddenly a white-haired figure lunged from a dark corner. The small figure moved and charged with a dagger. The Roman commander snarled in pain and then anger as his men did nothing. His sword came down seven times in brutal fashion. The first three severed the man's arm, the following four carved deep groves into his shoulders and skull. The white-haired man collapsed; Percy continued to slash until he ceased moving. One of the Roman's pointed at the medallion about the man's neck.

"Sir, that was a priest of Athena, their version of Minerva." Percy grunted as he pulled the dagger from his thigh.

"The fucker stabbed me; I am less concerned with what cunt he claimed to serve than what he held in his hand." He now turned to the statue again. He reversed his grip, allowing him to point with the pommel of Vercingetorix's Sword. Something stopped him. He walked up to an amphora, from it he drew two golden eagles upon staves, aquila stolen from their proper place. He turned to a centurion. "Return these to the Second and the Tenth. With them they are now Legio II Augustii and Legio X Equestris. Thus is their reward." The centurion left with another man. He turned to the remaining eighteen men and pointed with the pommel of his sword. "That fucking bitch is going to Rome."

"But the ire of the goddess, sir."

"Make the proper sacrifices to Neptune and make sure he knows we are putting it in his Basilica. Give the Sea God buy in to keep her transit safe. Afterall, we just rectified an old sin and took the city that should have been his." The Romans surrounding him could not guess that he was speaking as much to his father as to them. A father who slowly moved from the shadows as his men wondered away muttering.

"Are you sure that is what you wish?"

"Yes, she caused all of this. Let the statue of Athens sit in the temple of Neptune." Beside him Neptune chuckled.

"What is so funny?"

"That in your past life, you're the one that built the Long Walls and rebuilt the Acropolis walls following the Persian invasion. The world has changed since we last spoke, Themistocles." With a soft pop, he disappeared.

***CCXC***

The throne room of Olympus was full. For the first time in months, Mars could clearly see the assembled deities, far more of them in Roman form than Greek compared to just the month before. Neptune, surprisingly, sat at Jupiter's right hand. Mars was beckoned to a seat beside him. Across from sat Athena and Artemis, rage unhidden on their faces. Jupiter slammed his fist against the arm of his throne and the room fell silent.

"The mortal conflict below ended," Jupiter's voice, Mars realized, was of higher pitch than that of his brothers'. The ruler of the sky, he thought, compared to the depths of the ocean and the bowels of hellfire. "Now comes the time of recompence. There are those among us who have pulled the strings of this conflict and must pay for their actions. As two of my children are involved, I have passed the right to pass judgement to my brother," every eye turned to Neptune, though he kept his gaze on those opposite him, "Pluto."

The god in question appeared in the entrance way. Greek style armor covered his body, but his voice and demeanor cast little doubt as to which form of the God of the Underwood now joined their presence. The god did not delay his words. The voice was lower than Neptune's and possessed a metallic quality. "The first to be questioned is my brother." Pluto looked to Neptune who did not flinch from his gaze. "The sounds of praise for the Son of Neptune rise in Athens upon the lips of Roman soldiers soon this will encompass the world. A Son of Neptune stands upon the Acropolis, master of Athens. Yet, for months you have denied having a son."

"I have adopted Poseidon's son as my own. No Son of Neptune fought for Rome until Athena intervened."

"How could the son of a Greek god be allowed to render the destruction he has upon Greece?" Neptune turned toward the goddess screaming the question.

"With your background, I believe it should be relatively easy to understand that nature of one's birth does not determine their future path. Rome and the Romans have proven loyal to him, he repaid it with his own." Athena opened her mouth to speak again, but Pluto raised a hand.

"Now we turn to Artemis of the Hunt. Your hatred and vitriol towards men is well known in these halls. So well known, that your Hunters knew they could exercise their vengeance without interruption from you."

"The men of the world have harmed…" Pluto cut her off.

"The men of the world were not the Romans. Jupiter's son had kept his men in check, as did Perseus, Son of Neptune. Their targets were military ones. Only once your girls began to ship Roman soldiers to my realm did they turn to wanton violence. The people of Greece suffered because of the unrestricted and tacitly approved actions of your Hunters toward the men of Rome. Beyond that, your Hunt's charter demands they target the monsters that would harm the world, in their shift to military campaign monster numbers are growing and their numbers have ravaged by death or capture."

"I must have them back."

"No." Pluto's voice entertained no debate. "They will pay the price of your inaction against vendetta and mission. Rome will do with them as it wishes." Artemis spun her eyes to her father. He did not react, and Pluto continued. "Now we turn to the single most responsible of us for what has befell Greece. Pallas Athena, by your divine order the Greeks initiated this war. By that order and through the actions of your children, Greece has been brought to the brink of destruction. A Roman commander sits atop the Acropolis in Athens and Rome will decide its future. By your hand, the destruction of all our descendants is nigh. No longer will the children of the gods be welcome by the citizenry of Greece; they are held responsible for the devastation that has embraced this ancient land. They will reside in hiding and live in secrecy from this time forward. This is their punishment. Your punishment shall be to walk as one of them for the next ten years, protect them from the extinction your orders have brought to the precipice." Both goddesses spun to face their father who displayed no semblance of mercy and responded by quoting one of Athena's own sons.

"The strong do what they will, the weak suffer what they must."

***CCXCI***

They did not know how the Labyrinth brought them to Poikilon Oros, the mountain five miles northwest of the Acropolis. Behind the group, comprising just two hundred and four demigod survivors, sixty mortals, and just nineteen Hunters, they could see the city burn. Flames illuminated the sky, already growing brighter under the morning sun. To those on the mountain, the sunrise was equivalent to their defeat, for the sun rose over a world dominated by Rome.

***CCXCII***

Below them, a city died. Just as the Greeks razed Troy, jewel of the eastern Aegean, now Rome eviscerated the heart of Greece. The fires continued to spread, turning the once great city into the pyre of a nation. From their elevated position, the screams and cries of thousands still reached their ears as Roman soldiers gave action to months of frustration and loss. Athens no longer stood as the reminder of Pericles' great city. Athens now lay as an earthly mirror of Tartarus.

"Gods," muttered Jason, his helmet falling from his fingers to the stone. Beside him a young centurion watched in horrid fascination. Both of them, despite their previous actions and their full belief of their Roman duty, could not help the unbidden tears that hung heavy in their eyes for their eyes witnessed the cessation of a people. The centurion wandered away, lost in the realization of his involvement in the devastation below, no longer able to control his tears.

Jason looked to his older cousin. The Greek-born man studied the visage. The flames reflecting across his piercing green eyes. Stalwart in his demeanor and appearance, he ignored the blood running from a half dozen wounds. Jason saw his lips move but only caught the final word: eternity.

"Say again, cousin." Percy turned, and for just a moment Jason saw sadness in those green eyes. They steeled again and he spoke.

"Our actions, Jason. They will echo in eternity."

****End Pars II****

A long author's note:

As is clear, several figures from Roman history have died before their time. Tiberius is clearly not going to become Tiberius Caesar Augustus, the second emperor of Rome. Potitus Valerius Messalla died before his time, in 26 BC vice sometime after 17 BC. Some of the history of these four legions has been adjusted for this story, at the close of the complete story I will offer a full summary of changes in a "Notes from the Historic Record" as I have done in the past with Of Kings and Consuls and Of Kingdoms and Empires, below is the initial version of that. In summary though, here we find ourselves in the autumn of 26 BC. Augustus has been named so by the Senate, he is married to Livia, mother of Tiberius, and his only living child is Julia. Julia is engaged to her cousin Marcus Claudius Marcellus. Publius Ventidius Bassus Perseanus is father to three children with Reyna Messallina Varus, with his son having recently become betrothed to a daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, his long-time friend. Jason is engaged to Claudia Marcella Minor, younger sister of Agrippa's wife and niece of Augustus. As for Zoë's speech, as many will have noticed, I do not have her utilizing the "thee" and "thou" associated with her diction in English. This has been purposeful, as I believe that she would be more relaxed in her use of Latin and Greek speech.

Notes from the Historic Record

Greek Rebellion: From my research, which included more books, web searches, and historical journals than I care to admit, there was no mass uprising of the Greeks in the First Century BC. This conflict is my own, however, I have attempted to display the Roman method of war as historically accurate as such combat and sieges would have been.

Athenian Fortifications: Following the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), the Long Walls as well as the Themistoclean Walls were torn down. Cimon repaired the city walls in the 390s BC, and many other additions were made between 340 and the 280s BC, to include the rebuilding of the Long Walls. They, along with much of Athens, were destroyed by Sulla during the Siege of Athens and Piraeus in 87-86 BC. Valerian actually rebuilt much of the city walls in the AD 250s to protect it against barbarian attack.

The Beulé Gate: Situated thirty-seven meters west of the Propylaea, this gate is not estimated to have been built prior to the 3rd or 4th centuries AD. The location was not named until its discovery by Charles Ernest Beulé in 1852-53. As such, this is very much an anachronism. The gate's existence regardless of name, however, I have based upon the study of many maps of Athens and the belief that a child of Athena (Malcolm in this case) would have committed to a better protective system than what the Propylaea alone provided.

Publius Ventidius Bassus: 89-38 BC. Nearly all aspects of Bassus are accurate within this story, to include the year of his death. His cause of death is unknown and still yet plays into the story, as the man who paid the assassin is still unknown.

Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius: 67-35 BC. Sextus, following a series of victories off of Sicily against Octavian, did in fact call himself a Son of Neptune. In this story, following such a boast, he encounters a Son of Poseidon. As such, he does not die in Miletus at the hand of Marcus Titius, but is destroyed by a great wave and summoned off of Sicily.

Potitus Valerius Messalla: 70-sometime after 17 BC. He served as a Roman Senator and held multiple political positions. Ten years senior to Percy and former Praetor (32 BC) and Suffect Consul (29 BC) he would have most definitely chafed having to serve under Percy's command, as I have alluded to.

Tiberius Claudius Nero: 42 BC-AD 37. Born to Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla, he was indeed adopted by Augustus following his marriage to Livia. This is as far as my version of Tiberius goes, as it is clear that as deceased, he cannot become the second Roman Emperor, Tiberius Caesar Augustus.

Legio II Augustii: This legion originated under Octavian as Legio II Sabina. The Second, along with many others, was retired after the civil wars from 30-14 BC. Legio II Augustii is first recorded in 26 BC, however, as I needed the legion early and prior to Octavian becoming Augustus, I named them Legio II Julii until the loss of their eagle. Percy then renames them Agustii in Augustus' honor.

Legio X Equestris: One of Caesar's most trusted legions, it served from 61-31 BC. While its veterans were retired to Patras in the northern Peloponnese, it rebelled against Augustus, after which he did strip the legion of its title. As I do not believe Gemina has the same ring to it, I have kept it as Legio X Equestris.

Legio XIII Gemina: Stationed in Illyricum after the civil war until their transfer to Pannonia in 19 BC, this would have been a legion sent in reaction to a Greek rebellion specifically after the destruction of two others.

Legio XXI Rapax: While I have this legion formed in 26 BC in response to the Greek rebellion, it was actually formed in 31 BC in response to the Cantabrian War, serving until AD 92. Their story is not complete for my purposes here.