A/N:

Hi! Haven't posted any new fics on ff for a long LONG time, and hopefully my writing has improved a lot since then. This is cross-posted on ao3, and that one as of 11/8/23 has 4 chapters, while this one is getting its second chapter posted. I will most likely always post the one on ao3 before on ff as that is my main site as of now!

"Have you heard?"

Jason turned from the training dummy he had been destroying to see Gwendolyn, standing just out of the range of his sword. You could never be too careful with demigods.

"Heard what?" he asked her, curious.

"A son of Neptune just entered the legion. He controlled the river and everything! He seems to be powerful, but well, he's a son of Neptune."

A son of Neptune. Jason's mind pictured the temple of the god, just a tiny building that could barely even be considered a shack. He wouldn't be received well.

"Will he even be accepted into the legion?" Jason said, considering it.

"I heard he has the blessing of Neptune. He's been training with Lupa for 2 years now too. He's too strong for us to not accept him," Gwen responded.

"It'll be up to the centurions. Hey, maybe he'll even join the Fifth."

In the distance, horns blew. "Looks like its almost time for evening muster. We'll find out soon enough anyways."

"Alright," Jason responded, sheathing his sword in a smooth movement, making his way toward Gwen, and toward the barracks, where the five cohorts were already beginning to assemble. The Fifth Cohort was assembled at the very end, in front of the principia. Jason and Gwen quickly took their places in line, waiting for the rest to assemble.

The praetors, a man named James and a woman named Melissa were walking down the lines, observing everyone. Standing off to the side was a boy around a year older than him, with raven black hair and sea green eyes. He was wearing full roman armor, but didn't have a single weapon in sight. A magic one, then. The boy was glancing around at the legion, most likely marveling at the might of it. While he was surveying it, their eyes met.

The son of Neptune gave him a friendly grin. He returned it. At that moment, Jason hoped that he would join the Fifth.

"Jason Grace," the Fifth Cohort centurion, Henry, said.

Jason snapped to attention. "Present!"

Minutes later, they finished roll call. Jason once again glanced at Percy, who looked slightly uncomfortable. Jason couldn't blame him. He was about to be introduced to several hundred highly trained, heavily armed kids after all, most of them older, and much more experienced than him.

The Augur stepped forward, shouting, "Colors!"

The standard bearers stepped forward, wearing their lion-skin capes, holding poles that were decorated with each cohort's emblems. The last to present their standard was the legion's eagle bearer. A wave of embarrassment washed through the legion.

The two praetors stepped forward.

"Romans!" Melissa shouted. "You've all no doubt heard the news already! Percy Jackson, son of Neptune seeks to join the legion."

Those in the back rows shifted, craning their heads in an attempt to see him. The boy in question nervously smiled, waving. "Hi."

"What do the auguries say?" James continued.

"The auguries are favorable. He is qualified to serve," the Augur declared.

The members of the legion gave a shout. "Ave! Hail!"

James beckoned the senior officers forward. The first cohort centurion, being the most senior centurion turned to Percy.

"Recuit, do you have any Letters of Reference? Do you have any credentials?"

Percy shifted awkwardly. "Letters? Uh, no?"

Quiet snickers filled the first three cohorts.

"No letters then. Will any legionnaires stand for him?"

Dead silence. It should have been expected. Neptune had a bad reputation in the legion. Jason stepped forward.

"I am a full member of the legion. I will stand for Percy Jackson."

He got incredulous looks. After all, he wryly thought, the golden son of Jupiter, standing for the son of Neptune. But they were cousins. And Jason could tell that they would be good friends.

"Very well," Melissa spoke, cutting through the shocked silence. "Jason Grace, you may stand for the recruit. Does your cohort accept him?"

Gwen pounded her shield against the ground. The rest of the Fifth followed suit.

"My cohort has spoken," Henry said. "We accept the recruit."

"Congratulations, Percy Jackson, you stand on probatio. You will be given a tablet with you name and cohort. In one years time, or as soon as you complete your act of valor, you will become a full member of the Twefth Legion Fulminata. Serve Rome, obey the rules of the legion, and defend the camp with honor. Senatus Populusque Romanus!"

The legion echoed the cheer.

The praetors then went on with the rest of the announcements, and then they were released for dinner.

"Hey! I'm Percy Jackson, son of Neptune, and thanks for that," Percy said, smilling, suddenly appearing in the crowd beside him.

Jason grinned back at him. "No problem. And I'm your cousin, Jason Grace. My father is Jupiter."

"So uh… what exactly does standing for me mean?" Percy said, as they found their seats in the mess hall. A guard had given Percy his probatio tablet.

"Oh nothing serious," Jason cheerily and breezily responded. "I guarantee your good behavior, teach you the rules, answer your questions and make sure you don't disgrace the legion!"

"And if I theoretically do something wrong…?"

"Oh well, I get killed alongside you! But I'm sure it won't come to that," Jason laughed, nudging Percy's shoulder with his own, lightheartedly. "Hungry? It's time to eat."

Percy settled into the legion well, taking to it like a fish does water. And he also managed to not get Jason killed alongside him. Lupa had taught him well for the two years he had spent with her.

Around a year and a half after Percy had entered the legion, just a few months after he had earned his status as a full legionnaire, a daughter of Bellona had joined the legion. They and Jason had taken to being each other's sparring partners, althoug she was in the First while he and Jason was in the Fifth. They were about evenly matched, although Percy still won most of their matches.

"Hey Reyna, how'd you get here anyways?" Percy asked while they were taking a break in between spars.

She looked up from the water that she'd been staring at.

"My sister and I ran away from home a few years ago. We were then guided by our mother, Bellona to Circe's island in the Sea of Monsters, which is currently in the Bermuda Triangle. Hylla and I stayed there. It was safe."

"The Sea of Monsters, like in Ulysses?"

An amused huff of laughter. "Yes, like in Ulysses. Now, will you let me finish?"

"Yes, your highness, whatever you desire," Percy teasingly responded.

Reyna rolled her eyes at that, unwilling to deign his words with a response. "We were there for a few years, at least until two demigods came to our island."

"Demigods? What were they doing in the-" Percy cut himself off at her stare.

"My sister was the one that attended to them, but they were two female demigods. Hylla told me their names were Bianca and Annabeth."

Reyna paused, getting ready for another question, glancing at Percy only to see him oddly thoughtful and melancholic, staring out toward the distance.

"Percy?" she asked him.

"Annabeth… blonde hair, stormy gray eyes, last name Chase?"

Reyna studied him, watching how his green eyes grew wistful. "I'm not sure about her last name. They never told them to us, although I'm sure Circe knew anyway. You know her?"

"...Yeah. I did. We were… childhood friends. Thinking back on it, I'm not surprised that she was a demigod. She was able to see the same things that I did. When I learned about the Roman world, I'd always thought that she was just a clear sighted mortal like my mom."

"Your father took you without any warning, didn't he? You never got a chance to say goodbye."

Percy laughed bitterly. "Yep. Her, alongside my mom. Haven't seen either of them since I was 10. I wonder… do you know where the two of them went?"

Reyna shook her head. "They took one of the ships and fled, just after they released the pirates. I don't even know if they survived, much less where they went. And it's been about a year since."

He smiled sadly. "Hey Reyna, I think I'll call it a day," he said, standing. "See you at evening muster."

"Alright. I think I'll find someone else to spar with then."

Reyna could tell that he hadn't even heard her words, too lost in thought.