Hello there. Sorry folks, this was unintended but I was swayed into doing two new fics by a couple friends of mine…because they seem to think I need more on my plate for some reason. That being said this first one is clearly a Naruto-PJO crossover. Inspired pretty heavily by CombatTombat's Imperator stories. Go check that man's stories out by the way, you will not be disappointed.
Anyway, like I said it was inspired by that story but we are going a lot of different ways with this, like the fact that Naruto is our MC, he is the son of Pluto, and well lots of things will happen so you'll have to read to find out.
One final note before my usual blurb about discord. The Naruto in this fic looks more like that of his menma version as in slightly paler and with black hair. Son of Pluto affects or something we'll say.
For those interested in a community of over five hundred members all fans of reading or writing fanfiction I invite you to come try out AizenTheGoat's server. A link can be found right here→ /7x4YFstKcz
On to the story now.
Part One: Legionary
Arc One: For Rome
Chapter One: Son of Pluto
Kurama Uzumaki had always been protective of his baby sister. She was only his half sibling but still Kushina had been his most cherished family member. He'd sadly missed much of her life having not only served in the legion as a son of Ceres should, but also serving in the Senate for nearly a decade more.
He had a small villa in New Rome and was a well regarded veteran of the Legion and a citizen of New Rome. Sadly his family had decided against uprooting themselves and had remained in Sacramento rather than moving to New Rome. He didn't hold it against them and he visited them as much as he could.
He should have known Kushina would catch the eye of one of the gods. He hadn't really expected it to be his uncle and brother-in-law. He didn't hold it against either of them though. He had met his sister Proserpina once before and the two were alarmingly similar. It seemed Pluto had a type.
Sadly, Kurama knew that the attention of one of the three Kings meant hardship and heartache. The first was of course Pluto saying goodbye. Kushina had been understanding but as soon as her godly lover was gone she had been heartbroken and inconsolable. Seeing her in such a way had made Kurama come to resent the Lord of the Underworld. Something his mother Ceres seemed pleased with.
That was the smallest of issues to come though. Pluto had warned Kushina, just as Ceres had warned Kurama and his father that the scent of a demi-god born of one of the godly kings would attract monsters far more than even a child born of one of the other Olympians. They just hadn't understood how much worse it would be than it was for Kurama.
Naruto, Kurama's adorable nephew had only been born minutes earlier when Kurama's father and stepmother had been killed by a monster in the very hospital that Kushina had just given birth in. Kurama had slain it but it would only be the first of many.
Over the next two years Kurama had been forced to leave the Senate and seal up his house in New Rome. Instead he lived with Kushina and Naruto, protecting them at all times. Sadly there were things not even a veteran legionary could protect them from.
Cancer happened to be one of them. It was mercifully quick, Kurama supposed. He knew many victims of the disease who fought it and suffered for a lifetime. Kushina never had much of a chance.
So in the end it had been himself taking care of a two year old child in a tiny house in Sacramento. He didn't complain about his task, he was a legionary after all. They did what had to be done.
Sadly, even his lifetime of experience couldn't protect the child of Pluto forever.
Naruto couldn't do anything but cry and scream as he tried to stop the blood running from his Uncle's chest. The man seemed more focused on calming the boy down than the gaping tear across his chest caused by the monster's claws.
Kurama had slain the creature but at terrible cost. He knew he was dying, even Naruto knew he was dying. He wasn't stupid.
"It will be alright…" Kurama tried to say only for Naruto to splatter him with tears as the little boy frantically shook his head. He knew what was happening.
"Listen to me Naruto, don't forget this, but remember especially this isn't your fault." Kurama began, Naruto was confused but listened intently. He burned the words into his mind, memorizing them forever.
"Children shouldn't have to fight to survive. It's the job of adults to protect them. That's not the world we live in though, you will have to fight. Fight to protect others. Especially family." Kurama said as he rubbed the boy's head.
Naruto nodded slowly, memorizing the words but too focused on his dying uncle to even try to think about the things the man was saying.
Kurama smiled sadly at the boy before laying his ornate and jeweled sword on the ground. It was an Imperial Gold Spatha he had been awarded during his service with the legion and it meant a great deal to him, a perfect sacrifice to his mother though.
"Mother, hear me please." He began softly while spreading a small mix of his blood and the earth onto the blade.
"Please take my nephew to the Wolf house. Take him to Lupa. Watch over him as you watched over me. As if he is your own. I beg you." Kurama rasped as he felt his life slipping away.
A change in the breeze and faint shimmer of light announced the goddess' arrival. She stood and stared down into the eyes of one of her beloved children and nearly cried as she saw the happiness at her appearance in his eyes. His lips curled into a smile and he weakly motioned toward the boy.
Ceres turned and was a bit unsettled by how much Naruto looked like a blend of her brother and her son. She wanted to hate the child. Had it not been for him, her own son would have lived a long fulfilling life in New Rome. She couldn't hate him though.
"Naruto, this is your grandmother. She is going to take you to become a Roman." Kurama gently pushed Naruto toward Ceres.
She bent down and scooped the toddler up. He slowly relaxed into her arms despite the fact that he continued to cry. Ceres paid it no mind. She was a fertility goddess and goddess of motherly relationships. She had reared children before. Her focus was on Kurama rather than Naruto though.
"My son…" She began but paused as she saw he was looking up to her expectantly. Blood ran down his chin and she felt her heart ache at the sight.
"You have done me so proud." She said to him, causing the man to smile weakly up at her. He then drew out an envelope from his pocket and held it up to her.
"This is a written recommendation from me to the legion. Please give it to them when he joins. I want him to have his pick of placement." Kurama pleaded.
Ceres took the envelope and by the time she had stood once again she realized that he had stopped breathing. The dam finally broke and her own tears began to roll down her cheeks as she stared down at her child's corpse.
"Sister, I will take him." A familiar voice called from behind her causing her eyes to narrow and jaw to tighten.
"Pluto…" She hissed.
"I will carry his body to New Rome and his spirit to the afterlife. He will be cared for I promise you." Pluto said and Ceres slowly softened her features.
The goddess noticed the little boy in her arms was staring at his father who was staring back. With a thought she sent the child into a light slumber before turning fully to her brother. He clearly was affected by her son's passing as well and she couldn't help but wonder what it was that drew him to her children. She knew his love for Proserpina was genuine and right now she could tell he had a great respect for her son as well.
"Then I will entrust him to you, Pluto. I must take Naruto to Lupa, make sure the Romans know how he died." She instructed her sibling.
"They will honor him properly or they will answer to me." Pluto responded simply before fading into shadow along with her deceased child.
Ceres nodded at the empty spots her family members had just held. With that she began to leave herself. Naruto might not have been her actual grandchild but she had loved his grandfather and her own son had evidently assigned her the role of grandmother for the boy. She'd do what she could for her new grandchild then.
Lupa had been a bit shocked with Naruto's arrival. A child of Pluto in this day and age was surprising enough, one carried by Ceres? Now that was the start of a story, the likes of which dated back to antiquity. She was excited to test the boy herself.
The Mother of Rome had been surprised by how attached or at least protective of the child Ceres had been. At least until Ceres had told her what had happened to lead to her delivering the boy to the Wolf House. Lupa was a bit saddened by the passing of Kurama though she was proud of how he went out. Fighting like a Roman should. He had a bit of bestial nature to him that Lupa had enjoyed during his time with her so she'd felt a little more attached than the average demigod passing through her home.
Ceres had left shortly after she arrived, just long enough to say goodbye to her 'grandson'. Lupa assumed the woman would likely be mourning her child for some time. The greenery around the house had wilted faintly due to the goddess' emotions already.
At the moment Lupa was inspecting the boy standing before her. A son of Pluto through and through. He smelled of the deep earth and blood though being as he actually still had his uncle's blood staining his clothes and hands that might have had nothing to do with his heritage and everything to do with his circumstances.
"Do you know who I am, child?" Lupa asked sharply.
"Grandma called you Lupa." He replied.
"Yes, but do you know who I am?" She questioned him again.
He slowly shook his head. Lupa hummed, though it sounded more like a growl to Naruto. She circled again as she continued to take stock of him.
"You will learn in time…that is if you pass the test." She said with a sniff that tousled his hair.
"Run child, and if you make it to the house before I catch you, you pass the first part." She growled causing him to step toward the door hesitantly.
"If you pass all the parts of the test I won't eat you." She barked harshly, sending him scurrying toward the doorway.
She waited a few brief seconds before taking off to snap at his heels as he ran.
A mere month, that was all the time Naruto had spent with Lupa and already the old wolf was growing attached to him. It was hard not to, the children of the big three usually had a charisma about them even as little babes that simply drew others to them.
Naruto was abnormal in that though. Pluto's spawn were typically the least enthralling of the children of the big three, but Naruto had a way of connecting with herself and the others in her pack more than could be expected.
She might have been wrong, she supposed. It had quickly become clear that Naruto possessed that hint of bestial ferocity his uncle had been known for, that Lupa had recalled. That might have made her biased toward the boy.
She doubted that though. They had recently been joined by another demigod bound for New Rome and the Legion. Jason was a son of Jupiter though and while he clearly possessed the charisma and talent that came with such heritage, Lupa felt the pull toward Naruto.
Neither child seemed to realize it yet but Jason naturally followed his cousin. The Wolf Mother thought such a thing was humourous considering their fathers' situation.
The time for Naruto to leave for the legion was fast approaching. She almost felt sad at his upcoming departure. Still she knew he would do her proud in the Legion just as Jason would when his time came.
As if reading her thoughts and deciding to arrive at that moment to clarify just how special the boy was, his father appeared before her. The grim calculating expression of Pluto stared back into her own predatory eyes for a time before the god stepped forward with his hand outstretched.
On it was a simple black ring. Pluto slid a finger across the band of metal that Lupa recognized as Stygian Iron and the ring shifted into an equally black and glittering Hispaniensis style gladius.
"Lupa, it's time for him to join, correct?" Pluto asked cooly. He seemed his usual regal and chilling self.
"Yes, very soon." She replied bowing her head slightly in respect to the being before her. Pluto was rigid and followed rules and etiquette more than most of his fellow Olympians and so expected some similar action from those he had dealings with.
"Then he will bear this with him at all times. The blade of Scipio Africanus, my own legacy. It will serve him well in Camp Jupiter and during his time with the Legion." Pluto said before brushing his thumb across the pommel, converting the sword back into a ring again.
"I will give it to him as he leaves. Is there anything else" She asked.
"At the moment no, though I am curious to know how he and Jupiter's child…get along." He said as he handed over the ring.
"Very well, it is almost humorous as Jason follows Naruto's lead more often than the opposite. They are more like brothers and Naruto currently seems the more confident of the two." Lupa said proudly. They actually reminded her of Romulus and Remus…though more cooperative with one another. The thought suddenly worried her actually and she hoped they remained friendly with one another and didn't end up like her first human boys had.
Pluto seemed to brighten ever so slightly at what Lupa had said, his lips curling the tiniest of margins.
"I leave you to it then." Pluto said before abruptly disappearing into shadow.
Lupa stared at the place the god had stood a moment ago. Recently Naruto had been showing signs of manipulating shadows as well. He was years from traveling via such things but he was taking steps in that direction.
"I had best give the pup his gift now…he will have one more night of rest then it is time." The Wolf Mother said to herself thoughtfully before turning and returning to the house.
Lupa personally took Naruto to New Rome and Camp Jupiter the day after meeting with Pluto. Typically she gave the demigods that passed through her care a guide from her pack and instructions for reaching the Camp.
Things were a bit different for Naruto and Jason though. Not because of their parentage, Lupa wasn't foolish enough to discount it fully, but neither boy would recieve special treatment based on their parentage.
She would give them special treatment for their age though. After all, not even she expected a three year old to fight their way through monster infested California to the safety of the legion.
The citizens of New Rome and Legionaries alike had flocked around to get a peek at Lupa in her humanoid form alongside the small child she had brought. She had sent them scurrying at her instruction to summon the Senate, Praetors, and Centurions. In the meantime she gave the toddler a tour of his new home.
Naruto had immediately been excited at joining the Legion. Which was good as he would likely be a member for longer than any other in living memory, he and Jason both.
The young Legionaries seemed less enthused about a small child like him joining their ranks though as they were certain it would be more akin to babysitting than getting a new probatio.
Lupa wished she could be there when they realized just how different from a normal child her boys were.
Eventually they came back to New Rome and finally to the Senate House. Lupa but back a sigh at the sight before her. So far from the greatness of old Rome. Seventeen demigods in total stood in the chamber. The two Praetors each represented Jupiter and Hera as well as led the meeting while the ten senators were individually elected for an Olympian to represent. Their heritage didn't matter as currently a child of Bellona represented Neptune, albeit reluctantly, and legacies of Ceres represented both Minerva and Diana, and a legacy of Bacchus represented Ceres herself.
The Centurions sat behind and away from the senators, making their presence known but remaining respectfully out of the way of the others.
Lupa put the thoughts of Old Rome and comparing it to this shadow to the back of her mind as she stepped into the center of the room with Naruto holding her hand. The wolf goddess nearly grinned as she heard the muted awws from the girls gathered there.
"Romans." She greeted.
"Mother Lupa" The room greeted back in unison.
"You can easily tell why I had you all summoned here so suddenly." Lupa began as the eyes of the room flicked from her to the boy who was taking in the looks of the others in the room without issue.
Before Lupa could continue though a bright flash and mild scent of earth and flowers entered the room. Ceres was suddenly standing among them as well smiling lightly down at the little boy looking back up at her.
Slowly his confused face changed as his head twisted to the side like a little pup.
"Grandma?" He asked, causing the group of demigods to blink.
"Hello sweetheart." Ceres said as she gently rubbed his head before turning to face the leaders of New Rome.
"No, I am not the parent of his parent. My son was his Uncle however and my brother is his father." Ceres explained while fishing out the sealed letter from Kurama.
"He is the son of Pluto," She declared, causing the demigods to take in a breath of shock and stare wide eyed at the boy before them. "That is not all. I claim him as my champion, and this is the letter of recommendation and patronage from his uncle Kurama Uzumaki."
The demigods were dumbstruck by this sudden influx of information. A couple stammered in shock, but before they could say anything the Centurions fell into a whispered argument as they fought over who would receive the boy into their cohort.
"Centurions, be silent!" One of the Praetors bellowed, silencing the five teens immediately.
The other Praetor had not stopped staring at the boy before she looked up at the two goddesses once again. "He is awfully young." She said simply.
Lupa smirked. She recalled the girl easily. A daughter of Mars, she was no-nonsense even years ago when she had been a guest at the Wolf House herself.
"He is, but that means he will grow up among the legion. You will do well to guide him, he is a child of one of the divine kings and is meant for greatness. Greatness that will better Rome and the Legion." Lupa stated.
"Then all that is left is what cohort he will be assigned to." The male Praetor, a son of Mercury, said.
"That shall be his decision. Myself and Lupa have no need to remain beyond one final token that will denote him as my champion in the future." Ceres said before waving a hand and summoning a pendant on a necklace. She leaned down and slipped it over Naruto's head letting it hang down to rest on his chest.
Naruto blinked and looked at the pendant now hanging from his neck. The same as the tattoo used by the legion for her children and legacies. A stalk of wheat crossed with a sickle. Suddenly though, she yanked it from Naruto's neck causing it to spring into a Scutum shield. One marked clearly with sickles and wheat to represent Ceres.
"It is too large for you to wield yet, but in time you will bear this shield in the defense of your home and your brothers and sisters of the legion." She informed Naruto who nodded at her words.
With a twist of the handle she shifted the shield back into its necklace and once again draped it over Naruto's head. With that both she and Lupa disappeared in a flash.
After getting over their brief shock the older demigods welcomed the boy and helped to get him situated before the Centurions each began trying to convince the toddler into their force.
Near the Wolf House both Lupa and Ceres reappeared before turning to look at one another. Lupa grinned ferally at the Olympian who simply rolled her eyes.
"Your champion? That was shocking." Lupa commented.
"Yes, well I know that Juno did something similar for Jupiter's boy. Besides, Kurama did name Naruto as my grandson." Ceres huffed.
"And the shield? I wasn't surprised by Pluto giving him something but you as well? I also didn't recognize it from anywhere." Lupa continued.
"That is because it was crafted just for Naruto. I had it commissioned with Vulcan for when he joined the Legion. I figured it would be like my brothers to make sure their children had a blade or something. So he needs something to protect himself." Ceres defended making the wolf mother grin.
"Of course." Lupa simply replied.
When Jason joined the legion, he was met with a similar if far more elaborate welcome than Naruto had received. They had practically rolled out the red carpet for the boy in the First Cohort. In the end though, that had been a waste of time. The moment that Jason had seen Naruto was in the Fifth he had made it clear he planned to join the same unit.
Needless to say both boys had quickly become beloved by the Fifth, almost like the Cohort's mascots. Naruto, having had a month of more experience in the legion than his cousin had once again taken the lead between the two of them to show Jason the ropes. A few older members had been noticeably uncomfortable with such a thing, but still Jason seemed to defer to the boy naturally, even when placed in charge. The Centurion of the Fifth Cohort, Charlie Truola, had decided it was best to keep that news quiet. He knew New Romans could get murderously agitated over the slightest of problems.
The idea that Lord Jupiter might take offense to his son not being treated as a leader in comparison to his brother's child wasn't something that most legionaries would be surprised by. The citizens of the city though? As far as Charlie was concerned they were a thousand times worse.
At the moment Charlie just wanted the two little kids to enjoy a warm welcome to the legion and not have to worry about anything to do with the politics they would eventually find themselves embroiled in. That being said, it didn't stop him from grinding them into the dirt to train or from branding them with the tattoo of the legion.
After all, training them hard this early on meant that much harder they could train when they were older and that much harder they could fight when the time came. And it would come, as great as it was to have two children of the big three, and Charlie like much of New Rome considered them the sons of the good two of the big three, it was also an ill omen for the future.
After all, the children of Jupiter, Pluto, and the other Olympians always seemed to crop up more when hard times were coming.
He just hoped that his Cohort and the Legion could prepare the boys for whatever challenges they would face.
"Alright boys. That's enough." Charlie called, causing Naruto and Jason to separate from where they had been wrestling under the watch of one of the older Legionaries.
They stood at attention while catching their breath and Charlie couldn't help the grin on his face. They were just toddlers and already had better attitudes and in some cases skills than most provides he had to deal with. It was kind of a bummer that he would be retired from legion life by the time they were ready to enter war games.
"Okay you two, you get to join me on a run." Charlie said with a smile.
"Yay…" The two kids flatly cheered. They seemed rather upset at their next exercise.
"Damn, sarcasm at such a young age." The trainer commented, getting a glare for his language around Naruto and Jason.
"Come on you two, let's leave ole Dexter here to mope. You two got running to do." Charlie said before kicking off into what amounted to a very slow jog for him but was plenty of a fast pace for the boys' short little legs.
Jason elbowed Naruto slightly to stop him from snickering at the new probatios receiving the mark from the legion. Naruto glared at his best friend briefly before turning his eyes back to the older recruits falling back into line.
Even now, with seven bars marking seven years of service under their own marks, they were two years younger than the youngest of the new recruits. Naruto stared at the freshly tattooed mark of one thirteen year old legacy of Bacchus as the chubby boy sniffled lightly. The ten year old couldn't stop his own hand from brushing across his mark, the mark of Pluto was a pitchfork like shape, and the mark had the faintest of changes in texture from his normal skin. Just enough for it to be noticed this was no normal tattoo and had been magically seared into his skin.
"I don't get why you keep laughing at them." Jason sighed beside him.
"Because it's funny. Half of them have been so uppity since they saw us. 'oh those little kids can do this so can I.' You cried less than that legacy of Mercury over there did." Naruto said as he pointed with his chin.
"She's only a year older than we are and she hasn't been 'uppity' as far as I'm concerned." Jason replied.
"Yeah well we were three and…well I guess you're right, she's fine in my book but that son of Mars over there cried almost as bad as she did." Naruto said pointing out another provide, this time a thirteen year old.
"You're being really sour toward them. What's got you in such a good mood?" Jason asked, getting Naruto to grin as his cousin caught on.
"Oh nothing, just something I overheard the Centurion and Laura talking about." Naruto said with a grin.
That caught Jason's attention immediately. Their current Centurion, Joseph Andrews, had previously been their Decanus, essentially their squad leader before succeeding Charlie as their Cohort's Centurion. Now, Laura Fulton was serving as their unit's Decanus.
"What was it?" Jason asked, hoping beyond hope it was what he and Naruto had been waiting years for.
"You already know by the way you're asking." Naruto laughed causing the blond boy to grin broadly.
"Finally. We'll show everyone what the Fifth is worth." Jason declared.
Naruto frowned slightly at that. The issue between the Fifth and the other Cohorts annoyed him. Then again it had been part of why he had joined the Fifth in the first place. It had once been the most esteemed among the Legion. The Fifth carried the Legion to victory time and again throughout history, but sadly that treasured reputation became tarnished over time since settling into New Rome. By now, the First and Second Cohorts were by far the most well respected while a series of mistakes and disgraces, most importantly the loss of the legion's eagle by the Fifth's former Centurion in a foolhardy campaign had resulted in Cohort being relegated to the place as worst among the Legion.
"Naruto?" Jason asked, knowing where his friend's mind was headed.
"We'll show them." Naruto said weakly in agreement.
"I know you care about the way everyone treats our Cohort." Jason said seriously.
"Of course I do Jason, but winning a wargame isn't going to change anything. It's not just the way people see our Cohort that's the problem either. The whole Legion is a shadow of what it once was. Only the First and Third Cohorts are at full strength, and even they only have singular Centurions now…" Naruto ranted before stopping as he noticed the raised eyebrow Jason was sending his way.
"What?" Naruto asked in annoyance.
"We don't need more Centurions anymore, we do more small scale battles so-" Jason began to point out the reasons for the organizational changes of the Legion over time.
"For now. Right now the biggest group of monsters we've had to deal with in the last decade was smaller than thirty in number but how long until it's a real battle?" Naruto asked.
"That's why we do the wargames. That's why this wargame will be our first step to redeem the Cohort." Jason said resolutely, causing Naruto to sigh and begin to open his mouth until another voice caught his attention and stopped the discussion between the two young Legionaries.
"Laura, tell me, did you debate the organization of the Legion at ten?" One of the other officers of the Fifth asked her, causing the girl to snort.
"I'm pretty sure you were too busy picking your nose at the time Duncan." She said with a laugh causing the older boy to snort before waving goodbye to her as he left.
Laura looked over at the two boys that snapped to attention at the approach of their section leader. She smiled fondly at them as she stopped before them and inspected them.
Both boys were already large for their age, and clearly smart for it too based on the discussions they frequently held with one another. She doubted most of the other Legionaries her age talked about such things. At least not as regularly as her two little prodigies did. At only ten they were already discussing such things, it made her wonder if they would be making actual changes when they reached her age of sixteen.
She looked into four bright blue eyes staring back at her. Two the color of the sky and two the color of sapphires. She could see a fire burning there that felt unnatural. Just by looking into their eyes she knew they were bound for great things. The teen didn't think it was because of their parentage. It bolstered it undoubtedly, but there were times that she liked to think that they were fated for something amazing without their demigod natures having anything to do with it.
"I was going to tell you about what was coming tomorrow, but it sounds like you already have an idea of what I was going to say." She said grinning down at the kids growing excited before her.
"So we really are going to be part of the wargames tomorrow?" Jason asked.
Laura gently tousled the blond boy's hair. "Yep, it will be an open battle between the Fourth and Fifth. So you will both be in the rear line with me, understood?" She asked, getting nods from them.
"Alright, good, now run a lap for picking fun at your comrades and then off to the barracks to get some rest." She commanded, raising an eyebrow at the small pout from Naruto and the tiny glare Jason shot at his friend.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" She asked and both boys were sprinting by the time the last word left her mouth.
Laura watched them go, smiling at them. She doubted they would be able to show much of the potential she knew they possessed tomorrow, but soon enough they would be making names for themselves and dragging the Fifth back to glory all over again.
She was a little excited to show them the ropes of a real battle in the morning.
"It's not right!" Laura growled.
"Centurion Andrews, gain control of your subordinate." The Praetor snapped, causing Joseph to clamp a strong hand onto the girl's shoulder to reel her back in.
"While Decanus Fulton spoke out of turn," Joseph said, eyeing the girl to make his point for her to be silent. "She does point out an issue. This match is stacked against my Cohort."
"Match? Centurion this is not some little game, we only use the term wargames because we aren't about to actually kill each other. This is nothing less than a simulated battle, meaning that different scenarios will change on a sudden whim at any time. You lead a full Cohort, you should be able to handle yourself decently enough." The Praetor spoke with a sneer toward the Fifth Cohort officers.
"Full Cohort? Our units are barely the size of the old Centurias." Laura quietly growled though Joseph could hear her well enough from beside her.
"With all due respect…sir, you are having my single cohort face against both the Fourth and Second Cohorts in an open field. They not only outnumber us by twice our force, two-thirds of my force are taking part in one of their first wargames." Joseph tried to argue.
The Second and Fourth Centurions didn't speak but they did send pitying glances toward the leaders of the Fifth. They had no real ill will against their comrades, even if they though themselves better than them. They could see what the Praetor was doing. The boy was from the First, and he had taken it as a personal slight that the sons of Pluto and Jupiter had joined the Fifth instead of his own Cohort, so he intended to make their first wargame memorable. He hadn't even attempted to hide the fact either.
"Fair has nothing to do with battle, Centurion. Now join your forces, the battle will commence at the sound of the whistle." The Praetor declared before turning around to rejoin his fellow Preator and the other officers of the legion that had turned out to watch the skirmish.
"For what it's worth Joe, he's an ass, but I'm going to come at you with everything I got." The Centurion of the Fourth, Allie Cross said to her comrade.
"Uh, same here. Nothing personal." The Second Cohort Centurion said awkwardly. It wasn't personal, but the Second wasn't about to pass up a chance to punch down since they got slapped around by the First Cohort so often in these wargames.
"Yeah. See you out there." Joseph said with a sigh as he led his officers back to their waiting forces.
Both Joseph and Laura grimaced as they saw the demoralized faces of their troops. The Legionaries had all been in high spirits on their march to the Field of Mars since their little mascots would be finally joining them. They wanted to impress the boys and give them a victory for their first battle. Now though twice their number stood across from them and one of the two Cohorts was the Second, one regarded only just beneath the prowess of the First.
The Fifth's morale hadn't just fallen. It had died. The looks of defeat already spreading across their faces ate at the handful of leaders they had until they began to slowly mirror their troops. At least until Jason's voice raised loud enough to cause the entire Cohort to turn toward the two boys who seemed to be arguing.
"Shut up." Jason hissed not wanting to draw attention to themselves.
"What? I'm just saying they are so scared that they have to double up to go against us? I mean that's cool. Even if we lose all we gotta do is beat them up a little bit and we kinda win." Naruto said with a shrug.
"What do you mean?" Jason asked, not getting what he meant by winning even if they lose.
"Well, I mean if they can only win because they have twice as many guys as us…doesn't that mean we sort of win. Especially if we mess them up in the fight?" Naruto asked a bit too innocently.
Laura caught on to what the devious kids were up to immediately. She'd worked too closely with them for her not to, and Joseph wasn't far behind. He'd have to thank the pair later for setting him up for a rousing speech.
"Listen up!" He roared, causing the entire Cohort to flinch before snapping into attention once more.
"You all call yourselves Romans?" He snarled as he stormed up and down the line of Legionaries looking increasingly more furious and thereby intimidating. Joseph wasn't small after all.
The Cohort shifted before him ever so slightly, causing him to stop suddenly and face them directly. "Stand still and at attention when I address you! Two of our own see the reality of our situation when the rest of you just see the futility. The rest of the Legion looks down on you and sets you up for failure and what do you do? You cower beneath such treatment. Legionary Uzumaki front and center, now! Grace, you too!"
The other Legionaries stepped aside as Naruto and Jason raced to the front. Both boys were dressed in slightly oversized sets of equipment, but their weapons, being magically enchanted by the gods, were perfectly sized for their bodies.
"What do you two see out there?" Joseph asked.
"Uhm…soldiers?" Naruto asked.
"Jason?" Joe asked.
"The Second and Fourth Cohorts?" He asked.
"Hmm. You both might need glasses. Anyone want to to tell me what is actually over there?" The Centurion asked his troops.
The Cohort remained silent as they glanced between one another. Joseph pivoted and pointed over at the opposing force.
"The only thing I see are losers. You heard me! Losers! The Praetors really must have a secret love for the Fifth because they doubled up the number of losers we get to slap around today!" He cheered, getting a few snorts and chuckles from his own troops.
"So, Jason, what do you see up there?" Joseph asked again.
"Losers!" Jason shouted back.
"And Naruto?" Joseph asked.
"Losers, Sir!" Naruto called back.
"What about the rest of you? You see anybody worthwhile up there?" Joseph asked, causing the Fifth to break into a string of jeers and shouts, mocking their opponents.
"That's more like it! Now form up! Naruto, Jason you two stick with Laura, you get some kill points or I'm going to take over your training personally again!" The Centurion called, getting both boys to race into their positions with the force.
As the Fifth formed up into a tight square, Joseph began leading his Legionaries into a grunting chant as they began to advance toward the opposing force ahead of them.
Naruro and Jason did just as they had been instructed and formed up with Laura as they advanced across the field. The Second had quickly formed up as well and begun to advance as well, though they held a looser formation allowing them to move faster. The Fourth, though, was still trying to properly situate itself to advance as the Fifth had caught them a bit off guard by their sudden advance. They evidently expected the singular Cohort to try and set up a defensive position.
Soon the Second had left their comrades in the Fourth in the dust as they quickly crossed the open field toward their prey. Halfway there they formed their own shield wall without breaking stride and barrelled toward the Fifth.
"Brace!" Joseph screamed and the Fifth halted instantly, bracing for the sudden impact of the Second Cohort.
A loud crash echoed across the field as shields met shields and both sides began struggling for dominance. Grunts and cries from the front of the formations intermixed with sounds of the shields and blessed practice weapons.
"Advance!" Joseph snarled and the Fifth obeyed, as best as they could.
The two groups of Legionaries struggled against one another until the Second finally made a mistake. In an attempt to break the Fifth's line their Centurion and a small group of their more experienced troops folded around the Fifth's flank to try and collapse it inward.
Instead they found Laura's line including Naruto and Jason waiting for them. The two boys did just as their Centurion had ordered and scored kill points against the opposing Cohort. The practice weapons knocked anyone struck with a blow that would have killed them normally out of the battle. Naruto even came face to face with the Second Cohort's Centurion.
By now the lines on both Cohorts was beginning to falter as casualties mounted. Naruto and his opponent found themselves in a one on one fight while the rest of their teams battled around them. While he had been more prepared to face Naruto than those that had fallen to the boy already, the Centurion still underestimated him. The son of Pluto was happy to take advantage of that fact.
Smashing his shield down onto the foot of the older boy causing him to shift out of his guard at the sudden pain Naruto managed a glancing blow against his inner thigh, in what would have been a slice, and a deep one in a real fight.
Feeling his leg go completely numb as the magic of the wargame decided it was too damaged to use, the Centurion fell backwards allowing Naruto to step forward and drive his weapon down against the fallen commander's breastplate, finishing him.
Seeing their Centurion fall to a ten year old, the Second began to back and retreat only to completely collapse as Joseph led a charge into their ranks scattering the remnants of the Second and sending them fleeing. Rather than pursue them though Joe rallied the remnants of the Fifth as the Fourth Cohort finally arrived to join the fight.
It wasn't looking good for the Fifth now though. While breaking the Second and sending them running was a hell of a feat, the Fourth was fresh and ready for battle while more than a third of the Fifth was already 'killed' and all of them were tired.
Still they reformed into a defensive position and did their best to hold off the enemy advance.
Gradually, line by line, the Fifth was whittled down. The Fourth suffered heinous casualties to do it, but they removed the Fifth Cohort's Legionaries one by one.
Eventually even Joe fell and Laura went after him. The battle continued though as not a single Fifth Cohort member attempted to break and run, even after their Centurion fell. At their center Naruto and Jason fought on and on, already making a clear impression with their first wargame.
They too fell, though, as they were overrun in a final skirmish that saw them back to back against nearly thirty Fourth Cohort Legionaries.
The Praetors, clearly displeased by the actual end results, were at least pleased that the Fifth had been defeated. In the end less than forty legionaries remained between the Second and Forth while the Fifth had lost their full force.
While the Second and Fourth received half-hearted praise from those that had witnessed the fight, the Fifth celebrated back at their barracks. Naruto and Jason both quickly became considered Cohort's darlings, even if they already had such a position pretty much in the bag already due to their age.
Naruto himself was made MVP for the Fifth when they announced he had 'killed' the Second Cohort's Centurion. The Fourth had been gracious enough to recognize the Fifth had more or less won through defeat and the Third had also shown their support.
Several among the First Cohort had made it clear that they now considered the Second lower than scum, and the Second had taken their defeat at the hands of the Fifth extremely hard, ousting their former Centurion in favor of a new one and nearly breaking themselves in training.
Sadly for them, the rest of the Legion had taken the upset as a sign to train harder as well. None more than the Fifth which was quickly working its way back into the minds of the people of New Rome as they soaked up any stories they could get about Naruro and Jason…well more Jason. New Rome would always have a preference toward a son of Jupiter.
In the last year the Fifth had begun to claw its way into the hearts of the people of Rome. Naruto and Jason both served as Decani. The boys were the youngest to hold the rank, though technically Jason held the record being he was a few months younger than Naruto was.
Their sections were extremely competitive with one another, something both boys did on purpose as they both believed competition and obstacles to overcome made their Legionaries stronger. A friendly rivalry had steadily developed between them that helped drive the Fifth Cohort on to victory more often than not now.
Today wasn't a day for wargames though. Instead they were being taken to be presented before the Praetors for some reason.
"At least that asshole isn't running things anymore." Naruto grumbled only to get a swat on the back of the head from Laura and a narrow eyed look from Joe.
"Mind your manners, I won't have one of my Legionaries, especially a Decanus speaking like that in front of the Praetors." Joe commanded.
"Yes sir." Naruto replied, properly admonished.
"That being said, the newest Praetors aren't so bad. Still give us the worst work details but they don't treat us like trash." Laura pointed out.
"That doesn't mean they treat us right. The whole legion needs work." Naruto growled quietly. Jason begrudgingly nodded from beside his friend.
"You might be right but you will only speak when asked to in this meeting and even then you will only speak in respect."
"Yes sir." Both boys replied quickly.
"Good, now come on." Joe instructed as he stepped into the Praetor's office and stood at attention snapping off a smart salute to the Praetor. Laura, Naruto, and Jason each followed his lead.
Standing before them weren't just the Praetors. Alongside them, the Augur as well as a boy from the Fourth Cohort and a girl from the Third with their respective Centurions standing beside them filled the room.
"At ease. Now that we are all present we can get started." The male Praetor said as he rolled out a map on his desk.
"That is a map of Salt Lake City, in Utah. Before the second world war we had a pretty large outpost there but over time we staffed it with less and less legionaries until the failed campaign to Alaska hit us with a manpower crisis. Since then it's been abandoned and sealed up." The Female Praetor explained.
"There should be some weapons inside as well as a set of records within that should have been brought back when the last legionaries left. The only problem is that the last legionaries there never left. Monsters noticed the outpost was undermanned and attacked. There were only two survivors. Both of whom later died from their injuries shortly after arriving here to tell us what happened." The male said before running a hand through his hair.
"That's been almost twenty years ago now." He continued on. "We have no real idea what to expect there, but Salt Lake City is pretty deep into the Orange zone."
The residents of the room flicked their eyes over to the atlas on the wall. On it the world was divided into seven colored zones. The safest was the city of New Rome. It sat behind magic and divine barriers and had the Legion waiting just outside it to defend it. It was the Purple Zone. The area surrounding it, including the farms that fed the small city and Camp Jupiter, were the Blue Zone. The safe Zones.
Outside of the hidden territory that composed the home of the Legion was the Green Zone. Regularly patrolled by the Legion to keep it primarily clear of monsters the Green Zone encompassed San Francisco and just a small sliver inland.
Beyond the three primary zones things fell away from New Rome's control. California itself was regarded as the Yellow Zone. Occasional operations to clear out larger groups of monsters or more dangerous monsters kept the state relatively safe though the danger remained.
The zone being brought up was the Orange Zone. Pretty much everything in North America that was south of Vancouver, North of Mexico City, and west of the Rockies fell into this Zone. This area wasn't safe, The Legion could project power there if it needed to, but it was not considered controlled at all.
The Last Zone in North America was the Red Zone. The rest of the continent, from the reaches of Alaska and Mexico to the East Coast of America was considered 'wilderness' by the Legion. It only bothered with those areas during a quest or major campaign, neither of which had occurred since the loss of the Legion's Eagle.
Everything else in the world was the Black Zone or simply the Dead Zone. It was forbidden for Romans to go there. Though by now the people had forgotten if that had been a mandate sent down from Olympus or simply their own regulation to try to keep their people safe.
"So we are going on a quest then?" Laura asked.
"No. A quest would indicate the gods or a prophecy. You are going on an operation. The Augur is simply here to see if there is any kind of fair omen for the mission." The female Praetor explained.
"Laura, you are the most senior here. You'll be in command and you four will follow her lead. Understood?" The male cut back in.
"Yes sir, but why five." Laura answered, before turning with the Praetors toward the Augur.
"You will suffer on this mission, however five in honor of your Cohort will grant you some blessing and with the sons of Pluto and Jupiter among your number victory is assured." The Augur stated with a pitying glance sent their way.
"Well there you have it. You'll meet at the gates in the morning. We managed to secure a car for you and I know you have a license Laura." The Praetors said.
The subordinates weren't pleased. It was clear that the Praetors and Augur had more information regarding the quest than they wished to share, something that no doubt had to do with the suffering on the mission part of what the Augur had stated.
Still there was nothing much they could do about it. It was an order from the Praetors directly and they had no truly viable reasons to refuse, despite the worry they held for the upcoming trial.
After being dismissed the different team members each accompanied their Centurion back to their barracks to pack and get ready for the mission and hopefully get a good night's rest.
They doubted that though.
Naruto and Jason were the only ones that seemed to be bright eyed and bushy tailed as the five Legionaries met at the gates. The small team took the opportunity to properly introduce themselves before they left and Both Praetors were there to see them off.
Naruto and Jason were already pretty well known by the whole Legion. They'd been serving for eight years and we're still younger than most new recruits. On top of that the two boys were a nightmare on the Field of Mars or in the arena. Plenty of the other Cohorts soldiers had been humbled by the tiny terrors.
Laura was decently known as well. Most considered her to be the next in line for Centurion of the Fifth Cohort and she was a solid leader and an even better soldier. Like the two boys she was a direct child of one of the gods. Unlike them though she wasn't the child of one of the Olympians, instead she was a daughter of Clementia, the goddess of forgiveness and mercy. Something that both Naruto and Jason had found ironic at times as Laura was very rigid and unforgiving at times.
"My name is David Kind…I'm a legacy of Bacchus. Fourth Cohort." The now named David introduced. He was a lanky boy with dark hair and eyes, a few years younger than Laura but he would be bigger than her soon.
"Teresa Rodriguez. Legacy of Vulcan." Teresa said. She was a brawny girl that was younger than Laura but bigger than her too. She was also covered in all manner of tiny scars from working on projects in Camp Jupiter.
"Well, you all know the basics and your mission. There is a garage on the far side of the tunnel, your ride is there. I recommend getting to know one another on the trip. Once you are in the Orange Zone you five will have to really rely on one another according to the Augury." The Praetors said getting the five younger Legionaries to nod.
"Return Victorious or don't." The other Praetor said coldly before snapping a surprising salute at them.
The group returned it before stepping out of the gates. Laura led the way, she was just trying to focus on what she was going to get to drive at the moment to try and distract herself from worrying about Naruto and Jason.
The two boys were almost in a completely opposite mindset. They weren't worried at all. Arrogance or naivety they were convinced this wasn't going to be a problem.
Sadly, the current Augur of New Rome wasn't one to lie, and suffering lied ahead of them on their journey.
That is that for this chapter. A couple quick things to note, first the state of the Legion.
Let's be honest, it's not a legion anymore. It's an over strength cohort. It's Centurias pretend they are Cohorts and their leadership is beyond messed up. The Legionaries can see that, especially out main boys, but they don't know what could be done about it.
That is going to be a major point later so before you start calling me out about how a cohort is nearly five hundred people and a legion should have like more than sixty centurions…that isn't doable with this legion anymore.
That being said it's going to get worse before it gets better.
Alright, with that little tangent out of the way I will say that this story will have a lot of the greek stuff from PJO in it, but it is Roman focused….I mean Percy will be an important character but the Main is clearly Naruto.
Anyway I hope you enjoy it.
Till Next Time.