Chapter Title: I Witness Legends Make Themselves Known

Alternate Chapter Title: The First And Second Cohorts Get Absolutely Demolished

I'll admit, I definitely wasn't looking forward to this at all honestly. I mean, who would blame me for not wanting to? I was stuck in the cohort that is the laughing stock of Camp Jupiter, the one that no one wants to be around, being used as cannon fodder as usual when it comes to war games — so yeah, my life sucked at the moment. At least it did — until they finally came. Then, it seemed like my life had a chance of improving.

I didn't really know exactly what to expect from them honestly. But, as soon as like the war games started, Michael just quickly grabbed my shoulder and pulled me off to the side. "What are you doing?" I asked him, surprised by this.

"Colton wants you at a tactical conference — one of his, since you're one of the few people here that we know.. he's got a plan.." Michael said simply, and something about it in my mind just said wait what?

I knew Colton was really smart for a demigod with amnesia — being a son of Mars and all, but still.. there was no way that even he could at least come up with a plan that made best use of the four of them, plus me along with Hazel and Frank. Could he?

Boy, was I in for a surprise. That was for sure.

Colton, Carlton, Luke, Percy, Hazel, and Frank were already gathered around in a circle as the rest of the 5th and the other cohorts stepped off when we got over to them. Colton simply smiled as we got to them. "Good, we're all here.." he said simply. "Now we can get down to business."

"Yeah.." Michael said. "What's the plan, chief?"

The amount of confidence that Michael, Luke, and Percy all seemed to have in Colton was just mind boggling to say the least. Then again, he was the Monster King after all - god, just thinking of those two words just makes me shiver - but even so, he was doing this despite having amnesia for gods' sake. It was absolutely unbelievable.

"Well.. since it's going to be obvious that the others as usual are probably going to struggle in taking the fort with all that's... there.." Colton started, and I rolled my eyes as he pointed out the obvious. "..I want to use that to our advantage, give us the element of surprise. They have water cannons, so since we have Percy, we can also use them to our advantage."

Frank's eyes lit up in recognition and realization with what Colton was thinking. "Colton!" Hazel whisper yelled. "That's brilliant!"

"Of course!" Frank added. "The cannons on the walls - they draw water from the aqueduct. There's a pump system - heck, I don't know how they work, but they're under a lot of pressure. If Percy could control them.."

I looked at Percy. He didn't look so sure about it all. "I don't know if I can.." he muttered. "I'm not sure I can control the cannons from this far away."

Colton snorted. "That's why I'm going to assign Hazel and Frank to you to help you get closer to them" he added, before turning to Hazel. "Where's usually their weak point?"

"East side.." Frank interrupted, which made Colton glance towards the eastern wall of the fort. "That's where the defense will be weakest. They'll never take three kids seriously. I think we can sneak up pretty close before they can see us."

Hazel looked like she was about to say something, but Colton simply interrupted before she could say anything. "Excellent.." he said. "I entrust you two to get Percy close enough to wreak some havoc. Actually, you know what.. I'll add Luke to your group to give you all some extra weight. Carlton will serve as a distraction, drawing their fire."

"Why me?" Carlton muttered. Colton just glared at him, and that shut him up. It was a creepy glare to be honest.

"Michael, Lavinia, you're with me.." he said, as the sounds of battle just started to ring out suddenly as the battle began. Colton started speaking faster now, and I could see the eagerness for action in his eyes. "Let's just see if we can poke some holes in their boat.. from a distance.." he added, turning around and eyeing a piece of terrain that looked unremarkable for the most part when it came to how these things normally went, but with the weapons Colton and Michael carried, it made all the difference. A barren knoll on the northwest side of the fort that was unguarded yet the height offered anyone a chance to lob projectiles into it from that side. We usually never attacked from that location, but it seemed that in Colton's eyes it was perfect. "Let's get moving people. The fight has started. Move out!"

Colton took off towards the left, and me and Michael followed him as chaos erupted around the fort. I honestly hoped that this plan of his would work.

- — - — - — - Switch To Third Person POV - — - — - — -

(A/N: Rare Mid Chapter Author's Note here, but it's placed here for a good reason. I'm going to be using bits from Wattpad and AO3 user imkindaboredboi 's fanfic "Call It Fate" here, since this part mainly calls for a scene from inside the fort which their fanfic happens to be one of the few Son Of Neptune fanfics out there that does include a scene from inside the fort before Percy, Hazel, and Frank hit them from the east and cause chaos. Of course, with the addition of Luke, Colton, Lavinia, and Michael to the story, it's safe to say that more chaos will be the result. Also, this will also include another one of Galatea-Green-31 's characters, this time the girl named Lily that appears in what is described as a "vision-coma-thing" that Rose Louloudi has. There are suspicions that I have about her in that fanfic that I am not going to say here because that will spoil the fanfic for you, but for now, I'm playing Lily as Rose's missing sister until my suspicions are either confirmed or turn out to be wrong. There will also be appearances by imkindaboredboi 's characters Roma, Luis, Grace, Devon, and David, so shout out to both these users here. Thank you.)

"That boy with the rifle.. he's smarter than he looks."

If Octavian had to be honest here, those words from fellow member of the First Cohort Lily, daughter of Ceres, should have in retrospect been the first hint that Colton Reynolds had a plan that due to how familiar the battle progressed up until they were hit by his plan - set him and the others inside the fort up for the embarrassing shitshow that would engulf them soon. He had to admit, while she had been against his political manipulations and blackmail, the golden haired and green eyed daughter of Ceres had been remarkably perceptive when it counted. But given that these movements were taking place in the Fifth Cohort, the weakest of them all, Octavian was certain that she wasn't up to date with reality.

"Don't be silly.." he said back to her. "..he's in the Fifth, just like the other kid - Percy - who's a son of Neptune." The malice in his voice expressed itself as Octavian said Neptune's name. "Besides, even with this average fort, we should be good enough to win again today."

"Doubt it.." Lily said back to him. "On the one hand, Percy can control water. And the other hand, Colton's far more perceptive and observant than you think. I've noticed."

Both of those statements simply go in one ear and out the other for Octavian. "What's that got to do with anything?"

Lily sighs in frustration. "We have water cannons, genius.." she says back. "Figure it out." Before Octavian can say anything else, Lily leaves and steps down the stairs from the battlements, leaving him to wonder exactly what she had meant by that at all.

Octavian turns and sees his fellow Centurion Roma out directing the defense as the battle begins. Despite her usual performance, he can tell she definitely looks tired. Despite being the augur, he decides to help her out and she accepts, happy that at least despite his personality, he's at least helping her manage the situation and not leaving her to tire herself out.

The fight progresses as normal as could possibly be. The Fifth Cohort simply floundering in front of the fort, the Third and Fourth cohorts nearby also struggling to make any headway. Octavian can see Carlton dashing back and forth in front of the fort below the battlements, drawing fire as he did so - but he couldn't see Colton, Lavinia, Michael, Percy, Luke, Frank, or Hazel anywhere.

What are those seven up to? Octavian wondered. It was odd yes, but it didn't feel like not keeping track of them was going to prove to be an absolutely costly mistake. It currently seemed that way, right up until that failure to do that.. bit both the First and Second Cohorts in the ass, in one of the most humiliating moments of Octavian's life.

(** "The Ghost Is Here" by Skycycle (from the movie "Scooby Doo On Zombie Island") starts playing. Repeat this as many times as you have to before this part finishes **)

Colton, Michael, and Lavinia reached the point just below the crest of the barren knoll on the northwest corner of the fort, and Colton looked like he was a kid in a candy shop right now. Nearby, Michael had a similar look on his face. "So what exactly are we going to do here?" Lavinia asked, curious as to what Colton had in mind.

Colton just flashed her a grin. "Simple.. suppression fire.. with the added part of keeping people alive, not killing them.." he said back to her. Michael laid down on his stomach and simply scooted up to a point where the crest of the knoll was narrow so that the gun barrel sat on the bipod facing down the opposite side towards the fort, while Michael sat on the side he was on, protected from enemy fire. He placed the ammo box and the other box down nearby, with the ammo box to the left of him and the gun. Colton simply placed another ammo box nearby, and then turned to Lavinia. "Anyone comes up towards him on his right.. take them out.. make sure they're still alive, yet out of the fight.." he told her, and Lavinia nodded, walking a bit to the south down the slope with her manuballista in her hands.

Colton then looked at Michael and simply said to him, "If I tell you to turn, spray in the direction of anything coming towards her. Don't harm it. Remember.. suppression, not death."

Michael simply nodded, and Colton moved further north along the knoll, finally taking a position in some trees about 20 yards down from Michael's position. Michael loaded a belt of ammo into the MG42 and waited.

Another scary night

On the other side of the fort, Luke, Percy, Hazel, and Frank simply just popped out of a hole just where Hazel had predicted. In front of them, the fort's east wall loomed. In the distance, Luke and Percy could just about make out Michael with the MG42 in their position on the knoll over there. Luke simply smiled. Nice work, Colton, he thought to himself. Hope this works.

Off to their left, Frank could see the main line of the Fifth Cohort advancing in turtle formation, shields forming a shell over their heads and sides. They were trying to reach the main gates, but the defenders above pelted them with rocks and shot flaming bolts from the scorpions, blasting craters around their feet. A water cannon discharged with a jaw-rattling THRUM, and a jet of liquid carved a trench in the dirt right in front of the cohort.

Percy whistled. "That's a lot of pressure, all right."

Another spooky fright

Luke simply paled at what he was even seeing. He was glad he wasn't in the middle of all of that. The Third and Fourth Cohorts weren't even advancing. They stood back and laughed, watching their "allies" get beat up. The defenders clustered on the wall above the gates, yelling insults at the tortoise formation as it staggered back and forth. In Percy's eyes, war games had deteriorated into "beat up the Fifth."

Frank's vision went red with anger.

"Let's shake things up." He reached in his quiver and pulled out an arrow heavier than the rest. The iron tip was shaped like the nose cone of a rocket. An ultra thin gold rope trailed from the fletching. Shooting it accurately up the wall would take more force and skill than most archers could manage, but Frank had strong arms and good aim.

Maybe Apollo is watching, he thought hopefully.

"What does that do?" Percy asked. "Grappling hook?"

"It's called a hydra arrow," Frank said. "Can you knock out the water cannons?"

And we just might be in danger

It was at this moment David McGlynn, son of Mercury, turned and noticed the four demigods down below on the east side of the fort. Sensing an easy opportunity, he turned to his comrades. "Hey!" he shouted to his buddies. "Check it out! More victims!"

"Percy," Frank said, "now would be good."

Before Percy could do anything, that's when a shot rang out.. for Colton had David right in his sights from where he was.

Bang!

Oh, the ghost is here and it's always a fake

The bullet took a chunk of skin and a little bit of flesh off of David's shoulder, along with a part of the armor there, causing David to scream and hold his shoulder in pain. A medic ran over and had just about healed him in mere moments, when Michael now opened up with the MG42, raining bullets down on the fort in such a way that only minor injuries and bruises were suffered by any defender unfortunate enough to be caught in the spray of bullets at a range of about 250 - 300 yards. The defenders all over the fort ceased firing, and simply dropped to the ground wherever they were for the most part, intimidated by the sound of the MG42. To stand up, in their minds, courted death.

Octavian and Roma were shocked by this unexpected turn of events. That's when another loud bang ran out and a bullet grazed Octavian's right leg, doing the same amount of damage to him as it had done to David's shoulder. Octavian fell to the ground, clutching his leg and screaming. "MEDIC! MEDIC!" Roma shouted, trying to figure out where exactly the shots were coming from.

The ghost is here, there's no reason to shake

Percy had been stunned by the unexpected turn of events momentarily, but quickly recovered. Even with the carnage starting to ring out around them, and things going wrong elsewhere on the fort, more kids came across the battlements to laugh at them. A few ran to the nearest water cannon and swung the barrel toward Frank.

Percy closed his eyes. He raised his hand.

Up on the wall, somebody yelled, "Open wide, losers!"

The ghost is here, a h give us a break, it's fake

KA-BOOM!

The cannon exploded in a starburst of blue, green, and white. Defenders screamed as a watery shock wave flattened them against the battlements. Kids toppled over the walls but were snatched by giant eagles and carried to safety. Then the entire eastern wall shuddered as the explosion backed up through the pipelines. One after another, the water cannons on the battlements exploded. The scorpions' fires were doused. Defenders scattered in confusion or were tossed through the air, giving the rescue eagles quite a workout. At the main gates, the Fifth Cohort forgot about their formation. Mystified, they lowered their shields and stared at the chaos.

Luke also watched in shock, amazed at what Percy had done.

Octavian and Roma's bodies shook, both of them whipping their heads around just in time to see the water cannons just explode one after another. "Shit" Roma mutters, spinning around to face her group who all look absolutely terrified. And not of the oncoming enemies but of her. "What just happened?" Roma exclaims and they all flinch.

"Uh— I think that Jackson kid just attacked us." someone answers with a wince.

"Then why are you standing there?" Octavian shouts. "Stand your ground, cowards!"

Roma simply glares at him, but the group of demigods with them reluctantly obey, as do some of the other defenders not caught up in the blasts.

All the while, Colton and Michael were taking advantage of the chaos, raining rounds down upon the defenders to inflict as much of a psychological effect on them as possible.

Another ghoul attacks

Frank shot his arrow. It streaked upward, carrying its glittering rope. When it reached the top, the metal point fractured into a dozen lines that lashed out and wrapped around anything they could find—parts of the wall, a scorpion, a broken water cannon, and a couple of defending campers, who yelped and found themselves slammed against the battlements as anchors. From the main rope, handholds extended at two-foot intervals, making a ladder.

He's breathing down our backs

"Go!" Frank said.

Percy grinned. "You first, Frank. This is your party."

Frank hesitated. Then he slung his bow on his back and began to climb.

So we're making tracks for the exit

He was halfway up before the defenders recovered their senses enough and prepared to fire back. Then, with another bang, another bullet struck David again, this time in the left shoulder, doing the same amount of damage. Unnerved by the situation, Grace Rae, daughter of Trivia, ran down from the battlements screaming about how she didn't want to die.

Oh the ghost is here, it's a crook in a suit

Octavian was having his hands full now - with some defenders panicking and others attempting to continue the fight but being pinned down by the psychological effect of the MG42. He and Roma - along with the centurions of the Second Cohort - were simply floundering right now.

Frank glanced back at Fifth Cohort's main group. They were staring up at him, dumbfounded.

"Well?" Frank screamed. "Attack!"

The ghost is here, he's protecting some loot

Colton now ran over to Michael, dropping the Whitworth and his belt down beside him and pulling out both swords. "Keep them pinned down until I'm on the battlements.. I'm going in.." he said, and just made his way down the far side of the knoll towards the fort. Michael nodded and did as he was told.

The ghost is here, aw give him the boot, He's fake

Gwen was the first to unfreeze. She grinned and repeated the order. A cheer went up from the battlefield. Hannibal the elephant trumpeted with happiness, but Frank couldn't afford to watch. He clambered to the top of the wall, where three defenders were trying to hack down his rope ladder. One good thing about being big, clumsy, and clad in metal was that Frank was currently like a heavily armored bowling ball. He launched himself at the defenders, and they toppled like pins. Frank got to his feet. He took command of the battlements, sweeping his pilum back and forth and knocking down defenders. Some shot arrows. Some tried to get under his guard with their swords, but Frank felt unstoppable. Then Hazel appeared next to him, swinging her big cavalry sword like she was born for battle.

Colton had made it to the fort, and Michael had now ceased firing with the MG42, content to take pot shots with the Whitworth now to continue inflicting confusion and disorder on the defenders. The fact that somehow the first and second cohorts hadn't noticed the two demigods' location as they poured terror and confusion down upon them was absolutely astounding.

Nearby, Lavinia just sat on the top of the rise as it descended into the valley, just watching the chaos unfold.

It doesn't matter where we go, we know

Percy and Luke leaped onto the wall and raised both Riptide and Backbiter II.

"Fun," he said.

Luke smiled. It somehow felt like old times for some reason. He didn't know why but at this point he didn't care at all.

Together they cleared the defenders off the walls on much of the fort, while Colton took care of the northwestern side of it. Below them the gates broke. Hannibal barreled into the fort, arrows and rocks bouncing harmlessly off his Kevlar armor.

The Fifth Cohort charged in behind the elephant, and the battle went hand-to-hand.

Finally, from the edge of the Field of Mars, a battle cry went up. The Third and Fourth Cohorts ran to join the fight.

A ghost is gonna show and so..

"A little late," Hazel grumbled.

"We can't let them get the banners," Frank said.

"No," Percy agreed. "Those are ours."

A loud roar went up from Colton's side of the fort. "Looks like Colton has joined the action too.. and here comes the others.." he said, noting both Michael and Lavinia both rushing towards the fort too.

"The gang's all here then.." Percy muttered.

We look for the bogus, look for the scam

No more talk was necessary. They moved like a team, as if the four of them had been working together for years. They rushed down the interior steps and into the enemy base.

After that, per the words of Frank, the battle was mayhem.

And every-time the ghost is a sham

Frank, Percy, Luke, and Hazel waded through the enemy, plowing down anyone who stood in their way. Percy and Luke simply fought like demons, whirling through the defenders' ranks in a completely unorthodox style, rolling under their feet, slashing with their unusual swords instead of stabbing their opponents like a Roman would, whacking campers with the flat of his blade, and generally causing mass panic.

Frank shot arrows until his quiver was empty, using blunt-tipped missiles that wouldn't kill but left some nasty bruises. He broke his pilum over a defender's head, then reluctantly drew his gladius.

Meanwhile, Hazel climbed onto Hannibal's back. She charged toward the center of the fort, grinning down at her friends. "Let's go, slowpokes!"

Gods of Olympus, she's beautiful, Frank thought.

We see an eerie light

Octavian felt hopeless at the sight, even as behind him both Michael and Lavinia mounted the battlements and started pouring disabling shots down into the remaining defenders, picking off people left and right. He screamed in a shrill voice—maybe ordering the First Cohort to stand their ground, maybe trying to sing soprano—but in reality what he actually said was, "Retreat! Defend the emblems!"

By this time, basically all of the Second Cohort remained with him and Roma, with small groups of the First cut off at various points. Either way, despite Roma's protests, the defenders all fell back towards the inner keep. The sight of the door already being busted down, as if a monstrous beast had plowed right through it, was the first sign that something was wrong here.

And if the moon is right..

Inside, the defenders found a sight that chilled all of them. The table in their with Mythomagic on it on had been smashed, with game pieces scattered all over. The two chairs in their were broken beyond repair, and both standard bearers - Luis and Devon - just lay on the floor, bruised battered and unconscious. Their armor had also been wrecked too. Standing in between them was Colton, with both emblems now right behind him.

Percy, Frank, and Luke ran in behind the defenders, with Lily just behind them - she was trying to prevent them from taking the emblems.. only for all of them to freeze in horror..

Then we just might sight a MONSTER

..as Colton leaped through the air, howling at the top of his lungs, with blood red eyes instead of his normal brown, and with both swords drawn at the ready.. straight at Octavian, Roma, and the bulk of the Second Cohort.

Oh the ghost is here, it's our frightening task

What followed was quick and relentless. If Percy and Luke had fought like demons, Colton fought like hell itself. Octavian just got off maybe a word, screaming once again in a shrill voice before Colton slammed the butt of the sword in his left hand into Octavian's helmet, sending the augur's body somersaulting over a line of shields nearby in the main keep before hitting the wall roughly and collapsing like a sock puppet.

To face our fears and the creep in the mask

Colton wasn't wearing a mask, but to all in Camp Jupiter that saw him, he definitely was a creep. His eyes turned toward Roma, who had tightened the grip on her sword after screaming in horror at what had happened to Octavian, before she charges him. She knows it's stupid. Charging a guy wielding two swords at the same time who just wrecked the camp's augur like he was a rag doll. But she just can't help it.

Colton raises the sword in his left hand at the last second, deflecting her first blow before slashing sideways at her legs. Swiftly, she steps back and tries to knock the sword out of his grip but he's anticipated the move and then she feels the butt end of the sword in his right hand hit her helmet, causing the other Centurion of the First Cohort to go flying too, hitting the wall and collapsing to the ground.

Until the ghost is here, there's no reason to ask
He's fake

Both centurions, hurt but still able to watch, then watch in horror as Colton just makes short work of the remaining 27 legionnaries in front of them. All of them never stood a chance.

(** Music ends **)

Colton simply stops, catching his breath after the adrenaline rush of rage. He feels quite pleased with himself. Michael and Lavinia come up, pushing their way through the crowd of kids standing in front of the doorway to to the inner keep. Both of them gasp in horror, Lavinia now looking outright terrified, when they see exactly what Colton had done. Put simply, while none of the kids caught in the path of his rampage are dead, he's done enough damage that it would take at least a couple of hours of healing for most of them to be back to fully functioning again.

He had mowen through the bulk of the second best cohort in camp without even breaking so much of a sweat at all. He simply chuckles as he admires his handiwork. "Well.. guess that takes care of the game.." he said simply, and Lavinia can't help but notice a smile creep onto Michael's face.