Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter.
The Ever Twisting Wind: The Gaean War
Chapter Six: New Rome, New Problems
Beta:
One fine afternoon, Luna Lovegood, Roman Legacy of Apollo Phoebus and Augur of New Rome, found herself entering a back room in a tea shop in the Wizarding district of San Francisco. This high officer of New Rome was a young woman with waist-length, straggly, dirty blonde hair, protuberant silvery eyes, and faint eyebrows.
Why had she left New Rome? Well, she had received an invitation she could not refuse. She had been summoned via her friend, Hermione Granger, to meet with the goddess of the wild, Lady Andi, with their mutual Witch friend serving as an intermediary to bypass Lord Jupiter's edict prohibiting contact between the gods and the mortal world. A prohibition that only Luna's prophetic ability allowed her to be aware of. A ban that they took further steps to evade by meeting in the Wizarding world with its gray area status between the mortal and mythic worlds. Lady Andi would need every possible bit of plausible deniability and excuse she could muster to cover for this meeting and avoid her father's wrath.
"Oh! Luna, you're rocking those robes!" The goddess of the wild praised from where she was waiting for Luna at the room's lone table.
"Thank you, Lady Andi. You flatter me." Luna replied with a light blush. She wasn't actually wearing anything too fancy, so the praise delighted her. Compared to the robes she wore when carrying out her duties as Augur, the set of witch's robes with a Roman flair that she was currently wearing wasn't anything too special. Though she had to admit, it did wonders for her appearance. More so than any Wizarding robes she'd ever worn before making it to New Rome at least. Featuring a off-shoulder, wrapped design with a deep V-neck that elegantly exposed generous amounts of her cleavage, shoulders, and upper back, the cream and beige robes were adorned with intricate embroidered patterns reminiscent of classical Roman designs. The overall look was completed with a voluminous asymmetric skirt that was floor-length at the back but ended above her knees in the front, and when combined with her traditionally styled Roman hair, it gave her a regal and magical appearance.
"Just speaking the truth." The currently nude goddess said as she gestured for Luna to take a seat across from her at the table.
Luna was unfazed by the goddess' nudity. As the goddess of the wild, it was perfectly natural for Lady Andi to be skyclad once in a while. Plus, they were both girls and Luna was not attracted to members of her own sex so what did it matter? If anything, the Augur only felt a small burst of jealousy at the absolute perfection of her old Hogwarts friend's literally divine body. She squashed that silly emotion though. Lady Andi was a goddess! Of course her body would be perfection itself.
"Where is Lady Wendy?" Luna asked, noticing the absence of the goddess' partner and Aurae lieutenant.
"She's shopping. I gave her a list of things to get for me from the local Wizarding district." Lady Andi told her as with a wave of her hand, she animated the tea set that had been sitting on the table and began serving them both cups of tea, "I wanted this to be a private meeting between old friends. So stop with the formalities already. Just call me Andi."
"As you command, Andi." Luna said with a smile as she accepted the tea cup full of tea that floated towards her.
"Good. Now, here's a question for you, Luna. How have you been? The position of Augur sitting well with you?"
"That's more than 'a question', Andi." Luna teased. "But in order, yes I've been doing well, and I've quite enjoyed my time as Augur so far. Though surely you know that, if not via your omniscience then by the Aurae, Fauns and other nature spirits keeping an eye on the goings on of New Rome on your behalf."
"I do." Andi said, offering her a mysterious smile. "But I wanted to hear it from you."
Luna nodded in understanding. Her friend wanted to know how she felt about things from her own perspective.
"How were things for you then? It's been a while since I last saw you."
"Busy." Andi said with a tired sigh. "Being a god is a lot of work. You mortals don't usually see it and most of you don't appreciate it, but there is a ton of effort that we gods put into keeping the world as we know it going. Then there's everything about this latest war."
"My sympathies, Andi." Luna said with a wince.
"Don't worry about it." The goddess said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Nothing either of us can do about it. All I can do is power through it."
Luna just nodded and took a sip of her tea. It was wonderful. Divine even. She wouldn't be surprised if that was literally the case even. Her friend was supposed to have quite an extensive garden in her palace, as befit the goddess of the wild, and Luna imagined that included at least some plants which could be used to make tea.
"So Luna," Andi asked with a sly look. "Found anyone that caught your eye in New Rome?"
Luna shook her head. "No. There is no one in my life like that."
"Aww~! I wanted to tease you about a boy or girlfriend." The goddess said with a disappointed whine.
"Well, better luck next time." Luna said in a deadpan.
"I'm sure I'll get the chance someday."
"I'm sure you will, Andi, but today is not the day."
"Sadly." Andi said with a pout.
Luna just rolled her eyes and changed the topic of the conversation before Andi could tease her more.
"So Andi, you didn't summon me here just to catch up, right?" Luna asked, putting down her cup. "Not with the war."
"No, you're right. I didn't." Andi agreed as she sipped nonchalantly at her tea. "New Rome had some rather interesting visitors recently didn't they?"
"You mean the brother and sister that visited the city as Ambassadors from their father, Lord Pluto?"
Andi nodded and helped herself to a macaroon from the tower of snacks that had accompanied the tea service. "Yes. Nico and Bianca de Angelo."
"Is there something I should know about them?"
"They are friends of mine." Andi told her as she swallowed the macaroon in a single bite. "You can trust them."
Luna nodded. If the di Angelos had Andi's trust then she had hers as well. The Augur knew her friend and the goddess of the wild would not offer her trust to just anyone. She had been taught not to.
"They won't be around much." Andi continued as she picked a muffin off the tower. "They have other commitments, but when they are around, trust them like I said."
"We already do." Luna informed her. "We accepted a fishy girl into the Twelfth on their recommendation. All because she is their sister."
"Fishy? How so?"
"She seems to have appeared out of nowhere. The Legion usually does background checks on all new probatio-"
"Even after they pass Lupa's trails?" Andi paused in demolishing the muffin to ask with narrowed eyes.
She doesn't like the idea that we would second guess a goddess like Lupa.
"Lupa only checks for martial ability and valor." Luna hastily explained. "We do background checks to cover the areas she leaves out from her trails."
The goddess of the wild frowned but nodded. "So there's something wrong with this girl's background?"
"Yes, she doesn't have one." Luna replied. "Usually we are able to find something even for probatio who come from the most off the grid pasts but we couldn't find anything for this girl. Nothing at all."
"Have you performed a divination for this girl?" Andi asked curiously as she went back to eating her muffin.
"No," Luna said with a shake of her head. "It never escalated to the point where I needed to get involved, not when the Ambassadors of Pluto vouched for her. That was enough for the Praetors to drop the matter."
Andi nodded and hummed thoughtfully, her eyes glowing gold. After a moment, the color faded from her eyes and she smiled at Luna.
"No need to worry about that girl, Luna. She will accomplish great things and honor New Rome through her achievements."
Luna breathed a sigh of relief. "I will be sure to pass along that news when I head back."
"Please do." Andi said with an imperious nod and finished her muffin.
Luna took this chance to have more of the wonderful tea.
"Luna," the goddess said as she washed down her muffin with some tea.
"Yes, Andi?"
"There is one more thing I need to tell you." Andi said as she took a cupcake from the tower.
"What is it?"
"A son of Neptune will come to New Rome soon and join Camp Jupiter as a Legionnaire." Andi said, popping the confection into her mouth. "I want you to do everything you can to help him."
"Why?" Luna asked with a frown. None of her regular divinations of the future suggested there was a son of Neptune headed to New Rome, much less that they were important enough to warrant the kind of special treatment her friend was suggesting they give him.
"I can't tell you." Andi said with a frustrated sigh. "Just know that he is a crucial part of an important plan for the betterment of Olympus."
"Olympus? Not New Rome?"
"No comment."
Luna sighed. So it was some divine secret then. She doubted Andi would keep mum like this otherwise.
"I will do my best."
"That's all I ask."
"Hazel?" Percy asked as he and his questmates, Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, and Frank Zhang, son of Mars, trudged through the Alaskan tundra after the girl had saved him from almost drowning in a muskeg.
"Yeah, Percy?" The girl with a dark complexion, brown as a roasted coffee bean, asked as they slogged through the bog towards the town of Seward, Hazel's old hometown, and Hubbard Glacier, where they expected to face the eldest Gigantes, Alcyoneus, and free the trapped Reaper of Souls, Lord Letus. This Quest being the culmination of Percy finding himself in northern California, evading monsters without any recollection of his past before being guided by Lupa, the wolf goddess, to Camp Jupiter, where he had joined the Twelfth Legion. A journey that had seen him, both before and during the Quest, facing numerous challenges, including attacks by the Gorgons, Stheno and Euryale, a confrontation with the blind seer Phineas, and battles against various monsters and Cyclopes. Worse yet, they had learned about Gaea's plan to awaken her giant children to destroy the gods and the world.
"Just now, when you were pulling me out of the swamp and was having that vision of yours," Percy said, causing Hazel to shift uneasily. Unsurprising considering said vision had been an unasked for audience with the evil Earth Mother. "Remember how I told you that I promised you that we would figure out what happened to Nico? I mean it. We'll figure it out. Somehow. But right now we need to focus on our Quest."
"I know." Hazel said with a sigh. "I know my duty. Besides the Earth Mother only mentioned Nico, which means Bianca's still free. She must be doing everything she can to rescue him. I need to finish this Quest as soon as possible so I can go help her."
"Hazel-" Frank began.
"It's fine, Frank." Hazel said, cutting him off with a smile to soften her harsh tone. "I won't let my worries for Nico or my fears that Lord Letus will send me back to the Underworld after we free him hold me back. I am a Legionnaire of Legio XII Fulminata and I know my duty."
Percy shot a look at his other questmate. The son of Mars was a teenage boy of Chinese descent with a large and stocky frame with a babyish face with brown eyes and close-cropped black hair that didn't really work with his burly build. A contrast that in Percy's opinion made him look like a toddler who'd taken steroids and joined the Marines. One that was perpetuated by the childish pout he was wearing at Hazel's statement.
"I wasn't going to say that." Frank said in what to Percy's ears sounded dangerously like a whine. "I was just going to tell you that I'll help you find your brother too."
"Oh!" Hazel said with a blush.
It was a cute scene and Percy really wanted to tease them. It was so obvious that they had crushes on each other. They should really get together already! However, before he could say a word, the son of Neptune's dangersense spiked and as he glanced around them to see what had triggered it, he realized that whilst they had been talking, they had walked into a large bank of Mist.
"Guys!" Percy hissed in warning, pulling the two lovebirds from their cute, awkward flirting. "Trouble!"
To their credit, Hazel and Frank's training immediately kicked in and they tensed and began looking around them warily just like Percy was.
"We walked into a Mist bank without noticing?" Hazel asked with a frown. "Or did it blow in to surround us whilst we were distracted?"
"The latter, I think." Percy offered. "I don't think we let our guard down enough to miss us literally walking into a whole bank of Mist."
"Should we keep going?" Frank asked. "Or should we backtrack?"
"Backtracking won't work." Percy said with a shake of his head. "If whatever has caught us doesn't want us to go, no amount of backtracking will let us get away. It'll just piss it off."
"You sure?" Frank asked with a frown.
"I know my memory is swiss cheese but yeah, I'm sure about this."
Even as Percy finished saying that with confidence, the Mist surrounding them suddenly shifted unnaturally as it reshaped the area around them. Gone was the Alaskan marshland they had been walking through just a while ago. Instead, they found themselves in front of a visibly magical castle. It was ancient and sprawling, sitting majestically atop a cliff overlooking a lake of blood nestled within a volcano caldera. The castle emanated a palpable aura of enchantment, its tall, turreted towers and battlements shimmering with an ethereal glow that changed colors with the light. The weathered, ivy-covered stone walls pulsed with an inner magic, adding to its aura of timelessness and mystery. Surrounded by dense forests and expansive grounds, this magical stronghold's very presence hummed with arcane energy.
"This place…" Percy muttered as he looked up at the fantastical castle. A castle that stirred something in his jumbled memories. Memories of a lot of dead school children and an evil monster responsible for their deaths. A monster that took the form of a… "The Bloody Lake!"
"You know this monster?" Frank asked, gesturing warily at the churning lake of blood as it shot lances of its sanguine waters at the castle even as the magical fortification retaliated by shooting bolts of magic from the roiling masses of raw arcane energy that topped its towers.
"Yeah." Percy said with a nod. "I don't know the full details, but I know that Pit damned monster lake killed almost a whole school of children!"
Hazel nodded. "It did. Then Lady Andromeda Aurae, goddess of the wild, breezes and Wizardry intervened and rescued the survivors of the school."
As they talked, dozens of tall, amorphous blood elementals emerged from the turbulent surface of the Bloody Lake, their forms entirely composed of dark, crimson blood that flowed and rippled with grotesque fluidity. The elementals' surfaces were in constant motion, with thick, blood-like consistency that occasionally dripped and splashed, creating an eerie and mesmerizing display. These captivating yet horrifying monsters, exuding an aura with a metallic scent of iron, began advancing towards the castle, leaving behind a trail of blood droplets and hurling bolts of blood at their earthen opponent.
In response, the castle summoned elementals of its own. At its command, towering humanoid earth elementals, their bodies composed of dense, rugged stone and packed earth with rocky protrusions jutting from their limbs and torsos, pulled themselves from the ground within and around its walls. Each elemental possessed an imposing and solid form, with powerful arms and legs resembling the ancient strength of mountains. Their eyes glowed with a deep, inner light, emanating an aura of primal power and unyielding resilience as they moved with deliberate, tectonic grace, leaving faint tremors in their wake. These earth elementals intercepted the incoming blood elementals, either clashing with them directly or countering their blood bolt barrages with salvos of thrown boulders.
"It looks like Bloody Lake is in an all out war with Hogwarts." Frank said looking awestruck at the two powerful monsters and their armies of subordinate elementals fighting each other.
Hazel just nodded.
"I'm more interested in knowing why we were summoned here." Percy said with a frown. "I'm pretty sure that the Fates don't throw us into things like this for no reason. Especially not on a Quest."
"You presume correctly, son of the seas." A feminine blood elemental said in a disturbingly water choked voice as it emerged from the Blood Lake and began to make its way towards Percy and his questmates, who both tensed in response. "We summoned you to help us."
The Bloody Lake's avatar stirred something in Percy's memory. Dimly he recalled that he had previously negotiated with the sanguine monster as it used a similar avatar the last time he dealt with it.
And if I remember correctly, it was a whiny bitch.
"Indeed, Percy Jackson." A surprisingly melodious but still somewhat gravelly voice of a feminine earth elemental echoed as it pulled itself out of the ground and also began making its way towards them as well. "You brokered a peace between us once. We seek your assistance in doing so again."
"Again?" Hazel asked with a cocked eyebrow as she and Frank looked at Percy questioningly.
He just shrugged. "I don't remember. You know my memory is scrambled."
"Disorganized memory or not, you will broker a peace between us." The blood elemental that was probably the Bloody Lake's avatar insisted.
"We beseech you, Percy Jackson." The earth elemental that logically served as Hogwarts' avatar pleaded. Gesturing at the intense battle between her and the Lake, she continued. "As you can see, we are at war. A futile, unending war. Thanks to Lord Letus' imprisonment, neither of us can die and because of that all we do now is pointless."
"And you want me to broker a peace between you?"
""Yes."" The two avatars said with nods.
"How!?" Percy asked, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm just a kid. What do I know about brokering peace between anyone?"
"We have decided," the Bloody Lake's avatar said, gesturing between herself and Hogwarts' own avatar. "That we would abide with any fair decision you make that would keep the peace between us."
"We trust you to be fair." Hogwarts' avatar added with an encouraging smile.
Put on the spot, Percy quickly glanced at his questmates. Unfortunately, he got no help from either of them.
"This is completely out of my wheelhouse." Frank said with a shake of his head. "Sorry."
"Yeah." Hazel said with an apologetic frown. "I'm very sorry, Percy. I think this is up to you."
Sighing in resignation, Percy turned to the two avatars. "Uh, can't you, um, just stop fighting?"
"Not without guarantees." The Bloody Lake said with a shake of her head. "She attacked me without provocation."
"Without provocation!?" The magical castle spat back angrily. "You massacred my charges!"
The son of the seas could see a circular argument brewing when he saw it so before it could get any real steam, he cut them off. "Stop! You want guarantees? Then I'll give you guarantees."
"You." Percy said, pointing at Hogwarts. "Will stop attacking the Bloody Lake without being attacked first." Turning to point at the Lake. "And you. You will have to do the same. Both of you are going to have to swear on the Styx on this. The binding power of the Oath and the consequences should you break it should be more than enough of a guarantee."
"And what about the Lake's crimes against-"
"Forget about it." Percy said, shooting the earth elemental avatar a glare. "You want to stop this fighting? Then you need to start things from a blank slate."
The Blood Lake smirked at this. Clearly it thought it got the better part of this deal.
"Unacceptable! I will not just let the Bloody Lake get away with its crimes!"
"Then keep fighting." Percy told the castle bluntly. "You can't have your cake and eat it too."
Percy didn't like it. He honestly agreed with Hogwarts. The Blood Lake deserved to pay for its crimes but if the castle truly wanted peace… The only way that Percy saw that happening was forgiving the Lake for killing its charges.
"Did you not agree that we would accept the terms that Percy Jackson offered us?" The Bloody Lake said with a smug grin.
"Only if his proposition was fair." Hogwarts retorted angrily.
"Look, if you don't want peace then how about something else instead?" Percy suggested. "Something more reasonable?"
"And what would you suggest, Percy Jackson?" The Bloody Lake asked with a frown.
"A truce." Percy suggested. "A ceasefire for however long Lord Letus remains imprisoned."
The Bloody Lake frowned. It was obviously less than what it wanted but by the similar frown on the face of Hogwarts' avatar, more than what the castle wanted too. Clearly, neither of them were satisfied with what Percy was suggesting. Well, tough shit! That's how compromises usually worked.
"That sounds fair." Hogwarts, whose earth elemental army had been wiped out and whose walls were actively being scaled by the Bloody Lake's blood elementals, said with an eager grin.
The Blood Lake looked hesitant, obviously unhappy when it was clear that it currently had the upper hand in its battle against Hogwarts. Though as the castle unleashed a powerful pulse of raw magical energy that dispelled the Lake's elementals that threatened to breach its defenses, it sighed and conceded. "Yes. It is indeed fair."
"Then swear on the Styx."
Exchanging glares, both monsters' avatars nodded and obliged. ""We swear on the Styx to a truce until such time as Lord Letus is freed from his current imprisonment.""
As the sky boomed with supernatural thunder as a sign of their Oath on the Styx, Percy nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Now are we done?" Percy asked as he watched both monsters take steps to adhere to their Oaths. The Bloody Lake's surface calmed while Hogwarts' reined its magic in, dismissing the roiling masses of arcane energy it had summoned atop its towers to serve as its weapons.
"Yes." Hogwarts said, offering Percy a smile.
"Now be gone." The Bloody Lake said with a frown and a dismissive wave that summoned a large bank of Mist that promptly surrounded Percy and his questmates, blinding them.
As the Mist cleared, Percy found that he and his questmates had been teleported into some town.
"Where-"
"Seward." Hazel said, looking around them. More specifically, she was staring at the rundown house that they found themselves in front of. "We're in Seward. That's my old house from when we lived here."
"So the Bloody Lake and Hogwarts gave us a lift in exchange for Percy helping them broker a deal that should have been obvious to both of them?" Frank asked, sounding surprised. "All without us having to so much as draw our swords?"
"Looks like." Percy agreed with a shrug as he began making his way towards the house. "I know it sounds too good to be true but let's not second guess our wins. For now, let's just go in and get some rest. I think we deserve one. After that, Hazel, since you're more familiar with this place than either of us, why don't you take the lead as we try to find a way to travel to the Hubbard Glacier? That's where we need to go, right?"
"Sounds like a plan." Hazel agreed as she followed Percy into the house. "Right, Frank?"
Shrugging, Frank agreed. "Yeah. It does."
Even as Percy and the rest of the Questers seeking to rescue Thanatos were taking a break in Seward in Hazel Levesque's old home, Andi paid a visit to the Bloody Lake and Hogwarts. Descending from the clouds, her airship palace moved to hover equidistant between the two monsters as standing on the balcony that surrounded the gondola of the airship, Andi addressed both monsters.
"Good job, both of you." Andi praised them, her voice carrying over the distance thanks to her godly power. "Thanks for helping to jog Percy's memory."
Her melodious voice filling the air, Hogwarts replied. "I thank you for your praise, Lady Andromeda, but I do not know how helpful we were on that front. Percy Jackson did not seem to remember any more than he previously did beyond our existence."
"Yeah, but that's good enough." Andi assured them. "Every little bit to stimulate his memory helps."
"I don't care about any of that!" The Bloody Lake shouted through a massive mouth that it had formed out of its surface. "Just pay us our money for the job and begone!"
Andi should've been insulted by the Bloody Lake's tone but she brushed the irritation she felt aside. She had plenty of history with the lake. Heck! She'd been responsible for it becoming a monster in the first place. So she was willing to cut it some slack.
"Okay. Okay. Here's your pay." Andi said with a shrug and summoned two coin purses full of drachma that she tossed at the two monsters. "I'll be going now."
"Farewell, Lady Andromeda." Hogwarts said politely as Andi's palace began rising back into the clouds as she made her departure.
Glancing towards the Bloody Lake, Andi waited expectedly. The monster stubbornly refused to say a word however even as her palace disappeared back into the clouds.
Well, it's not like I truly expected any better. Andi thought with a shrug as she turned to head back into her palace. The Quest was about to reach its climax and Andi needed to keep a close eye on things so she could know when to intervene to swing things in Olympus' favor. She had no time to waste on petty monsters.
Several hours later, Andi sat in the living room of the treehouse main building of her airship palace with Alice, Wendy, Katie, and Ida as they watched the Iris Message (I.M.) projection showing Percy, Hazel, and Frank making the journey back to Camp Jupiter from Hubbard Glacier. During the intense battle at the glacier, they had freed Letus and killed Alcyoneus while also fighting the undead Legionnaires of the Twelfth Legion from Michael Varrus' 1980s expedition that the Gigantes had brought back to foul unlife. Frank had used the burning stick that housed his lifeforce to melt Letus' chains, while Hazel, with the help of Arion, dragged Alcyoneus out of Alaska, where he was unkillable, before finishing him off. Meanwhile, Percy used his immense powers, including conjuring an Arctic cyclone and shattering the glacier, to help them fight off their foes. In the aftermath, as a reward, Lord Letus had allowed Hazel to remain among the living despite being a spirit of the dead whom he should rightfully see returned to the Underworld. Following this, they recovered the legion's eagle and salvaged as much of the sorely needed Imperial Gold weapons and armor as they could before setting off for New Rome.
"Percy really is proving himself as the Hero of Olympus, isn't he?" Andi mused as she sipped from her cup of nectar laced tea. "I mean he just completed yet another super important Quest."
"Indeed." Ida agreed. "He is making quite a name for himself, for both good and ill."
"I can see the good in getting such a reputation, but what's the bad?" Wendy asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
"The bigger the reputation, the more enemies you'd get who want to tear you down." Katie explained to the Aurae.
"Ah~! I see. I see." Wendy said, nodding her head in understanding.
"Andi," Alice said, turning to the goddess of the wild as she took a sip from her own cup. A cup that contained her brew of choice: Energon. "What do you think? Will Percy recover his memory in time for the next phase of Hera's plan?"
Andi shrugged. "Things to do with the mind don't fall within my domain, so your guess is as good as mine. Though, at the very least his memory is starting to come back to him."
"Andi," Wendy asked, looking at Andi questioningly. Though she only continued after receiving an encouraging nod from Andi. "Why did Lady Hera seal away his memories in the first place?"
"I can answer that, Wendy." Alice said kindly. "Hera did that to allow him to be accepted into Camp Jupiter. If he had his memories, he'd have outed himself as a Greek immediately and they would've likely killed him. You know how much bad blood exists between the Greeks and the Romans."
"True." Wendy nodded. "And Percy is absolutely useless at keeping a secret so asking him to just pretend that he wasn't a Greek wouldn't have worked either."
"Exactly." Katie chimed in with her agreement as she munched on some cookies. "That's even if Percy would have agreed to Lady Hera's plan if she asked him. Sealing his memory and making it so he had no choice but to play along was probably her best shot. I mean, if he doesn't remember he had other options, he can't help but play along, can he?"
"Typically cunning of Lady Hera." Ida said in a carefully neutral tone. A care that Andi nodded at her consul appreciatively for. Whatever their opinion of the Queen of the Heavens and her plan, it was wise to not earn her ire by voicing any critique if they could help it.
"That is very true." Alice agreed. "But speaking of what typified the various gods, isn't Lord Hades known to be particularly strict when it came to the Underworld's security? How is it that the Hazel girl, who should be a spirit of the dead, is alive?"
"Ida, if you would?" Andi asked, looking at the Oread expectantly.
"As you command, Andi." Ida said with a nod. "Regarding Hazel Levesque, Lady Alice, when the Earth Mother captured Lord Thanatos and the dead didn't stay dead, it must have left the Underworld in chaos. The girl must have escaped the Underworld during the confusion."
"Even then it can't have been easy, right?" Alice asked with a frown. "Considering the Underworld's reputation, no matter the chaos they face, I find it hard to see security becoming lax enough to make escape a walk in the park."
"No it wouldn't." Ida agreed. "But it is not impossible. Sisyphus is noted to be perpetually trying to escape, and has succeeded in the past. So we know there are ways out."
"And that's not even considering the possibility that Uncle Hades might have just let her go."
"You really think he would pull a play like that, Andi?"
"Definitely, Alice." Andi nodded. "Uncle Hades loves his kids and considering Hazel's tragic past during her first life… Yeah, I can totally see him giving her a second chance."
"Something she's gotten now that Lord Thanatos has promised to give her a pass as a reward for her helping to free him." Wendy observed.
"Andi, Lady Alice, everyone, sorry to interrupt." Katie cut in as she had Brick, her Mimic familiar, use a pair of his pseudopods to clap loudly to catch everyone's attention. "The Questers have reached Camp Jupiter."
Turning back to the I.M. projection, Andi saw that Katie was right. It seemed that Percy and his questmates had returned to New Rome just as battle was joined between it and the Gigantes, Polybotes, Bane of Poseidon, and his army of monsters.
The giant stood at least thirty feet tall, with reptilian legs reminiscent of a Komodo dragon. From the waist upwards, he wore a green-blue breastplate adorned with the sculpted faces of monsters, their mouths agape as if in perpetual hunger. His human face was framed by wild green hair, from which basilisks hung like dreadlocks. Leading an army of Gegeines, Cyprian Centaurs, and Hyperborean Cyclopes, he cut an imposing figure on the battlefield.
Facing them were hastily but well-built fortifications encircling the city, housing the full might of Legio XII Fulminata, large contingents of veteran Legionnaires from New Rome, and Lares, the ancestral spirits of New Rome. Defenses that were further supported by brave Fauns and Aurae. Considering the state of these defenses, it was clear that Luna had successfully convinced the Romans to heed Andi's warning about Polybotes' incoming army, delivered via Hedwig.
In the air above the battlefield, giant eagles circled and engaged in aerial combat with the gorgons Stheno and Euryale, the two monsters having been revived by Gaea despite them having previously Faded. Meanwhile, Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, the Twelfth Legion's lone remaining Praetor, flew around the giant Polybotes on her pegasus, Scipio, trying to keep him occupied.
"Looks like they are holding for now." Andi noted as she observed the state of the battle.
"Yes, for now." Alice said with a shake of her head. "Thanks to their fortifications. However, once Stheno and Euryale defeat the eagles and that's only a matter of time, that will change. Once they have aerial superiority, or if Polybotes stops getting distracted by the Roman Praetor and can properly add his power to the battle, the tide of battle will certainly turn."
"So we wait for when that happens to intervene?" Wendy asked, looking at Andi expectantly.
"I would advise you to act carefully, Andi." Ida spoke up and gestured at the I.M. where Hedwig was already part of the battle and acting as Luna's protector. A role he was playing to great effect as he used his Aerokinesis to create tornadoes and vacuum blades that he sent hurtling into the monstrous ranks. All whilst the Augur of New Rome commanded the defense.
"I know, Ida." Andi assured her. "I'll be careful."
Seeing her consul nod in acceptance of her pledge, Andi turned her attention to the projection displaying the escalating battle. Various scenes played out simultaneously on different small rainbows. Biting her lip, the minor goddess grew increasingly worried as she watched the tide of the battle ebb and flow. The people of New Rome fought fiercely to defend their home, while the monsters battled ruthlessly, driven nearly to madness by bloodlust and their eagerness to feast on the flesh of Half-bloods and inflict horrors upon the children of the gods. As her eyes darted from screen to screen, taking it all in, she paused, her breath catching when she saw something particularly striking in one of the projections.
Seeing the haggard Atlas and the lounging Ouranos, or in this case, Caelus for the Romans, Andi decided this was something she could not ignore. Thus, gathering her power, she teleported before the Primordial and his Titan mount as they stood amongst a group of lily-livered Fauns that were cowering away from the battle. The homeless looking goatmen looked high as kites, no doubt wound up on some psychedelics to divorce themselves from reality even as they watched the battle below the hill they sat upon.
"Whoa, hot goddess." "She smells nice." "But is she really there?" "She looks sexy."
The Fauns mumbled between themselves in response to her appearance. Even in their drugged state knowing she was someone important to them. She'd deal with her subjects' cowardice later though, right now, she had to deal with Ouranus.
"Are you going to intervene? After all, this is your wife's idea." She noted to the Sky Primordial.
The lazy Protogenos looked at her as he smoked a pipe, the smoke from the highly potent herbs in it tickling her nose. No wonder these Fauns looked so out of it if they were smoking something like this. While blowing out a ring of smoke, the hippie looking god replied, "Nah. I don't feel like it. Though if you want, little great granddaughter, you can do it yourself. You've got enough self righteousness in ya to screw the rules and go jumping in. So go on, shoo shoo little pixie. Go pick up after your cowardly daddy."
Andi felt frustration bubble up in her throat, which she let loose in a growl akin to a lioness. This only made the ancient god chuckle as he continued to smoke, adjusting himself into yet another awkward position as Atlas struggled to prevent him from falling.
"Lady Andromeda." Ida spoke to her, appearing by her side alongside one of the I.M. screens from her living room. On it, it showed none other than Echidna leading a fresh army of monsters en route to reinforce Polybotes' assault on New Rome. Andi let out a slew of curses in ancient Greek at the sight. Something that had her great grandfather giggling like a child.
She hoped his high waned quickly. He was damn annoying like this!
With a sharp whistle to summon him, with a blazing trail behind him, Hunter, who had been waiting in the hills around New Rome observing the battle and awaiting her command, appeared in his giant form. "Hunter! Be a good boy and help the Legionaries. I'll be handling Echidna."
With a bark of agreement as loud as a cannon shot, Hunter charged off to obey, shooting off in a golden blur that barreled through the flank of the monsters that had been gaining ground on one of the Legion's cohorts. This cohort had been forced back from one of their outer fortifications and was attempting an orderly retreat to more formidable defenses further to the rear. Hannibal, the Twelfth Legion's pet elephant, aided Hunter by plowing down monsters right and left, clearing a path for the retreating cohort.
Satisfied with how her dog had joined the battle, Andi turned to her consul. "Ida, go rally my armies. We are going to intercept Echidna."
"As you command, my goddess." The Oread said with a bow before teleporting away to ready Andi's troops.
"All the best, little great granddaughter." Ouranos offered with a smile. "May the battle end in your favor."
Glancing at her great grandfather, she offered him a nod before teleporting away to fight the Mother of Monsters.
"Echidna!" Andi said as she rematerialized in the air just ahead of Echidna as the Mother of Monsters stood at the head of her army of Gegeines, Cyclopes, and a whole host of various other monsters. "Didn't have enough of your time in Tartarus after I sent you back the last time we met? Back for round two?"
"You!" The Wife of Typhon spat as she glared up at Andi. "Do you think you can stop me, Andromeda Aurae!? Do you not see the army at my back?"
To emphasize this point, Echidna spread her arms, prompting her monstrous troops to let out a cacophony of jeers and roars.
"Do you honestly think you're the only one with an army, Echidna?" Andi scoffed as she whistled to the wind.
In response, hundreds of Aurae descended from the sky wearing armor and arms forged from clouds. At the same time, dozens upon dozens of nymphs, satyrs and beasts of the wild teleported into the battle. All of which were led by Ida, Wendy, and Katie. And last but not least, they were also joined by Alice, who held her gun in a ready position and was sporting an eager look. Clearly someone was in the mood to slay some monsters.
Echidna growled at their appearance and immediately ordered her army to attack. "Kill them!"
"Wendy!" Ida heard her goddess shout at her partner.
"Gotcha!" Wendy shouted back as she transformed into a breeze and wrapped herself around their goddess in the form of her Storm Mail as Andi threw herself at Echidna.
Ida barely paid that any mind though. She trusted her goddess to handle things on her end of the battle. It was time to deal with her side of things.
"Aurae! Form up on me!" Ida commanded her fellow sky nymphs as she clothed herself in hoplite armor made of clouds and armed herself with a similarly forged lance.
Heeding her orders, the numerous wind spirits fell in around her.
"Charge!" She roared as she flew into the enemy ranks at the head of a large arrowhead formation.
Individually an Oread or Aurae struck like a breeze. They were hardly the most offensively powerful nymphs. However, when hundreds of them came together, a gentle breeze became a literal storm. It was thus with the fury of a tempest that Ida and her fellow servants of the goddess of breezes slammed into Echidna's army. Gegeines, Cyclopes and monsters of every description died to their cloud lances by the dozens as they swept across the length and breadth of the enemy army before they wheeled around for a second pass.
"Again! Charge! Destroy our goddess' foes!" Ida roared as she led her fellow sky nymphs once into the enemy army. "For Lady Andromeda!"
"For Lady Andromeda!" The nymphs echoed her warcry. Their combined voices were so loud that it shook the entire battlefield.
"Echidna is an idiot," Katie said, shaking her head as she stood with her fellow Dryads at the rear of their army's lines. She glanced at the sky, noting how Ida led the Aurae who had answered Andi's call to arms in cycling charges against the enemy army without any opposition. "She completely forgot to bring any air forces!"
"She did." Clytie, the former Oceanid and current sunflower Dryad - long story! -, agreed from beside her and nodded towards the front lines of the battles where their satyr allies and the various beasts were engaged in vicious battle with Echidna's army. "But her ground forces are truly formidable."
Katie could only nod in agreement. Even with the brave efforts of the satyrs and mundane beasts, they likely would have been completely overrun if not for two critical factors. The first was the magical beasts Andi had brought to the battle. The noxious breath and primal fury of the gigantic, leopard-like Nundus, the swift and deadly Zouwus with their lion's manes, sharp fangs, and multicolored, streamer-like tails, and the thunder and lightning created by the majestic Thunderbird with its two pairs of wings all played crucial roles in holding back and slowly whittling down the enemy's numbers. Secondly, and making an even more significant impact, was Lady Alice. The Technodjinn moved through Echidna's army like it was a walk in the park, dealing death with beams and bolts of sickly neon green energy from her gun. She allowed enemy attacks to either phase straight through her or let the attackers be consumed by the lightning cloaking her. The robotic goddess was literally a one-woman killing machine who was single-handedly responsible for half of the enemy's casualties.
Well, we can't exactly let them steal all the limelight can we? Katie thought as she turned to her various fellow Dryads.
"Ready to give them a hand, girls?"
"Yeah!" "Let's show them what we Dryads can do!" "For Lady Andromeda!"
Smiling at her enthusiastic response, the daughter of Demeter turned her attention back to the battle and channeled her power into her plant self. Over the past two years, her plant self had grown quite a bit and was now a healthy four-foot-tall oak. Normally, it wouldn't have fit in the tiny flower pot that Brick masqueraded as that she carried everywhere, but magic made it possible. Thus, she was able to literally carry herself into battle. Reacting to the power she was feeding it, said magically shrunk-down version of herself began to glow with power, and with a shake of her branches, she fired off hundreds of razor-sharp leaves at the enemy army. Around her, her fellow Dryads similarly applied their powers, sending bullets, thorns, and other floral projectiles shooting from their bodies at the monsters. However, none could compare to Clytie, who fired off a literal Solar Beam, ripped straight from Pokémon, at the enemy. Okay, yes, most of them were doing the same and aping moves from it, but could you blame them? The franchise had great ideas for plant-based attacks!
"Over the top much?" Katie couldn't help but needle Clytie as she fired off a salvo of acorns like bullets at the monsters. Seeds of hers that not only dealt damage as mere projectiles but also burrowed into the flesh of the targets they didn't kill immediately with their roots and proceeded to drain them of their lifeforce. Yes, she had combined Bullet Seed with Leech Seed. Was that a problem?
"I'm a sunflower." Clytie said with a shrug as she fired off a barrage of her own bullet seeds as a follow-up to her Solar Beam. "I thought it was fitting."
"I guess that makes sense." Katie returned with a shrug of her own as she added another salvo of her combined bullet and leech seed to the rain of botanical destruction that they rained down on the enemy. "Well, hope it didn't tire you out too much and you can keep going."
"Don't need to worry about that. I still have plenty of energy to keep going." Clytie told her with a confident grin as she sent a storm of razor sharp petals into the mix of floral mayhem that their fellow Dryads were launching at the monsters.
"You better." Katie said warningly with her full authority as Andi's Dryad lieutenant even as she switched to using Razor Leaf whilst she grew a fresh batch of acorns.
"Yes, Lady Katie." The much, much older and more storied nymph said with a respectful nod as she fired off another Solar Beam.
"Show off." Katie grumbled unhappily, prompting Brick to grow a pseudopod to pat her head in a bid to soothe her upset.
Seeing this, Clytie just giggled.
Boring. Alice thought as she blasted the head off a Cyclops with a beam from her gun and it collapsed into a pile of golden dust.
A Gegeines tried to tackle her to the ground from behind, but thanks to her sensors she'd detected it coming and had briefly activated her Dimensional Destabilisation Matrix. Thus all the Earthborn managed to accomplish was phase right through her and land prone just ahead of her. Using her Chronometron to enhance her speed, she blurred so that she was standing above the downed monster before it could push itself back to its feet. Stomping her foot onto its back with all the surprising force that her slender body could muster, she sent it crashing back into the ground. This time with enough force to crater it. This, amazingly, still wasn't enough to send the durable monster back to Tartarus, so Alice decided to helpfully send it on its way by planting an energy bolt right in its skull.
Turning away from the monster as it crumbled into dust, Alice let out a bored sigh. None of these monsters are a challenge!
To prove her point, she turned and aimed her gun at the densest concentration of the enemy. With a pull of the trigger, she unleashed a beam of her signature sickly neon green, lightning-like energy, tearing through their ranks. In an instant, hundreds of monsters were obliterated.
I want to go help Andi fight Echidna! Alice whined in the safety of her own mind.
Now, she wasn't a battle maniac like her brother Alarak. In truth, she wasn't much of a fighter at all. If it was up to her, being able to avoid a fight altogether was always the best option. It came with the territory of being the Conscience of her pantheon. That said, even she could appreciate having a battle that actually challenged her! She didn't want to be engaged in nothing but pest control - which was what she was doing right now - damnit!
Her desire for a challenging battle only grew as she glanced over at Andi's battle with Echidna and saw the exciting fight her friend was engaged in. It seemed that the Mother of Monsters had pulled out a fancy new trick since they'd last fought her and Alice wanted to test her mettle against it.
However, she knew she couldn't. Not when she was the only one who was keeping Andi's army in the fight. Sure her Wizarding beasts were doing admirably against the monsters, as evidenced by a pair of Zouwus blitzing past her in blurs to disembowel a pair of Cyclopes that had thought to attack her from behind, but the satyrs and mundane beasts weren't doing anywhere as well. Don't get her wrong. They were fighting valiantly but they just weren't strong enough to put up much of a fight. Against the raw strength and fury of the Gegeines and Cyclopes, the determination to serve their goddess possessed by the satyrs and mundane beasts was simply not enough. Case in point…
"Fall back and regroup." Alice said as she teleported between a retreating squad of satyrs boar riders as they carried their injured away from a Cyclops that was only kept from pursuing them thanks to a Aurae harrying it from the sky and a barrage of bullet seeds shot at it from a Dryad supporting from the rear. Neither packed enough firepower to take down the one eyed giant and thus it was up to Alice to finish off with a beam from her gun.
Her saving this group of her allies just reinforced the fact that she was needed on this part of the battlefield but that didn't change the fact that it was…
So damn boring!
"Wendy!" Andi shouted for her trusty partner as she summoned Skyline into her hands and dove at Echidna.
"Gotcha!" Her Aurae lieutenant shouted back as she transformed into a breeze and wrapped herself around her as her Storm Mail.
As she did, Echidna responded by having her nails grow as long as swords and enshrouded them in a dark aura. Energies that she proceeded to release with a broad sweep of her arms in Andi's direction in the form of blades that cut through the air towards her.
"You'll have to do better than that, Echidna!" Andi shouted back with a snort as pulling back on the strand of wind that served as Skyline's bowstring, she unleashed a salvo of wind arrows that intercepted the Mother of Monsters' energy blades, dispelling them in a series of explosions.
"Then how about this, little goddess!?" Echidna shouted as her back suddenly bubbled grotesquely before a pair of immense feathered wings burst out of her back in a shower of flesh and blood. She was probably aiming for something based on the wings of her son, the Caucasian Eagle, but with half their feathers either missing or misshapen, Echidna's new wings had none of the majesty of Father's servant. But for all that it lacked in the looks department, it more than served to allow Echidna to take to the air.
"Since when can you alter your form like that!?" Andi asked as she flew backward, away from her monstrous opponent, with Echidna chasing after her through the air. The two exchanged energy projectiles: the Mother of Monsters fired energy blades from her claws, while the goddess of breezes shot wind arrows in return.
"I'm the Mother of Monsters, little goddess! Did you think I could not embody the traits of my children?" Echidna chortled maliciously before belching out a cloud of noxious breath that Andi recognized from her fight with the Clazmonian Sow during the Battle of Manhattan.
"Nice trick. Not that it's going to help you." Andi shot back as she conjured a gust that blew away the corrosive gas cloud that her opponent had breathed at her whilst simultaneously channeling Fiendfyre into a spell arrow that she proceeded to shoot at Echidna.
In response, the Mother of Monsters just took a deep breath before breathing a stream of dragonfire at Andi's arrow. For a moment the two forces clashed against each other like something straight out of an anime, in what tropers would've called a Beam-O-War. The stalemate only lasted for a few seconds though, before it was broken by a massive explosion that filled the skies with smoke.
"Bah! Did you actually think mere cursed flames would be enough to defeat me?" Echidna taunted.
"Nope. But it was scary enough to distract you didn't it?" Andi returned with a smirk as she dropped out of the Sonic Move that had transformed her into lightning and allowed her to zip behind Echidna's back. Andi had gambled that this move, unlike teleportation, wouldn't trigger the Mother of Monsters' danger sense. A roll of the dice that had paid off.
Don't count our chickens before they hatch, Andi. Wendy warned even as they fired off a salvo of Αερο (Aero) infused spell arrows right into Echidna's back. A barrage that hit the legendary monster with enough force that she began plummeting earthward.
However, even as she fell, the small of her back began to bubble disgustingly before growing into a pair of heads. One belonged to a lion, whilst the other was that of a goat. Heads that, like the Chimera from which they were surely derived, were able to breathe fire. Columns of which Echidna shot at Andi.
The goddess of breezes easily evaded the flaming lances being breathed at her but her evasions served the purpose of preventing her from pressing the attack against Echidna. This gave the Mother of Monsters the breathing room she needed to right her flight and stop her fall to earth. A recovery that she completed by sinuously weaving her way through the air to once more engage with Andi, tumorous growths forming along the length of her spine as she did. Growths that disgustingly resembled giant blisters and which as Echidna got within range to breathe a torrent of dragonfire at Andi, burst to unleash a flock of the Mother of Monsters' latest children.
"Eeew~! You did not just give birth to your latest kids using blisters!" Andi cried out in disgust even as she gracefully flew out of the range of the flames Echidna was breathing at her and fired off a salvo of spell arrows imbued with a Wizarding spell that conjured a thick bolt of blinding white lightning at the Mother of Monsters' latest spawn. The monsters took the form of grotesque amalgams of lion, snake, and eagle. These beasts possessed three heads—two of a lion, with one sometimes being a lioness, and a third that belonged to a snake. Their bodies were primarily those of a lion and snake, but they also had the talons and wings of an eagle. Most disturbingly, these body parts were combined randomly, with many of them doing so in blatantly unnatural ways.
"What does it matter how I bring my children into the world!?" Echidna taunted even as Andi's lightning infused spell arrows shot down every last one of her children, reducing them to gold dust and sending them to Tartarus mere moments after they had been born into the world.
She doesn't even care about them at all, does she? Wendy mused sadly as she observed the rain of gold dust that were the remains of the newborn monsters that they'd just slaughtered.
No, it doesn't seem like she does. Andi returned, feeling as pained as she sensed Wendy felt by Echidna's casual disregard for her children. They might be her enemies and she had to kill them, but she could still sympathize with them when it came to their mother's absolute neglect.
"Echidna, you're going down!" Andi said angrily as she gathered her power.
"Oh? And how do you intend to deliver on that threat, little goddess?" The Mother of Monsters taunted before breathing out flames from all three of her mouths, filling the sky with fire.
"How? By not playing around anymore!" Andi replied as she released her gathered power in a shockwave of raw force that smothered Echidna's flames and, more importantly, created a safe window for her to metamorphosize into her true godly form.
In place of her usual human shape, she had transformed into a tiny pixie, surrounded by a golden aura so blinding it obscured all but the fact that she was female. Two pairs of wings grew from her back: one made of gray Mist and the other of vibrant green life energy, both resembling ethereal streams of light fluttering in a perpetual breeze that swirled around her. A transformation which released another second shockwave of power that dusted the last of the much reduced force of monsters far below whilst leaving her forces, all sufficiently inhuman to survive the sight of her true form to look at her in awe.
"You think assuming your godly form will intimidate me, little goddess?" Echidna scoffed as she steadied her flight after the second shockwave had sent her tumbling. "I've fought greater gods than you in their true forms. You are nothing! Nothing I tell you!"
I think the lady doth protest too much. Wendy commented uncharitably.
Andi agreed with her partner but didn't bother to tell her so. Instead, she simply proceeded to finish her opponent off.
"Επικαλούνται: Θεία διάταγμα - Δίας (Invoke: Divine Decree - Zeus)!" Andi incanted, casting a spell that conjured large white magic circles adorned with intricate designs around both herself and Echidna, as well as a massive scale in the sky above them. The spell froze them both in place and invoked Father's judgment to determine the guiltier party. Given who she was, the outcome was hardly in doubt, and within seconds, the pan above the Mother of Monsters crushed down on her with titanic force, sending her crashing to the earth. This was not the end, however, as it was soon followed by a strike of Father's lightning, hitting Echidna with unerring accuracy.
Worse for the monster woman, Andi was determined to end this fight with her here and now. Thus even as she was still rattled from the outcome of Father's judgment, she found herself in the sights of yet another of the goddess' most powerful spells.
"Trifacted Arrow!" Andi incanted as she fired off a spell arrow that combined the energies of her domains - the wild, breezes, and Wizarding Magic - into a single powerful attack. The missile, resembling an arrow of spiraling winds, glowed with the green energies of the wild and was interlaced with the rainbow lightning of Wizarding Magic.
It hit the Mother of Monsters just as Echidna recovered enough from Andi's previous attack to level off her flight and turn to face her opponent once more. A move that just gave her a chance to watch the source of her latest death shoot through the air and bury itself in her chest, right over her heart, but without giving her the chance to do anything more than widen her eyes in horror. She was not even able to scream before the stored energies in the goddess' spell arrow detonated in a violent explosion that disintegrated her body entirely.
"Good riddance! I hope to never see you again, you wretch!" Andi declared even as her army cheered her victory.
Standing atop one of the Berkeley Hills that surrounded New Rome, Wendy and the rest of Andi's retinue, now including Hedwig and Hunter, watched the aftermath of the Romans' battle against Polybotes and his army. Hills currently lacking in any Protogenoi or Titans, Ouranos and Atlas having departed following the conclusion of the battle. Hidden from the eyes of the mortals below, they observed as Percy was enthusiastically acclaimed Praetor by the Legionaries for his heroic actions in the battle, where he had taken down the Bane of his father.
"It's hard to believe," Wendy said as she shook her head in disbelief at the sight. "But with Percy now a Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, I guess that means Lady Hera's plan to unite the Camps is working out."
Considering Percy had practically single handedly won them the battle, Wendy wasn't wrong. Not only had he returned the legion's golden eagle from Alaska, raising their morale at a crucial moment, he had then challenged Polybotes to a duel and with the help of Terminus killed him by smashing the god of borders' detached head into Polybotes' skull.
"For now." Andi said in an odd tone of voice. It almost sounded like she was in a bit of a daze.
"Andi?" Lady Alice asked, looking at her friend worriedly.
"It's nothing." Andi said shooting them all reassuring looks as they turned to her in concern. "It's just, I can feel the belief in me among the Romans grow. It's an odd feeling. I don't really know how to describe it."
"Well, of course, their belief in you would grow after what you did for them." Ida told her with a bemused shake of her head. "They might not have known about you intervening to stop the Earth Mother's second army, but you did send Hedwig and Hunter to help them against Polybotes and his host. They are fully aware that of all the gods of Olympus, perhaps excepting Terminus and his role in defeating the Bane of Poseidon, such as it was, it was you who most directly assisted them in their hour of need."
Lady Alice nodded in agreement before adding on. "I imagine you can expect quite a few offerings dedicated to you soon. Especially from those directly saved by Hedwig and Hunter."
Both of Andi's animal champions nodded their agreement with that assessment.
"There is no 'soon' about it," Andi said, shaking her head. "I'm already receiving a flood of grateful offerings from the Romans."
"Does that mean you'll develop a Roman aspect like the other gods?" Katie asked, looking at Andi curiously over the canopy of her tree self that she hugged close to her chest.
"No, I don't think so." Andi said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Ida, what do you think?"
"It is unlikely. At least not for some time yet." The ancient oread said with a thoughtful look of her own as she considered the matter. "We can't be sure but unless the Romans somehow develop a radically different conception of you than the Greeks then I doubt you will develop a Roman aspect. Considering any conception they have of you at this stage is based on the limited interactions you have with them and the mythologised recountings of your achievements, which remains largely the same between both groups, I think it is safe to assume they won't see you any differently. At least not without a few centuries for the perceptions to diverge."
Andi nodded in satisfaction at this and Katie breathed a sigh of relief, causing everyone to turn to the Dryad questioningly.
Blushing, she explained herself. "It's silly. I was just worried that since I'm Greek, if Andi developed a Roman aspect, that part of her wouldn't like me."
"That would never happen, Katie." Andi assured her.
"Yeah, Katie." Lady Alice chimed in. "In all likelihood, if Andi ever develops a Roman aspect, you'd just develop one too. You're integral to quite a few of the legends about her after all, so whatever distortions that might affect Andi will inevitably impact you too. And that's discounting the influence that you being one of Andi's lieutenants would have on you."
Katie frowned, not looking particularly comforted by what she was being told. Wendy could empathize. The idea of her nature being influenced because of her connection to Andi was a little disquieting. Though, to be fair, for her at least, it wouldn't be the first time. She'd become an adult from the powerup she received via the connection as a result of Andi's apotheosis after all. That said, except for a major power boost and the ability to assume an adult form that she never used, things hadn't really changed at all.
So maybe we shouldn't be so worried… Wendy mused even as she offered Katie a reassuring smile that the daughter of Demeter returned with a weak one of her own. Even so, I'd better find some time to talk to Katie about this and assuage her worries a little.
As the Legionaries and other New Romans carried their newly acclaimed Praetor to rest in Camp Jupiter, Andi sighed. "Okay. The show's over. It's time to head home."
"Sure, Andi." Lady Alice said with a nod. "Let's give these heroes a chance to rest without us watching over them like anxious mother hens."
"Yes," Andi agreed. "They deserve their rest. It won't be long before things get hectic for them again anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"Simple, Wendy. The Argo II will reach New Rome by next week and I am certain that Gaea and the Gigantes will have something unpleasant planned to welcome them."
"But we'll stop them, right, Andi?" Katie asked before Wendy could.
"We will try." Andi said, as she looked down intently at New Rome and Camp Jupiter. "Whether we succeed will be up to the Fates."
Done and done! Thanks to Nameless as always!
Whoa! Now that was a fun chapter to write! Just loved the mass battle at the end the most. I don't know, but armies going at it seem to be the most messy but chaotic fun to write because frankly anything can happen. Percy going to the Bloody Lake and Hogwarts was interesting because it just seems to be haunting America now. Oops? And of course Sky Daddy being a total weirdo, but hey, Rhea went hippie? Why not her father?
Nameless: Hope you guys liked this chapter. I'm a little iffy on its quality myself but I'm unsure how we can improve it any further so we'll leave it be. That said, if you'd be so kind, please do give us your opinions.
You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!