Percy

The next morning I woke up with a feeling of dread.

The hunters were leaving today.

Normally, this would be a welcome change, as me and Artemis would be able to stop our undercover sort of tango we had continued over the last couple of days.

And with the agreement with Reyna, and the alliance with the Greeks, things are finally starting to look up. I mused thoughtfully as I got dressed, quickly descending the stairs of my villa, brewing myself a cup of coffee to help me wake up properly.

I wonder what Reyna has planned for the ceremony today. I thought. I assumed because of our agreement, that Reyna and I would actually work together on this one.

I will say, it's nice not having to speculate in trepidation what she has planned.

Just then, there was a sharp rap from my door, and I frowned as I went to see who it was.

Who even calls to my house anymore, let alone at this ungodly hour in the morning.

I opened the door to see a faun carrying a message in his hands, which he promptly thrust out at me.

'It's a message for you, Praetor.' The faun bleated nervously.

'Well I can see that. Who's it from?'

'Praetor Reyna.'

I blinked 'I see.' I responded.

Well, that answers my question for today.

I thanked the faun before closing the door once more, returning to the kitchen, where my coffee had finished brewing.

I groaned, seeing the time written in the message, reaching over the counter of my kitchen to my coffee, quickly downing it before grabbing my keys, leaving my villa as I purposefully made my way to my new destination.

XIXI

Percy

I tisked disappointedly as I entered the colosseum.

Spotting Reyna nearby, I approached, raising my hands in mock indignation.

'What have you done to my safe space?' I cried out.

The barest hint of a smile was visible on Reyna's features before she quickly schooled them, returning to her no-nonsense demeanour.

'Requisitioned for the war effort. You and Theo will have to look for somewhere else to spar in the meantime.'

'Whatever will we do?'

'Oh come off it, it's-' Reyna checked her watch. 'Less than a day. You'll live.'

'Nevermind that, I saw you copied my faun messenger idea.'

'Plagiarism isn't a crime, Jackson.'

'The court of public opinion begs to differ.'

'Sure Jackson.'

I nodded, having had enough small talk.

'Right. So, what's the plan?'

Reyna gestured to a platform being built in the centre of the colosseum.

'The ceremony in and of itself will take place here. The aristocracy all have invites, and free seating in the rest of the colosseum has been allowed. It is a historic moment, after all.' Reyna explained.

I nodded. 'So, is Diana going to show this time around?'

Reyna nodded. 'She will be here as a representative of the Romans, but won't strictly be involved in the ceremony. That said,' she shrugged, 'I can't take responsibility for what she might say or do. Honestly from what I've seen, she's just been sent to put Artemis under pressure, so yeah, I'm not sure whether to be flattered our gods care so much about us or worried that they're going to mess everything up.'

'Life's full of contradictions.' I quipped.

Reyna snorted derisively before glancing back over to the stage.

'Seems like they're almost finished setting the stage up, let's go through the lineup.'

XIXI

Percy

The richest and most powerful of New Rome's aristocracy mingled as was customary, the special zone in the colosseum reserved for the de facto high class, as per a highly popular bill passed in the senate some time ago for the separation of classes, which at the time I could only watch take effect as I continued with my duties as the centurion of the first cohort.

The invites had only been sent out five hours before the event was meant to take place, but a combination of an incredibly efficient rumour mill combined with the already small size of New Rome made it so that by the time the ceremony was to begin, the entirety of Rome's aristocracy was already assembled in the colosseum, dressed in their best clothes, ornate pieces of armour passed down by generations upon generations of families being worn proudly as a sign of affluence.

I stood to the side by one of the doorways near the podium that had been erected, waiting for the imminent arrival of both Artemis and Diana's hunts.

'Ugh.' I muttered, already imagining the political ramifications of what was being discussed, and what would surely be discussed by the end of the ceremony.

'An evil, yes, but a necessary one to maintain our democracy.' Someone commented from behind me.

I shifted slightly, though just enough to recognise Reyna in my peripheral vision, also observing the senators.

I really thought we were past this. I thought in annoyance.

Regardless, my curiosity won me over, and I indulged Reyna's obvious baiting. 'Figures you would think that.'

'And what would you do? Say you had complete control, what would you do with our beloved senators.'

I glowered at her. Patronising had never looked good on anybody, let alone Reyna.

'I would bypass them entirely. They are a peacetime measure, but they're civilians. They shouldn't have the final say on what the military can and can't do in regards to manpower laws, production limits or strategy. It's counterproductive to the war effort.'

'Some would argue that's too much power to put into one person.'

'They clearly haven't served in the Legion.'

'I served in the Legion.' Reyna said pointedly.'

'Respectfully Reyna, you, and not even really Jason, can understand what it's like to fight on the frontlines.'

Reyna scowled. 'I was a legionnaire in the second-'

'I know you fought in the frontlines in that one battle, and however many other extractions operations to get my team out in the last war.' I interrupted, placating her.

'But you were extracting me. Jason was extracting me. You haven't seen the reports, even from the last war. The things I saw in the labyrinth. Nobody else who has read those reports is still alive, except for maybe Octavian, and I doubt even he has the balls to try and bribe somebody working for the imperial archives. We survived because of a fluke, the Greeks defeating the combined essences of Kronos and Saturn across the country. We were never ready for a war. We still aren't. It's futile to try and pretend like our Allies can make up for our own deficiencies.'

Reyna's expression was stony, a perfect poker face, but I had known her long enough to be able to tell when she was shook.

'It's still too much power for one person.' She declared resolutely.

I sighed, massaging the bridge of my nose frustratedly. 'Is this about yesterday? Because your lack of professionalism the entire time the Greeks have been here has been problematic, to say the least.'

'I stand by the principles of the Roman republic, which we have been imbued with from the moment we step foot into the wolf house.' Reyna argued. 'And I'm not the one rocking the boat here.'

I scoffed. 'You want to talk about rocking the boat? The boat has been rocked, Reyna! Actually, forget rocked, the boat has been fucking obliterated!' I hissed quietly, aware of the amount of people nearby, and the importance of keeping up appearances.

Reyna shook her head, still unconvinced.

'I want to win the war as much as you do.' She said.

I blinked surprisedly, not expecting the sudden shift in tone. Of course I knew that she wanted Rome to triumph against our new enemies, but for her to try and bridge the gap with me like this…

I felt a pang of nostalgia. It reminded me of before she and Jason had discovered my ability. Back when it had been Reyna who had first tried to talk to me like a person, foregoing the prejudice against Neptune and his offspring.

Before either of us could continue anything else, a loud horn rang out in the colosseum, signalling the arrival of the hunt.

I straightened up automatically, flanked by Reyna on one side as Artemis and Diana appeared on the podium, to raucous applause.

We approached the two, shaking hands and exchanging meaningless small talk as camera flashes went off from the crowd, no doubt photographers looking to get the perfect shot for the newest headline in New Rome's indigenous newspaper, The New Roman.

Even though it had felt like a couple of seconds, the entire introductory phase lasted closer to ten minutes.

Once the preliminary greetings and applause had died away sufficiently, Reyna stepped forward to a podium that had been set up, while the rest of us hung back.

'Romans, I thank you for attending this ceremony, as I assure you, it is of the utmost importance..' Reyna began gravely, setting the serious tone of the ceremony.

'The world is a very changed place. Two wars have threatened our home since I myself joined the Legion.' A pregnant pause resonated throughout the colosseum, the entire audience hanging on Reyna's every word. 'But, we are not alone in our struggle. In fact, we have had an, albeit unknowing, ally, from the very start.' Reyna proclaimed.

I stepped forward, taking over from Reyna as we had planned.

I have to say, despite it all, coordinating between each other is so much easier. I mused.

'We have had a secret ally across the country this entire time, helping us in ways we can't even imagine to help win this war.' I took a deep breath. 'This is not just a Roman war anymore, but a joint effort, through which we will prevail together!' I announced.

The response was immediate, the crowd vocal in its support, and I knew that within the hour the entirety of New Rome would be aware of this new development, if they hadn't been already.

Artemis came forward at the podium, standing beside myself and Reyna, just as we had rehearsed hours before.

From a small space inside the back of the podium, I took out an imperial gold laurel wreath, a traditional symbol of power, respect and victory.

Turning to face Artemis with the laurel held in front of me, Reyna once again spoke.

'The laurel wreath, as an important part of our Roman culture, has always been a sign of respect and equality. We now present it to the lady Artemis, as a sign of newfound trust, cooperation and mutual respect between our peoples.'

I solemnly placed the wreath on Artemis' bowed head, flashing her a small smile which she returned as she stood back up once again to thunderous applause.

Reyna stepped forward, holding her right fist over her heart in a typical Legion salute.

'Senatus populesque romanum!' She shouted.

'Senatus populesque romanum!' The entirety of the crowd returned.

XIXI

Percy

Fireworks exploded brilliantly in the sky for the second time in a week.

The engineering corp has to be having a field day with all of these celebrations. I mused as I leaned against the railing in the gardens of Bacchus.

I came here to avoid the crowds, not at all in the mood to stand the veiled insults and backhand deals of Rome's more affluent political class.

Reyna had long since left to liaise with the very same sleazy senators, Theo following just behind her.

There's something strange going on between those two. I thought, though in reality I had no intentions of finding out. As long as Reyna didn't cause any issues, it didn't affect me either way.

The rest of the ceremony had been more of the same Roman pomp and grandeur, although it had been noticeably short, a stark reminder of the stretched resources at New Rome's disposal, chiefly time.

Once again, celebrations at the alliance had spilled out to the entirety of the city, which had collectively come together to celebrate the occasion.

Or maybe they just enjoyed partying, and welcomed the excuse, regardless of the meaning behind it.

Either way, the news of the alliance had been taken better than anybody in the military high command had expected, no doubt in part due to the newfound cooperation between myself and Reyna.

I could practically feel a migraine beginning to form close to the back of my head as my thoughts drifted over to her.

Sure, we still had our disagreements, and bickered a lot, but we had a war to win.

As long as it doesn't affect the war effort. I reasoned.

And yet…

Despite the war, the difficulties with leadership, this new, untested alliance, and my own personal issues, I couldn't help but feel hope. That I was finally finding common ground. A way to move forward past this gods-be-damned deadlock I had been stuck in since Jason's disappearance.

I almost jumped in surprise when I noticed somebody else leaning against the railing beside me.

Artemis held two familiar red cups, holding one up to me.

'Beer?' She offered.

I raised an eyebrow. 'You know I'm sixteen, right?'

Artemis shrugged. 'There's a lot of things you've gone through that a sixteen year old never should. I think you've earned yourself the right to alcohol.' She defended.

I eyed the cup pensively before making up my mind, taking the plastic cup.

'Thanks.' I said.

I took a tentative sip, feeling the mild burning sensation of the beer course down my throat.

Artemis observed me curiously as I drank.

'Not your first time then?' She commented drily.

'Found a carton of wine in the alley of a popular pub in town when I was twelve. I'm not proud of it.' I explained, putting on a voice of mock-regret.

Artemis giggled at my explanation. 'Gods Perseus, what would the senate do if they found out their praetor was secretly a drunkard?' She exclaimed, acting the part of being alarmed.

I shook my head. 'Strip me of my rank, my honour and possessions, and send me out to fight Lycaon himself in just my underwear with just a sharp stick.' I mimed trying to stab something.

Artemis and I both laughed at the admittedly ridiculous image, but as it faded away and we both began to sober up, I couldn't help but draw the parallels with our relationship.

It seemed Artemis had come to the same conclusion, her countenance serious once more.

At least nobody knows. I thought, before having a jolt of realisation. Except for one person.

'How is she?' I asked quietly.

Artemis knew exactly what I meant, shaking her head sadly. 'Difficult ever since. I have barely been able to get through to her. Others are beginning to notice.'

I grimaced. 'Sorry to hear that.'

Artemis sighed. 'It was bound to happen at some point. I just hope it can at least wait until the end of the war for it to come to light. I really can't afford this to come out now, it would destroy them.'

I nodded in understanding, though I felt a slight bit of panic creep into my chest when I realised what she was saying.

'You shouldn't write them off so quickly.' I mentioned hastily.

I paused, debating whether or not to say more.

I'm mortal. She has to know that this won't be able to last. I reasoned.

'Artemis, you have been with your hunters since before I was born, is it really worth throwing all that away?' I asked, trying to frame what I was trying to say as tactfully as I could.

Artemis stared at me quizzically, going to respond, before suddenly turning abruptly towards the gardens, causing me to shift slightly towards where she was looking.

Immediately after, a small dark object raced out of the treeline in the woods bordering the garden behind us.

I could only stare in surprise as it made its way towards me, hitting me straight in my chest.

I noticed that I had been hit by a pitch black arrow absentmindedly as the force behind the projectile made me stumble, my surprise immobilising me momentarily.

I groaned, my hand instinctively going towards where the arrow had firmly lodged itself in my chest, almost exactly in the centre, only mere centimetres away from my heart.

As I started to come back to my senses, I slowly felt my anger increase at the audacity of whatever had dared to attack me, to attack Artemis, especially in New Rome, my home. One of the few places where I was meant to be safe, be able to let my guard down.

Before either me or Artemis could properly register what had happened, however, another arrow flew out of the treeline only a second later, this time aimed at Artemis, who managed to dodge the arrow that had been aimed at her moments before it had been about to take her out.

Panic set in as I realised that the thing had now shifted its attention.

Fuck. Not her. I thought desperately.

I didn't think, only acting on my base instincts, reaching out through the molecules of water in the air like I had done countless time before.

I finally made contact with the thing, and without hesitation, to complete control of all the water in its blood stream, immobilising it.

With a grotesque sort of snap, the vaguely humanoid shape contorted, going still as I snapped every single bone in its body, a pitiful moan being audible even from where I now stood shakily.

I let go of the water, my energy drained as I collapsed. Although something soft and warm prevented me from hitting the ground, the wound burning intensely as I snapped off the shaft of the arrow, not trusting myself to take out the arrowhead safely in my current state, especially when it was wedged so close to a vital organ.

'-Rseus! Perseus!' I vaguely registered Artemis as she called out to me, cradling me in her arms, although I could only really feel the throbbing and burning from the wound get worse and worse, overriding my senses.

I suddenly felt myself move as Artemis presumably stood up, moving me somewhere.

My suspicions as to where she was bringing me were confirmed as I heard a splash before being submerged in water, the element giving me a new surge of strength as I felt my mind begin to clear.

I surfaced from the water to a very concerned Artemis.

'I'm okay.' I sputtered as I was engulfed in Artemis' embrace, clinging to me as if my life depended on it.

I was once again left speechless when Artemis pulled back only to place her lips onto mine.

Eventually she pulled away, blushing uncontrollably.

This series of surprising behaviour, along with everything else that had occurred, made my mind blank, and we simply stood in our respective spots for a very long, silent moment.

'Are you okay?' I managed to get out eventually.

Artemis shook her head. 'I should be asking you that.' She said worriedly.

'I'm fine now, thanks to you.' I responded, getting up and stepping out of the body of water Artemis had dumped me in.

Further inspection revealed that she had dropped me into one of the many fountains littering the gardens.

At the rate I was losing consciousness, that probably saved my life. I thought.

'You took out the archer?' Artemis enquired.

'Dead.' I confirmed, feeling confident enough to use my powers again after the recent boost in power, reaching out to feel the still and lifeless cadaver of the thing that had attacked us.

I walked towards it, Artemis following me.

In between the thick brushes lay a body, and I pulled it out with relative ease, noticing the earthen composite bow and arrows that lay discarded, disintegrating into the ground.

Definitely Gaia's work. I thought grimly.

Meanwhile, Artemis had pulled off the helmet of the armoured figure, revealing a much younger face than I had expected.

'He couldn't have been more than thirteen.' Artemis said, voicing my thoughts.

I felt my heart go cold, thinking back to how I had killed him earlier.

Artemis ran a finger across his eyes, pulling them closed, before putting two fingers to his neck.

'You broke his neck?' She asked.

I cringed, even though there was nothing in Artemis' voice to suggest she may disapprove.

Well Percy, you deal with the consequences of your actions. Man up.

'Everything. I broke all of his bones.' I admitted.

Artemis nodded. 'Better this way. I wouldn't have been as forgiving.' She said simply, standing back up.

'That's an impressive amount of precision with that ability.' She mentioned.

I stared for a moment, surprised by the callous reaction on Artemis' part to how I had dealt with the young assassin, before quickly snapping out of it. 'What can I say, with the right motivation, anything's possible.' I quipped.

Artemis cracked a small smile, before turning serious once again.

'I doubt this was an isolated attack.' Artemis said.

I stiffened, thinking to the large amount of Rome's fighting force who would be now partying in the streets, completely undefended and unknowing of an attack.

'Crippling our offensive capabilities.' I muttered.

I set off sprinting towards New Rome.

XIXI

Percy

The merry and ignorant ambience in the city, with music still booming through speakers, people dancing, drinking and laughing was in stark contrast to the bloodied and dishevelled appearance of myself and Artemis as we passed through city walls, though we quickly drew the attention of those around us, confused and worried stares following us as we raced through the streets.

I ignored them, frantically looking for any sort of sign that would suggest an attack.

Eventually I found Michael and Leila talking over a couple of cups of what looked suspiciously like beer, seemingly oblivious to anything that had happened.

'Michael!' I called out.

Michael turned to face me, his smile melting off his face, transforming into horror as he took in my appearance.

'Percy, wha-' He began.

'No time. I was ambushed. Someone attempted to assassinate me, they managed to get through the barriers somehow. Lock down the city.' I gasped out.

Michael hesitated for a second, staring at the wound in my chest, before taking off, calling out to the guards on patrol at the walls, the shouts going up all across the city as the auxiliary Legion went into overdrive.

The confused murmurs of the populace at all this turned into full blown panic when the warning bell began tolling, a stampede forming as everybody attempted to rush back to the safety of their homes, while legionnaires hurried off to the camp, where their armour and weapons were located.

I sunk down carefully onto a chair from a nearby restaurant, groaning painfully as the effects of the water started to wear off, the burning sensation and dull throbbing coming back in full force, making my eyes water.

What kind of arrow is this? I thought.

I opened my eyes to find Artemis still standing beside me, almost keeping some sort of vigil, her eyes scanning over the throngs of people now attempting to get away, her hands twitching at every movement.

'You should check on your hunters.' I said.

Artemis shook her head. 'I'm not leaving you alone.' She responded resolutely.

I groaned. 'Artemis, the first cohort is going to be here any second. It will bring up way too many questions, such as why we arrived together in the first place. I can take care of myself. Here.' I pleaded with her.

Artemis considered it for a moment, before sighing in defeat.

'Alright.' She said. 'Don't you dare do anything stupid.' She warned me.

I managed to crack a smile. 'I won't.'

I averted my eyes as Artemis flashed away, leaving me alone amidst the now thinning crowds of people, as I exhaled deeply, falling into a sort of haze.

XIXI

Percy

'Percy!'

I was jolted awake by the sound of somebody calling my name as I looked around the now deserted streets, only to spot a large contingent of first and second cohort soldiers marching towards me, led by Michael, followed by a large contingent of second cohort soldiers.

'The city is secure?' I asked without preamble.

'No other threat or main attack has been identified, and the entire Legion as well as the auxiliary cohort have been mobilised to defend all checkpoints. I'm having constant patrols in all streets and sectors.' Michael reported.

Despite the good news, my wound was burning worse than ever, the dull throbbing of my heart pounding in my ears, and I almost couldn't think straight.

'Good.' I nodded. 'Good. So I take it was an isolated incident?'

Michael grimaced, glancing back behind him. 'Not quite.'

I frowned. 'What happened.'

'Reyna was attacked as well, but her injury is a lot more severe. She's currently in intensive care.' Michael revealed.

I blinked surprisedly, my mind struggling to comprehend what Michael was telling me as my chest burned even more, feeling like someone had lobbed thermite in there, the pounding of blood in my ears becoming nigh unbearable.

'Well shit.'

Everything faded to black.

AN:

Holy mother of fucker mcfuckerson.

It has been a minute.

Anyways, now I'm back, and I can say with confidence that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the final stretch of writing for this story.

So lately, I've been writing longer chapters, as I'm sure you've noticed, and this is actually working much better to separate arcs, as I'm just generally able to compartmentalise different arcs much easier.

So yeah, this fic only has like maximum like ten more five thousand word chapters to it.

It feels crazy to say, bearing in mind that like six months ago that would have been like completely unbelievable for me.

But yeah, all of youse as a community have really changed this from being a writing experience to actually being an enjoyable experience. I don't beg for reviews, but every time one of youse does, it really does give me just a bit more motivation, especially with how nice everybody has been.

So yeah, give yourselves a round of applause, you've been the best audience I could've asked for.

M0NAX1A: Happy to hear that man, sorry this update took so long, hope you enjoy!

So yeha, that's about it.

Slán, Murph