Percy

It was already close to sunrise when I finally finished tweaking the document I had found, adding whatever extra clauses needed to be added before presenting it to my command to carry out.

Was it healthy? No. But frankly, the thought of some fucker with a bow in the woods making Artemis' life miserable solely because he could made me livid.

Or maybe it's that I can't do anything about it.

Either way, if I couldn't do anything about Orion, I was going to do something about Rome, something that could potentially win us the war.

Something to help Artemis.

XIXI

Percy

'I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you all here today.' I began.

'It's been one day since you've taken office, Perce, give us a break.' Michael called out irately.

I waved him off, well acquainted with the seemingly incurable grumpiness Michael suffered from during the morning.

'Unfortunately for us, Michael, we don't have the luxury of time. This war has us on the back foot, and time is currently our most precious resource. While yes, we have won the first battle of the war, that was due to the expertise of our allies, and the courage of the Legion, and we have to be able to stand on our two feet in the face of the coming war. That's why I am going to roll out my newest expansion to the Legion.'

'Excuse me, Pontifex, but wouldn't a large reform in the middle of war be detrimental overall? I mean, I know the gods haven't really communicated with us since Diana came here to represent the Romans, but shouldn't we be prepared to go to battle at any moment?' Gwen asked.

'Not quite, Gwen, and you'll see once I role out the reform.' Pulling out a stack of stapled documents I had just printed, I passed them around the room to the five centurions, awaiting their reactions.

'Percy… This is insane.'

I was surprised to hear it was Leila to give the first objection, her usually bubbly personality having completely vanished, countenance dead serious.

'I have to agree with Leila, Pontifex. This is… Ambitious, to say the least.' Larry added.

'Not to mention completely illegal.'

I had been most conscious of Michael's reaction, knowing that as the unofficial ringleader, as Centurion of the First, his opinion would set the tone for the others as well.

'It's not illegal, Michael.' I answered quickly, hoping to bait the burly son of Venus.

'What do you mean not illegal? You're talking about the conscription of civilians! The Legion is a voluntary force.' He argued fervently.

I maintained my unaffected façade, Michael having fallen directly in my trap.

I raised my left forearm, pulling up the sleeve of the long shirt I wore, revealing my ten bars under my trident tattoo.

'Voluntary, Michael? Because Up until four months ago I couldn't retire legally.' I pointed out. 'We are at war. And we require manpower to bolster our ranks. We have manpower. We have or can produce extra equipment as needed. We have the resources to train new recruits en masse, even if we never do.' I continued.

'It's all highlighted in the document. And to be perfectly frank, Michael? This isn't a suggestion. This is an order. I don't need the senate to sign off on military matters anymore. For all intent and purpose, the government and military are separate entities henceforth until the end of the war.'

I smirked, showing the first bit of emotion since the beginning of the meeting.

'Go nuts.'

XIXI

Percy

I left my command to talk out a preliminary strategy on how to tackle conscription in the most efficient way possible.

Meanwhile, however, I had my own errands to run pertaining to the matter.

For the second time in two days, there was a knock on my office door, as Octavian once again entered my office, sitting down in the same chair much in the same way he had done yesterday,

'Pontifex. I hadn't been expecting to see you again so soon.' Octavian began.

'That's quite alright, Octavian.' I pandered aimlessly.

'Are you well? I heard there was a meeting for the military high command. Is there anything I should know about?' Octavian asked.

I fixed him with a piercing stare.

'I'll forgive the fact you got that information less than legally this time.' I told Octavian.

But I definitely won't forget it.

Octavian squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. 'My apologies, Pontifex.'

I waved a hand dismissively. 'Nevermind that. I need you to arrange for a meeting with the leader of these praetorian guards I've heard so much about.' I commented absentmindedly.

'Ah, you do?' The surprised squeak came from Octavian in lieu of an answer.

'Yes. I would like to acquaint myself better with them.'

'I see, yes, I will contact the benefactor of the organisation immediately.' Octavain responded.

'So they have a private benefactor?'

'...Of a sort, yes.'

'Who?'

'They have requested their identity be kept anonymous.'

I frowned. 'That doesn't seem particularly transparent.'

'I assure you, they are most trustworthy, but funding this type of organisation is risky at the best of times.' Octavian placated.

I nodded slowly, my suspicions having been raised.

My intuition and Octavian's body language told me he wasn't being entirely truthful.

What are you up to?

I would attempt to find out more from the leader of the praetorians when I met with him later today, but for now I would find out what I could about them from Octavian.

'And these… Praetorians, what exactly is their origin?' I asked nonchalantly, leaning back in my seat.

'They are patriots, loyal to Rome, and more importantly, supportive of your leadership. Many fo them are veterans of your cohort and other adjacent ones too.' Octavian informed me.

So that's where the disappeared veterans went. I deduced quickly, thinking back to my conversation with Michael days prior.

'Fully armed and equipped.'

'Forges have been fairly dormant recently, I don't imagine it would have been too difficult to commission the equipment and weapons, even if it would have seemed suspicious to make such a large order. It is wartime. They were stylised in the likeness of the original praetorian guard.' Octavian reported dutifully.

Only heightening my suspicions. That sort of knowledge of our metallurgic industry seems quite outside your spheres of influence, Octavian. I thought to myself.

''Thank you, Octavian. That will be all.'

XIXI

Percy

The city was a flurry of activity all throughout the afternoon.

Despite the reluctance pertaining to my introduction of mandatory conscription to the citizens of the city, my command hadn't wasted any time in implementing the reform, and just an hour after I had gone over any questions or doubts about the document they had all skimmed through, I could already see members of the auxiliary cohort setting up conscription stations all around the city.

A family caught my eye, what seemed to be the eldest daughter hugging her father and mother, before turning to what seemed like a smaller copy of herself, perhaps a couple of years younger, who seemed to be crying.

I made my way as stealthily as I could to the residential quarter, avoiding being seen when possible, finally coming to a halt before a particularly run down house close to the edge of the city, in a dark, damp alley.

I knocked once quickly, stepping back, waiting for a response.

The door soon opened, a fully armoured guard I recognised as being one of the praetorians Octavian had described to me.

'Pontifex?' The soldier asked, his gravelly akin to the low rumble of an incoming storm,

'No, the Pope.' I responded drily.

The man pursed his lips, either not appreciating my joke or being too professional to show any sort of emotion.

'Come in.' The man said simply, stepping out of the way, allowing me to enter.

I walked in confidently, noting that the house was admittedly much nicer on the inside than it was from the outside, with ornate black and gold marble columns supporting the structure, a similar material employed on the floor, though this was pearly white in contrast.

'Really going all in with the black and gold motif, aren't you?' I muttered to no one in particular.

'It was at the wish of our patron.' The soldier that had opened the door to me responded dutifully.

Their patron. The man must have been affluent, to be able to afford bespoke armour made for what must have been approximately fifty veterans left in the Legion after the battle for Othrys in the last war, and more recently the battle for New Rome.

Apparently, Octavian was in contact with him, but frankly I trusted the damned scarecrow about as far as I could throw him. Hopefully this meeting would get me some of the answers I wanted.

I mean, he's pretty light, I could probably chuck him a fair distance. I mused.

Regarding the soldier with raised eyebrows, I was directed to an adjacent room, where a sizeable table had been placed, plain black, except for the two chairs, one at each side of it.

I sat down in the chair closest to me, regarding the man on the opposite side of the table, inhabiting the other chair.

'Pontifex. It is an honour to finally meet you in person.' The man began graciously.

I squinted slightly, scrutinising the man in front of me momentarily before responding.

'You're an auxiliary. I remember you from the battle of New Rome.' I stated, remembering the young officer I had saved from a scythian dracanae as I had made my way towards Polybotes during the battle.

Daniel smiled widely, his surprise showing in his shift in body language. 'I didn't think you'd remember that.'

I shrugged. 'I have good memory.'

Daniel nodded. 'A good trait for any leader to have. I have to admit though, I was surprised when my benefactor contacted me telling me you wanted to organise a meeting in person. Especially at such short notice.'

I nodded, my suspicions once again piqued.

'About this… benefactor of yours.'

'A most gracious supporter of yours.' Daniel assured me.

'So much so that he hides his identity?' I demanded, forcing the question quickly.

If my understanding of Daniel's loyalties proved correct, I would soon have the answers I desired.

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 'But I thought you knew already. You spoke to him just this morning.'

I blinked.

'Octavian is you backer?'

He must have not wanted me to know, and gambled that I wouldn't ask Daniel. Being loyal to me must have been his cover for recruiting all of these veterans.

Which would mean that Daniel isn't strictly aligned with Octavian. I quickly deduced.

'You thought it was someone else?'

'Octavian wasn't forthcoming with this information.'

'I… see.' Daniel responded, clearly unsure how to react to this situation.

'Do not concern yourself with any of this. I shall speak with Octavian.' I quickly responded, attempting to smooth over the misunderstanding.

So it was Octavian who funded this… private army. I thought to myself.

It made sense, to a certain extent. With the dissolution of the senate, Octavian would have to find a new way to leverage influence, and it seemed his newest vetures would be military in nature.

I can't allow him to continue like this. I thought. He's too power hungry to have this sort of influence.

Luckily for me though, it seemd this Daniel's loyalties were more inclined towards Rome than Octavian's purse.

And as of now, I was Rome.

But first, I would see just how much I could influence Daniel in place of Octavian.

This would require revealing some… delicate information being leaked ahead of time.

'I do have one favour to ask.' I continued.

Daniel nodded. 'I serve Rome.'

Perfect. I thought. This will be easier than I thought.

'To be clear, the information I am about to tell you is completely confidential, and won't come to pass for a couple more days.' I said, lowering my voice conspiratorially.

Daniel leaned forward, his interest clearly piqued. 'Not a soul outside of this room shall know of this.' He promised.

I nodded. 'In a few days, depending on preparation and how recent census information is, I will announce mandatory conscription for all men aged twenty to twenty five.'

Daniel's eyes widened in shock.

'That's a massive task to undertake. That age bracket is one of the largest demographics in New Rome. Including myself, and most of the guard.' He rambled, his interest for the topic shining through.

The opportunity was too perfect to curry favour to pass up.

I held a hand up placatingly. 'I promise the guard will be exempt from conscription. However, I will require a certain amount of your veterans for training of the new recruits in return. Having such expertise at my disposal will save a lot of lives.' I tried to pander to his empathy for the Legion, framing it so that it seemed I was asking for his permission.

I'll give him authority. The one thing Octavian can't afford him.

I watched Daniel deflate in relief as I confirmed his guard wouldn't be conscripted.

'Absolutely no issue. I will send my most experienced soldiers.'

I put on a smile, standing up and leaning over the table with an outstretched hand, as Daniel mirrored my actions.

The handshake was firm, and promised me the absolute loyalty of Octavian's newest power play.

He will be removed from the equation soon enough. I thought calculatingly.

'A pleasure, Mr Vientos.'

'Likewise, Pontifex.'

XIXI

Percy

The next couple of days were chaotic, to say the least.

After much consideration, and going over many censuses, it was estimated that New Rome had an able-bodied population around the size of 10,000.

Of which ten percent would be conscripted into the Legion.

Priority was given to former retired members, as well as demigods and citizens with good athletic track records in general, while essential workers such as doctors, construction workers and blacksmiths were excluded from the final list of citizens shortlisted to be recruited.

Of course, I made sure to remove and replace the many members of the praetorian guard, but the rest of command didn't need to know about that.

It wasn't exactly legal, what I was doing, but it was for the greater good.

At least that's what I keep telling myself. I thought, no small degree of self-loathing coursing through my veins as I oversaw lines of citizens waiting patiently for their turn to be inducted at the many conscription booths set up throughout the city from the balcony of my office facing the forum.

I turned back around, entering my office once again, giving Michael a curt nod.

Michael stood up, stretching his back lethargically.

'Finally decided what you want from me?' Michael asked.

I gave Michael a long hard stare.

'Watch your tone, Mike. I don't appreciate the attitude, especially not in front of the other centurions.' I warned.

Michael stood back slightly, surprise clearly written all across his face.

'Perce, this is insane. You can't expect me to just take this lying down.'

'Well Michael, that quite frankly is not your call to make. I made it, and you better damn remember it once the war ends.' I finished forcefully.

'Now, gather up the rest of the centurions, wherever they are, and get them to the smithing district.'

As Michael made to leave, I held up my hand, pinching the bridge of my nose with the other.

'And bring along Theo. I need to talk to him.'

XIXI

Percy

The smithing district was definitely not one of the most glamorous parts of New Rome.

Old brick chimneys spouted spires of smoke, forming a sort of hazy feel even when only outside of the workshop.

I checked my watch impatiently as I stood around impatiently.

Although I really had needed Michael to get the other Centurions back together and over here, it had been the perfect opportunity to get Michael off my back so I could talk to the praetorians and Daniel once again.

While I had ordered Michael to stay by my side in case I need to send messages and whatnot, like I had previously, it definitely limited my ability to get into contact with characters I would rather not strictly be seen in public with.

I had officiated the handover of twentyfive veterans of the praetorians, most veterans of the first cohort, who I had immediately placed under the new training command that had been established days prior by the existing instructors we already had organised in a sort of loose organisation, allowing individual cohorts to train on different days of the week whenever necessary.

Now, however, each individual cohort was almost at the same strength as the entire Legion days prior, and the old, ineffective system simply wouldn't do for the new and improved Legion.

Thus, each existing legionnaire would be training their new probatios, as well as all the veterans and existing instructors I and my command had been able to organise.

It would be an incredibly tedious and complicated process to train so many recruits all at once, but thanks to the ingenuity of my Centurions, and the vast collection of military data from the much larger Legions of the empire, we managed to compile a functional system in a mere couple of days.

Gods, the way I'm working them, I should probably get my Centurions some aides. I thought to myself. Truthfully, ever since the battle of New Rome, I had been working them incredibly hard with the shift in doctrine and massive expansion of the army, on top of all their regular responsibilities to their own cohorts.

I was snapped out of my reverie at the sound of clacking boots, and I looked up to see Michael plus the individuals I had requested him to fetch in tow approaching me.

I simply nodded in greeting to the group, not waiting to see if they were following me before knocking on the door of the building I had been leaning against previously.

A couple of moments later, the door opened, sending a cloud of ash into my face as a big, burly man, arms crossed gave me a hard stare.

'Praetor.' He said simply.

I stared straight back at him.

The man must have been twice my size, and at least twice my age, but I needed something from these people, and I would be damned if I was unsuccessful.

'It's Pontifex.' I responded evenly.

The man looked me up and down before scoffing.

'Lotta people claim to have authority they haven't fuckin' earned in this city.'

I ignored the jab, not really minding the coarseness of the man's language. It suited me just fine.

'I could give a shit about your political views. Now, I have an appointment with the leader of your guild, should have been made a day ago.' I continue, deciding to fight fire with fire in this particular occasion.

The man's eyebrows rose right up his forehead in a way that would have been comical in any other situation, before stepping aside and motioning me inside.

'Not you lot. Kid that sent the message only mentioned the Praetor.' The man said.

I turned back around to see the man once again blocking the other's way.

'Listen mister, I don't know who you think-' A very pissed Theo spoke out from wherever in the group he had been in, before I swiftly cut him off.

'No. Wait here.' I ordered.

The man didn't wait for an answer from the others, swiftly closing the door in their faces, before promptly turning around, taking a doorway into a hallway which led… Somewhere.

With all the smoke everywhere, it was difficult to orient oneself, frankly.

I followed the man through a maze of hallways, rooms dotting the corridors, with a variety of strange instruments and ovens strewn all over the place.

A wooden door was at the end of the corridor, which the man opened, slipping through awkwardly, before I too walked into the room.

The room was spartan, about on-brand for what I had seen from the infamous smithing guild as of yet, with only a modest, but well made wooden table serving as a desk in the middle of the room, with one chair on each side.

The burly man offered me a seat on one side, which I graciously took.

As one of the most secretive organisations in New Rome, the smithing guild was not much how I expected it to be at all.

With strong ties with the priesthood under Octavian, due to the main material worked, imperial gold, being created by their sect, little was known about the process, or the members of the guild, who tended towards a more hermit-like lifestyle, and only rarely would you see the characteristic lumbering of one of their uniformly massive members around the city.

Once I took my seat, I looked up in surprise to see the man himself having taken the seat opposite to me, his body language relaxed as he leaned back in his chair, arms folded once again.

'I suppose you require a favour.' The man began, his voice a low rumbling. 'Octavian mentioned as much.'

I nodded. 'Exactly, Mr…' I trailed off purposely, staring expectantly at the man.

Seemingly unconcerned with any lapse in manners, the man answered.

'Viktor. Thomson. I am the spokesman of the smithing guild.' He said gruffly.

'Mr Thompson. I assume you have heard of the announcement of the introduction of conscription-'

'You need weapons.' He interrupted once again, seeming more bored than anything else.

'And armour. A lot of it.'

'Are you questioning the efficiency of my guild?'

'So you have the production capability for a thousand sets of standard legionnaire armour as well as standard-issue gladii?'

I smirked in satisfaction at the astounded look on the man's face.

'By when?' Was all he said.

He does not scare easily, does he? I thought to myself.

'As soon as possible.'

'You understand the implications of what you're asking of me, right? I'll have to cancel all other orders. It'll create a massive surge in prices for any sort of metallurgical practices.' Thompson whispered conspiratorially.

'I understand perfectly, Mr Thompson. New Rome will support you with whatever needs you require for this level of production. I assure you of that. This is for the war effort.'

Thompson seemed to mull it over for a bit, considering the offer.

'And if I refuse?'

My countenance hardened.

'I can seize the facilities by force, if you would prefer that.'

For a moment there was simply silence as we both had a sort of standoff, both waiting for the other to give in first.

Eventually, Thompson sighed out in defeat.

'Fucking government.' He muttered.

'Same government that keeps you safe. I appreciate your cooperation, Mr Thompson. It will be thanks to you that Rome will be able to face its threats.' I returned diplomatically. 'And look at it like this, once the war is over, the government will be indebted to you.'

Thompson waved me off.

'You've already forced my hand. No need to continue to try and force your righteous bullshit down my throat.' He said irately.

I nodded, not really caring to stick around myself.

'I'll have one of my centurions liaise with you on production.'

'Does that mean military presence in guild factories?'

'Only for the pickup of equipment. I won't impose.'

'Appreciated, but it doesn't make up for everything else.'

I stood up from my chair, shrugging carelessly.

'To be honest, Thompson? I could give a shit. Just get my boys their weapons.'

AN:

I had so much fun writing this chapter.

I finally got to show off Percy in power, and it is gloriously chaotic.

So, even though Percy is a great military strategist, we're starting to see him slip back into old habits, treating his command like shit, as well as like, everybody else around him.

Now, in case youse haven't connected the dots yet, Percy's newfound bluntness and gusto come from feeling helpless in terms of Artemis, as he knows in the back of his head that she's out there dealing with a giant meant to be her bane, who also happened to be completely obsessed with her for a while.

So yeah, maybe even the slightest bit of jealousy in there too.

Reviews:

PetrogradAN: I know it's not quite accurate, but in this particular case I decided to derive this particular role from canon for giggles, but also just to add that little extra dimension you'll see next chapter with how Percy deals with Octavian.

As for Pontifex being a master of ceremonies and chief priest, that's basically Percy now. He is basically a god in New Rome, and I thought giving him a title which reflected that would be fitting.

So yea, that was my overcomplicated rant to explain that I was too lazy to research consuls.

PaladinKaladin: It does, doesn't it? I knew I wasn't being paranoid. I've read through it, and honestly? I don't think it's the chapter, but more generally where I've taken the story. Percy has changed a lot as a character since the first couple of chapters, as has my style and vision for him. If anything, I need to redo some of the earlier stuff I wrote before I had a plan, to make it more consistent in general.

I've teased Orion earlier on, and I was hoping to make it a good rallying point for the new Artemis and Percy, now that they've officially got no more skeletons in the closet in regards to each other.

I don't intend for it to be too central to the story, but it will feature, especially in the finale.

Azure Mane: Ahahah appreciate the support man, I went back and reread the chapter, hopefully got all of those typos. Grammar is a bitch.

And yeah, that's about it.

See youse whenever next I upload.

Slán, Murph