An: I'm going to be honest with yous, I have no fucking clue what to do with some of the dialogue in this, if you guys agree, do me a favour and send me review letting me know. I definitely don't want to spend any extra time on side characters than what's strictly necessary to the plot.

Apollo

Throughout my entire existence, I had never felt so helpless.

And a mere mortal had been the cause.

It disgusted me.

The woods of the Berkeley hills were just as foreboding as always, and I shuddered, wondering what my sister even saw in them.

Must come with the domain of forests.

I couldn't tell my father, that would only derail my plans, and by extension, her plans.

And anyways, he would only smite the boy, and that was… Such a waste, when his talents could be utilised for so many different purposes, chief among them being to win this damned war.

I heard my sister's handmaidens before I saw them, the slightest rustle of leaves alerting me to their presence.

Ugh. They've gotten even more stealthy.

I stopped abruptly as a silver arrow embedded itself in the ground before me.

Two girls in silver parkas dropped down from the trees above, levelling bows nocked with arrows on their strings at me, frames taught as they drew back the string.

I could have scoffed. Had I wanted, I could have made their bows explode at that very moment.

'State your business, male.' One of the girls asked.

'Say ladies, it's been a while, hasn't it, or perhaps you didn't recognise your mistress's dear brother?' I put on a blinding smile.

The girls didn't lower their bows, but they stepped aside, allowing me to pass.

'Not that fucking difficult.' I muttered to myself, ignoring the pair as I continued my way through the woods to where I knew the camp to be.

The rest of my journey was uneventful as I made my way to the camp proper, many of the present girls shooting me dirty looks as they packed away their stuff, presumably to begin their trek to the Roman camp, to which I only flashed them my trademark blindingly white smile as I made my way to the biggest tent in the camp, which hadn't been put away yet.

Artemis stepped out gracefully as I neared, greeting me with a neutral face.

'Apollo.'

XIXI

Artemis

Apollo opened his arms arms. 'Lil' Sis! How's it hanging?' he asked cheerfully.

I simply raised an eyebrow. I didn't have the time or energy for games now.

'I'm busy, Apollo, as you can see. What is it?' I asked seriously.

The pretence dropped off his face as he motioned to my tent.

'Better in private.' Was all he said.

Apollo settled down on a chair around a table in my tent, admiring a beautiful pair of deer antlers on display on the wall.

'I assume you didn't come here to admire the decoration.' I prompted, sitting down in my own chair opposite of Apollo

My brother sighed tiredly. 'No. Sister. I came to warn you, before you go to New Rome. Of their praetor.'

'The girl?' I asked in confusion. Perseus had mentioned his meddlesome co praetor, but I didn't see how she could possibly be a threat to me.

'No. The boy. The one you were on a quest with.' Apollo corrected.

My heart thumped harder in my chest. Perseus? No. It couldn't be.

Regardless, my curiosity had been piqued, and Apollo would be suspicious if I outright dismissed his worries with no explanation.

'What about him?' I tried my best to seem indifferent, but it always had been somewhat of a challenge, especially if your brother was the literal god of truth.

'I was sent to announce the alliance in New Rome, and I suppose nobody notified them to the fact that I would be arriving, because as soon as I flashed in, I lost control of my body.'

I snorted. 'What, see a pretty girl you realised was actually one of your legacies?'

Apollo's countenance darkened. 'No. As if I'd been paralyzed. I-' Apollo took in a deep breath, 'fuck, I've never felt so terrified in my entire life.'

I wasn't sure what to say.

Part of me was terrified. My brother never confided in me like this, so this had to be serious.

And Perseus did this?

I couldn't believe it. Yes, he could be difficult, but he was really sweet beneath all the cynicism.

But despite myself, and common sense, the insecurity kept seeping in.

Percy is kind, sweet, okay, maybe quite closed off, but that's what you like about him, right? He treats you like a real person. He's honest with you. I reasoned.

But what if he isn't being honest?

He loved me either way, right?

I scoured my memories, but the more time I spent, the more I came to a harrowing realisation:

He'd never told me that he loved me.

…Shit.

Had I been a fool? A love struck idiot, who put her faith in the wrong person, like I had seen all my family do?

Like my Brother?

I needed answers, and I would have to get them tonight.

I bid goodbye to Apollo, promising to keep my wits about me, before returning to my packing, many more issues on my mind now.

XIXi

Theseus

I made my way to the coliseum, intent on sending some dummies to Tartarus, only to hear somebody else already grunted in exertion, the telltale sound of metal swooshing revealed them to be moving their weapon at breakneck speeds.

Odd. I'm usually the only one that trains here. I thought.

I made my way through the entrance, emerging into the coliseum grounds proper.

There I found Percy going through an intricate set of moves, seemingly going faster than the speed of light. Certainly faster than I could keep track of.

It was mesmerising, the speed at which he skewered the dummy before pulling the trident back out again, fast as lightning, before swing it around again, sending the dummy spinning forcing me to blink, making sure that what I had seen was indeed real.

'You know those things can't hit back, right?' I joked in lieu of greeting.

Percy stopped mid-swing, his trident disappearing in a rush of sea mist as he turned to me.

'The real ones do.' He replied. 'So what brings you to the coliseum? Far as I know I'm the only one who trains here.' He stated, motioning to the otherwise empty coliseum.

I pulled out my trusty pen, uncapping it to reveal Riptide.

'I used to practice here every now and then, when I had time off from my squad. Back when you were still on your quest.' I elaborated, though failing to mention that I didn't practice alone.

Percy nodded thoughtfully. 'Figures. Nobody uses this place since the new training centre was opened in camp.'

'I like it here. It's peaceful.' I stated.

Percy nodded. 'My thoughts exactly.' He motioned to my sword. 'Care to spar?'

'Thought you'd never ask.' I returned, flicking my blade experimentally, watching in mild interest as Percy summoned his trident once more in a blast of sea mist.

'How'd you get that?' I asked. I would never admit it, but I had been pretty jealous of the weapon, which in my opinion seemed more on brand as being "Of the Sea", and was slightly peeved at the plainness of my sword in comparison.

'Got it when I was little.' He didn't elaborate, and I didn't really want to push him, especially right before sparring.

'You ready?' He asked, spinning his trident.

I surged forward as quickly as possible, stabbing Riptide forward in a good imitation of Roman sword fighting.

Percy batted my sword away carelessly with the butt of his trident.

'Did you just try to skewer me with a Xiphos? While I have a glorified polearm?' He asked, unimpressed. He swiped his trident forward, putting me on the defensive as I blocked his admittedly weak blows.

I shrugged. 'I've never fought a trident before.'

Percy snorted. 'It shows. Mind if I up the level a bit?'

'Be my guest.' I replied.

He surged forward at breakneck speed, bringing down his trident in a wild overhead slash.

Instead of trying to meet the strike head on I made the decision to roll out of the way, which proved to be prudent as when Percy's strike connected with the ground it caused a small pit to form, with large cracks spiralling outwards from it.

Just as I looked up I instinctively brought up my sword, barely blocking the prongs of Percy's trident as he put his strength behind the blow, forcing me back.

Then, in one smooth movement, he disengaged, pulling back his trident and dropping low, making a long sweeping motion, and before I knew it I felt my legs be taken out from under me, as I started to fall.

'Not bad, but you're hyperfocusing too much on me. You have inferior range, but you still try and fight me as if I was also using a sword.' He lectured calmly.

'I feel like you moving at the speed of light doesn't really help.' I muttered.

Percy chuckled. 'Oh come on, you're plenty fast, you just have to try a little harder. Here.' He offered me his hand. 'Let's try that again. I promise it'll go differently.'

I took his hand with a defeated sigh.

He pulled me back up easily, stepping back, twirling his trident absentmindedly once again.

'Ready?' He asked. I nodded.

This time, he rushed forward once again, although this time I also charged forward, batting away his trident as he swung it towards me, getting a grunt out of him as I brought up my left fist into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

By this time though he had swung his trident back around and we engaged in a series of quick clashes, both fighting for dominance.

Eventually I was beginning to be forced back, my strength waning while Percy only seemed to keep getting faster, his trident already starting to blur before my eyes.

Deciding for a hail Mary, I thrust my sword directly at Percy, trying to break his rhythm.

A loud Clang! Rung out as Percy stumbled back, and he smiled happily as he recovered.

'See? Much better, I knew you had it in you.' He praised.

Even though I had technically beaten him, it felt rather hollow, as I was pretty sure he hadn't been trying his hardest, and the way he fought even casually now was utterly terrifying, and I made as much clear.

'Still, you weren't really trying, were you?' I asked.

Percy shook his head enthusiastically. 'More than you'd think, honestly I've become a bit reliant on my powers the last couple of years, but even then, don't sell yourself short, you're a damn good swordsman, better than practically anybody else I've ever met.'

I smiled despite myself, feeling the sincerity behind his words. 'Thanks.'

Percy nodded. 'No, thank you, it's been a while since I've sparred or taught, I forgot how much I missed it.' He mentioned pensively.

'We should spar again, I learn a lot more like this.' I proposed. Honestly, from the way things were going, he probably needed it as much as I did, for different reasons.

Percy nodded. 'Sounds good.'

'Sorry to break up whatever bromance this is, but Percy, I just need you to sign off on one thing for the welcoming committee for the hunters of Artemis' arrival.' Both I and Percy turned our heads, seeing Reyna walk in purposefully.

'You're already planning that?' Percy asked.

'It wasn't even specified when the party is going to arrive, I have a team in administration on overtime and the centurions readying the legion for a full welcome.' Reyna replied smartly.

'So we're bothering with all the pomp in the end?' Percy asked defeatedly.

'Unfortunately.' Reyna confirmed. 'Speaking of which, the plan is that I communicate with the Lady Artemis almost exclusively, because, well-'

'No no, I get it, I'm a guy. Fine, you do your thing. Just don't blame it on me if you mess it up, alright?' Percy joked lightly.

Since when do they actually talk to each other? I thought. Last I knew, they could barely stand even being in the same room.

'Anyways, I have a mountain of paperwork, and it's getting late.' Percy said in lieu of a goodbye, making his way out of the coliseum.

I looked up to the sun, only to find it already close to the horizon. Time had passed quicker than I had realised.

'Since when are you two friendly?' I asked.

Reyna made a face. 'We're not. We're just both professionals. New Rome relies on us.'

Reyna made her way out of the coliseum, and I decided to follow her.

If there was anything New Rome had taught me, it's that proactivity was generally the way to go with most things.

'Didn't seem like that in the meeting yesterday.' I shot back. Yes, it was audacious of me, but I had the feeling that it was warranted in this scenario.

'We were all in a bad place. It was a mistake to have that meeting so soon anyways.' Reyna explained.

I scoffed. 'So what, we just stay in some sort of perpetual Mexican standoff until we lose the war?'

Reyna's eyes narrowed dangerously. 'Big words coming from a Greek.'

'So that's it, huh? Just cus I'm a Greek I don't get to comment on this- this clusterfuck?' I asked accusatorily.

'It's not that and you know it.' Reyna rebutted calmly. 'There's context to this going back to the last war. More than you could possibly imagine.'

'Then explain.'

'It does not concern you, Greek or not.'

'What, you think I don't have any stakes in this? You may have forgotten, but this isn't my home. My home's across the country, and I want to return to it once this is over.'

Reyna didn't react. 'We're doing what we can.'

'Well, maybe it isn't enough.' I insisted.

'We're here.' Reyna announced.

I looked around, realising we had long left New Rome, and it took my a moment to recognise the colourful assortments of flowers adorning the vivid green paths,

Reyna had already taken a seat on a bench under an iron-wrought arch resplendent with stylised rose bushes in full bloom.

I moved to sit down as well, setting down across from her.

Reyna angled herself towards me, and for the first time in what felt like ages, the mask finally fell away.

Then her lips were on mine.

My surprise must have shown because she backed off a moment later, her hands pressed down on her lap as she looked at me worriedly.

'I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking and I just-'

'No it's fine, it's fine, I just wasn't expecting it.' I tried for a smile.

I looked down suddenly, noticing Reyna's hands in mine.

'Look, Theo, there's no need to complicate things. I'm not sure if we could go public, now or ever, really, definitely not for the duration of the war. We keep our relationship and work life separate, anything else would just be catastrophic.' Reyna listed off readily.

I blinked in surprise. 'Wow. You really gave it a lot of thought.' I commented.

Reyna shrugged. 'Not really much to consider after you confessed to me. And by the way-' She shot me a devious smirk, 'I'm expecting a date.'

I barely registered what she had said in shock, before beginning to laugh.

'I'll get to it.' I confirmed jokingly. 'I gotta say, when you didn't mention it, I sorta took it for granted that you'd blown me off.' I confided.

Reyna smiled. 'So impatient.' Her face darkened. 'It wasn't you, though. It's been a rough couple of days. Honestly today hasn't been any different. But with how things are shaping up, what with the hunters coming, I figured that if I didn't put a pin in this now, I never would.'

I smiled. 'I'm not complaining.'

She sighed forlornly, pressing herself up against me, her head resting on my shoulder, my arm automatically going around her shoulders, keeping her close. Her hand once again found mine.

'You don't need to go through this alone, Reyna. Percy isn't a bad person. And even if he was, you're strong as hell, you can stand up to him.'

Reyna shook her head.

'You don't know him like I do, Theo. You didn't see him during the last war. It was… Terrifying. The things that he can do, has done.' She trailed off, and I noticed off-handedly that her grip on my hand had tightened. 'He's a good leader, yes, but he's a ruthless one. Did you know his squad had a one hundred percent mortality rate back during the last war?' She looked up at me.

One hundred percent? The unluckiest squad I had heard of from my old teammates had had a mortality rate of twenty percent.

'By the end of the war, he didn't even bother getting to know his new squad mates.' She continued morosely.

'Was it really that bad back then?' I asked.

'It was brutal.'

Reyna didn't elaborate, and I had seen too much at Manhattan to think of trying to dig deeper.

I hazarded a glance towards Reyna, seeing her gazing out at New Rome, the lights of the town already becoming visible as the sun went down.

I still didn't understand fully why Reyna and Percy were so at odds with each other, but I'd be damned if I sat at the sidelines doing nothing.

AN:

It has been a fucking crazy week.

So, I just found out that I'm moving country. This'll be my third move and third school in six months. Fucking kill me now.

So yeah, not in a great place, less so when I read over this chapter, as it really is lacklustre at best.

Reviews:

7MOONS: Hahaha you always make me laugh. Definitely what I was going for with the cursing, adding enough to be realistic, but not so much it becomes redundant. I added more gore to the scene, but again, I want to have the gravity of the situation without going overboard to the point that it doesn't work as well anymore. It's a delicate balance.

I definitely want to go more in detail about Roman hierarchy, and I love that you brought up CombatTombat, as he's a big inspiration of mine. The one thing I would say is that a very important aspect of this fic for me is to maintain the originality, so I like to avoid copying or assimilating other people's ideas when possible. That also goes for CT's fics, as they're already masterpieces, and I don't want to ruin any of the concepts he created and crash and burn. Part of Roman hierarchy is actually a cornerstone of the plot, so I can guarantee you'll see more of it, but I'll try and keep things as original as possible.

See now, the problem with using those quotation marks is that I don't have them on my computer, as it's a british model. It's why I use the other types of quotation marks. I'll look into it, but I won't promise anything.

Hunters will either be the next chapter or the one after depending on how the next chapter goes.

It's late and I'm in a shite place, so that's about all the reviews I have the energy to answer to. (Fucking one lol). I'll see yous whenever I have the energy. God bless.

Slán, Murph