Theseus

The faint beeps of some sort of medical monitor greeted me as I suddenly sat up in bed, my muscles tense, ready for Polybotes to finish me off.

'Careful there sport, you just survived one hell of a smackdown' Howard, the only civilian doctor in New Rome said placatingly to me as he swept into the room, putting a hand on my chest and forcefully pushing me back into my bed, absentmindedly pulling up the blanket covering me in the process, fixing his long, jet black hair as it covered some of the ivory skin of his face.

'What happened?' I asked groggily. My voice was scratchy and dry, as if I had been stuck in a desert without water.

Howard raised an eyebrow. 'I'll go get you a glass of water,' he said, disappearing around a corner, 'then I'll bring you up to speed.'

I nodded slowly, sinking back into the hospital gurney.

Now that I wasn't pumped up on adrenaline and battle-mode, I could feel the desperate protests of my body at my sudden and brusque movements, and I winced slightly as I tried to position myself in a more comfortable position.

I heard noise from outside, with a distinctly female voice arguing with other lower voices.

Maybe Anthony came to visit? I mused absentmindedly as I tried to distract myself from the pain I was in.

Then the door around the corner burst open, and even from where I was laying down, I could feel the wind buffeting my face from the force.

'And next time you question a praetor's authority, I'll have you sorting out my senatorial documents for a month!' A voice haughtily proclaimed as I heard the metallic footsteps of armour clacking against the marble floor.

It's her. I thought with no small modicum of fear as the person in question rounded the corner.

Reyna was… Scary.

Of course, she scared everybody, but I liked to think that she had a special mode just to make me sweat buckets.

Reyna simply stood in front of me for a second, her arms crossed as she surveyed me.

'You look like shit, Legionnaire.' She declared.

I let out a small laugh, instantly regretting it as my admittedly delicate ribs screamed in protest, my smile quickly turning into a grimace.

Reyna's face softened as she took in my sorry state.

'I can't begin to describe just how stupid it was to charge a giant. I would've been very annoyed with you if you'd actually had the gall to go ahead and get yourself killed.' She admonished softly, tucking in my blanket, before picking up my left arm, tracing a long gash down my arm which hadn't completely healed from the Unicorn draught applied yet.

'And what, let you and the auxiliaries try your hand? I would have worried.' I said as I took her in.

Yes, she was scary, but by the gods she was incredible.

And anyways, she made the 'scary chick' look work.

I smiled softly. 'Either way, we're both still here, and I finally got you to admit you cared.' I poked her in the ribs triumphantly.

Reyna rolled her eyes as her face went very red. 'Gods, you're so oblivious sometimes.' She muttered.

I chuckled softly. 'That's what I have you for. To explain to me how everything works.'

Reyna smiled at me before the door to the room once again opened, causing me and Reyna to jump apart.

Gods, I didn't even realise we had gotten so close together. I thought, mortified, as Howard sauntered back into the room, completely oblivious to what had just taken place.

'Praetor Reyna! I didn't have the pleasure of seeing you beforehand. No major wounds, I hope?' He asked cheerily.

Reyna nodded, trying to hide the blush still present as she attempted to school her features. 'Just checking in on our newest Legionnaire.' She replied formally.

I put my hands in a T position. 'Wait a minute, time out. I'm a legionnaire?' I asked with no small bit of awe.

Reyna nodded. 'Not even Octavian could deny you the right after your actions. You should have seen it, the fifth was determined to make you its centurion.'

I chuckled lightly. 'Gods forbid, I'm not a leader like you.'

Howard nodded goodnaturedly. 'It's going to be a nightmare getting him back to his barracks once I check him out of here. I hear he already has fangirls.' He said, leaning in and whispering conspiratorially.

Reyna's face hardened at the information, and she nodded curtly.

'Well, I won't keep you, Doctor.' She said frigidly, shooting me one last look before exiting the premise.

Howard turned back to me casually, handing me a glass of water which I immediately brought to my lips, taking long greedy gulps, feeling the water rejuvenate me.

'So, when are you going to ask her out?' Howard asked nonchalantly while watching me drink.

I choked on the water, snorting some out my nose.

I turned to look at Howard.

Howard stared back at me evenly.

'I-I don't know what you're talking about.' I stuttered, desperately avoiding eye-contact.

Howard sat down in a chair, letting out a long sigh. 'Ah, young love, brings me back. Of course, for me that was ten years ago, but if I could go back and give me any advice, do you know what it would be?' He asked, giving me a piercing stare.

I shook my head to indicate the negative.

'Don't wait. Don't let the opportunity pass. We are demigods, nothing is permanent. Moreover, we're at war. Don't wait to ask, because before you know it you'll have missed you chance.' He took out a form, summoning a pen out of seemingly thin air as he started scribbling. 'And anyways, she's clearly head over heels for you, I don't see you getting rejected.'

I sat there dumbfounded.

I won't pretend I hadn't thought about it. But with the war, and Reyna being the Praetor, I hadn't really entertained it.

Sure, we talked a lot, and she had taken me out of basic training a couple of times to show me the ropes, introduce me to Roman culture, but management did that for every recruit, Right?

'Right?' I asked sheepishly.

Howard shook his head. 'Just you, kiddo.'

He finished writing on his paper, standing up once again and walking over to my bed, handing the slip over to me.

'Doctor's note, you're free to go. That healing factor is impressive.' He said appreciatively, nodding to my injuries.

With the… Intense conversation we had just had, it hadn't even registered in my mind that I felt remarkably better since drinking the glass of water.

At least, what wasn't on the floor courtesy of my triggerhappy nostrils.

I sat up in the bed, swinging my legs over and out to the side, swinging them experimentally.

I looked back to Howard, who had retreated back to his seat, sitting down with a large sigh, massaging his temple with his fingers.

'My brother.' I blurted out.

Howard looked up.

'Hmm?' He said.

'My brother.' I repeated. 'Can you tell me about him?'

Howard sighed. 'Hmm. I'll be honest, I'm not sure where to begin.' He ran a hand through his hair, and I realised in that moment just how tired Howard really seemed.

'The first time I met him was during the very beginning of the first titan war, when he came back from a botched patrol. It was a dark time for the legion. Very different to how it is now. Even back then we had our wonder children. Reyna, Percy and Jason. They went everywhere together. Did everything together. Reyna was second cohort, so she sorta shined naturally, as a daughter of Bellona, but Jason and Percy always competed, as a consequence of them being in the same cohort, the first.'

I leaned forward without realising, paying rapt attention to Howard.

'Percy is a gentle guy, but he came from an abusive family, and frankly the legion isn't exactly the most relaxing environment in the world. He was always hard. Tough. Didn't take shit from anybody, and honestly? He seemed pretty fanatical in his determination to end the war to me. Reyna and Jason always had friends around, and Percy was friends with them by association, but he was always just with Jason or Reyna. From what I understand about his younger life in the legion, Percy ran away a lot, like even outside of New Rome, escaping the safety.'

Howard gave me a piercing stare, and I once again sat up straighter when I realised he was appraising my reaction.

'You're his only family, Theo. On his mother's side no less. I won't pretend to know a whole lot about your past, apparently even you only recently got to grips with that, but… Don't take him for granted. What you do with the information I've given you is up to you, but I think Percy could use a real friend outside of the politicking of New Rome right now, not just a brother.'

I nodded, and stood up to leave.

'Oh yeah! Him and Reyna haven't been on the best terms, so maybe don't bring her up too soon.' He winked at me playfully.

I groaned and rolled my eyes irately, although there was no real malice behind the reaction.

'Now shoo, I have half a legion to rehabilitate.'

I laughed as I left the room.

XIXI

Apollo

New York flickered to life as my sun chariot passed over the Horizon, and I left it to continue its cycle as I flashed myself to central park, taking in the ambient around me.

Peaceful.

It was so peaceful.

Yes, I could have flashed directly into the throneroom, but someone once told me that the most important part of an experience is the journey.

Now for the life of me, I couldn't remember who had told me that, but my admittedly foggy memory remembered a distinctly effeminate tone lecturing me.

I sighed. And it would all be gone if Gaia truly awoke. If anything went even the slightest bit wrong.

And seven demigods were to be the key to all of this.

I took in a deep breath, savouring the sweet nothingness of the crisp fresh air of the park, untainted by the bustling concrete jungle surrounding it.

I shook my head. No. Not now. It was time.

It came with the prophecy gig, being able to discern momentous events taking place imminently.

I felt the disconnect more so than normal, ever since the order from Zeus and Jupiter. It was always a nightmare trying to juggle both rulers' wishes at times, especially during a crisis like this one.

The noise around me felt like white noise, and for a brief instant, I wondered if perhaps I would be happier if I was a mere mortal, unaware of the harsh realities of protecting this world from outside threats.

Ignorance is bliss, or so they said.

But 'They' didn't matter. Sure as the sun would rise tomorrow, 'They' would be a withered old husk buried six feet underground in a cemetery before the century had passed.

Before I knew it, I had already made it to the entrance of the empire state building. Dad always did have a flair for the dramatic. I thought dryly as the security guard waved me through, my thoughts wandering further as I stood imperviously in the elevator as it rose slowly but surely to the sixth hundredth floor.

Olympus was empty.

Figuratively and metaphorically, that is.

The streets were barren, with shops barred, and not a soul dared accost me as I made my way through the majestic winding streets of Olympus.

The drabness extended to the buildings, which used to shine, but now had been reduced to stained and cracked marble.

Two weeks of martial law. What have we come to. I shook my head sadly as I quickened my pace.

There were two types of late, perfectly fashionable and distasteful, and I was nothing if not perfect.

I blasted the grand doors to the Olympian throne room open, willing sunlight to cover me as I walked in, even during nighttime.

The entirety of the Olympian council stared back at me.

I took my seat beside my sister, giving her one of my signature dazzling smiles.

I was, however, pleasantly surprised when Artemis gave me a small smile in return.

My little sister never smiled back at me, and definitely not in this sort of situation.

Although, she had been different since she had returned from that quest of hers with the roman. More calm, although when I asked her if she was feeling alright during her recovery, it was hard to miss the melancholy in her voice. All in all, she was much more quiet and pensive than usual, and that's saying something.

'Now that we are all present,' Zeus began, shooting me a slightly annoyed look as he began, 'we must address the events which took place in the west.'

There were mutterings around the room at the proclamation.

I rolled my eyes. The Romans had always been a sore subject.

I nodded subtly to Zeus.

He nodded back stoically.

'It is now undeniable that Gaia is rising, and has been for more than a month. The romans have already been dealing with the side-effects of this threat, as well as Apollo, as a member of their pantheon, who has been keeping me informed of the happenings.'

'It is in this context that my daughter Artemis was given a quest slay the giant Porphyrion, which would apparently secure us an opportunity to win the war.' Zeus turned to Artemis.

'Daughter?'

Artemis nodded, standing up. I knew she was putting on a brave face, seeing her eye twitch slightly when she put weight on her right leg.

But she persevered, and came to stand in the middle of the thrones, head still held high as she prepared to finally tell us the tale of her quest over the last month.

XIXI

Apollo

By the end of it, many of the gods were either listening carefully or openly mocking Artemis.

'And we're supposed to believe that there are even more armies?' Ares asked dubiously by the time Artemis had finished.

'Many, and titans, some of which have been freed from Tartarus. Truthfully, we do not know the full extent of Gaia's forces, but based on the two armies, it would be unwise not to assume there could be more and prepare accordingly.' Artemis responded dutifully, a slight edge of nervousness noticeable in her voice as she began to realise that this wasn't having the impact she wanted. 'Even one more army could wipe out Camp Half-Blood.'

The majority of the gods turned to Zeus, while Dionysus snored in his seat.

Zeus sat in his seat, leaning forward with a pensive look on his face, his eyebrows furrowed as he considered the information he had been given.

Personally, I thought it made him look rather constipated, but that's just me.

'Our children are at serious risk.' Zeus said softly. The entire room went utterly silent. I glanced over to see even Dionysus had woken up and was looking over at his father with mild interest.

I could see the gears turning in his head.

'We do not have the same presence than we used to, and our number of offspring is greatly diminished. What of the romans?' Zeus asked.

The room's focus shifted back to Artemis.

'They have an entire city. I do not know for sure, but I imagine it to be fairly large by our current standards of demigod population by what my questmate told me of its organisation.' Artemis once again responded dutifully, although I could see her hands begin to fidget.

Zeus nodded. 'I believe then that I am ready to make my decision.'

At this Poseidon let out a large groan.

Zeus turned to him with no small bit of irritation. 'Do you have anything to say, brother?' Zeus said icily.

Poseidon held up his hands disarmingly. 'Now now, brother, do not forget that this is a council. We vote on subjects such as this.'

Zeus grumbled but did not rebuke his older brother. 'Fine.' He snapped finally.

He stood up from his throne, addressing all the gods present. 'Fellow Olympians! I propose an alliance with the romans, and to make proper formal contact effective immediately.'

Athena stood up from her throne beside Ares, her calculating grey eyes catching the light. 'From my understanding, we have a common enemy, and we need the structured military of their city-state to secure a land victory against the forces of Gaia, especially since she managed to temporarily open the doors of death. I imagine that even if she did not have any more assets before, she most certainly does now.'

Zeus nodded his agreement.

'All who agree, raise their hands.'

Only Dionysus didn't raise his hand, having already fallen back into Morpheus' realm.

XIXI

Percy

The battlefield was a monstrous sight.

I advanced forward slowly, my trident in hand as soldiers of the first cohort ran past me.

Burning. The smell was everywhere. So much had been torched I could barely discern one noxious odour from the next.

I faintly recognised where I was, and it was not until I walked forwards that I could make out some of the hulking ruins of the senate house in the distance.

Alexandria square.

The strange disconnect of a demigod dream. I felt it. It gave me no small sense of elation at knowing that none of this was real, although a nagging part of the back of my brain reminded me that demigod dreams always had their own twisted warnings and insights into reality.

Nausea set in as I spotted a soldier grunting in pain on the ground, trying to pull a leg out from under a fallen column.

Another legionnaire ran up, her face streaming with tears as she yanked off her helmet, trying desperately to move him out of the rubble.

'Don't move Casey, we'll get you out from under there.' The girl sobbed uncontrollably.

'Heather, Heather look at me, I'll be fine, go.' The boy said calmly.

The girl nodded and ran off, and I noticed that there was nobody left. The man sighed as I appraised him. I couldn't make out his height, but he seemed to be a caucasian, with blue eyes and what seemed to be brown hair sticking out from under his helmet.

He leaned back with a defeated sigh.

'Fuck…' I heard him mutter.

Footsteps could be heard now, coming closer as a crowd started to become visible in the fog down the street coming towards the intersection where me and the guy were. I had already assumed that I could not affect this dream, but I wasn't going to let my guard down either way.

A whole monster army emerged from the smoking wreck. Every monster that I could ever imagine was present in their ranks.

I crouched instinctively as a Drakon passed overhead, swearing silently.

An armoured man came to stand in the middle of the square, surveying the scene around him quite apathetically.

He was freakishly tall, standing at around 8 feet tall, wearing some sort of see through crystal armour, under which he had a suit, with blond hair, bordering on the white, with blue eyes, although they were a cruel, icy sort of blue, very unlike the sky-blue of a now terrified Casey, who simply stared with wide eyes at the man, not moving a single muscle as a consequence.

'I am under the impression that you are rather terrified of me.' The man drawled carelessly, not even turning to address the boy.

Casey's eyes widened further in fear, and he opened his mouth, although he would not utter a word.

The man sighed. 'I see.'

Then, quicker than I had thought possible from a man of his stature and under the bulk of his armour, he quickly closed the gap with Casey, a crystalline-looking ornate scimitar forming in his right hand as he held it to Casey's neck, bringing his face uncomfortably close to the demigod.

'Do you know who I am?' The man hissed. Casey once again tried to respond, but his vocal chords failed him. 'Answer me!' The man shouted, apparently having lost his patience with the legionnaire.

'Koios! You're Koios.' Casey finally blurted out, tears running freely down his face.

Koios nodded, getting back up. 'Yes. I did not involve myself in the second titomachy. I knew my idiot of a brother was not fit to lead. But now… All of you pesky romans know my name. And unlike my roman counterpart, defeated by a mere half-blood you revere as Perditor, I will triumph against all of you.' He proclaimed, a cold smile forming on his countenance.

'No.'

Koios turned to Casey once again.

'No?'

'No.'

'How come?'

'If you don't already know, you'll end up like Polus.' Casey declared defiantly.

Koios chuckled. 'And to think I was beginning to like you.'

I almost knew what was going to happen before it did, but even then, the speed and brutality caught me off guard.

Summoning his scimitar once again, he severed Casey's head clear from his body. Blood fountaining from the stump that was his neck as his head rolled away on the ground, Casey's face forever stuck as a horribly contorted grimace.

Suddenly, the scene changed, and everything fell away as I fell hopelessly into a black void, before slamming down into solid ground.

I heard clashes of metal around me as I stood up, and I could see legionnaires fighting…

Legionnaires?

I blinked. Demigods fighting each other.

Before I could make out more of the scene, I felt a strong tug at one of my hands.

I looked down in surprise to see Michael looking up at me, blood foaming in his mouth as he tugged again, even in his weakened state being incredibly strong.

'Reyna, Octavian, we were all fooled.' He choked out.

'Traitors… Must be exterminated.'

AN:

Folks, I will admit, it has been a while.

Honestly, life just got the better of me, although I'm back on track to have more time now to write again.

The story is really starting to ramp up into the main part of the story.

I won't say much more, because frankly I'm adding new things daily, weaving them into the plot like some sort of omniscient bard.

I'm hoping to have a new chapter out by around now next week? After what's been happening I'm scared to promise a deadline, so I'll just say I'll try my best to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.

As for reviews:

Sankarea396: Theseus is Percy's half brother (Mom's side). I'll be expanding on that in later chapters, he plays a fairly important role in it, you'll see. About Reyna, it's more of a Brutus and Caesar situation, where she thinks he's become too powerhungry to be a good leader anymore, and with all his popular support, could even coup the current government and start a dictatorship. Again, this is all going to be expanded upon in later chapters.

Six Foot Assassin: I like to think he's a more lighthearted and naive version of Percy, who hasn't really been in a proper war apart from his quests, which were relatively bloodless. He's going to play an important role in the plot and balance of power in New Rome, so I guess you'll see.

Exodus12345: I mean this is a classic me subverting Riordan's interpretations of these characters. I think that Mars is a very different character to Ares, and I portrayed him as such. But he is pretty much equally uncaring of what happens, for him it's more like he wants his favourite toys to win against his less favourite ones. None of it is too real to him.

JimmySG0: Thanks man, appreciate it, hope this chapter is up to scratch.

That's about it for now.

Btw if anybody gets the Doctor Howard reference you are a feckin legend.

Slán, Murph