Carthage 146 BC

Carthage was a city that Perseus found he could not envy. What had he to be envious of? Their gods were strong, so were the Olympians. Their armies were noble and fought well, so did the legions. Their navy was once grand and the height of all envy in the Mediterranean…Rome had yet to construct a real proper fleet. So maybe there was one thing he envied them for.

Nothing about this day felt right to the Arcani. Reports he had heard of were scattered, only ever detailing Numidia being attacked by the Carthaginians unprovoked. Perseus doubted that was the real reason as Carthage had been forbidden in the last treaties from raising an army and going to war without Rome allowing it. Scipio the Younger, that was what they called their commander, a grandson or some such of Scipio the elder who served with Perseus in the Second Punic War. He was intelligent enough, brave enough too, for the entire legion. Perseus, however, found his faith in Rome lacking.

The man was proud. He was quick to anger in a fight and above all he had no honor. When Perseus was contacted for this battle, it had begun before he ever set sail. For six days roman soldiers had destroyed the defenses and the city of Carthage. For six days they took no prisoners. On this seventh day he felt his disgust with Rome overflow.

Scipio had given the order for his men to do as they pleased. To pillage, plunder and reap whatever treasures, women and slaves may still live within the walls. Many refused to do harm while Perseus was around, fearing him by reputation alone. Others saw no such issue while they were clear of the Arcani on the other side of the city. Perseus, however, could not stomach even the idea of it.

Fires burned across Carthage. Smoke rising, blotting out the midday sun. All around him was chaos, screams, the death rattle cries of men in battle. The siege was long, the men were irritable and eager for a fight. Perseus was not.

A woman screams as her husband is cut down in front of her. Perseus throws a single knife, the blade striking true and dropping a roman soldier with ease. He retrieves his weapon as she cries over her husband's corpse. This wasn't a battlefield to him. Not the honorable combat he had grown up to believe in.

"Nothing but a slaughter," he grumbles "Andromeda…maybe you were right."

Andromeda had asked again and again of him if he thought he was doing the right thing to serve Rome. If he thought that they were honorable given all he had seen the republic try over the years.

What he felt did not matter. Not really.

All that mattered was that he served when called and did his duty to protect the republic from its enemies. A duty he could fulfill with ease, with his life as the price to be paid. But was she right? He had been on the battlefield countless times before. He had seen the bodies, the blood, the lifeless eyes…but he had not seen a siege like this one. Athens was a disaster but this…this was more than that.

This was extermination.

Homes were raided. Buildings burned. People ran in terror in the streets and Perseus was powerless to stop it all from happening. Powerless to stop the whole but perhaps not from stopping the individual.

A scream drew him from his thoughts, the sounds of swords clashing before the distinct sound of a body dropping. Within a moderately sized home, a single roman stood towering over a group of frightened women and children. Gladius dripping with the blood of the head of the family, this siege had provided plenty to sacrifice to its thirst.

"Now…who should I gut first?" the roman wonders aloud. A child, a girl no older than five summers flinches away as his eyes settle on her "You'll do just fine little one."

The roman reaches forward, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her free from her family as they scream and shout, begging, pleading for him to take them instead no doubt. He kicks the mother back, dragging the girl over to her dead father with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"For the honor of partaking in this siege," he begins "And in your name Lord Mars, I offer these wretches to you, Father."

"Drop the blade!" the son of war freezes, his gladius just a few inches short of the girl's throat "And let the girl go."

"Arcani? This is my offering, you will stand aside and let your betters have their fun first."

"I wont ask you again," Perseus voice was like steel. Blades drawn and ready he stood his ground "Release the girl, son of Mars, and let these people go free. I swear it by the Styx I will let you walk away with your life if you do."

The demigod frowns as he hears thunder in the sky above. Brushing it off he swings the girl around, using her like a shield "And what if I don't? What if…I sacrifice her here and now, what will you do to me?"

"Something that your father might just approve of."

The demigod snarls, tossing the girl to the side and charges. A demigod with roughly a decade's worth of experience, son of war or not, against the near century of experience Perseus had accrued was no match. The son of mars found his sword arm pushed aside in a wide arc. His eyes go wide as he sees the Arcani's free arm come in, blade in hand, and drive the weapon into his breastplate. Perseus kicks the body off his blade, letting it fall back without grace. He gives the Carthaginians who were forced to watch this display a single look before stepping aside.

"Go, before more show up, run!" They didn't hesitate. The girl only stopped briefly to bow her head before following her family. "What am I doing?"

"What are you doing?"

Perseus tenses, blades back up and at the ready as he turns coming face to face with the one God he did not want to deal with today. "Lord Mars."

"Arcani," the God of War acknowledges "You killed my son."

"My apologies, but he was disrespecting Rome with his barbaric ways."

"That he was," Mars glares down at the body "He had promise. Made the proper offerings for victory and guidance…but he lacked the honor of his forefathers in battle. This was the last straw. Sacrificing innocence, a family of nothing but women and children…there is no honor in it."

"I agree…and I suppose this means you aren't here to seek retribution?"

Mars shakes his head "Hardly…you have fought well Arcani, you serve Rome well. I will not smite you for serving your people honorably."

Perseus felt like a weight had been lifted, his shoulders relaxed "Thank you, my lord."

Mars face twitches, his form shifting from a toga clad veteran of battle to a man clad in the armor of Sparta. Armor of one God he had come to be even more wary around. "I on the other hand, have no such trouble."

"Ares!"

"Arcani…Rome's pet assassin, my sister's favorite mortal…my aunts champion," the Greek god of War mocks "Feels good to be on the field of battle again. Been too long since I was here for a good siege and ransacking."

"I have no desire to fight you Ares, and you have no claim in this fight."

"See, that is where you are wrong." Ares smile was manic to Perseus "I mean…you are right, I cannot interfere directly. And I cannot strike you down without good reason otherwise it will land me in trouble with two of my own family who I do not seek to anger just yet. But do you know what I can do?"

Perseus felt the hair on his neck stand up. A cold feeling gripping him from within. "What are you playing at war god?"

"Just making sure that you run out of time," the final smile was far too suspicious, too…thrilled, to have been from a god seeking a fight. Especially not the god of war. "Might want to hurry, or don't…not like you will ever make it on time again."

The god vanishes in a flash of light. The sounds of battle draw him back to reality, heart beating in his chest as fear settles within his soul. "No…no!"

Perseus runs from the home, his legs carrying him as fast as they can while prayers to Vesta for guidance. Eventually, leg muscles burning from being worked so hard, he comes upon a group of Triarii. The veterans of many battles cleaning their spears, their gladii, while sharing a laugh over a cluster of bodies. Perseus mouth goes dry. Sea-green eyes locked with twin brown orbs staring vacantly back at him. The grip on his blades grows tighter as he approaches the men slowly.

"Arcani? Come to celebrate with us?" one asks with a laugh.

"Apologies, were we to know you were coming we'd have saved one or two for you to enjoy as well."

"Not that an Arcani needs such simple targets! Probably could fight an army or even a demigod for a challenge if he so wished it."

Something within snapped. Perseus didn't remember what happened. It was as if one moment he was staring at three veterans of the army and the next…his blades were drenched in their blood.

Perseus did his best to arrange the bodies. Pulling out his pouch of drachma, something Andromeda insisted he always keep on him, he did as she had shown him before and place a pair of the coins over the eyes of the girl and her family. He turned his back from the sight. Marching back to the docks. Silently praying to Pluto and Mors, to Hades and Thanatos, that they might find a swift entry into the underworld.

As Carthage burned, the Arcani trudged on. Rome could wait for now.

Athens, 139 BC

Living on the outskirts of the city was strange to Andromeda. So used to being on the move and fighting whatever monsters might track her down, the daughter of Athena hadn't thought about settling down anywhere. Of course, she couldn't properly settle down either. Not when the home she was staying in wasn't even technically hers, no matter what the owner said to the contrary. But that was life when living with an immortal Arcani.

The people of Athens, her mother's people, were more than happy to have her close by. Prices on the freshest fruit and the prime cut of meat were always good in the market. Plenty of people were eager to pray to Athena, thanking her for bringing her daughter to their city. Though sometimes they were a bit too overzealous. Many a man had tried to propose to her, but none could take the hint, and those who did just assumed she and Perseus were already wed.

A faint dusting of red tinges her cheeks as she recalls an elderly woman giving her advice where it was not needed nor wanted. The advice itself was…something, not something she would repeat to Perseus face, but it was…something. The past seven years were truly strange.

As she casts her gaze to the cloudless sky above Andromeda offers up a silent prayer to Hermes for the Arcani's safe return home. He had left more than a month ago for Lady Hestia, some mission she had given him and him alone…not that the stubborn Roman would have let her tag along. Ever since the extermination of Carthage it was as if the man had just grown cold. He was still the same Perseus she had met before. He still took time out of his day to entertain the children of Athens. He helped where he could when someone had some complaint or required aid in exchange for coin. Doing odd jobs suited him in his retirement.

"Deep in thought again, are we? No wonder you didn't offer me a sarcastic comment when I got back." She sighs, turning her gaze to the smiling form of Perseus "Miss me Andromeda?"

"No, just missing the peace and quiet I've been enjoying for the last month."

Perseus placed a hand over his heart, a false expression of shock plastered on his face. "You wound me. Do I truly mean so little to you after all these years Andromeda?" Her face falters, a twitch or a wince he was not certain but whatever it was cracked her façade "Dromeda?"

"I…I've just been thinking, Perseus, its nothing."

"Not 'nothing' if you aren't throwing a clever barb or two my way. …this is about my mission, isn't it?" The daughter of Athena gives a hesitant nod. Perseus sighs "Andromeda…I am sworn to the service of Hestia. Along with being immortal and being here to annoy you for all of your life, that also means that I must answer when she calls. This mission was simple, I promise it was, just helped a young demigoddess make it to Lady Artemis and her hunt. That's all."

"And they didn't fire any arrows at you?"

He hesitated. Her eyes narrowed. "There…may have been an arrow or two that came close to the tree I was hiding behind. But you know most of them wouldn't let me get hit, right? Probably helped twenty of them find the Hunt over the years. It certainly hasn't ever been easy."

He mumbles the last part, earning an affectionate roll of her eyes and a laugh "Only you Perseus. I swear Tyche must have blessed you with all of the things you've had to survive."

"Who says I am not just that good?" he approaches her with a smile "And what about you? The favorite child of Athena, the most beautiful creation she has or ever will make."

Andromeda gives him a shove. Ignoring the way her heart beats hard against her chest or how her face breaks out into a genuine smile. "Idiot."

The laughter of the last Arcani of Rome fills the home. She watches him as he removes his armor. Manica set on a table, greaves resting against the legs, and his blades firmly but gently set down on a chair. "Well, you didn't say no to sticking around this idiot now did you?"

"Why did I think this was a good idea?"

"Because it meant someone to watch your back?" he grins "Can't have you dying on me now, can we?"

"And spoil my plans to get to the isles of the Blessed?" she rolls her eyes, but she can't deny their plans have been…interesting "You really think it's possible?"

Perseus cant help but to shrug his shoulders "Well…I'm no son of Hades so I cant say that I know. Rebirth, even just once, is something you only hear in the stories. Are you…is this really what you want to do with your life?"

"I'm not immortal Perseus," she says it with confidence though something in him feels like it might break at the reminder "One day I will go to the underworld and be given a choice. And who knows, I might just see you again three more times and keep you on guard."

"As if the Fates would ever make things easy for me."

"They certainly know that I will never make it easy for you."

Perseus laughs at that. His eyes shining with something as he looks at her, really looks at the woman beside him. Andromeda frowns as she catches the way Perseus is eyeing her. Brow furrowed deep in thought, she hated when that man would get like this. "What?"

"You haven't eaten yet have you."

"Perseus."

"I'll be back," he says without a care in the world, smile plastered on his face "Just a quick run to the market and back. I'll fix your favorite even."

"You know that you don't have to do that."

"But I want to!" he calls, already heading out with a laugh. It was good to have him back home, it was good to see some of his old self persisting.

Athens was quiet. The decision to move here, to retire here, had been all Perseus' own. Rome had turned him into a legend, a myth to inspire courage in its soldiers. His exploits were whispered in hushed voices with awe and respect. But here in Athens, in his mother's city, he was just another man.

The man with a wife none wanted to anger. So, what if she wasn't his wife? His prowess and reputation alone kept many from trying anything with Andromeda and likewise she kept many women from being interested in his immortal body. Much as the arrangement was mutually beneficial, Perseus could not deny there was something about her that drew him in.

A frown makes itself known before being buried beneath a smile. He would outlive her at this rate, forever in service to the gods and unable to just settle and find his own peace. Hestia had provided him with warmth and peace of a different sort. The bond between them was stronger than that of most demigods and their godly parents from what she had told him before. No laws were broken with her treating him like he was family but even the warmth of a fire was not enough to keep the cold in his heart at bay. Not forever.

"Perseus!" people would shout, smiling, waving at him as he walked the streets. Many would ask about his trip out of the city. What it was that kept him away for so long. If he could help them repair a ship or even their own homes.

Sometimes he'd settle disputes amongst the roman barracks, beat some unruly soldiers into the dirt and remind them what a real roman was. Other times he would just have to offer his own advice to those who asked seeking wisdom they could not fathom coming from a 'young' man like him. Perseus knew how old he was. He hated knowing but the number never left his mind no matter how hard he tried to forget.

"Perseus!" two roman centurions were approaching him. Local barracks would be his guess given the familiarity with which they walked the streets of Athens.

"What do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" he asks, smirking as one of them he distinctly remembers throwing around a few times too many "Not another disciplinary demonstration is it?"

The common victim flinches "No sir!"

"Good…what is it then?"

The first one hands him a scroll "A request for counsel. The roads have been treacherous as of late. We believe it may be a bandit group moving towards the city but…until you returned we thought they would be here first."

"Any idea of how many it is?"

"No sir…but…some have claimed it wasn't bandits but a monster."

Perseus tenses "A…monster? Details?"

"Not many to get an idea. Some heard a sound…hard to describe, others claimed it was taking a woman or had a rider of some sort." The centurion was being truthful, he certainly looked unsure and…afraid. "The people listen to you Perseus, we can defend the city of course but whatever it is…it has them spooked."

"I'll…I'll look into it," he assures them "But it might just be nothing more than a group of bandits."

His eyes move between the pair, locking on a young girl behind them. Her eyes are pleading with him, right arm out pointing towards…home. He knows that face, he feels that familiar heat within as she looks close to tears.

"I…I must go! I'll…I'll investigate it, today in fact!" and he is off, sprinting from the centurions and leaving them behind in confusion. The citizens are left just as perplexed as the half-blood of the Julii family runs past them. Something was wrong. Of that an Oracle was not needed to see. "Not today…not today!"

Hestia watched her champion run. Her eyes closing, head bowed as she hoped he would make it in time. She couldn't interfere. She was already stretching the limits of what she was allowed to do by the ancient laws with this single act. She only hoped he would survive today.

Storm clouds were moving in across the land as Perseus saw their home come into view. He was so close; he could feel it just as the rain began.

"Andromeda!" he shouts as he enters, mind frantic as he scrambles to find her. "Dromeda!"

His mind races, head quickly looking right then left as he moves like a man possessed. His weapons, his gear, were still where he left them. Nothing was disturbed inside.

There's a crack of thunder. A flash of lightning.

The rain comes down heavier than before as he feels his insides twist with worry. "No…"

He finds her in the fields behind their home. Her eyes are distant, vacant as she stares up at the sky. A series of deep wounds in her chest from an enemy he was not here to aid her against. Perseus sinks his knees into the muddy earth. Uncaring of the rain, the mud, as he cradles her body against his. He gently brushes strands of her hair from her face.

Gently he sets her down, eyes never leaving her face as he pulls out his coin purse. Two drachma are withdrawn. He reaches forward, muttering a prayer to the gods of the underworld and closes those grey orbs for the final time. The coins are placed, vanishing as Charon takes his toll.

"So, it was you who prayed to us before." The voice, deep and cold, doesn't bother Perseus in the slightest "I see my sister chose a smart mortal for her champion."

"She did, Lord Hades."

Hades stands by his side, arms folded as he gazes down at the daughter of Athena. "Rare is it that I receive prayers form your kind. Rarer still that both of my…sides, are prayed to. What was she to you, a lover? A sister?"

"A friend."

"Nothing more?"

Perseus cant tell if it is his tears or the rain running down his face "More than anything you could offer me, my lord."

"I see," Hades turns his attention elsewhere "Has she been collected Thanatos?"

Perseus hardly reacted upon hearing the god of Death respond, "Charon is ferrying her now, she will have Elysium given her record."

"No, she won't."

The gods of the underworld turn to him. Hades raising a brow in question "And how do you believe that she won't? She was a slayer of more monsters than most, stories are told of her even in the underworld, and she has saved far more demigods and mortals than even that upstart Hercules can claim."

"She wont accept it." He gives a dry chuckle "Andromeda will choose rebirth. Her greatest challenge, her greatest dream. Elysium this early would be too little for her pride, even if she deserves it."

Hades frowns, regarding the body once more "Rebirth," he says the word like it were a curse "Three times to return. Four lives. Four deaths. Just for a paradise beyond Elysium. Tell me mortal, do you understand what that entails? What makes it such a challenge to achieve?"

Perseus doesn't answer. He has no answer.

"Living once, dying once, is hard enough for mortals to experience. Choosing to be reborn requires your first life earning you that right by your own deeds. Bathing in the river Lethe to erase all memory before being born again in the mortal world." Hades eyes, black as coal, stare down at Perseus "For you, a regular mortal, the act of dying again and reclaiming those lost memories of a prior life cand rive you to madness. For a demigod…it still is not so easy to overcome. She would have to be reborn three times, die three more times, and be judged worthy each and every time for Elysium before being granted entry. Do you truly believe she could survive all of that?"

"No question about it my lord," Perseus cracks a small smile "Andromeda will make it."

Hades nods his head in thought. Mortals. Always a strange race with violent tendencies, but every so often one breaks from the expected path. The god of the underworld holds out his hand, a rectangular ditch forming beside the body "Do not take this act to mean that I favor you. My sister may be your patron, and my niece may in fact see you as worthy of her favor too, but I do not."

Perseus gently scoops the body up into his arms. He sets her down, taking in her face one last time before Hades buries her in the earth. "Tell me something my lords…is it possible for a mortal, not a demigod, to earn the right to rebirth?"

Thanatos and Hades share a look. The god of death looks almost uncertain of what to say "It is possible…but that would require of you far more years than even you could be fortunate enough to have. Even with your immortality, it is not a perfect life…Rome is ever growing and seeking war. Your chances of living long enough to earn it are slim, and nigh impossible in your…retirement."

"Then I suppose we shall see what the verdict is when next I meet you both."

Hades didn't like the look of this mortal. The look in his eyes, the tone in his voice…too many dead heroes had that same look and sound to them when their loved ones had died. Too many had tried to bargain with him like Orpheus had before, none succeeded of course but this one…this mortal…he would be one to watch. "We will indeed."

AN: I just want to say…I never said this would be a happy chapter, or that this would be a 100% happy story either. Was it too soon? If you knew just how many years and events this poor boy will be experiencing, you'd realize this was too long amongst them all. But thoughts on Carthage? Had that planned for the last four years as how the fall of Carthage would be handled. Not a big part of the siege or really any of actual combat but still enough to show the dark side of the republic and the change in Perseus thanks to his own values. And yes, Andromeda is dead…but of course rebirth is a choice and who knows? They could meet again, or they could not…I make no promises about what happens or who it is.

Now…let's get to those pesky reviews, shall we?

Guest: Piper x Percy? Well…I haven't ruled this one out just yet, so there is some hope, but we'll see how this shapes up in the future.

PhantomFuryJP: Glad you are enjoying it thus far, certainly feels nice getting back into writing this one again and knowing some people enjoy it does help for motivation. Hope it keeps being enjoyable for you!

TatsuyaShiva4: …finally a review that isn't just praise! I doubt you'll see this, kind of feels like you don't like the story from the sound of it. So, here's a lesson for those who got this far and are wondering "Should I keep reading this? Percy isn't meant to be Mortal." Considering this is Fanfiction, of course he isn't supposed to be mortal…that's what makes it fanfiction and more fun sometimes. A little diversity. Never hurt nothing. But you claim that being mortal makes him weaker? Ha! Well, true, right now Perseus Nero Julius is not a demigod son of Poseidon. He has no power over water or the ability to create earthquakes. He has not slain Titans, Giants, fought with Primordials and gods, and certainly not slain almost every major monster from myth…and yet, as this chapter has hinted at, there is still plenty for him to do and in no way does that make him 'weak'. I mean realistically speaking a demigod is just a super soldier like captain America but with powers. Break them down, remove the control over elements etc and you have just a really good soldier. Annabeth has no powers, just a really keen mind. Clarisse can't wield lightning like Thalia or summon the dead like Nico. Piper cant manipulate fire or change into animals like Leo and Frank. And yet…they are still strong, just not broken. Perseus is not broken, he is just gaining experience and killing his enemies. What happens beyond Rome is a mystery still even to me, I have ideas of how this ends and how it goes but what happens I cant say for sure. Probably like, three or four different routes in mind right now.

Eliramarine24: …Pretty sure this is a scam account, reader beware, but then again I give the benefit of the doubt so maybe its not? But let me be clear to all of you reading this right now. I have NO intention of hiring a cover artist at this time. IF I EVER do, it will likely be my cousin who I turn to for it if they are open to the idea. Not to say if I have the money and someone is legitimately wanting to do the cover that I wont hear them out, but if it looks like a scam, sounds like a bot, and gives me that gut feeling that punching whoever is behind the screen is a pretty good idea…I'm ignoring the proposal and you. Consider this a warning folks, bots are out there. I already got two dms with the same wording from two different accounts.