Chapter Text
A few minutes later, a gust of wind creaked the doors open, and Jason showed up in the principia.
Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what to think of him when he first stepped into the room.
For starters, he just looked weird.
Not exactly in a bad way, mind you. Maybe not in a good way, either, though.
I guess the thing that was really throwing me off was that he looked…too perfect? Too symmetrical? Almost like he wasn't even real.
He had these oddly regal features that reminded me of a Roman statue—a strong jaw, prominent brow, and sharp cheekbones—seriously, he could've fit right in with some of the other statues in the principia if he painted his face white, buzzed his hair off, and put on a purple bedsheet.
I'd even go as far as to say that if you asked a hundred random people to describe a Roman soldier and mashed their answers together, you'd probably get someone who looked at least a little bit like Jason.
Not that he looked particularly heroic at the moment. He was far, really far from something even resembling that. If anything, he looked like he was fresh off a game of pickup basketball.
Dirt was smudged on the crown of his forehead in between strands of golden hair, and his cheeks were flushed. A white headband was pressing a mop of hair down, and let me tell you, that thing was drenched. Thankfully, he still smelled okay, or I would've had to go off the rails with Janus' plan and get the hell out of here.
A golden coin danced on his knuckles. He kept slinking it through his fingers, and once in a while, the glare from the coin would flash right past me. "Sable. What's up?"
"Jason," Sable regarded the boy. I wasn't much of a people analyzer—that was Annabeth's thing—but for some odd reason, even I picked up on a sense of closeness between the two of them. They knew each other. And, if the way they were looking at each other was any indication, they knew each other well. "My apologies for the call out of nowhere, I know today's usually your day off. I hope I'm not pulling you away from anything important."
"Just some frisbee with the cohort. Nothing I can't get back to later. You know I'm always down to help out the legion," Jason said. There was a small scar on the corner of his lip that rippled as he spoke, like a slinky being stretched out. His eyes shot past Sable and to me. "Oh! Hey, man. Didn't mean to be rude. I'm Jason."
"Percy," I shook his hand.
Sable watched the two of us interact. The look in her eyes was weirdly frantic—like she'd built up a house of cards on a spinning top, and was waiting to hit a bump and see everything explode in every direction. When nothing happened, she nodded to herself, and her lips parted, "Percy is suffering from amnesia, Jason."
Jason's face pinched, and a funnel of sympathy squeezed around his voice. I hated that look. A glass of water across the table vibrated briefly. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."
Sable hummed, "Yes."
Jason looked about as confused as I felt, which, considering what my last two hours had been, was saying something. I wondered if he was regretting leaving his cohort. Whatever that meant.
"Uh…" Jason shifted like he was mentally flipping through a Camp Jupiter rulebook, "How did he even get here? He looks like he's a little old to be a fresh demigod, so I'm guessing he's not from around here?"
"Astute observations, Jason," Sable purred, standing and walking over to us. I caught a glimpse of the pommel of her sword—a silver gemstone nestled in the hands of what looked like a man with a blindfold over his eyes, "To answer your question, he was brought here by Janus."
"Janus?" Jason repeated. His eyes flicked to me, narrowing like he hadn't really paid attention to me the first time around. A crease appeared between his eyebrows. "He hasn't been seen around here in—"
"Yes. Thank you, Jason," Sable cut him off, heat flashing around her voice. Jason stopped talking instantly, and she pursed her lips before turning to me and mustering a smile. "Percy, Jason is going to show you around New Rome and take you to Lord Jupiter's temple so we can begin the process of introducing you into our ranks. We're not sure how or why you're here, but I think it's worth giving you sanctuary while you figure those things out."
Jason's eyes widened. "Sable…"
"Nil aliud est quam bonum commune sequi," Sable muttered, her thumb brushing over the pommel of her sword. She stared up at the ornate, cathedral-like ceiling of the principia as if she was expecting Janus to come back down and tell her she passed some secret test.
Nothing else matters but to serve the common good.
My eye twitched, and Sable's eyes shot to me instantly. I understood them before my brain even had time to sound them out, and a sharp jolt of anxiety shot through my chest. How the hell did I know that?
Sable's gaze lingered on me for a second longer. "Marcus Aurelius lived by those words. Many of us here do as well. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other soon. And Percy? Welcome to New Rome."
Jason led us out of the principia. We walked on a dirt path for a few moments in companionable silence.
Offhandedly, I wondered what Calypso was up to. Sable had originally mentioned someone else was going to talk to Calypso (presumably to question her like they'd questioned me), but I hadn't seen her since I'd walked into the principia, so she was either being spoken to somewhere else, or her story wasn't checking out.
I hoped it was the first option. If it was the second one, well…there wasn't much I could do from here.
My train of thought came to a grinding halt as I watched a bunch of kids in swimsuits and towels head into a building that had steam coming out of a row of chimneys. Laughter and watery sounds echoed from inside, like it was an indoor pool—my kind of place.
"Bathhouse," Jason said, a grin forming on his face. He stretched his arms out, and a light breeze tousled his hair. "We'll get you in there before dinner, hopefully. You haven't lived until you've had a Roman bath, dude."
As we approached the front gate, the barracks got bigger and nicer. I tried to decipher the banners and symbols hanging in front of the buildings, but to my chagrin, the random infusion of Roman I'd gotten had been fleeting.
Jason followed my gaze. His skin looked like it was glowing in the sunlight. "Ah, you're looking at the cohorts. Sorry, I keep forgetting you haven't been here before. Let's see…uh, the cohorts are kind of like where we live. And by we, I mean those who train under the banner of New Rome. If you want to, like, go to college or something, then you'd go live in the city and get your own house. You can also technically do both, to be fair. That's what some people do when they get older. They train for a bit, get some prestige and connections, and then they go to college and settle down. Their choice."
I blinked. "College? You guys have college in here? And a city?"
Jason cracked a grin. "Yeah. The donuts in there are awesome."
That threw me for a loop. Camp Half-Blood had always been a camp. The closest we got to education outside of combat lessons was macaroni-necklace competitions and campfire sing-alongs. There were no choices, either. You didn't get to choose whether that kind of life was for you or not. You trained, you went on quests, and if you were lucky, you made it to eighteen without getting turned into monster chow.
But long-term plans? Retirement? Higher education? That wasn't exactly on the table. If you were a demigod at Camp Half-Blood, the best you could hope for was surviving long enough to figure out what came next.
"So, wait," I said, still trying to wrap my head around what Jason had just said. "You're telling me some guy can go from dodging a hydra attack one week to stressing over midterms the next?"
"Pretty much. And if you think professors are scary, try disappointing one of our professors on a pop quiz."
We shared a laugh. Jason's eyes crinkled as he continued, "Back to your original question, though. I don't want to be a bad tour guide. Uh, let's see…we have five cohorts of about forty kids each. Each cohort is divided into barracks of ten—like roommates, kind of."
I was quiet for a few moments. There was no way Camp Half-Blood could've ever supported that many demigods at once. And, Jason had mentioned there was a whole city of graduates right next door. "You're telling me there are two hundred kids at camp? Not even counting the people who finish off their service?"
"Roughly."
"And all of them are children of the gods," I let out a low whistle. "The gods have been busy."
Jason laughed. "Nah, dude. Not all of them are children of major gods. There are hundreds of minor Roman gods. Plus, a lot of the campers are legacies—second or third-generation. Maybe their parents were demigods. Or their grandparents."
"These Legos—"
"Legacies," Jason corrected patiently.
"They have powers like a demigod?"
"Sometimes. Sometimes not," Jason's good humor faded, and I wondered if I'd accidentally hit a sore spot. He kept pushing on before I could say anything, "But all of them can be trained. All the best Roman generals and emperors—they all claimed to be descended from gods. Most of the time, they were telling the truth. Stretching it a bit? Sure. But, it was the truth, nonetheless."
"So these cohorts, what, are they based on who you're descended from?"
"Nah," Jason scuffed his sandal against the ground. "Sable probably wouldn't want me to tell you this, but it's kind of random. The officers choose, so sometimes it can be based on combat tests. Other times, it can be just because they liked someone, or if someone's family has a long history of training under a specific cohort. Politics always plays a role in that kind of stuff. Uh, anyway, I'm one of the centurions for our cohort—the fifth—so I could probably just get you a spot in it."
Surprise tugged at my stomach. "You'd do that?"
"I mean, yeah," Jason shrugged. "You seem nice enough, and one of our probatios just retired, so we have the space. Plus, I'm guessing that's why Sable called me to give you the tour."
The puzzle pieces from before arranged themselves in my head some more. I snuck a glance at Jason. "You guys must be close, then."
The tips of Jason's ears turned red. "Um, kind of."
I tilted my head. "Kind of?"
Jason rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly very interested in the ground. "We, uh…trained together. Fought in a few battles side by side. She's helped me out a lot. I'm up next for a, uh, leadership position, we'll call it. She's been mentoring me for it."
That was a very careful answer.
"Oh," I said, dragging out the sound, because I could practically feel the awkwardness radiating off him. "So, like, close close?"
Jason scowled at the ground. "Not—not like that."
"Got it," I said, "Totally platonic."
Jason let out a slow breath, like he was debating whether he should continue giving me the tour or smack me as hard as he could. Luckily, he seemed like the kind of guy to take it easy on the amnesiac. Finally, he muttered, "Are we good to keep going on the tour, or do you need to recover more of your memories before you're qualified to psychoanalyze my personal life?"
"Why not both?" I grinned.
Jason gave me a look. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and a sharp, tangy smell crackled in the air around us.
Okay. Not both. Definitely not both.
I raised my hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. Lead the way."
Jason exhaled, running a hand through his hair. He muttered, "Thank the gods."
We walked a bit more and stopped outside the main gates. The fort was situated on the highest point in the valley, so I could see pretty much everything. The road led down to the river and divided. One path led south across a bridge, up to the hill with all the temples. The other road led north into the city, a miniature version of what I assumed was Ancient Rome. Unlike the military camp, the city looked chaotic and colorful, with buildings crowded together at haphazard angles.
Even from this far away, I could see people gathered in the plaza, shoppers milling around an open-air market, parents with kids playing in the parks. "You've got families here?"
"In the city, absolutely," Jason said. "When you're accepted into the legion, you do ten years of service. After that, you can muster out whenever you want. Most demigods go into the mortal world. But for some—well, it's pretty dangerous out there. This valley is a sanctuary. You can go to college in the city, get married, have kids, and retire when you get old. It's the only safe place on earth for people like us. So yeah, a lot of veterans make their homes there, under the protection of the legion."
"So what happens if this valley is attacked?"
Jason pursed his lips. "We have defenses. And some of our older demigods who serve on the war council help mobilize the response. Just because they stop their service doesn't mean they'll stop fighting for their homes."
"Plus, it would be kind of messed up if a bunch of adults made little kids fight on their behalf. Right?"
Jason smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You'd be surprised, Percy. You'd really be surprised."
We walked in uneasy silence the rest of the way. A crooked stone path led past a crazy assortment of tiny altars and massive domed vaults. Statues of gods seemed to follow me with their eyes, like they knew I didn't belong here.
We eventually got to the base of what looked like a hundred steps. I thought back to the bath house, and I took a deep breath. I was almost done.
Maybe I'd even see Calypso soon.
"There it is," Jason pointed toward the summit. Clouds swirled over the largest temple, a round pavilion with a ring of white columns supporting a domed roof. They looked like gigantic marshmallows.
I flinched as a flock of eagles cried, flying overhead and toward the temple. Leave it to Zeus to be dramatic no matter which version of him was in question. "I'm guessing that's the temple Sable was telling us about? That's where we're heading?"
"Yeah," Jason sounded edgy. A small scowl formed on his face as he said, "This guy named Octavian reads auguries there—the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus."
"Oh, so what's that for?" I gestured to a small blue building right beside us. It looked like it was the size of a telephone booth. "Do we need tickets, or something?"
"Um, not quite," Jason marched us closer. A cobweb-covered trident was nailed above a rickety door that creaked open as we got within a yard or so.
There's no way.
I peeked inside. On a small altar sat a bowl with three dried-up, moldy apples. My heart sank. "What, um…what is this?"
"This is hard to explain," Jason said. He sighed, "It's our temple to Lord Neptune."
"This is a temple?" I repeated. "To a god? How come Jupiter gets a mansion, and Neptune gets a toolshed that looks like it hasn't been used by anyone other than raccoons?"
Jason looked like he was debating what to say. To his credit, even he looked a bit appalled at the moldy apples. "I know this looks bad. I'm not excusing any of this, and for what it's worth, I'll talk to Sable about doing some better upkeep. This isn't the level of respect we maintain at New Rome. For any god."
I tried to ignore the molten spike of anger stabbing into my ribs. "Could've fooled me."
"Percy," Jason said seriously. "You have my word. It's just…Romans were always scared of the sea. They only used ships if they had to. Even in modern times, having a child of Neptune around has always been a bad omen. The last time one joined the legion…well, it was 1906, when Camp Jupiter was located across the bay in San Francisco. There was this huge earthquake—"
"You're telling me a child of Neptune caused that?"
"So they say," Jason looked skeptical. "I'm not really sure how true it is, but…anyway…Romans fear Neptune, but they don't love him much."
I stared at the cobwebs on the trident. Great. Even if I joined the camp, I would never be loved. My best hope was to be scary to my new campmates. Maybe if I did really well, they'd give me some moldy apples as a reward. Fantastic.
Still…standing at Neptune's altar, I felt something stir inside me, like waves rippling through my veins. It wasn't loud or dramatic—no sudden storms or glowing godly visions. Just a quiet pull, like the tide underneath my toes at Montauk—like the ocean was reminding me it was still there.
I reached out, running my fingers along the stone trident emblazed on the side of the altar. The marble was cold under my hand, but beneath that chill, something lived. Power, buried deep.
Then the temperature dropped.
Not like a cool breeze. Not like stepping into the ocean on a hot day. This was a deep cold, seeping into my skin like I'd plunged into black water far below the surface. The altar shuddered. The ground rumbled under my feet. Jason inhaled sharply, his fingers twitching around that golden coin from earlier. "Percy—"
Then the air split.
A figure stepped forward—no, not forward. More like he unfolded from the space itself, rising like a tide that had always been there, just waiting for me to notice.
He was thin, almost skeletal, his skin stretched tight over sharp cheekbones. His beard hung in tangled strands, brittle like dried seaweed. The purple tunic he was wearing clung to him like it was soaked in black water, the fabric shifting and dripping. His hands were cracked and rough, barnacle-covered, as if they had been gripping the edges of a sinking ship for centuries.
Deep, sunken pits, storm-dark and endless, locked onto me with a hunger that made my stomach twist.
Jason sucked in a breath like the air had been punched from his lungs. Then, he dropped to one knee, bowing his head. He didn't speak. He didn't move. He just knelt there, like looking too long at the figure too long would make him explode.
I wasn't sure he was wrong.
My son.
I flinched. The voice wasn't spoken. It was inside my head—inside me—like the crash of waves in my blood. Like what I'd felt back at Mount St. Helens.
You stand before my altar, Neptune's voice murmured, rough as shifting sand. Do you see how they treat me?
"Dad?" I swallowed hard. "You're here?"
I am always here. But they do not see me. They will not see you, either, boy.
The moldy apples made a wailing noise as the juice drained out of them and leaked onto the base of the altar, boiling and steaming. The stone cracked, splintering with a sound that reminded me of ice shattering in a frozen pond.
Jason didn't move.
They kneel to Jupiter. They build their temples, carve his name into their banners. My name is whispered only when their ships sink. When the tides turn against them. I am an afterthought.
I didn't know what to say. My pulse was hammering. The air felt heavy, crushing, like I was standing under a thousand feet of water and trying to swim my way out.
But you, my son, you will remind them.
A wave surged through me, pounding against my ribs. My fingers twitched. "Remind them of what?"
Neptune leaned in, his presence pressing against my mind like an undertow. I'd never felt this kind of pressure from my dad before. At least, not from Poseidon.
That Rome belongs to me. That before their legions, before their eagles, before they built their roads and their laws—they sailed on my waters. They begged me for safe passage. They feared me.
The ground cracked beneath me. Jason tensed, finally glancing up, his face pale. "Percy?"
I barely heard him. I couldn't look away from Neptune.
You will be my weapon, Perseus Jackson. You will make them remember.
The waves in my veins surged, drowning out everything else. My vision swam. Jason's voice sounded distant, like he was calling me from the surface while I was sinking. "Percy. Can you hear me?"
Jason's voice broke through, sharper this time. "Percy?"
Neptune's presence swelled, pressing against my skull like a rising tide. His sunken eyes locked onto mine, and I blacked out.
[AN]
You can go ahead and imagine a very since and genuine apology here—I would write one and mean every word of it, but you know that life happens, I know that life happens, and above all else, I am a random person on the internet, so the words and intent likely won't matter. I'll keep it very real with you all and just say I missed you, and for now, that will be that.
Very happy to be back on this project and pushing it forward a bit. If you want some key things to ponder, Percy's random knowledge of Latin would certainly be at the top of my list. I'd also prepare for a bit of an overhaul regarding the Roman gods and New Rome, as well. I like Rick—his earlier work, anyway—but this was where the cracks started to appear for me, so I will do my best to augment those with a few of my fun little ideas. Please let me know how you find them.
Anyway! Join the Discord if you want to bully me to update, just take the spaces out of this: linktr. ee / maroooon
- Maroon