Hello again to whoever is reading this. Hope you are having a good day/evening.

Not that its important to anything related to you(the reader), but its easy to speak when no one knows who the hell I am. I had a dream the other night that I actually remembered which hasn't happened in a really long time. Like, years since I last enjoyed and remembered a dream. It wasn't even that long, but I really couldn't care less. Put me in a super good mood.

Also, you guys remember that according to the books World War II was a fight between children of the Big Three, right?

Chapter 5 - The Tournament

"Percy, can I ask you a question?" Dakota inquires me as we are walking to the arena for the tournament being held for the YL. I can't wait to test my skills against everyone else. Just thinking about it is getting me excited.

"Well, you just did, but if you absolutely have to then go ahead." I say back, my mind still mostly on the tournament. I've been watching a lot of the other members of the YL to see how their skills are progressing, and I must say I am rather disappointed. They simply aren't working as hard as they should be. I don't think anyone in YL can beat me at this point besides maybe Reyna and Jason.

"Why does everyone look at you so angrily?"

I mean, I guess Dakota will put up a good fight, but he simply isn't as strong of a fighter as I - wait what did he just say?

"Wah, come again, Dakota?"

"Why does everyone look at you angrily?"

"You noticed that huh? Not exactly what I was expecting from you, especially right before we are about to start a tournament. Not exactly the best way to start my day."

"I mean, if you'd rather not talk about it, its completely okay."

"Nah its fine. You deserve to know. You've been a really good friend to me, and I want to tell you since you asked. Long version or short version?" I ask him.

"Well, is there is middle-length version? We still have some walking to do before we get there."

"Hm, I guess. So, by now you know my father is Neptune then, right? First off, I wasn't even supposed to be born due to the agreement between Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto to not sire children, so that's a bad start, but Jason is a son of Jupiter so clearly it isn't a huge problem. Anyway, Neptune doesn't get very much good rep here in New Rome. Rome has a bad history with the ocean, and so they don't exactly like my father very much. However, they aren't foolish nor stupid enough to go against a god, so they take their beef out of his children."

"I guess that makes sense, but I feel like a grudge doesn't warrant the disapproval you get from everyone. A lot of people seem to genuinely despise you."

"Correct you are, my friend. And to that I point to our powers."

"Our?"

"Powers shared by children of Neptune. For whatever reason Neptune seems to pass on a larger portion of his domain to his children than the other gods, which explains why I am physically stronger than most other demigods naturally, and why I am able to utilize some water abilities already. However, these powers can be hard to control and fluctuate heavily based on our emotions. A child of Neptune can and sometimes do lose control of their abilities and cause extreme damage and injury to those around them." I pause, allowing him to take a second and retain what I just said.

"Okay then. So, I am guessing it has happened then?"

"Indeed. There were these twin children of Neptune, named Mary and Matt, who were so inseparable and closely connected that there are multiple accounts of them finishing each others thoughts. Mary was an extremely adept demigod all around, with less ability to control water than her brother, while Matt had an unprecedented control of water, even to the point where he could change the temperature of the water inside of people. When World War II between the gods and demigods occurred, Mary and Matt fought flawlessly together, making up for each others weaknesses perfectly. Well, in one battle, Mary saved Matt's life at the sacrifice of her own, causing Mary to get shot right through the heart, and she died immediately. He watched the life drain from her eyes as the man who shot her down smiled at his good fortune. Matt's power exploded in absolute rage, killing the man instantly by freezing the water in his body. Unfortunately he wasn't done there... He just kept unleashing his anger into those around him, eventually freezing the entire battlefield. He killed everyone, including his allies."

"Woah. That's intense."

"Yup, I try not to think about it too often."

"How do you know all of this?"

"People have been like this with me ever since I was claimed, and it became public that I was a son of Neptune. And lets just say that after a while, a person gets tired of not knowing what is going on around him, and he goes searching for answers, so I did my research. But enough about this, we are here finally. I hope you are ready to watch me win."

"As if, I'm not just gonna roll over and let you beat me."

"Well, let's just wait and see, shall we?"

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting an audience for this tournament, and yet this arena was full of eager viewers, ready to watch us beat the crap out of each other. I guess its similar to how the ancient Romans loved watching Gladiator fights. Oh well, now I have a full crowd here to watch me win.

"Greetings, one and all, to the Young Legion Tournament of Heroes!" Reyna says from the middle of the arena, and standing next to her is Jason, both of which are in full gear, which I find interesting. "I'm sure everyone is eager to get started, but there is one announcement beforehand to do last minute changes. We have two special guests here with us today. Praetors Alyssa and Micheal are here along with one Centurion from each Cohort to watch the tournament!"

The crowd immediately starts cheering and even my eyes go wide. I look up to the stands and indeed, in the Podium, were both Praetors, looking down at us with a look of excitement and appraisal. After the cheering died down finally, Jason was able to continue from where Reyna left off.

"Yes, and they are here to scouting for new Legionnaires! As a result, both Reyna and I are entering the tournament as contestants rather than as officiators."

Reyna and Jason both jog over to join the large group of demigods about to fight not just to see who is stronger than the others, but to potentially move up in the world, one year younger than normal. We wait for a few seconds when some stirring occurs up in the Podium, and Alyssa stands up holding a paper of what I presume is the tournament bracket.

"As you know, if you surrender, leave the ring, or are beaten until unable to continue you are out. Best of one since we don't have all day. Now, would Percy Jackson and Octavian please step forward, it is time for the first fight of round one." Her voice echoes through the stadium.

Wow, what are the odds of fighting the dirt bag himself first round? I guess the gods smile on me every now and then. I can't help but hear them booing me as I approach the dueling ring. Many thoughts are racing through my head about the people of New Rome, gods how I want to make them suffer sometimes.

Revenge and Justice are not the same.

What the-

"Begin!"

I barely even had my sword ready by the time Octavian approached me, swinging like his life depended on it. I easily dodged the blow and jabbed back, testing the waters to see where is skills lie since the last time we sparred. We went back into neutral, but I quickly went on the aggressive, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep up with my speed. The pressure I was applying with the strokes of my sword quickly pushed him back eventually to the point where he was on the edge of the ring, where I promptly got in a sword-lock with him and shoved him away, ending the duel.

Immediately, the booing began again. What a supportive crowd. Doesn't matter to me though, I'm winning this tournament either way.

The next few rounds went as easily as the first, nobody really pushing me too hard. At least the crowd seemed to start tolerating my presence as the booing wasn't nearly as serious as before. I think I might have even heard a couple cheers of my name, but its hard to tell with all the noise from the tournament. I look over as Dakota is finishing his fight with... someone whose name I don't know. Now that I think about it, I really don't know many people do I? Guess that comes with being ostracized by the majority of the populace.

"Okay everyone!" Micheal says from the Podium, "Its time for a 10 minute break before the semifinals. The fights are going to be Percy vs Reyna and Dakota vs Jason, with the winners of those two matches playing for the title. Good luck to the competitors. Bets are going to be taken at this time."

"Hey Perce!" Dakota says as he jogs over to me. "Congrats on making it to the semis, not that I am surprised at all. Too bad I don't get to kick your butt outta here yet. Guess it'll have to wait til the finals huh?"

"And what are we, chopped liver?" A new voice says from behind us. I turn to see Reyna and Jason looking slightly peeved but not too serious about it.

"Is this a trick question?" I ask innocently, receiving a glare from Reyna which shuts me up pretty quickly.

"Wow Percy, I guess she already has you beat if that's how you are gonna act when she looks at you haha." Dakota laughs. She then glares at Dakota promptly shutting him up.

"See? That's a pretty intimidating look." I say as I turn and walk away with Dakota next to me. "Emphasis on pretty." I say just loud enough to where Jason and Reyna could hear us if they were listening. Fighting can just as easily be won in the mind after all, so I figure may as well try to throw them off their game a little bit. I mean, I don't expect either of them to be able to beat me, yet at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if one did. After all, its about time the fighting began anyway.