Chapter 84

Ronald was not happy with his job to guard the gates but it was an order from the higher ups and he had to do it. There were lot of monster attacks lately ever since the son of Jupiter or as he called himself the son of Zeus had arrived and the camp activities had escalated. The god riches wife's Proserpina had gone missing, after a meeting with some Ghost King who many assumed to be her husband or one of her many lovers, supposedly kidnapped by some monsters then it was the turn of the queen of gods Juno herself who had gone missing just after bringing in camp the new hero who in the end had gone rescuing her. Judging by the way that same goddess had sprouted out of nowhere right in the middle of the fields of Mars during their game, the quest had been successful. But it didn't stop there because, she had brought disturbing news along with her godly bottom; the news that the earth goddess Terra was rising and the fact that the monsters wouldn't just die until Thanatos fully recovered and be back from the frozen Alaska, they had to face a huge army of monsters was coming for them and that wasn't something which could cheer you up.

Then the goddamn praetor Octavian, who also turned out to be the augur, had chosen him to be on guard because he was so good at seeing things coming from afar as the bastard had put it. There had never been love between the two of them because his parents while still teenagers had wiped his father's butt beating him for the praetor station and later his mother Reyna had done her best to prevent his brother and sister from being praetor even when she was pregnant. So since he had found out about Ronald's parentage, he had made of it his sacred mission to torment him. And now that Lana his favorite praetor who always found a way to put him out of Octavian's arm length now she had gone missing and while Octavian had been trying to replace her by one of his groupies Ronald had take on him to stop the augur. Only now that the Romans had learned about Lana's whereabouts after learning the existence of the Greeks that they were supposed to be coming to their aid against the army of the giants along with their missing praetor.

Not only was he (along with others) forbidden to go on a quest to save Proserpina orders from Jupiter and his moron of son Mars, the son of Zeus had to go on another mission to unleash death and Juno who had been stupid enough to go by herself in Alaska. Mission from which he and his team has yet to return. But Juno's reappearance had been loud enough on its success. The army of giants was approaching them and would arrive anytime tomorrow and the preparations for war had being going on in full stream, making everybody nervous and on the edge. Rome hadn't fought monsters since the second titan war when they had stormed the Titans' fortress on Mt Diablo. That time his father had fought the Titan Krios who he had slain. It was one of the only good things his father had been able to achieve in his life along with being praetor.

Ronald was not much of a happy camper when all the eldest children of other gods got quests after quests his father hadn't even sent one quest to him, as if the bastard ever cared he thought. The guy lacked even minimum decency to visit his children once in a while which other gods did at least twice a year. The only quest he had done was for Lord Perseus who had once asked him to kill a strong monster that was causing problems to mortals. Ronald was bored and was feeling sleepy, he would welcome any quest from his patron even if it was to save some whale or dolphins with Green Peace…well not so simple; he felt the air shift a bit and his hero instincts told him that someone was standing behind him. The hero turned quickly drawing his sword.

"Your instincts are good as ever. You knew I was here in sixty seconds." Ronald saw the speaker was wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans. He had jet black hair with a few streaks of gray in them. His eyes were sea green with a hint of gold in them. The light from the torch made his eyes look even more gold like. As far as he could remember his patron had always looked more like a super model than a god, maybe it was because he was also the god of male beauty but he wasn't sure of it as he had heard it from some daughters of Venus who were jealous of his position. The young hero quickly knelt in front of the god of Time, Tides and Swordsmanship.

"My lord, I thought that the gods had gone silent." The god nodded at him but had a wicked look in his eyes which said that he wasn't the type to always follow rules. For a moment the legacy of Minerva wondered if his patron was as wild as his father now that he was a god; but judging by the way there haven't yet been a child of his in camp he assumed that he was faithful or just handled on an iron leash by his wife, after all nymphs were well known for their jealousy. But he preferred to see him as a faithful god, who respected too much his wife to be fooling around like all males in New Rome.

"Yes, we have to; thanks your grandfather we did. Now rise Ron, you don't look good in that posture." As Ron stood up, it had always been like that with his patron, he never appreciated to see his charge kneeling before him. He even once told him that he would be glad if he would stop doing so but Lupa had threatened to tear his body if he was rude with his patron before reminding him that sometimes gods themselves changed their mind as often as their domain state changed especially sea gods and that he might end up turned into a dolphin though Ron didn't think his patron to do that to him. The god always talks to him as if he was his father except for the 'son of Reyna' and he truly wished that it was the case as he used to think it was in his childhood. This was a man he would have been happy to have as his father and not his actual real father; and unlike the moron, Perseus cared for him deeply and more than his own father. Why didn't his mom fall in love with him and not his moron of father? He internally groaned at his own words.

Perseus spoke "we don't have much time to talk boy, so I will make this quick so you just open your ears and listen. You are well aware of the threat coming towards your camp." Ron nodded his head in affirmative as the god of male beauty continued "you also know of the existence of Greeks. If you have any intentions of surviving you will make friends with them. Do you understand?"

Ron nodded his head and replied "understood sir."

Perseus never liked the military kind of attitude but it was in the blood of a roman and that cannot be changed. "The reason why I am here is that soon after the war. That is if you survive I have a quest for you." Ron was overjoyed to hear this. He was getting a QUEST!

"Thank you my lord. I will do the quest and I swear I will not be disappointing you." To tell the truth Perseus was amused by the young hero's enthusiasm but since he was among Romans he had to act like one. So in a stern voice he said:

"Don't get all hyped boy. You will only be a member of the quest which will be led by someone else, a Greek to be exact."

Ron was a truly unhappy "a weakling will lead the quest!?" Perseus was not angered or anything yet he was not stoked.

He made an angry noise "are you calling me scrawny son of Reyna?" Ron was now a bit afraid that the god who truly is like a father to him would blast him to bits.

"No my lord, don't get me wrong. I was just trying to say that I could do the quest myself and a Greek was not necessary to lead it." Perseus sighed "don't think of Greeks as weak Ron. They are stronger than you think. Try not to make enemies of them." He sighs passing his hand in his locks, "I really wished you didn't go on this quest but your grandmother…And one more thing, please try to be like your mother and not like your father." with that Perseus disappeared leaving a faint smell of sea breeze behind.

Ron just realized that the god of time had not referred to him son of Jason but called him son of Reyna. The god always did that. Was it because Perseus and Jason did not get along as Lupa had once hinted or had it to do with his mother being someone the god had known personally... Ron told himself that he should ask the god next time they met and he turned his attention back to the guard duty trying his best to keep the quest out of his mind, and the things the god had just said. Apparently the quest had been issued by his grandmother Minerva that he had never seen, well physically. He remembered that he had once seen her in his room when around 7 or 8. It had been the scariest episode of his whole life, she had looked at him with judging and disapproving stormy grey eyes wondering if he was fit for something or would turn out useless. Those eyes hated him for taking his daughter's life, even more for being Jason's child more than everything. She had given him a sneer and spat "roman" before disappearing. Later on, after it being well-known to be the son of Jason, then later Perseus' protégé, he had been seeing an owl glaring at him even during his quests. The owl always looked at him with the same hateful and disapproving eyes, and when it started to change it looked more like 'show me your worth', 'show me who's blood you carry on' but even after learning from Lupa that it was Minerva's symbol it hadn't even once helped him when in danger. Plus Lupa had been enigmatic on why she did hate him so much. Strangely he never remembers to ask his patron whenever she was around but it all comes back to him once he's already gone.

He was anxious about the army that was coming for them as was all the other sentries and guards on duty. The reports had been enough to almost make him nuts. They will be fighting an army of monster without Lupa or their praetor who is a major warrior all by herself, and though the quest had been successful they didn't know if its members will be making it in time to fight beside them in what might as well be their last battle.

He bolted awake out of his daydreaming at the sound of the eagles alert, and then trumpets sounds filled the air of the camp. They're here he thought suddenly feeling the dread of fighting so much monsters without any help because he was sure that even if the Greeks came to their help, it will be too late by the time they will reach them. Damn Greeks. He thought finally feeling like Octavian but all of that quickly disappeared from his mind at the call of his centurion. He quickly ran to join his cohort, checking if his armor was well putted and nodded at anything said to him, without even hearing already picturing himself cut by some legendary monster. Stop it! He thought to himself, Lord Perseus won't appreciate it if you chicken out before the battle. After all the trouble he had given himself for you, is that how you're planning to repay him? by being a coward? Like your father did your mother long before your birth. He jumped to his face with determination in his eyes, it was time to show Perseus that he was a hero and make his mother proud wherever she was because she went down with her sword in the hand, so he planned to go the same way.

He joined his cohort when they saw the first monsters at the outskirt of their camp. They watched them destroying everything as they run to them, now fully understanding that there was too much monsters for them; that there was no way they would survived this attacks except if a god came down to fight beside them. The closer they got, the heavier the tension got in their ranks. He looked around at the Legion and saw fear in their stance and eyes but there was also excitement at finally fighting a worthy foe after long years of training for what was about to come.

Ron sent a prayer to his protector asking for his guidance with his sword but his friends too then he sent one to Jupiter and then to Mars to give them courage and strength to best their foes and for the fast return of those who went on quest along with Lana's safe return. His thoughts went to his mother, wondering how she would've react to the situation but then remembered that she had been one of those along with her father whom had stormed Mount Orthys. He prayed that he would be worthy of her and that if he was to fall that she would received him with open arms telling him how much she was proud of him.

At the same time, almost at the other side of the country, a group of demigods on board a flying war battleship was making the last preparation for the upcoming. They were twelve among them each one representing one of the Olympians except for Poseidon and Hera who had no one on the ship. There was the seven of the prophecy, well those available: Lana (Pluto/Hades) , Samantha (Athena), Leo (Hephaestus) a boy that Lana and Samantha had met on their quest, plus others like: Zoë, James, Connor Stoll and (Aunt) Clarisse Rodriguez who had take on them to help the youngsters in the first part of their voyage. In the end Ares and Athena had two of their children on board seeing that Kim had refused to stay behind and not have the chance to smack her boyfriend as soon as she would see him thought many thought that instead of a slap the poor boy would most likely get a long and passionate kiss then a knife into his belly to feel the wrath of Athena.

There were also two satyrs with them, Grover and another one that looked more like a mixture of a GI and some crazy Ares kid high on weed. He scared the hell out of Zoë but was always welcomed by Clarisse whenever she trained her you protégé which annoyed the hell out of Artemis' daughter. Clarisse was the captain of the ship (she had said that she was the most experience quester and that she had already run a ship in the Sea of monsters, and that even the mighty son of Poseidon Perseus Jackson had stepped down before her skill, which of course Zoë seriously doubt but the others were in awe before her) beside, there was five undead soldiers, courtesy of her father that were sailing with them. They only obeyed and answered to her but they always revered anything that came out of Lana's mouth. Lana had chose to wear some flashy attire that made it difficult to move with a couple of medals to prove her rank in the Legion assuring them that no Roman would shoot at them if they recognized her.

From time to times Zoë would take one of the pegasi and roam the sky ahead of them to scout for any dangerous monster or trap. She always took some other passenger with her though on another pegasi to not weigh on the animal. She always loved riding pegasi and she knew that she could trust them as they would protect her if necessary. The only one who didn't enjoy those rides was Lana; when Zoë had tried to take her, the roman praetor had stated that being in the air on a war ship was enough for her and that wouldn't ride a beast that might throw her off if it meant to save Zoë just because of her lineage. So Zoë had given up after that and went riding; it eased her mind and allowed her time to think away from the others.

Right now she was riding but she was lost in her thoughts thinking about what her father and mother had said of her and about seven. Of how she wasn't one of them but would eventually be important as any of them. Then later came the tall, beautiful and motherly woman (more than Hera herself) who would come into her dreams and warned her about the owl, the show makers and the web worker. Zoë had never understood any of her words but the woman genuinely cared for her even if she had never seen her. She seemed to be in some sort of cave or another dark place and always looked behind her shoulder watching out for someone, she would smile whenever Zoë would say something or asked her who and where she was; though there was strength and nobility in her way of speaking and sitting. Zoë had only understood later what she talked about or half of it when she had the visit of the one goddess beside her mother that she was wary of, the goddess of wisdom herself: Athena.

She was still shocked by what the goddess had revealed to her, on her grandmother's lineage or on Zoë herself. But what had frightened her was the mission she had been given along with Kim and some roman legacy of hers. But unfortunately it had been her and not Kim who had received the bronze piece that burned cold on her skin and weigh as the sky. She had been given the piece because she was "Well leveled head" and because of her "well trained mind" as the goddess had put it. Since then, she had tried to throw, destroy and exchange the piece but it was just as magical as her sword and always reappeared in her pocket. Until then she had never cursed her training with Annabeth but now she did because the goddess had beaten the argument into her thanks to that and to Kim's restless state of mind because of Damian. She hadn't told anyone about the piece or the woman, but had asked guidance from her father, grandfather and eventually her mother Artemis without having sign. She sighed and looked at the boat behind her, they had just passed Salt Lake City and only had few more miles before reaching Rome. She guided her pegasi back at the ship to rest a little bit and ready herself for the upcoming battle in Rome.