Chapter Eighteen

The Spirit District, the sector of New Rome that housed the nymphs, Satyrs, and other spirits—hence the name—had been the most damaged when the Greek warship fired on the city. It was absolutely terrible, and had put many people out of homes, but it had also given Percy the opportunity to build them better ones. Instead of the decades old buildings that had once housed the original settlers of New Rome, the inhabitants now had proper houses, with ventilation, up to code construction, and, most importantly, security. These weren't flimsy shacks that could be knocked down by a minor tremor, or old apartments that would burn for days if a fire got out of control. Of all his accomplishments in the city, this might have been the one Percy was the proudest of.

But not today. How could Percy feel pride as he sat across from the young widow of Marco Perez, the Faun who had lost his life trying to save Percy's?

"He looked up to you so much, sir," the nymph, Angie, sniffled, "he thought you were the greatest thing to happen to New Rome since the days of the old Empire. I know that Faun's have a reputation for being lazy, but he wanted to serve you in any way he could."

"It's undeserved," Percy said quietly, "Fauns are just as hard working as anyone else, they just don't get the opportunity. Your husband saved my life, and he lost his own in the process. There's nothing I can do to change that, but I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make sure that he's not forgotten. You…you have a son, right?"

"Yes, Hector," Angie nodded. "He's two. His uncles have promised to help take care of him, but its not the same as having your parent there."

That was a sentiment that Percy could understand.

"No," he agreed quietly, "it isn't."

They fell into a sombre quiet for a few more minutes, until Angie spoke up again.

"Can I ask a favour, Imperator?" At Percy's nod, she continued. "I know that the legion is supposed to be exclusively 'human' but is there anything you could do to incorporate spirits? Marco was always coming up with things that Fauns could do to help the legion, but they've never been able to serve."

"That's a tough order," Percy admitted, "but I think that it's doable. Fauns and Nymphs have been helping the legion in any way they can without being directly involved, and I think its time that we acknowledge their service. I'm just so sorry that this was the catalyst for it."

"If you honour him—if you really help—then I think Marco would have felt it was worth the sacrifice," the nymph said. "he really did just want to make you proud."

"He did that and more, Angie, I promise you," Percy reached over, ignoring the stab of pain in his side to pat her hand, "and I swear, he won't be forgotten. And neither will you. I spoke with the landlord this morning. This apartment is yours, rent free, for as long as you want to stay here. You don't have to pay for anything regarding the upkeep and maintenance. Anything you want to add will have to be paid, but I'll handle it."

"Sir…" Angie began tearing up again, "I…I can't accept this—"

"You can, and you will," Percy interrupted, "your husband died for me. That means more to me than you can imagine, and if you think I'm just going to say sorry and move on, then I wouldn't be living up to the person Marco thought I could be."

Before either of them could continue the conversation, the front door opened slightly, and one of the legionaries stationed outside the apartment slipped in.

"My apologies, Imperator, but the Amazonian Queen has arrived with the vehicles," the girl stated, flashing an apologetic look at Angie. "She's asking to meet with you."

"Duty calls, I'm afraid," Percy sighed. "If you need anything, my adjutant has instructions to help you."

"Adjutant?"

"Aide, essentially," he explained, "he's thirteen, so I'm leaving him behind to manage the civil aspects of my job. His name is Kyle Patterson, and he'll help you with anything he can. Again, I'm sorry for your loss, and I promise that Marco won't be forgotten."

"Thank you, Imperator," Angie said. Percy motioned to the guard, and she began wheeling him out of the apartment.

That was probably the worst part of it all—Savannah had under no certain terms let him leave under his own power, and she and Reyna had conspired to keep him wheelchair bound while his lung finished healing. It seemed like each day he rested, Savannah would tell him he needed to rest another, and he was starting to think that maybe the conspiracy wasn't just limited to keeping him in the wheelchair, but also to keep him from working like he wanted to.

It annoyed him but…honestly, Percy was too tired to fight. There'd be enough of that in the future.

Percy was escorted by the Fifth Squad of the First Cohort today. If he had to be wheeled around, he was going to do it with only the best protecting him, and despite the egalitarian nature he was promoting among the cohorts, it was still the First. People cleared a path as they saw him coming, some saluting, some nodding, and a few even bowing slightly. The last one was what made him uncomfortable. If he had to be Emperor, he was going to be the Princeps, not the Dominus. First among men, certainly, but not their lord.

He recognised some of the Amazons accompanying Hylla, but there were more still that he didn't. Kinzie was by her side, as always, and she glanced over at Percy as he was wheeled closer, eyeing the chair he was in with a guarded expression.

"They told us you were attacked but we didn't think it was this bad," Hylla said when she saw him, "you were jumped by some punk senator?"

"I was jumped by some punk senator with a knife," he corrected, "have you ever been stabbed in the lung? I don't recommend it. Imagine drowning in your own blood. It's not fun."

The Amazonian queen grimaced, and Percy waved her into the Principia. Once he was behind his desk, the guards vanished, leaving him with Hylla, Kinzie, and Reyna.

"We had our chief engineer, Morgan—you met her—do some work on the busses." Hylla explained, and Percy was grateful that she went straight to business rather than bringing up his injuries. "Reinforcement with Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze, boosting the engines, that sort of thing. You should be able to fit half a cohort and their equipment comfortably inside each bus, and you'll have a bus that's not even got half capacity in it."

"I can't thank you enough for this," Percy said, "You've come to our aid so much recently, and we don't have much to give you in return."

"A strong ally in the south is better than a weak one." she shrugged. "Besides, what kind of sister would I be if I just left Reyna to do this without any help?"

"Still, there's still about a week and a half before we leave, is there anything you need the legion to do for you?" he insisted. This time, Hylla didn't hide the looks she probably hadn't wanted him to see. She glanced at his neck, then to his arm—still in a sling—and finally down to the wheelchair he was in.

"Honestly? You probably need help more than we do," she said after a long moment, and Reyna let out a reproachful hiss at her sister. "What? It's true. The demigod who took down six Amazons like he was walking in the park would never have been caught off guard by some civilian. You've become complacent. You're also paranoid enough to have ten guards with you at all times."

"Hylla!" Reyna exclaimed. "That's out of line."

"That doesn't make it any less true," Hylla retorted.

"Well clearly you have a solution in mind, otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up, so let's hear it, Queen Hylla." He said, placing a hand on the back of Reyna's to make her sit still. Hylla watched the exchange with interest, but didn't comment on the interaction. "Whenever you're ready."

"Germani Corporis Custodes," Hylla said. Reyna scoffed beside him, and Percy blinked.

"I hate to break it to you, but we haven't recruited Germans since the fifth century." He said slowly, "you know, when those same tribes sacked Rome?"

"Well obviously not Germans," Hylla rolled her eyes, "but the concept behind it was a unit of foreign soldiers who had no direct ties to Rome or its emperors. In this case, I'm offering twelve Amazons to serve as your personal bodyguard."

"Why?"

"Because you're a strong leader, Percy," Hylla said bluntly, "and one who will treat us favourably. There was a reason we rarely interacted with New Rome before I met you. The leadership was too fluid, constantly changing. It was hard to figure out who would be a good ally and who would be a rival."

"Who did you pick?" Reyna spoke up again, "I know you, Hylla, you wouldn't just pick twelve random Amazons, and the fact that there's twelve of them…what's the significance?"

"Well, there are twelve Olympians, so that's a factor, but this isn't just for Percy's benefit. Six of these Amazons sided with Otrera against me, and they know that they need to work to earn back my favour. This has them do something productive but also keeps them away from the influence of those who haven't tried to get back in my good graces. The other six are incredibly loyal to me."

"So what, I get a…an Amazones Corporis Custodes?" He asked with a frown, "half of who would happily have killed me if asked a month ago?"

"Not all those who supported Otrera were anti-Olympian," Kinzie interjected, "more than a few supported her because she represented the old ideals. Something you should be familiar with, Imperator."

"Easy there, I'm just trying to figure out the game here," Percy raised a hand, "offering me warriors of your own is a risky move, Hylla, and if it's seen as you getting rid of the opposition…"

"These aren't the opposition, they're the foot soldiers. If I wanted to get rid of the troublemakers, I'd be far more clever about it. It's a message to those disloyal elements, but its also a message to my loyalists. I don't abandon my allies, especially not when their lives are at risk. Just take the damn guards."

"They're decent fighters, at least?"

"Better than the girls you beat. One girl's still in a cast."

"The…the one whose knee I broke?" He asked. "It felt pretty brutal at the time, but I think that might be an understatement."

"She'll heal, but she might not walk properly again." Hylla said.

"Which is what she deserves for betraying her queen," Kinzie added. "They're solid fighters. They'll give most of your First Cohort a run for their money, but I'd expect they don't hold a candle to you or Reyna. Maybe your centurions are better than them."

"It's not a bad idea, Percy," Reyna said softly in his ear, "and it'd free up the squads you have rotating to protect you…and it would make me feel better about leaving you alone, but that's more personal than professional."

He rested his head against hers for a second before looking back to Hylla.

"It's a deal. They'll serve me for the duration of this campaign?" He asked.

"No." Hylla shook her head. "Two years. It's a commitment, but its one they're going to make. If you don't have your act together after two years, we'll be having a different conversation."

"Well, as always, it's a pleasure to negotiate with you," he grinned tiredly, "We'll return your busses at the end of the campaign."

"Keep them," Hylla said with a laugh, "that was like, one day of profits for us. Practically nothing. You'll need them more than we ever would."

XXX

By the time Percy was allowed to enter the water, most of his wounds had already healed. After having all his scars healed by Polybotes, it was odd having them on his body again. There was a long, pink line between two of his ribs, and a starburst on his shoulder. The scar on his jaw healed the best, and it was only a pale white, barely noticeable unless someone got real close to him.

And with his new bodyguards, the amount of people who could get close was exceedingly small. There was exactly one person the Amazons wouldn't stop, and that was Reyna. Well, it was actually two if Lupa was included, but only idiots would try and bar the approach of the Wolf Goddess.

There wasn't an assigned 'leader' per se among the Amazons, but they tended to listen to the most experienced of the group, a daughter of Mars named Emiko Ito. She was down to earth, scarily competent, and to Percy's delight, a phenomenal fighter. He was still forbidden from sparring by his doctor and his girlfriend, so he had the Amazons showcase their skill by fighting different members of the First. It was only after Emiko defeated her ninth opponent that Percy had her fight Michael, and that had been the first time he had seen the son of Venus stalemate an opponent. If anything, that fight had cemented her position of authority amongst the other girls.

Emiko was also the only girl who didn't seem to hold any ill-will towards him for the incident with Otrera's loyalists. Even the girls Kinzie had told him were loyal to Hylla seemed to think he had been a little too harsh when he defended himself. Percy refrained from mentioning it was six on one, after nearly a week of imprisonment. There was no point in starting a fight with his bodyguards. That would have been counterproductive.

The one thing he found curious about the Amazons was their strict adherence to their historical traditions—Percy knew better than anyone that having something to fall back on, something that predated a person by thousand of years was always beneficial, but there was always a reason to adapt and adjust to the times. The legions of old would never have considered small-unit tactics as useful, even in the heyday of the Empire. But in the modern world, one where Percy could drive his forces—literally drive them—a hundred miles in an hour, having small strike forces of ten, fifteen, or twenty could make a world of difference. The Amazons, however, fought as they always had, without the desire to change. Each warrior was trained in the spear, bow, and sword. They could fight as individuals or as a single unit. On the surface, that seemed to be a solid doctrine, but as Percy dug into it more, he found that it wasn't really the case.

Just because they could fight as a single unit didn't mean that they knew how. The Legion fought and died as a unit—Percy was an outlier in how skilled he was at duelling, at that was because he spent the first six years of his training never having fought in a formation. Jason had a natural talent that couldn't be denied, and Reyna was a prodigy with a blade due to her parentage, but Percy? Percy knew he was the best. It wasn't a boast, or his ego. It was a fact. He also knew the fact that he was the best duellist in New Rome meant nothing if he had to fight a shield wall of legionaries. The Amazons didn't seem to recognise that.

He had watched them. As bodyguards, they'd be able to keep him safe from anything that came close, so long as it wasn't a disciplined force. As a combat unit, they'd be better used as scouts and skirmishers. He wouldn't put them in a battle line if his life depended on it—and his life could depend on it. He hadn't been the only one to notice their more independent tendencies, either. Leila had tentatively asked him if he was confident having them as a battlefield guard, and he had been forced to lie to her and say yes. He didn't like doing it, but he also had to keep appearances up.

Of course, that meant absolutely nothing when Emiko told him that they'd figured out he didn't like their way of fighting. He had been splitting his attention between watching them practice their archery and the Fifth Cohort practicing battlefield coordination when the Amazon approached him.

"We're not your legion," was how she greeted him.

"What?"

"We're not idiots, Jackson. You're intrigued by how we fight but you think its not as efficient as your cohorts," Emiko said slowly, "which is completely missing the point. We're not supposed to be fighting on the front lines."

"Unless I'm there," he pointed out, "since you're my bodyguards and all."

"Exactly, but are you going to be fighting on the front lines?"

"At some point I imagine yes," he answered truthfully, "if I'm needed to support a unit."

"I was told you were smart," she sighed, "you're not a frontline fighter either. At the very least, you'd be a shock component. You understand that concept at least, yes?"

"Careful now," he warned quietly, "just because you have more freedom than most doesn't mean I'll let you speak like that."

"We're not frontline troops. You've gathered that much, I'm guessing, but you're still basing our worth compared to the legion," Emiko continued, "you don't need us to hold a battleline, or fight as a unit. You need us to break a stalemate, and we can do that more efficiently as individuals than as some tight-knit formation."

"Well you've made me lose complete confidence in my ability to keep my thoughts to myself. What's brought this on?"

Emiko hesitated, glancing towards Temple Hill before looking back at him.

"Hylla didn't explicitly say I shouldn't say this, but it was implied." She said eventually. Percy just stared. Something that both Lupa and Salacia had told him was that whenever people didn't want to say something, they often fell into silence, expecting others to fill it for them. The best way to draw that information out was to say nothing. "We've never had any direct contact with the Greeks, but there are more than a few of them in our organisation. There's a reason you only got Romans and mortals. Most of our information about them has come from the Hunters of Diana."

"Is that so?"

"I'm Roman," she said. "And though I may be an Amazon now, I was Roman first. That means something to me and the others. It means something to Hylla, but she needs to balance between the Greek, Roman, and Mortal factions."

"Which is why you weren't explicitly told to say anything, but also not explicitly told not to say anything," he nodded.

"The Greeks supposedly don't care much for formations. They don't organise into diverse groups, but instead by cabin. Organisation is…looser than you're used to."

Realisation struck Percy like a hammer, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Is that why you've been using sloppy formations? To make me used to not seeing Roman precision?" He asked, arms crossed.

"Who's to say?" Emiko smirked. "But Amazons are the greatest warriors around, Jackson, and we don't make mistakes. Keep that in mind next time you start doubting us."

She rejoined her sisters rather than let him come up with a retort, and Percy found himself re-evaluating his previous assessments on the Greeks. Honestly, he had expected them to fight in a phalanx, and had considered how best to counter it—whether it was the Macedonian Pike Phalanx or the Greek Hoplite Phalanx, he had been confident he could take it on, but if they were just going to…fight as they wanted, that changed things.

But it also added a different problem—they weren't as disciplined as he had been expecting, which meant that regardless of how they fought, it worked. They were confident enough to disregard units and formations and battlelines in exchange for a system that had allowed them to defeat Saturn and his army in New York. He hadn't pressed Andromeda too hard on that issue when she was present, and now he regretted that decision. Even if it had made her uncomfortable to relieve her portion of the war, it would have been beneficial to know about who he thought were going to be his allies—who he could hopefully make allies before blood was spilled.

After a few hours of supervising the legion, Percy had the Amazons take him to the Little Tiber for what was going to be his last therapeutic healing session in the waters. It had taken some negotiation, but he had managed to convince Savannah that he would be healed enough to walk under his own power after three soaks in the river. That had been a lie, because he had been good to go after one, but he would take the victories he could.

As with the previous two times, The Amazons formed a loose cordon around the section of the river he was in, and while he could look up and see them clearly, whereas they wouldn't be able to see further than a few feet. He sat on the bottom of the river and fiddled with a few of the rocks scattered about. He needed to wait a bit before he could appear from the water magically healed, so there he was. Playing with rocks. Still, it was nice to be rejuvenated by the water—he was going to need all the strength he had when he met with the Senate. Call him cynical, but Percy had a feeling they weren't going to like what he had to say.

XXXMXXX

For the first time that Michael could remember, he wore armour to the Senate House. In fact, he wasn't the only one. All the centurions—decurion in Julian's case—and their optios wore their armour. Only Reyna, in her capacity as Princeps Senatus and Percy, as Imperator, wore their ceremonial robes like the other senators. He didn't know if it was for the intimidation factor, or simply just another way that Percy was trying to separate the military from the Senate, but he had to admit it made him distinctly uncomfortable the way that the other senators were glancing at them as if expecting him to draw his sword—which had been left with Terminus as was required.

"Let's get this show on the road," Percy said after a moment, and by the gods was it good to hear his voice back to its usual strength. "As a preface, the timetable for the Legion's departure remains the same, that hasn't changed. What has is exactly who will be leaving with us. I have cooperated with the leaders amongst the Fauns and Nymphs as well as with Lady Lupa to write the Lex Perez. This law opens up the role of Quaesitor, or Seeker for those of you slacking on your Latin, to Fauns. There will be one Seeker per contubernium in each cohort, for a total of ten per cohort, and fifty in total. The Ala will not have Seekers."

There was an immediate response of confusion and unease, and Michael couldn't help but agree, even if he kept silent. He felt Larry and Hank looking at him, so he subtly shook his head to convey that he hadn't known this was coming. What was most surprising was that Reyna had jerked around to look at Percy. It looks like the legion weren't the only ones not to be consulted about this change.

"It's a fairly simple role," Percy continued, ignoring the looks and whispers. "Fauns have a heightened sense of smell, to the point that they can track monsters and demigods alike. Each seeker will be tasked with helping their respective squad track down any hostile monsters, to be eliminated. Any demigods found along the way will be recorded for later retrieval, should Lady Lupa deem them worthy. A copy of the law will be promulgated to each of you with the exact details, but you can investigate that on your own time."

"But it's the Fauns!" A senator called out, "they're just—"

"I'd seriously advise you don't finish that sentence," Reyna cut across before Percy could. Which was good, because he looked like he was about to blow a gasket. "The Lex Perez was named for Marco Perez, the Faun who saved the Imperator's life during the cowardly assault on his life. Think very hard about the implications behind this law, and what you were about to say, Senator."

Percy exhaled deeply through his nose, and it was only then that the others seemed to realise how close to disaster they had come. To everyone's surprise, he walked down and handed a copy of the law to Daniel Voss, who arched an eyebrow at Percy before taking the offered stack of papers.

That led to nearly ten minutes of silence as Voss read through the law. Those around him crammed to try and look over his shoulder, but he remained unphased.

"This is a very well written law," Voss said eventually. "The cost of the salary for these Fauns is well within our budget, and the benefits they gain for service is equitable for a legionary retiring after a decade. Do you intend to eventually integrate them into the battleline, Imperator?"

"No, they'd cause breaks in the formation, unfortunately," Percy grimaced, "if Fauns were going to be brought into a combat role—which they're not right now—it would be as scouts and skirmishers. Maybe messengers. This is strictly an auxiliary role designed to improve the effectiveness of the cohorts."

"I honestly don't see anything wrong with it," Voss said loudly, "and while I understand that it is your prerogative to implement the laws you want, Imperator, if I can be so bold, I'd ask for at least a few days to properly review any future laws you wish to implement, if only for traditions sake."

"I can make that promise," Percy nodded, "because you're also about to receive three more laws regarding the social status of spirits and non-humans in the city. Those laws haven't been passed, nor will they be without the Senate's approval. There's a six-month window to debate and revise the laws, so I imagine you'll have plenty of time to review them. The proposals will be delivered to each senator tomorrow morning. Feel free to discuss it with your constituents and fellow senators."

"I see," Voss murmured, "that is appreciated, Imperator."

"Well, never let it be said I'm not a nice person," Percy gave a grin, but it wasn't his usual, friendly one. This was definitely one he had learned from Lupa, and it made most people uneasy. Michael regretted that he was one of them. Nothing good had ever come from that lupine smirk. "The Lex Perez went into effect thirty minutes ago. Centurions, when you return to your cohorts, there will be ten Fauns waiting for you to assign them. I'll leave who goes to what unit to your discretion."

"May I ask why this law wasn't put to debate?" Andrew Scott asked from his seat.

"Because I didn't want it to be," Percy answered honestly. "There are plenty of other laws that can be debated. This one is passing immediately."

The answer didn't seem to satisfy several of the senators, but wisely they didn't say anything. Michael knew there'd be whispers amongst the safety of their homes, but nothing would be brought up in the Senate until Percy and the Legion were gone. It was another problem that Percy was pushing to a later date, but honestly, there wasn't much other choice, Michael could see that. He could, of course, debate the law with the senators, but that would delay the legion leaving, which would upset the people. Or he could leave with the legion on time, upsetting the senators. A typical catch-22.

"Furthermore, as I'm sure you've all noticed by now, I have an Amazon bodyguard," Percy said, "since that development occurred between Senate sessions that I attended, I thought I should just confirm it for you. Officially, they're the Amazones Corporis Custodes, and they'll serve as my personal guard both on and off the battlefield. Like anyone else, however, they're required to remain unarmed while inside the city limits."

"Wouldn't that make them less effective as a bodyguard unit?" Richard Horn asked.

"Normally, yes, but I talked to Terminus, and it turns out that steel rods don't count as weapons, so they're going to carry those around with them," Percy grinned, and again, Michael felt a wave of unease. "And trust me, I've seen those girls hit things. It wouldn't be pretty."

"That pretty much brings everything of importance to an end, so I'm going to turn the session back over to the Princeps Senatus to conclude anything else that needs to be addressed. Just a reminder that tomorrow I'll be meeting with Lady Lupa and the Pontifex Maximus for the entirety of the day, and won't be available. My adjutant can see if you can fit in my schedule, but be warned that there's only a few open times, and they'll go fast. Anything else will have to wait for my return from the campaign. Any last questions?"

"What's the intention with the Graeci?" A senator spoke up. Michael didn't recognise her, but judging from where she was sitting, and who she was sitting with, she was a Populare.

"I'm sorry, your name, Senator?" Percy asked, "and if you could clarify?"

"Abigail Chauveau, Imperator," she said, "and it was recently brought to my attention that there has been a lot of discussion regarding this campaign, but you haven't outlined a goal to be achieved other than 'march off to war.'"

"At the moment the only goal is to reach the Greek Camp and make an assessment of their military capability," Percy said. "Their warship gives me pause, but all reports indicate that it's not gone to the Northeast—our eagles lost it somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. If they have any more, we'll seize what we can and destroy the rest, but I'm not going to raze their camp and kill everyone if that's what you're asking."

"But the goal is to ensure that they can't harm us again?"

"Ideally, yes." Percy nodded. "I appreciate the question, Senator Chauveau, and I'd be happy to discuss this further with you another time, but duty calls and I am needed elsewhere. Senator Reyna?"

Reyna smoothly took over as Percy stepped down from the rostra, and after a moment, Michael felt a tap on his shoulder. One of the Amazons flicked her head toward the exit and he got the idea, slipping out of the Senate House to find Percy waiting outside.

"Find one of your siblings that owes you a favour," Percy told him, "a retired one, preferably. Have them keep an eye on that last senator."

"I didn't recognise her by look but I know her by name—Abigail was one of the veterans recalled from Europe, Percy. A child of Venus like me."

"I know," he sighed, "I'm actually interested about her is all. No one had even asked me that question before her, and I want to know why."

"I'll do my best, then."

"Thank you," Percy clapped his shoulder, "and I'm sorry for springing the Fauns on you, but I needed it done quickly. I didn't want to get drawn into a debate with the legion either."

"I'll handle it," he promised, "you just make sure you're at one hundred percent by the time we leave."

When Percy grinned this time, it was the one that put him at ease—the slightly crooked grin that had charmed the hell out of anyone who stood before it.

"Don't worry buddy," Percy said, "I'll be kicking your ass again in no time."

MMXX

Okilly Dokilly gang, it's time for a quick CombatTombat history lesson. If y'all remember, in Chapter Nineteen of Vas Bellicosum, I wrote it entirely as letters Percy wrote to Jason and Reyna, except for a small scene at the end. Chapter Nineteen of this story is going to be somewhat similar. There's not much else left of interest in New Rome, so instead, the next chapter is going to be somewhat like Chapter Sixteen, in that it's a series of snapshots, only it's going to cover the legion on their journey to Long Island. It's been a while since we've had some proper action, and this next chapter is going to be exactly that.

The position of Quaesitor is one that I created for this story. The word literally means Seeker, and the only reason I chose it is because when I tried to translate 'searcher' in Google Translate, I only got searcher. If the role of the Seekers seems familiar, then you may have read the original Children of the Gods before I took it down. I always found it weird how Camp Half Blood recognised the value of Satyr's being able to smell monsters and demigods alike, but Camp Jupiter just decided that they were third-class citizens who had no intrinsic value. To me, this makes them the equivalent of the proletarii, the Roman social class who owned little to know property. And yes, that's where we got the word proletariat from. So consider the Lex Perez (named for the Faun who saved Percy's life if you didn't get that for some reason) a sort of mini-Marian Reform by Percy, in order to introduce a neglected social class into the military.

Now, obviously, I am a massive history nerd, and I find the Roman Legions fascinating as a topic, so a lot of what I write is related to that, but as you can tell, recently I've started bringing more political stuff into it, because while I can understand Camp Half Blood, which is a training camp for demigods not having a organised system of government to ensure that everything runs smoothly, I refuse to accept that New Rome ran on a council of five teenagers and five veterans—who may still have been teenagers—without any problems. Obviously, that's what I had in the beginning of this series, but the moment it made sense to change it, I did. As this series goes on, we'll get a more fleshed out New Roman Political System, and if it makes sense, I may do the same for Camp Half Blood.

Finally, I have some news regarding other stories. A lot of people for a long time have been asking (or demanding, in which case sit on a cactus) that I update Eternal, to which I ask if you even read the god damn authors notes I wrote for that. I've been working on a trilogy called Firstborn that is my rewrite of Eternal. As of today, 9/16/2020, I've completed seven chapters of Firstborn: Fall of Troy and am working on the eight chapter. I'm also working on a rewrite of This Means War in the form of the Tartarus Trilogy. That one has much less written for it in content, but I've been doing a lot of worldbuilding for that story. If you check my profile, I have all my stories separated into what's finished, what's current, what's a WIP, and what I have planned. My WIP's get the most attention, and when I finish this story, one of them will probably be promoted to a current story. I mentioned doing a poll about stories, and I felt the need to clarify—it would be about picking one of my planned stories and moving it to my Works in Progress, so while I'm still going to publish the stories I want to, you guys get to direct what I'd be working on.

I'm going to stop talking now because I've already said a lot in this note. Leave a review and PM me too if you want. I'll answer what questions I can regarding this story, other stories, or what I think about the assassination of Aurelian.

EDIT: Just fixed a bit of a confusing word towards the end.

Cheers, CombatTombat