From Mortal To Divinity

It's been a tense year since the attack on camp, and for once I finally have time to relax. I'm currently laying down under The Lake, enjoying some peace and quiet. The date is August 11, 2009, the day of Percy's attack on the 'Princess Andromeda' and of Charles Beckendorf's death. It's also four days before the Battle of Manhattan begins.

Normally knowing all of this information would be useful, however a few factors make it so that the information is close to useless for me.

For one I am in the Roman part of the story, the part that is spectacularly vague about how the war went on the Roman front of things. The only thing that is known for a fact is that Jason defeated Krios, the only Titan there, and destroyed Kronos' throne in Mount Othrys. However the information is no longer useful as Krios is now joined by Koios and Perses, which brings me to my second hindrance, canon is no longer the same.

Not only is there the possibility of ROB changing things, but I have changed so many things since coming here that I've given up relying on my foreknowledge for anything. My first major change was upgrading the camp's defenses and having The Legion actively hunt down monsters on the west coast. My second major change was sinking a whole island in the Sea of Monsters and attracting Kronos' attention to Camp Jupiter. In canon Kronos' had sent the majority of his forces to attack New York. However, ever since the Sea of Monsters, I've made myself into a bigger threat than Percy by forcing all of the Titan's Lord forces on the west coast to hide in Mount Othrys. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Beckendorf survives his and Percy's assault on the 'Princess Andromeda' simply because the majority of Kronos' forces are either dead or positioned in Mount Othrys to attack Camp Jupiter.

"My Lord. What has you so lost in thought?" says a strikingly familiar voice, interrupting my thoughts in the process.

I open my eyes and turn to face my visitor.

"Portunus, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" I ask.

Portunus, also known as Palaemon to the Greeks, is the god of sharks, harbors, sailors, and one of the commanders in Neptune's army. Currently he takes the form of a speartooth shark, one of five known species of true river sharks, an extremely rare and threatened species.

"I have come with a gift from Lord Neptune and Lady Salacia. They wished to personally present it to you, however the war is currently at a crucial point and they are needed there." replies the shark as a rectangular box materialises on the ground.

"I understand." I say.

"I must be going now." he says with a bow before disappearing in a flash of light.

Swimming to the floor of the river, I open the box to see a set of armor and a note over it.

"Since you have outgrown your previous armor, both of your mothers and I have decided to give you that will grow with you in preparation for the upcoming battles. These will be far more dangerous than ever. According to our sources, Ocean has set the Carthaginian Serpent to attack the mortal city near Camp. This battle will not be easy. No matter what, do not hold back. Remember, The Carthaginian Serpent is a 120 foot snake that emerged from the River Bagrada in North Africa to confront General Marcus Atilius Regulus and his troops during the First Punic War. The only reason the Legion managed to defeat it is because they had a mountain of rocks to bury it under. You will not have that advantage. ~N" reads the note

Putting the note down, and momentarily ignoring the fact that I will have to face one of the most dangerous sea serpents to exist, I turn my attention to the armor in the box.

Similar to the first piece of armor I received, this one is also colored blue and black. Unlike my previous one however, this armor is split into pieces. The first piece is a sleeveless blue cuirass made of an unknown material with horizontal lines going down it and a single vertical line that travels through them, five black sea shells going across the chest. Attached to the cuirass are blue tassets to protect the upper thigh, and a cloth that hangs between the legs. On the left tasset are five purple sea shells, while the right has one.

The legs are one piece separated into two colors, with the division occurring just above the knee. The top is made out of the same scales as my previous armor, colored black, and ending at just above the knee. The bottom covers from the knee down to the ankles and made from the same materials as the cuirass.

The boots are colored blue, reaching just under the knee, with the part of the feet covered in a grey armor that makes it indistinguishable from the greaves that go over the part of the boot that covers the shins.

The pieces that go over the arm are similar to the old armor. There are two blue vambraces, with a single fin each, that go over two black sleeves that start from the biceps and end at the wrist.

The final pieces of the armor are two pieces of purple cloth that can be used for a cape, a black belt that is suspiciously in the shape of Aquaman's symbol, and a blue circlet for my head, no doubt signifying my status as a prince of the sea.

Closing the box, I picked it up and made my way out of the lake to prepare for dinner.

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"Lady Lupa, it is good to see you." says Azula as we bow to the wolf goddess.

The Legion had just finished another game of siege after dinner, when the goddess appeared.

"Likewise. Unfortunately this is not a simple visit." replies the goddess. "I bring with me grave news. The enemy is officially on the move. A majority of their forces have left Mount Othrys and are on their way to the camp as we speak. Their time of arrival should be around two days. However my wolves and I shall run interference, you can expect to have an extra day to prepare at most."

"We will be ready." I answer.

"Do not be hasty. This, unfortunately, is not the end of my report. As you know, Ocean and Neptune have been at war with each other for the better part of two years. From your spy's report we know that he expected to win the war in time to join the Titan's army assault on the camp, naturally he failed and is still fighting the war. In fact, from Neptune's reports, we know that Ocean is being pushed back and will not be able to join his brethren."

"Isn't that good?" asks Jason from behind Azula.

"Normally, yes. However, seeing as he won't be able to join himself, he sent the Carthaginian Serpent to attack the mortal city of San Francisco. The atlanteans have attempted to intercept it to no avail. It will arrive in time to aid the Titan army in their assault of the camp." explains Lupa.

"Well shit." says Reyna as she voices everyone's thoughts.

"Crude, but aptly said little one." answers Lupa.

"You have three days at the most to prepare, do not squander it." says the wolf goddess before leaving in a flash of light, prompting us to avert our eyes.

Looking over the cohort, I can tell that most of them have already come to terms with the fact that the deciding battle for the war's outcome is coming. For years we have battled against the enemy in skirmishes, like the battle in the Little Tiber a year ago. The battles started out a year after my fight with Alex, when Azula and I took over as praetors.

At first it was simply us hunting hordes of monsters to give the Legion real life and death experiences. Then, a few months after my trip in the Sea of Monsters, the monsters became organised and even started to employ mortal mercenaries. It was easy for Azula and I to figure out that Atlas had been freed, he isn't called The General for nothing after all. However, despite the enemies' organisation and newfound tactical prowess, we were prepared. I had been drilling military formations and tactics from every era in history into the minds of the legionnaires for years in preparation for Atlas' release. Naturally that didn't make them as proficient as Atlas, however it definitely reduced the number of casualties we've received by a large margin compared to if we stuck to Roman tactics only.

Studying the faces of the veterans, I can easily tell that they have accepted the fact that they may not survive the upcoming battle. Many of them have lost friends, comrades, brothers and sisters in arms, and some even their blood relatives. I can feel many of their needs for revenge, and frankly I don't blame them. The battle in the Little Tiber was not the last attempt to circ.u.mvent the camp's defenses and enter through the lake. Over the single year that passed since then, I haven't always been available to fight alongside them. The casualties during those times easily outnumber our casualties in other skirmishes. Eventually I had enough and completely diverted the river's path coming from the mountains away from camp. While that didn't stop the attacks, it certainly reduced it to a significant amount. After all now that the river no longer reaches the camp, the monsters have to get out of the river and walk from the mountain to the camp. The amount of monsters that can survive in both sea and land are in the minority, with the cyclops being the most populous.

However, not all of the legionnaires have experienced enough life and death battles to immediately mentally prepare themselves for the upcoming one. Naturally they are not as confident as the more experienced members of the legion. However behind that uncertainty, lies a fire of conviction. A conviction to fight for Rome and to make its enemies bleed. Like the veterans, they have felt the sting of casualties, and like the veterans they too want to make the enemy pay dearly.

"Legionnaires!" I scream, bringing all their attention to me. "In three days the enemy shall arrive at our steps in an attempt to subjugate us. You know our pantheon's history, you know what the Titans and their army of monsters are capable of. I have no need to tell you what the consequences of failure will be. You all know. Unfortunately for the Titans, we are ready. We have been preparing for years, even before we knew for a fact that a war was coming, because it is who we are. It is in our blood, we are the swords and shields of New Rome, and woe betide all those who stand against her."