#f&gevent

Percy had lived in New Rome for most of his adult life and he had yet to see it in such a beautiful condition. He didn’t know who was responsible for it, but the progress in the cities reconstruction was astounding. Where they hadn’t completed work, delicate decorations such as fairy lights or neon signs had soften the atmosphere around the square where the festivities were taking place. Striding through the crowds of people, he greeted friends left and right. He was wearing one of the few pieces of his wardrobe that he’d managed to salvage after he’d returned to his apartment at the war’s end. A dark navy blue suit with a light pink shirt and blue tie. Brown belt and brown shoes of course. Heading towards the bar, he ordered a drink. This was going to be a good night, at least that was what he hoped.

Wally had left after Z. The pair decided to meet each other at the feast separately. Wally came in a dark purple tux with a dark tie to match. He had added a laurel wreath to his head for the evening, something he felt was a nice addition. Wally was openly nervous, looking around every few minutes, waiting for something to pop up. It felt like nothing could be enjoyed anymore. The smell of food was quick to reduce his fears. Maybe if he ate something he’d feel better. As trays of food passed around, Wally picked up what seemed to be a fried ball of filled with stuffing and mashed potatoes. “Holy shit, has anyone else tried this?!” Wally snuck a few more of the things off a tray and made his way over to the bar to order a drink. He smiled when he saw Percy down a few seats. “Hey! You look good, man.”

As a general rule, Abigail was not a party person. Partially because bumping into other people was inevitable, partially because talking to other people was inevitable, partially because it meant getting all dressed up when she’d much prefer to lounge around in her couch, braless, hair tied up in a bun, wearing an oversized shirt covered in Cheeto dust and with her cat, Shelley, curled up on her lap. Counterpoint: she liked drinking, dancing and eating fancy snacks. So this was kind of a conundrum. In the end, she solved it by giving into peer pressure and going to the friggin’ party. Wearing a full-length light blue gown (with full sleeves and gloves, of course) and with her hair in a neat braid, Abigail was thoroughly enjoying the open bar, ordering the drinks that looked the fanciest and the wackiest. Later, once her legs had rested from the walk over, maybe she’d dance.

Noticing the two children of Hecate that had arrived around him, Percy finished his drink order. “Hey Wally,” he said as he finished ordering a pint of beer, turning to look at Abby and then leaning back and engaging both his friends, “you and Abby definitely know each other right?” he asked with a gentle smile. He’d known both Wally and Abby separately. Both of them were children of Hecate and though he’d spent time in New Rome and Camp Half Blood with them separately, this might’ve been the first time that he’d seen them together. “Is it too early to start really drinking? I’ve been considering when the appropriate time to start doing shots would be.”

While Jason wasn’t the world’s biggest fan of overly formal events, he couldn’t deny that he looked pretty good when he attended them. Anxiously smoothing down the front of his dark gray jacket and adjusting his dark red tie he strode purposefully into the half-finished Senate house, marveling at the beauty of the edifice. As he turned slowly to take in everything around him he caught a familiar bearded face from across the room, and wandered over to his best friend, snagging two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray as he did. “It might be too early for shots. However I think you’re in the clear for some bubbly.” He squeezed Percy’s arm and nodded to the people he was talking to, brushing his hair out of his face. “Evening. You both look lovely.”

While Percy was all fussy about when was the right time to start drinking, Abigail was on her third tequila shot. “Uh. Wally? Never heard of him. Sounds like he got jealous of my nickname, though”, she said, deadpan, before licking off the salt from the back of her hand and downing her shot like a pro. “Evening, Jason. Thank you, I always do. You two look nice, too.” Unable to help herself, she added, teasingly: “For guys, I guess.”

Annabeth had never been one for much dressing up, and she much preferred her shorts and t shirts, but in the spirit of the Unity Feast she was now sporting a long blue gown. Praying to all the gods that she didn’t trip over it somehow in the course of the evening, she headed over to where a cluster of her friends stood. “ Hey, what’d I miss? ”

Wally nodded. “Yes we know each other, sadly.” He smiled at Abigail and thanked the bartender when his drink arrived. “I think we all look pretty sexy, myself included, of course.” When Annabeth came over, he shrugged. “Nothing yet. We’re getting drinks, but it seems Percy is apprehensive. But my guess is: put something blue in front of him and he’ll drink it, no matter what.” Wally took a look around and showed his plate of kind-of-stolen delicacies to the small group. “You guys gotta try these. There is mash potatoes and stuffing mixed in. It’s like . . . I don’t know. It’s the kinda stuff the gods hoard away from us.”

Turning, Percy accepted the glass of champagne off of his best friend and took his place besides Jason. Smiling graciously, he shrugged. “I want to be clear, I’m not the type of person to shy away from a good drink. I definitely don’t think that I’m the type of person to turn down a shot, I was simply musing as to whether or not it was worth considering if there was an appropriate time for shots. Four for shots perhaps?” he smiled gently and looked to Annabeth, winking gently at his friend before taking a sip from his champagne flute as the music filtered through the evening air. The sound of violins singing in the background.

“I never really associated this outfit with pounding shots at the bar,” Jason laughed, straightening his tie and vest, but if we’re lining up at the rail, I’ll do my duty and uphold my collegiate honor.” As Annabeth joined their group he gave her a small wave, sipping from his flute. The entire scene was a little surreal, but he didn’t all together hate it. They had earned this party, with blood sweat and tears and hopefully it would give them all a chance to heal some of the ugly wounds the war had opened. “I hope there are more than canapés at this thing or we’re going to be drunk in a corner in the first five minutes.”

Connor took his time arriving at the party. Sure, he enjoyed them, and all the things that came with parties, such as food and alcohol and pickpocketing, but he just wanted to take it slow tonight. Walking through the crowd, he wore a white button up shirt with floral patterns on, half buttoned down, along with navy pants and matching brown shoes and a belt. Flashing flirty grins at most people he passed, his eyes fell upon his friends at the bar. “I see we’re forming a sub-party over here, is it invite only?” He joked before ordering himself a whiskey and lemonade. “Glad to see we all turned up, everyone looks stunning.” His eyes flickered over everyone before finally landing on his drink. Tonight would have been great, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was terribly missing someone.

Marcus leant against a building on the outside of the square, tapping his ring against his glass. His eyes gently scanned through the crowd making mental notes of everyone he knew. So far, he hadn’t noticed anyone who caught his particular attention, other than a couple of greeks that had started to gather at the bar. Sighing he pushed himself off the wall and moved towards the centre of the square, slipping past people with ease. A smile tugged at the edge of his lips as he spotted his co-centurion and began to move towards her. “Cat, imagine seeing you here.” He joked.

It was strange to think that once upon a time Marcus had been Cat’s subordinate, but now they were partners in leading what was essentially her life’s work. Marcus had been the most suitable choice after Jax had left, however without him here, now, it felt strange. “Marcus,” she drawled, raising a glass of red wine to her equally crimson lips, “a pleasure as always to see you here.” Wearing a sleek black silk dress, Cat reached up and played with the black diamond she wore around her neck. Absently taking everything in. “It has truly turned out well, morale should benefit from the extravagance, don’t you think?”

Brock had been there since before the event started. He offered to act as guard but his higher-ups still felt he was a bit too off balance to be working. They believed it would be better for him to enjoy the event, as if he could. The entire feast, while he was happy to see Romans having a good time, it felt like a joke. Seeing Marcus and Cat, Brock got into stepping. Seeing familiar faces, ones incredibly friendly took a weight off of Brock he hadn’t been aware of before. “Marcus, Cat, how’re you both? You both look nice.” His eyes strayed from Cat but he kept an even smile. Brock had come in a suit lent to him by his friend, tailored of course. A dark green suit with a thin belt around his waist, similar to those of the strings tied around a tunic.

In her defence, Piper hadn’t meant to get so tipsy. She’d only meant to stay for a little while, have a couple of drinks, and then go home. But that wasn’t what happened. She was on her second drink by now, a complete and utter lightweight, swaying in time to the music as she swallowed the sweet taste of cranberry-vodka down her throat. She hadn’t put much effort into her appearance tonight, wearing a tight red dress and pair of heels. She looked great, however, but didn’t feel on her A-game. Nonetheless, she wanted to see everyone. Following after Connor, she said, “Hey, has anyone seen my purse? Pretty — pretty sure I left it somewhere. Don’t know where, but it’s got to be here somewhere.” Even when tipsy, she could talk eloquently.

Eyeing the drinks available, Annabeth was torn between making a conscious decision to stay sober, or throw caution to the wind, because let’s face it, they all deserved a night to get shitfaced after everything that had gone on. “ Cheers to the night? ” She lifted her own glass at the group, raising her eyebrow as Conner and Piper joined them. “ I haven’t, but I could go with you to take a look around if you’d like? ” She offered, noting the slightly slurring girl. There was a voice in the back of her mind telling her that if the beginning of the night was any indication, it might be safer for there to be at least one sober person. God knows what might happen when you mixed a bunch of demigods and legacies who had still unresolved tension and alcohol.

Despite everything that had happened in the last few months, Percy found himself relaxing and enjoying himself. Swallowing a few mouthfuls of champagne, he glanced between Annabeth and Piper wondering whether Piper had even brought a purse with her, “I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Percy replied with a smile as he reached for several more glasses of champagne and passed them around the group, ensuring that anyone who didn’t already have a drink was well provided for. “If I can just take a moment, I’d like to toast us all, Roman and Greek alike, we’ve been through so much and we’ve come out stronger. So a toast to the years to come, with all the friends we’ve made along the way.” He raised his glass towards the small group they’d formed by the bar. Completely oblivious of all the people they were blocking from gaining access to said bar, but in that moment they couldn’t care less.

Despite his love for these events, Aidan was nervous with how things would go. If he’d know anyone there, if he’d be dressed well enough. He fidgeted with his outfit in the storefront windows as he made his way down, feeling over the soft pink lace sewn over his creamy white jacket. Matching pants, and rose gold cufflinks. He stared at the lights of the party before entering, putting on his best smile. His anxiety washed away seeing people he knew. “Hope I’m not too late to join in?” He asked, picking up a glass of his own, knowing to be mindful of how much he had, eyeing Cat. Aidan wasn’t about to embarrass himself further. Everything felt surreal. Calm. Okay for the first time and Aidan felt good about the night. About the future a little bit too.

Jason raised his glass as Percy launched into a toast, nodding along to his friend’s words. “Here here. To the friendships we’ve made along the way and to the peace we now work to construct. May they both last an eternity.” He downed his glass and passed it off to a passing waiter before snagging another full one. He was more than his usual amount of awkward; given that this was the first event he’d been to where he didn’t have a title and job to hide behind, but he was bound and determined to make it work. Which meant acknowledging the presence of the bitch in the black dress across the circle from him. “Ms Karavadra.” He half bowed “you look lovely this evening. Hopefully you’ll save a dance for me later, provided your dance card isn’t already full.”

By the time Abigail came back, she was still a little tipsy and her feet -- foot, her foot hurt. She slid delicately onto the stool, propped her elbows up onto the bar. Her cheeks were flushed with the exercise, her hair only slightly out of place. “I missed the toast?” she asked, then ordered a side of French fries, one of her few guilty pleasures. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Karavadra, promptly deciding to ignore her. It had always been obvious how Karavadra felt about the Greeks, so Abigail felt no obligation to go out of her way to be nice.

Honestly, as Cat, Brock and Marcus made their way past the group of merrymakers toasting and loudly talking about shots, food and the food time that they were having. Cat’s emotional mask slid into place as she gave Jason the most beautiful smile that she could muster. “You look positively ravishing yourself, that suit really brings out your eyes.” She smiled kindly at him as she continued gliding past. “I shall endeavour to save you a dance,” she gestured to Marcus and Brock as if to indicate that she was already inundated with potential prospects, “but as I am sure that you can see Mr. Grace, my dance card is filling up fast, so make sure you get in while stocks last.” She gave him one final sickly sweet smile, a mischievous glitter in her eyes as she imagined what disembowelment would be like for him. She hoped painful. His self righteous smug nature was almost sickening.

Cat had a way with people, she knew what to say and how to seem elegant and hide her true feelings. Marcus however, struggled with it despite his natural gift with the mist and his illusion spells. Instead, he opted to simply showing his true emotions, one of disinterest towards the group. He remembered all the Roman legionnaires they had lost through the war, not to mention their legionnaires on every other day too. He might have seemed old fashioned with his ways, but blood must have blood, just, not now. Leaving Cat’s side, he flashed a chaotic smile at Jason and then the others. “You don’t mind if a join you right? You did make a toast to Romans and Greeks alike, that includes me right?” A tone of mischievousness danced in between his words as he placed his empty glass on the table and ordering a new one, purposely leaning over and Greeks in the way.

“Oh, Zeus”, Abigail said under her breath. She didn’t mind the Romans’ company on grounds of them being Romans, but she didn’t like the atmosphere they’d brought with themselves. Growing up in a hostile environment, she could pick up on the slightest of signs of someone getting angry. Her magic probably had something to do with it, too. Always a hater of physical contact, but too stubborn (too fucked up) to display weakness, Abigail didn’t even twitch as Marcus leaned over her to get a new drink. Her plate of fries arrived, and she used a toothpick to stab at them, eyes flicking between Jason and the Romans.

Connor rolled his eyes as Cat showed up. He recalled their previous conversation and couldn’t help but feel a taste of disgust in his mouth. “Piper, I could also help you look for it if you like? I’d rather be anywhere but in the presence of her.” He felt like spitting her name out of his mouth but held himself back. Besides, it honestly wasn’t worth it. “I haven’t seen anyone steal it, perhaps you left it on a table and a waiter picked it up?” Connor had been drinking but he was sober enough to help look for a purse.

Wally turned himself around when Cat showed up. He prayed to his mom that she was passing by. If he never saw her again, he’d be fine. Wally poured back half of his drink and signaled the bartender. This would be more fun, and a lot easier to get through if he was a lot less sober. “Whiskey shot,” he chimed. Wally vaguely heard the daughter of Aphrodite talking about a missing purse. He knew somewhere in his room there was a locator spell, but that was all the way back in his apartment. ‘Sides, Connor’s already offered, he reasoned. Waiting for Z might just be his best option.

Brock grinned at the Greeks and caught the eye of Annabeth and Jason. Even before the war, after the Greeks had shown up, word of Annabeth’s skill in battle came around quickly. He had imagined a few times what it would be like to fight her, what he could learn from her. Jason on the other hand made him feel agitated and annoyed. It was aggravating to see an unfaithful Roman, but Jason wouldn’t allow himself to get too deep into thought on that. There was mystery on both sides and it was easier to just protect the civilians. “Cat, maybe we should go somewhere less rowdy? You wouldn’t want to get anything spilled on that dress.”

It wasn’t like Z to be so terribly late. He had always been the punctual sort, but times were changing and he had a bit of elephant business to take care of before making his way to the festivities. As he slipped past people with faces he knew and treated, he fiddled with the cuffs on his suit jacket. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had the prior inkling to get anything new tailored and his recent surplus of physical activity was making his clothes fit a little snug. It couldn’t be helped. “Oh; excuse me,” he politely exclaimed as he passed by a couple talking privately amongst themselves. His shorter stature easily snaked beyond them, only for him to come to a complete stop when he nearly bumped into Aidan. “Lace? To an event like this? You’re bolder than I thought you’d be.” The tease came easily as he reached over and wrapped his fingertips around a glass on a tray passing by. He eyed the contents warily. The last thing he wanted was alcohol, but this was clear. The squint he gave the glass was almost threatening.

Percy winced internally as the Romans moved over to the side of his group and Marcus made it clear that he was welcoming himself to the proverbial party. Reaching into a small bowl of olives, Percy chewed on a thick green one soaked in chilli oil and made sure that it was crushed into nothingness before he even considered opening his mouth. “Yeah can I get two shots of tequila with lime and salt,” he turned to a Jason whom he knew couldn’t stand Catherine Karavadra, especially after what he considered to be her wrongful arrest of former Praetor Reyna and Frank, “down the hatch bud,” he grimaced as the tequila poured down his throat. The tension in the room was near unbearable as Connor and Cat seemed to glower at one another from across the room. However Percy was determined to ease things off, he knew that the easiest way to do so was probably to break the group up. Turning to Piper and Annabeth, he looked at Jason and grinned. “Ladies?” he asked as Boogie Wonderland began to play in the background, “may we have this dance?”

Cat knew that she was the least popular Roman in miles, and considering the high density population of this square that was truly something to say. The Karavadra family hadn’t done itself any favours by funding and leading the war effort. But Cat knew deep in her stomach that she had done the right thing. She’d been protecting her city, protecting her people. “Yes, I think we should move along Brock, are you coming Marcus?” she asked as she strode away and moved towards Aidan and Z. “I agree, lace was certainly a very bold choice, however I am not convinced that Aidan’s got it in him to be anything less than bold, it has always been a trait that he has possessed.” Despite the fact that he’d previously drunk too much on a mission, she had to admit that the guts which that took was impressive to say the least, she didn’t know many Legionnaires that would survive an ordeal or even risk it.

Piper, ever the eloquent one, grinned at Annabeth, giving her an appreciative glance as she did so. About to accept the offer, she was interrupted by Percy. “I wouldn’t worry about it usually,” she replied. “But I’m pretty sure I left a few important items in - in the bag.” A hiccup sounded, soon followed by another giggle. She was about to say more — perhaps launch into a great speech herself — when Percy beat her to it. Honestly, his way of speaking was much better — and more eloquent — than hers was, so she let it slide, lifting her glass in the air and saying, “Hear, hear!” in response to what he had said. Then, noting Connor at her side, the young demigod latched onto him, curling an arm over his shoulders as she said, “The more help the merrier! I really, really need that bag. Seriously.” She’d already forgotten what she’d put in there, beside a pack of gum, but she was sure it was important. And whoever Connor (and Jason) were trying to avoid, Piper would happily help them do so. However, the thought of her bag was soon forgotten upon Percy’s invitation to dance, and with yet another grin in Jason and Percy’s direction (and with a slight stumble), she said, “I’d love to. Annabeth, what do you say?”

On the surface, this was the time for Greeks and Romans to make up, but as the daughter of a strategy goddess, or even someone with a smidge of common sense, Annabeth knew that things would never be that easy. She nodded in acknowledgement, smiling slightly at the ones who recently arrived, feeling the need to set an example, but it would be a lie to say that she wasn’t wary, especially of Catherine. Grateful for Percy, she silently commended him in her mind, knowing that if they continued here any longer it wouldn’t end up well. “ Don’t yell if I step on anyone’s toes, though. The rest of you want to come? ” She grinned, moving in their direction and extending a hand to steady Piper. The responsible part in her, though, couldn’t help but question Piper again. “ Are you sure you don’t want to go look for your bag first? If there’s important things in it … ”

Frowning at the situation, Percy decided that before any dancing was to be done they would have to discover the whereabouts of the bag. “Has anyone asked some of the staff?” he turned around to the bartender behind the bar and turned to look at Piper. After a hurried conversation, Percy turned to the group. “The bartender says he hasn’t seen it but there is apparently an official lost and found across the way,” he turned and strode off, unsure of which way to go, but he led the way all the same, doing everything that he could to indirectly combat the tension growing between them all. “What colour is your purse?” he asked curiously as the music shifted from Earth Wind and Fire to something a bit more modern that he couldn’t place his finger on.

Connor grinned as Piper placed an arm around him but simply slipped away when she left for a dance. He wasn’t in the mood to dance right now, not after the atmosphere that Cat brought with her. He was about to suggest that he go look for the purse whilst they danced, but then Percy set off on a mission. With a skip and sprint, he caught up to Percy’s side. “I can check the square entrances? Perhaps someone picked it up and dropped it off there. I don’t think it was stolen, and if it was, I could find that out too.” Without waiting for a response, he turned to face the others. “Anyone want to join me?” He then turned and made his way to the entrance that he had come through.

Marcus picked up the drink the bartender had whipped up for him but before he could say anything else, the group seemed to split up and Cat somewhat summoned him to follow her. Sipping his drink he grinned and followed behind Cat, free hand in his pocket. He wasn’t exactly impressed with how Aidan acted during the raiding of the Greek party, but it was amusing. He wasn’t there but he had definitely heard about it. It had been brought up at one of the Centurion meetings so that the Centurion of the 5th could deal with it. “Can you handle your alcohol tonight Aidan?” He said with a teasing smile. He then turned to look over the crowd. Frankly, he was rather bored. “Brock, interested in doing some rounds? I wouldn’t mind reprimanding a few legionnaires that have gotten themselves drunk during the festivitie?”

All the Greeks seemed, suddenly, very concerned with Piper’s bag, and Abigail suspected -- no, she was certain -- that, while their concern was real, they were all the more grateful to get away with the least popular demigod in New Rome. It was a pity that Marcus was so heavily associated with her (at her beck and call, in Abby’s opinion), because, as her mother always said: she was always Hecate. That was why she’d been the least affected by the Roman-Greek split. In her opinion, Marcus and the other children of Trivia were almost as much of her siblings as their Greek counterparts... “See you ‘round, brother”, she said, stabbing another fry with her toothpick. Deciding to help out, Abigail stood. “I’ll come with you, Connor.”

Cat gently watched the majority of the Greeks depart from the large part of the bar that they’d been occupying. “Make sure that you don’t pick on too many of them, I’ve got a nice 10 mile run in full gear for any of our Legionnaires returning to the barracks intoxicated underage, and anyone late for duties will be joining them.” It was a tradition she and Jax had formerly run, and one she intended to continue running in her brother’s absence. She didn’t mind her soldiers enjoying themselves, but they had to always put their duty first. Arriving to duty hungover was unacceptable and it was not something she was willing to tolerate. “But do make sure that our soldier’s are minding their manners. I’d hate for anyone to get upset in such a tense time.”

Aidan’s face flushed and he shrugged. The situation had grown increasingly uncomfortable with Cat and Marcus’ presence, and it felt weird to receive what felt like a compliment from her. “Thank you Z, thank you Cat. And don’t worry, Marcus, I will be watching my intake. I’ve learned that lesson. The rather hard way.” He said remembering how hot and heavy that armor had been the full 10 miles. His muscles ached from the memory. “But maybe go easy on my fellow legionnaires? Gods know we could all use tonight as a break. All work and no play, you know.” He watched as the group split, most people going after his sister’s mysteriously lost purse. He wondered if she’d even brought it. “How’ve you been Z? I haven’t seen you in a hot minute.”

There was a lot to unpack at once. Z recalled, during the final declaration in front of the senate, that there was some sort of tension between Cat and Aidan, but the wording tonight from the centurion and also the man following her alluded to something more. The child of Hypnos would’ve given why a bit more thought, only the voices of a few familiar people caused his head to tilt away from those closest to him to garner a glance at the slight commotion. His ears could faintly pick up on them deciding to split up to look for Piper’s purse. He thought it was best to join them, since it would give him a chance to avoid whatever was about to happen before him with the Romans, but their talking drew him back in and his honey eyes snapped back to them quickly. “Never a dull moment for the Legion, I suppose,” he mused over the rim of his glass. Wagering a sip told him it was very much not water and he hated how smoothly the small bit of clear liquor went down without causing him to wince. “I’ve been as alright as I could be. It’s hard not falling victim to the ‘all work and no play’ sort of thing nowadays. I take it that it’s been fairly similar with people on your end as well?” His words were in the addressing of all the parties before him, not simply to Aidan. He didn’t want to be rude, no matter how much his skin crawled and itched at the thought of what sort of snap could possibly come from Cat or the, frankly, curt man with her.

Brock laughed and shrugged, picking his head up to look around at all that was going on. “Sure, though I think Aidan’s right, Marcus, go easy on them tonight. It’s not everyday that we get to go to a feast.” Roman life was hard and as understatements go, that was certainly one of them. But it made their parties, the times when they did relax all the better and everyone was more grateful for it. If he couldn’t relax tonight, on day when everyone was suppose to be thankful for things, maybe his superiors were right and he was too rigid. “Maybe have a drink first, Marcus.”

Wally watched the group of Greeks leave as he stayed at the bar, deciding to wait on Z. It was a few more minutes until he heard the sound of his boyfriends voice. Turning around, he saw him talking to the kid who Wally had looked after children with. He smiled, happy to see that Z was making friends. He looked back and realized his shot had been sitting there, waiting for him. He threw it back and grabbed his other drink, and went to join Z by putting an arm around his waist and saying hello to both him and Aidan. “Nice night for a party. How’re you boys?”

“Definitely.” Aidan replied. “Reconstruction efforts, civilian complaints…” He sighed, shaking his head and grinned. “And children watching. Wally here sure knows his way around the kids.” He greeted the man as he appeared. Aidan felt like gushing over how cute the pair were, but he held himself together for his current superiors. “I’m pretty good, and how are you? Did you get called back to the daycare since last time? I’m sure the kids wondered why you haven’t been back yet.”

Nico was never huge on social gatherings. The whole idea had his anxiety skyrocketing, but given the general atmosphere of New Rome following the full blown war he'd completely missed out on, he figured making an appearance would be a good thing, especially considering his history of attempting to maintain peace between the Romans and the Greeks. He arrived in an all black three piece suit, despite the fact that he absolutely hated dressing up, but a dress code was a dress code. The decor was breathtaking, and the reconstruction seemed to be heading in the right direction. Deciding against immediately seeking out human interaction, he made his way over to the bar and, after a millisecond long internal discussion about just how old he was (sometimes he forgot his exact age, given the fact that he was technically almost a century old), he ordered himself a Guinness and took a few small sips from the glass.

Percy had checked three bars across the square, doing his best to find Piper’s lost property. He had been enjoying the night well enough, and it only improved as he spotted the black three piece suit of Nico di Angelo. Drinking his typical pint of Guinness, Percy wondered if his friend drank Guinness for the aesthetic or whether he genuinely enjoyed the taste. Either way there was something striking about his appearance. “Nico!” Percy beamed, “I was wondering if you would show up.” Turning to the bartender he ordered himself another drink. The waiters that were moving around the room with Champagne seemed to have disappeared for the moment and Percy wanted to try reconnect with his friend, if he possibly could. “Isn’t the party going well?” he asked as the bartender passed him a pint of Blue Moon. Sadly the drink itself wasn’t actually blue, but the name at least made up for it a little bit.

Nico had no intention of moving from his spot at the bar just yet. Social interaction was draining, something he had to work himself towards. He’d blown through a quarter of his Guinness before he made out a familiar face moving through the crowd and towards him, a small smile forming on his lips. “Figured I'd at least make an appearance.” he responded, turning his body toward his friend. “I think so, yeah. Part of me forgets you guys were at each other's throats not too long ago, but then I spotted a couple Legionnaires giving me the stink eye.” he added with a light laugh. “I think things are going in the right direction for the most part, though.”

Percy had to admit that he was pleased to see his friend. Slipping his hand into his jacket pocket, he reassured himself by patting the pen which would transform into Riptide on the inside pocket of his jacket. Sipping at the hoppy larger he’d been given, Percy shrugged. “We were all manipulated into fighting one another, that’s something that’s going to take time to adjust to that,” sighing gently he took another long drink and sat silently. “The tension seems undeniable.” He sighed gently and shrugged. “But these things are the best worked out in social situations with a shit tonne of booze and food, right?”

Connor accepted the company and began checking the entrances. “No luck, this is really strange. I’m sure it’ll show up sometime though. He shrugged and dug his hands into his pockets, slowly heading over to a bar and ordering shots. “I suppose we should reward ourselves for the effort.” He states as 5 shots per person were poured. They were called sours and weren’t potent but 5 of them were surely to get the party going. He took all 5 swiftly and tilted his head back to enjoy the head rush. Spinning, he turned to locate everyone. He noted Percy’s location, watched as Marcus seemed to leave the party and finally his eyes fell on Cat. He stared as anger boiled. He couldn’t believe how stubborn and selfish someone could be. Not offering help to refugees simply because she’s helped the Romans already and was busy rebuilding. Perhaps it was the alcohol crowding his judgement but he spat on the floor and pulled a subtle middle finger at the Roman before turning and ordering his favorite drink. “I hate her.” He said to whomever was still with him after the shots and the purse hunt.

Cat hadn’t seen Connor’s less than subtle attempt at swearing at her. Mainly because as she had been crossing the square, she had noticed a small bag. Squatting down delicately, she scooped it up and returned to her less than lofty heights. Although the heels she wore allowed her to stand above her usual stature. Opening the purse, she flicked through it to find an ID. Piper Mclean. Interesting. Cat hadn’t exactly ever talked to Jason Grace’s former flame, and though she was sure that Piper was as insufferable as the rest of the heroes of the prophecy who had earned their fame through a few lucky quests, unlike her prestigious career through the Legion, leading and fighting for her people as it should be done. She was aware that a purse had been lost, and set out to return it to its owner. They had to at least pretend to play at peace right?

Connor turned and leaned his back against the bar, taking a sip of his drink, his eyes scanned the crowd again. It was a habit of his, searching the crowd for potential targets even if he had no plans of stealing anything. That’s when his eyes landed on Cat yet again. Seeing the purse that clearly did not match her outfit, he squinted and pieced things together. He launched himself off the bar and stormed off towards her. “I see you’ve found a purse, how convenient after Piper’s had just gone missing. I don’t suppose that’s hers is it?” He stood in her path, arms folded across his chest. “If you’re done doing who knows what with her belongings, I’ll return it to her thanks.” He held his hand out for her to hand the purse over.

Cat had no intention of speaking to impudent Greek that was angrily crossing the square across from her. However it soon became clear to her that Connor had every intention of speaking to her. Not even bothering to suppress the roll of her eyes she tutted at him. “Are you always this arrogant and rude?” she asked with a sneer quickly dancing across her face before she composed herself. “For your information, I only just picked this up, unlike you children of Hermes I have no intention or desire to steal. If I wanted this purse then I’d simply purchase it. However as this is hardly my sort of taste,” she looked somewhat disdainfully at the purse and frowned gently, “now if you’ll excuse me then I shall return this myself, I don’t need your interference, please step aside and next time remember who you’re speaking to. I’m not one of your cabin mates from Camp Half Blood. I’m a centurion of the twelfth Legion, I don’t owe you any explanation.”

“Actually, yeah I am.” Connor spat. “Especially to people that have given me a clear reason for me to be rude to them.” He spoke with confidence and met her gaze. “It’s not the purse you wanted, it was the information. Like you said, you’re a Centurion of the twelfth Legion, it’s your job to collect information on people who could be a threat, maybe you’re just collecting knowledge of the Greeks so that next time you declare war against us, you’ll have a better fighting chance.” He laughed dryly. “Yeah, so you get your henchmen to do everything else for you, but this you’d like to do yourself? To paint yourself as a hero when you stole it in the first place? That’s the thing with Hermes kids like myself, we don’t just steal things, we know other criminals moves as well.”

Laughing quietly and mirthlessly at Connor, Cat actually had to place a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from really shrieking with laughter. “Ah, you’re truly a fool, I am more committed to the peace process than any of us, if you don’t remember it was my orders that had the senators taken into custody.” She would’ve liked to say that she hadn’t collected information on what she considered to the main strengths and weaknesses of all of the most powerful demigods who could be seen as a threat to her or to the Cult. “However, just because you’ve developed a vendetta against me and my people, like so many of your people is not of interest to me. I have nothing to benefit from painting myself as the hero over something so petty. You’re drunk and making a fool of yourself. Now I’ll ask you one more time step away from me and allow me to continue on my path. This is none of your concern. Go back to your drinks.”

“Connor.” Abigail said, resting her hand over his chest to stop him from possibly advancing over Cat. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm, commanding respect. In another life, she would’ve made a good commander. “Stop. It’s not worth it to pick a fight. Actually, it’s downright a bad idea. Peace is fragile right now. Don’t. Blow it.”

Past experiences had trained Annabeth to sense trouble brewing pretty quickly, though she was too far away to stop the confrontation between Connor and Catherine. She’d never been much of a peacekeeper herself, one much more likely to fall victim to her own pride, but even then her analytical mind knew that de-escalation would be the correct path here. Noting that there was already someone attempting to hold Connor back, she caught his eye for a moment, hand slightly tapping his back as she passed, hoping that he would take the hint to back down. Instead, she turned her attention to Cat, smile on her face. “ Thanks for finding it, but Piper’s a little tipsy at the moment, and would probably end up losing it again if you gave it to her now. We’ll take care of it for now, but I’ll let her know that you found it. ”

Raising an eyebrow at the situation, Cat dipped her head gently and nodded. Handing the purse gently and carefully over to Annabeth before taking a step away. She had no intention to further the conflict with Connor, she wasn’t nearly childish enough to do so, perhaps that wasn’t entirely true but she had airs to keep up. Her professionalism was meant to be the core of her personality. “Hopefully she doesn’t lose it again,” she turned and strode away, moving towards Marcus with a slight smirk. That had been somewhat satisfying.

The Legionnaires had a lot on their plates, but this was certainly not a concept localized for just them. Z couldn’t quantify the amount of work the Greeks were also busy with. His own workload was enough to make him dizzy sometimes. “That does seem like quite a bit—Oh!” he gasped out softly as an arm snaked around his form. He looked over, and then subsequently upward, to see his boyfriend’s face, and his heart skipped a beat. Thank the gods it wasn’t someone random. “Aidan was the one you were working with at the daycare? What a coincidence. We met while I was keeping some children company in a game of hide and seek.” The universe worked in mysterious ways, it seemed. It was basically fate that they meet, just as it seemed to be fate that some sort of loud conversation broke out at an event for peace. As short as he was, he couldn’t quite see over the heads of other partygoers, but he did catch the faintest of sights of Connor and what sounded to be Cat’s voice as well over the cacophony of others. A frown graced his face as he fiddled with the glass between his hands.

Aidan sighed, thinking about how cute Wally and Z were, wishing he too would someday find something like they had. Or at least had thought to bring a date to dance with. It felt like a middle school dance, as tensions kept most the groups to the bar and food areas. Chatting quietly. At least it was passive until he heard the commotion, and felt a vague sense of dejavú watching Connor drunkenly yell at Cat. He just felt glad it wasn’t himself, not having even finished the glass in hand. Aidan downed it and trying to keep a smile on his face as he began to feel suffocated from the ensuing silence cleared his throat. “Brock- would you uh, would you care to dance?” He asked, trying to change the subject. “I love the-the cha cha slide, everyone… knows it…” He trailed off, hoping someone would jump to his aid. Surely he wasn’t the only uncomfortable one.

-

Stalking his way through the night, Percy made sure that Wally was with him as they stalked along the shore towards the bright lights of the casino. The war that was currently raging away just two miles away didn’t seem to bother New Rome’s richest as they all approached the casino. Percy could see the lights from across the lake and as they got closer he could see the finest dressed guests moving their way around the garden outside. “I can’t believe that I am wearing a tux!” he exclaimed as they got nearer, “I know that we’ve got to try and be silent about the fact that we’re Greeks, but there is a war going on and unless the Romans have been getting their supplies through another way, I can’t imagine how they justify this lavishness.” He swallowed and felt for Riptide in his pocket. “Not to mention the curses,” anger flashed in him at the injustice and he did his best to get over it with a deep sigh, “come on. Let’s get going. The sooner this is done the better.”

-

Wally peered his head over a small hill as they made their way towards the casino. To hear that some assistance might come out of this place was like catching a curveball. He shrugged and pushed his hair back, although the gel was doing its job of keeping it in place. Since they’d be heading to a more regal affair, Wally shaved and tried to make himself look presentable. “It’s how some of them are, they don’t even care enough for their own. Besides, there are tons of wealthy families in New Rome, right? They probably all pooled their money together or something to keep this place operating.” As they came closer to the entrance, Wally stopped Percy. “Alright, stand back. Now remember, this will only last for a couple hours, so if we split up, find me before then.” Wally’s magic was usually as bright as the day and as obvious as a guy with two heads, but he could contain the firework effect of it all if he tried. Warping Percy to look a different way wasn’t hard at all and was a nice change of pace from trying to stop all these curses. Illusions and transformation were his fortee, so in mere seconds, Percy Jackson no longer looked like himself, though Wally could see through the spell he worked. It was like someone was holding up a transparent picture of the real Percy infront of his disguised face. “Okay, you’re good. Now, let’s go in.”

-

There was something… not magical, but highly enjoyable about the casino to Bran. Sure, the war raging in New Rome had affected many people, but the elite of the elite still found their way here to drink and to gamble and to squander their money. It was entertaining to see rich senators slurring their speech, to watch with barely-concealed glee as this Roman or that Roman went into a full-blown panic as they lost at one of the tables. He could sense the tug of madness at their minds when they ruined themselves in roulette; or broke the bank at blackjack. Sitting at the bar, facing towards the floor of the casino with a large glass of his family’s own wine in his hand, he smirked slightly as a man nearby blew through several thousand in a loss on a poker hand. Closing his eyes for a second, he gloried in feeling the desperation the man was feeling, skirting dangerously close to madness. As a son of Bacchus, he could manipulate and feel madness. Reaching out with his abilities, he placed the mad thought of wagering even more to try and break even on the next hand in the man’s head, and gave a somewhat sadistic giggle as he watched the man start feverishly counting the chips he was left with before taking a slow drink of his wine in order to hide his smile from anyone who might be looking at the Maecenas patrician as he gloried in this one man’s despair at a game of poker.

-

As Wally quite literally worked his magic, Percy didn’t feel any different. He wouldn’t have even believed that anything had changed, but he caught his reflection in the light of the lake and even he could see the differences. “Woah,” he admitted out loud with a surprised raise of his eyebrows, “you’re really getting good at this magic shit hermano.” He smirked through his whisper to Wally and double checked on Riptide on the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket before setting out through the front door of the casino. He spotted senators and even a few members of the Legion, but none of them seemed to realise it was him. So at least everything here was going to plan, for now if nothing else. Pausing momentarily, he reached up to stroke his beard before stopping himself. The visage he wore was clean shaven. “Do you know what you’re looking for?” he asked Wally curiously, glancing left and right trying to work out exactly what it was that they were here for.

-

“Thanks, Jackson.” Wally beamed at the other lad. Indeed, Wally had gotten better with his magic since the war had begun. He’d used the new battle-torn turf they were in to advance his powers through rougher practices with the elements and powers that be. As they walked into the casino, Wally was a bit overcome. He had never seen a casino before - well, he had seen them in movies, but they seemed different in person. Maybe it was because they were all demigods here, but Wally could feel the power in this place. Everyone was dressed to the nines, and because of their attire, the smiles, the eating and drinking, you’d never guess there was a war going on outside. “Look at all these asshats,” he commented quietly. “Yeah. Brandon Maecenas. He’s a son of Bacchus. His family owns a vineyard that was blessed by his dad. Gives ya’ a bit of an idea of who we’re dealing with. I met him at one of the parties Jason had before the war. Doesn’t like Greek’s at all. But, rumor is that his family has some really strong ties to some artifacts. Getting one would really help us with the ritual.” Heading to the bar, Wally inclined to the bartender, asking if anyone had seen the man. “Brandon Maecenas, he’s been known to frequent places like this. Tall, looks kind of like a bull?”

-

Bran was part of the way through considering whether to make the poker-playing gambler snap then and there when he heard his name being mentioned at the bar. Turning slowly on his stool, he took in the sight of the two men - one he didn’t recognize, and one he did. He’d met the one with the mis-matched eyes somewhere… It’d come to him in time, he was sure. “A Bull?” He asked dryly, eyebrows rising slightly as he drained his glass of wine, placing it down on the bar and snapping his fingers to demand a refill from the bartender. “We’ve met.” He stated simply, eyeing the one who had asked about him. “Warrington or Walsworth or something, yes?” He asked, pointing at Wally as the bartender dutifully refilled Bran’s glass. “Something with a W, anyway.” He picked up his glass of wine once more, taking another drink - and pointedly not ordering any for the pair of them. He had a nagging suspicion he had met Heterochromia over there in something less-than-acceptable circumstances, which immediately made Bran guarded towards the two newcomers.

-

For once Percy had a line ready. He was about to explain to the bartender that they were friends with Bran and that they had a gift for him. Something that would get them off the hook of suspicion. And yet before he could say anything someone was talking to Wally and it didn’t take him very long to work out that this was their target. It was awkward if he was perfectly honest, Wally hadn’t exactly insulted Bran, but there was room for offence. A nagging feeling that this might not go as well as he would’ve liked started to tug at him, he patted the inside of his jacket to ensure that Riptide was there, though he knew that it would be. Somewhat comforted by the backstory that he was beginning to concoct in his head. “Is this Bran?” he asked, leaning forwards and smiling brightly at Bran, “Duke Chadinson,” he said stretching a hand out for Bran to take, “nice to meet you.”

-

Wally tried to look confident, which was getting easier now that he had protected himself against so many attackers and even killed one. He was able to keep his back straight and take a few steps over to Bran without faltering, definitely a change from a few months ago. He looked to Percy as he introduced himself to Bran, his smile changing to something more humorous. “Bran Maecenas? We have met before, at a party months and months ago. Wally Robinson.” He didn’t put his hand out, thinking Bran might remember who he was and not only not shake his hand, but immediately call security. “Thought I might buy you a drink, offer a proposal to ya, if you’d be interested?” Thankfully their tuxes masked their forearms, helping to hide the fact that unlike everyone else here, even Percy, Wally had no SPQR tattoo. “Might we take a seat somewhere more private?”

-

Before Bran had the chance to process much of what was being said to him about where he had met ‘Wally’ (that didn’t seem right, did it?) the other man was introducing himself as ‘Duke Chadinson,’ a ludicrous name that made Bran just stare at him and his extended hand in very clear judgement for a long moment. “You are either the worst person I’ve ever met when it comes to making fake names, or you have a very unfortunate mortal parent.” He said a little jeeringly to the man he was, as of yet, unaware was Percy Jackson before turning his gaze back to Wally. “I can pay for my own drinks,” He said a little stiffly - the memory of the party coming back to him now his memory had been jogged about it. “Tell me, how is Jason these days?” He asked with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, subtly warning the two of them that he knew precisely who - or what, rather - they were. “You have five minutes,” He said flatly as he stood from his stool, brushing past them both before finishing the sentence quietly so that only ‘Duke’ and Wally would hear, “Graecus,” and led the way across the casino floor to a back reception room, shutting the door behind the three of them.

-

Following Bran through the casino, Percy considered giving up the act but thought better of it. “I actually changed my own name, I used to be called William Hernandez, not exactly the most exciting name. Not quite like Duke Chadinson.” Smirking through his drinking, he swallowed a mouthful of beer before raising an eyebrow and shrugging. “Jason’s doing as well as could be expected, all things considered of course,” he paused for a moment before stepping into a private room with Bran and Wally. “You’re not blind, you might be stupid but only time will tell,” he shrugged for a moment, “so you know that there is a number of curses affecting both Romans and Greeks. We’ve found a way to stop the curse, but we require certain components that we don’t have access to.” Pausing for another second he let that sink in. “We can’t keep things going for too much longer, we don’t think you can either.”

-

Wally sighed, giving Percy a quick look. Was that really the best name he could manage? Wally pursed his lips and held back the urge to slap the backside of Percy’s head. Espionage was not his thing. “Jason’s alive, which can’t be said for all of us,” Wally added, walking to the room with the other two men. Wally wasn’t sure if it part of who Bran was, but just looking at him made the blonde feel uneasy. It was like looking at a known murderer, which now Wally had to wonder, did this guy kill any Greeks? “You’re family I heard has a lot of highly priced jewelry, some magical, some not. Some of these items might help me,” he paused, “might help us all in ending this curse. We know that the Romans can’t be doing well, not based on what we’ve seen. So, I need to get into your house, see what you have that I can use, then we’ll be gone. I imagine that if the Roman’s haven’t fixed this by now, they can’t. So . . . that’s our proposal. You help us, we can end the curse.”

-

“Yes, I suppose doing as well as can be expected in the current circumstances is the best he can hope for as a traitor to the Legion and to Rome.” Bran said smoothly as he eyed the two now that they were alone in the small side room. Raising his wine to his lips, he took a slow sip as he considered both of them and their proposals. Eyeing ‘Duke’ for a few moments, he turned his gaze to Wally. “Your friend has quite the mouth.” He stated dryly. “It would be quite unfortunate if his propensity to running it would keep us from arriving at a deal.” He let the threat hang there for a few moments. “Rome is an eternal culture and society, Graecus.” He sneered at ‘Duke’ in response to the comment about the Romans being unable to keep things going. “My own family has held high rank and privilege in the Empire since the days of Caesar Augustus. You would do well to remember which civilization fell, and which endured.” He drained his glass of wine, and turned his attention fully to Wally and his proposal. “Well, Washington,” He said, deliberately getting the Greek’s name wrong, “What is in it for me if I lend you assistance? I am a Centurion of the Legion - consorting with a Graecus could earn me a charge of treason, no better than those so-called Praetors who await trial.” He examined the wine glass for a long moment. “Would it not just be better to let the affected… endure? Surely whatever caused this curse had its purpose.” He knew very well what had caused the curse - had been involved in unleashing it, and now stood here discussing ending it with fugitives from justice, terrorists, and Greeks.

-

Percy’s stomach boiled at Bran’s comments, but he had dealt with bullies before and he was more than certain that he would have to again. He wasn’t about to get riled up by some floppy haired puta who thought that they were still living in ancient times. “Yes well antiquated and inefficient institutions often have to be torn down by a popular revolution, I suppose it can’t be too much longer before it happens here. But for the moment we’ll have to keep with the oppressive drudgery, what is it that they say, when in Rome right?” he shrugged gently and sighed gently at the bravado of Bran. Every other bully acted like they had nothing to be afraid of too. “Was this before or after one of your Emperors appointed his horse to be his successor?” He gave Bran an amused smile before sighing. “You may not have to like us, in fact I’m certain you don’t. That’s fine. I couldn’t give a shit. What I do care about is the literal thousands of Greeks and Romans alike that are suffering through this.” A brainwave came to him and he reached into his pocket and flicked his phone onto record the rest of their conversation. “Many of the victims of the curse are suffering from things that will eventually kill them, we’re looking for a way to solve this.” He paused for a moment, he hadn’t come utterly unprepared. “We’re willing to pay you for your contribution of course,” he paused and smiled sweetly at Bran, “but I always thought that helping the Roman people was the duty of a Centurion, wouldn’t you say Bran?”

-

Wally kept exchanging glances between the two other men at the table. As both Percy and Bran talked, he worried that their deal might be slipping. It seemed like the son of Poseidon and son of Bacchus were trying to have a dick matching contest. “You must have people you care about, Bran. Have none of them been affected?” He looked sincere in his empathy and he hoped that got across to Bran. “I think we’re all okay with fighting each other fair and square, but this curse is going to destroy everything if left to continue. You may be doing fine now, but it won’t stay that way. And let’s be honest, if we had nothing that you need or want, you’d have already gotten the guards.” He nodded at Percy. “We can pay something worth your while.” He leaned back and put his hands on the table, cupped together. “Help us now, then you and I can tustle later on the battlefield.”

-

Bran fixed ‘Duke’ with a pointed look at his comment about popular revolutions and drudgery. Sneering slightly at the man, he shifted to lean back slightly to regard him suspiciously. “Who are you?” He asked simply. “I remember now – Watson over there is a Son of Hecate. A witch.” He nodded his head towards Wally. “You’re far too bold to be any run of the mill Demigod. Which means he is using his magic to hide your identity.” He challenged the man who had identified himself as ‘Duke.’ He missed the man’s hand vanishing into his pocket to start recording the conversation. “I care about the Romans. Of course I care about the Romans. You Greeks could be stacked like cordwood on the side of the road for all I care.” He gave a dismissive sniff, scrutinizing the pair of them as he was offered payment for his assistance. His gaze drifted between the pair of them. “I could just be humoring both of you before killing you both myself.” He pointed out to Wally, before giving a genuine, deep laugh at the mention of a payment worth his while. “I don’t need money, you stupid Greeks.” He smirked at the pair of them. “I want something a little more… tangible than gold.” He folded his arms across his chest. “I want prisoners – noted Greeks or traitors who have taken up arms with you – surrendered into my custody to be conveyed to the Senate for trial.” He was improvising on the spot – but if he secured the capture of traitors like Jason Grace and other Romans who had taken up arms alongside the Greeks, the Cult would emerge ahead in the calculus, even if their curse had backfired.  

-

It was an accident really. The laugh. But this situation was so absurd that Percy couldn’t help himself. It started out as a giggle, and it wasn’t long before he had to take a chair and sit in it as his body was wracked with hysterical laughter. It was almost a full minute before he was able to compose himself enough to speak. Wiping tears away from his eyes, Percy looked up at Bran and smiled amused. “That was a no if it wasn’t clear. We won’t be trading human lives just so that you can get another feather in your cap, the irony of course being that you’re putting your own people in even further jeopardy just so that you can advance your own career. I shudder to think what the senate would think of that.” He looked up at Bran for a moment before shrugging and standing. “Who I am is of little consequence as we will be leaving now, it is obvious you’re not willing to attempt to help your own people and I’ve got other options to explore.” He looked at Bran for a moment more before standing from the chair he’d sat in a moment ago. “As for attempting to kill us, Wally is the most talented battle magician I’ve seen in almost five years, I’m feeling pretty safe thanks.” He shrugged gently and looked at Bran, waiting for him to make the final offer. Maybe there wouldn’t be one at all. If that was the case then they’d think of something else.

-

Wally didn’t know whether to join in with Percy’s laughter, or . . . well, he didn’t really know how to react. Wally did smile though, because Percy wasn’t backing down at all, and he loved that. Hearing Percy compliment him in such a way really strengthened the demigod on the inside. He felt more powerful just by the other man saying it. “Look, Bran, giving ourselves up to you isn’t really an option.” He said it so smugly, which may have been a mistake, considering they needed Bran’s help. “Not to threaten you, but Duke is right. It wouldn’t take a lot of energy for me to turn half the people in here into guinea pigs. I for one wouldn’t mind becoming Circe 2.0 and turning this place into my own island. As quick as you can do whatever you can, I’m sure I’m just as fast.” He took a pause but held his hand up to let Bran know he wasn’t done. “You want a win here, I get that. It wouldn’t be much of a bargain if you didn’t get that. But your win is seeing everyone you care about be restored to their health.  Your win is New Rome being able to fight at a hundred-percent again. You have a chance here to really be a savior and help us remove these curses.” He took on a more sympathetic look, trying to show all his emotion in his eyes. “Come on, how much longer can we all hold out? Help us help you.”

-

Bran’s eyes narrowed a little as the one who had been pushing his patience the entire conversation started laughing at his demand. His eyes narrowing slightly as he stared at the other man while he took a chair and wiped tears of laughter from his eyes while laughing hysterically, he folded his arms tightly over his chest, fixing the man with a pointed stare as he was told the answer to his demand was ‘no.’ “I feel like demanding the capture of traitors and rebels is hardly putting my own career before the people.” Bran shot back pointedly as the man stood up once again. Chewing his lower lip slightly, he shifted his gaze to Wally as the witch spoke – eyes narrowing a little more at the smug tone the witch was using. Still chewing at his lower lip, he drummed his fingers against his biceps in thought as Wally spoke. “Stop the raids targeting Roman Citizens, and I’ll help.” He said simply. “Restrict yourselves to operations against the Legion. The citizens of New Rome don’t need to be caught in the middle of all of this.”

-

Raising an eyebrow, Percy shrugged gently at Bran’s reply before speaking in turn. “If your motive were to assist your people then perhaps I would agree with you, however it seems apparent from your attitude that your motivation is not to assist your people but to further your own career.” He paused for a moment, it was hardly as if they were hurting the Roman Citizens, they never harmed anyone and they didn’t take prisoners. They simply had attempted to cut off their supplies. “Agreed,” he said without hesitation knowing that they were unlikely to fight the war in the same way if and when it were to restart from the semi break that it had taken during the duration of the curses, “we will stop the raids on Roman Citizens and focus on military operations as soon as we receive what we want.” He would keep the recording, blackmailing him later may be something that they were forced to do.”

-

“See,” Wally said between them, “that wasn’t so difficult, was it.” He stayed seated for a moment longer, laying both hands flat out on the table. “To get this over with, I’d like to go to your place tonight. I imagine you have a showcase of all your prized items?” He then stood up and fixed the collar around his neck. “If you have any doubts that we’ll only be there for the items we need, try and stuff those feelings down. We don’t wanna be in your home anymore than you want us there.”

-

Bran sneered slightly at ‘Duke.’ “You know nothing about my motivations, Graecus.” He snapped slightly before nodding his head lightly as he agreed to the demand. Shifting his gaze to Wally as he spoke again, Bran gave a slight huff. “Just because you don’t think of it as much doesn’t mean it is truly a little thing.” He pointed out as Wally stood. “You will not be alone with any of my artifacts. Either I or my security will be with you at all times in my home, and you will promptly return whatever you use.” He said flatly.

-

Percy raised an eyebrow and bobbed his head in agreement with Bran’s demands. He was tired of the dick measuring contest and he didn’t want to over stay their welcome. “We shall meet you at your estate,” he said before withdrawing from the room. He and Wally didn’t speak as they began the trek from the casino to the estate they had agreed to meet at. As they waited outside of the gates, a guard informed them that they would be received shortly. “This is going better than I’d hoped,” he admitted still disguised, “for a moment there I thought that he wouldn’t bend.” -

Wally nodded at Bran, pulling his hands back into his lap. “I would not expect it any other way, Bran.” Both he and Percy stood up and started to walk out. He looked over to the demigod and smiled a little. “We’re not done yet, Perce, but yeah . . . it’s not going bad at all. This guy doesn’t seem happy about it all though, look out for any tricks or traps.” As they were let into the manor, Wally was amazed. At first he’d been impressed by the outside of the place, but the inside was far more stunning. “Gods, this place is beautiful.” He stared in awe, eyes taking long gazes from the floor to the ceiling. “Alright,” he pointed to a few of the guards. “Let’s follow them.”

-

Bran watched the pair of them leave the room at the casino, glaring pointedly after the two Greeks before getting in touch with security at his estate, and informing them of the impending arrival. If the two visitors did anything beyond their welcome - if they made to go anywhere but the display rooms of artifacts, if they made to touch anything beyond what Wally (whom he called Warburton to his security) said they needed to lift the curse, they were both to be detained. Heaving a heavy sigh, he returned to the bar - switching to whisky now as he took a heavy drink before stepping back into the side room to contact the Cult to inform them what he had done - and to offer a defense for his actions: it would save the Romans affected by the curse, and it had given him some insight into the Greeks.

Connor was nervous. The last time he was in New Rome, he had been locked up in a jail and had to escape by fighting his way out. That wasn’t even the worst part, the worst part was the fact that Connor wasn’t able to do much whilst he healed, which was the true torture. Now, he stood with the group of Greeks that were disguised amongst the Romans, worried about how injured he might get and how many hours he’d have to stay in an infirmary bed. Connor stood right behind Percy, weapon on his hip, tricks up his sleeve. “I know we’re right and that we have to make these documents public, but if our plan doesn’t work, this is going to hurt a fuck ton.”

Nervously shifting amongst the crowd, Percy gripped Riptide tightly as a pen. In his other hand was his copy of the documents that they had translated. This entire war was a lie. Everything that hundreds, maybe more, had died for. So many people had fought for something that they’d believed was real and really, some shadowy figure was manipulating them behind their back. The information outraged him and this was their chance to put a stop to everything once and for all. “We’re going to be just fine,” Percy reassured them all as the Roman Senators took their places on a raised platform overlooking the Roman crowds that surrounded them. The stage was filled with Centurions and Legionnaires, protecting their precious senators. “Let them address the crowd, our timing has to be perfect.”

Fingers wrapped around the strap of a satchel as if it were a lifeline. Thick framed, black glasses were pushed up the bridge of a nose and Z couldn’t help the anxious sniffle that came with the motion. This would mark the third time he’s come across any Roman forces since the beginning of the war. It would also mark the first time he’d seen more than just one Roman legionnaire. To say he was worried was an understatement. He wasn’t a warrior by any means, having never been particularly good with weapons or fighting in general. He hoped this wouldn’t be a time where the lack of such a skill wouldn’t be exploited. Hopefully, this would stay on the peaceful side. As Percy spoke, he remained silent, eyes cast upon the people taking the stage. He really hoped this wouldn’t be some sort of battle.

There was tension in Lina’s shoulders as they faced the crowd. This war was a lie, they had been played. There was a cult in her city, her people had been hurt beyond repair, so much had gone wrong. She hoped these documents would fix that, that soon they would create a new city, a better one. One where their leaders wouldn’t get brought. “Breath,” She said to those around her. “Breath, we’re going to be okay. They’re going see, they’ll finally understand.” She was basically vibrating with nerves herself, nerves and anger. Her fingers twitched, she was ready to cast if she had to. She was ready to protect those who put their faith in the Greek leadership.

Wally stood right next to Z, an arm around his shoulder. “Just stay focused on what we’re here to do, okay?” He looked over to Lina and nodded without words. They both had brought along more than just their person if anything extreme were to happen. With her, the two children of Hecate and Trivia had cast charms around as many of the Greeks as they could. Any weapons or attacks would deflect off invisible shields, though the shields weren’t as strong as they could be, since the spell used was kind of one-and-done. After his discussion with himself under the full moon, he already had a new trick he was itching to use.

Cat looked down at the masses of civilians writhing in anticipation below. From her position she could see the final senator arrive and take his seat next to her own father. He whispered something in Jefferson’s ear and Cat turned to Bella. “This had better be worth the amount of resources that we are burning for it,” she was more than acutely aware of their vulnerable positions and although she had taken every precaution in terms of security she was almost certain that it wasn’t completely safe for them all to be here, “we have left the camp practically undefended on the whim of a number of politicians who’ve made several questionable decisions…” she knew that Bella would’ve seen the mistakes of their elders. “Let’s get this over with.”

The girl sighed, knowing that it was not going to be worth it. Though Bella didn’t say it outloud, knowing the words could get back to the wrong people. She looked towards the senators, many people she’d known her entire life sat up there. “Yes well, they can’t all be like us.” She smirked, beginning her watch. Maybe it’d just been the orders she’d been given, but a large public gathering like this did not feel safe. There was a war going on and this many higher ups in one spot seemed vulnerable to her. She couldn’t help but think that this was a stupid decision, though she would have to discuss it in more detail with her cousin later. At the moment, she had a job to do whether she liked it or not.

Leo scanned the crowd for his family. He had seen Cat recently, a month or so ago at least. He hadn’t seen Jax in so long. The last he could remember was in February. He couldn’t even remember the last time he saw Bella. It was jarring when he finally saw them. Why did they almost look fake to him? They seemed like a family, or at least looked like one. He hoped, so much that it hurt his chest, that they would accept him back when they showed them the documents. He sighed,“I’ve found my family. Do you think they’ll believe us?”

Jax glanced across the way to his sister and cousin, having purposefully positioned himself opposite Cat as they usually did, a habit that simply made for making sure eyes were on all parts of the area. After all, though these meetings were often at least physically civil— they were still Centurions, and they hadn’t gotten this far in life by not being vigilant. And it would simply be foolish not to be on the lookout in times of war. After all, not every single Roman was still happy with the war, and the rest of the city was severely lacking defenses with all of them here. But all there was left to do at this point was wait for the meeting to start and hope for the best.

Percy nodded to the Greeks and sent some of them off in the opposite direction as someone began the long process of trying to quieten the crowd as the Senators, Centurions and Legionnaires all finally took their respective places on the stage. “We’re not here to fight them, don’t let them hurt you, but we’re not here to start a fight,” he said to his people hoping to remind them of why they were really here, “we’re here to talk and to try and get the information in these documents to as many people as possible.” All of the Greeks in the forum had been given the documents and there were copies being circulated to the News Paper, the Centurions offices and to various influential figures in the city. “Let’s try and get closer to the stage before we make a break for it.”

Positioned close to the stage and keep the crowd back, Aidan stood in uniform, hand on his sword and armor just a tad to big for him. He felt anxious about the vote, hopefully things would change. At least until he spotted his superiors. He wondered how many of the senators felt the way they do. He shook the thought from his head and sighed. He needed to have more confidence. More faith that things were going to be okay. As the crowd grew silent, he watched as the flag of New Rome was slowly raised. As the city’s anthem faded out, Aidan rolled his shoulders and prepared himself for the vote.

As the group of Greeks split up, Connor had decided that there was a lesser chance of him dying if he stayed with Lina, Percy and Wally. He knew what they were capable of, and whilst Connor had his own strengths, there wasn’t much he could do if they were attacked by a swarm of legionnaires. Percy had asked them to move forward towards the stage, which Connor began to do whilst the senators on stage began to talk about the war. Connor considered listening, but his eyes were distracted by a lovely golden watch on the wrist of a nearby Roman. Percy had asked him to stay cool, so he tried really hard to not attempt to pickpocket them, as if he was caught, he’d blow the whole plan and that would definitely not be cool. “I bet I could steal that watch without being caught.” He whispered to Lina. If he wasn’t able to steal it, he was at least going to talk about stealing it. “Travis and I would probably have had a competition to see who’d steal the most by the end of this talk.”

The arm strung over Z’s shoulders offered a sort of comfort that the doctor knew would not quell his worries for very long. He believed in the strength of his faction’s warriors, but knew the horrors the opposition could enact just as intimately. Still, he took in a breath and prepared himself for what was to come. Just pass out the truth and get out unnoticed. Simple. Easy. He was already preparing his eyes for the strain they’d go through in order to hypnotize people into accepting his offer without a question. The brown of his irises were rimmed with a soft pink. “I feel kind of like one of those conspiracy theorists trying to spread ‘the truth’,” he whispered, sighing. All that he was missing was a tin-foil hat.

Wally chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “You’re not really wrong. Everyone here is basically a conspiracy of some sort.” Wally started to walk forward a bit, moving Z along with him. “Just remember that this will all be over soon, then we can go somewhere quiet, and you can thank me for protecting you in the way that you do.” He looked over at Z for a moment and winked. But his expression turned serious fast. “You did something incredible. We’re here today because of you - and I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you. Try and stay calm, okay?”

At the sight of Cat, Elliot forced themselves to continue along normally although all they wanted to do was to cut the bitch. Instead, they looked away and continued at the front of the group of Greeks who had split off from Percy’s group. Elliot wondered how strong the charms placed on them were, though they couldn’t help but feel that they didn’t quite need them; they felt on edge as it were, their senses relaying information to them at lightning speed. Good thing they didn’t have to worry about getting recognized, at the very least. Not only did Elliot forgo makeup today, they also slightly altered their appearance so that they seemed much more ordinary than a child of Aphrodite ought to look like. A forgettable face, they called it.

Lina moved forward with the group, her shoulder squared and her chin up. She wasn’t going to let her nervousness get to her, they weren’t going to going to lose this fight. They would make their mark on this day. “Signal when we should go up Percy. We’re following you.” She looked to Wally, Connor, and Z they were going to be very important if something went wrong. “Keep your eyes out when we all go up. We need to know if someone tries something. If something does, let’s just get out. We don’t need to fight them. Just survive today.”

Brock didn’t make much of a stand out appearance among the rest of his fellow soldiers. Dressed in similar decor, his armor wasn’t any flashier than the rest. As part of his cluster of guards manning the boundaries, he was still able to see all that was happening and looked on in quiet hysteria. Brock was so confused as to what was happening. Why someone had allowed this meeting to take place, for it was obviously a trap, one that he couldn’t help flush out by being here in broad daylight, standing at attention. Then again, he wasn’t a spy, so did it really matter? Brock’s eyes were trained on the Greeks as they walked about. He was more so curious as to what Cat was thinking about all this. What would come of it all?

Connor took his eyes off the valuables that he could be stealing right then and there, and concentrated on the task at hand. They were to move closer to the stage and then create a distraction so that the Greeks could take the stage and do what needed to be done. Connor, was tasked with creating such distractration, or at least starting it. He was confident in the magic shields around him, knowing that Wally and Lina wouldn’t let him die. He looked through the crowd at the familiar faces of the greeks and received a signal from Percy. Connor then branched off, trying to move away from the Greeks so that the official guards would look in the wrong direction. Connor’s heart pounded in his chest as he reached a distance he deemed far enough. He hadn’t been too nervous until this point as he knew this could all go wrong. Then, just when he thought his heart was about to pop out his chest, he took a deep breath and yelled, “Thief! They just stole my family heirloom! Stop him!” He then bursted out into a sprint, shoving and pushing people out of his way. Yes, he just called thief and pretended to be the thief. “You won’t catch me suckers, I’m a son of Mercury.” Connor would not confirm nor deny that he practised what he’d say in the mirror that morning, but he would admit, his acting was a little stale.

Connor’s voice rang out, and a mild panic from a few bewildered and annoyed citizens began to stir, Aidan tried desperately to see over the crowd before him. He stood on his toes, trying to peer around heads as people parted and ducked out of Connor’s way. He watched as orders were given from above, a silent nod and a few of the legionnaires took off in pursuit. He knew the man looked familiar but couldn’t quite place him, but Aidan began to notice the number of Greeks who had filed into the square. Feeling his heart skip, Aidan wondered what this would mean if things escalated. He began surveying the area, places for people to duck and cover, ways for citizens to slip out unharmed should a fight break out. He looked up to Cat anxiously, wondering what she would do. If she’d make things worse. He wanted to step forward, but paused.

Cat nodded to several guards across from her. They took her signal and moved towards the sound, she was sure that they wouldn’t be able to deal with it, however it was important that they were seen to do something. As the crowd excitedly moved around, Cat watched in confusion as people started climbing onto the raised platform on which the senators and Romans were situated. Cat moved in confusion, ordering her troops to follow her as she moved towards the largest group of civilians that had climbed onto the stage. “Aidan, Jax, Bella, follow me, we need to deal with whatever these stage invaders think they’re doing.”

Percy moved through the crowd as he heard Connor’s distraction. It was simple. But it worked almost perfectly. A good portion of the guards on the stage peeled in the direction of the noise and Percy knew that it wouldn’t be very long before Connor was back with them. Leading the Greeks through the crowd, he signalled to the other Greeks to take the stage and moved forwards with them. Taking his position of the stage, he nodded to Wally knowing that his friend had something specially for the occasion. “Wally, cast your special, Z when he’s done you’re up, you need to explain this to everyone.”

Wally moved with Z practically glued to him. He kept looking around as the guards moved about. There a small smile on his face for Connor, very appreciative of the man. As they got onto the stage and Percy gave him the order, Wally took out a hollowed out horn and blew into it. The bellowing of the horn was loud enough to get everyone's attention back on them. A wave passed over the group as he blew the horn, empowering the voices of the people onstage to become ten times louder. He looked to Z and nodded. “Go on.”

It was with heavy feet that Z followed the rest of the Greeks. He took a deep breath when Percy gave him the cue, and tried his hardest not to wince at the suddenness of Wally’s horn blowing. He positioned himself in the middle of the stage. “Good evening, New Rome. I’m Dr. Scheherazade Goldsbourne. Please remain calm and hear me out,” he said evenly, voice slightly laced with a small level of hypnosis. It wouldn’t be heavily effective, but it might bring a bit of calm to the average citizen. “The Greek faction and yours have been at war for months. During this time, there were raids held by my people to try and push yours back. It was during one of these that one of our own came into the possession of documents in one of your manors. I’ve personally spent the better of a month deciphering the encrypted messages that sat on these papers and the discoveries that lay there have shed a terrible light. We were all being used. A group calling themselves the Cult of Romulus preyed on already harrowing tensions between the Greeks and the Romans and incited a number of catalysts to bring about our undoing. There are receipts for Greek fire purchased by Roman hands as well as proof of plotting to destroy the Senate House. There’s evidence of the murder, executed by your former centurion Fergus Fitzgerald, of senator Servilius and detailed plans to plant evidence of foul play to trigger the exodus with this man’s death. I found bribery and blackmail targeted at your senators to pass bills taking the rights of New Roman citizens...Blackmail that they used against a Greek citizen, myself, to take down Terminus and eliminate the Pommerian Line to ensure a massacre could occur on Roman land in exchange for the lives of my human siblings. There’s even evidence of the curses placed on both of our people being orchestrated by this...shadow organization. They say they want to protect the Romans from us, but they are so willing to eliminate their own people to fulfill their selfish and prejudice views; and, the proof is here.” He held up his own set of documents, copies of the originals and copies of his deciphered manuscripts. “The proof is in every copy we made. Every line. Every sick and twisted thing these radical perpetrators of hate have done to our people is detailed in these. Don’t just take my word. Read it for yourself.”

Bella had managed to keep a good amount of people off of the stage, but it hadn’t been enough as Z had still managed to get up there and start spewing his nonsense. She could feel her body recoil as he spoke, enraged at this news getting out. But outwardly she appeared shocked, trying not to glance towards her father and see what he wanted her to do. She knew what he wanted her to do, which was figure out a way to take control of the situation. Hearing words out outrage at the crowd, she knew it wouldn’t be long until everybody turned on the senate. Running onto the stage herself, she stood in front of the members of the senate just in case. She wasn’t first in command here, but she would not be the last person to jump into action. Taking some steps forward, she grabbed the papers out of the boys hands. “We will. Though this certainly could’ve been handled a different way, a way that didn’t end in public outcry and putting people in danger.” The words rolled off her tongue before she could stop them, handing the papers back to the senate members who should have been the first to read them. The words came out concerned though, as if she were an innocent victim of this.

“Putting people in danger?” Aidan echoed, feeling an uneasy anger begin to twist inside of him. He looked out over the exhausted crowds of people. Having been evacuated from their homes while the war destroyed the world they knew. “If these papers are real, then some of our leaders have been the ones to put us in danger.” His face began to turn red as he felt the eyes of not only his superiors, but some of the public. He turned to Cat, nearly seething. “And what about you? What do you say to this?” Aidan gestured to Z and the papers. “How many of you, our leaders, our representatives…” It hurt his head to think about it. To think about the injured people he had talked to. The children who worried whether or not their parents were okay. “I say let them speak.” Aidan demanded. “The people we are supposed to protect should hear what they have to say. I want to hear what they have to say.”

This entire situation was almost too good to be true. Cat had to stop herself from smirking as she watched the irony of the situation unfold. There was going to be a shift in power now, that was inevitable, it was simply how things panned out that was important now. She had to make sure that she ended up on the right side of this. Snatching the documents from a Greek that had taken to the stage near to her, she quickly scanned through them and started to read. “We cannot verify any of this until we’ve read these documents, however for the moment I believe that we must allow the Greeks their say, if we have somehow been tricked into a war then there must be someone behind it and anyone that could do that would be a foe worthy of both our strengths.” She clenched her jaw thoughtfully before sighing. “We need to hear what they have to say so that we can make an informed decision.” She did her best not to look to Jax or her father. Instead she joined Bella by the senators, quickly reading the documents in her hands. She had to know the extent to which the cult had been exposed.

There it was. Elliot hurried on stage with the others. The demigod had been shocked at first about the contents of the documents, but it wasn’t that hard to wrap their head around it; wherever two or more groups with history existed, there was always conflict. This discrimination and agenda was nothing new to Elliot, but they’d be damned if they were going to just stand by and let it happen. And what Aidan said was true; which of these leaders, these so-called protectors, knew everything already? Elliot tried to read the faces of the people who were currently reading the documents, and though their expressions ranged from shocked to grim to stoic, it was hard to tell who was pretending and who was being genuine. They were politicians, after all. Regardless, Elliot watched Cat with a close eye as she jumped up onto the stage. Maybe it was their personal dislike of the Roman speaking, but Elliot wouldn’t trust Cat as far as they were willing to tell their secrets. As it were, it wasn’t Elliot’s job to say anything at all at the event, so they remained silent and instead watched the crowd, judging people’s actions and expressions as best as they could.

“Read the documents,” Leo said as he took copies and gave them to the citizens in the crowd. “It is your right to decide to believe these documents or not.” He slowly made his way to the stage, looking over the crowd. “I, personally, believe that we have been used. A corrupt faction of people have taken our fear and manipulated us to be used for their own gain. Their ploy has brought us nothing but pain. We have all lost loved ones, seen things that no person should, and watched our City crumble. For what? A group of monsters has dug into our human emotions and attempted to make us their puppets.” He took a pause, looking over the crowd. “We have a common enemy. We have a stain on our City now, a blemish of corruption and deceit. Together I believe that we can fix this, we can right the wrongs they forced us to commit.”

Her cousins words were nearly laughable. Nearly. And maybe Bella would have laughed at them, if they weren’t in such a public setting. She wouldn’t give her traitorous cousin the time of day though, barely even glancing at him as he spoke, already deciding that what he had to say was useless. She did wonder how Cat would react, as she knew that the other girl would find it more difficult to ignore his words. But that’s the weakness in having siblings she supposed. She still fumed at Aidan’s words though, knowing that he truthfully hadn’t put everything in perspective. “The senate was most likely going to vote to end the war, which would have saved many lives. Now, with this information coming to light just as they are about to vote, they may decide to vote differently seeing as you’ve ‘exposed’,” she used air-quotes, and would continue so until the documents were all proven true. “Some of these voting members, they may vote to continue the war just out of spite. Which in turn will cause more harm to the innocent people caught in the crossfire. Not to mention those who haven’t been exposed yet, but will now continue the war in hopes to cover their own asses. So maybe you should’ve chosen a more civil and diplomatic way to handle this.” The girl let out a sigh, wondering if they had even thought of this possibility before they charged up here.

Everything had happened rather quickly, but Jax was careful as ever to keep any show of outright shock from his features, as he often did in public settings. At first it was easy, perhaps because, of course, he’d already known of many of the behind the scene things that had happened to create the war between working with his father and the Cult. However, it had become harder to keep a neutral face when Leo spoke aloud, as he hadn’t realized his currently estranged brother was present. It was...emotionally disturbing to say the least, but he shoved the notion down in favor of taking his turn to speak, stepping forward, first addressing Bella’s claim of wanting for a better way for reveal. “What’s done is done. We have the information now, and if we can all simply be sure to remain civil and calm for the moment being, I’m sure the senators will come to the right decision concerning the force that has apparently been holding our city prisoner.” Perhaps once Jax would have only wanted to be sure that he ended up on the right side of history, but with his former change of heart, it was easy to speak the words that held the connotation of damning the Cult and members of the Senate who might choose to ignore the papers. But he’d be able to cover his bases with Jefferson and the Cult, assuring them that he was simply putting on an understanding face for the crow and city. He gave a pointed look towards his father who was sitting with the rest of the senators, as if imploring him to realize that the smartest thing would be to give the Greeks what they wanted in this moment. “We’ll assure that any justice that is due, will be found.”

Percy had watched the entire situation play out in front of him with curiosity. His hand gently twirled the pen form of his sword nervously. He could only hope that this went well. It had to go well. “Please, just listen to us. There is something, someone who is deliberately putting us against one another,” he looked at the Romans surrounding him, he watched everyone around him. Some he’d fought alongside of for months, many he’d fought against for just as long. Yet now he couldn’t help but remember the waste of human life. Of demigod life. Holding up the documents so that everyone could see them, he addressed them as loudly and clearly as he could. “These documents hold proof that your senators, the people that you put your trust in, the people you believed in to lead you, they have used you and your vulnerability to their own ends, I implore you, please join us in reshaping this city so that everyone of us may live safely…” he swallowed sadly, so many people had died and all because someone and their cult were playing a game of chance. What worried him the most was that he didn’t know who could’ve possibly made all of this happen.

As everything unfolded around her, Cat did her best to shut everything else out so that she could read the documents. Quickly skimming through them, she couldn’t help the shock that spread through her system as the documents seemed to all but conclusively agree with everything that the Greeks and her brother and a few other Romans had brought to them. The war seemed to be staged. There was documents proving that there was blackmail or bribes used to coerce senators into voting. There was even bank transactions to prove it all. “These documents seem to be legitimate, however they obviously require investigation to establish their authenticity. Yet if there is a chance that this is true then we owe it to the people of New Rome to investigate and establish truth.” Taking a deep breath she turned to Jax and then looked at Leo. “But it is difficult to trust anything that you say, you understand that we’ve been at war for several months now right?”

“Except these papers being real would prove we never should been at war, making this vote bullshit.” Aidan snapped back. “And any senator who would cast a vote out of spite is someone who should no longer have a job.” He said pointedly, taking a copy of the documents. This cult who had endangered the lives of him and his friends, had been responsible for the destruction of the city. He couldn’t begin to describe his anger. His growing bitterness, which scared him a little bit. He openly laughed at Cat’s statement, shaking his head in disbelief. “We have more than enough reasons to believe them. And especially to trust them. If you’d like to drag out an investigation, that’s fine. But you and I both know if they wished to do us, or any of the citizens harm, they would have. They’d have also let our side suffer the consequences of the curses. You both remember that.” He gestured to Cat and Bella. “I may not have a lot of authority but I’d vouch for them. Some of them anyway.”

“Of course, we should blindly put our faith in a legionnaire of the fifth cohort who in our latest military operation was too drunk to adequately perform within expected standards, forgive us if we don’t put more stock in your words Aidan, though I understand your zeal for the truth, we cannot blindly trust anyone.” Cat could hardly believe that so many of her Roman compatriots were so blind at times. They were willing to blindly trust their enemy during a time of war. However, Cat found it hard not to go along with the rather compelling evidence that they had been provided with. “However, despite your apparent naivety you are right on some things. The senators vote is indeed now bullshit, and I see no reason to trust any of the senators which have been named as selling their votes for something as trivial and petty as currency, we placed our trust in them and they let us down. They must face the consequences of their crimes.”

Connor had managed to slip away from the guards, mostly due to the fact that after the announcement was made that the senate with bribed, the guards had stopped chasing him. He had now done a lap around the crowd and was at the foot of the stage, looking up at them all. He rolled his eyes as they debated what should happen. “Arrest then now! Before those weasels get away or do any more damage!” He shouted out, trying to hype those around him to do the same. “People died because of them! And for what? So they could have a bigger collection of art pieces whilst so many in this city struggle? Stop debating this!” Connor had only be here for the shorter part of the war, but he too was sick of it and this all needed to end. “There’s no point investigating, it’s all there! Take action for now and you can verify it later if need be! We’re tired of living like this!” A few members in the crowd shouted out with agreement at what Connor was saying, which put a grin on his face, letting him know that he was definitely saying the right thing.

Things were all moving too quickly and too slowly for Z’s liking. He had agreed to do the announcement. He willed himself into the middle of the stage with the chance of it completely backfiring, but with the hopes of being heard. While his wishes were answered, so came the moments after that left him conflicted. The things he read in the documents were bad, of course, and grounds for termination of a few on the senate. They weren’t, however, fuel for a potential mutiny. Judging from the way the crowd roared, that might be exactly what would come next. Z turned to the members of the senate and the legionnaires around them. Maybe he could offer something that would quell the civic unrest. “I can offer you all my hand and resources in verifying the information. I’m the one who translated and deciphered the original scripts,” he said, holding out a copy of the documents that had been stolen. They were still in the coded latin. “We didn’t come here to crucify, we came to help build a new world order. The papers here are not going to absolve anyone of the acts that were committed during this war. We cannot get our allies back who have fallen.” He fought not to shoot misty eyes at Cat. “...but, we can honor them by working together to uncover the truth. If there are snakes in our garden, we should be diligent in removing them to save the crops.”

Wally looked at Z with a startled expression. A bit discouraged by the reaction of the Romans and how this was going, he looked to the son of Hypnos for support, even though he might be the one that needed it more than Wally. Taking a deep breath, he put an arm around Z. His gaze shifted to Cat and he spoke towards her. “If we keep up the war, the only things that will be left are the ruins of our homes. Everything that needs to be said has been said. But we all have to make a decision, right now.”