New Age of Argonauts

11. Y'all Gonna Make Me Lose My Mind

Percy vanished after his little speech. He trusted Reyna to handle the rest of the evening. They'd probably discuss the prophecy and make plans for their departure. But Percy felt drained, if that were possible. He knelt by the fire in his temple. Soaking up its warmth centered him. It could've been Hestia's doing as much as the temple itself.

With nothing but a crackling fire to hold his attention, Percy let his mind slip into a meditative state. He felt the prayers wash over him, the ebb and flow of magic in every demigod, the influence he had on the world. It frightened him to know that a snap of his fingers could end a life. A few mumbled words could bring down a heinous curse. But the power felt right to him. As if he'd always been fated to wield it.

While Percy would never forget his time as a demigod, nor the lessons learned, he would not give up godhood now that he had it. Part of his conscience said he'd be fine as a demigod again, even as a regular mortal. But most of him knew there was no other person who could fill his shoes. Not to say that being a god was objectively better than being human, only that if anyone were to be the god of demigods, it would have always been him. This was a truth Percy felt deep in his soul (or whatever gods had).

The peace was impermanent, though Percy couldn't say whether minutes or hours had passed. He only knew that the ground shook beneath him. Explosions cratered the earth. Screams of pain and outrage rose among the smoke. Percy's eyes flew open just as he received Reyna's prayer.

Lord Perseus, protect the city and get to the ship!

It wasn't the only prayer he received, but it was the one he held onto. In a move that was more instinctual than strategical, Percy raised a protective dome over the city. He raced outside, only to lay eyes on burning buildings and piles of rubble. Thanks to his magic, the city was now safe, but that didn't mean the other seven of the prophecy were.

It looked like Octavian had won over the people with fear, a much easier motivator at the moment than Reyna's logic.

"The Greeks have fired on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome! I saw it with my own eyes!" Octavian hung from the bottom of the ladder, urging on the chaos. The Argo II fired at the city again, hitting the force field so hard, Percy faltered in his running. "You see?" Octavian screamed. "Romans, kill the invaders!"

Percy saw an angry mob closing in on Jason and Piper. Piper was desperately trying to use her magic laced words, but the outraged screams of the Romans drowned out her pleas. Jason was calling for them to stop, but the response he received was a brick to the head and a torn up cloak. Hazel called for Arion quickly and Frank transformed into a dragon to pull the Greeks to safety aboard the ship. It was then that Percy noticed Reyna coordinating their retreat. Her eyes held the briefest amount of relief when Percy reached them.

Percy grabbed Octavian off the rope ladder. He suspended the legacy over the mob. "Remember the true enemy. Your choices come with consequences." With that, Percy threw him into the crowd below and helped Reyna up in front of him. They climbed as fast as possible, Percy protecting Reyna from any projectiles thrown their way.

They finally climbed onto the deck. Leo stood amidships, calmly reloading the ballista. Percy's gut twisted with anger.

"Leo!" Piper screamed. "What are you doing?"

"Destroy them..." He faced Piper. His eyes were glazed. His movements were like a robot's. "Destroy them all."

He turned back to the ballista, but Percy tackled him. He was somewhat mindful of the force he used, but Leo's head hit the deck hard, and his eyes rolled up so that only the whites showed.

"I'm getting us out of here!" Percy yelled. He willed the ship to tilt up at a horrifying angle. The only goal in mind to get outside the range of New Rome's arrows and cannon fire. Percy saw the purple glow Terminus was emitting, building up for an attack. With a single thought, the ship lurched into the air, shooting through the clouds.