The Glory That Is Rome (a Percy Jackson AU)

The Funeral

    Frank held Hera steady as she sobbed. She wasn't the one who could barely stand, but Frank knew that her wound would never fully heal, though the others' might. There were not many women in the army and as they were in open rebellion, they did not have professional mourners. Instead, the tears were streaking down the faces of the mourners not because of the temptation of coins, but because of genuine sorrow. Frank's face was wet and Hazel's hand was slick with tears when she gripped her husband's shoulder to steady him. Their children were being held by a nurse. Piper was practically carrying Jason and Frank knew he felt responsible for Hebe's death. Even Gleeson, usually as gruff as could be, was wiping tears from his eyes and Mellie was creating a rainstorm of tears.

    In front of Hera, four soldiers were bearing Hebe's body. Nico, Will, and two other soldiers had already passed by the crowd. They had been wearing masks, dressed as Theseus, Heracles, Zeus, and Eileithyia. She was still wearing her armor and Piper had cleaned the blood out of her face and hair with water. Frank wished that Hebe could be like Romulus and become a deity, but nothing auspicious happened.

     The soldiers set Hebe's body into the funeral pyre. Hera had wished for her daughters to be buried in a mausoleum, but neither of them had received those rites because of Luke's ascension to power. As Hebe's body turned to ashes, the crowd shifted and the wailing picked up. Hera rushed forward and Frank grabbed her tightly to hold her back.

    "I want to join my daughter," Hera sobbed. "I have lost my entire family."

    "We need you," Frank said. "You are our only hope now. Stay alive. Hebe would want you to keep on fighting. You must avenge her."

    Hera stopped struggling, but she continued to sob as she watched her last daughter turn to ashes before her eyes. When the fire settled down, Nico gathered the ashes and placed them in an urn. The urn had been made by Frank and painted by Hazel. It depicted Hebe charging into battle on her steed.

    "It's your time to speak," Nico told Hera.

    She breathed heavily and nodded. She leaned on Frank as she ascended on top of a pile of wood. She cleared her throat and began speaking.

   "My daughter, Hebe, knew what was important: Rome," Hera said. "She gave her life to fight for freedom. She gave her life to avenge her brothers and sisters. As a woman, no one expected her to fight, but she did because she believed in our cause. She didn't fight for power; she fought because she knew that Luke was not the right emperor for Rome. Hebe was."

    The people cheered, but Frank caught some of the soldiers exchanging glances as they walked over to where the funeral feast awaited them. He knew what they were thinking: Hebe was dead now and Zeus had no other children. Hera's childbearing days were over. Even if they could somehow oust Luke, who would become the emperor of Rome?