A/N: Possibly the start of a new story! I have writer's block for Champion of the Sun, so I will be writing this for a while to clear my head. Thanks for reading, enjoy! NOTE: Their ages are different that in Rick Riordan's book, but don't get all pissy. Also, leave reviews for Percy's pairing, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be Reyna. Hehe Percy and Jason have trouble with their R's . . .

Chapter One: The Children

Unknown

The famous actress looked down upon her three children in joy as they ran around the living room, tumbling over one another with bright smiles and joyous laughs. Her oldest, Thalia, was playing with the other two—twin brothers—holding them both in headlocks. Thalia had just turned five and her brothers were now four.

The actress, Julia Grace, watched her twins—Jason and Percy—helplessly struggle in their older sister's grasp, but laughing mirthfully all the while. Julia watched with eyes filled with care and love, only wishing their father could see them now.

That's when Julia's mood swung.

Her eyes began to water slightly at the remembrance of Zeus—Jupiter, for the twins—and she felt a massive hole in her heart. Julia loved him—she knew she shouldn't, but she did anyway. She loved his intoxicating smell of ozone, a smelt he kids now carry with them, only to painfully remind Julia of her lover, and his gentle hands holding her. But Zeus/Jupiter had left her behind. She knew it was going to happen, but she clung to false hope, trying to convince herself that he loved her and would never leave her.

She was wrong. So, so terribly wrong.

Zeus left right after the twins' birth, not even giving Julia a proper goodbye. She resented him for it, but she also loved him, therefore making it virtually impossible for her to hate him completely. She needed Zeus, and he left her behind.

All alone.

"Mommy? Why aw you cwying?"Percy asked kindly, walking up to the couch where she was seated. Thalia had let go of Jason, staring warily at Julia. Thalia knew what happened whenever she cried.

Julia glared at her son, her mood changing from love to sadness to fury. However, that's how alcoholics are: unpredictable.

Julia became infuriated as she stared at her son, studying his electric blue eyes and black hair like Thalia's. His eyes—oh, his eyes—Julia could find herself completely immersed and lost in the vast expanse, the same color as the sky. Same color as Zeus's eyes. And for that, she hated him.

Julia roughly kicked Percy to the floor and onto his back.
"YOU LOOK SO MUCH LIKE HIM!" She screamed as tears began to rapidly fall down her cheeks, "YOU REMIND ME SO MUCH OF HIM! HE LEFT ME! HE LEFT ME!"

Thalia rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her baby brother, pulling him away from Julia. Ms. Grace wasn't done—oh no, she wasn't even close to being done.

Julia rushed into the kitchen, kicking aside stray beer cans as she passed through the living room. She reached into the fridge, pulling out a six-pack of Miller Lite. She was thoroughly sobbing now; she quickly returned to the couch, popping the cap off a bottle and taking a large swig. She coughed and sobbed at the same time, causing some of the beer to drip out of her mouth and spill onto her lap.

She laughed maniacally before reached forward and putting a hand gently on a trembling Percy's cheek.

"You look so much like him," she cooed softly, with a strange glint in her eye, "you have his eyes."

Percy raised a trembling hand to his mother's arm. "M-Mommy?"

"CURSE YOU, ZEUS!" She screamed, slapping Percy and shoving Thalia away in the process, "YOU LEFT ME! YOU FUCKING LEFT M-ME! HE LOOKS SO MUCH LIKE YOU!"
Julia began chugging the beer, slowly rocking back and forth. "He loved me, children. He loved me so much . . ."

It was a lie.

-X-

The kids had finally gone to bed, leaving their mother passed out on the couch with five empty bottles on the floor and one half-full on in their mother's loose grip. The house was silent until a small pop and a flash of light. Standing in his trademark pinstripe suit was Zeus himself, gazing around the house in shock. Noticing the empty beer bottles, he wondered if Julia had drunk all of this alcohol. Finally, he turned around, only to intake breath sharply.

He walked over to his lover's unconscious form, feeling insurmountable guilt gnaw at his insides. He had heard her curses, and assumed that she was just angry. He had no idea she would do . . . this. Zeus's electric blue eyes never left her face as he shook her awake gently.

"Go the hell to bed, Percy, Mommy is fine, dammit," she slurred harshly, her breath smelling terribly of alcohol.

Zeus's eyes widened. She used that kind of language with her kids? What had happened to the kind and innocent actress known as Julia Grace?

"It's not Percy, honey," Zeus replied softly, channeling his inner kindness.

Her eyes snapped open, seemingly more alert. They were still glazed over and unfocused, but they widened as they locked with Zeus's.

"Z-Zeus?" She stammered, partly from intoxication, and partly from shock.

Zeus nodded, almost timidly. She raised her hands to his face, dropping the beer bottle onto his foot without even noticing.

"You've come back? For me?" She asked hopefully, her eyes filling with tears of joy.

Zeus felt guilt eat at his insides once more. "N-No, Julia. It's the children . . . they can't be together anymore."

Julia's mood darkened. "YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU COME HERE AND DICTATE HOW MY CHILDREN INTERACT? GET OUT! OUT!"
Zeus shied away, either not noticing or not caring that Percy and Thalia were listening from the staircase, unseen. Zeus had come here to tell her that his Roman children needed to be separated from Thalia. It was dangerous for Greeks and Romans to mix, even if they were siblings. Zeus hated doing this to his own children, but it was necessary.

"Julia, you need to—" Zeus began.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I HATE YOU! I LOVED YOU, AND YOU LEFT ME! YOU RUINED ME! LEAVE!" She bellowed, the putrid smell of alcohol wafting out of her mouth.

As soon as she was done with her furious outburst, she collapsed onto his feet, sobbing violently. Zeus hesitantly bent down and awkwardly hugged her, hoping she would listen long enough to be convinced.

"Julia, you have to take them to the Wolf House tomorrow," Zeus explained.

Julia just nodded.

Fortunately for Zeus, Thalia and Percy retreated to their rooms when their mother began screaming, so they heard nothing about being separated. Come the morrow, Thalia would believe Jason and Percy to be dead.

-X-

Percy

Percy woke up on the floor. His back felt like he had slept on wood—wait, he did. Percy pushed himself into a sitting position, realizing that he had, in fact, slept on wooden boards. He was lying in what seemed to be the foyer of a dilapidated mansion; the tapestry and paint had peeled off the walls, while cobwebs had successfully conquered most corners of the house. Sunlight shone through holes in the ceiling and walls, allowing the cool and crisp morning air to waft through the apertures.

Percy frowned, not exactly remembering how he got there. Then, his heart leapt into his throat as he remembered his siblings: Thalia and Jason. Where were they? Were they okay? Was he near them?

Half of his answer was answered as he heard a quiet snore behind him. Percy whirled around in fright, instinctively jumping into some sort of defensive stance that he didn't know he knew. Percy lowered his arms and smiled as he found his twin sleeping soundly on the floor, his mouth open and drool dripping out.

Percy woke his brother by jumping on him, driving his elbow into Jason's stomach.

"Ouch!" Jason screamed, shoving Percy off him angrily, but with the corners of his mouth twitching upwards.

Percy sat up again before growing serious again. "Jason whewe (where) awe we?"

Jason looked around and looked upset before his eyes began to water. "Thawia?" He asked hopefully.

"Thawia!" Percy screamed, hoping that she was just in a different room, and that she would race in and give him a warm hug, calling him Thunder Butt to make him laugh. Percy frantically looked for his big sister—his idol. Jason had collapsed onto his butt, crying forlornly.

Warm and salty tears began to fall down his face as he plopped down next to his brother. They hugged each other, Percy becoming extremely thankful that he had a twin. They sat like that for a couple moments before they heard a soft growl. The brothers became silent immediately, straining their ears to see if another growl would sound.

When they heard a second one, Percy and Jason both turned their attention to the front door, where a giant brown wolf stood, resting on its haunches.

"I am a she, Perseus, not an it," the wolf reprimanded.

Percy stared at the wolf in astonishment, utterly surprised and terrified that it—she—could talk and read his mind. How had she known his name?

If wolves could smile, this one definitely did. "I am Lupa, mother of Rome. You two are here to be tested."

Jason, being the more civilized brother (Percy liked to be sarcastic and rebellious) asked politely—and shakily—why they were here.

Lupa gave a wolfish grin and padded towards the boys slowly. "You two are true Romans: two that will help New Rome rise to the power it once had. You two will achieve the unachievable, sons of Jupiter."

Percy furrowed his eyebrows, tear tracks still present on his cheeks like footsteps in snow.

"Womans (Romans)? Sons of Jupiter?"

Lupa nodded her wolf head. "Jupiter, Roman god of the sky, and king of the gods, is your father. You are a demigod, the offspring of both mortal and immortal."

Jason spoke up unsurely. "D-Do you know our daddy?"

For a moment, Lupa's yellow eyes filled with pity and solemnity. Although, it was gone as fast as it came, being replaced by a steely gaze.

"Yes, young ones, I do. I will be training you until you are ready to make the journey to your sanctuary. Are you ready to begin?" She asked.

"Wait," Percy exclaimed. Seeing Lupa's attentive face, he continued, "whewe (where) is our sister Thawia? Is she hewe (here)?"

Lupa was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry. Your sister is dead."

-X-

Percy

Percy sprinted as fast as he could, Lupa's words echoing in his words all the while.

"Go west to and your home. Your brother will follow shortly. Beware, young one, you will have to make difficult choices," Lupa had warned.

Percy was currently in a forest heading west, according to the compass Lupa gave him. Percy was only four, but he was extremely mature for his age. He knew what the word dead meant. It meant Thalia wasn't coming back. His mother was an unstable, drunken bitch (not that he knew that, of course) and wouldn't console him a bit if he ever went home (he knew that, though), so this was his only option. Percy believed Lupa when she explained what being a demigod was; he had occasions when people screamed that he shocked them during school, but that was only when he got angry.

Percy and his brother had been training for a month before Lupa allowed them to try to reach New Rome. She made it clear that she and her pack wouldn't assist them, so Percy knew he would die if he messed up.

Percy was dashing in a halcyon, autumn colored forest that seemed to be untouched by industry or civilization, but not by monsters. Percy heard roars and cries that would make a regular four year old wet his or her pants, but Percy managed to contain his frightened bladder. Sunlight peeked through the orifices of the leaf canopy above him, letting the warmth of the rays beat on his shirtless back.

Yes, Percy was being forced to run with no shirt on in California. His skin was blood red and peeling, much like the tapestries in the Wolf House—the manor he awoke in nearly a month prior. Percy felt some sort of mental . . . compass; it was like some divine force was pulling him in a certain direction, aiding him on his journey to find the place called Camp Jupiter. Lupa mentioned something about a tunnel, but he had no idea where he could find a tunnel in a forest. Maybe he hadn't gone far enough? Maybe he just—

An arrow struck the tree next to him, sending bark flying into the air. Percy, without even looking back, bolted further into the forest, his feet slapping against the forest floor roughly. Percy was small and agile, making it easy for his lithe body to navigate through the dense underbrush. For every root Percy jumped over and every branch he ducked under, his pursuer fell further and further behind him.

Percy somehow knew that this was his test of speed and dexterity. Percy poured all his energy into his legs, his skinny but muscled body working its hardest to get him away from his assailant. He ducked under a branch, hopped over a small creek, sidestepped a boulder, and suddenly exited the forest to see that he had come to a nearly deserted highway. He skipped quickly across the road, the asphalt burning his bare feet like searing hot coals.

Percy risked a glance behind him to see a tall figure with a bow in hand, stopping at the other side of the highway.

He passed his first test.

-X-

Jason

Jason hated the sun. Its rays baked his body like a pie in an oven, but Jason doubted he would taste as good as cherry pie after he had been cooked. Jason was shirtless by request of Lupa, saying that he should be able to survive with his body, and not rely on acquired materials. Nonetheless, Jason's back and shoulders hurt.

Jason had left after Percy (Lupa said the oldest twin was to go first), but Lupa told him his challenges would be in a different order than his. So here Jason was, walking through a forest, headed in the same direction his brother had gone in. As he walked, he couldn't get his mind off of his sister Thalia. She had always been around for the twins when their mother had not, making Thalia not only a sister and best friend figure, but also a motherly figure. Jason missed her deeply like a child would miss a lost blanket; he just didn't feel secure without his black-haired sister. Granted, being with Percy always made him feel safe, but no one could replace his sister.

His thoughts strayed to Percy. His fraternal twin was obnoxious, rebellious and sarcastic at only the age of four; Jason loved it. They were the perfect pair; Jason was polite and dutiful, while Percy was uncontrollable and keen to banter. They seemed like almost complete opposites, but Jason couldn't imagine being separated from his twin.

Jason's eyes soaked in the autumn colors: yellow, orange, and all shades of brown. The woods were so majestic that they were nearly ethereal; Jason had already decided that he had been sucked into Narnia when he wasn't looking and found this crazy, good-looking forest.

The growls and roars ruined the whole picture, however. The cries and screams were filled with lust and hunger, like the beasts that made them hadn't been fed in a millennium. Jason didn't want to break their streak of not devouring demigods, so he hurried his pace a little, eager to catch up to his black-haired brother.

Jason had been travelling for a couple hours, drinking water from streams and munching on various snacks that Lupa had put in a small bag that hung at his belt. He was about to take another bite of his granola bar, when he heard the noise. A massive hound burst from the bushes next to him, causing him to scream and fall onto his back. The hound had beady red eyes that seemed to pulsate an aura of cruelty and malice, and sleek, black fur that rose and fell with each heavy breath the beast took.

Jason backed up by pulling his body with his hands, and was surprised to see two weapons lying on the ground. The beast hadn't moved and inch, but its evil, red orbs followed every movement of his.

On his left was a golden sword that had sparks jumping all over it, and on his right was a sleek, grey bow and a quiver of arrows; each arrowhead seemed to pulse with blue electricity, like it needed to discharge some of the energy.

Only pick one, Lupa's soft yet stern voice vibrate through his head.

Jason had no trouble making his choice.

Jason was still nervous and, frankly, terrified. He shakily raised the sword, feeling the electricity course through his body, energizing him. It was like he had just drunk six cans of Coke; the electricity was his caffeine. Jason took an anxious step backwards as the hound padded forward.

Then, in one idiosyncratic moment, all sounds in the forest ceased, making Jason feel like he was in some random room, alone with a hellhound. He recalled all of Lupa's training, shifting his feet into a proper athletic stance and postioning his upper body in a defensive stance, ready to parry an attack. Despite his copious amount of knowledge on swordsmanship, thanks to Lupa, he was almost becoming asphyxiated from the thick tension and anxiety that hung in the air like a chandelier would dangle over a dining room table. His breathing became erratic, turning into a slight form of hyperventilation.

The hellhound lunged.

Jason swung instinctively, the blade slashing across the hound's snout, knocking it off course. It careened as it tried to get up again, accidently slamming into a boulder. Jason took that as an opportunity to charge his hand full of electricity, and fling a destructive lightning bolt. It slammed into the hellhound's flank, sending it flying into the forest. Jason watched as it broke through one . . . two . . . three trees before stopping. The weak and thin trees fell, one landing on the hellhound's broken form, sending him straight to Tartarus.

Jason looked at the blade before trying something. He didn't know why he thought to do what he did; he just acted on an impulse. He flipped the blade, and it morphed into a tiny gold coin. He lifted it up to read the Latin word on the side.

Ivlivs.

Julius.

Strange name, Jason thought as he moved the coin around in his fingers. He slipped the coin into his pocket and turned around to see that the bow was no longer there. Jason frowned for a moment, before turning back to the direction he was heading originally.

Jason continued on, determined to find his brother and Camp Jupiter before sunset.

A/N: Soooo? How was it? I have a great plan for this story! My writing has really increased since my first couple of stories (which are now deleted), and it makes me feel great! I feel like I am capable of writing a good story, so tell me if you want me to continue this story, because I can definitely do it. Thanks for reading! I'll have the next chapter up soon, hopefully!