Chapter 7 - War Games

-Percy's POV-

"So you're telling me, that you guys built that fortress and prepared it for a war game in the time it took me to do my final trial?" I questioned as I adjusted the sword on my back.

"Pretty much, they say Rome wasn't built in a day but I reckon we could give it a pretty good attempt." Laughed Frank as he leant against Hannibal the elephant, his bow resting on the floor next to him with his quiver. His baby like face seemed even funnier when his large frame was compared to the elephant next to him.

"So mind reminding me what the objective is again?" I asked.

"You weren't listening were you?" Asked Frank.

"Ok maybe I was a little confused about the quick construction of the fortress alright."

"Ok the third, fourth and fifth cohorts need to breach the walls and retrieve a standard." Frank began, I tried to interrupt to ask what a standard was but before I could he kept talking. "A standard is a flag on a pole topped with an eagle."

I nodded in understanding and gestured for him to keep going.

"The first person to breach the walls earns the mural crown and gets significant glory. And while we get Hannibal the elephant on our side we are still at a severe disadvantage. The walls have mounted water cannons, scorpion ballistae and a solid iron portcullis that we have to get through. Meanwhile Reyna will fly above on her Pegasus Skippy to act as a referee. Are you getting it so far?" Frank asked at the end of his explanation.

"Yeah it's basically a one sided capture the flag?"

"Pretty much, we lose if they can last until sunset or incapacitate all three cohorts. The first and second cohorts are currently on a winning streak, they haven't lost since Jason disappeared."

"So then lets end a winning streak. It wouldn't be the first time I've broken someone's long running winning streak." The image of a crackling electric spear broken in half flashed through my mind.

"Seeing as you don't know the answer to the question I want to ask I'll just skip the vague responses and skip right ahead to the next part. You and I are pretty much expected to be cannon fodder, our centurions won't even give us orders other than charge the wall."

"Well that was before you had someone like me on your side." I responded with a wink.

"Centurions prepare your cohorts, the battle begins in ten minutes. The Field of Mars will be a glorious battlefield." Reyna's voice echoed around the battlefield even though she hadn't yelled in the slightest. A blessing from her mother, Bellona.

"Ahem, so uh. We're just gonna do our usual and charge the walls with Hannibal. If anyone sees an opportunity to get inside take it. We don't have much chance of beating them but at least with Percy we can give a good showing." Dakota said while taking a sip from his Kool-Aid.

"That's it, no speech, no plan, just charge the walls? I thought you were joking." I said to Frank as the fifth cohort continued to just stand around and wait for the battle to begin.

"Well we aren't expected to even breach the walls let alone take the standard so like I said, cannon fodder." Frank explained.

"Cohorts, be prepared! The battle begins in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. Go!" Reyna yelled a few minutes later, the fifth cohort yelled in either dismay or resignation and urged Hannibal along.

"Come on Frank, get Hazel and come with me, we're gonna win this." I said with a smile, Frank looked at me like I'd grown a second head before running over to Hazel who was currently hanging back from the main force of the cohort, her cavalry sword wasn't designed for close combat on foot.

"Hazel, Percy has a plan I think." Frank yelled to her as she shrugged and ran over to us.

"Ok here's the plan, first step; find a way up to the walls without getting shot by the ballistae. Once we're too close for the ballistae they'll have to use the water cannons and that's where step two kicks in. Basically I'm gonna blow up the water cannons and then just wing it the rest of the way." I said with a bit of a laugh causing Hazel to deadpan and stare at Frank annoyed that he was listening to what was obviously a madman.

"Percy you're crazy, winging it is not any sort of plan." Frank said annoyed.

"I was not the one that said I had a plan, that was you. Plus I could do this by myself I just wanted to spend some time with my friends." I said with a smile as I struggled not to get annoyed with them.

"Ugh fine, let's go then." Hazel said as she led them over to a fissure in the ground.

"Um why are we here?" I asked, Frank shushed me and pointed to Hazel as she gestured to the fissure causing it to split open revealing a tunnel underground that led towards the wall.

"Hazel has a knack for finding tunnels underground, sometimes I think the tunnels form to please her. Something about being the daughter of the god of the underworld." Frank explained as Hazel led the way into the cave.

I just shrugged and unsheathed my sword and ignited it, bathing the cave in flickering light.

For a second the phrase, "Satyrs don't belong underground" played through my head but was gone just as quickly.

We travelled along the dark cave until coming across a sold stone wall.

"Ok this is as far as I can take us, the wall extends down into the ground until bedrock so we'll have to go over ground from here." Hazel explained as the ground above us cracked open to reveal the wall stretching above us. Shouts could be heard from the top of the wall as a head peaked over the edge before pulling back.

"Element of surprise is gone so time to mount this wall." I said with a slightly deranged smile, a good bit of destruction always brightened my day up, that is when it's intentional. "Alright I'll go first and draw their fire, Frank stay back a bit and provide some ranged support until the water cannons are out of action, Hazel watch his back make sure nothing sneaks up on us from the ground. When the cannons are dealt with we'll mount the wall together, Frank your size will be your main advantage so don't be afraid to bull rush people over the sides. Hazel that cavalry sword will be put to good use, it's extra length should keep any undesirables off your back. I'll try and rush the standard."

Whilst I was giving orders a message had been relayed along the top of the wall and now the water cannons were being armed and aimed towards us.

"Show time." I said with a grin as Frank ducked behind some cover with Hazel and prepared to fire onto the wall.

"Fire!" Screamed someone from the top of the wall and couldn't help but smile at their stupidity, surely by this point stories of what I had done with the Little Tiber had circulated the camp.

Across the wall shouts were heard saying the water cannons wouldn't fire.

I smirked and held up three fingers as arrows bounced off of my invulnerable skin, the two fingers and finally one. When I had no fingers left the cannons exploded spraying pressurized water up into the air and knocked several teenagers off the wall and into the fortress.

The tug in my gut that had been slowly building along with the pressure in the cannons now increased as the water began to flow into the shape of a ladder down the side of the wall before freezing to ice.

"Frank wanna earn a crown?" I asked as Frank just stared open mouthed at the damage down to the wall. Walking over to him and Hazel I grabbed the strap holding his quiver to his back and dragged him to the ladder. "Hazel you next and I'll bring up the rear, try and keep the area immediately in front of the ladder clear."

Hazel nodded and the two of them climbed the ladder and began clearing a path. I climbed the ladder and cracked my neck as I looked down into the courtyard and saw it was filled with demigods waiting for the gates to be breached.

"We'll clear the walls, can you make it into the fortress?" Hazel asked, I almost felt offended that she had to ask.

"Want to see why they call my father the earth shaker?" I asked with a grin. Hazel didn't get a chance to answer as the tug in my gut became almost painful, a glowing sea green aura appeared around me as the ground to shake violently causing many of the demigods to lose their footing.

Throwing a cheeky salute to Hazel I dived off the wall, she shouted something but I didn't pay attention as I was more focused on sticking the landing. Rolling as I hit the floor I jumped to my feet and was immediately on the defensive as swords and javelins were thrust toward me.

"Well that wasn't a very nice way to say hello." I taunted as I lashed out with my sword, cleaving a javelin in two before dodging another sword strike. I was surrounded and did not fancy facing so many people at once. Suddenly one was hit in the back of his chest plate by an arrow causing him to stumble forward. Slamming the butt of my sword into the top of his helmet I watched as he went down before diving through the hole he left in the circle and made a dash for the fortress doors.

Once inside I turned around and saw a majority of the legionnaires from the courtyard charging towards me, with a small wave I shut the door and slammed the heavy wooden beam across it to hold it shut.

"Ahem." Someone said behind me causing me to turn around to see three tall and muscled legionnaires waiting with their swords.

"This just isn't your lucky day is it boys?" I questioned causing them to snarl in anger and charge at me. The first swung his golden blade at my midsection which I blocked but I was forced to kick him away and parry a thrust that had been aimed for my chest. The third swung his sword at my head forcing me to duck.

"You could take someone's eye out with that you know." I taunted as I let the next strike slam into my forearm. Shaking my head I slapped the legionnaire with the flat of my sword and then swung at the guy to my left, he wasn't quick enough to avoid the long reach of my sword and received a nasty gash across his arm. He recoiled slightly from the pain and I took my chance to charge my shoulder into his chest and smack the butt of my sword into his side, forcing his breath out of him.

"Stay down." I growled before jumping out of the way of a sword swung at my head. "I'm getting bored of this."

I held my hand up and felt the tug in my gut reappear and watched in satisfaction as a barrel that had been full of water exploded. The explosion distracted the remaining two legionnaires as the water slammed into them like a battering ram, knocking them both out.

Sheathing my sword on my back I dashed down a hallway until I reached what was obviously some sort of central hall, in the middle of the room sat the standard guarded by Mike Kahale, Octavian's right hand man. Or so Frank had described him during dinner.

"This is as far as you go Perseus." Mike said as he pulled out his golden sword.

"I mean I made it pretty far right? And I haven't seemed to have broken a sweat yet, so I'm not sure what you're gonna do to me." I smirked, like seriously smirked. Where on Earth is my confidence coming from? Maybe a god is looking out for me? (A/N Or maybe an Author?)

'Duck.' Whispered a voice in my head and I immediately followed the instruction as a large battle axe sailed over my head, a second legionnaire that had been waiting behind the door holding the handle.

"Well that was rude." I said as I dashed in close to him to prevent him using the large weapon. I was a little shocked when he dropped the axe and swung a two handed blow down towards my head.

Grunting I turned my dash into a roll to get under his swing and popped up next to him with my sword now in my hand. Swinging the sword with all my strength I slammed the flat side into his ribcage, even through the armor that had to hurt.

The now winded legionnaire was no match for the sword pommel that collided with the back of his head.

"Well that was efficient." Mike said as his own sword nearly cleave me in two. Well not cleaved but you get the picture. I dodged backwards and found my back pressed against the solid wall and Mike preparing a stab towards my midsection. Parrying his blow I was happy to see his sword stab into the wall and remain stuck there.

With a smile on my face I kicked him hard in the chest making him stumble backwards but also pulling his sword from the wall.

"You are really frustrating to deal with you know that?" Said Mike as he recovered from the kick, I contemplated pushing my advantage but decided that this was an actually fun fight that could prove a challenge.

"You could say the same for yourself." I replied as I saw him ready to go again. Pushing off the wall for speed I rammed my shoulder into his breastplate and sent him stumbling back again, following up with a swing of my sword that would surely split him in half from shoulder to hip.

Surprising me he managed to use the stumble to transition into a roll very similar to my own roll from earlier. Before he could get up however I stomped on his hand causing him to let go of his sword in the process and hiss in pain.

"Don't try my moves on me dude. I've been on the receiving end of the counter moves." I said as I picked up his sword and held it to his throat along with my own sword.

"I yield." He said as he cradled his injured hand. I shrugged and dropped his sword to the floor before grabbing the standard and making my back to the front door.

The three guys were only just recovering and flinched as I walked past them. With a swipe of my now flaming sword the bar holding the doors closed and they suddenly swung inwards as a battering ram was used to try and get in.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion at seeing the second cohort members that had been holding the ram sprawled over the floor.

The standing legionnaires stepped back at seeing me holding the standard in one hand and a flaming sword in the other.

"The way I see it, you have two options. Option 1; get out of my way. Option 2; I slash my through you with my flaming sword. Now which will it be?" I asked as I swung my flaming sword a few times for good measure. A path cleared to the front gates almost immediately and as I approached them Hazel and Frank jumped down from the wall to join me. "Hey guys, have fun without me?"

They stared at me like I was insane which made me laugh as I used my sword to cut through the iron portcullis like it was made of butter. The three of us calmly walked out of the fortress to shocked looks from the third through fifth cohorts.

Silence reigned over the Field of Mars until a single clap rang out, that single clap built into a thunderous round of applause.

"That my friends is how you win a war game." I said as I held the standard to the sky.

The cheers began growing quiet as a scream of pain pierced the air, everyone turned as one and saw Gwen, one of the fifth cohorts centurions, fall to the ground holding a large stab wound on her stomach.

"Oh crap, why can't things ever be easy." I moaned.

-Future, No POV-

Percy stared at the screen in front of him, a slight frown on his face. He was unsure as to where his younger self was drawing this pride and arrogance. Rewinding to the battles he had throughout the war game Percy smirked when he found the reason, hiding from mortal and even godly sight was the Roman war god Mars.

Fueling arrogance into his younger self to try and make him slip up. Unfortunately for Mars, young Percy was much too skilled in sword fighting to be beaten by these children.

"I'll have to cleanse his influence but Mars is about to show up and issue the quest so maybe a little arrogance and anger will make it that much more amusing." Percy mused as he fiddled with a golden remote control with his hourglass symbol on it.

"Mars always did enjoy riling the Romans up, he said it made them more motivated." Artemis said as she made her presence known, causing Percy to jump.

"Di Immortales you scared me beautiful." Percy said to his wife, she smiled and kissed him gently before then slapping him gently.

"There is no need for cursing." She said with a mock glare.

Percy stuck his tongue out at her and secretly reached up to tickle her sides.

"Try it and I might just remove your fingers regardless of how well you use them." Artemis said causing Percy to blush slightly and remove his hands.

"So uh want to watch my younger self yell at your brother then." Percy said slightly flustered, even after being married to Artemis for this long she still knew how to make him embarrassed.

A/N Hi, I may have been trying to write this for quite some time but kept getting writers block which may be noticeable by the lack of any real fighting during most of the fight scenes but at least I wrote a chapter.

Thanks Trigger2332 out!