Percy Jackson Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent

2019 (2)

Reyna assigned a small girl called Hazel to show us around Camp Jupiter over the coming days whilst we waited for Jason to come and 'ratify the peace treaty'.

Hazel was young, but fiery; timid, yet a knowledgeable and brilliant guide; bold, and yet frightened of us both (although me in particular, I think). She was full of paradoxes, but didn't seem to be a conflicted or peculiar character, and I thought that she was great.

The rest of the legion also seemed pretty intimidated by her, as they gave her the widest berth they physically could whilst staying on the same road as her as we walked through the barracks and town. "It's because I'm the daughter of Pluto," Hazel said, gesturing to a glyph that had been burnt (?) onto her arm. "People don't really trust me here."

I didn't ask her if she knew Nico, but I did know that they were clearly polar opposites: Nico a quiet shadow, easy to miss, while Hazel stood proudly, full of life.

"At the moment, you're honorary members of the Fifth Cohort, which means that you'll eat with us, and at war games tomorrow you'll fight with us."

"War games?" Annabeth and I both exchanged a cautionary look; if this was a trick in order to blame us for beginning a war, we were in deep shit.

"It's a bit like Capture the Flag, but we use weapons, cavalry, etc., and it all takes place in a massive fortress on the Field of Mars." Hazel waved a hand across the camp towards the large plain that bordered the settlement to the East. "We build a new one every War Games; it means that the challenge is never the same."

That was alright then.

"Come on!" Hazel grinned at us. "We've still got to look inside of the temples. Like I know that our temples probably won't be as impressive as yours as you-"

I cut her off, "You have temples? We have a singular brazier to chuck food in when you remember."

Hazel paused. "I didn't show you guys the temples? Even from the outside? You should probably visit before the games. You know, for luck."

She headed off through the city, navigating the winding, European-style streets with the certainty of a local. Eventually we reached a collection of beautiful buildings each with their own unique style. I wondered idly which one was for Neptune, and figured that I owed Dad a visit while I was there, you know, for not smiting me during the Battle of Manhattan and his other kindnesses.

Hazel directed us to the temple of Mars for luck in the war games, before pointing out the two temples for Minerva and Neptune. Neptune's was a pretty depressing one, I'll admit. While all of the other temples were kept beautifully, his wasn't; it was dark and dingy on the inside, and smelled a little of damp. Hazel commented that the Romans feared Neptune for his unpredictability and the wild danger of the ocean.

No wonder they were afraid of me: I was the unpredictable ocean, the lack of order that filled their very worst nightmares, and all they had to go on in terms of my power was rumors that were likely blown way out of proportion.

Anyway.

We decided to get ready for the games, as they were starting in a little over an hour and we really had nothing better to do. I could probably get into my armor in less than five minutes if the situation demanded, but hey, sometimes you can take your time and this was that opportunity.

We were just getting ready to launch into action when, quite suddenly, the entirety of the beautifully-lit city of New Rome went pitch dark. A thin, high wail pierced the heavy silence that descended upon the group.

Something moved on the horizon, coming closer in the half-dark, before lighting up a thin line of fire over the city as weapons discharged, strafing into the peaceful center of town.