Lani
We were without a doubt, the strangest reinforcements in Roman military history. Hazel rode Arion, who had recovered enough to carry one person at normal horse speed, though he cursed about his aching hooves all the way downhill.
Frank transformed into a bald eagle- which I think my brother still found unfair- and soared above us. Tyson ran down the hill, waving his club and yelling, "Bad pony-men! BOO!" while Ella fluttered around him, reciting facts from the Old Farmer's Almanac.
As for my brother and I, we rode Mrs. O'Leary into battle with a chariot full of Imperial gold equipment clanking and clinking behind, the golden eagle standard of the Twelfth Legion raised high above us.
We skirted the perimeter of the camp and took the northernmost bridge over the Little Tiber, charging into the field of Mars at the western edge of the battle. A horde of Cyclopes was hammering away at the campers of the Fifth Cohort, who were trying to keep their shields locked just to stay alive.
Seeing them in trouble, I felt a surge of protective rage. These were the kids who'd taken me and my brother in. This was my family, a place where I didn't have to live in the shadows of my past or my brother's triumph.
I shouted, "Fifth Cohort!" and slammed into the nearest Cyclops. The last things the poor monster saw were Mrs. O'Leary's teeth
After the Cyclops disintegrated- and stayed disintegrated thanks to Death- Percy and I leaped off Mrs. O'Leary and slashed wildly through the other monsters side-by-side.
Tyson charged at the Cyclops leader, Ma Gasket, her chain-mail dress spattered with mud and decorated with broken spears.
She gawked at Tyson and started to say, "Who-?"
Tyson hit her in the head so hard, she spun in a circle and landed on her rump.
"Bad Cyclops Lady!" he bellowed. "General Tyson says GO AWAY!"
He hit her again, and Ma Gasket broke into dust.
Meanwhile Hazel charged around on Arion, slicing her Spatha through one Cyclops after another, while Frank blinded the enemies with his talons.
Once every Cyclops within fifty yards had been reduced to ashes, Frank landed in front of his troops and transformed into a human. His centurion's badge and Mural Crown gleamed on his winter jacket.
"Fifth Cohort!" he bellowed. "Get your Imperial gold weapons right here!"
The campers recovered from their shock and mobbed the chariot. Percy did his best to hand out equipment quickly.
"Let's go, let's go!" Dakota urged, grinning like a madman as he swigged red Kool-Aid from his flask. "Our comrades need help!"
Soon the Fifth Cohort was equipped with new weapons and shields and helmets. They weren't exactly consistent. In fact they looked like they'd been shopping at a King Midas clearance sale. But we were suddenly the most powerful cohort in the legion.
"Follow the eagle!" Frank ordered. "To battle!"
The campers cheered. As Mrs. O'Leary, Percy, and I charged onward, the entire cohort followed- forty extremely shiny gold-plated warriors screaming for blood.
We slammed into a herd of wild centaurs that were attacking the Third Cohort. When the campers of the Third saw the eagle standard, they shouted insanely and fought with renewed effort.
The centaurs didn't stand a chance. The two cohorts crushed them like a vise. Soon there was nothing left but piles of dust and assorted hooves and horns. I hoped whatever centaur I was starting to remember would forgive me.
"Form ranks!" the centurions shouted. The two cohorts came together, their military training kicking in. Shields locked, they marched into battle against the Earthborn.
Frank shouted, "Pila!"
A hundred spears bristled, including my own. When Frank yelled, "Fire!" they sailed through the air- a wave of death cutting through the six-armed monsters. The campers drew swords and advanced toward the center of the battle.
At the base of the aqueduct, the First and Second Cohorts were trying to encircle Polybotes, but they were taking a pounding. The remaining Earthborn threw barrage after barrage of stone and mud. I summoned a wave of water from the aqueduct and did my best to shield the cohorts. Karpoi grain spirits- those horrible little piranha Cupids- were rushing through the tall grass abducting campers at random, pulling them away from the line. The giant himself kept shaking basilisks out of his hair. Every time one landed, the Romans panicked and ran. Judging from their corroded shields and smoking plumes on their helmets, they'd already learned about the basilisks' poison and fire.
Reyna soared above the giant, diving in with her javelin whenever he turned his attention to the ground troops. Her purple cloak snapped in the wind. Her golden armor gleamed. Polybotes jabbed his trident and swung his weighted net, but Scipio was almost as nimble as Arion.
Then Reyna noticed the Fifth Cohort marching to their aid with the eagle. She was so stunned, the giant almost swatted her out of the air, but Scipio dodged. Reyna locked eyes with my brother behind me and gave him a huge smile.
"Romans!" Her voice boomed across the fields. "Rally to the eagle!"
Demigods and monsters alike turned around and gawked as Percy and I bounded forward on our hellhound.
"What is this?" Polybotes demanded. "What is this?"
I felt a rush of power coursing through the standard's staff. My brother nudged me with a smile.
I nodded, raised the eagle, and shouted, "Twelfth Legion Fulminata!"
Thunder shook the valley. The eagle let loose a blinding flash, and a thousand tendrils of lightning exploded from its golden wings- arching in front of me like branches of an enormous deadly tree, connecting with the nearest monsters, leaping from one to another, completely ignoring the Roman forces. Thankfully, Jupiter doesn't seem to hate me as much as Zeus because I didn't die.
When the lightning stopped, the First and Second Cohorts were facing one-surprised looking giant and several hundred smoking piles of ash. The enemy's center line had been charred to oblivion.
The look on Octavian's face was priceless. The centurion stared at me with shock, then outrage. Then when his own troops started to cheer, he had no choice except to join the shouting: "Rome! Rome!"
The giant Polybotes backed up uncertainly, but I knew the battle wasn't over.
The Fourth Cohort was still surrounded by Cyclopes. Even Hannibal the elephant was having a hard time wading through so many monsters. His black Kevlar armor was ripped so that his label just read ANT.
The veterans and Lares on the eastern flank were being pushed toward the city. The monsters' siege tower was still hurling explosive green fireballs into the streets. The gorgons had disabled the giant eagles and now flew unchallenged over the giant's remaining centaurs and the Earthborn, trying to rally them.
"Stand your ground!" Stheno yelled. "I've got free samples!"
Polybotes bellowed. A dozen fresh basilisks fell out of his hair, turning the grass to poison yellow. "You think this changes anything Percy Jackson! I cannot be destroyed! Come forward, son of Neptune. I will break you!"
Percy dismounted and turned to say something to me.
"Go, I've got this, it's only fair dad's favorite destroys his bane" I teased.
"No, we've got this" My brother smiled. He took the standard from me and handed it to Dakota. "You are the cohort's senior centurion. Take care of this"
Dakota blinked, then he straightened with pride. He dropped his Kool-Aid flask and took the eagle. "I will carry it with honor"
"Frank, Hazel, Tyson" Percy said, "help the Fourth Cohort. Lani and I've got a giant to kill"
My hair clip returned to my hair and I summoned my sword.
My brother raised Riptide and I raised Tremor, but before we could advance, horns blew in the northern hills. Another army appeared on the ridge- hundreds of warriors in black-and-gray camouflage, armed with spears and shields. Interspersed among their ranks were dozens of battle forklifts, their sharpened tines gleaming in the sunset and flaming bolts nocked in their crossbows.
"Amazons," Frank said. "Great"
Polybotes laughed. "You see? Our reinforcements have arrived! Rome will fall today!"
The Amazons lowered their spears and charged down the hill. Their forklifts barreled into battle. The giant's army cheered- until the Amazons changed course and headed straight for the monsters' intact eastern flank.
"Amazons, forward!" On the largest forklift stood a girl who looked like an older version of Reyna in back combat armor with a glittering gold belt around her waist.
"Queen Hylla!" said Hazel. "She survived!"
The Amazon queen shouted: "To my sister's aid! Destroy the monsters!"
"Destroy!" Her troop's cry echoed through the valley.
Reyna wheeled her Pegasus toward Percy. Her eyes gleamed. Her expression said: I could hug you right now. She shouted, "Romans! Advance!"
The battlefield descended into absolute chaos. Amazons and Roman lines swung toward the enemy like the Doors of Death themselves.
But I only had one goal. Prove myself to my father.
My brother pointed at the giant. "You. Us. To the finish."
We met by the aqueduct, which had somehow survived the battle so far. Polybotes fixed that. He swiped his trident and smashed the nearest brick arch, unleashing a waterfall.
"Go on then, son of Neptune!" Polybotes taunted. "Let me see your power! Does water do your bidding! Does it heal you! But I am born to oppose Neptune"
The giant thrust his hand into the water. As the torrent passed through his fingers it turned dark green. He flung some at my brother, who instinctively deflected it with his will. I darted to the side, hoping to catch the giant surprised, turns out I'm as invisible to him as I am to my father.
"My touch turns water to poison" Polybotes said. "Let's see what it does to your blood!"
He threw his net at Percy, but my twin rolled out of the way. I diverted the waterfall into the giant's face to give him cover. While Polybotes was blinded, Percy charged. He plunged Riptide into the giant's abdomen the withdrew it and vaulted away, leaving the giant roaring in pain.
The strike would have dissolved any lesser monster, but Polybotes just staggered and looked down at the golden ichor- the blood of immortals- spilling from his wound. The cut was already closing.
"Good try demigod," he snarled. "But I will break you still"
"Gotta catch me first" Percy said, giving me a look with one clear meaning 'slow him down and catch up with me'. He turned and bolted toward the city.
"What?" the giant yelled incredulously. "You run coward? Stand still and die!"
I slashed my sword across the backs of the giant's knees.
"Who dares!" Polybotes bellowed.
"You barnacle bitches are all the same, you forget there are two of us!" I shouted. Leaping at the giant with the full force of a tidal wave behind me. Let's just say I left a nasty dent down the center of his chest before following my brother.
I passed Mrs. O'Leary, who looked up curiously with a gorgon wriggling in her mouth.
"I'm fine!" I yelled as I ran by, followed by a giant screaming bloody murder.
I jumped over a burning scorpion and ducked as Hannibal threw a centaur across my path. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tyson pounding Earthborn into the ground like a game of whack-a-mole. Ella was fluttering above him, dodging missiles and calling out advice: "The groin. The Earthborn's groin is sensitive."
SMASH!
"Good. Yes. Tyson found its groin"
"Lani needs help?" Tyson called.
"I'm alright!"
"Die!" Polybotes yelled, closing fast. I kept running.
In the distance, I saw Hazel and Arion galloping across the battlefield, cutting down centaurs and karpoi. One grain spirit yelled, "Wheat! I'll give you wheat!" but Arion stomped him into a pile of breakfast cereal. Queen Hylla and Reyna joined forces, forklift and Pegasus riding together, scattering the dark shades of fallen warriors. Frank turned himself into an elephant and stomped through some Cyclopes, and Dakota held the golden eagle high, blasting lightning at any monster that dared challenge the Fifth Cohort.
As I approached the Pomerian line, I heard my brother call, "Lani! Terminus gets really, really angry when people break the weapon rule!"
I nodded and glanced back to see the giant almost within arm's reach. To buy some distance, I dodged between aqueduct columns. The giant swung his trident, and I used the unleashed water to guide the collapse- bringing down at least a ton of bricks on the giant's head.
I made it about twenty feet from the pile of bricks before Polybotes burst from the pile, causing bricks to fly everywhere, including right into my shoulder. I dropped my sword to the ground, crouched as low as possible and my brother ran over to me while staying low to the ground.
Water was still running over Polybotes, turning to poison and leaving a steaming marsh at his feet when I picked up my sword and stood with my brother before him.
"I underestimated you. You... you will die slowly" the giant promised. He picked up his trident, now dripping with green venom.
All around us, the battle was winding down. As the last monsters were mopped up, our friends started gathering, forming a ring around the giant.
"I will take you both prisoner Percy and Lani Jackson," Polybotes snarled. "I will torture you both under the sea. Every day the water will heal you, and every day you will watch as I bring one of you closer to death"
"Nah, sounds boring, we've got a better idea" I started.
"I think we'll just kill you instead" Percy finished.
Polybotes bellowed in rage. He shook his head, and more basilisks flew from his hair.
"Get back!" Frank warned.
Fresh chaos spread through the ranks. Hazel spurred Arion and put herself between the basilisks and the campers. Frank changed form- shrinking into something lean and furry... a weasel? I thought Frank lost his mind, but Frank charged the basilisks, they absolutely freaked out. They slithered away with Frank chasing after them in hot weasely pursuit.
Polybotes pointed his trident and ran toward Percy and I. As the giant reached the Pomerian Line, Percy and I jumped aside like a bullfighter. Polybotes barreled across the city limits.
"THAT'S IT!" Terminus cried. "That's AGAINST THE RULES!"
Polybotes frowned, obviously confused he was being told off by statue. "What are you?" he growled. "Shut up!"
He pushed the statue over and turned back to my brother and I.
"Now I'm MAD!" Terminus shrieked. "I'm strangling you. Feel that? Those are my hands around your neck, you big bully. Get over here! I'm going to head-butt you so hard-"
"Enough!" The giant stepped on the statue and broke Terminus in three pieces- pedestal, body, and head.
"You DIDN'T!" shouted Terminus. "Percy Jackson, you've got yourself a deal! Let's kill this upstart"
The giant laughed so hard he didn't realize Percy was charging until it was too late. Percy jumped up, vaulting off the giant's knee, and drove Riptide straight through one of the metal mouths on Polybotes's breastplate, sinking the Celestial bronze hilt-deep in his chest. The giant stumbled backward, tripping over Terminus's pedestal and crashing to the ground. While trying to get up, clawing at the sword in his chest, I joined my brother, hefting the head of the statue.
"You'll never win!" the giant groaned. "You cannot defeat me alone"
"Like I said, you always forget there's two of us." I said, lifting the stone head above the giant's face. "Oh, and this is our friend Terminus. He's a god!"
Too late, awareness and fear dawned in the giant's face. I smashed the god's head as hard as I could into Polybotes's nose, and the giant dissolved, crumbling into a steaming heap of seaweed, reptile skin, and poisonous muck.
I staggered away, my brother and I leaning on each other, both completely exhausted.
"Ha!" said the head of Terminus. "That will teach him to obey the rules of Rome"
For a moment, the battlefield was silent except for a few fires burning, and a few retreating monsters screaming in panic.
A ragged circle of Romans and Amazons stood around Percy and I. Tyson, Ella, and Mrs. O'Leary were there. Frank and Hazel were grinning at us with pride. Arion was nibbling contentedly on a golden shield.
In that moment I realized something. I had never been trying to prove myself to my brother, I had been trying to so hard to keep my promise to Zoe about not being lost to history that I forgot the other half of my promise, to never become like the heroes she hates. I had to keep my promise to her.
I stepped to the side, a smile on my face as I motioned to my brother, something the Roman's clearly understood as me passing on the glory of our battle to him.
The Romans began to chant, "Percy! Percy!"
They mobbed him, causing me to laugh. Before I knew it, they were raising him on a shield. The cry changed to "Praetor! Praetor!"
Among the chanters was Reyna herself, who held up her hand and grasped Percy's in congratulations. Then the mob of cheering Romans carried him around the Pomerian Line, carefully avoiding Terminus's borders, and escorted him back home to Camp Jupiter.