'Inconceivable'

04-Sep-2030, 0915U

Frank Zhang, Hero of Olympus, Son of Mars

Legion XII

Oakland, California, USA

I had honestly lost sense of what was reality and what wasn't.

Seriously, my old friend—probably my best friend discounting Hazel—was back after disappearing for twenty years. He was dressed like a soldier—sorry, a sailor—and instead of swordfighting, he was gunfighting.

And now, he appeared to be having an ideological debate with Terminus.

"I understand that rules are rules, but disarming the populace and infringing upon their ability to protect themselves, their families, and their properties is not an effective measure for building a safer society!" Percy argued.

"You see here, Mr. Rule Flouter! This city is a sacred zone!" Terminus fired back.

"But disarming civilians just makes it easier for a government to become tyrannical! And even if you want to presume that the government will never become tyrannical, the premise is still stupid! Seriously, if an armed bad guy shows up and starts whacking civilians, the armed good guys are one, minutes away when seconds matter; two, may be ordered to stand down by the idiotic leadership; or three, may not react at all due to cowardice and/or lack of training!"

"You think legionaries will run from their duties?!"

"All three have happened in the mortal world, so they can happen here too! Besides, weapons are equalizers! Put a skinny, ninety-pound, five-foot-zilch woman against a muscular, three-hundred-pound, six-foot-five man, who's gonna win? Now replay the scenario, but the woman is armed! Disarmament just makes it easier for the ill-intentioned strong to prey upon the weak!"

"Now see here—"

"Hello, Terminus!" I interrupted as Hazel and I walked up. "Percy, when I said to meet us at the Pomeranian Line, I didn't say to get into a philosophical debate with Terminus."

"What? I'm just saying, it's like Mandalore in Clone Wars! You can't just assume benevolence from bureaucracy!" Percy insisted. "Honestly, Satine is overrated."

"Perce, can we just go? The meeting starts in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, okay..."

"Stop right there, Jackson!" Terminus barked before Percy would walk past. "Take out your weapons!"

"Seriously—"

"Percy, please give the man your arms," Hazel requested.

"... okay, Hazel," he replied, reaching into his pocket before looking around. "Uh, where do I put them?"

"Hold on, where's my assistant? Hunter! Hunter!" Terminus bellowed. Said blond boy poked his head around the edge of the pedestal, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Hey, kiddo," I greeted with a wave.

"There you are! Come now! Front and center!"

"Yessir, Mr. Terminus!" Hunter replied, obediently stepping forward with an opened gold box. Ten years ago, Terminus replaced the silver tray with the gold box, making it easier to collect and redistribute items. Long story short, while it was the size of a shoebox, it was magic, allowing people to drop items in and easily retrieve them upon leaving the city.

"Box, eh? That's new," Percy noted as he pulled a pen—Riptide—from his pocket and dropped it in. "Whoa, it disappeared! Is everything magic now?"

"All of your weapons, Jackson," Terminus ordered.

"Uh, I think I picked the wrong day to conceal-carry."

"Hunter is quite professional."

"So—"

"No, he doesn't make contact with the armament."

"... if you say so." And much to my surprise, Percy lifted his T-shirt and pulled out a holster right where his stomach was, containing a pistol and spare magazine, gingerly placing it into the box. "Now can I go in?"

"All of your weapons."

"Seriously? I have my wallet, watch, and phone! What could you possibly be referring t—oh... oops," he realized, looking at a bracelet on his right wrist—one of those survival bracelets. "Completely forgot about that. My bad."

"Hang on, Terminus. That's a bit much, isn't it?" I interjected. "I mean, it's just cord, a buckle, a couple of tiny tools. How is that a weapon?"

"You don't wanna know," Percy muttered as he got the bracelet off his wrist.

"No, no, I really do."

"... if you say so." He fiddled with it, and in milliseconds, the bracelet was gone, replaced by a—

"Machine gun?!" I exclaimed, stumbling back in shock at the sight of the modern weaponry.

"Relax, Zhang. It won't hurt you."

"Whoa, that's so cool!" Hunter exclaimed, almost dropping his box in excitement as Percy knelt to show off the armament.

"Darn right it is. Mark 46 Mod 1, the high-speed low-drag variant of the M-2-4-9. Chambered in 5-5-6, and I've got a suppressor, laser, EOTech with three-by magnifier, fixed irons, and a hundred-round nu—er, magazine," Percy explained, cutting himself off on the last description.

"What's a 'nu-ermagazine?'"

"... I'll tell you when you're older, kid. But trust me, as fun as it is to shoot, it's a bi—er, burden—to carry. Machine gunners are often the grumpiest on patrol and the happiest in a firefight, lemme tell you that."

"Percy, can you explain this later? At least, if you want to go to the Senate meeting?" I interrupted, shaking off the shock of the weapon.

"Yeah, one sec," he replied, transforming the machine gun back into a survival bracelet before dropping it in the box. "Now, promise me you won't touch that, kiddo. Wait for me to come back first, alright? Plus, your mom and pop have to be involved too, okay?"

"Yessir!" Hunter enthusiastically replied, shaking Percy's hand.

"Okay, let's—"

"Hunter!" a woman called, walking up to the checkpoint with a brown paper bag in hand. "You forgot your lunch! And your water! Do you know how hot it is—"

"Moooom!" the boy groaned in embarrassment at his mother's smothering as we tried not to laugh.

"Hi, Julia," Hazel greeted after a minute of her mothering. "How's Ethan?"

"Hi, Hazel! He's doing good, just working right now. Frank, good to see you!" Julia replied—yes, the same cute little Julia that was Terminus's assistant all those years ago. In the past twenty years, she served nine years in the legion, married, and had a son—who had taken up the mantle. Moreover she was one of the few people that didn't address me, Hazel, Reyna, or even Leo by our titles.

"Wait a sec... Julia?" Percy exclaimed as the two locked eyes.

"Er... have we met?"

"You wanted to be me when you grew up."

"Wait... Percy Jackson?!"

"That's me, lil' miss," he replied as he shook the awestruck woman's hand. "Good to see you again."

"Oh my goodness... you're alive!"

"Yeah, everyone thinks I was dead for some reason. By the way, who's Ethan?"

"My husband."

"Wait, wait, wait... Ethan? Julia? Hunter?" Percy asked, snickering at her nod of confirmation. "You're kidding."

"What's so funny?"

"... seriously? Mission: Impossible, anyone?"

"Oh, yeah... yeah, we get that a lot. From Ethan's coworkers, mainly."

"Percy, ten minutes!" I cut in.

"Okay, okay. Good seeing you, Julia!" Percy said, waving her, her son, and her old boss goodbye. "She grew up."

"Yes, she did. C'mon, it's starting in a few."

It didn't take long for us to get to the Senate House and find our seats, which were smack-dab at the front. Well, mine and Reyna's, at least. Hazel took Percy over to the front row by the legatus (legate), appearing to explain to him how things had changed—which they had, significantly.

For starters, we added the rest of the cohorts. While we obviously didn't have the manpower for a legion, we were able to have one century per cohort—around eighty each, save for First Cohort, which had a double century (160)—each with its own centurion, optio (second-in-command), tessarius (commander of the watch), and signifier. We also had a sixty-man cavalry unit, the equites legionis, riding pegasi and alicorns (winged unicorns) that we'd received from Camp Half-Blood and bred.

For comparison, in the old days, Cohorts II-X were made up of six centuries each, with Cohort I having five double centuries due to its elite status. Moreover, the cavalry unit was 120 riders, bringing the head count of a legion up to 5,240, discounting leadership personnel. We were miniscule compared to the legions of the past, but still bigger than we were two decades ago.

To quote Leo, the rise in manpower came from gods, demigods, and legacies alike "gettin' busaaaaaaay" in the peacetime. Not only was this true, but we also had a good few people move here from Camp Half-Blood.

But there was another factor: youth were now deemed non-combatants, with all legionaries being at least eighteen years of age (seventeen in a few rare cases)—it was also the reason why, unlike our friends at CHB, we walked around looking like we were in our mid-twenties.

Minors were placed in Auxiliary Cohort II—around one hundred and sixty boys and girls whose drilling was stuck to summers and occasional weekends—nicknamed "Baby Bootcamp" by legionaries. For a real-world comparison, it was like the legion was the American military and Auxiliary Cohort II was the Boy Scouts. Meanwhile, veterans made up Auxiliary Cohort I ("The Old Goats"), a part-mounted unit with approximately sixty horsemen and two hundred and forty infantrymen.

Each cohort was commanded by a praefectus cohortis, both of whom had senatorial duties as well. Both cohorts, of course, were understrength, but these cohorts were closer to the real thing than the active-duty legion.

There were also some shifts involving the Senate. For starters, the praetors had effectively become full-time senators, with their command of the legion having shifted to the legate—the commander of the legion, selected by the Senate. As such, praetor duties were far more administrative than in the past, with them also serving as magistrates. While Reyna and I were technically in charge of the Senate due to our consul status, we decided to act more hands-off and provide the praetors and senators with more autonomy—though we still advised, stepping in and even overruling certain decisions from time to time.

Moreover, there was the tribunus laticlavius (thick-striped tribune) and five tribuni angusticlavii (thin-striped tribunes)—elected by the people—who worked underneath the legate. They, like the legate, worked duties as senators, but were far more administrative in their roles (though to be frank, only thick-striped tribunes had any command, with thin-striped ones being mostly unimportant). And underneath them was the praefectus castrorum (camp prefect), who wasn't a senator, but still attended meetings at times to brief the Senate, given that he was usually the senior-most legionary serving.

I'll be honest, it was a weird mix of correct and contemporary as we tried to make the organization as faithful to history as possible while fitting in a few compromises with modern times. For example, while centurions no longer held senatorial powers, they were still allowed to attend meetings—in fact, we took a page out of the book of modern legislatures and allowed for public comments, which is why even Percy could get into the building.

The banging of a gavel interrupted my thoughts, bringing any conversation in the room to a close.

"Good morning, let's begin," Praetor Kolinski said in his typical no-nonsense fashion. "Do we have a quorum?"

"Yes, we do," Townsend confirmed, with as much professionalism as her fellow praetor. "Now, we'll start with old business..."

Beside me, Reyna looked like she was trying to keep the boredom from her face. We were children of war, after all, so we weren't fond of the bureaucracy and non-combat elements of our jobs—with one of them being two senators debating over something involving schools. But nonetheless, given that we lived in peacetime, we didn't have much to do apart from assisting our mortal/half-immortal counterparts with running New Rome and the legion.

Like the Pilum Academy issue, where Senators Brand and Cutler were arguing over whether the K-12 school should be allowed to operate alongside New Rome K-12 (yes, that's its name).

"We're not forbidding Pilum Academy from existing!" Brand argued.

"No, you're just forbidding any more students from going there!" Cutler shot back.

"Because the tactics of the Garcias are draconian!"

"They're not hard, you're just soft! The students going through their school have outperformed NRK-12 in every category! And with no expulsions and less cost per student, at that! And they don't even draw from New Rome's funds! The people should be able to send their children to the best school for them, not for you and whatever NRK-12's paying you!"

"You see here, you son of a—"

"Order, order!" Kolinski called, banging the gavel and shutting the two up. "Senator Brand, you will keep ad hominem from your words. And Senator Cutler, such accusations without evidence are grounds for disciplinary action."

"Moreover, this issue has been discussed over the course of three meetings, and neither of you have brought in the people you claim to represent so that they can testify before us," Townsend added. "We cannot hope to vote on this issue without more information."

"My apologies, Praetors, but it's a school day, and Mr. and Mrs. Garcia are busy taking care of their students," Cutler replied.

"Excuse me, Praetors," Legate Reed interjected. "But I move that, until Senators Brand and Cutler bring in better arguments apart from he-said-she-said, that the matter be tabled. Moreover, we should reconvene on this issue on a weekend, so as to allow the Garcias, relevant PA and NRK-12 personnel, and parents or even students to attend and testify."

"I second that motion," Cutler said.

"Very well. For the sake of time, we shall vote with our hands. All those in favor?" Townsend asked, with much of the Senate raising their hands in reply. "And those opposed? ... the 'ayes' have it. Senators Brand and Cutler, by the will of the Senate, you shall prepare proper arguments for a special weekend meeting and gather witnesses for said meeting. The two of you shall discuss timings and report back to Praetor Kolinski and myself, so that we may announce when the meeting shall be held. Any questions?"

"No, ma'am," the two replied in unison, taking their seats.

"Very well. That's old business... any public commentary? ... none at this time... we have no new business on the docket, unless anyone has something that we missed?"

"OH YOU MISSED SOMETHING, ALL RIGHT!" someone shouted behind us. While just about everyone else gasped, I could only roll my eyes as I turned towards the entrance. Present and in the moment was none other than my overdramatic friend/frenemy (seriously, I wasn't sure what he was at that point): Leo Valdez.

"Was that really necessary, Dux Alexios?" Townsend asked after a few moments, with the mustachioed son of Hephaestus grinning in reply (he grew it because he wanted to look manly, I think).

"Of course, Praetor, of course! I've been standing out here for fifteen minutes, just waiting for you to say the line! Frank, mi amigo!"

"Leo, you gotta stop doing this," I sighed, knowing that he'd probably still keep doing it. "Please tell me you at least resolved the situation in Texas."

"Of course I did! All personnel and equipment have been safely recovered! Well, Hank got a concussion, but he's okay."

"Did he take a hit?"

"He tripped."

A snort came from the front row, with several murmurs quickly following as Leo stepped around the dais to take a look at the one who it came from—Percy.

"I know, real unlucky. Who're you?"

"You defy logic almost as much as the Stolls, you sonuvabitch," Percy replied with a smirk.

"Wait a second... Percy Jackson?!" he gasped, eliciting even more muttering from the crowd and even the praetors. "What happened to you? Did you get blown up?"

"Yep."

"Dude! You look like you were on Festus when everything exploded!"

"Or I was in New Rome when that eidolon pulled your strings," the sailor countered as he stood, shaking hands with the young god. "And don't worry, I didn't break any of your crap this time," he added, referencing a very... tense incident twenty years ago.

"What is the matter with you?! Haven't you heard of a doorknob?!" Leo shouted at the son of Neptune. We all stood in a strange mix of armor and pajamas outside of Piper's room after hearing her scream. Percy, high on adrenaline, ended up kicking the door down and freaking her out even more than she already was.

"I thought we were under attack! When you're under attack, you respond fast and hard!" Percy shot back. "Speed, surprise, violence of action! Haven't you been in combat?!"

"Why would you kick it down? You broke the damn door!"

"You're the one that built this crap!"

"The Argo II is not crap, Aquaman!"

"Then why did it take me one kick to take it down, camp-bomber?"

"I didn't bomb New Rome!"

"Yeah? Well I got nothing stating otherwise! If you hadn't blown up Camp Jupiter, we wouldn't have the legion on our asses! We're operating with no logistical support, no reinforcements, no nothing to pull off a quest against the literal ground! Just seven kids—one of whom probably has a concussion—and a satyr on a ship that's built like shit!" Percy shouted, shoving the son of Hephaestus.

"Hijo de puta—" Leo growled as the two began taking steps towards each other. I grabbed Percy while Hazel and Annabeth restrained Leo before a brawl could commence.

"Easy, easy!" Annabeth ordered as we broke the two apart. "We're supposed to be working together, not tearing each other apart!"

"Tell that to Valdez," Percy hissed, but nonetheless backed off, with the two furious boys facing each other down.

"I think," Hazel began quietly, trying to deescalate the situation. "Maybe we should just get some sleep. We're all tired right now."

Wordlessly, Percy sloughed me off and stormed back to his cabin, with Leo doing the same moments later.

"Good call, Hazel," Annabeth muttered as we left Piper to rest.

"Thanks... those two ain't gonna kill each other, right?"

"Hopefully not... besides, I can't do everything Leo does if he gets killed."

And she had a point. As much as he freaked me out because of his fire abilities, Percy freaked me out just a little bit more—the only reason I wasn't ridiculously freaked out was because I trusted him like a brother. And now, I had to hope he wouldn't kill our team mechanic.

"Can't believe we nearly killed each other," Leo recalled.

"Well, I would've killed you, no question," Percy chuckled.

"'To storm or fire the world must fall,' Water Boy. Not the ocean."

"Do you really want to get into a pissing match over who's done what? 'Cause I'm more than willing to."

"If you're quite finished," Reyna interrupted, making the two turn towards the dais. "We have a meeting to continue with."

"Actually, Consul, we're done," Kolinski said. "Seriously, there's nothing else on the docket for whatever reason. The Senate is adjourned!"

And with a bang of his gavel, everyone began collecting their things and filing out, with Leo and Percy still talking throughout the commotion, with Hazel joining in.

"Well, I didn't expect that," Reyna remarked beside me as we stood, taking care not to trip over our togas.

"You and me both," I agreed as we made our way to the trio, from whom all noise in the building came due to the lack of other people. "So Leo, what happened with—"

"Rey-Rey!" Leo greeted, completely ignoring me as he turned towards my fellow consul. "I just wanted to tell you that you, my dear, are under arrest!"

"... on what charge, may I be inclined to ask?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For bein' way too cute for a consul! Now put your hands where I can hold 'em!"

I tried very hard not to let my internal cringe show at Leo's cheesy pick-up line, not unlike all of the other lines he'd used in the past several years. But what makes things interesting is the fact that, with a roll of her eyes and slight blush on her cheeks, she held out her hands—only to get pulled in for a surprise kiss.

"Did you miss me, hermosa?" he cheekily asked before Hazel and I took a sudden interest in the ceiling.

"Shut it, Valdez," Reyna muttered, but nonetheless returned his embrace.

"Yes, reina."

"WAIT A SEC!" Percy exclaimed, drawing our attention to his flabbergasted face. "Valdez... you have a girlfriend?!"

"Wow... that's what you have to say?" Leo asked indignantly. "Seriously, dude?"

"Okay, the fact that you have a girlfriend aside... your girlfriend is Reyna?!"

"Yep!"

"I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"

"Well, it all began nineteen years ago..."

The thing between Leo and Calypso did not work out, much to Hazel's surprise. Long story short, whatever the couple had fizzled out—that or whatever love-related curse she had was still in effect, resulting in her... infidelity, shall we say.

Angered and hurt, Leo ended up—much to my surprise—at Camp Jupiter, trying to escape the memories he left in New York. Everything I just said earlier was about all I could get out of him. If he told Hazel anything else, she didn't say. We offered him a place to stay, with him volunteering to assist with some reconstruction duties to pay us (and New Rome). While the legion can break down and rebuild quickly, New Rome was a little bit trickier.

Of course, my fellow consul was not happy about the "camp bomber" being back. It wasn't uncommon to find the two bickering, whether it be over the past or present. It got to a point where Leo started instigating the arguments himself, with their shouting matches ultimately becoming a daily (if not hourly) occurrence. And it was getting on everyone's nerves.

Approximately six months after Leo first showed up, we were meeting in the mess hall. What started out as a civil meeting over future projects turned into a heated argument with the two, with their English and Spanish shouts and curses overpowering the chatter of the rest of the legionaries around us. Across the table, the praetors looked at me uncomfortably, while Hazel was fidgeting in nervous silence. I pleaded for Leo and Reyna to stop thrice, once more to at least take their dispute outside, but they never noticed me over their yelling.

And finally, enough was enough, as I reached my boiling point.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" I bellowed, standing up and slamming my fist on the table, damaging it. But more importantly, the two had gone silent as their heads jerked towards me—and as I would find out afterwards—just like everyone else in the mess hall. "THAT IS IT! I AM FREAKING SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR NONSENSE!"

"Dude—" Leo began before I cut him off.

"ENOUGH! YOU'VE STARTED SO MANY OF THESE FIGHTS YOURSELF!

"What did I tell you—" Reyna began to snark at Leo before I turned on her.

"SHUT THE FUDGE UP! YOU'RE THE REASON BEHIND THE WHOLE MESS, CONSIDERING YOU DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE EIDOLON TOOK CONTROL OF LEO AND MADE HIM FIRE ON NEW ROME! HE DIDN'T DO IT HIMSELF! NOW LISTEN HERE, BOTH OF YOU: I AM SO, SO SORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU, BUT THAT DOESN'T GIVE YOU AN EXCUSE TO CONTINUE BICKERING LIKE A COUPLE OF WHINY LITTLE SCHOOLGIRLS!"

At the end of my rant, it was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Those around us bore faces of shock or fear, with Leo and Reyna having the former. Grabbing the two by their wrists, I yanked them from where they stood and furiously dragged them out of the mess hall. However, when we finally crossed the threshold and I shoved the two in front of me, I didn't chastise them further. However, I did do something that, in retrospect, shocks me: I summoned a pair of Imperial Gold handcuffs from the armory and cuffed the two together.

"Now the two of you listen here," I growled, my tone scarily venomous (again, in retrospect). "You two will work this out. I don't care how, but you will work it out and stop bickering, or so help me..." Unsure of how to further threaten them, I stormed back into the mess hall, leaving the pair stunned and chained together.

My rage would wear off by the next morning, courtesy of a good night's sleep and Hazel helping to calm me down. However, my irritation remained, and I decided not to uncuff Leo and Reyna. Though what was odd was that they never asked me—according to Hazel, they didn't want to anger me again.

A week later, I finally uncuffed them before apologizing for my uncharacteristic fury and unprofessional conduct before leaving them on the doorstep of Reyna's quarters and retreating to my own. Truth be told, when the reality of what I did set in, my actions were nothing short of embarrassing.

And yet, they didn't bicker that much, not while stuck together nor after I separated them (at least, when I actually saw them). So as stupid as my actions were, they seemed to be effective. Granted, they spent a decent bit of time apart after I separated them, but their relationship had improved. They had gone from bitter enemies to cordial acquaintances when they collaborated over future construction projects. When I saw Leo actually playing with Aurum and Argentum, I had a feeling that they had actually become friends—especially since Reyna watched on with a hint of amusement, joining in from time to time.

And then, fifteen months after my outburst, I accidentally found them making out in a field while having a midnight picnic-date... because they had been dating for a month, to nobody's knowledge (except for Aurum and Argentum). It was like the time I found Percy and Annabeth in the hold of the Argo II, but worse.

And now, as we sat in a circle in the Garden of Bacchus after picking up some drinks and pastries from Bombilo's shop, Percy was laughing his head off while Hazel finished explaining the story. I was trying not to die from cringe, Reyna demurely drank her hot chocolate, and Leo had a big grin on his face, subconsciously petting Aurum and Argentum as the dogs rested their heads in Leo's lap.

"So... you're tellin' me the reason you two are knockin' boots is 'cause Frank cuffed you together? Frank?!" Percy howled beside me as he gave me a slap on the back. "Goddamn, bro! Look at you matchmaking!"

"Shut up," I grumbled as I took a bite from my chocolate croissant—which I could eat because my lactose intolerance was gone upon receiving immortality.

"Okay, okay... but RA-RA, you and Zippo, huh? Didn't expect that."

"Neither did I," Leo chuckled as he looked towards his girlfriend. "But hey, it worked out great! Besides, guess what else we learned? That Frank's got a bit of fire in him too! I knew we were best friends!"

"We are not best friends," I insisted.

"You know you love me, hermano. But Hazel gets the title of 'best friend' since you two are together, eh? Guess she likes a man that can take charge, right?" he teased, with Reyna shooting him a look as she smacked him in the arm, while Hazel blushed and my own embarrassment only intensified. "What? I'm just sayin', she looked like she liked that alpha male—"

"Leo, shut up."

"See, there it is again!"

"LEO!"

"Fine, fine..."

"Hello!" a new voice called as its owner came up the hill—Tyson, the friendly cyclops, also carrying merchandise from Bombilo's.

"Hey, brother!" Percy said. "Now where the heck have you sprung from?"

"I was looking for you! I asked around, found out that you went up this way! I got close enough and was able to hear you!"

"What's up, man?" Leo greeted as Aurum and Argentum jumped up and attacked Tyson—not with bites, but with snuggles, as they like him too. Tyson started showing up at Camp Jupiter from time-to-time years ago, offering his services in rebuilding New Rome and subsequently bonding with the dogs because of all the time he coordinated things with Reyna. Heck, believe it or not, Tyson actually advised Leo on several different actions (in construction/engineering, not romance).

This guy is seriously smart. Even more so than Annabeth in many ways. Plus, he's impossible to hate.

"Hello, Aurum and Argentum! Have you two been good?" the behemoth asked as he knelt, giving them headpats and belly rubs. "Have you been good boys? Huh? Are you good boys?"

"Hey, Tyson. Are you well-rested?" Reyna asked.

"Oh, yes! The bunk was a little small, but comfortable nonetheless! And Mrs. O'Leary is having a good time roughhousing with Hannibal, so things are all good!"

"You, my man, are the epitome of optimism," Leo said. "You must have no nightmares."

"I do, but only occasionally."

"... and on that note, let's shift to the nonliteral elephant in the room," I said after a moment of awkward silence. "Percy? Care to explain yourself?"

"I don't know what you mean, Zhang," the sailor replied with a shrug.

"C'mon. US Navy? Is that where you've been for the past twenty years?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, you're in the Navy?" Leo exclaimed. "Wait, don't tell me... you're in SEAL Team 6!"

"... no, Valdez, I am not in SEAL Team 6," Percy sighed with a shake of his head, almost as if he'd been asked the question before.

"Dangit, it woulda been cool to know one of the dudes that whacked bin Laden. What about Delta Force?"

"You know that Delta's under the Army, right?"

"Crap! But then what else could you have possibly been?"

"... you do realize there are at least two dozen other jobs, right? You've got SWCCs, EOD techs, masters-at-arms, logistics specialists, intel specialists, gunner's mates, boatswain's mates, yeomen, minemen, corpsmen... why would you think that I have to be in Team 6 or Delta?"

"C'mon, knowin' you? You're so OP, where else would you go?"

"Well, there are the numbered SEAL Teams..."

"Okay... SEAL Team 1!"

"Nope."

"SEAL Team 2!"

"No."

"3?

"Negative."

"4? 5? 7? 8? 9? 10? 11—"

"No, no, no, no, 9 doesn't exist, no, and 11 and beyond don't exist, 'cept for Teams 17 and 18, but those are reserves," Percy rattled off.

"So what do you do?!" Leo exclaimed, exasperated. "Why'd you suggest the SEAL Teams if you ain't in 'em?!"

"Just to screw with you, Zippo. But long story short, I work as a diver and weapons tester."

"... that sounds kinda boring."

"It is for the most part, with moments of sheer terror."

"Wait, but what about what happened in Nevada when we went after Nico?" Reyna asked before quickly explaining the situation in reply to the confused look on Leo's face.

"Wait, why didn't you call me! I could've hauled ass over there!" Leo said. "Good grief, he could've killed you!"

"You had a job to do," Hazel placated. "It's okay. We had Percy and Tyson helping us, after all."

"I guess the weapons testing part of your job gave you an idea on how to use them," I reasoned in reply to Reyna's question about Percy.

"Y'know, Zippo's rapid-fire numbers remind me of something: Hazel explained that five more cohorts were added, plus two auxiliary cohorts and a cavalry unit. Does that mean Fifth Cohort would no longer be the worst discounting our op in Alaska?" Percy asked.

"Well, no. Actually, the way the legion was set up, Cohort I was always the best. Cohorts II, IV, VII, and IX were actually made up of the weakest or newest troops—which is why we place college students and rookies there, mostly. III and V had no special designations. VI was 'The Finest of the Young Men,' VIII was 'The Selected Troops,' and X was 'The Good Troops,'" I explained. "Strong and weak cohorts were mixed throughout the formation for maximum effectiveness and morale—specifically, in the old days, the stronger cohorts were in charge of protecting the flanks when the entire legion was maneuvering. Of course, this wasn't quite set in stone, but it's what occurred when, again, the entire legion was moving together."

"... so you're telling me that the Fifth—despite technically being middle-of-the-road—was considered the worst for centuries even though the Second and Fourth were actually supposed to be worse than them?!"

"... yes."

"... who the hell organized this legion post-Rome? Redditors? Tumblr and Twitter and Facebook users?"

"You've heard of the Marian Reforms... these are the Freyna Reforms," Leo joked.

"I don't know about that name, but I'm surprised you actually listened to me," Reyna noted.

"C'mon, reina, why wouldn't I?"

"... you literally wore earplugs during a Senate meeting."

"Only when everyone else was talking!"

"Wait, so you didn't listen to a word I said about the barracks' restructuring?" I realized.

"Hey, you're not as pretty as her, and neither is your voice," Leo defended.

"You're impossible, Valdez."

"So I've heard."

"Huh. Guess y'all have been havin' a grand ol' time over here," Percy said with a grin. "I'm impressed you actually managed to improve the military back to the old standards."

"Speaking of militaries... forgive me if I'm prying, but... did you go to the Middle East?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, the Navy put a diver in the Sandbox. Because the guys with stars on their uniforms are enigmas," he snorted with an eye-roll.

"I still can't believe America was there for two decades."

"Yeah..." he sighed, a grim look on his face. "But what happened, happened. Nothin' we can do about it now."

That last statement stirred up old memories of my mother, who also died in the "Sandbox," as Percy put it. From what memories I could scrounge, she was the commander of the combat supply platoon in 12 Service Battalion's supply company during Operation Athena.

She and her men were carrying out a resupply mission for an infantry force in southern Afghanistan. While en route, their convoy was ambushed by a numerically superior Taliban force. She, the platoon warrant, their "RTO," and a third man ended up holding the line to allow for the rest to get to cover with the wounded. Apparently, my mom and the RTO sent out distress calls while the platoon warrant and third man provided covering fire, with the former two eventually joining in. All four were ultimately killed by incendiary explosives, but they ended up buying enough time for the rest of the platoon to dig in and fight back.

Oddly enough, US Marines would end up responding faster to the platoon's call for help faster than any Canadians. Fighter jets carried out bombing runs while infantrymen arrived in helicopters to secure the area and evacuate everyone. Embarrassed by the fact that Americans showed up before their own men, Canadian commanders never disclosed the existence of the mission.

She was posthumously promoted to captain and awarded the Sacrifice and Meritorious Service Medals, with Grandma and I receiving the Memorial Cross along with them. "Heroism" was mentioned in the award citation. However, everything I knew about it came from the soldiers in her platoon and nobody else.

I was angry and bitter, to put in mildly. Making it worse was the fact that nothing could be done. All that happened was that it hurt less as time went on.

"You're right," I agreed, nodding towards Percy. "Nothing left to do. Just remember the dead."

"Short lives, long memories," he responded.

His words tapped another old memory, one of the unsolved mysteries in my mind: four years ago, when I went to visit my mother's grave, there were flowers there. But while there were flowers on all the gravestones, these were a little different: a collection of chrysanthemums, representative of duration and long life by the Chinese. It was simultaneously ironic and heartwarming to see them, cheesy as it sounds.

I long wondered who left them there: one of the soldiers in her platoon? Or did the cemetery personnel just happen to put different flowers on hers?

Or was it...

"It was you?"

"What was me, Grizzly?"

"Those chrysanthemums on my mother's grave."

"... I was in Canada for some joint training. BC, specifically. One of the Canadians I was with stopped by a cemetery to drop off flowers to an old friend, and I saw Cap'n Zhang's gravestone. Came back a little later to pay my respects," Percy recalled with a sad smile. "Told her you were doin' good. Good man, good warrior, found yourself a lady—"

I cut him off by reaching out with my hand, with him shaking it before the gesture turned into a hug. I was a little emotional, especially with all the memories, but gratitude shone above it all.

"Thank you," I whispered before releasing him.

"Anytime, brother," he replied with a pat on the shoulder. "Guess that visit in '26 paid off, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"I hate to ruin the moment—which was very sweet, Percy," Hazel said after a brief pause. "But ''26?' Do you remember when you left those flowers?"

"Er... that memory's a bit faint, but it was an evening in winter."

"... goodness gracious, I think we just missed you!"

"Wait, what?"

"That's around when we were there!"

"... so you two just barely missed seeing each other in a place you never expected to see each other? What is this, fanfiction?!" Reyna exclaimed.

"How... how do you know what fanfiction is?" Leo asked, eyes wide.

"... I hate Piper."

"I mean, Hollywood's former Aphrodite Cabin, so..." Percy reasoned with a shrug, with the rest of us nodding assent.

"Brother, what nickname did you create for Leo?" Tyson suddenly asked.

"Zippo."

"Understandable."

"That reminds me: y'all got some weird-ass names because of your new godly statuses and domains and all that, right?"

"Well, as you probably heard a few times, Nico is 'Autodikos,' god of the undead, shadows, Underworld, quests, and heroes," Hazel explained. "I'm 'Ecaterina,' goddess of the Mist, Underworld, precious metals, quests, and heroes."

"That makes sense," Percy replied. "RA-RA?"

"'Marcella,' goddess of strategy, leadership, war, quests, and heroes," she answered.

"I'm 'Trajan,' god of transformations, tactics, war, quests, and heroes." I added.

"And I am 'Alexios,' god of machines, fire, mischief, quests, heroes, and bad boys!" Leo boasted, receiving an exasperated look from most of us. "Okay, leave out the last part."

"So let me get this straight: y'all are just as, if not more, redundant than the Little Three?!" Percy exclaimed. "Also, why the hell are strategy and tactics separate from war? And leadership? No offense, but these are some weird-ass domains!"

"I guess you got a point," I conceded. "But overall, I'm better at short-term planning and execution, whilst Reyna is better at the long-term element of it. And thanks to her ability to... motivate, shall we say, those under her command, leadership is an appropriate domain in the context of her powers."

"I see... but Goldfinger and Rancor, you and RA-RA... both pairs are sixty percent identical in terms of domains!"

"Thankfully, that's only on paper, Jackson," Reyna said, with Percy adopting a countenance of understanding.

"Ah... that's a fair point. Didn't consider it in that respect. Still, if we go exclusively with what's on paper, it just sounds like your character profiles were written by an uncreative idiot."

"Well, these were bestowed upon us by Olympus."

"True."

"Wait, I just realized something," Leo said. "Didn't you say we're just as redundant as the Little Three? And did you call Piper 'Hollywood?'"

"Yeah, why?"

"... did you, by any chance, meet Annabeth, Piper, and Jason anytime recently?"

"Yeah, flew up to New York on August 26th, why?"

"... they didn't tell us, that's why!" I exclaimed, throwing up my hands.

"Well, there was the Rodriguez wedding to deal with... plus, CTF with the Hunt—" Percy recalled.

"Hold on, is that how Thalia was able to contact you?" Reyna interrupted.

"Yeah, I gave her a sat phone when they left CHB."

"So they knew you were alive too?"

"Well, yeah... I kinda worked with them in the Killdeer Mountains back in June."

"June?!" Hazel gasped. "You mean you've been back for months and we never found out?!"

"Well, I couldn't use Rainbow VTC—Arcus-messaging," he explained upon the confused looks we gave him. "I tried sending mail around twenty years ago. Either the US Postal Service isn't fully reliable, or I got unlucky, 'cause I guess nothing reached you. Since I didn't get any replies, I didn't send any more letters."

"But they could've called us! It doesn't take that much time, especially with the new phones!"

"Wait, what?"

"Behold, Aquaman, the Leophone!" Leo said, pulling out a cell phone from his tool belt. "It's a normal smartphone, but hardened against signals inside and out! Demigods can use 'em without letting monsters know where they are!"

"Okay, that's impressive," Percy replied, peering at the device. "You give 'em out, sell 'em?"

"Well, no. The smart variant is still experimental, given the more complex tech—it doesn't reliably keep from drawin' monsters when used by demigods. Dad, us, and the Little Three are about the only ones using 'em. I perfected the flip variant around fifteen years ago, and I got a lot of customers. Built up enough funds to purchase phones for the smart variant and get some help with field-testing."

"Hang on, is that what you were doing in Texas?"

"Yup! Talked to some mortals, coupla legion vets... even met Elon Musk and talked shop with him, if you can believe that!"

"Must've been hard to meet the man that took your title of Bad Boy Supreme, eh?" Percy snarked, eliciting a frown from Leo and giggles from the rest of us.

"Nobody dethrones Leo Valdez, not even the Electric Meme Lord," Leo shot back, dead serious. "You hear me, Jackson? Nobody."

"The usurping of your biggest achievement in life aside, I'm guessing shit hit the fan?"

"... unfortunately, yeah. Our cars got ambushed by a group of monsters traveling northwest. We took 'em down, but weirdly enough, it didn't seem like we were their target... almost like we were in their way. One of 'em screamed somethin' about Nevada."

"Wait... you don't think...?" Reyna mused, looking at Percy who simply nodded.

"LT called 'em in when she called me up," he surmised. "Guess that phone needs to be fixed. Well, I hate to say it, but you may have saved our asses, Valdez. Good work."

"Thanks... I guess."

"Now, can I get your contact info?" Percy asked, pulling a cell phone from his pocket—once again eliciting a dumbfounded expression from everyone (except for Tyson). "... what?"

"Is... is that one of my phones?" Leo stammered out.

"... no."

"Where did you get that?"

"... the store."

"Wha—that's a normal phone?!"

"... yes."

"Dude, how the hell are you using a normal phone?!"

"Oh, Trivia removed my scent or whatever it's called," Percy explained. "Yeah, I can use this thing without lighting a flare for monsters to come eat me. Now, contact information please."

"I swear, you're like the main character in a book," Leo grumbled as he took the phone and started typing in his information. "So many perks that the rest of us don't get."

"Says the literal god."

"He's got you there," I pointed out as I took the phone and typed in my own info, with us passing it around. Even Hazel put hers in. While she was far from mastering modern technology, she had learned enough to carry around one of Leo's flip phones and make calls/send texts.

"Okay, so what else is on the docket?" Percy asked as Hazel handed his phone back to him.

"Well, we have Deathball toni—" Reyna began before her boyfriend cut her off.

"All in favor of making Percy participate?" Much to my surprise, Hazel and I found ourselves raising our hands along with Reyna and Leo.

"Now see here—"

"Nope!" Leo interrupted Percy. "This is what you get for disappearing for so long."

"... fine. You want Deathball? I'll give you Deathball. Tyson, you up for it?"

"Of course, brother!" the cyclops cheerily replied. "It should be fun! With the rest of you join us as well?"

"Can't. Immortals are banned from participating 'cause it'd be lopsided," I answered. "You guys have fun, eh?"

"Like I said: you're bleedin' maple syrup, Grizzly."

Alexios - "defender, help provider"

https://www.thoughtco.com/chinese-flowers-info-687455

https://www.unrv.com/military/legion.php

https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/61051/did-post-marian-republic-or-imperial-legion-cohorts-have-specific-skill-levels

https://youtu.be/Rcbedan5R1s

(sources for all the things I said about Chinese flowers and the Roman legion's organization)

Twelfth Legion Fulminata has undergone several changes since Percy last saw them... along with the people in them. As far as New Rome and the legion growing in size as much as it has here... maybe a tad unrealistic in terms of the size of the increase, but the increase itself makes sense in the light of zero threats to demigods (save for occasional roving monsters).

I thought I'd come up with my own idea of how Captain Emily Zhang died. I can't find much information on Canadian reservists' actions in Afghanistan (including whether or not 12 Service Battalion was even part of Operation Athena), apart from the fact that they made up a decent portion of Canadian troops there. But I went with what I thought was the most realistic option, considering that she was a soldier living in Vancouver, with the Canadian Army having no bases in British Columbia (at least, not for their active component).

It's entirely possible that Mr. Riordan based Captain Zhang on Captain Nichola "Carebear" Goddard (first female Canadian KIA in Afghanistan and sixteenth Canadian KIA overall), a forward observation officer attached to Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. She and an Afghan National Army soldier were killed during a joint Canadian-Afghan attempt to capture alleged Taliban members and defend Kandahar's outskirts from a Taliban assault on May 17, 2006.

Rest in peace, Captain Goddard. You did your nation proud.

- ADF-2