PJO: Son of a Primordial

{Camp Jupiter, 20th of June 2006}

Percy POV

I woke up to the sound of a horn blaring, jolting me out of the best sleep I'd had in days. For a moment, I forgot where I was, expecting to see the familiar blue walls of Cabin Three. Instead, I found myself staring at the ceiling of the Fifth Cohort barracks, the events of the past few days rushing back to me.

Right. Roman camp. Potential allies. Possible war. Just another day in the life of Percy Jackson.

I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Around me, the other bunks were already empty. Panic gripped me for a second before I spotted Grover, still snoring softly in the bunk next to mine, his fake feet discarded on the floor.

"Rise and shine, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth's voice came from the doorway. She was already dressed in her Camp Half-Blood shirt and jeans, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. "The Romans have been up for hours."

I groaned, flopping back onto the pillow. "Do they not believe in sleeping in?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but I could see the hint of a smile on her lips. "Come on, lazy bones. We've got a big day ahead of us."

With another groan, I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed. By the time I was ready, Grover had finally stirred, bleating softly as he put on his fake feet.

"Where's Thalia?" I asked, noticing her empty bunk.

"Already out there," Annabeth replied. "She's with Jason, trying to smooth things over with some of the other centurions."

We made our way out of the barracks, blinking in the bright California sunshine. The camp was already bustling with activity, demigods rushing back and forth, weapons clanging in the distance.

As we walked, I couldn't help but marvel at the differences between Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. Everything here was so... organized. Orderly. It made me appreciate the controlled chaos of our Greek home.

We found Thalia and Jason near the training grounds, deep in conversation with a group of stern-looking Romans. As we approached, I could feel the weight of their stares. Some looked curious, others suspicious, and a few downright hostile.

"Ah, there they are," Jason said, spotting us. He waved us over, a friendly smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes. I could tell he was tense, trying to play peacemaker between two worlds that had been separate for millennia.

"Everyone, these are the rest of our Greek visitors," Jason announced. "Percy Jackson, son of Pos- I mean, Neptune. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Minerva. And Grover Underwood, a faun- I mean, satyr from their camp."

A girl with dark hair and eyes like volcanic rock stepped forward, her gaze sharp and assessing. "I'm Felice, daughter of Bellona and centurion of the Second Cohort," she said, her voice cool and formal. "I hope you understand our... caution regarding your presence here."

I nodded, trying to channel some of Annabeth's diplomacy. "We get it. We're not here to cause trouble. We just want to work together to face the threat that's coming."

Felice's expression didn't change, but I saw something flicker in her eyes - respect, maybe? Or just well-hidden disdain. It was hard to tell with Romans.

"Well," she said after a moment, "actions speak louder than words. Let's see what you Greeks can do in training."

And that's how we found ourselves in the middle of a Roman training session, surrounded by demigods who looked like they'd been born wearing armor.

The first hour was brutal. We ran laps around the entire camp, did more push-ups than I thought humanly possible, and then moved on to weapons training. I partnered with Grover, both of us feeling out of place among the regimented Roman fighters.

"I think I prefer strawberry picking," Grover muttered as we fumbled through a sword drill.

I couldn't help but laugh, despite the ache in my muscles. "Come on, G-man. Where's your warrior spirit?"

"I think I left it back at Camp Half-Blood," he bleated, narrowly avoiding stabbing himself with his own sword.

As we trained, I noticed the Romans watching us. Some were openly critical, muttering about our "sloppy Greek style." Others seemed impressed, especially when Annabeth demonstrated her knife skills or Thalia called down a bolt of lightning.

Speaking of Thalia, she was in her element. The daughter of Zeus - or Jupiter, I guess - was a force of nature, her spear a blur of motion as she sparred with a burly Roman guy twice her size.

"Your sister's quite the fighter," a voice said beside me towards Jason.

"Yeah, she's pretty amazing," I agreed. "Must run in the family."

Jason grinned, and for a moment, I could see the family resemblance between him and Thalia. It was in the determined set of their jaws, the electric intensity in their eyes.

"Perseus Jackson!" a voice boomed across the training ground. I turned to see Felice striding towards me, her dark eyes glinting with challenge. "Let's see how you fare against a real Roman fighter."

I glanced at Grover, who gave me an encouraging nod, then stepped forward. "Bring it on, I guess."

We squared off, circling each other like wary wolves. Felice struck first, her sword a golden blur. I parried, the clash of celestial bronze against imperial gold ringing out across the field.

For several minutes, we danced back and forth, neither gaining the upper hand. I could feel the eyes of every demigod on us, Greek and Roman alike.

Finally, I saw an opening. As Felice lunged, I sidestepped, using a move Annabeth had taught me. My sword found its way to Felice's throat, stopping just short of touching her skin.

For a moment, silence reigned. Then, to my surprise, Felice smiled. It was small, barely there, but genuine. "Not bad, Greek," she said, lowering her weapon. "Maybe there's hope for you yet, even if you are a son of Neptune."

The rest of the morning passed in a blur of training exercises and demonstrations. By lunchtime, I was exhausted but exhilarated. As we made our way to the mess hall, I fell into step beside Grover.

"How you holding up, G-man?" I asked, noticing his slightly wilted appearance.

Grover bleated softly. "I think I preferred it when they thought I was invisible," he muttered. "Did you see the way they looked at me when I tried to explain the difference between satyrs and fauns?"

I patted him on the back sympathetically. "Hey, at least you're bridging cultural divides, right? That's got to count for something."

Lunch was an interesting affair. We sat with the Fifth Cohort, trying not to stare too obviously at the wind spirits delivering food or the animated statues serving drinks. Jason sat across from us, fielding questions from curious Romans about Camp Half-Blood.

"So, you guys really have a rock climbing wall that spews lava?" a boy named Dakota asked, his mouth stained red from what I hoped was some kind of drink and not, you know, actual blood.

"Yep," I confirmed, taking a bite of my pizza. "Keeps you on your toes."

"And your cabins are divided by godly parent?" another girl chimed in. "That seems so... different."

Annabeth bristled slightly at that. "It works for us," she said, a hint of defensiveness in her tone. "Everyone has their own space, their own family."

I could see the Romans mulling this over, trying to reconcile it with their own system of cohorts and rankings.

As lunch wound down, Thalia joined us, looking slightly singed but grinning from ear to ear. "You guys missed it," she said, plopping down next to Jason. "I just took on Octavian in a duel. Let's just say he won't be questioning our skills again anytime soon."

Jason winced. "Thalia, you didn't hurt him, did you? He's kind of important around here, even if he is a pain in the podex."

Thalia waved her hand dismissively. "Relax, little bro. I just singed his eyebrows a little. They'll grow back... eventually."

I couldn't help but laugh, picturing the scrawny augur with no eyebrows. Even some of the Romans at our table were trying to hide their smiles.

As the afternoon wore on, I found myself actually enjoying Camp Jupiter. Sure, it was different from home, but there was something impressive about the way everything ran so smoothly, the sense of purpose that seemed to fill every Roman demigod.

We spent the rest of the day touring the camp, with Jason and Dakota as our guides. We saw the temples, the baths (which, I had to admit, were pretty awesome), and even got a glimpse of New Rome, the protected city where demigods could live in peace.

As the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the camp, I found myself standing by the Little Tiber with Grover. We watched as Roman demigods went about their evening routines, the camp settling into a quieter rhythm.

"What do you think, Perce?" Grover asked, his voice thoughtful. "Think this crazy plan of ours might actually work?"

I considered for a moment, thinking back on everything we'd seen and experienced today. The initial suspicion, the gradual warming, the moments of connection.

"You know what, G-man? I think it just might," I said, feeling a spark of hope in my chest. "We're different, sure, but when it comes down to it, we're all demigods. We all face the same dangers, the same monsters."

Grover nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yeah, you're right. And hey, if we can make it work here, maybe there's hope for the rest of the world too."

As we stood there, watching the last rays of sunlight glint off the river, I couldn't help think of Ozzy for a second, the summer solstice was just one day away and we hadn't seen any sight of him or the bolt for that matter, and that made me anxious.

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