ACHILLES + PATROCLUS [p. jackson]

1.5: THE DESTROYER OF ALL THINGS CUTE AND CUDDLY

In this chapter, I delve a little more into the actual Octavian and Agrippa from history, and all I can do is reccomend Overly Sarcastic Productions' video on Augustus Ceasar, as well as all of their videos, as they are amazing. Said video is above.

     AGRIPPA OFTEN WONDERED IF JUPITER LIKED THE UNCONVENTIONAL SACRIFICES GIVEN TO HIM BY OCTAVIAN. After centuries of live animals - and in some rare and sacrilegious acts, human ones (at least he could add 'unconventional opinions on sacrifices' to things apparently passed down genetically), they were suddenly replaced by stuffed animals that did nothing more than make the younger recruits cry.

Jupiter at least did not openly show his dislike of such a change, as there had yet to be a smiting against the augur, but Rip could imagine the king of the Gods might be at the end of rope these days, based solely on how angry the storm looked above the ornate and impressive dome of his most sacred temple.

He paused at the entrance, wondering for a second if interrupting such a 'precious ceremony', as Octavian called it, would be such a good idea, then shook that away. If Octavian throws a fit, I'll leave.

Maybe.

Probably not, he decided as he stepped inside, just in time to catch a look of utter confusion on Hazel's face as her eyes flicked between Percy and the statue of Jupiter, as if there was something he had missed.

"Octavian's in the zone, eh?" Rip questioned, stepping closer to Hazel and Percy, who both slightly jumped. Rip paid them no mind as he watched the augur at work, hands moving in odd ways he never could understand the meaning of, and he could picture his face twisted in that hubris-heavy smile.

"Is he always like this?" Percy questioned quietly, eyes darting around the room, taking in the intricate murals and gleaming golden dome above their heads.

"Surprisingly, this is one of his better days," Rip mused, watching as Octavian raised his hands towards the roof, causing a great surge in the storm above their heads, and a crack of lightning to send a shiver down his spine.

It wasn't that he was afraid of storms, his best friend controlled them, after all, but they tended to bring up a lot of unpleasant memories within him, ones he'd rather forget.

He watched as Octavian lowered his hands, ending the storm without much effort, and felt his shoulders sag in relief.

"What is he doing?" Percy muttered, looking Octavian up and down, presumably sizing him up. In that moment, Octavian turned, that crooked smile of his plastered all over his face, his precious dagger clutched tightly in one hand, and the other gripped around the throat of some poor, unsuspecting victim of is madness.

"Percy, meet Octavian," Rip sighed, giving his former colleague a pointed look. "Octavian, play nice."

A scoff came from the augur's throat, though he paid Rip no mind as he glared down Percy, sizing him up as the boy had done mere seconds before. "The graecus!" Wait, what? Since when was Percy Greek? "How... interesting," Octavian trailed off dramatically.

"Uh," Percy looked between the three others present in the room, and focused on the poor thing clasped tightly in Octavian's hand. "Are you killing small animals?"

Octavian, on the rarest of occasions, laughed. It wasn't a nice sound, it was not welcoming, or jovial, or even hearty. It was cold, detached, and somewhat crazed, something that never sounded quite human to Rip.