Etruscan Demigods

The other Etruscans

The etruscans stayed for five more days in Camp Halfblood and they became good friends with the greeks. But in the west, was another power at work.

Jason, Frank and Hazel were out in San Francisco, to enjoy the peace, when they saw a boy, or young man, fighting a monster. They did not know, what kind of monster it was, as they never before had seen this kind of creature, but he was clearly in danger. It looked like a man with grey skin, wings, a long nose, boar tusks and a large hat on the head. The monster had a large axe.

The boy was armed with a greek cavalry sword, the Copis, a weapon like a very large Kukri. He had a scutum in the left and was clad in a greek linothorax. A roman montefortino helmet, with black feathers decorating it, was on his head. He had long, flowing hair and earrings and had, under his armor, just a light blue tunic. His lower legs were clad in steel greeves and his feets stuck in sandals, but not roman Caligae.

"Lupue! (Die!)" The boy yelled. "Have you ever seen this kind of monster?" Hazel asked. "No." Jason said and drew his coin. A second later, it was a long spear. Hazel drew her sword and Frank turned into an elefant. They charged and both boy and monster turned around, surprised by the sudden attack. "Rumate! (Romans!)" The monster hissed and turned around to flee.

Frank turned back into a human and the boy raised his sword. "Who are you?" Hazel asked. "That is not for you to know, halfbreed. Or are you just a friend of the halfbreed? Anyways, I will not kill you, as you saved my live. But when we meet again, I will kill you, heretic!" The boy answered. "Nobody calls my friends that!" Jason said and lowered his spear. Hazel stepped for, with her Spatha raised and asked "Who are you? So that I know who I will fight in the future?" "Velthur Partunus is my name." The boy said and turned around to leave. "What an asshole!" Frank exclaimed, when the boy was far enough away.

They returned to New Rome and told the senate about this encounter. Hazel noticed in the corner, that the shadows were unnaturally dark. After the senate meeting, where they decided to be suspicious about this strange boy, Hazel walked to the corner and asked "Why do you hide there?"

Nico stepped out of the shadow and answered "I like it there. I've heared, you had encountered an etruscan?" Hazel nodded. But than, she thought how Nico could know, who the boy was. "How do you know that, and etruscans?" Her brother grinned and said "Easy, you described his arms and armor and it was very much like that of the other etruscans." "Other etruscans?" Hazel asked.

"Percy, Annabeth and Rachel discovered etruscan demigods. Apparently in a civil war, with their priests and other fanatical supporters of the pre contact religion." Nico explained.

"What do you mean, pre contact? Like when europeans arrived in america?" Hazel wanted to know.

"No, before the etruscans came into contact with the greeks. in the 6th century BC. It's like the similarities of greek and roman gods." Nico told her.

"So, they have their own olympian gods or what?" Frank, who had joined them, asked. "No. They have their own system. But their gods are quite similar to ours and yours. And you and they have sometimes almost the same gods, as you adopted some. But this boy is part of the enemies of antropomorph gods and their offsprings. They follow the faceless, bodyless deities of the older tradition. And they want to kill all demigods. They think, that demigods are imposters or offsprings of monsters and not the children of gods."

The two roman demigods were shocked. "You mean, there is a human enemy, who wants to kill us?" Frank asked. Nico nodded. "Great! Just great!" Frank exclaimed. "That's not all. They are numerical superior and have magicans on their side. So they are not entirely powerless."

So they called the senators back and discussed the problem. Jason made some mist, said "Oh Nuntia Iunonis (Iris) take this offer and show me Annabeth Chase." threw a sesterce into it.

It shimmered and Annabeth appeared in the mist. She stood over a paper that showed fortress walls. "Hello." He said and she looked up. "Oh! Hello! How can I help you?" She asked.

Jason quickly explained everything and asked about the etruscans she had met. She told them about their encounter and that they were preparing for war. "That these others had encountered you, is not good. Now it will become dangerous, and that very quickly."

The senators agreed and Gwen asked if there was a way to get in contact with the etruscan demigods. "We need an alliance with them. We need to unite against them or we will die divided by their blades."

The others around them mumbled their agreement. "I say it again and again! Veii has to burn! Even Tarchuna agrees that the return of kingship..." A Lar said but was interrupted by another Lar "By the gods below and above! Caio! Veii is destroyed for more than 2300 years! This is a new enemy!"

The senators and Lares started to fight. Insults and provocations flew through the room. Frank nodded to a Lictor and the man clashed his axe bundle on the ground. The sound caused the fight to end.

"Enough!" Frank shouted. "You act like little children, not senators of Rome! First, we have to learn more." Reyna nodded and said "I will send a messenger to the etruscan demigods, inviting them to new rome and see. Than we will learn more."

The senators agreed and the consuls ended the meeting. Frank walked to Hazel and asked "Could you take Arion and ride to Camp Halfblood and from there to the etruscan demigods?"

She nodded and said "No problem, it will take a few days until I'm back, but Julius is capable of leading the turma by himself, if the etruscans attack." He kissed her and said "Take care of you and come back fast." She nodded stern and walked out to call Arion.

She did not say it, but she was afraid. This was different than any danger she had ever encountered. She just wanted to have peace, even if she was now an officer in the legion, a professional soldier.

But as Chiron had said to her, before they left Camp Halfblood "Being capable of violence and not needing to do it is better than needing to be violent and not being able to cause it.

She also did not understand Gwen. Before they left to Alaska and later to greece, Gwen was a friendly and calm girl, elected as centurio because of her quick mind, not her vigor. Now, after she returned to the legion, putting the study plans aside, she had become hard. Hazel wondered if getting killed and coming back shortly after, with the pilum still in the chest, does this to a person. Than she thought about a talk with Frank, about the hard way, she had treated some of her recruits. It must have been the war, she thought.