American Royalty III

Part 7: The Truth

The atmosphere in Grimmauld Place was thick with tension. Annabeth could feel it hanging in the air, nearly suffocating as Hermione crossed her arms, her brow furrowed with determination. She exchanged a glance with Percy, who looked braced for whatever was coming next.

"We want the truth this time," Hermione demanded, her voice steady but laced with urgency. "I know what you are."

The demigods exchanged uneasy looks. Annabeth took a deep breath, ready to explain, but Hermione pressed on. "I've been watching you. I noticed things—the tattoos on your arms. Jason, Percy, Hazel, Frank, Kit, Valerie, and Reyna. I went to the library and researched. I figured it out."

Percy's jaw clenched at the mention of the tattoos. Annabeth felt the weight of their shared history pressing down on them. Each tattoo was a reminder of battles fought and scars earned, each marking a story of survival, loss, and sacrifice.

"What do you mean you figured it out?" Ron asked, glancing between Hermione and the demigods. Harry stood beside him, looking bewildered.

Hermione took a step forward, her gaze sharp. "You're not just...wizards. You're demigods—children of humans and gods."

"Wait, what?" Harry blinked in disbelief, caught off guard by the revelation.

"Look at the tattoos!" Hermione exclaimed. "The marks of service. They're Roman. But you—" she pointed—"you're Greek!"

"Yeah," Percy said awkwardly, "That's kinda a long story."

Annabeth saw the flash of recognition in Hermione's eyes. "And the scars? Why do you have them?" Hermione pressed, her voice softer but still insistent.

Percy's expression hardened, and Annabeth felt a pang of sympathy for the memories he was trying to suppress. The past weighed heavily on all of them.

"Those scars tell stories," Percy finally said, his voice low. "Some of which we'd rather forget."

Annabeth stepped in, feeling the urge to share the truth before the memories spiraled out of control. "The Giant War, two years ago. That's how the Greeks and Romans came together."

"How?" Harry asked, his voice curious but cautious.

"That's also a long story," Jason mumbled, running a hand through his blond hair. He shifted uncomfortably under Hermione's intense gaze.

"Well, we have time," Hermione pressed, her tone demanding the full truth.

Annabeth felt a knot forming in her stomach. She glanced at Jason, then back at Percy, before beginning. "It started with Hera. She wanted to unite the Greek and Roman demigods to fight a common enemy—Gaea. To do that, she... swapped some of us."

"Swapped?" Ron asked, his eyes widening.

Jason nodded. "She sent me and Valerie to Camp Half-Blood, the Greek camp, without any memory of who we were. While that happened, Percy and Kit were sleeping for 8 months and also woke up with literally no memories."

"That's how I got the tattoo," Percy added, gesturing to the SPQR mark on his forearm. "It's a mark of service in the Roman legion."

"Eight months asleep and you woke up with no memories?" Hermione repeated, her eyes wide as she tried to process what Percy and Jason had said.

"Yeah," Percy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Waking up not knowing who you are is... a lot. Kit and I had no idea where we were or why we were at a Roman camp, we didn't remember we were Greek or any part of our lives before. So we came to Camp Jupiter and everything was so similar yet didn't feel right."