Perseus Jackson: Gladiator (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Missed The War

  Copyright © 2015 runwild14. All rights reserved  

*THIS HAS BEEN EDITED*

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THIRD PERSON POV

Deep within the woods of Germania, the Roman Emperor watched as his troops were victorious once again. He let out a deep sigh as he thought back on the last 20 years. What started out as small attacks for resources turned into a full-blown war within a couple of months. The war had quickly gotten out of hand as Rome's thirst for new territory had taken over. It was all politics. Those in power simply couldn't resist the temptation of more land. It was never meant to be this way. Some of his soldiers had been separated from their families for years and that is not something the Emperor liked seeing. His gaze settled on his most trusted general, Perseus, and the smile appeared on his face once more. The man was like a son to him, and he would place his life in Perseus' hands on any given day.

As his mind started to wander, the Emperor was reminded of his actual son. If he was completely honest with himself, the boy was an absolute disgrace. He was a power-hungry, arrogant jerk. He had tried, for many years, to shape his son into the man he wanted him to be, but perhaps that is where he went wrong. His son rebelled against all of these attempts, and finally the Emperor had given up. The Emperor was greatly saddened, but he realized that he would never be able to give his son the title of Emperor. If he did, Rome would be ruined within days. He would not let that happen to his people. He needed somebody who wouldn't waste words, someone that he could depend on and trust. Someone like Perseus.

As the Emperor was watching the battle, an armored carriage was on its way over from Rome, carrying the Emperor's son and daughter, Lucas and Zoë. Zoë would make a great leader one day. She was tall and beautiful, but it wasn't her looks that would gain Rome's support. It was her strength, something that her brother was sadly lacking.

Lucas on the other hand, had a mischievous smile and an expression on his face that made a person wary of him immediately. He did not have a very large body, but this was a man of great influence, and you would have to be a fool to cross him.

-Time Skip 19 Days-

An armored horse-drawn carriage pulled to a stop about a half-mile from the battlefield in Germania. As the doors opened, a young man stepped out of the back. He was of a normal height, with sandy-blond hair and light blue eyes. In the back of the carriage was his older sister. She was tall, with long black hair and eyes the color of obsidian. These were the next in line to the throne, Lucas and Zoë, son and daughter of the Emperor.

When Lucas stepped out of the carriage, a soldier moved forward. He bowed before saying, "Sire." "Where is the Emperor?" Lucas questioned without acknowledging the sign of respect. The soldier rose from his bow and said, "He's at the front, Sire. They've been gone for nineteen days. The wounded are still coming in." Lucas didn't comment, instead simply signaling for his horse. The soldiers helped him up on to his horse, mounted their own horses and were off down the path towards the battlefield once more.

Zoë scoffed in disgust as she watched her brother ride away. She knew he had no respect for his people, but the least he could've done is fake it. She turned to the one soldier who had remained with the carriage and said, "Take me to the wounded." "My lady, I can't allow you to do that" he replied, head bent to show respect. She reached out and gently lifted his head. "You can, and you will" she said simply. "I can help your wounded comrades." The soldier's eyes widened in realization, as he quickly nodded and mounted his horse. Zoë, not needing help like her brother, mounted hers as well and followed the soldier towards the battlefield.

The wind was howling through the trees of the forest, rustling the leaves around bodies, turning what used to be a peaceful place into a somber graveyard. A sword was sticking half into a tree, blood still dripping from the blade. Suddenly, a hand latched onto the sword and pulled it free. The weapon was deemed useless, and tossed among the bodies of once-living men.

A voice was heard, coming from behind the man that the hand belonged to. "You have proved your valor yet again Perseus." The general, for it was he, turned around and bowed. The emperor acknowledged him with a nod before continuing, saying, "Let us hope it is for the last time." Perseus shook his head, a confused look settling upon his face. "There is nobody left to fight Sire," he replied. The Emperor smiled sadly, looking off across the battlefield, and said, "Ah, there is always somebody left to fight."

He looked back to Perseus and spoke. "How can I reward Rome's greatest general," he said with a kind smile. Perseus thought for a moment before speaking. "Let me go home?" he finally asked. The Emperor's smile grew. "Ah," he said, "home."

Above the Battlefield

Lucas was angered. No, that was an understatement. He was furious. He stood atop a hill looking over the battlefield watching his father and Perseus have their little bonding moment. He never got to have moments like these with his father because they were all reserved for Perseus. The final straw was when Perseus and his father were walking along the path towards him and the soldiers started cheering. He was just close enough to hear their conversation.

Looking around at his troops, Perseus said, "They honor you, Caesar." The Emperor looked at him and smiled. "It is for you, Perseus," he said," they honor you." Perseus glanced at his brothers in arms before raising his sword high into the air. His soldiers mirrored his actions and sounded a loud war cry.

Furious at the attention Perseus was getting, Lucas spurred his horse onwards down the hill. As he rode, the cheers from the soldiers died down. They held little respect for a man who shows up at the end of a battle to claim the rewards. When Lucas reached his father, he jumped off of his horse and ran to the Emperor. "Did I miss it?" he questioned. "Did I miss the battle?" The Emperor looked at him with an expression bordering on disgust before saying, "You have missed the war." His son stepped back saying, "Congratulations Father. I shall sacrifice 100 wolves to honor your triumph." "Save the wolves," the Emperor said. "Honor Perseus. He won the battle." Lucas glanced over at Perseus and sneered, "Congratulations Perseus. It has been far too long." Perseus simply nodded and kept his head down. With that, Lucas jumped back onto his horse and rode off. The Emperor slowly followed, but not before glancing at Perseus and saying, "So much, for the glory of Rome." He smiled at Perseus and spurred his horse to catch up to his son.