Empress (a Percy Jackson AU)

Chronicle of Church Looted

       Annabeth was hearing the petition of an elderly man whose son-in-law had been stealing from his household when a man ran into the church yelling, "Capture the false empress!"

Annabeth stood up quickly, as did the man who had been kneeling before her. Percy and Jason quickly flanked Annabeth and Piper helped steady the older man as he trembled like a reed in a fierce storm.

There were more men now following the first and they wore armor and were carrying weapons. Ethan, who had been cleaning the altar, was alerted by the commotion and came out. "What are you doing with weapons in the Hagia Sophia?" he asked. "Do you dare defile this church?"

The man who had been the first to run in stepped forward. He was blonde and looked quite weak compared to the others soldiers, but when he spoke, his voice conveyed great power. "The emperor has commanded that we arrest the false empress. She has refused to go quietly, so we must take her by force."

Ethan stepped closer to the man. "This is a Church — not a battlefield."

The man's arm moved quickly and the next thing Annabeth knew, Ethan was lying on the ground. A dagger protruded from his ribcage and his robes were stained with blood. "The Lord shall not let this come to pass," he rasped.

Percy grabbed a candelabra and ran forward. "Fight like a man and not a coward!" he cried. "I challenge you one on one. If I win, we will submit. If I lose, you leave."

The man smiled, but his blue eyes were as cold as chips of ice. "And does the false empress agree to this?"

Annabeth wanted to say no. She would have liked to fight herself, but Percy shot her a look and she realized why he was doing this. Her heart thudding in her chest, she nodded.

The blonde man's smile widened. "So let it be said that it was Octavian who spew an inconsequential man and captured the false empress."

He took out a sword that was strapped to his thigh and began fighting. He moved with the strikes and fluid motions of a trained legionnaire. Percy responded by ducking and skirting out of the way. His only weapon was the candelabra and he had no armor, but it made him lighter and quicker.

Octavian's sword flashed towards Percy's head. Percy ducked, but the blade cut into the nape of his neck. Octavian smiled, his face full of the same delight a hunter feels when they have cornered their quarry. He rose his sword high in the air again, ready to strike a fatal blow, but Percy moved quicker.

He crouched down and slid on the floor, kicking out his legs to unbalance Octavian. He got to his feet quickly and before Octavian could get up, he knocked the sword from his hands and planted one foot on his chest. "Now then," he said. "I shall spare you, but you shall leave."

"Coward!" Octavian spat.

Annabeth stepped forward. "Only a tyrant would call being merciful the act of a coward. Get up, Octavian, and never return. This Church isn't yours to loot."

Octavian's colorless face turned red, but he finally agreed and stood up. Percy still held his sword. Octavian sneered as he led the soldiers out and Percy dropped down to check on Ethan. He looked up at Annabeth, no trace of triumph in his features. "He's dead."