Disclaimer: Based on the world of Rick Riordan's "Heroes of Olympus" series. I do not own the characters, settings, or ideas presented by him. That being said, many of the characters are my own creation, and all other OC's used have been granted permission for use.

A/N: I realize that I initially released this about a year ago, but I found it lacking and believed that it deserved an edit. If you read it the first time around, trust me, it's different. Quite a bit different, actually. I do plan on continuing this, so repeaters, it may be worth a read. Review please, it's the only way I can possibly improve, by learning from mistakes and there is no way that I could possibly spot them all out myself. Rated M for language and violence.

Chapter 1

Torn Bonds

Bang. Bang. Bang.

I awoke to a loud knocking of knuckles on wood, muffled whispers quickly following. I quickly glanced over to Uncle Pollux, who hadn't been disturbed by the commotion. He lay peacefully sleeping, muttering something about Chardonnay under his breath as he rolled over, rustling himself back into a comfortable position. Silently, I slipped out of my own bunk and tip toed towards the door, opening it barely beyond a crack.

Behind the crack, I found my best friend and head counselor of the Zeus Cabin, Blake Courtenay. I squinted, trying to figure out what was going on. Blake's golden eyes and skin shined as if it were the middle of the afternoon. But it was not the middle of the afternoon, and he would need to explain just why he was waking me.

By his side stood his younger cousin Cam, who bounced around excitedly on the balls of his feet. Behind the pair stood Layla Lobo, my longtime girlfriend and the head counselor of the Hades Cabin. Layla was seemingly annoyed by Blake for having woken her at this hour. I rubbed my eyes, glancing at my watch, before turning an angry glance back to my soon-to-be-former best friend.

"Blake, what the fuck? It's 3 a.m. What's going on?"

"The Romans, they're here. We're going out to…greet them."

I rolled my eyes, closing the door back up. Blake knocked on it again.

"Come on man, it'll be fun!"

"You're screwing with me man, they aren't here. It's 3 a.m. Even they don't have that much disrespect for us."

"But they are here, dude! Come on, I'll show you. Besides, they probably misjudged how long the journey would take."

I scoffed. "Yeah, because overly analytical Hannah and meticulous Howard decided that today was the day that they would forget what time we were to meet. Sure Blake. Sure. I'm going back to sleep."

I did not re-open the door.

I heard Layla's silky voice trickle through the wooden door. "Come on Wyatt. I don't want to be out here anymore than you, but we both know Blake will torment us forever if we don't. Let's just get this over with." Her voice was soft and sweet and it wouldn't have surprised me if she had sprinkled a little Charmspeak into that last part, as I felt a sudden need to go out and join them. On top of being a legacy of Hades on her father's side, Layla was also a legacy of Aphrodite through her mother, which had advantages that she rarely failed to use.

I sighed. I loved a good time, obviously. Being Dionysus' grandson did that for you. I also wanted to go with Layla, so she wouldn't have to death with Blake's idiocy on her own. But I also liked my sleep. I don't care if the Romans were here. They were here early, and they could wait until morning. I wanted to sleep.

"Not even Zeus can keep me from my sleep if I want it badly enough," I muttered, verbalizing my thoughts. The last words were met with a small crackle of lightning next to my ear. Nothing too serious, just a reminder. I looked up to the ceiling, hands up.

"Okay big guy, I'm sorry okay! I didn't mean any offense. Just tired, that's all." I sighed again, grabbing a pair of sweatpants from my closet, which Uncle Pollux and I shared. We were the only two who lived here, at least since Dad died. For years, Uncle Pollux had attempted to live out on his own in the real world, but between monsters and a faltering economy, Pollux decided that Camp Half-Blood would always be his home, and returned to live here.

I emptied my pockets, placing my harmonica and charm necklace onto the nightstand as I got dressed. Slipping out of my shorts and into the sweatpants, I threw on a pair of sneakers and silently made my way towards the door. I opened it, pulling an orange camp T-shirt on as I closed the door softly behind me.

"Fine. I'm up now. So can someone tell me where we're going?"

"They're waiting at the Big House," Cam said, still grinning.

Blake happily led the way towards the Big House, passing by all of the other cabins as we went. Blake and Cam kept their pace quick as Layla and I fell back behind them. Layla leaned in, whispering to me.

"I'm afraid Blake is gonna do something stupid. We don't need to start fighting with these guys all over again. Our parents fought a war alongside them and more importantly, another one against them. I fear that this tenuous truce is coming to an end soon."

I nodded back to her. "Yeah, I know. We'll stop him if it gets too far. Hopefully those Romans aren't looking for a fight, because it's 3 a.m. and that's a terrible time for me to have to kick someone's ass."

Layla rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah, okay Mr. Tough Guy."

I stuck my tongue out, and winked at her. "Shush you. Come on, let's go."

There was a slight rustling of bushes behind me. I nodded at Layla, and we both moved toward the bush, Blake and Cam not even realizing we were stopping. The rustling stopped as we approached, and I stuck my hand into the roughage, pulling little Derek Osborne out from behind his cover.

"Now you, sir, are supposed to be in bed. We both know what happens if the harpies find you, right?"

"Yes, Wyatt." My little cousin replied glumly. "But you guys are out here. Why can you be out here?"

"We have something to take care of, buddy."

"It's the Romans, isn't it? They're here, aren't they?"

"Hey. You know that's none of your business. But here, I'll tell you what," I said, squatting down next to him. "I could use some help with something. You want to help your big cousin with something, bud?"

He nodded quickly, face brightening up. "What do you want, Wyatt?"

I smiled, leaning a little further down. "I want you to go wake up your brother. Tell him that I sent you. Tell him it's really important, and to meet me at the Big House in 15 minutes. Can you do that?"

He nodded.

"And Derek? Tell him to bring Trent. And to bring a sword, just in case." I glanced at Layla, who nodded. I tapped Derek on his head and sent him on his way. I stood up, grabbing Layla's hand.

"I've got a really bad feeling about this, Lay. This doesn't feel right. Come on, we'd better hurry." Layla and I started jogging towards the Big House.

We caught up to Blake and Cam just as they reached the group.

There were six Romans in their envoy, all of whom were wearing shiny armor and robes. Two wore purple robes, a symbol of their camp's leaders. One was a tall boy with dark brown hair and steely dark blue eyes. He looked a few years older than the rest of us, possibly in his early twenties. The other was a girl, with pale blonde hair that she wore down, and her grey eyes were welcoming, friendly even. Howard and Hannah, Camp Jupiter's praetors.

Hannah had been to our camp a few times recently, which is actually why these peace talks were even happening. Over the last few months, there had been a series of incidents, demigods and legacies on both side mysteriously dying, and neither side would own up to it. It was obvious that war was coming. Hannah was only trying to slow the tide, keep open war from coming for as long as she could.

The other four wore ivory colored robes, all standing with their arms crossed, sternly looking at us four Greeks. One of the four I recognized as my cousin Scott, who was a year and half younger than I, the son of my father's Roman twin brother Clancy.

Oddly enough, my grandfather Dionysus was NOT Scott's grandfather, as some craziness went on Grammy Margaret that I don't even wanna think about. Scott was a legacy of Apollo, the sun god, and Bellona, a Roman war goddess.

He only broke the stare for a moment to slip a small smile and me. I nodded back at him.

Scott spoke first, breaking the silence. "Praetors, excuse me, I'll make the introductions."

As if we needed those. More Roman boasting, great.

The tall boy grunted his approval, and the girl nodded. Scott continued.

"Greek neighbors, these are Camp Jupiter's two praetors, Howard Amos and Hannah Copperfield," he said, referring to the boy and girl in purple robes.

"I am Scott Ward, Centurion of the First Cohort and Augur for New Rome."

He pointed at a girl with a stern face, her jaw locked. Her brown hair was braided to one side of her head, and her armor was riddled with scratches. Her hand rested casually upon her sword.

"This is Katrina Darrow, Centurion of the Second Cohort." His hand moved to the next member of the group.

"This is Andrew Wood, my fellow Centurion of the First Cohort and the reigning gladiatorial champion of New Rome." Wood, who was a big kid, beamed at that last part.

Scott referred to the final member of the group, a tall blonde boy with ominous coal colored eyes. "This is Devin Coll. He and his twin brother Dwayne are the Centurions of the Fourth Cohort."

Scott turned to Blake, who immediately puffed up. I chuckled a little bit at that. Blake quickly introduced the four of us to the Romans and was just about to start what I presumed to be a boasting match to match Scott's own, as Blake did often, when the clip-clop of hooves rang out on the Big House porch. Chiron came out to greet the Romans and welcomed them inside. Layla and I turned to walk away, but Blake silently stopped us.

For a second, I could have sworn his eyes turned purple. I shook my head slightly, refocusing. His eyes were gold. As they always were. I was just tired.

"We wait for them to come out. I have a something I wanna do, and you'll wanna see it. Trust me," Blake said. Layla tightened her grip again, and I nodded at her. I know chica, I know, I thought.

"Blake, we have no reason to wait for them. We want to sleep. We greeted them; we can speak in with them in the morning. Whatever stupidity you have planned, it can wait. Come on."

Blake did not move. I sighed and turned back, waiting with him. Layla did the same.

A few minutes later the Roman envoy exited the Big House, heading towards a small cabin that we had built for Hannah a few months ago. It wasn't anything special and it would be small for the six of them, but it gave them a place to sleep.

Halfway to the cabin, Blake stopped the envoy. I looked worriedly at Cam, who for the first time of the night, was not smiling. Blake's eyes were filled with conviction, like they always were before he did something stupid. I gestured for Cam to make his way to me, about five feet behind Blake. Blake immediately made for the dark haired girl, Katrina.

"Hey beautiful, how about you and I have a little talk, in private." I shook my head. What the hell was he doing? He wasn't even being charming, the words coming out as creepy more than anything. This wasn't like him, something was wrong. I made eye contact with Scott, and shook my head hard, motioning towards Blake. I didn't like backing out on my best friend like that, but Greco-Roman relations were not something to be toyed with. Scott seemed to get my meaning, turning back towards Katrina, and gesturing for her to ignore him and continue.

But Blake's mouth kept going. Sometimes it moved too much for his own good.

"What's the matter? Don't like to associate with hot guys like me? I can imagine I'd be intimidating, but still." The male Praetor scoffed at that, laughing.

I locked eyes with Layla and Cam again. They shrugged. Something was really off. Blake's tone, his words, they weren't right. And this was conversation was going south, real fast.

"You? Intimidating? We've taken on entire armies, boy. Monsters. Giants. Nothing like what you Greeks have to face over here."

I waited for a clever reply from Blake. Something stupid, charming. Something to make everyone crack a smile and realize this was all just some stupid attempt to get with a Roman girl, just so he could say he did. But then I saw the look in his eyes. A look I knew way too well.

"Fuck," I whispered to Layla and Cam. "We need to end this." Cam caught on quick, stepping forward, grabbing Blake's arm. Blake tore it away, never breaking eye contact with Howard.

Clouds swirled overhead. The air tasted like metal.

"Blake, calm down."

"Shut up Wyatt."

"We're all tired, let's just go to bed. Romans included," I said the last part while staring pointedly at Howard. Howard returned my look, his eyes intense and cold. It seemed that the praetor's were not here for the same reason. Hannah looked worriedly at Blake and Howard. This was not how to establish stable, long-lasting peace.

But for some reason, Blake felt no need for such peace.

"I said shut up Wyatt. I can handle this."

Layla stepped forward, placing her hand on Blake's shoulder.

"Blake, please."

Lightning crackled overhead. Blake was getting angry, and he hadn't been angry in so long. Blake was always so good at hiding his emotions, for the sake of everyone at camp, Cam especially. Cam looked up to him. So Blake acted like a leader. But here today, in front of the Romans, Blake couldn't hide anymore. His emotions burst out of him, and slowly stepped forward, obviously seething. He got right into Howard's face.

"Nothing I could imagine? Nothing…I could imagine. I know more of Giants and monsters than you ever will, praetor." The last word came out as venom, an insult to Howard's title. "You think you know what war is? War is loss. War is death. We here at Camp Half-Blood know this. We experience it firsthand while you Romans lounge around in your fancy city, secure and safe. But one day, when you feel happy, when you feel content, everything you love will be ripped right out from under you. My father died on a day like that. Betrayed by a Roman. A Roman who was Just. Like. You."

"He got his due, Blake." Andrew Wood's words came out empty and dry. He knew he couldn't say anything to repair this, none of us could. Blake needed to empty his chest. His head snapped to Wood. This time, I was sure that his eyes dashed purple for a moment.

"His due? His due?! That man sits in a prison cell. Alive. Breathing. And where is my father, Champion of New Rome? In the ground. And that is your fault." The last of his words were directed at Howard.

"I made my decision because it was the best decision. I regret nothing." The praetor's words were as cold as his eyes.

"You will regret it, Howard."

A bolt of lightning struck a few feet from Blake and Howard. The rest of us jumped back.

"What, you think I'm scared of a little lightning, graceus? Bring it on. I know much of death. We've lost many brothers and sisters. Many of them by the swords of Greeks, too."

"Shut up Howard." Hannah Copperfield stepped forward, but neither boy's eyes left the others. "You will not start a fight with these Greeks. We're here for a friendly visit, to repair torn bonds, not tear them further."

"Don't worry Hannah," Blake said, breaking his gaze with Howard to look at Hannah. "He won't be starting any fights. Isn't that right Howard?"

Howard grunted.

"Good," Hannah said hesitantly.

Blake stared at Howard again. "He won't be starting any fights, because…this fight was started long ago."

Not hesitating, Blake shoved Howard, and threw a quick punch to the nose. Howard stumbled backwards. I stepped forward quickly to find a sword at my throat.

"Sorry cuz." Scott said. His dagger was at my throat, Devin and Andrew doing the same with Layla and Cam. "It's our duty to protect the Praetor."

"Duty my ass, Scott. Take that dagger away from me." I started to move, but Scott gripped me, pressing the dagger deeper. I eyed him sharply, whispering. "This is no way to avoid violence. Talk some sense into your fuckin' idiot of a leader."

Howard quickly rose up and drew his gladius from its sheath.

"Well then, Courtenay. If you wish to fight an old fight, at least fight me like a man."

"Howard!" Hannah yelled at her companion, only to be silenced when Howard raised his hand. "The Greek hit me first. I have every right to fight."

"He hit you because you encouraged him!" Cam yelled, fighting against Andrew, trying to break free.

Blake looked to Cam and only nodded. He reached into his sheathes, drawing his two daggers. My heart sank.

There was no way that Blake could beat a Roman soldier in solo hand to hand combat. Blake was good, sure. But he was an archer. He used those knives when he had to, but those occasions were rare. That's what Logan, Cam, and I were for. We fought up close, so Blake could fight from further away.

But these Romans were different. Almost everything was melee based. And multiple forms of hand to hand combat, too. And if this Howard guy was able to make it to the office of praetor, he had to be damn good at that, better than even most Romans.

"Blake, stand down you idiot!" Cam cried out to him. I followed his example.

"Blake, this ain't you man! This ain't you. Come on man. Think here. We aren't here to fight." I pleaded with all my heart that he wouldn't do this.

But Blake would have none of it. He stepped forward, raising both daggers, slashing them in an X motion towards Howard's chest. The Roman raised his sword quickly, catching the two blades in his own. He grabbed Blake's shirt with his free hand, tugging him close enough to elbow him in the jaw.

Blake stumbled backwards, blood dripping from the side of his mouth.

"Roman, you come into my camp under the banner of peace and then insult my father's memory. I can see how you gained an office as a Roman. Spineless and fake. An epitomical Roman. "The spite that tinged Blake's voice hardened Howard's eyes further.

"Well then show me, Greek, what an epitomical Greek is."

Blake stepped forward aggressively again. He moved with speed and precision, slashing and hacking at the larger, more experienced Roman Praetor.

But Howard was good. Much better than Blake. Blake landed a few good slices in and drew some blood, but that drew on Howard's rage even more. I held my breath as Howard went on the offensive, his powerful stabs and punches easily overpowering Blake. Blake stepped back, retreating quickly. Howard continued forward. One strike landed directly into Blake's left bicep, and my friend screamed in pain. Howard pulled out his gladius and brought the hilt of the sword down hard onto his opponent's skull. With a sickening crunch, the blow landed and Blake lay on the ground, disarmed and unconscious.

Howard stood over him and hesitated to sheathe his sword.

"Howard…" his fellow Praetor started.

"This Greek has disrespected both me and the entire Roman legion with his actions. As is tradition, this criminal will be brought to trial for his actions towards me, before our Senate. He made an attempt on the life of a praetor. I cannot let this go unpunished."

"He is not even Roman! That is not under your jurisdiction!" Cam shouted at Howard, but Devin Coll quickly silenced him with the butt of his sword. I seethed.

"I will not allow it," Hannah started. "This is unjust. You both fought. The matter has been settled. This fight ends now. Let it be done."

"It is not in your power to veto me when the law is clearly stated, Hannah." Howard's words were harsh and clear. Hannah would not be holding any power over this proceeding. She looked defeated. Howard looked to Katrina. "Ready the horses. We're leaving and Courtenay here is coming with us."

I slipped my hand into my back pocket, searching for my trident as Howard lifted the unconscious Blake over his shoulder. My pocket was empty. I cursed myself for being so stupid. My harmonica lay on my nightstand next to the snoring Uncle Pollux.

I had no weapon, Scott's pugio still stiff against my neck. I did the only thing I could think of, praying that Scott would forgive me for what I was about to do. But at this point, I really could give a shit what Scott thought of me.

My arms went slack against my side, and I lifted them slowly towards Scott's knife hand. He took the bait, his eyes going to my hand, grabbing it with his free hand. But that opened up the real goal.

His attention elsewhere, I landed my blow. Hard and true.

I kneed my cousin straight in the groin, and he crumpled to the grounded, groaning in agony. I pulled his pugio from his hand, and then pulled his gladius from its sheath on his waist. I lifted the weapons and turned towards the other Romans.

Katrina drew her own multi-colored gladius, and Devin and Andrew seemed to tighten their grips on my friends even worse. I stared at Howard.

"Let him go, and we'll stop the fighting. No blood need be spilled for this. Drop the pride act and let him go, for your own soldiers' sakes. I don't want to kill anyone. But you know quite well, it wouldn't be the first time. "

Layla turned towards Andrew, looking him in the eyes.

"Andrew honey, please let Cam go. I don't want you to get hurt. Do you want to get hurt?"

Andrew only grinned smartly. "Charmspeak don't work on me sweetheart, I'm a son of Venus. Nice try though."

I looked around. Had this been daybreak, there would have already been dozens of Greek swords on the Romans.

But where the hell were Trent and Logan? They should have been here five minutes ago. I pulled my mind back to the task. They may assist, they might not. But for now, I was on my own.

"Last chance Howard, or this gets ugly." I stood with Scott's weapons still in my hand. I locked eyes with both Cam and Layla. My left hand twitched at my side.

"Sorry Wyatt. But Blake is coming back with us to Camp Jupiter."

"I'm sorry it's got to be this way Howard. You've just made me declare open war on all of New Rome, and all of her citizens."

I sighed, preparing myself for the fight at hand. I clenched my left hand around Scott's dagger, twitching. Cam and Layla caught what I was doing. They smirked a little. I twitched it slightly again, and then closed it tightly around the pugio. They got the signal, just as I had hoped.

Cam was the first to strike. And boy, did he know how to make an entrance. He was only 14 but more powerful than any demigod or legacy I had ever come across, including any of our parents. Cam launched his head backwards, directly into Andrew's nose. Blood started to gush from it as the boy fell backwards, unconscious. Cam spun quickly, grabbing him before he hit the ground, and threw him directly at Devin Coll. The collision caused both boys to land hard on the ground and allowed Cam and Layla to retreat towards me. Scott groaned, starting to get up from my attack on his private areas, and Layla stepped forward, kicking him hard in the mouth.

He fell back to the ground, unconscious. Cam raised his bare hands, apparently having come as unprepared to this as I had. I tossed the sword over to him, leaving the knife for myself. Layla, on the other hand, reached into her leather boots and pulled out her whip, all 10 feet of it black, menacing and downright sexy.

I smiled at her, and she winked.

"Come on, hombre loco. Let's do this."

And we engaged the Romans.

Howard dropped Blake just quickly enough for me to land a hard left fist to his jaw. Howard grunted and stumbled backwards, grabbing his jaw and raising his sword.

Layla shot her whip out hard and fast, wrapping it around Katrina's weapon. The Centurion of the Second Cohort held fast thought, and yanked her weapon from the whip's grasp.

Cam took on both Hannah and the still-conscious Coll by himself, with Scott's gladius in hand. His incredible strength and speed allowed him to keep both engaged as I fought Howard.

"You really shouldn't have started this, Amos. We could have ended this without bloodshed. You underestimate us too much."

"Give it up, Ward. You've got no way to come out of this alive. Besides, you've only got a knife. You Greeks don't stand a chance. It's a shame really. You and all your friends die, just because Blake couldn't keep his stupid mouth shut."

I roared loudly, rushing forward. I made a stabbing motion with the knife, which sat in my right hand. Howard lifted his sword to deflect my blow. The dagger felt weird in my hands, it was a much smaller weapon than I was used to. I made due with the weapon, dodging Howard's attacks as best I could, then advancing on him. He thrusted his gladius towards my gut, and I deflected it just inches from my side. He stabbed again, this time slicing my right arm; blood started gushing out of the wound. I yowled out in pain, stepping backward, clutching the gash.

He was smirking, as if he had already won. In some ways, I felt as though I had lost. Honestly, what could I do? I had a single dagger and was facing one of Camp Jupiter's highest combatants. I could feel the blood pumping out of my arm.

I blinked, wavering. I looked down at my arm. It was a mess. The cut was deep, at least an inch. It was a few inches in length as well, and I could no longer feel my dagger hand. I dropped to one knee, the pain overcoming me. The dagger slipped from my grip. As Howard approached me slowly, taking his time, antagonizing me further, I looked upon the battle raging behind him.

Cam was still locked in heated combat with both the Coll boy and Hannah, and he was winning. He called upon lightning and wind, fire and magic. His blade glowed a blood red color. He shouted words that were neither Greek nor Latin, extending his free hand out towards the two Romans.

The pair flew back about 20 yards, landing in a heap.

Layla continued her fight with Katrina, but was losing badly. The daughter of the late Lucius Darrow was proving just why the Darrow family had become one of the most respected names in all of New Rome.

I could see that both Katrina and Howard used the exact same Roman fighting style, or the two spent a lot of time practicing together. They moved very similarly in combat, using hand to hand combat, in combination with the sword's hilt in many of their attacks. It was for that reason that I feared for Layla, as Katrina advanced on her further.

Katrina grabbed Layla's whip and pulled her in close, driving her gladius' hilt hard into Layla's skull. Layla screamed and fell. She shuddered, and Cam turned and engaged Katrina with his crimson blade.

Howard finally reached me as I struggled to hold myself up. Howard placed his sword at my throat, commanding me to stand. I did so slowly and his blade never left my throat.

"You do realize you're going to die now. All of this, all of this blood and this death, all of it could have been avoided, if you had just allowed us to take Blake back with us to New Rome and put him on trial. You might have lost one of your leaders, but you wouldn't have started this war."

My expression was as hard as granite. I pushed the blade away from my throat.

"You know I couldn't have done that. He is my best friend and he is one of my camp's leaders. Any one of us would die for another. That is the way our camp works. We protect our own."

Howard only smiled, almost mockingly. "I know. Your loyalty, all of yours, is a weakness. A weakness you'll have to die for now."

At that moment, I knew my last chance had come. In about 3 seconds, I'd have a gladius in my stomach and would bleed to death in the middle of my own camp. The thought was refreshing almost; dying at home, in service to my camp, it was an honorable way to go. But I had no plans on dying just yet.

I grabbed his arm hard at the bicep, pulling him in closer, landing a hard head-butt to his jaw. I put as much force behind the head-butt as I could in my weakened state, but it was seemingly enough. He stumbled backwards, chuckling as he regained his balance.

"I figured you'd do something like that. Well, let's finish this then." He picked up Scott's bloody pugio, tossing it over to me. I caught it in my left hand, my right hand barely able to move. He then threw his gladius onto the ground, drawing his own dagger.

I had always heard he was a wise and just leader, but now, having met him in person, I felt that maybe those were rumors spread within his own city just to hide the monster within. Our parent's war changed us, all of us. Amos must have taken his father's death worse than most. And now it showed in his actions. I would have pitied him, if he hadn't tried to kill me and all of my friends.

He beckoned me forward and I obliged. The only way any of my friends would be make it out of this alive was if I took Howard down. I lifted the dagger and moved in, slashing with my left hand. He easily blocked it with his own, catching my wrist in his free hand, jerking the dagger from my grip. I kicked at his leg, but missed, slipping forward. Howard helped me to the ground, pushing me hard face first. I grunted hard. I turned myself over, finding Howard standing over me, dagger poised for the kill.

"Goodbye, Wyatt Ward. Say hello to your father for me."

I steeled my nerves, eyes locked with his. I gave him no satisfaction in this. I gave him nothing. His grip on the dagger tightened and he began to whistle. High pitched notes, ones I recognized. They were notes that my mother used to whistle to me, when I was little, before she and my father had died in the war. How did he know that tune? Puzzled, I looked up and found his lips weren't moving, but the notes continued to come.

And then the tune registered. It wasn't just one that my own mother whistled to me. It was a tune all Poseidon children knew and taught to their own children. A tune about the ocean and all of its beauty.

I looked Howard in the eyes once more, whispering words to him.

"A drop of water alone means nothing. But a few drops of water can quickly become an ocean."

This time it was Howard's turn to be confused. The whistle continued for a few more seconds and then suddenly stopped. I smiled. Another whistle pierced the air. This one was of a different origin, though. It was swift; cutting through the air like a knife would cut through butter. It became louder and louder as the sound approached.

At that moment, a bronze dagger tore through the air, passing over me and sinking directly into Howard's shoulder. He roared in pain and I kicked him off of me, pulling myself to the ground. Howard quickly pulled the blade out of his right shoulder, getting to his feet. There he found a new blade, of a bronze sword, extended towards his throat. On either side of him were my cousins, Logan Osborne and Trent Epperson.

"Stop!" Hannah yelled above the fighting. A few lights in the cabins went on. Everyone froze. The clip-clop of hooves sounded as Chiron galloped his way over from the Big House.

"Took you guys long enough." I muttered to them. Logan apologized with his eyes, grabbing Howard by the collar and dragging him forward.

"Stop this now. No more fighting. Not here, not now." Hannah pleaded with us.

I was still seething.

"You can thank Howard for this mess." I turned to Cam, who wiped sweat off of his brow, covering his forehead in Andrew Wood's blood.

"Cam and Trent grab Blake and Layla, bring them to the infirmary. Wake up Gary Hound and send the Peake sisters over here. Oh, and give me Scott's sword."

I returned my eyes back to Hannah, taking the sword from Cam. The second the weapon touched my hands, its deep scarlet color receded, returning to its original cool silver color. Trent nodded, pulling his own sword away from Howard's throat and sheathing it. Logan and I were alone with the Romans now.

"Take your wounded, get in your fucking chariot, and get your asses out of my camp."

I kicked Howard forward onto his face. I pressed Scott's blade into the back of his neck as he lay there, keeping him still. "Oh, and I'm keeping this for safekeeping." I lifted Scott's gladius.

Hannah only nodded, grabbing Scott's unconscious body from the ground. She motioned for Devin to do the same with Andrew.

"What about Howard?" Katrina interjected quickly, worried.

I nodded, allowing the Praetor to stand. "He stays here with us."

He turned back at me, eyes wide and I tossed his sword to the ground next to Katrina.

"Like hell he does!" She drew her sword again, but Hanna silenced her. Logan drew his axe from its sheath on his back, placing it across his shoulders.

I continued. "Howard will stay here with us and go through a Greek trial, here. As he would have done with Blake."

Hannah threw Katrina a look, obviously telling her to keep her mouth shut. Hannah then spoke, her words soft.

"If Howard is harmed, you'll have declared open war on Camp Jupiter. You realize that, right?"

"Open war has already been declared, Hannah. I'm sorry. I know you never meant for this to happen, but it did. Howard stays here."

Katrina pleaded with her praetor as Chiron arrived, more Greek campers following quickly behind.

"Please, Hannah, we can't just leave him here!"

"Katrina, ready the chariot." Hannah's tone was solemn and quiet.

"What is this, Wyatt? What has happened, my boy?" Chiron asked me.

"We got into a disagreement. Layla and Blake are seriously injured and require medical attention. The Romans were just leaving, with Howard here staying behind as insurance."

They aren't the only ones who need medical help, I thought to myself. But the task at hand was more important.

The other campers came up behind Chiron, watching intently. I heard whispers among them.

"Are those Romans? Are those two unconscious?"

"What are they doing here? And why are they leaving?"

Hannah solemnly looked at me, placing Scott into the chariot. I felt bad for her. It was either of our faults that this had escalated to full blown battle. It was Blake's and Howard's. Speaking of which, I would need to speak to Blake very soon. And indoor voices were not an option.

The chariot took off quickly, Hannah at the reigns and Katrina with her head in her hands. The chariot soon left our sight, and flew off away from Camp Half-Blood, heading west.

Chiron trotted over to Logan and me.

"What are we going to do with the praetor?" Logan muttered.

I momentarily ignored the question, turning to Chiron.

"Chiron, please send these campers back to their cabins. Everyone except for Gwen and Joanna, I mean. Logan and I will hold a council tomorrow morning just before breakfast."

Chiron nodded. "Just be careful how you proceed with this, my child. War is a dark thing. Don't let it consume you."

I nodded. It's too late for that, I thought. Chiron trotted away; send the remainder of the campers to their respective cabins, besides the Peake twins, Gwen and Joanna. The came forward and began mending my arm. Gwen placed some cauterizing gel on the wound, closing it up, and prepared to stitch it up. I held my hand up, telling them to wait. I pulled some ambrosia from their medical sack and nibbled on it, immediately feeling the pain fade.

"Logan, grab Howard. We're going to the woods. Girls, you can follow if you wish, but you may not want to."

"Are you going to…?" Gwen squeaked. I didn't answer her.

I remained silent and started moving towards the woods. After about 5 minutes of walking, I reached the woods, with Logan dragging Howard behind us. Once we were deep enough into the tree line, I told Logan to stop. He obeyed, releasing Howard.

"Wyatt, why are we here?" Logan asked.

"We're here to exact judgment."

"I thought you said he'd be put on trial."

"He is."

"I don't understand."

I turned to Howard, who looked pale at his loss of blood. I squatted down next to him, placing my face directly in front of his.

"Howard Amos, praetor of New Rome and her Legions, do you plead guilty to the defilement of Camp Half-Blood and attacking her members?"

Howard said nothing, stopping only to spit in my face. I wiped off the residue, standing again.

I looked at Logan, nodding. He lowered his head, pulling his axe off of his back. The Roman didn't flinch. In one smooth motion, Logan swung the axe around, bringing it down hard. It sunk deeply into Amos' skull. Logan pulled the curved blade out, wiping the blood off. He turned back to me, face grim and dark.

"What now?" Logan asked morbidly.

"Send Howard's body to New Rome." He nodded, hauling the praetor's now lifeless body up onto his shoulders.

"And then what?"

"Then, Logan, we prepare for war."