Valentine
Valentine Davies stared at the paperwork massed before her. She had a monster of a headache already, and it was not helped by seeing the enormous workload still lying on the desk she shared with her fellow praetor, Tony.
She leaned back in her chair and massaged her temples. The day had been a particularly bad one. There had been another skirmish on the borders of Camp Jupiter. Monsters seemed to be getting bolder and bolder. Valentine only prayed that the Legion would be able to keep them from overrunning New Rome. She shuddered at the thought of such a bloodbath.
To make matters worse, the minor conflict today had empowered her critics into actually questioning her fitness for command. It was utter nonsense. Valentine knew that they weren't attacking her reputation because they thought she made bad decisions. No, they just didn't believe anyone with her ancestry was strong enough to withstand the pressures of being praetor.
I've done pretty damn well so far! she wanted to scream. You didn't think I was 'unsuited to handle the stress' when you elected me, did you?
She imagined projecting the face of her main rival and replacement as centurion of the Second Cohort, George, onto the far wall. Her pen soared through the air. Thwack! It stuck point first in what Valentine pictured as George's eye.
"Son of Ceres," she muttered. "As if that makes him so much better than a legacy. Ha, the way he acts, you'd expect him to start claiming he was really a son of Jupiter himself any day now!" As if. There hadn't been a child of Jupiter at camp since the 1930's.
An amused voice broke into her thoughts. "Talking to yourself again? I guess that's fine as long as no one answers back."
Valentine turned, trying hard to keep the scowl on her face. "Tony. Where have you been? You were supposed to help me with the filing today!"
She found that she couldn't keep up the scowl as he leaned down and kissed her."Sorry, I got stuck playing peacekeeper between the cohorts again."
Valentine groaned. "What was it this time?" It seemed like the disciplined, mature forces of the Twelfth Legion couldn't go two days without an army's equivalent of a catfight.
Tony threw himself down in the chair next to her. "Just the usual nonsense, Val. The Third was complaining about always having to be on the Fifth's team, which isn't true, the First was whining that the Second was cheating in the last wargames- Pretty much just the same old stuff. You'd think they would get tired of fighting all the time, or at least be sneakier about it."
"You would know," Valentine laughed, smacking his arm. "Son of Mercury, god of theives. You could probably give them lessons in sneakiness."
Tony looked as if he was taking the suggestion seriously. "I could."
Valentine's smile faded. "Don't you dare, Anthony. I will kill you."
He smirked at her and stood, brushing off his pants. "Well, since I ditched on you with the paperwork, I'll make it up to you. We'll take a quick break, get some fresh air, okay?"
"I wish," she moaned. "There's just so much to do! If anyone sees us slacking off- Well, let's just say George would have a field day."
"That he would," Tony agreed. "But we'll be working. The praetors are entitled to perform surprise inspections of patrols to make sure everyone's doing their duties. And I doubt anyone will notice if we... dawdle a bit."
Valentine considered that, and a smile spread slowly across her face. "That... sounds both productive and enjoyable."
She took her boyfriend's hand and allowed him to pull her out of the hard wooden praetor's chair. She'd often wondered if they been made uncomfortable on purpose, so as to keep any praetor from getting too comfortable in power. It was a very Roman thing to do.
It worked too. She'd always dreamed of being praetor, but now that she actually was, the uncomfortable chair was just one more thing that reminded her that she needed to lay down the mantle of responsibility every once in a while and just... dawdle.
The two praetors emerged into the late afternoon sun, their matching purple capes flapping in the heavy breeze. Before them, spread out like a child's toy fort, was Camp Jupiter. The barracks were bustling with campers coming off watches, going on watches, or just generally lazing around. In the distance, Valentine could see the Little Tiber surrounding New Rome and the distant gleam of marble on Temple Hill. It was beautiful.
The couple strolled confidently past saluting legionnaires, heading for the outskirts of camp. Inspecting the guard on the Caldecott Tunnel was one of the best ways to have some alone time, because so few people actually ventured past the gates of the actual camp. Plus, the walk took long enough that it would be quite some time before anyone noticed they were still missing. You can do a lot of relaxing in such a short amount of time
They talked and laughed as they headed across the lush green fields towards the tunnel's dark opening. Tony hadn't let go of her hand since pulling her out of her chair, and he held it still, even keeping their fingers interlocked while gesturing wildly with both of their hands.
It was at times like these that Valentine could feel her godly blood, diluted as it was by two generations, stir.
She hated that feeling. It was bad enough trying to command respect as a praetor as a woman. It was even worse when people brought up her ancestry. Venus, goddess of love, mother of a bunch of self-absorbed pinheads. Valentine hated, hated, hated being compared to them. She was a fighter, not some stupid Barbie doll. So what if she really, really liked Tony and all the sappy romantic things he always did? It didn't mean anything!
Valentine held her breath as they passed through the tunnel. It was a silly superstition she'd gotten from her mortal father. Always hold your breath underground. In the dark is where evil things live.
She took in a deep breath as they emerged into the noise and bustle of the outside world. She'd always marveled at how the magic protecting the camp's borders managed to block out the deafening sounds of two lanes of heavy traffic.
"Sentry! Attention!"
The two guards on either side of the entrance snapped to attention immediately, their spines straighter than a ruler. Everyone knew how picky the praetors were with individuals or small groups. With the whole legion around you, you could get away with a bit of slackness if you were lucky, but if you were one of two guards during a surprise inspection, you'd better have the most perfect composure you'd ever had in your life.
"That's fine, stand down," Tony ordered. "Report."
One of the sentries, a boy from the Fourth Cohort that Valentine was pretty sure was named John, said, "Nothing, sir. Calm all day."
"Good, good," Valentine murmured, focusing on the dark clouds in the far distance. It looked as though a storm was coming. Personally, she really, really hated lightning. It scared the Hades out of her.
She tried to ignore the encroaching clouds and focus on the continuing report that John was giving Tony, but her gaze kept getting drawn back to the dark bank of the storm.
"Tony," she said, interrupting John, "Look at those clouds. Is it just me, or are they moving really fast?"
Valentine's three companions turned to see what they were talking about. "I could have sworn it was totally clear a minute ago," said the second guard, his voice slightly nervous. "Is that natural?"
Before antone could answer, a howl echoed out, so loud they could practically feel the hairs on their arms stand straight out.
"What is it?" Valentine asked, already reaching for her gladius. "A monster?"
The first guard, John, shook his head. "I can't see anything."
They waited in tense silence for the threat to show itself. Then-
"There!" Tony cried.
It wasn't a monster. It was a whole pack of monsters, and some of the nastiest ones Valentine had ever seen. Hellhounds. Great black beasts the size of convertibles, with enormous fangs and eyes like the flames of Punishment.
"Call reinforcements!" Valentine ordered, her voice slightly squeakier than usual. "We must protect camp!"
Tony shook his head. "They won't arrive in time. We need to fall back, get the cohorts into defensive positions. If we take them head-on, it will be slaughter-"
"We don't have a choice." The second guard interrupted. "Look in front of them."
Valentine looked. She could just make out two figures, one large, one small, running for their lives. "Oh gods. They'll never make it."
The fleeing figures were still about two football field lengths away when the horrified Romans just barely saw the larger shape fall.
"Come on!" Valentine pounded straight towards the pack of beasts, the other three hot on her heels. They closed the gap quickly, but not quickly enough. They were still maybe fifty yards away when the first hellhound reached pouncing distance of the downed figure. From this close, they could tell that the one who had fallen was a girl with short brown pigtails, maybe thirteen at the most. Crouched next to her was a little boy with blond hair. He was tugging at her arm frantically, but the girl seemed to be unconscious.
Valentine couldn't even find the breath to scream as the boy turned in time to see the hellhound leap straight at him. Her heart tore in two as she realized that they were too late, that the boy and girl were as good as dead.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light so bright that Valentine waa blinded. Unable to see where she was putting her own feet, she tripped and fell, rolling onto the hard asphalt of the road. Instinctively, she rolled back towards the curb as a car missed her body by mere inches.
She pulled herself to her feet and looked around, fearful of what she might see. To her utter bewilderment, the only shapes she could see through her swimming eyes were Tony, the two guards, and the boy and girl on the ground. No hellhounds. The only trace of the pack was a thin layer of golden dust coating the grass and the child crouching over his fallen friend.
Valentine blinked and rubbed her eyes. "What- Where did they go?"
Tony just shook his head, gaping, and the two sentries seemed too stunned to move or speak.
Seeing how incapacitated her companions were, Valentine stumbled forward and fell to her knees beside the girl. The little boy across from her looked up solemnly, and she noticed that he had striking bright blue eyes, and a maturity that she'd never seen in a child so young.
"Is she dead?" he asked, his tone serious.
Valentine bent down, pressing her ear to the girl's chest. "She's breathing."
The little boy looked relieved. "She fell."
"I saw. Are you okay? Did the he- did the dogs hurt you?" She knew it was their official name, but she felt guilty saying hell, which was technically a swear, in front of a little boy.
"No. I ran fast." The boy glowed with pride. "We're going to camp. Have you seen it?"
"Camp Jupiter?" Tony clarified, seeming bemused. "Both of you are going to Camp Jupiter?" Valentine understood his confusion. Why would a boy who looked to be maybe four years old come to Camp Jupiter?
The birght blue eyes flashed up to Tony. "Lupa said to come here and they would take us. Em'ly said they'd have food. Do you have food? I'm hungry."
Valentine smiled at him comfortingly. "We have some at camp, okay? What's your name?"
"Jason."
"Hi, Jason. I'm Val, and this is Tony. You said this girl is named Emily? Is she your sister?"
Jason shook his head. "No. Tal-ya."
Valentine wondered if she had misheard. "Tal-ya? What's a Tal-ya?"
"No, Tal-ya."
"Oh, sorry," Valentine said, having heard absolutely no difference but having no time to discuss it. "Jason, I need you to think hard. When Emily fell, did she hit her head?"
Jason's brow wrinkled. "She got mud in her hair," he offered.
She could vaguely see Tony and the others poking at the golden remains of the monsters out of the corners of her eyes. "Jason, do you know what happened to the monsters?"
The little boy laughed. "Boom!"
Valentine smiled at his description. "Yup, big boom." She stood, then reached down to help Jason to his feet. He felt way too light, and she remembered what he'd said about being hungry. When had these two last eaten?
She gently lifted the unconscious girl, draping her limp form over her shoulders. It was more difficult than it seemed, as the girl was a lot bigger than Valentine.
"Tony!" she called. Her boyfriend immediately came over and slung an arm over his own shoulder, taking off some of the weight. Valentine was glad that she didn't even have to explain what she needed.
Thus arranged, they began the slow trudge back up to camp. Valentine, Tony, and Emily led the way, closely followed by John carrying Jason. The other guard kept an eye out for any more monsters behind them.
They broke through the tunnel, limping along more quickly now that safety was in sight. The one time Valentine glanced back, she saw that Jason's mouth was a perfect 'O' of wonder. His eyes were as round as saucers.
The watchmen on the gate quickly spotted them and called out. Thankfully, medics were soon swarming out of the gate with a stretcher and medical supplies.
"As soon as she wakes up, call us," Tony instucted the medics. "We'll probably be in the principia. It doesn't look like we'll be getting a lot of sleep tonight."
There was a wolf-whistle at his comment and both praetors turned bright red.
"Way to take it the wrong way, guys!" Tony yelled.
Valentine just rolled her eyes. She turned to Jason, who'd been shadowing her ever since John released him. "I need you to come with us and tell us everything you can, okay?"
Jason smiled and took her hand. Valentine felt a warm glow in her stomach. She'd always wanted a younger sibling.
She led him towards the principia, Tony trailing behind.
Inside, Jason looked even more awed by the fancy mosaics and velvet hangings. He was quiet as Valentine moved her own chair over from the other side of the table.
Jason literally had to climb up onto the high wooden seat. He shifted once or twice, and complained, "It hurts my butt."
Tony chuckled. "You say that now. Wait until you have to sit in it every single day."
Valentine silenced him with a look and smiled reassuringly at Jason. "Honey, do you live with your mommy or your daddy?"
Jason frowned. "My mommy. Tal-ya says she's no good. She drinks too much. I tried drinking her soda once but it made me sick and Tal-ya said don't touch it again."
Valentine felt a wave of sympathy. Pretty much all demigods could relate to family problems. A drunk mother wasn't too far out of the ordinary. "So, uh, Tal-ya is your... sister?"
The blond head bobbed up and down. "Is she here? Lupa said if I want to see her I have to get big and find her. I'm bigger now."
"Are you really?" Tony asked, amused. "How old are you, Jase?"
The little boy frowned and held up his fingers as if counting. "I'm... four. Four years old. My birthday is really soon."
"So you're turning five?"
Jason looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm turning four. I'm four."
"So then you're actually three turning-"
"It's not important," Valentine interrupted her partner. "But you said that Lupa sent both of you to join the Legion?"
"Yep. Lupa says we're Romans. What's a Roman?"
"Someone really cool," Tony answered. "Will you give us a second, buddy?" He pulled Valentine aside.
"Val, this is nuts. He's just a kid! We can't put him in the legion!"
She sagged against the wall. "Lupa sent him on. I don't know if we have a choice."
Her boyfriend stared at her. "He'll be killed!"
"What else are we supposed to do?" Valentine asked wearily. "We could ask a family in New Rome to take him in, but that might anger Lupa. She's always been very clear; she sends the demigods, we read the auguries and put them in the legion. She wouldn't send this kid on if she thought he would die. If he was too weak, she would have just abandoned him without ever sending him to us."
Both praetors stared at the little boy. "Think he's something special?" Tony asked.
She shook her head. "I have no clue, but the only thing we can do now is consult the auguries. If we aren't supposed to put him in the legion, then the gods will guide us."
Tony reluctantly agreed, and walked back to Jason. "Hey buddy," he said, ruffling the kid's blond hair. "We're going to go meet someone, okay?"
Jason slid obediently out of the seat and each praetor took a hand, leading him towards Temple Hill, where it would be decided whether he was to join the legion, be given to a family, or- worst case scenario- killed.