A/N: (10/28/2014) Heeeey guys . . . I hope you don't kill me. It's been about a month since I updated. School is taking up most of my time, and I'm having a hard time finding time to update. I got kind of bored with PJO, but I'm getting back into it now. I hope I can satisfy you with this chapter. By the way, all the stuff below this was written a day after I posted the last chapter. AND I'M SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG!
(Wrote this on 9/2/2014)- Chapter ten! Reyna and the twins meet for the first time! Unfortunately, it will be sort or Jason/Reyna at first. Don't worry though, Reyna will fall for Percy soon enough. The beginning of this chapter will be the twins' Legion induction and Cohort picking. Then it will time skip.
NOTE: Since it seems to bother most of you so much, I've gone back and corrected the javelin/spear issue. Please stop leaving reviews about the weaponry now. I've fixed it and Percy's weapon will be referred to as a "spear" or a "Hasta". Thanks. Enjoy!
Guest: Yes, I realize that the javelin is a throwing weapon. I made a mistake. If you had read the Author's note in the last chapter, you would have known that I had already acknowledged it. I already said I'd go back and change it in each chapter.
Karen Li: Thanks for reviewing! I like long reviews that I can reply to. And yes I have some dramatic stuff planned out for Reyna/Percy and for the Jason vs. Percy thing for praetorship and with Jupiter. I like your ideas! And no, Annabeth has been replaced with Malcolm because I like Malcolm :D Oh, and no; Percy will not resort to suicide or self-harm. I try to stay a good distance away from darker things. I like happy and semi-tragic (tragic like my other story The Perishing Song, where just about everyone is dead) stories. Keep reviewing because you have probably left the some of the best and longest reviews yet! A couple others (xRinneandSharinx and Duskrend14, for instance) always leave really good and helpful reviews as well.
Chapter Ten: Unfortunate Interruptions
Jason
"It is once again time for the moving up ceremony!" Cassie exclaimed.
It had been two years since Jason's induction to the Junior Legion, and he and his brother were now moving up to the official Legion to serve as soldiers. Percy still got flak for falling in front of New Rome and was constantly reminded of it, even though it had been two years since the embarrassing incident. Jason knew that the teasing bothered Percy since his mouth would always straighten into a grim line and all mirth would exit form his dark blue eyes. While he felt horrible for his brother, Jason was secretly thankful that he wasn't being made fun of as well.
Their time as messengers wasn't very eventful; it was actually quite repetitive. Jason would carry a missive to one place, then bring a reply back to the first correspondent, and so on. It was a consistent job and Jason had now nearly memorized where every single resident lived New Rome, where they ate dinner, and how many siblings they had. He also knew every New Roman street name in existence. So even though it was almost intolerably mundane, Jason did accumulate a couple remunerations from his two years of service.
Today was the day that Jason would become an official affiliate of the New Roman Legion. After the orientation, they would be tested in the Coliseum to see which Cohort they would be placed in. Jason hoped he was placed in the First Cohort: the most revered and respected Cohort. The only occurrence that could possibly degrade his day would be if he were enlisted in the Fifth Cohort. The Cohort was rumored to be cursed; a Centurion by the name of Michael Varus believed that he knew the key to a prophecy and had decided to lead the Fifth Cohort into the land beyond the gods' control—Alaska.
None returned.
Before Varus left, the Fifth Cohort was just as reputable as the First Cohort. But the Fifth lost an abundance of Imperial Gold weapons in Alaska, as well as two hundred soldiers. New Rome was still recovering from the tragedy that had occurred merely twenty years beforehand. The Legion had lost a huge quantity of gold in Alaska: so many soldiers were forced to use non-traditional weapons such as a Spatha—a cavalry sword.
New Rome didn't have a cavalry.
Since the Fifth had lost all the potent weaponry and armor, it had been disdained in the New Roman society. Being placed in the Fifth was like committing social suicide. Even a son of Jupiter would be scorned if he was placed in such a notorious Cohort.
Percy stood next to Jason, looking straight ahead like a stagnant statue; Jason didn't even see him blink. Jason knew that Percy was nervous about the induction due to his rocky past with initiations. Jason also knew that Percy was trying to conceal his anxiety, but the blond twin could occasionally see Percy's finger twitch in his peripheral vision.
Again, Octavian and his lap dogs stood behind Percy and Jason. Dakota was somewhere in the back this time; he had wanted to stand next to Jason, but a Centurion had moved him to the back since the rows weren't even. While Dakota wasn't happy about being separated form the twins, he couldn't argue with a superior officer—especially not a Centurion.
It was bright and sunny that day, just like Jason's mood. He was so exuberant about being drafted into the Legion that he hadn't slept more than four hours the previous night. Just the mere thought of becoming a Legionnaire—his dream job—had practically made him salivate. Jason clearly remembered staring through his window in the Junior Legionnaire barracks around four in the morning, just vividly daydreaming about his induction. Jason yearned for a perfect day, and Jupiter and Apollo seemed to have granted his wish: clear blue skies and a brilliantly bright sun, respectively.
As Jason watched other Legionnaires file onto the stage when their names were called, he couldn't help but feel a tiny gnawing sensation in the depths of his gut; what if he screwed up? What if he was placed in the Fifth? What if he fell like Percy had? Jason squashed the pessimistic side of his consciousness without mercy. He couldn't afford to get cold feet now.
"Percy Grace," Cassie yelled to the crowd, an ounce of pride leaking into her normally indifferent voice.
"Don't fall again!" Someone called from the crowd.
"Mind the gap!" Another jeered.
Laughter reiterated through the crowd, and Jason saw the muscle in Percy's jaw tighten considerably before he made his way up the stairs. Jason clenched his fists so tightly that he drew his own blood when he heard the nasally laughter originating from behind the sapphire-eyed son of Jupiter.
Octavian.
"Quiet!" David yelled to the crowd cutting off their mirthful chuckling.
A small amount of sympathy seemed to fill David's crimson eyes as they landed on Percy.
Percy didn't reflect any emotion in response.
"Percy Grace, son of Jupiter, you are hereby officially instated in the New Roman Legion," Gwen recited smoothly, her lips curling into a tiny smile.
Gwen pressed the searing, ferrous branding stick into Percy's forearm. Much to Jason's surprise, Percy didn't even flinch. No jerking, no yelping—nothing. Percy's eyes darted over to Jason's area and seemed to focus on someone behind Jason. A small arc of electricity seemed to flit through Percy's eyes. Jason then heard someone shift anxiously behind him, but the son of Jupiter didn't turn around—he already knew whom Percy was looking at so sharply and challengingly at:
Octavian and his band of morons.
"That guy is a hardass," someone muttered in the crowd of Legionnaires, "he didn't even react."
Jason heard a couple murmurs of agreement and smirked slightly at their interpretations of his twin. Percy seemed to have captivated the other Romans by showing no pain. Maybe Percy was able to combat his undesirable reputation (due to his humiliating, unceremonious fall two years prior) by replacing it with an enhanced one. Jason winked at Percy, who seemed to have noticed; he gave a tiny and almost imperceptible nod of his head.
Percy, with his new SPQR tattoo and two lines of service (his years as a Junior Legionnaire) shimmering on his forearm, stepped into line with the other branded Legionnaires.
"Jason Grace," Cassie called out.
Jason's stomach dropped; he didn't think he had ever been as nervous as he was at this very moment. Nonetheless, Jason put on a confident facade and stepped forward from the ranks, heading up the stairs. Jason caught Percy's eyes on the way up, and his dark-eyed twin gave him a small smile, increasing Jason's confidence exponentially. If his brother could be branded without showing the slightest bit of pain, then Jason could do it as well.
Jason stopped in front of Gwen, who gave him a playful, sly wink.
"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, you are hereby officially instated in the New Roman Legion."
The branding stick was placed against his vulnerable flesh, causing him a great amount of pain. Jason clenched his teeth tightly and fought against any urge to flinch or yelp. But just as quickly as it came, the pain left. Jason watched in utter fascination as the red ink seeped up his arm and slowly took its form as the symbolic SPQR stripes. The two, thin red lines stretched from his wrist up to his elbow, and formed a tiny lightning bold to symbolize his parentage.
Jason joined his twin with the other branded members, and struggled not to smile broadly. This would be a day he remembered for the rest of his existence.
-X-
Percy
"Wake up, you lazy bums!"
Percy groaned and rolled onto his stomach, pulling the sheets around him to make a protective cocoon.
"Don't make me come up there, idiots! You need to get ready for your trials!"
One of Percy's sapphire eyes opened slightly; Cassie usually followed through with her threats, and she was certainly not a morning person. Deciding to spare himself from terrible pain, Percy got out of his bed before Cassie chose to ascend the staircase and dump freezing water on him (it had happened once before).
He grabbed one of his pillows and hurled it at the twin bed across the room, hitting a shape that was bundled up in the covers. Jason groaned in irritation.
"Five more minutes," he whined, sounding as groggy as Percy felt.
"Get up, Fly Boy, we have our trial today," Percy said as he pulled on a pair of jeans and a purple tee.
The trial that Cassie and Percy had both mentioned was the test that decided which Cohort Percy and Jason would be placed in. Cassie had told them weeks earlier that the trial was just an ostentatious name for a series of duels that existed in order to test the contenders' prowess when it came to combat. Today, Percy and Jason would both—separately— duel with each Centurion of each Cohort. If you defeated your opponent, you progressed to the next stage, where you would then fight a more skilled Centurion that led a more experienced Cohort than the previous one. The trial always started with the Centurion of the Fifth Cohort, and would count down from there.
Percy had learned during his time at Camp Jupiter that the Fifth Cohort was a notoriously disrespected Cohort due to its missing eagle standard that Michael Varus had lost on a pointless war march to Alaska. None of the soldiers that went on the march returned, and neither did the eagle. Because of this, the Cohort was ridiculed, and was the laughing stock of the camp. Percy just hoped he could make it past the Fifth; being in it would do nothing to help his already suffering public image in the camp.
Percy's mentioning of the trial seemed to snap Jason from his bleary state. Jason sat straight up before hurling himself from his bed and onto the floor. Percy snorted and exited their shared room before making his way downstairs while Jason scurried around the bedroom getting dressed.
Cassie was seated at the head of dining table, leisurely eating a bowl of cereal. Percy passed through the dining room and into the kitchen, where a piece of toast was waiting for him.
"Thanks, Cass," Percy called as he took a quick bite of the buttered bread.
Percy grabbed Augustus from kitchen counter and slipped it into his the pocket of his jeans. He heard Jason tumbling down the stairs as he reached his standard body armor—the lorica segmentata that now fit him perfectly—and put it on with the help of Cassie. After the twins had suited up in their armor and had their coins, the two exited the villa with Cassie.
The day was overcast, and dark clouds that threatened to drop their loads on the camp floated above them. The air was becoming colder now that they were nearing winter, so the twins and Cassie's breaths were visible as tiny puffs of warm mist. The trio made their way down Via Praetoria and passed plenty of excited Legionnaires who were all anxiously awaiting the same thing: the beginning of the trials.
Percy's heart pounded faster as they neared the Coliseum, which was already filled to the brim with excited Romans. The roar of the crowd intensified as they neared it, and the lights surrounding the massive arena illuminated the early dawn sky. Percy's breaths become shallow with anxiety as the twins split away from Cassie, preparing to enter the waiting room if the Coliseum, which was located underground.
"You'll do great," Cassie promised, her icy eyes filled with pride, "I'll be watching from the box."
Cassie continued toward the massive gateway arch that was heavily populated by bumbling Romans attempting to get inside the Coliseum to reach their seats. A smaller door off to the side of the gateway arch was guarded by two Legionnaires; the door led to the underground catacombs that were located directly beneath the Coliseum.
The guards nodded in approval as Percy and Jason showed them their probatio tags, which they would discard after they were welcomed into their respective Cohorts. Thick, dirt stairs led down to a the lower levels of the Coliseum, bringing the two sons of Jupiter into a massive, circular chamber that spanned under the entire circumference of the Coliseum.
The first thing that hit Percy was the smell; it was musty and dank in the catacomb, causing Percy's nose to crinkle up in dissatisfaction. The floors were primarily dirt or mud, but had the occasional stick or stone protruding up at a various angle. Stone columns—not marble ones—were sprinkled in the chamber, helping hold up the earth above it, where the fighting would take place. Normally, the Romans would create an ostentatious catacomb under the grand Coliseum, but it was voted against due to the fact that no one would even see the catacombs unless they were fighting themselves. So instead of creating a picturesque waiting area, the Romans—for once—decided on practicality over exquisiteness and settled with crude, stone columns.
The room was filled with tables displaying weapons—some rusty, some pristine—and several training dummies. Benches lined the edges of the room, serving as a resting area for the fighters. A large, stone staircase was directly next to the door that the twins entered through, and it spiraled upward until it reached surface level.
The catacombs were filled with Legionnaires; some talked to each other fervently, excited for their upcoming fights, while other sat quietly on the benches, apprehensive about their trials. Percy specifically spotted Bobby hacking away at a dummy with his sword, James stretching his quadriceps, and Octavian pacing back and forth with a thoughtful look plastered on his face. Dakota sat across the room in the corner, nervously spinning the handle of his gladius in his hand.
Percy knew that Jason was just as nervous as Percy was, since tiny bolts of electricity kept arcing off his arms. Percy acted as lighting rod and drew the lightning out of the air before Jason's erratic sparks hit someone, but he was having trouble with keeping his own electricity from discharging. For some reason, anxiety and his electrical storage system seemed to be linked inconveniently.
The twins took a seat an empty bench, neither speaking a word as they watched the other soldiers get called up the spiral stairs one at a time.
Ten, agonizing minutes later, Jason's name was called. The blond teen stood abruptly, his eyes swirling like maelstroms of doubt and trepidation.
"Bona fortuna," Percy whispered, wishing his brother good luck.
Jason nodded, taking a deep breath. Pulling out Julius, Jason crossed the room in several strides before ascending up the spiral staircase to meet the next milestone of his life as a Roman Legionnaire.
As Percy sat in the catacombs with the rest of the Legionnaires, he felt the vibrations of the cheering and clapping spectators. Percy could sense the electricity in the air multiplying in quantity as the time passed, indicating that Jason was utilizing his powers. Several moments later, Percy felt a spike in the wind speed. A loud boom of thunder vibrated the earth so greatly that bits of dirt and rock rained from the ceiling and onto the floor of the catacombs. Percy and the other soldiers cringed and covered their heads in case more debris fell from the ceiling.
Fifteen minutes later, he heard echoing footsteps descending down the staircase. Gwen's head poked out from behind the wall as she read off a clipboard.
"Percy Grace, son of Jupiter."
Percy stood before walking to across the room, his sneakers kicking up a small amount of dust and sand. Percy ascended a level, and was facing a massive gate when he reached the top. The roar of the crowd was significantly louder now—so loud that Percy's skull practically vibrated. The son of Jupiter flipped Augustus, and he was then holding a sleek, grey spear with a golden tip that crackled with nervous electricity. Percy cracked his neck by tilting his head to the side, and then cracked his knuckles.
Gwen gave the signal to open the gate, and two Legionnaires by the gate pulled down on two chains that were connected to a pulley system. The gate slowly slid upward, revealing the massive, circular Coliseum. The crowd was a sea of purple—rolling and crashing into the barricades, calling for an intense fight. Percy stepped foot onto the wet sand (which was presumably wet from whatever rain Jason had caused during his own fight), and the crowd grew even louder.
"Contender number forty-seven, Percy Grace, son of Jupiter! Your fight begins. Should you leave the arena for any reason, your challenge will be forfeited, and you will be placed in the highest Cohort you reached before departing. Good luck, Legionnaire." David called out through the microphone.
The crowd was hyped, to say the least. Every seat in the Coliseum was occupied, and each and every citizen was screaming in elation. The pressure of winning hung over Percy like a chandelier would over a dining table, and his heart thumped louder and harder with each step he took closer to the center of the sand-floored arena.
"Centurion of the Fifth Cohort, Daniel Watson!"
A cacophony of boos emanated form they crowd as they publicly and openly denounced the Centurion of the least respected Cohort. A scarecrow of a boy entered from the other side of the arena, dressed in full body armor as well as a plumed helmet. He held a tower shield—the rectangular, partially curved shield of the Legion—in one hand, and a standard issue gladius in his other. Each step the boy took was clumsy and wobbling, as if the armor weighed too much for him to move correctly.
To be frank, Percy was actually disappointed; he was expecting a challenge, and the boy didn't seem like one. Percy was beginning to understand why the Fifth was considered a disgrace to the Legion. Hell, Percy was surprised it hadn't been disbanded and struck from the records of ever existing; its past and present were so terrible that seemed like the necessary course of action, and Percy seriously doubted that its future would be anything but bleak.
But nonetheless, trepidation plagued Percy. His fingers twitched nervously, and his breaths became shallower. The noise around him faded, and he could hear his heart's pounding echoing in his eardrums. Percy heard the horn sound and, without any hesitation, leveled his spear at Daniel and slowly walked forward.
The two walked in a slow circle—Percy moving gracefully, and Daniel clumsily—for a while, analyzing each other's stances. Percy made the first move and charged. Daniel hastily threw up his shield, intercepting the sharp tip of the spear.
The crowd cheered for the first blow, all goading the fighters on. Daniel attempted to slash Percy with his gladius, but Percy slapped the blade away with the blunt tip of the spear, before slamming the Centurion's head with it. The crowd roared with approval as the Centurion staggered backward, shaking his head—probably to clear the stars from his eyes.
Percy went on defense, allowing small bits of electricity to trickle from his fingers to the tip of the spear. Remembering Cassie's training, Percy shifted his weight to his back foot, waiting for the Centurion to make a move. The Centurion attempted to stab this time, but Percy sidestepped and fired off a non-lethal bolt of electricity that slammed into the Centurion and sent him flying backward.
The crowd thundered with applause, hurling verbal barbs at the Centurion of the Fifth Cohort.
"Some leader you are!" Percy heard a spectator on the first level jeer.
"The failure of the Fifth!" Another yelled.
For some reason, their blatant disrespect for the commanding officer infuriated Percy. Even though he had mentally denounced it several minutes prior when musing about which Cohort he wanted to be in, he couldn't help but be appalled by the immeasurable amount of hate thrown towards the Fifth Cohort. Percy felt a flicker of guilt as he watched the staggering Centurion rise to his feet. Percy was practically toying with the Centurion, and now it was nagging at his conscience.
When the Centurion charged as a last resort, Percy vowed to end it quickly to avoid further humiliating the poor soldier. Percy swiftly jumped out of the path of the charge, and then stuck his foot outward into his path. The unfortunate Legionnaire hit Percy's foot at full speed, causing him to face plant so hard it probably broke the front his helmet. While the Centurion had his face in the dirt, Percy swung the blunt end of his spear like a gold club into the downed soldier. A loud crack emanated from the point of contact, and the Centurion's head fell limp with unconsciousness.
The crowd cheered and whooped, all begging for the next stage of fighting. When a broad-shouldered, muscular teenager with shining armor and calloused hands entered through the gate, Percy knew that this stage would be considerably harder than the first.
-X-
Reyna
A lithe, raven-haired girl careened through the foliage, branches lacerating her body as she pushed through them. A loud roar from behind her was so intense that it seemed to vibrate the earth on which she was running. Sweat plastered her bangs to her forehead, and blood stained her jeans. Her obsidian eyes scanned her surroundings as she ran, trying to keep her from running into something worse than what she running from.
Reyna heard a second roar; this one was so loud that she cringed and covered her ears to block out the horrendous noise. The sound of snapping tree trunks sounded from behind her, galvanizing her to run as fast as a fleeing rabbit. She skipped and hopped over roots and rocks, and ducked and dodged branches and tree trunks. Lupa had told her that there would be a test that would lead her to her destiny, but this test seemed much too immense and perilous for the daughter of Bellona to best on her own. While she clutched an Imperial Gold sword in her right hand, she still wasn't confident enough to turn around and face the atrocious beast that was pursuing her so adamantly.
Lupa had told her the directions to Camp Jupiter, and the daughter of Bellona knew she was headed in the right direction.
She just wasn't sure if she was going fast enough.
The only thing keeping the monster from catching up to her were the trees, and not even they were standing strong against the brute strength of the creature. If Reyna ran out of trees to put between her and her pursuer, the beast would catch up to her in a heartbeat and devour her like some kind of meager meal.
The mere thought of being eaten allowed her body to dump a little more adrenaline into her system, causing her to run a bit faster than she was before. She then came to a highway, and the woodland was now thinning. There was no way that she could stay ahead of the beast now.
Her spirits dropped drastically, and she was preparing to turn around and face her death head on—like a true Roman—but stopped when a flash of light caught her dark eyes. A small plaque above a tiny, almost unnoticeable cave reflected the sole stream of sunlight that had managed to penetrate through the overcast sky. It was almost a celestial event; the tiny tendril of sunlight was the only hint of light in the sky, and it landed perfectly on the SPQR plaque. Reyna knew that a god somewhere was the cause behind this—a god that wanted her to live, apparently.
Reyna sprinted as fast as her strong legs would carry her into the cave, where she then ran head on into a boy dressed in full Roman armor. The boy immediately shoved her off of him, and pointed his spear at her, and another guard nearby followed suit.
"Who are you?" One demanded.
Reyna inhaled deeply, trying to catch her breath. She weakly pointed out of the cave, where the beast itself had just emerged.
The guard's eyes widened. "Randy. The signal."
The other boy quickly grabbed a curved horn and brought it to his mouth before giving three short puffs. The horn echoed surprisingly loud, bringing Reyna to believe that it was probably enchanted in some fashion. Immediately after the guard—Randy—finished blowing it, more horns followed suit, sounding like they were originating from the other side of the cave. Several more horns joined in, until the sound was almost overwhelming.
The serpentine creature growled deeply, its lips curling back to reveal its razor sharp fangs. Its scaly body emerged from the woods, slowly coiling around itself. The harsh amber eyes were trained on Reyna as two clouds of smoke puffed from its nostrils as it exhaled.
It was a Lydian Drakon.
-X-
Percy felt adrenaline seep through his veins as the Centurion of the Fourth Cohort stalked towards him, cockily spinning his gladius. Percy spun his spear once, and a sleek, grey bow materialized in his hand. His free hand pulled a sparking arrow from his quiver, and then nimbly flipped it between his fingers, showing his sleight of hand.
The crowd roared at the sight of prefight cockiness—confidence and bravado were highly appreciated by the Romans, but only if you could back it up once the fight began. The crowd quieted down, allowing David to speak again.
"Your second stage, Mr. Grace."
Percy notched the arrow and drew it back slowly, pointing it directly at the smirking Centurion. Percy allowed electricity to drip from his fingertips and further charge up the arrow—Percy was ready to end his second fight with a single arrow.
All he had to do was hit the Centurion with it.
"Three, two, on—"
David was cut off by a long, deep horn. More horns joined the first, creating a cacophony of horn noises that seemed to seize the attention of every person inside the arena. Gasps and shocked facial expressions popped up all over the crowd as they realized that those were the war horns—the ones that were only blown before the Legion charged an enemy, or when they were being attacked. Since they obviously weren't attacking anyone, every Roman in the Coliseum seemed to have come to the same conclusion.
They were under attack.
-X-
Jason
Jason stood promptly as the warning horns went off. He was seated on the front row of the Coliseum, along with his new Cohort—the First. Jason had been so proud of himself, and was fervently awaiting his brother, who would no doubt join him in the First. But just before Percy's second stage, the war horns from the borders were heard, indicating that the camp was under some type of siege.
"ARM YOURSELVES!" David yelled loudly as chaos ensued.
"Percy!" Jason shouted, stumbling as someone shoved past him.
His dark-haired twin stood in the arena, conflicted. His eyes flicked back and forth between the exit and his competitor. At first, Jason didn't understand why he looked so struggled. Then, he recalled what David had announced at the beginning of each competitors trial:
"Should you leave the arena for any reason, your challenge will be forfeited, and you will be placed in the highest Cohort you reached before departing," David had said.
"No, Percy!" Jason screamed, desperately trying to keep his twin from losing by default.
But when Percy's stormy blue eyes met with Jason's sky blue ones, the blond haired twin knew that he couldn't stop his twin. Percy's eyes were ablaze with honor and a sense of duty; there was no way Percy would let something keep him from protecting his city—his home.
Percy sprinted out of the arena, leaving his competitor in the center, alone. Percy had sacrificed his chance to reach the First Cohort in order to defend the city. After they fought away the threat—if they fought away the threat (you never know)—Percy would be automatically placed in the Fifth Cohort since he surrendered his chance to reach higher Cohorts by exiting the Coliseum before he completed his trial.
Jason himself had conflicting feelings; he was upset that his brother wouldn't be joining him in the First Cohort (not to mention that he would be placed in the most disrespected Cohort), but he also felt a burning sensation as pride as Percy sacrificed something so dear to him for the good of Rome and its people. To be frank, Jason was slightly envious of Percy, despite the fact that he was trashing his Legionnaire career with this action. Jason knew that Percy was the noble one: the selfless one. Jason felt a bit guilty now; here he was musing about how he could further improve his own personal standings in the Legion—and in New Rome in general—while Percy was out risking his life for the good of others, not even giving a second thought about his position in the Legion. Percy was a self-sacrificing person—something that Jason envied with a passion.
For the first time in his life, Jason felt the cruel sting of jealousy.
-X-
Reyna
Reyna peeked her head around the corner, but was forced to quickly duck back as a column of scorching hot fire came hurtling through the tunnel.
She and the other soldiers were on the side of the tunnel closest to the city, while the drakon was still outside on the other end. The tunnel was too thin for the drakon to go through it, and the hills were too steep for the scaly beast to scale. Reyna thanked every god in existence that it didn't have wings.
The sounds of clanking metal reached her ears, so she turned towards the beautiful city. If she hadn't been in such a hurried and treacherous situation, she would have paused to admire its intrinsic beauty. A soft meadow with picturesque flowers spanned around the city, and a small cobblestone path led over a river and into the architectural masterpiece known as Camp Jupiter. She could spot beautiful decorations outside shops and striking plants lining the streets, and she could also smell the scent of baking bread and roasting meat.
Dozens and dozens of armored boys and girls came sprinting up the cobblestone paths, falling into ranks beside the tunnel entrance. Unfortunately for them, they lined up directly in front of the entrance, where the drakon's fire would be able to reach it.
"Get out of the way!" One of the guards yelled. "It's a drakon!"
A boy with a plumed helmet barked, "Scatter! Away from the entrance!"
The formation split in half just as a ball of fire came soaring through the tunnel. The scorching projectile hit somewhere in the meadow, lighting the grass and flowers on fire. Thankfully, everyone had gotten out of the way.
"Get the fauns on that fire! And I need a status report!" A burly boy with maroon eyes and a purple robe called out over the roars of the monster on the other side of the tunnel.
"Its a drakon, sir," the guard began.
"A Lydian Drakon," Reyna cut in, putting emphasis on the type of drakon. Lydian drakons had thicker hides than other drakons, so most swords and arrow wouldn't be able to penetrate the thick scales that lined its body as a type of armor. It was significantly harder to kill, and it had them trapped inside the valley; no one would be stupid enough to attempt going through the tunnel.
The maroon-eyed boy frowned accusingly. "Who are you?"
"A newcomer," the guard answered for her. "It was chasing her, sir."
"Did you train with Lupa?" The maroon-eyed boy inquired.
Reyna nodded, remembering the strict she-wolf with brown fur. Long lessons about honor and courage flooded into her memory along with Lupa's intimidating image.
The boy nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Cass!" He yelled.
A fiery-red haired girl stepped out of the crowd, wearing a purple rob identical to the maroon-eyed boy.
"I don't know," Cassie said before the boy said anything else. "Archers could fire over the hill, but it probably wouldn't—"
"I have an idea," a confident voice spoke from the crowd.
Reyna's obsidian eyes flicked to the speaker: a blond-haired boy who was broad-shouldered and muscled. His sky-blue eyes lingered on her for a brief moment before flicking over to Cassie. Several mutters of disagreement and objection arose from the crowd, but the blond boy ignored all of them.
"Jason, don't do anything stup—" Cassie began.
"Trust me, Cassie," Jason begged, his eyes filling with steadfast determination.
Reyna had never been boy-crazy before, but her eyes couldn't help but slowly scan every part of the boy's body. She vaguely recognized him from somewhere, but she couldn't remember from where.
Cassie sighed. "Fine, just don't get hurt, okay?"
It wasn't hard to detect the concern lacing Cassie's words.
Reyna and the other Legionnaires watched in awe—and maybe a little bit of envy—as the air around Jason began swirling. He slowly pushed his hands forward, and the air in front of him began to spin rapidly.
Reyna saw his chest heave greatly as he breathed in deeply. After he seemed to steel his nerves, he stepped in front of the tunnel entrance. Reyna wanted to scream his name for some reason and shove him out of harm's way, but the words got caught in her throat as the fire stopped right in front of him, being repelled by the spinning winds.
Reyna didn't really notice as a dark-haired boy pushed by her and stuck his own hands outward. Her obsidian eyes were fixated on the blond boy, utterly fascinated by his performance. His golden hair rippled in his own billowing wind, and his eyes seemed to fill with electricity as he focused on his task. His muscled body was tense and flexing, as if it was physically taxing (it was, but she wasn't aware of it at the time) to produce the sharp wind currents. As she thought more about wind control, she remembered the magazine she had read on Circe's island once; it had said something about two twin sons of Jupiter.
Reyna realized with astonishment that these two—the dark-haired one and Jason—were the twins of Jupiter, and were able to bend the wind and electricity to their will.
Jason's plan worked perfectly. The Legionnaires followed behind Jason and his twin, who were both able to hold a steadfast wall of spinning air that managed to block and redirect the fire away from the other Legionnaires. Once they reached the other side, the drakon inhaled again so that it could blow more fire.
"Focus on the head, Jace!" The slender, dark-haired boy screamed as the Legionnaires—as well as Reyna—began to spill out from the tunnel. Reyna watched in fascination as the air began swirling in such a powerful vortex that all the fire the drakon was producing was being blocked.
"Overwhelm it!" The maroon-eyed boy yelled, "Avoid the tail! Jason, Percy, keep blocking the fire!"
The drakon seemed to realize it was being outsmarted, so it began swinging its circuitous body around like some type of scaly whip of death. The body hit the front lines of the disorganized Legionnaires—they were still trying to form ranks—knocking several soldiers to the ground in crumpled heaps.
"Archers!" Cassie yelled somewhere behind the lines that were still forming.
Reyna saw Percy—as the maroon-eyed boy had called him—and Jason pull out tiny golden coins from their pockets. Reyna frowned in confusion, but her eyes widened as they swiftly morphed into two identical grey spears with golden-tips. Thunder boomed vehemently, drowning out most of the sound. The winds whipped up even stronger, filling Reyna's ears with a sharp whistling.
She heard muffled shouts, and saw Cassie point her arm at the drakon. Golden-tipped arrows were released from the archers' bows. The winds blew some of them off course, but most hit their marks, even penetrating through the deep hide of the Lydian drakon.
Even through the din, Reyna could make out the pained screech of the drakon. Reyna saw arcs of lightning strike down from the sky, peppering the monster with painful hits. The drakon thrashed wildly, rolling over on some of the unfortunate soldiers closest to it. A bit of fire seeped through the winds, which seemed to be weakening.
The Legionnaires avoided the scorching column of flames, but only narrowly. Reyna's eyes fell on Jason, who was now on his knees with his hands raised feebly. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were squeezed shut, indicating that he was definitely weakening. His twin was rapidly throwing bolts of electricity from both his spear and his bare hand, attempting to electrocute the beast to death.
The drakon's head swiveled to Percy, its amber eyes locking onto the raven-haired boy. Its head snapped at the son of Jupiter, but he dove out of the way and onto the ground. Soldiers ran to his aid, helping him defend against the gargantuan, snapping jaws of the beast. Reyna charged forward to help, and the drakon seemed to sense her presence. Its eyes averted away from the other soldiers and glared straight into Reyna's obsidian eyes. The pair of yellow-tinged eyes glared hatefully at Reyna, as if it held some type of personal vendetta against the daughter of Bellona.
Reyna's hand gripped her golden sword tightly and unconsciously shifted into a battle stance, shifting her weight to her back foot. The drakon lunged at her—a kill shot. The beast moved so quickly—like a striking cobra—that there would be no way possible for Reyna to move out of the way. Reyna seemed to realize this just before the razor sharp teeth made contact with her vulnerable and unarmored body. Accepting her fate, Reyna raised her sword so it would penetrate the roof of the drakon's mouth once it engulfed her in its mouth.
But the impact never came.
Something hit Reyna from the side so roughly that it knocked all of the breath out of her, carrying her just out of the path of the snapping jaws. She—and whatever had hit her—slammed into the earth, still going at an intense speed, and rolled for several feet before stopping.
Her world spun and her vision had spots in it—most likely from her head hitting the ground so brutally—but she could make out some weird type of siege equipment being rolled out of the tunnel. Reyna, even in her slightly delirious state, watched in fascination as the machine fired a four-foot long pole—no, an arrow—into the thick scales of the drakon's neck.
The ferocious beast exploded into golden dust, which rained down onto the soldiers like confetti. Cheers went up from the ranks, but the sounds were muddled and muffled to Reyna.
She numbly felt someone roll her over onto her back, and came face to face with a boy who had sky-blue eyes and golden-blond hair.
He said something to her, his eyes filled with concern, but she couldn't make out the words. The edges of her vision filled with darkness, and her eyes slowly closed.
She then drifted into unconsciousness.
A/N: Well...my writing is rusty. As you might be able to tell, I wrote the first half of this chapter a month ago, while I was on fire. Now...well my vocabulary is rough and I'm having trouble expressing Reyna. I felt like it was a little rushed at the end, but I promised I would introduce her to the twins, even if they don't know each other at all yet.
NOTE: Okay, you guys need to review the crap out of this chapter to tell me how I did. It's been so long I can't remember my own standards. So please let me know if you liked it or disliked it. This was approximately 7,100 words by the way, which is my biggest chapter yet. Thanks for reading!