There you go. TREASON…
Reyna
Reyna yawned. Being a praetor was hard. She hadn't slept for the last thirty hours. There was always a monster sneaking, a craven that wanted to fled, another battle plan from Octavian or merely her watch. No time for her, to relax, eat properly or have a bath.
She stretched from her uncomfortable seat and changed her position. Her waist was aching due to the twenty minute nap she had taken an hour ago.
Oh hell, even a baby could disarm me right now. She reached for the back of her neck and tried to massage herself.
She worried. Her scouts mentioned a huge army marching towards camp. Well they were going to meet them. Can't say that I called chicken! Truth was, they didn't stand a chance. They were facing the greater threat ever posed to them by Mother Earth without the seven most powerful demigods in the world.
They couldn't come back though. Abandoning a mission was no choice and it left her no choice. If they had come back, Octavian would have them executed. And she would have to agree, it was the law, they were Romans. Duty comes first. Conquer or die. There is no middle way.
A probatio entered the tent. Handsome boy, good with the lance. Reyna gave him a tired smile. Pity she could not remember his name. He would have made a nice aftermath date.
''Octavian of the first legion requests leave to enter, my praetor,'' he said.
Reyna rolled her eyes. Perfect, he is making courtesies. Where has he grown? ''Let him pass,'' she said bored.
The probatio bowed and got out of her tent. Reyna straightened in her chair and put her sword in the table in front of her. Octavian entered the tent with his knife on the right hand. He laughed when he saw the sword.
''Can't trust anyone?''. He pointed at the knife. ''Neither can I.''
''What do you want this time, Octavian?'' Reyna asked with an icy voice.
''Oh, my praetor'' he taunted. ''Don't get touchy.''
''Don't make me ask again.''
''Well then, I have a battle plan for you,'' he whispered with caution.
''We are not going to fight with treacherous ways. We will stand in front of our enemies and fight like Romans.''
''You mean die like Romans,'' he muttered.
''And why is that?''
''Open your damn eyes, Reyna,'' he said angrily. ''They outnumber us one to ten. And guess what, I'm not dying for you.''
Ha! Guess what, I knew that already. Fucker!
''I never demanded any of you to die for me. If you have to die, it will be for the Legion.''
''I'm not dying for anyone,'' Octavian hissed.
''I hope that's not a message, Octi.''
''We'll see…'' he said, licking his lips. ''I mean, we don't even have the dream team. The boy that defeated Krios, the other one that defeated Saturn, the girl that got Gae-''
''Alright,'' Reyna interrupted. ''I got your point.''
''We can't prevail without them.''
''Ohhh, cut the crap, Octavian. You would have them executed for treason, after of course the battle.''
''It is the law,'' he taunted. ''The will of Apollo.''
''Don't test your luck, boy. We both know you have no gift of prophecy. Your teddy bears, more than all.''
He laughed loudly. ''Yes, we do. Can you prove it, though?''
''I'll find a way, dear. Be sure about that.''
Sadness filled Octavian's eyes. ''It's too bad you decided to make an enemy of me, Reyna. We would have made a cute couple.''
She smiled. Keep dreaming.
''Too bad you decided to be a treacherous worm, Octi. You would have made a good archer.''
''I'm an excellent archer,'' he snapped. ''As for the other one, bye, Reyna.''
He left sluggishly, like smoke escaping the grab of your fingers. Reyna waited for him to leave and then summoned her guards.
''Seize him and bring him back here,'' Reyna said.
''What if he resists my praetor?'' the cute boy said.
''Why then, bring me his fucking head.''
Reyna was asleep. She didn't intent to but everyone knows how that works. You close your eyes for a second, next thing you know, you see dreams. Or nightmares. Yeah, that was the proper word.
She was on Leo's ship. Alone, no one on the deck. The staircase wasn't raised. She got off the ship and forgot how to breathe. The Colosseum stood in front of her, on its mighty ancient form. Beautiful and terrifying, one of the biggest structures ever was there for her to see.
Reyna advanced cautiously and slowly. She stood at the one of the main entrances and admired the columns that prevented this architectural perfection to crumble on pieces. The ceiling was widely open and round as the structure itself.
She walked towards the door shyly. But when she tried to enter, she hit on a hidden wall. Ouch! What the heck? Damn, I was so close. Reyna craved to enter the Colosseum. She had to. She was destined to. She was a praetor.
She made her way around the structure and finally found another entrance. She descended the steps that led to it and when she opened the door, she saw a sacred place. This was the room that all the gladiators waited to hear the choice, to hear the name. To hear who was the one given the choice to prove his worth. To get out on that Pit and face trained killers, lions and powers beyond their reach. To prevail in sign of humans and gods. To have another chance of gaining their freedom. To get the sign from the emperor to end the opponent's life. The sign of freedom. Conquer or die. The Roman Way was always the only solution.
She walked towards the huge corridor that led outside. The Hall of Fame. All the great gladiators have crossed that door, knowing it would probably the last time they would see it. Conquer or die. There is no middle way. As she approached the Door, it opened letting inside white light that left her temporarily blind. She backed off from fear of the unknown and tried to grab the wall. She looked behind where darkness and safety existed. No, she thought. I'm a Roman. I'm a gladiator. I will cross the Hall of Fame. And everything that get's on my way, shall perish on my blade. When she passed through the Door, her vision gradually returned. But the Pit was nowhere to be seen. In front of her was a huge city, but not any city. The eternal one. This is Old Rome. She would have admired the city until the end of her life, wasn't for the owl.
It flew roundly in front of her. And Reyna followed its lead, towards the southwest of the city. Until it stopped in the air, and lunged towards the ground. Three meters before the crash, she changed into human form. A faint glow merely, but she could tell that it was a girl, Annabeth Chase. The Mark of Athena burns through Rome. The blond gave no attention to her presence just walked straight tears escaping the edges of her eyes. Why is she crying? From the short time period, she had known her, she didn't actually gave the impression of the fragile girl. She was strong and determined. Smart and conqueror.
The end of their journey was in front of them. Two huge doors. A black and a white. The second one was closed while the first widely open. From the black one left souls and fear took her over. The Doors of Death. The truth.
Annabeth just stood there. She started crying aloud. Where are the others? What has happened? She raised sluggishly her hand and pressed it with terrible speed and force in the space between the doors. The eagle got out of her and flied away, while the whole city started crumbling. Annabeth Chase regained a human form, kneeled and yelled. 'Why?'
But Reyna didn't hear any of that. Her eyes followed the owl, that flew towards the edge of the city. After some seconds, a great fire erupted towards the sky and screams of agony filled the air. Reyna woke as soon as her mouth and nose felt the burned human flesh.
Everything felt like slow-motion. She couldn't hear well but she could discriminate the sound of swords. A storm of swords, she thought dizzy. She opened her eyes. Octavian was shaking her arms and shouting her name.
''What's going on?'' she asked him.
''Get up, Reyna. We've been betrayed. They are all over our camp, burning and killing.''
''Who did this?''
''I…I don't know.''
''Octavian…''
''They… they say it was Dakota.''
Reyna got on her feet and grabbed her sword. She got out of the tent where her guards were slain. She walked through the camp but only bodies were there. The battle is lost, she thought shocked. She had never lost a battle before. She continued walking, until she found herself at the edge of the camp. There she stood.
''Everyone is gone,'' she whispered. ''Slain or fled.''
Suddenly, out of the bushes came Dakota with cuts on his face and chest. He was shaking and for the first time, Kool-Aid wasn't responsible.
''Reyna,'' he said relieved. ''Come on, we've got to run. Octa-''. He didn't complete his sentence as a curved sword cut his head off. Blood entered her mouth. She stood there motionless, unable to understand. More monsters appeared, trying to circle her. But the only thing she could think of was: If not him, who?Her sword abandoned her hand as soon as she found the truth. Before being able to react, someone pulled violently her hair and placed a knife on her elegant neck.
''You should have done it my way,'' Octavian whispered in her ear.
Conquer or die, Reyna thought as Octavian sank the blade into her flesh, its kiss cold and bitter.
There is no middle way. Don't hate me…
