The Tragedy of Cato and the many tales of Lamia
Chapter 1
Love is blind (and stupid)
I clutched the wad of paperwork to my chest and marched towards the Principia to deliver them to Reyna. A warm breeze blew a stray black curl in my face. It felt extremely weird for it to be this warm in December, let alone three weeks before Christmas. I missed the cold chills and the snowy days at Camp Halfblood. The way New York City was decorated for Christmas. The cold, biting breeze as Annabeth and I went to see the decorations in Rockefeller center.
I marched up the stairs and used my back to open the door into the Principia. I looked over at Frank's desk to see him passed out over a pile of paperwork, drooling all over it. I walked around Reyna's two dogs, resting but still ever so watchful of their master.
"The weapons inventory that has been checked, double-checked and tripled checked," I announced, setting it down on Reyna's desk.
The female Praetor's dark eyes looked up from her paperwork and locked onto me. She smiled and sat back.
"Tripled checked?" She inquired, eyes lighting up with mirth.
"Yes, Dakota doubled checked it." I nodded. Reyna smirked understanding why it was tripled checked.
"Your brother?" She questioned.
"Tripled checked it," I answered.
"Wonderful. Thank you, Lamia." Reyna encouragingly nodded.
I wanted to ask about Frank but I needed to get out before she asked.
"What's Cato's excuse this time for making you deliver it?" Reyna casually questioned.
I flinched. "Skatá," I mumbled.
I scrambled to come up with another excuse for Cato.
"Cato is busy leading a training session." I calmly answered. I was used to making extremely detailed lies. Hopefully, Reyna would deem her paperwork more important than grilling me some more.
"What is he teaching?" Reyna continued, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
But I saw the slightest quiver of her lips, a smirk just under the surface. She was too smart for me, she knew the reason but enjoyed watching me lie. I think she was impressed by my ability to bluntly lie and act like it was the truth.
"Battle formations," I answered, clasping my hands behind my back and bouncing on the balls of my feet.
"To who?" She continued casually.
"First-year legionaries." I quickly replied. Reyna studied me for a moment. As if hoping her unwavering stare would break me down. I wouldn't work on me. I was better than that.
"Okay. Your dismissed Lamia." Reyna announced. She went back to her paperwork. I was halfway to the door when she spoke again.
"Does this have anything to do with your brother's confession a few weeks ago?" She questioned casually. I froze in my tracks. By the gods, she really was sharp as a tack.
"I don't miss much do I?" Reyna questioned smugly.
My shoulders slumped but I still didn't turn around.
"Keep trying Lamia. Maybe someday you'll be able to lie to me." Reyna encouraged. I stayed frozen trying to figure out how she did it. "If he was training first-year legionaries you wouldn't be here," Reyna answered.
I knew without turning around she had a smug look on her face.
With a sigh a left her to her paperwork and Frank to his drooling. I still want to know why he's passed out. Now I need to go smack my stupid brother for putting me in the middle of this incredibly awkward position.
Why did he have to be a moron and admit to Reyna he was in love with her? And he did in the stupidest form even! He had Frank deliver a note that read I love you do you love me? Circle yes or no. It was the stupidest thing ever. And believe me, I know stupid acts, Percy Jackson is pretty famous for doing the stupid thing. I wonder how he and Annabeth got together. I highly doubt he gave her a note like my moronic brother did.
I marched back to the Fifth cohort barracks to see Percy playing cards with Cato on the porch. "By the gods, you need to fess up before I beat you within an inch of your life!" I demanded.
Both of them dropped there cards and looked at me startled.
"Me?" Percy questioned.
"No my other idiotic brother." I snapped.
Percy looked so lost.
"She knows doesn't she?" Cato sighed.
"She's known since you were a coward and used Frank to deliver your stupid love note." I hissed. Percy suddenly understood and smirked.
"If I said it to her face she'd probably tear me to shreds and feed me to her dogs." Cato huffed.
Percy stifled a laugh, he was turning red.
"If you really loved her than man up and go tell her. Quit being such a sniveling wimp." I huffed.
"It's just not that easy Lamia. This is Reyna we're talking about." Cato started.
"You're hopeless." I groaned.
Percy made a sound like a deflating balloon. He laughed so hard he fell over backward laughing. "Was I seriously this bad when I was in love with Annabeth?"
"Yes, you were. Although you weren't such a coward. I heard the whole rescuing Artemis from Atlas quest started as you wanting to save Annabeth." I quipped.
"Who on earth?" Percy started.
"Thalia isn't blind or deaf," I smirked.
"I swear if it isn't one it's the other." He groaned. Now it was Cato's turn to chuckle.
"Ah, he does still have a sense of humor. There might be hope for him yet." Percy teased.
"But Annabeth is different than Reyna," Cato argued.
"How so? Both are terrifyingly strong females, both are the daughters of a war goddess, both can kick you into the next universe, and both could kill you and dispose of the body and no one would know." Percy shrugged, still a giant grin on his face.
"Not helping." Cato glared.
"Just march into the Principia and tell her you podex," I replied exasperatedly.
"I'll keep her in line after you pass." Percy quipped.
"You mean Annabeth will keep me in line." I corrected.
"Can we stop discussing my love life and play the game?" Cato groaned.
"It's your funeral pretty boy." Percy shrugged.
"This is all going to come back and bite you someday," I advised.
It was another calm afternoon and another card game. Yes, Romans also have downtime believe it or not. Camp Jupiter isn't as strict as you hear unless you've hit Reyna's hit list. Today Annabeth joined us for she was done with classes for the day. Cato was done with his duties for the day and I had accomplished all I wanted to this morning while the Senate was in session.
"What is the point of this?" Annabeth inquired.
"To perfect your lying skills," I answered.
"We could be playing spoons," Percy smirked. Annabeth rolled her eyes at him.
"Spoons is a very violent card game."
"But it's quite comical." I pointed out.
Annabeth chuckled. "Who's side are you on?"
"Mine. it's a sibling thing." Percy quipped.
I laughed. Cato chuckled.
"One three." He put a card facedown on the stack in the middle. It was getting to be a decent size.
"Four fours." I put four cards face down on the pile.
"Bullcrap." Cato accused.
"Why don't you check then?" I inquired with a grin.
"She just insulted you, that means she's telling the truth." Percy grinned.
"But I have two fours," Cato argued. He pulled two cards out of his hand and showed them to us.
"Alright, who's cheating? We should only have four fours." I demanded.
Annabeth swept her gaze over each of us and I scanned people for hidden cards. I stared across the deck to Percy.
"What's in between your legs Perseus?" He sat criss-cross but he'd just moved to rest both his arms across them so you couldn't see what was down between his thighs.
"Pants." Percy blurted.
"Perseus Jackson!" Annabeth exclaimed. She pushed him over to reveal he was hatching a deck of cards.
"I'm supposed to be the filthy cheater here Barnacle brain." I teased.
"Alright let's reset." Annabeth decided. She smacked Percy before gathering everyone's cards.
"Hey, I was trying to get the upper hand on her. She's impossible to beat." Percy explained with a goofy grin. Then our tranquility was interrupted by one livid augur. He must've found my present for him. Octavian was bright red as he approached us.
"It was you wasn't it, you filthy graecus scum?" Octavian demanded.
"What is it now Octavian?" I drawled. The goal of bluffing is to play it cool.
"Someone has destroyed my whole supply closet of teddy bears for reading prophecies!" He bit out.
I silently thanked Nico for showing me where that was. He could be useful sometimes. "And what makes you think it was me?" I questioned, keeping my tone neutral and uninterested.
"Because you are the only one who would think to do it! You can't stand that Romans are better than you Greeks." Octavian hissed.
"Whoa there. You call me Greek scum one more time and I kick your sorry podex clear across camp. Got it?" I threatened. I stood up to match his glare.
"I know it was you." He growled.
"And what's the evidence then Octavian?" Cato inquired. I felt him stand up behind me. Octavian turned even redder and stormed off.
"Wanna bet he's off to Reyna?" I quipped.
"Absolutely. Because she's going to completely see his side of things and punish us to the full extent of the law." Cato replied pretending to sound worried.
"You forgot to add the part about where she'll help him in his conquest to wipe Greeks off the face of the planet," Percy added with a grin.
I doubled over laughing. "Zeus would be faithful to Hera first."
"The underworld would freeze over first." Cato joked.
"Hera would be pleasant first," Annabeth added.
"Alright now, where were we? Oh, right I was going to wipe the floor with the great savior of Olympus for the third? The fourth time?" I smirked at Percy.
"Will see about that spitfire," Percy argued.
Cato and I were spending the afternoon sparring the following day. We were at a standstill. He moved to strike high and I met his sword with a dagger. I went low and he met me there.
Imperial gold struck celestial bronze with a great clang. Cato looked like he was about the strike down at my leg so I went to defend myself but he swung high. Sliced my right arm open and sent me to the ground. The ground was hard and sent a dull pain through my back. The air was sucked from my lungs momentarily.
I quickly recovered and like an expert brought both my daggers over my torso to hold back the blow of his sword. He knelt down, his hazel eyes intent on beating me. We both held there for a moment, panting heavily and faces flushed.
It was a risky move but if I pulled it off he'd lose. Annabeth had me try it on Percy before. Cato was trying to knock the daggers out of my hands but I kept my tight grip. Quick as lightning, I moved one dagger on top of his sword. His sword was in between my daggers now. While he looked confused I threw my weight left. In a desperate effort to not drop his sword he tighten his grip. I refused to defeated like this. I threw everything into rolling left, he lost his balance and went to the ground, dropping his sword
I jumped on him. Knees on his ribs as I crossed my daggers at his neck.
"Do you surrender?" I questioned.
"Yes, I concede to the mighty legacy of Vesta." Cato chuckled.
"And don't forget it." I grinned. I climbed up off his and saw Reyna approaching. Skatá. I was sure this morning I wasn't caught or left any evidence. Romans can't do fingerprinting right?
"Cato, Frank wants to know if you know anything about the air horn under his chair." Reyna casually replied.
"I've been busy all day," Cato answered. I tried to keep my cool but her dogs were at her side. Those things were lie detectors.
"With what?"Reyna inquired.
"Lamia and I had some business to take care of in New Rome this morning," Cato answered. I decided to take great interest in my daggers to avoid looking at those dogs.
"Alright then. I'll see you at evening muster than senator."Reyna nodded. She turned on heel and left. The dogs growled at me. I was done for. "Aurum! Argentum!" Reyna commanded. The dogs ran after her.
"Why?" Cato questioned.
"Because I had an air horn and Frank is an easy target. Maybe it'll help him stay awake." I chuckled. Cato shook his head and chuckled.
"Why Frank?" He questioned.
"So Octavian doesn't feel targeted." I joked.
"But he is targeted isn't he?" Cato questioned.
"Yes because I can't set him on fire after the stunt last week. My fire doesn't function like that." I huffed.
"It's a stupid game ya know." Cato groaned.
"But accusing me of cheating in front of the whole camp was a low blow." I snapped.
"The pair of you are like little children." He sighed, burying his face in his hands.
"Your point?" I demanded, crossing my arms.
"Nothing Mia." He dismissed. The walk back to camp was quiet.