Chapter 12

"Ionna?" Leon asked.

Xanthe cursed and swiped through the image. "They can't hear us. Why can't they hear us?"

Leon felt oddly calm. Despite the fact that they had, two days ago, raided an entire encampment and destroyed nearly every building, he felt like he had just returned from another hunting trip: tired, with a few cuts here and there, but otherwise unharmed.

Maybe he was just overwhelmed by the new environment. From meeting Xanthe once again, to Sophia's death, to unleashing his powers to defeat the Romans at the Greek camp, none of it felt real. He had no reason to be here fighting the Romans. But he had to admit that Percy was good at stoking fear. It wasn't his words, but the way he spoke and the dark look in his eyes scared him. He would rather have had that beautiful woman, Irene, be their leader.

They sat at the edge of the lake, near the ruins of the Roman camp. They were taking a break, having realized earlier that day that Percy and Thanas were no longer in the area.

When Xanthe thought she saw Marcus and summoned an enormous wave that ended up submerging him, they were both incapacitated. Xanthe put all her energy into drowning the camp, causing her to pass out.

Fortunately for Leon, he washed ashore on the other side of the lake and woke at dawn. It took him the whole morning to find Xanthe sitting on the southern shore, staring blankly at the beach, as if terrified by what she had just done.

Since then, they'd been trying to find Percy and Thanas, but there was no sign of them. It was as if they disappeared. The evidence—the dead bodies in the camp, marked by slit throats and wrists—clearly showed that the two had made their way back to the camp.

He hadn't really dealt with Iris-messages before. That was a new form of communication to him. But it was the first thing Xanthe had thought of when he suggested they try using some sort of magic.

Leon put a hand on her shoulder. She looked him straight in the eye. "Hey, Xanthe. Calm down. We've tried several times, but if they can't hear us, then there's a reason. Now, onto more topical matters, who's Ionna? Both times we've tried contacting them, they were talking about Ionna."

She pressed her lips together. "Ionna... is a daughter of Athena. Thanas and Ionna were... kind of together back before she left to find the Mark of Athena. I mean, 'kind of' is a bad phrase to describe it, but you know what I mean, right?"

Leon let out a bark of laughter. "No, I really don't."

Xanthe took a deep breath. "Okay, look, Thanas proposed to Ionna before she left to find the Mark of Athena. I'll get to that part in a moment. Ionna, who wants to marry Thanas, told him to wait until she came back from her mission. I don't think she knows what happened to camp so I'm not sure how that's going to work. But, anyway, the thing is... Thanas had a dream about Ionna and found out that Percy knew Ionna. Percy could have prevented her from following the Mark, but Percy didn't stop her."

"And you know this how...?" he asked.

She stared at him like he'd just fallen from the sky. "I exchanged information with him obviously. Listen, I think you're trustworthy and all, but we've known each other for maybe a week or two now. I've known Thanas for years. We're not exactly going to tell you everything right away, even if we met for like half a day five or six years ago."

"Fair enough," Leon sighed.

"Anyway, as I was saying, Percy knew Ionna. Thanas probably doesn't like that fact."

"Why?" he asked. The sun was beginning to set. They would have to light the fire they set up soon. He wanted to finish this conversation first. He had a feeling he could figure out where Percy and Thanas had gone. "The Mark of Athena. What's that?"

"I'm not exactly sure myself," Xanthe said with uncertainty. "It's a coin, I think. Or a symbol. But Ionna had an old Athenian coin. She said it would lead her to what she needed to find. She did research and figured out that it was the Athena Parthenos. That's what the Mark of Athena would lead her to."

"The Athena Parthenos?" Leon pursed his lips. "Is that the statue that used to stand in the palace in Athens?"

Xanthe nodded. "It disappeared. No one knew what happened to it. Ionna found Romans that claimed the statue was in Ravenna. Others in Mediolanum. Some say Carthage. But the place where the most evidence pointed to was Rome itself. Ionna said that, when Athens fell, the other largest cities in Italia were Neapolis and Capua, both of which were close to Rome. Rome dwarfed any other city in the empire except for Alexandria in Egypt. It seemed to make sense that the Romans would heavily guard the Athena Parthenos and make it as hard as possible for children of Athena to recover it."

"So... don't you think Thanas would wanted to have gone after her?" he suggested. "If she's in Rome, then that's probably where he and Percy are headed."

"But why would he leave us?" Xanthe's eyes widened. "No, it can't be—"

"Ionna must be in trouble," Leon confirmed. "He's a son of Hades. He can sense these sorts of things, right?"

"Why didn't I think of that sooner?" she mumbled.

He stared out at the lake. "You were too focused on trying to get their attention, too focused on looking at their surroundings. The answer was the most obvious component of what we saw. They were arguing about Ionna. If Thanas is really in love with her, he'd obviously try to go save her. Is the Athena Parthenos a secret Greek weapon? It has to be important for both of them to head off like that."

"It can change the tide of the war," she nodded. "Ionna said that its power would restore the Greek fighting spirit. Especially now, when we can't afford to fight amongst ourselves, it would unite us under one banner and allow us to push back against the Romans."

That sounds like a powerful statue, he thought.

Everything made sense now. For the past few days, they'd been frustrated at not being able to find the other two. All this time, Xanthe had the answer. She just couldn't piece it together. It wasn't her fault. It hadn't occurred to them what information they needed to look for.

"How do we get to Rome from here?" Xanthe asked. "I've only been around the homeland. Thessaly, Attica, Macedonia. I've never been west to Italia."

"Neither have I," Leon said, "but my uncle used to take me around the trading routes up toward what used to be Dalmatia after we took it back from the Ostrogoths. One of the main ports used to transport troops from Epirus and Dalmatia was Apollonia. We can take a boat and sail right around the peninsula. It's the fastest route."

"Boat?" She scanned him up and down as if to check if he was sane. "You're a son of Zeus."

"And? Your dad wouldn't capsize a boat with you on it, right?"

"I would survive capsizing." She raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't."

"You wouldn't let me die, would you?"

She didn't respond.

He grabbed her hand. "What if I kept holding onto you? You'd have to save me then."

Xanthe pulled her hand away, her ears turning red. "I don't have to save you."

"Even if it's to go save Ionna?" Leon couldn't help but smirk at her embarrassment. "Come on, I'm not that bad. Besides, you have to make it up to me. You know, for nearly drowning me earlier."

"Maybe I should have drowned you," she muttered, turning away from him. "You're super annoying."

"What happened to 'stay safe'? Was that a lie? You don't just tell someone to stay safe and then try to kill them behind their back. That's just not nice."

"How are you even like this?" Xanthe said, staring at him like he'd grown two heads. "You said you were in a village that believed against your very existence. How can you be so joyful?"

"Feigning happiness is a strength of mine," he admitted. "I've had a lot of practice."

Xanthe rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"Well, sucks to be you because you're going to have to get stuck on a boat with me for a few days to get to Rome. Maybe we'll actually bond and become friends. Who knows? I've never had a festive party after committing mass murder before."

She frowned. "You make it sound like what we did was a heinous crime."

"Wasn't it?"

She hesitated. "I... Well, it's war. They'll kill us if we don't kill them."

"Right? It's this dichotomy, this 'us against them' mentality, that drives all of this. But if you look at it from a grander view... isn't it just a crime? If the so-called enemy was replaced with your own kind, it would just be a terrible act, wouldn't it?"

Xanthe stared at him strangely, like it was a foreign concept. "Leon. This is different. It's not a game. It's a matter of survival. You saw yourself how they advanced on the camp, intent on killing us. You saw how many of us died."

Leon remembered. He didn't know the number, but he saw the line of funeral pyres in Thessalonica burning before they'd set off toward Constantinople. The Romans had easily ambushed the Greek envoy and struck more than a handful of demigods.

"I'm not saying the Romans were righteous people," he sighed. He didn't know how to explain it to her. "I'm just not really a part of this world yet. I'm still adjusting. And, I guess, my foreign perspective hasn't blurred the fact that we just killed over a hundred human beings. I don't know the cruel things the Romans have done to our kind. I've lived my life in a bubble, in isolation."

It was hard to explain the feelings he had when it came to killing humans. Everything reminded him of that day when he killed his uncle, when he first became a murderer. It wasn't exactly guilt, otherwise he wouldn't have kept it from his village. But it wasn't indifference either. He just felt lost, like he'd punched a hole in his chest and left it there, empty and cold.

It was easier to get over it when he knew the people he was killing were bad. But those Roman kids looked as ordinary as could be.

Xanthe was right, though. It was war. They had to do what they had to do.

The two of them found their way into the brush, deciding to head off to Apollonia. If they could find their way back to the main road, Leon was pretty confident that he could navigate toward the coastal town. His uncle had brought him along the route several times.

As they walked alongside a small stream, something stirred in the waters.

"Wait, Leon!"

He froze, turning to face the daughter of Poseidon. She stared at the water for a moment before a young girl stepped out of the creek. Leon took an instinctive step backwards. He didn't have fond memories of naiads.

"Percy told you to notify us," Xanthe said matter-of-factly. She pointed back to where they'd come from. "That's why you've been following us this whole way. You were trying to get my attention, weren't you?"

The naiad nodded politely. She gave Xanthe a smile. "You seek to travel to Rome. My sisters and I can deliver you to the shoreline. Ride my stream down to the river, and the other naiads will bring you out to sea on a raft. Once in Apollonia, you may choose the boat that best suits you. You will know which way to go, your father guides you at sea. The Lord has given permission for the Sky Spawn to travel with you."

"Sky Spawn?" Leon blinked.

"Your master has led you down a difficult path, a path he has carved and forged by his own misfortunes," the naiad continued, ignoring him. "You will undoubtedly face obstacles along the way. But you all have your hearts in the right place, regardless of the barbarity of your actions. Channel them and destroy the beast the lingers within your master. For there are few who can, and the livelihood of us all may be at stake if he continues."

Master? She must be talking about Percy. What beast?

Xanthe seemed to understand, at least at a rudimentary level. "How do we travel along the waters? Do we walk?"

"You can walk," the naiad agreed. Her gaze turned toward Leon. "Or you can do this..."

Before he even knew what was happening, the naiad yanked him into the creek. He thrashed around wildly in panic. "I can't swim! Don't you dare do this to me!"

But he could see Xanthe's eyes light up with amusement.

"Let's do it!"

And, with absolutely no control over his body, the current swept him downstream toward the main river, somehow not drowning him in the process.

They arrived in Ostia fairly quickly.

Being swept down by the torrent of the river must have sped up the time it took to reach Apollonia from Lychnidos. Leon hoped that made up for the couple days they lost while searching for the two. He was also glad that the boat ride went alright. It turned out the only bad part about it was how easily he got seasick. And maybe the dreams of Percy nearly going insane as he struggled with his inner demons.

Italia was a wasteland after decades of war. It was a difficult time for Italians in this day and age. Rome, consisting of the entire city and its surrounding neighborhoods, was a giant battlefield. He'd heard lots from his classmates in the military school in Thessalonica and from the old seer.

The people in Ostia looked weary from the years of war. No one seemed particularly responsive to their arrival. Hardly anyone paid attention to them as they rented a couple of horses from the stables.

As they rode along the road, Leon could see the remnants of the devastation.

It was obvious that, at some point in the past, the lands around them were neighborhoods in the outskirts of Rome. Old, empty, rundown homes were visible on both sides of the road. Some places looked like they'd been burned to the ground. Others still stood, but had been empty for so long that wild plants grew through the brick and mortar and wood.

It made him feel a little sad. Back when Rome was the most powerful nation in the known world, this area was one of the most prosperous regions. Rome had become a multicultural haven, mixing old Roman tradition with a variety of foreign cultures like Greek philosophy, Celtic culture, Carthaginian religions, Egyptian technologies. Fast-forward a few hundred years, and it was nothing more than a shell of its former self.

They stopped on one of the hills south of the city, looking down at the Aurelian Walls. They could see all seven hills, the ruins of the old buildings still standing upright. Further south, there was a large encampment. It looked like Emperor Justinian's army. They must've been fighting with the Ostrogoths over the city. He suspected the Ostrogoths were in the north part of the city.

"Rome must have been so beautiful," Xanthe said softly. "Look at the Colosseum."

Leon nodded. The rundown amphitheatre still stood tall and proud near the center of the city. The Circus Maximus was also there, empty and unkempt. There were people inside the city, but they looked like troops tending to the wounded and the fallen.

They soaked in the view. A refreshing, light breeze began to pick up, cooling them off from the hot weather. It was the late afternoon, and the sun was beginning to set.

"Tell me more about Ionna," he said. "What was she like?"

Xanthe turned to stare at him. He knew it was a sudden question, but it just felt like the right timing. After a while, she turned back to face the city and sighed. "Amazing."

"Just that one word describes her?"

"Smart, kind, ambitious. There. A few more words."

Leon could see her sad expression. He had a feeling Xanthe expected Ionna to die. If the statue was really hidden by the Romans, they wouldn't put it anywhere without placing traps around it. He got the feeling that it was a dangerous quest. Xanthe didn't show it, but she was clearly close to the daughter of Athena. Her eyes gave it away. The daughter of Poseidon wasn't good at concealing her emotions.

"She and Thanas..." Xanthe paused. "They were a beautiful couple. I've never seen two people more comfortable with each other in my life. They could trust each other with their lives and then some. I always admired Ionna. She was always calm and collected. Her level-headedness in tough situations is something that I could never learn." She glanced at him. "In a way, she was like you. She wasn't fazed by anything. Or if she was, she never showed it."

"You're speaking about her in the past tense," he pointed out.

She bit her lip and looked down. "I... I'm preparing myself for the worst."

He sighed sadly and put a hand on her shoulder. "Keep talking. Let it all out. I find it helps me cope. It might work for you, too."

Xanthe took a deep breath through her nose. Her eyes were watery. "Ionna. She is amazing. I'll never forget the day that we fought the manticore together. It was so hard to defeat it, but she came up with this brilliant plan. I don't even know if I ever understood what was happening. It was just crazy. But, most of all, I feel the worst for Thanas. He really loves her. I can't imagine what must be going through his mind, knowing that she's in a life-or-death situation right now."

"Did they always love each other?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, giving him a small smile. "When I first got to camp not long after we met for the first time, I didn't see any signs of them being in love with each other. But maybe I was just too young to understand. The... the first time I saw signs was probably a couple years ago. I'd just come back from that mission with Viviana and Alexandros, the one where we'd failed to save the daughter of Ares. The two were sitting by the lake, surprisingly, laughing and playing around like they were having the time of their lives. I remember standing and watching them from a distance, seeing the pure joy in their eyes. It made me feel... happy. It's hard to describe. It's like this giddy feeling. Just seeing them together made me feel warm inside. It helped that I was close to her. She was like an older sister, a mentor, to me. She always played the role of mediator when Thanas and I would fight and, somehow, I could never really get mad at her even though she often took Thanas' side."

"I get what you mean." He squeezed her shoulder to comfort her. "I don't know the exact feeling, but I get what you're trying to say."

She sniffled and brushed the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry for being a mess. I cried back when we were in Troy, and I was fussy before we attacked the Eleventh Legion because I was scared to fight my half-brother. I have to be leaving a bad impression."

"No, you're not. It's okay to be emotional. Bottling up your sorrow will only make it more painful." He swallowed, the memory of killing his uncle flashing in his mind. "Trust me. I get it."

"You're... you're pretty personable, you know?" she said. "Even if that village of yours thinks of you as some spawn of Satan, they must have raised you well. Maybe that joke about drowning you back in Lychnidos was uncalled for."

"Nah." He brushed her off and shot her a grin. "I can easily blast you with lightning. With the snap of my fingers, you'd be out cold."

"Yeah, right," she snorted.

Leon shrugged, suppressing his amusement. "Well, it's true. I mean, I'm powerful enough to survive on my own when you needed a whole camp to protect you. I could defeat you in a fight in the blink of an eye."

"Do you want to test that theory?" Xanthe challenged. But her eyes were shining and she was smiling from ear to ear. She wasn't angry at all.

He pulled his hand off her shoulder and turned to face the city. "Even though I could defeat you with the snap of my fingers, I'd honestly rather fight alongside you. Or even protect you. You're a lot more beautiful when you're smiling and laughing."

Xanthe smirked. "And do you expect me to say you're handsome in return?"

"I don't need your validation to know that I'm handsome."

"You're being overconfident, don't you think? You're slightly above average at best."

"Even if I was slightly above average, you would still fall for me."

"In your dreams, Leon."

"Maybe. But I'm sure it can become reality too."

Xanthe opened her mouth to retort when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Leon followed her gaze to the plume of smoke rising from a building somewhere on the northern side of the city.

The two of them locked eyes and nodded. The bickering could be saved for later. They needed to find Thanas and Percy, and it was entirely possible that the two were involved in whatever had started that fire.

Leon snapped the reins of his horse. Side-by-side, he and Xanthe thundered down into the city and toward the wreckage.

They found Thanas standing still in the middle of an empty plaza near whatever was on fire, staring up at the smoke in a daze.

"Thanas!"

Leon followed Xanthe's lead and dismounted his horse.

Xanthe rushed forward to her old friend and hugged him. The plaza was barren. Not a single remnant of the old architecture remained. It looked like the place had been recently burned to the ground. Leon stepped around the rubble and approached the two. Leon noticed that Percy wasn't with him.

"You're okay!" Xanthe exclaimed. She glanced around and frowned. "But where's Percy?"

Thanas shook his head absentmindedly. "I don't know. He... he was here when I dozed off. I woke up and he was just... gone. I don't know if he went off somewhere or not. I remember... him telling me that he sensed some sort of danger before I fell asleep."

"There was danger alright," Leon said. He saw a dying fire breathe its last breath as it sizzled to a stop. "It looks like this place was on fire just a few hours ago."

"That explains the smoky smell," Thanas nodded. Then he pointed at the plume of smoke. "Also the funeral pyres."

"Is that what they are?" Leon frowned.

"Yeah."

Thanas' voice was shaky.

Leon glanced at Xanthe. She looked worried. Stepping forward, he put a hand on Thanas' shoulder. "Hey, are you okay? You sound like you've been haunted by a ghost. And I'm not just saying that because you're a son of Hades."

Thanas shook his head. "I just... I'm really confused. Percy doesn't appear to be in any danger. I don't sense anything. But why isn't he here? It was like he just got up and left. But that doesn't seem like him. He was really into helping us destroy the legions. He wanted to bring me here to help save Ionna. He looked genuinely worried for her. I just... And now you guys are here... How did you even get here?"

Xanthe grinned. She gave Leon a smirk. "Leon's amazing, you know."

He shook his head. He wasn't amazing. But he returned her smirk, unable to help himself.

"We were talking on the beach after the battle," she explained. She seemed really excited for some reason. "I was pretty distraught about losing you and Percy. I knew you guys survived, but I just didn't know where you'd gone. We'd searched the whole area for two days, but there was no sign of you guys. I tried an Iris message, but it didn't seem like you guys could hear us. All I knew was that you guys were arguing about Ionna. Then, I told Leon about Ionna and her quest. I know it's personal, but I think Leon's been through enough with us to learn about your proposal to Ionna. Leon immediately suggested that we come to Rome because that's where you'd likely be if you and Percy disappeared like that. Then we found the naiad that Percy must've contacted and... well, we're here."

Thanas didn't seem interested in talking about their conversation. His ears perked up at the mention of Ionna, as if it suddenly occurred to him that saving her was his goal, and his eyes lit up with worry.

Thanas cursed. "Ionna!"

"Is she okay?" Xanthe asked.

Thanas immediately started to walk forward.

They made it precisely forty paces before Thanas stopped.

He yelled, clutching at his chest and dropping to his knees. He kept himself up with one hand, but he'd clearly sensed something heartbreaking.

"Thanas!" Xanthe exclaimed in worry. She knelt down beside him. "Thanas!"

Leon looked around. He saw warriors standing in the ruins around them. They wielded an assortment of weapons: clubs, spears, Roman swords. The main difference was their lamellar armour, a type of armour the Romans in that camp did not wear. He recognized them as Ostrogoths, Germanic warriors from the north. He'd heard of the war in the west from the seer, but he couldn't believe he was actually seeing it with his own eyes.

The Goths were big and fair. Many of them had lighter hair. But up close, they didn't seem all that different from themselves. There were just the small differences: the way they carried themselves, the language they were speaking.

A man stepped out into the plaza, and Leon caught his breath.

He was handsome. No, beyond handsome, if that was even possible. Lean and muscular, he wore a somber expression. With honey gold eyes, black hair flowing down his shoulders, and skin the colour of teakwood, he almost looked like Eros. But Leon could tell he wasn't when he saw the body of the girl in his arms.

He seemed timeless and remote and, with his dark wings spread out behind him, Leon almost felt like bowing.

Xanthe looked up and gasped. A quiet whisper escaped her lips, "Ionna..."

"Thanatos," Leon muttered.

The god gave him a smile. "You recognize me, do you, son of Zeus?"

Leon couldn't take his eyes off Thanatos. His voice was smooth and melodious. "You're... an angel?"

"Much like the kind your mother and her people believe in, yes," Thanatos said. "But, alas, I only bring sad news."

"Ionna..." Thanas gasped, finally looking up.

Thanatos laid the body in front of them, and immediately Xanthe and Thanas rushed forward. The tears that had welled up in their eyes fell freely. Thanas let loose a guttural scream, full of all the pain and anguish in his heart. The air around them turned icy cold, and the patches of weeds and grass in their immediate vicinity turned black and shriveled up.

Leon felt a cold pain in his heart. He could see Thanas' old memories of Ionna, and all of Thanas' sorrow washed over the son of Zeus. He saw memories of Thanas and Ionna laughing as they played near the creek at camp. He saw Thanas and Ionna eating a meal together, staring at each other with loving eyes. He saw Thanas scare Ionna from behind, and the two bickering playfully. He saw the moment when Thanas proposed and the moment of happiness as the couple's eyes screamed love.

Now, her unmoving body lay on the ground in front of them in the heart of enemy territory.

"This is not the end," Thanatos said.

Neither Xanthe nor Thanas seemed to pay attention to him.

Leon stared at the god. "What do you mean?"

"When the time comes, you will understand," Thanatos said softly. Leon couldn't believe that this was the god of death. "You have always been loyal, Leon. In spite of the temperament you inherited from your father, your loyalty and attachment will serve you well in your quest. You will reel in the raging sea and you will control the shadows, stopping them from consuming the light. But when the time comes... even the calmest of storms can wreak havoc."

Leon wasn't sure if he understood him, but he put on a brave look and nodded. He looked down at the body of Ionna. She was pretty. Her honey-blonde hair made her somewhat unique. He'd only seen a few people with that hair in his entire life. Her eyes were closed, and she looked at peace, but Leon knew that her final moments were no more peaceful than war. Her skin was deathly pale, as if the blood had been drained out of her. A wound in her stomach showed two marks, as if giant pincers had pierced her abdomen.

"Spider..." Leon muttered.

"When we meet again, Leon," Thanatos said with a knowing look, "it will not be under such pleasant circumstances."

The god of death melted into the ground, disappearing back into the Underworld.

Another man approached, though this time it was a Goth warrior.

Xanthe and Thanas were in no shape to do any negotiating. Thanas was crying in grief. Xanthe seemed like she had been close to Ionna as well. Even after being overwhelmed with a fraction of Thanas' emotions, Leon felt unstable. With a heavy heart, he stepped forward to meet the warrior.

"Who are you?" the Goth asked. "Friend or foe?"

"I don't know," Leon said, meeting his eyes. They were blood red. "What determines a friend versus a foe?"

"Show me your arms then," the Goth said. He showed his. Other than hair, there was nothing there.

Leon obliged, wondering if the Goth was checking if he had something on his forearms. Like the German's arms, there was nothing but hair, sweat and grime.

"Friend, then." The Goth extended his hand to shake. "I'm Baduila, king of the Ostrogoths, and son of Ares."

With his big frame and battle-hardened features, Leon could believe it.

"I'm Leon," the son of Zeus introduced. "Zeus' son."

"The girl there," Baduila said, pointing at Ionna. "I saw her weeks ago when we were planning an attack on Rome. Is she—?"

"Dead," Leon confirmed. "A child of Athena."

Baduila nodded. "Following the Mark?"

Leon eyed him carefully. "How did you know?"

"There are a few things I am aware of despite my odd heritage," the Gothic king smirked. "I don't suppose that was Thanatos, the death god, just now, was it?"

Leon nodded.

"I see..."

Baduila looked around at his men. They were waiting at the edges, as if looking for a signal. He made a gesture, and the warriors backed off. It looked like they were gathering for an ambush. Leon remembered seeing a few Roman troops at the southern end of the city. Xanthe had led them quite far north.

"My men are on edge," Baduila explained. He gestured toward the southern walls in the distance. "The Romans have pulled back past the walls, but I fully expect a counterattack in the night. Three kids running into our side of the city... I wanted to be sure this was not a trap."

Leon nodded. He could see how Romans coming in from the south would seem like a potential trap.

"A pity about the girl," Baduila sighed sadly. He produced a golden drachma, an ancient Greek coin. "If you go to the Baths of Diocletian, my men have allowed the aqueduct to flow for just one night. There the girl should be able to summon pegasi with the help of Iris. Return to the homeland and give the girl proper burial rights. You must head to Athens. Find the Property of the Gods. There, you will find the answers you seek. They helped me when I was lost."

Leon took the golden drachma. He eyed the son of Ares with suspicion.

"The old stories say that whenever Achilles wasn't fighting in battle he was sleeping," Baduila said, staring into the sunset. "A mighty warrior like Achilles was human, after all. And for a grueling, nine-year war, rest was necessary to get up and to keep fighting the next day. This battle against our true enemy, the ones who speak Latin, is far from over. If the reports I received are right, the Eleventh Legion has been obliterated. That leaves only the Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth. An earlier king of ours, Vitiges, destroyed a large portion of the Twelfth Legion. It is only a matter of time before they march on Rome, to take back what is theirs. But this is my fight. You must rest and prepare to fight the eastern battle, my Greco-Roman friend."

The son of Zeus straightened. "That was us. We destroyed the Eleventh Legion."

Baduila looked amused, but he nodded. "And if that is so, you will be needed to fight in the east. Leave Rome to me. I will help destroy the true Romans once and for all."

Leon remembered Chiron's strict refusal of their request to fight with Percy. Chiron had explicitly told them that they would defend and protect Greek demigods in the homeland. Thanas had argued their case, pointing out Ionna's quest, but Chiron would have none of it. It was then that he realized why Chiron wanted them to stay ignorant.

This battle, in which Leon had only been a part of for weeks, was much bigger than just them. He realized what Percy had said was true. The battle between Greeks and Romans spanned centuries and dozens of generations of demigods and legacies. Their minds would be scarred and twisted from the horrors they would endure. Leon could hardly believe that a Gothic king was a Greek demigod. But somewhere in his heart, he knew it was true.

He thought of Thanas' most treasured memories with Ionna, released in the explosion of anguish.

Fighting against a drakon when they were thirteen. Endless nights planning attacks and raids. Their first attack on a Roman scouting unit when they were fourteen. Training and camping out alone together at fifteen. He could see Thanas' growing affection for the daughter of Athena. Their first kiss together. His proposal to her.

Leon remembered the merciless killing of Sophia. Dozens of javelins hurled at a single target. He could hardly bear to watch as she was pinned to the hillside, her body disfigured and broken. Only after Chiron sped off did his fatigue allow him to close his eyes.

He clenched his jaw and gave the Ostrogoth warrior a curt nod. "Very well. We will return to our homeland and leave the fate of the Twelfth Legion in your hands."

"Take this." Baduila beckoned for one of his men, who brought out a clean cloth. "A shroud for the girl."

Leon took it. "Thank you."

"Good luck, cousin."

Baduila saluted and walked off, bringing his troops with him.

Both Xanthe and Thanas were still kneeling by Ionna's body. Leon felt his chest tighten as he looked at Ionna's dead body. But, for now, he had to be their anchor. He had the least connection to the girl. He needed to lead them away to safety.

He moved to the opposite side of her body and slowly took a knee. Thanas and Xanthe both looked at him. Thanas' eyes were bloodshot, and Xanthe's were puffy. He held their gazes with the strongest look he could muster up.

"Let's give her the proper burial rights. She deserves at least that. Let's bring Ionna home."

Hey everyone,

I know it's been two weeks, but I've been caught up with stuff (unfortunately gaming has been one of them lol) and have barely progressed in writing the future chapters. Still, I thought I'd get this out to you guys and deal with the consequences later haha. Enjoy! Or not. I don't really care. It's up to you, as readers.

Thanks,

Sharky