"This has been useless," Arcadia cursed in anger. She crossed her arms peevishly at the mortal in front of her. Indigo, the secretary of the Council leader Seva, stared quietly at the ground, afraid to match the impatient scowl of the goddess bearing down at her. Upon learning that Seva dared to use her army of barbarians to attack the Sixth Legion, Arcadia knew it was time to strike back.
Arcadia wished she had been there to help the Sixth Legion when they were first attacked, but she had been tricked by Eirene, the goddess of peace. And Eirene handed her right over to the goddess of discord: Eris. For being the embodiment of strife, Eris wasn't very inventive. She just cut Arcadia over any part of her exposed flesh and dared her to try and fight back. She also taunted her about what she was going to do to the imperator.
The imperator. Leader of Rome. No. Not just the leader. The imperator was the last remaining protector of Rome. As long as they remained, the memory of Rome would not fade. For centuries, it had been Julius Caesar. He had been a champion of Fate, but when he passed his position on to that Sally Jackson mortal, a new imperator was crowned. A new champion of Fate.
At first, Arcadia didn't know what to make of Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. After all, she was just some seventeen-year-old kid who somehow became Atropos' reaper. Arcadia still wasn't impressed, and she made the mistake of doubting her imperator multiple times. She was not going to do that again, though.
Now, her imperator was missing. Arcadia had received a message from her, so she did know that Reyna was alive. It did nothing to make Arcadia feel better though, but she had been given orders: to keep the Sixth Legion safe. If Arcadia was going to do that, she needed to know what Seva wanted.
The queen of the Amazons, and the imperator's sister, walked past Arcadia. Indigo whimpered, but Hylla didn't hurt her. She cut the ropes that kept Indigo tied to the chair. Indigo closed her eyes tightly. Arcadia spoke, "I still say we should just kill her."
"I'm not killing an innocent mortal," Hylla denied. She grabbed onto Indigo and pulled her out of the chair. Hylla shoved the mortal towards another Amazon. "Take her back to our base and make sure she doesn't have any lasting injuries. Get her food and a place to stay. Treat her right."
"As you wish, Queen Hylla," the Amazon saluted. She led Indigo out of the room. Arcadia sighed and closed her eyes. She was annoyed. The mortal cooperated, so they didn't have to get violent. The threats to the mortal's family worked well to loosen her lips. The thing that irritated Arcadia was the fact that Indigo didn't know any of Seva's plans. Time spent questioning the mortal could have been used elsewhere.
While Arcadia didn't know the exact plans of Seva, she knew what the outline would be. Seva's first step would be to solidify her power in Rome. It wouldn't be that hard, considering the Sixth Legion had been run out, and the rest of the clans were under Seva's thumb. What was the next step though? Would Seva stay where she was safe or help Eirene? Arcadia hated not knowing.
Hylla walked out of the room, and Arcadia followed. They walked across the hall and stepped into a large living room. Arcadia's eyes slowly moved around the room. Her gaze focused on the champion of Fate that sat in a corner. Sally Jackson was staring at the blood that stained her blue sword. Apparently, she had killed a mortal to save Annabeth Chase.
And speaking of Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena was sitting next to Sally. It looked like she was lost in her thoughts. Arcadia did not like Annabeth. She had heard about all of the things that Annabeth had done to Reyna, and between getting Reyna exiled and allowing a barbarian to flog her past the point of death. With being a champion of Atropos, the imperator couldn't just die though. Rage burned in Arcadia's veins as she recalled the sins committed by Annabeth.
Arcadia blinked and turned her head to the side. One of the demigod centurions of the Sixth Legion, Bristol, was playing a game of chess with a demititan named Collins. They couldn't make war plans with the demititan as he seemed to have no interest in it. He just walked away. When Bristol played chess with him, they learned his last name. Who knew a stupid game could create relations?
Sparta, a daughter of Mars who had been in the legion the longest, stared up at the ceiling in pure boredom. She was still recovering from the injuries received from staying behind to defend the base. Most of the Sixth Legion had left while a few brave souls stayed to play as a distraction.
"I hate how divided we are," Hylla commented. Arcadia remained silent. Divided was not the right word for it. The Greeks and Romans treated the demititans terribly. The same Greeks and Romans also hated Reyna, given what they did to her after she gave everything to defend them. Really, it seemed like everyone hated the imperator, especially the Hunters of Artemis. Arcadia didn't care though. They didn't need anyone but the legion.
Well, Hylla, and by extent the Amazons, didn't hate Reyna. They didn't seem to have a similar feeling about the demititans though. Hylla rubbed her chin and sighed. She looked up. "Annabeth, how long would it take to call together a meeting for everyone? And, I want it to be a real meeting. We need every group to work together to stop this threat."
Arcadia almost rolled her eyes. They all knew that they should work together, but the Greeks couldn't bury their hate boner for Reyna. It was always like that.
"Is the meeting going to include Reyna?" Annabeth asked. Hylla remained silent. "I know she's your sister, but she's been the point of a lot of drama. Thalia doesn't want to be in the same room as her. The last meeting with her involved didn't go well. I can't imagine this one will be any different."
"The imperator is still missing," Arcadia stated. Her mind went back to the last message she had received. Even if Arcadia didn't know where Reyna was, she knew that Reyna was safe. "For now, I am filling her role. Once we find her, I can attend these meetings to keep the tension down. When can we meet?"
"I'll call Chiron about setting a meeting," Annabeth offered. She didn't seem convinced of the idea. Arcadia rolled her eyes and glanced around the room. Annabeth glanced at Sally, and upon seeing the fact that Sally was still staring at her sword, the daughter of Athena walked out of the room. Arcadia looked at Sally. The champion of Fate didn't look up.
Arcadia walked towards Sally and sat next to her. She spoke, "I heard that you killed a man, and it's the first person that you have truly killed. Why are you so disgusted with yourself?"
"I killed someone who didn't deserve it," Sally whispered. She slowly touched the blood that was stained onto her sword. "I don't know why I killed him. I just followed my instincts. I saw Annabeth was in danger, and I reacted."
"Do you know how we train new recruits to handle death?" Arcadia asked. Sally slowly looked at her. "Most of our recruits already have a background in violence and over half of them have killed before. It's always different for everyone though, we have a way to train the others on how to handle death. Before they become a member of the Sixth Legion, they go through rigorous training. One of the very last things that we do is test them in a dream."
"In their dream, they will be doing a border patrol with their trainer. They will be ambushed, and their trainer will be in a situation like Annabeth was in. I've yet to see a recruit fail to save their trainer. In the matter of life and death, they defend their comrades," Arcadia continued. She looked Sally in the eyes. "You are ending a life, but you only did it to save the life of a comrade. It is not needless slaughter. If you did not act, Annabeth would be dead."
"That doesn't change the fact that I killed someone," Sally countered. She looked down again. "I told Clotho that I did not want to be a killer. I can't be a killer."
"A killer is someone who ends a life without remorse," Arcadia argued. "They do not care for how precious life actually is. You were a mortal, and that made you unique. Most of your life wasn't spent fighting monsters. You were able to experience the joys of life, and you know how precious life is. Sally, would you end a life for no reason?"
"Never," Sally answered. Arcadia nodded and waited for Sally to connect the dots. After a few moments, Sally looked down. "That doesn't change what I did."
"It doesn't," Arcadia agreed. She grabbed Sally's shoulder. "But, you shouldn't allow it to destroy you. Sally, you saved a life. It will take time, but eventually, you will forgive yourself."
Sally didn't respond, but she did place the sword beside her and focused back on the ground. Arcadia almost smiled, but she heard a small hum. A glance down showed that the hilt of her dagger was glowing. Arcadia turned and left the room. Only five people had a dagger they could contact her with, and two of them were in the room that she had just left. If one of those two was just rubbing the dagger idly, she would rip their hand off.
The third person, Aquitaine, was currently sitting in a cell. She had been the negotiator of the Sixth Legion and one of their most trusted members. It all changed when it was revealed that she was Seva's long-lost sister and also a member of the old Wolf Clan. If it wasn't one of those three, that meant it was either Reyna or Clarisse that required help.
Arcadia stood and walked out of the room. She placed a hand to the dagger and closed her eyes tightly. Arcadia thought of the dagger and felt the world around her change. She opened her eyes and looked around. Her eyes shot around the clearing that she was in, and they focused on the imperator.
Reyna was leaning on a tree and staring ahead. She wore her full set of armor and had all of her weapons on her. It didn't look like she was terribly hurt. Arcadia spoke, "Imperator."
Reyna's eyes shot to the side, and she pushed herself off of the tree. Reyna sheathed the dagger and walked towards Arcadia. There was so much that Arcadia wanted to say, but she was just happy that Reyna wasn't a bleeding and bruised mess.
"We need to talk," Reyna began. She walked past Arcadia and towards a small lake. Arcadia turned and followed her. While Reyna didn't look upset, her mind looked like it was a million miles away. "You can't tell anyone what I am about to tell you. Especially my sister or Annabeth."
"I won't tell anyone," Arcadia promised. Reyna remained silent for a few moments. Arcadia grabbed her shoulder. When her imperator looked up, Arcadia gave her a serious look. "I swear on the River Styx. I will do whatever you command of me. You should know that by now."
For some reason, Reyna didn't seem to know that. The imperator acted like she couldn't trust her second in command for personal matters, and it was all Arcadia's fault. Arcadia didn't believe in the imperator when she needed her most. Reyna promised that she hadn't killed the two senators from Camp Jupiter, and she swore that she was being framed. Arcadia didn't believe her, even when there was proof staring her right in the face.
Arcadia tried to make up for it. She spent the last month carefully listening to everything that Reyna said and trying to help her. The goddess sighed softly and looked at Reyna. Her imperator seemed to be lost in thought. Arcadia gently rubbed her imperator's shoulder, and Reyna seemed to snap back to the present.
Reyna's hand reached into her pocket. She started to pull her hand out but froze. Reyna spoke, "Nevermind."
Reyna pulled her hand out of her pocket and rested it on her sword. Arcadia tried to hide her anger. She wanted to know where the imperator had been and what had happened. It was not her place to question the imperator though. Enough people were doing that, and Reyna did not need another person to doubt her and drive her back into a downward spiral.
"Are you hurt?" Arcadia questioned. Reyna shook her head and sat by the water. After a moment, Arcadia sat by her.
"Have you heard anything from Olympus?" Reyna asked.
"No," Arcadia answered. She smirked. "Why would they even care to call for us?"
Reyna didn't answer. She grabbed her sword from her belt and placed it on her lap. Arcadia studied the blade that marked Reyna as a champion of Fate. The black hilt was as dark as the void, and the black sheath seemed to drink in the shadows.
Reyna's finger ran along the crossguard where there was a symbol of shears. Reyna slowly unsheathed the sword and stared down at the crimson blade. The sun glinted off of it. The red on the blade always reminded Arcadia of blood, and she wondered if the blade drank in the blood of those that were felled by it.
Arcadia looked down. She knew that Reyna had been mentally hanging over the edge for months. It had gotten worse as the stress of each battle, each war, accumulated. But for the past month, Reyna had pulled herself out of a very dark place. Arcadia was not going to let anything ruin that, but between trying to run the legion and stopping an assassination plot on all of the leaders, the stress had to be crushing. Arcadia didn't want Reyna to slip after working this hard.
"Are you loyal to the empire?" Reyna asked. Arcadia turned her head and looked at Reyna in confusion. Of course, she was loyal to Rome. Reyna stared down at her blade. The way that was sitting caused shadows to play on her face, and as Arcadia watched her imperator, her heart almost stopped. At that moment, Reyna looked just like Julius Caesar. The imperator slowly looked up at her.
"Of course I am-"
"Or the emperor?" Reyna interrupted.
Silence fell over the two. Arcadia was processing the question, and Reyna was staring down at her sword. Arcadia closed her eyes. She had been created as a daughter of Juno and Zeus. The two hoped that having a Roman and Greek personality would allow Arcadia to unite the scattered Greeks and Romans.
Arcadia was given to a peasant and raised like a mortal for about twenty years. Then, there was a crusade. It was one driven by greed instead of a religious cause. Arcadia tried to stop the war, but Olympians like Ares and others hindered her efforts. She couldn't stop the war, and Arcadia chose her side, going against her mother's wishes.
The wrath of Juno was cruel and instant. Arcadia was cast out of Olympus and told never to return. Arcadia still had the powers of a goddess but no real domain of her own. No followers or anyone who worshiped her. Then, Arcadia met Julius Caesar.
Arcadia found not only a new purpose but something like a family. Sure, Caesar could be a bit cruel if not evil, but Arcadia was able to bond with all of the demigods that joined. She helped train all of them. For the first time in her life, she had been happy.
After Reyna took Caesar's place, the Olympians seemed to take a special interest in the Sixth Legion. They also wanted a writhing and nearly broken Reyna to go to Olympus after the defeat of Metis. They wanted to interrogate and judge her. They would have either locked Reyna away or forced her to work with the same people who betrayed her and hurt her. The imperator did not follow their whims.
It wasn't too long ago that Arcadia had gone back to Olympus for the first time since being kicked out. She had been escorted by Bellona, Athena, and Rhea. Instead of being welcomed back or even asked how she had been, both her mother and father talked down to her. And, they threatened her imperator. They threatened someone who had saved their asses multiple times.
"My emperor," Arcadia answered. She looked Reyna in the eyes. "And, my friend."
Reyna's shoulders dropped, and a small smile came to her face. She spoke, "I really thought you wouldn't be."
"Reyna, I have sworn my loyalty to you. I would follow you through Tartarus. The entire Sixth Legion would," Arcadia swore. Reyna nodded and continued to rub the blade of her sword. "There is something I need to tell you though. Something your mother told us."
The smile was lost, and Reyna stared ahead. She sheathed her sword. Her gaze focused on the small, calm lake in front of them. Arcadia continued, "Your mother said that she saw rogue Amazons attacking you. She stole your string from them to keep you alive. When your sister fell under charmspeak, she stole her string as well."
"Your mother gave the strings back, but she says that it was her fault that Atropos chose you to be her champion. When Hylla was attacked by your traitorous mentor Sula, Bellona stole the string again. To keep it safe, she gave it to Eirene," Arcadia explained.
"I know," Reyna said flatly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a string. Arcadia's eyes widened. "It was given to me by the peacekeepers. After I killed my mother."
"What?" Arcadia slowly asked, shock prevalent on her face.
"I took Kronos' blade, and I cut my mother's head off," Reyna said. She continued to play with the string between her fingers. "I learned that my mother wanted me to die defending Camp Jupiter. That was why the gods didn't help. It was why Camp Half-Blood didn't help. So many innocents died that day. All to kill me."
"And, I lived," Reyna whispered. Her eyes grew distant. "But, why would they want to kill me? At the time, I was mostly together. Sure, Phrike had kicked off my schizophrenia, but I wasn't acting too differently just yet. I wasn't hurting anyone. I had stopped the war that Mars so foolishly started."
"Why did they want to kill me? Why was it so important that I died? They were willing to let so many people die without even blinking. They said I reminded them of another Roman, the perfect Roman, Burza. What is so bad about being a perfect Roman? Doesn't that mean someone would do everything in their power to protect their homeland? Their people?"
"How am I supposed to look at myself in the mirror and not be sick with myself?" Reyna asked rhetorically. She turned to look at Arcadia, tears brimmed in her eyes. "If I had the choice, I would have died in the place of all those Romans. But, I wasn't given a choice. They just pulled away help. Just to fucking kill me."
Arcadia grabbed Reyna's shoulder and gently rubbed it. Reyna swallowed painfully and wiped her eyes. Reyna shook her head and looked down. A sad sigh escaped the imperator, and she stood. She paced before she continued, "I was shown a video of Bellona, Athena, Eris, and Eirene. They spoke like old friends, and they talked about how they tried to have me killed."
"Eirene and Eris are going to walk up to Mount Olympus with them, and even after everything I have done, Jupiter will believe them over me," Reyna realized. She shook her head. "Were they trying to kill me because they didn't want me to become a vessel for Kronos? Because Atropos had laid a claim upon me? How could they think I was like a power-hungry Roman?"
"Kronos wanted me to destroy the gods, but he just wanted power. I'm nothing like him," Reyna claimed. "There is a huge difference between us. If I go against the gods, it won't be for a bit of power. It will be because the gods have used and betrayed demigods time and again. They have done nothing but turn their backs and abandon us."
"What the fuck do I owe the Olympians?!" Reyna screamed at the calm lake. She collapsed to her knees in front of the water and stared down at it. Her hands were shaking from her sudden outburst. Arcadia walked towards Reyna and saw a few tears disturbing the water.
"Not a damn thing," Arcadia answered. Reyna nodded slightly. She wiped her eyes again. Arcadia gripped her shoulder. "I know you're conflicted right now, but let's just get you to safety and your sister."
"Let's go," Reyna whispered. Arcadia stood and offered her hand. Reyna took it and was pulled to her feet. Arcadia gripped her imperator's shoulder tightly, and the two disappeared into a golden light.