This is the longest chapter of "The Wolf" thus far, by a decent margin over the previous record-holder. I'd like to thank everyone who has read this far, it means so much to me.

If you enjoy this story, make sure to check out "Harley Danger" as well, by the same author. After this update, things will slow down a bit, but I fully intend to see this thing through to the end. Happy reading!


BRANDON'S POV

My Latin lessons were suspended thanks to the impending attack. Needless to say, I wasn't going to complain about this, though I wished it could have happened for a different reason.

When I was given that news, my first instinct was to cheer, but I was able to talk myself down from that ledge. And it would have been a pretty stupid ledge to jump off of, given that it would only give the other legionnaires more reason to ostracize me.

That wasn't my own reasoning, either.

Later in the day that I learned that my Latin lessons would be coming to an end, I was in the stables cleaning up the winged horses' excrement. I was tempted to plug my nose, but it would be impossible to sweep otherwise. Whatever deity I was a child of, they clearly didn't bestow immunity to the stench.

Anyway, as I was scrubbing up the shit, I heard rapid footsteps behind me. Somehow, I could tell that these footfalls were not out of excitement; they were frantic.

I turned to face Reyna, and that's when I knew that something was terribly wrong. After all, she was the praetor of Camp Jupiter, and I was a mere probatio in the Fifth Cohort. Why would she need to go out of her way to speak to me?

"Brandon! I need to talk to you!" she exclaimed, a look of what can only be described as sheer terror on her face.

"What's wrong?" I replied. If Reyna was worried, I was positively petrified.

"I had a vision from my mother last night. It was in a dream."

"So?" I responded, tempted to laugh it off in relief. "Everybody has dreams."

The praetor did not look amused. "When a demigod dreams, they're never just dreams" she responded coolly. "They're almost always an omen of things to come. And the vision from my mother, Bellona…well, you know what goddess Bellona is, right?"

"Bellona" I repeated. "Goddess of War. Yeah, you told me that."

"I suppose I did" Reyna responded, tugging at her hair for some reason. "And Bellona told me that the army will be arriving very soon."

"But we already knew that, didn't we?"

"This only confirms it further, Brandon. And this is bad. Our magical barrier is no longer intact; you're living proof of that. So what do we do now?"

"We fight back as hard as we can and repel them" I suggested. "I really do think I'm getting better with a sword, aren't I?"

A sad smile crossed Reyna's lips. "Maybe you are. I can't say I've been paying attention to you; at least, not as much as I should be."

"It's okay. And we'll be okay. I truly believe that we will win."

"Even if we do win, there's still the question of how many casualties Camp Jupiter suffers. After the war last year, it's become even more apparent just how precious life is. I know, that's somewhat ironic for a war goddess' daughter to say, but these are strange times."

I looked right into Reyna's dark eyes. For the first time I could remember since meeting the praetor, there was no ferocity in them whatsoever. There wasn't a lick of confidence. There was nothing but absolute fear, a side of her I'd never seen before.

And it scared the hell out of me.

"You're stronger than this, Reyna. You don't have to be scared, because you'll lead us to victory."

Looking at it now, I have no idea how I was able to project such a cocky attitude. It certainly wasn't warranted, given the circumstances.

Reyna did not return that cockiness. She twirled her hair around and then faced me.

"Let me tell you the truth, Brandon: I talk a big game about how brave I am. I try to lead the Twelfth Legion through thick and thin. But when it comes down to it, I'm as scared as a jackrabbit, just like everyone else."

I can't say I was startled, because Reyna's body language pretty much gave that away. However, it was still surprising to hear the daughter of Bellona, the leader of Camp Jupiter, admit to being afraid.

"Honestly, props to you for being open about that. It can't be easy."

Reyna shook her head. "It's not that impressive. I just couldn't do it before, and now I can. There's nothing to congratulate me on."

"Admitting to how you feel? Reyna, that's very admirable of you."

The praetor chuckled, but there was no humor in it. When she stopped chuckling, she narrowed her eyes, but not in an angry manner.

"Being a warrior, a leader…it's not about never being scared. That's not realistic. It's about knowing how best to manage your fears, how to do something even though you're frightened to do it. That's what courage is all about."

"Fair enough" I replied, wishing I had something more eloquent to say. Somehow, in light of Reyna having just confessed how scared she was, I respected her even more.

"How are your training sessions going?" she asked me, evidently trying to change the subject.

I felt as though I would vomit if forced to answer that question. But then, the praetor had been honest with me, so I might as well be honest with her in return.

"They aren't going too well," I admitted. "The sword just doesn't feel natural to me. Perhaps it's just that I'm not used to fighting with Imperial gold."

Reyna frowned. "That's probably not it. At least, I really hope that's not it. Using a sword…I'm surprised that doesn't feel right."

"Honestly, that steak knife that keeps appearing underneath my bed seems a lot more useful. I know it takes more finesse, but it's my weapon of choice at this point."

"That's not going to work very well against an army. It's better against a single target, and even then, you'd have to get up close and personal with a monster. That's dangerous."

I grimaced. "That's…not the mental image I needed today. Besides, isn't everything you guys do dangerous?"

"Sorry about that. But it's the only way I could think to say it. And I suppose you've got a point there about danger."

I forgave her, but then said something rather stupid.

"I guess I'm just not great with Imperial gold. Maybe the knife's made of something else. That would explain why it feels a lot better under my command."

Reyna shook her head, her eyes opening wider. Her mouth, too, was dilated as though she'd been ordered to "open wide" at a dentist's office.

"That's not the way it works. But if the knife keeps coming back to you, that reminds me of another demigod I know. Brandon, do you know who Percy Jackson is?"

There was that name again. "I've heard that he's a demigod who helped save the world. Can't remember if you're the one who told me that."

"Well, his sword, which is made out of Celestial bronze, has the same property as your knife in that it never leaves him. Even when he was marooned on a phantom island, it apparently stayed at his side even when he had no use for it."

"What phantom island? Jesus Christ, this is getting complicated."

"That doesn't matter right now" Reyna responded curtly. "Anyway, it's fair to say that most of the legionnaires don't approve of the Greek demigods. I'm not saying you are one of them, but given the evidence we have, I think one could be forgiven for believing that."

"Well," I asked, "why don't Romans like the Greeks? I've heard there was a war between them, but why?"

Reyna looked as though it pained her to respond, but she knew she must.

"Well, it's a long story. There's always been a rivalry between us two factions, but the most recent conflict started when Leo Valdez attacked this camp. He turned his ship's cannons on New Rome."

I thought I recognized that name as well. "Why would he do that?"

"To make a long story short, he wasn't in his right mind. Leo might have had many faults, but surely not that many. Of course, I can't ask him about that. He's surely dead now; they burned his shroud at the other camp."

"Okay" I responded, though I couldn't see any scenario where I would have attacked Camp Jupiter. And then I realized just how wrong it had been to merely say "Okay" when I was told about Leo Valdez's death.

These people had taken me in, after all, when many others would not have. The least I could do was to show some respect.

When Reyna did not respond, I asked the following question: "Why does all this matter now? No offense, of course."

The praetor didn't even hesitate. "When monsters attack this camp, and it could happen any day now…well, I've told you this already. A potential Greek demigod arrives at camp, and less than a week later our enemies arrive…suffice it to say that most Romans don't believe in coincidences."


The legionnaires had set up a pretty elaborate defense.

Really, I was at least as entranced by this as I had been by the fortress built for the war games. There was a system of trenches that wound this way and that, being careful to avoid the aqueduct beneath the field. Barbed wire had been set up on either side of each trench.

Additionally, a sort of wooden catapult had been placed every so often around the borders of camp. I asked Dakota what these weapons were.

"They're called onagers," the centurion told me. "They are powered by torsion; that is, the twisting of a wheel. These weapons will be particularly helpful if our enemies are coming from the sky."

"And if they're not coming from the sky?"

"Well, we've got plenty of other weapons to use against them. Almost all demigods have some sort of power beyond physical attacks. If we work together, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to win."

Dakota might have been trying to show bravado, but it sounded fake. And that worried me more than if he'd simply owned up to how terrified he was; at least then I'd know that he could be trusted.

"I'll give you guys credit: You sure know how to organize for battle. It's only been a few days, and you've already got this all together!"

"Thanks, Brandon. It means a lot to me; that's how I know we'll be able to beat back their assault."

I hated to mention this, but I did anyway. It just couldn't be avoided.

"Reyna doesn't seem so sure."

"Why should I care what she says? Listen, I'm not even sure she did say that, because why would she? She's far too brave to be sure we'll lose!"

I sighed. I don't even know where to begin.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Frank Zhang walk over. Much like Reyna, while I usually thought of him as a strong, courageous warrior, he didn't look the part right now. He was clutching something to his chest like a child would cuddle a teddy bear.

"Ever since Leo's been gone, I haven't had a secure enough pocket to carry this in" he said morosely. "I can only hope there's no fire in this battle."

I frowned. "Fire? Is that…".

When I got a closer look at the object Frank held close, I saw that it was a simple piece of firewood. Being from the city, I wasn't much of an outdoorsman, but I knew enough to be aware that this would be highly valuable in a survival situation.

"Yes, it's firewood" Frank replied, sounding rather defensive. "Go ahead and laugh!"

"Why do you need to keep it so safe?" I asked him, perhaps against my own better judgment. "It's just a piece of firewood, for goodness' sake!"

The black-haired boy did not look amused. "To you it's just firewood. Honestly, I wish I could see it as just firewood. But it's not just firewood to me."

"If it burns to a crisp, he dies" Dakota said immediately, as though he'd rehearsed this line many times before.

Frank shot Dakota an angry glance, then looked over at me with an expression of intense anguish.

Meanwhile, I don't know what I was thinking. To have a piece of firewood be someone's lifeline sounded like a plot from a low-budget film.

"Again, I wish Dakota weren't telling the truth" Frank said simply, "but he is. My life depends on that one piece of firewood not burning, or else my flame will burn out for the last time."

"How did that happen?"

"I don't want to talk about it. It's a rather frightening subject for me; I'm only seventeen, I'm not ready to die yet."

"Listen, Frank, you're not going to" Dakota insisted. "We are going to get those monsters out of here with no casualties on our side. I truly believe it'll be a no-damage run."

Frank didn't seem amused. "This isn't a video game, Dakota. Does this setup look like Call of Duty to you?"

"Guys, there's no use arguing" I interjected. "If we have this much infighting, we're not going to be prepared for the battle. I am sorry for bringing up the firewood, though."

"There's no need to be sorry," Frank responded. "Just do better next time, I guess."

A few seconds later, Reyna came sprinting towards us, with an expression on her face that was all too familiar to me.

"Are you guys ready?" she asked. "Because you'd better be."

"Are they coming now?" I asked, feeling my voice break at the end of that question.

Reyna nodded. "Yes. Well, in a few minutes. Our eagles have spotted them only about ten miles from Camp Jupiter. I think we'll be ready for the enemy, though."

She said one thing, but it was clear that she meant something else. The praetor's usual confidence had long since vanished.

I didn't exactly feel great either. Until now, the attack on Camp Jupiter had always seemed like a hypothetical, even if Reyna insisted it was inevitable. Now, knowing that it was only a few minutes away, I couldn't help but feel as though my life were flashing before my eyes.

I thought about my foster parents, no doubt in the ground by now. Perhaps their souls or whatever were somewhere else, perhaps not. Either way, I needed to move past it. I needed to not let it consume me anymore.

And then there was Charles "Upchuck" Weldworth, who had now clearly been vindicated. The way things were going, I'd never be able to properly apologize to him for dismissing all of his ideas. Had I been more vocal at the event, I would have stood out like a sore thumb amid the crowd of true believers.

Most of all, I felt the same way as Frank. I wasn't ready to die yet, not when I had so much life left to live. To have one's life depend on a stick of firewood, assuming he was telling the truth about that (why wouldn't he?), would no doubt be horrifying.

The only difference is, I doubt that I could lay down my life with as much courage and grace as Frank would.

"Okay, everyone!" Reyna shouted, snapping me out of it. Evidently realizing that she hadn't been able to reach everyone with just her voice, she blew her whistle.

That was what did it. Legionnaires came rushing out of their barracks towards her; there was practically a stampede of demigods, one I was glad not to be a part of. Each demigod carried a weapon and shield as well.

I don't have a shield, I thought sadly. I don't even have a weapon with me, unless…

Suddenly, I felt a weight in the right pocket of my pants. There was a certain "sharpness" to it, for lack of a better word, and my eyes widened.

The praetor began yelling.

"The vanguard will be arriving any minute now, so it's good that you have all come prepared! We are going to give them hell, and show that just because Terminus may be gone, that doesn't mean we're going to roll over and die!"

A few of the Romans cheered. I found it remarkable that they could do so even in the face of quite possible death; it was more remarkable still that some people even seemed excited about the coming battle.

If the weight in my pocket was what I thought it was, I felt a lot better about my chances of surviving the day. That steak knife was a lot more useful to me than a sword would have been. Even if I'd only had an Imperial golden sword, any weapon was better than no weapon at all, right?

"Lock shields!" Reyna shouted. "They're coming!"

At first, I didn't see anything different. But it wasn't long before I heard it: A rumbling noise, growing greater and greater in intensity, coming from the nearby Oakland Hills.

I had no shield to lock, so I just pulled my steak knife out of my pocket. Fortunately, I didn't get any odd looks for this, probably because the other legionnaires were too focused on getting into position to fight.

"Enemies!" I yelled, probably sounding more than a little childish, yet not caring one bit.

"Monsters" Lindsay corrected me. "Calling them 'enemies' makes it sound like this is a video game. It isn't."

I did not have a chance to respond because seconds later, all was mayhem.


There were three main types of monsters I could make out in the few seconds before I had to start using my weapon.

First, there were the bird ladies, which basically looked like chickens with human female heads. Their fangs were dripping with either saliva or blood; I didn't want to know which.

Next, there were the wolves. They looked much the same as the wolves I'd battled on my way to Camp Jupiter, but there were so many more of them this time. They immediately began launching themselves at the other legionnaires.

Last, but certainly not least (yet absolutely most chilling), there were other humans in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They all looked about our age.

Are those other demigods attacking us?

I felt sick to my stomach, but there was no time to waste by vomiting. One of the demigods, who was dressed in a purple SPQR shirt much like my own, brandished her Imperial gold sword and pointed it at me.

"Surrender, and we might let you live," she sneered. "If you don't lay down your knife, however, we will have no choice but to slaughter you."

"You're a traitor!" I screamed, feeling the rage within me rise to a boiling point. "You've joined the enemy after this camp gave you so much!"

The girl laughed; it was a sick sort of cackle that I could barely stand to hear without wanting to chop my ears off.

"Oh, don't you see, Brandon St. Lawrence? I'm not one of you, I'm just pretending to be!"

"How stupid do you have to be to give away the game?" Dakota bellowed as he slashed his sword at the girl. She dissolved into a pile of golden sand.

My stomach churned. As much rage as I felt at this girl, killing another human being made me feel more than a little uneasy, even if she'd betrayed us.

"Surely that can be solved diplo-".

"No, it can't be!" Dakota shouted. He might have been inebriated frequently, but right now he was perfectly sober. "I'm sorry, Brandon, but they want to kill us, so show some reciprocity!"

It wasn't long before one of the chicken ladies swooped down and swung her claws out at Dakota. The centurion rolled out of the way to avoid getting scratched, but only just in time.

Meanwhile, all over the Field of Mars, outright warfare was occurring in the maze of trenches. Swords were locked against swords, a few legionnaires were using their shields as weapons…it was mayhem.

Somehow, I hadn't seen much combat yet. Even now I'm surprised it took this long for them to attack me, given that I'd been in a pretty centrally-located part of the field.

That changed quickly.

A wolf latched onto me and began clawing at my chest. It was like one of those aggressive puppy dogs that's so playful it just jumps on you, no matter what you do to try and deter them.

Of course, this guy was far more dangerous.

Fortunately, I had my trusty steak knife with me. I raised it into the air before bringing it down hard on the wolf's head.

But that didn't work. Not well enough. And I soon understood why.

For some reason, I'd attacked the wolf with the dull end of the knife, so that it ricocheted off of the creature's head and flew at me. I had to duck to avoid it.

Suddenly, the knife was ten feet away from me. That might not sound like that much distance, but another wolf had quickly reached the blade and was now guarding it.

Don't panic, I told myself frantically. Ironically, by doing so I was panicking. The knife will return to my pocket, and then I'll be able to attack again.

But it didn't. At least, not right away.

"I guess we'll have to do things the old-fashioned way, huh?" I bellowed in a poor man's war cry. "Don't tread on me!"

I held my arms out the way you're told to if a bear approaches you, daring one of the wolves to tackle me again.

Of course, I wasn't not very muscular. Even if I only faced a single wolf, I didn't like my chances. And indeed, more of them were coming my way.

It wasn't long before there were four wolves, all surrounding me. Now would be a great time for the knife to come back.

No sooner did I have that thought than I felt the familiar weight in my pocket. Still, that was far from a guarantee of victory against multiple attackers. It did, however, mean that I had a chance.

But then I swiveled around and saw that all four wolves formed a circle around me, equidistant from one another. Their fangs were all bared directly at me, oozing some yellow liquid. I didn't want to know what that liquid was.

If I attacked one of them, the other three would gang up on me before I could finish it off.

Unless someone else swooped in, I was a goner. But that didn't mean I was ready to give up.

I lunged at the nearest wolf, stabbing my knife every which way. Not all of the hits would connect, but as long as I could make it bleed in a couple different places, I'd keep it in pain. And as long as it was in pain, I still had some hope.

"How'd you let yourself get surrounded?" I heard a powerful, feminine voice exclaim. "Be more careful, Brandon!"

In the midst of stabbing the wolf everywhere I could, I did not have the time to look up and find the source of that voice. But I thought I recognized it.

In the midst of such a combat situation, you'd be surprised at what you have the strength to do. As another wolf launched itself towards my side, I made use of my quick reflexes and swung my right leg to meet its head.

"Careful, Brandon! You might kick me!"

This time there was no room for doubt; that voice belonged to Reyna.

"What…are you…doing here?" I exclaimed as powerfully as I could, still focusing on the wolf I was engaged with. Surprisingly, multitasking wasn't too hard during battle.

"I'm here to rescue you, of course! You need to be more careful next time, though!"

"I don't need rescuing, Reyna!" I shouted, feeling my face turn red. "I can handle myself perfectly well!"

"Just look at your leg, and you'll be singing a different tune!" the praetor yelled. "Now run, I'll deal with them!"

The thought of (literally) throwing Reyna to the wolves made me feel sick to my stomach. Although I knew she was much more experienced in combat than I was, it still felt so wrong somehow.

After stabbing the wolf one more time in the side (which really wasn't that useful, since its wounds quickly healed themselves up), I glanced at the praetor again. I don't know why I did this. To argue with her? To offer words of encouragement?

But Reyna wasn't having either of those.

"Go, Brandon! Save yourself! I can take these wolves!"

I didn't want to say Famous last words!, because doing so wouldn't seem like a good omen. But I'd be lying if I told you that I wasn't at least thinking that way.

It was then that the rational part of my brain kicked in. Reyna had mentioned my leg, as though it had just been bitten or otherwise wounded. If these wolves smelled blood, I would be in even more trouble.

So I didn't waste any more time. I bolted out of the fray, and the wolves didn't follow me.

When I briefly turned to look back, I saw that Reyna was doing battle against all four wolves at once. Though she was sweating profusely, there was a look of grim determination on her face.

She can handle them herself. I'd be more of a hindrance than a help. I'll find somewhere else to fight!

Just then, I felt my feet lose contact with the ground. I was rising higher in the air…five feet, ten feet, twenty feet…

"What the fuck!" I screamed, looking down at the increasingly small demigods beneath me. One thing was clear: I wouldn't get any rescuers, not when all the other legionnaires were focused on their own opponents.

In order to distract from the sheer drop down, I turned around in order to get a glimpse of the creature that now had me in her talons.

It was one of those chicken ladies from earlier. Her face looked like that of an angry corpse just revived from the grave, eager for revenge.

And her mouth was wide open, as though she were about to devour me.

"Chicken lady! Don't eat me!"

It might have been a bit low to simply plead for my life like that, but what other choice did I have? It's easy enough to say that you'd give your life for something or someone you care about, but when your existence is actually on the line, it's different.

"Chicken lady? How dare you!"

"Well then, what are you?"

"I am a harpy, Brandon St. Lawrence. Not that it'll matter to you much longer. You'd better get ready to meet your maker!"

"Maker? Didn't the Roman deities not create the world?"

It was hard to believe that I could think on my feet like that while under so much pressure. Assuming I survived the day, I'd have to congratulate myself later; of course, the condition of "surviving the day" seemed ever more remote by the second.

"Tell me, Brandon, how would you feel if everyone denied your existence? How would you feel if you were seen as nothing other than a monstrous character from a storybook?"

"Pretty shitty, which is also how I feel about your personality!"

The harpy had evidently had enough of that. She simply opened her claw and dropped me.

I expected to hit the ground and splat within an instant, but I hadn't realized just how high the harpy had carried me. The valley containing Camp Jupiter was still hundreds of feet below.

Not knowing what else to do, I spread my limbs out like a skydiver, which would supposedly spread out the impact of the landing upon my whole body. Of course, from this height, it would hardly matter.

I was only a few feet away, my ears popping like crazy, when I suddenly hit something hard and soft at the same time.

What the -

"You owe me for this one, Brandon!" I heard a female voice shout. This one wasn't Reyna's.

"Hazel?" I blurted out weakly; I barely had any wind in me. "You have a pegasus?"

Over the wind in my face, I could hardly hear Hazel's voice as she replied, sounding somewhat annoyed.

"No, this is Arion. He doesn't like being called a pegasus. But that doesn't matter. Won't you thank me for saving your life?"

"Thank you" I mouthed.

It was then that I noticed the sheer speed at which we were traveling. I'd never been horseback riding before, but I was pretty sure they didn't gallop quite like this. At least, most didn't.

"Hold on tight, Brandon!" Hazel shouted. "It's going to be a wild ride!"

I managed to get a better grip on the horse's back as Arion weaved in and out, moving in different directions. I suddenly pictured a mechanical bull, the kind you see at a county fair. It took all my strength just to hang on.

Every time we got near an enemy, Hazel would swing her sword at the monster, often causing it to dissolve into dust. I assumed that it was made of Imperial gold, simply because my regular knife didn't work quite as well.

Perhaps more remarkably, she managed to keep her balance on Arion's back despite leaning over on numerous occasions to attack. I assumed that she either had insane leg strength, an insane amount of practice, or (more likely) both.

Before long, however, Arion did slow down enough for me to get a better glimpse of my surroundings. For the most part, I didn't like what I saw.

The Field of Mars, as well as the extensive network of trenches dug into it, was marred by many bodies strewn all over the place. Some of them were monsters; others were human.

And then I remembered something else: Those demigods who were fighting against the legionnaires. What was the deal with them?

That last question is precisely what I asked Hazel once my side no longer hurt so much from crashing onto Arion's back.

Hazel appeared rather uncomfortable. "Why do you want to know about that?"

"Because I'm curious. Why are there demigods fighting against Camp Jupiter, let alone in SPQR shirts?"

My savior sighed, still swinging her sword wildly. On a few occasions I ducked lower towards Arion's back to avoid decapitation.

"Well, they might not be demigods," Hazel responded blankly. "I suppose they could be empusae."

I frowned. "What's that?"

"Shape-shifting monsters. But this is no time for terminology. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes. Side's a little sore, but I'll manage. I'm ready to kick some monster ass."

Hazel didn't seem to appreciate my use of the word ass, but she nodded regardless. "If you insist. Get off my horse and go fight if you can, you're of no use to the others if you stay here."

Arion stopped in his tracks. Fortunately, I was able to climb off of his back before he could buck me.

The instant I reached the ground, my legs felt less sturdy, as though I had a high fever. It was as though I were standing on the deck of a ship; the fall really must have disoriented me.

I staggered a bit to the right as I felt the steak knife reappear in my pocket. It must have fallen out while I was in the air. Regardless, I sighed in relief, though this relief was short-lived.

Another wolf bounded towards me; I was confident that I could take one, but this wolf very likely had a partner. I brandished my knife, eager to demonstrate that I meant business. Maybe that'll scare them away.

The instant the wolf flew over me, I stabbed upwards. For a split second, I was terrified that I'd hit nothing but air, that my enemy would simply sail over me and then attack again.

But that's not what happened.

I heard, rather than saw, the knife stab the wolf in the chest. Its golden blood started pouring out, splattering all over the ground, my legs, and my hands.

Yuck. I'll need to wash all this off later.

Then the next wolf snarled at me; by severely wounding one, I had angered another. Just like I'd thought, my first attacker had backup.

Somehow, I was able to knock this wolf down too. I was about to congratulate myself when I looked around and saw that the conditions on the rest of the battlefield were far less rosy. Suffice it to say that even if we won, there would be a lot of bodies to bury.

It was then that I heard one of the most horrifying sounds that I could ever imagine. It was certainly the most frightening thing I'd ever heard.

The noise was rather akin to a million brass trumpets playing at the same time, yet none of them trying to outdo any others. It was a unified noise that can best be described as "absolute fear."

I was forced to cover my ears, but even then, it felt as though my brain had become a vibrating gong. I dropped to my knees, and dropped the knife I'd been carrying.

What was that?

"Panic!" a female legionnaire yelled.

I am panicking, lady! What more do you want me to do, scream and alert additional monsters to my position?

It seemed that things couldn't get any worse. Not only was I in the midst of battle against an army of ancient mythological beasts, but now there was a deafening noise that would make resisting even more difficult. Today just wasn't going my way.

"They're retreating!" I heard someone else shout.

Retreating? Why would they?

A jolt of hope ran through me, but not much more than that. It was, however, enough for me to seize my knife, stand up tall, and examine the area, all with the million trumpets still in my head. It was a chorus of terror, and yet it seemed to be working.

The monsters were running away!

"How…crazy is that?" I mouthed, stepping carefully as I felt my head get lighter. "I…we did it. But what was that sound?"

"Panic," Frank said as he got closer to me. Thank the gods, he'd survived the battle. But he didn't look happy about it.

"The monsters are gone," I replied, somewhat quizzically. "Shouldn't you be thrilled that we won?"

"Percy Jackson told me about this before," Frank explained. "During a battle at Camp Half-Blood, a satyr, or in our case a faun, was able to let loose the most beautiful and terrible sound you can imagine-".

"Beautiful can be debated."

"-but you see, it got the monsters to run away, to return to the Labyrinth from which they came."

"The Labyrinth? That's real too?"

Frank frowned. "Yes, it is. Didn't think anything would surprise you anymore, not after you've been here for a few days."

"Whatever. But you should be happy, shouldn't you? We beat the monsters."

"Temporarily" Dakota interjected. It seemed he'd survived the battle as well. "But they'll be back before long. It never fails. So our struggle for survival as demigods must not fail either."

"I don't understand, though," I replied. "Shouldn't you guys be at least somewhat relieved?"

Frank sighed angrily, pulling at some of his hair. None of it came out, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

"Look at the field around you, and tell me that with a straight face! It doesn't feel like we won at all!"

I gulped, knowing I'd struck a nerve that I hadn't meant to strike. But I did as Frank told me, and I saw that the battlefield was covered in corpses.