Chapter 15: When In Rome
(Author's Note)
Hey everyone, Hephaestus here with another chapter of Champion of Olympus. This is chapter 15 out of 23, which is downright frightening as we get closer to the end! Man I am not ready for this story to be over! What about you guys?
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Also, as you may have noticed I changed the AN from bold to regular text to see which one I prefer. Let me know which one you guys let better.
Have a good one, Hephaestus
Chapter 15: When In Rome
[Recap: After returning from Olympus with critical news from the gods, in which Percy learned that the Promised Day will claim the lives of nearly a dozen gods and that Zeus fears that the Titans will unite against Olympus, Percy set out after Leonidas. With the assistance of Thalia and the hunters Medeia, Alexandria and Cleo, Percy hopes to track down the son of Heracles to quench the desire to find the man that he feels in his soul. But once he finds the son of Heracles will he be able to convince him to join their side to protect Olympus or will Percy be forced to kill Leonidas in order to protect Olympus? Will Percy, Thalia and the hunters be able to track Leonidas down? Will Leonidas be willing to talk or will he attack them outright?
We also spent some time with Leonidas and Eos in their fairytale cottage in West Quoddy Head, Maine.]
(June/6/2011 - Berkeley Hills, California, United States)
~Two days after Percy, Thalia and her hunters left to find Leonidas~
A lone, towering, hulking, imposing figure stood atop a steep hill overlooking the highway. Around the bottom of the hill were a few cozy, warm, inviting houses that were separated from the highway by a tall chain-link fence that was full of rather large holes, but none big enough to fit him. So he would simply go over. The highway was split in two directions, each one having their own tunnel. In the middle of the two tunnels sat a cement wall built into the hillside, with a rather large, thick and impressive looking metal door like a bunker in the exact middle.
Strangely enough two teenagers flanked the entrance in full armor, armed with long spears, their plumed Roman helmets swaying slightly in the breeze.
"Hiding as a maintenance tunnel eh?" The figure mumbled to himself in a low, baritone voice as he slowly walked to the edge of the hill and jumped into the sky. "Clever."
The two guards were talking, rather tired after being on watch for the past ten hours and trying anything to keep from falling asleep. Lest they incur the wrath of Reyna. The male, of about age fifteen or so, was about to ask the girl that was a little older than him if she was free this weekend to get some coffee and hopefully score his first 'sorta' date in months when without warning a great sound broke out as if the very heavens tore open and a colossal figure dropped from the sky and landed with one knee on the ground and the other bent, the classic superhero landing pose, somehow not shattering the ground beneath him as he landed.
The male was about to thrust his spear at the intruder when the dust cloud cleared and he caught a good look at the figure, his breath instantly catching in his throat.
The figure, now revealed to be a hulking, six foot eight inch brobdingnagian beast of a man, adorned in a golden, shimmering fur cloak that reflected the early morning rays, almost enough to blind the two guards. He wore traditional Spartan boots and greaves that covered his lower legs, while his upper thighs were bare bar a leather and hide wrap that hung freely in the breeze. A large, ornate lion's head with an open maw formed out of the bronze belt harness that covered his abs. A single leather belt strap slung across his otherwise bare chest, holding his shimmering cloak in place. Forcing his eyes to look up further, the demigod guard nearly collapsed when he saw a massive, frightening lion's head with an open jaw sat on top of the giant's head. The lion's shimmering golden mane swaying in the breeze and reflecting the early morning light like a miniature sun.
In that moment… all the demigod could feel was the sheer amount of crippling, debilitating fear that this man emitted. Like he was the physical embodiment of might itself.
If he peed himself in that moment he honestly couldn't remember, but he'd bet good money that he did.
When the massive man rose from his landing stance and rose to his full height before making his way a step closer to them, David finally returned to reality, remembering that it was his job to protect New Rome from all attackers and incursions. But after looking up to the mountain of a man that watched them silently as if observing what they would do, he gulped, coming to the realization that he could never, in no way, stand up against this man. But it was his sworn duty to protect New Rome with his life. So if he could do his part by surviving long enough to ring the warning siren, then he would consider it a duty fulfilled.
So with a fluctuating heart and trembling arms, he slowly raised his spear at the titanic man, believing it to be the very last thing he would ever do and let out a loud, feral cry as he thrust his spear at the man...
...Only for his partner, Kianna, to roughly grab his spear as he attempted to stab the mysterious man, tearing it out of his hands and throwing it to the ground. Shouting at him the next second at the top of her lungs. "Are you out of your bloody mind?!"
The next second she dropped to a kneeling position like a stone, bowing her head low to the giant before looking to David like he was crazy. "What are you doing?" She demanded in a hushed whisper. "Don't you know who this is?"
David dumbly shook his head as the massive man watched them with interest, his piercing reddish-amber eyes trained on them like he could read every thought they had, knew every secret they held, knew every action they'd make before they made it, everything about them. Kianna let out a sigh. "Rookies never do their homework," she mumbled to herself before rushing out a quick explanation. "Only one god in history looks like that," she told him, averting her eyes of the large man. "The son of Jupiter himself, the single greatest hero of all time, the divine protector of mankind…" A shiver slightly ran town her spine as she let her eyes briefly meet his face, out of fear, panic and, admittedly attraction.
"Lord Hercules."
It was right then when she forcefully pulled David down to mimic her kneeling stance. Lord Hercules was an honored, well respected god who was held with the highest respect in New Rome. He was by far the greatest, strongest and most famous son of Lord Jupiter himself, truly a legend even among the gods. She sure wasn't going to give Lord Hercules of all gods reason to be pissed at her. With a slightly shaking voice she spoke to the supposed god.
"M-my apologies, L-Lord Hercules." She bowed her head even lower at saying his name, lest she be smited for insolence. She gestured to David. "My partner is new to the Legion, my Lord, he is unfamiliar with the Roman world and gods. H-he did not know it was you! I swear it! He would never dishonor you in such a way!" She pushed David's head lower until his nose hit the dirt. "We humbly beg for your-"
Suddenly the god spoke, his voice a low baritone, almost bass as it rumbled in his throat. "You recognize me as Lord Hercules on sight?" He paused for a half second. "Well done. At ease, Romans." Kianna dared to lift her eyes up to him and was surprised to find his arm outstretched to her. Hercules, the strongest god on Olympus, was offering her his hand to help her up! Gods kill her now, she must be dreaming. "You may rise." After a few seconds dumbly staring at his large hand, she lifted herself up slightly and ever so gently placed her hand in his. As soon as she did, his titanic fingers softly molded around hers as he effortlessly helped her rise to her feet. Once she was standing she held onto his hand for a few seconds longer than she should have before realizing what she was doing and quickly tore her hand way. Mumbling an apology as David rose to his shaking feet.
After a few seconds coming to terms with the fact that she was standing in front of Lord frickin' Hercules, Kianna dusted herself off and assumed her 'at attention' stance. "Lord Hercules, my apologies for the… rather unorthodox welcome. We did not expect you. In fact we had no knowledge of your arrival, if we had known we would've-"
"It is fine, soldier." He cut her off kindly, offering her a calming smile that she didn't expect. But what did she know? She's never personally met a god, let alone one with such a history and importance. He looked to David. "You were merely doing you duty, I can respect your resolve to fulfil your duty. Although," his smile dropped slightly, causing Kianna to gulp. "It is unwise to challenge an opponent that so clearly outranks you so openly like that. In the future I would suggest to choose your battles more carefully. It is not shameful to live to fight another day."
David nodded vigorously as Kianna spoke up. "My Lord, if I may be so bold as to ask-"
"Ask away, soldier." He told her before briefly looking up to the morning sky, most likely at some divine, godly thing she couldn't hope to understand. "But make it brief, I am on a rather tight schedule. My… father keeps me quite busy as you know…"
Motivated to not anger Lord Hercules, Kianna quickly continued. "Lord Hercules, it is just that we have not received word from any god in well over a year. Why have you decided to come to us now?" Right after she finished she immediately regretted her choice of words, how could she be so stupid?! He's Hercules, she shouldn't question him like that. "I-I'm sorry Lord Hercules, I should not have-"
"No no," he interrupted her. Waving it off simply. "It is a fine question, but one I am not at liberty to discuss, I'm afraid. Secrets of Olympus and all that, you understand." Kianna made sure to nod several times to show him that she did. "I am actually here in stead for my father, I must speak with your Augur, it is urgent. Will you take me to them?"
Kianna agreed instantly. "Of course!" She nodded like a lunatic before stopping when her head started to hurt and stepped back to open the large, metal vault door and gesturing for him to follow her. "Stay out here and keep watch until I return, David." She told her partner quickly before facing the god again. "Right this way, my Lord. If you would just follow me I will promptly lead you to our Augur."
"Thank you, Roman." He said as he followed her through the thick door, having to twist his body to the side to allow his massive shoulders to fit. Once he was inside, Kianna felt even more intimidated, in the small confines of the tunnel he somehow seemed even bigger. After they walked for a little while she turned her head to more or less face his direction, better to show him respect, she thought.
"Shall I call our Praetors Reyna and Frank, my Lord? So that I can-"
"No thank you, soldier." He cut her off quickly. "That is not needed."
She hesitated slightly. "...But my Lord, it is the duty of the entryway guard to announce every visitor, especially one such as yourself, to New Rome. Our Praetors at least should be made aware of your arrival so that they can greet your in person."
"I understand, soldier." His tone seemed a little irritated to Kianna now, which frightened her beyond words. He was the mightiest godly son of Jupiter, pissing him off could ruin her entire life. "But I am here on a… discrete assignment from my father. I was told to attract the least amount of attention and speak with the Augur personally and alone. I must follow Lord Jupiter's orders, you understand that, right?"
After the fastest internal battle in history, Kianna nodded and dropped the subject. "Of course, my Lord." She said quickly, increasing her pace to arrive in New Rome that much faster. "I apologize."
After they walked through several hundred yards of tunnel, they were presented with a bowl-like valley, spreading out for several miles in all directions bar the one they came from. Inside the valley were golden fields, rolling hills and even thriving forests surrounded by a clear river.
White, marble buildings peppered the corner of the valley, each a modern marvel of architectural engineering. There were golden palaces, expansive gardens, wide open plazas, gushing fountains and marble statues galore. Across the lake to the south stood dozens of temples, each unique and beautifully stunning in its own right. Several stone and wooden bridges curved over the rivers, merging the lands together. But the thing that caught your eye was the large, obviously military encampment about a half mile square, defended and built as an impenetrable fortress. Ever-watching sentries accompanied with large, mounted crossbows flocked around each wooden tower around the corners, using the height advantage to keep an eye on the entire area. And all around the area dozens of kids, teenagers and adults milled around, polishing weapons and armor, sword fighting, running laps or simply on guard.
"Lord Hercules," Kianna said, pulling him out of his thoughts, her hand gesturing to the city. "May I present to you; New Rome."
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(AN: Remember to leave a Review)
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Despite Lord Hercules' request that his arrival not be announced, word quickly spread of his presence as Kianna quickly as possible lead him to the new Augur. Her accompanier was extremely hard to miss, downright impossible to blend in with the countless demigods and Legacies walking around the city. So he was easily spotted. Even before the gods went silent it was extremely rare for one of them to appear in person, let alone such a powerful and legendary son of Jupiter. No Roman had seen Lord Hercules in over two thousand years, at least as far as Kianna knew, so his arrival at Camp Jupiter of course brought with it excitement and worry.
Kianna tried her best to clear a path for the god as she led him to the Auger, moving her spear in front of her to clear the way. She knew the campers were just curious about the very obvious gods freely walking about the city and wanted to see why he was there or even who he was, as some of them somehow didn't recognize him on sight, which confused Kianna quiet a lot. But after about fifteen minutes or so of leading Lord Hercules, in which he never offered her a single word, much to her chagrin, since he was rather attractive with an aura of power around him- Kianna subtly shook her head, she should NOT be crushing on the Prince of Olympus of all people, er, gods. She cleared her mind of such inappropriate thoughts just as they made it to the Augury Templum, the home to the new Augur of Camp Jupiter.
"Here we are, Lord Hercules." Kianna gestured to the large, marble building. "Our new Auger, Navius, is inside. I am sure that he can assist you with… whatever you require."
The god gave her a small nod and offered her a smile, causing a small blush to creep across her face. Figures the one guy she likes is a literal god, maybe her standards were too high. "Thank you for your assistance, soldier. I will be sure to inform my father about your honor and devotion to the gods." She nearly swooned when he gave her another smile. "But this is farewell, I will see myself out once I am done. Thank you again."
"Y-your w-welcome, Lord Hercules." She stuttered out, chiding herself for being so awkward. Before she could embarrass herself any further, she promptly turned around and headed off back to her post. She considered going to the Praetors to inform them of his arrival, but he had been rather explicit with his orders about not telling anyone he was here. But it turns out she did not need to worry about it, as a small horde of Romans flocked to the always busy Praetors to try to be the first to inform them of their godly visitor.
Hearing soft footsteps coming up his marble stairs, the Augur jotted down a few quick notes of his observations in a leather bound tome and turned to greet his guest. Surprised to have a visitor since the last Augur left a sour taste in the mouths of the Roman campers. But when he saw the large figure standing in front of him he let out an undignified and rather feminine yelp.
"Uh, ehem." The Augur, Navius, cleared his throat and attempted to find the words to speak. After a few more seconds, and a large gulp, he finally recognized who he was ignoring and instantly dropped to his knees, bowing low. "Oh, my lord!" He cried, his face buried in the marble floor. "I must apologize, I meant no-"
"No apology necessary, Roman." The god interrupted him with a low, rumbling voice. "You may rise."
Navius hesitated for a slight second before climbing to his feet slowly, still keeping his head lowered to the god in respect. "Lord Hercules," He nodded his head briefly, his hand on his chest. "It is truly an honor. You grace New Rome and our Templum with your presence. How may I assist you?"
The lion-clad god studied the large room around them for a few seconds before facing the Augur. "You are the Augur, I presume?"
"Yes, m'Lord." Navius nodded his head, gesturing for the god to follow him further into the temple. Once inside, the god began to slowly circle the room, taking in all the sights with intellectual eyes. "The Templum, as well as myself, are at your service. I will gladly assist you in any means." He hesitated slightly, unsure as to why the Prince of Olympus and the single greatest son of Lord Jupiter was simply standing before him, eyeing the temple with interest and observing the various star charts on the walls. "...Are you by chance here to deliver news from Olympus? A Prophecy? Or perhaps a declaration of a Quest?"
His visitor did not reply for a full minute, instead clearly content with reading over Navius' detailed notes on the flight paths of birds over the city, an Augurs' main means of reading the will of the gods. Finally, after glancing over a very large and detailed map on the wall, he turned to face him. "You are correct, mortal…, in a way." He added the last bit as an afterthought, causing Navius' brow to raise slightly. "I have been tasked with the protection of Mount Olympus, by my father, Lord Jupiter. My quest must be kept secret from the mortal world and the other Olympians… I have been sworn to not disclose this information as it may endanger Olympus… but I have chosen to ask for your assistance. Can I trust you to help me and not tell anyone why I am here?" He briefly paused to glance at Navius, who gulped before nodding. "On my journey I have discovered a… plot against the gods. I require more information before being able to proceed." At this he took a step forward and was instantly right in front of Navius. "Will you assist me?"
Navius nodded in agreement instantly. "Of course, my Lord." He hesitated slightly. "But, uh, I mean- how may I be of assistance to you?" The corner of the god's lip curled up slightly in a hint of a smile, the only show of emotion he had displayed so far, Navius took it as a win.
"I need to know about a date in the near future, a date that will no doubt change the very course of human, and Immortal, history. " The god held out his large hands out in front of him like he was holding open a book. "I need to know all of the events and proceedings of this day… along with the conclusion of it." He dropped his left hand and placed his other on Navius thin shoulder, moving his piercing reddish-amber eyes to Navius'. His eyes wavering slightly, as if he were having difficulty keeping up a tough facade. "Can you help me, Roman?"
Navius nodded after a few seconds, distracted by his thoughts. "O-of course, m'Lord." He gulped one last time before shaking his head again. "Just tell me the date and I will do all I can to assist you."
He heard his visitor let out a long, no longer restrained breath. "June twenty first of this year," he told the Augur. "The Promised Day."
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(AN: Please vote for the Poll at the bottom, thanks)
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"Can someone tell me why in Jupiter's name I wasn't alerted the second he stepped foot in New Rome?" Demanded Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Praetor of Twelfth Legion Fulminata, as she and her co-Praetor, Frank Zhang, quickly marched to the Augury Templum, a small battalion sized group of Romans following them in excitement of seeing the famous son of Jupiter.
"M-my apologies, Reyna," One of the Centurions beside her spoke up. "But we did not know he entered the city because the guards didn't announce his arrival. I only heard this news right before you did."
Reyna muttered out a low curse in Latin under her breath. They had not received any news from Olympus for over a year and none other than the most famous, powerful and honored son of Lord Zeus himself, Lord Hercules, entered her city and she wasn't made aware of it?
"Whatever," She told the Centurion. "But find out who the entry guards are, and why they didn't alert us of his arrival. I expect to see them waiting outside our tent when we return."
"At once, Praetor." The Centurion quickly nodded and ran off.
From either side of her, Reyna heard her dogs, Aurum and Argentum, let out a low growl as they traveled towards the Augury Templum. She didn't know what they sensed, but the city had been on high alert from the near-constant and ever-growing raids from Monsters for weeks now. So she knew they sensed something and were trying to warn her, she just didn't know what they were trying to tell her. But hopefully that is why Lord Hercules is here, she thought to herself as she increased her speed. I just pray to all the gods above that he brings good news…
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(AN:Just a tiny pagebreak here, reminding you to drink plenty of water)
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Reyna, Frank and the large assortment of soldiers reached the Augury Templum to find a mammoth, hulking man adorned in a golden, shimmering lion's skin descending down the marble steps. He didn't seem to notice them however until they stopped a few steps away from him. He looked… frustrated? Saddened maybe? She couldn't tell as he quickly morphed his face to a stoic one.
"Lord Hercules, God of Might, Bravery and the Divine Protector of Mankind, it is truly an honor." Reyna spoke before dropping to her knees, quickly followed by the others, offering him a low bow of respect. "I am the Praetor, Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, daughter of Bellona, along with my co-Praetor, Frank Zhang, son of Mars." She gestured to the large Chinese boy next to her, bringing her head up slightly. "We would like to officially welcome you to-"
"I am sorry, Praetors," The god suddenly cut them off, looking off towards the East where the last lingering colors of dawn still hung in the sky. "But I am being… summoned. I must be off."
Reyna wore a slight look of confusion. "But, if I may ask, Lord Hercules, why are you here? Do you have news from your father?"
He looked slightly irritated now, like she was keeping him from something. "I am sorry, Roman, but I have been sworn to secrecy by my father. He has ordered me to-"
He was suddenly cut off by Aurum and Argentum's low growls as they moved slightly closer to him. Reyna's eyes widened slightly but checked her reaction, instead looking to Lord Hercules. "I apologize, my Lord, my dogs can sense lies…" She looked slightly hesitant, not knowing what she should do. Does she call out a god for lying? He'd have a good reason for it, right? Finally, she settled for, "Is there anything we can assist you with?"
The god quickly shook his head. "I told you no, Roman." His tone turning slightly lower. "What I do is the business of Olympus, you may not question me." He narrowed his eyes slightly when the dogs growled again. He looked back up to Reyna. "I cannot stay any longer, I am being called and must leave. Good day." With that he turned on a dime and started walking away. Reyna, who after checking with her dogs to see if he was lying again, which he wasn't, didn't know what to do. She may be Praetor, but that didn't grant her the right nor ability to question the gods, let alone Lord Hercules. So she simply let him walk further away, towards the boundaries of the city, not knowing what to do but glaringly aware of the sense of… dread and warning in her stomach. Something wasn't right, she could sense it. Lord Hercules didn't act, well, like she expected him too from all the stories she had heard about him over the years. He sure looked the part, but she couldn't remember the last time a god entered the city through the front door. She she headed off towards the boundary of the city. And because she had a question about a god, she decided to ask a god.
She reached the boundary of the city limits after a minute, happy for the first time in her life to see Terminus, the god of boundaries loudly yelling at a camper for something or another. As she approached he cut off his lecture and 'faced' her. "Ah, Praetor," He greeted her, overly sweet. "What a lovely surprise. How can I-"
She cut him off without a concern, this was more important than formalities. "I need your help, Terminus."
The statue god looked miffed by her interruption. "Why, in all my years serving this camp, I haven't been interrupted-"
"My apologies, Terminus." She cut in again, getting to the point. "But I fear we have an intruder in the city."
This sobered the grouchy god instantly, his eyes widening. "What? Where?" He demanded. " Let me at 'em. Let me at 'em! I'll show that no good intruder what for! I'll strangle him myself for breaking into my city!"
"He arrived about twenty minutes ago," She told him quickly. "He claimed to be Lord Hercules-"
"Lord Hercules?!" He exclaimed. "My dear, if Lord Hercules truly entered this city, I of all people would know."
"So that person isn't Lord Hercules?" She asked, Aurum letting out a low growl next to her in confirmation. "He's an imposter?"
"Yes!" Terminus cried. "Let me find this man, Reyna, one that would so willing steal the identity of one of our greatest gods! I'll teach him to respect Rome!"
"Be my guest, Terminus." She told him as she turned to face her soldiers- knowing he wouldn't actually be able to do anything- who stiffened as she addressed them. "Gather as many soldiers as you can and run to the entryway! We have an intruder in New Rome and we cannot let him get away!"
They complied with a quick "Yes ma'am!" Before running off. Frank, the only person who stayed, turned to her.
"What do you think, Reyna?" He asked. "Who is the imposter and why was he here?"
"...I have no idea." She told him honestly. "But we must be prepared for anything. With the rate of Monster attacks growing by the day, we cannot risk anything." She shouted to a camper running past. "Head to the Augury Templum and fetch Navius for me. Have him meet us at the entryway." The camper nodded and ran off in the other direction. Turning back to Frank, she continued. "A little part of me hoped he was really Lord Hercules… we could really use his help right now."
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(Pagebreak)
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Leonidas was about to leave New Rome without issue when he saw a large group of armored Romans suddenly file onto the road in front of him. And if his ears weren't mistaken, they were behind him as well. He let a low growl escape his lips before turning to face Reyna and Frank that were quickly approaching him, placing a big smile on his face.
"Praetors?" He asked in a confused tone. "Is there an issue? I have been summoned, I must be off-"
"Who are you?!" Reyna cut him off, raising her hand in a 'ready' position, followed by a small battalion of archers quickly raising their bows at him.
He hesitated for the briefest of seconds. "You know who I am, Roman. I am Hercules-"
Aurum and Argentum growled fiercely, cutting him off. Reyna looked from them to him. "My dogs can sense your lies, imposter, tell me, who are you and why have you come here?!"
Leonidas heard a low rumble in the sky above him, a sound inaudible to everyone but him and let out another low growl. Eos needed him right away. "I have come in peace." He stressed the word, holding up his empty hands. "I have not harmed nor threatened anyone here. I don't want to fight." I don't have time for that, he thought to himself. "So please," be begged, looking right into Reyna's eyes. "Let me leave in peace right now or I will be forced to do something I'll regret."
Reyna's heartbeat increased slightly, as if her body could sense the power rolling off of this man, which she thinks she actually could. He was… unfathomable. Uncontrollable. A force of nature. That was the only way she could hope to describe him, yet those words didn't give him justice. He radiated power, like all sources of strength in the world generated from within his body. Looking at this man, with Frank beside her and a small army of soldiers behind them… she could sense they would lose.
It wouldn't be a contest. They had no hope. They would only survive as long as he allowed it.
Realizing this, Reyna, for the first time in her life…
...Stepped back and dropped her sword to the ground in surrender.
She could literally sense her army behind her gasp, and she could feel Frank's confused eyes on her, but she had no choice. This man… this… this God- because that's what he was, NO mortal on earth matched the sheer power of this man- that stood before her, could no doubt single-handedly destroy New Rome and kill all of her people if he wanted to.
So she dropped her sword to the ground and lowered herself to one knee, bowing her head in surrender for the first time in her life. Her soldiers, though reluctantly, quickly followed suit. From behind her, she heard more than a hundred swords, spears, shields, helmets and knees hitting the dirt in unison. It both saddened her heart and brought her relief. Under her leadership, for the first time in centuries, Rome had surrendered.
"We surrender." Her voice was shaky, frightened. She only hoped that he would accept their surrender and leave. "Leave. Please."
The giant man's shoulders dropped from their tensed position and she could feel the slight pull back on his foreboding aura. "Thank you, daughter of Bellona." Came his reply, he gave her a brief, firm nod. "You have chosen wisely." before adding, "I did not wish for more blood to be split," under his breath as he began to turn away and headed for the exit.
But as soon as his foot entered the tunnel a massive explosion of energy ruptured in the air above them.
'BOOOOM!'
The Romans around Reyna let out surprised and frightened cries as they grabbed their weapons and jumped to their feet, looking towards another explosion this time destroying an armory.
'HrrrrrRAAAHHH!' Without preamble the warning sirens blared as another building near them ascended into the sky. Reyna's eyes widened instantly, knowing what this meant.
Rome was under siege.
But not only by the Monsters that plagued them for weeks… but by a Titan army.
Reyna's eyes moved to the wall in front of them as it exploded inwards, shouting at her soldiers. "TAKE COVER!"
The city quickly burst into chaos in mere seconds as Monsters burst through the gaping, smoking hole by the countless dozens. But behind the Monsters, three gigantic figures slowly stepped through the shimmering wall with a sense of power that rivaled the imposter.
Titans.
"ROMANS!" She cried, her voice shaking the air around her. "TO ARMS! DEFEND NEW ROME!"
With a rallying cry that shook the very foundations of the earth, the Romans around her charged the overwhelming army. "RAHHHHH!"
It took Reyna approximately three seconds to realize that they were going to fall this day. As she observed the scene around her, every sight made her heart drop more.
Hellhounds, massive, vicious, cannibalistic beasts gathered by the dozen as they ran through and jumped over the ranks of her Romans. Using their abyss-black teeth to rip the throats of her people.
Cyclops barreled through the walls of shields and with the swings of their massive clubs, sent countless campers flying into the air only to fall to the hard ground, unmoving and broken.
The lead Titan, who was awash in shimmering, electric blue flames, let out a loud laugh as he dashed into the camp, easily cutting a swath through the soldiers and only leaving charred, blackened, unrecognizable corpses in his wake.
Reyna was suddenly shaken from her state when the lead Titan turned and faced her before letting out a cruel laugh and charging for her.
"Reyna! Look out!" She heard Frank cry as he pushed her out of the way, barely escaping the torrent of blue flames shot at her. Frank suddenly brought her to face him. "What are you doing?!" He cried. "Get your mind in the game! Were losing Romans here! What are we going to-"
But Frank was cut off when the angry Titan suddenly pulled back his fire-covered arm and launched another cannon of flames at them-
'FWOOOSH!'
Reyna could feel the heat in her bones as the fire engulfed them-no, not engulf them, but went around them. She dared to open her eyes and found the dazzling flames harmlessly flying past them on either side, as if the flames had been parted down the middle. Her eyes moved to where the fire was coming from and the sight before her stopped her breath-
-It was the imposter.
He was protecting them. Shielding them with his very body. He stood a few feet in front of her and Frank, his large arms held out in front of him, his lion skin cloak gripped tightly in his hands. Taking the entire force of the bone-melting heat.
The fire died down after a few seconds, the Titan believing them dead. He was surely surprised, as was everyone around them, to discover that the mysterious man had taken the full force of the attack and was still standing.
The giant man dropped his arms to his sides, where Reyna could see his exposed skin was charred black, flaking off and crumbling in the light, hot breeze. With a shaky foot, he boldly stepped towards the Titan and wordless summoned a massive warhammer from a tattoo on his arm and with nearly god-like speed he rushed at the Titan on a cloud of air and introduced him to the Celestial Bronze and Tempered Steel spike of his hammer.
'CrrrAAAACCCKKK!'
The two remaining Titans, as well as all the Romans, gasped in shock when the Titan's severed and bloody head fell from his shoulders and dropped to the ground, rolling a few feet before stopping in front of his brothers.
Suddenly, the imposter spoke, his low baritone voice awash with conviction and authority. "You asked who I am, daughter of Bellona?" He asked, his back to her as he faced the Titans, raising his mighty hammer at them. "I am the man that wishes to remove such destructive beings like the Titans from this world in order to usher in a new, never-ending era of peace, love and growth in the world." Without warning the earth below his feet shook as if a thousand war drums began to beat, quickly increasing their rhythm and volume. The very heavens above them sounded as if it were split in two as he slammed the hammer on the ground.
"I am the son of Heracles, the mortal destined to change the world and selected by the Fates themselves to usher in a new era." He slowly raised the hammer up, leveling it at the two frozen Titans. "I am the Champion of Olympus."
(Author's Note)
Well, what did you think? I can't be too long since I gotta go to bed to be up early for work. Let me know what you thought about it. Did you think Leonidas was going to attack the Romans? Maybe kill some of them? Let me know. How was Reyna? I hope I conveyed just how much Leonidas terrified her in a convincing way. She's not a coward nor an idiot, she can sense the strength of someone easy. And when that person is Leonidas, you can be sure she'd be scared. Can't wait to find out what happens in ch16? Well leave a lot of feedback on this chapter and I'll be motivated to work faster. I'll try to get it out by Friday.
Leave a Review, Follow/Favorite and all that jazz. I'll see you guys next time.
Hephaestus
Fun Fact: In my original plan, when Leonidas was just an angry, basically evil guy who wanted to prove he was better than everyone, I was going to have him attack New Rome simply because he could. That version of him thrived on destruction and a 'good fight'. He basically just went in there to kill as many people as possible and just flip off the Greeks by saying, 'I dare you to do something' after he left camp after killing a few of them. I, for one, like this version of Leonidas MUCH better.
Question of the day: 'What do you want to see when Percy eventually tracks down Leonidas? What do you want them to talk about?'
Bonus Repeat Question of the day: So remember when I asked you guys to vote on random names for an unspecified reason with absolutely no context? Well, I'm having a hard time deciding the tied winner(as well as I added another), so let me know which one you like better(it was originally between Astra and Stella, but I'm rather partial to Astraea because of the sound of it and because of the relation to Greek myth):
~Astra - from astro and astronomy, but comes from Astraeus, the Greek Titan of the Stars and Dusk
~ Astraea - from Astraeus, her father. Means 'star-maiden'. Virgin Goddess of Justice, Innocence, Purity and Precision. Pronounced (aa - str - EH- aa)
~Stella - Latin, Greek and Itallian origin meaning 'star'. A feminine name
Another Bonus Repeat Question of the day: Any American Football, Wrestlers or Lacrosse players out there? I need some help with a future project I'm starting up. I'm creating a female character that plays girl's lacrosse but is also on the boy's football and wrestling team and I'm trying to figure out the best position for her to play in football and lacrosse. I was a band geek in HS so I've never done these sports so I don't know what position she should play. Any ideas? Let me know. I know that when girls play football in fiction they are usually the Quarterback, but her personality, size and skills better lend themselves to a defensive position in my mind. But here's some background: she's very tall, 6'5+" and about 160lbs+ and very muscular and fit. I was thinking of having her be an Offensive Guard in football due to her height, weight, build, strength and bursts of speed but don't know which position would suit her best, let me know. I was getting a sort of Larry Allen Sr vibe when coming up with ideas for how she plays if you know who that is(he's her idol, btw). Feel free to Review or PM me and I'll give you some more info on her, or at least as much as I can without telling you what story she's a part of and the plot. Thanks for any help on this, and yes, we'll see her in a future story but I can't say what it is yet. Man am I excited for it.
Next Time: Seas and Might Speak
