Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or the Heroes of Olympus series
Field of Mars
6:00 PM
"Looks a little different," Percy said. He swiveled his head taking in the number of trees and foliage that had grown since the previous time he had visited the field.
Dakota tilted his head to the side. "It wouldn't be fun if it was just a bare field. It adds a little surprise to the game. You ever play capture the flag before Perce?"
He pondered for a moment but sighed dejectedly. "No… is it different from the other games?"
"Not really. Get the other team's flag and bring it to your side without them taking your own. Simple enough."
Gwen overheard their conversation and walked over already fully geared with her galea in her hand. "It'd be difficult for a single demigod to penetrate all the defenses of the opposing team. So, it's a game that enforces strategy and working together as a group. And by the way, there are more rules than that."
Dakota rolled his eyes. "Right, right. Why don't you enlighten us with the rules then if you're so smart?"
"Gladly," she said. Her face oozed that 'I told you so' look. "The rules are simple. No time limit, no maiming or killing, and the usual first blood restrictions. Bows are allowed, but only with blunt-tipped arrows and only two people may guard the flag at any given time. With Lady Diana watching the rules will probably be heavily enforced," Gwen gave Dakota a stony expression. "As a centurion, you really should know these things."
Percy swallowed a laugh that was bubbling in his throat. "You guys act like an old married couple sometimes."
Gwen snapped her eyes to Percy and scoffed. She pointed at Dakota with her thumb. "Are you talking about me and this slob?"
Percy held his hands up in surrender. "Someone's a little defensive."
"She wishes," Dakota interrupted causing Gwen to go silent. "Sadly, she isn't a Kool-Aid girl so I'd have to decline."
"What does that even mean? Do I have to drink it religiously like you to be a 'Kool-Aid' girl?" Gwen retorted, her voice was a teensy bit higher than normal. Percy could barely contain his laughter at the few moments of awkward silence that followed.
Gwen coughed once. "Anyways… Percy make sure you inform the hunters about the rules and to meet here in ten minutes. I want a quick meeting with everyone before we start."
With Percy
Percy walked toward where he had last seen Zoe and found her along with the hunters not too far away talking amongst themselves.
None of the hunters looked older than their late teens but as he walked closer to the group Percy could feel their judgmental looks, cultivated by their years of hating all men. One of them, big and beefy with ginger hair glared daggers at Percy as he approached.
"Percy!" Hazel said waving him over.
"Hey… I didn't expect to see you guys' here," Percy said relaxing a bit.
"Yeah sorry, we were talking to Zoe about the game. Not even one day back and we've already got our work cut out for us huh?" Frank said as he crossed his arms.
"Yeah…" Percy could feel Zoe's eyes on him, so he arched a brow in question.
"Do they need a representative of the hunters?" Zoe asked. Her tone was different to say the least. "I can go if they need one."
"Yeah that'd be great," Percy said. He tried to make eye contact, but she looked away.
Percy frowned. "Make sure the hunters are ready after the meeting. The game starts in about twenty minutes."
"Of course. I'll be there go on ahead."
Percy took this as his cue to leave and walked off with Hazel and Frank in tow behind him. He turned around and glanced at Zoe one last time wondering what was up with her.
"We miss anything important?" Frank asked, interrupting Percy's train of thought.
"Uh no, we haven't gone over the plan yet," Percy said slowly.
With Zoe
"That was him, right? That's Jackson?" Phoebe asked as she approached Zoe.
"Yes, that's him," Zoe sighed already knowing exactly where this conversation would go.
"So, this is where he's been… Even Lady Artemis couldn't track down where he was… You said because of him you're alive again right?"
Zoe folded her arms across her chest. "That's the extremely shortened down version. I know your father is Ares Phoebe, but can you at least try not to act like him?"
Phoebe snickered. "Whatever. You should stay away from him. Boys like him, and that Frank guy are nothing but trouble. They are all the same."
Zoe gave her old friend a pointed look. "We need to cooperate with them for one game. Don't tell me the Phoebe I used to know is going to let a bunch of teenagers beat her in a war game."
"I never said that," Phoebe said, a little too quickly. Zoe laughed bringing a smile to Phoebe's face.
"Bring the hunters to our flag in twenty minutes. I'll relay the details once I know what the plan is," Zoe instructed.
Phoebe donned a mocking smile. "Roger that lieutenant. We'll be ready in ten."
Zoe nodded her head as Phoebe walked away but pondered her words.
"They are all the same."
Camp Half-Blood
Big House
6:00 PM
"What?!"
Chiron sighed rubbing the back of his neck. "I said the Argo II is being pushed back Annabeth. Leo said there are some issues that need to be fixed, so instead of leaving this week he said it could take up to another two weeks for it to be ready."
Annabeth clicked her tongue. "What's the problem with it? Before Thalia left she said repair boy was confident it would be done within the week."
"That is true Mr. Valdez did say that. However, he found that there were some design flaws in the blueprints and he was hoping he could ask Hephaestus for advice."
"Okay, so what did his dad say?" Annabeth asked raising an eyebrow.
Chiron shook his head. "He hasn't had a chance to talk to him. As of recently, Zeus has restricted contact with Gods and demigods. Dionysus said it had something to do with 'tampering' between some members of the council."
Annabeth put her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "Tampering? That doesn't explain anything at all! What else did he say?"
"Unfortunately, that was the last thing he said to me before he left. Because of this Leo said he needs to overhaul the current design which he said could take at least another week."
Annabeth sighed dejectedly but shot Chiron a grateful smile nonetheless. "Thank you, Chiron. Do you know where Thalia went? She told me she had to leave with the hunt, but she didn't say where she was headed to."
"Ah, she never mentioned it to me either. She didn't give me a time of return, just that she would be leaving with the hunters to meet up with Lady Artemis," Chiron said stroking his beard.
She gave Chiron a nod and a wave as she left the Big House.
Chiron narrowed his eyes as she left.
"Annabeth."
Annabeth turned around seeing Chiron trotting toward her from the porch.
The centaur leaned down whispering into her ear. "I admire your ambition to get stronger Annabeth. But please don't think you need to do everything on your own. Your hubris will be your downfall."
Annabeth looked into the centaur's brown eyes and sucked in her breath. He was deadly serious and was looking at her with earnest eyes. Eyes that have seen many demigods rise and fall over the course of his lifetime.
"G-Got it," she stuttered at first but caught herself.
Chiron nodded and headed back into the big house, leaving Annabeth to mull over his words.
"Thalia…" The daughter of Athena clenched her fists and began walking to the arena.
When she arrived, she was surprised to see a certain daughter of Aphrodite there. Annabeth noticed that Piper was wearing her usual outfit which consisted of her lush brown hair tied into a ponytail and a tank top with form-fitting workout pants. She was wielding a wooden sword and was practicing a few swings on a dummy in front of her.
"This seems familiar…" Annabeth mused, reminiscing on when she first started.
"Piper!" she jogged over to where she was.
As Piper turned around Annabeth saw that she was covered in sweat, but it did little to diminish her natural beauty. She's a daughter of Aphrodite after all.
"Hey Annabeth, here for some training?" Piper asked wiping some sweat from her brow.
"Yeah. What happened too Katoptris? You usually use it to fight," Annabeth pointed out, jabbing her finger at her wooden sword.
She fingered the wooden sword's hilt. "Yeah, I usually fight with my dagger. But I want to learn how to use a sword. I'm not fast or crafty, and I can't rely on my charm speak all the time, so I want something that has a longer range than my knife," Piper confessed with a smile.
Annabeth smiled back about to ask Piper for a spar when suddenly an iris message appeared between them startling the two girls.
As the image became clearer, it showed just the head of the figure on the other end. Annabeth instantly knew who it was. She clenched her jaw as she looked the figure in the eyes. The same eyes she saw in the mirror every day.
"Mom…"
"Annabeth, are you alone right now? I need to talk it's urgent," Athena asked. Her arms were crossed, and she had a draconian look on her face.
Piper couldn't see that it was Athena but could hear what she was saying. She leaned to the side and gave Annabeth a wave.
"Want me to leave?" Piper mouthed to which Annabeth gave a small shake of her head.
"Yeah, I'm alone. Why haven't you answered any of my iris messages? I've been trying to contact you for a week now. And Chiron just told me that Olympus is now closed off to us," Annabeth said in a strained voice.
Athena nodded nonchalantly. "I know. I shouldn't even be talking to you right now since Zeus is so paranoid, so I'll have to make this fast–"
"What's going on mom?" She raised her voice, "I don't know anything anymore... There's a roman camp now, Thalia didn't say where she's going, the Argo II is being delayed again… and Percy…"
Annabeth stared directly into her mom's eyes her voice fierce. "Did you do something to Percy mom?"
Athena was quiet for a moment. "No, I don't know what has happened to him."
The daughter of Athena slumped her shoulders and balled her fists. If the goddess of wisdom didn't know then nobody would know. But the way she answered… it was a tad shifty for Annabeth's taste.
"Are you sure? Chiron said there's some tampering going on which is why the Gods are forbidden from interacting with their kids–"
"There is, in fact, some tampering going on. He's right about that. But from what the council has discussed it has nothing to do with Perseus."
"I see," Annabeth said her face going slack. "What were you going to say? I'm sorry for cutting you off."
Athena waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. I know there are some delays with the Argo II, and I have already tried to contact Hephaestus but have had no luck at the moment. Most of the Gods did not agree with Zeus' proclamation of no contact with our children, especially during such an imperative time. It has caused some disarray within the council."
"Artemis' absence hasn't been helping much either. During one of the council meetings, Artemis requested her hunters to be stationed at the Roman camp because of its location becoming compromised to Gaia and her army."
Annabeth's widened her eyes. "Thalia went to the Roman camp already without me…?"
"I thought she would have told you. I'm sorry for not saying anything sooner Annabeth."
"Why Thalia…" she dug her nails into her palm.
"Annabeth." Her mom's voice caused her to look up as Annabeth tried to compose herself.
"Don't let your feelings for Percy distract you from the main goal. At all costs, Gaia needs to be stopped. Don't repeat what you did against Kronos."
Annabeth sucked in her breath. That was a low blow even for her mother. But she was right. Against Luke she faltered, and Percy had to save the day on his own. But not this time. She wasn't going to let that happen.
"I won't. It will be different this time around," Annabeth stated, tightening her fists.
Athena nodded. "I have to go, good luck Annabeth."
As the iris message faded out of existence Piper saw Annabeth looking at the floor her blonde hair shadowing her face covering it from view.
Piper stood there awkwardly for a minute not sure what to do.
"I just wanted to get some training in…" the daughter of Aphrodite thought solemnly.
"Annabeth?" Piper called out softly.
Annabeth brought her head up her gray eyes catching Piper's kaleidoscope ones. "How are you feeling? I don't know if I was supposed to hear all of that but…"
"I'm fine," She reached up and quickly tied her hair into a ponytail.
"Did you want to spar for a little bit?" Annabeth asked, her lips were in a thin line.
Piper watched as Annabeth drew her celestial bronze sword from her sheath expertly. As if she had done it a thousand times before. "Uh… go easy on me?"
Annabeth smiled. "I will don't worry."
Field of Mars
Blue Side
6:20 PM
Percy crossed his arms listening intently as the centurions of the fourth and fifth cohorts presented a plan of attack. They were looking at a map of the field of Mars over a makeshift table that Leila had made thanks to her being a daughter of Ceres.
Gwen pointed at three figures labeled '5, H, and 4" all in separate areas of the map. "The basics will be a three-pronged attack on the enemy's flag. I hate to admit it, but cohorts one, two, and three are much stronger than us. We will lose a battle of attrition if it comes down to that. They will overwhelm us eventually and we will lose."
She drew a halfway point with a pen. "I want cohort five here on the left flank, the hunters in the center, and cohort four on the right flank."
"And what would be the purpose of each cohort in their respective positions?" Leila questioned.
"Your cohort, cohort four is our best force of legionnaires so the enemy will most likely target them first in order to weaken us. This is their first time facing the hunters as well and they will most likely not know how to approach them. So with that in mind, they will go with the safest option and target you guys first," Gwen explained.
Leila nodded. "That is true, so I'm assuming you want to use us as bait?"
"Exactly, I don't expect them to send all of their forces to take you guys out, but I expect a large number of them to converge on you."
"What about us then?" Zoe asked pointing at the middle point of the map. Her eyes lit up though as she saw there were far more images of trees in the center than on the edges. "Ah because of the trees, you think we would be the most effective in this area."
"Yes. Even with blunt tipped arrows, you would have the advantage because of your experience in the terrain. I want you to push forward while the lines are weak along with cohort five on the left flank," Gwen instructed.
"I see," Percy said looking at the map closely. "Our side is the closest to the little Tiber and that's why you want us there right?"
Dakota nodded. "Yes, arguably your cohort would be the strongest near the river. That will be our ace in the hole if anything goes awry. You will also have Hazel and Frank to back you up."
Percy grinned at Frank and Hazel who returned small smiles.
"This is a really good plan. They won't know what hit them," Percy thought.
"This is the basics of the plan and unfortunately it will be almost impossible to communicate long range during the game, so stick to it. Dakota and I will guard the flag since Lupa only allows two people to be on it. Percy will be the commander of the left flank, Zoe will lead the middle, and Gwen will lead the right. Are there any more questions?"
Percy's eyes widened. This wasn't something he was expecting. Frank tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.
"Should I have Hannibal in the center?" a legionnaire asked from Percy's left.
"Ah, I forgot we get Hannibal for this game. Yes, have Hannibal in the center the hunters shouldn't have a problem since he is so massive Bobby," Gwen said, nodding her head.
Bobby nodded and left probably to go get 'Hannibal' ready.
"The game starts in ten minutes make sure you let your cohorts know their roles and this will be a piece of cake. Senatus Populusque Romanus!" Gwen yelled.
"Senatus Populusque Romanus!" The group echoed as they dispersed.
With Percy, Frank, and Hazel
"So, who is 'Hannibal'?" Percy asked turning to Hazel. "Is he a demigod?"
Frank laughed. "Oh no, no. He's a war elephant that is usually on the attacking team during siege. I'm surprised you've haven't seen him in the other games."
Percy shook his head. "The other ones haven't been on a scale like this, especially with the addition of the hunters. Will he be alright? The first three cohorts are no joke."
Hazel giggled at that. "If anything, they should be worried. Frank takes care of Hannibal every day. Well… you used to right?"
Frank nodded. "I still do. Even after getting promoted I love the guy, even if his excrement is the size of a small car."
Hazel scrunched her nose and turned away. "I did not need to hear that."
"So, this time I get to lead…" Percy mused aloud, he thumbed his gladius' hilt trying not to think about it.
"Hey relax Perce. I think you're more than ready to lead a cohort in battle. This should be nothing compared to the enemies we faced on the quest," Frank assured.
"He's right Percy. And we'll be right there with you. You're not alone in this one," Hazel added.
Percy let out a breath and smirked. "You're right let's win this."
With Gwen and Dakota
"Nice speech Gwendolyn. Looking like a real centurion out there," Dakota complimented, adjusting his armor.
He reeled as he felt Gwen smack the bottom of her hilt into the back of his chest plate. "Don't call me that! And you're a centurion too, I hope you know that idiot."
"Oh, believe me I know. I'm sure you know I'm not much for strategy that's what you're here for."
He donned his helmet and crushed his Kool-Aid juice pouch throwing it into a nearby trash can. "Let's do this."
"…That was so lame," Gwen said.
Dakota smirked as she walked away and even though she was wearing armor his eyes trailed down south toward her rear, he quickly caught himself.
"Damn hormones."
Left Flank
Percy
Percy peeked out from the tree he was hiding behind, looking across the halfway point to try and catch any glimpse of the enemy, but there was nothing so far. He was about to leave but saw some movement behind some trees which made him squint his eyes.
"Octavian…? Or Reyna..." There was no mistaking the purple cape on the figure's back.
He rushed back to where their group was hiding and told them of his findings. There was around thirty of them all equipped with the standard issue roman armor.
"I'm thinking it's Octavian," Percy stated. "I just don't think it would be Reyna right away, she wouldn't reveal her position to the enemy so easily."
The rest of the fifth nodded their heads, it seemed like a plausible reason for now other than guessing.
They sent a runner to inform Dakota and Gwen of their findings and hopefully they would return before the match started with more information.
"Begin!" echoed Lupa's voice across the field.
"So much for relaying info," Percy thought. He twisted his ring elongating it into his gladius and observed the frontline for any blitzes from the enemy.
He turned toward Frank who had his bow at the ready and whispered to him. "I don't think cohort one will do something rash like rush us. You think we should wait for the runner to come back and tell us if forces are more concentrated on the right side?"
Frank thought for a moment and nodded his head. "Yeah, we should most likely wait until they return, it would be reckless to do so otherwise."
Percy relayed the information throughout the cohort but was stopped by one of the members.
"What's the point of waiting Jackson? Are you saying we should let them run through and not even try to stop them if they come by?"
Percy shook his head. "No, I'm not saying that. If it is cohort one like we think they will be stronger than us as a whole. If we can separate them and get them into an unfavorable situation we have a higher chance of winning. So, if they run by we will stop them, but don't rush in head first. Ambush them and catch them by surprise."
The legionnaire nodded his head. It was strong logic, so they decided to bide their time. The fifth cohort began hiding behind trees and bushes. It made them hard to spot and they waited for about ten minutes not making a sound. Suddenly there was a large trumpeting sound and some faint war cries from the east toward the center of the field, but that was all Percy could make out.
"That was most likely Hannibal," Frank whispered from the tree next to Percy's. "I don't think the hunters do war cries, so that means they encountered resistance in the center already. Should we send Hazel to shadow travel back to base? We haven't heard from the runner, they should be back by now."
The two demigods turned toward Hazel who was behind them.
"I can if we need it. It's easier for me to shadow travel somewhere I've been that's a short distance. I won't get too tired from it."
Percy nodded. "Go ahead and do that, if possible find out the statuses of the other fronts as well."
"Roger that," Hazel said, as she melted into a nearby tree.
Frank sighed. "I wish I could do that, it's so cool."
Percy deadpanned. "Frank, you can transform into a frickin–"
"Enemies 12 o'clock!" a legionnaire called out.
Percy stopped himself and snapped his head forward seeing about twenty or so Romans running toward their position.
"Fire!" Frank yelled taking aim.
About half of their cohort were equipped with bows, and out of the fifteen arrows fired two of the opposing legionnaires were hit while the rest blocked them with their shields and quickly formed up in three rows to stave off the rest of the barrage.
Percy watched as Diana suddenly teleported into his vision and tapped both legionnaires on their shoulders, teleporting them away.
"Well I didn't expect it to work like that, but whatever. We have a flag to take," Percy said to Frank.
Frank nodded in agreement. "Form up!"
The thirty or so members of their cohort quickly gathered in their own three rows of ten just in time to block all of the arrows the enemy fired at them.
"Split up and surround them! It's the fifth they have no chance against us!" Octavian yelled. It sounded like he was in the middle of the group.
Percy's eyes narrowed as he peeked over his shield, seeing the enemy split perfectly in half and begin to slowly surround them from both sides. It was hard to discern them from each other, but he could see one side had Octavian and the other side didn't.
Percy knew if they rush one side, their backs would be bombarded with arrows and it would be game over. They could split up like they did, but it would be the same situation giving them no advantage. His eyes lit up as a plan came into his head. A plan worthy of Minerva.
Percy stated his plan to the rest of his cohort quickly before they got surrounded and they voiced their agreement to execute it.
"For the fifth!" Percy roared and in a few seconds, the fifth cohort split up into two halves just like the first cohort's. With Percy being on one, and Frank in the other.
But right as Percy's side was about to collide with the side without Octavian's. A few legionnaires from both edges of Percy's side split off and attempted to get behind the enemy.
"Do not scramble, stay in position!" an enemy legionnaire yelled out.
"Now Attack!" Percy yelled, his remaining legionnaires split into two with both sides attempting to sandwich the enemy.
He hung back and sheathed his shield, favoring just using his gladius.
It was complete chaos for a minute, with tons of yelling and movement as the formations quickly disbanded and it became a mass of bodies fighting.
Amongst the confusion, Percy darted forward and landed two quick slashes against two enemies who were whisked away by Diana seconds after.
The half of the cohort they were fighting was slowly being whittled down thanks to the initial encirclement giving them the upper hand.
Percy glanced to where Frank was. Hazel still had not returned and it looked like Frank was doing well on his side against Octavian's half for now. The moment Percy turned his eyes back he saw one of the first cohort's legionnaires smirk.
"Move!" Percy yelled out, noticing vines beginning to grow on the floor. Luckily the members on Percy's side were easily able to move out of the way, but the legionnaires on the opposite side didn't see it until it was too late.
The son of Neptune sucked in a breath, preparing to shake the ground and free his legionnaires.
"Archer's aim at Jackson!" a first cohort legionnaire yelled out. Percy gritted his teeth as his concentration was broken but was saved as a few legionnaires moved to his side and blocked the arrows. They readied their bows and returned fire with half of the enemy force blocking their arrows with their shields, while the other half turned around intent on slaughtering the demigods who were ensnared by the vines.
"Damn!" Percy yelled out. He surged forward with the rest of his force trying to minimize the number of legionnaires they would lose.
Percy parried a slash and sliced an enemy on their leg and cutting another one on the arm.
Those two were immediately taken away and one of the legionnaires pointed at Percy with his gladius. "We know how strong you are Jackson, I want him taken out now!"
Percy growled as he blade-locked with another legionnaire but had to jump back as four more came his way.
He switched his attention between the four of them and readied himself to tear through them but relaxed as three of his allies jumped in front of him.
"You're not alone in this Jackson," one said, with the other two nodding in agreement.
Percy grinned at this. "For the fifth!"
After about ten minutes of chaos, Percy regrouped with Frank and the rest of their force who stared down the remaining members of the first cohort.
"How many do we have left?" Frank asked, looking around quickly as it seemed the battle had stopped for now.
"There's ten of us left, but it looks like there's still around twenty of them including–"
"Surrender Jackson. As I predicted the worms of cohort five could never best cohort one. I'm never wrong in my auguries!" Octavian yelled out, laughing maniacally.
"...Including that bastard," Percy said distastefully. "He's pretty into this game."
"Yeah," Frank said gripping his bow. "I hate to say it, but we need to retreat. I don't think we'll be able to take twenty of them on without taking more losses. Any ideas?"
Percy nodded. "Follow my lead."
Frank fired off an arrow, which made Octavian yelp as he barely brought his shield up to block it.
"Fools! Attack they're outnumbered!" Octavian bellowed.
"Did you really have to do that?" Percy asked, glancing at Frank.
"Oops, I missed," Frank said mockingly, pulling out his sword.
Arrows were fired all at once from Octavian's side which were neutralized as the final ten demigods of cohort five huddled close to not get hit utilizing their shields.
"Fall back toward the river. We will finish them off there," Percy stated, loud enough for his cohort to hear.
The ten demigods took off, with Percy and Frank with the front five, while the other five ran a few steps behind with their shields out to deflect ranged fire.
"Get back here cowards! We're not finished with you!" Octavian roared.
Once the rest of cohort five reached the edge of the Little Tiber, Percy pulled Frank aside whispering in his ear a few moments before cohort one caught up to them.
"It's over Jackson," Octavian snarled out, surrounding his group against the river in a half circle.
He pointed his gladius at Percy and signaled for his legionaries to ready their bows. "You lose."
Percy closed his eyes feeling a tug in his gut. He opened them and watched as water from the river cut forward like a riptide, separating Octavian's group in half. The water circled fully around and covered the sky like a dome leaving Percy alone with Octavian and nine of his demigods.
He quickly glanced to his left looking for Frank through the water dome. Their eyes met, and Frank gave Percy a smug smirk the first one he had ever seen him give him. Frank suddenly grew larger, transforming into a familiar grizzly bear which gave out a loud roar to intimidate the ten demigods that were facing Frank and his group.
"The water..." Octavian widened his eyes in realization, "They warned me about the water..."
Percy looked at Octavian and spun his gladius in his hand. "You should've listened."
Frank would be fine. He just needed to take care of business here.
With Lupa and Diana
6:45 PM
Lupa watched amused as Diana disappeared back and forth multiple times, almost chuckling but catching herself right as Diana stopped teleporting.
She watched as the goddess of the moon raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.
"What is it?" Diana asked tilting her head.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Lupa responded. She turned her eyes back toward the Iris message that projected the field of Mars.
"It seems Perseus has gotten himself into quite the pickle," Diana commented, seeing as they were outnumbered but near the river.
Lupa waved her off. "It's nothing he can't handle. The boy is strong they will come out victorious."
Diana gave her an incredulous look. "Do you favor him that much?"
Lupa shook her head. "A certain praetor needs to learn his lesson."
The Iris message zoomed in on Octavian's terrified face as the dome of water trapped him inside with Percy.
The message blurred and refocused on Reyna who was with Sofia guarding the flag, but they were standing on opposite sides, the farthest they could be from each other.
Lupa narrowed her eyes. "And another praetor needs to sort out her personal issues."
Diana laughed at that. "Indeed. I know of Reyna, but who is the other one?"
"Sofia, Minerva's only daughter," Lupa replied. She noticed Diana raising an eyebrow.
"Oh? So that's her… Minerva mentioned her a few times, but this is the first time I've seen her."
Lupa crossed her arms and nodded. "She's one of my best without a doubt. Unfortunately, like Reyna she has issues of her own."
"Oh? What kind of issues?" Diana asked, her interest piqued.
"Something about her mother. Most don't get too much interaction with their parent, but she's told me their relationship went sour," Lupa replied.
"Interesting…" Diana said trailing off. She would make a mental note of that for later.
"How's your former lieutenant been?" Lupa cut in. "I haven't seen much of her around the legion, so I'd assume she's been with you."
"She's fine. I'm glad she's back," Diana said with a small smile, but it turned into a thin line moments later. "She's changed."
Lupa arched a brow. "That doesn't sound like you approve of that. No conflict with her and your current lieutenant?"
"No," Diana said shaking her head. "Thalia hasn't arrived here yet, so she doesn't even know she's alive."
She bit her lip pausing. "And yes, I don't like how she's changed at all."
With Percy
Percy quickly brought up a wall of water catching all the arrows inside, not even surprised that Octavian would order his archers to fire arrows at him right away.
He swept his arm across, dousing the ten demigods in water knocking them off their feet with another wave. He rushed forward as they began getting up, cutting three of the demigods and using the water from the river to push the remaining seven back before they could retaliate.
Octavian gritted his teeth, looking around at the remaining seven of them. Because of the water that drenched their armor and clothes it made them slow and sluggish. And it didn't help that he could keep drawing water from the river. It left them at a severe disadvantage.
For the final seven members, Percy didn't use any of his powers favoring just beating them with his superior swordsmanship. He walked up to Octavian who was now panting heavily from trying to parry all of Percy's strikes and he fell to his knees in exhaustion.
"You win this battle Jackson, but you won't win the war," Octavian snarled out. He whistled once and dropped his gladius in a sign of surrender as Diana whisked him away.
Percy sighed as he released his hold on the water dome and jogged toward where Frank was, seeing him tend to one of their remaining five legionnaires who had sprained their ankle.
"Frank! Everything okay?" Percy asked. He glanced around and saw nobody else.
Frank nodded his head and gave the legionnaire a piece of ambrosia. "We managed to take them out, but there's only seven of us left now including me and you. One of them managed to escape while we were fighting, it was probably the whistle we heard from your direction."
"Ah damn, so that was it," Percy cursed. "They probably had that planned just in case something happened to report back to their flag. They'll probably send more knowing this side is wide open now."
"We should regroup then. There's only seven of us left, but we could link up with the hunters before they find us," Frank suggested.
"Yeah, let's do that. Any sign of Hazel?" Percy asked.
"No, nothing," Frank said glumly, causing Percy to chuckle.
"You guys were amazing! Transforming into a bear and manipulating the water like that," one of their legionnaires said. "Is Frank like a shapeshifter or something?"
Percy grinned and put his arm around Frank's shoulder. "We'll explain everything later, but for now let's regroup. We beat the first cohort, that's an accomplishment in itself."
The remaining five demigods nodded their heads as they headed east.
With Zoe
"Status update!" Zoe yelled out toward Phoebe who was in a tree at her right firing arrows.
"We're pushing them back," Phoebe called out, glancing at Bobby who was on top of Hannibal causing havoc throughout the forest. "It's mostly thanks to the boy, I hate to say it but he's providing a good distraction."
Zoe nodded and shimmied down the tree she was in. She noticed her tree's shadow shimmering and backed up as Hazel came out.
"Any news on the right flank Hazel?" Zoe asked.
Hazel nodded grimly. "Gwen was right they focused a lot of their force in that area once they realized it was the fourth. From what Leila said they sent a large group to deal with them quickly, but they are still holding on."
"I see, did you get a chance to check up on your cohort? I'm sorry for making you come back and forth."
Hazel shook her head. "No, I was about to go check."
"We should be alright–,"
"Ambush 6 o'clock!" Phoebe yelled out.
Zoe grimaced and turned around seeing a swarm of demigods converging on their position.
"Hunters! Prepare for close quarters combat!" Phoebe yelled out. She drew her spear gripping it tightly.
Zoe drew her twin hunting knives and using the tree she was on as a ricochet, launched forward toward the nearest enemy. The demigod held up their shield as Zoe flew toward them and was knocked back as Zoe vaulted off their shield. Zoe landed and glanced left and right seeing multiple demigods approaching her position.
Zoe felt a rush of wind next to her and saw Phoebe land next to her. She brandished her spear and gave Zoe a smirk. "Let's teach them a lesson."
The next ten minutes were a blur in Zoe's eyes, although the hunters were strong, extended close combat was not one of their strong suits, which resulted in equal losses on both sides.
Zoe glanced out of the corner of her eye, seeing Hazel take out a legionnaire with her spatha and she jumped back retreating to Zoe's position.
"We're outnumbered," Hazel admitted. "If this keeps up, we'll be wiped out."
Zoe nodded with a frown on her face. "Let's fall back then. Any idea where Bobby went?"
"I saw him get taken out a few minutes ago, he was diverting their attention making it easier for us, but I think the enemy may have regrouped."
Zoe turned to address the rest of their force. "Hunter's fall back! Regroup to me!"
The daughter of Atlas immediately took off with Hazel toward their flag, allowing the remaining hunters to catch up to them without exposing themselves to the enemy.
Hazel glanced behind her seeing a few enemy legionaries on their tail. "It looks they have scouts tailing us the main force is most likely not too far behind. Are we missing anybody still in the game?"
Zoe examined their remaining forces. "Where's Phoebe, did she get taken out?"
"No, I remember seeing her before you called the retreat order," one of her hunters called out.
"Do you want me to go look for her?" Hazel asked as they ran. "I can shadow travel a few more times."
"Yes, do it. We need every last member to defend the flag."
Hazel nodded reluctantly. "But we won't win that way. Not without getting theirs. Our job was to push forward, but things have changed."
"I know–"
Before Zoe could finish that sentence they were forced to stop running as twenty demigods emerged from the direction they were running who took positions to stop their retreat.
"They have more…" Zoe said grimacing. "Things just seem to get worse."
Suddenly from Zoe's right a loud roar shook the field as a black grizzly bear burst out from the foliage shocking the group in front of them who took a few steps back cautiously.
A multitude of voices was heard, and arrows along with vines were sent at the grizzly bear. However, the vines stopped growing at about five legionnaires jumped in front of the grizzly bear and held their shields up stopping the arrows.
"Looks like we came right on time," a voice said from behind the bear.
Zoe looked closely and saw that the person's gladius was longer than normal, and the hue of the blade could only belong to one person.
"Percy…" Zoe narrowed her eyes wondering why they were here.
"Along with Frank," Hazel added.
"It's Jackson," an enemy legionnaire called out. "They must have taken out the first cohort, there are only five of them left. Deal with them quickly then focus back on the hunters."
Just as those words were finished, a legionnaire was sent flying from Percy's right causing everyone to look in that direction.
"Don't forget about me," a voice gritted out.
"Phoebe…" Zoe said her lips curling into a grin. She looked worse for wear, having some bruises and leaves in her hair. But she looked ready to go nonetheless.
"Just because you're a boy doesn't mean you have to save the day Jackson," Phoebe said, hefting her spear on her shoulder. "Let's do this."
15 Minutes Later
"There's still too many of them," Zoe thought, parrying a strike aimed at her shoulder. "We won't win this way."
"Zoe!" Phoebe said, landing next to her. She swiped at the demigod Zoe was fighting slicing them on the leg.
Zoe lowered her guard and retreated a few feet with Phoebe quickly following. "Phoebe! Are you alright? You went missing I thought you had gotten taken out."
The daughter of Ares shook her head. "I'm fine. More importantly, the girl with short frizzy hair came up with a plan to potentially give us the win."
"Frizzy hair? You mean Hazel?" Zoe asked.
"Yes, it took some time but the majority of the main force is gathered here now. Besides the remnants on the right flank this is all that's left which is what we needed to know," Phoebe explained.
Zoe caught on and nodded her head. "Ah, I see."
"It's guaranteed that their two members guarding the flag are most likely their strongest fighters. We definitely haven't seen them yet. The praetor, Reyna and the centurion, Sofia."
Zoe surveyed the battlefield seeing that they were alone for now and that nobody was eavesdropping. "I thought so. So, what's the plan?"
"We'll send you and Percy to grab the flag. You two are our best chance of beating them. Hazel said she can shadow travel you and Percy back to the river on the left flank. There won't be anybody there, so you will have a clear path toward the flag."
"You guys will stay behind to distract them, right?" Zoe asked immediately.
"Yes. We still need to stop them from getting our flag, so this is the best plan of attack. It's a gamble so try and defeat them fast we can only hold them off for so long." Phoebe crossed her arms. "I would go with you but Jackson said he has experience fighting the two of them, so he should be better suited."
Zoe furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't agree with that. With me I mean. I think there are better options."
"No don't doubt yourself, and besides everybody already agreed with it so it's not like we have a choice," Phoebe said giving Zoe a pointed look. "Why something wrong?"
"No–No it's nothing. Okay where is Percy anyways, we've wasted enough time talking."
ROAAAR
Phoebe and Zoe looked to their left. "Probably over there."
The duo navigated to their left finally able to get a clear view of what was going on. Frank was in grizzly bear form swatting back five demigods in front of Hazel who had her spatha out and was backing up slowly.
"Hazel!" Zoe yelled. She and Phoebe took positions on either side of Frank, staring down the other five demigods who wavered at the arrival of reinforcements.
"Zoe! Where's Percy? We need to go right now," Hazel said panting slightly, clearly exhausted.
Zoe seethed. "Where is—"
"Right here," Percy said jumping from the tree branch he was hiding in and landed next to Zoe.
Zoe looked at him from the corner of her eye but chose not to say anything. "Are you ready Hazel?"
"Oi! Jackson is over here!" one of the five legionnaires yelled out. "Get reinforcements over here now!"
Phoebe looked at the three of them. "They will know now for sure when you go. Be quick it's our only chance."
Zoe and Percy nodded determined looks on both of their faces.
Hazel grabbed both of their hands and vanished into the shadows.
Left Flank
Hazel panted as they exited from a tree and she immediately collapsed, laying on her back as she placed her hands over her head.
"Hazel! You alright?" Percy asked. His face was laced with concern as he kneeled next to Hazel.
"Are you okay Hazel?" Zoe asked worried. She helped Hazel up and leaned her against a tree.
"Yeah, I just need a minute," she croaked out.
"Did something go wrong? You didn't get this tired when shadow traveling before," Percy said.
"On my own I can handle it just not too many times. But with someone else… especially two people… It's like trying to carry two people the same distance. Thankfully it was only a short distance, I've never done more than one person ahah," Hazel joked, but ending up coughing.
"Hazel…" Zoe said. She felt her chest tighten realizing that she made Hazel shadow travel all those times earlier.
"I'll be fine here, this was the plan from the start wasn't it? Time is ticking you guys need to go."
"We'll give it our all Hazel," Percy swore. He stood up and saw that Zoe had already gone ahead and he ran to catch up with her.
The walk toward the flag was silent for a few minutes. Neither Zoe nor Percy speaking to each other until the flag was in sight.
"Zoe—" Percy started.
"Shut up!" she hissed out still feeling guilty. "I don't see them keep your guard up."
Percy shut his mouth, gripping his gladius firmly. He scanned the area around the flag looking for any movement.
"Left!" Zoe yelled out, hearing the faint whistling of a blade through the air.
Without even thinking Percy gripped his gladius with both hands and swung it to his left like a baseball bat catching his opponent's blade. He looked to his left, his eyes meeting his attackers.
Gray the same color as the one who took his memories away.
He watched as Sofia jumped back, doing an impressive backflip and landed in front of the flag giving the two of them unamused looks.
"You missed," Reyna commented, jumping out of a tree and landing next to Sofia.
"Shut up," Sofia growled out flicking her blade toward Reyna who caught it with her spear. "I wouldn't have missed if Zoe didn't sense your presence in the tree. I told you she's a hunter, you can't hide better?"
Reyna retracted her spear and aimed a vicious kick at Sofia's midsection not even a second later which she dodged. "And maybe if you had just let them come closer to the flag, we would've been able to ambush them at the same time. What did you think to accomplish attacking on your own?"
Percy sighed. He didn't think it would be this bad.
The air whistled, and Sofia leaned her head back narrowly avoiding an arrow.
She took off her helmet and ran a hand through her black hair, fingering the ponytail it was in and finally looked at Zoe.
"Close one," Sofia said. She swung her sword in an arc in front of her. "For a second it looked like you were trying to hurt me, former huntress."
Zoe gave her a wary look suspecting something up was up. Sofia was acting a little too confident. "Not at all I was just practicing my aim."
"Practicing huh? Well, it looks like all those years of using a bow amount to miss a target standing still," she taunted.
"That was a warning shot idiot. Fighting with your partner is an easy way for you to get killed by your enemy," Zoe growled back. It was obvious she was trying to rile her up, but Zoe wasn't going to let it get to her.
"What's the plan? Should we take them together?" Percy whispered. He kept his eyes on Reyna just in case she tried to pull a fast one on then.
Zoe glanced at him and shook her head. "No, let me handle Sofia."
Without waiting for a response Zoe stalked to the left side of the flag with Sofia mimicking her movements until they were a good distance away from Percy and Reyna.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this," Zoe said giving her a cocky smirk.
The girl across from her gave an arrogant laugh. "Nice try, but that kind of false confidence isn't a good look for you."
Zoe sighed and relaxed her face into its normal expression. She tensed her legs waiting to see if Sofia was going to make the first move or keep talking.
"I'm surprised you didn't bring more people. You must be confident thinking that's all you need to win. Nonetheless, we expected at least you two to be here," Sofia glanced to her left for a moment probably to check where Reyna and Percy were.
Zoe sucked in her breath seeing an opening. She drew her bow in less than a second firing off a few arrows.
Sofia snapped her head to Zoe the moment she heard her bow make a sound. "Predictable."
She withdrew her shield blocking all of Zoe's arrows effortlessly. Sofia peeked out over her shield and saw Zoe draw her sword which made her smirk widen.
She sheathed her shield and brandished her gladius exchanging a few blows to feel out Zoe's fighting style. It was very controlled, but she could tell Zoe was trying to not make a mistake. In other words, she was fighting not to lose.
She backed off a few steps observing her grip and form.
Sofia cocked her head to the side. "You know I'm better than you with a sword so why bother? You know you're at a severe disadvantage."
She frowned when she heard rustling behind her in the bushes. She barely turned around in time to parry an overhead strike from Percy. She smacked his sword away to disengage and retreated a few steps glancing between both her opponents.
"I said I could take her," Zoe said giving Percy a scowl.
Percy shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not a good listener, and it looked like you needed a little help."
Before Zoe could respond, Percy tensed his legs and rushed toward Sofia but halted as his instincts screamed at him to look to his right.
Reyna came into view and thrust her spear at Percy. He evaded it and the two of them retreated a few steps to reconvene with their respective teammate.
"And where were you? It was 2 vs 1 for a few moments, I could've gotten taken out of the game because you were so damn slow," Sofia hissed out.
"I didn't want to interrupt your little duel," Reyna retorted. "And I came as fast as I could. With the mental state you're in I was surprised you didn't get taken out yet judging by how easily I beat you the other day."
"Shut up!"
Sofia slashed haphazardly at Reyna's head who caught it with her spear. Reyna gripped Sofia's hilt with her other hand tired of this constant friendly fire.
"Fighting will get us nowhere–"
*SLAP*
Percy and Zoe exchanged glances in complete shock not believe what they just saw. Sofia had just slapped Reyna. Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, the praetor.
"You bitch…" Reyna snarled out. She turned her body completely facing Sofia. "You'll regret doing that."
"Can you knock them off their feet with your powers?" Zoe whispered to Percy seeing that they were preoccupied.
"Yeah, why?" Percy whispered back.
"She's right… I can't beat her in a sword fight, but I think if we work together they are outmatched. They aren't in the right state of mind."
"Any specifics after I do it then? I'll be immobile while I'm doing it." Percy whispered looking back at the other two.
"I regret nothing," Sofia said simply. "You of all people deserved it."
Reyna's flared her nostrils as her face began to redden. "You're fucking dead."
"No just follow my lead," Zoe stated.
Reyna reverted her spear back into its sword form and advanced toward Sofia. "I can't believe you..."
"Now!" Zoe yelled out.
Percy stuck his gladius into the ground causing the ground to shake violently moments later. Sofia and Reyna were knocked off their feet not expecting the ground to move so suddenly.
Zoe crouched right behind Percy where the ground was unaffected and took aim with her bow. She angled it, so it would hit Sofia's neck, but hesitated and aimed at her arm instead and fired.
Sofia was watching the two of them from the ground the entire time, seeing the arrow fly toward her. She gripped her gladius tightly and managed to keep her balance for a split second to knock the arrow away.
"Dammit," Zoe cursed. She sheathed her bow and pulled out her twin hunting knives. "We have their attention now, let's go,"
"Got it," Percy ended the earthquake, ripping his sword out of the ground and blitzed the two downed girls with Zoe right behind him. He aimed a slash at Sofia who was the closest, figuring she would be at a disadvantage since she was still on the ground.
She gritted her teeth and redirected his strike into the ground, rolling away quickly to get back on her feet. Percy made to go after her but was pushed back as Reyna gave a slash which he had to block. Blow after blow was exchanged between the four demigods for the next ten minutes with neither side wanting to give an inch to the other.
Percy gave a quick thrust which Sofia parried easily, but he ducked a second later giving Zoe a chance to slash at Sofia with her knives who was caught off guard by the quick attack.
She barely managed to block it with her blade and stumbled backward. Percy made to capitalize, but his instincts screamed at him to fall back, barely avoiding Reyna who spun her spear like a helicopter and swiped forward in a wide arc.
Percy ducked under the swing, and Zoe backed up against it on the other side of Reyna staring the spearhead in the eye. Reyna snapped her head toward Zoe and rushed her with her spear giving a thrust at her abdomen. Zoe caught the spearhead with her knives and directed it toward the ground.
Unfortunately, Reyna had a counter for that move, and dropped her spear without a second thought and kicked Zoe in the chest, grappling her to the ground forcing her to drop her hunting knives.
"Zoe!" Percy yelled. He ran toward the two wrestling girls but was stopped by Sofia who pointed her sword at his chest.
"Get out of the way," Percy grunted out.
The only response he got was a sword to the face which he blocked and returned full force, exchanging blow after blow with the centurion of the 2nd cohort.
Percy feinted to the right, a move he used on her before to little effect and was surprised to see she bit hard on it easily giving him room to get behind her and dead-legged her like she did to him during the placement exam.
He held his sword to her neck and asked her to yield.
"It doesn't matter if you get the flag. There will be more reinforcements coming soon, all we had to do is delay you."
Percy grimaced, remembering what Phoebe had said earlier. "I hate to say it, but she's right."
A scream resounded out from where Zoe and Reyna were earlier causing Percy to glance in that direction. He grunted as Sofia elbowed him in the groin, freeing herself from Percy's grasp.
Reyna regrouped with Sofia moments later, with Zoe nowhere to be found and some scratch marks on her face.
"You get her?" Sofia asked not taking her eyes off Percy.
"She was a tough one but yeah I did. Just Jackson now."
"Let's work together then, there's two of us and only one of hi–"
Reyna walked up to Sofia who intimidated her slightly, especially with the scratches on her cheek giving her a sinister look.
"Stay out of my way, I haven't forgiven you from earlier centurion."
Percy frowned not liking what he was hearing at all. Zoe got beaten by Reyna leaving him in a one on two, but it looks like the problems between the two in front of him are more serious than he thought.
"That doesn't matter right now, I have to deal with both of them." Percy thought.
There were no words spoken as Percy switched his gaze between the two of them. They had stopped arguing and were walking opposite sides to surround Percy.
He saw Reyna had her spear out and decided toward taking out Sofia first because her gladius had a shorter range. Also, maybe because he had beaten her earlier.
The two girls ran at him at the same time barely giving him time to think. He bolted to his right forcing them to chase him. After a few meters, he craned his head to see how close they were. Sofia was right on his heels with Reyna a few feet behind her.
He stopped and pivoted swinging his sword at Sofia which she blocked but before he could send another strike he was forced to parry Reyna's spear thrust.
Ten minutes passed, with Percy's brain and instincts working overtime trying to take on two opponents at once. Two opponents that he couldn't take lightly.
He breathed heavily noticing the both of them breathing hard as well. He sidestepped and using a burst of speed got around Sofia getting into a blade lock with her. Percy did not want to give Reyna any time to capitalize on his immobility, so he shoved Sofia with all his strength toward Reyna's direction who was running toward him.
Reyna shoved Sofia out of her way almost throwing her to the ground until she caught her balance. "Watch it wisbitch."
The daughter of Bellona reverted her spear into sword form and cocked her arm back to slash at Percy. But her eyes turned to her right and she blocked Sofia's blade which was clearly aimed at her.
"I've had it with your shit. Thinking you can boss me around and tell me what to do…" Sofia snapped. She leveled her eyes at Reyna giving her a cold stare.
"This is interesting," Percy thought calmly, it really looked like they were about to fight each other.
And that is exactly what happened.
Sofia leaped at Reyna and gave a few quick strikes angrily with her gladius forcing her to block all of them. Reyna grunted as she could feel the strength in her attacks. The sounds of there swords clashing were much louder than normal.
"What the hell are you doing? I'm not the freaking enemy! You're being a fucking child right now!" Reyna growled back.
Sofia laughed, it wasn't the good kind. "I'm the child huh?" her glare darkened. "I'll show you who's the fuckin child."
Percy decided this was probably the best time to slink away and grab the flag with hopefully them not noticing.
Only the sound of blades clashing, and insults being thrown back and forth was heard as Percy went the long way around finally seeing the blood-red flag standing proudly on top of a small mound of Earth just waiting to be taken.
He tiptoed up to it praying there weren't any traps. Thankfully there wasn't any and he ripped the flag out of the ground making a mad dash for the left flank.
Reyna sucked in a breath grinding her teeth, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jackson with the flag making a mad dash toward the river.
"You idiot! Jackson's got the flag now!" Reyna yelled, running after him. "Cut him off I'll chase."
"Don't give me orders I'm not listening to your shit anymore!"
"Just do it for gods' sakes!"
Percy ran as fast as he could but with the flag in his left hand and his gladius in his right Reyna was slowly catching up to him as he got closer and closer to the river.
"Don't let him get to the river, that's exactly what he wants!" Reyna yelled from behind him.
He twisted his head to see if she was any closer, but he snapped his head back to the front hearing Sofia emerge from the bushes on his left.
"I know."
"Damn," Percy said. He gave a sheepish smile. "Anyway, you would just let me run past you? I really don't want any trouble..."
Sofia raised her eyebrow. "Seriously?"
Percy sprinted to his right horizontally trying to create as much distance as possible, but Sofia was right on his tail with Reyna only a few feet behind her.
He weaved through several trees and caught sight of the river. He just needed to lose the centurion on his ass.
"I hope this works."
Percy slammed the brakes and spun using as much momentum he had to chuck his gladius right at Sofia who was only a few feet behind him.
Her eyes widened and in one move slowed down whilst jumping in the air to add momentum, slashing the sword right in front of her making it sail over her head, rather than it hitting her chest.
Percy backed up seeing that he was now cornered but he gave a small smile. "That was an impressive move."
"It's over. Give up the flag," Sofia breathed out.
She didn't wait for a response and stalked toward him, but she stopped as she felt her arm dampen slightly. She looked down and saw a patch of red. The color of her own blood. She reached up and felt her cheek, feeling a small cut on it.
She curled her lips into a snarl before Diana whisked her away.
He reached the river and grinned. "Can't believe that worked."
"It won't work again."
He turned around and saw Reyna approach carrying both her own gladius and his. Percy's eyes widened in surprise as he realized his sword did not return as a ring to his finger. Nor could he do anything to make it disappear from Reyna's hand.
Percy swiped his hand forward sending a stream of water at Reyna. She dodged the first one, but Percy just kept sending more at her. Reyna couldn't dodge all of them so she slashed at the water coming at her. It was using Percy's gladius and while the water wasn't absorbed in the sword, it dissipated into thin air.
"What the… my sword is NOT supposed to do that," Percy thought nervously.
"It's over Percy. Admit you've lost," Reyna said walking closer.
"She's not fazed by that? The water just vanished, and she acts completely normal…"
Percy looked around the area. He had no weapon, water didn't work… His eyes flicked to his right as if a shadow moved across the ground…
A light bulb lit over his head as he smirked in realization. He raised both his arms summoning a humongous wave of water to blanket both him and Reyna in a shadow.
Reyna looked intimidated but regained her resolve as she gripped Percy's gladius ready to dissipate the water.
"Game over," Percy said.
He threw the flag into the air in front of him and the next ten seconds were what you could say anticlimactic. One second the flag was there, and the next it had melted into the ground like butter.
"What the…" Reyna said surprised not believing her eyes.
"Game Over! Flag Captured by Hazel Levesque of the Fifth Cohort! Blue side Wins!" Lupa's voice echoed out over the entire field.
Percy exhaled smiling. He couldn't believe they had won. They had beaten the first, second, and third cohorts. Reyna walked up to him, a frown on her face as she handed his gladius back to him hilt first. "Good game Percy."
He gave a lopsided grin. "You too."
With Diana and Lupa
Lupa closed the Iris message and looked at Diana. "Interesting one hmm?"
Diana nodded her head in response. "Very. It did not look like the hunters were going to win. A few more minutes, and the red side would have broken through the remaining members and stormed the flag."
"Indeed. Perseus pulled through in the end. Albeit in a way I did not expect."
"Yes, many things had to go right. Hazel had to be there at the right time. The blue side lines had to be held to buy Zoe and Percy time. Along with those two's differences," Diana said referencing Sofia and Reyna. "They were very childish Lupa, is that the kind of behavior you're highest ranking officers show on the battlefield?"
Lupa shook her head with a frown and a stony expression. "No. They are much more reserved and focused usually. I'll have a talk with them later about this incident."
Diana chuckled. "I wish you luck."
5th Cohort Barracks
8:00 PM
"Good job Jackson!"
"Can't believe you guys did it."
"We did it, we beat the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cohorts!"
Percy grinned as the entire cohort was celebrating their victory. Since they were underage in the cohort barracks they had a bunch of Dakota's Kool-Aids for drinks.
Frank came and put an arm around Percy's shoulder grinning widely. "Oi! This man here is a legend! Give it up for Percy!"
"Percy! Percy! Percy!"
Hazel came up to the both of them and gave a shy smile to Frank.
"Thanks for grabbing the flag Hazel. Couldn't have won without you," Percy said gratefully scratching his head. "You really saved me from a pickle right there."
"Haha, it was no big deal…" Hazel said. She twirled one of her locks tiredly. "I'm surprised you noticed me, if you didn't I would have had to show myself."
"Yeah, just barely though, it's why I conjured that huge wave, so it was easier to shadow travel," Percy said smiling.
Hazel grinned. "Yes. I'm glad you caught on, it was much easier because of that."
He frowned though as he thought about Reyna and Sofia. "I'm hoping those two can sort things out. They did not work well together during the game."
Frank nodded. "I heard from the others they have some kind of squabble going on, do you know anything about that?"
"Yeah I talked to Sofia about it, but I didn't get much of an answer. They're both pretty prideful right?"
Hazel rolled her eyes. "That's an understatement."
"I agree. They aren't the easiest people to talk too," Frank said sighing.
"Let's hope it gets resolved soon. I don't want to be too nosy… but if things escalate we might have to do something," Percy said, garnering nods from the both of them.
"DAKOTA GET BACK HERE!"
The trio turned just in time to see Dakota dash out of the barracks, with Gwen right on his tail with her hair tinted blue… the color of the Kool-Aid pouch that Dakota usually drinks.
Percy cracked a grin at that while Frank and Hazel laughed.
Principia
8:00 PM
Lady Lupa sighed as she crossed her arms. She was tired after monitoring the game and from the days' events. And now she must deal with two of her strongest legionnaires… who acted like children on the battlefield.
"I'll be honest I don't want to be here right now. I don't even know where to begin," Lupa stated. She walked in front of Sofia and Reyna who were both looking at the ground. Neither had uttered a word when they arrived.
"To think that my praetor and centurion would display such a childish demeanor on the Field of Mars."
Lupa stopped between them giving a disappointed look.
"It was disgraceful."
Sofia shuffled her feet, while Reyna fidgeted a bit. They both looked Lady Lupa in the eyes and flinched not expecting her cold stare. One they hadn't seen in a long time.
Lupa began walking toward the exit not saying another word.
"Wait!" Sofia said, she took a step toward Lady Lupa who growled causing her to go back to her original position.
"I will wait outside. Neither of you will leave until this issue or whatever is sorted out."
"What?!" Reyna yelled. "You can't do this! I don't want anything to do with–"
"Make it quick," Lupa cut her off. "Dinner ends at 8:30."
With that final statement, she left the room and closed the door leaving the two girls in the room alone.
It was awkward for about a full minute. Sofia stared blankly at the floor for the duration while Reyna clenched her fists still looking at the door that Lupa had left through. Neither having said a word much less moved from their positions.
Sofia opened her mouth to speak, deciding she should take the initiative. From how she acted during the game and how she didn't want to be in the same room with her, it didn't look like Reyna was going to talk at all.
"Look…" Reyna said turning around abruptly. Sofia shut her mouth and met Reyna's eyes.
The daughter of Bellona sighed heavily. "I'm not going to apologize to you if that's what you were expecting."
Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Apologize for what?"
"Exactly," Reyna said. She put a hand on her hip and stared Sofia down. "Frankly, I don't know what Lady Lupa was thinking, leaving us alone in here. We have absolutely nothing to talk about."
Sofia did not like that answer at all. She clicked her tongue, resisting the urge to punch Reyna. "Really huh? Nothing to talk about?" she asked sarcastically.
"Yeah, nothing to talk about. Everything I've stated has been right after all. So tell me then, what you were hiding from us. And I may consider giving you the benefit of the doubt."
The daughter of Minerva clenched her teeth and looked away. She thought about yelling at Reyna but remembered the last time this had happened. She knew she would be wrong if she kept those secrets hidden from Reyna.
"I'll tell you, but you have to listen to me after. I have some things to say that I want you to hear. Is that a deal?" Sofia proposed.
Reyna nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Not like I have a choice, right? Lupa will know if we are lying when we try to leave."
Sofia crossed her feet awkwardly, deciding to take a seat and motioned for Reyna to take the seat across from her.
"What do you want to know first? I won't dodge the question anymore I promise," Sofia assured.
Reyna thought for a moment. "The meeting. What did you lie about during it?"
Sofia shuffled her hands, settling on interlacing her fingers together on the table. "It was Frank, obviously he can shapeshift… and I was trying to keep that a secret during the meeting. I didn't have a chance to know if he wanted it to be private or not, so I lied… Doesn't seem like it matters anymore though since everyone knows now."
"I see. So, he can transform into some kind of bird that carried you guys back here?"
"A dragon to be accurate," Sofia corrected. She noticed Reyna's eyes widen, not something that she saw her do often.
"A dragon wow."
"Yeah."
Thirty seconds of silence passed by before Reyna asked her next question.
"I know there's something else that happened that you didn't mention at the meeting. Say it,"
Sofia rolled her eyes. Typical Reyna making it sound like an order. Like she was entitled to know everything. But she knew what she was referring to. The Nereus incident.
5 Minutes Later
"Ah… I can see why you didn't want to mention it during the meeting," Reyna said, her tone had lightened somewhat from being so interrogative. "You're mom again huh?"
"Yeah… You were right on the money when we had our… fight. I really hate talking about her."
Reyna sighed. "I get it. You wanted to keep it private, but why not tell me that day? You could've said something..."
Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Really? 'Why didn't I say something?' That's the question you're asking?"
"And? We didn't need to fight–"
"We didn't need to fight?" Sofia repeated. "You're kidding, right? You challenged me to the fight and you're gonna act like it's my fault?"
Reyna leaned back in her chair and shrugged. "I mean it was."
"I can't believe this," Sofia said standing up. She headed for the door but was stopped as Reyna grabbed her wrist.
"Let me go," Sofia said angrily, glaring at Reyna.
"You're just going to run away?"
"I'm not running away. Just being here with you is pointless."
"Then stop being a bitch and say it," Reyna said tightening her grip.
Sofia ripped her wrist out of her grasp and took a few steps away from Reyna.
"You've changed you know. And it's not for the better."
Reyna chuckled darkly. "Continue."
Sofia narrowed her eyes, slamming the table with her fist causing Reyna to stop laughing. "I'm being serious here, this isn't some kind of joke."
"Fine. I'm listening," Reyna said. She crossed her arms giving Sofia her full attention.
"Ever since he left. You've been like this. Cold. Unapproachable. Obsessed with the upcoming war…"
Reyna scoffed. "Look who's talking. Calling me cold and unapproachable? And who is he? I haven't changed at all, your opinion–"
"I'm talking about Jason, Reyna," Sofia said slowly, she swore she heard Reyna suck in her breath. "Why? What happened to my friend that would listen to me? The leader who worked so well with Jason?"
The daughter of Bellona looked away not saying anything for around thirty seconds.
"Say something!" Sofia yelled. "You wanted me to talk… and now you're not going to say anything?"
"I–I had feelings for him," Reyna confessed closing her eyes.
"W–What?"
"I had feelings for Jason. It was for a while and… when Juno took him away I didn't know what to do… I was so angry at everything. We saved the world once, but we never could catch a break."
"What do you want then?" Sofia asked. She walked up to Reyna and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I want to win this war. Like how we did against Krios. Just as much as the next person in the legion. And I'm sorry that I've stopped being the Reyna from the past."
Reyna grabbed Sofia's wrist and took it off her shoulder staring at her eyes. "But this is who I am now. As praetor, I need to lead us to victory at all costs."
Sofia nodded. "I get it. But it doesn't mean you have to do it alone anymore. We're a legion after all."
"I know that. I just have a hard time coming to grips with that," she blinked her eyes glistening. "Don't you feel it? There's so much pressure on us to win… We can't even think about losing."
Sofia let go and took a step back putting a hand on her hip. "It is. But we're not going to lose. Everything leads up to that point of victory doesn't it?"
"Yeah true it does," Reyna replied nodding.
"Then there we go. It's just a goal we're working towards. And Jason is out there Reyna. What Juno and Minerva did…" Sofia said, spitting out her mother's name. "Is unforgivable."
"Agreed."
"Good. C'mon Lupa's probably tired of waiting for us."
"Yeah."
The two of them exited the door together and saw no sign of the mother of Rome. Just the cold biting air and the sight of the marble in front of the principia.
Sofia sighed. "She was bluffing wasn't she."
Midnight
4 Hours Later
With Percy
"Percy! Percy get up!"
Percy flicked his eyes open, peering over the bunk bed to where Frank was pounding on his bunk in full battle regalia.
"What's–"
"Percy… it's an invasion they're here."
A/N
Ah, I didn't mean to make the break so long sorry. I was pacing this chapter at first trying not to burn myself out but then I got a PS4 sunk 100 hours into Persona 5, went to Boston for 2 weeks, been working full time, started reading webtoons (they're so good). School's started so my schedule will become more hectic again…ugh.
*Cough* not giving up on this story though next chapter is already 'partially' written hehe. I will try and not make it 3 months again… Thanks for reading again guys I appreciate it. School started so for those of you starting as well I feel your pain.
Beta-ing the earlier chapters is in my queue, can't promise when sorry.
Reviews~
SpartanBoy: tyvm, hope you enjoyed this one as well.
Lora: Thank you Lora. Really appreciate the long review haha warms my heart. This one might not be as polished as the previous chapter because my beta has been busy but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.
Alex Focker: *shrugs* You're right on all those points regarding all four of you're comments. Don't know what to say other than that hey that's how my story is. I try to keep it as canon as possible, but yeah sometimes I go out of character or miss facts. Anyways, thanks for the constructive criticism.
Death Fury: Thank you my friend, I always appreciate your words.
Until Next Time