An: I'm going to deviate slightly from what happened in Blood of Olympus, at least as far as you know, nothing major, just a fight that wasn't depicted in the book.
I was standing at the center of an enormous group of teenagers all dressed in bright orange camp half-blood t-shirts, same as me. We were all standing in a phalanx holding large wooden shields and wielded six foot lances. Something about this felt familiar. I looked to my left and saw Lexie and Malcolm, to my right I saw Matthew and and Amanda.
My bronze chestplate and helmet grew heavy as I felt myself jump with surprise at the sound of a war horn. I looked forward at a hoard of teens the same age as most of us in heavy golden armor and wielding short swords with even bigger shields than ours. I realized they were dressed the same as the people that Octavian had ambushed us with.
"Hoplítes pros ta emprós!" Ordered Malcolm in greek as he raised his spear above our group. I translated what he said as "Hoplites forward!"
All at once, we began to march forward. "Hoplítes káto lónches!" Lower spears!
Against my will, I locked shields with Lexie and Amanda then the entire line of thirty or so of us half bloods lowered our spears and continued our advance on the also advancing adversaries.
"Legio formationes!" Ordered a brown haired teenager in heavier armor than the rest as he flourished his short sword. I recognized the order as latin but I couldn't translate it.
A moment later, the horde of what I assumed to be Romans changed from a wall of enormous shields similar to our formation to a different formation. I remembered it as a wedge formation instantly. A tactic used by the Roman Empire to combat infantry a couple thousand years ago. The formation is recognized for it's ability to divide an opposing force and picking off both halves.
The moment our two forces collided I hurt. Being near the center of our own phalanx meant that I also received the brunt of the Roman charge. My spear was snapped in half almost immediately when it was chopped by a sword. I had to drop it. The pressure being pushed against my shield also prevented me from drawing my sword.
This also meant that I got a good view of the Roman boy that had given the wedge order. Short, brown hair, sharp, golden eyes and a pointy chin. I recognized him, Conner Nealson, my stepbrother.
An: I'm going to deviate slightly from what happened in Blood of Olympus, at least as far as you know, nothing major, just a fight that wasn't depicted in the book.
I was standing at the center of an enormous group of teenagers all dressed in bright orange camp half-blood t-shirts, same as me. We were all standing in a phalanx holding large wooden shields and wielded six foot lances. Something about this felt familiar. I looked to my left and saw Lexie and Malcolm, to my right I saw Matthew and and Amanda.
My bronze chestplate and helmet grew heavy as I felt myself jump with surprise at the sound of a war horn. I looked forward at a hoard of teens the same age as most of us in heavy golden armor and wielding short swords with even bigger shields than ours. I realized they were dressed the same as the people that Octavian had ambushed us with.
"Hoplítes pros ta emprós!" Ordered Malcolm in greek as he raised his spear above our group. I translated what he said as "Hoplites forward!"
All at once, we began to march forward. "Hoplítes káto lónches!" Lower spears!
Against my will, I locked shields with Lexie and Amanda then the entire line of thirty or so of us half bloods lowered our spears and continued our advance on the also advancing adversaries.
"Legio formationes!" Ordered a brown haired teenager in heavier armor than the rest as he flourished his short sword. I recognized the order as latin but I couldn't translate it.
A moment later, the horde of what I assumed to be Romans changed from a wall of enormous shields similar to our formation to a different formation. I remembered it as a wedge formation instantly. A tactic used by the Roman Empire to combat infantry a couple thousand years ago. The formation is recognized for it's ability to divide an opposing force and picking off both halves.
The moment our two forces collided I hurt. Being near the center of our own phalanx meant that I also received the brunt of the Roman charge. My spear was snapped in half almost immediately when it was chopped by a sword. I had to drop it. The pressure being pushed against my shield also prevented me from drawing my sword.
This also meant that I got a good view of the Roman boy that had given the wedge order. Short, brown hair, sharp, golden eyes and a pointy chin. I recognized him, Conner Nealson, my stepbrother.
My dream blurred for a moment and the battle had shifted from two different formations had scattered into a frenzy of one on one skirmishes. One thing was certain though, we were out numbered.
Amanda and I were fighting side by side, me with a bronze short sword and my youngest sister with her spear. I looked around but I couldn't find Lexie, Matthew, or Malcolm, in fact I couldn't see Conner either. Maybe he was just part of this strange dream. 'No' I thought. 'This is all too familiar.'
I turned to see Amanda smack some Roman she had been fighting across the temple with the base of her spear and send him crashing to the ground unconscious. At the same time, I blocked a violent slash from a Roman girl with the remaining half of my shield and attempted to strike low at her knees with my sword but she parried my attack.
That's when I heard the scream. Quickly, I bashed the girl with my splintered shield and swung the pommel of my sword toward her helmet, which struck with a satisfying "clang!" Then she too collapsed to the ground. I heard the scream again and I turned toward it again.
"Alexis!" I heard Amanda. She dropped her broken shield and took off.
The dream shifted again. Lexie was laying on the ground, the only move she made was short breaths. I noticed blood was soaking her orange T-shirt and a deep cut had been made across her cheek. I was standing over Lexie defensively holding my sword and pointing it at someone.
"Your Praetor ordered you to stand down!" I heard myself yell.
"Your kind poisoned her mind Sean! That child of Minerva that calls herself Annabeth is most to blame!" Bellowed Conner's voice."Octavian is our new leader, you greeks need to pay for what you did to Rome!"
He stabbed at me with his short sword but I dodged past it. I didn't retaliate, much to my own relief. How could I fight someone I had practically been raised with. Maybe didn't get along with, but raised with.
"Conner, we didn't do anything to you! If we don't work together those monsters are going to kill us!"
"Your warship fired on New Rome! You wanted retribution for us taking your precious statue!" He pointed his blade toward an enormous golden statue of my mother standing at the top of half blood hill. "Octavian told us it all!"
'Was that always there?' I remember thinking as I turned to face it. That was my first and Last mistake. While I was turned around, I felt it.
If I had to describe being stabbed on a scale from one to ten, it would probably be about a thirteen, right below being set on fire by an exploding popcorn maker, which sucks and above hit by a bus.
"I'm sorry Sean, this is how it had to end." Conner said as he withdrew his sharp blade from my back. Then, it ended.
"My son" I heard a woman's voice say softly in my ear.
Wherever I was, it was bright, so I was forced to squint until my eyes adjusted. I rolled over from my chest to my back. My entire body ached like I had been pummeled by a back of Cyclopes.
"Sean... I'm sorry this happened to you." Cried the voice. She appeared above me. She had solid gray eyes and long, black hair. It was Athena, my mother. She had changed out of the white linens she had been wearing in my dream a few days before and was wearing a tan military jacket over a shirt displaying a peace sign, which I found kind of ironic, but when your mother is a thousands of year old goddess you can't exactly insult her fashion.
"I'm so proud of you both." I looked to my left to see Lexie lying next to me peacefully asleep. "But... you... you both died."
'Died!' I screamed in my head. 'Had Conner killed us both?!'
"Zeus plans to undo all of these deaths... and it relieves me that you will live on but... but I fear the rest of his plan."
I was unable to speak.
"He's going to wipe everyone's memories in hopes of neither side looking for retribution but what if... oh for my own sake, what am I doing, you aren't going to remember any of this." So the previous dream had been a memory! Not a prediction!
She ran her hands through my hair softly. "I'm sorry neither of you will ever truly know how much I care for each of you." Then my dream finally ended and the pain started.
I woke with an enormous headache. Being knocked unconscious via Three stooges act tends to do that to you. Blindly, I looked around the darkly lit room. I noticed a single candle glowing on a wooden table.
"Oh gods..." I cried, knowing what would happen next. I tried to move but my hands were tied down, I couldn't move from my chair. This is where Octavian had tortured Lexie!
Painfully, I looked to my left. And as I dreaded, my sister lay in her chair. Just as I remembered, she was looking rough. Her face was battered and bruised. A long gash had been cut just below her eye and drops of blood had dried from the gash to the collar of her torn shirt.
"Lexie!" I groaned in a low whisper. "Please Lex! Say something!" She didn't answer. "Come on Sis!"
"So, she's your sister hmm?" Chuckled Octavian as he stepped into the candle light. "Can't say I see the resemblance very much."
"What did you do to her you swine!" I spat. "Where is Ellie?!"
"Just some small talk, nothing too major. I really think we hit it off. As for your other friend, she's rotting down in the cells."
I noticed he held a golden knife in his hand still. Maybe I could take it from him and cut us free. How far would I get carrying Lexie? How many would be chasing after us? What about Ellie? Where was she? I would never find her if I was killed.
"Your sister claims that your mother is Minerva, is that true?"
'Minerva, definitely a Latin god but what was the translation. Athena! Duh, I blamed my slow thought process on my possible concussion.' My head was still buzzing from the impact with the ground. "Whatever you say, say nothing." I recited remembering an old Irish song I liked.
He slapped me with the flat of his blade creating a cut on my cheek. I could feel blood dripping onto my shirt. "Tell me you graecus! Is your mother Minerva!"
"For if you know who should hear you, you know what you'll get." He slapped me with his blade again but I ignored him. Maybe if I stalled long enough he would get frustrated and try being a little more diplomatic. After all, I did remember him believing we were invading the camp, so he certainly wouldn't kill me while I could still have information. "Whatever you say, say nothing when you mention such and such!" Stall until I figure a way out of here.
"Graecus stop with that racket or when your sister wakes... wait, what I would do to her, she won't wake up."
'Damn' I thought as I silenced my chant. 'Well, that plans shot.'
"Now that's better." Octavian muttered as he held his blade over the candle. He grinned as the dried blood that coated the blade began to flake off from the heat. "Now, Minerva, yes or no?"
I nodded. No point in antagonizing him if he was going to threaten Lexie. He had won the battle of wills.
"Alright then, even your own gods are oath breakers than. That goddess swore an oath to never bed a man." He spat at me with disgust before he cautiously touched his blade and winced from the scalding metal. "Now, to real business. How many others are there lurking around, waiting to strike?"
"Excuse me?!"
"Don't play stupid with me greek! I prophesied a greek warship attacking this very location less than a year ago?!"
"We have no war ships!" I answered quickly.
"I told you not to lie to me!" Octavian grabbed me by the wrist and pressed down hard with the flat of his blade. The fire had made the blade excruciatingly hot as it pressed against my skin.
I screamed in agony as he shifted the blade so it sliced along the charred skin only making the pain exponentially worse. The only good part of the heat was that it cauterized the wound and prevented my arm from bleeding. I think that had been intentional, blood would only cause a mess.
I heard a wooden door be kicked open behind Octavian. As the light poured in, a female figure wearing a dark purple, almost black, cloak stormed into the room. Part of me hoped it was Ellie, but I knew that wouldn't be the case.
"Praetor Reyna! How good of you to join me" cackled Octavian.
"You insect. You do not have the authority to interrogate any of our prisoners Octavian!" She swatted Octavian to the side and waved the two guards that had been standing at the doorway inside. "If not for the insight of Centurion Nealson, I might not have known about our new guests."
'Holy Zeus! That must have been Conner who interrupted Octavian before I was knocked out!' I thought. I almost dreaded seeing my step-brother again. But then again, if he hadn't told the Praetor, Octavian may have continued to interrogate me.
"They fired on three members of my cohort, then they invaded our territory. I am within my-"
"You are detaining three of their people Octavian, of course they would come after them!" Reyna snapped. "Get out of my sight."
Octavian quickly skulked out of the room after grabbing his knife.
"Sorry about that" said Reyna once he was gone. She went over to my sister and checked her pulse. She nodded to me which told me Lexie was alright. "He is right about one thing though. You did attack three of my legionaries."
"They drew their weapons fi-"
"Doesn't matter. Octavian will make the senate believe you attacked first. He has too many loyal followers here and your actions have only solidified his claims."
"Then what is going to happen?"
"You and your companions will be brought before the senate. For now though, it's off to the cells to join your fellow greeks." She turned to the two guards behind her. "Centurion Nealson, Centurion Thatcher, escort them to the cells and see to it that they are fed." A moment later, she disappeared out the door.
Conner unlocked my restraints as Centurion Thatcher untied my sister and slung her over his shoulder. Luckily neither of them were wearing armor or Lexie could have been injured further.
"Alex, could you take the girl back to the cells without me? I want to have a chat with this one first."
"Sure thing Conner" the girls voice agreed. "You told Reyna 'cause you wanted to have first crack at our new guests huh? Well, mop up the blood when you're done."
"Sure thing!" He responded before giving me a reassuring look that told me he wouldn't hurt me. He waited until Alex was gone before he started to speak.
"Sooo... greek? Great..." he stammered, obviously just as shocked to be seeing me. "That wouldn't happen to have been your sister?"
"How did you know?"
"I don't know, I just feel like I've seen her before."
I tensed up. I resisted the urge to scream 'Because you killed her!' No, there was no way that he remembered that... right? "Maybe you met her at school once, that's where she found me."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it." He answered skeptically.
"So... who's your dad?"
"Liber, so you can imagine how uncomfortable I am near cells."
"Yeah... I think." Liber is the Latin god of freedom, I guess that's why we have the word liberty. "Listen, thanks for standing up for us back there."
"Well, if I hadn't, I would have had to tell your father that you were... you know."
"Dead?" The foremost thing on my mind.
"Yeah. And I can't stand to see people imprisoned for such stupid reasons."
"So you'll help us get out?"
"I'll do what I can."
"Thanks man, I definitely owe you now."
"Start paying me back when out get out of here." He pointed toward the door. "You'll need to stay in front of me, you are a prisoner."
My dream blurred for a moment and the battle had shifted from two different formations had scattered into a frenzy of one on one skirmishes. One thing was certain though, we were out numbered.
Amanda and I were fighting side by side, me with a bronze short sword and my youngest sister with her spear. I looked around but I couldn't find Lexie, Matthew, or Malcolm, in fact I couldn't see Conner either. Maybe he was just part of this strange dream. 'No' I thought. 'This is all too familiar.'
I turned to see Amanda smack some Roman she had been fighting across the temple with the base of her spear and send him crashing to the ground unconscious. At the same time, I blocked a violent slash from a Roman girl with the remaining half of my shield and attempted to strike low at her knees with my sword but she parried my attack.
That's when I heard the scream. Quickly, I bashed the girl with my splintered shield and swung the pommel of my sword toward her helmet, which struck with a satisfying "clang!" Then she too collapsed to the ground. I heard the scream again and I turned toward it again.
"Alexis!" I heard Amanda. She dropped her broken shield and took off.
The dream shifted again. Lexie was laying on the ground, the only move she made was short breaths. I noticed blood was soaking her orange T-shirt and a deep cut had been made across her cheek. I was standing over Lexie defensively holding my sword and pointing it at someone.
"Your Praetor ordered you to stand down!" I heard myself yell.
"Your kind poisoned her mind Sean! That child of Minerva that calls herself Annabeth is most to blame!" Bellowed Conner's voice."Octavian is our new leader, you greeks need to pay for what you did to Rome!"
He stabbed at me with his short sword but I dodged past it. I didn't retaliate, much to my own relief. How could I fight someone I had practically been raised with. Maybe didn't get along with, but raised with.
"Conner, we didn't do anything to you! If we don't work together those monsters are going to kill us!"
"Your warship fired on New Rome! You wanted retribution for us taking your precious statue!" He pointed his blade toward an enormous golden statue of my mother standing at the top of half blood hill. "Octavian told us it all!"
'Was that always there?' I remember thinking as I turned to face it. That was my first and Last mistake. While I was turned around, I felt it.
If I had to describe being stabbed on a scale from one to ten, it would probably be about a thirteen, right below being set on fire by an exploding popcorn maker, which sucks and above hit by a bus.
"I'm sorry Sean, this is how it had to end." Conner said as he withdrew his sharp blade from my back. Then, it ended.
"My son" I heard a woman's voice say softly in my ear.
Wherever I was, it was bright, so I was forced to squint until my eyes adjusted. I rolled over from my chest to my back. My entire body ached like I had been pummeled by a back of Cyclopes.
"Sean... I'm sorry this happened to you." Cried the voice. She appeared above me. She had solid gray eyes and long, black hair. It was Athena, my mother. She had changed out of the white linens she had been wearing in my dream a few days before and was wearing a tan military jacket over a shirt displaying a peace sign, which I found kind of ironic, but when your mother is a thousands of year old goddess you can't exactly insult her fashion.
"I'm so proud of you both." I looked to my left to see Lexie lying next to me peacefully asleep. "But... you... you both died."
'Died!' I screamed in my head. 'Had Conner killed us both?!'
"Zeus plans to undo all of these deaths... and it relieves me that you will live on but... but I fear the rest of his plan."
I was unable to speak.
"He's going to wipe everyone's memories in hopes of neither side looking for retribution but what if... oh for my own sake, what am I doing, you aren't going to remember any of this." So the previous dream had been a memory! Not a prediction!
She ran her hands through my hair softly. "I'm sorry neither of you will ever truly know how much I care for each of you." Then my dream finally ended and the pain started.
I woke with an enormous headache. Being knocked unconscious via Three stooges act tends to do that to you. Blindly, I looked around the darkly lit room. I noticed a single candle glowing on a wooden table.
"Oh gods..." I cried, knowing what would happen next. I tried to move but my hands were tied down, I couldn't move from my chair. This is where Octavian had tortured Lexie!
Painfully, I looked to my left. And as I dreaded, my sister lay in her chair. Just as I remembered, she was looking rough. Her face was battered and bruised. A long gash had been cut just below her eye and drops of blood had dried from the gash to the collar of her torn shirt.
"Lexie!" I groaned in a low whisper. "Please Lex! Say something!" She didn't answer. "Come on Sis!"
"So, she's your sister hmm?" Chuckled Octavian as he stepped into the candle light. "Can't say I see the resemblance very much."
"What did you do to her you swine!" I spat. "Where is Ellie?!"
"Just some small talk, nothing too major. I really think we hit it off. As for your other friend, she's rotting down in the cells."
I noticed he held a golden knife in his hand still. Maybe I could take it from him and cut us free. How far would I get carrying Lexie? How many would be chasing after us? What about Ellie? Where was she? I would never find her if I was killed.
"Your sister claims that your mother is Minerva, is that true?"
'Minerva, definitely a Latin god but what was the translation. Athena! Duh, I blamed my slow thought process on my possible concussion.' My head was still buzzing from the impact with the ground. "Whatever you say, say nothing." I recited remembering an old Irish song I liked.
He slapped me with the flat of his blade creating a cut on my cheek. I could feel blood dripping onto my shirt. "Tell me you graecus! Is your mother Minerva!"
"For if you know who should hear you, you know what you'll get." He slapped me with his blade again but I ignored him. Maybe if I stalled long enough he would get frustrated and try being a little more diplomatic. After all, I did remember him believing we were invading the camp, so he certainly wouldn't kill me while I could still have information. "Whatever you say, say nothing when you mention such and such!" Stall until I figure a way out of here.
"Graecus stop with that racket or when your sister wakes... wait, what I would do to her, she won't wake up."
'Damn' I thought as I silenced my chant. 'Well, that plans shot.'
"Now that's better." Octavian muttered as he held his blade over the candle. He grinned as the dried blood that coated the blade began to flake off from the heat. "Now, Minerva, yes or no?"
I nodded. No point in antagonizing him if he was going to threaten Lexie. He had won the battle of wills.
"Alright then, even your own gods are oath breakers than. That goddess swore an oath to never bed a man." He spat at me with disgust before he cautiously touched his blade and winced from the scalding metal. "Now, to real business. How many others are there lurking around, waiting to strike?"
"Excuse me?!"
"Don't play stupid with me greek! I prophesied a greek warship attacking this very location less than a year ago?!"
"We have no war ships!" I answered quickly.
"I told you not to lie to me!" Octavian grabbed me by the wrist and pressed down hard with the flat of his blade. The fire had made the blade excruciatingly hot as it pressed against my skin.
I screamed in agony as he shifted the blade so it sliced along the charred skin only making the pain exponentially worse. The only good part of the heat was that it cauterized the wound and prevented my arm from bleeding. I think that had been intentional, blood would only cause a mess.
I heard a wooden door be kicked open behind Octavian. As the light poured in, a female figure wearing a dark purple, almost black, cloak stormed into the room. Part of me hoped it was Ellie, but I knew that wouldn't be the case.
"Praetor Reyna! How good of you to join me" cackled Octavian.
"You insect. You do not have the authority to interrogate any of our prisoners Octavian!" She swatted Octavian to the side and waved the two guards that had been standing at the doorway inside. "If not for the insight of Centurion Nealson, I might not have known about our new guests."
'Holy Zeus! That must have been Conner who interrupted Octavian before I was knocked out!' I thought. I almost dreaded seeing my step-brother again. But then again, if he hadn't told the Praetor, Octavian may have continued to interrogate me.
"They fired on three members of my cohort, then they invaded our territory. I am within my-"
"You are detaining three of their people Octavian, of course they would come after them!" Reyna snapped. "Get out of my sight."
Octavian quickly skulked out of the room after grabbing his knife.
"Sorry about that" said Reyna once he was gone. She went over to my sister and checked her pulse. She nodded to me which told me Lexie was alright. "He is right about one thing though. You did attack three of my legionaries."
"They drew their weapons fi-"
"Doesn't matter. Octavian will make the senate believe you attacked first. He has too many loyal followers here and your actions have only solidified his claims."
"Then what is going to happen?"
"You and your companions will be brought before the senate. For now though, it's off to the cells to join your fellow greeks." She turned to the two guards behind her. "Centurion Nealson, Centurion Thatcher, escort them to the cells and see to it that they are fed." A moment later, she disappeared out the door.
Conner unlocked my restraints as Centurion Thatcher untied my sister and slung her over his shoulder. Luckily neither of them were wearing armor or Lexie could have been injured further.
"Alex, could you take the girl back to the cells without me? I want to have a chat with this one first."
"Sure thing Conner" the girls voice agreed. "You told Reyna 'cause you wanted to have first crack at our new guests huh? Well, mop up the blood when you're done."
"Sure thing!" He responded before giving me a reassuring look that told me he wouldn't hurt me. He waited until Alex was gone before he started to speak.
"Sooo... greek? Great..." he stammered, obviously just as shocked to be seeing me. "That wouldn't happen to have been your sister?"
"How did you know?"
"I don't know, I just feel like I've seen her before."
I tensed up. I resisted the urge to scream 'Because you killed her!' No, there was no way that he remembered that... right? "Maybe you met her at school once, that's where she found me."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it." He answered skeptically.
"So... who's your dad?"
"Liber, so you can imagine how uncomfortable I am near cells."
"Yeah... I think." Liber is the Latin god of freedom, I guess that's why we have the word liberty. "Listen, thanks for standing up for us back there."
"Well, if I hadn't, I would have had to tell your father that you were... you know."
"Dead?" The foremost thing on my mind.
"Yeah. And I can't stand to see people imprisoned for such stupid reasons."
"So you'll help us get out?"
"I'll do what I can."
"Thanks man, I definitely owe you now."
"Start paying me back when out get out of here." He pointed toward the door. "You'll need to stay in front of me, you are a prisoner."