A/N: Hello there! I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter. Here's the second!
When In Rome
Chapter 2: The Long Road Ahead
Lupa sat with her eyes closed.
But closed eyes did not shut out the clamor of the pack around her.
"The boy has done little wrong," said a wolf with light grey fur, "I don't see why we need to do this."
The words echoed inside the large cave.
It's high ceiling containing their only light source-a skylight.
The sunlight fell through the small opening and on another wolf who said,
"Little wrong? You call insubordination little wrong?"
"Minor insubordination. And he was emotionally unstable-"
"Aren't we all!"
"He had just lost his sister, mate," said a dark grey wolf quietly.
"He should be let off with a warning-"
"A warning? Ha!" cried a wolf with one eye and dark brown fur, "That pup has accumulated enough warnings to warrant elimination!"
"And since when did we judge one based on old faults? All of his earlier have been resolved," said a sleek wolf, black as pitch.
"Resolved, master? I think not!" exclaimed a large brown wolf.
"His wrongdoings were brought to Lupa and Lupa has forgiven them," said a small grey wolf.
"Forgiven? Perhaps. But not forgotten!"
"You mean you have not forgotten. I still remember the look on your face when word that the scoundrel from the Augustus family came to you in tears."
"And why not? The boy had nearly taken the eye out of the Heir! What would his Family think of us?"
"They'd think of us as the Wolf House," said another, cold and proud, "Young Octavian was warned. It was his own fault."
"Ah, but that was not Lupa's decree! You who are so fond of Lupa's decree should surely know this? Lupa said that it was the Nico brat who should pay, therefore it was Nico's blame!" said the one-eyed wolf.
"Perhaps so. But since when did Lupa's decree reflect one wolf's opinion? It certainly doesn't reflect yours," reasoned a dark grey one.
"You dare imply that I am unfaithful, you traitor!?"
"I say you are a hypocrite. You, who do not accept an eleven-year-old boy's innocence!" said a silvery white one heatedly.
"His actions are a bleeding mark on his record!" snarled a brown wolf.
"It is the way of the humans to check one's record before making a decision. Not the way of the wolves."
"What are you implying? Need I remind you that I-"
"Implying, implying, implying! Have you no other words in your vocabulary? I am saying that you are a human's dog!"
"You dare?!"
"Yes I dare! I have no fear of your benefactors!"
The one-eyed wolf went low and snarled.
The silvery white one responded in kind.
They started circling each other, slow and deadly.
The crowd roared rancorously.
"Enough!"
The wolves fell quiet immediately.
An old wolf had spoken.
His limbs were creaky and his skin as thin as paper. His eyes were wise, his teeth sharp and his tongue sharper. His name was well-known amongst the pack. He was one of Lupa's oldest advisors.
It seems that he had returned from his quest and was successful.
"Do you not know whose presence you are in?" he asked then, moving steadily despite his age, "Or did you forget her might?"
All the wolves bowed down their heads in shame, even the ones who had to grit their teeth to do it.
"What made you forget yourselves so? Speak! Speak and it shall be resolved."
The wolves looked at each other, hesitant.
Not even those who wished to curry the favor of those more powerful than themselves dared to do so.
For the old wolf was named Akira.
And his hate of their half-blood wards was known to all.
Not even the meanest of them would send a child to his mercy.
But it seemed that Lupa had no such reservations.
"Hello, old friend," she greeted.
Akira bowed to her, "Your humble servant, milady."
Lupa inclined her head in reply.
"It seems the pack is troubled, may I offer my services?"
Lupa mused for a moment before accepting.
"A cub has misbehaved, his wrongdoings have been written on the slate. Take a look at it and tell me what his punishment should be."
The stone slate stood forgotten in the corner.
Akira walked towards it with heavy steps.
The old wolf's forehead furrowed deeply as he read through the charges.
The one-eyed wolf sweated profusely.
He had greatly exaggerated his report.
Had he known that Akira was going to take a direct hand in such matters… suffice to say, the old wolf would be livid.
Sure enough, a deep growl grew in his throat.
"Insubordination?!" he roared, finally.
"Minor insub-" tried the one-eyed wolf, feeling guilty.
"Silence. Insubordination is insubordination, regardless of degree or reason!"
"…What will be his punishment, Akira?" asked Lupa, somber.
"Why, the punishment for insubordination is as clear as day," said the old wolf, haughty as ice, "The seven poisons, of course!"
Murmurs erupted from the crowd.
"The Seven Poisons?"
"The boy is as good as dead!"
"Akira, the boy's only eleven!"
"The boy is not of the pack, he is a cub!"
"It is too cruel a fate!"
"Too cruel a fate?" asked Akira, coldly.
All protests ceased like a candle snuffed out.
"If you think than any of you can show insubordination to Lady Lupa and far the same fate, then think twice! The boy has three chances at a painless death and one at life. I am showing him mercy."
There was absolute silence.
"Is that your final word, Akira?" asked Lupa, solemn.
"Yes, milady," said the old wolf, resolute.
There was a dread ingrained in the bones and engraved in the hearts of the listening wolves.
"Then this is my final decree. Nico di Angelo shall face the trial of the Seven Poisons. If he succeeds by wit, skill or chance, then by the ancient rules, all his charges shall be dropped and his misdeeds, forgiven. That is all."
"Hail Lupa!"
And the pack dispersed.
The straps of her pack cut into her shoulders.
The sun bore down on her back like a vulture on dead meat.
There was cracked land as far as the eye could see.
She was parched.
But she dared not slow down.
Their water reserves were becoming dangerously low.
They needed to get to the nearest source of fresh water.
Fast.
"How much farther?" she asked.
"One mile," answered Jason.
"I feel terrible," groaned Dakota.
"It's called being sober, Captain Haddock," came a light-hearted jeer.
A few chuckles echoed back.
"Thundering Typhoons!" cried Dakota jokingly.
"Blistering Barnacles!" chimed in another.
"Lousy Landlubbers!"
"Pilfering Parakeets!"
"A beard! Since when did I have beard?!"
"He's gone mad!"
"Nah, he's just sober."
"Great Scott!"
"What is it?!
"There's a half price sale on bowler hats!"
"Oh, shut up! Now's no time for this! ...Great Scott!"
"What?!
"There's a half price sale on canes, too!"
"Quiet down," chided Reyna, "Don't waste your strength."
There was silence once more, but the air was much lighter.
The heat of the sun made the air shimmer.
The perfect conditions for a-
"Water ahoy!" shouted a kid happily.
He ran forward, but was caught by Jason.
"Mirage," he grunted, trying to speak the bare minimum.
The moral had been so high until now.
Reyna really wished that Jason hadn't been so curt.
"Oh, okay. Of course. Won't there ever be good news-!"
"Mirages mean that water is nearby," informed Reyna.
The others looked at her in surprise.
"I thought that was just a myth," said Dakota, doubtfully.
"Me too."
"Me three."
Reyna colored slightly.
She was glad that no one could see it under her tan.
It was just a little something that she saw on television when she had been younger.
She hoped no one picked up on it…
"Myth or not, the oasis is close," said Jason, "about three quarters of a mile left. We're making good time."
There was collective groaning.
There was a shift in the air.
The ropes around his wrists that did not give were loosened until he hardly felt their presence.
The looks that were previously unforgiving were now downright guilty.
His heart that was not hurting then was hurting now, but the hurt was buried amidst confusion.
There was movement from the guards as they made way for Gwen.
"Nico," she whispered, emphatic.
Nico just looked at her, feeling confused.
Was this what they called déjà vu?
At Gwen's request for privacy, the guards took their posts some distance away.
Yep, definitely déjà vu.
"What is it this time?" asked Nico.
He wasn't expecting Gwen to burst into tears, but he took it gracefully.
It was hard to comfort a crying girl through the bars, but Nico was enough of a gentleman to manage it.
Still, he'd be glad if he never had to do that again.
When he'd said as much to Gwen, it had resulted in a fresh bout of tears.
From then on, Nico resolved to keep his mouth shut whenever a girl cried.
"Lady Lupa, won't you reconsider?" asked a small grey wolf.
She was the youngest of the pack, barely of age.
Lupa looked upon her kindly.
"I have given my word, young one. It cannot be taken back."
The younger wolf hung her head, desolate.
Lupa felt a bit sorry for her.
"What is your name, young one?"
"It is Trice, Lady Lupa."
"You are close to the cub?"
"…He helped me brush my fur," admitted Trice, hanging her snout.
"It is not wise to get attached to our wards, Trice," cautioned Lupa gently, "They are bound to leave, like birds from their nest."
"I am aware," mumbled Trice.
"But it is inevitable to have one or two who catch your eye."
Trice perked up.
"Even you, Lady Lupa?"
"Even I," said the great she-wolf wryly, "Are you surprised?"
Trice nodded her head, eager.
"Their names were Romus and Romulus. I think you know of them."
Trice's face fell.
"And no one since?" she asked.
Lupa looked amused.
"Few measure up to their brilliance. I suppose my standards have become ridiculously high."
Trice nodded abashed, "I suppose so."
Silence settled between them.
Lupa voluntarily broke it.
"You needn't worry about that little cub," she said.
Trice tilted her head in confusion.
"You don't see it now, but you will in due time. That boy has luck that defies the Gods."
Trice had no idea what that meant, but was comforted nonetheless.
"The trial of the Seven Poisons?" asked Nico, "What's that?"
Gwen gulped.
"It's a horrible thing that's practically torture," she said, "But it was also used as a way to get stronger. Quickly."
"Oh?" asked Nico, intrigued.
Gwen bowed her head slightly, trying to collect all the information she remembered about it.
"You'll be given seven vials," she said, "Six of which has poisons and one of which has water."
Nico nodded for her to continue.
Gwen looked to the side.
"As per tradition, three vials will contain lethal poisons," she said, "The contents may vary. But one drop of any of them will still your heart in seconds. However, it's the other three are the ones to watch out for."
"Don't keep me waiting now."
"The first will give you a body that is neigh indestructible. But it will break your bones and rebuild them. It will dissolve your muscles and piece them back together. It will be water from the river Styx."
"It actually exists?"
"So it seems."
"Huh… must have been a pain to get."
"I'll bet. Now, the second vial will heal all your wounds and give you strength to walk a thousand miles. But it will burn your teeth, your tongue, and your throat. It will melt your organs from the inside out. It is the water from the Phlegethon."
"Another river from the Underworld?"
"From Tartarus, technically."
"Yeah, but who could go to Tartarus and live?"
"Point taken. But yeah, the third one is also water from a river. The Acheron to be exact. It will pull out all your inner demons and force you to face them. Everything that you have ever feared, everything that has ever shamed you, everything that you try to desperately forget. But in exchange-"
"A place of healing, not a place of punishment, cleansing and purging the sins of humans."
"Yeah, basically. Suda, wasn't it? But, well- nah, it's going to be horrible, no two ways about it. If you manage to overcome even two of the three you will be in the safe. Of course, you need to identify the vial of water. Are we clear?"
"Crystal," grinned Nico.
'Be still my heart,' Gwen reminded herself.
Suddenly a furrow appeared between Nico's eyes,
"But why would they waste such priceless items on me?" he asked, doubtful.
Gwen shrugged.
"Don't ask me," she said, "Ask Lupa."
Nico smiled, and then paled.
A shadow fell over him that was much bigger than her own.
"Um, Gwen…"
Gwen felt warm breath on the back of her neck.
"…She's right behind me, isn't she?"
A puff of laughter.
"Ask me what, little one?"
Lupa looked at the two children with barely concealed amusement.
The girl was huffing and puffing, looking like she had the greatest fright of her life.
The boy gave her a smile full of innocent appeal that was only slightly tarnished by the binds and bars.
"How did you get the potions in the three vials?" he asked, his face the picture of naïve curiosity.
Oh, how she wanted to tease them.
She decided to indulge herself for a bit.
She purposely misunderstood.
"The three potions?" she asked, "Why, we crushed some nightshade berries into paste then boiled them until they were a colorless grey for the first. I'm sure that it will taste horrible."
Colorless grey, the same color as the water from the Styx.
It also happened to be the same shade that Gwen's face was turning into.
"For the second, we soaked Suzuran flowers in water until their poison imbibed it. It's quite effective. Colorless, odorless, but not quite tasteless. Well, if one has gotten to the point of taste, it wouldn't make a difference anyways."
Gwen turned green.
So water was off the table too.
"And for the third, we took a more scientific approach. Octavian Augustus' family was most helpful in providing us with cyanide."
Nico wondered how cyanide would look.
Milky white, perhaps?
Pearly?
Translucent maybe?
Wait. Was Cyanide even white?
What did it look like?
...But one thing was for sure.
"It sounds positively deadly," said Nico, aloud.
"I'm glad you think so, my child," said Lupa.
She started to walk away.
"Wait, Lady Lupa!" called Nico, pressing himself against the bars, "Who went to the Underworld? Who retrieved the waters from the rivers?"
"I'll tell you if you survive the Trial, little one," said Lupa, not halting her stride, "But for now, you might want to look after your friend."
Gwen had turned into an interesting shade of purple.
She didn't seem to be breathing.
"We're here," said Jason, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
'Here' was in front of an oasis.
Coconut trees provided them shade from the sun's glare and filled the area with the smell of vegetation and coconut oil.
The sand here was moist, warm instead of burning and soothing against their blistered feet.
The water glittered in the noonday sun, clean and welcoming.
It was picture perfect.
The young Romans engraved the sight into their minds.
To them, it looked a lot like what some called Paradise.
They ran to the water line, throwing their rucksacks on the sand, allowing it to slide down the sandy dune.
As they did so, the falling sand sounded like slithering snakes which caused Jason to startle and call for halt.
It was what saved their lives.
From the water that appeared to be guiltless, there emerged a gigantic hippopotamus.
It threw its head this way and that before charging at them madly.
Jason had never been more terrified in his life.
Still, he kept his head.
"Steady," he called out for any who might have lost their nerve.
But he needn't have done that.
All his comrades stood firm, their mouth set in a grim line.
They wouldn't be shaken from their goal- the thing that glimmered like a sapphire in the sunlight.
The hippo growled, jumping up and down.
Droplets, like pearls, flew up in the air and fell uselessly on the ground which soaked it up greedily.
Jason promised himself that if he ever got out of this, he would never waste water like that, ever.
He felt suddenly and violently miffed.
He charged at the beast with a roar.
In the end, they were saved by a travelling caravan.
"Cross-country runners?" the caravan master asked, tickled, "Quite a hobby for you young'uns."
"Quite so," said Reyna weakly, "I can't thank you enough for allowing us to journey with you."
The man waved it away with an airy hand, "It is nothing, nothing at all. Just until the edge of the desert, was it? We don't mind taking you further."
That was a tempting proposition, but Reyna shook her head resolute.
"Thank you for your offer, but we will manage."
The honor of being a part of New Rome was one hard-earned, but one well-earned.
And the Tiber will not allow anyone unworthy to enter.
What more, there were things about this caravan that pricked her nerves.
The gleam in the caravan master's eyes as he looked at Reyna and her female companions.
The seemingly unending supply of water and wine. (They were supposed to be back from a year long trip, how are their reserves so full?)
And the stench of dried dates that did not quite cover up the coppery scent of blood.
A/N: Hello there! I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter. Here's the second. Tell me what you think!