Vestals and Sentinels

James POV

I woke up to the sound of loud angry voices.

With a throbbing headache and my muscles still in pain from the after effects of being injected with nectar I opened my eyes to a sunlit infirmary. The translucent veils around my bed had been drawn to provide privacy. I hauled myself upon my elbows and sat up on my bed.

The voices only got louder with each passing moment. Thinking that I had been in bed for far too long, I decided to get up. Although I still had a lingering pain I knew I was strong enough to leave the infirmary now, I was a demigod after all.

I drew back the veils to reveal a sunlit infirmary with many beds like mine however all except mine had their veils drawn back and were empty. I don't know why but I felt ashamed to occupy one such bed, I was a cohort leader after all. It didn't do well on my reputation to end up in the infirmary after a mission but then again the events of the mission would put anyone under a come and a state of shock.

As I reached for the glass of water on my bedside my thoughts shifted to Alyssa. Why wasn't she here? Where was she if not there? I left the glass as it is and got off my bed.

After stumbling for the first few steps I made my way to the rack that held the patients armour. Mine was the only one there along with another set of dark black robes, linothorax and breastplate and leather hide boots.

On the rack below lay a two and a half sword with a two handed grip in a midnight blue sheath engraved with symbols of the underworld, probably the armour of someone from Dealers of Death. Only they were known to wear dark coloured robes and armour. They liked to stick their origins but so did most of us.

I quickly changed out of the infirmary whites and into my linothorax which smelt like the sea. It hadn't been cleaned yet. I then donned my armour. I fixed the breastplate, the greaves and the bracers and slipped my feet into leather hide boots.

I left my backplate and helmet as it is. Strapping my sword on to my back I then headed out to look for Alyssa. I simply had to find her, she was alive the last time I saw her. She had been in my arms; she couldn't have given out on me not after everything we had planned to do. I was in a state of unrest and pain beyond belief now.

There was no where here to answer my question but I needed to inquire someone about her. I then heard the commotion which again drew my attention, maybe someone there could help me with finding Alyssa after all she was a child of Apollo and the infirmary was packed with healers from the Apollo cabin.

I walked out of the infirmary and climbed the stairs that led to the private medical cabin, normally reserved for serious injuries, operations and members of council.

I climbed the flight of stairs on top of which stood two burly warrior demigods. Dressed in midnight black armour, with the Helm of Darkness intricately carved on the breastplate the Dealers of Death stood with their spears crossed denying entry to anyone.

I lifted my right hand and revealed my forefinger to establish my authority over them but the spears remained crossed however uncertainty etched their face. They were hesitant to let me in but I too needed information about Alyssa.

I drew my sword, pointing it towards them. They flinched with fear as my aura peaked however they didn't make a single move and stood their ground. "Give way" I seethed I anger.

The spears remain crossed although the ones holding them did look frightened. I took a step towards them my sword now tight in my grasp. It was then that they drew in their spears not to give way but take up defensive postures.

They raised their shields, their spears mounted ready to defend and subsequently attack. "Leave my way. I need to see a healer." I said again, my voice a double timbre and that of authority. However they stood their ground but I too was undeterred, I was a commander and outranked them in both strength and power.

These warriors needed to learn their place and I was about to teach them a lesson they'd never forget and I raised my sword for the first blow. "There wouldn't be a need for that" said a soft feminine voice from behind me.

I spun on the spot to see the tall and lithe figure of Alice, a daughter of Apollo who I had recently come to an acquaintance with. Her tan skin appeared coppery in the early hours of the morning sun. The Dark shrouded warriors put their shields down and returned to the crossing of spears, denying me entry yet again and although they looked ashamed at their behaviour they never said anything.

"Come with me James" she said in a soft voice. With one last look at the guards I sheathed my sword and followed her down the stairs and into the empty sun bathed infirmary. She stood there at an open window, looking out at the rising sun.

I walked up to her, looking at the horizon, while the breeze caressed my face. "I'm sorry" she said her voice quivering. I knew it then that I had lost Alyssa and my memories of the day before suddenly returned in a flash.

While I held her in my arms in the frigid waters of the north, the waves pummelling us to the cold and dark abyss I had felt her go limp. I had felt life leaving her body and her pulse slowing down and although she was still breathing somewhere deep within I knew that she might not make it.

My life with her flashed in front of my eyes. From the moment she joined my cohort to the kiss that we shared before we left for our last mission. From the first time that I picked her up and spun her round when she accepted my proposal to the moment she looked me in the eye for the last time before passing out into the dark.

A tear ran down my cheek. I was not the one to cry. Children of Mars and Ares were not the one to cry but we were human as well. We must have the strength of the gods but we had human emotions and feelings, we were demigods the lot of us and we had a right to express our emotions and feelings.

"I'm sorry that you'll never be able to see her again." She said her voice shaking. "She's a vestal now." My eyes widened with shock and then it hit me, "She's alive?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

Alice looked at me, her eyes moist. She looked at me perplexed and then nodded.

A moment ago I had been burning in agony. My life had come to a standstill but now, now I felt as if I had been rammed by a Minotaur. "How in the name of Hades could I even think about losing Alyssa?" I grasped her by her arms and looked her in the eye.

"Where is she?" I said in a no nonsense tone. She looked at me painfully. Was I hurting her? I don't think so; my grasp wasn't that tight.

I continued to stare at her in the eye, waiting for a response but none came. Why wouldn't she answer? Was she lying to me? If Alyssa truly was alive, why won't she let me be with her? Why would they separate me from her?

It was too much for me to handle. I didn't realise that my grip had tightened on her arms until she cried out in pain. "Where is she?" I asked her once again letting go of her arms.

"I already told you. She's a Vestal now." She said tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Vestal" I repeated the word several times in my head before it sunk in, or did it? I looked at Alice, crumpled on the infirmary floor her face buried in her hands, sobbing silently.

For a moment I felt as if someone had taken away the floor from beneath my feet. I lost my balance and had to support myself by pushing my back towards the wall. I knelt beside Alice, my eyes vacant and my thoughts clouded and I continued to repeat the same word over and over again, "Vestal".

I don't know how long I sat there, I was lost I my thoughts of the past. My future clouded and dark, or was there even one without her. I didn't even know if there was one without Alyssa. All I knew was that all I had and cared for was lost. My future and life was lost.

The darkness had won over me propelling me into its abyssal depths.

Katherine's POV

The stench of blood combined with alcohol was getting to my head.

Blood was something that I could still handle. What I couldn't handle was a group of testosterone and adrenaline charged demigods shouting at each other in an operation theatre, exchanging blows left, right and centre and wildly cursing out while a seriously injured person continued to lose blood and etch his way to death.

The healers, namely Kyra and Alaine Sawyer worked furiously in stopping the blood flow. While Kyra worked on cleaning Nico's wounds, Alaine stitched and bandaged them together. However the slash across his abdomen was something else completely.

It was five inches in length and at least half an inch across with blood oozing out as if someone had left the tap open. I always wondered if Nico could turn any paler than he already was, I stand answered.

His skin tone was now a pearly shade of chalk white. Had we been delayed by even a minute, Nico would have died but now he was fighting for his life and there was a chance that he'd survive but never the less he had lost too much blood the odds were against him but in all fairness if there was anyone who deserved a second chance at life it was Nico.

The one thing I had learnt at Fort Olympus and throughout my life as a demigod warrior was that WE Demigods were only meant for one thing, To Kill or To get Killed. If we didn't come to Fort Olympus we'd be killed by the monsters to whom our blood tastes sweet and coming to Fort Olympus in simple words does mean to KILL.

It's true that the life of a demigod is full of fights, blood and loss but then we do hold the power to make a difference in the world, even if we do it from the background.

I breathed deeply trying to calm myself down. This racket was driving me crazy. With Alec and James shouting at the Healers from the Apollo cabin to make sure Nico lives through this and the Healers threatening the death duo that they would cut their tongues out with the scalpel, the operation theatre was the last place I wanted to be.

As Alaine finished stitching the large gash in Nico's abdomen, Kyra injected him with nectar to help speed up is healing and in a matter of few minutes Nico's breathing began to ease and he began to regain some colour on the face. His tone was changing from the chalk white it was moments before to his characteristic pale white.

I breathed a sigh of relief but there was still too much on my mind. What actually had me worried was the 'Force' that put Nico on the operation table. It was completely unheard that Nico Di Angelo had ever been in the infirmary for medical reasons, let alone entered it. I simply couldn't digest the fact that a force except for Thalia, Percy, Jason and Hazel existed that could put him on an infirmary bed.

It was a well known fact that Council Members of 'The Sentinels' were the only demigods strong enough to take each other. However, none of them would do such a thing and if they wouldn't do it then the only person capable of doing such a thing was...

"A God", a dark voice whispered in my ear. A shiver ran down my spine and my body broke into a cold sweat. I whirled on the spot to look who was behind me only to find that I stood alone in this corner of the room. I was terrified at the thought of hearing voices. It wasn't considered a good omen and usually meant that something wrong was about to happen, but what?

I jumped, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Knife in my hand, I sprang behind to put some distance between me and the person. Alas, it was only Alec looking surprised at my act. I had never held anything against him, no matter what he did I trusted him because I knew however he might be he was a good person but my actions now did take him aback.

I relaxed, easing from my highly defensive stance to one that of complete ease.

"He's stable now." He said looking at me his voice lacking confidence.

I simply nodded and with one last apologising look at him for my reaction, I walked out of the door to inform the Dealers of the Death cohort and the council of 'The Sentinels'.

Leaving the infirmary behind me I walked to the central tower with two guards marching beside me. The Central Tower also known as The Keep, was the headquarters of The Sentinels with the council chambers at the top of the tower, which was enclosed by a glass dome with the constellations circling on the roof too mimic the night sky outside while during the morning it flooded the room with light.

As I walked through the large silver doors of the keep raising my hand to reveal the silver bracer on my right arm revealing myself, Katherine Howell, Daughter of Thanatos and Council Representative of the Sentinels.

The guards at the door snapped to attention and saluted with their spears to their chest, their bodies tense and rigid, and their salutes smart and in order.

This was the best part of being at Fort Olympus; I smiled to myself as I headed up to the council chambers climbing the winding staircase all the way to the top.

A/N: R & R