Before we start-this chapter isn't gonna have any romance buildups, even though last chapter sort of ended on that note. That's gonna take place in the next chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!
(I'm aware I'm shot at writing combat scenes. Sorry.)
Also, how did I write almost 5k words?
"Go, praetor of Rome, and attend the trials. Then, we shall talk, and help you realize your true desires."
Sighing, she went back to fixing her armor. For now, she would put her own personal feelings behind. Rome would always come first, and her personal feelings could wait.
So could Persi and Drew.
—
Time skip: an hour after the previous chapter ended
3rd person POV
The loud cheering and buzzing in the stands filled the ears of Drew and Persis.
"God! This racket!" Persis, who was currently dressed in a purple camp T-shirt, protested loudly, her enchanted hearing causing the sounds to be amplify-and causing her to suffer from a migraine. "Babe, I can give you earmuffs. You're strong, just go for a bit longer." Drew said confidently, though worry was in her eyes as she looked at her girlfriend's squirming figure.
"…hurts," Persis complained as she clamped her hands over her ears. "I wanna go home." She moaned as the crowd cheered again at something the praetors said.
"Hey, you okay?" One of the legionnaires standing within the arch, Lani, asked Persis. "I'm fine…but the noise is unbearable." Persi groaned, and Lani shot her a sympathetic look before focusing on the task ahead.
"Okay, Drew, you're gonna go up first." Lani said, checking on her clipboard. "You're gonna face some easier opponents than Persi. Apparently, a lot of people wanna fight her after hearing of her performance."
Another cheer rang in the stands, and Persis whimpered, clutching her ears. "Babe, just a bit more. I know you hate the arch, just…hang in there." Persis whimpered again as she nodded.
Lani looked at Persis sadly, before she decided on something. "Persi, if you need to get out of the arch's echos, I suggest you step out and wait at the side. It"s gonna be sunny out, but it's better than destroying your ears…I guess." Persis shot her a grateful smile, before she slipped out of the arch and leaned on the pillar, wincing as she rubbed her ears.
"-AND LET US INTRODUCE YOU TO DREW TANAKA, DAUGHTER OF VENUS!" The praetors announced, and a loud roar erupted throughout the stands. Persi winced again, but the volume did hurt less than within the arch.
A shaking Drew slowly stepped out of the arch, Riptide clutched in a bone-white grip and her scutum expanded in another, her hair tied up in a ponytail while her eyes darted left and right. Seeing her anxiety, Persi walked up to Drew and hugged her, before whispering encouraging words into her ears and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.
Drew reddened a bit, before smiling back at Persis and stepping forwards with renewed confidence.
"Drew Tanaka! Your first opponent, Immunes Daniels Grey, Seventh Cohort!" Reyna announced as a fit legionnaire stepped out of the opposing arch. Drew eyed him up, before she settled into a combat stance. Looking to her right, she nodded at Reyna, confirming she was ready, and Reyna nodded in conformation. "BEGIN!" She yelled, and both combatants began maneuvering towards each other.
Daniels was the first one to strike. His Gladius bounced off Drew's scutum, before she returned a swipe of her own. That nearly nicked Daniels, but he quickly regained his footing and made a hasty jab, easily dodged by Drew as she slashed at Daniels, who narrowly blocked the swipe with a roundish scutum. He stepped back, and Drew narrowly missed her swipe, and Daniels took advantage of this, thrusting his sword forwards. Luckily, Drew recovered quickly and smashed Riptide into Daniels' Gladius, effectively smashing the sword out of his grip and disarming him. In a last ditch effort, he lunged forwards with his shield, trying to slam it into Drew. He was easily sidestepped, and Drew stepped on his scutum before pointing the tip of riptide at Daniels' throat.
"Yield." Drew stated calmly, and Daniels curtly nodded. "And the match goes to Drew Tanaka!" Reyna announced, as the crowd roared in approval. "TIME ONE OF US CAN FINALLY FIGHT DECENCY!" One member in the stands roared, and others yelled and whistled in approval. A small chant of "VENUS" went up in between some legionnaires, and Drew smiled proudly at Persis, who smiled back.
"Next opponent! Legionnaire Lara James from the Sixth Cohort!" Reyna announced, and a section of the crowd roared in approval. "Probably the sixth," Drew thought, as she readied her shield and Riptide.
From the arch where Daniels emerged, a girl with light armor and blonde hair stepped out. She held a pilum and a curved and rounded scutum, while a Gladius was strapped to her belt. She smirked confidently, and after a curt nod from Drew, Reyna yelled, "BEGIN!"
Immediately, Drew realized she was on the back foot. Lara moved with speed and agility, as she darted around Drew, poking and prodding for weak spots in her guard. Luckily, the spear wasn't suited for close combat, and Drew quickly figured out Lara needed to keep some distance between herself and Drew to effectively fight her. So, she used this to her advantage. Putting on a burst of speed, Drew rushed forwards, shocking Lara who expected her to stay put. Her pilum was knocked out of her hand by Drew's scutum and she hastily Drew her Gladius. However, her sword work was sloppy, and moments later Lara was firmly on the back foot as Drew slashed and jabbed with agility and speed. Lara could barely parry or block the hits, and finally she was disarmed my Drew, who smashed the back of her blade into Lara's hand, and then hooking the tip of riptide under the hilt of Riptide and wrenching it out of Lara's grip.
Lara looked stunned at her sudden defeat as Drew placed the tip of Riptide at her throat. "Yield." Drew stated calmly, and Lara sighed. "I yield."
The colosseum erupted in applause as Lara grudgingly accepted Drew's hand and was pulled to her feet. "Oi, pretty girl!" A dude called out from within the arch, "you're good! Wanna date?"
"Not interested, I'm already taken you dickwad!" Drew yelled back, and snickers erupted amongst the crowd. "HOW DARE YOU BITCH!" The guy yelled out in rage as he dashed out of the Arch, but was restrained by other legionnaires. "YOU WAIT! YOU WAIT UNTIL MY TURN!" He roared as Drew stared uneasily at the dim arch, before she readied her shield and sword for another round.
The scrawny kid from the Fifth Cohort gave little resistance, and Drew took him down pretty easily. The Fourth Cohort's representative was a bit harder, but Drew still managed to win.
After the round, Reyna called for a short break, and Drew immediately went over to Persi who hugged her. "You're doing a great job," Persis said as she ruffled Drew's sweaty hair. "Just remember, the people from the Third, Second and First are tougher than the others, with the First being the best in the whole legion. Keep up your defence, and don't let them get a break." Drew smiled wearily at Persis, and she smiled back. "C'mon babe, I believe in you. Riptide is serving you well, but you should remember to parry too!" Persis said, and Drew smiled. "I'll remember to."
Just then, a horn blew and an excited buzz echoed throughout the stands. "Good luck babe!" Persis said, and before Drew turned around, gently clasped her chin and kissed her on the lips. Some legionnaires cheered and whooped, while some whole whistled and yelled out cheesy lines. Drew's face flushed red, but she quickly collected herself and walked back to wait for her new opponent.
"Next Opponent, Centurion Davison, Third Cohort!" Reyna announced, and the Third cheered loudly as they stamped their feet. Drew was slightly intimidated, but she didn't let it show as she steeled her nerves.
"Well, pretty girl, I dunno how you got through the last four but you're going down now." Centurion Davison remarked snidely, and as Reyna yelled "BEGIN!" Davison charged. Though he was burly, he had agility and strength, and Drew found herself on the back foot again as she desperately blocked and parried and dodged. The centurion was fast and strong, and Drew was beginning to believe that she was really gonna lose against this centurion. But as she kept up her defence and fought against him, she realized something-the centurion had a set amount of moves that he would keep recycling and using in a random pattern. Soon, she began to predict his moves, and she could see that he was beginning to get annoyed at how his attacks were intercepted and predicted. Hell, Drew even began to fight back. The centurion looked alarmed, but he couldn't counter Drew's moves without getting predicted, and soon it was his turn to be firmly on the back foot as Drew proceeded to dismantle his defence and disarm him with a smash to his wrist, forcing him to I drop his sword in pain. She then grabbed the rim of the shield, before wrenching it down and forcing him to the ground.
"Yield," Drew said confidently as she placed the tip of Riptide under his chin. "Nice fighting, I yield." Davison said, before he accepted Drew's hand and was pulled up by the smaller girl. The crowd erupted into chaos as everyone cheered for Drew-no one had beaten any representatives in trials from the top three legions in years, much less a centurion, who were the most skilled members within a cohort. Even Reyna began to admire this Asian-western girl as she readied for her next round.
As Centurion Davison walked away into the dimly lit arch, Reyna announced her next Opponent, "Immunes Lucas, Second Cohort!"
The crowd went wild, eager to see how this skilled swordswoman was going to take down one of the most skilled swordsmen in the Second. Drew was nervous, but she didn't let it show, instead turning her expression into one of concentration as she stared at the massive buff dude that stepped out of the archway.
"Well, well, daughter of Venus, you look quite stunning for your part, I must say." The Immunes said, smirking as he saw Drew scowl deeply. "Are you sure you don't want to take me out on a date?" The crowd was silent as Drew pointed her sword at the Immunes. "You? I'd rather get with a cyclops! At least they're big and straightforward, you fucking lump of piss and wits." The immunes turned scarlet in his rage, before he smiled. "Oh, now that's a personal insult to me. I will see you defeated on this field."
Without waiting for Reyna's command, Lucas charged. He was buff and speedy, and Drew immediately knew she couldn't hold out long against this guy. She parried and blocked, but it seems like the immunes was always a step ahead of her, able to dodge and sidestep with ease. A slight grin was on his face as he pressed his advantages, pushing her back slowly.
Drew was exhausted, and her strength was tiring after fighting off 4 cohort representatives. In her exhaustion, she began to make mistakes. Persi watched with concern as she watched her partner slowly suffer from fatigue and exhaustion. Her movements grew more and more sluggish, and even from afar Persis could see the mistakes Drew was beginning to make.
First, Drew was baited into jabbing the immunes. Luckily, she recovered in time to hastily block a swipe from him. The next time though, he managed to feint a slash and get into Drew's guard. She was lucky that she had agility on her side, and she sidestepped a stab just in time. The third time? Drew sported a long gash in her inner forearm to tell the tale.
Her sword hand basically incapacitated, Drew was forced to drop her sword and fight with her shield. Of course, that would have never worked out against a skilled fighter like Lucas, and she was quickly shoved to the ground by his relentless assaults.
"Yield." He said, a maniacal grin plastered to his face. "I yield…" Drew said, sighing in defeat. She groaned as he removed the tip of his Gladius from her throat, but she looked horrified as he raised his sword.
"You insulted me, punk. Now it's time to pay." He said, before he stabbed down.
Two feminine screams ran out loud amongst the horrified yelling and screaming of the crow in the stands.
"DREW!" Persis howled as she ran towards her girlfriend, twin blades extended as she leapt at a laughing Lucas, slamming him to the ground and sending a fist to his temple. The knuckle duster connected with his head, and he was knocked unconscious from that single punch.
Medics were already running across the field as Persi cradled Drew in her arms. "Drew, Drew, hold on. I'll try and heal you." Persi said as her hands glowed with an orange aura. Drew felt her pain lessen and her bleeding lessen, and she shot a weak smile at Persis as medics finally reached the duo. "Hey, hey, it's okay. We'll take it from here." One of the medics said to Persis, and she nodded shakily as the medics lifted Drew up onto a stretcher and ran towards the entrance arch.
"Due to…unforeseen circumstances, Drew Tanaka's trial has ended! The final match victory is allotted to Drew!" Reyna announced, and while the second cohort grumbled and protested, others cheered and yelled 'good riddance'. Persis nervously fidgeted her necklace-even though she was sure to triumph- as she awaited her turn.
"Hey…Persis?" Lani said from within the arch as they awaited Reyna to announce her entry, "from what I've heard you're a great fighter. Don't sweat it, just relax and be calm."
"I-I can't, not with an upcoming fight and certainly not when Drew's wounded." Persis sighed as she fingered her pendant once again. "Oh, come on Persis. I do not know you well, but I call assure you that Drew"s gonna be fine, and that you should relax and calm yourself so that you don't make mistakes in combat." Lani said sternly, and Persi took in a deep breath before she exhaled.
"Okay, okay." She said, shutting her eyes before they fluttered open again. "Okay."
She turned to look at the legionnaire, and smiled. "Thanks, Lani. I think I owe you one."
"Oh, no! You don't owe me anything-I'm here to help after all."
"Nonsense. Just remember that I owe you one."
Just then, Reyna announced her name, and amidst the roar of the crowd of spectators, Persis tugged on her pendant and her silver armor enveloped her. Her blue cape fluttered at the ends in the slight breeze, while her helm reappeared, strapped to her waist belt like always.
The crowd went wild as they watched the daughter of Neptune, Juno and Avesta step out in her (now) famous silver armor. The symbol of the Valkyries flashed on her chest plate, and her twin blades appeared in her hands as she allowed a small smile to grace her lips.
Persis patiently stood as she waited for her opponent to be announced. Soon enough, Reyna's voice rang clear. "Persis Jackson, your first opponent is Centurion Amanda Lewis, Seventh Cohort!" A buff girl stepped out from the opposite archway, and she shot Persis a confident smile. Persis chuckled as she readied her stance, and nodded firmly at Reyna.
"BEGIN!" Reyna announced, and in a split second, a blur of silver had reached Amanda. She could barely parry the first strike, and was forced firmly on the back foot as Persis striker relentlessly. Slashing accurately and at lethal speeds, Amanda found herself disarmed within twenty seconds.
"Yield," Persis stated calmly, as the shocked crowds remained silent. "I-I yield." Amanda stuttered, and Persis grinned before she withdrew her blades. The stunned crowd remained silent for a few more moments, before a loud cheer sounded. Soon, the crowd was in uproar, and Reyna had difficulty suppressing them. Eventually the excited crowd calmed enough to let Reyna announce Persis' second opponent.
"Brandon Arch, Centurion of the Sixth Cohort!"
Persis decimated him in ten seconds.
"Gwendolyn, Centurion of the Fifth Cohort!"
Persi readied her twin blades as the Centurion slowly advanced towards her. Both girls studied each other intently, but it was Persis who made the first move. Her first strike was a blur, with Gwen only barely managing to block it with her shield. Having recovered her senses, she began to block and parry with better coordination, but her situation was just like all the opponents before her-firmly pressed on the back foot. Gwen's scutum, while providing much needed protection, was also hindering her movement, and Persis was able to run laps around Gwen.
She lasted about 2 minutes, which was a feat in itself.
With a kick tp Gwen's scutum, she sent the centurion off balance, before initiating a series of rapid attacks and stabs, ending with her swords crossed at the base of Gwen's throat.
"Yield."
The crowd erupted into applause and cheers as Gwen yielded and stood up, before shaking hands with Persis. "You did great," Persis said with a big smile on her face, "you're one of the better ones I've fought so far."
"You're not bad either," Gwen said with a smirk. "Most don't make it past the one minute mark."
"Glad we entertained each other, eh?" Persis said, and Gwen laughed, before patting her Armored shoulder and walking back towards her archway.
The Centurions from the fourth and third were a big let-down for Persis, who was expecting a decent fight. The Fourth Cohort's Centurion fell for a feint and was defeated in under a minute, and the Third's Centurion was even worse somehow, defeated in thirty seconds.
Persis sighed as she watched the Third Cohort's Centurion limp back into the archway. She mindlessly twirled her blades as she waited for Reyna to announce her next opponent from the Second Cohort. "Another Centurion, perhaps?" Persis thought as she tapped her foot. Soon enough, Reyna cleared her throat and announced.
"Centurion Jake, Second Cohort!" The second erupted into a rowdy mess of cheering and hollering as their Centurion stepped forwards.
"Well, well, if it isn't the puny girlfriend of that pathetic daughter of Venus," he spat. "You're Lucky i didn't whoop your ass for knocking my brother out." Legionnaires from the second roared their approval, as some of the crowd jeered and booed at the unsportsmanlike behaviour.
"Oh, you shut your bloody trap. I'd like to see your smug face get beaten into a fucking pulp." Persis angrily remarked, and Jake twisted his features into an ugly sneer. "Oh yeah? Well I'll show you the power of the Second! You will suffer for hurting Lucas!" He yelled as he charged. Persis calmly stood her ground, not even bothering to get into a stance. The crowd was hushed as they watched the enraged Centurion charge Persis, who was…unarmed?
Her twin blades had turned back into rings as she casually sidestepped Jake's thrust, before an arm shot out and caught his arm, pulling the large Centurion towards the lean and seemingly unthreatening girl. Her grip was like iron, and Jake unwillingly winced as he was hauled towards her. A fist smashed into his head, and he grunted before lashing out with his own kick, which hit nothing but empty air as she continued her offence.
Releasing him from her grip, fists began raining down onto him, and he struggled to block and dodge as he ran towards his sword, which was wrenched out of his hand moments ago. But just as he dived towards his sword, Persis came out of nowhere and slammed into him, causing the pair to roll away from the sword. He let out a yell as he tried-and failed-to land hits on the nimble demigoddess, all the while taking heavy blows from her.
Jake was absolutely livid. How dare this Greek upstart try and defeat him? He growled as he leapt for his sword again, before grasping the hilt and doing a wild swing. He expected Persis to dodge it and take some swings at him again.
He absolutely did not expect her to block the blade between her forearm guards and twist it out of his grip.
Twirling the Gladius around, she grinned maniacally before thrusting the sword towards the body are of his throat, halting only when the sword cut slightly into the base of his throat.
"Yield," she calmly said to Jake.
He attempted to wriggle out from under her, but Persis planted a foot onto his chest and began increasing the pressure. He couldn't breathe, and black spots began dancing in his vision. He knew he had lost, and was utterly humiliated.
"F-fine. I y-yield." He grunted out, and Persis lifted her foot off his chest, before grabbing him up by the collar strip of his armor and hauling him to his feet.
Only to knock him out with the hilt of his Gladius.
The crowd remained silent at the display, and then promptly broke into applause-well, other than the second Cohort, which booed and jeered.
—
With Reyna
Reyna didn't know what to think of Persi.
She had watched the girl take down centurion after centurion, the best of the best from every Cohort.
She was quite frankly, stunned.
With the centurions from the seventh, sixth, fourth and third, Reyna knew that they stood no chance. From her initial encounter with Persi on Circe's island, she knew she was a phenomenal fighter, surpassing the skills of even Jason Grace. Persi's performance proved her correct, as she absolutely decimated them in minutes.
With Gwen, she was surprised that Persi defeated her seemingly with ease too. Most Tiros, including Frank, don't make it past Gwen. She was arguably one of the best fighters in the Legion.
And yet Persi defeated her in 2 minutes.
With Jake, she could see that Persi was toying with him after getting his identity. Jake was also a great swordsman, but he couldn't even face off against an unarmed Persi. And that was when she was going easy on him to enjoy the fight.
Octavian was surely gonna fail in the first 10 seconds.
But as she announced Octavia and he stepped out, she saw her stance tighten and her expression shifting to one that was calculating and guarding. Reyna wanted to laugh-why was she afraid of the scrawny augur?
And then the realization clicked. She was also lean and unthreatening. Maybe that was why she was so cautious, slowly circling Octavian as he stared at her. Maybe she was unsure whether he was just like her-unimposing on the outside, lethal on the inside.
Unfortunately for Octavian, he didn't maintain his illusion for long as he charged headlong at Persi. She immediately saw her stance soften and her expression changing into one of irritation, before she immediately lashed out and slammed her twin blades' hilts onto his head.
Octavian unceremoniously crumpled to the ground.
Loud cheers echoed throughout the arena as legionnaires and senators alike cheered at the utter humiliation of the arrogant augur who thought himself as 'higher than most'.
She had been the only one who'd defeated all her opponents. Jason came close, but he failed the last hurdle…the Praetors.
And now, she was going to face Persi head-on.
—
With Persis
"Persis Jackson has proven herself by defeating all Cohort representatives!" Reyna announced as Persis sighed in relief. The trials weren't even hard by any means-the only challenge was Gwen, and she wasn't hard to defeat by any means.
"Now, she shall prove herself again with the final challenge! She shall face off against me, the Praetor, Reyna Ramirez Arellano!"
What?
Looking at the Praetor's stands, she could see Reyna making her way towards the arena floor. She sighed mentally as she readied herself for a fight. From what she'd heard, Reyna was the only one in recent years to have defeated all opponents in her trials with ease, and was scoring to others, the best fighter to ever grace Rome.
She was looking forwards to this fight.
As Reyna walked towards the center, she shifted into a combat stance and drew her Gladius. Persis shot her a confident smirk as she willed her twin knives back into her hands, and nodded at Reyna.
In an instant, Reyna was sprinting towards her, her sword in a guarded stance. Persis rushed forwards to meet her, and their blades met in a clash of sparks. Quickly disengaging, Persis began weaving in and out of Reyna's strike range, while constantly probing for weak spots in her guard. She didn't attempt to parry her slashes and jabs, rather choosing to dodge using her superior agility.
Reyna gritted her teeth as she attempted to land hits at the agile demigoddess. She was already feeling the pressure from the relentless probing of Persis, and she didn't know if she could hold out against this impressive offensive that Persis had.
She attempted to slash and jab, but the nimble demigoddess didn't even bother parrying her strikes. Instead, she chose to dodge her hits. Reyna was infuriated by this, and she began swinging more harshly and sloppily.
Persis smiled internally at this. She was getting into Reyna's guard, and soon…she'd come out on top. Hopefully she would.
Reyna groaned as her blade swiped at air again. This fucking minx! Not only did she have good looks, but she was great at fighting too. She wondered what else this girl had in store as she blocked a downwards slash from Persis.
What she didn't notice was Persis' foot hooking around hers. Just as Persis feinted a slash, she pulled on Reyna's foot. The praetor came tumbling down, but before Persis could pin her down, Reyna kicked her back and scrambled up.
Persis chuckled. Seems like Reyna was a feisty and stubborn fighter. She was beginning to respect this Praetor more and more.
The two girls soon resumed their deadly dance, with Persis' whirlwind style fighting countered by Reyna's methodical fighting. Eventually though, Reyna began to tire out as the fighting took its toll on her, and she finally was disarmed by a particularly hard strike. Before she could retrieve her Gladius, a blade was already at her neck.
"Yield?" Persis asked, and Reyna, sighing in defeat, nodded. Persis withdrew her blade and willed them into their ring forms, before she did something unexpected-she hugged the praetor.
"Good game," she whispered into Reyna's ear and patted her back before they separated. This was the closest Reyna had been to anyone ever since she parted with Hylla, and she blushed in embarrassment…but also something else she didn't know entirely.
The crowd was on their feet as they gave the two combatants a standing ovation. As Persis turned and began to walk away, Reyna dashed forwards and grabbed her hand. "EVERYONE! Behold, the seocnd person to defeat all their opponents in the Gladiator Trials! PERSIS JACKSON!"
The crowd went wild, and Persis winced slightly at the volume that was assaulting her ears. She also felt her cheeks heat up as she savoured the contact from Reyna's soft hand. She wasn't really used to close physical contact, and for all she knew, Reyna could have grabbed her wrist. Why her hand? Persis wondered as Reyna released her soft grip.
"Um…thank you." Persis mumbled, still blushing, as she turned and walked back towards her archway. Before she entered though, Reyna yelled out behind her, "Persis! We're gonna need you, and hopefully Drew as well, at the Principia in an hour for your cohort and rank allocation! Don't be late!"
"I'll try not to!" Persis replied, and she swore a small, fleeting smile was on Reyna's lips before she turned back to walk out of the colosseum.
Hopefully Drew will be alright. She'd hate to be a runner for Reyna to give messages to Drew.
—
A/N: and chapter 12 is done!
I'm gonna start 2 side projects later on, but those aren't gonna be updated regularly-simply there to vent some creativity. You can give it a read if you want, I'm not forcing you to-those are probably gonna be shit and never completed anyway.
Anyway, this chapter was a pain to write. Mainly combat oriented and not much plot development except for the second cohort (which I plan to have something done to them in later chapters). Not my proudest chapter because I don't think I wrote good combat scenes, but hopefully I'll be able to redeem this performance with later chapters. The next chapter is probably not gonna be a long one since I'm just gonna introduce Persi and Drew to the fifth, and fill out some background of said cohort.
But that's it for me-hope you enjoy the next chapter. Looking forward to receiving any feedback.
Also, if you wish you can give me a favourite/kudos (depending on your platform). Currently I have more followers than favourites, which I think isn't exactly normal (but hey some of you might just be disappointed with my writing quality).
Hoping to see you in the next chapter!