Hi guys. First of all, thanks to all reviewers, especially to bornlucky101, wisegirl77 and .star.x who have been reviewing regularly and positively. Also to Katherine who gave me a spectacular review. Please keep it up, reviews are the motivation to continue writing and plus, you need to let me know if I mess up. I enjoy writing and this is actually my first fic. I started tentatively, to see if I'd get any readers and the first chapters weren't as detailed as they could have been. I'm working on it now and I want to make the story the best I can, so any criticism or pointers are welcome.
This is the last part before Castra Roma. I'm really sorry for the very late update, I had a complete writer's block on Percy's chapter and things at work and school got complicated. Coming up with the challenge was hard and it ended up being reaaally long. Anyway, Hope you like it.
P.S. there is a Winston Churchill and a Maya Angelou quote in this chapter.
Chapter 9 – Roman tests and Greek demigods
The tunnel Percy went down was very different from what you would expect for the inside of a dark and lonely mountain. Instead of being lit with candles or torches, the hallway was lined with hundreds of tiny orbs that emitted a faint blue hue of light that moved backwards and forwards, filling the room with the luminescence some forms jellyfish give out in the depths of the ocean or that pearls may contain when they lay undisturbed under the sea. The soft lighting and the switching and twitching of the shades of blue made Percy feel like he were walking underwater, as if he were travelling a corridor that delved through the depths of the sea, decorated by pearls meant to guide him forward.
The tunnel filled Percy with a feeling of familiarity and comfort that soothed his nerves and replenished his strength, so that he didn't feel tired anymore. It was almost like being at home. However, at the same time, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach, made up mostly of loneliness and mixed in with worry. He was leaving his friends behind. Friends who might need his help and who might not be prepared to face the challenges put before them. They had proven to be brave and trustworthy so far, but they had absolutely no training and he had a feeling that the tests they were about to face would be heart wrenching. What if they didn't make it?
The thought made Percy feel absolutely empty. It wasn't just that he wanted to help them, that he felt the need to see them through their challenges, there was also the fact that they were the only ones who knew anything about him. They were his only friends. As far as he was aware, there was no one else in the world that he could count upon. As far as his memory went, Jamie and Liam had been with him every step of the way, for his entire existence, and this was the very first time he had ever been truly alone. The thought that his friends might not make it without his help and that he might have to go on to Castra Roma alone was simply unbearable, so much in fact, that he was actually tempted to go back on his tunnel and look for them so that he could offer his help.
Lost in thought, Percy didn't notice that his tunnel had widened greatly, so that he no longer stood in the middle of a narrow corridor. His feet started to sink slightly as he walked sedately into a stone ring filled with sand. Percy looked around and saw that he was standing in the middle of a circle surrounded by stone stands for people to watch and cheer from, like a coliseum where gladiators fight for the entertainment of others. Along the edges of the ring there were archways, one after the other, all around the rim of the circle. Water cascaded from the roof of each of them, making a curtain of water, past which Percy couldn't see a thing but through which he could feel another tunnel, leading deep into the mountain. He wondered which one he would have to take and if the choice were part of the test he was supposed to face.
Percy walked around the circle, passing his hand through some of the curtains of water, wondering what was behind each one, and if he would have to take one of them to get to his next test. He made a full turn around the circle, before returning to the very start, to the doorway he had entered from. Then, on the edge opposite him, a figure appeared through one of the curtains of water. It was a tall man, with black hair, deep black eyes and the stance of a king. The guy was extremely good looking, like a movie star would be, and he was dressed for war. However, his garments were a confusing mixture, as if someone had switched Greek and Roman war garments around, before giving them to this guy. He had the traditional roman helmet, with a short gladius sword, but he also held a large round bronze shield and bronze body armor, typically Greek instruments of battle.
"Who are you?" asked Percy. He stood warily, his hand on his ballpoint pen, in case he'd have to use it.
The man surveyed Percy slowly, looking at him with a face full of contempt. "I am Aeneas" he answered, as if that explained everything. At Percy's blank look, he continued "I was once the first lieutenant of Hector, son of Priam, and I was a leader in the war against the infamous Greeks for the city of Troy. I escaped the merciless sacking of my city at the command of the gods and I sailed to Italy where I became the forefather of the civilization that would day become the greatest empire of all time. Rome".
"But then you died" said Percy. "Like a bajillion years ago. Why are you here?"
"I live, then and forever" answered Aeneas "in the spirit of Rome. I am one of its protectors and guardians and I am one of the judges that will determine your entrance into Castra Roma. But I have never come to challenge a boy with so few chances of success as you; you might as well give up now, I do not think you have what it takes to be a true Roman legionnaire".
"Why not?" asked Percy. "You don't even know anything about me!"
"I know everything about you, Perseus Jackson" said Aeneas hotly. "I know who you are and where you come from and that is why I know you are not fit to join my city, why I think you will fail my test. Are you sure you want to continue? You could die".
"You know who I am?" said Percy. "Then tell me! I really need to know, this constant blank is driving me insane. It's important too, who I am and who my parents were. Tell me!" Percy insisted. He felt exhilarated. Maybe he could even rebuild his past life, with whoever he had led it with so far.
"I cannot tell you anything" said Aeneas. "The answers you seek are forbidden. I swore an oath never to reveal that information to anybody and a command has been issued that you not be informed of the truth yet. You will have to find the answers out for yourself".
Percy felt disappointed, and angry. This guy knew everything and he wasn't telling because of some stupid oath, and that simply wouldn't do. He was about to protest, when Aeneas cut him off completely.
"There is absolutely no point in insisting, Percy" he said. "I will tell you nothing and you cannot force me into answering. Besides, we are not here to discuss your past, we are here to test your courage and determine your entrance into camp. As we speak, your friends are facing their respective challenges and proving their valor. They are not having an easy time of it, I have never seen Roma give children such vicious trials, they'll be lucky if they survive. And, seeing that, we will have to raise the bar for you as well, won't we?"
Percy tensed and anger rose in him like a snake out of tall grass.
"Fine!" he said, madly. "Bring your tests on. Fuight me! Or bring in your monsters to fight for you, I don't care! But promise that when I'm done, you will take me to see my friends".
Aeneas laughed. "Typical" he said quietly. "You think courage is only about taking out your sword and killing. A Cyclops, a hellhound or even me. The gall of it". Aeneas frowned at him and looked frustrated. "There is so much more to courage, to true valor, Percy, and your kind never takes the time to think about it, to discipline it and learn it. You will fail and everything will be lost if you don't understand. It is time you proved if you really have courage, not just rash thoughtlessness. Come with me".
Aeneas turned around and walked to the gateway he had come from. Percy followed him to the edge of the circle and through one of the curtains of water. He expected it to lead into a tunnel that would delve deeper into the mountain and to some new underground challenge so he walked purposefully through and felt as the clear and cold liquid flowed down his back, refreshing him.
But Percy was absolutely stunned when he stepped to the other side of the small waterfall. He was suddenly standing not inside a tunnel or a dark corridor but on a green field on the side of a forest. Blinding sunlight dazzled him and the drowning heat of summer hit him with force making Percy blink and stumble for a few seconds before he was able to take in his surroundings.
He had come out in front of a small archway, at the very edge of a ridge that overlooked a small river. Ordinarily, it would have been a beautiful setting, with the river flowing quietly into a great forest, coming down from an enormous plain made up of tall grass. Except the view had been utterly ruined, in such a terrible and lasting way that the landscape would forever be marked by the collective memory of what had happened there. As Percy watched the events below him, he realized that if someone were ever to pass by that place, even if they never knew what had happened there or even cared, they would feel the gravity of the events that had occurred and be affected by them.
It was a furious and bloody battle. A small war even, waged without pause or quarter in the field and the forest below him. There were teenagers from two armies, one side dressed in red armor, the other in blue, fighting with absolute fearlessness and devotion, like the entire world depended on the outcome of the battle they were engaged in. The armies brandished swords and spears and they had violently met in the plain of tall grass next to the forest. However, the battle had soon splintered into many small groups of red and blue fighting in miniature engagements all over the field. The magnitude of the battle was such that the whole horizon was marked by small skirmishes and duels, as far the eye could see. There was fighting on either edge of the river, in the forest, in the plains, on bridges over the river and even in the sky, where flocks of pegasi converged against each other in violent crashes.
Hundreds of blazing boulders flew through the sky without pause, launched from catapults and lit on fire, making the heavens looked striped, as if they naturally alternated between clear blue sky and black and red lines of fire. The missiles curved high in the air before falling in a blazing inferno at the heart of enemy troops, causing devastation upon their ranks and creating wildfires that spread here and there, up and down the plain and inside the forest. Bodies lay strewn across the ground. Teenagers and magical creatures alike, dead or dying, lay among the tall grass or between the trees, and some floated down the river to be driven out to sea where no one would ever find them again.
Percy looked aghast at the battle. "What is this?" he asked Aeneas. "Where have you brought me?"
Aeneas looked somber as he watched the battle unfold below him, like he was remembering things. "We are standing on a place called Culp's Hill in Pennsylvania" he answered. "But the important question is not where we are, young man, but when. I have taken you to one of the most important days in our common history. Today is July 2nd, 1863. It is the second day of-
"The Battle of Gettysburg" finished Percy. "The most bloody battle in the American Civil War. But there's something wrong here. Those aren't Confederate and Union troops, these are kids, fighting with swords and magical weapons. Who are they? Why are they fighting? Why are showing me this?"
"One side is Castra Roma" answered Aeneas. "My people, my soldiers. The other side is perhaps our greatest and most despised enemy. A disorganized but powerful force. But who you fight will have to remain a mystery and that is also part of this test. You cannot ask".
"Then why am I here?" said Percy. "If you're not going to let me find anything out, what's the point?"
"You are not here to learn something for yourself, Percy. You're here to prove something to me" said Aeneas. "You're going to join the war for the Romans and prove your courage on the battlefield".
"But you just said true courage wasn't about fighting! If it's not about war then how I can I prove my courage through battle?"
Aeneas simply smiled and said "that is for you to figure out, young man". He then made a sweeping movement with his hand and Percy's clothes changed. Red armor appeared over his body, with a Roman helmet, a large square shield and a gladius sword in his right hand. His regular clothes, his watch, and his ballpoint pen all disappeared, leaving Percy feeling completely naked and unprotected. Percy noticed that the emblem on his shield was a warrior that looked very much like Aeneas himself, and Percy stared at him for a second, wondering.
"This is the uniform of a Roman soldier" said Aeneas. "The uniform of the army you hope to join by passing these challenges. One that you are currently unfit for. If you walk down the path beyond that oak, you will reach the edge of the forest and the Roman command centre. There, I have made sure that no one will doubt your identity, even though they won't know you. Look for the praetor and she will give you a mission. That will be your test. Carry out the mission your praetor gives you. Do not hesitate, do not stop, and most importantly, do not ask absolutely any questions. I will use this mission to test both your courage and your loyalty. You will have to trust your leaders fully, under complete ignorance of who you are fighting and why. I know you can lead, Percy, show me that you can follow. You have to show me you can be loyal and brave without knowing anything about your orders, other than the fact that you have to follow them. By sundown, I will know if you are good enough for Castra Roma. Good luck, Perseus Jackson".
"Wait!" Percy shouted. "Before you go, I need to know. Are we really in 1863, or is this all just in my head?"
Aeneas chuckled for a second and simply said "does it really matter?" before he disappeared through the archway, leaving Percy alone and standing over the crudest battle he had ever seen. With resignation and some temper, he trotted over to the oak Aeneas had pointed to and he climbed down a winding goat path. It led in a zigzag down the face of the ridge and made its way to the middle of the forest. There, he continued down a small forest path, as he heard flaming boulders land around him, the muffled yells of warriors and the clash of gold on bronze in the distance. After a while, he reached the edge of the forest and, just like Aeneas had told him, the Roman war centre loomed up before him close to the edge, tall and proud.
Percy walked purposefully towards it, hoping he was showing the confidence of someone returning home, rather than the insecurity of a stranger walking into a camp full of hostile warriors. He hadn't taken more than ten steps past the camp's borders before he was stopped by a group of four soldiers. They looked exhausted and their clothes were bloody, like they had just returned from the front line of battle. The second they spotted him, one of them ran towards him and grabbed his arm in an iron grip.
"You!" he spoke in a hoarse voice. "Do you come from the eastern flank? Did you see Jennifer? Is she all right?"
The guy looked a little bit crazy and Percy didn't know what to say without revealing he had no idea what the guy was talking about. He settled for a half truth. "No, I'm sorry" he said quickly. "I haven't been anywhere near the eastern flank, I haven't seen her at all".
The guy looked devastated. He murmured "oh, all right" and trudged slowly back to his group of friends, who patted him on the back and gave him some words of comfort.
"Don't judge him too harshly" said a voice behind him. Percy turned around quickly and saw a girl standing behind him. She had caramel brown hair, which came down to her shoulders, and light brown eyes, with a small pointed nose and a cute smile. She also wore some symbols on her armor, probably showing her rank. "Jeremiah's simply distraught" she continued, "Jennifer's his girlfriend, and she's been missing in action since yesterday. He fears the worst, but he's one of our best warriors so Rebecca, our praetor, won't let him leave on a scouting expedition to look for her. It's been driving him insane".
"Yeah" answered Percy. "Yeah, I understand".
The girl's face darkened at his words. "I am a centurion, soldier" she said in a harsher voice. "We may be at the command centre but we are at war and you will address me properly. What is your name and what is your legion?"
Percy was shocked. Again, he tried to think quickly. "I am Percy Jackson, Ma'am" he answered quickly. "And I'm new in this Legion, I just got here from Castra Roma. Aeneas sent me, he told me to check in with Rebecca".
"Aeneas sent you?" she asked, looking very surprised. "Oh my gods, follow me, and quickly, we're going to meet with Rebecca right now. This has to be a sign".
She walked away; heading directly for the tallest tent in the whole camp, at the top of which a red flag waved, with the shape of what he thought was Aeneas again. Percy followed her into the tent and inside they found a group of four teenagers in a furious argument over a map of the battlefield. The map itself was quite something, it was in three dimensions and it projected the position of troops and enemy movements with great accuracy.
There were two guys and two girls. The first guy reminded Percy a lot of himself, he had raven black hair and sea green eyes, but he had a much deeper tan and he was shorter than Percy, with a stockier build. He was arguing loudly, raising his voice almost to a yell at the second guy, a fierce looking teenager with red hair and black eyes who gestured dramatically as he spoke, moving his hands up and down the map. Then, there was a blond girl, with deep gray eyes, who wasn't speaking at all but was rather watching the fight with a quiet intensity, while she seemed to be working out a plan to reconcile the fighting leaders. And then, in the middle of them all, there was a girl with black hair and light blue eyes. She was pretty but her beauty was thrown to a second plane by something that hit you the second you saw her. Authority. Command. The girl gave out a feeling of power that made Percy think he would listen to whatever she would have to say and that he would obey her orders without fear.
She looked up at the caramel-haired girl and smiled. "Julia" she said, cutting the conversation between the other leaders short. "What is the matter?"
"We have a new soldier, Rebecca" she answered. "Just arrived from camp. His name is Percy Jackson and he says Aeneas sent him to our Legion".
"Aeneas appeared to you?" asked Rebecca. "He hasn't answered any of our summonses, not even in the most desperate of moments, and now he appears to you and tells you, what exactly?"
"Not much" said Percy. "Only to come here, that you would have a mission for me, something important for the battle".
The guy with the black hair and green eyes stepped in, a look of triumph in his eyes. "That is it. Aeneas must see the danger like I have, we now have a spare soldier, we need to send him down our right flank, the reports show that they might be pushing through quietly, hoping to take us from the side".
"No!" roared the red-haired guy. "The reports are inconclusive, only footprints and partial sightings from nymphs! We need as many men as we can in the front line, we have been losing ground there! We don't even know what this guy's capable of. Who is your parent?" he asked aggressively.
"I… I don't really know" said Percy.
"Great" said the red-haired guy. "Another undetermined. And you want to send a fresh undetermined kid with no experience to scout alone? We should just send him to the front; he'll be more useful there".
The girl with the blond hair intervened then. "I disagree, Zach" she said. "Aeneas must have sent him here for a reason other than simply wanting him to die in the front line. But he can't go alone, we should send him with two other soldiers, a child of Apollo and a child of Ceres, out to our right flank. They can scout there and be back by sundown".
"You want to send three soldiers?" roared Zach. "Are you insane? I'm losing men out there!"
"Yes" said Rebecca suddenly and in a tone that sounded definitive. "This changes things. I also believe that Aeneas is giving us a sign. You will go east Percy Jackson, and scout our entire right flank. Take Julia here, daughter of Ceres, and Jeremiah, son of Apollo. He'll be thrilled to have a chance to go east and search our flank. Maybe he'll even find Jennifer. Go. Don't lose time. If you meet anybody, any of our enemies, destroy them. Leave no one standing".
The guy called Zach got so upset at her words he punched an arm stand next to the table, breaking it and throwing it to the floor. But he didn't contradict her. "I'm getting out of here" he said vehemently. "I'm going to the front line where we're needed, while you discuss scouting missions and walks in the prairie". He then huffed and walked past Percy, bumping him on the shoulder as he went by, like it was all his fault.
Percy didn't say a word. He was dead curious to ask what was going on but refrained only because of Aeneas' warning, his success in the mission was on the line. He simply nodded and said "Yes, Ma'am!" before turning around and leaving the tent, with Julia following close on his heels.
"Whooa there soldier" said Julia, grabbing his shoulder as soon as they left the tent. "I'm still the commanding officer here, you are under my orders for this mission. Go to the front door and wait for me there. I'll gather supplies and find Jeremiah, we'll leave in thirty minutes. Be ready".
Percy did as he was told and thirty minutes later, he was joined by a somber looking Julia and an excited looking Jeremiah. The guy had barely cleaned up and he was still filthy with mud and blood but he looked thrilled. Percy really hoped they would find his girlfriend, it didn't seem like he could handle it if something had happened to her.
"All right, follow me" said Julia. "Stay down and fight smart. No one engages anyone without my order. We'll head north east and then make our way south, scouting the forest a mile past the river. No one does anything stupid, no one dies. If we find anything to report, we'll call it in to camp through an Iris message. Is that clear?"
They both nodded and followed her, heading straight for the forest Percy had originally come from. They travelled for a long time in silence heading consistently north east, making as little noise as possible. At midday, they stopped for rest and to have some food, mainly some bread and some flavorless cookies Julia had packed in her bag.
After that, they continued making their way down their flank, scouting for any possible enemies. Then, as they reached a rather large stream, Percy climbed a onto a tree branch and saw them. Some two hundred feet away, following the stream, there was a small expedition of soldiers, only six of them. They had obviously travelled stealthily because they were wearing camouflage clothing and were being incredibly quiet. Somehow, they had managed to come very close to the Roman command centre completely unnoticed and they were clearly up to something. They had cut down several trees close to the stream and they were using the wood and some ropes to build what could be described as a huge ballista or catapult.
They were almost done with the construction project and it wouldn't be more than a half hour before they'd be ready to shoot it and, from that distance, to hit the Roman camp. Next to the building there were several large black jars that the soldiers were careful not to touch or move too much, like they were filled with explosives. And, what was worse, they had a prisoner. A small brunette was tied and gagged on the floor several feet away from the ballista, seemingly unconscious.
Percy motioned to Julia, so that she'd come watch and her eyes widened when she saw the small force. "Those jars are filled with Greek fire" she said, sounding terrified. "If they manage to hit camp, it'll be destroyed in minutes, and everyone there will be killed. It would throw us in disarray and, without order, it would definitely cost us this battle".
Jeremiah came over as well and he actually hissed under his breath. "They've got Jennifer" he said, and there was nothing but deadly anger in his voice. "If anything's happened to her…"
"What do we do?" asked Percy, cutting him off.
"There's no time to contact camp" said Julia. "They'll be ready to fire in a few minutes, they'll never get here in time. We need to take them out ourselves".
"Let's do this" said Jeremiah. He looked furious.
At that moment, two of the soldiers separated from the main work team and, after receiving an order, they grabbed their weapons and headed into the forest.
"They're probably going to scout their surroundings. Quick, Percy, go and take them out, they don't seem very powerful. When you're done approach their base from a north, I'll take position from the east and Jeremiah will come up from the south. We will have to hit fast and hard, before they can either shoot that ballista or get to their weapons. If you take too long Percy, we'll attack without you. Be quick about it.
"What do you mean with take them out?" asked Percy.
Julia looked at him like he was stupid. "I know this is your first day, newbie" she said. "But we are at war. You heard Rebecca. Kill them. Now go, we don't have time for this".
Percy insides twisted as he drew his sword and made his way in the direction the two soldiers had disappeared to. He wasn't sure if he could handle it, he was pretty sure he had never killed another human being, or had he? Know yourself, he thought bitterly. If only.
It wasn't long before he found the two soldiers. They were resting, leaning on a tree while they drank some water from a canteen. Percy was slightly shocked when he saw they were incredibly young. One of them was probably twelve, the other could be no older than fourteen. And they were chatting animatedly, like the kids they were, without a concern in the world.
Percy hesitated. This was wrong. He didn't even know why he was fighting these kids and he was pretty sure that none of this was their fault, they were just following orders, just like he was. But there was also the test. He had to do this or else he would never reach Castra Roma, he would fail Liam and Jamie, perhaps he would never see them again.
With that in mind, he waited for them to be distracted and, when he saw the older one bend down to grab something from the ground, he charged.
With a yell, he jumped out into the middle of them and hit the fourteen year old with all of his strength, straight on his helmet with the butt of his sword. Percy heard a small crack and the kid went down, a small trickle of blood running down his forehead. He then turned on his standing. The other kid, the twelve year old, looked terrified. He drew a sword from its sheath and held it in front of him, his arm trembling slightly. Percy noticed he had blue eyes and that he looked quite innocent, like this was his first day in the field, not a hardened veteran.
It took him only a couple of seconds, a jab a feint and a sure move to the hilt of the kid's sword to send his weapon flying into the woods. Percy pointed his sword at the kid's throat, and paused. The kid's eyes suddenly hardened and resignation took over his face.
"Do it, Roman" he said. Percy was shocked at the amount of bitterness the kid evoked. His voice was a croak and there was no hope in it. He was sure he would die and he had accepted it. They stayed there for a second, and Percy's hand started to tremble. He was about to kill a boy and he didn't know why.
"Why?" asked Percy, unable to contain himself. "Why are we fighting?"
The kid looked surprised. "I don't know" he said. "It's always been this way. What I do know is that it's all your fault!"
The kid then tried to move and push Percy's sword away, aiming to throw a punch at his jaw. But he didn't stand a chance. Percy sidestepped and hit the kid in the head with his sword like he had done the other soldier, sending him to the ground, unconscious. The clearing was filled with an eerie silence as Percy stood over the unconscious forms of both soldiers and wondered what to do.
He walked around them, thinking. His orders were to kill them. He was now standing over them, they were unarmed and defenseless. He could do it, in cold blood, if he had the courage for it. But he didn't, he couldn't just kill like that, for no reason. There had to be reason.
So Percy left them there and headed for the enemy encampment. He took his position north of the ballista, well hidden behind some bushes and spotted his allies in their respective positions. He was about to give Julia the signal, when suddenly a yell broke out the previous quiet.
"Alaaarm!" rang the yell all through the forest. Percy looked to his left and saw the fourteen year old running back like a madman, screaming to his fellow soldiers. He cursed, the kid wasn't as out as he had thought. "We are surrounded!" yelled the kid. "To arms! FIRE THE BALLISTA!"
Within a second Julia yelled "ATTACK! FOR ROME!"
And all hell broke loose. The soldiers building the ballista were almost ready with their preparations, but they hurriedly picked up their swords and shields, looking around desperately for their enemies. Percy ran out of his hiding place at the same time as Julia and Jeremiah charged from the east and the south. They yelled and jumped straight into the enemy encampment. But the remaining guys were very good. They were burly and strong and they formed a semi circle in the middle of the camp, around the ballista and their prisoner, protecting themselves with their shields from and protecting their weapon at the same time, whilst giving their back to the stream. Percy saw the fourteen year old kid turn and prepare to fire a jar of Greek fire towards camp, while the other four stayed their ground, ready to face them.
He roared and engaged the two guys on the right edge, whilst Julia fought the guy in the middle and Jeremiah took care of the guy on the left. Percy dodged a spear thrust to his face, caught the shaft between his sword and his shield and broke it. The guy looked surprised and Percy used the opening to bash him with his shield, throwing him into the stream.
The other soldier yelled and slashed with his sword. Percy parried and stepped back. The guy skinny but he looked lithe and agile. Seeing himself outmatched he jumped back and pulled the unconscious prisoner to her feet putting his sword to her neck.
"Don't move" he said.
Percy didn't know what to do. Julia and Jeremiah were still fighting their respective enemies and the fourteen year old seemed almost ready to fire. There wasn't enough time to attack the soldier before he killed Jennifer and he didn't have time before camp was destroyed. Percy looked around and he saw the stream flowing strong behind his enemies. It called to him, beckoned to him. He concentrated on it, willing it to move, to help him. Suddenly, the small river rose out of the water and thousands of gallons rose in the air behind the blue dressed soldiers. They crashed into the camp violently, toppling the ballista sideways just as the fourteen year old fired. Instead of going over the trees, the Greek fire hit the forest just below the tree line and making it catch fire.
At the same time, the huge wave hit the soldier holding Jennifer and Percy as well, sending him flying into a tree and making him lose his sword and shield. Percy stood up quickly and saw the soldier running towards Jennifer, sword in hand, aiming for her neck. Without thinking, Percy stood up and jumped between the soldier and the girl, covering her with his own body. He saw the sword coming and felt the thump when it hit the middle of his breastplate.
Jeremiah yelled as he took down the soldier he was fighting and he ran towards the fourteen year old and the remaining soldier. When they saw him, they ran, leaving a sword stuck in Percy's breastplate, an overturned ballista, their beaten friends, and the forest on fire. Percy took out the sword, expecting to see blood flowing from his chest, except there was nothing, he didn't seem to be hurt.
"Damn good breastplate" he muttered.
"Come on!" yelled Jeremiah before he shot off in pursuit of the enemy soldiers.
Percy snapped out of it and ran behind Jeremiah, heading into the forest. There, they separated, Percy following the fourteen year old kid and Jeremiah going for the remaining soldier. However, just as Percy was about to catch up to him, he saw an archway, just like the one he had entered from. Standing next to it was Aeneas and he was staring at him.
Percy walked over to him and, without a word, stepped through the archway. When he went through, he returned to the circle of sand, surrounded by the stone stands and the archways of water.
"You have failed" said Aeneas. "I didn't even see the point in leaving you there for any longer. You were supposed to follow orders, to the letter. You disobeyed your command and jeopardized your fellow soldiers. You are hereby dismissed from Castra Roma".
A small dark hole opened up inside of Percy. He had messed up and really, looking back on it, he wouldn't have done anything different. Maybe he was just wasn't meant to be in Castra Roma. Percy was about to take off his broken armor and turn and leave back the way he had come, when they were interrupted.
"No. He is not yet dismissed" said another voice. Percy turned, he saw the figure of a woman, with brown hair and a stern face, walking towards them.
"Roma" said Aeneas. "What are you doing here? This was my hero to test, you are not needed here".
"Perhaps" said Roma. "But, as one of the judges, I can vote on his entry into Castra Roma. The test was unfair, Aeneas, and he did show courage. Courage is what it takes to stand up and act but it is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Percy showed the latter. There was no cowardice in his actions".
"Maybe. But what about loyalty?" countered Aeneas. "He disobeyed his orders! Legionnaires are expected to follow them, always".
"There were exceptional circumstances" argued Roma. "And you have to take into account his… origins. I vote he enter Castra Roma".
"You cannot overrule me" said Aeneas angrily.
"But I can tie the vote" said Roma. "We'll need her to settle the issue".
"Who?" asked Percy.
"Usually, either Aeneas or myself will judge and admit new heroes into camp" said Roma. "But on complex cases such as yourself, every few hundred years or so we disagree and we recur to a goddess to give a third vote, settling the dispute".
"But who?" insisted Percy.
"Me" said a fourth voice from the darkness.
Percy turned around and looked at the new arrival. It was a young girl with brown hair and deep eyes. But her eyes were made of flames, deep red and moving, filled with warmth and kindness.
"I am Vesta" she said. "Goddess of loyalty, of home, of family and of the hearth. It is good to see you again, Percy Jackson".
Percy felt an electric shock as he saw her. He had seen this goddess before, only not exactly. Something pulled at his memory and his head started to hurt as he strained to figure out who she was.
"You present a complicated case, Percy" she went on. "Your nature is profoundly at conflict with the ideology of the homes I protect in Castra Roma. Allowing you into camp would make you clash with almost every institution I represent. But you are a worthy hero and you have shown courage and a degree of loyalty, to your friends and teammates, you were ready to give up your life for that boy's girlfriend".
"So…" said Percy. "Did I pass?"
"No" said Vesta. "I think you failed the test in the way Aeneas designed it. But I'm not ready to turn you down yet, either. You will be allowed into Castra Roma under probation. I haven't made up my mind yet about you. I will be watching you closely. Do not make me regret this decision".
"I won't" said Percy. "Trust me."
"One more word of caution, Percy" said Roma. "You saw something terrible in our past, something that may be destined to happen again. Know that history, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, it need not be lived again. Always remember that".
Percy nodded without saying anything. Aeneas looked angry but he simply waved his hand again and Percy's clothes changed back to his regular outfit. At the same time, the water that cascaded from the archways around them disappeared, revealing a rock wall behind each of them. Across the circle, one of them opened sideways like an elevator door, revealing sunlight behind it.
Roma, Aeneas and Vesta disappeared then, in a flash of light. Percy stared for a few seconds at the place they had just been, before making his way to the door that had opened for him. He took a deep breath and stepped through into bright sunlight.
So that was chapter 9. I don't think it was my best test and it was kinda long but I hope you liked it. Please review. I'll take all the criticism you've got. Next chapter's in Castra Roma and that'll be easier. I'll try to make a chapter a week at least. Bye. WPR.
P.S. I might be moving the structure of the tests a bit this week, but nothing major.