So I have succeeded in making the chapter a bit longer. There are real paragraphs in here! I am very proud of this chapter. However, I have included a Latin word you may not know. Dii Consentes means the Olympians, it is what the Romans called them. I figured a nice twist, since I am in the Roman's point of view. Stay tuned, soon we will be seeing Percy and Annabeth! Again, I think I did great in writing this chapter. There is no action, but the end is pretty surprising; unless of course, you know some Roman History :) Now, please review people, I need opinions. I also need to know if anyone is even reading my work anymore XD So review, I am taking suggestions as well. I am open to PMs. Enjoy!
Chapter V – Reyna
"We must attack straight away! The Greeks are worn out, they aren't expecting us to attack, and we will catch them by surprise!" Octavian was saying.
"No," Reyna replied. She was angry with Octavian, angry with their situation. She had to somehow put an end to this. She was also exhausted, and she knew the other members of the Legion were as well. "We ourselves are in bad shape. We need to recuperate. If you haven't noticed, Octavian, they had a One-Hundred-Handed-One, they fight for the gods; Jupiter himself sent him here!"
"Ha! You believe that, praetor?" Octavian said praetor as if it was a joke she still help the position. That got Reyna even angrier. "It is a trick by those Greeks to decrease morale in the Legion! Why would Jupiter have us attacked when we served him so well against Krios in the Titan War? Or when we stopped that child of Neptune, Laistrygon from storming Manhattan? "
He let the question hang in the air. It was true; the Romans have served the King of the Gods, on many occasions. It made no sense that he would attack the Romans; but Reyna knew that he did. Jupiter, or Zeus, wanted this conflict to end. He had a reason. That Hundred-Handed-One could've destroyed the Legion completely. But all he did was push us back. She had to convince the other legionnaires that Jupiter DID send an attack. Than this war would end…
"You're the augur. Tell us, what have the gods told you lately? Did Jupiter tell you anything of the Hundred-Handed-One? If you are right, Jupiter would've warned us he was coming. He must've known. So since he knew, and he was on our side, he would've warned us. Or he let it be a surprise attack. Explain this, Octavian."
"They… remain silent on the subject. The gods want us to fight this was on our own. They know us capable of defeating the Greeks. Rome did it before, remember the Punic Wars? We must prove to Olympus that we are worthy Romans! For the Dii Consentes!"
The other Romans obviously agreed with Octavian. Probably because it was the easier rout to take. Easier than to believe that Jupiter, the all-powerful King of the Gods, Lord of the Skies, was against them."
Curse him, Reyna thought, does he have an answer to everything? "We will wait before attacking again," Reyna recovered from the silence, "Another day to make plans and tend to our wounded. For we have just as many wounded, if not more, than the Greeks."
Octavian bit his lip. He couldn't get out of this. If he did, he may lose the support of the Legion. He would be powerless. Reyna almost hoped he would try to convince them to go back into the battlefield. But of course, it was false hope.
"Fine; another day will give us enough time to figure out our strategy. Then, the Legacy of Greece will be destroyed forever!"
The Romans cheered, and left to go get breakfast.
Reyna was stuck in a difficult position. Octavian was becoming increasingly powerful, and she herself was losing power. If events kept going as they were, Rome would follow its history, and she spent too long, put too much effort, to prevent that.
Not only was that, but New Rome and Camp Jupiter now left almost completely defenseless so they could attack Camp Half-Blood. Gaia could send her army to destroy it at any time. Reyna knew she had enough forces to do so. With the Legion gone, it was a golden opportunity.
Why hasn't she yet? It disturbed her that the earth goddess hasn't taken the opportunity. She made it clear she wanted Camp Jupiter burned to the ground. Maybe she was waiting for Rome to destroy Greece, than with the Legion coming to return home, they will be attacked. Worn out Romans, it is even more perfect. The Romans would do half the work for her.
But not only that, if Gaia attacked Camp Jupiter, it would give her the perfect opportunity to take the Romans out of this fight, and end this war. Then she could start negotiations to end this madness…
Reyna heard Octavian and the Romans planning their next move. Instead of sticking around to hear it, Reyna decided to take a stroll around New York, which was where their base was. A Five Star Hotel called The Mark on Madison Ave.
She walked the opposite direction of Central Park, where Percy fought Hyperion. Reyna wanted to see the Empire State Building herself.
New York was magnificent, like three cities all crowded together into one. Though she stayed in Manhattan, she saw some weird stuff over in Brooklyn, like a flying boat pulled by a Griffin. Must be seeing things, she had told herself.
Reyna always knew Mount Olympus was up on the Empire State Building, but now knowing that the Greeks visited it, and quite often, made her have an entire different outlook. Was her mom up there, thinking about Reyna? Worrying? What was her opinion on this war? Was she proud? Angry? All these questions were running through Reyna's head.
She had to admit it; Reyna was envious of the Greeks.
They got to visit their parents quite often, go visit them in their home. They got to see the magnificent Mount Olympus, where the Dii Consentes lived, where her mom, Bellona, lives. Annabeth was redesigning it, redesigning her mom's palace, probably. Why did the gods have to be so distant to the Romans? Why couldn't they visit the gods?
Romans are all about fighting, war, honor, virtue; good qualities, but they must also find their own way; no gods interrupting. Reyna knew she was acting like a child, Oh, we need help mommy! Why do you help them, and not us? But it wasn't fair. Sometimes, like now, she needed help. She needed guidance. She needed a mom
While Camp Jupiter is a fortress, Camp Half-Blood was more laid back, more fun activities to take part in. No constant politics, no non-stop training. They go home during the school year. Reyna thought that maybe if the gods were more active in their lives, maybe Camp Jupiter would think about more than just war.
Does that mean the gods favor Greeks over Romans? Reyna thought. Are we just their army, just someone to help them when needed, than we are just ignored? No matter what Octavian said, she knew Jupiter had stopped the Legion from defeating the Greeks.
Why didn't Jupiter aid us? Reyna asked herself. Were Romans un-worthy in the eyes of the gods? Were the Romans less than the Greeks?
As Praetor, she must always know what to plan next, how to make the legion victorious. But if they were fighting the Dii Consentes themselves, they didn't stand a chance. One god could easily defeat all of them, even a minor god.
Reyna entered the Empire State Building.
The doorman at the desk was the only person in the room. Reyna took her chance and walked up to him.
"I need to go up." Reyna said.
"Elevator over there." He pointed over to the elevator, not taking his eyes off the book.
"To Olympus; I must speak with Ju- Zeus."
Finally the man raised his eyes from his book and studied her. "Run along kid, ain't no gods seeing mortals; Zeus's orders."
"I must speak with Jupiter at once!" Reyna quietly cursed herself. Her plan was to pass herself off as a Greek, and avoid a possibly hostile confrontation. This man could've been a Greek Demigod.
He laughed. "Roman, eh? Never any Roman try to go up before. Sorry kiddo, Zeus, or Jupiter, rather, ordered the gates closed, and because of you Romans, they are all unable to give me other orders, and I cannot ask them for a special circumstance.
What? Because of us Romans? Reyna thought.
"What do you mean, 'because of us Romans'? What have we done to hurt the gods so much?"
He laughed again, which worsened Reyna's mood, but she was also curious as to what he was going to say. Usually people, even mortal adults, hold he in high respect; she just had that look to her.
"Well, you see, you Greeks and Romans are at war with each other, once again. The Roman gods, of course, want toe Romans to win. The Greek gods want the Greeks to win. Now sense, Jupiter for instance, is both Greek and Roman, he is having his personality torn apart. Jupiter is on the side of the Romans; Zeus is on the side of the Greeks.
But not only are the gods being affected, but mortals are as well. People starting to sign petitions to secede from the Union, Texan Riots across the state. All the starting of a Civil War. Because of you Romans, all of this, Gaia is gaining strength. Though I suppose Athena's Children are to blame as well."
Our fault, Reyna thought. She had to put an end to this, no matter what.
"I didn't…" She didn't know what to say.
Than the door man picked up his book, and acted as if Reyna wasn't even there.
Reyna tried, but failed, to not sprint all the way back to the Hotel.
As Reyna walked into the dining area, the others had just finished a Senate Meeting, one they didn't wait for her on. That was suspicious…
Nobody but Octavian would look Reyna in the eye. No one said hello. No one said anything. Except Octavian, he had a triumphant look on his face.
"What… what's going on?" Reyna asked. Her voice sounded weak, so unlike a leader.
"Well," Octavian began, "We have just finished a vote! You may now call me Augustus II Reyna. I have just been given complete control over the Legion, voted in as Temporary Dictator to oversee and insure we succeed in this war against the Greeks. You are viewed as a bad leader, Reyna, and unfit to lead the Legion. You are cracking under the stress of sole praetorship, I am afraid. We are pending another vote to see if my position will be permanent. Good day, I have some plans to make."
He walked out of the room, and all Reyna could do was stare, stricken, at the spot Octavian had just left.