Emily and Arabella joined Nico in the observation tower a hundred yards away and all three of them have binoculars. She looked towards of where Frank was, she remembered what Hera told her when she appeared to Jason and herself at the big house and she told Emily she already meet all eight but one. When Frank come along to Camp Jupiter that Hera appeared to her in a dream and told Emily of who the eight were and told her to inform Phil, Aubrey, Bucky, Steve and Lauren since they the other five that were to help and fight along the eight. The six of them were not part of the eight but apparently they have a part to play in the prophecy of which was to make sure the camp work together. All of them were leaders or were part of a team at one point or still was and managed to bring together teams that fought together. Emily figured that Hera hoped with their knowledge and experience that they could help smooth things out with the Romans and Greeks.
It was during that dream that Hera told Emily of what Frank could do but he has to learn it himself. Hera even brought up that he bears the curse of Meleager, that was one of the first things that Hera told Emily in her dream and Emily was filled with panic when Hera said that. For she knew what that meant, that Frank has too many gifts, Emily also has too many gifts too but hers came over the years from blessings of different gods. But Frank was born with his gifts, there was a huge difference between her and Frank. Emily doesn't use all of her blessings, she never used Hecate's blessing or not really. For she used it a couple of times to trick a mortal when the mist wasn't working like it should, besides Emily only got that blessing because of Hogwarts. Emily looked away from Frank and looked at the fort that they would try to storm, it was one of the better forts that the romans built. It was a stone fortress with iron portcullis, guard towers, scorpion ballistse, water cannons and other things.
The cohorts, that were attacking the fort, formed rank. The third and fourth cohorts assembled as far as possible from the fifth, Emily felt her blood boil. Ever since the fifth cohort lost the eagle that life never be fair for them, things were worse for Camp Jupiter since than. Emily could understood that the Romans were not thrilled about losing the eagle but they really shouldn't blame the whole fifth cohort just because of one stupid demigod that refused to listen. Reyna was high above on her Pegasus, Skippy, ready to play referee. Half a dozen giant eagles flew in formation behind her, the eagles were for ambulance airlift if necessary. In many ways, war games was like capture the flag but in many ways it wasn't for it wasn't played in a forest for one thing. Emily saw Frank checking Percy's armor to make sure Percy done it right, Emily knows that Percy did do it right for he put enough armor to know how. Emily noticed Percy's sword, riptide, in his hand for it was not hard to miss just like Jason's sword was not that hard to miss in Camp Halfblood, even Emily's and Nick's Stygian iron swords stood out.
The only thing that wasn't regulation was Percy's glowing bronze sword—not Imperial gold, and not a gladius. The blade was leaf-shaped, and the writing on the hilt was Greek. Horns blew, she watched Dakota and Gwen walked back from the other officers, of the third and fifth cohorts, back to their cohort. Emily watched as Gwen gave orders to the fifth cohort and the fifth cohort broke rank to soften the defense of which was usually the case. Emily noticed that Frank, Hazel and Percy went to the weakest point and were using tunnels to get there. Emily smiled slightly, she remembered the labyrinth, she wished that they could have used Hazel for the labyrinth. Since she could direct the tunnels and such, Emily could have but she was unsure if she would have been able to do it. She wasn't sure if Hazel could do it either and she wasn't sure if she wanted Hazel to try. When the three of them were in the tunnel that Emily couldn't see them for the time being. There was another explosion and a minute later, Hazel, Percy and Frank popped out of a hole near the east wall.
The first and second cohorts, that in the fort, were attacking the main force of the fifth cohort I front of the gate. One of the water cannon discharged and water made a trench in front of the fifth cohort. What made Emily rather mad, as she watched this, was that the third and fourth cohorts were not even advancing. The third and fourth cohorts just stood back and laughed, as they watched the fifth cohort get beat up. For the past few months Emily told them to attack and act like a legion of which they didn't most of the time. Emily watched as Frank shot an arrow with a rope attached to it, than some of the defenders saw Frank, Percy and Hazel. They turned one of the water cannons at the three of them, when the defenders did that, that Emily smiled for she knows that was a bad idea and a mistake on the defenders part. Emily saw Percy raised his hand as one of the defenders was about ready to shoot the water at them from the cannon. KA-BOOM! Emily, Nico and Arabella cheered when the noise was made for they knew that was going to happen from the moment that the cannon was aimed.
The cannon, itself, exploded in a starburst of blue, green and white, the defenders screamed as a watery shock wave flattened them against the battlements. It was so funny to watch, she wished that she was there playing in the war game right now, that she was with Hazel, Frank and Percy. Nico, Emily and Arabella started laughing as the defenders started struggling or fell from he walls from the water wave. Eagles snatched up the kids and carried them to safety, the entire eastern wall shuddered as the explosion backed up through the pipelines, so that each and every water cannons exploded. The scorpions' fire were doused from the water, many of the defenders were confused from the sudden change in plan. Some of the defenders were tossed through the air giving the eagles quite a workout, the fifth cohort forget about their formation and lowered their shields to stare at the chaos. As the chaos went on that Emily put her hand out in front of her and looked at Arabella and Nico before she spoke.
"For Greece!" Nico and Arabella smiled, Nico put his hand over Emily's hand, Arabella put her hand over Nico's hand, than Emily out her hand on top of Arabella's hand. Nico and Arabella followed suit once more, Emily counted to three and when she reached three that Nico, Arabella, and Emily yelled at the same time but no one could hear them due to the chaos at the fort.
"For Greece." They lifted their hands in the air before high five each other. When Emily looked back towards the fort that she saw Frank climbing up the fort with the rope from his arrow. The fifth cohort started attacking once more after they figured what happened when the chaos happened. Emily smiled as she watched the fifth cohort, they were fighting like how they used to before the eagle was lost. That was a really nice change, she seen how the fifth cohort fight before the eagle was lost, the fifth cohort was the best cohort at one point. Hazel followed Frank and than Percy climbed last into the fort. As Frank, Percy and Hazel fought that she saw that they fought like a team, it was like watching Percy, Annabeth and Grover fighting monsters. During this that the third and fourth cohorts called a battle cry and went to attack, after realizing that the fifth cohort got inside. Emily Nico and Arabella cheered as the first and second cohort, the 'oh so' pride of Camp Jupiter, fell apart under the assault of being on the losing side for a change.
Part of the defenders problem was Percy of who was fighting like a demon, he was fighting in what the Romans would think was an unorthodox manner and style. But in truth it was the Greek training that Percy was using, in other words it was the Greek style at Emily, Nico and Arabella used. Though Emily knows how to use legion fighting if and when she needs to use it, of which is hardly ever. Percy kept rolling under the roman's feet, slashing his sword instead of stabbing like a roman would do, whacking campers with he felt of his blade of which caused mass panic. The senior centurion of the first cohort screamed in a shrill voice of which was sad for a roman to do in a middle of a war, even if it was a game. Thankfully Percy put a stop to it by somer saulted over a line of shields and slammed the butt of his sword into the helmet of the centurion and the centurion collapsed like a sock puppet. As the fifth cohort fought that Emily, Arabella and Nico started chanting one word.
"Graecus! Graecus! Graecus!" Than Hazel rode Hannibal into the room with the banners and came out with Percy and Frank on the back of Hannibal with the two banners. The fifth cohort formed ranks around them and together they paraded out of the fort, Emily and the other two cheered as they left the fort. Out of the corner of her eye that she noticed the centurion that Percy knocked out was up and he was behind Gwen of who hadn't noticed him. Than he stabbed her from being with the pilum he was holding it was than at she heard Reyna say the game was won and to assemble. As the groups regrouped hat Emily shadow travel in front of the Romans, when she appeared in front of them that they stopped. The one centurion just left the fort and stopped just outside of the fort, Emily pushed back the Romans and marched over over to him and grabbed him by his armor and pulled him away from the fort. The Romans backed away as Emily spoke to the centurion.
"Explain yourself."
"I don't know what you ... " Emily shook him when he said that and she yelled at him.
"DON'T LIE TO ME NOW, I SAW WHAT YOU DID, YOU STABBED GWEN IN THE BACK AFTER THE GAME WAS WON!"
"Ambassador, you can't claim he did such a thing ... " before Reyna could finished that Nico spoke from just inside the fort
"Oh yes she can." Nico and Arabella walked out of the fort and between them was Gwen on a stretcher and they set up her down. There was a pilum sticking out of her armor and there was blood everywhere, the Romans ran over to Gwen as Reyna walked over to the centurion and looked him at the eye.
"Why did you do it?" The boy glared at Reyna.
"The game was still going on!"
"No it wasn't and you know it." Emily touched his forehead and pulled her hand back as a shadow emerged and a memory was replayed. Frank, Percy and Hazel were getting off of Hannibal as the centurion stabbed Gwen in the back. When the shadow disappeared that the centurion was shaky badly now. Emily glared at him and spoke.
"Explain yourself." He kept his mouth closed, Emily took off her necklace and swished it and put her sword against his throat. "Tell me now or I will make sure you will get a worse punishment than the last augur." At that he seem to regain his voice.
"The game was unfair." Emily put the sword more against his throat so that blood appeared on his throat.
"So you took a life because a game was unfair. News flash, life is not fair. Honestly you wish you would have killed yourself and have your worst nightmare come true in the after life, I am telling you now that your life and afterlife will be worse than anything you can think of." Before Emily could say or do any more that Nico shouted.
"Emily!" Emily turned around and she lowered the centurion down but her kept an arm around his shoulder and kept her sword against his throat. Emily gasp slightly as Gwen's life aura suddenly come back and than she gasp as Gwen opened her eyes. Everyone took a step back from her, even Arabella, Nico and Emily. Emily looked at Nico and Arabella and they looked at her. They all knew death was captured but the last thing they expected was for GWEN to come back to life. When Emily looked back at Gwen that the color was returning to her face.
"Wh-what is it? What's everyone staring at?" Than a medic spoke up from behind Frank.
"There's no way. She was dead. She has to be dead." Gwen tried to sit up but couldn't.
"There was a river, and a man asking…for a coin? I turned around and the exit door was open. So I just…I just left. I don't understand. What's happened?" Everyone stared at her in horror, no body tried to help her till Frank knelt next to her.
"Gwen. Don't try to get up. Just close your eyes for a second, okay?"
"Why? What—"
"Just trust me." Gwen closed her eyes, Frank grabbed the shaft of the pilum below it's tip. Emily could see Frank's hands were shaking. Than he looked at Hazel and Percy.
"Percy, Hazel—help me." It seemed that one of the medics and everyone else realized what he was thinking.
"Don't! You might—"
"What? Make it worse?" Than Emily spoke.
"It will only be worse if it remains there." Frank took a breath as Percy and Hazel hold Gwen steady.
"Hold her steady. One, two, three!" Frank pulled the pilum out from the front and Gwen didn't wince and the blood stopped quickly. Hazel looked down at the wound, Emily looked at it, there was no hint that there was wound at all. Expect for the broken armor and weapon, that was all the proof there was now.
"It's closing on its own, I don't know how, but—"
"I feel fine, What's everyone worried about?" With Frank's and Percy's help that Gwen got to her feet, Frank glowered at the centurion that Emily was holding. She was sure that if Nico, Arabella, and Emily hadn't seen of what happen that the centurion would be smirking.
"Gwen, there's no easy way to say this. You were dead. Somehow you came back."
"I…what? How—how?"
"Good question." Reyna turned to Nico, Arabella and Emily. "Is this some power of Pluto?" Emily shook her head when Reyna said that before she spoke
"Pluto never lets people return from the dead." Before Emily could say anything more that there was a thunderous voice rolled across the field.
'Death loses it's hold. This is only the beginning.' Campers drew weapons, Hannibal trumpeted nervously, Skippy reared almost throwing Reyna off. Emily kept her hold on the centurion of who tried to get away from her hold.
"I know that voice."
Emily shook her head when Percy said that, Emily knows why that voice sounded familiar to him, for Emily knows the male's voice all too well and it was one of the last people she didn't want to see. In the midst of the legion, a column of fire blasted into the air. Everyone scrambled backwards as a huge soldier stepped out of the explosion. The soldier was ten feet tall and was dressed in Canadian forces desert camouflage, he radiated confidence and power. His black hair was cut in a similar manner as Frank's hair, his face was angular and brutal, his face was marked with old knife scars. His eyes were covered with infrared goggles that glowed from the inside, he wore a utility belt with sidearms, a knife holster and grenades, in his hands was an oversized M16 rifle. While everyone but Emily and Frank took a step back that Frank took a few steps forward while Emily remained where she was standing. Frank took three more steps before he knelt down in front of Mars. Everyone followed Frank's lead but Emily and Percy.
"That's good. Kneeling is good. It's been a long time since I've visited Camp Jupiter." Frank must of notice Percy not kneeling, Percy was glaring at the solider.
"You're Ares, What do you want?" Emily snorted when Percy said that, Mars looked at her for a moment before he looked back at Percy. There was a collective gasp that came from the Romans that was gathered, Mars bared his teeth at Percy.
"You've got spunk, demigod. Ares is my Greek form. But to these followers, to the children of Rome, I am Mars—patron of the empire, divine father of Romulus and Remus."
"We've met? We…we had a fight.…"
"I fight a lot of people. But I assure you—you've never fought me as Mars. If you had, you'd be dead. Now, kneel, as befits a child of Rome, before you try my patience." Around Mars's feet that the ground boiled in a circle of flame.
"Percy, please." Percy didn't look to happy but he knelt at any rate, Mars seem happy with Percy kneeling, but he didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that Emily wasn't kneeling. When Percy knelt that Mars looked over at Emily and gestured her forward of which she did with the centurion at she was holding. When Emily reached Mars that he lowered himself and looked at the centurion before he spoke to the centurion.
"You have shamed Rome toward boy. What do you have to say for yourself." The centurion lowered his head and said nothing. Mars looked at Emily before he spoke. "Princess, I spoke with your father before coming here. I asked him to give this roman to be put under my care as one of my died and I will make sure he will pay his price for what he has done to Rome this day. For do a dishonorable act against Rome and it's people." Emily bowed slighted to Mars, to show that she respected of the choice that her father decided with this roman. Honestly, she couldn't think of a much better fate for this centurion than to serve Mars or Ares, whichever one, for the rest of his life.
"Sounds fair enough, Lord Mars." Emily let go of the centurion. Before the centurion could move or say anything that Mars touched his forward so that the centurion become a skeleton. There was a gasp that came from the Romans once more as Emily stepped back but she remained standing. Mars merely nodded to Emily, as Mars stood up that the skeleton sank into the ground below and Mars scanned the crowd.
"Romans, lend me your ears! I've always wanted to say that. I come from Olympus with a message. Jupiter doesn't like us communicating directly with mortals, especially nowadays, but he has allowed this exception, as you Romans have always been my special people. I'm only permitted to speak for a few minutes, so listen up." He pointed to Gwen. "This one should be dead, yet she's not. The monsters you fight no longer return to Tartarus when they are slain. Some mortals who died long ago are now walking the earth has been chained. The Doors of Death have been forced open, and no one is policing them—at least, not impartially. Gaea allows our enemies to pour forth into the world of mortals. Her sons, the giants, are mustering armies against you—armies that you will not be able to kill. Unless Death is unleashed to return to his duties, you will be overrun. You must find Thanatos and free him from the giants. Only he can reverse the tide." Mars looked around at the gathered romans. "Oh, you can get up now. Any questions?" Everyone rose, Reyna approached the god followed closely by Lee-Ann. Reyna bowed once more before she spoke.
"Lord Mars, we are honored."
"Well?"
"Well, Thanatos is the god of death, the lieutenant of Pluto?"
"Right."
"And you're saying that he's been captured by giants."
"Right."
"And therefore people will stop dying?"
"Not all at once, But the barriers between life and death will continue to weaken. Those who know how to take advantage of this will exploit it. Monsters are already harder to dispatch. Soon they will be completely impossible to kill. Some demigods will also be able to find their way back from the Underworld—like your friend Centurion Shishkebab."
"Centurion Shishkebab?"
"If left unchecked, even mortals will eventually find it impossible to die. Can you imagine a world in which no one dies—ever?"
"But, Lord Mars, if we can't die, isn't that a good thing? If we can stay alive indefinitely—" Emily looked at Lee-Ann as she said that, she didn't understand that not dying was not always the best thing.
"Don't be foolish, girl! Endless slaughter with no conclusion? Carnage without any point? Enemies that rise again and again and can never be killed? Is that what you want?"
"You're the god of war. Don't you want endless carnage?" Emily looked over at Percy, sometimes she wondered if Percy had a brain, just like if he meet Harry of which she doubts.
"Insolent, aren't you? Perhaps I have fought you before. I can understand why I'd want to kill you. I'm the god of Rome, child. I am the god of military might used for a righteous cause. I protect the legions. I am happy to crush my enemies underfoot, but I don't fight without reason. I don't want war without will discover this. You will serve me."
"Not likely." Mars just grinned when Percy said that.
"I order a quest! You will go north and find Thanatos in the land beyond the gods. You will free him and thwart the plans of the giants. Beware Gaea! Beware her son, the eldest giant!" Hazel made a squeaking sound when Mars said that, Emily looked at Hazel but Hazel was looking at Mars.
"The land beyond the gods?" Mars stared down at Hazel his grip tightening on his M16
"That's right, Hazel Levesque. You know what I mean. Everyone here remembers the land where the legion lost its honor! Perhaps if the quest succeeds, and you return by the Feast of Fortuna…perhaps then your honor will be restored. If you don't succeed, there won't be any camp left to return to. Rome will be overrun, its legacy lost forever. So my advice is: Don't fail."
"Um, Lord Mars, just one tiny thing. A quest requires a prophecy, a mystical poem to guide us! We used to get them from the Sibylline books, but now it's up to the augur to glean the will of gods. So if I could just run and get about seventy stuffed animals and possibly a knife—"
"You're the augur?"
"Y-yes, my lord."
"Anyone got a pen?" Everyone stared at Mars when he asked him that question, than he sighed.
"Two hundred Romans, and no one's got a pen? Never mind!" He slung his M16 onto his back and pulled out a hand grenade, there were many screaming Romans. Than the grenade morphed into a ballpoint pen and Mars began to write. Emily saw Frank mouth to Percy asking if his pen could do that and Percy mouthed back no and shut up. Emily snorted when she saw that. "There!" Mars finished writing and threw the scroll at Lee-Ann. "A prophecy. You can add it to your books, engrave it on your floor, whatever." Lee-Ann read the scroll.
"This says, 'Go to Alaska. Find Thanatos and free him. Come back by sundown on June twenty-fourth or die.'" Emily was close of rolling her eyes when Lee-Ann read that, she should have expected that from Mars. Oddly enough, she prefers Mars over Ares any day, most of the other gods that she prefers their greek aspects.
"Yes. Is that not clear?"
"Well, my lord…usually prophecies are unclear. They're wrapped in riddles. They rhyme, and…" Mars took off another grenade from his belt.
"Yes?"
"The prophecy is clear! A quest!"
"Good answer. Now, what else? There was something else.…Oh, yes." Emily knew what was going to happen when Mars turned to Frank. "C'mere, kid." Frank walked forward, it seemed to be against his will. "Nice job taking the wall, kid. Who's the ref for this game?" Reyna raised her hand.
"You see that play, ref? That was my kid. First over the wall, won the game for his team. Unless you're blind, that was an MVP play. You're not blind, are you?"
"No, Lord Mars."
"Then make sure he gets the Mural kid, here!" As Mars yelled at the legion that she looked at Frank of who looked like he wanted to melt into the dirt. "Emily Zhang's son. She was a good soldier. Good woman. This kid Frank proved his stuff tonight. Happy late birthday, kid. Time you stepped up to a real man's weapon." Mars tossed the M16 at Frank, as the gun was in midair that it changed till Frank caught of which changed into a spear. The shaft was imperial gold but the point was white bone flickering with different light. "The tip is a dragon's tooth, You haven't learned to use your mom's talents yet, have you? Well—that spear will give you some breathing room until you do. You get three charges out of it, so use it wisely. Now, my kid Frank Zhang is gonna lead the quest to free Thanatos, unless there are any objections?" No one said anything, many of the campers glared at Frank with different emotions, envy, jealously, anger and bitterness.
"You can take two companions. Those are the rules. One of them needs to be this kid." Mars pointed at Percy. "He's gonna learn some respect for Mars on this trip, or die trying. As for the second, I don't care. Pick whomever you want. Have one of your senate debates. You all are good at those." The god's image flickered and lightning crackled across the sky. "That's my cue. Until next time, Romans. Do not disappoint me!" The god erupted in flames and he was gone. Reyna turned toward Frank, Emily noticed her expression was part amazement, part nausea. Than she raised her arm in a roman salute.
"Ave, Frank Zhang, son of Mars." The whole legion followed her lead, Emily looked at Frank with pity, if he was Greek and he was still the same she would feel worse. Honestly Mars was Mars better than Ares, however Mars didn't give him a good birthday present, what Frank got for his birthday was a death sentence.