Hello, update! Nice to see you!
Sorry again, guys, I was at my grandparents for three days (Wednesday through Saturday morning) and they don't have wi-fi. I was going to update yesterday, but then stuff happened and the update...didn't. So, I'm updating now.
Only a few review responses today, because I have like fifty reviews for chapter 87 only and 'ain't nobody got time for that.'
Hello (guest): No, you're not the only one. I personally don't understand Pertemis at all. Who even came up with it in the first place? Really, though, I can't stand fanfics that have Percy or Annabeth with anyone but each other, because, in the words of many (well, maybe. they're at least the words of some) PERCABETH ALL THE WAY!
Annabeth (guest): Well, I don't know what others you're reading, but I really like Have A Goode Year by , The Strongest Demigod I've Ever Met by vovo16,
Leona Valdez (guest): My little sister is diabetic-she's sick right now too. Some sort of virus that has her puking, which really isn't good. But it's not bad enough that we have to take her to the hospital yet, thank the gods. I hope you're feeling okay! Oh, and who all is included in your 'we' for Iris Day? How many people did you convince to come along?
theboundseries: Thanks! For everything-the review and the suggestion. I'm going to try that; it really sounds like something that'll help me. And I like making lists (weird, right?) so it'll be fun too. The drawing might look more like weirdly-shaped blobs than anything...but hey, it works.
phoenixfyre14: YES oh my gods it made me cry. I was emotional for the rest of the day. But I was also smiling like an idiot, and kind of mad at the same time, because those producers did an awesome job on the TFIOS movie and made it super similar to the book, and that compared to what happened with the PJO movies just makes them suck even more.
tacos (guest): That's cool. I like tacos. And I can't wait to hear more about your fanfic; PM me as soon as you get your account!
drinkingthestarswithbob: Nope. Didn't kill it. We did what most young demigods are advised to do in that situation-we ran away. Also, there really isn't anywhere to hide a knife when you're wearing a bikini. It's really hot up here, too-but we keep having crazy thunderstorms like twice every week, which has never happened in summer in my memory. Mother Nature has gone insane-but I just find the wacko weather as another sign that psyochopathic Mother Earth is trying to rise and destroy the world.
And there you have it! Sorry for those who I didn't reply to-most of these guys had questions, which is why I answered them. But THANKS to everyone else, and remember the 3000 review goal-if you get there, you get a triple update!
Chapter LXXXVIII
Reyna
Reyna has all of two seconds to enjoy her victory before one of the look-outs bursts into the tent, breathing hard as if he ran the whole way.
"Monsters." He gasps, trying to catch his breath. "An army of them is gathering on the ridge."
The effect is instantaneous-everyone in the tent starts talking at once, questioning the guard, going from relaxed and easy-going to tense and ready for battle in all of five seconds.
Gwen and Dakota fight their way through the crowd to get to Reyna and Nico, and there's a brief moment of tension when Gwen trips and Dakota reaches out to steady her-apparently Gwen isn't over the fact that Dakota knew all along about Octavian and didn't tell her. She glares at him and jerks out of his grip, striding the rest of the way to where Reyna's standing without glancing at him once.
"Reyna, what's the plan?" She asks.
I don't know. Is what Reyna's tempted to say. But she doesn't-she can't. She's the leader, the one who's always supposed to have a plan.
She opens her mouth to answer, but before she can, Felicity joins them. She bows her head to Reyna, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword.
"Whatever you need, Reyna, I'm here." She promises gruffly, and Reyna understands that she's here to help. She nods to her once, gratefully, and quickly continues.
"First, I need to get this treaty to Camp Half-Blood-they have to know that we're officially allies." Reyna tells her.
"I can order some of the Fifth to escort you and Nico back there." Gwen offers, but Reyna shakes her head.
"No, Nico and I'll shadow-travel." She glances to him. "That is, if you're okay with that."
He nods. "I'm fine. I can make the trip from here to camp easy, no problem, and probably back, too, without getting too tired."
"Okay." Reyna says. "Good."
"If you don't mind me asking-why are you shadow-traveling instead of just walking? It'd help him conserve his strength." Felicity asks curiously, her eyes flickering to Nico and giving him a quick once-over before looking back to Reyna for the answer.
"If we shadow-travel, we can be there and back before anyone ever knows we're gone." Reyna explains patiently. "I don't want anyone to know I'm leaving again-that caused enough trouble the first few times around."
"Someone's bound to notice you're not in the tent anymore, though." Gwen points out.
Reyna smiles faintly, shaking her head. "No, they won't. All of us can go into the private room of the tent, and if anyone comes to ask, you can tell them that I wished to have a private conversation with you and that we aren't to be disturbed."
Felicity grins. "That's pretty underhanded, Reyna. You aren't going Greek on us, are you?"
Reyna glares good-naturedly at the daughter of Mars. "Definitely not-but going Greek wouldn't be a bad thing anyway." Her gaze flickers briefly to Nico before she can help it-thankfully, he doesn't notice.
Felicity raises her eyebrow-obviously the glance hadn't gone completely unnoticed. But Felicity's only reaction is a faint, knowing, slightly mocking smile.
"Come on, Nico, we need to hurry." Reyna says, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the private room of the tent. Gwen, Dakota, and Felicity follow close behind, taking care to make sure no one else follows them into the room.
The room in question is pretty much just a small curtained-off area of the tent, but with curtains thick enough to block almost all sound, although it only works well when people whisper. There's a small table and a few chairs inside, but nothing much else, and the only lighting is a small oil lantern in the center of the table.
Felicity closes the tent curtains behind them, and then Gwen and Dakota have a brief staring match to decide who goes outside to guard.
Dakota loses.
Nico offers Reyna his hand, and she takes it after a quick glance in Felicity's direction, grateful that the lighting is dim. It helps hide her blush.
"We'll be right back." Reyna promises. "Just make sure no one finds out that we're gone."
"We've got it, Reyna." Felicity replies, rolling her eyes impatiently. "Now hurry up. We don't have all night."
And with that, Reyna feels the shadows contract around them, throwing her into the unsettling experience of the shadow realms. It's only seconds, though, before the shadows deposit them back into the world-Nico took them to the meeting room of the Big House.
Chiron is sitting quietly in the chair at the head of the table, and he shifts in surprise at seeing them. "Nico. Reyna. What are you doing back so soon? Did something go wrong?"
"No." Reyna replies, a little breathless from the shadow-traveling. "Well, yes, in a manner of speaking, but not with the treaty. That deal is done-the Senate signed it; they've agreed. We were going to go ahead and wait until morning to send over the Fifth Cohort, but we've kind of run out of time."
"How so?" Chiron asks, tilting his head to the side curiously.
"The monster army-the one Gaea sent." Reyna explains. "It's here, gathering on the ridge."
Chiron straightens, his eyes immediately grave and serious. "Are they led by a giant?"
"One hasn't been seen-but I'd bet a hundred denarri that there's one there." Reyna says.
"Have they attacked?" Chiron questions quietly.
"No, not yet-and I don't think they will, at least not until morning, and they'll probably wait longer than that. The dark is a disadvantage to them as well, especially since they don't know the territory. But we need to prepare while we have the chance, and officiate the treaty." She tells him. "We came to warn you-you needed to know about the army."
"Your warning is greatly appreciated. The time you've given us means everything." Chiron replies. He wheels his chair towards the door-it's a little crowded in the room for him to get out of his wheelchair; he must be going outside to do so. "If you wouldn't mind, could you tell Clarisse? She's on the current guard of the statue, at the top of the hill. I need to rouse the others; they must know."
Reyna looks to Nico to make sure it's all right, and he nods. "We will." He promises, and then they fall into shadows again-he never let go of her hand, Reyna realizes. Not once.
She stumbles when they land on the hill, and Nico quickly steadies her, still not releasing her hand. His touch sends thrills through her-but she tries to ignore the feeling. She has work to do.
"Clarisse," She starts, drawing the girl's attention. "The monster army is here. They aren't attacking; not yet, but Chiron asked us to tell you."
Clarisse blinks a few times, registering the information along with their sudden appearance on the hill, and then nods. "Thanks. I'll send a few people down to him to help with things-hopefully Athena gets here soon." She adds, glancing up at the statue. "We really can't be guarding this thing while we're fighting in a battle."
"No, I daresay you can't." A feminine voice says from behind them, and Reyna whirls around to see Athena step out of the trees. "But you'll need to."
"Lady Athena." Reyna greets the goddess, bowing respectfully. Her head spins dizzily-she doesn't think she'll ever get used to seeing gods in the flesh. "What do you mean? I thought you were planning to take the statue back to Olympus with you."
Athena nods. "I was. But I believe you have need of it-'The giants' bane,' it is called. It is important to the battle you have ahead of you."
"So a giant is leading the army?" Reyna asks.
"Yes." Athena answers, confirming Reyna's suspicions. "They are led by Pelorus, the bane of Hermes. He's slightly smaller than his brothers, but cunning. He's meant to be able to outsmart Hermes' tricks and underhanded techniques. Do not underestimate him."
"I won't, Lady Athena." Reyna promises, inclining her head.
"It is not necessary to guard the statue now, although when the battle begins it is advisable to do so." Athena continues. "The army's way is blocked by the Roman encampment. They plan to fight their way through, which is another reason why your efforts of peace between the camps mustn't fail." Her eyes bore into Reyna's, and Reyna wants to look away from the goddess' intense gray eyes, but she doesn't dare. "Don't fail in this battle. Disappointing the gods would be an undesirable occurence."
"If I fail in this battle, I won't have to worry about disappointing the gods." Reyna mutters. "I'll be dead."
She could swear she sees a faint smile on Athena's lips before the goddess nods one last time and then bursts into flame, charring the grass.
"Nico, we need to go. Now." Reyna tells him briskly, still staring at the space where Athena disappeared. She sees him nod, out of the corner of her eye, and a second later, they're traveling through the shadow realms once more.
When Reyna opens her eyes, they're back in the private room of the command tent, and Felicity and Gwen are in the exact same place.
"That was quick." Felicity observes, looking appraisingly at Nico-possibly even approvingly.
"I said we'd be right back, didn't I?" Reyna asks, her tone light.
Felicity's gaze drops to her and Nico's still clasped hands, and she raises an eyebrow. Nico quickly slips his hand from hers, putting it in his pocket, and disappointment flashes through Reyna.
"How's everyone else?" She asks, starting to pace, thinking intently.
"Still panicking." Felicity replies. "Another guard came racing in and told everyone a giant had been seen with the army, just as things were starting to calm down a bit, and that set everyone off again." She snorts. "They have nerves of steel, these ones."
"They need a leader." Gwen says absentmindedly. "Without one, they're about as much use as chickens with their heads cut off."
Felicity laughs-a short bark of laughter that quickly fades to nothing but a wry grin. "That's the most apt description of the Senate I think I've heard yet."
Reyna barely hears her-a plan is forming in her mind, her thoughts churning, the gears turning quickly. We have to unite the camps...that's the key to all of this. It's the only way we can succeed. She thinks to herself. But we can't move the entire encampment into Camp Half-Blood, obviously. We can go ahead and get the Fifth Legion settled and working with Chiron to help prepare. Other than that, though, there isn't much we can do to join our camps, besides move closer. We could camp out on the edges, possibly, and move freely between both camps...but there needs to be a barrier of tents in front of the hill, guarding the statue, at all times.
We need a plan to defeat this army. Reyna thinks abruptly, interrupting her thoughts of acting on the treaty. From what I've seen, they outnumber us three to one. We can't defeat them with our usual tactics-a head-on strike. And any sort of pincer movement to box them in would spread us too thin-they'd be able to break through our front lines and fight their way to the rear.
She brings a mental map of the territory to mind. Half-Blood Hill, the hills and trees surrounding the valley, the ocean on one side. The strawberry fields-that's probably where the monsters will try to go. It's their best bet to get into the camp. They'll have to be well-protected-other than that, things will be difficult for the monster army. They'll either be fighting uphill or through the trees.
Trees. Reyna thinks, and just like that, she realizes what they'll need to do.
"What are you thinking, Reyna?" Nico asks quietly, surprising her.
"I'm thinking...that I have a plan." She answers slowly, tapping her fingers on the table top and getting lost in her thoughts. She runs through her idea again, trying to see any big holes in her plan, any flaws that'll prevent it or make it unreasonable. She doesn't find any.
She quickly exits the private room, gesturing for the others to follow her, and makes her way into the midst of the chaotic mass of panicking people in the main area of the tent. She stops by the table and looks around, waiting for them to calm down. They're Romans, after all-they should understand the importance of remaining calm in a crisis and formulating plans.
Hardly anyone so much as pauses. They continue talking over each other, everyone trying to make themselves heard, racing around from person to person, trying to act like they have things under control to reassure themselves.
"QUIET!" Felicity yells-it hardly has any effect. A few people glance their way, but nothing more than that.
Irritation burns through Reyna, and she draws herself up, glaring at the crowd of people that refuse to listen. She draws her knife and slams it hilt-deep into the table with a loud thud.
"Tacete!" Be quiet! She commands, and her voice almost echoes with power.
Everyone in the room turns to her, and shrinks at her glare.
"Sit." She orders, and they all scramble for a seat. When they've all found one, she looks them each in the eye, holding herself tall. "That army isn't attacking right this instant. By showing themselves to us, they've made their first mistake-they've given us time to prepare, and in doing so, they've already lost the battle. Romans are known for their prowess in war, their weaponry, their tactics, and their unbeatable strategic skills. When that army attacks, we'll be ready for them, and because of that, they're doomed to fail." She keeps her voice fiercely confident, not allowing herself to show any trace of doubt. "The spear is thrown-it's time to go to war."
No one makes a sound-they're hanging on her every word, and at the last sentence, their expressions visibly change, transforming from panicky and uncertain to fierce and determined. They find their weapons and rest a hand on them, whether it's sword, knife, bow, spear, or some other weapon.
"First of all, we have to make the treaty a priority. The Greeks and Romans have to be united for victory to be possible. Gwen, Dakota-you'll lead the Fifth Cohort to Camp Half-Blood." She tells them, and Gwen nods.
"Now?" Dakota asks incredulously.
"Not this very second, no, but tonight, yes." Reyna replies. "There's no point in waiting-the longer we do, the more our instability grows."
Dakota thinks about this for a second and then finally nods, albeit reluctantly.
"Felicity, you're going to gather a legion of the best soldiers and lead them into the woods." Reyna continues, turning to the daughter of Mars. She catches Felicity's gaze, and understanding passes between them-Felicity catches on to Reyna's plan easily.
"Why?" David asks insolently. "What use are they in the woods?"
Reyna closes her eyes for a moment, and then quickly turns to him. "I assure you, David, I wouldn't send soldiers into the woods unless they could be of use there. Don't imply that again, or I'll dismiss you from the tent." Harsh, but necessary-he can't doubt her. Otherwise, it'll spread through the others like plague and make the whole process of planning a war in itself.
David opens his mouth to protest and then quickly shuts it again at her look-at least he understands that she's not bluffing.
"That army on the ridge outnumbers us, at least by odds of three to one. Probably more. We aren't going to win this like we usually do-a head-on strike will just cost us more casualties than we can afford." She starts to explain.
"So what do you suggest?" Brady calls. His input surprises her-he's usually pretty quiet. But he's one of the best builders in camp-a son of Vulcan.
"Guerilla warfare." Reyna answers. "To win this, we have to have some archers in the trees-literally. Those monsters aren't completely stupid. They'll try every possible way to get past us and surround us, including sending some into the woods, no matter how difficult it is to get through them. Someone will have to be there to keep them away. Also, they can attack from the woods-random strikes at the enemy line that'll send them into chaos and panic."
"Won't that be too dangerous, though?" Lily calls, being the voice of reason as usual. "When they go to attack, they'll have to go across the field to the ridge. The monsters will see them coming."
Reyna smiles a little-Lily makes a good point, one that she's already thought of herself. "No, they won't."
Lily blinks in surprise and leans back, waiting for Reyna to continue and explain. "We're going to move the majority of our forces so that we're clustered immediately at the base of Half-Blood Hill, with woods on either side of us. They'll protect us as well as provide us with a place to strike from."
Lily nods slowly and doesn't ask another question-she's apparently satisfied with Reyna's answer.
"What about the strawberry fields?" Gwen asks.
"That's our biggest problem." Reyna admits. "They're the easiest route into the camp, so no doubt the monsters are going to try for them. They'll have to be well-protected. Maybe the children of Ceres-and Demeter-can work together to create a barrier. Either way, we'll have to set a guard there."
"We could build traps in front of our lines." Brady suggests. "Not just in front of the strawberry fields, but the tents too. They'd manage to keep the majority of the monsters from ever reaching us, if we're smart about it."
"Good. That's good-Brady, you can be in charge of that." Reyna tells him, and he nods once, agreeing to it.
It goes on like that-Reyna explaining her plan in bits and pieces, the others interrupting to ask questions and make suggestions of their own. They talk well into the night, but it's well worth it-this plan is going to win them the war.
And now, we bring you another: Tidbit From The Author's Daily Life!
In the car on the way to the library:
Me: How long are we staying? I want time to get on the computer and then more to browse for books. I haven't read any new ones in a while; I really need to find some.
Older sister: *shakes head* How long is 'a while' for you?
Me: Um...about a week. Probably more like four or five days.
Older sister: You're such a book whore, Courtney. Seriously, though, you read books in a few hours, say that you love them, and then move on to the next one in the morning.
Mom: Hey, you're right. Courtney's a book ho.
Me: Mom, I am not a- *stops suddenly in realization* Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh; you're right, I'm a total book ho, I even sleep with one under my pillow every night.
Older sister: *Laughs* See? I told you!
Younger sister: *starts chanting* Courtney's a book ho, Courtney's a book ho...
Me: Be quiet! Just because I read a lot of books doesn't mean I don't love all of them!
Mom: *laughs hysterically, beating hand on steering wheel*
Me: *suspiciously* What?
Older sister: I think the fact that you love all of them makes it worse.
Mom: *nods, still hysterically laughing*
Me: Oh, come on! If I'm a book ho, mom's an even bigger one, because she's read even more than me!
Mom: *suddenly stops laughing*
Me: And I think that's way worse, because she's married! *gasps dramatically* Mother! How dare you cheat on dad! And after all this time!
Mom: *stares fixedly at the road, determinedly ignoring me*
Older sister: *smiles happily at the fact that she can't be called a book ho because she doesn't read*
Me: *grins like a goofy idiot* Haha, I win!
This has been: A Tidbit From The Author's Daily Life!
I love you, practice running away from monsters, start random burrito fights (actually, don't, burritos hurt), and try not to anger the Ghost King (he'll send skeletons to dance on your roof)!