Smut Warning
The Forgotten One
Chapter Fourteen: The Last One
Camp Jupiter was in chaos.
Legionnaires were running around, carrying weapons, armor, vials of Greek fire, and chariots. An elephant was being outfitted with armor, though the animal was so excited that he was making the job difficult.
The Legion was comprised entirely of adults and purple ghosts. Dozens of wolves were running up and down the line, barking and howling to one another. Siege towers were being erected, and scorpions and ballistae were set up along the boundary line.
Sorus stood on a marble wall near the Garden of Bacchus. His helm was tucked under one arm, letting his dark hair blow in the wind. His shield was strapped to his back and his swords were attached to his belt. His armor gleamed in the sunlight, and he took a deep breath.
Next to him, a statue exploded into existence.
"Hello, Terminus," he said dryly.
The marble statue looked irate. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.
Sorus cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"Why are you here?" the statue asked, again.
"Your camp is under attack. I'm here to make sure that it's still intact by the end of the day."
The statue god scowled. "And what makes you think we want your help?"
Sorus opened his mouth to respond, but a low growl came from somewhere to his left, and a large chocolate red wolf jumped out of the bushes. "That is enough, Terminus," she said, without moving her lips.
"But—"
The wolf growled again, and the god shut up. She turned to Sorus. "Thank you for coming, my lord."
"You're welcome, Lupa," he said, with a nod. "How long until Caligula arrives?"
"Soon," she said. "Minutes, if my scouts are to be believed."
"How many?"
"Too many. My scouts reported seeing siege towers, cavalry, a battalion of monsters, and even more half-bloods."
"And Caligula?"
"He will be leading his army from the rear, so there is little chance of seeing him yet."
Sorus thought for a moment. "Who is the ranking officer here?"
"Legate Procter," she said. "She is in the forum with the other officers."
Sorus nodded. "Thank you. Benediximus, Lupa."
-o-
The Legate was a tall woman with dark hair, nut-brown skin, and green eyes. "You," she said when he entered. Around her, her officers gripped the handles of their weapons. She stopped them with a gesture. "I know you. You were here when that giant attacked Camp."
"Polybotes," Sorus said.
"Yeah, him. You said your name was Sonas, right?"
"Sorus."
If she looked abashed, she didn't show it. "Why are you here?"
"You camp's under attack. I've come to help defend it."
She raised an eyebrow. "How can you help us?"
"The one leading the attack, Caligula, found a way to make himself immortal. As it happens"—he summoned the Spear of Diomedes—"I have a way to reverse that." When she didn't look convinced, he added: "I swear upon the River Styx, I am here to help you."
Thunder rumbled above, and Procter nodded. "Fine. You'll be in command of the archers. The first wave will be here soon. Good luck."
-o-
The first wave came in the form of cavalry—lightly armored demigods wielding Celestial bronze and Imperial gold weapons, screaming for blood. Behind them were a horde of monsters—cyclopes, Laestrygonian Giants, hellhounds, empousai, and others. Siege towers were there too, and mortal tanks and helicopters.
Caligula isn't messing around. Sorus donned his helmet and looked at the ranks of troops. In the front were a phalanx of shields and spears, several rows of highly armored veterans. Behind them were around four dozen archers wielding longbows and equipped with quivers of hundreds of arrows. Taking up the rear were the Lares, their armor glittering purple. They stood in front of the city limits, the last line of defense. Around them, the statues of Terminus began to glow white, a sign that he was preparing for battle. Lupa and her wolves stood with the Legion, ready to defend their home.
Legate Procter stood with the shield wall, her golden armor catching the light of the sun. The shields were polished and shiny, and they seemed to glow white in the sun. Hopefully it will catch in the enemy's eyes, Sorus thought. Then we won't have to worry about their charge as much.
"Romans!" Legate Procter called, voice carrying over the Field of Mars. "Hold the line! Let none of them through!"
"Ave, Legate!" the Legion chorused.
"Archers," Sorus called, "notch and hold! Wait for my signal to release!"
The archers moved as one, drawing their arrows and readying them for fire. The enemy was close, now; it would only be a few more minutes before they were upon them. "Ready!"
The archers pulled back their drawstrings as hard as they could.
"Aim!"
They pointed their arrows upward, at an angle. The enemy was close now. Sorus could hear their taunts and japes, their laughter and their screams.
"Fire!"
The arrows flew as one, a great storm of shafts and fletching and tips. After a second of tense silence the Field was full of the sound of impact: horses cried out and fell, taking their riders with them, men cried as the arrows found their marks in the chinks of their armor, and the thudding of dirt as the arrows missed and found homes in the dirt.
Caligula's forces rode down their fallen brethren and kept on coming. Already his archers had prepared another volley. Sorus summoned his own bow and drew an arrow.
"Fire!"
More arrows flew, and more men died. Sorus aimed his own arrow at one of the attack helicopters. The shot rang true and the chopper went up in a hail of green fire, spinning crazily, out of control. It crashed into one of the siege towers, which also went up in flames.
"Fire!"
By now most of the cavalry was gone, but a few still made it. They crashed into the shield wall with a loud gonging sound. Most fell to the spearpoints of the Legion, but a dozen cut their way through the shield and began to hack at the Legionnaires. Wolves appeared from nowhere and leapt up at them, pulling them from their horses and sinking their teeth into their necks.
One of the Terminus statues unleashed a ball of flame and sent it flying toward the enemy siege towers. One of them was destroyed, but the other blasts missed or exploded in the ranks of the advancing monster horde.
Scorpion bolts rained down on the enemy, coating the Field of Mars in green flame. A tank fired, and a building behind the archers exploded.
"Terminus," Sorus called, "aim for the tanks!"
"What do you think I'm doing?" the statue asked, exasperated. "I'm going as fast as I can!"
"Well go faster!"
Sorus heard a shriek and saw Legate Procter go down, a spear in her side. One of the Legionnaires cut the man off his horse, but the Legate was out of commission.
"Stand fast!" Sorus called. "Do not retreat! Front line, lock shields and hold. Archers, fire at will. Do not let the enemy get close. Aim for where the horde is thickest, and alternate between incendiary shots and regular."
The Legion did as he instructed, and just in time, too. The monsters smashed into the wall, which held under the onslaught. A giant swiped at them, but the soldiers jabbed with their spears, and the monster fell. Wolves ran out from behind the wall, pulling down monsters with their teeth and claws. Terminus aimed another blast, and one of the tanks imploded on itself. Sorus brought down another tower, which tipped into an entire line of cyclopes. More and more monsters came, but the shield wall held, and they were drowned in a storm of arrows, until the entire Field was covered in gold dust.
Just when the last of the monsters fell, a horn blew over the hills, and another wave came. Comprised of foot soldiers, the second wave wasn't as formidable looking, but had twice the numbers of the previous wave. Behind them, Sorus could see a third wave preparing to charge, with Caligula at their head.
The would-be god was wearing elaborate Roman general armor, and his horse was snow-white and protected by armor. Caligula isn't messing around, Sorus thought, again. He's throwing all the might of his fallen empire at us.
The Legion was weakened as it was; only half of their numbers were still on their feet, and the archers were nearly out of arrows. Terminus wouldn't be able to stop them all, and Lupa's wolves would be mowed down before long.
Hemera's words came to him, again:
Cut off the head, and the body will wither.
She was right. If he could get to Caligula and slay him, the rest of his army would scatter, and the Legion could pick most of them off as they retreated.
"Hold the line!" he called. "Do not let up, even for a second."
He shoved his way to the front of the line and took hold of one of the crazed horses as it ran by. Pulling himself up quickly, he put his feet in the stirrups and drew one of his swords. He nicked his horse with a heel and the animal charged toward the advancing line.
"What are you doing?" one of the Terminus heads demanded, but Sorus ignored him. The horse tried to slow, but Sorus reached within and bent the creature to his will, forcing it on.
The enemy soldiers were almost upon him now, but Sorus plunged forth with a cry that carried for miles. His horse stomped the first soldiers, and he slashed downward with his sword. The soldiers tried to fight back, but their swords never touched his horse or his body. He intercepted them with his own blade, fighting like a demon and cutting through them like they were the waves of a docile ocean.
Around him, arrows landed, cutting through armor and skin and muscle. Men fell, but more came. Sorus cut a bloody path through them, removing arms, hands, heads, and more. His horse, emboldened by his seeming invincibility, pounding on confidently, much faster than before. The horse hit a man aside with his snout and kept on charging. Sorus cleaved through more of the army, until he broke through the final line and came face to face with Caligula.
"Mad god!" he called in defiance. "Face me!" He charged up the hill.
"Very well, then," said the emperor. He drew his sword and charged, as did the third wave. Behind him, Sorus heard more arrows hit, and the trumpet of an elephant.
He reached out with his minds, and the charging army spread around him, leaving only he and Caligula. A scorpion bolt exploded to his left, taking a whole squad with it. He and Caligula locked swords and circled each other on their mounts.
They came together again, slashing left and right at each other. Around them, arrows fell on the army, and a siege tower left a smoking hole in the ground. The elephant blared loudly, and Terminus fired more shots.
An arrow took out Caligula's horse from under him, and he jumped from his saddle. Sorus dismounted as well and summoned his spear and unslung his shield. They charged each other again, Caligula slashing wildly. Sorus blocked his strikes with his shield and jabbed forward with the tip of his spear.
Again and again they crossed blades, until Sorus managed to cut into the emperor's neck with his spear. Caligula dropped his sword and fell to his knees, clutching his throat. Sorus removed his head with another swing.
Around him, the battle seemed to stop as all watched the emperor's body slump to the floor, lifeless. Then the enemy screamed and began to retreat, running for the hills. Many were cut down by arrows, but even more escaped, though Sorus suspected they wouldn't try another attack.
After the battle, he found Legate Procter in the infirmary, a large bandage wrapped around her midsection.
"Hey," she said when she saw him.
He inclined his head. "How are you holding up?"
She shrugged. "Fine." Her face turned sad. "We lost nearly fifty people today. Fathers and brothers and mothers and sisters." She shook her head. "The city's sustained damage, too. After this and the battle with that giant…I don't know how much more the Legion can take."
"You'll get through it," he said, "I promise."
She gave a ghost of a smile. "Thanks."
He shrugged. "It was the least I could do. I'll leave you to rest." He offered a smile. "Goodbye."
She waved and smiled.
-o-
Hemera was waiting for him in her bed. "Hey you," she said, patting the spot beside her. "Lay down."
Aita did as instructed, laying on the soft blankets, staring at the ceiling. He gave a groan when his muscles ached.
Hemera giggled and turned him over so he was laying on his stomach. She snapped her fingers and Aita found himself suddenly without clothes. "What are you doing?" he asked, closing his eyes.
"Giving you a massage," she said. Aita heard the soft swish of clothes and opened one eye. He was rewarded with a view of her naked body before she climbed on the bed and straddled him, her womanhood brushing against his lower back. "You deserve it. Now all that remains are Gaea and Python."
Light, delicate fingers began to rub and squeeze his shoulders, and Aita let out a soft sigh. Hemera laughed and began to leave light kisses along his shoulder blades and upper back. Her breasts brushed against him, and Aita felt his cock stir beneath him.
"Stop."
Hemera did so, though out of confusion and not willingness. "Why."
"Because," she said, rolling over slowly; Hemera lifted a leg to give him more room before she settled back down, "I need to be inside you." He lifted her up gently and slowly eased her onto him.
She let out a soft "Mmm," and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. She put her hands on his chest and let him lift her up and drop her back onto him slowly, soft moans coming from the two of them. She bent down and captured his lips in a sensual kiss, their tongues dancing around and over each other.
After a few minutes of lovemaking they both let out gasps as their own orgasms overcame them. Hemera went limp and collapsed on his chest, breathing heavily. She captured his lips again and rose, smirking devilishly. "Ready for round two?"
His smile matched hers. "Always."
A/N: Okay everyone, please leave a review telling me what you thought of this latest chapter. We're on the homestretch, people. Only one more chapter to go before we're done. Don't be afraid to PM me with questions, concerns or anything else. Please follow to be alerted to my updates, and favorite to show me how much you enjoy this story.
Bye!