Chapter Seven: Reyna vs Michael Kahale PT 2

I stood there with blood dripping from my chin. Both from the cut on my cheek and the blood coming from my forehead. I've been in the worst conditions, but I usually had my centurions with me for help. The legion was one unit helping each other always. But here? I was alone just like my fight with Orion. I had to heal myself. No one was going to help me.

At the center of the arena was Michael Kahale. He was suffering the same injuries as me. Blood was dripping from his forehead and his thigh had gashes from the knives that I threw at him. He took off his helmet and tied his hair back into a bun. Only one bloody strain stuck out and cascaded on his forehead. His eyes transfixed on me. They have always been on me.

The arena started to scream again, and I looked at the stands. Romans were calling for a continuation of the fight. I didn't know how much time had passed since we stopped. Has it been a minute? Five minutes? I couldn't tell. The viewing area had all the participants in shock. Hazel had tears coming down her cheek as Frank held her close. She has never seen me like this. Covered in blood. Fighting to stay alive. The rest of the Greeks didn't know what to say and stayed silent. There were only a few of them that had the same face I did. That stoic expression. It was worn by Annabeth, Thalia, and that daughter of Ares. The face of war. Another day in the office.

I stopped looking at the crowd and saw Kahale in the same spot. He could've attacked me at any time. Instead, he was walking slowly towards me. Two swords in hand. His own and mine. This was the worst-case scenario. I was wheezing and lacking any sort of energy. Not only that, but I wasn't armed. I used all my knives, and he had my gladius. I couldn't beat him in a fistfight. Kahale would squish me under his boot. I needed to think. I needed to fight.

I'm not a schemer like you Greeks. I will fight him honorably and defeat him for the sake of Rome. No tactics needed.

My prior words echoed in my mind. The words I said to Annabeth. I smiled and wiped the blood off my face. Gods, I was a hypocrite. I did a final turn towards the viewing area and saw Annabeth. Her grey eyes were full of sorrow and her hair blowing in the wind. She gave me a wink and looked towards Kahale. I did the same and saw that he was only a few feet from me. Swords dragging in the dirt, creating a line in the sand.

I gritted my teeth. Yes, I was a hypocrite but also a victor, and I was still a praetor. If the only way to win was to scheme my way to the top, then I'll do it. For Rome.

I screamed at Kahale. "You said you seek resolution? What did you mean by that, Michael?"

That stopped him in his tracks. He lowered his swords and looked at me.

His eyes still focused on me. "This is no place to talk. Let us end this."

I couldn't let it end there. I had no energy left in me. I had to keep him talking until I gained some energy back and thought of a proper plan."

"I can't end it until I know." I lied. "What is it that you seek? What happened in the war that changed you?"

That caught his attention. He has been constantly staring at me these past few weeks. At first, I thought it was some form of respect. As if he was waiting on my orders, but the stares had some anguish to them. As if he was staring me down rather than paying attention to authority. Now, it seemed that he was looking at me for the first time. I broke his focus.

Kahale looked at the ground and sighed. He returned his gaze and wiped the blood from his forehead.

"You want to know?" He asked.

"Tell me, Michael. I'm your praetor and I demand it."

His face hardened after I said that. It took him a minute. Maybe more than that. There was silence in the arena as well. Everyone was engrossed by what he had to say.

He finally answered moments later. "I didn't change. I just gained…perspective."

"Perspective?"

His transfixed look returned. "Who do I serve? The Gods? The praetors? Or the legion?

I was about to answer, but I stopped myself. I had no answer for him. It's not that I didn't know, it was just a complex question.

He continued. "I thought I would find the answer by fighting you. That clashing our swords would reveal the truth. Dumb, I know." He laughed without humor.

I tried to talk to him, but words didn't come from my mouth.

"I went back home to Hawaii to find out. I focused only on myself for a few months and you know what I found out? I found out that I missed my whole childhood thanks to this camp, and the worst part? I don't even know if I regret it or not. That's how loyal I've been to all of you."

His voice was slowly rising. This was a mistake. I should have just fought him, like the Roman I was. I didn't want this. Kahale would never talk like this if I hadn't pushed him to do so. I remember the legend of Pandora. How she opened something she shouldn't have and that she couldn't put it back in.

He squeezed the bridge of his nose. Stress showing on his face.

"I followed Octavian because it was the right thing to do, but then it wasn't. What became right was to betray him for you. Was it because the gods asked that of me or you?" He asked.

"Is this really about Octavian? He was mad. He almost destroyed us." I fired back.

"I agree with you, he and Gaea were crazy, and they had to be defeated. But he was still praetor." Kahale added. "It's my duty to follow him. And yet I betrayed him. His blood is on our hands."

He said this with a twinge of sadness developing on his face. For Kahale, loyalty is everything. It's obvious that Octavian was the bad guy in the end but betraying him goes against everything Kahale stood for. It was a violation. Something I caused.

Kahale studied my reaction. As if my next words or facial expression would determine what happens next.

"So, answer my question." He demanded. "Did I switch sides because the gods asked that of me or did you?"

He was looking for someone to blame. I could not help but answer. My poker face fell, I was too tired to fake it. I was tired of the lies.

"Both. I asked and the Gods demanded your loyalty. But it was for-

He cut me off before I could continue. Waving me off with one hand and clenching a fist in the other.

"Rome? Was it for the legion?" If so, who do I serve? The Gods? The legion? Octavian? Or you?" He demanded.

I stood there in silence.

"Answer me!" He screamed for the first time.

"The legion." I gutted out. He was in pain. Pain that I caused. His home in ruins. His former home forgotten and foreign to him. This was all he had left, but things couldn't go back to being the same.

He finally smirked at me. "That's right, the legion. I serve the twelfth legion alone. That's what I come to realize, and what you just confirmed to me. No matter what happens, I should just ask what's best for the legion and move accordingly."

He looked towards the crowd for the first time. No longer looking at me. He let his voice bellow throughout the arena before directing his voice back to me.

"I will make my voice hear among the legionaries. I look around at the people in the stands. Greek and Roman together. Do you really think this can work? Just because you put a stupid statue on a hill?"

I defended myself. "We did something no other generation of demigods could do. We united everyone together."

"Exactly, we did that." He agreed. "We did that. We stop Gaea and suffer while the Gods used us time and time again. What's stopping them from tearing us apart again?"

I tried to fix it. "You serve the legion first and foremost, Kahale! Not the Gods." I screamed.

"That's right, I don't, and I don't serve you." He spoke.

I flinched. This was the first act of defiance from him. I couldn't believe it. Kahale did everything he could to further the advancements of New Rome. But now, I had no clue what was on his mind."

I turned to him, trying to find out. "So, it is praetorship you seek? You're after my position?"

He sneered. "I don't care about being praetor. I don't want that power. What makes the legion great is that we are one unit. The well-oiled machine that conquered the world, but lately, we have suffered while you and praetor Zhang reap the benefits."

I stood there shocked. That was something I couldn't let go of.

"I sacrificed too much for this camp. My leadership will not come into question." I claimed.

He turned his head towards me and scoffed. "If so, then why are you in this tournament? Why would you and praetor Zhang put each other in this tournament when we need your leadership instead?"

Many Romans and lares started to agree with him. Many heads were turning and listening to him. The winds of changes were churning.

I couldn't let this stand. "I entered so I would win it all for New Rome, or have you forgotten that?"

"You rather parade yourself as a champion for a meaningless tournament than guide us?" He lectured. "There are monsters knocking down our borders every day since the Greeks arrived. We are in danger, but you rather win a useless symbolic victory for us."

He was shoving the words down my throat. I couldn't rebuttal without telling everyone the real reason for the tournament. That Victoria forced us to do it.

And what if you told the truth? It would prove that Kahale was right all along. That we are servants of the Gods before servants of Rome. I thought to myself.

I didn't know what to do. I was sweating and breathing out of my mouth. I was slowly getting my energy back. In a few more seconds, I would be ready to attack and end this debate.

Kahale noticed my hesitation to further talk. The blood on both our foreheads was hardening and was almost colored black. Kahale was waiting for me. Waiting to hear me say something that would put him at ease. I couldn't tell him that I was doing all of this for the prize. Even worst, that the prize was something that might not exist. I took a risk when entering the tournament and Kahale was pointing out all of the risk's flaws without even knowing of its existence.

He gave up on waiting. "Tell me the real reason. Why are you in this tournament? It can't be for glory. You're not that type of person." Kahale said with a solemn face.

My energy was back, and my mind was no longer wavering. I gave him a stoic expression. I said too much before and I had to end it now.

"I can't tell you why. Trust in your praetor, Michael." I pleaded with him.

His eyes widened. "Trust in you? That is the last thing I'll do."

I didn't give. I stood there waiting on him. Staring at him the same way he stared at me. I gave him the same look that was taught to me by Lupa. The look of hunger.

He understood imminently, but he didn't like it. The face of embarrassment developed on his face. He tried finding his answers through fighting and that clearly didn't work. Now, I was denying him his answers again.

He put his helmet back and held on both of our swords. Kahale advanced forward and threw my sword back at me. I gave him a puzzling look before picking it up.

"Beating you without a weapon isn't a victory." He scoffed. "Pick it up."

I did exactly that and charged forward without a moment's hesitation. My armor glistening gold in the last specks of the sunset. He followed my lead and ran straight at me. I thrust forward as he swiped away my sword to the right. I continued my onslaught and landed a punch to his midsection. Kahale kneeled back but grabbed my arm in the process. He threw me across the arena, and I went flying.

I landed on my feet and still had my sword in hand. We both rushed forward as our swords met. Sparks flew but we both didn't yield. I keep pushing and pushing until he would crack but that didn't happen. Our swords were crackling with something more than sparks. I felt some sort of aura developing the both of us. I felt stronger and my fatigue evaporated but more importantly, I had full clarity of my surroundings.

I didn't even have to look around the arena to know what was happening. I could somehow sense it. I closed my eyes and could sense the entire arena. Almost every Roman was on their feet. Shouting at the top of their lungs. It wasn't cheers or insults. It was a sea of feral noise. You couldn't make heads or tails of it. The viewing area had every single participant watching. All with a look of horror and curiosity.

Terminus was watching our every move. Listening closely. He knew this wasn't just a match. It was a political fight that can decide praetorship. He was waiting to pick a side. Percy was far more compassionate. He was looking at me with eyes of pity. Worrying for me. The same kind eyes looked towards Kahale. He didn't want to pick a side. He wanted this to end.

I sensed all of this without even opening my eyes. But I made a huge mistake. I focused on almost everything in the arena. Emphasis on almost. I tested my newfound power, but by focusing on everything else, I took my eyes off my opponent.

It wasn't just my aura that was filling the arena but also another spark of aura. It was invasive. Spreading across the arena quickly. I noticed too late that it was coming from Kahale. His eyes were glowing shades of purple and he was pushing me back.

With all of my strength, I did one final push with my gladius towards him. Trying to will a slash strong enough to break his armor. But the aura coming from Kahale was too much. I was losing focus rapidly. That moment of clarity was gone, and my aura dissolved right in front of me. It was like his aura canceled out my own.

With one final push from Kahale, I was sent towards the ground at a blistering speed. I bounced off the dirt ground twice and landed on my hip. I lost my sword and was done for the count. It was over. I had lost.

Kahale was not reveling in glory. He was walking towards me. Sword in hand. I didn't yield yet, but it was clear that it was over. I looked at my surroundings, trying to find my sword. I looked all around but I was dazed. My moment of clarity was far gone. Kahale raised his sword above his chest as he was right above me. Standing motionless. Still looking straight at me

"I wasn't joking when I said fighting you could give me the answers I seek." Kahale said with no emotion.

I stayed on the ground and answered back. "Well, did you get them?"

He gave me a disappointing look.

"Yes. I got my answers. I know what I fight for now."

He didn't let go of his sword. Instead, he raised it higher.

From the stands came a courageous voice. "It's over, Michael!" yelled Percy. "Put the sword down. You won, dude!"

Some of the demigods from the viewing area ran down the stairs trying to reach me. I could hear Frank's wings flowing in the wind as he flew down to the arena. As fast as he could. Chiron and the rest were not that far behind. The Romans in the stands were mortified by what could happen, but they could not look away.

Kahale's sword went higher till it was at its peak. He could drop it with no force and it would still hurt me. He had the face of a killer. As if he was wearing a mask with no features. Pure hell.

I sat there with no intention of dodging any blow. It was a Romans death. I served long enough.

At that very moment. The moment where I would meet my end, the world around me went spinning out of control. I looked up at Kahale. The moonlight reflecting off of him. His eyes were full of sorrow moments ago. But now, they were full of indifference.

Kahale spoke his last words in the battle right before dropping his sword on the ground. He looked towards the stands.

"I forfeit. I yield to my praetor."

He gave me one final look. His last stare full of hatred.

"You're not worth killing."

He spat out his words with venom and walked out of the arena.

The most intense fight yet.

Also, sorry, but I did say March 10th yea? LOL, my b. Accept my apology, which is TWO CHAPTERS TODAY. WOOP WOOP.