I tried to leave Piper alone in the infirmary, but she wasn't having it. With her arm in a sling, she got up off her bed. I could see the winching on her face as her body ached, even getting off the bed was too much for her.
"It's insane out there and you're not in any condition to leave. Imagine what Will would say?" I asked.
Piper took a sip of nectar before wiping off her lips. It didn't matter what it tasted like; it brought her no joy regardless.
"Will has got his own set of problems." She said before pointing to a bed not so far from us. Will was unconscious as his cabin mates were taking care of him. The scars around his arms were bloody as his feverish face went flush with anguish. Whatever dream he was having, it wasn't a good one.
"Will is in that condition because of one person, and that same person put me in here. There's something I got to tell Reyna and Frank anyway so let's go."
Piper ran off before I could get a word in edge wise. I felt bad enough for her that I just stopped complaining and followed.
From below to the viewing area, we saw so many campers. The crowd were swarming Jason as he stood near the couches. Jason was originally fighting the army of monsters making their way towards camp. When he heard what happened, he flew straight back here to help the mess cause by Kahale. I hope Percy and the rest of them can handle the monsters while Jason is gone.
The crowd was mostly Romans who wanted answers. Kahale didn't give much information in his speech. Hades, it was less of a speech and more of war cry against the praetors. I only recognized the kool aid stained centurion Dakota who was behind Jason. I guess he's joining the fight against the army of monsters. I didn't know most Romans, but its hard not to know that fruit juice loving lunatic.
Jason put his hands in the air to calm everyone down. "Listen, I can't bring all of you to the battle. There still needs to be a few legionaries here to protect camp. I already picked the ones who are moving out." Jason said while pointing to the campers behind him. "Everyone else, keep your eyes open and enjoy the matches."
The crowd didn't like that one bit as a few Romans armored up and followed Jason from behind. The rest were agitated and didn't want to watch anymore matches.
Someone from the crowd spoke up. "What about the praetors? Are they going to join the fight?"
Jason turned to the camper and sighed. "They will not disqualify themselves. Their match is coming up next and I suggest you watch it."
The room erupted with displeasure. Being forced to not fight was one thing but knowing that the praetors won't lead the charge was far too much for them. I could understand the frustration even if I didn't agree with it. It was a dicey situation no matter what happened.
Jason winced at the thirty something Romans protesting but moved out with his squad anyway. Before leaving, he walked straight to me.
I gave him a wicked grin. "I never got to see you in a leadership role like this before. You suck at it, dude."
Jason crossed his arms. "Good one Leo. I'll like to see you handle this level of mayhem."
I made a X sign with both arms. "Nope! I'm the wrench monkey and you're our golden leader. I thought we established this."
Jason didn't seem amused and looked to my side where Piper was. There was an awkward energy in the air, so I didn't say a thing.
"Hey." Jason said to Piper. "You look better. I guess Leo couldn't convince you to stay in the infirmary." Jason said.
Piper tucked her hair to the side. "Thanks, and yeah he failed at that."
"Ouch. I'm like right here guys." I spoke.
There were a few seconds of silence that I couldn't bare. I know things were awkward right now between the two but give the third wheel a break now.
Jason turned back to me. "I need you for a favor, Leo. Can you and Nico watch the battle from the stands this time? I need all the help I could get, and I need some people on crowd control if things get ugly."
"What about me?" Piper asked.
Jason shaked his head. "You in bad shape for a fight. If things get ugly in the stands, you wouldn't be able to fight yourself. The Apollo kids say you'll be back to normal by tomorrow night."
Piper didn't seem happy or anger by his words. I was hoping they would get back together soon. I couldn't stand to see both of them this way.
"Where the heck is Nico anyway." I asked Jason.
"Uh, he's right behind you, dude." Jason said with certainty.
I finally felt Nico's presence behind me and jumped out of my skin. Can this dude stop appearing out of nowhere?
Nico was standing behind me with bags under his eyes and a small smirk. I guess he found my surprise funny.
"The match is about to start." Nico added. "Let's get to the stands before there's a riot."
With that Nico walked off and I followed right after. Jason gave me on final farewell before heading off with his troops of legionaries towards the monsters. Finally, Piper stood in the viewing area alone. I felt a little guilt leaving her there with no one around. Everyone was either fighting the monsters, fighting in the arenas, or healing in the infirmary. This was one match that some people would miss. Kahale was a goner per usual and there was no time to deal with that situation. I tried to remember where Calypso was and remembered that she was looking after Hazel and Katie after their matches with Clarisse. I don't even want to know where Clarisse is. That new friendship was over before it even begun.
Taking the stairs upwards, Nico and I finally made it to the stands. There were far less Romans than there should be. Only a few legionaries and the students at New Rome University. I couldn't blame them. This was one fight that would frustrate a lot of people.
The Greeks of Camp Half-blood were on the other side of the arena, we didn't have to worry about them as we made it to the heart of the stands. I didn't really know where to sit since I didn't know too many Romans, but Nico found a spot quickly.
We sat between two Romans together as the crowd noise reached a crescendo. These guys were out for blood. Legionaries and former legionaries were all calling Reyna and Frank's name. They were ready for their appearance.
I sighed heavily. "I didn't think it would go for this long. I guess I don't understand Romans at all."
Before Nico could reply, a voice from above us let their opinion be heard.
"I know it seems unruly, but there is a good reason for the frustration."
I turned to see a redhead in the stands above us. If I wasn't with my babe Calypso, I might have talked up some game.
Nico seemed to know her and gave out a small smile. "It's good to see you again, Gwendolyn. My father is still pretty angry about you."
She started to laugh a little. "He can stay anger for all I care. I'm living university life now, Forget the underworld."
She was a college babe, huh. I said in my head before slapping myself upside said head. Keep your thoughts on Calypso, Leo. Don't ask for trouble.
Nico introduced us. She was a former camper that attended New Rome university now. He mentioned something about her dying and coming back to life, which wasn't a surprise to me. I think that pretty much demonstrates how messed up our lives are.
"This anger is justified." Gwen said. "The tournament has had one tragic fight after another. Not only that, but it's filled to the brim with Greeks so we can only cheer for a few people. That's just general frustration, but add the monsters attacking the camp in the mix? You get a recipe for disaster."
Nico nodded. "I agree. I've been living at this camp for some time. Pride is important to the Romans. They were denied their chance to prove themselves in battle against a new army of monsters. Instead, the praetor's sent in those who were still in winners to fight. That's a strong group, but…"
"It's not the legion, and it kind of ticks me off that some Greeks are fighting our battles for us." Gwen said.
She didn't seem like the type of person to turn to angry quickly. I guess this anger is justified. That doesn't mean I like it though.
We couldn't continue our conversation as Chiron blew on his horn. You couldn't really hear it as the crowd drowned out all the noise in the arena. Talking to Nico and Gwen was a hard task, and they were right next to me.
From both sides of the arena came the praetors. Reyna came from the left side with her cape in the wind. She abandoned her golden armor long ago, but you can tell that she was finally ready for fight. You can thank Thalia for that.
Frank came through with a bow to his back and gladius to his hip. I always found the big guy to be goofy and lovable, but not today. He looked too serious this time around. I think the crowd got to him, Reyna on the other hand didn't seem bothered.
The met at the center of the arena and shook hands. I was hoping Frank would win this. If he went all out, he could be real monster like Percy or Jason. I couldn't downplay Reyna though. She went toe to toe with a child of Zeus and was the strongest gal I knew.
Before Chiron blew his horn to start the match, the worst response came from the crowd. We were all used to the screaming and huge amount of noise, but some Romans were throwing things into the crowd. Food, pocket change, and so much more. All of it was being throw into the arena and all of it was directed at the praetors.
I turned to Gwen. "Now this is unacceptable. Why would they do this?" I asked.
Gwen's face was full of sorrow. "I don't know. This must be from the first cohort, or some of Kahale's followers. Romans shouldn't act like this."
"It's not just them, look." Nico said pointed to the rest of the crowd.
The tossing of food and other miscellaneous items caused a chain reaction as more and more Romans were throwing things into the stands. The ground was stained, the pond was full of litter, and the praetors were being pelted at.
Despite all of that. They didn't move a muscle. Frank and Reyna, both ignored it and pulled out their swords. They knew that this would happen and was ready for the consequences.
Without Chiron's approval, they both ran in and started the battle. Swords clashes as both got up close and personal. The crowd still had a continuous roar, which only powered both combatants up a notch.
Reyna was the quicker of the two as she stabbed towards Franks armor pieces and was able to break through easily. Frank started to block them, but the damage was done. His armor plate was near useless. Reyna continued to stab with only the tip of her sword. If she wanted to be lethal, she could and that was the scary part.
Frank repositioned before shoulder checking Reyna. With one strong push, Reyna was sent to the floor. Getting shoulder checked by Frank had to be painful, but Reyna got up quickly and as they were back to square one.
Frank noticed the amount of distance between them and took that as an opportunity. He pulled out his bow and tried to notch an arrow quickly. Reyna was quick with her response as she pulled out a knife and with pinpoint accuracy, she threw it and cut the bowstring before Frank was even close to ready. She was on another level.
Frank tried to restring his bow in the middle of the battle, but that was a bad move as Reyna ran after him. She was restless, and seeing as how the crowd was treating her, I don't blame her. Frank backstepped to afford him some time, but it wasn't enough. Reyna was closing the distance.
"Why would he string up his bow in the middle of the fight? What's going on in his head?"
Nico's eyes were glued to the arena as he spoke. "Believe in Frank, he wouldn't do it without reason."
Frank finally fixed his bow, but it was all for nothing as Reyna was inches away from stabbing him in the shins. I didn't want to see Frank hurt, but I couldn't look away. The same could be said for the crowd. Many of them were still yelling hateful words, but some were silent as the two praetors clashed.
With less of a nanosecond left to dodge, Reyna aimed for the shins and looked to be successful. If Frank lost some mobility, it was all over.
Reyna landed her hit to his shins and in that moment, Frank transformed into an entire swarm of bees. As his body disappeared, so did Reyna's stab attempt as she missed her mark completely. I couldn't believe my eyes as the swarm took over most of the arena.
Reyna looked confused as she pulled her sword from the dirt. Reyna expected the bees to fight back but they didn't, instead they all came together again in the center of the arena as Frank reappeared quickly.
Reyna said something to Frank, but I couldn't hear it with the roar of the crowd. I guess Reyna never saw Frank do that before like the rest of the seven.
"I knew Frank could turn into animals, but bees?" Gwen asked.
Nico had his hand to his chin. "I don't know how it works either. Is he one bee controlling the rest of the swarm? Or is he the swarm itself."
"I don't know. How can I throw fireballs? How can you teleport through the shadows? You can't explain godly powers without losing your mind." I said with certainty.
"Well actually I can explain shadow travel, basically what happens is..."
"Don't care, watching the match." I said with fingers to my ears.
With newly fixed bow in hand, Frank launched an assault of arrows towards Reyna. With sword in hand, Reyna started to dodge two or three of them with catlike reflexes.
Frank didn't seem to care as he planned to use every arrow in his quiver to tire her out. It was working as Reyna was gradually losing speed as time went on. With one shout of defiance, Reyna stood her ground and tore through every arrow that came her way with several slices of her sword.
Frank continued and let go a flurry of arrows all directed at Reyna. Slicing through all of them continuously wasn't a easy feat, as most swordswomen would fail at the task, but not Reyna. She bent them backward, sliced them in half, and fully broke every single arrow coming her way. I could see the sweat rolling down her face, as this was proper workout to say the least.
Frank was down to four arrows and let them rip. He wasn't tired, but the mental fatigue from seeing his arrows being broken down seemed to affect him.
His first volley was broken up, but one arrow hit Reyna in her arm. She fell grasping the arrow before tearing it off. It was a good hit by Frank, but he looked confused as if he didn't think it would hit.
That's when it all made sense, as we all looked at Reyna saw that someone threw a small rock from the stands as it hit Reyna and threw her off balance, as she fell victim to the arrow.
Frank didn't get a good shot in, someone interfered in the match, and there was no way to tell who did it, as everyone was throwing things from the stands.
Frank couldn't believe his eyes; I saw that look before. Frank is a calm and collective guy when he wants to be. Getting him angry wasn't easy and it wasn't wise.
Frank turned to the crowd. His stare alone had the crowd quiet down just for a bit.
"Is this how you'll act if you don't get your way?" Frank screamed towards the crowd. "Is this how the Legion acts towards one of their praetors!"
The crowd fell dead silent as Frank continued.
"Did we keep information about your own safety away from you? Yes! Did we trust in others in defeating the monsters attacking camp rather than you, the legion? Yes! I don't shy away from any of this. I know what we did, and I still stand by it."
The crowd started to boo again, but Frank ended that quickly.
"I did what I did for the legion. I know you don't believe me, but we fought the giants together and I saw some of my own legionaries die in the process. I don't want that to ever happen again."
Gwen had her head down as Frank spoke. I don't blame her knowing her history.
"Call me the crybaby praetor if you want, but I won't throw any of you into a battle I know nothing about, especially a battle that can result in the loss of so many campers. I won't let any of you die. I sent the best of the best instead, and if you don't like it than change it yourself."
The crowd was fully immersed in what Frank was saying. There were only a few boos left. Frank had everyone's attention. I never truly saw Frank act like this before. To be honest, I knew Frank could be a great leader, but now I'm seeing it in action.
Frank yelled at the top of his lungs. "This tournament is going on for all of you. So, it can inspire you to become strong, so you can take my place as praetor one day."
The boos were falling, the silent was deafening, and the Romans were starting to change their tune.
"If you all think the praetors should be fighting out there and leading the charge then that's fine, but I rather be here to protect all of you if the worst-case scenario happens. Because that's my job as praetor, to protect and lead you all!"
Frank said it loudly as the crowd surged in emotion. There were only a few of the first cohort that were indifferent to the speech, but it didn't matter. Frank won over the crowd, and he wasn't done.
"If you don't believe in me, then at least believe in her." Frank said while pointing to Reyna. She got up easily as she pulled out the arrowhead out of her arm with no effort at all. The wound was superfluous to her.
"She one of the strongest demigods I know, and she is your praetor as well. Know that her word is her bond, she will protect this camp for as long as she is praetor. Believe that."
Reyna walked up to Frank. It was nice to finally hear them speak as the crowd died down. Two leaders fighting it out and leading at the same time.
"Strongest demigod you know?" Reyna asked with a smile on her face. "If that's true, then doesn't that spell disaster for you, Praetor Zhang?"
Frank gave her a sideways glace. "I said 'one of the strongest' remember? I guess that still puts me in hot water though, that's why you gotta forgive me for this."
Reyna's smile evaporated. "Forgive you for what." She spoke.
"I should've realized this when fighting Piper. If I want to win, I have to go all out."
With that, Frank started to transform into something big and ugly. Reyna backed off and pulled out her sword. The size of Frank was massive, and he got even bigger as his green scales were developing, and his tail and wings appeared.
Frank turned into a dragon. It was twice as big as Fetus, maybe even bigger than that. He wasn't playing around; he was playing to win.
With no time to adjust, Reyna tried to stab into Frank's thick hide, but it barely got a nick in before bouncing off. Reyna's stab wasn't half bad, but it did no damage. It would've been lethal if Frank was his human state, but that was nothing for a dragon. Frank turned his head around. Fiery drool was dripping from his mouth as he turned and tail whipped Reyna across the arena. Reyna went flying before landing in the pond. Despite the hit, Reyna got up, and quicker than I thought. This lady can really take a hit.
"Fine, you can go all out if you wish Zhang. It won't change a thing."
Reyna ran towards Frank at fast pace. Frank tried to tail swipe her again, but she jumped straight over it as her hand balanced on his tail for a mere second.
Reyna hit the ground running and jumped again, but this time towards Frank's stomach. She then went for a lethal hit as her sword stabbed start into Frank's abdomen. It would be lethal if Frank wasn't a dragon at least. The sword strike was like a small cut as Frank nudged her off with his claws.
"Reyna is running out of options" Gwen said. "I know Frank can't hold that form for long, but I don't think he even needs more time to end it."
I didn't response and instead looked at Nico. Nico and Reyna tried to hide it, but they're best friends. They've been through thick and thin when transporting the Athena Pathethos to Camp Half-blood. When I turned, I knew how he felt. Nico's face said it all, he still believed in Reyna.
Reyna landed on her feet away from Frank, but Frank didn't let up. You could see the bright light of flame growing in his stomach. He was about let out a fireball and engulf the arena in flames.
Reyna saw it as well and ran as fast as she could. Veins in her arms were appearing as she gripped her sword tightly. There was even a vein on her forehead as she prepared her attack. This wasn't going be like any sword strike she's done before. It was two massive attacks from two of the strongest demigods in Camp Jupiter, and only one could win.
Frank's dragon head beckoned to the sky before going down and letting lose a huge number of flames. It wasn't as strong as what I could output if I tried, but it was hot enough to burn Reyna and that was enough. He engulfed the whole arena in flames, Streaks of orange and red were flying towards Reyna at a blistering speed.
She had no options. No where to hide. Reyna ran towards the flames and met it head on. She took off her praetor's cape and threw into the flames in front of her. They burned up quickly as that let Reyna forge a path towards Frank.
Frank noticed quickly and let out multiple fireballs towards Reyna to stop her, but she kept on running. Dodging every fireball and jumping on top of one frank's legs. Frank attempted to fly away quickly as his wings flapped and the whole arena felt the air pressure. I could barely hold on to my seat.
Even though Frank was currently in the air, Reyna was still on his body as she climbed up his chest towards his arm. There was nowhere Frank could go, and his massive body couldn't shake her off without leaving the arena. Reyna reached his shoulder, and it was the worst-case scenario for Frank. Frank started to descent, but it was too late as Reyna screamed at the top of her lungs with two hands on her sword, as she brought it down towards Frank's shoulder and cut straight through him. The amount of strength needed to penetrate that thick scaly hide was unfathomable. Frank cried out in pain. I didn't think I would hear a dragon cry before, but here we are watching it in motion. Frank started to fall towards the arena still in dragon form. The campers in the stands ran for their lives. Gwen and I started to run but Nico grabbed the both of us. Keeping us in place.
"What are you doing!" I screamed. "Do you want to get flatten?"
Nico ignored me and focused. All of a sudden, there was pure darkness surrounding me for only a second before finding myself in the viewing area. I turned towards the balcony as Franks body fell and hit the ground causing an earthquake. As if Hazel or Percy caused it. In the middle of the arena was Frank's dragon body, already limp on the ground.
I turned to Nico. "Whoops, forgot you can do that."
Gwen didn't seem too thrilled as she was confused on what happened to here. Shadow travel isn't for everyone it seems. Piper was right behind us, shocked at our sudden appearance, but we have time to say hi.
Nico ignored both of them and ran towards the arena as I did the same. We took the stairs downward and ran out the door. What we saw was a frantic scene. Frank was still in dragon form, and Reyna was laying on his stomach, as if she used it as a landing pad. The entire arena was smashed beyond belief. There had been a lot of damage taken over the course of couple matches, but this takes the cake. Frank's body caused a crater, the rest of the ground was scorched. Far more damage than I did during my fight with Hazel. Some flames still lingered around, but it was like the two of them didn't even notice.
Reyna woke up. She must have fainted during the drop. She got up with bruises all over her body, her left leg was twisted around the ankle, but despite all that, she got down from his body. She struggled to walk but Nico ran up and held her by her shoulder. I ran towards Frank as his body slowly morphed back into his human self.
When the dust settled. Frank had a wicked wound on his shoulder. There was no way he could swing a sword, but he wasn't unconscious. He got up as I held him, and he and Reyna locked eyes. The fight wasn't over, and we didn't' have a clear winner.
Some of the crowd returned to their seats with anticipation. Reyna and Frank stared each other down, but it was Frank who broke first with a bit of laughter.
"It's my loss. I can't even swing a sword. I yield."
The crowd soared as Reyna was declared winner. I felt bad for the big guy, but he didn't seem bother by it as a smile formed. We both walked towards Reyna and Nico as Reyna let go of Nico and Frank let go of me. They shook hands between them before losing balance and landing on the floor hard. Despite that, they were both laughing at their second descent towards the ground, still holding hands.
Next chapter is coming next week. Don't really know when though. I gotta come up with a schedule. LEO VS NICO. THE FINAL MATCH OF PART 2 OF THE STORY.