Chapter 65 – The Storm: Part 2
At least Percy was able to find Grover quickly. The nature spirits helped him along, and before long Percy was emerging out into a clearing that he vaguely recognised as the one where the Council of Cloven Elders held their meetings. Grover was talking to another, older satyr. They both greeted the demigods, with uneasy glances towards Leo.
Leo ignored their wariness and only cheerfully greeted them both. Percy hugged Grover in greeting. "Hey, G-man," he greeted.
Grover looked tired. He nodded slightly to Percy. "Perce, how did your trip go?"
Percy gave Grover a shortened version of what Rhea had told him, causing Grover to immediately become alarmed. "The Grove of Dodona?" Grover murmured. He frowned. "That makes sense. A lot of sense," the satyr said. "I can't say that I've encountered any Groves like that in here, but I think I might know where it would be. A lot of the nature spirits have been sensing disturbances from a specific area of the forest, the trees feeling older than they were before. I've been focusing on that area, but haven't found anything yet."
Percy nodded. "We'll help you," he said. "Now that we know what's there, it should be easier, right?"
Grover nodded, looking unnerved at the thought of Rhea's ancient grove having been situated in the forest for months without him knowing. "Explains why the nature spirits are being twitchy about it too," he murmured. "I think I might know where we can go. Have you heard about the myrmekes lately?" The satyr asked as he started into the forest. Percy quickly followed after him, hearing Nico and Leo scramble after them.
"What're they?" Nico asked, his eyes furrowing.
Leo scowled. "Giant ants. They're a pain in my ass. They started coming out a few months ago. I've had to ant-proof Bunker Nine since they kept trying to dig into it all the time and take things out of there. They were taking anything that's not nailed down, and lots of things that were."
Grover nodded slightly to Leo. "They've dug tunnels through a lot of the forest. If anything in here knows where the Grove is, it'll be them."
Percy relaxed slightly. "Alright," he said, dropping back slightly so Grover was in front. "Lead the way, G-man. Let's go find this Grove."
Grover's presence sped everything up. Percy was relieved when the giant ants were eager to help. They were all about the size of the tanks that Kronos had rolled up Manhattan about a year and a half ago, only with sharp pincers and the ability to spit acid. There must have been hundreds of the tank-sized insects swarming through their underground network.
Leo just looked irritated when he saw how many of them there were. "That explains why they're always causing so many problems for Bunker Nine," he grumbled even as he rode on the back of one of them, the sounds of hundreds of ants scurrying around and snapping their mandibles at each other to communicate.
Grover glanced back towards him from his own ant as he patted its back. "Don't be rude to them, Leo," he said. "They're helping us reach the Grove."
"They know where it is then?" Percy asked eagerly as he squinted into the darkness in front of them to try to spot any hint of light. He felt too uneasy with so many myrmeke around them. Percy hated knowing that there were so many monsters around him that he couldn't see if they wanted to attack them. His gut was still aching, but Percy shoved that aside and focused on their unofficial quest – there were campers in danger, that was the important thing. Percy turned his head to check on Nico behind him, the son of Hades' gaze determined and fierce as he clung onto the back of the myrmeke, looking more at home there than he did when riding the pegasi.
Nico gave Percy a thumbs-up when he realised Percy was looking at him. Percy nodded back, watching as Nico hurried to grab back onto the giant ant as it took a corner without slowing and nearly flung the demigod off it's back and into the wall.
Percy was relieved when he finally spotted the darkness lightening slightly, the tunnel they were scurrying through widening and sharply tilting up. The wings of the myrmeke thrummed in Percy's ears as the giant ants took flight up and out of their network of tunnels. Percy squinted, covering his eyes against the sun.
Grover bowed his head to the myrmeke, thanking them as he did so. The giant ants clicked their large mandibles in return and turned to disappear into the tunnels again. Grover watched them go as Percy finally turned his eyes to the clearing they'd found themselves in. The trees enclosing in every inch of the edges of the Grove towered above them, easily the largest trees Percy had ever seen before in his entire life. The canopies covered the sky above them, only streaks of sunlight breaching their protective shield.
The sharp inhale from Leo had Percy jerking his head around to him. Leo was already running, and Percy swore loudly when he saw where the other demigod was running to and immediately raced after him across the large clearing. There were ten poles staked into the ground, six of them occupied by the six missing campers.
The wall behind the ten stakes looked like a giant hamster had attacked it. Tree bark had been shredded, ripped and haphazardly recovered. At some points, the bark had clearly been attacked with a chainsaw due to the incisions several inches deep into the wood. Burns were spread at random over the wall of trees, none of it looking to have had any affect.
Still, it was the stakes that had occupied their attention. Percy's hands came away from the closest stake sticky with a thick liquid that smelt strongly of something horrible familiar to Percy. "Is this…?"
"Flammable," Leo said, trying to dig away at the base of the closest stake to him with trembling hands. His eyes wide, he looked over to Percy. "We have to get them out," Leo said urgently. "Dig, Percy!"
Galvanised, Percy jerked forwards and scrambled to Leo's side. He buried his hands into the soil, digging down around the stake. His eyes flicked up to the face of Austin Lake, the son of Apollo's eyes closed and sealed over with the sticky tar. A layer of fabric and rope tied him to the stake, every inch of both the demigod and the fabric covered with it. Percy's eyes drifted over all of the stakes, recognising the campers – Cecil, Luke's half-brother was tied to his own stake two along from Austin.
Percy stared at the earth around the stake, before he placed his palm against the ground, bending his fingers to dig them in. He grit his teeth, feeling a sharp and painful tug in his gut that had his vision spinning and flashing with stars. The earth rumbled and cracked, causing Leo to yelp in surprise. The stake and Austin fell to the side, shaken loose from the earth.
Leo's gaze lit up. "Great! Next one, we can go to-"
Percy stumbled, his vision spinning, and dropped back down to the ground. He swore under his breath, feeling like his gut was twisted and burning. Alarm sparked in Leo's gaze, and he grabbed Percy's shoulder. "Hey – you good? We've got to get the others."
Percy's head felt like it did whenever he had too much nectar or ambrosia. Even removing Austin from the ground had left him weak and dizzy. There were still nine more to go. Nico was off to the side working on another stake with Grover, but he didn't seem to be having so much luck. Percy uttered a curse again. Leo frowned at him. "Percy?"
Percy saw movement behind Leo, a man with five others emerging from the myrmeke nest themselves. The man in the middle wore a golden muscle cuirass, rich purple accents and a cape of the same colour which attached at the front of the armour's pauldrons and reached the man's knees at the top of his greaves. Percy's eyes narrowed, and he pushed himself up to his feet.
That suit of armour was very similar to those that the legionnaires at Camp Jupiter wore, if not more embellished. The purple of the accents and cape also immediately alarmed Percy.
Percy reached into his pocket and uncapped Riptide. "Leo, keep digging," he quietly said. The other side of the path leading towards the giant wall of bark, Grover and Nico had also noticed the newcomers. The two shared quick words with each other, before Nico also pushed himself up from the ground and stepped up to Percy's side.
The two sons of Poseidon and Hades stood facing the six across the Grove, whom happened to be making their way straight towards them. Eventually, Percy twitched Riptide. "That's close enough!" He snapped, eyes narrowing fiercely.
The six kept coming, so Percy glanced to Nico. A spire of black rock burst from the ground in front of them as Nico grit his teeth. That made the six stop. Percy noted then from this new distance that the smallest of the six, behind a helm of imperial gold, was a young girl whom couldn't be any older than Percy when he'd first encountered Camp Half-Blood. He couldn't recognise her, which made him frown slightly.
"Fascinating," the man with the purple cape said as he inspected the obsidian spire. "Very well made, Nico."
Nico's fingers shifted slightly on the hilt of his Stygian Iron sword. "Who are you?" Nico demanded sharply.
Percy knew Nico would already suspect whom it was, since he also did too. The purple cape was a dead giveaway, along with the pompous and unnecessary addition to an intricately made set of Roman Armour.
Roman Emperors had always been fond of purple.
The man before them smiled.
Gods above, even his stance was explicitly Roman. It reminded Percy of the time he'd spent with the Twelfth Legion in Camp Jupiter. It grated on his nerves.
"Do not pretend to be stupid, child," the Roman Emperor whom should be dead said. "All of us here know that you are not, by any definition, stupid."
"Even the way you speak is irritating, gods be good," Percy groaned. His nose crinkled as he stared at the Emperor. "Where's Kronos, Nero?"
"That would be Imperator, Emperor or Caesar," Nero said with clear disgust.
"Think I'll stick with Nero," Percy said stiffly. "Where's Kronos?" He repeated.
Nero scowled heavily at Percy. "Is that really how you would treat a god, boy?"
Nico snorted in amusement, and even Percy cracked a smile. "Yeah," Percy said honestly. "It is." Slightly behind Nero, the four guards whom seemed far more alike to skirmishers with oval shields and hide armour shifted and started forward, but Nero lazily held an arm out and they stopped in their tracks.
"Disappointing, but I suppose not unexpected," Nero mused. "Meg – teach him how to show respect," he instructed.
Percy tensed, not a moment too soon. The young girl beside Nero in her own set of Imperial Gold armour shifted, two Roman siccae blades – close in shape to scimitars – springing to life in her hands, and then ran at Percy.
Jason didn't know how long they followed the Germani. He knew of the time-bending power of the Labyrinth, but that didn't help him at all with figuring it out.
Piper kept aware next to him, scanning the corridors they passed through and occasionally glancing towards Jason for his opinion. Jason just mutely shook his head at her every time. The way the fire was churning around them still, even with sweat across Medea's brow she was holding it in place, wasn't something they might be able to easily get past.
It happened suddenly, without warning. The corridor opened up into a wider room with multiple layers, exits and entrances. Medea struck a quick pace across the room, but she'd only just reached halfway when Jason heard a familiar sound. He grabbed Piper, pulling her down at the whistling of a pilum overhead. There was a furious, agonised screech from one of the sun dragons behind them. Jason dared a glance over his shoulder at the sun dragon in time to see a second pilum impact into one of its eyes.
The sun dragon exploded into monster dust. His companion snarled and turned on Jason and Piper and an instant later a third pilum was thrown from the side and buried in the base of the dragon's throat. It roared loud enough to shake the cavernous room they were in.
The guards seemed unsure of where to go, what to attack until the third of the pila had hit from the same level as them.
Medea let out a furious shout. She looked back sharply at Jason and Piper, before she turned to scan the ledges above them for their intruders. There was a heartbeat in which nothing happened, and then Jason spotted a head poking up over a ledge and a fourth pila was thrown – this one straight at Medea.
The ancient sorceress let out an angry shout, "You cannot hide from Caligula forever, Romans!"
Jason started at the mention of Caligula. He was easily one of the worst Roman Emperors to have ever existed, but he supposed that was the same as all of the Emperors they were having to deal with now.
Caligula and Nero.
Medea gestured sharply with a palm towards the ledge and the flames followed her movements, growing and blasting into the ledge above them.
Jason moved immediately, even as the Germani shouted in alarm and spun to face him and Piper. Jason turned and ran for the exit from which the third pilum had come. Not knowing whom had thrown it, but assuming anyone throwing pila at the sun dragons was an ally.
The son of Jupiter was surprised when he found someone suited up in Imperial Gold Roman armour, skidding to a stop and hesitating. He heard Piper groan behind him as she nearly ran into Jason's back. "What's with all the Romans emerging from nowhere?" She asked sharply.
A royal purple cape spread to the Roman's calves, not restricting his movement even slightly as he moved. As Jason hesitated, he sharply beckoned them towards him with his left hand as he drew a gladius with his right. The Roman's eyes were trained on Jason, blatantly ignoring Piper. "Ave, Pontifex," he greeted. His eyes flickered behind Jason. Jason spun, the shaft of his spear crackling with electricity which he sent blasting out at the Germani who'd rushed after him and Piper.
The man was flung back out of the tunnel and back into the wider room beyond. The other Roman stepped forward and knocked aside the stab of the second Germani as Piper dodged the spatha he was wielding against them. Jason stepped forward to help, but the other Roman made quick work of the Germani and had soon beheaded him before Jason could help.
The remaining sun dragon was still roaring in the larger room, bellowing it's fury and pain to everything within earshot.
The Roman glanced towards the noises, before he gestured to Jason. "Come," he said to Jason. "You and the graecus should come with me."
Jason kept the spear between the Roman and him and Piper. "Who are you?" He demanded. "We've just found out about Roman Emperors walking around," Jason said as he pointedly looked at the purple cape the Roman was wearing. "You think we're going to trust you?"
"It is either me or the sorceress throwing around a Titan's power whom is intending to take you to Caligula," the Roman said, his tone sharp. As if to back him up, there was a roar of flames in the larger corridor and Jason flinched when he realised Medea had summoned more of the fire.
"Marcus!" A voice roared from down the corridor. The Roman in front of Jason hardly moved, his eyes still trained solely on Jason. "We need to go! Augustus has been hit!"
Jason's eyes furrowed. That got the attention of the Roman in front of Jason, since he backed up several paces and sheathed his gladius. "It's your choice, Pontifex," 'Marcus' said to Jason, before he sharply turned and jogged back down the corridor, golden armour clanking.
Medea's remaining sun dragon was still screaming. Jason took a glance towards Piper, whom looked worried. "It seems like a trap," Piper slowly said. "All the Romans we're finding out about – Caligula and Nero? Now suddenly there are two – three – of them out of nowhere offering us a hand?"
Jason was thinking along the same lines. Behind them, there was a fierce hiss from the sun dragon. The fire billowing into the larger corridor behind them made Jason more than a little worried. "It's the only way we can go," Jason said before he started in the direction Marcus had disappeared.
It wasn't long before Jason and Piper caught up, to find that the one Roman had tripled into three. All three wore Imperial Gold Legion armour, purple capes snapping at their calves. It was a sight that made Jason hesitate again, but for a different reason this time. The three Romans looked like they were more than mortal. Marcus and another Roman were carrying the third between them, burns having melted his armour around his torso. It was the golden blood that dripped steadily to the floor which made Jason inhale sharply.
The three were immortal. Jason turned his spear towards them.
Marcus glanced up and over to Jason. "Put that away, Pontifex, we're all on the same side here," he said. It was the sheer command to his tone that had Jason's eyes widening, a man who was clearly expecting his every order to be followed. "Better yet, help us with Augustus here. We need to put space between us and that sorceress."
Jason's eyes flicked between Marcus and Augustus, and then to the third, unnamed Roman with them.
All three had the same purple capes.
Emperors.
And they had just attacked Medea and very likely saved the lives of Jason and Piper.
The son of Jupiter nodded sharply. "Ave, Imperator," he said to Marcus, and then nodded to the remaining two. He sheathed the Spear of Achilles across his back in the modified hold on the back of his armour. "I'll help."
Piper looked alarmed as she watched, her eyes widening slightly. "We don't even know who they are," she protested.
The third Roman's lip curled in faint distaste as he looked to Piper. "The Romans here do. A graecus cannot be expected to understand-"
"Antonius," Marcus chided. "She is an ally." Marcus observed Piper closely over Augustus' shoulder. "She must come too, it wouldn't do to leave an ally to Caligula's non-existent mercies."
Jason looked over to Piper. "Do you trust me?" Jason asked.
"Yes," Piper said after a few beats of silence.
"Then we go with them," Jason said firmly. "Imperatores Augustus, Marcus Aurelius and Antonius Pius?"
Marcus Aurelius inclined his head towards Jason.
He recalled everything he knew of the three Roman Emperors whom had saved their lives. Caesar Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the one who oversaw the evolution of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire and was the heir of Julius Caesar. Augustus formed a Triumvirate with two rivals he'd had in his time before they eventually were killed against him in battle. Eventually, the Roman Senate named him Augustus and the man became Rome's first Emperor. Marcus Aurelius, fathered by a Roman politician who was a former Praetor of Rome, was the father of Commodus. The father and son from Ancient Rome couldn't have been more different. As the Last of Rome's Renowned 'Five Good Emperors', the death of Marcus Aurelius had marked the end of Rome's height as Commodus became Emperor. Marcus Aurelius was the nephew of Emperor Antonius Pius, whom adopted him and named him heir and successor.
The three were amongst Rome's greatest Emperors.
Jason helped them with Augustus, unable to hide his worried glance towards Rome's First Emperor. Augustus had barely stirred throughout their conversation, Medea's strike against him clearly having done immense damage.
Piper looked suspicious of the three new Romans, but she clearly trusted Jason enough that she stayed at their backs and kept an eye behind them for any pursuit. Jason understood her reluctance to trust the Romans, but he knew these three were amongst the best of Ancient Rome.
Jason listened to the directions Antonius gave him, making sure he was careful with his movements so as not to jostle Augustus too much. In a brief moment of silence as they moved, he spoke up. "Are there more of you?" Jason asked. "We know of Nero and Caligula, but is anyone else walking around?"
Antonius' eyes flicked over to Marcus Aurelius, apparently expecting him to answer Jason's question. Marcus pressed his lips together, clearly considering what he should say to Jason. "Up until Saturnalia there were six of us here together," he said to Jason.
Jason's eyes furrowed. "What happened to the others?"
"The Titan King happened," Antonius said curtly to Jason, his tone sharp. "He came at us over the festival period."
The son of Jupiter grit his teeth. "He killed three of you?"
Marcus had stiffened at the mention of Kronos. "Yes," he said, still tense and uneasy. "Nerva, Trajan and Hadrian. I've never seen a sight so terrifying before," Marcus added, faint fear lingering in his tone. "There is a reason why we try not to unsettle the gods with our continued presence here. They can be… temperamental if they judge themselves to be threatened or challenged. Though I suppose it was those three that were able to command him to come after us."
Jason shook his head slightly – fucking Kronos again. That Titan was just causing everyone problems. Now he'd also vanished and according to Percy, no one had seen him since earlier in the year. Jason realised that what amounted to an underground war had been ongoing between the Triumvirate and the other six Emperors since at least Saturnalia, with Kronos having been supporting the Triumvirate. Clearly they had an unfair advantage with the Titan Lord fighting alongside them.
Jason narrowed his eyes slightly. "How do we even the odds?" He asked. "How can I help?"
"Rome has need of you, Pontifex Maximus," Antonius said. "The three betrayers are moving and intend to soon strike Rome. A son of Jupiter will be well-received on the battlefield."
"I'm here to investigate The Burning Maze, by orders of the Praetors," Jason slowly said to Antonius. "While bringing a report to them would be a successful mission, if there's a chance to cripple the Emperors here and now then I would wish to help you."
Antonius Pius frowned heavily, his eyes flicking behind Jason to where Piper followed silently, taking up the rear. "You are Pontifex Maximus. Are you aware of the significance of that role?"
Jason raised an eyebrow. "Head of religion of New Rome," he confirmed to Antonius. The other man, however, seemed unsatisfied with Jason's answer.
"Interesting," Antonius said. That wasn't much of a response, but the old Emperor of Rome didn't seem inclined to give up any more information than that, so Jason lapsed into silence too.
It seemed like only another few minutes before Marcus was pushing one of the delta marks to exit the Labyrinth. Jason recoiled as sunlight speared his eyes, grunting as he lowered his head slightly to shield from the sun.
"Arizona," Marcus said to Jason as he stepped through the exit. Augustus grunted, golden ichor still weeping from his ruined side as the three Roman Emperors in full battle regalia started down the road, one of them being dragged by the other two.
Jason was always amazed by mortal ignorance. No one even looked at the three funny, other than a few mutters about drunkards in the morning.
Jason dropped back to walk with Piper and join her in taking up the rear.
"I don't trust them," Piper quietly said to Jason.
"I know," Jason said, "and I'm glad." At Piper's inquiring glance, he elaborated. "One of us has to," Jason said. "It's stupid to trust them blindly, even if they are Roman Emperors. So are Caligula and Nero, but look at them now. But if they can help to fix the growing divisions in New Rome, then we have to at least try to trust them. People – Romans, retired legionnaires – would always listen to an Emperor."
"Isn't that the issue Reyna and Frank are having now? Emperors."
Jason hesitated. "It's… it's Rome," Jason said. "What is Rome without an Emperor? Maybe if we help them with the Maze and whatever Caligula and Medea are doing down here, they'd be willing to come back to New Rome with us to unify and rally us before the Triumvirate do it themselves."
Percy slowly nodded. "A unified Rome," she said. "Is it likely before we end up having to fight the Triumvirate?"
"The last time that happened was during the Titan War," Jason murmured. He glanced to Piper. "I'm a Roman," he reminded Piper. "I have to try, before the Triumvirate manage to turn everyone in New Rome against each other. It's been centuries since there was last a true Roman Senate, but the backstabbing and bribery still remains. Blood will be spilled in New Rome before this is over… but at least I can try to limit it," Jason said.
Piper inclined her head slightly to Jason. "If anyone can, it's you," she said.
The Hunters scattered as the twenty pila descended towards them, Thalia summoning Aegis and blocked one of the pilum that was heading towards her. It slammed into the shield, not even denting the metal face.
The Roman legionnaires marched forward at a barked order from Lityerses, shields protecting their fronts and heads from the Hunters' arrows. Thalia uttered curse as the first few ranks of Romans marched into the square and the second and third ranks tagged onto the ends of the first, forming one solid line of Roman armour and shields.
The Waystation, a halfway house for demigods and nature spirits and the like was situated within this plaza. Thalia didn't doubt that these Romans were aware of that. They seemed to have been waiting for the arrival of the Hunters. An orange ghost flickered along the side of the plaza briefly in the edge of Thalia's vision. She ignored it and called down a strike of lightning which slammed into the front line of Romans, streaking from the first Roman it hit to electrocute three more. The four crumpled, but their fellow legionnaires just stepped forward into the gap and the ranks closed up again. Thalia shouldered her bow and pulled out her spear as she set her feet.
The Romans were blocking the only exit from the Plaza. The arrows fired by the Hunters were blocked by the Roman scutum, completely ineffective. Thalia stepped forwards and Lityerses did the same towards her, having strolled through the Roman ranks as they parted for him.
An arrow whistled towards his head, but he cut it out of the air with his sword.
Thalia scowled at the sight and sent a lightning bolt at him, only to scowl even fiercer when it crackled harmlessly against his armour. Runes on the imperial gold armour glowed as Lityerses closed the distance between them and lashed out with his sword. Thalia blocked the strike with her shield, stabbing in turn with her spear, but Lityerses had already moved on and was striking at her side. The sword grazed against Thalia's ribs as she danced aside and backed up to give her the advantage of distance with her spear.
Lityerses smiled smugly as he stepped forward, forcing Thalia back a pace. "You can't beat me," he said with a smirk. Thalia suppressed the urge to give him an electrified punch to the face. "Drop your spear and surrender, or you will all die," Lityerses promised. "Emperor Commodus demands the surrender of you and your Hunters, Thalia Grace."
The name caused a shiver to run through the air in a way that Thalia only recalled happening when immortals were mentioned. "Drop your sword and maybe I won't stab your full of holes," Thalia returned sharply.
Lityerses smiled and lunged for her with his sword, but Thalia rolled to the side and lashed out with her spear, making Lityerses swear fiercely. Blood trickled out from under his golden greaves as he hobbled in a circle to face Thalia again.
"Fine," Lityerses said. "He doesn't need you alive," he said scornfully as he advanced.
Lityerses was a better fighter than Luke had been when Thalia had last fought him on Mount Othrys during the Black Fortress' resurrection. Thalia was a better fighter than she was back then too, but she still swiftly found herself outmatched.
A loud screech from above them distracted her momentarily, enough for Lityerses to lunge and catch her calf with his sword. Thalia swore, rolling away from the next slash which would've caught her other leg. She glanced up as she put some distance between them, spear stabbing out at Lityerses' chest.
A large gryphon was diving down to the Hunters, twisting as it did so. Silver arrows bounced off the imperial gold armour it wore over its chest and limbs, sweeping low and knocking two of the Hunters over. A large paw crushed the skull of a third.
Thalia caught sight of the figure on the gryphon's back – also in Roman-styled armour – as they guided the gryphon back into the air, gritting her teeth as she glared up at him. One of the Hunters who'd been knocked over was getting back onto their feet already, but the other struggled to lift herself up.
Thalia readied an arc of electricity, but had to abort the strike and instead flicked Aegis to the side to knock Lityerses' cut aside. He recovered quickly, continuing to press with his strikes and forcing Thalia onto the defensive.
The fight was ended abruptly. Thalia knew she was good at combat, but Lityerses was one of the best she'd ever fought – better than Percy, than Jason and even beyond Luke. He knocked aside her spear, a second later his shoulder slamming into her shield, all of his weight bearing down on her smaller stature. Thalia stumbled back, and Lityerses thrust with his sword.
Pain burst along Thalia's side, and she screamed, her spear slipping from her fingers.
"Lieutenant!"
Thalia wasn't sure which of the Hunters had yelled for her, she was too busy trying to stem the blood flow.
"Emperor Commodus wanted you alive," Lityerses said, spinning the large sword in his hand as if it weighed nothing. "But said your head would be an acceptable alternative." Lityerses raised the sword above his head, cutting down towards Thalia.
An imperial gold sword blocked the slash with a flurry of sparks and the screeching of metal, Lityerses' sword deflecting towards the ground next to Thalia. A foot was planted solidly against Lityerses' chest, kicking him back a few feet.
Anger flashed across Lityerses' face as he regained his balance, and he followed the sword to the individual wielding it just as Thalia did. Thalia was baffled, completely and utterly surprised, to see the golden mask bearing the same likeness of Medusa as her shield did. Stormy green eyes narrowed from behind the mask, visible through the eye slits.
It was the same figure that Thalia had spotted following them down the main street not too long ago.
The Mask raised a hand and the fountain exploded, water bursting out across the Plaza in all directions. A hand closed around Thalia's shoulder. Before she could react, she was pulled backwards into a puddle, the Plaza vanishing from view along with the Roman force and her fellow Hunters.
Chaos! Yay! There's one more part to this 3-part chapter, which is where things really get bad.
Hope everyone enjoys this chapter! (Reviews make me want to keep writing!)
Reviews:
Robotdocter (chap 4) : I hope you've enjoyed it! There's a lot less A/B/O stuff as the story goes along.