Here's chapter 22! I hope you were looking forward to this chapter! I think It'll be fun to write about the War Games. Anyway, here we are at number 22, so I hope you enjoy it! The review shoutout is for iNeptune today, so thank you! Also, make sure to review and vote in the poll. Currently, Preyna, Percabeth, and Pertamis are tied for the lead! (Disclaimer: I do NOT own PJO or HOO.)
Percy's POV
Lunchtime quickly arrived, and the legion gathered unsuspectedly. Percy didn't know if they would take the news openly, or if they would be super bummed out. Would the Fifth, Fourth, and Third jump at the chance to compete against the first two cohorts again? Well, they did win the last time. Maybe their streak would hold through? Or perhaps the First and Second Cohorts would win yet another victory? Only one way to know.
Percy was excited to announce it no matter what the responses were. He was a little disappointed that he couldn't actually participate in the Games. Last time he used the water from the water cannons on the other cohorts' side to his advantage, and that, combined with teamwork of course, helped the underdog cohort to win.
Percy just hoped that no one would die and then come back to life like last time. Gwendolyn had been speared through, presumably by Octavian (though he denied it), but she had suddenly sprung back to life. Hopefully, Thanatos would take care of that issue, though Percy hoped no one died in general. Maybe with the Doors of Death still open and unguarded, that could still happen. In the case of a demigod, that was good news, but in the case of a monster, it was bad.
He hadn't told his friends yet, though part of him had wanted to. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that this was better as a surprise, even for his girlfriend. He was pretty sure she wouldn't hesitate to do some actual fighting, with an actual goal in mind. Though Percy hoped that no actual fighting would take place. The camp didn't need anyone dead.
After the Games were announced, the forts would need to be constructed and set up in the Field of Mars, which took about an hour. During that time period, the rest of the campers would don their armor and get whatever supplies they needed in order to battle. Then, Reyna would quickly review the rules and they would start. Easy enough, right?
Reyna nodded at Percy and Jason to join her up at the front of the Mess Hall, much to the camper's surprise. Some immediately were fixed with solemn faces, as if they expected bad news. Everyone grew quiet as the praetors met. Even the lares looked appalled.
But Annabeth looked especially surprised because Percy hadn't mentioned anything to her. Mainly because he hadn't told her anything bad had happened. Well, she would find out now, anyways.
"Legion, we have an announcement to make," Reyna said, nodding towards her fellow praetors.
"Spare the stalling, praetors," someone shouted from the hoard. "Just tell us who died."
Reyna kept her usual calm but reprimanding expression. "No one has died," she said. "In fact, some of you might accept this news well."
Percy took over. "We will host the War Games this afternoon at three o'clock in the Field of Mars. Those who are appointed to, or would like to help set up would be welcome."
Chatter instantly broke out within the crowded group. Some started to argue, but others looked genuinely ecstatic and started talking strategies with their friends and others within their cohort.
Percy looked over at his friends, the rest of the seven. Annabeth, Piper, and Leo looked confused, and it seemed that Hazel and Frank were trying to explain the games to them. With each passing second, Annabeth grew a more and more determined look on her face. Percy knew his girlfriend well enough to know that she of all people would be excited.
Jason turned towards Percy and Reyna. "Well, do you think they took it well?"
"We haven't held the Games since Percy, Hazel, and Frank left for Alaska. I think most of them are eager to start again. Some, not so much," Reyna said, still staring out at the half-bloods.
"We'll see how it goes," Percy said. After a pause, he continued. " I suppose we're on referee duty."
"The praetors always are," Reyna explained. "You two will have to take the ground. I'll watch from the sky on Scipio."
"I still don't see how that's fair-" Percy started to complain.
"Save it," Reyna stopped him. "One thing you'll learn as praetor is that life isn't always fair."
"As if I didn't know that," Percy grumbled. "I'm the laughing stock of the Fates."
Reyna rolled her eyes, and spoke to the legion once more, "Centurions, gather your cohorts and prepare. The First and Second are on defense, the rest have to infiltrate their fort and steal their banner." Reyna smirked slightly as she said, "and for the new legionnaires- it's not as easy as it sounds."
"We'll see how this turns out," Jason said in a hushed voice. "I hope Leo and Piper do OK."
"Oh, but you're not concerned about Annabeth?" Percy mused.
"You're worried about her? Nah, she'll do fine," Jason laughed.
()()()()
Same POV
Percy jogged over to the Fifth Cohorts area, and where his girlfriend was standing. "You ready?" Percy asked.
"Ready? Is Athena my mom?"
"Yes?" Percy shrugged. "Oh, so I take it you're ready."
Annabeth rolled her eyes, just like Reyna had done. Percy supposed he got that a lot from girls. "You are such a Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said sarcastically.
The two joined Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, and Frank. "I don't know if I should be excited, or terrified," Hazel said. "The last time we won was because of you, Percy. But know, you can't even play."
"You'll do fine. When you guys are done with them, the other cohorts will cower at the mention of the Fifth Cohort," Percy joked.
"Yeah... right," Frank said.
"Weapons are allowed right?" Leo said.
"Yeah, of course," Percy answered.
"So, does fire count as a weapon?" Leo questioned.
"Hey don't tell Reyna I said this, but I'm pretty sure," Percy lowered his voice.
Leo pumped his fist. "Guys, you got Leo, son of Hephaestus, on your team, so there's no need to worry." He put his arms around Piper and Frank's shoulders since they were standing closest to him. The son of Mars tensed up slightly. Percy got the feeling Frank still wasn't accustomed to Leo. Of course, it didn't help that his girlfriend, Hazel, kept staring at the guy.
"This is starting to sound a bit like capture-the-flag," Annabeth pointed out.
"That's what I said when I first did this," Percy agreed. "It's similar, but there is a fortress we have to infiltrate. Also, don't be surprised if you get shot with a water cannon. I would help with that, but I can't play. Captain's orders."
"I'm not afraid of a little water, Percy," Annabeth said. "But, that is good to know."
"Oh, there's scorpion ballistae, too," Frank said. "Just a friendly warning."
"OK, this is starting to sound a lot less like capture-the-flag," Piper muttered.
"Hey, with us as the refs, you can't get too terribly injured," Percy said, nudging Jason. "Though, the legion medics are on standby, just in case."
"So I'm guessing we are on a team with the Third and Fourth Cohorts," Annabeth presumed.
"Yes, but whichever cohort captures the banner gets the glory," Jason explained. "And the Third and Fourth like to neglect the Fifth sometimes."
"Maybe they won't this time," Frank said. "We did claim victory last time. Though, I wouldn't get my hopes up."
Dakota and Gwen, the Fifth Cohort centurions, stalked over to the group. "We have sent our engineers out to help set up the forts," Gwen said to the present praetors. "Should we gather the cohort and talk about our tactics?"
Percy nodded. "Sounds good. I hope you know that I wish I could fight with you guys."
Dakota nodded. "It's fine. We understand you have praetor things to do instead." He took a swig of his ever-present Kool-Aid. "That thing you did with the water was amazing, though. Would anyone suspect anything if you did that again?"
"I like the way you think..." Percy trailed off. Annabeth punched him lightly as if to say, that's cheating, Percy. Anyone with a strategy can win without cheating.
"But, unfortunately, I am a praetor and have to set a good example," Percy grumbled, glaring at Annabeth.
"Well, can we at least ask this?" Gwen said, turning towards Percy's girlfriend. "Annabeth, we heard you are a daughter of Athena and are good with battle tactics and strategies. Would you mind helping us centurions out before the Games start?"
Annabeth's eyes instantly brightened. "Of course!" She started to walk with them, talking about whatever Athena's children do when preparing for a battle.
"I guess we better join the rest of our cohort," Hazel said. "You know, doing pre-battle stuff. This one daughter of Aglaea is trying to get us to do this meditation ritual thing. Apparently, it's good for your physical and mental health, but don't take it from me. She was put into the Fifth Cohort because she is a child of one of the Three Graces, and that's pretty uncommon."
"Well, I am glad I won't be there," Percy said. "I think we have to go meet up with Reyna again."
"See ya," Jason said. He kissed the top of Piper's forehead.
The two boys turned and weaved their way through the cohorts. Percy overheard Octavian yelling to his cohort about being prepared, and not having a repeat of last time. As much as the Fifth was a cohort of underdogs, Percy would choose it over the First any day.
When Jason and Percy found Reyna, she was about to head for the Field of Mars to oversee the construction of the fortress. It still amazed Percy how quickly the engineers could construct and deconstruct things so quickly. Hazel had once told him that if they needed to, the whole camp could be taken down in about three or four days.
The three reached the field and Percy gazed over the flattest part of the valley. The area was littered with explosion craters and trenches from past games. The engineers were almost done with the first part of the stone fortress, and Percy could still quite vividly remember what it looked like when the whole thing was assembled.
Reyna strolled around the work in progress, carefully pointing out little faults. Percy stared in awe. Not only was she a natural-born leader, but she could also pinpoint little mistakes even natural-born engineers didn't notice. He supposed that doing the War Games so often would make her experienced in noting how the citadel should be built.
Soon after standing for a while, the fortress was complete, and it sure looked intimidating. From the iron portcullis and water cannons to its guard towers and scorpion ballistae, it was an outstanding structure to behold. The builders did a good job. Maybe too good a job.
()()()()
Percy's POV
Soon, every cohort had gathered in the mess hall about an hour later. All the legion's armor was attached, and there wasn't nearly a strap or buckle out of place. Even Leo's looked in check, though he sure didn't seem too fond of wearing the clearly oversized armor. Annabeth had a determined look on her face. She gripped her dagger firmly, and her grey eyes shone. She had always looked menacing (not to mention gorgeous) when she was ready to fight, but especially today.
Even Percy wore armor because according to Reyna, being a referee was a dangerous job. Percy embraced it since he had to admit- he looked good in armor. (Having his pen Riptide in its sword form didn't do any harm to his look, either.)
"Legion, forma ordinibus iter!" Reyna exclaimed in Latin.
The legion formed ranks and marched, just as she had commanded. Though, Piper, Annabeth, and Leo stumbled at first. Especially Leo. Hazel and Piper had to keep him upright the whole time. The praetors exited the mess hall in front of the hoard. A boy was holding onto Scipio's reins but handed them to Reyna as she passed. he then joined his cohort and started to fall into step. Reyna swiftly mounted the pegasus and hovered over the group.
"Take the legion to the field," she told Percy and Jason. "I'll meet you there."
She flew away on her peanut butter-colored winged horse.
"Do you know how to do this?" Percy whispered to Jason. He nodded curtly, staring ahead, as if deep in concentration. Percy decided to keep in character as well.
Once the group had reached the field, they split into their ranks and teams. The First and Second Cohorts took base in the fortress. The other three groups lined up farther into the field. The centurions of the three cohorts met and talked in hushed voices. Reyna flew down to ground level near Percy and Jason, and her pegasus stood idle.
Horns blew. Dakota and Gwen returned from the officers' conference.
"Ok, our positioning isn't terrible," Gwen said, reassuringly. They're putting us on backup offense."
Some people groaned, and some people cheered. "First line lock shields and advance towards the main gates of the fort. In the second line-" she walked over to the line where Percy's friend stood, "try to scale the ladders and compromise the fort. Hazel can do her tunnel thing if she wishes. Maybe try flanking the western wall. But everyone-" Gwen took a step back towards Dakota and the praetors. "Try to stay alive. Especially you Greeks. We need you guys to save the world."
A grim silence fell over the cohort. "Well, if anyone makes it over the first wall, focus on the banners. Use your godly gifts to help you. Victory for the Fifth!"
The cohort gave a cheer that was more or less halfhearted. Reyna took flight once more and shouted, "Is everyone ready?"
Several war cries echoed throughout the Field. "Well, bona fortuna! Let the games begin!" Reyna exclaimed.
The First Cohort broke ranks and charged along with the Second and Third.
Percy scurried out of the way, clutching Riptide. Jason followed, gripping the gladius that he had earned from Juno. Hazel seemed to think that heading for the tunnels was the best option. Frank and Leo followed. Piper and Annabeth stayed behind, charging for the fort. The girls' daggers gleamed in the sun as they ran past.
"Do we follow them?" Percy asked, out of breath.
Jason shrugged. "I guess. It's kind of hard to ref with all these people everywhere- Hey, watch it!" A legionnaire ran past him, nearly slicing off Jason's arm with his outstretched weapon.
"Ok, let's get closer to the main gates, and see if the offense can breech it," Percy said. Jason nodded in agreement. The two boys raced behind the charging half-bloods and legacies.
As they ran, Percy looked up at Reyna, who was flying back and forth on her pegasus, watching for any illegal moves, or potentially injured people in need of rescuing.
Once Jason and Percy had reached the fortress, they spotted a little more than a dozen half-bloods from the defending side approaching the oncoming cohorts. They took out their various weapons. Hopefully, they wouldn't be able to reach the Fifth Cohort, which had their shields locked in a turtle formation so the attacking demigods were protected.
"What are we supposed to watch out for?" Percy asked frantically.
"Well, anything from heated arguments to cheating," Jason said. "There's not a ton of regulations in this game, though. Fighting is allowed, just no killing."
"Wait, how could anyone cheat?" Percy questioned.
"I'm not sure. Sabotaging the other team, perhaps?" Jason speculated.
"Ok, I think I got it," Percy said over the commotion. "Anything that looks bad. Got it."
All of a sudden, Percy heard a shout from above. It may have been his imagination, or a scorpion ballista being catapulted, but Percy could've sworn it was a shout.
"Enough of that!" Percy heard. He turned his eyes skyward and saw Reyna yelling at something or someone in the distance.
"What's wrong?" Percy yelled. He got no response at first, but Reyna soon looked at him. She swooped down to their level and called out, "Jason go check that out. Percy and I will take the sky."
"Wait, what?" Percy yelped as Reyna grabbed his arm and threw him up. He instinctively put his legs over either side of Scipio, as he had experience riding Blackjack.
"What's going on?" Percy asked, trying to stay stable. Reyna pointed to her right and Percy followed her gaze. An argument had broken out between four campers. Two were wrestling on the ground, and the others were doing a mix of punching and swordplay.
"Ok, I see. What am I supposed to do?" Percy called.
"I'll swoop in and drop you to the floor. You and Jason can resolve it from ground level," Reyna explained.
"Ok- ahh!" Percy shouted as Reyna dipped towards the grass. Percy instantly wrapped his arms around Reyna's waist, so he wouldn't slip off. She tensed, but tried to play it off, and relaxed. Percy had never explored this kind of physical contact before with Reyna, and he knew she would kill him if he told her he sort of enjoyed it.
When Reyna was close enough, he jumped off and rolled to the ground. Reyna flew back up to the sky, and even from where he stood, Percy could tell she was blushing.
Jason caught up seconds after and they rushed towards the fight that had now come to a grand total of eight people. The mix of boxing, punching and use of swords was spread between all eight of them.
"That's enough!" Jason yelled with his offspring-of-Jupiter voice.
Percy surged forward and tried to break up a fight between a rough-looking dark-skinned guy, and his complete opposite, a light-haired, skinny boy. They stumbled backward and tried to advance on each other again, but Percy's withdrawn sword gave them pause.
"What's the meaning of this?" Percy interrogated.
"His cohort is cheating!" The skinny boy yelled, shaking his mop of hair from his eyes.
The other kid scowled, "The First cohort is above cheating, praetor!"
Meanwhile, Jason was breaking up the other few fights. Percy asked, "how is the First Cohort supposedly cheating?"
"They did something to the Third's shields!" The blond yelled.
"You can't prove we did that!" The large boy growled.
"Does Octavian have anything to do with this?" Percy suspected.
The larger of the two hesitated. "Our centurion would do no such th-"
"Save it," Percy said, cutting him off. "Return to your posts." He turned to the thin boy. "Use the Fifth cohort's forces and defenses. Tell them I let you. We'll figure this out later."
Percy helped break up the other fights, and figured out that they had all been fighting for the exact same reason. Percy knew Octavian had done something to the shields, though he knew he couldn't prove it. Reyna might believe Percy, though.
Suddenly, cheers were heard throughout the field. Percy heard a chant growing. "Fifth! Fifth! Fifth!"
Campers emerged from the fortress waving the stolen banners. They had lifted a couple of demigods upon their shoulders. One of them was Percy's very own girlfriend. She had a huge grin on her face, though she looked tired and sweaty. Also being lifted was Leo, who looked ecstatic.
Reyna returned to the ground, and upon her pegasus shouted, victorium quintus! Victory for the Fifth!"
()()()()
Same POV
Once the win had settled in, it was time for dinner. Everyone was in bright spirits. Everyone from the Fifth Cohort, anyway. Turns out their streak had held through. That was now two wins in a row! Annabeth wouldn't stop boasting about how she had found a breach in the fort's defenses, slipped inside, and with Leo and a couple of others' help, stolen the banners.
Percy was proud of her. He didn't stop her from retelling her story over and over again. For the most part, though, he was entranced by Reyna. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had felt when he had wrapped his arms around her. It felt good and almost electric. He realized that he had never felt that exact sensation with Annabeth, no matter how many times he had held her. It didn't help his fluttery feelings that Reyna kept blushing profusely every time he glanced at her during dinner. Maybe she was having the same thoughts he was...
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I think I did a good job writing the War Games aspect of it. I had to refer to my Son of Neptune book for a lot of it, so feel free to let me know your opinion! On that note, please review and check out the poll! I will get out the next chapter as soon as I can! Until then, thanks for reading! (Also, how many people have heard about the upcoming Epic musical, which is based off of Homer's Odyssey? I can't wait for it to come out!)