Chapter 20
10th September 2007
Camp Jupiter
Hazel and Frank guided Dio through the winding damp that traversed the hills surrounding Camp Jupiter, the hidden road leading from the valley to the camp. The trio moved along the well-hidden path, the air filled with the earthy scent of damp soil.
Frank gestured toward the sprawling landscape below, "We're nestled in the Oakland Hills, not far from San Francisco. Our main entrance is the Caldecott maintenance service tunnel at the western edge, where you came from." As they walked, Dio's eyes took in the strategic Field of Mars, where the campers "honed their skills in war games and marching drills", as Frank explained, "Every War Game, we build a new fort, ensuring a fresh challenge each time. There are trenches and hidden tunnels scattered across the field."
"Mmh…Seems tiring", chimed in Dionysos. And fucking boring, yeah. One thing to change.
He wrote in his little notebook.
Approaching New Rome, Frank continued, "This is where retired Roman legionnaires settle down, live their lives, and enjoy a bustling nightlife. Key landmarks like the Forum, Coliseum, Senate House, and Circus Maximus are here. 'The Lake' at the south end is connected to 'Little Tiber.'"
Hazel pointed to Temple Hill, "All the temples to the Roman gods are here. The most important ones include the Temple of Bellona, Pluto's Shrine, Temple of Mars, Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, and Temple of Mercury."
"No temple for Bacchus?", Dio asked, knowing the answers.
Franck shared is head. "There is. In the Garden of Bacchus, which crowns one of the hills in New Rome. The garden is super nice, and it's a favorite spot for many".
Arriving at Principia, Hazel explained, "This is the headquarters of the praetors. They meet here to discuss important matters. And we're going to meet them. Well, one of them - I don't know who is in the office, now. I hope it's Jason", she winced.
"The Praetors? Jason?", asked Dio.
And Hazel started a fucking lengthy exposition monologue. She kicked things off with the Praetors, the two big boss around—current leaders being Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter, and Auguste, legacy of Apollo and Augur of the camp.
"And asshole", whispered Franck to Hazel, who giggled.
"Picture this: they were organized in Cohorts, with five of them. The First Cohort? The cream of the crop, reserved for those with top-notch reference letters. Now, the Fifth Cohort, are, apparently the worse", the daughter of Pluto explained. But, apparently she liked it - as did Frank. She continued to explain that centurions, the leaders of these cohorts, played a crucial role, Haddada yaddada. Senators, elected annually after clocking at least five years at camp, gathered to hash out important matters. Probatio? Well, those were the campers that had yet to prove themselves. Like Frank. Legionnaires, on the other hand, were the official, tried-and-true members who'd passed Probation. Like her. Then, there were Messengers, dodging certain camp duties, Medics patching up the wounded, and Veterans—retired but always on standby for emergencies and doling out sage advice to the current leaders.
"And what about the goat men…well, the Fauns, they are called ? I saw them lazing around", asked Dio.
"And, well, the Fauns - are around, mostly lounging and begging for money".
Wait, what? Lazy and begging satyrs? That would not do. But before he could say something, the door opened.
The Praetor's office unfolded before them, and to Hazel's immense relief, it was Jason stationed at his desk rather than the notorious Auguste, the little asshole - who made the life of the legionnaires from the fifth quite complicated. Jason was fair, nice, and even from the same Cohort as them!
Frank shot a quick, hushed warning to Dio, emphasizing the critical need for honesty, especially with the two metallic dogs—a striking duo in gold and silver—with an uncanny ability to sniff out lies - and eat the liars who dared lying - duh, they are liars - to the Praetors.
Jason extended a warm welcome to Hazel and Frank, his eyes shifting curiously toward Dionysos. "Hello and welcome! A new camper fresh from the Wolf House, I imagine! Welcome to Camp Jupiter. How did you arrive?"
"Yep! It is I, Dio! Nice to meet you!", he joyfully introduced himself.
The air tinged with anticipation as Hazel and Frank exchanged a quick, bewildered glance. With the nonchalant air of a seasoned legionnaire, Hazel took the lead in reporting the peculiar sequence of events.
"Well, Praetor, it's quite a tale…a strange tale. We spotted this new guy, Dio, being chased by Gorgons, and then—brace yourself— he made a turn around and started making out with the Gorgons".
Jason looked at the dogs, who did not react. Were they broken? Impossible. So...What the fuck?
"… And the weirdest part? The Gorgons started getting naked and they wanted to…well, then we arrived with Frank and made them flee", Hazel finished.
The normally very professional Jason felt bewildered.
"…What?", he asked nobody in particular, but Dio felt the need to answer.
"Yep! I was going to fuck them, but your legionnaires cockblocked me! It's a good thing they're cool, or I'd have asked for compensation! A threesome with gorgons? In the Tiber? An experience worth at least five stars on tripadvisor!"
Jason looked at him. "A descendant of Bacchus, I presume?"
Dio smiled "His very favorite son!"
Jason smiled. The guy looked fun, but, if he was to be a legionnaire, he would have to train some discipline into him. However, he had a good - but strange - feeling about him.
"Perfect! Then, you'll join the fourth Cohort…"
"Wait? Can't I joint the fifth? They seems like fun! And Hazel is pretty!"
She became as red as the nose of an alcoholic.
10th September 2007
Camp Jupiter, Apollo's temple
The Auguste and Praetor Octave looked again at the prophecy he had read in his plushie.
In giggles veiled and chaos brewed,
A "hero" (nope) comes, absurdity ensued.
Camp Jupiter's honor, he'll mend with glee,
Octave, brace yourself, for a surprise, you'll see (you shit yourself at the end)!
What ?
Yeah, a mistake. It was probably a mistake.
11th of September 2007,
US
Romain was delighted to hear the audience laugh out loud at this preview of the film he had co-produced: Pirate of the Caribbean: The Black Pearl.
"This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Dio Sparrow!"
He had to admit that his Father was one hell of an actor.
12th of September 2007,
Camp Jupiter.
Dionysus had been gracing the camp with his divine presence for a mere two days, and oh, what a rollercoaster of emotions it had been! His feelings swung between pleasant surprise and utter disappointment. On the bright side, the military precision and efficiency were on point – kudos to the Senate and Jason for holding down the fort. However, the legionnaires were another story. His disappointment brewed like a fine wine; they'd lost the true Roman spirit - from the Arts and Sciences to the Decadence, trading it in for a dose of good ol' Americanization.
Bullshit.
At least some legionnaires were easy on the eyes, especially that Gwen—second in command of the Fifth and a delightful picnic companion. He had brought her to "his" garden for a fantastic picnic date and some good ol' sex. And let's not forget the garden! Dio had to hand it to them; it was pretty cool. Lounging in his own temple, chomping on an apple, he spotted Dakota, his centurion, and technically his son, sauntering over.
"Yo, Bro!", saluted Dionysos.
Dakota settled down next to his brother, a gruff nod serving as his version of a warm greeting. With a bottle of wine in hand, he took a swig, then shot Dio a questioning glance.
"Everything alright, brother?", he asked.
"As divine as ever. What's the occasion for the liquid courage?", answered Dionysos.
"Just checking in. You've been here for a couple of days, mixing things up. Thought I'd see if you're causing any major chaos."
"Only the good kind, I assure you. What about you? How's life in the Fifth treating you?"
"Life in the Fifth? It's a mixed bag. You really should have chosen another cohort. I like it, of course, but…Let me tell you a story. Back in the '80s, we were the pride, the best of the best. But then came Michael Varus and his Alaskan escapade."
"Alaskan escapade?"
"Yeah, lost our eagle, a bunch of Imperial gold. Tried to tackle the Prophecy of Seven too early. It was a mess. People either died or went crazy. No one talks about it."
"Sounds like a party..."
"Yeah, a party with a severe lack of fun. But then, enter Jason Grace. He's been working hard to patch things up, restore some honor to the Fifth. But since he became a Praetor, with Octave accusing him of favoritism…Well…It's bad, let's say. You know, if you wanted, I could call in a favor and make you change…"
Dio chuckled "A noble proposition, my centurion. But no. In for a penny, in for a pound, heh?"
Dio smiled and stood up. "I have some errand to run. One of my friends feels…bad. I'll be back for dinner tonight".
?
Labyrinth
Pan trudged into the familiar depths of the labyrinth's cave, a heavy air of melancholy hanging over him like a dark cloud. His usually vibrant connection with nature was fading, and with it, his essence was slipping away. The god of the wild felt a profound emptiness, knowing that soon, he would vanish into the echoes of forgotten myths. As he entered his cavernous sanctuary, a surreal sight greeted him, momentarily lifting the veil of his desolation. On an unexpected sofa, a peculiar quartet sat shoulder to shoulder—
"Silenus ? You foun…Dionysos ? Wha…Daedalus, and …Prometheus! What?"
Above them, a conspicuously large banner proudly declared, "Intervention."
Dionysos smiled at him.
"Only suckers stop fighting, and only losers fade my old friend! We're here to give a last chance to nature - and to make you the King of Clubs! Prometheus, Silenus, explain our plan to good ol' Pan! ".
15th of September 2007,
Camp Jupiter.
Hazel liked him. The new guy was...refreshing. He didn't know how to put on armor properly, perhaps, but his perpetual good humor, his energy, his touch of madness - and, she had to admit, the fact that this handsome man was flirting with her - made him a very pleasant companion.
Seeing Octave approaching, Hazel frowned and stopped laughing at Dio's joke - something about ducks. Or dicks. The legionnaires were forced to stop eating and stand-up, as the Praetor demanded. Except Dio - nobody had told him about the rule. But couldn't he read the read the damn mood - seeing everybody stand up ?
"Yo!", he greeted Octave.
"Yo? Yo? Stand-up, probatio, and greet correctly your Praetor", reprimanded one of the two soldiers flanking Octave, grabbing Dio by the shirt and forcing him to stand-up.
"Wait…I am eating and digesting so if you move me around too fast I'll…"
He stopped, as he vomited on the Praetor.
Silence. There was a huge silence. A big fucking Silence.
Which was broken by Dakota's snicker. Then by Drew, who joined in the laughter - until the whole cohort exploded with laughter. The laughter spread to the nearest table, in the fourth cohort, which had witnessed the scene. Hazel glanced at the central table, and saw that even Jason stiffled a laugh.
As Octave flailed around, screaming in disgust, his camp aid looked at Dionysos.
"That's it. We will see if you are still laughing tomorrow, during the War Game…".
Aaah, children - well, young adults. But he was about three thousands years old so, children, really.
15th of September 2007
US
Romain turned on his camera. For some reason - he was beginning to wonder if the Greek gods were really the only ones, the existence of other Pantheons would explain many of the bullshit rules he was obliged to follow - he wasn't allowed to travel to Stockholm in Europe, so he had to fucking use Zoom.
"Hi everyone!"
He waved at his camera. He didn't like meetings: they were super boring, and he'd rather spend his time with art directors or creatives than old farts in suits.
"My name is Romain, and I represent Dionysos and Ci(gu)e! We're very happy to have acquired Mojang Studios!"
"Uh...I'm alone, you know? And I'm an employee? Of your corporation?!", answered Markus Persson. "And why the fuck do I need to wear a badge saying 'Notch'?"
"Well, I don't know. Rules from the boss. So, what is this Minecraft stuff you wanted to talk about? I have about thirty minutes before my meeting with Hidetaka Miyazaki - maybe you've heard about his ideas on the files the boss send on 'Dark Souls and Elden Rings'?"
AN :
Dionysos and Cigue : Cigue is the French for Hemlock, the poisons used to killed Socrates, the "killer of tragedy" and thus of the Dionysian spirit according to Nietzsche.
Thanks for your reviews. Feel free to put the fic in favorite if you like it, to give it some visibility.
Above all, I don't like the extremely homogeneous gamer systems among all the fictions, and I'd like some variation (for items arriving at about chapter 30 and 50 respectively). Problem: I've played very few video games. In particular, I'd like to know if there are any cool games/systems for Rise of Kingdom-style "Kingdom Building", cool business game mechanics and, well, any other kind of cool mechanics. Thanks in advance for you ideas in reviews!