Sophia

"Sophia! Look out!" Came the shout from the legionary on my left, Neal.

I turned sideways, deflecting the strike on my cloak once more. These assholes packed quite a punch, and just because the pelt was sword-proof, it didn’t quite absorb the power of a sword swing. By the end of the day, I’d be covered from head to toe in bruises.

The bicephalus disintegrated as Neal thrust through its chest, and shortly after that, the entire attacking force pulled back out of sight.

Our numbers were dwindling, but they were also being replaced by the occasional reinforcements arriving from Michael’s half of the cohort. Their centurion was still nowhere to be found, but according to the legionaries, they had been caught up in a fight of their own.

Apart from the losses, which were becoming more serious every clash, about a quarter of an hour ago, a roar had rung across the entire battlefield, and yells had come from some of the soldiers that the supply plane was going down, punctuated by the distant explosion moments later.

“We need another headcount,” I muttered, looking at the row of wounded and dead slowly piling up at the base of the supply crate. We were down by forty legionaries, and it was a surprise we were still able to hold the line at all.

As we waited for the next wave to approach, something felt off. From where I stood, I could see the massive cloud of red smoke billowing into the air from the massive clump of crates dumped out of the dying plane. Judging from the smoke of the previous drops, it was nowhere near any of the cohorts.

We’d lose those supplies if we didn’t get a cohort up there fast, but that wouldn’t be us, we were struggling to hold this place while the cart arrived to unpack the dropped goods.

Minutes ticked by, and yet no attack came. In the distance, I could hear the trampling of feet, but it was impossible to pinpoint their direction.

“Reinforcements incoming!” Came the call, and I turned around in time to watch as two or so hundred legionaries jogged past the shield wall and came to a halt beside the supply crate.

At the forefront, and breathing heavily, was Michael, and standing beside him were Centurions Magnus and Fredrick.

“Nice of you to finally join us!” I called over, “How come you’re here too?” I aimed that question at the two unexpected guests.

“We left Daniel and Vicky with some of the troops back there, but we’re taking as many people as possible to grab that final supply drop.”

“Well, I can’t exactly leave this one here, and I sure as hell could use the extra hands!” I grunted.

“Sophia, I can’t give two shits about this one crate, I’m sorry. At least ten times this is sitting right in front of the enemy lines, and the Augur’s troops know this too.”

“So… We just leave it here?”

“We leave a skeleton crew to take the wounded back to the legate, everyone else is with us.”

“What about the enemy?”

“What about them? They stopped all attacks after the plane went down, I’m pretty sure you’re no different. If they’ve got any brains worth mentioning, they’re heading for that massive drop.”

“Shit…” I sheathed my sword, “Let’s get moving then.”

He nodded and quickly assigned a quarter of the defenders to stay behind while the rest of us joined the column of troops.

“And… March! At the double!” Just like that, we were jogging, the red smoke quickly getting closer, as was the sound of clashing blades.

Had the third cohort arrived before us?

As we entered what had once been a small public square, all we saw was a massive pile of supply crates surrounded by a blur of bronze keeping back the horde of monsters.

Automatons.

Had they come with the supplies? If so, they were a welcome addition to our force.

Quickly forming up in a straight line, we wasted no time in charging into the flank of the enemy, and soon enough they were retreating.

“Okay, shit, our surprise factor is gone and we’re out in the open. I need two runners, one for the third cohort, who’s hopefully taken the initiative and won’t need a nudge from us, and another for Viscount. We need carts, and we need them fast, so we can unpack and retreat.” Michael quickly picked two people he deemed fit, and they were sprinting away in the blink of an eye.

“What do we have in terms of projectiles?” Magnus looked at the legionaries.

“Our slingers are low on shot, though they can make do with rubble and stones. As for pila, we have maybe a few, but nowhere near enough for a full volley.”

“So, we could be doing better.” Fred summarized.

“You could-“ An arrow whizzed by and shields quickly slammed together and lifted above heads, “-say that again.”

“They’re coming!” Magnus roared, and true to his word, from the streets came running a few hundred hostile warriors.

They weren’t too bright, but they sure made up for it in spirit, and that’s what made them so dangerous.

As they approached, the centurions and I all realised we’d either be encircled, or we’d be stretched too thin to form any meaningful resistance.

“Break formation!” Came the call from Michael, quickly followed by a bellowed, “CHARGE!”

The two sides met with an almighty crash, and I quickly joined the fray, slashing at the stomach of a distracted cynocephalus and quickly turning it to dust.

As individual swordfights slowly spread the mass of bodies apart, I quickly dispatched my opponents and started helping this around me, hopefully starting a wave that’d allow us to overwhelm them.

Fighting side by side with three others, I watched as one charged forward to intercept a similarly charging bicephalus. As her sword connected with flesh, and her opponent collapsed, she started lifting her shield, ready to take a few steps back to join us, when a golden pilum struck her through the neck.

As her knees buckled and her hands grasped at the sharp metal weapon lodged in her throat, a red-haired woman appeared from the crowd of monsters and tugged it free with a look of disdain as she checked her hands, now dyed a dark shade of red.

Lifting my sword, it seemed to grab her attention and she slowly approached.

"That sword isn’t yours to use." She stated, barely audible above the din.

"The man it belonged to caused the death of my friends.”

“So, you’re the one that killed Brutus?”

Saying nothing more I darted forward, and struck at her legs, only for her to pivot away, and strike with her pilum at my side.

It bounced off my cloak, but that didn’t seem to surprise her as she let the weapon continue its path away from me, before violently pushing it forward and smashing it through the top of a legionary’s shield and into their face hiding behind it.

All of a sudden, the pilum changed shape, and before I knew what was happening, I was parrying an imperial gold gladius’s thrust at my abdomen.

Counterattacking, my blade was smashed to the side amidst a hail of sparks, and I barely deflected the flurry of slashes she threw at me. Another legionary tried attacking her from behind but was thrown to the ground, a steel-tipped boot crushing his throat. Dodging under her next swing, I smashed my fist into her face, and she stumbled back.

The woman grinned, showing off her bloodied teeth, before spitting red saliva onto the ground. It was then that two bicephali decided to join our duel, but compared to my opponent, they were no trouble to outmanoeuvre and kill. Given no time to rest, a golden pilum thrust through the dust cloud and glanced off my cloak.

“Fuck…” I grunted, taking a few steps back.

“I’m not surprised that Brutus died by your hands, he was a good fighter, but shit… You must have some war god or goddess blood running in your veins, sister!” She wiped her mouth, “Blonde hair, grey eyes? Of course, you’re a Greek! That explains your style too, and-“

She trailed off as a horn blew in the distance, a look of uncertainty passing over her face.

"For New Rome!" Grawon’s deep growl rang out, and in came charging a hundred fresh legionaries, Nico at the forefront next to the centurion.

"Fuck…” The woman muttered, and she took a step back, but I was quick to follow her, leaving her no chance to escape without a proper fight.

Like a spearhead, the new arrivals broke through the horde of monsters spread thin, and I took the opportunity to strike at the woman’s leg, which she deflected and got ready to stab me with her pilum. I closed the distance between us, rendering her weapon briefly unusable as she changed it into a sword.

The flat of my blade came smashing down on her arm, making her drop the weapon before she could thrust it into my chest.

“Surrender or die.” I pointed the tip of my blade at her neck.

She grinned, “What about a third option?”

My expression was enough to convey the answer to that question, and she watched helplessly as her warriors turned shattered and ran in less than a minute.

Ordering her to kneel, the various centurions present congregated around me.

"Zoe... Two times in one day, really?” Centurion Magnus asked as he got closer, “Try and talk your way out of this situation."

She shrugged.

“Good work Sophia.” Michael patted my shoulder, “Not every day you get to test your skills against a daughter of Bellona.”

“Really… She’s a daughter of the war goddess?”

“Why are you so surprised by that?” She complained, but I ignored her. Frustrated by that, she looked at Michael instead, “Itty bitty Wagner’s finally grown into a centurion? I bet your little praetor’s mighty proud.”

Grawon raised an eyebrow, “Gloria’s dead.” He spat, “Your so-called Pontifex made sure of that.”

“Dead?” She looked genuinely saddened by the news, “I- I had hoped she’d somehow survive. We could’ve lived together under a different system.”

“Just let us take you prisoner, Zoe.” Magnus sighed, “The fight’s over.”

She said nothing as Michael approached with a length of rope dangling from his belt.

All of a sudden, her hands were moving, and she was grabbing the gladius on the ground.

I had no time to react as it turned into a pilum and pierced the approaching centurion’s shin. He screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground, the wound already smoking, and she looked at us.

“I know you! Hell, I was once a part of you! I’m your enemy, you’ll just crucify me, you’ll-“

Her ranting was quickly stopped as Centurion Fredrick appeared behind her and smashed her in the side of the head with his pommel.

“Shit… we need a medic!” Grawon yelled, rushing forward to help the injured centurion.

It took a moment before my legs reacted to the entire scene, and I was sprinting forward, wanting to help in whatever way I could.

Around us were many more bodies, more than a few of them beyond the point of saving.

What awaited us under the walls of Temple Hill?

Daniel

"I welcome all of you to this War Council, let us get to it at once so we can all return to our cohorts as soon as possible." Viscount started, and I looked down at my hands, absentmindedly staring at a small scar, "I thank all of you for your bravery today, those supplies we managed to recover will mean the difference between life and death, though it saddens me that so many lives were given for this feat."

Everyone bowed their heads in sombre silence. The total death toll had been around sixty legionaries, with nearly a hundred more wounded, many of whom wouldn’t be a part of the coming battle, and some would never fight again.

Overall, this had been a smaller price than what we’d have paid had that dragon faced us. Separated, we would’ve been picked off in no time, but now that our camp was nearing completion, and had eyes on the sky for the menace, we stood a better chance at surviving such an encounter.

“What’s our next course of action, legate?” Centurion Max asked.

"We’re going to rest a bit tomorrow, and the day after that is the day of the battle. Sophia has been helping me draw up a plan, and I believe she has all the necessary details,” She nodded, “Good. Before I let Sophia explain everything, let me introduce Marcellus, whom many of you already know as Mark. He’s taking part on this war council today to describe to us what he’s been working on leading up to this moment.”

“Gentlemen and gentle… ladies?” He frowned, shaking his head, “Never mind the theatrics and formalities. Let’s get straight to the point! Over the course of several days, I’ve prepared twelve explosive devices that will be able to bring down the Augur’s wall.”

“So that’s what that explosion was about…” I heard Centurion Hector mutter to himself.

“However, one problem does arise from all of this. We will need someone who’ll actually walk up to said wall and plant the charges.”

“And that’s where Sophia comes in.” Viscount gestured for Sophia to continue.

The daughter of Athena stood up, and smiled, “I’ve double-checked with both Centurion Grawon and my brother Justin. The first cohort, along with the campers from Camp Half-Blood, will be the ones to plant the bomb on this part of the wall.”

She pointed at the map laid out on the campaign table before us.

“Who will lead the cohort?” Michael asked, his leg bandaged and propped up on a chair.

“You can’t fight in your current condition Michael, so if I’m given permission, I would like to lead them.”

Viscount looked around the tent, but nobody complained, “Then it looks like you’ve been granted the title of Centurion of the First Cohort. Now, please, go on.”

“We set out tomorrow just before dark, and move under the cover of darkness, settling down in front of the wall we’ll be attacking, with the lake between us. On the way there, I’ll sacrifice Serene my lionskin. According to Neal, who I pre-emptively selected to be my optio, some of the legionaries in the century might also have skills that could help us get over the water one way or another.”

“Optio?” Max snorted, “That rank hasn’t been in use since the fall of Rome.”

“Maybe it’s time some things changed,” Viscount shrugged, “Continue.”

“Hopefully with Serene’s help, we’ll manage to get over the lake, after which we can hopefully hit them before they realise what we’re doing.”

“That’s all good on paper, Soph, but any cohort, but especially the first, is bound to garner some attention.” Mary looked at the daughter of Athena.

“This is where the less favourable part of the plan comes in.” She grimaced, “The rest of the legion has to distract the defenders for long enough to allow us to blow a hole in the side and overwhelm their defences from inside.”

“And until then we’re just meant to get shot to pieces by the enemy?” Magnus muttered, “I’m all for a battle, but I’m not going to send my cohort into the meatgrinder.”

Murmurs of agreement followed his statement.

“And what if we were to use a scorpion or ballista to shoot it into the wall?” One of the quieter centurions asked, Cliff.

“We do have plenty of siege equipment, most of which we can’t use since we’re the ones doing the attacking.” Magnus agreed.

Marcellus stood up, wide-eyed and put his hand in the air.

“Mark, you don’t have to put your hand up, this isn’t a classroom. Speak.”

“Ah, right.” He quickly retracted his hand, “I can answer that for you. Yes, it was tested as a possible way of doing things, however, it has a high chance of failure. The bombs don’t actually blow a hole in it per se.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Grawon raised an eyebrow.

“What I mean centurion, is that the way they’re meant to be used is close to the ground and close to one another. That will create a big enough shockwave to cave in the empty basilisk nest underneath it, causing the entire wall section to collapse. A siege engine, even if my brothers and I were to man them, just isn’t capable of such precision.”

“Look, guys.” Sophia looked around the tent, “I’m not too happy about this part of the plan either, but you’ll have all the support you can get.”

There were still some mutterings going about.

“I’ll say what has to be said then.” Viscount stood up, “However much it pains me to say this, this is the plan we must follow. This is our one chance. Sophia here is the daughter of the Goddess of Strategy herself, and she’s proven herself in combat enough times that I’d trust her with my life. You’ve all seen her fight too…”

All eyes were now on Sophia, who was trying hard not to beam with pride.

“She beat Zoe McCoy in a duel!” Michael exclaimed with joy.

“She’s no Roman,” Viscount held up a finger, “But that doesn’t mean that her heart isn’t with us. The death toll of the battle will be high regardless of what plan we choose, however the right plan, and only the right plan, will bring us to victory. Death is nothing to be made light of, but if that’s the cost of saving Rome’s legacy, so be it. Our families and friends are counting on us, so what do you say my fellow Romans?”

“They’ll pay for all the suffering they caused!” Magnus roared, and cheers went up from the other centurions as well.

“Our children and grandchildren will remember us as heroes!” Every face was beaming around the tent, “And with that final message, I bid all of you a farewell for today.”

We exited the command tent, and I couldn’t help but stare in awe at the camp that had been pulled up around us while we’d been inside. A large part of the wall still required work, but the section facing the Augur’s fortress was complete, bristling with guards and scorpion ballistae.

My gaze wandered over to my two companions.

Nico’s energy stocks were completely depleted, and he was staring at his feet sullenly. He had fought like hell, and that had a way of wearing down everyone, especially a fourteen-year-old. Hell, in a normal world, he shouldn’t be anywhere near a war. None of us should be.

Watching people fall lifelessly, when only moments ago they’d been fighting tooth and nail to stay alive, was no less horrific the fifteenth time than the first. If anything, it felt worse.

I was desensitized to it all, I knew that to be true. I had lost people I had hoped to see in the future, and yet where was that feeling of loss that I had felt before all of this?

Anger flared inside me… Anger at myself. How did I become what I am? An unfeeling monster that was only good for fighting.

For crying out loud, most of those faces that stared over the River Styx, awaiting the boatman, had once been fixated on me, teaching them how to survive.

I failed all those people.

“Hey, Dan?” Sophia’s soft voice ripped me away from the gloomy thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You alright?” I could see the worry etched on her face, and Nico was staring at me too.

It was then that I felt the tear streaking down my cheek.

“Yeah… Yeah.” I wiped it away quickly, not like that’d fool them, “Let’s get to our tent.”

It took a while for us to find the voices of Greeks streaming through the flaps.

“Guys! Good to see you’re still alive!” Hector laughed as we stepped inside, shoving a shot glass into my hand, “Felix found some apples, and made the best-“

I gently handed it back to him.

“It’s been a long day guys, I’m not ready for a drink just yet.” I tried giving him a smirk, “Plus, we should hold the celebrations for after the battle.”

“What if we’re not all here for that?” Bob asked.

The question smacked me in the gut like a hammer, and I stared at him for a while, before taking the glass from Hector’s hand again and downing the strong liquor.

His smile had some sadness behind it, “That’s the spirit. You can rest a bit if you want. After today, you must be exhausted, we’ll find some other place to drink.”

“Thanks, and good night.”

As the candles were blown out, and the three of us settled down for bed while everyone else left, I couldn’t knock that thought Bob had planted in me out of my head. In the coming battle, it wasn’t going to be a question of if someone would die, but rather who. Which of my friends would I never speak to again once I said goodbye?

I tossed and turned for what felt like hours. Listening to the sound of the snores of the others, I smiled. At least they could rest.

Sighing, I sat up and slipped into my boots, quietly sneaking out of the tent. It must’ve been somewhere around midnight by now, and only the patrols on the walls made any sort of sound.

Whatever the others were doing, it must be one hell of a party for them to still be out and about like that.

The cold air felt refreshing for once, and the condensation of my breath billowed out before me as I just stood there, trying to empty myself of my thoughts.

It felt like it was working when I was startled by the ruffling of the tent’s flap, and I turned around to look at Sophia.

“Hey.” She whispered, “I had a feeling you wouldn’t be able to sleep yet.”

“Yeah?” I smiled, “Are you sure you aren’t the real Oracle of Delphi?”

She snorted, “Oh, shut up, I don’t need to be an oracle to see that something’s bothering you.” She stepped closer, “It also isn’t hard to figure out what that is.”

“Really?” My heart skipped a beat.

“Well, it’s a conversation that requires someplace nicer than this. How about the wall?”

“We’d be in the way of the patrols.”

“True, they’d be a distraction. How about the top of the watchtower then?”

I couldn’t help but smirk, remembering my last time atop one, and my conversation with Viscount, “Fine by me.”

It took a while to reach our destination, during which I couldn’t help but stare at Sophia, who was leading me. There was something about her messy hair sticking out from under that knitted hat that I just found beautiful.

She was quick to jump up on the roof and helped me up.

A gloved hand brushed the hair out of her mouth, before she sat down, letting her legs dangle over the edge.

She patted the space beside her with a smile, and I obliged.

“Now that we’re here… It’s time I talk to you about fatal flaws.”

My smile wavered a bit, deep down hoping this would be about something else. Nevertheless, she had my interest piqued.

“What are they?”

“Everyone has one, a flaw that’s a part of your very nature as a living being, and as the name suggests, it can be dangerous. That’s why it’s good if you know what yours is, and I think I might have an idea.”

“How could you-“

“You and I aren’t that different, Dan. Sure, we may not see eye-to-eye on some things, like who’s the better swordfighter-“ I nudged her in the side, gently, “-but we’re close enough that I know you’re beating yourself up over the deaths.”

My shoulders deflated, and all the thoughts I had been trying to keep back, just rolled over me.

“I- I… I failed them, Soph. I could’ve trained them harder, or been there for them, to save them-“

“You think the greatest warriors ever to be born lived a long and happy life? We both know that there are basically no tales about such a thing happening. Truth is, no amount of training can change your fate, all we can do is live our lives and try to ignore the fact that our deaths have already been written.” She chuckled, “Here I am, blabbing on about fate when I’ve had thoughts like this too. Well, not exactly…” She struggled to continue and sighed, “Let me tell you about what I believe my fatal flaw is.”

“Go on.” I smiled, holding back the urge to make a joke at her expense. Now was not the time for that.

“Annabeth Chase is my role model. Sure, the entire Athena cabin could say the same, but I feel like I’m meant to fill those massive shoes she left behind. Sure, you have Daedalus, you have Perdix… I could list the ancient heroes for days, but they’re not something you can really associate yourself with. A fellow demigod, one that lived in the very cabin you do, however? Hell, if she could become a hero, anyone could.”

“So, you took up the mantle of leadership, and are stressing about trying to live up to your predecessor?”

“I know, it might sound silly,” She chuckled, “But after my da-“ She paused, “-I mean after I was brought to Camp Half-Blood, Marcus was the guy that looked after me. After hearing the stories about Percy Jackson’s adventures, I may have developed a crush on him.”

I smirked, “So the others were right about that!”

“Oh, shut up.” She slapped my thigh, “Yeah, it’s true, but tell this to anyone else, and I’ll deny it and beat your ass during training.”

“I’ve already forgotten what you told me, no way I’m gonna tell anyone about you and Marcus.”

“Oh please, there wasn’t anything! He was like a brother to me while I grew up, learned a lot from him. Until he disappeared. I’m not sure where he went, or why, but deep down I’m scared he left forever, leaving me behind. It’s the sort of thing that really makes you ask questions about your self-worth.”

“Your fatal flaw is trying to prove your self-worth, no matter what it takes.”

She nodded, “I’ve tried and tried, again and again, to become the next Annabeth Chase. Only now, that I got the chance of reaching her status, did I realise that it’s not exactly the dream you want. With the death that’s surrounded our every step since we arrived in California… Hell, since the winter solstice, the cherry on top of it all was rehashing the same plan dozens of times, trying new angles, only to come to the same conclusion, over and over, a lot of people were going to die, and because I was the one who made the plan, their lives were on me in a way.”

“Bullshit, Sophia. You’re doing the best you can and came up with the best plan you could. You said it yourself, you tried thinking of new ways, but there were none. This isn’t your fault from this point on.”

“You say I shouldn’t blame myself for these deaths, yet you blame yourself for those very same deaths, that have nothing to do with you? We’re two sides of the same coin, you just have to realise that, as do I.”

I sighed.

“I’ve been thinking about what death even means anymore, knowing that in this new world-“ I gestured all around myself, “The underworld is a real place you can visit, and the dead essentially live on down there. After what I believed as a mortal, it doesn’t feel like I’ve really lost someone when they’re killed, because I know they’ve just got a different life in the underworld.”

“They’re still gone, in a sense, and life in the underworld isn’t a life.” She muttered, “Life up here is our life, and we’ve still only got one, there are no retries… Not for the same life. And now that the underworld isn’t under the control of Olympus, death might be a worse fate than before.”

“Oh… Yeah. Even more reason for this entire war to end, so we can solve that, and give our friends a proper life after death.”

“Fuck… There’s still so much to do.” Sophia stretched, “But, I somehow don’t doubt that we can accomplish everything... No small thanks to you, chaos boy.”

“Hey, it ain’t a one-man job. I’d be dead many times over if it wasn’t for you guys, for the Campers of Long Island. This is going to be a team effort.”

"I guess... but-"

"No Sophia, I’m not budging on this. I might be the best in a lot of things-“ That earned a playful slap on the arm, “-but, I’m not strong enough to do this alone. Neither are you or any single person for that matter. Together, however…” I pointed at the Roman camp behind me, “Just look at what the Romans have gone through, and yet they’re stronger than ever.”

“That’s different.”

“Is it?” I looked at her, but she stared at her feet, “Truth is, you’re a good leader, but you’re not Annabeth. You’re Sophia. There are no boots to be filled, just be yourself, and lead people. That’s why I-“ I quickly corrected myself, “That’s why we like you. The entire camp, and now the Romans too, respects and trusts you. I was there when you asked Bob about joining you with the first cohort.”

“He had just one question… Whose plan are we following?” She smirked.

“See? It isn’t easy having other people trust their lives on you, and they then die, but getting people to put their lives in your hand at all… That’s gotta be a milestone.”

She had a broad smile now, “Thanks. As for you, Mister Chaos, you’ve got to stop thinking all their deaths are your fault. You did what you could within the time limit and with the resources and skills you had at your disposal. Not to mention the fact that there aren’t what-ifs about the past. Whatever’s happened, happened! There’s no point beating yourself up over the fact, however, there’s always a point to bettering yourself by learning from your mistakes.”

That was when the first tear dropped, and that only started the cascade.

Before I could say anything, Sophia’s arms were around me, and her small sniffles made me realize that she too was crying.

“Look at us,” I smirked, trying to keep my snotty nose from Sophia’s coat, “We’re quite a mess, huh?”

She joined in with the chuckles, “The last few months haven’t exactly been stress-free.”

“You can say that again.”

“Thank you, Daniel.”

“For what?”

“For just… Being here.”

“I’ll be here any time you need me, just remember that everyone else is also there for you too. We fight side-by-side and trust each other with our lives, we sure as hell won’t draw the line at having a little heart-to-heart.”

She looked me in the eyes, and again, my heart skipped a beat.

We were close.

Very close.

Suddenly, the magic was broken by the sound of boots on the wooden palisade.

“We should go.” She let go of me, blushing, “Ah fuck, I can’t feel my toes.”

I laughed as I stood up and dusted off my ass. She tried to do the same but nearly toppled over the wall.

“Fuck, Soph. Don’t dive over the edge of the wall just after this heartfelt talk.”

“Just help me.” She grunted, and I pulled her onto her feet.

I had needed that talk, badly, and by the looks of it, so did Sophia. As we strode back to the tent, she stayed close to my side. I couldn’t decide if she was just cold, or if there was more to it all.

Why was this so complicated?

A different day, perhaps after the civil war was over. At least I’d manage to get some sleep today.

The Augur

"Idiots!" I slammed my fist into a vase, and it crashed to the ground, "Useless fucking bastards!" Another vase suffered the same fate, "Bottom of the barrel trash!"

"Pontifex Maximus? I-"

"What?" I turned around to glare down at my servant, Maximus.

A small, timid man, a disgrace to his family and to the very notion of being Roman, but he knew enough to brown-nose the right person, and he had a knack for being loyal to them. He was also the only Roman that had supported me, so he could still be a useful asset in the future.

The man’s eyes widened in shock, and he took a few steps back.

"My pontifex, you worry too much." Came the drawl of my bodyguard, who was leaning against a nearby column.

"Really Dravin? Really?! I don't think you realise just how many problems we’re facing right now. Not a single supply box was destroyed, the sole reason we even started the attacks, and we lost five, I repeat, FIVE fucking captains, along with a decent chunk of the troops, that are worth fuck all anyway. And tell me, what did we achieve? We gave our enemy a massive morale boost and a few dozen casualties at most."

"Just send the dragon after them. Sybaris will do the dirty work and there's no need to worry." He picked his teeth with a dagger.

"And do tell me, what effect would that have on us if it were to fail?"

"How could it-"

"How could it fail, you ask?!" I stomped my foot, "They have about eight hundred heavily armoured soldiers in that camp of theirs, which means about double that in pila. They also have scorpions, ballistae, and the son of a motherfucking primordial. I decided against sending it against them when they were all over the place because I wasn’t going to risk it there, and so I sure as hell won’t risk it against their entire camp.”

“She’s an asset, just like the monsters in your army. What use is it if you don’t use it?”

“Oh, it’ll have a use! But if it dies before the final clash, no matter how much damage it inflicts before its passing, the already unhappy captains in this fortress will see it as another failure of my leadership. What use winning the war if I’m executed by rebelling exiles?! How do you not see the problem, you moronic, unintelligent prick!”

He bowed his head.

“I’m a warrior, pontifex, and I sometimes have ideas. I’m no politician though, therefore I don’t consider that aspect of an action, unlike you.” He sheathed the knife, “What is your next order?”

“First, tell the quartermaster to let the alcohol flow freely tonight. They won’t be attacking tomorrow, I’m sure of it. Tomorrow, we build the onagers. If they’re stupid enough to invade, I’ll teach them a lesson they won’t live long enough to remember.”

“What about our little failure?” I could hear the smirk in his voice, even though I wasn’t looking at him.

“Valentina?” I thought for a bit, “It’s a shame that Thaddeus is dead, but I’m sure you can think of a creative punishment. Don’t kill her though, just show her what failure can achieve for her.”

“As you command, Pontifex.”

“And Maximus?” I looked at the man still standing with eyes pointed at the ground. He whipped his head up at the sound of his name, “Clean this mess up.” I pointed at the remains of the vases.

Daniel

As I tightened my belt and checked my gear, I looked at the grass outside the tent. It was dark already, a sign that the battle was incredibly close, maybe half a day away, if not less.

With a sigh, I stepped outside and went searching for Sophia and the rest of the first cohort. They weren’t hard to find, and I soon spotted the blonde girl, clutching a centurion’s helmet under her arm.

It was strange, seeing her in Roman armour, but she couldn’t go into battle without protection, especially since the cloak she had wasn’t going to be hers by the time the fight started.

I stepped in front of her, and she looked me up and down.

“Hey.” I smiled.

“Hey,” Her smile was more sheepish than happy, and I looked at her, confused.

“What’s the matter?”

“Umm…” She looked at the legionary she had been talking with, “Neal, can you come back in a few minutes?” He bowed his head, and if anything, that just made me more confused. As she stepped closer, I started to get a bad feeling, “Dan, I didn’t want to tell you until now, but I want you fighting with the main force.”

“You mean… I’m not coming with you?”

“Exactly…” Her eyes widened, “It’s not that I don’t want you fighting with us-“

“Then why? I’d be a good asset.”

“You’re a good asset everywhere!” She composed herself, “Look, the rest of the legion will be marching up against overwhelming numbers and siege engines. They need you to spearhead the attack.”

“A wall of Roman shields is perfectly capable-“

“Stop arguing-“ She held up a hand, “I want you there because I trust that you’re the only person that can make any difference with their presence. Believe me, sending you into the thick of it isn’t something I enjoy doing, and I’d want nothing more than for you to assault the fortress with us… But without you, the frontal attack will fail. Not to mention the fact that they know you, and I’m certain tales of the black-cloaked warrior are already whispered between every monster and exile there. If they don’t see you among their enemy’s ranks, they’ll suspect something’s wrong.”

“Now those are all logical points, but-“

“This isn’t up for debate Dan.” She said sadly, “Just trust me that I can do the job without you, and try and survive, yeah?”

Before I could say anything else, she stepped closer and kissed me on the cheek.

“Umm…”

“For good luck.” She blushed before the sound of approaching boots interrupted the moment.

It was the ambassador, dressed up in roman armour and carrying a black sword and Thaddeus’ old bident.

I smiled sadly, “Take care of yourself.”

“You’re the one facing off against the Augur’s forces head, you take care of yourself.”

“Let’s agree to both take care of ourselves, yeah?”

She smirked, before turning around slowly and walking away. A look of mild disgust was etched onto Rebecca’s face as she turned with Sophia.

I had no doubts in my mind about Sophia’s skills, I had seen her fight more times than once, and this time she was nowhere near alone. Still, it felt like what was coming tomorrow was going to be different.

Maybe it was just the fact that this was going to be the battle that would decide the outcome of the civil war. Stakes were higher here than just our own lives.

Nico stepped beside me, staring at Sophia as she left.

“At least you got a kiss on the cheek?” He offered with a grin.

“Ah shut up, Nico.” I looked at the son of Poseidon, “How are you anyway? Didn’t get to talk a lot about the battle.”

“I didn’t want to talk about it, truth be told. Fending off wave after wave of monsters made everything feel a bit hopeless, you know?”

“In what way?”

“Well, they were throwing themselves at the shield wall, and turning to dust, sometimes killing someone, or wounding them. It felt like a never-ending cycle, and I knew that the same thing would await us tomorrow, and after all of this, the only real difference we’d make would be the end of this war. Those monsters, that others gave their lives to kill and for us to get to where we are now, they’d all be back, it was just a matter of time.”

“The end of the civil war is a big difference, Nico.” I shrugged, “It means New Rome can be rebuilt and we gain a new ally against the pit. Monsters will always come back, but if we save New Rome, that’ll pave the way for future generations to return and continue their predecessor’s legacy.”

“There’s that, yeah, but I’m asking you, as someone fairly new to all this, doesn’t this constant fighting and death sound hopeless?”

“Maybe.” I shrugged, “But if we don’t do what needs to be done, it’ll be the innocents of this world that’ll be punished for our inaction. That thought alone gives me enough reason to keep on fighting. And hopefully, our actions will serve as an example for the future demigods.”

It was then that I started laughing.

“What is it?”

“Looking back at my life, the fact that this is my new reality is so surreal in a way. You tell Daniel Greenfield a year ago even half of what’s happened thus far, and he’d punch you and run away, thinking you insane.”

“I honestly can’t picture myself living the life of a mortal.”

“Why?”

“I mean, I never got the chance. My stepfather didn’t keep any secrets from Jenny and I, and as soon as we were old enough, we were sent to Camp Half-Blood. While kids my age played tag on the playground, I learned how to fight with a sword.”

“In a way, that’s pretty sick.”

“I guess, but it sure doesn’t feel like it sometimes. As a son of Poseidon, you’ve got a slew of heroes that you’re constantly being compared to, whether people want to or not. I want to do my part, and help, and that’s why I came on this quest, but I don’t want to be a hero… Very few of them ever get a happy ending.”

He was playing with the ring on his finger, the very same ring he’d set off from camp with.

“We get to choose many things in our life, but becoming a hero? People with the right mentality and skills become heroes, whether they want to or not. It comes with being a demigod I guess.” I shrugged.

“Here.” He held out his hand, and I put my palm under it. Into my outstretched hand dropped the celestial bronze ring, “You’ll need it more than I will tomorrow.”

“Come on, you can’t exactly be without a shield!”

“I’ll be behind the lines, playing with water. If the enemy reaches me, a shield won’t help me, but it will help you. Rob fixed both Sophia’s and mine today.”

I slipped it onto my finger, “Thanks.”

Draping my arm around him, I rubbed his shoulder.

“Tomorrow’s gonna be tough.”

“We’ve been through worse.” I smirked, “Remember Olivia?”

“You mean the girl at the gas station who turned out to be a primordial god, who was friends with the Nemean Lion and the Stymphalian Birds?”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “That’s exactly the type of shit to say to get you labelled as crazy in the mortal world.”

Maybe we all needed some amount of craziness to survive what was to come.