▬▬▬ CHAPTER FIVE ▬▬▬

Sherry Barahona (from Quotev) made a Youtube and Spotify playlist for this series (or Essie in general). Unfortunately, links are complicated here in Wattpad, so if you wanna see it, just go to the Quotev version of this book where I put the link.

Also I'm really sorry about the confusion you guys, but the drafted book I mentioned in the last chapter is just that. A draft. It's a book full of notes about my characters and basically includes little details I need to keep track of characters' heights, ages, birthdays, residences, powers etc. It's not like one of those "meet my ocs" stories, its just a draft I need cuz I'm forgetful and dumb 💀💀💀

BUT... CuteTrash did point out that it could be helpful for you guys, especially if you wanna try and make a fanfic of this fanfic?? I only made it so it'd be easier for me to find information about my characters rather than searching through all six books for an answer, but if you guys are interested, then I can publish it for you?? 

ESMERELDA TRIED TO THINK POSITIVELY, but it wasn't easy since everyone kept shooting her looks of great pity.

At least I don't have to work! She thought. And at least the barracks in my cohort aren't next to the smelly stables and latrines!

"As for the rest of you," Octavian continued as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb on her. He turned to Percy and Ethan with a wrinkled nose, as if he looked down on them for not having any letters. "No letters. Pity. Will any legionnaires stand for them?"

Esmerelda prayed that Nemesis or Poseidon/Neptune would send them a letter too, but no letter popped up.

"I will!" Frank stepped forward. "They saved my life!"

Immediately there were shouts of protest from the other cohorts. Reyna raised her hand for quiet and glared at Frank.

"Frank Zhang," she said. "For the second time today, I remind you that you are on probatio. Your godly parent has not even claimed you yet. You're not eligible to stand for another camper until you've earned your first stripe."

Frank looked like he might die of embarrassment. Esmerelda wanted to go up to him and give him a pat on the head for effort. 

Hazel came to his rescue. "What Frank means is that Percy and Ethan saved both our lives. I am a full member of the legion. I will stand for Percy Jackson and Ethan Nakamura."

Frank glanced at her gratefully, but the other campers started to mutter.

Reyna wrinkled her nose, but she turned to Octavian. The augur smiled and shrugged like the idea amused him.

"Very well," she announced. "Hazel Levesque, you may stand for the recruit. Does your cohort accept them?"

The other cohorts started coughing, trying not to laugh. 

Frank pounded his shield against the ground. The other members of the Fifth followed his lead, though they didn't seem very excited. Their centurions, Dakota and Gwen, exchanged pained looks, like: Here we go again.

"My cohort has spoken," Dakota said. "We accept the recruits."

Reyna nodded in acceptance. "Congratulations, Percy, Ethan, and Esmerelda. You stand on probatio. You will be given a tablet with your name and cohort. In one year's time, or as soon as you complete an act of valor, you will become a full member of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Serve Rome, obey the rules of the legion, and defend the camp with honor. Senatus Populusque Romanus!"

The rest of the legion echoed the cheer.

"Centurions," Reyna said. "You and your troops have one hour for dinner. Then we will meet on the Field of Mars. The First and Second Cohorts will defend. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth will attack. Good fortune!"

A bigger cheer went up—for the war games and for dinner. The cohorts broke ranks and ran for the mess hall.

Esmerelda locked eyes with Ethan and Nico, and she started to go towards them until a hand grabbed her by the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but everyone eats with their assigned cohort members," Octavian explained when she turned to face him.

"Oh, but I was, uh, I was hoping—" she stammered nervously, glancing back at Ethan and Nico. She wanted desperately to eat with them and just spend more time with them in general. Especially Nico. She hadn't seen the kid in so long and they were only able to spend a few minutes together before more people came. 

"—It's the rules here. Wouldn't want to break them on your first day now, would you?" He asked, flashing her a friendly smile but his tone sounded almost challenging.

Oh my gods, this guy is so creepy! She had to suppress a shudder when he began leading her away to their table. She looked back at Ethan and Nico to give them an apologetic look. Nico seemed to understand, but there was a noticeable droopiness in his shoulders that broke her heart. Ethan, on the other hand, looked about ready to rip Octavian's throat out.

He led her to the mess hall, which grew noisier by the second. Laughter echoed off the walls. War banners rustled from cedar ceiling beams as aurae blew back and forth, keeping everyone's plates full. The campers dined Roman style, sitting on couches around low tables. Kids were constantly getting up and trading places, spreading rumors about who liked whom and all the other gossip.

Aurae were in charge of the food, and for some odd reason they seemed to know exactly what everyone wanted. They blew plates and cups around so quickly, the mess hall looked like a delicious hurricane.

Octavian led her to an elaborate looking table with other formidable looking people. Some of them were sitting up straight, while others were laying on their stomachs as they ate. Honestly, the Roman style of dining looked pretty cool. 

Esmerelda sat down at an empty spot and before Octavian could plop down beside her, Étienne bumped him aside with his hips and stole his place.

"Great food, huh?" He grinned over at her, ignoring Octavian's fuming presence. The blonde ended up sitting at Étienne's other side.

Étienne was already enjoying his beef bourguignon. Esmerelda glanced down at her plate, which was full of chicken parmesan. She could feel her stomach rumble with need. How long had it been since she had a decent full meal? 

Too long, she thought to herself before picking up her utensils and chowing down. She hoped she didn't look too much like a slob. Her father had always told her proper dinner etiquette was important.

"Esmerelda, is it?" One of the campers sitting across from her asked. He had tanned skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. On his arm Esmerelda spotted a tattoo of a dove, one of Venus' sacred animals. Unlike his Greek half-siblings (or maybe he was a legacy?), he held himself with the air of an Athena kid. He looked stern and no-nonsense. "I'm Michael Kahale. The other centurion of the First Cohort." 

"Oh, nice to meet you!" She beamed. 

"Are you prepared for the war games?" He asked, eyeing her critically. "I'm aware that you've had a rough journey coming here." 

"I'll be perfectly fine for it," she assured them, though a good bath certainly wouldn't go amiss.

"And a weapon?" He asked her. 

"I have one," she replied, patting the brooch on the front of her shirt. At her curious stare, she unpinned it and revealed the adamantine labrys. 

"That... That's adamantine," Octavian breathed out, but then he realized something. "Hold on. I'm intrigued. This is... this is a labrys, isn't it? A Greek weapon?"

Esmerelda's previous joy was thrown out the window and violently dumped into the landfill. 

Oh fuck. 

"I got it from a monster," she said, which wasn't an outright lie. She first got it from a dracaena which she killed, and it's original owner, Briares, allowed her to keep it. 

"It reminds me of something," Octavian murmured. "I remember... Back before the Romans existed, Briares, the Hundred-Handed One used an adamantine labyrs to slay the Ophiotaurus but failed to retrieve it's entrails. This weapon..." 

His eyes darkened as he looked at her. 

"This weapon was used to try and destroy the gods." 

Esmerelda's heart was hammering. It was beating so loud that all the other noise in the mess hall had drowned out. She wondered if Octavian could hear it. 

He's suspicious of me! He thinks I'm a threat!

She swallowed thickly, knowing very well that she was doomed now. She opened her mouth, her throat running dry as she tried to think of what to say. 

But Étienne came to her rescue.

"You're being ridiculous," he said. "I doubt that's the same weapon. The Greeks have long since faded away, anyways. That weapon probably doesn't exist anymore." 

Esmerelda was grateful that he was helping her out, but her hopes plummeted when she saw the way Octavian's lips curled into a smile. 

"The idea that the Greeks have disappeared is something the majority believes in," he said. 

"And... I'm guessing you don't?" She said. 

"No," he answered. "In fact, I think the Greeks are still around." He was looking straight into her eyes when he said this. 

Michael hummed in agreement. "Their influence is still strong even today. We have demigods who would occasionally leave Camp Jupiter. They reject Roman training and try to follow the older Greek style—like being solo heroes instead of working as a team the way the legion does. Especially last summer... We lost a lot of good soldiers." 

To Kronos' Army, Esmerelda realized. 

"What happened to them?" She asked. "To the ones who left last summer?"

"They were traitors," Octavian told her. "After we defeated them, we executed them, as we do with all treasonous soldiers." 

"...Oh." She said in a small voice. 

Étienne had to hand her a glass of water to cool her down. 

"Anyways, back to the Greeks," Octavian continued. "When Ancient Rome fell, the eastern half of the empire survived—the Greek half. It was called Byzantium. The eastern empire lasted another thousand years, but it was always more Greek than Roman. Us Romans couldn't accept that. That's why, whatever country we settle in, we are are always in the west—the Roman part of the territory. The east is considered bad luck."

That's just like how Camp Half-Blood considered the west bad luck! Esmerelda thought. 

She couldn't believe it. This entire time they had thought it had something to do with monsters, but it was just the gods trying to keep them apart. 

"It's not a very common belief," Octavian dismayed, but his eyes were sharp as he looked at her. "But I still believe the Greek demigods exist. Heroes who follow the older forms of our gods. Evil, chaotic beings who plot the downfall of Rome. What do you think, Esmerelda?"

Before she could answer, Étienne took the attention away from her.

"You're not making much sense, Octavian," he rolled his eyes. "Are they heroes? Or are they evil chaotic beings?"

"He's just scaring you," one of the campers told her while Octavian busied himself with exchanging snappish remarks with Étienne. "Nobody really believes in any of that. I doubt the Greeks actually exist."

"Oh," she said weakly. "What a relief." 

She looked over to the very back of the mess hall where the Fifth Cohort occupied. Percy looked like he was doing just fine talking with Frank and Hazel, but poor Nico looked miserable as he forked his pasta. Ethan was worse; he was aggressively stabbing at whatever he had been served.

Octavian saw what she was looking at.

"If you're thinking about joining your friends at the Fifth Cohort," he began. "I wouldn't bother with it. It's against the rules, like I said, and well... they're in there for a reason."

She couldn't help but frown. "What do you mean?"

He gave her a patronizing smile. "The kids who stay there aren't very exceptional. They're the lowest of the low."

"Just because they don't have any letters?" Her frown worsened. "Percy and Ethan are demigods, they don't have family living within New Rome. Of course they wouldn't have any letters."

"You're a demigod just like them, aren't you? Yet you received a letter, by a god no less," he commended her. "That's an honor, you know. You and your half-brother are the only ones to have been given such a privileges in over a hundred years. Not everyone gets a letter from a god. Not even me, a descendent of the great Apollo whose family has been in Camp Jupiter for a century."

As he spoke, she couldn't help but notice the flicker of envy in his eyes. He was probably wondering what was so special about two random children of Trivia that made them so deserving of a goddess' letter of recommendation. Octavian probably thought of himself as more deserving... though honestly, the reasons were understandable. Octavian's family had served the gods for over a hundred years, so she couldn't blame him for feeling a little jealous.

Esmerelda doubted the real reason she and her brother got those letters was whatever he was thinking. After losing so many of her children, Hecate became overprotective and maybe a little doting at times. It wasn't much of a surprise that she would send her two kids letters of recommendation in order to give them high privileges.

(Trivia, however, was a different story. According to their mother, her Roman counterpart wasn't as caring so the letters definitely didn't come from her.)

"The Fifth Cohort wasn't always that bad," Michael commented

Octavian snorted into his drink. "Don't go giving her the wrong idea, Mike. The Fifth Cohort has always been bad."

"They used to be the best," Étienne informed her. "Until, what was it? The 1980s?"

Several campers around their table nodded.

"Right. The Fifth Cohort used to be considered the best cohort until the 1980s, when this Michael Varus fellow lost the Legion's eagle." He explained.

"Eagle?" She repeated, stealing a glance over at the empty pole she had seen before.

Étienne caught where she was looking and nodded in confirmation. "There's supposed to be a golden eagle on there. It was the symbol of the whole camp and it was supposed to protect us in battle and make our enemies afraid. Each eagle is charged with power, so it's only natural the legions would be so desperate to protect it.

"But then Michael Varus happened," Octavian scowled. "Do you remember that prophecy we talked about back at Jupiter's temple?"

"The Prophecy of Nine," Esmerelda replied.

He nodded. "Michael Varus was the senior praetor during that time, and he came from the Fifth Cohort. He knew about the prophecy, and he thought it would bring glory to the legion if he could figure it out and make it come true. He spoke to the augur, and the augur told him the answer was in Alaska, but he warned him that it wasn't time yet. The prophecy wasn't for him."

"But he went anyways," Michael said grimly. "He took the entire Fifth Cohort on that expedition and nearly all of them were wiped out. Most of legion's Imperial gold weapons were lost too, along with the eagle. The survivors either lost their minds or refused to talk about what had attacked them."

"You mentioned that the eagle was supposed to protect the camp right? That must explain why those gorgons were able to get so close..." She trailed off, holding back a shudder. This was giving her bad memories of when Thalia's tree was poisoned and monsters were able to cross the border. That had been one of the worst moments of her life. She didn't want Camp Jupiter to go through that too. 

"And it's been getting worse," Étienne added, sipping on his juice. The topic of the conversation didn't seem to bother him as much, which wasn't a surprise. "But that's why the Fifth Cohort is treated so badly."

"But that happened years ago," she pointed out. "It's not really their faults. They weren't there when the eagle was lost."

"Oh trust me, Esmerelda," Octavian drawled. "That entire cohort is cursed. If you heard what people were saying about Hazel Levesque—"

Esmerelda choked on her drink, spilling some over her lap. "L-Levesque?!"

Hazel Levesque. Holy shit. She had heard that name before! Her mother had confirmed her identity as one of the nine demigods of the prophecy!

Oh that poor poor girl! She mentally lamented. She looked so young! Probably around Nico's age too and the Fates were already throwing her into such a deadly prophecy that could determine the end of the world.

"Essie?" Étienne looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

Octavian was looking at her suspiciously.

"I'm okay," she squeaked, hastily using her magic to siphon up the spill. "Sorry. Her last name just reminded me of a famous actor. I thought, for a second, that they were probably related."

She hoped that was a good enough lie. Judging by the way Octavian seemed to relax, he had fallen for it. Maybe Ethan's lying skills had rubbed off on her!

"So," she continued. "About the Fifth Cohort... don't you think calling them cursed is going too far?"

"Bad luck, then," Octavian shrugged. "But it certainly does seem like it. Things were looking up for them when Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, came and became the praetor alongside Reyna. He was... a decent leader despite growing up in the Fifth Cohort for his entire life. Their reputations started to become better, but then he left."

"Disappeared," Michael corrected.

"Right," Octavian smiled thinly. "He disappeared. Pity."

This guy clearly wanted that praetorship all to himself. As sneaky and cunning as he was, he wasn't good at hiding his greediness. Jason's disappearance obviously wasn't effecting him as much as it was effecting the rest of the camp.

The conversation dwindled after that, and soon everyone was talking about a different topic: the praetorship. Or more specifically, Octavian receiving the praetorship. So far everyone in their table all agreed that him replacing Jason as the praetor was the best thing for the camp, and she had a feeling the rest of the Cohort along with the Second probably agreed on that too. 

This wasn't good. She didn't know much about Octavian, but he reminded her strongly of corrupt politicians. He didn't seem like a fighter, but his strengths lay in his intelligence and his way with words. She wanted to tell these guys that Jason would be coming back, that he deserved that praetorship role instead, but she held back due to her cover as a clueless new recruit. 

Or maybe Percy could be the praetor... Temporarily of course, until Jason came back.

The only one who wasn't joining in on the conversation was Étienne. He was scowling, and his scowl only seemed to worsen with every word Octavian spoke. 

Same bro, she thought. 

Esmerelda finished her dinner quickly, desperately wanting a quick bath before the games. She felt so filthy after days of running away from stalker gorgons, she just wanted to wash all the dirt and grime away.

"May I be excused?" She asked once she was all done. "I, um, I was wondering if I could take a quick bath."

Much to her horror, Octavian was rising to his feet.

"Of course. I'll take you to the bath house," he offered.

"What?" Étienne shot him a deathly glare. "I'll take her there."

Octavian cleared his throat. "May I remind you, Étienne, that I am the centurion of the First Cohort and I was the one who accepted her placement here? I'm in charge of her, so I'll take her to bathhouse."

"And may I remind you, Octavian," the taller boy sneered. "That I'm her brother? No offense to you, but I don't particularly trust a stranger to be alone with my sister at a bathhouse."

Octavian's face turned red at what he was implying and he immediately sat back down.

"Right. I-I understand your concerns," he said, clearing his throat. "In that case, you may go."

Oh thank gods, she thought, shooting her brother a grateful look. She didn't think Octavian would try to blackmail her or anything like that, but she really didn't want to be left alone with the guy. 

Étienne led her out of the mess hall. The bathhouse was just past the principia, not too far from where they were.

"He's onto me, isn't he?" Esmerelda said miserably. 

He winced. "...Yes, he is." He confirmed reluctantly. "He probably thinks you're some sort of Greek spy working for the enemy. It doesn't help that you have that particular weapon." 

"I shouldn't have showed it to everyone," she wanted to punch herself in the face. "I completely forgot about it's story! He doesn't think I'm just any Greek spy, he probably thinks I'm trying to take down the gods!" 

"He most likely is," he said, giving her a pitying look. "But you heard what everyone said, didn't you? Octavian's one of the only few people who think the Greeks are around. Even if he went around telling people that you were evil, I doubt they'd believe it." 

But Esmerelda was still worried, so he said suggested in a more soothing tone, "You'll be fine, Essie. Just use a different weapon for the war games and maybe he'll let it go." 

There was no way Octavian would let it go, and the both of them knew that, but she nodded anyways and tried not to feel too anxious. 

"We've got about twenty minutes left until dinner's over," he told her once they reached the building. "I'll stand guard at the door, though I doubt anyone would come here."

After thanking him, she stepped into the bathhouse and was left awed by what she was seeing. 

It was certainly an impressive facility. It was massive, large enough to fit about a hundred Romans. Lit up torches were placed on each column, illuminating the place. There was no roof overhead, so she can see the moon's reflection on the crystal blue water.

She stripped her clothes off and carefully stepped into the pool, her body automatically relaxing. It was a good thing nobody else was using it, she would've been too embarrassed.

She relaxed against the ledge.

Finally, some peace and quiet...

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

If these people didn't shut the fuck up in the next five seconds, Ethan was going to murder them all.

He really didn't want to be here right now. The food was nice and all, but he just wanted to collapse on a bed and stay asleep for the next year or so. He, Percy, and Esmerelda had spent days on the run with barely any food and sleep, were dragged around a Roman camp for hours on end, and now they were expecting them to participate in their war games?

No thanks. He'd rather take a long nap.

He jabbed at his chicken fillet with his fork, trying desperately to ignore all the loud chatter around him. Maybe if he fell asleep right now they'd decide to leave him be and proceed with the war games without him? But he wanted to sleep with Esmerelda too... Ever since she died, sleeping on his own wasn't as easy anymore.

As if sensing his turmoil, Hazel quietly spoke to him.

"Um, sir—I mean, Ethan?" She said.

(It was kind of hard calling him or Esmerelda by their actual names. She had always known them as Nico's parents, but then she found out they were literally just teenagers...)

He grunted in response.

"I, um," she hesitated, seemingly nervous of the moody, dark boy in front of her. She wondered if Nico knew how alike they were. "I wanted to thank you for standing up for me back there. With Octavian, I mean."

"Oh that," he muttered. "That was nothing. I was just calling him out for blackmailing you and his piss poor attempts at being discreet about it. Dumbass practically exposed himself and gained more enemies. Can't believe an idiot like him wants to be praetor. That Jason dude sounds so much better for the job."

Hazel nodded her head in hearty agreement. She hadn't known Jason for long, but gods did she want him back. He was a decent guy, everyone liked him and he tried to make positive changes for the camp but then he went missing and Octavian began his rise to power... 

Then Ethan glanced back at her, and she was pulled back to their conversation. 

"How long has he been blackmailing you?" He asked.

Hazel was just grateful he didn't ask what the blackmail was about. She had a feeling it wouldn't be a very good idea to lie to him.

"For months," she answered glumly. "Since I got here, basically."

He scowled. "That long, huh? Well, it's common for people to die during war games right? Wait for the piece of shit to be alone, and then make your move. After that, you won't have to worry about him anymore."

She stared at him. "I-I'm sorry?"

Was he... teaching her how to kill Octavian? Was she hearing this right? She was beginning to see what Nico meant when he called him and Esmerelda 'complete opposites'.

"I can vouch for you, if you want," he said in a whisper, though it wasn't necessary since everyone around them was being so loud. "I'm a convincing liar. Hell, Essie could help you out too with the Mist. Trust me, you won't get caught."

He figured he should at least help the girl out with this. She was Nico's sister and had been taking care of him during his stay at camp. Deep, deeeeeeep down in his cold dead heart, he was grateful the little shit had someone with him. Plus, she helped guide him, Esmerelda, and Percy to Camp Jupiter and even tried to fend off the gorgons that were chasing them down.

That, and she was a good kid. He could tell.

Hazel's stare turned even more incredulous. Before she could accept or deny his generous offer, Nico forced his way in between them with a plate of pasta.

"I cannot believe you," he hissed at the older boy. "First you corrupted my mom with your dirty rat fingers and then you tried to corrupt my sister with your murder schemes."

"Rat, huh? At least I'm not some sort of rabid raccoon—"

"—aT LeASt i'M noT sOmE SorT oF RAbiD raCcoOn," he mocked.

"Real mature, shit head, I see Camp Jupiter didn't straighten out that bratty attitude of yours," Ethan jabbed back. Then, his lips curled up into a victorious smirk. "Speaking of straightening you out, your mom and I have decided to take you to one of Ceres' farms once this is done and over with."

Nico stilled. "You wouldn't."

He shot him a smile. "Better pack your overalls and straw hat."

Nico was left speechless after that, and it was clear who the winner of their (admittedly funny and cute) argument was. Hazel was still wondering how on earth Esmerelda and Ethan managed to get into contact with a literal goddess. Or maybe they were just joking around.

Ethan turned back to her. "I'm sorry you had to deal with this brat for so many months, Hazel. Hopefully watching over him wasn't too much of a hassle."

"I was watching over her," Nico said through gritted teeth. He looked like he could bash Ethan in the face with his plate of pasta.

"You sure about that? 'Cause you're the one acting like a misbehaving brat," he quipped.

At this point, Hazel was just looking back and forth between them like they were an interesting tennis match. 

Nico's anger grew... before suddenly he calmed down.

"I'll tell my mom that you're bullying me," he said bluntly, and now it was Ethan's turn to go still. "You could say goodbye to your sex life after that."

Hazel choked on her gumbo.

Ethan was glowering at him, "You evil little—"

A horn blew at the end of the hall before he could finish his sentence. The officers at the praetor's table got to their feet—even Dakota, his mouth vampire-red from Kool-Aid.

"The games begin!" Reyna announced.

The campers cheered and rushed to collect their equipment from the stacks along the walls.

"You're lucky we're on the same team!" Ethan told Nico over all the noise, and the boy responded by rolling his eyes.

Once they got out of camp, the Fifth Cohort formed two lines behind their centurions, Dakota and Gwen. They marched north, skirting the edge of the city, and headed to the Field of Mars—the largest, flattest part of the valley. The grass was cropped short by all the unicorns, bulls, and homeless fauns that grazed here. The earth was pitted with explosion craters and scarred with trenches from past games. At the north end of the field stood their target. The engineers had built a stone fortress with an iron portcullis, guard towers, scorpion ballistae, water cannons, and no doubt many other nasty surprises for the defenders to use.

It looked awesome. And in Ethan's opinion, it was a good place for training an army. He would've perked up at the prospect of training there had it not been for how fucking tired he was.

At the corner of his eyes Percy was looking around with a bounce on his step. He had no idea how he was so gods damn energetic after everything they had been through. Maybe he was just getting old...

(Which was ridiculous because he was literally only eighteen.)

Hazel pointed at the fort. "Somewhere inside, the First and Second Cohorts are keeping their banners. Our job is to get in and capture them without getting slaughtered. We do that, we win."

Percy's eyes lit up. "Like capture the flag. I think I like capture the flag."

You do, Ethan thought, not like he could tell him that. Percy enjoyed that game too much. Though part of the reason was because he got to have alone time with Annabeth so they could 'strategize'.

Horny teenagers, Ethan inwardly snorted. 

Frank laughed. "Yeah, well... it's harder than it sounds. We have to get past those scorpions and water cannons on the walls, fight through the inside of the fortress, find the banners, and defeat the guards, all while protecting our own banners and troops from capture. And our cohort is in competition with the other two attacking cohorts. We sort of work together, but not really. The cohort that captures the banners gets all the glory."

"So why are we practicing this, anyway?" Percy asked. "Do you guys spend a lot of time laying siege to fortified cities?"

"Teamwork," Hazel said. "Quick thinking. Tactics. Battle skills. You'd be surprised what you can learn in the war games."

"Like who will stab you in the back," Frank said.

"Especially that," Hazel agreed.

They marched to the center of the Field of Mars and formed ranks. The Third and Fourth Cohorts assembled as far as possible from the Fifth. The centurions for the attacking side gathered for a conference. In the sky above them, Reyna circled on her pegasus, Scipio, ready to play referee.

Half a dozen giant eagles flew in formation behind her—prepared for ambulance airlift duty if necessary.

Frank propped his pilum against his shield and checked Percy's armor. Every strap was correct. Every piece of armor was properly adjusted.

"You did it right," he said in amazement. "Percy, you must've done war games before."

The boy frowned. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Ethan, how about you? Do you, uh, do you need any help?" Frank's friendly demeanor faltered when he addressed the older boy.

Frank was scared of the guy per se, just... a little disturbed. He seemed to have it out for the gods, which was a huge no-no in Camp Jupiter. Watching the clear disrespect he gave to the Queen of Gods almost made Frank faint, if he were being honest. He didn't know whether the guy was suicidal or just extremely hateful. 

He did save him though back at the river, so Frank knew he wasn't a terrible guy. He was just... a little difficult. 

Ethan wasn't bothered by any of it. He knew the kid had nothing against him, he was just scared of him. He got that a lot so it was no biggie to him. Esmerelda was the only one who saw him as anything positive and he was fine with that.

"I'm alright," he told him.

Frank nodded, but his eyes darted down to his Celestial bronze sword before glancing over to Percy's Riptide.

"Everything follows regulation, except... well, except for your swords," he said.

Ethan tensed up. Right. Romans used Imperial gold while Greeks used Celestial bronze. It didn't help that their swords weren't shaped like a gladius, or that there was ancient Greek writing on the hilt of Percy's sword.

Damn. They were really bad at being Roman.

Oh well, Ethan thought. It wasn't like Hera was paying them to keep the secret anyways.

Percy frowned. "We can use real weapons, right?"

"Yeah," Frank agreed. "For sure. I've just never seen a sword like that. It's almost as weird as Nico's Stig... Stir..."

"Stygian Iron," Nico supplied, shadow traveling beside him and all dressed up in his armor. His trusty black sword was in his hand. Ethan scowled at it. He hated that damn thing. Nico always tried to kill him with it. 

He also didn't miss the furrowed-brow stare Percy shot at the dark weapon.

Frank nearly had a heart attack.

"Gods!" He stumbled back into Ethan, who gave him an irked look. "Sorry!"

"Nico," Hazel cracked a smile.

"Sorry," he apologized plainly.

"Anyways, Percy," Frank returned to the conversation after he recovered from his mild scare. "You don't need to worry about hurting anyone. We heal them. Or try to. The legion medics are pretty good with ambrosia and nectar, and unicorn draught."

Unicorn draught, Ethan noted. Now that was a new one.

He remembered Esmerelda's previous talks about the wizarding world. She had mentioned unicorns plenty of times. Could the unicorns there heal too? She could possibly make a draught out of that.

"No one dies," Hazel assured. "Well, not usually. And if they do—"

Frank imitated the voice of Vitellius: "They're wimps! Back in my day, we died all the time, and we liked it!"

Hazel laughed. "Just stay with us, you guys. Chances are we'll get the worst duty and get eliminated early. They'll throw us at the walls first to soften up the defenses. Then the Third and Fourth Cohorts will march in and get the honors."

"That's if they can even breach the fort. And if they do, I doubt they'd get any farther," Frank said. "Not with Étienne there."

"Étienne?" Ethan said warily. He and Nico exchanged glances. He had seen Esmerelda get dragged off by her half-brother during dinner and wasn't sure if they returned or not before everyone was sent off for the games.

He didn't know much about Étienne, and the things he did know weren't exactly good. The dude had murdered his entire family (except for one, but that was only because he had been interrupted) and had been traveling with Alabaster to reach Camp Jupiter.

So yeah, his opinion of him wasn't exactly the greatest, and his clear attachment towards Esmerelda was a huge concern.

"He's a son of Trivia," Frank explained. "Essie's half-brother, I guess. He's the only other person here who got a letter of recommendation from a god, and I can see why. He's strong."

"And frightening," Hazel added with a grimace. "I've seen him in the gladiator battles. He's merciless."

"But he has one weakness," Frank pointed out. "He's good with a gladius, but not great. If you pay attention to him, you'll notice pretty easily that he's more fond of using his powers than his weapon. If you tire him out enough, he'll have no choice but to fall back on his gladius."

"He's supposed to use his gladius," Hazel grumbled. "He's not allowed to use his powers. None of us are."

"We aren't?" Percy frowned. "I used my powers back at the river to kill those gorgons."

"Romans are collectivistic," Nico explained. "They work as a unit, and if you noticed, there's more legacies here than demigods, so not everyone has powers. It's better for everyone to train together as a legion than give special attention to the little few who have powers. You shocked everyone with your water abilities, but after that, expect to be scolded if you use them again. It's not really a big deal though. Powers are discouraged, but most of the time you won't actually get punished for using them." 

"Étienne's an 'exception'," Frank quoted. "When he's working together with his cohort, they always turn a blind eye to whenever he uses his powers. It won't be any different here. Reyna always tells him off for it, and Octavian always promises to 'discipline' him but he's never given so much as a slap on the wrist. Totally unfair."

It certainly was. And if they had Esmerelda on their side they'd be even more unbeatable than before.

Horns blew. Dakota and Gwen walked back from the officers' conference, looking grim.

"All right, here's the plan!" Dakota took a quick swig of Kool-Aid from his travel flask. "They're throwing us at the walls first to soften up the defenses."

The whole cohort groaned.

"I know, I know," Gwen said. "But maybe this time we'll have some luck!"

"First line with Dakota," she continued. "Lock shields and advance in turtle formation to the main gates. Try to stay in one piece. Draw their fire. Second line—" Gwen turned to Frank's row without much enthusiasm. "You seventeen, from Bobby over, take charge of the elephant and the scaling ladders. Try a flanking attack on the western wall. Maybe we can spread the defenders too thin. Nico, Frank, Hazel, Percy, and Ethan... well, just do whatever. Show the newbies the ropes. Try to keep them alive." She turned back to the whole cohort. "If anybody gets over the wall first, I'll make sure you get the Mural Crown. Victory for the Fifth!"

They broke ranks after that, and Ethan followed Percy and his 'tour guides' sluggishly. He really wanted a nap right now.

The other four were discussing their own strategy. Apparently Frank wanted Percy to try and control the water from the water canons—rules be damned. Étienne (and possibly Esmerelda) were going to use their powers anyways, might as well allow Percy. Ethan had to hand it to him, he was pretty good at strategizing war plans. Maybe the kid was related to a war god or something.

Anyways, he wasn't really paying attention to whatever else they were saying, and they were fine with that. They noticed how tired he was and decided to leave him alone.

The war games started several minutes later, and things erupted into chaos after that. Kids were shouting, Hannibal the elephant was bellowing with glee, scorpion bolts were exploding, and the water cannons were firing. He dodged everything dispassionately. 

He just wanted to find his girlfriend and cuddle but then Percy blew up a canon.

KA-BOOM!

It exploded in a starburst of blue, green, and white. Defenders screamed as a watery shock wave flattened them against the battlements. Kids toppled over the walls but were snatched by giant eagles and carried to safety. Then the entire eastern wall shuddered as the explosion backed up through the pipelines. One after another, the water cannons on the battlements exploded. The scorpions' fires were doused. Defenders scattered in confusion or were tossed through the air, giving the rescue eagles quite a workout. At the main gates, the Fifth Cohort forgot about their formation. Mystified, they lowered their shields and stared at the chaos.

Frank shot his arrow. It streaked upward, carrying its glittering rope. When it reached the top, the metal point fractured into a dozen lines that lashed out and wrapped around anything they could find—parts of the wall, a scorpion, a broken water cannon, and a couple of defending campers, who yelped and found themselves slammed against the battlements as anchors. From the main rope, hand holds extended at two-foot intervals, making a ladder.

Frank was also the first one to begin climbing. He was halfway up before the defenders recovered their senses enough to sound the alarm. Frank glanced back at Fifth Cohort's main group. They were staring up at him, dumbfounded.

"Well?" Frank screamed. "Attack!"

Gwen was the first to unfreeze. She grinned and repeated the order. A cheer went up from the battlefield. Hannibal the elephant trumpeted with happiness.

Ethan decided he might as well join in. Everyone was climbing up anyways and he'd look like an idiot napping on the battlefield.

He climbed on one of the ropes, defeated the remaining defenders that were trying to push him both down, and made it into enemy base. The First and Second Cohorts—the pride of Camp Jupiter, a well-oiled, highly disciplined war machine—fell apart under the assault and the sheer novelty of being on the losing side.

At the corner of his eye, he could see Percy. He was a beast on the battlefield, but much to Ethan's irritation, he was fighting like a Greek. It was as if all of Lupa's lessons had been forgotten. He was whirling through the defenders' ranks in a completely unorthodox style, rolling under their feet, slashing with his sword instead of stabbing like a Roman would, whacking campers with the flat of his blade, and generally causing mass panic.

Until Esmerelda joined in.

There was a powerful gust of green magic that swept across the base, knocking several campers down on their butts. Ethan managed to keep standing and looked over at her. He had no idea what she had done after dinner, but she looked absolutely refreshed. Like she had spent her time relaxing at a spa rather than being hunted down by monsters for days on end.

Octavian was gawking at her, like he wasn't expecting her to be so strong. Clearly, he had been underestimating her this entire time. The dumb look on his face would've made Ethan feel smug had it not been for the fact that the guy was staring at her like a man would look at his prized racing car.

"Get her!" Someone from his side shouted, and people were flooding towards her.

"Go!" Percy shouted to Frank and Hazel. "I'll try to hold her back, I'll catch up to you later!" 

Hazel and Frank hurried for the banner, and Percy joined the throng of campers surrounding Esmerelda. 

Esmerelda was battling the enemies with ease, but then Percy came and Ethan could see the worry on her face. She knew she would have to up the ante. 

There was a pilum strapped to her back. Esmerelda was far better with a spear than a sword, but Ethan knew Percy would have her beat regardless. The son of Poseidon was nearing her now, and Ethan gripped his sword and stepped forward to come to her aid (completely forgetting that they were on opposing teams, whoops).

But before he could reach her, something wrapped itself around his neck and tossed him back. He would've fallen over the edge had it not been for someone grabbing him in time.

He looked at his rescuer. "Nico? Who—" He turned forward to find his attacker, the words dying in his throat.

Of all the psycho relatives she has... He thought. It had to be this guy. 

Étienne Rosier stood about twenty feet before him, a scheming smile plastered on his face. 

— author's note —

What Hazel sees when Ethan and Nico argue:

Essie: *owns a Greek weapon*

Octavian:

From M. Nevermind: