The Trials of Aphrodite

♦ Chapter Six ♦

We marched to the war games in perfect formation, and nausea churned in my stomach. Via helped me into my armor, and I'd spent about five minutes finding the perfect 'fit.' But instead of clothing, it was weapons.

I'd decided to use a pilum, since it was a spear and one of the longer weapons. Via taught me how to use it properly, and I thought I had it down. And if I had a spear, nothing could go wrong, right?

I imagine the Fates laughing at me right then.

The cohort formed two lines behind Via and Mike, the two centurions. They traveled north, to the Field of Mars. 

The Field of Mars really deserved its title. It looked like a battlefield-pitted with gigantic craters and scarred with trenches. It looked like several meteors had struck the Earth's surface. The field was the flattest part of the valley, and definitely the largest. The grass was cropped short, almost like it had been given a military buzz-cut. A stone fortress stood strong at the far end, riddled with all kinds of traps and other nice surprises. 

"They built it pretty good today," Cynthia remarked from behind me. "That isn't good for us, though."

"Hold on," I said, still confused. "That fortress . . . was built today?"

Via grinned, which only enhanced her scariness. "We're trained to build. We could tear down the entire camp and rebuild it in . . . hmm, three or four days, give or take."

Impressive. I keep on underestimating you mortals.

"You do this every night?"

"Nah," Mike said. "That would be boring."

His definition of boring and my definition of boring were two different things.

"Not every night," Via chimed in. "Some nights we do deathball . . . which is sorta like painball except more violent. You know, poison and acid and fireballs. Cool, right?"

"Very cool," I said, though I felt the exact opposite. "Deathball. Being boiled alive. Getting burned by fireballs. So fun."

I didn't think Michael could take a hint that I was using sarcasm. "Yeah! We also have chariot races and gladiator competitions, sometimes war games. Tonight is war games."

Via nodded and pointed to the fort. "Inside, Fourth and Fifth are guarding the banners. We've gotta break in and capture 'em without dying painfully. We do that, and we win."

"Like going into a shoe shop and getting the best deals. Heels are expensive!" I exclaimed.

Mike hesitated. "Um . . ."

"Are you kidding?" Cynthia asked.

"I would never kid about shoes, dear," I said. "People are like rabid animals in there. You have to keep your wits about you. Once, I found these cute stiletto heels studded with rhinestones, and I was just about to buy them, and this old woman snatched them from me! I mean, the nerve! I wanted to—"

"Uh, anyway," Via said, scratching her head. "It's a lot harder than stealing high heels from an old lady. It's like stealing dino eggs from a mother dinosaur."

My eyes widened. "Erm, forget what I said about the shoes."

"They've got scorpion ballistae and water cannons on the walls, which we should do our best to avoid," Cynthia said. "Then we'll have to fight our way in, find the banners, defeat the guards, and at the same time protecting our own banners and troops from getting captured. Our allies are Second and Third, which we sort of work together with. The cohort that steals the banners gets all the glory."

The marching rhythm was hard to keep up with, and I'll admit I staggered a few times. I had a feeling it would take a long time to master the left-to-right stepping pattern.

Mike clapped me on the back. "You're actually doing better than I did my first day, Ren."

Via sniggered. "The brute fell on his face twice."

Mike shot her a dirty look. "You're a fine one to talk, Olivia. What about the mud incident?"

Via pursed her lips. "Again, don't call me Olivia or I'll stab you in the gut. And never, ever mention the mud incident."

Mud incident? I thought, but kept my mouth shut.

They marched to the center and formed ranks, clad in battle armor and brandishing their weapons. They looked like true warriors.

I bet I looked like a fool in my armor, dragging a heavy spear and tripping over my own feet.

The centurions gathered to one side of the playing field to conference, and Reyna circled overhead on Guido with Frank Zhang, making sure the game went smoothly. I don't know if stabbing people is what you would call 'smooth.'

Six giant eagles flew in a V behind her, which Via explained were meant to catch the Romans that fell off the fort. "Rescue eagles," she said, shrugging.

The only ones not participating were a couple of demigods looking through the watchtowers-I recognized Nico di Angelo, of course. He stood beside a boy with blond hair and tan skin. They were both watching with binoculars. {A/N: Solangelo is love. Solangelo is life.}

Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase were also there, to my delight. I almost waved to them, but I didn't think they would see me. 

Cynthia adjusted the straps on my armor, fixing the mistakes I'd made. I hefted my pilum and practiced thrusting and jabbing. I've had some practice stabbing people with high heels (ask me later), so it came naturally.

"Not too bad," she praised. "Just do it with more force, and don't make your moves that graceful. Look, kid, there are times to be fancy, and there are times to not be fancy."

She just called a goddess a 'kid.' I was furious. I wanted to incinerate this insolent girl.

Then again, she was one of the only demigod friends I had. I had to stop wanting them dead.

Killing someone is not how you make friends, Aphrodite, I chided myself. You be nice to them. 

"What if I hurt someone?" I asked.

"We heal them," John said. "Or at least try to. The legion medics know how to use ambrosia and nectar, and unicorn draught."

"Unicorn draught . . . ?"

"The powder of a unicorn's horn, and sanctified water from the Litter Tiber," Cynthia explained. "It's a healing potion."

"But if you have ambrosia and nectar, why would you need that?" After all, the food of the gods were the best medicine for demigods out there.

"In Camp Jupiter, since we have legacies, their godly blood isn't as strong as a full demigod's. So I guess we need a third alternative for them. Also, some people descended from the gods burn up after too much ambrosia/nectar. And Imperial gold wounds someone physically and spiritually, so unicorn draught is more effective for those spiritual wounds. It's a complicated subject."

Complicated indeed.

 "No one dies," John piped up. "At least, not usually."

"That's reassuring," I said. "But, seriously, I do not wish to be skewered or impaled."

"Just stay with us," Cynthia said, "and you'll be fine. We'll show you the ropes. Try to protect you."

Horns blew again, and Mike and Via returned from their conference. 

"Okay, good news first," Via said. "We'll be going last."

The campers looked relieved. "And the bad news?" one asked.

"Fifth Cohort has the elephant."

The whole cohort groaned.

"The elephant?" I whispered to Cynthia.

"Hannibal is the camp's war elephant," the daughter of Pompona whispered back. "They have the advantage."

"And they've got Hazel, who's one of the most powerful demigods in the world," John added. "So, yeah, tough."

I wasn't very intimidated by a bubbly girl of fourteen, but her brother scared the living love out of me.

"First line with Mike," Via said. "Lock shields. Advance in turtle formation to the main gates at the fort. Try not to get hacked to pieces." She turned to my line. "Invade from all sides. Try to spread out the defenders. Don't die. Cynthia, John, Kayla, you're with me. Ren . . . well, just stick to me. Don't kill yourself with your spear." She faced the entire cohort. "Whoever scales the wall first, you bet you'll be getting the Mural Crown. Victory for the First!"

The campers cheered and dispersed.

I scowled. "Don't kill myself?"

"It's what she tells all newbies," Kayla said. "Good luck."

"What is the Mural Crown?"

"It's a military medal," she explained. "We're forced to memorize all the awards. Basically, it's a huge honor for the first soldier to breach an enemy fort. You know, evading death and getting burned or drowned. Let's go!" Kayla said enthusiastically.

"Let's go," I said halfheartedly.

"Where should we attack?" I asked Via.

She pointed to the western wall of the fort. "There. Their defense is softer on the western side. We'll have to sneak up there."

I gulped. "And if we're seen?"

"We get stabbed. A lot. And burned. A lot. And washed in a thousand gallons of water. A lot. And there's a chance of dying. Really big."

I hoped I was putting on my brave face, but I was probably conveying: Please, please, please don't let me get killed! with my eyes.

Mike grinned and tousled my hair. "Let's go fight, Sis."

Trivia Question: What's the name of the guy Hazel first crushed on, and Leo's bisabuelo?