Oathbound || Percy Jackson

I: Birthday Death Sentence

Alessa awoke to Taylor banging on her door, banging so loud it was borderline rude.

It was January 28th, a normal day for Alessa; at least, she made it as normal as possible. She hated celebrating her birthday, but her friends thought it was necessary to celebrate it for her. She had tried on multiple occasions to use her rank as Praetor, attempting to scare them with threats of punishment. It hadn't worked, and she needed to punish them numerous times when they mentioned or tried planning for her birthday. Still, they persisted in making it as good as it could be or in Alessa's eyes, worse. So, when she opened the door, she was met by a great big crushing hug from Jason Grace, followed by Andromeda.

"Happy birthday!" Andy screamed as she hugged her. Andromeda Aurelis was extremely cute and cuddly and a Child of Trivia, meaning she was considered completely different to how she should be. She was small for her age and heritage, being 15 but only 4'11, where most daughters of magic stood much taller than that. She was also incredibly different in appearance, her hair blond, and her eyes peering out from behind a curtain of gold in beautiful shades of blue. At first glance, none would think of her as Trivia's Daughter, but she was. Her magic spoke for itself; almost as much as her amazing sword skills said she was a Roman Centurion.

Next, Reyna hugged her. The newest addition to the Alessa's 'family', Reyna had joined them late last year, having escaped captivity at the hands of some demi-god pirates along with her sister. Demi-pirates? Nevertheless, Alessa and the rest of them had welcomed her in open arms. The only thing Alessa wished for was to get revenge on the so-called 'raven' that had burned Circe's Spa down. It was the least she could do for her sister.

Kyle Halo never wasted an opportunity to hug her, and he didn't now. Within moments of Reyna letting go, the Son of Apollo had his best friend wrapped in his arms. Kyle was the oldest of them all, having just turned 17. He stepped down from his rank as Praetor on her birthday the year before, allowing Alessa to take his place. Now, he served the legion as a ceremonial archer and full-time medic, though he did choose to take part in Wargames now and then. No one could refuse his handsome looks and his unrivalled charm, things he had inherited from his father. They also couldn't refuse his requests as former Praetor.

Lastly, Taylor had hugged her. Taylor Marsh, Daughter of Mars and Legacy of Neptune, had to be Alessa's greatest friend. Aside from her fellow Praetor, Alessa was closer to no one than she was with Taylor. The others didn't mind that she had such a title because it wasn't just her that had special privileges. They were all called upon for different reasons, and they all knew how much they meant to Alessa. There was no jealousy because of it. Once Taylor had let go, Alessa felt herself hauled up in the air once more. She didn't need to look down to see who it was.

"KYLE!" She squealed. He never missed a chance. "Put me down! I am your Praetor!" Her friends just laughed.

"Yes, you are. What's your point?" He joked, making them laugh harder.

"That's my thing!" Alessa shouted again. "You can't steal my words."

"Mhmm." Kyle replied.

"Stop it; that's mine as well!"

Kyle carried Alessa outside her apartment, into the busy streets of New Rome, the rest on their heels. Once out in public, Alessa was put down on the floor.

"Thank you, former Praetor. Report to me later for your punishment." She tried to be as serious as possible as she adjusted her top. "All of you."

Kyle just smirked. "I think you're forgetting you can't do that to me. The others, yes, but not me." He smirked at them as they sighed. He wasn't wrong. As former Praetor, he was out of Alessa's reach when it came to simple punishment. It would need a full trial at a senate meeting. The others weren't so lucky.