The Warfighter, the Storm, and the Moon

Chapter 45: Challenge

'Challenge'

17-Nov-2030, 1313U

LCDR Percy Jackson, US Navy, Son of Neptune

Legio XII Fulminata (TDY)

Oakland Hills, California, USA

After the attack, there had been something of a shift in the instruction. Now, there were always at least two cohorts, plus engineer, artillery, cavalry, medical, and logistics detachments, on security duty. They didn't leave a single square inch of land unchecked: Camp Jupiter, New Rome, the aqueduct, the Little Tiber, the surrounding hills—everything had at least one legionary guarding it. Moreover, Legate Reed had mobilized all available auxiliaries and reservists, including retired personnel, resulting in a surge to fortify the camp and lock down all points of ingress.

Specifically, we bolstered our screening forces. Not only did we have more personnel guarding Caldecott Tunnel, but there was also an increased presence of lares and Lupa's wolves throughout the hills north and south of us. Bolstering the wolves and lares were speculatores and venatores—scouts and hunters—who patrolled while remaining as stealthy as possible. The aqueduct running secret springs of the Berkeley Hills naiads, along with the springs themselves, were also kept under watch to ensure the valley's water supply was not tainted. Oh, and all personnel were equipped with modern radios (the ones that didn't attract monsters, like what I had), and we'd set up a little TOC inside the Principia, ensuring commanders could keep in touch with even the furthest screening forces (providing they weren't lares or wolves, obviously).

These forces were not meant to stop any large-scale assault by any means, but they at least improved our early warning capabilities and would be able to slow down anything too strong for them to kill. And the radios and TOC just improved comms all around.

There were also a few structures being built in the past day-and-a-half: pillboxes with scorpios and ballistae facing the Caldecott Tunnel; security checkpoints on the hidden dirt roads though the Oakland/Berkeley Hills, complete with heavy weapons (I didn't even know the second one existed); camouflaged observation posts, manned by speculatores and venatores throughout the hills; beefed up watchtowers, with two flanking each gate and one at each corner, the towers containing heavy weapons and ammo; reinforced defensive walls around the camp; wall-walks, allowing additional defenders to get in the fight while remaining in safety; and a few other items which were too architectural for me to understand.

Damn, I wish Annabeth were here right now to break this bullshit down...

Oh, and just for good measure, we were setting up a few firebases throughout Camp Jupiter. Remember those onagers that nearly destroyed CHB two decades back? Well, the legion still had them, so we decided to focus them on certain points: namely the exit from Caldecott Tunnel and choke points along the hidden dirt roads. In short, all routes of ingress could be quickly hit by our ancient indirect fire.

Meanwhile, personnel still undergoing training underwent instruction as normal—with a focus on rucking, swimming, continued practice of basic combat skills, and initiation of advanced combat training—but there were two changes. Firstly, my Minions and I had the troops contribute to construction efforts and general security of the camp, in support of personnel on guard duty. Secondly, there was a major shift in the overall mood: despite the camp having just come under attack, the legion had become somewhat more relaxed in the face of the cadre's instruction. From what I'd heard from Dakota, the legionaries and probationes were much more willing to learn after seeing the effects of both complacency and ramped-up training on the night the monsters breached the camp. It seemed as though just about everyone, even the more rebellious, undisciplined weirdos, wanted to unfuck themselves.