A Tale of Romans and Slaves | PJO/HOO

Chapter 19: Percy

Life sucked.

After my fight with Luke, people started acting strangely around me. My fellow slaves either avoided or praised me, and I didn't know which one was worse. Doctore Hedge had started overworking me, making me do more things than the other gladiators.

Worse, Annabeth barely talked to me anymore.

Oh, why had I told her that seeing her made me beat Luke? Why couldn't I have just said it was my amazing skills?

I was sparring against Travis, but he wasn't trying. When I lightly tapped his sword with mine, it went flying out of his hands. In fact, no one but Luke ever tried when sparring against me.

When we were herded back to our cells, I couldn't help but feel happy.

I crashed on my bed the second I walked into my cell. I fell asleep rather quickly.

I awoke to Doctore Hedge screaming at us to wake up.

I rose groggily as a tall, well-muscled girl opened my cell door. I walked out into the hallway.

"We have guests!" Hedge shouted. "If any of you misbehave, I'll have you whipped so hard you'll forget what it's like to have skin on your back!"

I shuddered.

Once everyone was out of their cells, we followed him out into the courtyard. We stood in rows in the center of it. All of the girls were already there, and were standing on the sides.

Lord Dionysus was standing on the deck at the front of the courtyard, his wife and sons right beside him. There was also a black-haired girl with lightning blue eyes that I had never seen before.

He and Hedge had a short conversation, and then he turned to the girl.

"Pick any four that you like," He said. She looked uncomfortable, as if she didn't want to do what he asked. But she nodded.

She turned to us. "That one," She pointed to Charles. "That one," She pointed to Jake. "That one," She pointed to Tyson.

And finally, she pointed to me. "That one."

I noticed Annabeth stiffen out of the corner of my eye.

"Are you sure darling?" Castor, Lord Dionysus' son, asked. "He's new."

The girl glared at him. I was pretty sure she didn't like being called 'darling'.

"The four she choose," Lord Dionysus said. "Step forwards."

We all did.

"See that they're attended too," Lord Dionysus instructed to his wife. 

She nodded, and then started instructing female slaves to do things. But I wasn't listening to her.

What had he meant by fights? I had a sinking feeling that he wasn't talking about sparring.

Everyone but us four and four slave girls remained on the courtyard. I noticed that Annabeth was one of them.

She approached me. "Hi," She said.

"Hi," I replied awkwardly. "What's happening?"

"I'm your companion for the night," She said.

I stared at her. "What?"

"Well, seeing as two of you are going to die tomorrow, Lord Dionysus decided that you should get to spend your last night happily," She replied.

My eyes widened. Did she just say die?

"Oh my god, you didn't know?" She gasped.

I shook my head.

"It's a Wine family custom," She said. "When a son gets betrothed, his fiancee picks four to-be gladiators for two fights to the death in her honor. The winners go to the colosseum a month later."