Chapter VIII : The Hounds of War

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Third Person POV:

The sun rose along the shoreline of a beach, casting rays of light on a barricaded camp. The camp was surrounded by the ocean on one side while the the mountains circled it on land, leaving it inaccessible save for a sole highway. At the entrance from the highway stood two teens, a boy and a girl, both clad in purple shirts and decked out in gleaming armor, armed with a spear, a bow and a quiver each.

The path from the highway led to a barren field that was bounded by a turbulent river that flowed along the valley, separating the field from the adjacent city. Across the river, was a city surrounded by towering walls and turret towers. A single bridge stretched across the span of the raging waters, permitting entry into the fortified enclosure. Behind the massive stone walls lay a picturesque city built in the Roman style of architecture. In the middle of the city stood a senate building, flanked by the principia and the senatorial residences on either sides. The city was further guarded by the pomerium line that was overseen by the god, Terminus.

A blonde teen, clad in jeans and a purple shirt with a purple toga draped around his body, stood at the bridge. He was surrounded by a group of teenagers dressed in similar clothing and a girl who adorned a purple toga. The girl's brunette hair was fluterring in the breeze as her copper brown eyes roamed the surroundings with a hint of nervousness and worry. As the last of the teens left, save for her and the purple clad blonde, she slowly approached him. Her eyes were locked onto the electric blue eyes of the boy. The two stood a foot away from one another, never removing their gaze from the other. The boy spoke first, "Reyna.."

But he never completed the sentence as the girl quickly closed the gap between them and pecked him on the lips. The sound of footsteps broke the daze of the shocked boy as they broke apart quickly. A boy of 15, with a childish face and disproportionate body, was followed by a dark skinned girl with bright yellow eyes. They bowed lightly to the couple and rose. "Praetors" They greeted.

The girl identified as Reyna spoke, "Legionnaires Hazel and Frank, I believe you have been briefed about the mission details. My fellow praetor" as she pointed to the blonde boy, "shall lead this quest. Maybe you be successful in your quest. Ad victoriam." With those words the girl left, joining the cheering crowd at the gates.

It was just another Monday morning when the Augur received the word of the Gods. The God of prophecy and truth, Lord Phoebus Apollo had sent a message to the denizens of Rome, speaking of a great evil that sought the destruction of humanity. In all the years of his praetorship, the son of Jupiter never had known the gods to send a message in violation of the ancient laws. Hence the son of Jupiter was determined to complete their quest and retrieve the missing weapon, a weapon they knew nothing about save for a cryptic warning. The demigod praetor was joined by his questmates and the three slowly made their way across the batten fields and towards the sole exit.

The trio sat in the back of the Grey Sisters cab, that rocketed at nearly terminal velocity, discussing the prophecy that went as follows.

Twins of the stars
Born of a broken heart,
Must unlock the seer's blade
Lest the angel fall to love's arrow,
Or the blade of time.

It was not lost on any of them that the quest couldn't be completed by themselves but by a pair of twins and yet they went on the quest, atleast to find the prophesied pair. The trio captured Nereus and after much persuasion, obtained a clue regarding the whereabouts of the twins. Nereus relented under immense pressure even opting death before giving up the clue, but in the end all Nereus told them was to head east to the land of dreams. Deducing from the barely audible whisper of 'Dirigo' from Nereus' dying breath, the three Roman half bloods made their way across the country and into Maine.

A heavy silence enclosed the forest as the purple clad teens stumbled across the forest. A loud unearthly howl was heard in the distance as the light of the full moon shone upon the forest floor. Jason had a long rip across his shirt revealing an athletic torso riddled with dirt and scratches. Frank fared no better as his fingers were covered with blood stained tapes to heal his bleeding fingers. Hazel's forehead was caked in dry blood as the occasional drop of blood dripped out of a nasty gash on her temple. Despite their injuries, the teens managed to run in the forest. The howls grew closer as time passed by and the first of the three fell. Frank slumped across the forest floor as his injuries and the exhaustion from their journey caught up with him. Jason and Hazel stopped in their tracks and tried to help their fellow demigod as the howls kept getting closer.

The demigod son of Jupiter knew that he couldn't outrun his enemy, not when he was in the forest, and he knew that his fellow questmates were too tired to fight. So Jason knelt on the ground and whispered a prayer to his Uncle asking for refuge, when the earth rumbled and a cave of stone and earth rose around them, enclosing them and offering them sanctuary. Looking back at his unconcious friends, Jason felt fear for their safety and fear for the future of Rome itself. His enemy knew where he was and was also looking for the same thing as him. The hounds of war had been let loose and itt was only a matter of time before they painted the streets of Rome red with the blood of it's people. His thoughts only grew more vicious as he felt the pull of Somnus lull him to sleep. Little did he know, that the answer they so desperately sought were hiding in plain sight.

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