Anthízo, Percy Jackson

VI. a broken rule in return for a few broken bones

THE RIDE TO THE FIELD OF MARS WAS DEFINITELY A BUMPY ONE, but karina had learned how and where to properly hold onto caelius over the few years she's had him so she doesn't fall over.

karina remembers the first time she ever attempted to mount him, he flicked her off his back with his tail like a rag doll. it took about a year or so to properly gain his trust, so then she could finally ride on him properly without getting flung into the nearest bush.

when karina finally reached the field of mars, she saw that all of the cohorts were formed into their usual two lines behind their centurions, marching north, skirting the edge of the city, and headed to the field of mars where she was already stationed-the largest, flattest part of the valley.

the legionaries did a good job today setting up the war games, no doubt. the grass was cropped short by all the unicorns, bulls, and homeless fauns that grazed here. the earth was pitted with explosion craters and scarred with trenches from past games. at the north end of the field stood the fourth and fifth cohorts target. the engineers had built a stone fortress with an iron portcullis, guard towers, scorpion ballistae, water cannons, and no doubt many other nasty surprises for the defenders to use.

karina heard galloping behind her, and figured it was reyna, so she didn't turn around.

she trotted up to karina's side, mounted on scipio. they watched as the legionaries walked in formation to the war games.

reyna sighed and closed her eyes. karina turned to her. "how are you doing, ra-ra?" she asked.

she rolled her eyes, "for the last time, karina, don't call me that."

she chuckled. "why not? i think it's a great nickname."

she shook her head and smiled. "only you would think it's a great nickname."

"correct." she gave a single nod. "and that's why only i can call you it, because i actually like the nickname. everyone else thinks it's funny."

reyna snapped her head towards her. "who else knows about the name?" she demanded.

karina's eyes widened. "oops." she said.

she began steering caelius around, "uh-sorry reyna! got to go! talk to after the games!" karina said as she started running towards the fields.

"hey!" reyna called to her. "this conversation isn't over, nina!" karina pretended that she couldn't hear her and just kept caelius running to the middle of the field of mars. that's where she starts the games, so she can survey everything.

karina saw reyna swooping overhead on scipio, also ready to play referee for the game. she knew that since she was praetor, she wasn't supposed to participate in the war games, but that didn't stop karina from occasionally tripping the first and second cohort with vines and wrapping poison ivy around octavian's feet. she wanted to see her former cohort win, so she did all she could to help them without getting caught.

after a few minutes of preparation for the cohorts, the horns blew, and the games started.

karina started making her way over to where percy, hazel and frank were stationed, to see if she could subtly help them in any way.

when she got to them, frank was saying something about water cannons to percy and hazel.

"the cannons on the walls," she overheard frank saying as she trotted up on caelius. "they draw water from the aqueduct. there's a pump system-heck, i don't know how they work, but they're under a lot of pressure. if you could control them, like you controlled the river-"