This Fire Burns - Chapter 14

[July 3, 2007]

I stuffed one last thing into my backpack before zipping it closed. A pair of jeans, a black T-shirt, toiletries, oh, and the little wooden flame Gwen had given me on my first day here. My Sigillaria. A good luck charm couldn’t hurt.

Jason was doing the same, though his packing method was noticeably neater than mine.

The door to the barracks swung open. Gwen led a large group of our cohort inside, their faces a mix of excitement and concern.

She stepped forward, pushing a pouch of ambrosia squares and a flask of nectar into Jason’s hands. “You're the responsible one. Make sure our pyromaniac doesn't do anything too stupid.”

Jason accepted the supplies. “I’m already doing that every day.”

Then she turned to me. “And you better come back!”

I gave a confident grin. “No worries, I will.”

The other members of the cohort stepped up to say their goodbyes.

“Make it back soon,” Harris said, slapping me on the back. 

Lee nodded beside him. “We’re screwed if we have to do next week’s war game without you two monsters.”

Dakota pulled Jason aside, offering him a pack of the usual. “For emergencies,” he whispered loudly. 

Jason tried to decline it, but the kool-aid addict kept insisting until he gave up and tucked it into his bag.

Felix rubbed his hands on his pants. “You guys are going to be alright out there, right?”

His sister, Haley, nudged him hard in the ribs. “Don’t be an idiot. They’re the strongest in the legion. Of course they’ll be fine.”

After a few more well-wishes, Jason and I shouldered our backpacks and made our way out of the barracks. Serena and Marcus were waiting for us on the Via Praetoria.

Marcus held out a thick envelope. “Fifty denarii converted to mortal currency. One thousand dollars. It should be more than sufficient for your needs.” He gave me a pointed look. “Don't waste it.”

“Who, me? The thought never crossed my mind,” I said as I accepted it.

He snorted, clearly not buying it. Then his expression softened for a second. “Prophecies often have double meanings. Don’t dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass.”

Serena handed Jason a scroll sealed with the purple wax of the Senate, bearing the eagle of the Twelfth Legion.

“A scroll of introduction from the Praetors and the Senate,” she explained. “Should you encounter any retired legionnaires or allies of Rome, this will prove your identity and the legitimacy of your quest. They are bound by oath to offer you aid.”

They both stepped back, and together they raised their hands in a formal salute. 

“Ave, and may Fortuna favor you.”

Jason and I returned the salute before beginning our walk out of the valley, ascending past the last hill toward the outside world.

From the top, I could see everything. The Little Tiber snaked across golden pastures where unicorns grazed. The temples and forums of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. On the Field of Mars, engineers were setting up barricades for a game of death ball. 

Just another normal day at Camp Jupiter. 

There’s no way I’m abandoning this place so easily.

A familiar voice ruined the moment. “IDs, please.”

An armless statue appeared at the summit of the hill. A little girl, around five years old, in a pink dress and pigtails, wobbled behind him, her arms spread wide as she tried to keep her balance.

“Well? Come along!” Terminus demanded.

Jason stepped forward and held out his forearm, letting Terminus inspect the SPQR tattoo. 

“Jason Grace, son of Jupiter and Centurion of the Fifth Cohort! You may pass.”

“The hell are you doing here, Terminus? Thought you just guarded the city. And when did you get a kid?” I asked.

“Glad to see you, too, Mr. Rule-Flouter,” he huffed indignantly. “For quests, I like to provide extra security at the camp’s borders. You really should have allowed two hours before your planned departure time for a proper inspection, but we’ll have to make do. Now, come over here so I can pat you down.”

I stared at his arms.

“Assistant! Pat him down!”

“‘Kay, Mr. Terminus!” the little girl chirped.

This must have been her first time, because she walked up, lightly patted my front pockets a few times, then stepped back and gave me a thumbs-up, looking proud of herself.

“Julia, no, not like that.” Terminus sighed. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”

I stepped right next to the armless statue. He conducted what could only be described as a rigorous mental pat-down.

“You seem to be clean,” he finally conceded. “Do you have anything to declare?”

“Yes. I declare this is stupid.”

“Hmph! I see you still haven’t gotten an ID.”

I literally couldn’t. We tried a few times, but the flames never gave me the SPQR tattoo.

“We do this song and dance every time I go to New Rome. Can we skip it today? We’re on a quest.”

Terminus looked at Julia, then tilted his head up. She reached up and put a finger on his chin. 

“Fine, you may pass. Good luck!”

An invisible force pushed us across the boundary. 

When I looked back, the hill was empty. Terminus and Julia were gone. In fact, the entire valley had vanished. We were standing on a normal hill in the middle of the Berkeley Hills, with no sign of a camp for Roman demigods.

Jason turned to me with a grin. “Ready?”

“Yeah. Let's go.”

------------------------------

The public library in Berkeley was far from what I would consider cutting-edge.

The computer lab featured rows of bulky desktop computers running Windows XP, their monitors thick enough to use as shields if necessary. Jason and I shared one near the back. I took control after realizing he didn’t know shit about using a computer when I saw him typing with two fingers and constantly looking down at the keyboard.

I sat at the keyboard with about ten tabs open between Greyhound, Amtrak, Flixbus, and various other coach services. I pulled up an image with our route highlighted.

“Okay, I’ve got it,” I said, tracing it with my finger. “We’ll stick to the I-10. First, we head south to the LA hub, grab a Greyhound to Houston, then another to New Orleans. From there, it’s a straight shot across the Florida panhandle to Jacksonville. And finally, we’ll take a local route to Miami.”

Jason brought his head close to the monitor like a caveman discovering fire for the first time. “An airplane would be faster. We could be in Miami in less than a day.”

“And it would cost too much. A last-minute flight is four, maybe five hundred bucks a person. We’d burn through our whole budget with no way of getting back. This route will cost one-fifty, two hundred tops per person. And more importantly,” I grinned at him, “we’re actually out in the world. We can take our time with the quest and enjoy the adventure!”

Jason breathed out through his nose. “Sure. You’re the expert.”

I closed the browser tabs and signed out. “Alright, let’s go. We can take a FlixBus from the del Norte BART to LA Union Station.”

We headed out of the library and into the busy street. 

Suddenly, I felt a prickling sensation at the back of my neck. I narrowed my eyes, and as I started looking closer, the thin veil of the Mist began to unravel.

The cheerful pitches of a trio of young women in a sorority handing out flyers distorted into a seductive hiss as their legs transformed into their true forms: one made of bronze, the other a hairy donkey’s leg. The construction crew across the street seemed to swell until they grew to eight feet tall. A group of mothers at a bus stop swayed clumsily, their long skirts failing to hide how their lower halves merged into the bases of their strollers. The stray dogs lurking in the alley transformed into massive hounds with glowing red eyes. Even the soft cooing of the pigeons on the rooftops turned into a metallic screech.

Well, that’s what we get for using a computer. Any tech connected to the internet acts like a signal flare. We basically just broadcasted our location to every monster in a fifty-mile radius.

“Jason,” I said quietly, “don’t make it obvious, but check out our surroundings. We’ve got company.”

He didn’t turn his head as he scanned the street. “I see them. They’re still pretending to be normal, which means they want to ambush us. We need to get them to an isolated area. There are too many mortals here.”

“Mhm. Even if the Mist keeps them from seeing what’s happening, someone’s bound to get hurt in the crossfire.”

“We passed an empty construction site on the way here. Let’s take them there.”

Without another word, we broke into a sprint. The mortals on the sidewalk jumped back, a couple of them even cursing at us, but their annoyance turned into bewilderment as the monster horde chased us.

This must look like the weirdest flash mob in history. A pair of teenage boys being chased by construction workers, moms with strollers, sorority girls, and the local animal population. What a sight it must be.

“I’ve got an idea!” I shouted over the sound of hellhounds barking. “Once we’re inside, can you use your wind powers to pull them all into a big cluster for me? I’ll take ’em all out with one big attack!”

Jason ducked under a chunk of asphalt thrown by one of the giants. “It’s better to get half of them. A blast powerful enough to kill the whole group at once would melt half the block. We need to contain this.”

“Works for me!”

We vaulted over the chain-link fence of the construction site with our powers, then turned to face our pursuers.

The Laistrygonian Giants acted as living battering rams, crashing headfirst into the fence. The chain-link snapped from its post, and the giants led the charge into the dusty lot.

I did a quick mental headcount. 

Okay, nine Hellhounds, half a dozen Laistrygonians, three Empousai, five Dracaenae, and at least ten Stymphalian Birds circling overhead. Hard to get a perfect count on the birds. But whatever, they’re all fodder anyway.

I glanced at Jason. He met my eyes and gave a single nod. That was all I needed.

I brought my hands together and started forming a large ball of fire between my palms.

Meanwhile, Jason thrust his hands outward, and a massive vortex of wind engulfed the construction site, dragging the front half of the charging horde toward its center. The Dracaenae and Empousai shrieked as they were lifted into the air. Hellhounds dug their claws in but were pulled forward anyway. The giants planted their feet into the ground, but even they couldn’t resist. The only monsters that managed to stay out of range were the birds.

As the cyclone pulled them into a tight cluster, I hurled my patented big fucking fireball straight into the center of Jason’s cyclone.

The fireball detonated. But instead of a chaotic explosion, the heat was contained in the swirling winds. My fire and his wind merged, creating a self-contained tornado of fire that incinerated everything trapped inside.

When it finally dissipated, a wide circle of the construction site was scorched black. Five of the giants were gone, along with most of the smaller monsters caught in it. The only survivors were the Hellhounds because of their fire resistance.

The Stymphalian Birds opened their wings and fired a volley of bronze feathers. Jason threw up his hand, causing the feathers to embed themselves into a barrier of compressed air.

“I’ll get the birds,” Jason said, already launching himself skyward on a current of wind as Ivlivs transformed into its gladius form in his hand.

That left me with the ones on the ground.

The last remaining giant bellowed and charged straight at me with his club raised high. I met the charge head-on, sliding under a wild swing and drove a fiery fist into the giant’s chest. He didn’t even have time to look surprised before dissolving into a shower of golden dust.

The Hellhounds tried to use their numbers to swarm me.

I was prepared to fight this one with just my physical strength, but I noticed they had burns covering their bodies and were moving sluggishly. So although they survived our opening combo with their fire resistance, that didn’t mean they had immunity. 

I just have to up the intensity to what they can’t ignore, which won’t be hard. I went for size rather than fire in my earlier attack.

I cloaked my body in an aura of fire. 

One Hellhound, braver or stupider than the rest, leaped straight for my throat. I didn’t even try to dodge. It let out a choked yelp as the flames consumed it from the inside out, turning it to ash. 

The others backed away, unable to get close without being incinerated. I systematically dispatched them with jets of superheated fire from my hands, each one an instant kill.

The last three monsters, two Dracaenae and an Empousa, stayed in the back, watching with growing horror. 

The Dracaenae made a desperate attempt, throwing weighted nets at me. I flicked my fingers, sending two darts of fire through the air. They struck the nets, reducing them to floating ash. Then I waved my hand, and fire surged onward from the ash, wrapping around the two serpent women.

That left the Empousa.

“Hey, wait a minute, handsome,” she cooed, taking a step forward. “Why don’t you put out those flames and come over here? A strong boy like you… you must have needs. You deserve a real reward, don’t you think? I know all the things boys your age dream about. I promise I’ll make it worth your while. We could have so much more fun together.”

Damn, this trick again? It didn’t work way back when I didn’t know they were monsters, and this time her fucked-up legs are out.

“Begone, THOT!” I blasted her into dust, leaving only the echo of her charmspeak behind.

Now that I was finished, I looked up to see Jason almost done with his own fight. Only three birds remained, diving at him from different angles. He spun, electricity crackling along the length of his gladius, and slashed through the first bird. The lightning conducted through its metallic body and arced to the remaining two. All three dropped from the sky simultaneously and disintegrated before they hit the ground.

Jason landed next to me, barely winded. “Well done. That didn’t take much effort.”

I smirked. “’Course it didn’t. We’re the strongest for a reason.”

His smile faded as he looked around at the lingering piles of monster dust. “Still, that was too many. And it happened just a few miles from the camp’s border.”

“Think it’s a sign of something?”

“It explains a few things,” he replied, his expression grim. “The number of new probatios arriving at camp has been dropping for the past year. I thought it was just a quiet period, but if this is what they’re running into on their way here…”

I followed his train of thought. “Then we need to be more proactive. The legion’s patrols are too defensive. They just sweep the hills right outside the valley. It seems like these monsters are smart enough to avoid that area and lie in wait further out to catch lone demigods. We need to push the perimeter out. Run regular patrols in the city itself to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

“I’ll bring it up with the Praetors when we get back.”

I glanced back at the ruined fence and the blackened crater. “Sounds good. Now, let’s get out of here. We’ve got a bus to catch, and I’d rather not have to explain what happened here to the police.”

------------------------------

[Luke Castellan]

Luke leaned against the railing on the upper deck of the Princess Andromeda. He rested his hand on the hilt of Backbiter as he imagined the perfect world he wanted to build. He wished the other demigods would understand that everything he was doing was for their benefit, but they just kept resisting. 

The failure to secure the Golden Fleece two weeks ago had been a setback. Its power would have accelerated Kronos’s restoration tenfold, shaving years off their current timeline. 

And then he made a stupid mistake of his own. Percy tricked him into confirming Chiron’s innocence, allowing the centaur to be reinstated as Camp Half-Blood’s director. If Tantalus kept the position, the camp’s morale would have continued to plummet, making his recruitment efforts that much easier. 

But it wasn’t a total loss. His personal goal had still been accomplished.

Thalia was alive again.

He remembered their nights on the run, the three years they were side by side before finding Annabeth, keeping each other alive when no one else in the world cared whether they did. 

What would she think of him now? When Hal told them about his visions of a betrayal in Luke’s future, Thalia immediately rejected it. She said it could only mean that someone betrays him, because he would never betray anyone. Would she understand why he did it?

Of course she would. Convincing her to join the Titan Lord’s cause shouldn’t be difficult. Not when she understood the truth better than anyone. 

Our parents failed us, but how could they not? They were broken first. The gods are harsh and cruel, not just to us, but also to the mortals they claim to love. Demigods have only each other.

And yet, the thought was tainted. Their reunion wouldn’t be what it should have been. He wasn’t bringing her back into a family. He was recruiting her into a war.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him from his thoughts. 

That’s one of the perks of being on this side. No need to worry about monsters tracing your calls when they’re already on your payroll. 

He’d have to add that to his recruitment pitches.

He flipped it open. “What is it?”

“Ssir,” a hissing voice came through the speaker. He recognized it as Euryale, one of the gorgon sisters he’d stationed to oversee the West Coast. “I have an incident to report. The monssster cell in the city next to the Roman camp has been eliminated.”

That was a problem. They had placed that cell there as a precaution, a way to keep an eye on the other camp. The Romans were an unknown factor, and he had no clear path to recruiting from their ranks. Still, a single cell was expendable.

“Send a new unit from Mount Othrys to take their place,” he commanded. “And tell them to be more discreet this time.”

Euryale hesitated. “Ssir… a greater problem occurred. A much larger force from the mountain were alssso killed.”

“What?! How?!”

“The two demigodsss… their ssscent became overwhelming enough to reach all the way to Mount Orthysss, and we found out their general path when they used the mortal internet. Not many were able to resissst hunting them down.”

Luka’s grip on the phone tightened. “How many?” 

“N-nearly a hundred. They were all wiped out.”

He snapped the phone shut without another word.

These were the monsters that terrorized so many demigods. And only now when they were on his side did they start to become useless! 

He walked back to his stateroom, his eyes falling upon the golden sarcophagus resting in the center of the room.

As he stared at it, a voice as cold as the abyss entered his mind. 

The rabble is strong, my boy, but they are rudderless. They need a true general, you can’t be everywhere at once. Free my most powerful lieutenant from his burden, so that he can lead our army.

Yes. That was the answer. But that presented its own problem. Someone had to take his place holding up the sky. A demigod could hold it, but only for so long. And if they died under its weight, the consequences would be catastrophic. 

Any one of the gods would be the perfect choice for that punishment. Hades would have been his top choice, but capturing him would be too difficult of a task. At least he can target the goddess who tried to separate him and Thalia so long ago.