Chapter One - To Help an Escape
Brown eyes blinked as they peered over a low wall. The brown orbs followed the squad of soldiers as they marched past where they were, each of their own armour clanking heavily. The person ducked back down and pressed their back to the wall, Blonde hair was scraped back into a simple bun and a few strands lay loose and framed her face. She felt so foreign here in Rome, she wanted to be home, in Greece, with her friends, and her father, she hadn't seen him in so long. But it was her own fault, she didn't have to accept this. She had been in Rome for two months and she knew that later today she had to leave, with or without what she came for.
"Emelia?" Emelia jumped as she heard her name being called out, she scrambled up, brushing off the dust that had settled on her pale blue tunic, she clasped her palla around her shoulders and turned to face who had addressed her, squinting through the dust to see Hazel sprinting towards her, Hazel Levesque, her curly and wild hair contained in a golden helmet. Her own gold eyes searching for Emeila's own brown ones.
"Hazel?" Emelia asked, reaching out her hand to clasp Hazel's own, her caramel skin contrasting with Emelia's own pale colour. "Whats wrong? Your meant to be in the forum."
"I can't go there." Hazel said, offering no explanation to the girl who was supporting her, her eyes darted around the deserted street, as if waiting for someone to pop out and arrest her on the spot. "Frank. He's deserted, they say, but it can't be true. It just can't be!"
"Shhh," the blonde haired girl said to her friend, "It'll be fine, Frank hasn't deserted," she said, still offering comforts. In fact, Emelia knew exactly what had happened to Frank, and she had played a part in it...
"I need to get out." Frank said to Emelia in the darkness of night, "It's Octavian, he's predicted, he's predicted that Rome will meet its downfall, and that I will be a part of it. He's announcing it to the Senate tomorrow, and I need to get out, or I'll be killed. The word is that you can get people out of here and to safety." Fear was evident in his voice, the fear that Emelia was no stranger to.
Emelia knew what he was talking about, being a personal assistant to the praetors of Rome let you into some nice places and out of a lot of sticky situations. She had heard the prophecy that Octavian had made, or rather created for his own personal use, but it wasn't that far from the truth. "I can get you out." She stated, holding up a hand to silence Frank's annoying words of payment. "Follow me."
"Now?" Frank asked, looking to the smaller girl in front of him, who was promising his safety.
"Yes 'now'." She said, looking annoyed, she started to walk off down a street, Frank strode after her, his eyes looked around the buildings that they passed and tried to figure out where they were going. But to his luck, he could think of nothing. The unlikely pair stopped at a fountain and Emelia looked around before climbing over the side and stepping into the fountains cool waters. Frank looked confused as she pulled out a large golden coin, as it glinted her gasped but said nothing. That was a drachma...
"Oh Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering and show me Nico di Angelo, wherever the Hades in Greece he is."
An image formed in front of Emelia of a boy dressed all in black with a black sword held out in front of him as he walked forward. "Nico!" Emelia hissed, the boy turned to face her and Frank shuddered at the piercing black eyes that now faced him.
"Pi-."
"Emelia!" The girl in question hissed as she shook her head as she glared at Nico, "I need you to come here and get Frank, I'm pretty sure he's one of the seven, he needs a way out of here."
Nico gave a grunt as he swiped a hand through the mist and the image vanished before Frank's eyes. Not even two seconds later, and after Emelia had stepped out of the fountain, the shadows in the gloomy dark pulsed and out fell the boy he had seen in the misty image. Nico nodded in greeting to Emelia before tugging on one of Frank's arms. "Come on," Nico said, "we don't have much time before your stupid guards find me. Pip-Emelia." He nodded.
All Emelia could offer was a wave as Frank disappeared into the shadows along with Nico.
"Hazel?" she asked ,placing her other hand on top of the mentioned girls. "I know where Frank is, and I can tell you, but it means you will have to help me." Emelia's brown eyes looked into the gold orbs of the girl opposite. "It may sound crazy but I haven't been entirely honest with you..."
"What?"
Emelia knew her time was running out, if she delayed any longer from what she was about to do even more, then it wouldn't be able to happen. "Follow me." Without waiting for an answer Emelia strode off in the direction of the forum, she would have to explain herself to Hazel as they walked, "I am not who you think I am." She paused as they came up to the entrance to the forum, Emelia put her other hand onto Hazel's arm and pulled her to the side so that nobody could over hear what she was about to say, "You see, I'm not really a Roman, and I need your help to get a very important person."
