ACHILLES + PATROCLUS [p. jackson]

0.4: THE DAY IT ALL WENT DOWN

THE DAY RIP'S LIFE CAME CRASHING DOWN AROUND HIM STARTED OUT AS ANY OTHER. He had awoken, leading his cohort in their morning routine of exercises and prayers to their parents and other gods to aid them in the day. Oleander was still acting odd, yet she kept whatever was bothering her to herself.

Octavian was as stoic as ever, steely blue eyes narrowed at the soldiers in front of hem. The one time Rip had told him to lighten up, the centurion had huffed on about how Rip's 'childishness' was the reason why the gods did not favor him, or even why his father had-

No, Rip thought. I am not going to think of that today.

As the legionares made their way to the dining area, the silence hit Rip like a ton of bricks. The mess hall was usually bustling with laughter and friendly conversation, even at times some arm wrestling matches between the older legionares.

But today, the silence was deafening.

A short glance shared between him and Octavian was enough to prove his way of thinking, and his fingers clasped tightly around his die. With a motion of his hand, he held his legionares back. Some looked ready to protest, yet a silent glare shut them up quite quickly.

The centurions set forward, cautiously pushing the door open to reveal everyone in their places, sitting at their tables where they belonged, having not even moved to sit among friends.

Reyna was standing at the head of the room, a haunted look gracing her war-worn face, seemingly having just faced all the demons of Tartarus all at once, and made it back to tell the story.

"What is the meaning of this?" Octavain voiced the concern they were both feeling, twin sets of eyes flicking through the faces of their friends and rivals alike, all as haunted as the next.

But there was one face missing. One face that should be there beside Reyna, perhaps cracking a joke to help ease the tension. A face as familiar to Rip as his own. The face of his brother.

"Jason has disappeared," Reyna proclaims, voice low and heavy. Her dark eyes were focused solely on Rip, as if to judge if he was okay.

Was he okay?

No.

Octavian respected him enough to allow him to step back for as long as he needed, though Rip wondered if it was his arrogance instead. Of course he could run an entire cohort by himself!

The rest of breakfast went on in a blur, the soldiers departed on their daily tasks, though the heaviness in the air had not left them. They kept glancing back at Rip and Reyna, as if begging them to tell them it was some sort of foolish prank. Gods, he wished it was.

As the last legionare shuffled outside, Rip turned on his heel to look at his friend. "What are we supposed to do?"

Reyna opened her mouth, as if trying to find the words to comfort him, or berate him for acting as if he had a say in what went on at all, yet she just shook her head and let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know," she murmered, the mask she wore slipping away slightly to reveal the genuine fear in her eyes.

"Jason always had the answers," Rip breathed deeply through his nose, picturing the last time he had seen his friend. They had slipped away after a day of relentless training, taking their favorite spot on the hill overlooking all of New Rome, the starry night sky blinking brilliantly above them.

In that moment, shoving each other around and cracking jokes with nobody to bear witness to their childish behavior, they felt they were free. Free of the grip of responsibility, of expectation, and of judgment. No one could scold them or separate them because the only witness was the silver moon and the shining stars.

Little was said between them, but they knew those moments were what they missed, and had promised themselves to make more chances to do so again.

And now they might not get the chance.

No, he couldn't think like that. The cohort needed him. Reyna needed him. The army needed him.

"I want you to take his place," Reyna cut through the silence, eyes boring into Rip's sole. "He trusted your opinion above all else, and I know the rest shall agree this is what he would have wanted."

Rip wanted to stumble, wanted to scream at her that he was not worthy, that he did not even match Jason in level of confidence or charisma, wanted to tell her to pick somebody else, anybody else!

But he didn't. He just nodded, and held out his hand. He knew she was right, though why Jason so blindly trusted him was beyond the hero. What ever happened to their best friend, they knew that there was no reason the rest of the legion should suffer.

It killed him as he stood in front of the assembly, head held high. This is what Jason worked for his entire life. This was what he deserved, not Rip. But if keeping the legion together was the only way himself and Reyna could keep a level-enough head to find their missing brother, he was willing to do whatever it takes.

You know, I had so many plans for this story, yet this was the only section I had no clue how to write.

So, to clarify, Rip is now the temporary praetor until they can find Jason, or proof of his demise.

I believe that this choice would make sense in Reyna's mind as she knows giving such a position to say, Octavian, would not help.

We're starting SoN in the next chapter, so be ready for the love-birds to finally meet.

Also, any ideas for their shipname? I'm horrible at this.

Reyna: Do you have any idea what you're doing?
Agrippa: Why start now?