Jason and Reyna: The Praetor's of New Rome - Truth

Goodbye,

"WHOOOOOOOAOAOAOAOOAAOAO, yeah let's PAAAAARTY." Gwen hollered before she stuffed her face with a taco and chugged some of Dakota's "kool aid".

Camp Jupiter threw a massive party in celebration of Jason becoming Praetor. Like massive. Many of the cities residents joined in on the festivities. And by many I mean basically all of them. Camp Jupiter was a military camp an hour ago, but now it was almost a night club. The party started in the mess hall and tumbled throughout the pathways of the camp. Music blared over the intercom while campers and residents alike danced, fauns pickpocketed unsuspecting party members and I sat alone.

To say I felt uncomfortable was an understatement. I was happy to see Gwen and my fellow legionnaires have fun, but parties like these reminded me of memories I didn't want to think about. I sat at the base of the mess hall, watching the chaos unfold around me. I tried to stay close to Jason and Gwen initially. But Jason disappeared in the crowd and Gwen.... well....

"SHAKE THAT BOOTY BRONK YEEEEAAAAAAAH"

I took that as my queue to leave. I walked out of Camp Jupiter towards Mortuus est in terra honorati. Or The land of the Honored Dead. I glanced at the sky every once in a while, hoping Jason would appear so I wouldn't be alone. The only thing that greeted me were the stars and moon shinning in a cloudless sky.

When i reached the entrances of the graveyard, I couldn't help but think about when I first arrived here with Ben. My heart felt heavy as I recited his warnings to myself. It felt like just yesterday I was standing here with him.

I whispered the same payer Ben did to open the entrance and allow me in. When I first arrived here, I thought the prayer was something sinister, but I now realized it was far from that.

"Me duce, mortuos honeste." I whispered. It means, 'Guide me Forward, honorable dead."

The trees departed, revealing the path to the graveyard beyond. I walked slowly, enjoying the cool breeze flowing through the trees and doing my best to ignore their presence.

The ghost of my ancestors could be seen fading in and out among the trees, their lifeless eyes stared right through me.

I walked through the many graves, taking in the vastness of this place. All these people gave there lives so someone like me can potentially live a life of peace. I wasn't sure if I should be grateful or ashamed.

While walking, I past Ben's grave along the way. I stopped, looking solemnly at it. Ben's grave wasn't a standard headstone with his name on it, but instead a patch of yellow ice plants called The Curse of Delos. In the center, was a small tree that was planted when he had passed. In a few years time, the tree will grow to stand tall above the other graves nearby. Ben had apparently asked to be buried by his friends planted as a tree, he said he wanted to protect them from the glaring sun. At least, that's how Max explained it to me when we talked about.

The thought made me even sadder then I already was.

I moved away once the ghost of my ancestors had caught up to me. I didn't want them to linger to long around Ben's grave, out of fear they would contaminate it somehow.

I made my way to the center of the graveyard, where the Praetors of the past laid to rest.

It's here where the divide from the past and the present we're more clear. While it has been many years since the fall of Rome, there were always only two Praetors per generation, assuming they lived that long. I walked through the gates, which had a banner crafted from Imperial Gold reading SPQR. Three large temples loomed towards the back end of this section surrounded by imperial gold fences. Inside the temples, you would find rows of urns containing the ashes of former Praetor's dating back to the Roman Empire. As cremation was the standard practice for laying Praetor's to rest.