Etruscan Demigods

The remnants of Gaia's forces. (contains szenes of violence and human sacrifice)

Arion arrived and she mounted him, armed with a long Hasta (thrusting spear), Parma (small round shield), Spatha and Vitis. For the journey, she had a greek Linothorax under her shirt, like a bullet proof vest, and a back pack with some food and water. Than she left new rome. 

After some hours of constant riding, through the Sierra Nevada, Rocky Mountains and the Canyonlands, she stopped at a village in Nebraska. The heavy and difficult terrain was the reason, why she was not in New York already. She stood in front of the road sign that showed "Antioch". Antioch like Antiochia in syria? She saw a lot of ruins, of factories and houses and made her way to one of them. After arriving there, she made camp, digged a hole for a fire and pulled out a tent of the hunt (a gift from Thalia), and opened it to it's full size. Arion neighed and she turned to the horse. "Oh sorry Arion! Wait, I give you something to eat. "She felt some copper underground and pulled it up. Arion gulped it down and speed away.

Hazel walked a bit around to inspect the ruins, but there was nothing of interest. After a eating a bit of bread and cheese and drinking some water, she stripped out of her armor and went to bed. Thanks to the magic of the tent, she was quickly asleep. But than she woke up. 

Two pairs of arms had grabbed both arms and legs and carried her away. She screamed and trashed around and could see a that they were two men in tunics and with bronze helmets on their heads and bronze swords at their hips. 

They spoke latin but she could only understand a few words, as if it was a far older version of the language. "Lucius (some incomprehensible words) weapons (other words) from the tent." One said. 

A third man dressed, armed and armored like the others, walked into the tent and came out with her weapons and the Linothorax. They bound Hazel and gagged her, before throwing her on a chariot. One climbed on it and the other two took a second chariot. Than they drove into the plains. After an hour of travel, they arrived at a romanic villa. 

The men took hazel and her belongings and carried her inside. There, a man in a decorated blue tunic and red cloak awaited them. He asked the men something and they answered. He said something else and they took off the gag. 

The man walked to Hazel, who now stood on her own feets, while being hold from two sides. "Tam bene. Quid hic habemus? Uno aethiops. Confitendum est, numquam quemquam vestrum genus antea vidi. Sed viatores recte de eo. Cutis tua vere obscura est. (Well, well. What have we here. An ethiopian. I have to confess, I have never seen anyone of your kind before. But the travelers were right about it. Your skin is really dark.)" He said in very old, but still understandable latin. "Non sum de Aethiopia! (I'm no ethiopian!)" Hazel answered.

He laughed and answered "Non curo. Nunc serva meus es. Servus nunquam te vidi similis. Ita diversum ab Italis. (I do not care. You are now my slave. I have never seen a slave like you. So different to italics.)" 

Hazel was angry "CIVIS ROMANUM SUM! (I'm a roman citizen!)" She yelled. 

"Quod nomen tibi est? (What is your name?)" He ignored her statement and asked for her name. "Mihi nomen est Hazel Levesque. Ego Decurio equitum Romanorum! (My name is Hazel Levesque. I'm Decurio of the roman cavalry!)" 

He laughed and answered "Puella? In equitatu? Bene, nunc nomen tibi dicam meum. Amulius sum. (A girl? On horseback? Well, now I will tell you my name. I am Amulius." Hazel gulped. The brutal mythological king of Alba Longa, the mother city of Rome. 

He laughed when he saw her gulping and told his men something, while he looked through her belongings and it seemed that he was fascinated by the linothorax. The warrior with the name Lucius grabbed Hazel around the waist and threw her on his shoulder like a bag of flour.