The Well of Lost Souls (ONGOING)

Chapter 6: I Decide To Direct A Tunnel-Director

Hey guys! Daria here.

Wow I'm so obsessed with Rio recently. And of course thank you guys for all those votes on "Soulmates" and "Demigods in Facebook". Cheers~

Enjoy <3

The Fifth Cohort ran together with the other cohorts towards the dining hall. Aurae, wind spirits, whisked food back and forth. I called for a cheeseburger, a plate of salad, and a large bottle of grape juice. I didn't know why, but I've always adored purple and loved grapes

A horn blew. Everyone stood up and grabbed weapons from the nearby stands. "Line up with your cohorts, everybody!" Someone shouted.

Lavinia and a boy that looked about 16 years old led us to the Field of Mars. There were lots of trenches and crooked pits. A huge fort loomed ahead, and legionnaires were scurrying across. "Ready the bows! Ready the water cannons! Ready the scorpions! Make their aim straight and deadly! I want Burgundy out of my way!" It was a boy I've heard before. I decided right then that he was going to be my enemy.

Lavinia and 16 – Year Old Boy went to a conference with the Fourth and Third cohorts.

I prepared my weapons, unsheathed Masca, and looked at the glowing blade. It got even brighter and I saw a wave of nothingness. Even though it was only an illusion, I could feel the aura of power. "I shall have revenge for my beloved Kronos and Gaia! Those foolish Olympians rule the world? Ha! Never! The only hard thing is for me to rise from this pit, since I am below my dear Tartarus. But after rising from here, I will be UNSTOPPABLE! Revenge is sweet! I love my granddaughter Nemesis! She is the goddess of revenge! I shall reward her if I win! Oh, sorry, when I win!"

I shivered and fell on the ground with a thud. The Voice might be the enemy that we were looking for. "Hey, Rio, come out of your daydream! The war games are about to start!" 16 – Year Old Boy was moving his hand in front of my face.

"Oh, uh, sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" I stammered. He must be at the Centurion rank, since he always stood with Lavinia. He also had lots of medals pinned onto his shirt. 16 – Year Old Boy frowned at me then helped me to my feet. "What are you doing, Rio? You just stared at your dagger for a moment then collapsed on the floor. You gotta prepare! War games are about to start!"

I stared at him, acting dumbfounded. "Who are you?"

16 – Year Old Boy laughed and patted my back. "I'm Marcus, son of Apollo. Legacy of Mercury. You can tell that I'm a son of Apollo by my looks. Most children of Apollo have blond hair and blue eyes. Mine is light blue, kinda like Will Solace's back at Camp Half-Blood. Children of Mercury usually have blond hair."

And he was right. Marcus was a handsome boy with honey –blond hair. His sky – blue eyes reflected the clouds, and he tapped his hands on his bow. Marcus's smile was warm and he had Ace bandages tied around his wrists. He also had a dusty orange messenger bag slid over his shoulders.

"Who is Will Solace?" I asked, just out of curiosity.

Marcus blushed. "He's the counselor of Apollo's cabin at Camp Half-Blood. The best healer there. Oh, and when he comes, he's also the best healer at Camp Jupiter. Head healer, we call him. Even better than Pranjal's skills, I have to admit."

The horn blew again and two pegasi circled the air. One was dark brown with long wings. Hazel's pegasus, I recognized.

The other one was a graceful pegasus with a golden coat and light eyes. It was Frank's. He had slid off this beautiful pegasus before the legion, in the via praetoria.

"They're already ready to play referee, Frank and Hazel. Simple rules, Rio. But hard to do. We gotta get past all those defenses – scorpions, water cannons etc. Then we fight through the fortress, find the banners, defeat the guards, all while protecting our own troops and banners from capture. And our cohort is in competition with the other cohorts on our side – the Fourth and Third. We sort of work together, but not really. The cohort that captures the banners gets all the glory."

"Wait," I said. "Aren't the Fourth and Fifth friends? I thought Leila said so. What about the Third and the Fifth? Hank promised we were allies!"

"Stupid lies," Marcus said. Then he muttered a curse in Latin. I thought I heard: Cur hoc mihi semper accidere? Which meant "why does this always happen to me?"

Then Marcus steadied his breathing and said, "Rio Burgundy, don't believe everything you hear. Those are rumors, Rio, rumors! They wanted you to join their cohorts when they believe in you. They spread all those lies. The Fifth isn't like that. We're all truth, all that matters. We're all about hope, strength, and friendship. I need to go now, and better run through our plans. Oh, and Rio, the first one over the wall gets the Mural Crown, a medal. I'll get a few people to stick with you so hopefully you won't die. See you later, Rio. And remember what the Fifth is about: strength and friendship and cooperation. Remember that!"

Then Marcus dashed off, leaving me standing dazed. Frank blew a whistle to signal the start of the game.

"Let the games – begin!" Hazel shouted.

Just then, two campers scurried over. One was Marcus, looking grumpy from our conversation minutes ago. The other was a girl with blond hair and a mischievous smile. "This is Fabia, daughter of Ceres. Legacy of Venus and Pluto. Blessed by Venus and Pluto, obviously. Also Mercury. Fabia's excellent at riding eagles. Also, she's an explorer. Fabia keeps track of all the tunnels that are passable. She'll help you stay alive, I'm sure of it. Fabia, I'm giving you some responsibility here. Succeed, and you will prove yourself."

Marcus ran off to organize the Fifth Cohort. Fabia smiled sweetly and asked, "Do you have a plan, then, Rio? Because I'll help you achieve them."

"All right, then, Fabia. Are you up for a challenge? You have to navigate the tunnels, but leave the rest to me." I replied confidently.

And that's everything!

Hope you guys look forward to what Rio's going to do. Of course my inspiration was from "The Son of Neptune" and you'll see similar plot stuff, but you get to see Bacchus. I'll respect Rick's descriptions and add more details.

I think it's pretty interesting.

Anyways, see you!

Daria <3