The Animal Within

Chapter 72 - Norse Wolves and Greek Demigods

Nico had spent much of his time attempting to speak with the lares in New Rome as the Romans rushed around shouting for defences to be built. Side streets were blocked off and barriers erected throughout the city's limits. Across to the edges of Camp Jupiter itself, large and long trenches had been built and onagers and ballista moved into position to strike at any invading force. Around Camp Jupiter, traps and pits had also been constructed and covered, with some fauns and younger civilians guiding the hurried Romans around them.

Many of the lares ignored him entirely, others spitting latin curses at him. Some others downright laughed and vanished at his questions. Very few were civil and answered him – with one particularly grave spirit informing him that the other lares were whispering of treason and plots to sabotage and disable New Rome's defences.

It was a great threat to New Rome's existence and Nico had grown angry and frustrated by the lares that ducked his questions. But before Nico could force them to answer him, panicked shouts and yells erupted from the northern limit of Camp Jupiter.

Nico ducked into a shadow formed by a shop's overhang, emerging out in Reyna's shadow on the Field of Mars and making her and everyone around her jump. Frank gasped. "Don't do that!" He exclaimed.

Nico glanced at him and the son of Mars uneasily turned his head back to the north. Nico's lips twitched slightly. It was good to keep Frank on his toes since he was dating Nico's sister. Reyna's lips twitched slightly, before she nodded to the north. "Is that our help?" She asked Nico, one hand tightly gripping the hilt of her sword at her side. Reyna's knuckles were white.

The sight of the large wolves which had appeared from the north at the top of the valley made even Nico uneasy, even if he knew they'd be arriving at some point. Red-eyed with pure white coats, each of the wolves seemed large even from a distance. The very sight of them seemed wrong, in the same sense as Camp Jupiter first had to Nico. He understood that these wolves were the offspring of Fenrir, the Norse god. The air seemed to chill around their coats, leaving a track of ice in their pawprints as the wolves slowed.

"Yes," Nico said, his eyes flicking to the uneasy Roman legionnaires reaching for weapons around them. "That's Luke and the others," he said.

There were fifteen of them, Nico noted after a quick count.

"Romans!" Reyna barked, causing many panicked eyes to turn towards her, each of them seemingly holding their breaths as they waited for Reyna's command. "They are allies! Allow them through!"

Nico glanced around at the still uneasy Romans. "I'll go to them," he said quickly. "Help them through."

Reyna nodded slightly. "Go," she agreed.

Nico stepped sideways into Reyna's shadow and stumbled out of one next to a giant wolf. He jerked back in surprise even as the wolf did the same, turning and snarling fiercely at him. Nico grunted as he fell, landing on his backside on the frosted grass. The wolf was twice as large as a horse, the air around it chilly enough that Nico's breath misted and his fingers grew numb.

"Whoa, hey," a startled voice said. "He's a friend!"

"Hey, Nico."

Nico pushed himself up with a scowl up at the two demigods riding on the back of the lead wolf. Alabastor was smirking down at him as Luke calmed the wolf, which was glowering at Nico. "Thought I'd be your greeting party instead of the angry Romans," Nico said to them. He nodded slightly to Alabastor Torrington. "Thanks for coming."

"We were getting bored anyway," Luke said. Both of them were wearing coats, along with the others they'd brought with them. Luke caught Nico's gaze flicking over the others with him. "Anyone under the age of fifteen is back at our camp still," Luke said to Nico. "Hey, would you mind lowering yourself so the kid can get on?" He asked the wolf without even pausing. Luke glanced towards the Romans. "Friendly, aren't they?" Luke asked.