𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 [Jason Grace]

7

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 before he died. Well, less great than usual.

The second cohort made their way out of camp after dinner. They formed two lines behind their centurions, Ida and Larry. They marched north, skirting the edge of the city, and headed to the Field of Mars— the largest, flattest part of the valley. The grass was cropped short by all the unicorns, bulls, and homeless fauns that grazed here. The earth was pitted with explosion craters and scarred with trenches from past games.

At the north end of the field stood a building. The engineers had built a stone fortress with an iron portcullis, guard towers, scorpion ballistae, water cannons, and no doubt many other nasty surprises for the defenders to use. Fortunately, Dante being a part of the second cohort would be safe behind the walls.

They didn't have to worry about anything from the third, fourth or fifth. Though he had a feeling Percy could single handedly change the tide of the battle.

"Impressive," Larry mumbled, "Today's going to be a good day."

They marched toward the fortress.

In the sky above them, Reyna circled on her pegasus, Scipio, ready to play referee.

Half a dozen giant eagles flew in formation behind her— prepared for ambulance airlift duty if necessary. The only person not participating in the game was Nico di Angelo, "Pluto's ambassador," who had climbed an observation tower about a hundred yards from the fort and would be watching with binoculars.

The Second cohort took the eastern side while the First took the western. It was an unspoken agreement, and just like always, the Centurions of both cohorts exchanged a few looks and nods.

Dante didn't like the way Octavian was grinning under his helmet when they parted ways.

"Don't worry about him, that's Octavian, he's my best friend," Jason rambled on. It was Dante's first war game and he was more nervous than he had ever been. "He can be weird sometimes, but we grew up together."

Brothers? Dante wanted to ask. He knew all about brothers.

"So, you're the second cohort, which means you'll take that side, and I'll be defending." Jason had been in the fifth cohort before he rose through the ranks. "Good games, Pierce."

"Good games, Grace."

"Good games, Octavian." Dante gave him a cold smile as he walked away.

"Good games, Dante."

From the eastern walls, Dante and the Second cohort could see the Fifth approach. Sometimes, he wondered what the use of war games was if everything went the exact same way.

The Fifth were used as human shields to tire out the defenses, then the Fourth and Third would try to storm the fortress. Sometimes they failed, sometimes they succeeded.

Dante's job was to make sure they didn't succeed.

To the left of the fort's east wall, Dante could see the main line of the Fifth Cohort advancing in turtle formation, shields forming a shell over their heads and sides.

Dante wasn't very fond of crossbows so he, like most of the others pelted whatever rocks he could get his hands on. Some shot flaming arrows, and the Fifth had to protect themselves against the flaming bolts from the scorpions and step past the blasting craters around their feet. A water cannon discharged with a jaw-rattling THRUM, and a jet of liquid carved a trench in the dirt right in front of the cohort.