Heroes Of Olympus: House Of Hades (By Rick Riordan) [COMPLETED]

Reyna

Chapter Four: Reyna

"Destroy the Greek camp! Shed the blood of the traitors!" Octavian boomed at the Romans.

They were still at Camp Jupiter, in the Senate Hall, having a meeting. An unofficial one.

Octavian, not Reyna, had ordered a meeting with all Romans in the camp old enough to fight. Octavian, not Reyna, had called all the veterans from the city to attend the meeting. It was Octavian who had the power, not Reyna; not the praetor of the camp, but a psychotic descendant of Apollo.

Reyna had lost her marbles. She had lost her power. She had lost Percy, the man she had hoped to help her lead the legion. She had lost her strength to move on. She had lost two Roman demigods, the ones they called the Saviors of Rome. And most importantly, she had lost Jason Grace. Again.

She had suspected that Octavian had been the one to fire at the camp, not the boy Leo, but the way the Greeks fought against the Romans and fled Camp Jupiter, that she understood.

And Reyna knew better.

She knew it. She suspected that the coming of Percy Jackson would bring more rivalry between the Greeks and Romans. Maybe the part of Percy losing his memory was genuine, but once his memories come back, the Greeks would attack Camp Jupiter and destroy the Romans. It was an old joke in an old book, but it still never wears out.

But when Jason appeared in the midst of thin air and spoke to her with such sincerity and desperation, she almost believed him. Last time Reyna checked, Jason was still much of a Roman, and Romans took their oaths seriously. They would never break such oaths because they knew that once they did, they will feel the wrath of their own kind.

"But Leo was possessed!"

She had seen the desperation and distraught in his eyes, and she knew he really was telling the truth. She should let them explain first before she takes action. In this way, everything will be fair. A real way of Bellona; but she just couldn't force herself to believe him because she doesn't know what to believe anymore; who to believe anymore after all that has happened in the past few weeks.

She stayed quiet for the whole meeting. She kept watching Octavian and the Romans. She studied every single reaction of the audience at each of the schemer's words. Her head kept moving back and forth, looking more worried at how Octavian's words can influence the Romans.

She sat at her own chair with the other senators. Octavian kept pacing back and forth, looking at the audience in their eyes and shouting his words powerfully to make sure everybody hears him. His blonde hair covering his eyes. His hands waving and moving around in the air like a madman, eyes wild and cruel and desperate.

"That Percy Jackson, or whatever his real name is, he betrayed us! He was a spy! What excuse for a praetor of Rome! And that Jason Grace? He chose the Greeks over us, his own kind! And then what? He fought against us and fled with them. He is nothing but a traitor!" Octavian led the Romans in a deep trance, lost and enchanted in his words.

A few campers muttered "liars." Or "betrayers." A few nodded in agreement. And a few raised their hands into a fist and shouted, "Yeah!"

When he saw this, he smirked.

"He is nothing but a traitor!"

No one messes with Jason. No one. But still, he kept talking to the Romans.

"And what of that Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang? Are they what you call The Saviors of Rome? They joined the Greeks and fought us! That Zhang didn't even deserved being a centurion!" He pointed at the empty chair beside the centurions.

"And Hazel? She isn't even--"

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Reyna shot up to her feet. "You're not even the praetor, Octavian. So it's my authority to do the talking and the ruling." She said harshly.

"But Reyna--" Octavian started to say.

"Get back on your seat, Octavian."

"But--"

"Get. Back. On. Your. Seat."

"Y-Yes, Reyna." He said, shooting a glance at the crowd like: 'What did I told you?'

"Romans, please. Jason talked to me yesterday and--"

Dakota raised his hand.

"Yes, Dakota?"

"Praetor, if I may, I would like to ask something."

Reyna motioned her hands in a "go on" gesture.

"Um, 'how' did Jason talk to you?"

"Well, he just appeared in the middle of thin air and talked to me."

Dakota nodded and sat down. The audience looked a little dumbfounded about what their praetor said. Appear in the middle of thin air? You've gotta be kidding.

"As I was saying, He told me that that son of Vul--Hephaestus, Leo Valdez, didn't do the firing of our camp on purpose. He was possessed. By eidolons. If you are what you call Romans, then you should know and understand circumstances that come in our way. Yes, I know, it was unexpected and it ruined the whole camp; but they have a valid reason. Remember, Jason is still a Roman. He takes his oath seriously. Take it from your praetor. We must cancel our attack at the--"

"No!" a Roman shot up.

"Yeah!" Another shot back.

"Continue the war!" One more shouted.

Seconds after the whole Romans were having a rally. Everyone kept shouting "Destroy the Greeks!"

Reyna couldn't do anything. She felt more alone than ever.

"Romans! Yield!" Her voice boomed. Still, they didn't listen.

Octavian smirked mischievously and joined the mob of Romans and shouted, "Destroy the Greeks!"

He led the Romans out of the Senate House. His eyes hungry for vengeance.

Reyna watched them leave. She sat in her chair and stared at the empty seats in front of her. She can hear the Romans shouting, desperate for bloodshed.

She looked up at her mom and prayed. "What is happening? Why is this happening? I need guidance, mom, please." She buried her head in her hands, Argentum and Aurum at her sides, poking their noses gently at their master's arm.

She had never felt so hopeless and betrayed in her life. And with Jason and Percy gone, she felt like a lost dog in a desert.

Then she did something unexpected. She lost control and cried and cried. She couldn't take it anymore. For months, she kept looking for Jason hoping that he would come back, and now he just left her again.

She raised her head. She can't believe she was crying. "No. I wouldn't cry." She said to herself.

She shot up to her feet. She wiped the tears from her eyes, the tears that she wouldn't let anyone see. The tears that had been building up inside for months. And for once in her life, a huge burden was lifted up from her shoulders.

She composed herself. She masked her sad and hopeless face with a face than that of a gallant warrior; strong, determined and dignified; a face that hid sadness and desperation and shattered hope.

She walked out of door, her head held high. But that all vanished, because she knew it was too late.

Octavian had started the war.