Petals on The Moon || Reyna Ramirez-Arellano x Fem!OC

XXXV

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

Dear Diary,

Across the Little Tiber, I could see hordes of monsters fanning along the bank, wielding disgusting claws or glimmering shields or spears that could impale anyone with the slightest of touches. Above, I could see the twilight sky and the faint glimmering of stars, a dark omen ahead of our battle.

Behind the walls of Camp Jupiter, our demigod forces had surmounted as many as possible. Old veterans from the city had busted out their old armor and weapons, and wore their bravest faces despite knowing what was to come. Fresh legionnaires were running as combat medics, emergency rescue, or as trappers, depending on their particular skill set. Everyone was sorted by their cohorts, with centurions leading the way atop the walls, surveying the enemy in an attempt to form a gameplan. Our praetor, Soledad, was already sending messages with our eagles.

"Soledad!" Suki waved from the top of the hill. We stood over the barracks, practically able to jump to the roof of the third if we were trying hard enough. Soledad caught sight of us and waved us forward, and we carefully scaled the hill until we made it to the bottom of the ladder.

"Suki!" Soledad flew down the bottom of the ladder. "Reyna! Is Juventas safe?"

"Yes," I promised. "I can't tell you where she is because-"

"Right. Monsters outside. I get it," Soledad said, nodding gratefully. "Suki, Sebastian says you met Krios himself?"

Suki nodded. "He's the real enemy. He's a minion of darkness- he- He's the night sky itself. This battle is currently tipped in his favor, and..." She shook her head. "And his army-"

"We can defeat him!" Jason jumped down the ladder and stopped right next to us. "We have to. There aren't any enemies that are just impossible to beat."

"They have the Cup of Youth," I said. "That'll prevent monsters from dying! They'll regenerate rapidly and-"

"So we take the cup back." Sebastian plopped his hand on my shoulder and almost broke it. I nearly punched him in the gut, but he was smart enough to step aside before I could pull my fist back in time. "Game plan; we steal the Cup of Youth back from the original stealers, and deliver it to Juventas."

"It won't be that simple," Suki painted, shaking her head. Soledad eyed her carefully, frowning more and more by the second. "They'll be protecting that with everything they have. Krios might even be able to veil it because it's nighttime."

"So we hold out 'til dawn!" Sebastian grinned and put one hand on his hip. "Personally, I really think Soledad should appoint me her Master of War."

Soledad frowned. "You expect our troops to survive twelve straight hours?"

"We can do it," Sebastian insisted. I think doubling down on his insanity made Soledad realize he was being completely legit with his plan. He stopped smiling and said, "Look, I know how it sounds-"

"It sounds awful!" Soledad snapped.

"-But you gotta have faith," Sebastian said. "George Michael reference." Nobody laughed. He awkwardly cleared his throat. "The river is ours- not theirs. And the way it swirls aro-" He stopped midsentence. "Dammit, this would be the perfect time to have a big table and throw a map down on it!"