There was a huge rocking of the ship, and I summoned my sabers.
"An attack!" I yelled.
Moments later, Nico appeared behind me, his Stygian Iron sword drawn. His hair was extremely disheveled, and slightly covered his eyes. The sword glinted in the darkness.
Hercules shook again, this time rougher. Water sloshed onto the deck, and I almost lost my footing. I heard the ship creaking. It couldn't take much more.
"Who's attacking us?" Nico yelled.
"I don't know!"
"WHAT AN INSULT, NOT KNOWING WHO WE ARE!"
Nico and I jumped at the voices that had suddenly burst out. They sounded full, rich, and very, very real.
"Fine," I said in a calm tone, even though my teeth were chattering. "May we have the honour of knowing who our esteemed assailants are?"
"OF COURSE!" the voices boomed.
"We are the protectors of this port, sworn to engage in combat with anyone who seeks to harm our place of protection!" A singular male voice boasted from the darkness.
I looked at Nico, and the thought passed through both of us like an electrical current.
"Tutelary deities," I said to him.
"Lares?" he asked.
"Yes!" the voice applauded. "At last, even mere mortals have heard of us! You shall tremble in fear at our presence!"
"Show yourselves!" I shouted.
And they did. Three shadowy figues materialized in front of us, looking like ghosts. I swallowed down my phasmophobia as they inspected us suspiciously. They were easily five times larger than us, and even though they were translucent, they were still pretty imposing. Added with the fact that they pushed our presumably sturdy ship around like a toy sailboat (and could have sunk us), I wasn't exactly in the most confident of moods.
"These two are Otho and Trajan, and I am Antoninus Pius!" the man in the middle proclaimed. "All proud emperors of Rome!"
I'd like to have added 'past' to the 'emperors', but it didn't seem like a safe response at the time.
"I have a legacy that has endured nineteen centuries!" Trajan yelled.
"And I was descended from the princes of Etruria!" the other Roman emperor, Otho, cut in.
"And we are here to destroy both your crew and your ship!" All three chimed in unison, their loud voices echoing through the black night.
"Erm, can I ask why?" I raised my hand politely.
YOU ARE READING
Sorcery & Shadows (Based on the Heroes of Olympus series)
FanfictionAngela is a descendant of the gods. Which one? There's more than one, that's for sure. She has lived for years alone, without permanent company. She is neither Greek nor Roman, but yet she is both, and more. She is only aided by one, and is kept hid...
