Game of War (Cashby)

Chapter 8

I stretched my arms and shifted the gladiator sword from hand to hand. It was such a different weapon from my trident, but I remembered back to my training with Jeremy just a few days prior. A few days. Oh how life could change in such a short period of time. Alan and I were standing in the now mostly vacant Palaestra, which was basically just a large grassy place to practice sports. Alan sat on the ground to my right, watching me warm up my muscles. The wound on my art had started to scab over and was feeling better now. I healed fasted than a normal person, but it wasn't often that I didn't have a healer around to just fix it. It reminded me of the mock battles. A faint smile touched my lips. I longed to live that day over again. The adrenaline, victory, praise, and liveliness. I missed my friends so badly. I wondered if Mars had made it back safely, if Vulcan had, and Minerva. Was everyone back at Olympus already throwing parties and relaxing. If Mars had made it back, then people would start to wonder where we were. I had to grit my teeth when I though of my team. Phil and Tino made it back. I had to believe that for my own sanity. I couldn't forget my deadline, either.

"So what's the plan?" Alan asked. He noticed my confusion. "Oh c'mon, you can't go into this fight without a plan." Oh yeah, the fight.

"I have no idea how he fights, Alan. I can't make a plan until with nothing to go off of." Alan frowned and looked at the floor.

"Typhus is a brutal and strong gladiator," said a voice from behind me. I turned around and was face to face with an older man. His hair stuck up in funny ways and was beginning to grey.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Gravis. I'll help you fight Typhus," he said proudly. I looked at Alan but only saw my confusion mirrored in him. "You could use the help, boy."

"I suppose I could, what have you got?" He looked me up and down thoughtfully.

"You're quite strong. How are your skills with a sword and shield?"

"I'm a worthy opponent." I kept my story short. He seemed to understand.

"Have you got any armor?" I shook my head.

"No sir."

"Follow me." I hesitated before following the strange man, but I felt like I recognized him and decided to go along. Alan shot up and grabbed my arm.

"I don't trust this man, Austin. I've never seen him around before," he said so only I could hear

"All the more reason to follow him, then." I pulled away from him and left the building, it was only a few seconds before I heard his feet patter behind me. Gravis lead us back out into the street and across the city. Eventually we reached a home in the back corner. It looked rugged and the stone was cracked in place, but I followed him in anyways. The place was much more wide open than Alan's house. I didn't look like a traditional Roman house at all. He stopped in the middle of the room and turned to face me. Alan hid behind me.

"What kind of Gladiator do you want to be?" Gravis asked.

"Well, if I had my way it'd be Retiarius, but I don't have any of the supplies." He nodded once.

"Wait here," he said, then disappeared into a room on the right. Clanging and other various noises drifted out the door. He returned with a long three-pronged trident, net, and arm and should armor. "Take these, put the armor on. I'm going to teach you how to be an unbeatable gladiator in the next four hours."

I looked from the weapons and armor he held out to his face. Something about him screamed 'don't ask questions' and I couldn't shake the feeling that somehow my dad was in solved in this. I took the stuff from him and slid the armor up my left arm. He handed me a dagger as well to put in my tunic. I spun the trident between my fingers and grinned from ear to ear. It wasn't as good as mine, but it was something. It was lighter than my own, which made it a lot easier to move quickly, however it wasn't as sharp. I felt the blades with my fingertips.