Chapter 5: The Emperor in the Arena

Chapter 4

After a few moments of heading down the path we ran into the first monster. A dracenae rushed us, throwing its net. Five quickly shot arrows from Anna pinned the net to the wall and destroyed it. A laistrygonian giant rushed us and Growlz singed its face while I sliced its hamstrings it and took it out with a quick sword thrust to the heart. A boy no older than nine rushed us yelling “FOR CHRONOS!” but I hit him over the head with the flat of my shield and he fell to the floor unconscious. We spent what felt like an hour fighting our way down the tunnel when suddenly all opposition dissapeared.

Instead of being relieved, we were all a little worried.

“Where did they go?” Sean asked, sweat dampening his face a little. As the best athlete of us three he was the least winded. Growlz pointed his eyes toward a doorway marked with crossed swords. The door had seen better days, dented in areas, splintered in others, but still quite solid. We approached quietly, listening for monsters. We didn’t hear monsters, we did, however, hear an argument.

“I am not sacrificing my son,” a sleepy voice said from the room. “I am merely showing you how to access his powers, this will keep him from reforming for a little longer, no more.”

“Hmm, and you say that this will put me on the road to regaining the Godly powers I should have?” replied a deep voice, obviously male, the way he spoke made him sound like a spoiled child who grew up to realize he was not always going to get his way.

“Yes, it will. I have taught you the rituals. But you should hurry. I sense the approach of some of the demigods that idiot Hyas riled up with that poorly planned attempt to do his job. I cannot help you if they arrive, my power is currently -” she yawned, shaking the room and surrounding tunnels.” Currently being used to revive my children, but someone - “ she yawned again. “Someone is trying to put me to sleep.” There was a sound of earth falling to the floor.

“My lady? Where did you go?” The other person asked. “No matter, I know what to do,” and he began chanting in a language I had never heard before, but it made the hair on my neck rise. I turned to my friends for a quick battle strategy when Sean, in the impulsive manner all Demigods had, kicked the door open and strode in, gladii whistling through the air as he spun them about in his hands.

“I don’t know what your about buddy, but...” Sean stopped talking and walking forward, but kept the blades moving as he realized what he saw. The room looked to be an arena, with a dirt floor covering the ground, some bones littering the ground. The bones had obviously fallen from hooks on the ceiling, a set of which were wrapped in some complicated fashion as if to hold someone, or something, off the ground. In the stands, more giants, draceane, as well as some cyclopes and Stymphalian birds all looked directly at Sean. In the exact center of the arena, directly below the weird set of chains, which I just noticed held something that looked strangely like a diaper, stood a man in a purple roman toga.

He was of average height, but a muscular build. He had short cropped grey hair, but otherwise looked like a spitting image of the man in my dreams. He finished his chant, looked at us, and then the Mist started flowing into the room.

Now Mist is usually not visible to anyone, Mortal or Demigod. It is just something that keeps the Mortals from seeing what is really there, in order to protect their weak minds. As far as anyone knows, it does not have any physical aspect to it. Yet here it was flowing towards this man in purple robes. It formed a dome over him and a link to the diaper hanging in the chains. Then the diaper exploded in a flash of green lights, which all went straight into the man. He screamed in what appeared to be pain, and then a tattoo appeared on his left bicep. It looked like a wrestlers belt with a large clip. On the clip was a design that looked like a trident lying down on the earth.

“This is Anteas’s Arena,” cried Anna. “I have heard about this place. Where is the son of Neptune?!” She pointed an arrow straight at the man. He smiled indulgently.

“I believe he is dead, slain by a younger brother last year. However, thanks to the efforts of his mother, I have returned and...I believe she said that I was borrowing his power, so that I may gain the right of Godhood I so richly deserve as an Emperor of Rome and the gods have so unfairly Denied me.” He replied examining himself. He looked at the stands. “Those who wish to join my army against the gods shall complete the task I set to you before, Fight until ten remain, those ten shall join me.” He then flicked his hand and a chair appeared from the earth. He sat down.

The monsters in the stands looked at each other, then started fighting. Some demigods dived out of the stands onto the arena floor and dashed out of the door on the opposite end of us. We must go that way, Growlz told me. I looked at the doorway, then at the man who called himself an Emperor of Rome.

“Pro Roma!” I called out, and charged the madman.

Chapter 6