Good Evening Praetor

To Kidnap a King

Jason

Chapter Two

Good Evening Praetor

"You see, I'm not really a Roman, and I need your help to get a very important person."

Being one of the two leaders of the Twelfth Legion and a Senator of Rome, well, it wasn’t what it cracked up to be. (sorry! British expression - I think…) Jason Grace thought as he looked around his room which looked out over the forum, his eyes gazed over the flurry of Romans, each going about their daily lives. He turned around back to the large wooden table which stood in the middle of the room, it was covered with scrolls and scrolls of reports.

“There’s a war coming…” Jason muttered to himself as he picked up one of the scrolls, which just so happened to be a report his soldiers out fighting on the seas near Greece. As a knock sounded from outside the room and Jason stood up straighter, contorting his face into a perfect mask of his emotions. “Enter.” He said, internally wincing at how cold his voice sounded.

The door swung open revealing Emelia standing in the doorway, “Good Evening Praetor,” she said, bowing her head slightly as she entered the room, Jason ignored her and asked her, “What is it?”

“Reyna wishes to see you praetor.” Emelia said, moving forward to stand a few metres behind the mentioned man, staring at the back of his head, “She told me that she wished to see you immediately. I’m to escort you there sir, its not in one of the most convenient locations.” Jason didn’t reply but hummed and nodded while collecting up the scrolls into his arms, piling each one precariously on top of the next. Once all of the scrolls where in his arms her shifted his body towards the door and exited not looking to see if Emelia followed behind him.

As Jason walked down the corridor he got a sense of foreboding, something bad was going to happen soon, he just knew it. He walked down the familiar corridors and turned to face behind him, his gaze landed on Emelia, “Where are we heading?” He asked, completely forgetting that the blonde servant girl was meant to lead the way.

Emelia titled her head at Jason and looked past his head to the direction that they were travelling in. “This way praetor.” she said softly, gesturing to the way the had been walking in, “Praetor Reyna said that you need to check with her about the Greeks and where they plan to attack next.”

Jason inwardly frowned, Reyna shouldn’t be sharing information with…people below her station, even if she was the personal assistant to the praetors. Pushing those thoughts away from his head Jason carried on through the corridor. Eventually the pair came to an archway that was covered with a thick purple drape on the other side.

Jason nodded to the girl who had escorted him there and pushed back the drape to reveal the room where he expected to see Reyna ready and waiting for him. But to his surprise Reyna was nowhere in sight, instead was a curly haired, golden eyed, Hazel Levesque standing to the window, admiring the view which was overlooking the small gardens of the Praetorian House.

“Hazel?” The girl in question spun around and smiled at her blonde haired superior.

“Praetor Jason!” She exclaimed, walking over to the large table in the centre of the room and taking a seat at one of the wooden chairs. Hazel looked up into Jason’s eyes and he himself was surprised, from what he usually saw from one of his close friends, a warm and caring look in her eyes had been replaced with a slight change of fury.

“Hazel…” He asked cautiously, approaching her around the table, he dropped the scrolls and stepping slowly towards Hazel, something wasn’t right…

TWHACK!

Jason crumpled to the ground, clutching the back of his head in pain, his vision was blurring and he could feel himself slipping away.

“Emelia!”

“I never meant to do it that hard. Don’t give me that look, okay so maybe I did! But come on we need to get him out before anyone notices he’s gone.”

Jason looked up just in time to see the blonde hair of Emelia leaning over him to grab his arms. The last thing he felt before dropping off was the tug of the traitor’s arms dragging him across the smooth marble which made up the floor.

Emelia

“Emelia!” Hazel said, immediately springing up and striding over to the unconscious praetor.

“I never meant to do it that hard.” Emelia said, glancing down at the blonde who lay at her feet, she let the stick of wood she used drop to the floor and looked over to Hazel and noticed the way she was staring at her.” Don’t give me that look,” Hazel raised an eyebrow, “okay so maybe I did! But come on we need to get him out before anyone notices he’s gone.”

She leant over him and grabbed at his arms, with one long pull she started to drag Jason Grace across the marble floor of the meeting room. Pushing back the drape she motioned to Hazel, “Go a little bit ahead,” she told the girl, “I’ll bring him behind, we need to be down at the alley at the back of the house in fifteen minutes.”

Hazel nodded once, as ever the strict Roman, Emelia noticed, she looked either way before continuing to drag the body (that sounded like she’d killed someone…) along the floor, stopping every so often to hide from the as ever always patrolling guards. As both girls neared the alley that was their destination a sudden noise startled them. Emelia cast her eyes around the alley, looking for the source, she glanced once at Hazel and saw that the girl was looking around with fear in her eyes. She was about to speak and comfort her but then something caught her eye.

It was a shadow, jumping out and in to shape. “Nico.” she hissed angrily at the shadow and she watched as the shadows morphed and Nico di Angelo stepped out into the alley and turned to face Emelia.

“Piper!” He greeted sparing one look to Hazel and another to the praetor who was lying on the floor.

“Its Emel-you know what, never mind, I’m going back home anyway.” She said ignoring the fact that her Roman identity had just slipped through her fingers. Literally. “Télos.” she said, while softly clapping her hands together.

Emelia, the blonde haired, brown eyed, assistant to the Praetors of Rome, softly drifted away as it was revealed, choppy brown hair, ever changing kaleidoscope eyes, and her skin turned a soft brown colour. Piper McLean stood in the place where Emelia once did. Sparing only a glance to Hazel, who she saw had a dumbstruck look on her face turned to Nico and said, “Its time.” The slightly younger boy nodded and moved over to help Piper support the body of the Roman praetor, an arm was slung around each of their shoulders and Piper moved to hold Hazel’s wrist. She nodded once as Nico who turned and disappeared into the shadows, taking Piper, Hazel and the slumped body of Jason Grace with him.

After a few moments of black and a ride she never wanted to have again Piper took in her surroundings. She could see the shining blue sea and the green valleys and mountains in the distance. This was it, she was home. She was in Greece.