Men of Honor[]
Two weeks had passed since they had sent Zack and Ava back to camp. It had been one week since the last encounter with the Romans. Caden remembered admitting he was prepared for a glorious death, and then laughing before the battle had begun. After that, everything was foggy. It was all a cloud of blood, snow, rock, and chaos. As he sat, perched on a rock atop a cave, he tried to calm himself down, to make an attempt to make sense of the last week.
Ok, first we fought them off for a bit... He thought, and it all started to come back to him. He had led the attack into the ranks of Romans, stabbing with his spear constantly, turning his foes into corpses with every jab. He shuddered, remembering the looks in all their eyes as he sent them from the world. It was all fighting and chaos, and he had briefly fought with the Roman leader, who he had identified as Marcus Bavaro. Bavaro had defeated him, and was about to kill him, but he was spared due to the timely intervention of Scott, who distracted Bavaro long enough for Caden to roll to his feet and call for a retreat. The group had fled, miraculously suffering no losses.
Occasionally, they'd encounter a patrol. They would kill the patrol, loot the bodies of anything useful, and make a break for it. The group got reinforcements from Camp, like Caden had requested. He looked down at the makeshift camp they had set up. There was himself, his new girlfriend, Ziva, his friends Carly, Maya, Sean, and Scott, as well as a group of Roman demigods from Camp Jupiter. The reinforcements from camp came in the form of another group of demigods and one demititan.
Firstly, there was Jarett Hawke. Jarett was a son of Thanatos and reminded Caden of a walking tank. Jarett carried a massive, creepy looking battle-axe wherever he went, and he really knew how to use it. He was a cocky bastard, though, and Caden had to remind him of the risks of their mission more than once, especially after he had charged a patrol alone.
Then there was Kensi Almeida, a daughter of Hades. Kensi distinctly reminded Caden of Maya. She was competitive, tough, a great fighter, and hated losing. She had really bonded with Carly, and Caden was glad for that. Tension between members of the team would be a bad experience for all of them. She was also a bit of a goof, which he didn't mind. It reminded them that there was a light at the end of the dark tunnel they were in, either way.
There was also Andrea Snow, a daughter of Hephaestus. He wasn't sure what to make of her. She was quiet, not as quiet as Scott was, but she was still quiet. He got the idea that she didn't trust others easily, but appeared to be close with Kensi. She also was good to have around, as she could repair all of their weapons if they broke or were close to breaking. She also carried not one, not two, but three swords that she called Arakhs. They were a strange, hook-like sword that reminded him of ancient Syrian weapons.
Finally, there was the most problematic member of the group, Thea Wayne, a demititan daughter of Hyperion. She resented not being in command, and had an overwhelming sense of superiority about her. This led to scraps with Carly, which worried Caden. She was good to have around as a back up scout, however. He would need more than one in the days to come, he expected.
He shook his head and hopped down from the top of the cave. He slipped on ice and fell back, hitting the ground hard. Something that wasn't fun about being Canada during the winter was that there was ice everywhere. Groaning, he picked himself up and went to tap Scott on the shoulder. "Can you take over watch?" He asked. Scott nodded and clambered up to the top of the cave. He found Ziva sitting alone, looking over a map and writing on it with a pencil. "Hey, what're you doing?" He asked.
"I am keeping track of Roman movements. Er...they split up, dividing their forces in two, but more like a twenty-five and seventy-five percent split. I think we should target the twenty-percent. Move today and get rid of them. We can handle a quarter of their forces if we attack them together." Ziva explained, sounding tired and stressed.
"Alright, we'll attack tomorrow." He said. "We need to prepare and rest before we attack. We move on them today, but we don't attack until, say noon tomorrow." He added, before she could argue.
"Why noon?"
"They'll expect an attack at dawn. They'll prepare for one. When one doesn't come, they'll relax their defenses slightly before going for breakfast and lunch." Caden explained. She paused for a moment, looking surprised.
"I'm impressed. I have taught you well, my apprentice." She joked.
"Thank you, milady." He said. "I'll go let the others know that we need to start moving soon." Caden said. She thanked him and he walked out to let the others know. He first told Scott, who wordlessly nodded and jumped down to the spread the word to the Romans with them. Then he found Maya and Carly, sitting at a tree stump and comparing knives. "Hey, ladies. We're moving out. Going on the offensive tomorrow." He told them.
"About time." Maya said and rose to her feet. She looked excited. She had been complaining about being bored for a few days, so he was glad that would be out of the way. Maya went over to her cot to pack it, and Carly took Caden over to Kensi and Andrea.
"Hey, guys, we're moving out." He said. Kensi nodded, and Andrea pretended to not notice him. They got up to pack their stuff, and Carly stayed with them while Caden walked over to Scott and Jarett. "Get ready, tomorrow we take the fight to them. We're moving out today." He told them. Sean nodded, but Jarett grinned.
"Let's do it!" He said excitedly and threw his axe over his back. He looked ready for war, and, despite the fact Caden knew he could win if he had to fight Jarett, it was still a scary sight. Sean slipped his bow around his back and Caden returned to Ziva, who was now standing on a rock, overlooking the camp.
"You ready?" He asked her.
"Let's find out." She replied. Once all of their people had gathered, Ziva relayed the plan to them. There was chatter amongst the forces, but eventually it died down and the collective nodded their consent. Ziva told them to follow her, and she turned to walk into the forest. The group, which was maybe fifty fighters total, made its way through the forest, taking care to not move as one big group, splitting into groups of three or four and ducking from bush to tree to rock, any cover that could hide them from enemy eyes. It was slow moving, but the group eventually made it to their destination, a small cliff overlooking a camp of enemy Romans.
They set their own small camp up, using the environment to make it as invisible as possible from a distance. They remained as quiet as possible, and once camp was set up, they started trying to get to sleep. After about an hour, most of the camp was asleep. Caden took Sean with him to the cliff edge to try and get a good look at just what they would be up against. Scott put his eyepatch-scope on and looked down at the camp as Caden wrote down what they'd be against.
"About two-hundred-fifty Romans, five times what we have." Sean whispered. Caden scribbled the note down on a small piece of paper as Sean continued. "There's an armory with weapons like axes and shields, we should hit that first." He muttered, and Caden wrote that down. "Command tent is in the center of the camp, as usual." Sean remarked. Caden scribbled that down.
"That's all we should need. Come on, let's get some sleep, we attack at noon." Caden told his friend, who nodded, and Sean slipped off to his own tent. Caden entered his and found Ziva sitting inside. "Got our plan." He said and lay down beside her.
"I'll look over it in the morning." She said and curled up next to him. "You ready for tomorrow?" She asked. He nodded.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He said. The two said nothing more before falling asleep. The next morning, Caden awoke and saw Ziva sitting outside the tent, eating something. He got up and joined her, and she silently gave him food. "You think we're good to go?" He asked. She nodded slowly, and they ate quietly. When it was about eleven, Ziva walked around the camp, telling everyone where to go. When she returned to him, she gave him a special job.
"You get to charge the command tent while we draw attention to the armory, ok?" She said.
"Alone?"
"Yep. I know you'll come back, you have me to come back to." She said, bending down so their faces were level.
"So true." He said and gave her a quick kiss before rising himself. "Where should I come from?"
"Climb down the cliff wall and get them from behind." She told him. He nodded and turned to get his stuff ready. He would have to leave his shield behind because it was too big and noticeable. He strapped his spear and sword across his back and made for the cliff edge while Ziva went to take the others around. He perched himself at the cliff edge, watching and waiting. Eventually, he saw his comrades attack from the side the armory was at, taking the guards by surprise, as many of their fellows were at lunch, just as Caden had predicted.
He saw them quickly start gaining the upper hand, and started climbing down the cliff edge. It was a hazardous climb, but after about fifteen minutes, he had made it to the bottom. He looked around and saw that he was near the stables. He found that they had horses with them. He stole one, talking to it soothingly, as he was a Son of Poseidon, and soon he had mounted in and drew his sword. He rode towards the command tent, and saw a squad of Roman soldiers turning to face him. He also saw their leaders behind them. He continued riding forward until his horse crashed into their ranks.
He was able to kill two before the horse took a spear in the chest, and he was thrown from the steed. He landed hard and rolled on the ground. Just as he was sure they were going to kill him, an arrow struck the forehead of one of the soldiers. Caden looked and saw Sean, Carly, Ziva, Andrea, and Jarett come sprinting towards them, and he rose with renewed vigor. He slashed upwards with his sword, catching a Roman under the chin with the blade, and then he turned to stab another in the abdomen, piercing his armor like it was made of jelly.
He briefly saw Sean jump in, slashing his two short swords out to the sides, opening the throat of a Roman, while Carly tackled one and stabbed him in the heart. He fought through three more and tackled one to the ground, slamming the hilt of his sword into the man's face. He looked up and saw the two commanders ride off on horseback, and he swore. He looked down and slammed the hilt of his sword into the man's face again, angry with the escape of his enemies.
He got up and saw his comrades arrive, covered in blood and weapons absolutely doused in it. He looked past them and saw Scott and Maya, followed by the others, coming towards them. Caden nodded to Scott who turned and yelled "Victory!" getting a cheer from their forces.
The next few hours were spent moving their supplies into the captured Roman camp. Caden and Ziva were told to take the command tent, as most of their allies looked to them as leaders. They sat down in chairs inside the tent and each let out a tired sigh.
Meanwhile, Sean sat in a tent with Jarett and a Camp Jupiter camper. They joked about random things, talked about the day's battle, and compared their feats in battle. They were interrupted when someone who was revealed to be Kensi walked in. "Hello." She purred, looking at Sean.
"Ok guys, get out." Sean said. Over the last week, he and Kensi had bonded, growing rather close. Closer than he and Carly had been.
"But this is my tent..." the Jupiter camper complained as Jarett led him out, grinning. Jarett bade the camper goodbye and walked through the camp until he found Carly, Andrea, Scott, and Maya sitting around a fire. He joined them in conversation, glad there was someone else to talk to, now that Sean and Kensi needed some time alone.
Back in the command tent, one of the Jupiter campers came into see Caden and Ziva. "Guys, I found a letter with plans." He said and gave it to Ziva. She opened it and started reading it.
"There is an abandoned house about four miles from here, where they will be now awaiting reinforcements." She summed up. She dismissed the camper, telling him to fetch Sean, Scott, Maya, and Carly. After a few moments, they arrived, Sean looking annoyed. Ziva repeated her summary, and the group stood quiet for a moment before Caden spoke up.
"How about Ziva takes the main force and positions itself a short distance from the house, while...Sean, Scott, and I infiltrate the house and take out the commanders?" He suggested. No one openly objected, so Sean and Scott nodded and left to prepare, Maya following Scott. Ziva left to ready the forces, and Carly left soon after, silent. Caden grabbed his sword, knowing it would be the best option for use within a house.
Maya followed Scott to his tent, waiting for him to stop. "I don't like this plan." She told him. He didn't answer. "Can't you use at least one more person going in?" She asked. He shook his head.
"Three is fine." He said simply, frustrating her.
"Come on, you could use more help."
"No, we'll be alright." He said and left to meet up Sean and Caden. She threw her hands up in frustration and went to join Carly in getting ready.
"Aren't you worried?" She asked Carly.
"Nah. Those guys are tough. Besides, they have something going in no Roman we're against has." Carly replied.
"Oh? And what is that?"
"They've got an underlying sense of honor, and they'll know when the Romans won't use whatever honor is in them."
"Caden trusts too easily, why are we sending him in?"
"He has Scott and Sean, they'll be fine." Carly replied. Maya shook her head and dropped the matter, though she still thought the three of them going in alone was a suicide run. The two walked to the command tent, where most of the forces had already accumulated. "They're good at showing up on time, eh?" Carly said, showing her inner Canadian.
"Yeah..." Maya said. Carly took to being back in her homeland so well that it actually got annoying. She would more than once say "Eh?" at the end of a sentence, which was funny the first few times, but after seven times, it got annoying. Ziva relayed the plan to the main body of their forces, and they promptly started walking, resuming their old pattern of darting from cover to cover. After about two hours, they arrived at the abandoned house. They exited cover, using shields to protect them from any projectiles that might be thrown their way.
They gathered together and sat down, waiting for the sounds of fighting to come from within the house.
Caden, Scott, and Sean left about an hour after the main body did, and arrived an hour after their allies had. The plan was working perfectly. Any soldiers inside the house, and they could be seen from a distance, were completely distracted by the main body. They glanced at their forces and saw a few of the shields had arrows in them, but it appeared as though the enemy had given up with firing ranged weapons at them. They found a collection of bushes and rocks and hid inside them. They waited for nightfall, and then slipped forward under the cover of darkness to the house. They made their way in through a window on the upper floor and into an empty bedroom.
They quietly drew their weapons and Caden pressed his ear to the door. He estimated, after about five minutes of listening, that there were maybe twenty-five Romans in the house. That did not include the two commanders, who he could hear in the living room. He turned to Scott and Sean, raised a lone finger and pointed to himself, indicating he would go first. Then, he raised a second and pointed to Sean, and then a third to Scott. They nodded, and Caden threw the door open.
He quickly encountered three Romans, and stabbed the first in the gut before wrenching the blade out and jumping down the stairs, bringing his blade down on the shoulder of another Roman. Behind him, Sean jumped out, cut down the two he had left behind, using his short swords, and jumped down after him, slashing his blades in an X pattern on the chest of a Roman. Scott wasn't far behind him, landing with his feet on the shoulders of a soldier, crushing him, and then jumping at one.
The trio was lost in a flurry of brutal, close quarters fighting. Blood quickly covered the floors and walls and even the ceiling as the three fought their way towards the commanders. The commanders, followed by four guards, fled downstairs, into their basement, to regroup. Caden ducked under an attack and slashed at his attacker's gut, eviscerating him before running down the stairs after them. Sean and Scott finished off what was left before chasing their friend.
Their, Caden engaged the two commanders, both of which were wielding swords, and the four guards attacked Sean and Scott. The two demigods easily defeated the guards as Caden disarmed the commanders.
"Wait!" One yelled and fumbled in his coat. He pulled out a slip of paper. "Plans, you'll know the army's movements, just spare us." He said, and threw the paper on the ground at Caden's feet. Sean and Scott prepared to pounce, just in case they tried anything. Caden backed away to read the paper, leaving the commanders standing there, not knowing their fates. Their fates were revealed when Scott grabbed one and bashed his head against a wall twice, killing him. He then tackled the other and choked him to death.
Scott rose and saw Sean and Caden looking shocked and a little perturbed. Despite his normally silent demeanor, Scott said "What?" And walked up the stairs, leaving his two friends to wonder what had just happened. After a moment, they followed him up the stairs to signal their forces to come to them. Everyone piled into the house's various rooms. It was cramped and claustrophobic, but it was heated and out of the cold winter. Luckily, it was a big house.
Carly, Kensi, and Andrea took to turning certain rooms upside down, looking for anything they might find of use. Largely, the found blankets and couches and chairs, which they called in Jarett and Scott to carry them into the rooms where people were staying normally. They would also find the occasional shirt or set of pants, and they even found a set of armor, which they sent to Ziva to divvy up for people. They found a room where they guessed one of the two commanders had stayed, and started searching it.
Andrea came across an unopened letter, and gave it to Carly. She read it quickly and told the other two "They have slaves nearby. Guess what we're doing tomorrow."
Wolf Among Sheep[]
Carly awoke and sat up, banging her head on the ceiling. She swore twice and lay back down, rubbing her head. She looked around and saw that, amazingly, she had not woken anyone up. Kensi was in the bottom bunk, still sounds asleep, Andrea was sleeping in a chair, and Maya was lying on the floor. She checked the analog clock on the wall, and it read six in the morning. She groaned and climbed down, knowing she probably wouldn't fall asleep again. She gingerly stepped over Maya, knowing that waking her up would be a bad idea.
She headed down to the kitchen to see if it was stocked with food. Luckily, it was, so she made herself coffee. After a few moments, Jarett walked in. "Morning." He said quietly, so he wouldn't wake the sleeping Jupiter-Romans.
"Mornin'. You're up early." She said. He shrugged. "Trouble sleeping?"
"Yeah. Heard you were headed out to free some slaves. Mind if I come along?" He asked.
"Sure." She said, smiling. She hadn't wanted to divert too much from their main force on a side mission like this, but she figured one extra person wouldn't hurt. After about an hour, Kensi and Andrea came down the stairs. "You guys ready to go?" Carly asked. They nodded and the quartet headed out the door.
An hour after they left, Caden awoke, along with most of the people in the building. He headed into the busy kitchen to get some food, where he found Ziva. "Hey. Sleep ok?" He asked. She nodded.
"Yeah, nice to sleep inside for a change. Have you seen Car, Andrea, Kensi, or Jarett?" She asked.
"No, why?"
"They're missing, disappeared earlier." She told him. His eyebrows rose, surprised.
"Any signs of a break in?"
"No, and someone would have heard if Romans were coming in." Ziva said, grabbed his arm and led him from the kitchen. "Knowing her, Carly probably took them off somewhere." She said, and he nodded, knowing it was probably true. "So, just, get ready for anything, that girl has more surprises in her than Mary Poppins' bag." She finished, causing him to laugh. Before he could respond, they heard a crash in the other room, and quickly walked over to check.
Scott was crouched over one of their Roman allies, one hand holding the scruff of his neck and the other hand punching him in the face relentlessly. Caden rushed forward and pulled Scott off the Roman while Ziva went to pull the Roman away from Scott. Caden took Scott outside. "What the hell was that?" Caden asked his friend.
"He insulted me." Scott replied.
"So you tried to kill him? Real great, Scott." Caden said angrily.
"He's a Roman, he got what he deserves." Scott shot back, shocking Caden.
"You think that because he's a Roman he deserves to have his face mutilated?"
"They all do." Scott replied and climbed up to the roof to sit down.
Carly pulled her Celestial Bronze dagger from the back of a Roman. She had needed to throw it to take him out, as he was about to kill Jarett from behind. She surveyed her surroundings. There were dead Roman guards everywhere, and the cabin was partially destroyed due to a Roman mishandling something that looked similar to Greek Fire. She saw Andrea toying with a lock for a cage that was filled with slaves, so she grabbed a Roman's axe, walked up to the cage, nudged Andrea out of the way, and brought the axe down on the lock.
The door sprung open and Carly and Andrea found themselves at the mercy of hugs brought on by the newly freed slaves. Carly told them to grab whatever armor they could, so that they would be able to make their way back to the house. Jarett watched them as they scavenged weapons, often taking some time to ravage the dead bodies of their former captors. It took nearly an hour, but they were all eventually armed and had some armor on. Carly had Kensi and Andrea lead them back while she and Jarett walked through the crowd, checking the slaves for anything suspicious.