A Tale of Romans and Slaves | PJO/HOO

Chapter 50: Leo

"Shit!"

"What happened?" Butch asked as I stuck my thumb in my mouth.

"What does it look like?" I asked.

I had burnt myself on the sword I was making. It wasn't a bad burn, but it still hurt.

Thankfully, the dinner bell rang before anyone noticed I had stopped working. I followed everyone to the courtyard, and got my bread.

"Hello," Calypso said as I sat down next to her and threw my arm around her. We had been speaking to each other every night, and it was strengthening our relationship.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Lady Persephone had us weave," She said. "It was fun."

Eventually, dinner ended, and we walked back to our cells. I couldn't wait until Calypso came to talk to me. Our deal with Will was simple: he'd let us use the hole he made in his wall if we only used it after he came back. Which meant we had to wait.

***

It had been a couple hours. I was starting to worry. What if something happened to Calypso?

Then a group of guards entered the cell blocks.

"Everyone up!" Hank yelled. "There's something Lord Hade's wants you to see!"

Worried, I followed everyone else to the courtyard after a guard unlocked my door.

There was a strange wooden structure constructed in the centre of the courtyard. It was surrounded by equites with torches.

I located Annabeth and the others. When I saw Calypso, I almost kissed her in relief.

"What's going on?" I asked her.

"I don't know!" She replied.

Annabeth looked at me. "Leo, that's a pyre. They're going to burn someone."

My eyes widened. "What? Who?"

Just then, Lord Hades walked into the clearing. He looked extremely angry, and his red eyes glowed in his rage.

"Slaves!" He bellowed. "Let this serve as a lesson! This is what happens when you try to corrupt my son!"

Then, two guards walked into the clearing, towards the pyre. They were dragging someone with blonde hair, and a black eye. I almost shrieked when I recognised him.

Will.

The guards started tying him to the pyre. He put up no fight. It looked like he'd already resisted, and had given up.

"Do you have any last words?" Lord Hades asked.

Just then, Nico ran into the clearing, followed by his sisters.

"Father!" He pleaded. "Don't do this!"

Lord Hades ignored him.

Will looked straight at Nico. "I love you, Nico di Angelo."

"I love you too, Will," Nico sobbed.

Lord Hade's looked even angrier now. "Burn him."

The equites threw their torches onto the base of the pyre.

"NO!" Nico screamed. "FATHER! PLEASE!"

His sisters joined him in his pleading, but Lord Hade's ignored all of them.

Tears were streaming down my cheeks. Will was one of my closest friends. I couldn't let him die.

I found myself surging forwards, trying to get to him. The flames had reached his feet, and he started howling in agnony. I heard Nico scream even louder.

Just then, someone tackled me.

"Get off of me!" I sobbed, but Calypso didn't listen. Instead, she hugged me tightly, keeping me pressed against her in a way that stopped me from being able to escape.

"They're killing him Calypso!" I sobbed. "I need to help him!"

But Calypso just held me tighter, and I could hear her sobbing, too.

And that was how we remained, as the screams of the dying boy and the boy he loved filled the air.