#2 Daughter of Hera: Legend Incarnate

Chapter 3 - Jupiter Falls (Sounds Like Some Cartoon Show)

~Reyna Ramírez-Arellano's POV~

The Third Cohort rushed past us as another horde of monsters has appeared not far from camp. It was already the twelfth time this week that a group of monster has appeared and as much as I hate to conclude bad things, there might be more to come. The cohorts have been changing shifts on who will engage in battle. The attacks have become more frequent these last three weeks and the number of monsters doubled for every horde.

At times, Frank and I would join in despite the busy travels we do back and forth between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. The exchange of information between the camps has also been more frequent due to the attacks and earthquakes. The Amazons, just like the Hunters, have also established a communication cycle for every few hours. The gods have been silent for some time now which left us all to figure things out. Again. Yes, we Romans do not have a very close contact with the gods unlike the Greeks, but we still seek for their help and wisdom. Things have been more shaky since the news about the first casualty on the hands of Tartarus came to us. The daughter of Hera. Though I haven't interacted much with her, I had a fair share of unfortunate events throughout my years of existence. All of them weren't something to stupidly ignore.

As I watched them go with Aurum and Argentum by my sides, I wondered how that daughter of Aphrodite was holding up. She must have been grief-stricken about her best friend's demise for days now. I patted my metallic dogs on the head and headed for New Rome. I felt a sudden shift in the quality of air and space behind me as Nico appeared from the shadows. He's looking paler than usual. His eyes more sunken and hollow. Argentum and Aurum shifted.

"Hello, Reyna."

"Hi, Nico. How's Camp Half-Blood?" I asked.

"The usual stuff these last two weeks. Lots of earthquakes and monster attacks." He answered. His gaze shifted to the marching armored demigods. "Another attack?"

"Yeah. An adult told us he saw a flock of metal birds. We assumed it was a flock of Stymphalian birds."

Nico nodded. "Got a bunch of basilisks at camp an hour ago. We got rid of it but a couple got bitten. Will and his half-siblings were tending to them now. He said they will be fine."

"That's good to hear." I lifted my chin as Frank and Hazel appeared from sight. He motioned and I nodded in response. Soon, he turned into a giant eagle with Hazel on his back and joined the Third Cohort to battle.

I inhaled. "Your father. Lord Pluto-I mean, Hades. How is it going for him?"

"Father retreated to Olympus as soon as Tartarus withdrew back to his domain eleven days ago. He must have already reported to the other Olympians. He's staying there until he could get his territory back from Tartarus."

"Have any of the Olympians spoken to any of you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid no. They've gone silent mode again. The last contact any of us had with any god was with Charon, when he brought us back to the surface."

I made a sound between my teeth. I hope they're not planning to sit back and relax while we're dealing with the primordial god of the pit because that would totally make all demigods snap back at their godly parents. A loud boom erupted not far away. I turned toward the hills and saw a thick cloud of smoke coming from where the Third Cohort went for battle. I looked at Nico who looked at me. We shared a knowing look.

I turned at the demigods who have gathered outside and shouted orders. "Dakota! Michael! Prepare your cohorts for battle! Second and Third Cohorts stay here and guard!"

Giant eagles and pegasi poured down to the ground and picked up legionnaires. I quickly jumped up to the nearest pegasus as Nico went ahead using shadow travel. As we flew full speed, the battlefield became clear and the same time, shocking. All around us, a huge flock of Stymphalian birds raided the sky. Below us, the Third Cohort was huddled together, shields held out front as various monsters other than the metal birds pushed them from all sides. I spotted some Laistrygonian giants, Scythian Dracanaes, giant snakes, and giant scorpions.

A Stymphalian bird swooped in and grabbed a legionnaire. Fortunately, a giant eagle appeared within the ranks and drove its sharp talons to the monster. It burst into a fine shower of monster dust. Among all the things in the battlefield, what truly surprised me was the large fissure that opened on the earth. From there, monsters emerged and joined the battle. Thick black smoke curled from the fissure.

I was about to shout an order when a chorus of disembodied voices spoke in my head. "Turn back. You will lose. Save yourself. Leave the others. Let them die just like how you let yourself kill your father."

My voice faltered. I should not be affected by it much now but it did. Something from those voices stirred the dark within me: fear and despair. I glanced at my comrades and saw that they, too, are feeling the same. I struggled to push down the feelings and shared my strength to the others. I turned to them and raised my sword. "Romans! Advance!"

A loud roar rippled from the legionnaires. We swooped into battle. I jumped down from my pegasus and charged toward a dracanae. It bursted into golden dust. The others began fighting the monsters, pushing them away from the Third Cohort. Above, Frank turned back into human, targeting the metal birds with his bow and arrows. I shouted an order to the Third Cohort. Immediately, they rushed into battle.

At the back of my head, the voices continued to speak. "Give up. You will never win. This is the end. Tartarus will destroy the gods. You will all be nothing but ashes and memories."

I gritted my teeth. "Not if we can help it."

I stabbed a Laistrygonian giant on the chest. A Stymphalian bird would have gotten me if it weren't for Nico. I gave him a thankful look. He nodded. We continued fending off against the monsters, pushing them and sending back to the newly emerged to the fissure. Suddenly, the ground rippled and a force knocked us off our feet. The smoke got thicker. A thunder-like sound reverberated from the fissure. A sound similar to a wicked laugh. The ground moved violently and the fissure grew bigger and longer, snaking down the hills. Screams of panic sounded from below. I watched in horror as the fissure cut through New Rome and opened up into a big hole, similar to a sinkhole. It swallowed one-half of the Senate House in a blink of an eye. A shriek snapped me out of the scene of destruction and saw one legionnaire hanging by the edge of the fissure. I hauled myself up and grabbed his hand. With a heave, I pulled him out.

The ground rumbled. The fissure moving like a mouth full of hungry sharp teeth. A deep, wicked voice filled hate roared. "Behold, you lowly mortals! The start of the end of the gods' age!"

I watched as the smoke shifted into a huge figure of a man. A monster. I didn't need a clearer image to know who it is. Tartarus. I gripped my sword tightly. "All of you! Every single useless piece of you shall bow down before me! The gods shall bow down and be destroyed before me! A new age shall be born! I will destroy those who dare defy me! Just like how I destroyed your worthless camp!"

I watched helplessly as his smoky figure dispersed and an evil laugh drowned the screams.