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TOGETHER, THE THREE OF THEM CLEARED THE DEFENDERS OFF THE WALLS.
And boy, did Selena want to curl up and pass out for a week.
Below them, the gates broke. Hannibal barreled into the fort, arrows and rocks bouncing harmlessly off his Kevlar armor. The Fifth Cohort charged in behind the elephant, and the battle turned to hand-to-hand combat.
Finally, from the edge of the Field of Mars, a battle cry went up. The Third and Fourth Cohorts ran to join the fight.
"A little late," Hazel grumbled.
"We can't let them get the banners," Cato said.
"No," Selena agreed. "Those are ours."
No more talk was necessary. They moved like a team, as if the three of them had been working together for years. They rushed down the interior steps and into the enemy base.
Cato, Selena, and Hazel waded through the enemy, plowing down anyone who stood in their way. The First and Second Cohorts—pride of Camp Jupiter, a well-oiled, highly disciplined war machine—fell apart under the assault and the sheer novelty of being on the losing side.
But the three of them were tired. The shadow travel drained their energy.
Cato was quickly stuck down. He wasn't much of a fighter, despite all the training he went through.
Hazel went to help him but she was quickly overwhelmed.
"No." Selena mumbled, watching as the First and Second Cohorts surrounded them.
She wanted to prove herself to them.
"Might as well give up now." Michael and Octavian grinned down at them, "Will admit, Fifth Cohort never gets this far. But... just wasn't good enough."
Selena raised her sword and went to attack Michael, but he quickly dodged her attack and knocked her onto the ground,
They laughed at her.
Selena stood once again and snapped her fingers. Three black labs appeared around the daughter of Trivia and began barking at the cohorts, causing them to gasp in fear and back away.
It drained even more of her energy, but she wanted them to fear her. To think she wasn't weak.
She had a feeling that it wasn't her first time being underestimated.
"Stop!" Jason and Reyna broke through the crowd, "That's enough."
Selena collapsed onto her knees and the dogs faded into green mist. Jason ran through and caught her before she hit the ground completely.
"Bring them to the infirmary." Reyna ordered, but everyone still stood there, "Now!"
Some kids from the fifth cohort ran over with stretchers and placed them on before rushing them to the infirmary.
"Something is coming." Octavian stated, standing beside Jason as the three were carried off,
"I think you might be right." Jason sighed, "Get back to the temple. We should prepare for anything."
