Second Chances

Chapter 15 - Trials and Truth

(Brian's P.O.V.)

I personally hated sneaking around at night, but I wasn't really left with much of a choice. Jace, Sam and Artyom were making nice with the demigods while I pretended to be exploring. Well, technically I was out exploring, but I wasn't just aimlessly wandering around the camp. I had to carry out of the second part of our small mission, and it required a rather significant distraction from the others.

I finally found what I had been so discreetly looking for; a nice-sized clearing on the downward slope of the hill south of the camp. Before I took my venture from the shade of tents and trees, I caught wind of a rather familiar scent. This was uniquely different from the stench of the demigod camp, but it still held its own fragrance of power. My thoughts were scattered further south with the evening breeze as a young girl called out to me from one of the nearby tents.

"Excuse me, but what are you up to at this hour?"

I mentally blanched for a second as I carefully looked over my shoulder in her direction and motioned for the company. The girl had dark hair and from the few lit torches that were about, it seemed to be jet black in color.

"I couldn't really sleep with all this war and everything," I tried to say politely, flashing a smile that didn't quite have the effect I wanted on her in the darkness.

"I know the feeling. Like maybe that you don't quite belong here."

Hearing this, I spun around on my heel to properly face her. She was about fifteen, and as she stepped out of the dim light her body seemed to illuminate the night, as if she glowed just from the darkness. That's when it dawned on me that this girl was like us.

"What if I told you that your immortal parent wasn't a Greek god?" I couldn't help but beam proudly at the girl as she scrunched her brow at me, slowly following me down the hill's slope as I carefully backed up more and more.

"If I'm not a demigod, what would I be?" The look of confusion strained against her features, which quickly gave way to frustration before a slight look of relief.

"What if the Titans also had children in this age?" I kept smiling as I made a small demonstration with the winds. I knew that I had her full attention as she stared in slight amazement.

"So, you mean that you're not a son of Zeus or anything like that?" This caused me to laugh almost too loudly than I would have liked.

"My parent is Lelantos, the Titan of the air and winds." She gave a small nod in understanding as I kindly reached a hand to her in friendship. "There are many more like myself that I can take you too. You don't need to feel neglected by foolish gods who haven't even taken the time to figure out who you even are."

"More…like yourself," came the whisper of a repeat before she restated the initial line of inquiry. "So why are you out this late again?"

Running a hand through my thick brown hair, I double checked our surroundings before replying. "I have to uncover a potential solution to a few problems that we've been having, and then pay a special visit to some acquaintances."

"Can I do anything to help?" she asked considerately but with a sense of naivety. I shook my head no, but I maintained the playful, overly relaxed smile.

"I came here with three friends. If you know of any others that are in your position, then go and find my companions before the sun rises. They will take care of the rest." Without letting the smile disappear, I motioned for the girl to start heading towards Jace and the others.

It was only at the last second when I remembered to catch her name. "What do they call you?"

She stopped and hesitated for a brief second. "Alexis. My name is Alexis Forster."

"Thanks. I'm Brian Barrick. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Alexis." I waited until she had vanished back into the thick of camp and tents atop the hillside, before I put my attention back into my true task.

Perhaps an hour had passed at the most when I finished. I slung a large, limp body across my shoulders in a fireman's carry and trudged towards the river.

(Reed's P.O.V.)

We stood at the edge of the valley, just a stone's throw from the mixed demigod camp. The Trojans had become much more uncoordinated and very erratic since Hector's death, which was indeed in our favor. The sun still had a good bit before first light and with the lack of a moon out tonight, vision was proving much harsher than usual.

The wind had seemingly picked up sometime in the night and sent chills through our sentry. Everything had been rather boring and uneventful except the one time shortly after the winds had increased when the gates of Troy had slightly opened for a few minutes and then shut closed tightly. It was a bit of an odd event, since nobody had entered or exited the city, which just made things even more puzzling to those of us on watch.

No matter how hard we concentrated or focused after that and despite our most valiant efforts to be as alert as possible in the pitch black valley, nothing else happened the rest of the night. It wasn't until past the break of day, around mid-morning, that a violent burst of screams erupted from within the city of Troy.

We silently stayed on watch as the day crept further on, reaching just after noon, when the armies of the Aethiopians, Thracians and Lycians all began to leave Troy. I called over one of the young Knights, inquiring as to any word one of our scouts might have picked up.

"Sir Reed, it seems to be that the Aethiopian and Thracian kings were both slaughtered in the night." I must have looked slightly puzzled at this announcement as I fought to process the information completely.

"Sorta like from the old tales, 'cept we got no Achilles strong enough to do the deed." I mused at the words from the young Knight, Darien Cade, a son of Ares.

"Alright men, whatever divine force has helped strike this timely blow, we must go and report the news back at camp to the commanders." I felt certain that there would now be no attacks from the Trojans for today, and there might not be one tomorrow either.

(Nico's P.O.V.)

It wasn't ovely early in the morning but we had received word from the Knights on patrol, that the Trojan reinforcements had begun to retreat around noon or so. So now we were holding a small war conference to determine the next choice of actions. Chiron looked more distressed than he had usually seemed, as of late, and I couldn't help but ponder if maybe it had to do with the mumblings around camp of the newcomers.

"So what do you think of the sudden retreat of the armies?" Percy looked mighty nervous as he ran his hands through his tossled dark hair.

"Perhaps would should let Reed explain the events himself." Fumio stated cooly as he opened the floor for the Knight.

"Well, late last night the gates opened up rather mysteriously." Reed began to recount the events of the watch, sparing no detail or report.

Chiron seemed to pale and cringe equally as he processed the news, but it was Annabeth who offered the first opinion that held significant reasoning.

"Nobody ever did that Brian boy at the camp last night, correct?" Many questioning glances were cast around the room before she continued. "I know I'm not the only one suspicious, but that group is too powerful for us to never have heard of them or anything before now."

This caused a slight sigh from Percy and I caught him sharing a disturbed glance with Chiron and Thalia. Luckily we weren't going to be left in the dark because their worries were going to be voiced.

It was Thalia who spoke up first. "We were suspicious that the small group could be, well, Demititans."

I knew I wasn't the only one stunned or with my mouth gaping open, but Chiron added to Thalia's revelation.

"After the display from yesterday and with last night, I think we can at least be assured that two of the boys are indeed Demititans. I think we would surely be underestimating them though, to not consider all four of them as such."

I just had to know if this were a good or bad thing, and thus voiced myself. "So are they on our side? I know that we've battled their parents and everything, but they don't seem to be causing us any problems really."

Percy clapped my shoulder and tried to smile, but it looked more like he was constipated. "I thought the same thing at first, but I'm afraid it's not as simple as that."

Not as simple, great. So we gain an unexpected upper hand in our war, only to find out that it mightn not be what it seems. My thoughts were ripped out of my head violently, as if on cue, a young son of Demeter burst into the tent without permission. He was terribly out of breath and struggling to form words.

"Hillside.. the graveyard... robbed."

Chiron seemed to be slightly annoyed with his lack of composure, and berated him so. "Spit it out child, what's the matter."

The young boy, who had to be no older than twelve, finally mustered his wits. "Someone went grave robbing last night, near the woods where we've been resting our dead."

Percy cursed loudly, which prompted Thalia to grip his hand to calm him back down. "We have to find those Demititans and figure out whatever it is they're up to."

(Sam's P.O.V.)

"Look, here he comes finally." I pointed out to the dark sillouette approaching over the hills from near the river.

"Well he sure took his sweet time. No doubt by now, that they've put out some sort of search for us after all that commotion lately." Artyom scowled for only a moment before smiling.

"You wish they cared that much." I retorted back, playing our little game of verbal tag while we waited.

It was early in the afternoon still and we had picked up a batch of new recruits. Four girls and a boy, to be exact. None of them appeared to be older than fifteen, but it was obvious that they shared our Titan bloodline. As Brian got closer to our growing band, I could make out the large bags he had slung over his shoulders, which made him look like some countryside serial killer.

"Everything's all wrapped up, we can head back home." He grunted as he dropped the bags onto the ground by our feet with resounding thuds.

I tookd this moment to count the bags in total and realized there were three of them. The only one who didn't seem slightly disturbed by the large body sized bags or the amount of grime and dirt covering him, would be Jace.

"So you found an extra, did you?" Jace simply smirked as he shared an inside joke with Brian.

"Yeah, apparently the Trojans have been doing a rather bang up job on those demigods. I got what we needed though, and with that other Knight back at the palace, things are really falling into our laps."

It took Brian a few moments of the gloating with Jace to notice the crowd, but he flashed a rather unnerving smile towards Alexis and her friends. "Glad to see you took my offer, just stick with us and we'll reach our palace very soon."

Alexis gulped and slightly stiffened with all the noticable dead bodies scattered around. This caused Brian to lean in and growl lightly at the girl.

"Listen girly, and your friends better heed this too, but don't get cold feet. The Mistress wouldn't hesitate on letting me have the lot of you for lunch."

Jace placed a hand on Brian's shoulder as I found myself slightly taken back by the warning. What a way to make an introduction, they would surely run back to the demigod camp now.

"Alexis, don't worry any. Brian is one of the more violent of us, but that's why he's so invaluable. Every cause needs people who can stand do the ugly work." Jace gave a reassuring wink to the newcomers and walked over to pick up a bag. "Artyom, grab one of these will you, pal?"

"Hey now, don't grab the live one. I'll handle that one personally." Brian smirked at Artyom and Jace, as he grabbed a medium sized bag, gently and carefully lofting like it were glass dishes.

"Well, since we're all accounted for, how about we head off now?" I suggested, hoping to avoid anything other than arriving at home.

Without real need for verbal consent, we started off back to the west and to Mount Shasta again.

(Kyrene's P.O.V.)

Today was the day to test out just exactly how strong Chang was. Everyone that was around had been summoned for the trials and we all seated around our small arena patiently. With the lack of some people, due to the recent quests and just overall tensions lately, this test of mettle would be a good way to break the ice.

Theia began by summoning Chang to the middle of our arena. "Lance, present yourself."

It took a few moments before Chang was nudged into action, stumbling lightly into center stage for all to see.

"Who has any suggestions as to where we should start his trials off at?" Theia asked incredulously, while looking around before casting her eyes on Hana. "Hana, dear, please start the ceremonies."

"Very well." Hana looked at Chang with slightly sad eyes before asking if he had been properly introduced to the system of the trials. "Fine, I will not explain this twice, so you best keep pace."

He frowned a little but prepared himself to intake the information.

"You will be tested in battle, to determine your equivalent rank within our court. It is somewhat like what your Knights go through, if I'm not entirely mistaken." Hana glanced back at Theia for a moment, a slight thought passing between them before she continued.

"As I was saying, you fight until you are defeated in single combat. The person who defeats you, ensures what rank you achieve. Since the Duchess is being so generous today, we will take into consideration your Knight status and skip over the lesser battles with our Squires or Pawns."

Chang froze in confussion before voicing his question. "What exactly do you mean by pawns and squires?"

This caused a flare in Hana's eyes for a second. "Kyrene, quickly explain to this pup how our court fully works."

I rushed up beside Chang hurriedly, knowing the majority of the court was in attendance and time was against me.

"Everyone that has a seat, or throne here, is part of the court. The head of our group is Theia, the Duchess. Followed by Hana and Brock, the Queen and King, respectively. Then you have a group of Knights and Bishops, the warriors and strategists mainly. Lastly, you have the elitists, Rooks, which you've personally gotten on the bad side of one."

Hana was smirking as Chang nodded with a grim expression. "So it's like a big chess game, at least structure wise. That's quite a simple but well thought concept."

He leaned down to whisper his last thoughts to me. "You mean Brian, don't you?"

This caused me to nod yes as he actually broke into a smile. "Well, with him not here, I won't have to face him today at least."

"Enough chit-chat, we will begin now if you understanding everything." Hana hissed at Chang and myself.

Nobody was waiting any longer, as Theia announced the first trial. "Lance of the Dawn, will be facing the Sir Trevor, for the seventh rank."

The two began to square off almost immediately, but Chang was bigger and had the better weapon for the match. Trevor was armed with his usual chakrams, which mixed with his naturally slimmer frame would serve well in stealth or less confrontational work. However, against an older, larger fighter with a melee weapon, Chang held the advantage.

Trevor started off by launching one chakram at Chang, which was casually batted aside with the spear tip. Chang reluctantly poked at Trevor from a distance with his spear, testing the waters as he bid his time a little more while thinking.

It was Trevor who rushed in first, swining and slashing his chakrams in a whirlwind like dance. The speed obviously caught Chang off guard at first, staggering him backwards a few steps before he braced himself and started to counter.

Once Chang got into a rthym with that spear, the fight lasted only a few minutes total. Trevor made a last ditch effort to slow down the momentum by firing both chakrams in succession, but this only gave Chang the opening to finish the fight.

"Chang is the victor!" Theia hissed from her perched seat overlooking the trials, the obvious disdain and disgust in her voice.

"Lance of the Dawn, will be facing Lady Kathryn, for the sixth rank." Theia spit out rather venomously, with obvious disgust towards both participants.

This match was rather similar to first, as Kat's lack of range caused another skilled victory for the Knight. Chang did take a slight bit more of a beating with this fight, but nothing he couldn't handle with a devious smile.

"Since we can't have you facing King Brock in combat, you'll have to either take the fifth rank or wait until the other gets back before you can continue your trials." Theia said in the midst of rolling her eyes.

"I'll let you decide." Chang said calmly as he locked eyes with Hana for a brief moment, causing the Queen to make an outburst.

"Theia, let him face Brian, when they return."

Theia seemed amused by the idea and agreed to it happily.

I leaned over to Chang as he wiped the sweat from his forhead. "They just skipped the ranks so you could fight Brian intentionally."

Chang looked at me curiously, before asking "I guess that Brock is fifth, but how many were skipped to get to Brian exactly?"

I gave a small kiss to his cheek before answering. "Brian is the secon rank, just barely ahead of Hana and only behind Theia herself."

His expression dropped slightly, as I continued.

"Trevor is a younger Rook, but once you get into the top five ranks, it's a whole nother ballgame. They all have powers that could make some of the Gods astonished and Brian is unlike the others, he's nearly a demon."

Chang laughed light but nervously. "How bad could it be, really?"

I looked around as the majority of the spectators had left already. "Theia and Hana have a bit of a power struggle going on, and each has their own personal Rook. Theia has Trevor and Hana has Brian. Seeing as you've managed to upset them both, they seem intent on unleashing Brian on you first moment he gets back."

"Alright, so I just take a simple beating and things will blow over. Simple enough."

His was smile was cut off as three bags were carried into the arena, followed by a small group of people who looked a bit ragged. Brian was the last to enter the room, covered in dirt and blood, he knealt in front of Hana.

"Mistress, we've retrieved the desired objects."

Hana glanced over his shoulder, smirking darkly. "Feathers, good job. I have one more request before you earn your rest. Chang has drawn you as his opponent for his trials."