My name is Selene Lia A. Rivera. Filipino. Roman demigod. Daughter of Neptune. Yes, people like me exist. We live dangerous lives. I know the things we do and the situations we're placed in seem fun and interesting to read about, but they're all true and we can get ourselves killed.

I am, or rather, was the Praefectus Castrorum or the Camp Prefect, the Legion’s third­-in-command. Right now, that position is considered void, never to be filled again. As for me, well, you’ll see.

---

“Hurry, Jason!” I yelled.

Monsters were threatening to pour into the throne room of Mount Othrys. Reyna and I were the only two things keeping them at bay. We threw our weight against the double doors but we couldn’t close it completely.

“Flyboy, if you don’t topple that throne within the next two minutes,” Reyna snarled. “I swear to Jupiter, I’ll–”

“Reyna, sheesh! I’m on it!” Jason said.

I glanced back at Jason. He had his left hand thrust upward. His right hand held Ivlivs in javelin form. The weapon was pointed at the throne.

A telekhine swiped at my face. I pulled back a bit and narrowly avoided getting my head turned into "Selene fries".

Reyna snorted.

“Seriously, Queenie?” I muttered. “My face nearly gets shredded and you snort in an un-lady-like manner?”

Ice spread from my hands and covered the gap in between the two doors. It crawled over the hinges, locking them in place.

“Good thinking,” Reyna commented. “Why didn’t you do that sooner?”

I scowled at Reyna. “I needed a re-charge time! Speaking of re-charging, Jason should be done just about no–”

A loud boom interrupted me and threw me against a wall. Light filled the whole throne room. I threw my shield arm up as black rocks began raining down on me. I thrust my hand out and a dome of ice formed over Reyna who glanced at me and gave me a curt nod which I returned.

Soon enough, the light died and the rocks stopped raining down. I peeked over the top of my shield. Jason was standing in front of a smoking crater where Saturn’s black throne used to sit. The pounding on the double doors stopped.

“Uh… Selene,” Reyna said. “Your ice is a bit cold.”

“Oh, Julius. Sorry.”

I waved my right hand and the ice disappeared.

Cries of triumph came from outside the double doors and the sound of the Twelfth Legion’s march followed. The ice covering the doors melted then evaporated and the Legion entered.

One centurion was standing in front of everyone else. He removed his helmet and revealed a mop of pale blond hair. Octavian.

I scowled.

“So who toppled the throne?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes. “I think it’s obvious that Jason did, Octavian.”

The blond scoffed but before he could answer, the Legion cheered and raced forward, knocking Octavian down. I stifled a laugh.

The legionnaires raised Jason up on their shields.

“Grace! Grace! Grace! Grace!” They chanted.

Jason looked at me. His eyes were trying to say “help!”

I shook my head and shouted as loud as I could, “PRAETOR GRACE!”

Jason’s eyes widened and the other Romans raised him higher. I felt someone walk up behind me.

“Finally,” Reyna said. “It’s over.”

I said nothing but simply put an arm around her shoulders and she did the same to me. We watched as Jason’s terrified eyes morphed into ones of joy. He looked at Reyna and me again and mouthed “Thank you.”

I grinned then cheered.

The Titan war was over. The black throne of Saturn was destroyed. Jason was made a praetor. But somehow, I knew that our fight wasn’t over. This was simply the end of the beginning. The beginning of an even darker path.

History will continue to repeat itself. Si vis pacem, para bellum. If we want peace, we have to prepare for war. And when one war ends, another begins. Maybe not immediately, but sooner or later, the cycle will continue.

For now, we’ll sit tight and relish this victory.

---

3 months later…

“Jasooooooon! Why’d you have to bring me?!” I asked Jason (okay fine, I whined).

Jason laughed. “You and I usually go together.”

“No. We usually go with Reyna. Our partner missions aren’t as frequent,” I said, pouting.

Jason ran a hand through his hair. “Rey’s busy yelling at Octavian.”

I groaned. “What did he do this time?”

Jason shrugged. “Hmmm… don’t really care.”

I rolled my eyes and slapped the back of his head. “Really, Jason? As one of the praetors of the Twelfth Legion, you have to show interest in all the Legions affairs even if they involve that scumbag of an augur.”

Jason wrinkled his nose and said, “Why are you such a stickler for the rules?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Dude, I’m the Camp Prefect. I have to be.”

“Aren’t kids of Neptune supposed to be, I don’t know, difficult to restrain by things like rules?”

Jason had a point. If you were to look at the records of all the children of Neptune, they either ran wild throughout the seas, spreading terror and wreaking havoc, or they were kind gentle vigilantes who didn’t bother with the rules of the land. However, those were Greek demigods. I’m Roman. And in Rome, Neptune’s more of freshwater since Romans weren’t seafaring folk. Freshwater includes rivers and lakes. In short, bodies of water that follow the path set out for them, strictly. Though once in a while they would divert from their path, hence my habit of looking for loopholes.

“Well, it’s in my nature, Air Head,” I replied, poking his forehead.

I looked around the hill. There was nothing very special about it. Just grass, and more grass. Still, something felt iffy about it.

"So why here?" I asked. Jason shrugged.

"Lupa's message just said that there a disturbance here and she wants us to check it out and make sure nothing’s wrong," he promptly replied.

I stared at Jason a little suspiciously. “Did she specifically ask for our usually trio or just you?” He thought for a moment before answering.

“Just me.” I pursed my lips and glared at Jason.

“Seriously?” All he gave me was a sheepish grin in response.

I rolled my eyes. “Ugh. Forget it.”

And that was when I felt it, a dull throbbing at the base of my skull. The edge of my vision was suddenly tinged red.

“Jason. What-” Then I felt a sharp pain at the sides of my head and I blacked out.

---

When I came to, my ears were ringing and black spots danced in my vision.

“Jason,” I croaked out.

I tried to stand up but my legs felt like jelly. I pulled out a baggie of ambrosia from one of the many inside pockets of my jacket. I nibbled on a square and savored the taste of my mother’s red velvet cupcakes.

The ringing in my ears stopped and my vision cleared. I stood up with no problem and looked around.

Jason was nowhere to be seen. Panic gripped my chest. I suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

All that ran through my head was “No” over and over again. I took the ocarina hanging from my neck and blew three notes into it.

A few seconds later, I heard the flapping of wings and a dapple grey pegasus swooped down.

“Chief, what happened? You look upset,” it said as soon as it landed.

I didn’t reply. Instead, I climbed on. I didn’t even bother reprimand Maelstrom, my pegasus, for calling me ‘Chief’.

“To Camp Jupiter. Fly quickly!”

Once I got there, I received a hearty welcome—NOT. Octavian purposefully strode towards me, with Reyna closely following him glaring daggers at the back of his head.

“Ah, Selene. You finally came back. Where’s one of our dear praetors?”

My lower lip trembled. “He’s gone.”

“What?! How?!” Reyna exclaimed.

“I don’t know. I was knocked out. By what? I don’t know, either. All I felt was a dull throb followed by a piercing pain.” I said. Reyna nodded.

The Legion came marching towards us. They must have heard Reyna.
Octavian frowned and shook his head.

“I don’t believe her.” The first three Legions nodded and mumbled their consent.

“You’d better because it’s the truth you slimy–” Reyna cut me off with a look that said ‘not in front of his Cohort.’

“We all know that the Neptune and Jupiter don’t always get along,” Octavian continued.

“Octavian-” Reyna’s voice had a warning edge to it but the stupid scarecrow didn’t stop.

“We also know that children of Neptune are considered cursed. Jason was a son of Jupiter.”

“Don’t refer to him in past tense, Octavian!” I yelled. He ignored my insult, as always. The pathetic excuse for an augur. Neptune’s beard he annoys the living daylights out of me!

“We all adored Jason.”

“You didn’t.” I mumbled.

“But this girl,” Octavian gestured at me. “being the daughter of Neptune, obviously didn’t. She was jealous of the respect he received! And now, the two of them were alone, she saw an opportunity and took it!”

“I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re implying,” I said, my frustration growing.

“Octavian, she’s right. I know Selene. She would never do anything to harm Jason. She’s one of his best friends,” Reyna cut in.

I threw a grateful look at her direction. I was glad she was my friend. Octavian raised his hands.

“Fine, so say you didn’t kill him.”

“I didn’t!”

“How do we know that you didn’t set him up to be kidnapped?” I gave him my trademark your-podex-is-a-goner look.

“Alright! That’s enough, Octavian!”

Some of the cohorts began protesting.

“I say we put her on trial!” Octavian shouted. People cheered. Two guys from the second cohort, Cato and Remus, grabbed me from behind.

“Hey!” I yelled, trying to pry myself from their grasp.

“Octavian, let’s be reasonable here!” Reyna shouted.

“With all due respect, most esteemed praetor, but the people have spoken! And we have agreed to put this daughter of Neptune on trial.”

“But-” Reyna began.

“Reyna,” I cut her off.

If Reyna tries to stop the trial, then she’ll look bad in front of the other Romans. A fight would break out, one we can’t win. Reyna would be stripped of her praetorship, I would be killed, and Octavian would be raised on shields and he would be praetor. I shuddered at the thought of that twig as a praetor. He wasn’t a warrior but his words can twist the minds of many. That was even more dangerous.

“Let them have their trial,” I said. Reyna’s eyes were telling me ‘no’. But my mind was made up.

“Well what are you bozos waiting for?” I asked Cato and Remus. “Take me to the holding cell.”

Notes

A/N: see the tumblr blog fenrir-glacies for my thoughts on the chapter.

(Revised Chapter 1)