Chapter-5 I have new roads ahead
The Roman sun baked down over Camp Jupiter, its walls gleaming like polished bronze under the late morning light. Ethan's group approached the gates, their sandals crunching over gravel, hearts thumping not from exertion but from anticipation.
"Welcome... to Camp Jupiter," Axel said, stepping forward. Broad-shouldered and calm, he radiated authority. Even without wings or godly fire, his presence alone demanded attention. Being a son of Jupiter came with weight, and Axel carried it effortlessly.
The group exchanged glances. Axel wasn't just a guide-he was the director, a living testament to Roman discipline, and apparently, someone the Portrayes trusted enough to let lead the camp.
As the tour began, the camp sprawled before them: rows of barracks, training fields echoing with the clash of swords, and Roman demigods practicing formations with meticulous precision. Nothing was out of place. Every shield, every spear, every banner screamed order.
Ethan felt the weight of dozens of eyes on them. Whispers followed them through the streets, subtle at first, then growing bolder.
"Another Greek?"
"Are they... like him?"
"Like who?" Ethan muttered under his breath, earning a sharp look from Leyla.
Axel's voice cut through the murmurs. "The last Greek who visited this camp left a... complicated impression. You'll hear the stories soon enough."
Complicated. That was one way to put it.
The group approached the council pavilion, an elevated platform where the praetor(portrayer) -section leaders of every legion(Twelfth Legion)yup the legions from imperial Roman I read history -watched with arms crossed. They were statuesque and imposing, and one by one, their gaze settled on Ethan and his companions, weighing, measuring, judging.
Finally, a tall Roman demigod stepped forward, lips tight. "We need to ask," he said, voice laced with suspicion. "Last time a Greek visited, a boy named Abyss-"
A hush fell over the pavilion. Ethan's stomach twisted.
"-arrived," the Roman continued, "and nearly destroyed the camp. He bested Axel, Reyna, Aria, and Zang before even a god intervened. Apollo himself had to remove him."
The murmurs swelled. "A single boy," someone whispered. "And he took down the heirs of Rome..."
Ethan's group stiffened. They weren't Abyss. They weren't here to fight anyone. But the shadow of his legend hung over them like a storm cloud, dark and suffocating.
Axel stepped forward, palms raised in calm authority. "That was then," he said. "And this is now. These are different Greeks. They are not Abyss."
Some of the Portrayes nodded; some didn't. Suspicion lingered in the air like the metallic taste of blood before a battle.
Then a young Roman spoke up, eyes narrowing. "If they are truly worth our trust, let them prove it. Arthur-our strongest-was sent to hunt the Iraclis. He hasn't returned. And yet, here are outsiders."(Arthur is a titled Demigod)
The name struck the group hard. Arthur was a legend in his own right. The missing son of Apollo left the camp on a perilous mission... and now, the Greeks had to step into this tense, ordered world under a cloud of suspicion.
Axel turned to them, his tone firm. "We'll start with a demonstration. Nothing deadly, but enough to show skill, strategy, and-if need be-loyalty."
Ethan swallowed hard. The competition wasn't just sport-it was a test. A trial of perception, skill, and trust. And they were already starting behind, under the weight of Abyss's shadow.
As the first group of Roman demigods readied themselves, a gust of wind brushed past Ethan's face. It felt like a whisper from the past, a reminder that storms could come from anywhere-and that some shadows never truly faded in other side it showed Arthur the handsome guy in shining armor standing in front of iraclis who devoured the heart of hemithor (the god of bloodlust)
(Hi I am iralings and I am excited for the next chapter why? An iraclis is a demigod who devoured a heart of a god aka darkness and Arthur is a titled Demigod someone who earn their divine abilities from having favor of their godly parents opposite force who will fight)I also took camp Jupiter system making it more like army like system which is what old Rome system was about