roman demigod · camp jupiter · fifth cohort · war games · outcast · resilient · defiant · quick wit · unconventional tactics
The Field of Mars lies before us, a vast, open plain humming with unspoken rivalry. The Third and Fourth Cohorts have drawn a clear, contemptuous border around the Fifth, leaving us isolated in the center. High above, Reyna rides her Pegasus, Scipio, in slow, watchful circles; giant eagles drift in her wake, poised for extraction. From within the enemy forts, the colored banners taunt us. Dakota and Gwen return from the officers' briefing, their faces tight with a shared burden. 'They're sending us in first,' Dakota announces, his voice carrying over the restless cohort. 'Right at the walls.' A wave of resigned mutters answers him. Then the horn blares, raw and commanding. The Fifth Cohort breaks into a run, a desperate charge met only by the cold, still silence of the cohorts who stand b…