Tales from Mount Othrys
Axel: When Lion Meets Praetor V
âYou left the sword, Axel? The one weapon that wonât break on you with Aresâââ
âGariesââ
âNot now, Ajaxâwith Ariesâ curse?â Alabaster said once the Pax brothers finished debriefing him, âAnd you didnât kill the Roman?â
Alabaster lay in their âinfirmary.â Since Jack would kill any other children of Apollo that might come into camp (intentionally or otherwise) it was staffed by a daughter of Ascelpius, the God of Medicine, a son of Hygeia, Goddess of Hygiene, and a daughter of Panacea, Goddess of Universal Remedies. These three were, in fact, all half siblings with the same mother. Axel chose not to listen to Alabaster when he pointed out, according to Epione, that also made one of them a half-sibling to the othersâ parents.[1]
Aoi, the son of Hygeia, and Himari, the daughter of Panacea, grumbled about the number of wounded in their infirmary. Their older half-sister, Mei, shook her head and shoed them to tend to the others injured from the Sabotage Unit. None of them could instantly heal the way Jack could, but Aoi could disinfect any wound, Himari could cure any illness over time, and Mei could mend wounds overtime. They were perfect for keeping demigods stable until Jack could help.
For such a vicious fight, they had few causalities. It was an overwhelming success.
But Axel couldnât stop replaying that final fight in his head.
Alabaster seethed at being ignored. âAxel. The sword? The Roman? Are you concussedâ?â He cut off with a gasp. Mei had set his broken wrist, but couldnât do much for the three broken ribs.[2]
Pax sat in a chair beside his infirmary bed. He fidgeted with one of his spy photo albums in one hand while his other squeezed Alabasterâs good hand. His grin was goofy. âWe did have a handsome, unconscious witchboy on one hand and were retreating from the Second Cohort with the other. We would have needed more hands.â
âThere are four between the two of you,â Alabaster said, but Paxâs tactic worked: their embarrassed friendâs scowl had weakened. His pale cheeks brightened with rouge.Â
Not for the first time, Axel wondered what was going on between the two of them. Now, however, wasnât the time to remind Alabaster how fragile the rest of his ribs were.
âIt canât be that hard to find another weapon outside of Aresâ curse,â Axel said.
Alabaster glared.
âYou are the grumpiest victor ever,â Pax teased.
They did kill Praetor Ari. Her medallion hung on his lion skin, threaded beside Julianâs. Two lovers together again at last.
Axel felt sick. Just as the sensation threatened to make him shut down, it seeped away into the Leonis Caput helm.
Leaving him replaying that battle. [3] He rubbed the contusion on his thigh. It was tender. As were the bruises along his bracers. Even through the Nemean Lion fur and his bracers, the centurionâs sword blows still left him bruised. âWeâre lucky we didnât lose more. That Centurion recovered the troops much faster than we predicted, even calculating in her training from Circe. She was good. A better fighter than me.â
âBut, you can kick Lukeâs ass. And Gariesâ,â Pax said.
Axel glanced at his little brother in confusion. He hadnât been seeking a confidence boost; he was stating a fact they would need to keep in mind. âIâll bet,â he said, âshe could too.â
Before she kicked him, he saw something he wasnât used to seeing: it wasnât that she didnât fear the monster attacking her. She did. She didnât care about fear. Her courage, the kind she was sharing with her troops somehow, was choosing duty over terror.
Something Axel did often.
Something Axel did when he realized she could have killed Alabaster and Pax in under ten seconds.
âI think her shampoo was honey-scented,â he muttered absently. It had been bothering himâthat sweetness barely perceptible intermixed with the armor and sweat. Had he really made a joke about being Canadian? He definitely wasnât going to share that (or how she chased him around the clearing like a scared, hopping chicken) with his friends.
Pax almost choked, âWowâthat is the creepiest thing youâve ever said. Stop everything. We need to call 1-800-APOLLO-STALKING for advice.â[4]
Axel fumbled. âExcuse me?â
âAjax, thatâs too many numbers for aââ Alabaster tried to sit up, grunted, and sank back into his bed. Pax, subtly, propped him up. âAxel, is there any chance she bewitched you when the two of you were alone?â Alabaster sounded genuinely alarmed. âIf she had tutelage under Circe, she might be able.â
âWhat? Noââ
âTaâda!â Pax interrupted. He plucked a photo from his album, triumphantly presenting it between the three of them. âReyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, Axelâs new crush.â
Axelâs cheeks felt hot. âShe is notââ His fingers froze while reaching to snatch the photo.
Paxâs grin was one of sinister delight. âYou think sheâs cute, donâtcha?â
Centurion Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano: the name sang and rolled like sunrise on the Gulf of Honduras.
His little brother had trapped him. If he said, âno,â he would sound unconvincing and like an asshole. But, could Axel say, âyesâ in a way that showed factual indifference?
âFuck, she is cute,â was not the right way to put it, and that is exactly what came out.
Axel could feel his ears sink into his hairline.
âOooooOOOooo!â Pax called, gleeful, âBut where would you raise your childrenâ?â
âShut. Up.â Axel hissed.
The members of the Sabotage Unit were desperately pretending not to hear this. They were scattered around the infirmary, but they werenât that far away.
As Mei walked by to bring more bandages to Nasirâs bedside, she took a quick glance at the photo, nodded, and continued forward. âShe looks like someone who stretches before battles. Someone could learn a thing or two from her,â she said.
âYes, maâam,â Jazmin, who had torn a muscle, grumbled from her bed. This proved, in fact, everyone could hear them.
âDo you think theyâll have cat ears?â Pax went on, grinning evilly. He tucked the photo back into his album. His expression widened to earnest excitement. âTitans, Axel, I could knit them little hats with cat ears built in! Why have I never done that for you? The Cat Cap. The CatKNITâhee hee heeââ
âAjax, stop. This is serious.â Alabaster glared.
âSo is the CatKnitââ
Alabaster ignored him. âIâll have Lou Ellen help me make a potion to counteract this. She knows more about Medea-like magic.â[5]
âNo, you will not,â Axel snapped.
âHeâs right. You canât,â Pax said, âLelly will be too heartbroken to hear Axel is in love.â
âIâm notââ Axel clenched his jaw. Each time he denied it, he sounded less convincing.
Besides, what ifâŠ
Wouldn't she be perfect?
He would never need to worry about liking her. Itâs not like they would ever meet outside of battle.[6] He didnât need to worry about it preventing him from fighting, because she was already a better fighter than he. Santiago Pax would never know about her.
She was safe. She was safe to idolize from a distance.
But, that didnât help shut Pax up. Or stop Axelâs face from burning.
âDo you think you breed in litters--?â
âMy boys!â The infirmary door slammed open and Jackâs voice boomed into the room.
Axel mouthed, âIâll rip your fucking ear off,â in Mayan. Jack was not to hear about this.
âBut you need a best man with ears. Two ears. To model your future childrenâs cat knitsâoh, but what if one of the demi-kittens only has one earâaye!â
Axel snatched at Paxâs ear.[7]
Pax ducked out of Axelâs reach, behind Alabaster.
Alabaster hissed in pain. âBroken. Ribs.â
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the boys' last chance at being goofy (in-a-less-traumatized-way)
I've been contemplating doing an AU (yes, an AU of an AU) with Reyna and Axel. I keep going back and forth. Let me know if it is anything you'd be interested in reading!
Footnotes:
[1] Donât overthink it. It isnât worth it. I just like to think the Camp Othrys kids donât pretend theyâre not all distant cousins.
You also know Pax will IMMEDIATELY point out that, in most telling, he and Alabaster are not related on the godly side.Â
[2] I made a whole character for Mei that canât be jammed in here. Sheâs in her thirties, is a pediatrician, and is horrified these kids are fighting an adult war. And sheâs one of the only people Alabaster wonât give lip to because he respects her and fears her temper. She also keeps her hair in a tight, braided bun.
[3] Leonis Caput, âYou could think about that. Or you could think about the hot girl that made us look like a fool.â
[4] Axel, âYou literally stalk Reyna.â âYeah, but thatâs my job.â Alabaster, âThatâs also too many numbers for a phone number.â (Yes, I made this joke as a footnote, decided to put it in the text, and kept both.)
[5] Pax, âNow, Lou Ellen. It would be immoral to bewitch my brother.â Lou Ellen, staring dreamily after Axel with Medeaâs playbook in her hands, âI knoooowwww.â
[6] Lol. I donât even know if Traitors of Olympus counts as âoutside of battle.â
[7] So Pax can model for the one-eared demikitten.














