Hues of Red and Brown.

[Isabella Di Luca]

Desiccated mud and gold dust caked Isabella's hair, clothes, and armor. Her hair was knotted from the unmerciful wind, which caused her to weave it into a messy braid for the sake of benefit. If it wasn't for her imperial gold chest plate, her purple shirt would have been reduced to shreds from the several encounters of monsters with razor-sharp claws. The Daughter of Venus was in poor shape from her journey to Arizona. However, amidst the tiers of sweat and grime, there was an aspect of rugged beauty that radiated from Isabelle.

The mission she volunteered for was said to be stress-free—a short journey to the south to retrieve an ancient artifact. Isabella was one of the first to volunteer. Two others were also allotted to accompany her. Unfortunately, the Roman trio was sabotaged several times along the way. Now, Isabella was alone and mourning her fallen legionnaires.

Now she stood footsteps away from the front porch of a rackety southern home. It seemed like the sand from the surrounding desert had embedded itself into every inch of the house. The cottage appeared to be once painted white. At that moment, it was in shades of ugly reddish-browns. The rest of the house reflected the abandoned atmosphere that surrounded it. Additional to the eeriness, tattered curtains danced with the whistling wind in the empty window frames. Isabella viewed the map of Arizona she was clutching. A vibrant red dot marked the location of the artifact. This was it? She expected some kind of prehistoric cave with a precious stone mounted on a podium, certainly not a depressing southern cottage. Nonetheless, the exhausted legionnaire made her way towards the house, her boots sinking into the dunes with every step. Broken glass from the shattered windows crushed under her soles as she walked on the porch and into the petite house. She did not attempt to knock for there was no door to knock on.

Isabella longed to call out a quick 'hello' but she wasn't sure if her voice could overcome the audible beating of her heart. She clutched her unsheathed gladius as it glinted in the sweltering sun. Her gaze swept across the empty house. She stood in what she assumed was a living room with a decaying staircase to the north of it. There was no furniture except a rotting rocking chair, a dilapidated rug that covered part of the dust-coated floor, and an ornate chest that seemed out of place. Unlike the rest of the house, the chest was not covered in desert sand. The chest was evidently where the article of her mission was placed. Unfortunately, the silver and gold trunk was gaping open with its contents clearly ransacked. Isabella cursed under her breath. It was too late. She had failed.

[Deleted]

Lyra Steele soared through the air atop her sleek white pegasus. She'd been assigned a little quest by the highest of the camp half blood hierarchy. She, along with two other demigods, were to headed to Pheonix, where they would secure an ancient artefact of some sort. Apperently it was very important to the Greeks. However Lyra's quest mates, two younger boys, had been annoying the hell out of her, and so she'd decided to ditch them and complete the quest alone.

The daughter of Aphrodite landed outside a small cottage, which was where they had discovered the artefact was located. Dismounting her pegasus, she held her spear loosely, allowing the head to rest against her shoulder. She had a small round metallic shield strapped to her back, which she would put into use against whatever it was guarding the artefact. Lyra stroked the pegasus' neck as she walked past it, leaving it to stand, graze, and do whatever it was pegasi did in their spare time.

Lyra had been expecting to be met by a monster. A hydra perhaps, or maybe even a few telekhines. In theory, she probably shouldn't have come alone, but Lyra liked to be alone every now and then. She'd decided that when faced with danger, she'd wing it and hopefully come out alive. If not, she could at least say she'd lived a good life. She had one or two close friends, people she could tolerate. And she'd had more than enough fun messing around with guys who couldn't decide if she was into them or not. Then again, she'd never really gotten close to a guy. The temptation of messing with them was too hard to resist. It always brought a smile to her face, and perhaps that made her a horrible person. She wasn't too worried by that. She was living life how she wanted to live it, not how people expected her to live it.

It was of course a surprise when Lyra was faced by a girl who looked around her age, with brown hair and decent looking armor. Lyra had opted to wear light leather armor, as she'd always been a flexible, agile type of fighter. This girl's armor looked a little heavier, but not so heavy that it was clunky. Lyra cleared her throat, hoping the girl would turn around to face her. Perhaps she was a demigod too.
"Don't suppose you've seen something that looks sort've ancienty? No?".

[Isabella Di Luca]

The sound of beating wings and clopping horse shoes alerted Isabella. With her back to the doorway, she raised the hilt of her sword. The reflected gold image showed a pristine Pegasus and an armed girl walking towards the house. Isabella sighed in exasperation as she lowered her sword and kept her back to the unwanted visitor. In retrospect, letting her guard down around a stranger was a big mistake especially in an unfamiliar environment. But in that moment, Isabella couldn't care less. She was more than disappointed. Throughout the journey, the Roman had faced and conquered unexpected hardships and endured the loss of two of her fellow legionnaires. At the peak of her mission, she expected something thrilling like a cyclops or a handful of dracanaes, definitely not a harmless teen on a Pegasus. Of course, the minute she spotted the Pegasus in the reflection of her sword, she knew that the girl was in fact a Graecus. The pegasi in Camp Jupiter were strictly used for medicinal purposes and if they were to be utilized for transportation, only the Praetors would be permitted to mount them.

Isabella immediately classified the girl as a potential enemy, yet she proceeded to keep her back towards her. From the looks of her, she was harmless. And if the girl was a decent fighter, Isabella was positive that she’d be fully capable of defeating her. The stranger's armor was nothing compared to hers and she had no doubt that her vast experience would get her by. Eight years in the legion not only developed her fighting skills but also accumulated her arrogance.

The Greek spoke of an ancient artifact which caused Isabella to immediately turn around to face her. Apparently, the Romans weren’t the only ones in pursuit of an object that was once hidden in the chest. “Tell me what you know about the artifact, Graecus,” Isabella commanded. “Or I’ll put my gladius to good use.” Usually, when meeting a stranger, Isa would welcome them with a warm smile and a brief introduction. But there was no time for ice breakers. Time was crucial and she needed to locate the relic as soon as possible. Besides, there was no way she would be friends with a Greek.

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Lyra grinned at the girl's aggressive reaction. Clearly she was one of those Romans. Lyra had met a few Romans before. They were all cranky, and they hated Greeks. Though Lyra wasn't sure what she'd personally done to tick them off. Go to the wrong summer camp? Perhaps, or perhaps they were jealous of her staggering beauty. She smirked as she thought of how ridiculous the latter seemed. The brunette pulled out what she called a gladius and pointed it at Lyra. Lyra simply shrugged off and sat on a nearby table, crossing her legs.

Then and there the daughter of Aphrodite decided she would piss the girl off until she left, and Lyra could do some investigating. She smiled widely. "Keep that toothpick in it's sheath and we'll get along just fine", she said, quickly eyeing the gladius. She eased back, allowing the table to take her weight, supporting her back via her arms. She never broke eye contact with the Roman, as breaking it would be a sign of weakness or fear. And Lyra wasn't weak or afraid. She pointed at the chest behind the other girl."Aww, somebody got to my present before me? Bummer.", she sighed, getting off the table and walking to the other side of the room, so she was as far from the Roman as was possible. She smiled yet again."I'm Lyra. What's your name?", she beamed.

She was trying not to show her caution, but honestly Lyra didn't think she'd be able to take the girl on in a head to head fight. The Roman's trained hard, and were disciplined. Lyra was quite skilled, but she'd only been at camp for a year or so, and things were still new to her. As cautious as she was, she was almost fully sure she'd br able to evade the grumpy Roman if a fight did break out. After all, she was only a short dash away from her pegasus.

[Isabella Di Luca]

Isabella immediately disliked the girl the second she opened her mouth. The stranger spoke in a superior manner that Isabella did not appreciate one bit. Of course, as a legionnaire, she was used to being commanded by higher ranks. Even now, as an Optio, her Centurion and Praetors were always giving her orders. But the way that the girl spoke to her like she was a dim witted child irritated Isabella. She didn't need to be condescended, especially by a Greek with caterpillar eyebrows. It took a great amount of self control not to lash out on the stranger especially when she'd told Isa to put her weapon away. A brief look of annoyance crossed Isabella's face before being replaced by a stoic mask. She left her gladius unsheathed.

Isabella's stare followed the Greek as she moved from the table to the other side of the room. The grip she had around her sword tightened when the Greek carelessly addressed the missing artifact as if it was just another play toy that she couldn't care less about and the introduction and friendly smile that followed ticked her off even more. She decided to briefly play along and sheathed her sword. The stony look on her face suddenly gave way to her charming, slightly sarcastic, smile. "My name's Isabella Di Luca. Daughter of Venus. Optio of the Second Cohort."

Isabella wished that she could've continued her façade. As the Daughter of Venus, small talk and flattery was second hand nature and also came handy when she needed to unearth secrets. If she'd had more time to spare, Isabella would have definitely tried to coax out information from the Greek. Unfortunately, the sand in her hourglass was gradually decreasing. "So, Lyra..." The tone of her voice was the opposite of the hot and humid air around them. "I know you took the artifact. So why don't you make this easy for the both of us and tell me where it is." Isabella brought out a small pocketknife and took a step towards Lyra.

[Deleted]

A daughter of Venus. From what Lyra could remember, Venus was the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite, Lyra's mother. Did that, in some messed up way, make the two of them somehow related? Lyra wasn't too sure. She had yet to grasp how the whole split personalties thing worked with the gods. Lyra certainly didn't want to end up fighting someone who could technically be her sister.

However her mind was changed when the girl pulled a small knife and approached Lyra. Lyra immediately backed away and slid onto the table, standing on it for a higher ground advantage. She now held her shield in front of her, and she was spinning her spear threateningly. "Back up. I'm a lot tougher than I look. And I have back up. You don't want to fight. Hey, I told you to put your toothpick away, and you took out an even tinier one. Is it opposite day for you Romans?", she snapped, grasping the spear firmly now. She wasn't afraid to strike anymore. She had had her fun. Obviously the Roman hadn't wanted to play along. Lyra didn't know this girl, and wasn't sure what she was capable of. "I don't have the artifact. If I did, I certainly wouldn't be here. I'd be home at camp."

What she had said was true. She had no idea where the magical artifact was, or who had taken it. For all she knew, Isabella had the artifact and was trying to bluff her way out of the building. Lyra wasn't letting that happen. She wouldnt let Isabella out. Not until she was sure the girl didn't have the item she was seeking out. Lyra stood her ground, her weapons not wavering even slightly.

[Isabella Di Luca]

Isabella found herself taking a small step backwards when Lyra raised her spear and shield. Both of them clearly had a reason to be where they were and, by the looks of it, would do almost anything to survive. To an ordinary person, the smart choice would be to develop a compromise and lend each other a helping hand. But to Isabella, having a Greek on your team would only result in unwanted trouble. And trouble was something that she'd had enough of.

The girl’s attempts to persuade Isa to put her weapon away amused her. The Roman was just about to reply with a snarky comment when Lyra claimed that she didn't steal the artifact. Isabella sighed in frustration. Lyra was evidently very good at lying. However, Isabella had zero tolerance for the Graecus' little games.

“Don’t lie to me,” Isa snapped. “You Greeks do nothing but perform reckless activities and deceive people, and I have no time for either of them.” The Roman walked over to the petite chest on the floor and kicked it towards the Greek. After a moment of silence, Isa spoke. “Let’s make a bargain…You tell me everything you possibly know about the contents and its whereabouts. And I’ll pay you in return.” Isabella pulled out a small black pouch of denarius and tossed it across the room into the opened chest. The deal was miles past pathetic and she doubted that Lyra would be stupid enough to accept it.

[Deleted]

Lyra eyed the pouch of what she assumed was full of money keenly. She wouldn't be above giving away intel for a bribe. After all, Lyra had no idea where the artefact was, and doubted she'd ever retrieve it. But she wasn't sure if she could trust the Roman. The pouch could have been empty for all the daughter of Aphrodite knew. She hopped down from the table, spear still pointed at Isabella. "I'll tell you what I know, but I want decent payment. I didn't come all the way out here to get nothing out of it", she said, taking a step towards the pouch.

She felt bad about needing her weapons to deal with the Roman. Lyra was used to talking her way out of situations, charming people in a way. She was decently skilled with her spear, but didn't love using it. But she knew it was necessary if she was to protect herself from the girl, and all her blades.
"So what have you got?", she asked with a raised eyebrow, scanning the girl from head to toe for trinkets or more pouches.

She noticed how uptight the Roman was.Lyra was used to interacting with relaxed, yet fun and outgoing people, which most Greeks were. If she was put in the same situation with a Greek the two would probably be laughing their asses off right about now, realising their little quarrel was pointless. But Romans were different. Lyra was sure the Roman wouldn't hesitate to attack her if the need arised. She was starting to have doubts if she could do the same. Seriously setting out to injure another kid. The idea seemed unthinkable to Lyra. But yet, if she was in a life or death situation, Lyra knew she'd have to act to survive against this child of Venus.