The glancing blow had apparently crushed the thin layers of bronze guarding Hylla's ankle behind it. It was only sheer coincidence that Hera attacked the goddess moments after Hylla, the collision knocking her away before she could finish the downed Amazon queen.
...
Hylla had been dragged to nearby combat-medics but unfortunately luck had not been the on the Amazon queen's side. The metal of the guard had cut into her ankle and the bone was crushed with the break near the bottom of her shin stabbing out of the skin. They'd managed to cut off the bleeding and tried to set some of the bone but it proved fruitless, the point of impact having shattered much of the bone and torn up key tendons.
After the primordial pulled back and some order had been restored, Hylla was rushed to the medic tents and given the best emergency treatment they could but there was only so much that could be done.
Even now when the Amazon queen should be resting she was up and about even with an injury that might get worse if she agitates it more. Allen shuddered at the thought of walking around with an injury like that but he guessed Hylla must be in so much pain and then high off adrenaline and medication that she couldn't even feel it at the moment.
The murmur and movement in the tent was reduced at the presence of one of the commanding goddesses and mortal leader of the Amazons, some even nodding in their direction but they didn't respond as Bellona instead sat at one of the head chairs and looked down at the crudely drawn map of the camp and their surroundings leading to the mountain some miles away.
Hylla wordlessly moved and took the seat next to Reyna and Allen could hear the knuckles of the praetor popping as she clenched her fist when she looked at her sister's injury. With the newest arrivals ignoring them most retuned to what they were doing, such as the quiet Hephaestus as he silently tinkered with some wiring and bolts.
Looking at the god now Allen felt a pit forming in his gut as it reminded him of how both Leo and Annabeth disappeared in the middle of the attack. He didn't know why and hadn't gotten the time to asking around but the way Hephaestus seemed more nervous than what he'd shown recently, that didn't fill Allen with good feelings. However his attention was drawn to the entrance flap again as the final gods arrived; Zeus, Hera … and Apollo.
Allen had already seen the two former in passing several times over the night as he helped with the recovery, organized the groups he could, and made rounds.
Zeus was tired but showed no injuries while Hera had her left arm in a makeshift cast and going by the way her breathing was shallow, he guessed possibly cracked if not outright broken ribs. Luckily by godly standards, Hera would recover within 2 to 3 days at most and be ready for combat again. However it was Apollo that took not only his attention, but of the commanders in the tent as a whole.
Unlike all of them Apollo looked exactly the same way he did since the attack, armor and all but what was worrying was his seeming disregard for his own injuries. Allen could clearly see the dents in his breastplate, the stab wound in his left bracer that was caked with dried ichor, and the crusty cut he had on the side of his head. None of them had been treated or even cleaned and no one dared so much as point them out.
Allen hadn't thought much of the god even before his sister ascended to godhood and married him and that opinion all but dropped to the dirt when Apollo's infidelity became known. Still, he'd viewed the god as a relatively laid-back dude and irresponsible ass at times that obviously couldn't keep it in his pants though he did respect the god for his medical prowess and archery skill. However, even through all that Apollo had still been one of the more approachable gods.
Allen couldn't honestly place that past god with the one before him.
This god that walked in was more comparable to the likes of Artemis and Hera. His frame was nearly steaming and his eyes were completely covered with a harsh golden glow even as his face remained worryingly rigid. His steps were heavy and it echoed in the sudden silence of the tent as he took his seat while the ambient temperature in the tent rose from uncomfortable to outright sweltering.
Allen could feel the sweat trailing down his forehead as glanced around, seeing how everyone had gotten stiff and avoided eye contact with the god. The very god that had, up until now, refused to move from his kneeing position in front of Artemis' bow. It hadn't mattered who called him or what they did to try and get his attention, he'd ignored them all in favor of staring at his sister's dead symbol as silent tears streamed down his face.
A part of Allen wished the god was still there rather than here now as he shifted in his seat, other gods and mortals alike mirroring him as Zeus cleared his throat to get their attention. As one they all turned their head to look even as Apollo didn't but again, no one called attention to it.
"Are all commanders gathered?" Zeus asked as he did a quick scan, nodding as he did so before continuing. "Report, how is the status of the army?" he barked as his attention fell first on Bellona, the defacto leader of the army when Zeus was otherwise occupied.
The goddess didn't so much as blink at the tone as she began. "Overall recovery of the bodies within the bounds of the clearing is done and so far, 287 demigods are confirmed dead or missing.
As for the injured demigods, the number is surprisingly low with few being of grave nature," she said and no one missed the way she glanced at her near-crippled daughter. "All have already been tended to or are in the med-tents as we speak and most should be fit to return active roles within the a week, maybe sooner if checked by our Chief Healer," she said with a pointed look at Apollo.
The sun god actually turned his head to look at her, his glowing eyes narrowing as he all but growled, "I'll get to them soon enough," before he looked back to the map on the table.
A tense silence fell upon the tent for a moment as some shifted in their seats before Bellona continued.
"We lost a collection of Party Ponies but I'm jutting that down as routing and deserters given that they aren't exactly the most ordered or loyal of groups under our banner." There was an uncomfortable pause as they watched Bellona drum her fingers on the table as she glanced down for a moment, seemingly thinking about the next piece but she then looked up and spoke. "As for the minor gods … anywhere from a third to half are gone."
That got a start out of the commanders and even Apollo's gaze snapped to her at the statement, confused and shocked looks abounding.
"… What?" Zeus asked lowly, his voice carrying a near echo of crackling as his eyes flashed.
Showing her millennia of experience in military discipline and nerve Bellona didn't falter at having the attention on her as she explained.
"We can confirm either from witnesses or evidence left that many gods were felled during the lightning attacks and several torn apart once on the ground by their surroundings or even facing the attacking gods. However, over a dozen gods were not seen at any point during the attack and have not been found since, including the likes of Phobos and Deimos.
Chase and Valdez were also noted to have left in the middle of the attack and I also received IM's from Lady Demeter and Chiron that several of the minor gods tasked with the protection of New Rome also disappeared around the time of the attack while Valdez was later seen in the city," she finished as silence fell upon them once again.
Allen could practically see the thoughts churning, explanations brought up and discarded as the commanders digested the news. A pressure started to build up within the tent as several faces started to redden, or golden, with rage as more and more came to similar conclusions.
"Deserters," Hera hissed, the brown of her eyes starting to gain a coppery glow as her frame shook but before she could continue, Hephaestus surprisingly cut in.
"Worse … traitors," he said, his tone grim as he set down the tiny automaton he fashioned to look at the surrounding commanders, some looking at him pointedly the moment his son was named as one of the gods that left.
"Even your own son who turned tail in the middle of battle?" asked Ioke hotly, one of the bloodthirsty goddesses leading in the minor god forces, and under Bellona's command.
...
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