Well, this is my first fanfiction posted on this site, but definitely not my first time writing. I have worked hard on this and I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to let me know about any spelling, grammar mistakes. You are also welcome to be brutally honest and if you think this story is trash you can let me know in the harshest way you feel necessary.
Yes, I know a lot of the characters will be ooc, but I will try to keep them to their most distinct personality traits.
Oh, and I do not own anything.
Chapter I
The night air was cool. It felt good compared to the brutal heat of the day. It helped to rejuvenate the body, giving it ideal conditions in which to heal. Percy pressed a cold, water soaked rag against the cut on his shoulder to wash away the blood and dirt. He pulled the rag away once water no longer ran from it and then he put it into a basin to soak up more water. When the rag was saturated again he repeated the whole process until the cut was clean. Percy grabbed some cotton bandages and carefully wrapped his shoulder. Once he was done he checked his handy work. Percy wasn't the greatest healer. He had only been taught simple fixes that could be preformed quickly on a battlefield. Still, he thought he did a decent job with his shoulder and the other cuts he had received earlier that day.
He had been sparring with his mentor, Luke, and he didn't believe in going easy on anyone. Luke didn't become second in command at such a young age because he had a soft heart. Soldiers were supposed to be without mercy for anything. They were trained to kill and kill efficiently without getting killed. Emotions got in the way of that. This is why all soldiers were trained in the Arena. At the young age of thirteen they started living in the Arena as the gladiators did. There they trained to become gladiators and, when they proved themselves worthy, the left the Arena as soldiers. This is what Luke was preparing Percy for. A little maiming here and there was just a part of the process. Of course, death sometimes occurred and though they were told not to kill each other, there was no punishment for killing a comrade.
The sudden sound of metal clanging against stone alerted Percy. He was the only one awake. Everyone else had gone to bed hours ago, but Percy had to treat his wounds. Percy held his breath and listened, straining his ears for the slightest sound. There was more noise, but this time it was much fainter. It sounded like it was coming from the armory down the hall. Percy thought this was strange. No one was allowed in the armory at night unless it was an emergency. No alarm had been raised.
Percy swiftly and silently dashed into the hallway, not making any sound. He had nothing on him except his pants and his bandages. He had removed the rest of his clothes to treat his injuries and no one was allowed to carry a weapon while they were still in training. Being unarmed didn't faze Percy. He had been trained to fight without one. If he needed to grab one, well, he was headed for the armory. The armory was at the very end of the hallway. Its heavy double doors were closed, but Percy was sure he heard noise coming from there. Just outside the doors Percy stopped to listen once more. It was unmistakable now. There was definitely someone inside the armory. Percy thought about getting Luke or some one else, but that would take too long. Besides, he was more than confident in his own skills. Percy could defeat everyone he fought with, except his mentor. Making as little noise as possible Percy opened on of the armory doors just enough so he could slip inside.
At first nothing seemed out of place. The armory looked as it always did. Deadly weapons were lined up in precise rows. They were organized by size, long range, short range, blunts, and blades. There was armor too, lined up against the back walls. The armor ranged in variety as much as the weapons. All the metal in the room glowed white silver in the moonlight. It helped illuminate the room since there were no torches. All the light came from the windows that were fifteen feet off the ground. The windows were closed with cast iron bars. They were impossible to open.
Percy was scanning a row of shields when a shadow flashed across them. He wasn't sure he actually saw anything it happened so fast. Percy looked up at the nearest window. He saw a silhouette of a girl perched on the narrow ledge. It was impossible to make any details about her face, but she had blond hair that almost looked white in the moonlight. She had a bag slung over her shoulder that was stuffed full with weapons. In one hand she held a coiled rope and in the other she held a section of the cast iron bars that closed the window. Percy realized she must have cut them to break into the armory. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered this as an impressive feat. Most of his mind was dominated by two words: intruder, thief.
The girl didn't move right away. For a few heartbeats she just stared back at Percy as if she was trying to determine if he was a threat. Apparently he wasn't. The thief moved as quick as lighting and turned to jump through the window. Percy sprang into action just as fast. He wasn't going to let her get away. He jumped over a table lined with bows and grabbed a ranseur from a rack of polearms when he landed on the other side. He held the ranseur over his shoulder with the blade end in front of him. As he neared the wall he drove the point into the ground and pole-vaulted himself up to the window. Percy had never done anything like that before and he only managed to grab the bars of the window with one hand. He struggled as he tried to pull himself up, but he eventually made it onto the ledge. The cuts on his shoulder and arm were screaming angrily at him. He shook his head and forced himself to not to think about the pain.
From the window ledge Percy could see the market district of the city. It was a bunch of closely packed together buildings with flat roofs. The marketplace was empty at this time of night. The window provided Percy with the perfect vantage point. The armory was attached tot he Arena which towered above all the other buildings. It didn't take long for him to spot his prey. The girl's blond hair gave her away almost instantly in the dark. She was also the only sign of movement on the rooftops. The girl was running and jumping from building to building as she tried to get away. Without hesitation Percy jumped from the window and began his pursuit. He landed in a roll then his bare feet slapped against the rooftop and he took off running. For once Percy was glad for the agility course in the Arena. He never understood its usefulness until this moment. He didn't have to think about the obstacles he had to clear. As he came across them his body just took over, every movement was second nature. The thief seemed to have as much agility as he did, but Percy was faster.
Even though the girl had a head start, Percy was already catching her. The only advantage she had was that she knew where she was going. Percy had only been out of the Arena a handful of times in his life and they were always to military posts. He had never truly been out in the city before. As they raced further and further away from the Arena things became less and less familiar. Percy had no hope of finding another path and trying to cut the girl off. His only option was to simply chase her down and overtake her with speed. Percy locked his eyes onto the girl's back and willed his legs to carry him faster.
Percy was only five yards from the girl when she suddenly stopped running. She stopped on a rooftop that had taller buildings blocking her path in three directions. The only open direction was behind her where Percy was coming for her. It was an easy climb onto one of the other roofs, but the girl didn't make the effort. She calmly turned to face Percy and he jumped onto the same roof as her. Not once while she was running did Percy see her look over her should. She just somehow knew Percy was following her. Percy didn't attempt to try and approach the girl any further. Something about her aloof composure unsettled him. Although he was sure he could beat her in a fight easily, he didn't want to just charge her when it appeared that she was expecting him. Plus, she had a bag full of nasty weapons and Percy had none, much less armor to protect him. He studied her carefully, trying to figure out what she was doing.
The girl was no longer a silhouette and Percy could now make out the details of her face. She had intense grey eyes that looked over him critically. She was analyzing him just the same, as he was she. The girl could be called beautiful, but Percy didn't think about such things. He only thought about fighting and killing, and he was good at it. These were the only things he cared about in life. Percy was trained to be the perfect soldier and that is what he would be. Nothing got in the way of that. Percy was taken from his thoughts of fighting when the girl spoke.
"I'm impressed." Her voice was cool and confident. "Not many people can keep up with me."
"I'm going to do more than that. I'm going to catch you." Percy threatened and took a single step forward. Movement flashed in his peripherals. He was suddenly surrounded by at least a dozen girls armed with bows. He didn't see so much as sense all their arrows all pointed at him. This was why the thief had been so calm. She knew where she was leading Percy. She had friends and Percy was all alone. No matter how well trained he might have been, there was no way he was going to win this fight. Anger began to boil inside of him. He couldn't believe had been bested.
"We won't allow that, I'm afraid." Another girl stepped up next to the thief. She had choppy black hair that almost matched the arrows sticking up from the quiver that was on her back. She held a bow in hand, but it wasn't notched. This girl was clearly the leader of the other archers.
"I won't allow you to get away with stealing."
"I don't think you're in a position to make that call. You make a move, you die." Percy knew the girl was right. He clenched his jaw to help to keep control of his anger. He had to keep his composure.
"Maybe we can work out a deal." The thief and the lead archer exchanged a look. A silent conversation passed between their eyes. Percy couldn't make out what they were saying to each other and before they could speak aloud another girl spoke up.
"I wouldn't waste your time." The girl was one of the archers on his right side. Percy's eyes quickly flashed towards her. She was studying him with a look of distaste on her face. Percy realized she was mostly staring at the tattoo on his shoulder. The tattoo was of two crossed scythes that let everyone know his life belonged to the Arena. When he became a full soldier his regiment number would be tattooed under the scythes. "He's just another dog trained to kill. We can't trust any deal of his." The archer added in explanation when her leader gave a questioning look.
"Are you sure?" The blond haired thief asked. She was busying eyeing the brand on Percy's left forearm. Percy silently cursed himself. He wished he had worn a shirt so the girls wouldn't have been able to read all his markings. They helped keep organization in the Arena. He didn't like the fact the girls seemed to be able to read them with as much ease as his superiors. No girls were allowed in the Arena, they shouldn't know what any of it meant. All of it unsettled him and he felt like they were giving away too much information.
"Now that's interesting." The lead archer said to no one in particular. Her eyes had locked onto the same thing as the thief's. Percy felt insulted by the comment. He had no idea what the brand meant. He had gotten it when he was very young, before he had come to the Arena. All of his memories about that time were a blur to him he was so young. All he knew is that the brand had something to do with his birth, but he didn't know exactly what. The girl's comment made him feel like whatever it meant was not a good thing, like he wasn't truly cut out to be a soldier.
"Hey, stop looking at me like a cow that's being sold. Are we going to make a deal or will it be a fight?" Percy tensed his muscles, hoping for the second option. His anger had been growing ever since the archers appeared and he wanted to take it out on them. Percy's voice seemed to make all the girls remember that he was actually there. Percy could hear bows strings being drawn back so any slack that was in them before was now gone. The lead archer and the thief exchanged another look. Then the archer turned back to him.
"Actually, it will be neither. We will be leaving with the weapons and you will go back to wherever you came from." Percy took a step forward and the nearest archer let her arrow fly. Percy's reflexes were fast enough for him to react and twist his body so the shot wasn't fatal, but the arrow still stuck itself in his arm. Percy grit his teeth against the pain, but he didn't make a sound. When Percy looked up at the archer who shot him she had already reloaded her bow. He glared at her as he yanked the arrow from his arm. A thin stream of blood ran down his arm. He would take care of that when he got back to the Arena.
Percy knew there was nothing he could do. That first shot was a warning. He knew his next move would cause most, if not all the archers to attack him. Percy was angry and he felt dishonored. He was supposed to kill and not be killed. He wasn't supposed to fail, but here he was, stuck in a situation where he could not win. He either tried to make a move a see how far he could get. Or he could let the girls escape and try and confront them another day. They had left interesting questions in his head. Why were they so well trained? Who were they? Why did they steal from the armory? If he was smart he might be able to get some useful information from the girls. Then he wouldn't be a complete failure.
Before Percy could question the girls they were leaving. They took advantage of the time he spent thinking to start slipping away. First, the archers that were furthest from him backed away slowly with their arrows still pointed at him. Then the lead archer turned swiftly and scaled one of the taller surrounding buildings and the archers followed her. The blond haired thief lingered for just a moment more.
"Don't worry. We'll keep in touch." The girl said then turned and disappeared with her friends. Percy realized too late that that was the perfect moment to attack. He silently cursed himself again. He had never messed up so badly before in his life. The worst part was that it was a real-life situation not a training exercise. Percy was ashamed with himself, but there was nothing more he could do until he made it back to the Arena.
It took more time getting back to the Arena than it took Percy to get to where he was ambushed. He was in a part of the city ha didn't know and constantly had to stop and find the high walls of the Arena for direction and make sure he was on the right path. The market district was the most unorganized district. People put up anything, anywhere just to try and make some money. Percy was thankful he never had to worry about money or material possessions. The military would keep everything in order for him once he became a soldier. Once Percy made it back to the Arena he was dead tired and his body ached where he had been injured. The blood from his arm had stopped running down his arm, so Percy let himself just collapse on his bed and fall asleep. He wouldn't care about anything until the morning.
Please let me know what you think, any advice you are willing to give can only make me a better writer.
