Hi reader! This is my first ever story, so if you like it please review and spread the word! I will be posting more very soon. Enjoy! -EV3

Disclaimer: The characters and world belong to Rick Riordan. The cover art for this story was created by Viria on Tumblr.

I'm sweating so hard, I almost think it's raining. I've been practicing since nightfall- the Apollo cabin put a rhyming hex on everyone in the Ares cabin, and now it's impossible to get any sleep when everyone is rhyming plans for revenge attacks in their sleep.

I pick up the nearest spear I can find and try to get a good feel of it in my hands. I turn, squint, aim, and thrust it straight towards the target in front of me.

In movies, this is the part where everything goes into slow-motion and you wait for the hero to hit the heart of the target.

But for me, it's another miss. "Damn!"

"I take it you don't practice often." A sly voice slips through the shadows by the arena entrance.

I whirl around and my hands instinctively ball into fists. "Who said that?"

"You know, even children of Ares miss sometimes, Clarisse." Chris Rodriguez, a son of Hermes, steps into the light of the breaking sun. "We all need some breathing room."

I'm not fazed. "What do you want, Chris?" I don't know him well, only enough to be able to tell that he's bad news- every child of Hermes is.

He leans against the arena wall and pulls a flat blade out of his pocket. I don't flinch- I reach my hand to my hip, keeping it hovering over the dagger strapped in my belt.

Chris doesn't notice. He walks over to my spear and kneels by it. Before I can say anything, Chris sticks his blade into a nook by the butt of the spear and I hear a chink.

"What the hell are you doing to my spear, Chris?"

He stands up and says, "It wasn't balanced. You should be more careful with who you let use your weapons, Clarisse." He holds up a glittering ring and tosses it over the arena wall. "I think someone in Aphrodite isn't on the friendliest terms with you."

I glare at him but mutter "Thanks."

"No problem," he says, leaning back on the wall."Try it now."

I pick up the spear, and as soon as I thrust, I can feel it split the air and hit the bulls-eye.

As I stare at the target, I hear Chris whistle and say, "Good."

I walk over to the target and see that the spear went- chink- straight through the heart.