Chapter 2 – Schooling and Shoaling
Percy looked over the girl lay in the infirmary bed – Helena – she'd not moved even slightly since they'd put her there; that was just over a week ago. Chiron said that she'd probably used up all her energy fighting the Chimera, and was probably already weak from passing out the first time, and he couldn't be sure why she'd passed out the first time until she woke up. The boy that had been with her – Kiran – had come to terms quickly with the idea, and proved himself a far more than worthy archer by striking an apple that had been thrown up in the air on his first try – it had become quite quickly evident that he was a son of Apollo.
It didn't take him much to work out that Helena was probably his younger sister after what Grover and Kiran had told him about her, but he did wonder where those mean fighting skills came from. The moment before she passed out, she looked at riptide in her hand like she wondered how it had got there, like she didn't know how on earth she'd beaten the Chimera.
"Where the hell am I?" she asked as she attempted to push herself up. Percy stared; he hadn't even noticed her wake up
"You're at Camp Half-Blood" he offered
She scrunched up her eyes, shifting her weight onto one elbow "Yeah, that doesn't help me at all" she murmured, sounding weaker as she spoke more. It took her slumping forward slightly for Percy to remember the glass of Nectar on the nightstand. Shifting to sit on the edge of her cot, he offered the glass to her.
"Here, you'll feel better" he had to help her sit up, and then hold the glass for her. Once she'd finished the glass, a little colour returned to her tanned skin. He let her recover her strength a little, but then he couldn't resist asking "What did it taste like?" she looked at him, confused "It's different for everyone"
She licked the little bit left on her lips "Watermelon and chocolate ice-cream" she replied eventually, like it had only just occurred to her that that was a weird flavour for a drink. After a little while longer, she tried to get up.
"You should stay here" he prompted, pushing her gently back down, but something flickered in her eyes that made it evident that she would only do exactly the opposite as she was told to. "Fine, I guess I'll take you to Chiron"
Percy led her down to the lake where Grover had taken him to first meet Chiron in his centaur form. After she'd gotten over the initial shock of 'he's a centaur?' Helena let Chiron lead her along the shore and explain to her that she was a child of the gods – a demi-god.
Helena stared at the ground as the centaur by the name of Chiron explained everything. She refused to believe one thing specifically though "My parents have been married for nearly twenty years" she said pointedly, "are you saying one of them cheated with a god?"
"I'm afraid that may be the case, but we can safely assume it was your mother"
She took a deep, slow breath, then bent down to pick up a flat stone and skims it across the lake "Which god is it then?"
Chiron watched the water rise up gently to meet the stone and allowed it to skim over the surface more than ten times "Poseidon" he said simply.
Chiron watched Helena walk away slowly, finally accepting that her Grandma was safe and agreeing to stay here at camp – for the summer at least. She was, to say the least, confusing. Grover was right about one thing though; there was something off about her. He just hoped to the gods that it wasn't what he was thinking.
~S~
At the instruction of Chiron, Helena headed towards Cabin 9. That Percy kid had already explained the Cabin system to her, and he had tried to come with her, but she scowled at him and told him she'd be fine. She didn't like being told what to do, but not as much as she disliked being chauffeured around the place, she enjoyed the ability to find her way round as she pleased and at her own pace.
It didn't take long to find Cabin 9, because it kind of looked like a tiny factory – with its brick walls and its smokestack, she wouldn't be surprised if it were - or maybe an oversized RV. Confidently, she wrapped her knuckles against the vault-like door and took a step back. A few moments later, the door rolled open. Stood in the door way was a floppy-haired boy, he was tall and well-built and he had a friendly face with dark brown eyes; he had tanned skin and his floppy, chocolate brown hair was cut just above his eyes – he was pretty hot – and he wore baggy, ripped jeans, with a white t-shirt. He leaned against the door frame, folding his arms and grinning at her "How can I help?" he asked
For a moment, she lost herself "Um… yeah… Chiron sent me, said something about needing to be armed for later? He said this'd be the best place"
"Oh yeah" he said, nodding in understanding "so what's your name?"
"Helena Hartman, but just call me Hartman"
He took her hand delicately "Adi Ferrer, call me whatever you like" very gently, his kissed her hand. Helena was suddenly very aware that she'd not showered since the morning when she'd left Huntington Beach (or even tried to tackle the knots in her hair with her fingers as she usually did, as it simply refused to lie flat any way so brushing it was useless)
"You're, one of the new kids ain't ya?" he stepped out and rolled the door shut behind him. Helena noticed his muscles flex and ripple nicely beneath his shirt. "Is it Apollo or Poseidon?" he asked, snapping her out of her daze. He knew that the two newbies were kids of those two gods, he just couldn't remember which way round it was "This way," he added, motioning for her to follow him round the side of Cabin 9.
"Poseidon" she said as she stepped carefully over the junk scattered over the floor. He led her round to the back of the cabin, where there was what looked like a shed made of corrugated iron.
"Ah," he said, nodding as he unbolted the door to the shed "I hear you kick monster ass" he said, heaving the door open and probably making it look easier that it was. The inside of the shed was almost jet black; Helena supposed that was due to the lack of windows.
"Dude, I don't even know what happened, it's kinda a blur" she admitted, poking her head round the door when he disappeared into the darkness.
A light flicked on and he stuck his head out the door again, "That's your battle reflexes" he grinned "Awesome ain't they?" but she looked confused. He fully emerged from the shed and leaned against the frame, folding his arms "No one explained this to you yet? …You're dyslexic yeah?" he asked, she nodded "All the kids here are some not so much, but that's cause, as kids of the Greek gods, our brains are hardwired for ancient Greek. And ADHD?" he asked, again she nodded "That's your battle reflexes, be a pain in the ass if you were slow on the battle field. It's what we were born to do, kick monster butt."
She considered him for a moment "I could learn to deal with that" she decided, half-smiling at him and taking a casual step or two closer "You seem allot better at this than that other guy, how 'bout you 'arm' me at give me the grand tour?"
"I'd be honoured" he stopped leaning on the frame so he stood a full head and shoulders taller than her
"After you then" she said, motioning towards the shed. He stepped back into the shed and she followed. There were several racks of weaponry along the walls, each weapon looking deadlier than the next. He instructed her to 'watch her feet' as he uncovered a panel on the far wall, and punched in a code, moments later, a meter-square section of the metal floor dropped about three inches lower then split down the middle and parted, revealing a set of stairs. "Very Star Trek" she complimented, as she took the hand he offered to her and stepped carefully down into the dark.
Lights came on almost as soon as her foot touched the last rung. Momentarily blinded, she shielded her eyes, stepping of the final tread, and then the lights dimmed at a command from the Hephaestus guy. "Sorry" he said, climbing down the steps after her "we've been meaning to fix that" he skipped the last three steps and jumped down, throwing out one arm ad gesturing along the walls "Anything take your fancy?" he asked
Very simply put, this room made Helena nervous. Weapons, all varyingly dangerous, lined the walls, shelves and the work-tops. There were so many different kinds she couldn't name or count. "I wouldn't know where to start" she admitted, and he grinned.
"What did you fight the Chimera with?" he asked, folding his arms again and leaning against the work-top. "Describe it to me"
She thought for a moment "Two bronze knives, about this big" she held her hands about ten inches apart "they were alright, but I had to get in really close. It was easier with that sword that, um, Percy showed up with"
The Hephaestus kid looked thoughtful "which hand do you write with?"
"Left, mainly"
"Mainly?"
"I can write with my right if I need to"
He nodded, pushed off the work-top and scanned the opposite wall with his eyes. Eventually he picked off two swords from different shelves, equal in size and length. "They're not matched – and one's a little heavier than the other – but try these" he handed them to her hilt first. Carefully she took them and tested the weight in each hand, they didn't feel as 'right' as those knives or that sword had felt in her hands, but she couldn't feel the weight difference he'd mentioned. "Hmm" he mused, plucking another sword off the wall "Lets test you" before she could ask what he meant, he swung the sword down on her and she instinctively brought the swords she was holding up into an 'x' shape to block the blade. "Yeah, I think that works for you" he decided, putting the sword back in its place as she dropped her block; lost for words that he'd just swung a sword at her when she didn't know what she was doing "but word of advice, next time…" he stood behind her and brought her arms up to hold the swords in the same position as before "this is a pretty weak block. If I'd been an Ares kid, you'd currently have a sword sticking out your head" she laughed nervously "Try this instead…" he crossed her forearms over and then crossed the blades "See? It's much stronger, because your elbows are tighter against your body, not outwards like they are with the other, and…" he took her right hand (which was underneath) and swiped the blade down at an angle "you can also gut your opponent while still holding the block, 'cause they'll probably only have one weapon and they're not at an angle where they can easily block with their shield, so it forces them to retreat and you to take on an offensive. Got it?"
"Um-hmm" she said, focusing more on the warmth radiating from him, and the firm muscles against her back.
"Good, now… you'll need some armour"
~S~
Kiran spent most of his time with the rest of the Apollo kids, getting to know the camp and other campers. Although he wasn't as good as the rest of his cabin yet, archery was one of the few things he was naturally good at; sword fighting wasn't however, as he'd nearly de-toed one of the Hermes kids when he dropped his sword in one of the most spectacular ways possible. Leading the sing-along at the campfire was easy to get back into, because he used to do it all the time when he was in the Adventure Scouts, on account for his awesome guitar skill – although that too was something he'd have to improve to be anywhere as good as his siblings.
He was on the firing range again at the moment, striking very nearly a bull's-eye every time. Raising the bow in the way he'd been shown by his head counsellor, Lee Fletcher. Just as he was about to release the arrow, he saw Helena being led though the camp by a tall, tanned guy in a white t-shirt; wasn't Percy supposed to be showing he round? Unconsciously he released the arrow and it flew wildly towards the volley-ball court and nearly impaled an Athena guy. The son of Athena yelled at him to watch where he was aiming, but Kiran wasn't listening, somehow, seeing Helena with that guy had twisted his stomach.
Another Apollo guy, Sam, clapped him on the shoulder "Kiran? You alright?" he asked
"Huh? Yeah man, I'm cool" he assured his sibling, glancing back to Helena. He'd not seen her laugh like that since… Correction, he'd never seen her laugh like that. Drawing his mind away from it, he looked back to Sam, who was smirking knowingly "What?"
"Hey, I don't blame you, she's pretty cute"
"What? Dude, no. I gotta girlfriend…" then Kiran cursed, she was gonna kick his ass.
~S~
"I think I get it now" said Helena, as she fiddled with the clasps on what she felt was stupidly heavy armour. She'd spent all morning with Adi, and he'd spent the last half an hour explaining the rules of Capture to Flag to her. "We can use any weapons we like, we can take prisoners and disarm them, but not tie them up, and there's no killing or maiming"
"That last one's more of a guideline, but where is the boundary?"
"The creek, and the entire forest's fair game" she recited as she tightened the leather strap that crossed her chest, they held the swords sheaths to her back.
"Good. Now Percy leads our team, cause he's son of Poseidon and head counsellor of Cabin 3" he explained further "On our side – the blue team – we have Cabin 3, Cabin 4, Cabin 9, Cabin 10 and Cabin 11; so that's Poseidon, Demeter, Hephaestus, Aphrodite and Hermes, which leaves the red team with Ares, Athena, Dionysus and Apollo" he looked thoughtful for a moment "Our odds don't look too good" he decided. "Hey guys!" he called "Sorry I'm late, I had to help the new kid with her armour" he grinned and winked at her, but she smacked him on the upside of the head.
They'd reached the Blue teams meeting point and a couple of Hephaestus kids waved Adi over to them, one of them (presumably their counsellor) said something about not harassing the new kid, he smiled apologetically at her and said that she should probably go stand with Percy. Much to her distaste, Percy put a hand on her back and made sure the entire group could see her "Guys, for those of you who don't already know, this is Helena Hartman, a daughter of Poseidon" she gave Percy a glaring glance and nodded awkwardly at the campers staring at her. "Right, now we're all finally here, let's go through the plan" the group gathered round the map of the forest set out on a camping table. "They've got Athena's cabin, but it doesn't automatically mean they'll win. If the Hephaestus cabin go round the side and take out the archers they'll have positioned in the trees, while we're engaged with their main force, then that leaves the rest of the way free until we reach the flag. But of course that's what they'll be expecting us to do so… We'll charge straight in, and make the way clear for Hephaestus cabin to take out the archers, then Hermes runs straight through for the flag-"
"Um…" Helena cut him off "Won't they also be expecting that too? Athena's kids are smart right?"
"Yeah, but they'll probably-"
"Let me finish." She insisted, subtly nudging him out the way so she could get to the map "If they're expecting both, why not do neither?"
"Do nothing?" asked a confused camper
"Well obviously not, that'd be stupid. My theory is, that they'll shoal and they won't try to mix their forces,"
"Wait, shoal? What does that mean?"
Helena looked up at the camper that had said it "It's a term used when similar species fish group together to protect themselves from predators, it's a good tactic, but they don't swim all in the same pattern or at the same speed, just the same direction. I'm guessing they'll do that. So I propose we School." Before anyone could in she explained "It's like Shoaling, except that the fish move in synchronised patterns and mix together, keeping close-nit so it's harder for predators to take them out.
"I reckon that, if we focus a select mix of campers to take out anyone approaching (and two to guard the flag), and then focus the rest on seizing the flag. Send one group round either side, take the flag then we've got a hell of allot'a guy's left over to fight our way back through to our side of the creek. And the archers will be expecting us from the front so they won't see it coming" She looked up at Percy at the end of her proposal. He looked uneasy about a 'new kid' setting their plan of attack.
"What forces where?" he asked, deciding it was better than doing something that the red team had undoubtedly planned for
"Well, for our main force, split each cabin in two so we have an even force on each side."
"Why not have one for strength and one for speed?" Percy suggested, "They'll have to have more forces against the team designed for strength, which makes the way easier for the other team." Helena agreed, that was better "And what about the rest?"
"To take out the main force; Demeter and Poseidon, with two from Hephaestus to guard the flag"
"You're staying back here?" a camper asked, confused and stunned. "You guys are the strongest we have; shouldn't you be leading the charge?"
Helena shook her head "I'm not really any good with a sword yet anyway, but I sure as hell know my way round water, so I'll be a hell of allot more use nearer the creek, and Percy's probably got allot more control and practice with the whole hydrokinesis thing."
Percy shook his head "I'll lead the charge, you stay here and take out the main forces" Helena looked taken back, he may as well have just said 'no that's a bad idea'. Percy then stood and addressed the blue team. He explained the plan to them, splitting them into three groups – A, B and C – and explaining what each group had to do, except he'd made a big change. Group B (the group designed for strength that Percy would be leading) would be attacking the red team from the side. He may have well just slapped Helena in the face, anyone here (except Percy apparently) could tell that would clash with and effectively ruin the whole 'School not Shoal' basis of her plan.