Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own the idea of Percy Jackson.
"It's natural to be nervous on your first game." Assured Eldon, clutching a hefty sword in his hand. I nodded, but my stomach still churned at the thought of running into a wood full of crazed monsters and highly trained demigods, whereas I had little or no training, and a sword that just didn't feel… right. The small, elegant weapon should have been perfect, but it felt unnatural; too heavy as I held it by my side, too light as I used it. Just to check if I could use it, despite how awkward it felt, I gave an experimental swing, and the celestial bronze sword slipped from between my fingers, spiralling through the air and embedding itself in the ground at Adan's (shadow-boy's) feet. He sprung backwards in surprise, then shot me a steely glare, eyes like flint, burning with a cold, angry fire.
"You know, if I have to be killed tonight, I would prefer it if it was by someone from the opposing team." He drawled; a look of pure resentment on his face. A wave of pure anger washed over me, but I clenched my fists and tried to control it, attempting to look dignified as I collected my stray sword. There were some sniggers from behind me, but I ignored them, taking my place back in line, hand clenched firmly around my sword. A rush of adrenaline surged through me as the horn sounded, and I replayed my instructions over in my head. 'Stick with Eldon. Do what he does. Go where he goes. Try not to get killed.' At the mention of the word 'Killed', another pulse of fear passed through me, but I shook it away and concentrated on keeping up with my guide. He weaved through the trees confidently, obviously comfortable in this environment. I, however, only felt unwelcome. Before long, the trees began to thin out, and I caught sight of the creek, burbling quietly to itself as it channelled along the ground, splashing and echoing calmly.
"What do we do now?" I whispered, noticing four campers based along the creek edge, spears and swords in hand. Eldon surveyed the situation grimly, and whispered back:
"We attack." At first, it went perfectly. We plunged into the clearing, the element of surprise to our advantage. Eldon lashed out with his sword, slicing across one of the camper's arms, and then swiping out his leg in a low sweeping kick, sending his opponent crashing to the ground. The air around him seemed to crackle with electricity, an aura of pure power.
Then it went wrong.
Another camper crept up behind him and slammed the butt of his spear into Eldon's head. He crumpled to the ground, and the camper dragged him to his feet and pinned him to the tree by the back of his shirt, driving the spear deep into the bark. The anger crashed over me again, and this time I let it come, the sound of war drums booming in my ears, cold shivering over my body. I fixed the campers with an icy glare, summoned the loudest voice I could manage, and shouted.
"You do not hurt my friends!" I slammed my foot into the ground, then recoiled in horror and surprise as a lattice of frost and ice surged across the grass. Tree-trunks were covered in tiny frost crystals, and the air temperature seemed to drop. I looked around in panic, my heart fluttering wildly, pounding in my chest. The opposing campers were backing away from me and Eldon had a look in his eyes that I had never expected to see. Pure, horrified fear.
"What did I do?!" my voice seemed to have reached an octave higher than usual, wavering in panic as I looked at the blanket of frost that stretched across the clearing. The creek was beginning to crackle as it froze over, and the tendrils of ice were creeping slowly up the trees.
"Aiya. There's no Greek immortals that can do that." The fear was clear in Eldon's voice as he tugged the spear from his T-shirt and dropped to the icy ground. The panic inside me intensified, and my legs began to shake.
What if I'm dangerous? What if I hurt someone?
The questions taunted me, and I looked up, eyes glistening with tears, and ran.
"Aiya! Stop!" Eldon called after me, and I spun around, prepared to confront him, but I screamed as a blast of ice shards exploded from my outstretched hand and whipped towards him. A grunt of pain escaped him as the ice whisked past him, and his hand flew up to his arm. When he removed it, blood began to pour down, dripping onto the ground, contrasting in a sickening way with the frozen surroundings. A look of accusation burned in his eyes, and something snapped inside me. I felt a tugging sensation in my gut, as snow began to swirl around me, a protective shield of soft ice. Hunching over in the obscuring barrier, I let tears of panic and shock pour down my face as I stumbled into the forest, tripping over roots and branches; as I became more afraid, the heavier and more vicious the snow became. Soon, it became difficult even to see, so I slumped to the ground, propped my back against a tree, and examined my hands. They looked normal, as if I had never summoned the ice shards, but, as I flexed my fingers slowly, a plume of tiny ice crystals exploded into the air and were torn away by the storm which was whirling madly around me.
Why me? I asked myself as I buried my head in my hands to block out the lashing of the wind.
Why do I have to be dangerous?
A/N: sorry for not updating! I got the House of Hades on my kindle and I was completely obsessed with that for a few days, so I couldn't update because I was reading too much (if it is possible to do so…), and now I have to do something to get all the pent up obsession out, so here I am (if not very irritated that I have to wait till October till the next book comes out!)! Also, I'm kind of disappointed, because nobody reviewed my last chapter… but oh well! Review this time please!