Hey guys! Thanks for you're sweet comments! I love reading what you guys have to say :)
Please continue commenting and reading! The story really starts to get interesting in a chapter or two once the new prophecy is released! Nico and Aris will have a few scenes together so stay tuned for that :)
XOXO
Aris
Grover pulled Aris through the crowd of campers as he followed Chiron into the middle. "Campers!" Chiron called. Soon enough the other campers quieted down. "We have a new camper joining us," he said and gestured towards Aris, who didn't feel comfortable with the attention. She didn't like having kids look at her, and know deep down, even the nicest one's were most likely sizing her up to see if she'd be a threat.
"Who is she?" A camper asked. Her eyes looked up and down Aris, and her dark brown hair was pulled back.
"Aris hasn't been claimed yet, Clarrise. But, no doubt will be soon!" Chiron added in quickly.
Chiron looked around. "Since she's undetermined, a team will have to claim her."
A boy with grown out dark, black hair stepped forward. His green eyes startled Aris. In his armor, he looked tough and strong. "We'll take her!" he announced.
His team cheered behind him. The boy walked over to her and smiled. "I'm Percy, son of Poseidon. My team has Hephaestus, Apollo, and Hermes kids," he said as he handed her a spare set of armor. It was a perfect fit, surprisingly.
The boy, Percy, led her back to their team. "This is your first time, so my best advice is don't die." Aris thought he was kidding, but when she looked up at him, there wasn't a smile to indicate that he was joking. "You can stick with me if you want. My group is going to get the flag."
Aris nodded and followed the boy through the forest. He explained how there were monsters here, to make the games more fun. Aris listened to him talk about his first day. He was very noble as he tried to tell her a story about one of his quests when he brought back the Golden Fleece with a few friends, although Grover had told her the story and made Percy seem like a real God.
The boy didn't look like a hero. Sure, he had developed muscle and looked like he could take a couple kids on, but he had a smile that made her think he was a trouble maker. But, there was also something about him. Something that made her think of home.
"Don't worry about not getting claimed yet," Percy said. "I was claimed while playing capture the flag," he said smiling at her. Percy had some aura about him that made her feel comfortable. He smelled like sea salt too, but Aris guessed that he had just taken a swim or something.
When then conch shell sounded, Percy told her to get down. She followed his group through the shrubbery and accidentally stepped on a tree girl, or Dryad, as Percy corrected her.
As they crossed quietly through the forest, their group battled a few guards of the other team. Aris stayed back and watched as the Percy kid demolished their foes.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour, a boy named Jake Mason from the Hephaestus cabin pointed. "There it is!" he whispered excitedly.
Beyond them, hanging upon a tall tree, was a florescent red colored flag.
"It can't be that easy," Percy said. Some other kids agreed too. Even though Aris hadn't played demigod capture the flag, she knew that it couldn't be that easy too.
"Athena's on the other side right?" Aris asked. Percy nodded. "My friend Annabeth's on that team," Percy said, but they way he said the girl Annabeth's name, made her think that Annabeth was definitely more than a friend.
"Well, I don't know too much about Greek mythology, but isn't she the goddess of wisdom?" Percy nodded. "And battle strategies," Jake Mason piped in.
"Well then we should do something unreasonable. Something that doesn't make sense. Something that isn't smart, and isn't wise. Something the Athena kids won't be looking for."
Percy looked interested. "Like what?"
"Well Hephaestus is a forger right?" Aris asked.
And just like that, they set off to work.
Annabeth
This wasn't Annabeth's first time playing capture the flag, and since she was on the opposing team for Percy, she wanted to take him down. But, when he'd taken up the new girl, Annabeth couldn't help feeling a pinch of jealousy. The girl was beyond pretty, like a gorgeous surfer girl with dark, black beachy hair. She looked strong too. But her eyes, her eyes were just as bright as Percy's, only where his were green, the girl's was blue like the sky and the ocean. Annabeth wouldn't be surprised if the girl was a daughter of Aphrodite.
She hoped, deep down, that the girl would stay far away from Percy. Rachel had already taken Percy away from her once, and although Rachel was over Percy now, and was now their Oracle, Annabeth didn't want to take chances. Now, she crouched in front of her teams flag, with her knife. As she scanned the area, she didn't see any sign that the other team was here. She smiled and wondered if Percy had gotten taken care of by Clarisse.
Right when Annabeth was feeling cocky, a loud BANG sounded near her.
Annabeth looked up, angry at herself for letting her guard down so easily. Of course Percy wouldn't be stalled by Clarrise. No matter how good the daughter of Ares was, Percy was better.
A small automaton, the size of a monkey, started smashing two bronze plates together, over and over again. Throughout the forest, Annabeth could hear more loud bangs. Was this little thing supposed to stall her? The Hephaestus cabin had to be smarter than that.
She looked at her fellow guards, who looked back uneasily at her.
She slowly approached the monkey and saw an 'on' and 'off' switch. How stupid could Hephaestus kids be? Right as she flicked the 'off' switch, the monkey burst open and a cloud of smoke surrounded her. She couldn't see anything but smoke, and through her coughing, she heard a bunch of kids scream, "For Hephaestus!"
Around her she felt the whoosh of kids running past her. How could she have been so stupid!
Once the cloud of smoke cleared up, Annabeth saw all the kids, who were on guard with her, were fighting people on Percy's team. In the forest, she heard lost of kids running in their direction. Drew, from the Aphrodite cabin on her team, came running in. "Gods of Olympus! Curse Hephaestus cabin kids! They set up trap, got half my group! We all had to retreat!"
"We have to get them back to their turf!" A kid named Mitchell shouted through the commotion, also from Aphrodite.
Around her, she saw many kids battling each other, but unlike a kid fight at school, demigods actually fought with weapons like swords and bows and arrows, and of course their powers.
Around her, Drew tried charm speaking a group of Percy's team to drop their weapons, and many of them did, but soon regained their own thoughts and began fighting again.
In front of her, Annabeth saw Percy holding the flag, but he wouldn't win until he raised it high. That was when his team would've won, but a kid from Ares was keeping him busy.
Annabeth thought for sure the kid could disarm Percy, who was fighting one handed while carrying the heavy flag.
For a moment, Percy looked around, until his eyes focused on the new girl. "Aris!" he shouted. "Take the flag!"
Aris nodded and held her hands up, ready to catch. Percy threw it, and many kids stopped what they were doing to watch. Aris caught it, but didn't raise it up. Right when she was about to, Annabeth began running at her.
The girls eyes widened, and for a moment Annabeth felt bad. But, she remembered how Percy had chosen the girl without a second to think about it, and charged.
They girl stepped back with her hand raised in Annabeth's direction. Everyone had put down their weapons to watch the fight. Aris shielded her face, and for a moment Annabeth was sure the girl was from Aphrodite, since she was afraid of her face getting hurt.
Then, the girl's bracelet sparked and a wave of water hit Annabeth, knocking her over.
She had been pushed by a wall of water and landed a few feet away on her side.
At first, Annabeth glared at Percy, but she noticed he was staring wide eyed at Aris.
A blue trident was hovering over Aris and a Celestial Bronze trident was in her hand. Her outfit had changed completely and she looked like a mermaid, but still had her legs. She was adorned with a string of beads around her head, a skirt made of shiny shells, and a top made of the shiny insides from oysters.
A wave of water swirled around her like a slow hurricane. Chiron came galloping in, with Grover and many other satyrs behind him, all who looked at Aris in awe. Even Nico, son of Hades, was here.
Percy began walking forward, as if in a trance, until he was a few feet away from Aris. Chiron came over and announced, "Aris Lancaster, you have just been claimed. Bow down," Chiron said turning to the crowd, "to the daughter of the sea god, Poseidon!"
