Chapter IV
Aria
I walked into the "Big House" as Percy called it and was literally run into by Will.
"Oh sorr... Aria!"
"Hey."
Annabeth looked at me. "Is that all you can say."
"For your information, Wise Girl. I never cease to be able use extraordinarily large words." I shot back.
"Wise Girl!" Annabeth yelled outraged.
"Yep!" I yelled back.
"Stop it!" Percy yelled over us.
"Fine." I said, a playful smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
"Okay," Will said pointing at me. "When did she get here?"
I rolled my eyes."She, has a name you know."
No one was listening anyways. "Just a little bit ago, I was wondering if you could show her around." Percy said in response to Will's question.
"Great, so now i'm her too."
"What?" Percy asked.
"Oh, nothing."
"Ookay. So do you want lemonade?" Annabeth asked me, it became clear that we where both just messing around earlier.
"Uh, sure."
Annabeth and Percy explained about how Camp Half Blood worked. I got a tour of the camp and settled down in the Hermes cabin.
...
After a while I went walking around the camp. I walked along the beach picking up seashells. I was looking out at the sea when I suddenly started seeing seeing shapes. I saw giant eagles swooping towards of camp half blood, other scenes of the future, The most defined image was of Percy sitting on the beach with someone who looked like some people in my cabin. I could tell it wasn't tonight by the moon. Then the man vanished with a blinding flash of light. My head ached my vision began to blur and I passed out.
I woke up and found myself in the infirmary. I groaned and sat up. A blond surfer dude with eyes all over his body stood it the corner watching over me. I groaned. Will came in a few minutes later.
"Hey." He said.
"Hi." I replied softly. My mouth felt like sandpaper.
"You've been out for two days, how do you feel."
"Like a spider's been using my mouth for a nest." I stood up.
"Maybe you..." He shut up when I looked at him like, really you want to start that again. I walked towards the door.
"Hey, there's a chariot race this tomorrow morning. I was wondering if..."
I cut him off. "Will. If your asking if i'll race with you then, yes." Will sighed with relief as walked out the door.
As it turned out Will had barely started the chariot. I spent the rest of the day finishing our ride. It was worth it though. I had a sneaking suspicion I had studied automobiles. I asked Will about the rules basically there where none, so I ended up giving our chariot red flames, metal wheels and a set of self exploding bombs. We got some pretty nice horses too. I gave Will a bow with dull arrow heads. That afternoon I changed into a Camp Half Blood T-shirt and some jeans. Will on the other hand was wearing armor and carrying a shield large enough to be an NBA white board. I raised my eyebrows.
"Got enough protection." I joked. "No but seriously that thing won't fit." I said gesturing to the shield. He shrugged and dropped it.
"You can't be to careful when your dealing with the ares cabin." He said gesturing to a burly girl with a brownish red hair color. I groaned. I glanced curiously at the flock of birds nesting on the trees. I grabbed the reins. The starting signal dropped and the race began. I flicked the reins and we shot forward with a burst of speed. I heard the crack behind me and the Hermes chariot flipped. I shook my head and concentrated on the track ahead.
We had just rounded the first corner when Will yelled. "Aria the birds."
"What about em?" I ask without looking back.
"Well their..." He was cut off by the shrieking sound as the birds spiraled towards the stands. I groaned, Stymphalian birds. I had come across them once before. They would strip everyone to bones unless they where stopped.
"Will!" I yelled. "Take the reins!"
"What, why!" He yelled in response.
I rolled my eyes. "Why do you think!"
"Are you crazy." He asked.
"Yes!"
"Never mind." He took the reins grouchily. I jumped onto the chariot next to us.
"Hey!" The driver protested.
"Sorry!" I said and jumped over the side. I slashed a row of the birds out of my way. Think a voice inside my head said how did you beat them last time. I thought for a minute. I killed them by practically stabbing all of them. There where way too many to do that now.
Off to my right Annabeth yelled something about bells and sound. That jolted some sense into me. Sound! Hercules had driven them away with brass bells. I had no idea how I knew that, considering the fact that I couldn't remember my last name. I thought, well I didn't have any bells to work with. A breakfast pastry flew past me and whacked a bird out of the air. I started throwing shoes and stuff at the birds. I must have taken out dozens of them but there where tons left. Suddenly the air was filled with violins and men moaning in what I thought was Italian. The birds freaked they started flying around in circles and running in to each other. The birds streamed away I looked around Percy and Annabeth were broadcasting the sound.
"Can you turn that off now please!" I said in a rather loud voice. The music stopped. i was about to say something else but I was cut off.
"Bravo!" Some obviously old guy said. "We have our first winner!" He walked to Clarisse and awarded the golden laurels for the race.
He turned and smiled at me, Annabeth and Percy. "And now to punish the trouble makers that disrupted this race.