Hello everyone. Yes, I know, you are all probobly upset that I haven't updated in forever. I'm not going to offer excuses, cuz I'm sure you will be upset no matter what I say. I'm lame, I know. I did buy myself the whole Percy Jackson series and reread all the books, hoping to get some insperation. But we should probobly thank M0n0chr0meHue for submitting a review and getting me to write again. I'm glad I did, because I forgot how much I like writing Jay's story. Anyway, this chapter is for you, M0n0chr0meHue. Go read her story, The Bleeding Heart, a Vampire Knight fanfic!
Here's a fact: I wrote this whole chapter on my brake at school. It just sort of pored out of my pen, and I now have a new callus on my finger to show for it. Not that I'm complaining of course :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It belongs to Rick Riordan, who is awesome for thinking it up. I also do not own the Justice League. (Which is metioned later) I don't know who exactly that belongs too, but I know it's not me.
So let's recap a bit: A few weeks ago I, Jay Cooper, moved to New York (Manhattan specifically) from Pennsylvania with my step-sister Katrina and her new fiancé. I made friends with a girl who turned out to be a satyr, who then rescued me from my weirdo principal, who was really a monster with one goat leg.
Now I'm here at Camp Half-Blood, a camp for kids who are, as the name says, half-blood. Half what you ask? Why half Greek god, of course! What else would they be? And you know what? They tell me that I am also a half-blood. Unfortunately, no one knows who my dad is (my godly parent).
Apparently, a couple of years ago, a half-blood by the name of Percy Jackson (I've only talked to him for maybe about ten minutes, but he seems like a pretty cool guy) made the gods promise to claim their children by the time they turn thirteen. I am fourteen and unclaimed.
So yeah, nobody knows who my dad is (not counting my mother because she passed away a few years ago) except for Zephyrus, God of the West Wind. He paid me a visit about my dad, but honestly, I didn't think he was much help.
'So now what do I do?' I wondered.
I was seated on a log under a tree, picking at a piece of loose bark near my knee. Zephyrus had said my father was scared to claim me. Why? And how could he be scared of anything? He was a god!
'I wonder what's horrible enough to make a god afraid' I wondered.
"There you are."
I looked to see Nico di Angelo (son of Hades) staring at me with something like a scowl on his face. It was kind of funny actually. His lips were all thin with the corners pointed slightly downward, eyebrows furrowed into almost a V shape over his dark eyes. I wondered if mine did that when I frowned. Oh, wait, he's talking.
"Huh? Sorry, what?" I asked, stupidly.
He sighed and I mentally cursed my ADHD.
"I asked you why you left. You were supposed to be watching." he said.
"Oh, right, sorry. I got bored." I couldn't help the sheepish smile that came to my face.
Nico sighed again, the V between his eyebrows growing more prominent. I tried hard to focus on his words.
"You can't just walk away in the middle of a fight if you get bored." he said irritably, "Monsters won't hesitate to attack you from behind."
This time I frowned. "But you and Percy were fighting, not me."
Nico rolled his eyes. "That's not the point. I wanted you to watch so you could get an idea of what to do."
I blinked. "Oh. Well, you should have said something."
Nico dropped his head in defeat, shoulders hunched. I wasn't sure, but I thought I heard him mumble something like "…this girl…"
"Sorry Nico." I shrugged, "I'll try my best. I promise."
"Let's just get back. Dinners at six and capture the flag is right after, so we only have a few hours to teach you how to defend yourself." he said, turning back toward the circle.
"I thought you said no one would go hard on me." I quipped, trotting after him.
"Well, maybe. There's still a chance you could get maimed."
"…What?"
Turns out my best sucked. I kept flinching and ducking and stumbling over my own feet. The sword was heavy, and my hands started to sweat, making it difficult to keep a grip on the leather wrapped hilt, so of course Percy easily disarmed me. Nico knocked me on my back so often I was sure it was going to have long-lasting effects. Although the campers on the sidelines thought it was pretty funny, so I guess I was glad to be a form of entertainment. And if you didn't catch the sarcasm in that last sentence, there is something wrong with you.
Thankfully, my salvation came in the form of a very angry looking daughter of Athena.
"Nico di Angelo, why weren't you in class this morning?" Annabeth demanded angrily.
Nico visibly winced. I couldn't really blame him. Annabeth's grey eyes were blazing. It looked like any moment Nico might go up in flames. Although he did keep knocking me down, so maybe I shouldn't have felt as bad for him as I did.
"Capture the flag is tonight. I thought Jay should be trained a little." he said, motioning toward me.
Annabeth glanced at me, eyes fierce, and I stiffened where I was, sitting in the dirt. She then turned back to Nico and I relaxed.
"That's no excuse!" she bristled, "There's plenty of people in the arena who could have taught her. You should have come to class!"
Nico was looking more and more nervous each second, his pale cheeks slightly pink. Wither that was from exertion or embarrassment, I couldn't tell. I was going to go with the second one, since he didn't seem to be exerting much effort while practically beating me into the ground.
Percy stepped up then, hands raised in a peacekeeping gesture. He was smiling, but his green eyes looked weary.
"C'mon, Annabeth. Nico was just trying to help out. It's not like he ditches' class all the time."
Annabeth's eyes zeroed in on him and he paled, actually shrinking back a bit.
"Unlike you." she said tightly.
"Err, well, uh…" Percy floundered, "Right, sorry."
Just as she opened her mouth the conch shell sounded for lunch, making it sound like she was making the call. She quickly closed her mouth and blushed at the few snickers that were going around the circle. Then she spun on her heel and stormed off with any angry huff, ponytail swinging. Both Nico and Percy visibly relaxed.
"We're not dead." Percy breathed one hand on his heart.
"We were close. I thought I heard buzzing." Nico replayed, bending over with his hands on his knees.
"I thought you said you weren't scared of Annabeth."
"I'm not."
"You're a big liar."
"Shut up, chum for brains."
"Hey." I called, getting the two boys attention. "Is she always like that?" I asked, brushing the dirt off the back of my jeans as I stood.
"Yeah, pretty much." Percy said, "Annabeth's mom is Athena, so she's always been kind of serious about education."
I nodded in understanding. Annabeth probably would have got along really well with my mother. Mom had always said how important school was.
"Let's go get some lunch." Nico said, sheathing his sword. "I'm starving."
Lunch was eventful. I had to endure Conner and Travis's stupid nicknames for me, up until some random Hermes camper decided it would be fun to start a small table centered food fight. Somehow, I got the feeling they were trying to cheer me up about last night. If it wasn't for the mac and cheese that got stuck in my hair, it might have worked.
Mostly though, I just spent it thinking about my dad. I think I might have thought about him more in the past two days then I had in my whole life. I had asked about him a few times of course, but Mom never liked to talk about him. She always got such a heartbroken look on her face; I just couldn't bring myself to ask for more information on him.
Maybe on some level, I didn't even want to know who he was. I admit, whenever I thought about how great my mom had been and how obviously she had loved him, and then he just up and left her…it made my blood boil. But then, if I did find out who he was, then I could give him a piece of my mind. I could vent, because when I got right down to it, I was angry with him. Mom had not deserved to have her heart broken. I didn't think anyone did, really. Except maybe my father.
The next hour after lunch was not fun at all. I got my butt handed to me so many times I probably wouldn't be able to sit properly for a week. But once again, my salvation came in the form of a daughter of Athena. And this time she brought her brother.
"Yo, Jay." Tanner lifted his hand in a friendly greeting as they walked into our training circle.
When I was too winded to respond, the friendly smile dropped and he looked at me with concern.
"Are you alright? Here, come sit down."
He ushered me over to a log on the outside of the circle and I sat, putting my head between my knees, taking in gulpfulls' of air.
"What's wrong with you two?" he demanded of Nico and Percy, who were watching, "You're pushing her way too hard."
Before they could respond I reached up and tugged his sleeve, causing him to look at me.
"No, they're not." I breathed, "I'm just out of shape. Plus, this armor is really heavy." I said, tugging on one of the leather straps on my shoulders.
Annabeth spoke up then. "Even so, you both have other responsibilities right now. You can't spend all day practicing."
I noticed she seemed much calmer then she did before lunch. Maybe Annabeth was one of those people who needed to eat or they would get crabby. I'd have to remember that.
"We were just trying to help her out. It's her first time playing, and she doesn't know how to defend herself." Percy said.
"It's nice that you're trying to help Jay train, but I can't help but think that maybe you two are just using her as an excuse to skip out on your duties for today." Tanner said, glaring at the two boys, who flinched.
Annabeth folded her arms with a huff. "Both of you two have things to do before the game tonight. Percy, you're supposed to be giving pegasus riding lessons today."
"Well, yeah, but-"
"And Nico," she said, cutting her boyfriend off, "You have a Greek lesson to make up." She said sternly.
Watching the three of them, I couldn't help but think how much they looked like a little family. Annabeth was the mom, scolding her two children, Nico and Percy. I had to muffle a giggle.
"Don't worry guys." Tanner patted me on the back lightly. "I'll take care of her."
I noticed Nico didn't look particularly thrilled (probably the thought of doing homework), but Percy just sighed, giving in. As they left, I looked up at Tanner, who smiled.
"So now what?" I asked.
"Why don't we just relax until dinner?" he said, "You look like you've been working pretty hard."
It was true. My butt and back were sore and my fingers bruised. My face felt sticky and gross, my bangs pasted to my forehead. I was sure I looked a mess.
"Here, let's get that armor off of you." Tanner said, pulling me to my feet.
He started to unknot the leather straps with nimble fingers. As the bulky chest plate got looser and looser, he spoke.
"Oh, yeah, Chiron said all your stuff came today. We put it all in the Hermes cabin."
"Ah…" I groaned, a wave of fear washing over me at the thought of all my clothes and personal stuff within Hermes territory, unprotected.
Tanner seemed to have caught my horror filled expression because he smiled.
"Don't worry. I told them if they took anything from you, Athena would not be merciful tonight. Or Annabeth." he chuckled.
"Oh, um, thanks." I said, wondering if everyone was afraid of the blonde-headed daughter of Athena.
The armor finally fell away and I stretched, grateful to feel the cool air though my shirt.
"So now what do we do?" I asked, stretching my arms.
Tanner shrugged his hands now in his pockets. He looked kind of like a male model standing there, kind of aloof and looking at ease. In the back of my mind, I wondered if he had a girlfriend.
"Why don't we just walk around for a bit? You should stretch out your muscles."
"Alright then."
The day was starting to come to an end. The sun was lowering, casting warm shadows over everything and everyone. It made the camp look welcoming and cozy. Satyr's were playing their pipes over by the strawberry fields or sitting against trees, chatting with the campers. I saw a few chasing a nymph through the trees, until she changed into one, causing them to crash into her trunk. I laughed.
"So what do you think of camp so far?" Tanner asked.
"Well, besides the fact that I nearly got eaten by a mutant bird last night and everything else, it seems nice. I could have done without the exercise, though." I said, watching as a few campers climbed the lava wall.
Tanner chuckled, then instantly broke off, like he had just realized something really important. He stopped right in the middle of the path so suddenly I took a few steps before I realized he wasn't beside me. I looked back at him curiously.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He frowned, but he wasn't as distracting as Nico.
"What do you mean you almost got eaten by a bird?" he asked sternly.
"Uh, well…" I stuttered.
He was looking at me so intently; it made his eyes look like liquid metal. No wonder Nico and Percy were so scared of Annabeth. Grey eyes were scary. Like a really nasty looking storm coming right at you.
"I went to the Big House last night to call my sister. On my way back to the cabin one of the harpies attacked me." I explained, swallowing.
His gray eyes instantly took on a look of alarm.
"What happened? Are you injured?"
His concern made my stomach flutter a little bit, causing me to look away as I answered.
"No, I'm fine. Nico, uh, well, I guess he kind of saved me." I said, feeling my face heat up in embarrassment.
"He saved you?" his voice held a twinge of disbelief.
"Yeah. I guess he can control shadows or something. He had them pull me away." I left out the part about me throwing up afterwards.
Even though it had happened, and I knew Tanner would believe me, I still felt a little crazy saying something like that out loud. I guess I still wasn't use to everything around here.
"I see." Tanner said, "What was he doing out?"
"Um, I don't know." I said, turning back to the path.
It didn't feel right to me to tell Tanner that Nico had been out talking to the dead. Not only would I still feel crazy saying something like that, but it also felt like I would also be betraying Nico's trust if I blurted something like that out. I mean, it wasn't as if he had asked me to keep it a secret, but I felt like I should keep it to myself. The fact that Nico talked to ghosts, had conversations with them, felt strangely private.
"Oh well, that kid has always been a little bit…err…strange is the word, I guess." Tanner said, following behind me.
"How?" I asked.
"Well, you know his father is Hades, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, he told me that."
"Hades is sort of the outcast of the gods." Tanner explained seriously, "Because he's the god of death, he's not welcome. Since Nico is his son, it's kind of the same with him. Don't get me wrong, the kid was awesome in the war, but a lot of campers tend to keep their distance from him. He doesn't tend to go out of his way to make friends, either. Actually, the only ones I've seen him really hang out with are Percy and Annabeth. That's why I was so surprised to see you with him this morning."
"Yeah, he came to get me." I said, "I like him. Nico seems like a good guy. I mean, he kept me from being eaten. That counts for something, right? He does seem a little lonely, though."
I had only known him for a day, but in the time I had spent with Nico, he had seemed lonely. He was sort of stand-offish, there, but in the background. He was a bit like me in that respect, but he seemed to have a more intense aura then I did. Like, just beneath the surface there was something waiting to burst out. Maybe it was part of being a child of Hades.
I looked over at Tanner, only to see him staring at me with intense eyes again. It was uncomfortable. I felt like his gray eyes were analyzing me, trying to figure out how I worked. He was staring at me like I was a puzzle he wanted to solve, or a blueprint he couldn't understand. It was really unnerving.
But then he smiled and the moment was gone.
"You're a nice girl, Jay. We should hang out again."
"Mm." I murmured, turning away, "Thanks, I guess."
The air in the dining pavilion that evening was tense. Everyone was just buzzing with excitement over the nearing game. I was getting excited myself, what with all the hype about it. I was nervous too, but it was the good kind of nervous, like how you feel before you go on a huge, scary looking rollercoaster. I loved rollercoasters.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Chiron stomped his hoof loudly against the stone floor, gaining everyone's attention.
"Heroes!" he announced, "We will be beginning in just a few moments!"
In response, a wave of cheers went up, a few kids banging fists and goblets against their tables. Chiron stomped his hoof again, raising his hands in a gesture of quiet.
"Before we began, I must go over the rules as always. The creek is our boundary line. Your banner must be clearly displayed, with no more than two guards. Traps and magical items are allowed, but hostage taking, killing, and maiming are strictly prohibited. As always, I will serve as referee. Now arm yourselves!"
Chiron waved his hand and suddenly a whole range of weapons and armor lined the main table. Everyone made a mad dash for it, causing Mr.D, who had looked like he had been falling asleep, fall over backwards in his chair with a yelp.
After a bit of a struggle, I was able to find myself a chest plate and sword that fit. One of the older Hermes campers offered me a shield, but I told him he could have it. There was no way I was going to lug that thing on my arm.
Finally, we were ready. As we marched toward the forest with all our weapons and horse head plume helmets (mine was red), I'm sure we looked like a small army heading for battle. We were certainly making enough noise.
In the crowd, I tried to spot anyone I knew, but it was too dark to see anyone specific. I was pushed and shoved along, stumbling, only being able to feel and hear the others around me.
Suddenly, someone hit me from behind with such force I pitched forward. I let out a sound like a duck and stumbled on my feet, only to be yanked back roughly by my armor straps. I was probably going to have bruises later.
"Whoa, girl! Didn't think you would go flying like that! You're so scrawny!" Clarisse laughed loudly in my ear, steading me. She then smacked me on the back again.
Before I could respond (not that I could, she had nearly knocked the wind out of me), she started to speak again.
"Gotta job for you, girl!" she grinned, "I'm putting you on border patrol. If someone tries to cross our lines, you knock 'em down like you did with Ruth, you got it?" she asked, peering inside my helmet (which was to big on me) and into my eyes.
"Erm, yeah sure. Knock 'em down. Right." I grumbled, pushing my helmet up.
Clarisse laughed. "Good girl! You'll do fine!" Then she disappeared into the crowd.
About five minutes later, I found myself standing along the edge of a small grove of trees in the dark. I've never been afraid of the dark, but even with dozens of campers armed with bronze weapons hiding out here, it was eerily quiet. It put me a little on edge, and a few times I jumped when I heard any kind of noise. How it could be so quiet as everyone got into position was beyond me. I guess they really took this game seriously.
The air was cool and crisp, with a light breeze blowing through. I absentmindedly wondered if it was because of Zephyrus. My thoughts started to drift here and there, wondering about Katrina, school, Michael, if they were going to get a dog like I had wanted, and other little meaningless things. So when a twig snapped to my left, I nearly jumped out of my armor.
I whirled around, sword at the ready, my heart pounding in my chest. I squinted my eyes in the darkness, but didn't see a thing.
"Who's there?" I called, "Hello?" I tried to sound brave, but my voice quivered a bit.
There was no answer, of course. I strained my ears for any sound, but the only thing I could hear was the ringing sound of silence around me. I could hear a few weapons clanging together a bit farther down the edge of the wood, along with a few campers yelling, but other than that, nothing. I mentally thanked Clarisse; I wasn't in the middle of the fighting where she had placed me here. I lowered my sword and relaxed.
I know I complained about it a lot, but looking back on it, I was never more glad I was wearing that armor. If I hadn't been, my back would have looked like raw hamburger meat. As it was, Ruth hit me so hard from behind she must have cracked two of my ribs.
I went sprawling face first into the moss under my feet, every bit of oxygen in my lungs gone. My chest was screaming in pain, a circular part right in the center of my back numb. I was sure I could taste blood.
"Get up, girly girl." Ruth's voice floated to me in the darkness, simmering with anger, "I've got something to settle with you."
Somehow, I was able to roll onto my back and look up at her. She stood over me, her brown eyes blazing. In her left hand, she held a mace. It was white, the spikes on it crackling with sparking electricity. No wonder my back was numb.
Now, it might be completely stupid (it was) but the first thought that crossed my mind when I saw her with it was that she reminded me of Hawk-girl from the Justice League. Until she took a step toward me.
"Stand up!" she demanded, raising her mace.
I scrambled back, scraping my hands as I scrambled away from her. To my horror, my back hit the trunk of a tree, keeping me from getting away. I stared at her with wide eyes, voice frozen.
She swung the mace like a baseball bat, aiming at my head. I don't think I've ever felt such an adrenaline rush in my life as I rolled out of the way. I moved so fast, I'm sure I felt a rush of wind blow past me. Ruth's mace slammed into the tree's trunk, splintering the wood. I was pretty sure I heard the nymph who lived in it scream.
I turned and ran, Ruth thundering after me and screaming that I was a coward. So what? She was going to kill me! She nearly did; I'm pretty sure that fist blow damaged my lungs. It seemed like I couldn't get enough air.
I stumbled (the gods must hate me) and fell on my hands and knees into the creek. The water was cool, but I didn't feel it. I felt more than saw Ruth come up behind me and raise her mace again. I could hear the electricity crackle, smell the ozone, making me gag.
"You're done, girlie girl."
Somebody! Please help me!
I turned, watching as Ruth brought the mace down towards my head. It seemed like she was moving in slow motion, giving me a perfect view of her angry eyes. They were filled with hate and anger, a desire to really kill me. It was terrifying.
DAD!
A powerful wind blew, and I closed my eyes, bracing myself.
Even now, I'm not sure what happened exactly. All I knew was that my hands and arms moved on their own, raising upward, my hands closing around something that wasn't there before. When I opened my eyes, I saw what looked like a bow in my hands. It felt warm and comforting in my hands, like it was made for them. It was locked directly under the head of Ruth's mace, holding the sizzling weapon at bay. How it got into my hands, I had no idea. Ruth looked just as puzzled. Her eyes narrowed.
"Where did you get that?" she growled. "You didn't have a bow before."
I didn't bother responding. Somehow, I was able to shove her away from me, and then I was running again, bow in hand. Only this time, instead of stumbling, I ran into a tree. The nymph who lived there stuck her head out of the bark and snickered at me. Before I could say anything, she looked over my shoulder and screamed, disappearing back into her home. I ducked, and Ruth's mace smacked into the trunk right where my head had been. I ran to the other side and scrambled up, never more thankful in my life for not listening to Katrina and learning how to climb trees.
"Come down here, you little coward!" Ruth screamed, drawing the attention of some nearby campers.
"Yeah, that'll happen!" I called back. Apparently my voice was back.
Ruth screamed, and slammed her mace into the tree, making the whole thing shake. I gasped, grabbing onto a nearby branch to steady myself, and hissed when something sharp cut my palm. I looked down.
An arrow was tangled in some flimsy branches, and I didn't even think as I moved. I snatched it up, notched it in my bow (I just knew it was mine, even though I had never used a bow in my life), pointed it at Ruth, and let it fly.
I didn't even aim, but somehow it hit Ruth right smack in the middle of her helmet covered forehead with a loud clang. She went down like a ton of bricks, out like a light.
It was quiet again, the game over. I sat in the tree, breathing hard, ignoring the sharp pains in my chest and back. Shaking, I slowly climbed down, nearly collapsing when my feet touched the ground. If it hadn't been for Tanner and Nico catching me, I would have.
"What happened?" Tanner asked, eyes wide in shock, looking from me to Ruth. "We saw her attacking the tree, but didn't know you were in there. Did you shoot that arrow, Jay?"
"That was a bloody good shot!" someone yelled out in approval.
Nico's eyes were only on me. "Jay? Are you alright?"
I looked around, seeing what looked like the entire camp surrounding us, staring at me and the unconscious Ruth, who lay crumpled on the ground. I noticed some Athena kid holding the Ares flag. My team lost.
"What happened here?"
Everyone turned as Chiron galloped forward, parting as he made his way toward us, Percy and Annabeth close behind. When she saw me, Annabeth's eyes widened and she gasped, running forward. She didn't seem concerned about Ruth, not even glancing at her as she came over to me.
"Oh my gods, Jay! You're bleeding! What happened?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came. I couldn't form a thought, much less words that made sense. I lowered my head, feeling queasy.
"I think she's in shock." Tanner's voice spoke in my ear.
"I saw it!" a squeaky voice spoke up behind me. "That girl there attacked her! She attacked my tree! Look what she did!"
"Yes, thank you, Ash." Chiron said, kneeling to check on Ruth.
"Hey, look!" someone shouted.
I felt a warm glow above my head and glanced up. The campers around us started to murmur, the crowd shifting around to get a better look. If I hadn't felt so sick, I might have gasped. It was the prettiest thing ever.
It was a heart. It had tiny white wings that fluttered, changing colors as it hovered around my head. All the colors of the rainbow flashed across it, and even some I didn't know the names for. It was warm, like a tiny sun, and as it shined on me, a wave of calmness washed over me. I felt like I was floating, my eyelids suddenly feeling very heavy.
"That's the mark of Eros! The god of love!" a girl in the crowd squealed.
"Well at least now we know why you sucked so badly at swordplay." Nico said next to me.
"Jay, are you alright?" Tanner asked worriedly, "You look like you're going to throw up."
I didn't throw up, but I did do something just as bad. I fainted. Again.
Ruth is not as cool as Hawk-girl. And Ash is the name of the nymph that lives in the tree that saved Jay's life.
So what did you think? Did it make up for not updating in forever? That was actually the first action-y scene I think I've ever written, so I hope it turned out alright.
I'm thinking I'm going to start responding to my reviews. You guys are great for giving them, so I should thank you for them, shouldn't I? And not just in a author's note, ya know?
So go ahead and hit that little button there that says 'review', and hopefully we'll see each other soon!