Chapter Nine: I Become the Sword Champion of Awesomeness
From the moment I opened my eyes I knew something was off.
Call it my spider sense if you will, but I have a sixth sense when something strange is going on or is about to. It's this sense that has helped me sense monsters from the get go. I wonder if it's a gift I have on my own or maybe it's because I'm a demigod? Too many questions for this early in the morning. I am so not a morning person. Ever. End of story.
I sat up from the bunk I managed to clean off the night before. As this cabin is always full there was only one bunk left and kept on it was all the loot the Hermes kids 'acquired'. Like I didn't know what that meant when Connor told me. The stuff itself was mostly from the camp store as it was the only store around for miles. There were also things what I can assume are from other cabins such as nice jewelry (Aphrodite cabin), various maps and blueprints (Athena cabin), and even a red shield with a hawk symbol (Ares cabin). Must have been an 'A' day for them. All of that stuff was taken to be hidden away as I claimed this bunk for my own, if only temporarily. This place wasn't so bad once you got past the number of kids and the noise problem. I might even be able to enjoy my stay here.
As I was thinking about the possibilities the little girl from yesterday, Miley, jumped from the bunk above mine. So much energy for a little kid. But from the short time I spent with her last night, she was kind of growing on me.
"Sarah! Good morning! Ready for breakfast?"
I groaned inwardly, but put a smile on my face for her. I was really not looking forward to facing Mr. D again. On the other hand I doubted there was anyway to avoid it, I had to eat sometime.
"Sure why not?" I looked around for Travis or Connor to find them gone. Along with everyone else. "Where did the others go?"
"Oh, they already went ahead. I said that I would wait for you to wake up and take you to the dining area myself."
"Why didn't you just wake me?"
"Dude,you sleep like the dead." she giggled. She leaped back up to her bunk to come back down a moment later.
"These are for you." Miley handed me a tot bag, inside was filled with a couple pairs of shorts and more than a few t-shirts in various colors.
It just dawned on me that I had brought absolutely nothing to camp, unlike Gwen, who knew she was staying.
"Thank you,where did you get these?" I asked as I walked over to the bathroom to change.
"Percy told us you might need some clothes until you write home and have some sent. So me and Hayden went out and acquired these." she said smoothly.
With someone with such big innocent eyes she sure could lie through her teeth. Half guilty I had caused her to steal and half impressed she did it so well I finished changing into a pair of black workout shorts and a purple tank top. Luckily my converses match everything. I stepped out and she smiled.
"Perfect fit."
"Then let's go,I'm starving and lunch isn't for hours." Miley said as she slid a small sword into her belt. Weird.
We left the cabin to find an eerily quiet atmosphere surrounding the other cabins. I like it, but at the same time I didn't. For some reason that I can't explain, the deafening tone of silence makes me uneasy. I mean, in a place that is supposed to be filled with kids this silence is unnatural.
"So what do you guys do all day long? In between meals I mean." I asked. I knew that they trained at some point.
"We have classes with the rest of the people in our cabin. Archery, sword fighting, canoeing, obstacle courses, you know the usual. And sometimes we have chariot races and we play capture the flag."
"Capture the flag? Doesn't seem that exciting."
"Well we treat it as war. There can be some bad wounds and injuries, depends what cabins you get on your team."
"So what people do you need to have to win?"
"Well it's good if you can get at least one of the big three cabins, but Zeus's cabin is empty because his only kid ran off with the Hunters of Artemis. And I guess you can count the Hades cabin out too because his only son is hardly ever around. Basically you want Percy and the Athena cabin. They almost always win because they know how to plan strategies. But you always want to never be against the Ares cabin, they are monsters when it comes to winning. And you especially don't want to go against-"
"EVANS!"
I turned around to see who had yelled. Storming towards us was a tall muscular girl. Her hair was in a ponytail and her face was contorted with anger. She resembled a very pissed off bull.
"Clarisse." Miley finished.
The girl, apparently Clarisse, stopped in front us us, her eyes narrowed at Miley. This was what my spider sense had warned me about.
"What can I do for you Clarisse? I'm a little busy at the moment." Miley said as if Clarisse's anger was nothing to be concerned about. I thought differently as she looked like she was about to punch the four foot nothing Miley.
Clarisse's face redden even more.
"I know you took it!You and your thieving boyfriend took it and I want it back!NOW!"
"What ever are you talking about?" Miley said in a sweet voice.
"My shield! My favorite shield that my dad gave me. I know you have it!"
Miley's eyes widened in mock shock. "You think that I stole your shield? How could you even think that that? I am highly offended."
Man this girl was going to end up in the hospital if I didn't step in soon.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size instead of threatening a kid?" I stood in between the two girls.
Clarisse looked me up and down and gave me a sarcastic smile. "And what are you going to do about it if I don't newbie?" she shoved me back. Oh. Hell. No.
I pulled my fist back and let it fly into her face.
Bam!
As my fist made contact with her nose I heard it break. Then I saw the blood. Clarisse staggered back with her hand holding her face. She looked up at me. For a second I saw surprise in her eyes, but it left as quickly as it came to be replaced with unholy fury.
"You'll pay for that!" she yelled as she pulled her sword from it's holder.
What is it with everyone carrying around a sword? I thought as she lunged at me.
I managed to side step her and give the back of her knee a good jab with my foot as she passed me. It made her fall, but only for a second. Luckily that was all the time I needed.
"Sarah catch!" I heard Miley shout from behind me.
I didn't even think, I just moved. I spun around and threw my hand out to catch whatever she threw me. My hand caught the hilt of Miley's sword and my body knew what to do, just like it always did when I was fighting monsters. I raised it up and swung my body back in the other direction. Just in time to stop Clarisse's sword from making contact with my body. Before she could process that I had indeed blocked her I lashed out with my leg again and knocked her back. In mo time at all I lunged at her and swooped my sword in an upward arch. The tip of the blade skimmed the ground before rising. I hit Clarisse's hilt and sent her sword flying high into the air. It landed about fifteen feet away, but I wasn't done yet.
I pointed my sword at her throat. "Don't mess with her again. Next time you want to pick a fight, you come see me. Got it?"
Clarisse stared at me, probably wondering whether she was going to continue to fight a hopeless battle or to fight another day.
"What's your name?" she asked, her glare would have killed any normal person.
"Sarah Kenneth, daughter of Sarah Kenneth and current resident of the Hermes cabin."
She straightened up and started to back away.
"Well Kenneth, next time you won't be so lucky. You have made a big mistake. Making an enemy of the Area cabin wasn't very smart."
She walked over to her sword and with one last withering glare walked off . I lowered the sword which I hadn't realized was still raised in defense.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Miley exclaimed as she jumped up and down. "You beat one of the toughest girls here on your first day and don't even get a scratch! I bet you could hold your own against Percy even! Two sword champions going head to head!"
"Yeah well, I've had practice." But never with a real sword, just a kitchen knife.
Looking down to the small sword noticing for the first time how light it was;mind you it is for a nine year old. But still, it felt...sort of right holding it, using it.
Shaking my head to get rid of those thoughts I hand it back to Miley who sticks it back into her belt.
"Now we really should be going, breakfast is going to be over by the time we get there at this rate." she said as we took off again.
I could hear the sound of other kids and felt my stomach growl at the smell of food. But before we got there I remembered something. In that whole argument between Miley and Clarisse, Miley never actually denied having taken the shield. The same shield I guess that was sitting on my bunk last night.
