Despite our suspicions at the truth in the old man's words, they were quickly rendered moot by the first explosion.
"What was-" One of the campers said, before another explosion rocked the building. A camper at the window suddenly cried out in alarm.
"They're attacking the cabins!" Immediately, I was on my feet, Riptide in my hand. Campers were streaming out the cabin, screaming battle cries and raising their weapons.
Before I could follow them, Annabeth tackled me to the ground. I struggled against her grip.
"Let-me-go!" Annabeth only held on tighter.
"Calm down Percy-" Suddenly, I hear multiple cracks. Screams of horror and pain vibrate through the room. "What was-"
"No!" Chiron roared, anger evident on his face. Grabbing his bow and arrows, he rushed out the door.
I heard another round of cracks. This time however, instead of screams, I hear moans of agony.
"It-it hurts!"
"Ple-please stop!"
"I-I don't want to die! Please don-"
Another crack follows, and the moans go silent. From outside, I hear a voice I don't recognize.
"My liege, we've eliminated all enemy combatants. Within buildings three through eight however, we found a number of non-combatants. What should we do with them?"
"Eliminate them." A second voice said. It was devoid of emotion, yet at the same time ridiculous charisma radiated from it. "Any enemies of ours, combatant or not, will be treated the same."
"Understood my liege! It will be done!"
Neither Annabeth nor me thought about our actions. All we knew was that whoever gave that order had to die. As we burst through the door, Riptide and Annabeth's knife both slashed at the man standing outside.
Suddenly, I felt my blade hit something. A powerful vibration travelled through my arms, nearly making me drop my sword. Next to me, I could see Annabeth wince as a similar effect ran through her arms.
"Hmm. Some of them survived." The emotionless voice spoke. Suddenly, I felt myself flying in the air.
As I landed on the ground, Annabeth landed on top of me, knocking the wind out of my lungs.
"Sorry Per-"
"Look out!" I cried, grabbing Annabeth and rolling to the side. A shadow had alerted me to an attack. Just as we rolled out of the way, a sword stabbed the ground where my head had just been.
"You two are not without skill." The voice said. "But is running truly all you can do?"
My answer was to quickly stand up and swing Riptide at him. The possessor of the voice effortlessly parried my strike, sending another fierce vibration through my arm.
"Much better." The voice said, sounding content. "A warrior should never run from a battle."
I looked my opponent in the eye. This was the first time I had gotten a good look at him.
If you had asked me, I would have said he was one of Apollo's kids. Handsome, with perfect white teeth and beautiful eyes, he wouldn't have looked out of place as an Abercrombie Mode. Unlike Apollo's kids however, this man's eyes were full of violence. Instead of a flirty smile, it was one of bloodlust.
With the appearance of Apollo and the presence of Ares, there was only one word that came to my head when I saw him.
Warlord.
"Nice to meet you." The man said, smiling at me. In his right hand, he held a two-handed claymore. His left hand was in his pocket. "My name is Michael. What's yours, Demigod?"
Finally we have some action on Percy's side! Michael has finally made an appearance, and there is an actual description of what he looks like! Look forward to the (chapter after next) for the continuation of Percy and Michael's meeting.
Review and favorite if you enjoyed it.
Daemon