Sorry it's been so long since I posted a chapter. I've had a hectic summer, to say the least.

Also, someone mentioned the lack or googly-eyed romance in their review. Just so you guys know, I may or may not have any romance in this story at all, so let me know how you all are feeling as the story goes on (keeping in mind that I'm a pretty big Percabeth shipper (; (;). Your feedback is really appreciated. With that being said, I draw the line at a couple of kids still wet behind the ears falling hopelessly in love with eachother, even if my OC is technically around sixteen.

Chapter 11

"I'm going to die," I whispered to myself as my ribcage struggled to contain my heart. Fortunately, it had the help of a huge metal breastplate, so its panic was pretty much contained. My fingers tugged on a loose strap on the ancient shin guards (give me a break. How was I supposed to know what they were called?) and I decided that I would wear armor as little as possible from now on.

Speaking honestly, I couldn't have been more displeased with the fact that it was time to play capture the flag. I had somehow convinced myself that I was fine with it the day before, but the more I thought about it, the more anxious I got. I mean, the woods were stocked with monsters that could attack us and we had the Ares cabin and their allies on top of that. We were also using real weapons, which for some reason didn't strike me as a good idea. I mean, I realized that wooden swords wouldn't do the job because the material was so different that it wouldn't really prepare us for a real fight with real weapons, but seriously? I was willing to bet that people had died playing these crazy games.

Not only that, but walking around in the armor was a real pain. The stuff that covered my torso wasn't nearly as bad as what I'd imagined. For some reason, I'd given myself the idea that it would be suffocating, like a corset. And if you have the image of breast armor running through your head right now, get rid of it. Girls wear almost exactly the same armor that guys do. Sure, there was a little extra space around my chest area, but it was still one smooth piece, not showy boob plates. This wasn't dressup - it was battle. But what really bothered me was the shin guard thingies and how they felt on my knees when I walked. Also, every time they rubbed against the tops of my sneakers, it was such a weird feeling that it sent a chill up my spine, sort of like when my socks rub together.

I also had a sword that Malcomb from the Athena cabin had brought to me. It wasn't perfect but it was a lot better than my training sword. It was Celestial Bronze so it sort of glowed the way they all did, so I was pretty glad to have a leather sheath to put it in. The light coming off of the blade would probably compromise me no matter what position I was ordered into. It was a heavy weight on the right side of my waist and hung along my left leg and hip. The helmet was a considerable weight as well. I felt as though my neck might well give out under the pressure of supporting my helmet-leaden head. Overall, I was pretty sure that I had just doubled in bulk. This is definitely going to take some getting used to…

I could see Annabeth talking with Percy a few yards away. Oddly enough, I'd barely talked with her at all. Probably because she didn't think I was the one. "Luke said this is for you," I heard somebody say, though I couldn't see them behind the massive shield they were holding. My mouth went dry. Am I seriously supposed to lug that around? I grabbed the thing by the top and turned it around so I could hold it properly. The thing probably had more surface area than my entire armored body, and when I lifted it, I almost toppled over. Luckily, my arms had always been strong, even when I was a lazy watcher of Netflix. At least my forearm didn't fail me. Since I held my shield with my left hand and it was a way bigger weight than the pull of the sword on my right side, I now felt unbalanced in an entirely different manner. Awesome.

"Amara," Luke called, and I turned slowly so that I didn't fall and get crushed from my armor. He smiled at me as genuinely as anybody ever had. "I want you to stick around the woods behind Percy and stop any red team member that gets past him. Try to keep yourself hidden." I swallowed. Great. Of course, I'd get put around Percy. Looks like I'm in for a world of pain.

"Yessir," I answered with all of my normal formality. He got that same smug look he always did for a moment.

And then it was gone. "Remember, Amara," he said as he turned his back, "the woods are stocked."

Maybe it's not as creepy to you as readers as it was to me when it happened, but I felt like every hair on my body was suddenly on end. Was it a threat? A warning? Whatever it was, it successfully reminded me that the Ares kids weren't my only enemies right now. I knew I'd be on high alert throughout the entire game simply because of that single comment. With a sharp inhale, I faced the woods, and as the conch signaled the start of the game, I followed Percy along the creek.

For a way, I stayed directly behind him, even taking care to stay in the footprints he'd left in the muddy bank. But I saw him slowing and turned into the woods, following him as quietly as I could manage with the bulk of my shield and armor. Even walking the way my dad always taught me, I could still make out my own quiet footsteps. The foliage probably kept the ground from drying completely from whenever it was actually allowed to rain in camp, and every time I lifted my foot, the damp earth made a nearly inaudible popping noise. It was unbearably hot, especially with all of my equipment.

I stopped shortly after Percy did. He was in front of me and to my left with about fifteen yards' distance between us, so he hopefully wouldn't be bothered by any noises I made. I stopped by the trunk of a tree and, after a moment of inspiration, pushed my shield facedown into the mud to conceal its slight luster, and then I leaned it against the base of the tree. As quietly as I could manage, I climbed it, until I was high enough to make out any clearings within a football field.

Percy was standing peacefully by the creek. A few blue-plumed allies whipped past him. I opened my mouth a little, as I'd heard it helped one's sense of hearing and smell. I could taste old much and fresh air on my tongue. The wind blew a few strands of hair out of my helmet and whistled through the trees. One of the plants nearby must have bloomed flowers, because there was a slight, sweet scent that reminded me of lilies or rose hybrids. It was suddenly covered by a musty, rotten smell, more like fish trimmings left out in the sun than moldy pizza sauce or old fruit. I frowned and scanned the underbrush. I couldn't see anything - so where's that smell coming from?

It wasn't until I noticed a slight chilling of the air and heard a low, rumbling growl that I realized what it was. I winced; the sound seemed to echo throughout my head. Percy was turning wildly at the creek. I clamped my jaw shut and began my descent down the tree. My veins were probably rushing with adrenaline, and even though I hadn't slept in a week, I felt more awake than I had in days. My feet touched the ground and I lifted my shield, hurrying in the direction of the noise and away from the sudden explosion of sound at the creek. I was supposed to be interfering only with those that managed to get behind Percy, and at that moment, there were only two of us. Me…

… And a hellhound straight from the Fields of Punishment.

I didn't remember the growling from the book, but that was probably because it became a pretty inconsequential detail after Percy was mobbed by half of the Ares cabin. It sure wasn't inconsequential now. I unsheathed my sword quietly, though I could hear the quiet sliding as I freed it of its casing. The further I got into the hellhound's territory, the more I noticed. The rotting smell was quieter, and the only sound I could hear was Clarisse and her pig friends splashing about. Even that was gone completely after a few more steps. There were no sounds of life: no crickets; no leaves brushing against limbs and the living as they fell to the damp, mucky forest floor; no breathing. It was a total, disturbing silence.

It was oppressively muggy out, so much so that even the water in the air carried the clear taste of decay as the stench grew stronger. I halted and turned to my right, my left, and behind me. There was nothing but the odor. I followed it a few more steps. How can something so foul have such a pull? I stopped again, having reached a clearing, and my breath caught.

The hellhound had to be the most unobservant thing I'd ever seen. Thanks to my effort for silence, it had taken me probably a minute to thirty feet through the woods. To my credit, I couldn't see through trees. But it should have smelled me and it didn't. The dog, vast in its size, just continued its slow advance on its prey. Percy.

The hellhound wasn't key to Percy getting claimed and having his quest. His identity was realized before then, when the water helped him to recover from Clarisse's attack. I knew that if I killed that hellhound, nothing would really change. And it would be a good chance to gauge my skills with help nearby, just in case. The idea of failure was embarrassing, so I stopped even considering it. This is a good test of skill, period.

I placed the bottom of my shield down so that I still had it at my command but no longer had to support its weight. There was a chance I would need it. Even as the dog crept out of the clearing and through clusters of trees, its image was clear; lithe and skeletal, but somehow more intriguing than terrifying. Possibly because it was apparently too stupid to notice me standing there. I picked up my shield and waited until the creature began to pass a group of bushes. My heart was going at it so hard I was sure I'd vomit. I didn't step on a twig or crunch on a leaf or even breathe. In a flash, one of its back legs fell cleanly onto the detrital floor. In another instant, as it fell, my sword suddenly illuminated the light of the forest. I sliced along its belly, nearly losing my balance as my sword caught onto a rib. I fell onto my hand, shield, and knees, sword a foot away on the ground, into a soft, squishy pile of black muck melting into the ground. My adrenaline rush was not yet complete and I pushed on my shield to force myself up.

Lips twisting, I giggled, struggling to lift the remaining paw with my free hand. I'd been trying to disable it, but I moved faster than I imagined possible in my effort to kill. The way things went I needn't have tried.

A crushing force from out of nowhere nearly knocked me into my own sword. For a moment I grappled for it, then finally locked my fingers around the hilt and held my shield over the soft parts of my body. A familiar shadow descended upon me, one not unlike what I had killed mere moments before - except that it apparently wasn't stupid.

I couldn't bring myself to scream.

I raised my shield, intending to get up, but a huge weight settled on it. I gasped as the thick, heavy material gained a circular dent. A claw as long as my finger pierced through it.

You always hear about moms seeing their kids trapped under cars in an accident and then lifting it up without any struggle at all, but there's no way to really grasp the concept. My muscles twinged in protest but I felt almost nothing. My eyes were wide with fear and then anger. I shoved and the hellhound flew almost weightlessly, toppling into a tree and then darting to the creek as I rolled onto my feet. The wind seemed to rush, cold and unfriendly, into my ears, and before I even realized they were moving, my feet came to a sudden stop, the impact shooting through my body with a jolt.

The hellhound was on Percy.

Someone cursed.

Chiron shot it.

I breathed again.

Two of them. There were two of them.

Luke.

And what if there were more? I felt as if my energy would never run out, but it would have been stupid to try to run off from the group with all that chaos going on. They would probably suspect that I summoned the hellhound.

Chiron trotted up to Percy, who now had Annabeth by his side and a torn, bleeding chest. It was gruesome to look at, but I knew his injuries would not remain for very long. By tomorrow morning, he would be in cabin three. In a few days, he wouldn't even be at camp anymore. His injuries would not disable him at all. I probably didn't have as much sympathy for his pain as I should have. Still, I looked away, glancing up at Luke. He was holding the banner. Our cabin would be leading the teams the next time we played, but he wouldn't be a part of it. He looked forlorn and downcast. It probably had something to do with the fact that, once again, he'd been forgotten.

"Di immortales!" cried Annabeth, staring down at Percy with wide, shocked eyes. But they also held some of the curiosity you'd expect from a scientist. From a child of Athena. "That's a hellhound," she said, "from the Fields of Punishment." Correction: was a hellhound. And there would have been two of them. You're welcome. "They don't… they're not supposed to…"

I'd never thought about it before, but hellhounds apparently died in a very different way that other monsters. Not only that, but they were apparently too dangerous to be a part of the 'stocked' woods. I made a mental note to avoid them.

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said, and then, like that wasn't bad enough, added, "Someone inside camp." Luke had hurried over and even tossed the coveted banner aside to help Percy off the ground. The younger boy struggled up, holding his chest but without complaint, staring at the banner on the ground and then at the disappearing body of the hellhound. He almost looked like he was sorry, which made me want to hit him. Be selfish more often, brat.

"It's all Percy's fault!" screamed Clarisse. I rolled my eyes, and a few people looked disgruntled and annoyed. The Ares kids were unpopular anyways, but that was ridiculous. "Percy summoned it!"

I couldn't help myself. I was too high on energy and too pissed to keep my mouth shut. "Are you stupid? Shut up." A few heads turned my direction and Clarisse glared at me, but that was the end of it. I didn't even get scolded by Chiron. Awesome.

There was a long silence, during which most people watched the hellhound corpse sink into the ground. I wondered why nobody else was making a face or had a twitching nose. Didn't they smell it? A smell like hot, decomposing meat? A smell ripe and foul and suffocating? Wasn't it so strong that it slid down their throat in a sour, nasty slime? It was taking my all not to choke.

"You're wounded," Annabeth told Percy. I frowned. I was sure he knew that. And did she really have to do this in front of the entire camp? Couldn't she foresee that it might bring trouble or attention Percy? I loved Annabeth, but for such a clever girl she could be really stupid sometimes. Or maybe it was just insensitivity. "Quick, Percy, get in the water!"

"I'm okay," Percy argued. Maybe his helmet would have hidden his face if it hadn't been knocked out, but he looked openly as if he was dreading something. He already knew that the water would heal him, but he wasn't eager to show it off.

"No you're not," Annabeth snapped. Ah. I see it now. This isn't stupidity or insensitivity. It's selfishness. As far as she was concerned, she'd found the one. Her one. The same special dude she'd been waiting on for years, even if he wasn't exactly what she'd wanted or expected. With Percy, she'd get to go outside. With him, she'd go on her first ever quest. Test all five years of her training. This was the fulfillment of Annabeth's dreams and she was just trying to speed things up a little. "Chiron, watch this."

Percy looked resigned and took a slow step into the left. The last piece of his armor, which somehow managed to stick, fell uselessly to the ground. As the campers began to close in on him, I fought my way to the front. I gawked at him like he was some kind of freak show, but it was freaky, even though I'd known it was going to happen. Through the tattered remains of his shirt, I could see bloody, crimson wounds drying up into raw pink lines. The color faded even more as cells grew over the wound at top speed. There were ugly, lumpish scars that grew smaller and smaller until there was nothing. It was incredible. Super-healing. Awesome. I was a little jealous.

Just as Percy began to really perk up and look strong and uninjured again, my eyes were hurt by a glow so sudden that it was almost blinding. I swallowed as the other campers gasped and looked right above his head. It was a bright green 2D hologram of a trident, which was technically nothing more than a specialized spear, but had still gained notoriety as the symbol of Poseidon. It hung over his head, fading, as Percy tried to explain himself. "Look, I - I don't know why -"

"I do," I whispered as he began to apologize. He met my eyes and looked up. Even after seeing the last of the trident, he looked confused. "Percy, your father just claimed you."

"This is really not good," Annabeth muttered as we all began to kneel. I knew not all claimings would be this was, but this… this was big.

"My father?" Percy asked, the picture of bewilderment.

"Poseidon," Chiron proclaimed as I stared at the ground. Now was when things really got going. "Earthshaker. Stormbringer. Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

Let's just say that the next few days passed quickly.

Luke continued our Ancient Greek lessons as if he'd never given me a cryptic, hellhound-related warning. Or at least that's what I thought he was doing until the end of that first lesson after the game, when he stopped me from leaving the room and then beamed down at me. "Thanks for all the hard work," he said, and at first I was just mildly unsettled - because didn't I always work hard? Later, though, I wondered if he'd been talking about our lesson at all.

It was early on in the next week by the time that anything else happened. I'd spent the whole day at the wrestling mat, pushing myself far beyond my old limits and discovering that I had a rather wide range of skills relating to that particular brand of the arts. Everything else? I was pretty average. But when challengers grew few and far between as the morning got hotter, I was forced to explore other avenues.

I stood awkwardly at the archery range, trying not to flush in embarrassment. I was doing… well, not terribly, but definitely not great next to the skill of the Apollo kids. Archery had never been my strength. I'd always been better off with a loaded gun in my hands, even if the buck sometimes left a sore spot in my shoulder. Still, I could hit a target fifteen meters away, even if it was never a bullseye. But the Apollo kids? They wanted better than that.

I was about half a second from chucking my bow into the dirt when Annabeth appeared out of nowhere. She sort of looked like she'd just had a lovely workout, but she wasn't sweaty at all. She just looked… refreshed and excited. We'd hardly even spoken so I assumed she was there for one of the Apollo kids. I kept hitting my target a little off-center. I wasn't getting any closer to the bullseye.

You know what they say about assuming?

"Amara," she said impatiently. "You're wanted in the Big House."

I frowned and let go of that final arrow. It thudded about half an inch from where I was supposed to be hitting, but it was nothing impressive. With a bow, I was accurate, but not precise. I tended to get arrows scattered anywhere within a five inch radius of the bullseye. "Yeah, why?" I asked, reluctantly giving my bow to one of the instructors. I'll admit, I went straight to the very worst conclusion: this had something to do with Percy's quest.

Unfortunately, Annabeth had already set off in practically a sprint, leaving me to worry on my own. After all, even if it had nothing to do with Percy, it could hardly be good. I chewed on my nails. I kicked the dirt. I stared off into the distance. I walked slowly. But I felt that I was only delaying the inevitable. No matter how long I tried to put it off, it would happen. After all, here there were the Fates. Was everything predestined here? Or was something besides those three controlling me?

I seemed to reach the Big House way too quickly to suit my tastes. It was like time had shot forward just for me. Thanks.

Percy, Chiron, and Annabeth were all around at the pinochle table. Grover was absent. I threw up a little in my mouth. Apparently, the situation was more predictable than normal this time around. After all, what other time had they all been there together? Only when they spoke about the quest could Annabeth even stand Percy at this stage in the game. On top of that, I'd changed something. Grover was probably getting his searcher's license, which meant he probably wouldn't be going on the quest… "Amara! There you are, child," said Chiron.

No putting it off any longer, I thought, stepping onto the porch and sitting at the table with Percy and Annabeth. Percy wouldn't even look at me, where Annabeth was staring intently, like this was some sort of experiment to her. Seeing how the newbie would react to what was, essentially, a threat to her well-being. Fun. She nudged Percy with her elbow as I muttered a half-hearted greeting.

"Uh," Percy said, choking on his own words, "I'm, um, I'm going on a quest." He paused - for effect, said my inner storyteller, though that wasn't true. He paused because he was anxious. I didn't like this either, but the kid needed prompting.

"Good luck," I wished him, deadpan, "but what does that have to do with me?"

He looked a little puzzled, then sad, and I felt sympathetic. I was showing him the same coldness I naturally gave off sometimes, but he probably related it more to his claiming than my general attitude towards people. "I… if you'd like to come with Annabeth and me."

The words came out in such a rush that I could barely make them out. When I did, I could think of a few inappropriate jokes I might have made if we weren't all under fifteen and Chiron wasn't there. Instead, I said, "That's an interesting offer, but why don't you invite Grover? Aren't you two close?"

Percy swallowed. "Grover got his searcher's license," Annabeth informed me without further explanation. It was like she was sending me a mental message. I expect you to know these things.

Why? Think I'm smart because I'm bookish? "Oh."

"I know you probably don't think of us as friends, but you're the only other person in camp I'd feel comfortable traveling with," Percy said, apparently mustering the brainpower to speak again. At least I knew that what he was saying was thought out. "And we've worked together before."

"Sort of," I answered automatically. More like he did all the work while I freaked out and tried not to die. I can't do that on a quest.

But I can't do that with any of my plans.

I couldn't believe I was actually considering this. It didn't fit into any of my plans at all. Not even a little. And it was really dangerous. Plus, I didn't just have normal quest risks on my shoulders. I knew how this was supposed to go. I was a new member of a quest that might as well have happened already. I wasn't a character that should have been a part of this. What if I managed to change something for the worse? As it was, I couldn't bring myself to see all this with Grover as a good thing.

"You don't have to come, but…" his voice trailed off. I'm not sure how he might have ended the sentence.

I raised my eyebrows. "You need me? I'll be useful? I'm not exceptionally good at anything and I'm new at this, just like you are. It would be advisable to ask someone with more experience." I nervously licked my upper lip. "Think about that."

"I have," he muttered. "There's no one."

That was it. Bingo. He just didn't trust anybody in the Hermes cabin and didn't know anyone else. "Okay. Fine. Now, not to be selfish, but exactly how risky is this? I don't want to think I'm a coward, but I don't want to put my guts on the line for a suicide run." Yikes. That was not a thirteen-year-old talking.

"You're quite right, Amara," Chiron cut in, sounding almost relieved. It suddenly struck me how uninquisitive I probably seemed to him. Find out I'm a demigod, take it in stride. Get invited to an incredibly dangerous quest? Talk about why I'm invited rather than asking what the quest is. He was probably relieved that I was asking a question at all, because he surely didn't have any reason to believe I was suicidal. Unless… is he glad that I don't seem to want to go? "This quest is exceedingly dangerous. It involves retrieving a god's symbol of power from another, and is especially dangerous because of the gods involved. It may be wiser to pursue more training. There will be other quests."

I'd always hated authority. I didn't defy it in huge ways - I preferred to go for more subtle 'screw you's. In this case, Chiron had almost nothing to do with anything, but I wondered if there was somebody behind him who wanted me kept out. I would be safer at camp… I licked my lips and stood, placing my palms on the pinochle table and feeling distinctly uneasy. Annabeth looked disappointed and Percy, out of the blue, appeared to be lost. It wouldn't have surprised me if he started crying. Once again, I reminded myself that he was twelve. So young.

"I'll go."

Zoinks, Amara. May be time to quell that rebellious streak. Your decision-making skills are clearly terrible :|

Next chapter: the quest begins! If this chapter wasn't to your taste, the next one will be a lot better. I swear.
Actually, everything I've written on the quest has been action packed so far. Sort of.

SO, here's my to-do list! I have some beta reading to do. I want to write at least two chapters of my rewrite of Temper and I want to finish chapter fifteen of this. Hopefully, I'll get some of Unsolvable written too. Also, school starts tomorrow. Kill me, please.
In other words, I'm giving myself three weeks to post an update. (Update due on the 22, pinprick. Remember.) That said, every four reviews means I'll update one day early again. I'm glad to be home so I know I can actually keep my promsie.

See ya next chapter!