Percy Jackson and Andromeda's Lament

A.N.

Umm... yeah... so it's been five months or so since I last updated and I am seriously sorry. I've been in a slump lately. Real life stuff played a part but there were also a few different factors. Moved from working on my laptop to the family PC so that cut quite a bit into my writing time, just because of the decreased accessibility of my device. Combined with my inability to write anything I was satisfied with and well... five months just flew by. Even then, I'm still not totally happy with this chapter with some dialogues feeling a bit too cringey, offensive and/or out of character and, again sorry, plot development being far too slow. Also, I know I said that this would be the last chapter in Yancy but... yeah... sorry.

Still, hope you guys still enjoy the chapter and I'll try my best to grind out the next one quickly - or at least shorter than five months.


Chapter 11: Victory Tastes Sweet… and of Guilt (part 2)

"Hmm… should I just go…" Percy wondered aloud, experimentally twirling his new sword with his left hand, "Or nah?" His gaze lifted from his weapons to his enemies, still crowding around their fallen friend. He was reluctant to attack them. They were in a fight and he knew accidents were always a possibility… but it was like some kind of sympathetic connection between males in regards to the characteristic sensitivity of the male organ because Percy couldn't help but be sorry for the guy.

Still twirling his sword (it was a habit by now), Percy eyed the other fight, wondering if he should maybe jump into that one for now. It was obvious that Mrs. Dodds didn't have a shred of sympathy for her ally currently groaning on the ground. There was no hesitation in her attacks at all. On the contrary, right before Percy's very eyes, her strikes seemed to be growing even fiercer and her lunges more frequent. She even added this weird scratching attack with her free hand, which was strange to Percy but on second glance looked to be quite effective if Mr. Brunner's wariness of it was anything to go by.

On the flip side, Mr. Brunner also stepped up his game to match the algebra teacher. He was still mostly on the defensive but he almost looked at ease as he fended off her attacks. Like a master bowman lining up a shot, the Latin teacher carefully and patiently picked his spots to strike for maximum effect. The only time he'd come even close to panicking was when Mrs. Dodds first started scratching at him. Conversely, the woman did everything she could to dodge Mr. Brunner's blade. This included throwing herself to the ground to avoid his swings, even though it would've been far easier to block it with her sword.

This seemed a bit weird to Percy since, from the looks of it, Mrs. Dodds knew her way around a fight yet she wasn't utilizing something as basic as parrying.

Percy knew he should go and assist Mr Brunner. From a strategic standpoint, he was currently an idle resource while his ally fought against an immediate threat. Nathan and his boys, as they currently are, were effectively harmless so Percy should've taken the chance to take out Mrs. Dodds with Mr. Brunner while they had a chance… but he didn't.

They had a plan, Mr. Brunner and him. He trusted his mentor to hold up his end while he did his and he was pretty sure Mr. Brunner thought the same thing. He half-expected the wheelchair-bound teacher to rebuff his attempts at assistance if he were to go and jump in.

Percy sighed as he made up his mind. The poor guy probably had enough time to at least somewhat recover from his accident and he could always just move him out of the way himself if not. Besides, he really wanted to beat Nathan's ass.

"Better get on it then," Percy readied his weapons in what he felt like a good dual-wielding stance. His arms were relaxed at a position near his waist with the blades pointed slightly off-center. He found that comfortable for now but he could always give it a few tweaks later.

He wasn't naturally ambidextrous but he felt there was no risk to him dropping one of his weapons mid-swing or something like that. He'd gotten used to using either his left or right hand what with all the sports he'd been playing recently. Still, he was far from comfortably using his off-hand as well as his naturally dominant hand.

He took slow, measured steps towards his opponents, visualizing how he was going to start off his attack. His options were greatly increased with the acquisition of a second blade, with multiple chains and combos starting to form in his mind. Ah, the infinite possibilities.

"Should I go for a low sweep quickly followed by a quick stab? Or maybe a double sweep? Double stab, one after the other? A upward and downward slash at the same time, like the closing of a beast's jaw, would be both effective and cool."

With every imagined move spawning in that overactive mind of his, Percy's body adjusted almost instinctively to prepare itself for performing said moves. Even his walking changed slightly. Whereas before he was walking straight, now he was almost strafing with his left flank pointing forwards and making himself look as small a target as possible. His off-hand sword drew forward, positioned so that the blade was across his body, prepared to parry away attacks or swipe at any opening his opponents showed. His main weapon was positioned slightly behind him, raised high over his shoulder and pointed forwards, ready to follow up his off-hand strikes or deliver powerful blows using his leading left leg as a pivot.

"With two swords, my strike speed could potentially double so maybe I should just brute force it…" At that thought, his stance widened and exposed his belly but with the holes in defense came more raw striking speed and power, "Or maybe I should just spin around while I hold my swords out. A cyclone of death." Percy mused going back into his boxer-like stance, his right hand twirling his sword in anticipation. His off-hand was still raised steadily, wary of an attack, "Or I could switch to ice-pick grips…"

"Hey! That's cheating you little twe~rp!" A shrill voice that cracked at the end interrupted his theorizing. He was about five meters away from the closest potential enemy but Nathan, who yelled, was hiding far behind his goons like a coward, "I guess I can't blame you though. You'd need all the help you can get if you want to beat me, but you should know that you still won't win no matter what!"

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Really? You're the guy- y'know what? I won't even dignify that with a response," With a quick two-step shuffle, he closed the distance with his closest foe and moved to slash at his midsection with his off-hand weapon.

"Uwaaa!"

You would expect that the guy being attacked would be the one making the panicked sound but alas, the one being protected at the very back was the one actually panicking.

Percy ignored Nathan's scrambling and focused on the furious exchange of attacks he was currently engaged in. He let the battle move away from the injured but he never let up on the pressure. In an attempt to move past quickly and get to Nathan, Percy utilized superior speed and strength to try and blast straight through, though unfortunately for him, things didn't go according to plan.

His opponent was doing far better than before but not because he got stronger or faster or suddenly gained some skill. No, it was mostly about strategy. Y'see, what Percy didn't know was that while he was debating whether or not to attack his fellow students, they were actually making a rudimentary plan of attack. They weren't strategists by any means but they had the common sense to know that they were no match for his strength, speed and skill so they had to make better use of their numbers.

Not to mention the very real risk that lodged itself in the back of their minds: them being the ones getting hit in the nuts. That by itself was a very good incentive to planning things out better.

Mobbing him blindly didn't work. Even with a six to one advantage, Percy treated them like little children, even though he was the little kid among them. Head-on attacks were repelled with ease and even flanking attacks were rendered useless with simple slips and maneuvers.

So knowing this, they hatched a plan. And judging by its current effectiveness, it worked too, at least to some extent. It would've honestly been successful if it weren't for the fact that Percy was… well, Percy.


Was it just him or did something smell fishy?

Percy was expecting it to be… well, not exactly easy, per se, but definitely easier than what was happening now. It seemed that no matter what he did, he could never get past that pesky defense. What made it worse was that Percy felt he was totally dominating the older teen; that it would only take the slightest bit more and he could defeat his opponent.

And that was what made it frustrating. He'd been on the attack for the past few minutes with almost no visible result. All his strikes were being either blocked or dodged and even though his rival successfully defended, it was clear that he was on his last legs.

But he just wouldn't go down.

Usually Percy would be fine with that. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. Conversely, one couldn't expect a single attack to win a war. He would've enjoyed a heated clash that tested his limits and made him push through them but this fight wasn't like that. This was a one-sided beatdown that, for some reason, he couldn't finish.

His opponent wasn't even attacking anymore and hadn't been since the very first few exchanges. All he was doing was defending. Even when Percy feinted an opening to bait in an attack that he could counter, his foe still wouldn't budge. It was like he was focusing on defense as though he could win with that alone. He would just hold his sword up in the general direction of where Percy would strike at and let him hit. It wasn't even in an angle to redirect some of the shock so he was taking the full power of every blow. And whatever did get past his rudimentary defense he was willing to tank even with the relatively thin leather armor. Sure the damage wasn't immediately visible but his body would be showing its protests in the morning.

Even the addition of a second weapon wasn't having as much impact as he expected. The volume of his attacks doubled, sure, but he initially picked up another sword so that he could attack and defend simultaneously. When he was only always on the offensive, there really was no point in having the second sword, especially since he felt like his strikes had more power when he had just one.

Of course, Percy tried other things to break through defenses. He tried finessing his way to victory but he quickly discovered its lack of effectiveness. Disarms weren't bound to work. His opponent was holding his sword with both hands overlapped one over another as his fingers wrapped around the hilt so tightly that his knuckles were white. It was an uncomfortable grip that crippled him on the offensive front since all his attacks were bound to be slow and unwieldy but that didn't matter if you don't plan on attacking. He also tried attack combos that flew from every which way and attacked from a multitude of angles mixed with feints and misdirection but when your opponent was just barely within your attack range, said angles were limited. It wasn't like getting closer was as simple as walking up to him… well, it was, but not when his foe kept backpedaling. With every step he took to close the distance, his opponent took two steps back, always keeping himself at the very edge of his range where he could easily dance away when Percy really got going.

With every hit that clanged ineffectively against his foe's sword and with every instance that his attacks fell just a teeny bit short of reaching his opponent, Percy could feel his temper fraying. He'd been attacking nonstop, followed his opponent around the field - thrice, even - and tried numerous avenues of assault but nothing was happening. The fight just wouldn't end.

It was inevitable then that, after the third lap around the circumference of the battlefield, Percy exploded.

"Grah!" With a thunderous roar, he leapt forward suddenly in an attempt to catch his opponent off guard, both of his swords coming down from both sides in an X. All of Percy's careful discipline and honed skills were thrown out the window in exchange for what was essentially a blunt hammer.

Percy put everything into that attack. Everything was packed into his swing, venting to the world all of his pent up frustration and rage. He forsook his positioning, stability and discipline and swung with all his strength. It wasn't an elegant attack. It lacked the typical fluidity in Percy's moves that was present even when using dual-swords for the first time. The attack was powerful; easily more powerful than any other attack he'd used so far, sure, but for what?

Results.

Because their swords were forged relatively rushed and corners were cut.

Because his all-out scissor attack possessed tremendous power and both his blades struck his opponent's sword at roughly the same spot at the base.

And finally, because his opponent's blade snapped clean off.

A heaving and sweaty Percy grinned as he saw two-thirds of his opponent's weapon fly through the air, disappearing somewhere into the stands. Breaking the sword wasn't the plan though he had no complaints. A win's a win. Finally, the battle was over. This farce was already done with and he could finally re-

"NOW!"

And that was when the cage closed around him… a cage meant to hold back a boy. Too bad what they captured was no mere boy.


"Holy shit…" Jimmy watched, halfway between amazed and horrified, as Graham's sword broke into two pieces, leaving his friend defenseless and effectively out of the competition. How the hell did… what kind of power did this kid even have that he managed to snap a sword off the base cleanly?

He shook his head. Time was wasting and if they wanted to make use of Graham's efforts, they'd have to act know. Especially himself. It was his plan they chose to follow. He decided that Graham - the biggest, had the most stamina and the all-around best athlete among them - go and fight, effectively putting him to ten minutes of torture; ten minutes under the tender mercies of one Percy Jackson. The least he could do was to capitalize on the opportunity his friend labored to produce and continue on in his friend's stead.

"NOW!" He yelled, already tearing his way through the field as he signaled his remaining companions to attack Jackson while he was off-guard.

This was their plan all along. Have one of their number, in this case Graham, occupy their quarry, hunkering down like a turtle for as long as he possibly could until either the kid would overreach, tire himself out or until he breaks through the guard and Graham gets knocked out. Whichever came first. It was just their luck that, somehow, all three happened at roughly the same time.

Still, objective one had been cleared. Graham was successful. Percy was in no position to defend and out of breath. It was up to them to finish had faded into the background, lying in wait, creeping ever so closer every time it so much as looked like an opening would appear and now the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack was laid out for them.

Ha. An ambush on open ground. Who would've thought they'd do something stupid like that? It was perfect. Surely not even Percy would have expected it. Finally, they got him.

Not even a second after Jimmy's battle cry did he reach the panting twelve-year old, with his allies not far behind. Jimmy took the front, quickly filling in the void Graham left when he fell to the ground in exhaustion the moment his sword snapped and was now crab walking away. His two friends, Jordan and Matt took up the left and right flanks. Even Nathan was just a step or two behind the others, closing in on Percy's back.

He swung his sword in a quick and easy slash aimed at the kid's head - Jimmy knew from prior experience that winding up for a huge, powerful attack against this kid would be asking for trouble and besides, he wasn't wearing a helmet so he didn't need an especially powerful attack to knock him out - when he noticed Percy looking at him, wide-eyed and eyebrows nearly at his hairline in surprise.

"Sorry kid…" Jimmy seemed to communicate with his eyes, "you're impressive, I'll give you that, but even you won't be able to slip past this one." A small smile formed on his face, confident that their plan had worked. He was boxed in - literally with the bodies of four big high schoolers - with nowhere to go and his attack was poised to hit true. Everything was on point and there was no escape. They really-

That train of thought halted as a railblock known as doubt started creeping into his heart. He shouldn't have continued to make eye contact because looking into those determined sea-green orbs, he remembered just who they were dealing with, tainting his once wholehearted belief that they managed to outwit their better specced, better trained and better prepared opposition. His eyes still had fight in them and Jimmy learned the hard way that Percy Jackson would never, ever, back down, at least not without a lot of kicking and a lot of screaming - the latter mostly by his enemies.

The sword reached the end of it's short arc but it's target was no longer there. Jimmy swore he never took his eyes off of Percy and he even felt the slightest bit of resistance on his sword, confirming that he did indeed hit something. Nothing was there though and he could do nothing but look helplessly at the spot in front of him where, for the briefest of moments, victory had been in their grasp.

A glance at his companions let him know they were in a similar boat. Matt to his immediate right was blinking confusedly while Jordan to his left looked stunned. Nathan was the only one not looking at where Percy should've been.

Instead, their so-called leader was looking somewhere a few feet above them, his eyes gleaming with hunger. The henchman-with-the-plan wasn't sure why that was but it sure didn't look pretty. He was more creeped out about it, to be honest.

Jimmy's best guess was that it was Percy, doing the impossible of jumping up and above the roughly two meter tall high-schoolers - without a run-up mind you - and escaping from their unconventional prison that got Nathan's attention. However, before Jimmy could look up and confirm with his own eyes what all the fuss was about, Percy made his presence known.

Jimmy turned immediately the moment he heard a sigh come from behind him. He was just in time to see Percy stand up from a crouch, sheathe his right sword and dust himself off.

"Phew… so that was your plan," The athletic twelve-year old looked at them, one by one, "Gotta say, it was pretty good, given you didn't have that much time to actually plan it out." He said, rolling his neck and shoulders. "Too bad it didn't work."

Jimmy and his friends warily took a step back, "So… how'd you slip away? Did you jump?" He asked, trying to buy some time for his friends to get into position. He did have a plan B although it was mostly a rehashed version of their plan A but instead of having him focus on one of them until an opening appeared, plan B constituted of, 'Keep him talking, then jump him!' so they couldn't really rely on that. But hey, when you have not even five minutes to plan, you'll take what you can get.

"Pfft… jump? Over you people? Please. That'd be a world record."

"You never know. I've seen you do incredible things." Jimmy responded, subtly nodding to his friends - who responded with their own small nods - and crept forward slowly, inch by inch. They hoped that by keeping Percy talking, they could get close enough to jump them all at once.

Jimmy was slated to aim high, Matt at his midsection and Jordan at his legs. That should get them at least a glancing hit but a blow that could limit the boy's movements would be preferable. If they were lucky and were somehow successful, Jimmy made sure that Nathan would be ready to follow them up with an attack of his own.

Percy raised an eyebrow but showed no other reaction to their snail's paced approach, "I'll take that as a compliment, I guess…" He drew his main weapon from the sheath at his waist, gave it a flourish and a twirl, before getting back into position. "But no. I'm just a regular kid. I couldn't possibly jump that high."

"Then how-"

"Hahahahaha! I saw! Haha! Rolling in the dirt like the pleb that he is! Pathetic!"

It was Nathan, cackling and throwing insults like a generic villain. Jimmy was tempted to look and see why he was suddenly being weird but he knew better than turn his back to someone like Percy. Jordan and Matt couldn't resist and risked a glance at their wayward employer but Jimmy he resolutely kept his gaze on the younger boy, watching for any sudden moves that could denote an attack.

That was why Jimmy saw everything. He saw the moment when Percy shifted his gaze from him to Nathan somewhere behind him. How Percy's eyes widened in horror. He noticed how his sword fell from nerveless fingers. He watched as the boy frantically grabbed at his left bicep. He spied how his fair fell over his eyes, his expression going blank for a fleeting moment. And as the boy withdrew into himself, Jimmy witnessed how something else came forth and his blood ran cold.

He drew a plan to beat a boy. He should've been planning how to survive against a monster.


"Oh no…" Grover mumbled softly, aghast. He was biting his nails nervously as he watched his friend stalking closer to his opponents with unnatural grace.

Beside him was Gregor, sitting at the edge of his seat, his eyes trained on the battleground, "That guy just signed his death warrant, huh?"

"I wouldn't go that far… but yeah. Probably."

"What are you guys mumbling about over there?" Jane asked the two younger boys to her left, looking at them with narrowed eyes. "If you have time to whisper amongst yourselves, you have enough time to go cheer for Percy," She scolded before turning back to the field and screaming at the top of her lungs, "GO PERCY!"

Grover and Gregor managed to tear their eyes away from the impending onslaught and shared a look. "Don't bother. The match is already decided."

"Yeah," Gregor nodded, turning back to the fight, "what he said."

"How so?" Maria piped in from beside her father, her eyes trained on the figure of her friend, "I don't see it ending anytime soon. I mean, look at Percy!"

"Mmm… Yummy, isn't he?"

Maria rolled her eyes at the swooning girl. "Quite. Anyways-"

"Calling him yummy again, Jane?" Grover interrupted, nudging the aforementioned girl with an elbow. "You think you'd learned your lesson after Percy teased you about it for months…"

Jane blushed recalling those first few months of Percy hanging out with them, after Teddy discovered him out in the tracks. He used to tease her almost daily about that 'yummy' comment he'd overheard her say to her cheerleader friends, making her flush at his every teasing compliment. She couldn't help it. He was just so cute with the way his dazzling green eyes twinkled with mirth everytime he made her blush.

"Jane? Are you listening, Jane? Maria was just telling us about-"

"Hmm?"

"Leave her be Grover. She's lost in her own world, probably one with a dozen bare-chested Percys…"

"Hey!" Jane called out indignantly, sending the younger girl a dirty look then mumbled, "It was only one. And he wasn't topless."

Maria acted like she didn't hear but there was a small smirk on her lips before it was hidden behind a fist as she cleared her throat. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Grover had the decency to look bashful at her pointed look, "Percy's acting cautiously. Whatever momentum he'd built up after taking out that one guy," She pointed at Graham, now propped up by the arena wall after exiting the fight, "Was turned around on him when he fell for that trap. Hell, he was almost taken out entirely if they just closed on him a fraction of a second faster or if he had even hesitated just the slightest bit before throwing himself to the ground. And he knows it. So he's started playing it safe."

Grover nodded, "Yeah. That'd make sense, normally, but-"

"But, our boy's not a normal boy." A voice to Maria's right cut in as her father sat back down next to her.

"F-father?!" Maria fought to hold back a blush. Hearing her father call Percy 'our boy' like he was his own son - or more accurately, his son-in-law - sent a jolt through her heart and sent her mind racing. "W-where've you been? I didn't even notice you leave." She asked after she successfully held back a blush, now noticing how drenched with sweat he was.

It was a few more weeks before the summer season officially began but it seemed like the summer heat didn't get the memo. Even Jane, who was wearing something pretty light and airy couldn't avoid sweating; not to mention Maria who was wearing thick robes and even armor on top of it. Was it any wonder that Shingo, a man in his late 30s wearing a suit, would be a sweating profusely after walking around in the noon sun.

Before the Shingo could give the four curious youths an answer, a hand towel was shoved in his face. "Ahh… thank you, Maria," He thankfully took the proffered cloth and started to gently dabbing at his forehead - just enough to dry it without dirtying the absorbent fabric too much - before returning the towel with a grateful smile.

His daughter was hesitant about taking it back but upon seeing that it wasn't soaked with sweat, she carefully pocketed it in her gi. "So…" She prompted after he had settled back in his seat.

"Right. Well, I thought you'd find this pretty cool so…" Shingo pulled out what he, literally, ran off to get, "what'd you think?" Maria and the rest of the kids looked at the two-and-a-half foot steel Shingo revealed to them.

"That's…"

"The blade of the sword Percy snapped." Shingo claimed proudly, looking expectantly at his daughter for her reaction. He couldn't think of a better souvenir than this. It was something that you couldn't buy in one of the many stands outside in the festival, something Shingo had to put effort into acquiring and it had some sort of story to it.

The boys and Jane looked interested enough. That Gregor boy even took his eyes off of the fights to ask him to borrow it. He was sure Maria - his sweet, talented, sword-otaku daughter - was going to love it.

"Pfft… really?" Maria crossed her arms under her budding breasts, looking thoroughly unimpressed, "It's a broken sword from a school tournament, not a foul ball from a baseball game."

Shingo's face visibly dropped.

"Whoa… isn't that a bit harsh, girl?" Jane frowned as the two boys stopped their examination of the broken blade upon overhearing Maria's comment.

The half-asian girl looked puzzled at the older girl before her eyes widened as realization set in. She quickly turned to look at her father and just barely caught the hurt look on his face before it was quickly replaced by a forced smile.

"A-ah… no! No. I didn't mean it like…"

"It's okay, Maria. I get it." Shingo moved to pat her on the head but pulled back halfway, instead moving a fist to his mouth to clear his throat in an attempt to look casual and that his daughters words didn't sting. It didn't work. Jane and the boys were sending him sympathetic looks while he talked about what he observed of the match with false cheer, all the while Maria slumped down into her seat, defeated.

Maria felt like shit. She fucked up real bad. Her mind was going a hundred miles a minute, mentally berating herself a thousand different ways. Wasn't this all she ever wanted? For them to act like father and daughter again, like old times? Well, here he was acting all fatherly, giving her a gift that she would normally have found cool and she blew it. All because of her big fat mouth.

She'd blame Percy with all his witty banter and crass jokes for rubbing off on her after months of spending time together, but that wasn't fair. This was her fault and no one else's. She had fun with the verbal sparring sessions she'd had with her gorgeous green-eyed friend but that didn't mean she had to be on her game all the time. Now she just hurt her father with her words. Words that wouldn't've meant nothing if she'd told it to Percy but could ruin everything of her and her father's relationship. Well, all that's left of it.

While Maria wallowed silently in self-recrimination, the rest of the group were talking about the ongoing match. Shingo himself was keeping his thoughts from drifting to his dismal relationship with his daughter, and the scathing words that recently escaped her, by taking the lead on the conversation. A conversation that was interrupted when, out of seemingly nowhere, a head-splitting roar blasted through the arena and spilled out to most of the festival.

There are few things normally associated with such a sound - a lion's roar, a plane's engine, a rocket taking off - but Maria was quickly learning that when it came to one Perseus Jackson, nothing was ever normal. How the hell was he even producing that unholy, god-awful, bone-shaking sound? No boy, hell, no grown man should even be capable of reaching such volumes.

Maria, like most of the people in the crowd with even a modicum of common sense, hastily covered her poor ears to shield them from the deafening assault on her auditory senses. It still slipped through her hands though and gave her the beginnings of a major headache, but compared to the people on the battlefield, Maria felt they got off easy.

They literally had front row seats for the painful noise but at least they weren't on stage alongside. No, that privilege was given to Nathan and his goons, and to an extent, Mr. Brunner and Mrs. Dodds.

The two teachers were having their duel on the far side of the battle platform and were not exposed to Percy's deafening battlecry directly. They stopped fighting to cover their ears - which, seeing as nothing so far had caused them to even take a pause, really showed how loud Percy was - and were uncharacteristically gaping at her friend, but at least they were still on their feet. Well, Mrs. Dodds was. Mr. Brunner was on a wheelchair. Anyways, they were still on their feet. The same couldn't be said for the teenagers.

Pitifully kneeling on the ground were the four high-schoolers that had, somehow, provoked the ire of Maria's friend. They were clutching at their ears desperately, their faces twisted in pure agony as Percy continued his anger-fueled explosion of sound.

It was easy to imagine waves of unrelenting force emitted by the sheer volume of Percy's roar and Maria was half-expecting the teens to be thrown back just from the power of his shout any second now. However, before Percy could once again do the impossible and literally shout things away, he stopped.

Maria willed her ears to stop ringing as she watched Percy cross his swords in front of him and break out into a mad dash at his opponents like a stampeding rhino. He was fast. Maria always knew her friend was stupidly athletic but she never knew he could even run this fast, and he was getting faster still with each step he took.

The high schoolers would've been better off getting hit by a motorcycle than what was currently coming at them. Too bad for them, they didn't have a choice. Percy was already on them and the poor fools were still out of it, helplessly dazed and staggered by the earlier sensory assault.

She heard Jane talking in the background. She was asking about what made Percy so mad but Maria barely heard the girl. She was focusing too much on the ongoing fight, fascinated with what was happening. Guess the boys were right.

Speaking of the boys, "Grover!" Maria barked without looking up at him, "You said earlier that the match was as good as done. Why?"

Grover fumbled around awkwardly. He seemed reluctant to say though the expectant look Maria levelled on him after a moment passed and he had yet to speak. "Well..." he began but promptly shut up when the whole crowd got on their feet to excited screams and whoops.

Just in time for Percy to reach their position and begin his brutal offensive, the four high schoolers managed, if barely, to raise their weapons in defence. They were sloppy, unbalanced and it would be a surprise if they could put up much of a fight but that didn't matter much to the audience looking only for a good show.

And what a show it was.

Percy didn't stop at strike range. He was actually going to slam into them, it looked like, with his two swords crossed and held forwards like horns. That and his low running posture as he ran was actually similar to a bull, or any other horned animal, about to gore someone to death.

It was pretty cool actually and the crowd seemed to agree with how wildly they were cheering. After being disoriented by Percy's battlecry earlier, the fact that they were cheering him on was amazing in and of itself.

Grover piped up suddenly, "You asked, Jane, why Percy was furious?"

"Uh huh?"

Grover pointed at someone down in the field and it was quickly known who Percy's ire was directed at. Jane even made an uncharacteristically hateful face when she recognized who it was. She would later tell them how this Nathan guy started hitting on her immediately after getting shot down by one of her friends, all the while checking out the other girls in the vicinity.

"Maria, you asked why I thought the match was already over, yes?"

"Yeah?"

He once more gestured down at the field at Nathan, who was holding a familiar gold fabric to his nose.

"Hmmm… what was it again? Never tickle a sleeping dragon if you don't want to get burned?" Grover wondered aloud, a hand absently scratching the premature wisps of hair on his chin. Seriously, where have you seen a sixth grader with a beard? "Guess who did that…" realizing how roundabout he was, he simplified "except replace tickle with 'harm', sleeping dragon with 'Percy's friends' and burned with 'beaten within an inch of your life.' I mean, look at the guy. He's acting like an underwear thief that just got the crown jewel of panties."

Grover was right, Maria realized after filtering out all the gibberish in his explanation. She looked at Nathan. He was creepily sniffing the Principal's decorative gold cloth. No wonder Percy Hulked out. Maria would be upset too if someone acted like an obsessed stalker towards one of her friends.

To get to Nathan, however, Percy had to first get past the three remaining goons he hired. This posed to be no problem whatsoever.

"Any more questions?" A moment of silence passed between them, "Thought so."

Words were no longer needed as they watched their friend tear into his enemies with a ferocity and rage that rendered him barely recognizable. Percy always was unbelievable. Being able to keep up with guys twice his size and weight was proof of that, but today it seemed like his already impressive abilities were dialed up to eleven.

The high schoolers never really had a chance, did they?


Percy felt the haze of anger slowly lifting as he looked around and saw no more hostiles. He felt himself start to cool down; the adrenaline from being combat starting to fade. The weird rhythmic beating in his ears receded as his heart rate dropped down to normal levels after working overtime, pushing his body to its utmost limits.

The last time Percy felt even remotely similar was a few months ago, the night he had that date with Astra. He was hazy on the details but from what little he could remember and from what he could gather from Astra, he beat back a couple of gangbangers armed with weapons with relative ease. This time, he could actually remember everything fairly clearly.

He remembered a strangely calming pulsing sensation but it quickly grew weak as a searing rage overpowered it. The sight of an asshole like Nathan getting ahold of Astra's gold fabric accessory fanned the flames of his anger, growing hotter and hotter that it felt like nothing could ever extinguish it.

Just as Percy finally lost himself to his anger, his body had already started moving. After letting out a devastating battle cry, he charged. Running straight at his foes, going faster than he could ever remember going, he absently noted that for some strange reason, his opponents were looking weakened and disorientated.

It didn't matter to him, enraged as he was, with what his opponents' state was. Nathan was slightly to the back behind his remaining henchmen. Percy, in his usual state, would've worried about how he was getting past the mooks without ending the match prematurely without him ever beating Nathan. Not now, however.

Now, Percy was going to go straight through. No one was going to get in the way. He wasn't going to let himself get distracted. He was taking back his prize, Nathan was going down, and may the gods help anyone who gets in his way.

Getting close to the flimsy three-man barricade separating him from Nathan, Percy slipped past a wild zoning attack. Putting his head down but keeping his speed, Percy flew past a storm of flailing limbs and cold steel sent at him with a sort of desperation that was akin to cornered prey.

After ducking a last-ditch effort that tried to catch him from multiple directions, Percy finally crashed into his first opponent. He rammed his head into the middle guy's, Jimmy's, midsection with enough force to make the bigger teen double over in pain with his breath knocked out of him.

With Percy's body low to the ground, Jimmy's chest ended up on his arched back but not for long. Hooking his swords around his opponent's ankles, Percy used the extra leverage and his good positioning to throw Jimmy off his back and sent the older teen flying.

A hole was made through the barrier, but it looked to close quickly.

Attacks came in from his left and right as Nathan struggled in his dazed state to backpedal away. Percy didn't let him.

Using his swords simultaneously, Percy blew away both strikes aimed at him and knocking the two mooks off balance. It was a purely defensive move that, for a moment, left him unable to attack using his weapons but Percy didn't care. Weapon or no, Nathan was going out.

He took to the air, his knee outstretched and poised to strike. His target? Nathan's face. With a sickening crunch that indicated at least a broken nose, Percy's armored knee landed square on Nathan's helmeted face.

Given the height and smoothness of his take off, long air-time and Percy's own natural grace, not to mention his weapons held out on either side like a pair of metallic wings, he actually looked like some messed up angel of war. It was mesmerizing and horrifying at the same time.

Nathan was out cold before he even hit the ground. His sword slipped through nerveless fingers as he collapsed, his nose now bleeding and crooked. The coveted gold cloth fell out of his grip as he fell and was caught fluttering in the wind.

Percy, still in mid-air, caught sight of the shimmering fabric and moved to recover it. He soon found a problem, however, when he realized both his hands were occupied by his weapons. A growl of frustration built up in his throat. He had to get it now. There was a very real risk that one of the others could snatch it away from him at the last minute and he didn't want to chance it. Especially since there were so few of them left and one mistake could lead to someone other than him being taking the gold cloth to the next round and potentially take it all the way to Astra's prize.

Thankfully, his body seemed to understand the need for action. Before he knew it, the fabric was held securely in his mouth, the subtle fragrant of orange and rose petals tickling his nose having a small calming effect on him. His body had instinctively twisted and stretched in mid-air until he managed to snatch the cloth easily with his teeth.

The rest of the fight was sort of a blur. After knocking Nathan out and reclaiming what was taken from him, Percy kind of just went on autopilot to engage his remaining opponents. He was sure it took him only a few moves and didn't seem too exciting but it was actually the only real time he used dual-wielding properly and the crowd seemed to love it.

And that leads to now. He didn't know what will happen next with only him, Mr. Brunner and Mrs. Dodds standing, but it was over. With the fight officially decided and his blood no longer singing in anger and adrenaline, Percy felt a deep weariness set into his bones.

The last time he got swallowed up in his rage, didn't he pass out? This time, Percy wasn't in the fainting territory, at least not yet. His eyelids felt heavy, his stomach ached for food and he probably would be fainting if he didn't get some food and rest soon but he didn't let anything show on his were still a few things to do before he could take a break.

Forcing his tired arm to rise, Percy lifted his sword high into the air and forced his mouth to curl into a confident grin. It wasn't something he needed nor wanted to do but a bit of showmanship could go a long way into getting on the spectator's good side. Being a crowd favorite was infinitely better than being the bad guy. Percy knew from Ted's stories that away games against rival schools were the worst, especially when you were losing. Your energy gets drained when you get booed and you get disheartened every time a roaring cheer erupts when the opponents score on you.

He did not want this tournament to be an away game for him. Especially with what was at stake.

After an appropriate time had passed, the young schoolboy lowered his weapon to sheathe it at his waist as he started walking back to the tunnel. He'd dropped his secondary weapon earlier after stuffing his gold cloth in his pocket. Percy felt he did pretty well considering he had little to no training with using dual-swords, but it still felt noticeably more awkward and clunky compared to his usual style. Returning to the his usual one-handed combat style would probably be for the best, at least for the rest of this tournament. Still, the options provided by a simple additional weapon was amazing and Percy couldn't help but wonder if maybe he could further explore dual-wielding in Mr. Brunner's camp.

"Haa haa…" Labored breathing coming from somewhere behind him halted Percy mid-step. It was probably one of the earlier knockouts coming into consciousness. He tried to ignore it but after going on a rampage against a bunch of untrained guys, he felt a bit remorseful.

Hell, he even broke some guy's nose and potentially rendered one of them infertile! Granted, one of them deserved it but the other one definitely didn't. No one deserved getting their balls crushed.

With a tired sigh, Percy spun around to help whoever it is to their feet, yet upon seeing exactly who it was, the boy faltered. Struggling to sit up but definitely conscious with only slight difficulty in breathing was the guy he threw using a bastardized jiu jitsu technique. Jay or something.

This was the guy that designed the plan that he almost got eliminated for. If this guy wasn't around, Nathan would have never even gotten close a sliver of a chance to get a kiss from his Astra. The lump of gold cloth sitting in his pocket seemed to grow heavier. Did he really wanna help this guy?

Still, the match was already over. Jayson or Jordan or Jay or whatever his name is, was only doing a job. He wasn't the one Percy actually had a grudge with. He wasn't so petty of a man to hold things against him.

Percy coughed into his fist awkwardly, "So… do you need a hand?" He offered, bending over slightly with a hand out. When Jimmy kept his silence and only looked at him weirdly, Percy retracted his hand and scratched at his cheek, "Or not. It doesn't really matter."

Another beat of silence passed with their eyes met awkwardly before Jimmy warily put his hand out. It seemed like maybe he saw something - or saw something had gone - in Percy's eyes that made him reach out.

"Thanks," Jimmy said dusting himself off after getting back on his feet with Percy's help.

"Don't mention it," Percy answered, wiping his hands on his pants, "you're… Jay, right?"

Jimmy straightened out his leather armor before looking at Percy gratefully, "Name's Ioan Jimmer."

"Uh… bless you?"

Ioan chuckled, "Just call me Jimmy. Everyone else does. J works too."

"Right. Yeah. Sorry, by the way. For… you know…" Percy mimed a judo throw.

"Don't apologize. It's mostly our fault anyway." Jimmy cut in, running a hand through his buzz cut, "Me and the guys ran into Lake on our way to the waiting room. Offered us a grand each to help take down this kid who embarrassed him in front of some girl," He gave Percy an apologetic look, "Was a dick move, ganging up on some sixth grader. If it wasn't, well… you, then we'd have probably gotten off easy with some extra cash from a right bastard. God, bullying a kid for money," he shook his head, "don't know what came over me but that was stupid. And we paid for it, as we should have."

"Yeah well, just blame it on Lake." Percy cocked his head over at the still unconscious Nathan, "that's what I'm gonna do. Don't worry about me holding anything against you," He said with a tired grin.

"Know what? Sounds like a good idea." Jimmy chuckled before clearing his throat, the light atmosphere turning serious again. The teen bowed his head, "Again, I apologize. For my guys too. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. It's the least we can do." He said, lifting his head and offered his hand, "Nice to meet you, Percy. See you around."

Instead of taking his opponent-turned-friendly-acquaintance's hand, Percy held out a fist, "Nice to meet you too, J. I'll be sure to take you up on that. Ted and me could always use more victi- I mean, practice partners." He joked, his grin widening at the slack-jawed expression Jimmy made as they bumped fists. Percy could hear the older teen muttering to himself darkly as he walked off, making him snigger.

Too easy.

A sudden increase in the crowd volume alerted Percy that something was happening. He looked around curiously, wondering what brought on the cheers.

He didn't know how he didn't notice but around a dozen staff members wearing roman foot soldier regalia were spread all around the battle area. All of them had on white armbands with some kind of snake symbol - Percy didn't know what it meant but he knew it was also something he often saw in hospitals and clinics - while half of them were equipped with tower shields that looked to double as stretchers. There were nifty little handles on the top and bottom of the shields that could be easily pulled out and the insides were cushioned with something really soft.

Percy watched as a pair of soldiers carried a groaning teen off to the tunnels on the stretcher with quick movements and unbelievable efficiency. They were either well trained or they had some kind of amazing commanding officer because they moved like a well-oiled machine.

Thinking the applause was for the medics, Percy moved to clap along but a certain stringy-haired teacher rolled in before he could. "Now, Percy. Don't you think it's a little narcissistic to be clapping for yourself?" He said, giving his star student a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Wha?" Percy looked confused before he caught a few snippets of conversation from the stands.

"-see the way he threw that guy? At that size-"

"-flying knee was amazing-"

"-Lake who-"

"-grudge 'cause of some girl Lake was harassing-"

"-making peace with your rival like a MAN!-"

"Now that's how sports should be!"

As Percy heard more and more praise, both earnest and grudging with a few backhanded compliments mixed in, he was growing increasingly more relieved. No one seemed to be talking much about how he pretty much decimated his older seniors and literally broke Nathan's face. Actually, as waves of murmurs and rumors traveled, it started sounding like he was some hero while Nathan was some evil prince trying to trap a princess in an unhappy marriage.

"You did good, Percy," Mr. Brunner complimented with a proud smile, "much better than I expected. Although," his smile faded as he prodded his ear, "did you have to be so loud about it?"

"Sorry, Mr. Brunner," Percy apologized sincerely, "I don't know what came over me."

"No matter, m'boy! The heat of battle can overwhelm anyone. Especially someone who wears their emotions on their sleeve such as you," He sought out Percy's gaze with his own, which Percy found were filled with curiosity, confusion and wariness.

He didn't like it.

"Sorry, sir," Percy said, looking down in shame. Mr. Brunner was his favorite teacher. He didn't want to disappoint him or scare him off, "I'll work on it."

Mr. Brunner smiled at this, "Don't worry, Percy. I daresay, we will have almost all of summer to work on your mental discipline."

"Bah! You're talking mad, horse," Unexpectedly enough, Mrs. Dodds joined the conversation, "You would take away what makes him special!" She turned to Percy with, to his horror, approving eyes. He has never even considered that the cruel woman even having the capability of ever showing anything positive towards him, yet here she was.

"Uhhh…" Percy looked to Mr. Brunner fo assistance.

"Now, Alecto-"

"Mark my words, Jackson," The algebra teacher interrupted, "there is darkness inside you. Don't fear it. Embrace it. You will need it," She said as she walked off, humming a dreary tune.

Mr. Brunner and Percy shared a look as they watched the woman walk off.

"Well, that was creepy?"

"Yes…" Mr. Brunner once more eyed him strangely, as if he suddenly discovered something about Percy that was off. Well, more than usual, "yes it was."

"-look, they're taking Lake away-"

Overhearing that latest scrap of information, Percy turned to look at where his rival fainted, taking the opportunity to avoid looking at his mentor's heated gaze. He expected Nathan to still be out cold or at the very least not flailing around on a stretcher like he was doing now.

"'Et da fak off me!" Nathan slurred, his nose bleeding profusely and with a probable concussion, "'ere'sh tha' bashtard Jacshon! Imma kill 'im!" He shrugged off the paramedics attempting to calm him as he continued to thrash around, screaming about how he'd make Percy pay for breaking his nose.

Percy was tempted to go intervene, maybe rough Nathan up a bit more to make him shut up, but he was worried that the goodwill he'd secured would disappear if he were to butt in with an intention of violence. Besides, he was knackered. He really wanted to sit down and have lunch. Maybe even lie down somewhere if he was lucky.

Just as he was about to turn away from the scene, a new player made their appearance, sucking him back into the drama like a whirlwind; a whirlwind of stylized opera masks, strawberry vanilla-scented braids, soulful jade green eyes and long, shapely legs.

Guess that's why the soldier medics moved so well. Someone was personally micromanaging them and that someone was now moving in to deal with a certain problem.

"Please sir," One scantily clad Juliet Butler started, voice unnaturally sweet, "please don't move around too much. You have experienced some head trauma and-"

"YOU!" Nathan snapped, his flailing growing wilder, "Jackson's little whore!" he managed to say with only a slight slur. He looked like he was building up steam to go on a truly horrific rant but his frenetic movements aggravated his head and he fell back onto the stretcher woozily.

The blonde beauty turned to the soldiers carrying Nathan to say, "Definitely a concussion. Taking a flying knee to the head after that incident in the waiting room and that loud noise didn't do him any favors. Be extra careful while transporting him."

"Yes ma'am!"

Juliet shifted back to Nathan to say, "Please stop struggling. We have a doctor on-hand and-" but was unceremoniously cut her off.

Nathan sat back up abruptly, indignation helping him overcome the disorientation and headache brought about by his concussion, "Shut up you fuckin' bitch. This is all your fault! You and that little turd..." He then started spouting some drivel along the lines of 'when my father hears about this' and 'the board of education is going to enjoy this story' and of course the classic, 'You're gonna pay dearly' schtick. Finally, he ended with something that was essentially social suicide. "Really, this is why women shouldn't leave the kitchen. You should just stay in your place, legs spread or choking around my dick like you should be. You and that crazy principal…"

After everything that happened to him - having his head slammed into a table, getting ragdolled, his eardrums nearly bursting and getting a knee to the face - one would think that Nathan had learned his lesson. Turns out, you can't teach spoiled dogs common sense.

Percy saw red. His fatigue vanished as his engines revved up for a rage-fueled rampage. Really, if Percy was just a bit closer to the sexist bastard, Nathan would probably be going home in a cast. A full body one. Alas, Percy was too far away and even though he'd already started stomping over and was halfway there, someone beat him to the punch. And what she was doing was somehow far worse than what Percy, rage-induced state and all, could have managed.

After all, Percy was just going to rough him up. Juliet was effectively killing him.

Juliet narrowed her eyes into a cold, dead stare that, when paired with the totally contradictory cavity-inducing smile, was flat out disturbing and scared the shit out of Nathan. At one point during his rant, the blonde had silently drawn her dagger and held it in an ice-pick grip with it's hilt pointed in Nathan's direction.

Nathan noticed the small blade in her hands and backed off, "Wha-what's that for? You're only… only making things worse, you know?" He gulped, fearfully eyeing the sharp looking edges of her weapon. Their metal swords might not be anymore than thin metal clubs but he had no idea whether that dagger was different. Maybe it was sharpened and he was about to get stabbed? Well good luck with that. There were so many witnesses that Nathan was kinda wishing the dumb girl would stab him, just so he could really bring the hammer down on her and on this stupid school.

"Fuck you Nathan!"

Yup. He had a lot of witnesses to back him-

"Scum!"

Wait… wait, wait, wait, wait! Something's not right here...

"Sexist bastard! Go die in a ditch!"

He looked around at the stands; there were droves of booing spectators, students and parents alike. They looked like a bunch of rabid beasts that would tear him apart if they ever got hold of him. There were a few that were even throwing balled up rubbish down at him.

"Now now sir," A small, delicate hand landed heavily on his shoulder, making his head snap back to a pair of dead eyes, "you can't be saying stuff like that,You really shouldn't be saying that…" Nathan's final sight before unconsciousness took him were small beehive-like holes in the pommel of a dagger, a terrifying smirk replacing a sweet smile and dead eyes reviving into a pair of pissed off avada kedavra green orbs.

Hopefully that'd be the last she'll see of him. That bastard even dared to call her a whore?! Worse, he called her Percy's whore… which wasn't even true, even if she did partly desire being that. Still, she was this close to seriously attacking that brutish ass and the only thing that kept her from doing so was out of loyalty to her mistress. Good thing this was Nathan's last year and since her presence in the school wasn't a regular thing, because if she did see him again, she'd probably deck him.

Besides, in today's age, someone probably clipped and posted his rant online. Nathan Lake would probably spent a couple of years as a social pariah, and would be far too busy dealing with the fall out to bother with her.

After pinching on one of Nathan's pressure points near the juncture of his neck, Juliet took her hand off of the creep's shoulder, and wiped the imaginary slime off her hand - who knew what she could catch from touching that creep - on the closest soldier's sleeve, "Get him out of my sight!" she barked, resheathing her mic that posed as a dagger and putting her hands on her hips authoritatively.

As her underlings scurried away with Nathan in tow, carrying the bastard with more care than she would prefer - weaving nimbly through a shitstorm of self-righteous social justice warriors - the former head servant-girl let out a sigh, releasing the tension that she built up in her disgruntlement. After hearing such hateful nonsense coming from a brat that clearly had it out for her and Percy or was plainly raised with rotten values, Juliet just wanted the morning to end already.

Holding back another sigh about to escape, Juliet buckled up, put on her big girl panties and forcibly lifted her spirits. Just a bit more and she could hole up in the room with her mistress and finally let the other departments do their job.

It was annoying that they hired a ton of people, including a chief of staff and a licensed doctor, but for the most part, she was the one handling all their duties. Honestly, if it wasn't for their head of security actually doing her job and lightening her load, Juliet would have snapped already. Especially when she found out that their damn doctor was found roaming the festival during his hours with one of the fucking nurses on his arm. If she hadn't been a trained combat medic, some of the kids might've been going home with more than just a few bruises and scratches and where would that leave them? Buried under a hundred lawsuits and her mistress being replaced?

No way was she gonna let that happen. Not on her watch. Her mistress loved this school and if her crazy antics jeopardize her position in it, then it was up to Juliet to make sure they didn't. So she took over jobs that weren't hers and did them beautifully, but they did take their toll. More so than she expected.

Who knew dealing with a hundred plus school kids excited for summer would be so stressful?

But enough about that. She'd tarried on long enough and it was about the perfect time for her to act. Giving the field a cursory scan, Juliet waved one of her free staff members over.

"Ma'am?"

"Get the two teachers, Brunner and Dodds, to the infirmary. They didn't look like they took any hits but have them get checked out anyway. Jackson and… "she visualized her list to help her remember, "number 98, Jimmer. Tell them not to go out of the arena yet. Have them wait around for a bit. Oh, and have someone start the clean up on that," she nodded at the grounds of the arena floor, filthy with all kinds of shit from Nathan's exit, "and get the renovation crew out quickly. We're a bit behind schedule." The woman she was talking to nodded before leaving to follow instructions and Juliet perked up to do hers.

"Hey everyone!" Juliet spoke energetically into her dagger/mic with a jaunty wave, gaining the attention of the aggravated crowd. "Very sorry about that horrible scene," a cute apologetic smile and a rehearsed nervous giggle sent the boys into a frenzy and lightened the atmosphere, "I know it was disgusting and just… ugh…" She started pacing around the center of the platform, "but come on people! We're celebrating the first ever Yancy Academy End of the Year Festival! Make some noise!"

At her prompting, hoots and claps erupted from the crowd, the earlier altercation put aside for now.

"What was that? Did you guys say something or was that the summer breeze?" Juliet teased, cupping a hand around her ear. Predictably, the hoots into screams and the sporadic clapping turned thunderous. She was playing the crowds like a pro. Soon, they'll be eating from the palm of her hand. "Better… but not nearly good enough! C'mon people!" She then proceeded to put on a real show for the audience, converting the battlefield into her own personal stage.

She made them laugh when she introduced herself as 'Gabrielle' but then added with a cheeky smile and a shrug that it wasn't her real name. She wowed them with high class flips, turns and corkscrews in the air and essentially put on a one woman world-class acrobatic show. She made them clap in excitement when she told them that the festival outside was an international one, with stands serving food and games from different cultures of the world. She made them curious when she teased that there was a world famous artist slated to perform but revealed them only with the vague statement of 'after you see them live, you'll remember them for centuries.'

It was only a couple of minutes but her short performance went a long way in establishing a positive note to end things on. Juliet had experienced a wrestling show having a sub-par conclusion and how the size of the audience the next night was nearly cut in half. The Nathan episode could've done the same to this event but now, hopefully with her efforts, the afternoon crowd would be just as big as this one.

Juliet smiled at the frenzied audience she'd worked up but now it was time to bring things to a wrap. With a simple gesture of her hand, everyone went silent. "Great! I'm happy to see you're all excited, but for now, can you all please listen before we take a break for lunch?"

First off, she gave the crowd a run down on the schedule of events taking place. When the second round would start, how long the festival would last, when the special live music performance would be; that sort of stuff. She also told them that the festival would last until ten in the evening and reopen the next morning for another day and that it was open to anyone, even outsiders, so they can invite their families or friends to come by for a day of fun. Guessing there would be some concerns for safety - this was after all a rich kid school and was no stranger to the occasional kidnapping attempt - she ensured that their safety was their top priority and additional measures were taken like hiring a top class security agency for personnel, among other things.

Secondly, she made a few clarifications regarding the last round of melees. The four people advancing were the two teachers, Percy and Jimmer. Percy, even though he technically performed an illegal crotch shot, it was deemed accidental and thus was good to proceed. Jimmer, on the other hand, wasn't really knocked out. He never fell unconscious, got disarmed or went out of bounds. He just got his breath knocked out of him and when he was good to go again, the match was already over.

When a fuss was raised over Percy's use of the second sword, Juliet just made up some bullshit about it being similar to the teachers were allowed to join thing. No one thought of it and it wasn't in the rules, so it was allowed. She also cited that there was a prior case similar, where one Ted Robins took his opponent's sword for himself.

There were a few grumbles here and there but overall, the flimsy reasoning was accepted and the first half of the tournament was officially brought to a close.

Juliet gave one last wave before slipping away into the arena tunnel, gesturing for Percy and Jimmy to come with. Her carefully crafted cheerful and open demeanor gradually vanished as she disappeared into the confines of semi-darkness, the eyes of the people no longer trained on her.

It was time for Gabrielle, the overly animated announcer and consummate performer, to back up. Juliet Butler was taking the wheel and right now, she wasn't feeling particularly energetic or smiley.

Reaching the intersection that seperated the waiting rooms and infirmary to the tunnels that would eventually lead to the Empress Lounge, her mistress's private suite, Juliet spun to face the two boys following behind her. She cleared her throat, "You heard me back there, Jimmer? You're in for the next round, okay? Make sure to show up." He nodded and asked if there was anything else. "Go to the infirmary. Get yourself examined. If you have further questions, you can ask any of the staff in the infirmary. They're also giving your teachers the rundown," she said, pointing at the tunnel to their left.

Jimmy glanced between Percy and Juliet thoughtfully but said nothing. Was he imagining that strange thing in the air, or what? Wasn't there some kind of history between these two that led to the whole debacle with Nathan? Jimmy could totally see it. His underclassman was looking questioningly at the, Jimmy could admit, frankly stunning blonde, but the lady seemed adamant on not meeting his gaze. Whatever their deal was, Jimmy wanted no part of it and quietly walked off by his lonesome towards the infirmary.

When Jimmy turned the corner and went out of sight, Juliet cocked her head to the right, urging Percy to follow her, which he did. That left the two green-eyed individuals alone in a strangely uncomfortable silence, as they walked through an increasingly complicated network of tunnels and the number of people they were running into decreasing as they got deeper in.

"So…" the dark-haired boy prompted, trying to fill up the void of sound. It'd been a while since they encountered anyone and it was getting a bit too awkward for his liking. He didn't even know what was happening. He'd never been uneasy in Juliet's presence so why was he now?

Maybe it was just him . He was uber tired. The short burst of anger he had when he overheard Nathan's sexist harangue had taken even more of his already drained energy. While waiting for Juliet to finish with her announcements, Percy actually spaced out in exhaustion and it wasn't until he found himself walking alongside Jimmy did he snap back into focus.

"Hmm?" the blonde hummed, waiting for him to continue. He didn't. He was waiting for her to begin, so they were once again left walking through a dimly lit corridor in awkward silence.

That was, until Percy stopped walking.

He sighed, running a hand through his jet black locks, "C'mon Juliet. This is getting really weird. Stop beating around the bush-"

"I'm not," She insisted and turning to him, annoyed, "Know what? Just keep up," she said before turning her back on him and walking off.

"Yes you are!" Percy interrupted a bit heatedly, stopping her retreat by roughly grabbing her wrist. His exhaustion was getting the better of him. He felt like he just had a sliver of stamina left in him and that he would collapse if he didn't get off his feet soon, which was strange since he usually spent his time playing sports with Ted for hours on end without ever feeling beat. For some reason, his fights really sapped at his strength. No, not his fights, his outbursts of emotion were what was draining him. "Where are we even going?" he let fatigue seep into his voice, "I'm tired, Juliet. If you have something to say, please just get it over with." When she still stubbornly held her tongue "Fine. I'll see you around." Percy let go of her wrist and started walking back the way they came, hoping that the next time they meet it wouldn't be so awkward.

CRASH

Caught off-guard mid-sentence, Percy was unable to even react in time when Juliet grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him 'round so he was facing her and slammed him roughly into the nearest wall. A pained 'ow' slipped past as he banged his head on the hard surface.

"What was that for?" He demanded indignantly, gingerly rubbing at the lump slowly forming on the back of his head. He looked up - the blonde bombshell was a good deal taller than him, to his frustration - to give the woman a piece of his mind but when he did, his indignation petered out like a defective whoopee cushion.

Juliet was leaning over him with her weight supported by one of her hands on the wall, right next to his head. She was close. So close that Percy could not only see how long and fine her eyelashes were, but actually count them. So close that with every shallow breath he took, a fragrant scent of strawberries filled his senses. So close that he could feel the heat of her skin and feel her silky blonde locks as the end of her braid brushed against his arm.

"You want me to get to the point? Fine!" Juliet drew even closer and Percy wondered if her point was to kiss him. He didn't know what to feel about that if that was the case. Only a fool would have refused a smooch from someone like Juliet and Percy was not a fool… mostly. What he was… was impulsive and that could be a problem if Juliet didn't back up. With the way her inviting scent filled his suddenly overly sensitive nose and her hot breath tickling his face every few seconds, the urge to just tilt his head that tiniest inch and capture her lips was almost overwhelming, but he couldn't do it if her intentions were unclear. Percy managed, if barely, to keep his self-control but he could not stop his eyes from roving over her lips and licking his own.

It wasn't an ostentatious action but Juliet, with her sharp and well-trained eyes, caught it A giddy satisfaction filled her, though it wasn't enough to overcome her negative mood. "Do you remember what I told you? Back in the waiting room?"

Percy found himself fascinated by the way those full, kissable lips moved; how they curved into a slight smile; how he saw glimpses of her long, slender tongue as she spoke. Still, fascinating or not, Percy forced his gaze from her lips back up into her eyes and pay attention. The first part of that wasn't something difficult to do. The second half… not so much. Not with how captivating her jade green irises could be. They looked especially interesting right now with how they were blazing with emotion. Even with her opera mask on to hide her identity, Percy still got lost in her eyes.

It was like being in the humid, green rainforests of the Amazon, Percy thought. Venturing within was both a terrible and wonderful idea. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, teeming with life and overwhelmingly green that you just had to explore more of it. Maybe take a stroll. You wouldn't even mind the way the humidity made your shirt stick to your sweaty body or make your hair frizz out because you would be too busy enjoying the sights. However, its beauty was a part of the trap because once you went in, it'd take a whole lot of luck to get back out.

"Are you even paying attention?"

Fortunately, luck was something Percy had im spades. Whether it was good or bad remains to be seen.

Juliet calling out to him in that strange blend of bemused and annoyed tone of hers guided him out of the forest that were her eyes. Kinda like the trail of breadcrumbs from Hansel and Gretel, only he wasn't escaping from some wicked witch but from the blazing orbs of a pretty girl.

"Uh…" Percy scrambled, racking his brain trying to remember what the blonde asked him. It was another instance of his temperamental attention span. He didn't know if it was normal for others but his ADHD was regularly selective in nature and it even had, on occasion, kicked his perception into overdrive. Case in point, he fell into a trance-like state due to Juliet's close proximity and missed most, if not all, of what she said. However, unlike the time he spaced out over her announcements, Percy could actually recall what she asked him - okay, he had a vague idea but the point still stands - even though he wasn't actually listening. Not to mention all the times things seem slowed down whenever Percy was in a tight situation. His fight with those gangsters all those months ago came to mind, when he felt like he had all the time in the world to react and plan against his foes.

Really, was it even ADHD anymore? Or was it just another sign that he wasn't exactly normal?

'What did she… something about what she said back in the waiting room…' Percy did a little mental celebration, thinking he'd gotten away with not paying attention to a girl when they were talking, a crime essentially as bad as first degree murder when you thought about it… or was that just how it seems like when you wake up in the middle of the night, back screaming in agony because you got relegated to the couch.

Percy's celebrating, however, came to a screeching halt as another thought quickly took its place. 'Let's see… Juliet was talking about...' What she said just before sending him away to take care of the other contestants rang in his mind like a grandfather clock. His eyes darted to her enticing lips once more as he gulped audibly. He was salivating. The idea that was nothing more than a stray fantasy was now fully entrenched in his mind now and he was pretty sure he didn't have the strength to dig it back out.

"I'm so jealous of my mistress… she gets to have you all for herself… do you think she'll mind sharing?"

"I thought you were just joking about that!" Percy reasoned, his heart hammering in his chest; a steady pulse he was positive Juliet could hear. She couldn't have been serious with that, could she? Sharing a guy… especially someone as messed up as him… that wasn't...

"Of course not!" Juliet couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did she somehow pass of her distaste at being treated like a damsel in distress as a joke? She didn't think so. "Why would you even think that?"

Misunderstandings could really be a bitch, couldn't it. And unfortunately for these two, this misunderstanding was one of those that could make or break a relationship.

Percy felt himself get light-headed at her response. A myriad of scenes - or should he say fantasies? - invaded his already tired brain. The most prominent daydream was one where Percy was sitting in a love seat, Astra and Juliet squeezed in on either side of him. The girls were hugging his arms to their chests, pressing their soft and shapely bodies up against him. Juliet was nuzzling his neck while Astra whispered busying herself by in his ear sultrily, warning him to be prepared 'cause they were gonna make him into a Percy sandwich. As if that was a signal to begin, Juliet started kissing and nipping at his jaw and Astra stuck her tongue in his ear, both their hands slowly traveling down his body until they reached the waistband of his shorts.

He stopped himself there, a little too late if he was being honest. Previously only feeling lightheaded, now his head had started pounding and his vision started flickering… probably from lack of oxygen because a considerable amount of his blood was being diverted south.

"Juliet…" Percy choked out, ignoring his building headache, the tent forming in his jeans and the blonde's taken aback expression. He reached a hand out to touch her face or maybe cup her cheek - he wasn't sure what he was going to do - but he quickly found himself too short to reach without having to stand on the very tips of his toes and he didn't think his legs would hold up if he did. Not as he was right now. Not when he could feel himself slipping ever closer to oblivion.

God, he just wanted to grow up already. Percy was fairly tall for his age, but fairly tall for his age was still well below the average. Astra and Juliet, the two girls showing interest were both towering over him to the point that he couldn't even reach level with their faces without them bending over. No offense to short guys, but this was just embarrassing. And frustrating. Teeth-grinding, fist-trembling frustration.

Juliet was a bit lost as to why Percy was acting like… this… whatever this was. Not that she was complaining but where was this even coming from? He couldn't have been this bummed out because she was being cross with him, could he?

A shiver went down Juliet's spine when Percy whispered, no, caressed her name gently with a tone that, in her opinion, should be declared illegal outside of a specific circumstance: under the cover of night, whispered between the sheets of two -maybe three?- lovers after a sinful dance of love and passion. And on that note, Juliet wanted to hear him call out to her like that again; the letters of her name gently rolling off his tongue like something to be savored.

And he could use that tongue of his for other things too while he was at it. And… oh my… was that his… oh my… now wasn't that a real confidence boost.

Before Percy could notice the dreamy smile her spicy musings brought about, Juliet forced her mouth into a straight, neutral expression and slightly pulled her hips back so he wasn't poking into her thigh. She couldn't let herself be distracted into forgetting that she had a boner -damn it- a bone to pick with him.

Although... if she was being honest with herself, she was sort of projecting her anger from something else onto Percy. After all, getting annoyed at one person was far better than outright hatred for another. Especially for someone with the type of training she did. Her master might have deemed her as not having the right disposition, but being called out as a bitch, even though she'd barely even gotten further than her first kiss, was something that really got on her nerves. And the fact that the bastard even had the nerve to imply that she, as a woman, was better off at home… let's just say that if there weren't hundreds of witnesses, Nathan Lake wouldn't just be going home with a broken nose… he wouldn't be going home at all.

"I-I'm sorry." Percy continued, still in that gentle tone of voice that could set Juliet's ovaries exploding. And his eyes. God, his eyes were gorgeous and the way they looked at her made her feel like she was something worth more than even the whole Fowl estate which, considering how wealthy her previous masters were, was really saying something. And since he already apologized… maybe she could let things go?

Juliet let out a sigh, drawing back fully from pinning the boy only to lean on the wall next to him, their legs barely touching. "It's okay… I guess…" She took off her mask and gave him a tentative smile, "It doesn't really matter. I was just overreacting. I should be the one apologizing for slamming you into the wall… unless you like it rough?"

Percy gazed at the amazing young woman next to him with his increasingly dimming vision. The instant she pulled away, Percy felt the last vestiges of his energy leave him, almost as if she took them with her. Or maybe it was the opposite and it was only her proximity that gave him the juice to keep from going out like a light.

There were so many things they had to talk about still. He wanted to tell her that she wasn't overreacting, that it did matter, that it was not okay-okay, but he doubted he'd manage the conversation as he was now. He took another step closer into the darkness and he felt his knees buckle.

His arms reached out instinctively to try and stop his fall. There were a few columns in the corridor they were in but they were simply too far away for Percy to even hope of using them to steady himself. There really was only one thing he could've used to that effect.

Juliet let out an involuntary gasp as she felt her skin tingle with electricity wherever Percy's bare skin was in contact with her own. Considering she was wearing nothing more than a glorified armor facsimile of a crop top, that was a lot of exposed skin.

"Sorry…" Percy slurred, a soothing feeling flowing through him as he she gently ran her hands through his hair, "legs gave out on me… I'll-I'll get out of your hair in a…sec..." He said, making a token attempt of wriggling out of her grip but quickly fell still. He was exhausted… and Juliet was warm, and comfy, and she smelled so good, and… and…

"Percy?" the blonde called out, her tone surprised but not unwelcoming. When his hold around her waist loosened and his body started swaying precariously, Juliet wrapped her arms around his neck and held him up, leaning her back against the wall as she did so. "Don't worry, I got you." Naturally, she did so only to better support him. There weren't any ulterior motives whatsoever… she thought, while discreetly marveling at how strong and solid he was, how soft to the touch the loose strands of hair at the nape of his neck were and taking a deep whiff of his scent. He reeked of salt and sweat but strangely enough, Juliet didn't find the smell repulsing but heady and intoxicating.

Juliet started feeling a bit concerned when a full minute had passed with Percy still clinging onto her for support, even though he said that he'd get off, but she didn't say anything. If he wanted to hold her… well, she wasn't going to tell him to bugger off.

Juliet wasn't sure when or even if she was going to get this chance again, so she was going to savor this for as long as she could. She'd like to think she knew her mistress pretty well despite having served her for only upwards of a year but when it came to Percy… Juliet couldn't get a read on her.

She knew for a fact that Astra was head over heels in love with the dark-haired young man. Juliet would even go as far as to say that her mistress was damn near obsessed with him. In fact, Juliet was privy to something not even close friends and acquaintances knew that gave her some insight over her mistress's interest in Percy: a long line of hopeful suitors, literally a whole bus load of men - and women - from all walks of life, vying for her mistress's favor.

Nobody knew about them though because her mistress would immediately reject their advances as easily and nonchalantly as snapping her fingers. The only reason Juliet found out was because it was her responsibility too… ah… motivate the stubborn ones that wouldn't take no for an answer into giving up on her desirable master.

Her point is that out of the dozens upon dozens of admirers - including a literal, honest-to-god prince charming of a remote country in Europe - none of them were even given a chance but Percy… well, he didn't even have to try, did he? Her mistress made the first move, manufactured a way for them to meet and spend time together, ambushed him out of nowhere to ask him out, brought him home that very same night and Juliet wasn't sure if they did 'it', but her mistress was positively glowing the morning after, prancing around him in her panties while shooting Percy googly eyes all through breakfast. Whilst all the other hopefuls were turned down point blank.

If that wasn't enough evidence of her possible obsession then maybe the fact that Juliet once caught her in her room, crushing a handmade doll with Percy's likeness to her chest while giggling, moaning and wriggling in her bed, a hand suspiciously hidden under the covers would do the trick. Or the fact that she even made a doll in the first place.

Anyways, what Juliet was trying to say is that her mistress was head over heels in love with the boy she was currently holding in her arms and usually that would've just killed any hope she had of ever having a chance with him. But, on the other hand, it was her mistress - her brilliant, beautiful, bodaciously bonkers mistress - and she was head over heels in love with him. Maybe to the point of being willing to share if Percy explicitly expressed an interest in having her.

Juliet let out a sigh as looked down at Percy, her fingers threaded through his hair. She was getting ahead of herself. Even if her mistress was willing, Percy was the one who had to take initiative. Aside from continuing to be his friend that flirted with him a bit, things were pretty much out of her hands. She couldn't get her hopes up like that.

"Percy?" The blonde whispered softly. She didn't know why but speaking in hushed tones felt right, as if talking like normal would break the moment, "I'm sorry but we have to go now…" she said, even when all she really wanted was for this to go on for longer, "Miss Astra's waiting."

No answer.

"Percy?" Juliet tugged lightly at his locks, trying to get him to raise his head from nuzzling into her but she was both shocked and amused when, at the gentlest of pulls, his head hung back limply, his mouth slightly open with soft snores coming out. "Oh Percy…" she shook her head with a chuckle, shifting the sleeping boy into a more comfortable position.

"You're really lucky you're cute, y'know." she said as she started walking through the tunnels, Percy safely cradled in her arms. For a twelve year old boy, Percy was pretty heavy - probably from his early developed muscles - but Juliet carried her no problem.

Of course, things would be different if he was awake. There was no doubt in Juliet's mind that he'd put up one hell of a struggle if he knew what was going on.

After all, Percy didn't seem like the type to let himself be carried bridal style.