Bonus Chapter: The Games!

(Author's Note)

Hey everyone! I'm here with a bonus chapter in between regular uploads. Before any of you click off this story let me tell you that this is NOT a filler chapter. It retains to the story as a whole and actually includes the introductions of two major points of this story. Look closely and you might notice them. A heads up for this chapter, I wasn't able to cover most of the events simply because I didn't have the time. These Games are also very different than our Modern Olympics so don't get confused.

Don't forget to vote on my Poll for my next PJ Pertemis story.

Thanks to those of you who sent good wishes for my mom. I'm happy to say that she is out of the ER and back home. It was just a scare but she had an MRI done and we don't know the test results yet, but we're all praying she's clear.

This past week or so I've had the highest number of Reviews and PM's saying that they either didn't like this story or Leonidas. It surprised me, I thought that by now only people who liked the story were reading it. Not trying to be rude to those people, btw, I already replied to all of them. But I have a question for you guys, are you liking the story so far? If not then let me know why and I'll reply and do my best to find a solution or fix it in order to make this story as best as possible.

One last thing, a little clarification about Leonidas' powers and strength because a lot of peoples' problems with him are that he's stronger than Percy. All demigods have Abilities that can be sorted into two categories: General Abilities(being increased strength, speed, stamina and durability above those of a regular human) and Demigod Abilities(being things like water, fire, earth manipulation, etc.). Percy has increased General Abilities above those of regular demigods because he's a son of one of the Big Three along with having the Curse of Achilles. But Leonidas on the other hand doesn't have water, fire, earth manipulation or any Demigod Abilities like that. His Demigod Abilities ARE his additional titanic strength, speed, stamina and durability. Other demigods like Clarisse, Mika and some Hephaestus kids have further increased strength as one of their Demigod Abilities because their parents are known/related to strength. It could also be implied that Jason and Percy have further increased strength as a DA since their fathers are known for their strength. I hope that makes sense to you guys, Leonidas is so strong because his Demigod Abilities are literally just his increased physical abilities. If you have any more question then let me know and I'll be sure to answer them while making sure not to spoil anything.

Bonus Chapter: The Games!

(May 20, 2011 - Camp Half-Blood)

The ancient games of Olympia, the predecessor to all number of sporting events in the entire course of human history, now known throughout the entire world as the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games are the highest and most prestigious level of sports competition any athlete can ever have the honor to compete in. Every year, tens of thousands of Greeks would gather from all across the ancient world to spectate the single largest events of the time, for the chance to witness the champions and legends of the age. The Olympic athletes. The Games were the greatest chances for not only fame and fortune, but honor as well. And it was that honor- not to forget some nice bragging rights- that the demigods of Camp Half-Blood competed for.

Unlike the rest of the modern world, the campers tried their best to hold true to the ancient games, only changing certain aspects to help approve upon the godly games. Such as allowing both males and females to participate for the chance to honor their cabin and parent with victory. Another change the demigods made was removing the tradition of having the Games every four years and holding them every summer to allow the young campers more opportunities to participate before they either turned eighteen and left camp or died in a horrifyingly painful and gruesome death.

It was the first morning of the Games and the entire camp was already up and preparing before the sun even cleared the horizon. Like in the ages past, the competitors prayed to the gods for victory, or more specifically, their parents. Since some gods may not wish to bless a child of one of their competitors, but some gods, like Zeus who the Games were dedicated to and Nike, the goddess of victory, were prayed to and given more offerings in those five days than any other time of the year. But Percy wasn't currently praying to the king of the gods or the goddess of victory to bless his performances today, he was currently in his and Annabeth's apartment waiting for the aforementioned girl to get out of the bathroom so he could brush his teeth and throw some deodorant on before heading down to the arena to help set up for the opening ceremony.

"Annabeth?" He called as he softly knocked on the door. "You uh… doing okay in there?"

Her answer came a few seconds later, her voice a little tense. "...Why do you ask?"

Percy shrugged to himself. "Just because you've been there for fifteen minutes." He leaned against the wall lazily, still tired from catching up on sleep. An idea popped into his head. "Wait, you're not getting ready, are you?" He asked, a little confused, as far as he knew she said that she'd let him get ready first since he had to be at the arena before her. "If you are it's not a problem, but if you're just doing your makeup or something can I grab my toothbrush and deodorant?" It wasn't uncommon for them to get ready for the day together, because of their tiny apartment only having one bathroom, sometimes it felt like they were climbing over the other in front of the tiny sink and mirror as she did her makeup and hair and as he brushed his teeth and shaved his face. It was completely normal, becoming almost like a tradition for them over the last year or so living together, so he wasn't expecting her to yell out when his hand gripped the doorknob. "Can I-?"

"Don't come in!" Her voice was sudden, causing him to let go of the doorknob and take a slight step back before stepping up to the door again, moving his ear closer to the door in order to hear her. Her next words were at a normal volume but still a little tense. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Percy's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, sorry, Beth." He rubbed the back of his neck, he didn't mean to almost walk in on her using the toilet, honestly, but she usually told him before going in that he couldn't come in and either grab something or get ready next to her in the mornings. That way she- and he- still had their privacy despite them being completely comfortable around each other and being intimate a few times since he had returned from traveling with the hunters, the two deciding not to wait anymore. "I don't mean to rush you… but I need to get going soon… so…"

"I'll be out in a minute. Just- just can you give me some privacy, please?" She asked. "It's weird having you listening to me on the toilet."

"Yeah, no problem. Sorry." Percy headed off to his office- aka the room Annabeth was supposed to use before she moved into his room, not that he minded, of course- to make sure he had everything prepared for the Games. Two minutes later Annabeth emerged from the oval office, something clutched in her hand as the other pulled on her bra strap under her extra large tshirt- that he recognized as one of his that went 'missing' two weeks ago- as she came in mumbling under her breath into the room. Percy didn't catch most of it, but he's pretty sure he heard her gripping about her 'ladies' as she dubbed them.

Turning to his girlfriend as she entered he gave her a once over. "You alright, Wisegirl?" He asked, watching her slump down on his chair. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

"No, no, just…" She waved the small item around with her hand lazily. "Just tired. I must not have gotten as much sleep as I thought. I've been working non-stop getting ready for the Games."

"You weren't throwing up in there or anything, were you?" He asked, worried that she was sick as he gathered his scrolls into a bag and faced her.

"No I… just uh, lady things." She waved the item she was holding, Percy now recognizing it as the small clutch purse she usually kept her hygiene products in, his eyes slightly widening as he realized what she was talking about. As a guy he tried his best to avoid any and all conversation involving… that time of the month, not wanting to invade her privacy. She wore a strained reassuring smile. "I'm fine, just feel a little off."

"You going to be up for today?" He asked. "Because we can get you a replacement-."

"Nah," She waved him off, getting up from his chair and heading towards the door, about to go into their room to get dressed. "I'll be okay, I'm just a little tired is all, I'm a big girl, I can handle myself." She eyed the clock as she left the room, pulling the large shirt over her head, and if Percy leaned over to catch a glimpse of her as she walked around their room in her underwear he wouldn't tell you, nor would he admit it. "Might want to hurry up, Seaweed Brain, you don't want to be late."

"...Yeah, sure…" He was too distracted to listen to what she was saying for a few seconds before shaking his head of his thoughts and getting back to work making sure everything was ready. A minute or so later Annabeth's voiced called out from their room.

"Hey, babe?"

"Yeah?" He asked, furiously writing last minute details down he was supposed to do the other day.

"Have you seen my toga?"

"Which one? The ceremonial one or the athletic one?"

The sound of someone sifting through clothes in a closet sounded from the room across the hall. "Gods, I have way too many togas…" He heard her mumble before calling out to him. "I mean my new one for the Games."

Percy scratched his head, trying to remember, it had been a busy and hectic last couple of days. Usually Annabeth was on top of things and always knew where everything was but for some reason she had been scatterbrained the last week or so, Percy personally blamed it on the Games and their trying to address his sleeping problems with Katie. "Oh, it's still in the package, remember?"He reached over to pick up a medium sized paper package sitting on a chair. "It's in here."

She appeared in the small office next to him a few seconds later, dressed in nothing but her lace underwear, Percy couldn't help but appreciate the view. As she took the package from him she must have noticed his staring because she smirked and lightly socked him in the shoulder. "My eyes are up here, mister."

"And while I like them, I'd rather stare a little lower. Those are my favorite pair." He caught her rolling her eyes as she ripped open the brown paper and revealed her red toga, a sign of a judge for the Games. Another difference between the demigods and the ancient Greeks is that for obvious reasons- most of which were because of cultural differences but also because of the young ages of the competitors- the campers didn't participate in the nude. They also didn't wear the same types of athletic gear the modern Olympic athletes wore, but participated in togas perfectly designed to allow the athlete to maintain their full range of motion while also honoring their ancestors before them. The togas the judges and officials wore were a little different that the ones the athletes wore, the first major difference being the color, which was a dulled red for them and a plain white for the competitors. The other differences was that their wool fabric was heavier and thicker while the competitors were lightweight and thinner to help them maintain their cool as they competed. The last difference was the large, ornate purple silk sash that hung from their shoulder down to their belt that the judges and officials wore while the athletes wore smaller, colored sashes that bore the symbol of their cabin and godly parent on it.

Annabeth held the toga up in front of her, inspecting it as she smirked at Percy's last comment. "Well that's the last time I let you pick out my underwear." She told him as she slipped the material over her head, Percy helping pull the heavy fabric down as she did so.

He smiled. "Hey, it's not my fault that you made me go clothes shopping with you and my mom last Christmas. I was bored."

"We were looking for ugly Christmas sweaters," She told him as she pulled her hair out from under the material. "It's our tradition."

"But then you turned that tradition into a four hour clothes shopping trip."

"It was two and a half at the most." She rolled her eyes as she straightened the toga and reached for the purple sash. "Don't whine about it, that was five months ago." She smiled, wrapping the sash around her with Percy's help.

"I still can't believe that you managed to talk me into buying a sweater for myself." He remembered that abomination of a sweater, may it rest in peace as it's scattered ashes flew into the wind.

She snorted next to him. "I still can't believe that you brought this set of underwear up to me in front of your mom saying I should get it." She smiled fondly at the memory, Sally went so red in the face and smacked Percy on the back of the head for suggesting that Annabeth buy something so revealing. Annabeth waved off Sally's concerns that she'd buy them, but went back later to get the pair as a surprise for Percy. And boy was he surprised, it was well worth it in her opinion.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'll admit, it wasn't my brightest moment. But it payed off," He sent her a flirty grin as he tied the sash at her waist. "I get to see you in them."

She socked him in the arm again, not able to hold back her smile. "You're a perv, you know that?" After dodging her next attack, Percy donned his own toga for the Games. It was light weight wool and sat on one shoulder and tucked beneath the opposite armpit. And since togas weren't known as the most modest clothing in the world, the campers wore undergarments under them. Either just underwear or shorts for the boys while the girls were a little more modest and wore athletic shorts and sports bras or tops under the togas, depending on their personal preference. Because of the nature of the togas, they were a little different for each gender, the boys' togas showed off more skin under their arms along their sides and one of their pecs was left completely exposed. A guy could always choose to wear a shirt underneath the toga, but most of the older guys decided no to so they could show off their muscles to the girls, not that most of the girls minded, of course. The girls' togas were more reserved and showed less skin, of course, it mostly resembled the ones the boys wore except that it didn't show off any skin under their arms down their sides and covered most, if not all of their chest and only showing the slightest amount of their clothing underneath, depending on the size and preference of the competitor and cut off a few inches above the knee, slightly higher than the boys'. Some girls didn't show off any skin while others, like Mika who didn't care- but was also almost twice the size of the other girls and didn't fit in the togas properly- showed off more while still remaining appropriate, since the camp still held young children in it and they didn't want to accidentally flash any of the younger- or older- kids.

"How do I look?" After she was all ready, Annabeth gave a small twirl but immediately regretted it, her nausea from earlier returning with full force. She held her head. "Ugh, bad idea, Beth." She mumbled to herself.

"You alright?" Percy asked from next to her, straightening his own customized sash representing Poseidon around his waist.

"Yeah yeah," She mumbled, waving his worry off. "Just spun my head too fast."

"Well take it easy, okay Wisegirl?" He gave her a quick peck on the cheek as he headed for the door. "I'll see you at the opening ceremony."

oooOooo

(AN: If we get more than 6 Reviews

I'll put out the next chapter a day early)

oooOooo

(Main Arena)

Percy could hear the rumbling of the drums and cheers long before he lined up with the other competitors in the tunnel that lead into the arena, waiting for their signal to run out into the arena so they could start the Games. As soon as all the competitors had lined up along the walls of the tunnel, the winner of the one hundred meter run last year, Cecil from Hermes, was given the torch from an official and ran at full sprint into the arena and lit the large bonfire at the opposite end, officially starting the Games. Along with the rest of the competitors, Percy ran into the stadium to the deafening sounds of the crowds as they cheered for their cabins or favorite athletes. Due to his history in the previous Games as well as his accomplishments and popularity at camp, Percy was always a fan favorite and considered one of the major contenders, but this year was a little different with the arrival of their latest demigod, Leonidas, because of his immense strength and skill. He was by far the new fan favorite for the year with a lot of the campers betting on the giant man to win.

Once all of the competitors had entered the arena and the crowd had come quiet enough to talk, the announcer for the Games, DJ, the son of Apollo, began the opening speech. He gave praise to the gods for blessing and watching the games- the crowd growing anxious and worried when the usually rumbling sky from the cheering gods remained silent-, retold the story of how the Games began in order to bring praise and honor to the king of the gods, Zeus, and had all of the competitors to swear an oath saying that they would follow all of the rules and do their best to honor the gods. Once he was finished the arena was cleared and was set up for the first event. And it was in the preparation time for the first event when Leonidas came up to Percy.

"That son of Apollo forgot something in his retelling of the Games." Leonidas said instead of a greeting, but raising his large hand in a small wave when Percy turned to him.

Percy's brow peaked. "Hey, Leonidas." He greeted. "What do you mean?"

"He forgot to mention the Games were set up by Zeus' son, Heracles, to honor his father after he completed his twelve labors." Leonidas told him, his eyes inspecting the arena around him like he was taking in every sight at once. "And that Heracles marked out the first stadion track by walking two hundred steps and turning around, thereby giving the mortals the distance to run." He eyed the length of the dirt running track disappointingly. "The length of a stadion is one hundred eighty meters, the track you have here in only one hundred." He faced Percy. "It's far too short." He said this like he expected Percy to do something about it despite the arena being built decades, or perhaps even longer, before Percy was born.

Percy blinked. "Oh, uh, I didn't know that about Heracles." He said, making a mental note to ask someone smart like Annabeth if it was true. If it was true then they needed to know so that they could tell the accurate story. That's what made it hard about finding the real story for how something happened, since each story in Greek history had various versions. "And there's not much I can do about the track, since we usually do the races by hundred meters."

"I have dreamed about standing in a stadion since I was a boy." Leonidas mused, taking in all of his surroundings and completely ignoring the small crowd of Aphrodite girls yelling his name and watching him like hawks as he walked around with a fully bare chest, shorts and oversized sneakers, a result of none of the togas at camp fitting his large frame. "I trained everyday to push myself to my limits in order to one day be able to stand among the champions." He looked up to the clear, early morning sky like he could see something Percy couldn't and nodded like he was also replying to someone Percy couldn't hear. He spoke again, still facing the beautiful red dawn sky. "I never believed that I would be able to stand on such sacred grounds and compete in front of the gods. I hope to prove myself to them all, to my… father… to show him how strong I have become."

Percy hesitated slightly, by now he had learned that Leonidas often talked to himself when he looked up to the sky, so he didn't know if he should reply or not. "...Well, I can't say for certain that the gods are watching this year." Percy said, looking around the arena and seeing how different is was this year. Normally some gods would be in attendance, either in person or watching from above, and blessed the camp for the entire five days. Nymphs and satyrs would sing to the trees and plants and they would dance in place, the canoe lake was transformed into an oversized fountain with dazzling pillars of water shooting into the sky and turning into various pictures, giving the history of the camp,Games and gods. Mr. D would create the largest buffet of food in the world while Athena and Hephaestus decorated the camp, cabins and courses with elaborate decorations, metal automatons that juggled flaming axes, mechanical birds that flew over head pulling the various banners of the cabins while they sung ancient tunes telling the names of all of the champions before them. And at night the stars and moon would light up and brilliant streaks of color would flash across the night sky. Every god would cease all hostility with each other for the remainder of the Games. The Olympic Games were always the highlights of the year, but this year, none of that usual grandeur or fanfare was present, the gods were still silent, even on their most celebrated of days.

Percy shook his head slightly to clear his mind, looking back to Leonidas. "If only you would have been here when the gods weren't gone," He told the larger man. "Then they would be able to see you and compete and… maybe your father would too, whoever he is."

Leonidas smiled as he looked down to Percy. "I am not a child anymore, I no longer seek his attention, nor do I need his approval, I know my skill and I compete today not to prove myself to him, but to prove to myself who I am." Percy was about to open his mouth to reply but the conch blew telling all of the competitors to gather for the first event, the one hundred meter run.

"Good luck, Leonidas." Percy waved goodbye to his friend as he went off to the reserved seats for the competitors. "You have some stiff competition this year."

And as if to tell everyone he wasn't just all talk, Leonidas entered in the traditional opening event-as well as the first event to ever be held in the Olympics- the one hundred meter run, against the fastest demigods at camp and managed to score an easy victory by beating out the second place finisher, Travis, by a whole two seconds, a feat that stumped and surprised the crowd as Leonidas' time and victory was announced. Leonidas was a lot faster than he looked and was capable of incredible short bursts of speed, it seemed. Once the one hundred meter was over the next running events started, none of which Leonidas competed in because he had to go off to get ready for his next event, the Javelin Throw.

oooOooo

The next four days of events went on, each of the competitors giving it their all in order to win and bring honor to their parents in hope that one of them would make an appearance and attend the Games. But no gods came, neither did any satyrs, or nymphs or anything. For the first time in history, the demigods were all alone during the Games.

Percy was pumped, he had won every swimming event earlier today by a landslide and beat his records from the previous years by big margins. It seems that his power and strength over his father's domain was still growing. But the most recent events had dropped his cheerful demeanor ever so slightly. You see, today was the day that the physical, person vs person events took place for his age class, meaning Wrestling, Pankration, Boxing and Sword Combat, all events he used to either win at or came second in in previous years, only to find himself beaten in every event by Leonidas when they met in the finals. The large man had already beat him in Weightlifting yesterday- in which he set a new camp, and technically world record by lifting 800kg(1763.7lbs), and stunning the entire camp when he used several tractor tires as weights and lifted the gargantuan weight over his head without breaking much of a sweat- but also Wrestling, Pankration and Boxing earlier today. The only event left was Sword Combat, Percy's best event other than Swimming and his last chance to beat the self-named Son of Sparta.

After battling his way through his competition without much hassle, beating out the likes of Avery, Nico and Piper after giving the girl an apology when he absolutely destroyed her in combat, Percy found himself in the final bracket facing off against Leonidas who had just beaten Clarisse without much trouble when the aforementioned girl froze at the start of the fight and Leonidas took advantage of it and took her down with a 'death strike'- holding the blade at the opponents neck, head or heart- and won the fight without ever having to defend himself. Something that awed the crowd, but no one more than Percy, Clarisse was many things, but she wasn't a coward. So in order to find out what happened, he sought the girl out in one of the waiting room inside of the arena in between the fights.

He found Clarisse in the last room at the end of the hall, being really easy to find because there was a fist sized dent in the wall next to the door. Percy knocked once on the door before opening it and was immediately awarded with a sword pointed at his face. "Leave me- oh, Prissy, it's you." Clarisse lowered her voice once she recognized who it was, Percy having the feeling that if he was anyone else with the exception of her boyfriend, that he would have been beheaded. She waited a few more seconds before lowering her sword and sheathing it, turning her back to him as she sat on the wooden bench, her broad shoulders slumped and her head lowered. "I suppose ya are here to tell me how scared I was out there, huh? How much I messed up?" Her voice was harsh, like she had already dealt with that particular conversation with the other campers.

Percy shook his head as he sat down on the bench a few spaces away from her, making sure to give her her space and stay out of her reach just in case she lost her temper. "..No, I didn't come here to say that." He told her honestly, looking off to the wooden wall, suddenly finding it very interesting. "I came… to ask if you were okay."

Her head looked up suddenly, her eyes dangerous like she suspected he was making fun of her before realizing that he was being genuine. "...I, I don't know." She held up her hand and inspected it like she was trying to find something wrong with it. "I mean, I'm pissed that I choked like that, but I'm more pissed that I can't figure out why I choked in the first place." She clenched her hand tightly. "I don't know what happened… I was fine during all of my earlier matches, I mean I crushed everyone I fought, but once I came to fight Leonidas… I…" She trailed off. "I…"

"You what?"

"I got scared." She said softly, like she couldn't believe it even though she experienced it. "I was fine steppin' into the arena, and when the ref went over the rules, but as soon as I looked into his eyes and raised my sword…" She dropped her head into her hands, slightly shaking it. "It… it was like all of the courage, confidence and strength I had… vanished. So when I saw him coming at me… I… froze."

Percy had no idea what to say, so he did something he would normally never do to Clarisse, and put his hand on her large shoulder. She stiffened for a nano second but relaxed as she let out a breath. "I… I don't know what's wrong with me…" She mumbled, looking up at the ceiling. "Did I piss off my dad?Did I do something wrong? Did… he curse me?"

Percy gave a light shrug. "I don't know, Clarisse." From behind them he heard another person enter the room, turning he discovered it was Chris, her boyfriend.

"Clarisse!" Chris ignored every self preservation instinct Percy had ever had and ran up to the girl and wrapped his arms around her large shoulders. "What happened? Are you alright? Gods, I was so worried watching your fight. Are you okay?"

Percy stepped back from the couple and was about to make his leave until Clarisse called out to him, stopping in the doorway looking back at her. "A word of advice, Percy." She looked him right in the eyes as Chris hugged her. "Don't look him in the eyes."

oooOooo

Percy stepped up into the large dirt arena, tightening his arm bracers before putting on his helmet as he listened to DJ go over the rules for the fight and make some announcements to the crowd. One of the rules being that magical items and weapons weren't allowed in the fight, meaning Percy had to leave Riptide behind as Leonidas had to forgo his enchanted xiphos as well, each demigod having to wield an identical weapon like everyone else in the competition so that the fights were as fair as possible.

Eyeing his giant opponent as he fixed his own massive armor on his body, Percy ran through what Clarisse told him in his head, trying to figure out why she said that and how looking into Leonidas' eyes scared her and caused her to lose. Was he just that intimidating? He was a very large man and every instinct in your body screamed at you to avoid him when he approached, but he was also one of the nicest and kind people Percy had ever known. But Percy knew one thing, he trusted Clarisse and if she warned him about a fight then we would listen to her.

After drowning out DJ as he announced the finalists, Percy and Leonidas stepped into the ring, their swords drawn and shields at the ready. Leonidas watched him like a hawk as Percy got in his stance, ready for the match to begin. His eyes studying every move Percy made, how he gripped his sword, how high he held his shield, his footwork, everything. And it honestly made Percy a little anxious, he wasn't used to an opponent being able to read him like Leonidas could. It was uncanny, like the giant man could look into your mind and see what you were going to do before you yourself knew it.

The ref for the fight, Sherman Yang from Ares, stepped up and raised his hand and an Apollo kid 'blared' on a trumpet loudly, starting the fight. "BEGIN!"

In a fraction of a second Leonidas had cleared the dozen feet and had his blade aimed at Percy's chestplate, the son of Poseidon barely managing to counter the strike before jumping to the side and rolling out of the next strike. Come on, Percy, He thought to himself. You fought him once before, he can predict your Greek style, so use your Roman training and finish him before he adapts to it.

Percy sidestepped Leonidas' strike and dropped low and tucked his shield and sword in to get under and Leonidas' reach and take advantage of his smaller size. Once he was inside of attacking range, Percy thrust his borrowed sword at Leonidas' chest in order to try to hit the 'vital point' over his heart and end the match. But Leonidas was too fast and knocked Percy back with a hard kick to the chest.

As he was rising, Percy had to throw his shield up to block a downward strike from Leonidas, the impact causing Percy's bones to rattle and his shield to creak under the strength of the blow. Rolling out of the way, Percy jumped to his feet and faced his opponent, studying the large man as he stood a few paces away, looking back at him.

"Are you content on running the entire match or are you going to attack?" Leonidas called out in some friendly banter, his eyes focused on Percy, studying him. "Show me what the son of the great Earthshaker can do."

Percy's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, this would be so much easier if he was able to use his over power to catch Leonidas off guard long enough to get a strike in, but all powers and abilities were prohibited during the match. Percy didn't reply, not falling for Leonidas' possible trick to try to distract him, instead keeping his sea green orbs trained on his opponent. Without warning Leonidas charged again, a large cloud of dust and air forming behind him as the giant man sliced through the air towards Percy.

'Tching!' Their blades sparked as they clashed, the sound of metal on metal reverberating throughout the entire arena as the deafening cheers of the crowd surrounded them. Dropping low, Percy tried to get in close again only to be get met with Leonidas' shoulder and thrown back a dozen feet before managing to stop himself before he fell out of bounds. Rising to his feet, Percy felt an indescribable, irresistible draw tugging on his eyes, not able to pull his eyes away he looked up and found Leonidas' piercing reddish-brown amber gaze boring into his own and a second later he felt his heart drop, quickly followed by his sword and shield as his arms fell to his sides, his knees going weak and unable to support him any longer.

Unflinching and his gaze unwavering, unyielding, Leonidas stood like a mammoth statue as Percy dropped to a knee, his shield being used to help him maintain his balance. What is going on? Percy thought to himself, his heart was racing, his body was shaking and he felt inexplicably scared, like all of his courage had been sapped from him and his entire body was screaming at him to run and hide. It must be what Clarisse was talking about, He thought to himself, trying his best to rise to his feet despite the limbs refusing to move. But it doesn't make any sense, what is going on? Why is my body feeling this way? He forced his eyes to look back to the man as he slowly made his way over to Percy, his heavy footsteps silent as he crossed the dirt ring. Is this somehow Leonidas' doing? But how? The only god I know that can affect your courage in battle is Ares, is he Leonidas' father?

Percy wasn't given any more time to think as Leonidas had made his way to him, moving to lower his sword down to Percy's neck and claim victory. Percy watched in slow motion as the dulled blade got ever closer to him, his entire body on fire with panic as his heart beat at twice the normal speed. He tried to raise his sword in defense, but his arms didn't possess the strength nor the desire to combat such a man.

The blade was only a few inches from being close enough to his neck to grant Leonidas the victory when Percy felt a flicker of strength wash through him, enough to snap him out of his state and enough for him to knock Leonidas' blade away from his neck at the last second and jump to the side.

The crowd broke into a cacophonous roar of cheers as Percy forcefully climbed to his feet and faced his opponent, raising his sword at the man. His breathing was hard and ragged, his chest heaving from the simple action and sweat was pouring from him by the bucket. His body reacting like he had just sprinted a marathon and not just swung his sword and moved a few paces to the side. Whatever effect he was under earlier, it took nearly all of his energy to break free from it. He felt read to drop at any moment, he needed to end this now.

Leonidas turned slowly to Percy, his brow raised slightly as he studied Percy, his face as still as stone and his body unflinching. Percy's arms screamed as he dropped his shield to use both arms to support the weight, holding the blade out in front of him as he waited for Leonidas to attack.

"Are you alright, brother?" Leonidas asked, now finally moving as he tilted his head at Percy, his voice sounding genuine. "You don't look so good. Do you want to forfeit?"

"I've never… quit…" Percy's voice came out rough, having to speak in between breaths. Each word sapping at his already low amount of strength. "And I won't… back down… now…"

The corner of Leonidas' lip curled up slightly. "Alright then," He dropped to his stance. "Let's give them a show." Without warning the titanic man shot at Percy, his sword swinging faster than Percy's eye could track. The only reason why Percy wasn't struck by a stray shot was due to his instincts taking over and controlling his body for him.

Their blades moved in an elaborate dance, spinning, leaping, dodging and striking the other so fast and so powerful that fiery sparks began to fill the air around them, only barely visible through the wall of dust and dirt particles from their feet as they maneuvered around each other.

Percy's chest was beating so fast he feared that his heart would burst through his chest. Most of the fear from earlier was gone, but his self preservation instincts were still screaming at him to run and flee from the being he was fighting. All thoughts that he was able to win this duel were gone, like they had been stripped from his mind, but he wouldn't go down. It didn't matter if this was just a friendly duel for some stupid laurel or a battle to the death, Percy wasn't a quitter.

Summoning the remainder of his strength and letting loose a roar, Percy charged at the man with a feral savagery and began to wail on his opponent with his sword, each strike powerful enough to shatter concrete. "Gaaah!" Percy yelled as he pressed harder and harder towards Leonidas, the large man holding his own but showing signs of weakness.

"Gah!" Percy used the sword like a club as he beat at the man with an almost barbaric amount of savagery. "Gaah!" He pressed in more, increasing his speed and intensity, not giving the other man the time to think, breath or react. Giving one last yell, Percy slammed into the larger man and the two exchanged blows and swings powerful enough to fell forests of trees. Percy thrusted his sword at the man's chestplate but missed by centimeters when the man dodged. Percy watched with wide eyes as he noticed Leonidas' blade in the perfect position to strike him, but at the last second Leonidas inexplicably hesitated for the briefest of seconds before choosing to launch for another attack. Straight into a move Percy parried before striking through Leonidas' now faulty defense and bringing the tip of his dulled blade to meet Leonidas' neck and stopping a millimeter in front of it, causing the large man to freeze.

Percy heard a bell sound and felt Sherman force the two of them apart as his mind went fuzzy and his vision darkened. Through slowing blinks he saw glimpses of blurs above him he recognized as Sherman and Leonidas, then at some point Will joined them, followed by a screaming Annabeth but by that point everything he heard was just a jumbled mess.

Then everything went dark.

oooOooo

(The Big House Infirmary)

Percy didn't wake up until the next afternoon. When he was finally able to get his head to stop ringing Will told him what happened. He explained that he and the best healers looked over him and couldn't find anything physically wrong with him, which wasn't very surprising since Percy's Curse of Achilles made him almost invulnerable. But it was the stress Percy did to his heart that worried Will and the healers, it beat rapidly at odd intervals and while not life threatening at the speed it was going at now, there was still the risk that it could cause some serious damage, so Will finally decided to sedate Percy overnight to slow his heart rate down to a healthy speed.

After being smothered by Annabeth when Will let her in the room and after the son of Apollo looked him over, Percy was let to go home with the strict orders to take it easy for the next few days and rest. Because even if he felt better now, the sheer amount of stress to his body that caused him to pass out still could be affecting him.

After letting Annabeth help him to their apartment, Percy dropped on their bed, still exhausted but otherwise fine. His mind reeling as he tried to figure out what came over him. His head was so fuzzy and jumbled that he couldn't think straight. Annabeth came to him after a few hours when he woke up from a nap, catching him after she came out of the bathroom when he was heading there and telling him that she was going to head into the city to pick up a few things but to also tell his mom, Sally, that he was fine. Percy was confused by this, he didn't think that Annabeth told his mom that he passed out but in his state he was just too tired to think about it and just told her to be careful and say hi to his mom for him and see if she could bring back some of his mom's famous blue cookies.

A few minutes- and a quick peck on the cheek later- Annabeth headed out the door after ordering him to stay in bed and rest. He barely noticed her leave, not noticing how anxious and nervous she was before she left. She hated to leave Percy when he was like this, but she needed to verify something. She only prayed to the gods that she was wrong but feared that she wasn't.

(Author's Note)

How'd you like this bonus chapter? We got some nice flirty, domestic Percabeth moments at the beginning then mostly focused on the Games. Was it okay that I only showed the one or did you guys want more? I wanted to show more but it would have taken time away from me doing ch7 and the main chapters will always be my focus. Let me know what you thought.

I'm going to beg for Reviews now, I'm not trying to be mean or saying that I expect a certain number or anything, but I can only improve this story when I get feedback. So leave a Review telling me what you liked, didn't like, wanted more of, wanted less of and anything you can think of. I'll always reply and I like longer Reviews, so don't worry about writing too much. I love getting into long conversations with you guys, some of mine have gone on for days.

Well thanks again for reading, make sure to Follow/Favorite both me and this story and leave a Review. I'll see you guys this weekend for ch7.

Fun Fact: Leonidas, at least according to the other campers, spends a lot of time in the woods looking up at the stars at night and especially in the early dawn. They don't know what he's doing out there, but it's almost like he's able to see something they cant. His face is either a degree of peaceful serenity or heart-wrenching pain. No one has ever been brave enough to ask whether he is okay or not though, so they don't know what's bothering him but they have the feeling that he wants to be left alone.

Question of the day: 'If you could rewrite ANY part of PJ then what would it be?' Maybe erase a character? Rewrite a fight or scene? Add more Percabeth fluff? I'd personally do the ladder and rewrite the ending of BOO.