Hazel

"-yeah, did you hear about the new kid?-"

"-no memory-"

"-I hear he's totally hot-"

"-test today at the arena-"

"-hope he gets pulverized by that monster-"

"-had a sword when he came-"

"-totally date-worthy-"

Now, as the head of the Venus Cabin there was no possible way for me not to gossip, it's too much fun to watch it fly through camp. The Venus girls who had seen him were practically drooling at the thought of him. The Mars kids (or Martians as most of the camp calls them) were wondering if he would stand a chance in a fight against them or making bets on how fast he would complete the test (the fastest was by an Apollo kid about fifty years ago who killed his grouping of monsters with his bow and arrow in a matter of 58 seconds, but no one has come close to that since). The Minerva cabins were contemplating whether or not they thought he would be a good strategist. The Apollo Cabin was hoping he was good at archery. The Ceres cabin wanted him to be a good gardener.

Really, it was like this with all new campers. I would spread the gossip, and all the cabins, if they deemed them worthy, would hope that they would get put into their cabin. It was great fun to watch. But this time it was even more intense because the thought of a guy who could survive 17 years alone with just a sword to protect him (and he's pretty buff too) would attract the attention of everyone. The fact that he had amnesia only made him more intriguing. The Mercury cabin was really hoping that he wouldn't be claimed soon because they knew he wasn't a Mercury kid, but apparently he had a good sense of humor.

"Percy! Wake up!" I go over to him, and try to shake him awake. Reyna wanted to spar with him, test his abilities. She might not be the best person, though, because where she was good with a sword, she preferred her bow better. I leaned down so my mouth was about half a foot away from his year. "PERCY!" I yell.
He jerked up, almost crashing into me.

"What was all that about?" he demands, but he's fully awake now.

"Reyna wants to spar, get you ready for your test." I tell him with a sweet smile. He smiles back nicely. Oh gods, he's cute.

"Okay, will someone explain this test to me?" he asks

"Well, I'm sure Lupa will give you the specifics later when you talk but basically… The certain part of the arena you will enter through analyzes you (magic courtesy of Trivia); but like your strengths, your weaknesses, your fears, etc... It's kinda funny when it's a Minerva camper and they have to fight a giant spider monster. They absolutely FREAK." He laughed with me. "Anyway, by the end of the test, if you have survived, it will help us determine your parentage and we know what legion to put you in because the gods will sometimes claim you or send the Legion number you are meant to be in."

"Okay, wait! If I survive? And what are the Legions?"

"Yeah well, sometimes people die but I wouldn't worry, the last person that died was a Ceres kid. And the Legions, I guess they're like your rank in the Roman Century. The Century is all of us together. Normally in the olden days, to fight wars there would be a lot of Centuries but now we are all just one. The Legions, well, there are five of them in the Century, Legion five is for beginners and younger kids, First Legion being all the people who have mastered the skills needed and are ready to be put on the front line of war. The others are in between. The better you get, the higher the legion you get put in. Then there are ranks within the Legions. Praetor is the leader of the entire legion. Then it goes down to Imperator, or Commander. After that is Legatus, or Lieutenant. Then the rest are either Legionaries, which is just soldiers, or Tiro, a recruit." (A/N I hope that cleared some of that up for anyone who's confused)

"Ok. So Reyna is going to help me get ready for this?"

"The best that she can do, really, is get you warmed up. Make sure you know which end to hold the sword by before you go in." I laughed. But I'm not sure what to make of him. He has a sword so he's obviously fought before, but he has no memory of how he's fought. Maybe muscle memory? "Anyway, here we are!" I announced cheerily as we stepped into the clearing where Reyna stood. She looked him over, trying to see where he'd be the weakest, where to aim for in a fight. She did this to everyone who came. No new kid ever stood a chance, but this time I wasn't so sure. He walked over and pulled a pen out of his pocket. Why in the name of Pluto woul—OH! He had uncapped the pen and it grew to a celestial bonze sword, three feet of deadly metal. Its build was different but it was still deadly sharp.

Reyna swung her sword, waiting for the best time to strike. He eyed her blade warily. It was longer than his, a traditional Gladius. He made an experimental jab at her torso and she parried easily. She smirked, thinking it would be an easily won match. Her sword twisted around his, hoping to lock hilts and disarm him, but he seemed to know what she was trying to accomplish. He stepped closer, which is a must when you have the shorter weapon, his blade fluidly moving around her strikes and blocks. She was trying to be purely offensive, like taught. But he fought strangely, constantly switching between offense and defense to whatever suited his needs. They went back and forth for a while, Reyna's style orderly and harsh, his rhythmic and steady. She looked frustrated, almost no one lasted this long against her, but he'd barely broken a sweat. She tried pushing him harder, I almost couldn't watch, hoping he wouldn't get hurt. It went on for about two more minutes before a sharp clang echoed through the clearing. The sound of a sword hitting the ground. I opened my eyes and was astonished by what I saw. Percy, the new kid with no memory, had his sword at the throat of the First Legion Praetor, her sword laid alone on the ground. Both of their eyes were wide, as if neither had expected this to happen. Then a smile broke out on Reyna's face.

"You're going to make a good soldier, Percy." Reyna said, still smiling for one of the first times since Jason disappeared. "I hope you do well on your test." They shook hands and she walked out of the clearing.

I know I promised that I would have it up by 1:30 so sorry! But my bros took my computer so I couldn't get started until 1:00! Anyway, enjoy!