Legacy of the Light's Sky

by KingNoctisXIII

Percy Jackson thought his life was becoming somewhat normal. He was preparing for college with Annabeth. But Percy isn't dreaming of Annabeth. He's dreaming about someone whom he doesn't know. Next thing he knows he's back on his way to Camp Half-Blood and happens across someone with a face hidden in shadow. Percy/OC, Boy/Boy

21. Chapter 21

Summary: Samuel Lucis Caelum, Prince of Lucis, meets Samuel Strife, the son of Eris and King of the Gargareans.

Notes: Quite the eventful chapter here. Not really an emotional one.

Chapter 21: Discord Among the Heavens

Jason

The son of Jupiter slept peacefully, comfortably cuddled up with Sam on one side and Will on the other. He awakened, his eyes fluttering open to find himself and Percy still holding onto Sam, as if protecting him.

That's right, he had a nightmare...

And unlike Will, he remembers his.

I wonder, what did he dream about?

Jason contemplated the matter for a moment.

I'll just ask him later...if he wants to talk about it.

Another thing then occurred to the blonde.

Didn't I...kiss Sam's forehead?

And Percy didn't say anything?

I know that he saw me do it.

Why is he letting me get so close to his boyfriend?

"We'll make it work!" Percy's words echoed in his mind.

...

Maybe I'm starting to go crazy?

Jason sighed, closing his eyes again.

Let's just enjoy what we have...

Suddenly, Jason noticed a small tremor, and he opened his eyes again.

What's that?

The tremor grew stronger and stronger until the entire Cabin was shaking.

Oh...fuck.

That's Rival.

That means...

The tremors were followed by the blaring of the loudest motorcycles on the face of the planet, and Sam's eyes snapped open before he bolted upright, pulling both Percy and Jason with him.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT NOISE?!" he shouted.

Percy grumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"Only one person can rile up Rival like that."

Jason sighed, knowing that he wasn't getting anymore sleep.

"Looks like Strife is here," he said as Nico and Will also sat up, grumbling their frustration.

"Ugh...Does this always happen?" Sam asked.

Will yawned as he nodded.

"We have gotten used to it. No one complains anymore. The last guy who complained got shot."

Sam scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

"I'd rather shoot myself than get used to that!"

Oh, no...

This is not a good way to start the day.

"Look, I know you are very proud, and you know you don't have to live with that, but...seriously Samuel Strife is not someone you want to have a bad conversation with," Jason cautioned, trying to calm down the prince, only to realize the folly of his choice of words.

Oops.

"I'm someone you don't want to have a bad conversation with!" Sam pointed out, exactly as Jason had expected. "Just ask Horkos! Where's the first place he'd go?!"

"He'd be talking to Chiron right now. Probably about where his Honor Guard will be staying," Nico answered before yawning.

Sam threw the blanket off of them and hopped out of the bed before slipping on his shoes.

"Then that's where I'm going."

The son of Jupiter grew nervous.

This is bad.

"Sam, please, don't provoke him! He has a huge temper and a razor thin trigger, and whatever you do, don't stare!" Jason pleaded as Sam opened the door, only to receive a glare.

Smooth, Jason.

You just made it worse...

The prince then sneered.

"Oh, what, you gonna grab that guy who can stop me? What was his name? Michael Mc-Doesn't-Exist? I'll do whatever I fucking want!"

Sam then slammed the door behind him as he walked out, though luckily, it didn't break like the infirmary door.

I think that the nightmare made him even less tolerant than usual.

"Shit," Jason cursed. "This isn't what we planned!"

"Damn it, being dressed really does come in handy..." Percy noted, something that Jason agreed with.

He's right.

"What was the plan?" Nico asked.

Jason sighed.

"Aaron being there when they meet."

"Oh, because of the whole-..." Percy started, though Jason knew where he was going.

"Yeah," he interrupted.

Will nodded.

"Then everyone get dressed. Percy...see if you can distract either of them long enough for Aaron to get there," he said, though Percy had already gotten out of bed and was currently putting on some clothes.

"Already on it."

Jason felt disappointed.

Such a shame.

Percy has a nice body.

The blonde then felt his face warming at the thought.

What the hell am I thinking?!

Especially now of all times?!

Shit, I really am starting to go crazy!

Focus, Jason!

Jason also got out of the bed and started getting dressed.

"I'll go check and make sure that Aaron is awake. He wouldn't have any trouble sleeping through this."

"Brains and brawns, you have it all," Will commented.

Wait...what?

"T-Thanks, Will," Jason replied, feeling somewhat flustered.

"Hey, stop flirting and focus!" Percy snapped, shooting Will a look that seemed, at least to Jason, possessive, as if saying that the son of Jupiter belonged to him.

Yep...definitely crazy.

I think I've spent too much time around Peter.

Will snorted.

"This coming from you? Or would you rather me compliment you instead?"

"Guys! We gotta move before shit starts exploding!" Nico snapped, seemingly the voice of reason.

"Sorry," they all apologized.

Let's hope that nothing bad happens.

---

Peter

The tremors and noise managed to barely rouse the son of Aeolus from his sleep. He briefly opened his eyes, finding himself still next to Connor, smiled, and closed them again.

I'm making progress.

He felt Connor sit up, much to his disappointment.

Aww...

"Gods, this guy can sleep through anything," Connor commented, Peter pretending to still be asleep.

"Well, look at these two lovebirds!" someone replied in a somewhat effeminate voice.

Must be Cecil.

"It's not what you think!" Connor claimed.

Yet.

"Right, 'cause the morning wood is just an anomaly," Cecil said, not sounding the least bit convinced. "Sweetheart, you can't fool me."

Connor sighed.

"I was having a bad dream, okay?"

"You have a bad dream, so you ask your dream guy to cuddle with you?" Cecil asked in a playful manner.

"It's not...we're friends!" Connor answered, sounding like he was desperately trying to justify the situation.

Well...I'll give him that.

Cecil giggled.

"Oh, honey, it's so adorable that you think that. Travis isn't here, Connor. I know you weren't afraid, but his opinion mattered to you. You don't have to worry about that anymore. Just be yourself. Trust me, the second you accept yourself is fabulous!"

"How can you just choose this?" Connor asked, causing Peter's heart to drop.

Oh, no...

He's one of those people?

"Did you seriously just ask that?" Cecil asked back, sounding completely offended.

"Look, I understand that you want to be gay and all, and that's great, but I'm not sure if I can make that choice," Connor replied, confirming Peter's suspicions.

Damn it all...

"It's not a choice, you idiot!" Cecil angrily snapped. "You think just one day I woke up and thought, 'I wanna dye my hair and start screwing guys'?! No! It's not a choice, dude!"

"You seriously expect me to believe that Percy didn't choose to to like a hot guy like Sam?" Connor questioned, not even realizing the irony of his own words.

He's in denial.

Why did I have to fall for someone in denial?

"One hundred percent!" Cecil answered. "Just how you like this hot hunk of a blonde that is literally snuggling you right now."

Peter then felt Connor get out of the bed.

"I'm...done with this. I'm gonna go take a shower."

Deeply in denial...

"Connor, you can't just ignore your feelings! If you do then you're not only torturing yourself, you're torturing blondie here!" Cecil pointed out, but Peter heard a door closing, indicating that Connor had ignored him.

I have the worst luck with my relationships...

Great at predicting them, though.

Cecil then sighed.

"You can stop faking now."

Of course he knows.

Peter opened his eyes and reluctantly sat up, looking at the other son of Hermes. He looked similar to his sibling, though his hair was dyed a light purple. He wore a bright and tight clothing, and his appearance didn't leave any doubts about his sexuality.

His appearance practically screams, 'I'm gay!'.

"I just thought he was shy. I didn't think he was that he was...like that..." Peter mumbled, his eyes watering.

Cecil gave him a sympathetic look.

"You okay?"

Peter sniffled.

"I feel I keep falling for the wrong person. I haven't felt this way about someone for a long time," he admitted.

Cecil took a seat next to him.

"It's gonna be okay," he comforted him. "Connor will come around, just stay close and be there for him, okay? He and I went through a lot over the years. Just don't push him, or he'll push back. Just be...his friend."

Yeah...I can do that.

Peter rubbed his eyes and nodded.

"I'll try, it's just...I've never gone slow with anyone. I'm not used to it. When I confessed my feelings for Reyna, do you know what she did?"

I've never told anyone.

Not even Jason.

"No, what happened? Let it out," Cecil gently urged.

Peter took a deep breath, needing to get the matter off his chest.

"She smiled. I thought that she accepted my feelings. Then she took me to her private chambers, and...I'm sure that it's obvious what happened. After we were finished, I tried to cuddle with her, but she pushed me away. She told me to get out and make sure that no one saw me."

"She was just using you?" Cecil questioned.

Peter sighed.

"Yeah...The thing is that it didn't happen just once. In fact, we fucked right before I left to meet up with Jason. I know that I shouldn't have done it, but I just...couldn't say no."

Cecil frowned, looking angry.

"Peter, that's not only a one sided relationship, it's downright abusive."

I know that.

The son of Aeolus smiled bitterly.

"I know. I got back at her, though. One day, I made sure that everyone saw me walking out."

It made me feel slightly better.

Cecil then smirked.

"Hot and devious! Where have you been all my life?!"

"Protecting Jason and the Praetors is a full time job, so..." Peter explained, trailing off towards the end.

He then smiled less bitterly and shrugged.

"Yet you have time to try and fuck my brother?" Cecil teased, poking Peter's shoulder.

The blonde blushed wildly.

"That was the original plan, yes..." he mumbled.

"Just take it easy and stop crying! You're too cute for crying!" Cecil chirped.

Peter rubbed his eyes again.

"Yeah...You're cute, too. If it wasn't for Connor, I would have loved to have had a wild night with you."

Cecil giggled and stood.

"Oh, honey...I would've killed you in the sack."

Just a couple days ago, that would've been very tempting.

Peter chuckled at the irony.

"That actually was my original plan: Die fucking."

"Well then, you missed the golden opportunity," Cecil replied.

Peter simply shrugged.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna cry over it. You seem like you're getting tired of sleeping around with no strings attached, or am I wrong?"

I'm never wrong about other people.

Cecil blinked, looking somewhat surprised.

"I..." he started, then sighed. "Yeah, I am."

Called it.

"Anyone you got your eye on?" Peter gently prodded.

"I mean...what do you think about Mark? He's pretty cute," Cecil noted.

Probably not the best choice.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure that he's straight," Peter replied.

Cecil nodded.

"Yeah, half the time I'm hitting on heteros...A few times, some of the guys I screwed were hetero and were just reeeeaaaallllly drunk."

We have something in common.

It's funny seeing a 'straight' guy wondering how they took something 'that big'.

Peter chuckled at the fact.

"Yeah, I've done some of that myself. My gaydar is great! I can usually tell which way people swing."

Cecil smirked.

"Mine just goes, 'he's cute, fuck him'."

But you're tired of that.

"If you're looking for someone long term, I could help you out," Peter offered.

Cecil frowned softly and raised an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"Gaydar, dude," Peter chirped. "I can tell you who you'd actually have a shot with."

Cecil's eyes lit up.

"I'll write up a list!"

I should be paid to do this.

As Cecil went to a nearby desk, Peter turned his gaze towards the bathroom door.

I think that Conny's worth the wait.

---

Sam

As the prince made his way towards the Big House, he spotted a young man roughly Will's height, dressed in military fatigues similar to those of the United States military. He possessed short cropped red hair, a build similar to Jason's, and a hard battle-hardened stare.

A bodyguard?

Makes sense.

Sam noted the young man's halberd, which he held upright, in his right hand; it appeared to be made of Celestial Bronze. The prince practically rolled his eyes.

The Guandao I made is far superior.

As Sam walked up the steps, the young man moved in front of the door, blocking the entrance.

"Come back later," he said. "My king has business with Chiron."

Sam gave the young man an unimpressed stare.

"What a coincidence? I also have business with your 'king'," he replied, even going so far as to quote the word with his fingers.

The young man looked the prince up and down, then frowned.

"Have I seen you before?"

Hell if I know.

Sam shrugged.

"Doubtful. Now...move."

"I only take orders from my king. I'll let him know that you wished to meet," the young man replied, irking the prince.

And here I was trying to be polite.

Sam smirked.

"Okay, let me put it to you this way: I'm going to meet your king now, and you're going to either step aside, or I'm putting you through this door."

The young man scowled.

"Don't make idle threats."

"I didn't," Sam replied. "Also, it wasn't a threat, it's a fact."

The young man then grabbed Sam by his shirt and pulled him closer.

"Now you listen to me, you little punk. Stop fucking around before I seriously hurt you. I'm Amos, the Honor Guard to Strife, and I have plenty of experience dealing with guys like you."

I sincerely doubt that.

There really aren't any people like me.

Sam yawned, and it was a genuine one, as he was still a tad bit sleepy, though he appreciated its timing.

"Now who's making idle threats?" he taunted. "I suggest you unhand me. Do it while I'm still feeling cordial."

Sam's irises began to glow red, and Amos' own eyes widened in surprise, wisely releasing Sam's shirts.

He's not nearly as stupid as I thought.

As his eyes stopped glowing, the prince dusted himself off and unruffled his shirt.

"I'm not going to ask you to step aside again."

Amos sighed, moving out of the way with notable reluctance.

And here I was hoping to punch him through that door.

Oh, well, nothing for it.

Sam opened the door and found another young man sitting on the couch, with his combat boots propped up on the table, radiating an air of authority, as if he owned the place. He appeared to be tall, Sam noting that he was likely even taller than Jason, though his build was more lanky. He possessed short cut and wild onyx black hair, and three prominent scars running into his left eye.

He wore a trench coat, which Sam just knew concealed an assortment of weapons.

So...this is the other Sam?

Samuel Strife?

Strife turned his head towards the prince, giving him a better look at his face. He could definitely be considered handsome by most, and even though he possessed numerous scars upon him, they hadn't marred his appearance like Lityerses. There was another prominent scar running downwards next to his right eye, and his right eye was the same red as other children of Eris. However, his left eye was an orangish-red.

Not really my type.

"Amos, I thought I told you to-..." Strife started, then frowned. "You're not Amos."

"What was your first clue?" the prince deadpanned.

Sam didn't say anything further, trying to gage the other man.

Strife's eyes darkened.

"The fuck you looking at?!"

Sam scoffed.

"Nothing impressive, that's what."

Strife turned his attention towards Chiron, who seemed rather nervous.

"Chiron, I should shoot you for not teaching your campers some manners!" he threatened, something Sam didn't take kindly to, though not because he harbored any affection for the Centaur.

"Hey, threatening Chiron is my job," Sam pointed out.

Strife rolled his eyes.

"I was here first, soooo it's actually mine."

Got quite the ego.

Sam shook his head, not conceding his right.

"That's not how it works. I've already got dibs on that."

(Poor Chiron.)

Strife raised an eyebrow.

"Dibs that I called six years ago?"

Sam dismissively waved away the question.

"You could've called them two hundred years ago, I don't give a damn. Your horse and those obsolete pieces of junk you call motorcycles woke me up. Plus, I actually live here. Ergo, my dibs supersedes yours," he explained.

Strife's eyes began to glow a dark red.

"You did NOT just insult my fucking Harley! And you actually live here?! Oh, that's great, you're a teenager! I lived here, too, dumbass! I grew up! That's what happens! You grow up and leave the Camp, but my threats still stand!"

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Are you implying that I'm a child?"

Strife gave the prince an incredulous look.

"...Was it not obvious?"

"Refer to me as a kid or child again, and I'll introduce you to the floor," Sam threatened, disliking the fact that he was being underestimated.

"Try and knock me to the floor, and I'll knock out your teeth!" Strife retorted.

Sam merely rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sooo sorry," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Would you prefer a wall instead? Or would you rather prefer the dirt on the other side of it? I'll happily knock you through a wall to help."

Strife's lip twitched into a smirk before he turned his attention towards Chiron.

"Who's the shorty with a death wish?"

Chiron sighed.

"Well Sam, this is Samuel Lucis Caelum. He also goes by Sam."

"Ha!" Strife laughed, returning his attention towards the prince. "Well, I got news for you, Sam number two — I was here first, so you might wanna change your name!"

Sam scoffed.

"Yeah, that's not happening."

Strife cracked his knuckles before reaching into his trench coat and pulling out a Glock, aiming it at Sam's head.

"I strongly suggest you reconsider, you little shit," he said with a grin.

Sam remained unimpressed.

He warped into the seat across from the son of Eris whilst summoning Ignis, in its gun form, into his left hand, aiming it at Strife's head.

"That's my line," he quipped.

Strife's head quickly snapped towards the prince.

"What the fuck?! Who's your parent?!" he demanded to know.

Sam smirked, feeling confident.

"I'm just your average superhuman."

"What he means is that he isn't a demigod," Chiron explained.

Strife snorted, seemingly not the least bit impressed.

"Okay, whatever, look, kid, do you think you're impressive? Ha! I don't give a shit. I'm not here to fight anyone unless it's Persassy, Jason, or my siblings!"

'Persassy'?

He must be referring to Percy.

Sam's own eyes began to glow red, though his were bright, in opposition to Strife's dark crimson.

"Didn't I already warn you not to call me 'kid'? And if you lay a finger on Percy or Jason, I'll put you down. Especially if it's Percy," he warned.

"Oh, yeah...Aaron told me about Percy dating guys," Strife noted. "Eh...you wouldn't be my type, but you're definitely Percy's. And as for hurting them...I'm kind of grandfathered here. So here's what's going to happen: I'm going to do whatever I want, and if you get in my way, I'll hurt you...comprende?...Kid?"

I'm gonna teach this guy a lesson he'll never forget.

"Noct, you left without giving me a kiss~," Percy suddenly whined, drawing the attention of both Sams.

The prince felt confused.

I can't tell if this a distraction or if he's serious?

"Oh, hey, Strife," Percy continued rather nonchalantly, only to notice that both of the Sams were pointing guns at each other.

"Persassy! King of the Sass! How are ya, man?" Strife asked.

Percy looked between the two of them.

"...Wondering what the fuck is going on?"

"Just making some small talk with this kid and Chiron," Strife replied, purposely trying to get under the prince's skin.

Fucking...!

"Before we continue with that, can you both put away the guns?" Percy asked.

Strife frowned.

"You listen here, you piece of sh-..." he started, then stopped as Aaron joined them. "...Uh...you idiot..."

Looks like he doesn't fight around his siblings.

Strife put his gun away.

"Left the safety on."

Aaron snorted, clearly not buying the excuse.

"No, you didn't."

Strife chuckled.

"Yeah, you're right," he admitted before focusing back on Percy. "How's that Nick kid?"

Is he referring to Nico?

Percy blinked.

"You mean Nico? He's doing great. He's dating Will."

"FINALLY!" Strife exclaimed, giving a surprisingly genuine smile. "I told Will to go for it, and he finally took the fucking hint! Ahhh, super happy for them! Anyways, what's with your fucking boyfriend?"

Percy looked at said boyfriend, then his gun, motioning with his eyes to put it away, and Sam sighed, letting the gun vanish.

"Did you call him something?" Percy asked.

"Uhhhh..." Strife replied, looking thoughtful, "...kid, shorty, and little shit. So just the usual type of stuff. At least I didn't shoot him in the leg! That's generally how I introduce myself!"

Sam rolled his eyes.

Like that would've worked.

Percy nodded.

"Yeah, 'Sammy' and 'kid' are sort of triggers for him. Just ask Peter."

Strife shot Percy a confused look.

"Peter?" he asked a look of realization came over him, and he snapped his fingers. "Oh, Peter Sane. I've heard of him before, that he's a crazy motherfucker. Anyways, who gets triggered by being called kid?! I've seriously killed people for more than that, and it doesn't take much!"

"Because I don't like being treated like a kid. Kids are easy to dismiss," Sam explained.

"Then take the fucking hint!" Strife snapped. "You are a kid! I'm an adult! So listen to my words...YOU ARE DISMISSED!"

Sam sneered at the order.

"Are you my dad? I don't think so. Ergo, I don't take orders from you."

Strife returned his attention to the Centaur.

"Chiron, who the FUCK is this kid?!"

Sam rolled his eyes.

There he goes again.

"How old are you anyways? You really don't look any older than Percy or myself."

"I'm twenty one!" Strife answered. "And take it from me, kid...in my twenty one years, I've experienced horrors only Nico, Annabeth, and Percy could know!"

So I've heard.

Doubtful that I couldn't understand.

"People tend to not look very different from their late teens and early twenties," Sam retorted. "But who knows, maybe you'll look like an old man in a few years? As for horrors, I really don't give a single damning fuck."

Chiron sighed softly, shaking his head.

"Sam is a Prince of Lucis, and no, you won't find it on any map."

Strife returned his focus towards the prince.

"Chiron, he could be the Prince of my ass, and I'll still kick it! Last I checked, though...King is higher than Prince! So, out of respect between two tribes, SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Sam waved away the comment on hierarchy.

"Do not lump me in with something as primitive as a tribe. Civilization is marked by its progress, and everyone is centuries behind mine."

Granted, we have an unfair advantage.

Strife eyes narrowed, and the onlookers seemed too nervous to intervene.

"Kid...you better shut the hell up!" he warned. "The only reason I'm not breaking you under my boots is because my mother told me not to! Apparently, you earned her favor, and I love my mom and will respect her decision. This is your one, though! Call my men primitive again, and I'll make you wish you've never been born!"

Sam let out a humorless laugh.

"You're already doing a fantastic job of making me wish that."

"Oh, fantastic," Strife deadpanned. "I'm happy to oblige!"

Sam sighed.

"Geez, I haven't met someone as annoying as you since Lycaon."

Strife unexpectedly and rather suddenly paled.

"L-L-Lycaon!?" he stanmered, fear in his voice, which Sam didn't expect.

Odd.

The prince raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you've met him, too?"

Strife started hyperventilating, and he shakily stood.

"I...Uh...I gotta go..."

"Dude, relax. Lycaon is dead," Percy said, trying to calm down the son of Eris.

Strife shook his head, nearly stumbling over his own feet as he exited the room.

"No! No! He's always there! Always!"

"Strife, wait!" Percy called as Aaron followed after his brother.

"Let him leave," Sam commented, glad to be rid of the son of Eris.

Percy turned to Chiron.

"What the hell was that? He just freaked out!"

It is a bit strange.

"What happened to all that bravado?" Sam also asked. "Lycaon isn't that threatening."

"Not everybody is as fortunate as you to have an immunity to curses," Chiron replied.

Wait, what?

Percy also looked rather surprised.

"Wait you mean...Strife and Lycaon?...Sam was bit?"

I'm gonna have to make sure that he refers to him as Strife, so I don't get confused.

Chiron nodded.

"He was. He was cured, as you can see, but it didn't come without a cost."

"A crippling fear for Lycaon?" Percy inquired.

"Yes...and his life," Chiron answered.

Sam's boyfriend looked taken aback.

"His life?! Whoa, wait, what? What are you talking about?"

Chiron sighed.

"The only cure for lycanthropy is silver laced with wolfsbane...through the heart. In other words, the cure is always fatal."

"So, he was a werewolf and...was killed?" Sam asked, curious on the matter.

Chiron nodded.

"Yes. Fortunately for him, the Doors of Death were still open at the time."

"So, he came back free of the curse? Wow, good for him!" Percy replied with a smile.

Oh, please...

"Yes, we were all fortunate that he managed to come back," Chiron agreed.

"Yes, how very fortunate for him. I'm so happy that we got to meet," Sam deadpanned.

Chiron shook his head.

"Now, Samuel, I understand that you dislike him. But please, understand what he has been through. Bullied and shunned his entire life, he watched his father die in front of him. Luke Castellan manipulated him into becoming his right hand and top assassin in the Titan Army. When Kronos rose, he revealed that he sent an Eidolon to control and keep Strife under his foot. When he tried to defect, the spirit took full control during the Battle of the Labyrinth. Percy, you remember. He was the one that killed Castor and Lee. Thankfully, Nico was able to excorcise the spirit."

Don't we all have a story?

"I suppose that I can relate with being bullied," Sam commented. "Don't expect me to play nice, though."

"Just as well, don't expect him to play nice either," Chiron replied. "He's good hearted, but that child is one of the most intense and sociopathic demigods I've ever encountered. However, his skill and weapon mastery is a force to be reckoned with. He was instrumental in the Battle of Manhattan."

He thinks that's impressive?

That's cute.

Sam shot the Centaur a bored expression.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

Chiron shook his head.

"No, you are supposed to understand his temper. Why he is the way he is...his rosebud, if you will. Understand that while he may push you and be cruel, he is a friend. He is an ally."

I don't see any sense in having such a person as an ally.

"Ally doesn't equate to friend, Chiron. You and I are not friends," Sam pointed out.

The Centaur's tail swished, as if irritated.

"Damn it, Samuel! This is not about you and me! This is about you and Strife working together! He is a core ally in our fight and could prove very useful! Just try to make nice! You were able to become friends with Peter. Strife will be more difficult, but I'm sure you can do it!"

Sam frowned, displeased that Chiron had had the gall to snap at him.

You forget your place, Chiron.

"Strife may be a mean and rude person, but he is greatly respected in this Camp, and his word carries as much weight as any of the Seven!" Chiron continued.

He needs a reminder that I merely tolerate him.

"I make no promises that I can't keep," Sam replied. "And Chiron?"

"Yes?" Chiron asked.

Sam activated his Aura in the form of Spiritual Pressure, the force of it causing the floorboards around his feet to crack, as well as making the Centaur bow his head.

"Do not ever take that tone with me," Sam warned. "Understood?

"Y-Yes!" Chiron answered, making Sam release the pressure.

Glad we're clear on that.

As Sam stood, Percy walked closer to him.

"Um, you may not want to use any of those powers on Strife, just makes him even madder. Just...word of advice. Only person that has ever actually scared Strife was me."

Sam felt rather surprised at that fact.

"It's not a power, Percy. You can learn how to do it, too," he explained. "And how did you manage that?"

"You gotta teach me later, and pretty simple actually," his boyfriend replied. "When he came back to Camp, he was brutally tortured for his crimes. He didn't actually start crying until I held him over the docks into the mouth of Billy...a Great White Shark. He took the torture like a pro until the shark."

I hope to never meet Billy.

I'd probably kill him on the spot, sharks freak me the fuck out.

"Torture really isn't my thing," Sam commented.

Percy nodded.

"It wasn't mine either, Clarisse La Rue did all the torturing. She and Sam were best friends. She felt personally betrayed. That scar running through Strife's eye? That was her doing."

"She's the daughter of Ares that went off to college, right?" Sam asked. "Also, could you not refer to him as Sam around me? It's confusing."

"Sure. She and Sam...Strife trained together. Being the children of the war gods, they bonded quickly...over how much they hated me. When Sam left, taking her boyfriend Chris with him, she was practically heartbroken. She told me last year that on her journey through the Labyrinth, she found Strife and Chris. Chris was driven mad by the maze, and Strife? He was about to execute him but couldn't do it because he was his friend. Clarisse attacked him, and she broke his arm after he broke her chin. I really don't think she ever fully forgave him. Clarisse and Strife were practically me and Annabeth...before she and I started dating," Percy elaborated before smiling. "Guess we're back to the way things used to be, now that I have you."

Sam smiled back, feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

"Love you, too," he said before turning his attention to Chiron. "And did Strife merely come here to say hello, or was there something else?"

Chiron nodded.

"He said that he was tracking the Behemoth you destroyed. He said multiple others have been sighted and that he has been hunting them for the last six months."

Just great...

Sam frowned and sighed.

"Fan-fucking-tastic...On the bright side, I got a killer work out from fighting Deadeye. I should be able to use Superbia without any issues from now on."

"Samuel, while it is not my place, I suggest that you and Mr. Strife could be very valuable assets to the other. Your skill in killing Behemoths and his tracking, knowledge, and manpower could help you as well."

Sam nearly balked at the mention of 'manpower'.

Is this a joke?

I need Venator and Venatrix, not foot soldiers!

The prince took a moment to compose himself.

"Manpower? Chiron, are you familiar with a high-frequency blade?"

"I am not," he replied.

"It's something I designed. It uses an alternating current to increase the temperature of the blade, but that's not all. It works by literally weakening molecular bonds, and only a power source like Dust can make it possible. It barely did anything against Deadeye. Even with my increased strength, I'm not sure how effective it would be, though I'll give it a second shot. Point is, I need people with weapons of at least that caliber to help," Sam explained.

Chiron nodded.

"True, and no one has the strength that Strife has."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Strength as in arm wrestling or strength as in 'I can fly'?"

"Strength as in determination and prowess," Chiron answered. "He has earned the favor of all three war gods. He is the only demigod in existence that can summon the Phonois. He is a master strategist and, as he has always told me, he gets the job done every time."

"Well...I suppose that last line is something we have in common. I also always get the job done," Sam noted.

"See, I believe it was Will Solace who told Mr. Strife about Clarisss. If you two were not at each other's throats, you would be the best of friends. I believe those words are perfect for this situation," Chiron noted.

At that moment, Chiron had lost the prince completely.

No way in hell I'll be friends with him.

I don't take orders from anyone, least of all someone weaker than myself.

"No," Sam stated flatly.

"But-..." Chiron started.

"I said, no!" Sam interrupted, grabbing Percy's hand and pulling him along.

"Where are we going?" his boyfriend asked as they exited the Big House.

Good question, where are we going?

Sam thought about it for a moment.

Oh, I know!

"We're taking a shower," the prince answered.

I haven't taken one yet, and I doubt that Percy has either.

"...Together?" Percy asked with notable hesitation.

Sam turned his gaze towards the son of Poseidon and smiled.

"Of course. Is that okay with you?"

Percy blinked, then slowly grinned.

"More than okay!" he exclaimed before suddenly picking Sam up princess style.

"P-Percy!" Sam cried out, caught off guard by the sudden gesture.

"Let's not waste anymore time!" Percy replied, hurrying his pace.

Sam laughed softly.

I love this dork.

---

Will

Sam and Percy had returned, thankfully unscathed, to the Poseidon Cabin shortly after Nico and Will had finished taking a shower, while Jason had returned to his Cabin to grab a shower himself, as well as fetching some more of his stuff to bring back. Sam and Percy didn't say much, immediately heading to the bathroom, while Nico decided to help teach the campers sword fighting.

Will himself got ready to head into the infirmary, making sure he had everything he needed.

At least Sam seems to be slightly better, but I noticed a sadness in him.

I wonder, what's wrong?

Is it the fight between him and Percy, or is it something else?

The son of Apollo went through his medic pouch, making sure that he had everything.

Also, what was up with Percy this morning?

That look he was giving me...

It's suddenly not okay for me to flirt with Jason?

I can flirt with him, and it's fine, but I flirt with Jason, and that's a no-no?

Seriously, what the fuck?

Will felt his face warming.

Not that I'd ever flirt with someone like Percy.

Doesn't matter how gorgeous he is.

Will mentally smacked himself.

Damn it, brain, you're not helping!

Just...get to the infirmary and forget about Gor-...Percy!

Will shook his head at himself as he made his way to the door.

Things were so much easier when I hated Percy for trying to steal Nico's attention.

Thing is, once I actually got to know him, he's pretty hard to hate, with his playful personality, his cocky grin, and his stunning sea green...

Fuck!

There I go again!

Maybe I should stick to flirting with Sa-...

The blonde started to grow frustrated.

No!

I meant Nico!

Nico is the only one I should be flirting with!

Nico is the only one I want to flirt with!

Will opened the door and sighed, closing his eyes, as well as the door behind him.

"Today's gonna be a long day..." he said under his breath.

The son of Apollo walked away from the Cabin, and the next thing knew, he was getting the life hugged out of him. He opened his eyes, but all he saw was leather.

The fuck?

"Sunny Boy, you're okay!" Strife happily exclaimed.

Ah, I should've known.

Will smiled.

"Yeah, Sammy, I'm okay," he replied, noting the irony of the situation.

Nightlight would never let anyone call him 'Sammy'.

Will then mentally shrugged.

Oh, well, Nightlight suits him better.

Strife pulled away, a worried expression on his face.

"Fuck, you gave me a scare there!"

"I'm fine. Really," Will assured the son of Eris. "Nightlight managed to stay sober and moved us back to the Poseidon Cabin after the party...Or rather, he can't get drunk."

Strife blinked, looking completely lost.

"Who in the flying fuck is Nightlight?"

Oops.

"Oh, sorry, it's my pet name for Percy's boyfriend," Will explained.

Strife raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were dating Nico?"

"I...I am. We just decided to give each other pet names...because we spend so much time together..." Will trailed off, feeling his face warming. "Is that...odd?"

"Absolutely, but we aren't friends because we're normal!" Strife cheerfully replied, making Will feel somewhat better.

"Oh...okay then."

"I'm just glad that you're dating Nico instead of that other guy," Strife commented. "I don't know why, but something about that guy rubbed me the wrong way, and that's saying something."

Dread filled the son of Apollo.

He's gone, Will.

He's gone, and he's never coming back.

"Let's not talk about exes," Will replied without any indication of fear, and he mentally patted himself on the back.

Good job, me.

Strife nodded.

"Agreed, let's not; otherwise, I might kill a certain daughter of Aphrodite. Anyone been giving you trouble? I know I haven't been around to help you with sword fighting."

"Nightlight...Erm...Caelum said that I shouldn't use one," Will replied, having to correct himself.

"Use what? A weapon? What about the dagger I gave you?!" Strife asked.

I still have it, but I really haven't had to use it.

"He recommended that I use a swordbreaker, and...he told me that a steel dagger wouldn't be good enough," Will explained.

Strife looked furious.

"What the hell?! Suddenly he knows what's best?!"

Yeah, I'm almost certain that he and Nightlight have met.

"I mean...it's not that different than a dagger..." Will mumbled.

"Doesn't matter!" Strife snapped, looking hurt. "We've known each other for years, and now you listen to him over me?!"

"He...seems to know what he's doing. Chiron let him take over hand-to-hand," Will carefully explained.

The son of Eris looked more lost than anything else.

"What the fuck?! We don't even know this kid!"

Will curiously raised an eyebrow.

"Have you met him?"

Strife snorted.

"I have, and he seems like a prick!"

Will sighed, having anticipated this but disliking it, nonetheless.

"Oh, gods, not again..."

"What the hell are you going on about?" Strife asked.

"It's just that this is the second time this has happened, Percy's boyfriend not getting along with one of our friends," Will explained.

"Who the fuck cares?! He's already more influential to you than I am!" Strife argued. "How many times have you saved my life, and how many times have I saved yours?!"

I've saved his life four times.

"You've saved me five times..." Will murmured.

"Bingo," Strife chirped. "How many times has he saved your life?"

"Once..." Will replied.

"For the love of...This fucking guy," Strife said under his breath, looking frustrated. "He shows up and suddenly, he's the king badass?!"

I think that if Nightlight has it his way, he'd lie low.

"I don't think he's trying to rob the spotlight from anyone," Will pointed out.

Strife sighed.

"Look Solace, I just...I feel like you are choosing him over me."

Will shook his head.

"I'm not. That's not it at all. He's just...been there when he didn't have to be. He didn't even want to be thanked for it until Nico demanded that he accept it."

Guy can't take a compliment.

Strife frowned softly.

"Still...I know I haven't been around, but it seems like you really like the guy."

Will smiled.

"It's kinda hard not to. Underneath his 'fuck you' attitude, he's actually really sweet," he explained. "Just...try not to fight with him. He's not all talk and no bite, he actually does bite...sometimes literally."

The son of Eris waved off the reply.

"In case you forgot, I don't give a shit. I hurt everyone just the same...'cept you."

"I'm not worried about you hurting him, I'm worried about what might happen if you try," Will said, then realized he had made a mistake.

I should have phrased that differently.

Strife's expression darkened.

"Okay, NOW I'm pissed!"

"Damn it, Sammy, I'm not calling you weak!" Will snapped, having grown frustrated. "I'm worried that between the two of you, you'll end up destroying the entire Camp!"

"Fuck..." Strife sighed out. "You're lucky I love you, buddy."

The blonde smiled.

"Love you, too," he replied, only to notice the other Sam walking towards the motorcycles, which were parked next to each other.

I got a bad feeling about this...

The prince not so subtly kicked one of them, causing it to topple into the next, which caused a domino effect, each toppling into the next until all five had fallen over.

Not even the shower helped?

Something is definitely bothering him.

I really need to talk with him.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Strife angrily bellowed at the top of his lungs, causing Will to wince at the volume.

"Damn, he's moody..." Will said under his breath.

"That son of a..." Strife started, pulling out his Python Magnum and stomping up towards the prince, Will quickly joining them. "Hey, shitbrain! Watch the bikes!"

Sam looked at the toppled motorcycles.

"Bikes? What bikes? All I see is a bunch of garbage lined up."

Strife looked like he was fuming with rage.

"What the fuck is your problem?!"

Sam frowned slightly.

"My problem is that you woke up up with those damn noise makers and expect everyone to carefully tiptoe around you."

Will sympathized with the prince, knowing that he had had a nightmare on top of checking on him.

Yeah, he must be tired.

"Kid, I have shit to do and a fucking faction to run! Sorry, if I don't fucking take your sleep into account!" Strife snarled.

Sam sneered back.

"Can't be that hard to run if you're able to do it."

This is getting really bad...

"Shut. Your. Fucking. Mouth!" Strife pointedly replied.

The prince casually folded his arms behind his head.

"Is that an order?" he taunted.

"Yes, it's a fucking order!" Strife answered. "You can't just go around knocking shit over! Especially MY shit!"

Sam looked at his shoe.

"Oh, so it is shit? You're right, I should probably clean my shoe," he quipped, further antagonizing Strife and frustrating Will.

"The fuck!?" Amos yelled as he and the other Gargareans approached the scene.

Just went from bad to worse...

The Gargareans surrounded Sam and raised their weapons at him, and Strife gave a sharp whistle (though not nearly as loud as Will's). Tremors started to shake the earth as a large Ventablack shire horse rushed towards them, stopping near Strife. He was pretty big, even for a shire horse, so much so that he towered over everyone. He has volcanic red eyes, and his mane and tail were the color of liquid gold, which contrasted his deep black color.

Rival.

The prince yawned, though whether it was because he was tired or simply to mock the Gargareans, Will couldn't tell.

"One more word, and I fucking lose it!" Strife warned.

"Nightlight, stop antagonizing him!" Will desperately pleaded. "Please?"

Sam's expression softened, and he sighed.

"Fine."

Strife steadied his breathing, petting Rival to calm him, as his men lowered their weapons.

"Don't touch my stuff again!" Strife ordered.

Sam opened his mouth, likely to make some sort of insult, but Will shot him a stern look. The prince sighed and walked away, surprising the son of Apollo quite a bit.

Wow, he actually listens to me.

"Sorry about that," Will apologized.

"I was this close to fucking killing him..." Strife said as his men dispersed.

"Nothing against you, but he's hard to kill," Will noted, recalling the condition that was in Sam when he had arrived. "Ever heard of a Behemoth?"

Strife rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess...He killed one?"

Will nodded.

"Yes. By himself."

"Motherfucker!" Strife cursed.

"Is...something wrong?" Will asked, confused by the reaction.

"You defect from Kronos, lead an army of demigods against him, kill three Giants, perform a coup, and summarily execute the King of the Gargareans, and he's the fucking talk of Camp?!" Strife incredulously questioned.

Seems like his pride has been wounded.

"It's not a competition..." Will mumbled.

"Everything is a competition, Solace," Strife disagreed.

Will sighed, knowing that there was nothing more he could do to make the two Sams get along.

"Good luck with that. Anyways, nice talking with you, Sammy. I'm gonna go to the infirmary."

Strife smiled and nodded.

"Later, Sunny Boy!"

Will smiled back.

"Yeah, later."

As he proceeded to head towards the infirmary, he let out another sigh.

That could've gone worse.

Let's continue to hope that nothing bad happens.

---

Mark

Nervously, the son of Ares approached Samuel Strife, who was happily talking with Jake and Harley.

It's been so long since we last saw each other.

He probably won't believe that it's actually me.

Mark gulped.

Hopefully, he asks questions first instead of shooting...

Strife waved goodbye to the two sons of Hephaestus before turning, coming face to face with Mark. The son of Eris looked completely caught off guard, actually taking a step back.

Mark held back a sigh of relief.

At least he hasn't shot me...yet.

"H-Hey," Mark rather sheepishly greeted Strife.

Strife rubbed his eyes, then blinked several times.

"This is a trick, right?"

Mark shook his head.

"No, it's not. We fought that Minotaur together."

Strife frowned.

"Doesn't prove anything."

Yeah, it's not gonna be easy convincing him.

"I neutered him with a rusty pipe," Mark elaborated.

Strife's face broke into a smile.

"Mark!" he happily exclaimed, only to frown. "Wait...you're actually Mark, right? I'm not talking to a ghost or hallucinations? I've talked to you a lot."

That's not surprising.

Strife then pulled out a Glock, setting off the alarm bells in Mark's head.

That is surprising!

The son of Eris aimed his gun at Mark's leg.

"Please, don't shook me in the leg! I'm real!" Mark pleaded.

"Huh...none of my hallucinations didn't want to get shot," Strife commented.

"'CAUSE I'M NOT A HALLUCINATION, YOU FUCKING WANNABE COWBOY!" Mark shouted.

Strife smiled again, putting away his gun.

"Mark! You're alive!"

This time, the son of Ares didn't hold back his sigh.

"Yes, I'm alive."

The next thing he knew, Strife had pulled him into a crushing hug.

"It really is you!"

"You're...crushing...me..." Mark croaked out.

"I thought you were dead!" Strife exclaimed as he lifted him off the ground and started spinning him around.

"Keep it up...and I might be," Mark somehow managed to say.

I'm running out of air...

Strife loosened his vice like grip a bit.

"Hey, if there is one person that has the right to kill you..it's me! And vice versa, buddy!"

"Just set me down, dude! I don't wanna be put back into the hospital!" Mark pleaded.

Strife obliged his request.

"Oh, hey, I got something!" he said in an excited tone as he took off his trench coat, revealing various guns and daggers strapped to his body, as well as a five foot long steel sword strapped to his back.

Mark's jaw dropped as Strife unstrapped the sword and handed it to him.

No way...

"You fixed it?" Mark asked, taking the blade.

"Hell yeah, man!" Strife replied. "Your sword saved my life on more than one occasion! Happy to give it back!"

Just then, Caelum happened to walk by, only to pause and look at the sword with amusement. He rolled his eyes.

"A fucking toy sword? How cute," the prince commented.

Strife glared daggers at him.

"Fuck you! It means something, you dick!"

The prince's expression was full of mirth.

"Ah, so it's a sentimental toy. I have one of those myself. A gift from Percy," he said before continuing to walk. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna show these campers how to use actual weapons."

Strife's eyes glowed dark red, and he was visibly shaking.

Mark grabbed one of Strife's arms.

"Bro, seriously, calm down. I think your eyes are on fire."

Strife blinked, his eyes going back to normal.

"I fucking hate that guy!"

"He's been in a bad mood since this morning. Ignore him," Mark advised.

Strife glared in the prince's direction as he walked away.

"Can't really do that. His name keeps getting brought up everywhere I fucking go! Am I the only one who thinks he's a prick?!"

"Actually, no. He pissed off most of the Hephaestus kids, too, saying that their craftsmanship was horrible. He also has a very low opinion on Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold," Mark explained.

Can't say that I'm on good terms with the guy either.

Strife gave an approving nod.

"So, I'm not the only one? Good. Glad to know Jakey is at least on my side."

"So am I," Mark added. "Dude's undefeated, except for one chariot race."

Strife smirked.

"Good! Fucking prick."

"He didn't seem to care about that one, though," Mark noted, mostly to himself. "Could be because it was his boyfriend and Nico he lost to, and he came really close to winning."

Strife grunted.

"Ugh, whatever, I still don't like him. Who the fuck is he to fucking talk to us like that?!"

Mark could only shrug.

"Dude's got a lot of pride. A lot of his weapons he forged himself, and they're downright futuristic. Furthermore, he can actually use them. Still, I get what you mean."

Strife sighed, though it came out as more of a growl.

"Whatever. Pushing that out of my head. Let's go see my siblings!"

Mark raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit worried.

"The ones you don't wanna kill, right?"

I still haven't vouched for them...

Strife nodded.

"Yeah, I'm not in a particular murderous mood at the moment. Shall we?"

"Sure, dude," Mark replied, feeling relieved. "Lead the way."

---

Strife

The son of Eris, accompanied by Mark, approached his former home, the Eris Cabin. It was a wide cabin, decorated black and gold. Flanking the doorway were two small trees, forming a small arch, and growing from the trees were small golden apples that only the children of Eris could handle without being overwhelmed with feelings of anger and conflict.

Maybe I should throw a few of those Caelum's way?

Strife opened the door and entered, Mark quickly following. He surveyed the inside, a feeling of nostalgia washing over him. The Cabin's interior was filled with tons of illegal contraband: Flatscreens, laptops, mini fridges, and sodas and junk food in various places. The beds lined the left side, all of them queen sized, while the right side had a huge couch that was curved, easily able to fit ten people, as well as recliners, and lining the wall was just a litany of weapons, ranging from daggers to guns.

Ah, it's always nice to see this place.

Strife then noticed his siblings, minus the twins, and they noticed him.

"Big bro!" Christina and Angelica shouted excitedly, rushing towards him, save Aaron, who had already greeted him earlier.

The two girls tackled Strife and hugged him, which he returned.

"How are my second favorite girls?"

The two huffed and pulled away.

"Second favorite?" Christina asked.

Angelica shrugged.

"I suppose that it's okay since it's Big Sis Hylla."

"It's about time you came here," Aaron said to Strife, looking rather annoyed. "I've been having listen to Christina swooning over her latest crush."

Another one?

Christina let out a wistful sigh.

"But he's just sooooo hot."

Aaron rolled his eyes.

"You know that he's gay, right?"

"Hey, a girl can dream!" Christina snapped.

"Ha! That's the Christina I know!" Strife said whilst laughing, only to frown. "Wait, who are we talking about?"

"The prince," Aaron answered. "You know...Caelum?"

Strife's eye began to twitch as his rage boiled.

Even here?!

Angelica snorted.

"Dream on, sis. You'll never have him."

Yeah, because I'll put a bullet in his fucking skull before that happens!

"Let me have this!" Christina pleaded. "It's not fair that the five arguably hottest guys are a tightly knitted group!"

Which five?

"And all of them are gay, so move on," Aaron pointed out.

Christina raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't Percy and Will technically bi?"

Ah, that clarifies things.

Why the fuck does Caelum keep coming up wherever I go?!

"Doesn't matter, they both prefer guys over girls," Aaron replied.

Well, with Will, I already knew that, and I've always had a feeling about Percy.

His bromance with Jason went a bit too far.

Angelica nodded in agreement.

"True," she said before returning her attention to her sister. "Point is, they're unavailable."

Christina sighed in defeat.

"Yeah...you're right. I'm still winning that bet, though."

Strife frowned, feeling somewhat curious.

"What bet?"

"People are betting on which couple gets Jason Grace," Mark explained.

Strife turned to the son of Ares.

"Uhh...why?"

Are they looking for a threesome or something?

"Well...Jason is in love with Nico, but a lot of us think that he also has a thing Percy and Caelum," Aaron elaborated.

Again, fucking Caelum?!

"Ugh, don't say that fucking name," Strife ordered. "I put money on Nico and Sunny Boy. In fact, whoever is voting Nico and Will, and he or she wins? I'll give all participants a hundred drachma each!"

Aaron gave Strife a curious smirk.

"But what if you lose? What would you be willing to pay then?"

Like hell, I'll lose.

Strife snorted.

"Oh, please, Grace being with that asshole?! Fine! How about this? If he goes for Percy and Shithead, I will suck Mark's dick!"

Aaron eyes widened in alarm.

"No, no...No need to go that far."

Strife shook his head.

"No, screw that prick! Deal's done, man!"

"Big bro...? None of us here want to see that!" Angelica pointed out, Aaron and Christina nodding in agreement.

"Who said you had to see it?!" Strife asked.

Aaron frowned.

"Then...how will we know?"

"Marky here will confirm it!" Strife happily chirped, turning to his friend. "Right?"

The son of Ares had an expression that looked like he was completely done with the world.

"Dude...what makes you think I'd be okay with that?!"

"Oh, right..." Strife mumbled, figuring that he should ask first. "Hey, Mark, if I lose, is it cool if I suck your dick?"

"Dude, no!" Mark replied, vehemently shaking his head.

Strife huffed, feeling a bit disappointed.

"You're no fun...But, you're my best friend, so I'll let it slide."

"I'm just not nearly curious enough to be cool with that," Mark explained.

Strife blinked.

"Wait...what? You're curious?"

Again, Mark shook his head.

"No, I'm saying that I'm not curious!"

Strife frowned.

"Again...no fun! Okay, well then, what do you guys think I should if I lose?"

"How about you bow down to Caelum?" Aaron suggested with a smirk.

Strife felt like his brain short circuited.

What. The. Fuck?

He stared blankly at his siblings, unable to reply for several seconds.

"Okay, Mark, are you sure about the whole dick sucking thing?"

"Are you seriously telling me that you'd rather suck dick than bow to Caelum?" Mark asked, sounding completely dumbfounded.

"One hundred percent," Strife answered with a firm nod.

"You're...oddly okay with that," the son of Ares commented. "Have you done it before?"

Strife smiled as he walked to a mini fridge; he then opened it and grabbed a beer.

"Let's just say that Hylla is into some kinky stuff," he said as he opened it.

"Then it's not a punishment for you!" Angelica pointed out.

Strife grinned as he sipped his drink.

"I trained you guys well! A little too well. Fine, I won't suck dick, but I'm not bowing to that one!"

Aaron sighed.

"Then I don't know. He already has money, so..." he trailed off, looking to the others. "Any ideas?"

"Can't shoot anyone in the leg at Camp ever again?" Angelica suggested.

"All deals for the Cabin are cut in half for price?" Christina suggested next.

"Caelum decides the twins' fate?" Mark added.

I don't wanna think about the twins right now.

Aaron shook his head.

"If we cut prices in half, that also affects us, and I don't think that we can do the whole 'not shooting people in the leg' thing. Mainly because I think big bro doesn't even need to think about doing it. It's practically his way of saying, 'Hello'."

Strife chuckled.

"True, I do love the shooting!" he said before sipping more of his beer.

"What about giving him one of your favorite weapons?" Aaron suggested.

Strife started coughing, his drink going down the wrong pipe at the suggestion.

"WHAT?!"

Mark frowned.

"I don't know...He'll either see it as a big honor or a huge insult. Probably the latter."

"Wait, are you saying that asshole would see it as an insult?! What in the fuck is wrong with him!? Do you know how many things I have killed with those guns?! Not to mention how much I've killed with my cutlasses!" Strife angrily asked.

"Did you here what he said about the sword? He'll probably just say that it isn't a real weapon or something," Mark commented.

Strife growled.

"I'm tempted to give him one of them now...so I can run it through his fucking chest!" he snarled.

Aaron just sighed.

"Well, I'm out of ideas. Just pay everyone triple of what they bet."

Strife nodded.

"Gladly!" he agreed before chugging the rest of his beer.

"I need to talk about the twins," Mark then said.

Fucking...

Strife sighed.

"Alright...I'm listening."

---

Peter

After having breakfast with the rest of the Hermes kids, the son of Aeolus joined Cecil back in the Hermes Cabin to go over his list of potential guys. Cecil seemed quite excited, quickly going to a desk before grabbing a sheet of paper before returning to Peter and handing it to him. Peter took it and started to go over it.

Alright, let's see who we have.

'Percy

Jason

Sam

Nico

Will

Sherman

Mark

Simon

Arthur

Jake

Ellis

Pollux

Any guy from Aphrodite (That's literally what it said)

Malcolm

Strife

Peter'

He's listed a lot of guys who are taken.

I can't say that I really blame hi-...

...

Wait, what?

Peter blinked and reread the list to make sure that he hadn't misread it, but his name was indeed there. He felt his face warming slightly.

"I'm on the list..." he mumbled.

Ceclil smirked.

"What gave it away?"

Wow, I'm pretty flattered, but...I want Connor.

"You listed Percy, Sam, Nico, Will, and Jason on here, too," Peter noted. "In fact, you listed quite a few guys who are taken."

"Anything can happen, sweetie," Cecil replied. "I think you know that rebound sex is amazing!"

He's not wrong.

"I think you should cross off the five dorks," Peter said, obviously referring to the top five guys on the list. "They're practically glued together."

Cecil huffed and pouted.

"I've already moved on, but I'm not crossing out those names. Gives me a small fantasy of hope."

Hmm...fair enough.

"Fine. Before we move on, I'm curious, who are you betting on?" Peter asked, thinking that he was being specific enough on the matter.

Cecil raised an eyebrow.

"Who am I hoping to get with, you mean?"

Should've been more specific.

"No, the whole thing with Jason," Peter clarified.

"Oh..." Cecil uttered before smirking. "Oh, that's easy! Percy and Sam! Those two hotties? Hell yeah!"

Peter also smirked.

"Great minds think alike. Now then, who are you hoping for?"

Cecil blinked.

"Hoping for...what?"

This guy is kinda ditzy.

Peter nodded.

"Yeah. Like, is there a particular guy who you wanna go steady with?"

"What do you think about Mark? He's kind of sweet for an Ares guy," Cecil pointed out.

"Mark is a bit hard to pin down. I don't think he has anything more than admiration for certain guys, but I don't think he's curious enough. Maybe if he was drunk, but he'd leave afterwards," Peter replied.

Cecil looked visibly upset.

"Every guy..." he mumbled.

"Hey, don't give up hope. There are some guys with potential on this list," Peter encouraged.

"...Jake?" Cecil asked next. "He has...really nice muscles and is really nice."

A more suitable candidate.

"Jake is a better candidate. I'm not sure if he's gay or bi, but he'd definitely go on some dates with you," Peter answered. "There's also someone else, but he's still in the closet."

Simon...

I've caught him staring at Jason more than once.

Cecil gave a curious look.

"Who?"

"I don't think I should say. He's not ready," Peter replied.

"Oh okay..." Cecil muttered. "I'm curious, though...I wonder if he would like me."

In my opinion...it's highly likely.

Peter looked over the list again.

"Ellis will go out with you, but he'd also date other people while he's with you, both guys and girls. He's a real player."

Cecil sighed.

"I don't want that. Makes me feel like I'm not good enough...How about you? You're on the list."

Peter smiled.

"I'm flattered, but I'm trying to win your brother."

Cecil smiled back.

"Can't blame me for trying. Strife is out, too. He'd probably just shoot me..."

Strife has been coming up a lot.

"I don't know him, but I've heard that's how he says, 'Hello'," Peter commented.

Cecil snorted.

"Trust me, the guy is a psychopath. There are good psychos and then there are bad psychos, and people have differing opinions on which he is."

Peter chuckled.

"Sounds like we should hang out. Anyways, Malcolm is also a good choice."

Probably the best choice, actually.

He doesn't strike me as the type to use Cecil.

If Simon wasn't still in the closet, I'd recommend him, too.

"You think so? I'm...I'm nervous," Cecil admitted, blushing slightly.

Peter raised an eyebrow.

"You like him?"

"I mean...yeah, he's a nice guy and super smart," Cecil commented.

That he is.

"Give it a shot," Peter said encouragingly. "I think that you have a real chance with him."

Cecil gave the son of Aeolus a hopeful look.

"Really?"

Peter nodded.

"Really."

---

Nico

The son of Hades watched as his bro fended off several campers simultaneously, correcting their form as he did so.

"Sword up!" Sam shouted to one as he blocked a slash from behind. "Be careful with your footwork! Stop televising your movements!"

The prince disarmed one of the campers before ramming into another, causing him to stumble before falling.

And that's why he said that he needed to be careful with his footwork.

Still...he's being a lot rougher than usual.

Nico point was proven when Sam casually dodged several slashes before spinning around kicking the camper in the face. As he staggered, Sam grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

"Is this a game to you?!" the prince angrily shouted.

Oh, shit.

Nico quickly ran towards the two and grabbed Sam by the arm.

"Bro, put him down!" he pleaded.

Sam dropped the camper, and he collapsed as he hit the ground, gasping for air.

Damn it, where's Percy or Will when I need them?

They seem to be able to calm him down.

"How's training going?" Will then asked, approaching the two.

How uncanny?

"Puppy's playing a bit too rough," Nico explained, nodding to the camper on the ground.

Will sighed softly.

"Nightlight, you wanna take another day off? It's understandable if you do."

Sam shook his head.

"No, I don't wanna take another day off. I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Will disagreed. "Something's bothering you. Let Nico handle the sword training."

"Actually, can we take a break?" the camper on the ground asked.

Nico shrugged, deciding that it would probably be best.

"Sure, go ahead," he replied before returning his attention to his bro and boyfriend. "What do you wanna do instead?"

"I actually need to talk to Sam," Will explained. "It doesn't have to be a private conversation."

Sam shrugged.

"Alright then."

The three then walked out of earshot of the campers, when Sam's eyes drifted towards the steel dagger strapped to Will's side.

Will noticed.

"Why can't I use it for practice?"

I don't think this is what Will wanted to talk about.

Sam sighed, holding out his hand.

"Give it here."

Will drew the dagger and handed it over with notable reluctance, and Sam carefully studied it. He then spun it around his hand in one direction, then the other, before finally tossing it in the air.

The flat of the dagger then landed on his finger.

"This dagger isn't balanced properly. It's a half a gram heavy on the back end. Furthermore, the grip is too large for your hands. You won't be able to properly use it while grappling or with a firearm," Sam explained, handing the dagger back.

The blonde took the dagger back and sighed.

"But it's important to me. Strife gave it to me."

The prince then sneered.

"Is that right? A steel sword and a steel dagger? And he wonders, why I think he's primitive?"

Will sighed.

"Nightlight, maybe you should calm down a little. I mean...that's just how Sammy is. Plus, he's my friend."

Sam rolled his eyes.

"Well, I suppose that someone has to be his friend."

I think this is what Will wanted to talk about.

"Sam, I really think you should lighten up on him," Will gently advised.

I can understand why Will wants them to get along.

Strife practically raised him, he knows Will better than anyone.

Sam derisively scoffed.

"Why? The guy acts like he owns the place."

He's not wrong...

Will nodded.

"Yes, he's arrogant, yes, he has an ego, but you can't blame a wolf for hunting, it's just instinct. To Strife, he's a wolf, and this Camp is his pack."

"Then he should instinctively recognize that I'm not some beta bitch that he can fuck around with," Sam replied rather pointedly.

"And neither is he to you," the blonde noted. "He told me about his time as a werewolf. He was bitten by Lycaon, and when he fully turned, his primal instinct told him to attack Lycaon. He attacked and ripped him up...because he was the legitimate alpha. His instinct said that he was a true alpha and to get rid of the other one. So, when I mention him seeing himself as the alpha wolf here...I'm being literal."

...Is it a bad time to point out Sam's pet name?

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"And yet, he can't even stand the mere mention of Lycaon?"

Will frowned, looking somewhat angry.

"He died!"

Sam nodded.

"Yes, he died to Hylla. Why isn't he afraid of her instead?"

"Because he loves her!" Will defended the son of Eris. "Lycaon wanted to control him, and he nearly succeeded. He got his eye ripped out and beaten to near death by him. He made Hylla swear on the River Styx that if he turned, she would kill him. She made good on that promise."

The prince sighed and shook his head.

"I just can't understand that. If some of his instincts from his time as a werewolf are still there, he shouldn't be afraid of Lycaon because he bested him, and he should be instinctively afraid of Hylla."

Though he didn't want to interrupt, Nico found himself agreeing with his bro.

That's...actually a well thought out response.

"Sam...you don't understand because it took a week for the transformation to be complete. It takes full control at the first full moon. Over that week he had nightmares, and urges...of eating her. Eating people, drinking blood. Hylla told me...she told me that he actually did eat someone. He couldn't control himself, and he took a bite of a crazed murderer that he killed. Cannibalism, mental torture, and having to resist horrific urges. It takes it toll, Sam," Will explained.

The prince placed a hand on his forehead and tilted his head back before sighing softly and bringing his hand down with a shake of his head, as if he was more exasperated by Will's explanation than anything else.

I don't think Sam can sympathize with any of that.

"Then what do you expect from me?" Sam asked.

"Not to antagonize him every chance you get," Will answered. "You seem to purposefully anger him whenever has around."

The prince didn't reply for several moments, worrying Nico a bit.

I don't think that Sam's ire towards...erm...Sam...is entirely underserved.

Especially after everything yesterday.

He probably just wanted a good night's rest, and he, in all likelihood, didn't get that.

Nico noted the dark circles under the prince's eyes.

It shows, too.

"Fine. I won't go looking for trouble, but if he does, I will retaliate," Sam finally replied.

Will let out a disappointed sigh.

"Alright, that's basically saying, 'Okay', and then, 'Not okay'. You can't expect him not to be a dick because he is one."

This argument is starting to implode...

I understand what he's trying to do, but Strife's such a chaotic mess that he really doesn't have much to work with.

Just then, Nico had to shoot his boyfriend a look.

"Okay, even I think that you're not making a great case here," he commented.

Will threw his hands up.

"I'm trying, okay?"

"You can't expect me to try and tolerate that," Sam added. "If I ignore him, he'll come looking for me, thinking that I'm being stuck up. If I don't ignore him, then he'll treat me like shit. There's no winning in this sort of situation."

"He's right, you know?" Nico agreed.

"You can't ever win with Strife. Look, if you apologize, then he'll probably leave you alone," Will replied.

Sam blinked, and he and Nico shared a look.

Is he serious?

"Apologize?" they both asked.

Looks like we're on the same wavelength.

Will nodded.

"Yes, he isn't a monster."

That's...debatable.

"You pay your debts with him, and he leaves you alone," Will continued.

Nico frowned.

"Debts?" he asked while Sam scoffed.

"I'm not apologizing because he doesn't deserve one. He comes here and expects everyone to cater to his every whim."

"You don't have to mean it, Sam," Will tried. "And yes, because to be honest...he's sort of earned it."

Sam shook his head.

"I won't give an insincere apology, especially since he'll gloat about it. You're fooling yourself if you think that he won't. It doesn't matter how much respect he's earned if he doesn't pay that respect back. There's absolutely no honor in that. I don't brag about my accomplishments and demand that everyone tiptoe around me."

"I actually agree with Sam here," Nico added. "Strife thinks that his accomplishments allows him to behave as he pleases. Granted, he's always done that, but now, he thinks that it's perfectly okay."

Will sighed and nodded.

"I guess you're right...but remember this, Sam...Strife isn't you. He's a different person with different opinions. Yes, he probably would gloat about it, but sometimes, being honest and blunt isn't the best thing to be."

"Will, you're not making good arguments," Nico pointed out. "All the drama yesterday was because none of us, myself included, were being honest."

"I'm not going to pretend to be someone else while he's here," Sam added.

"Nor should you," Nico replied.

"Well, someone has to pretend to be something! Otherwise, the Camp is gonna be destroyed by tomorrow!" Will exclaimed.

The prince rolled his eyes.

"You're overreacting."

"You're under-reacting!" Will retorted.

"I'm not apologizing, Will, and that's final," Sam said firmly.

"Will?" Nico asked, drawing his boyfriend's attention. "I'm with Sam on this one."

"Ugh, fine, I'll see if I can convince Strife," the blonde relented.

"Tell me something, Will, does he often say things like, 'You're lucky I like you' or 'You're lucky you're my friend'?" Sam asked.

"...Yeah...?" Will answered very hesitantly.

The prince nodded and started to walk away.

"That tells me everything I need to know about the sort of person I'm dealing with."

He just confirmed that Strife isn't a good person...

The blonde's eyes widened in alarm, and he turned towards Sam.

"Where are you going?!" he asked, his panic palpable.

"Bunker Nine!" Sam called back. "I have something for you there! Feel free to pick it up whenever! Oh, and if you see Jason, tell him to stop by! Still need to fix his glasses!"

Will let out a shaky sigh.

"Thank the gods, I thought he was going straight for Sammy."

For a moment, I thought the same thing.

Nico then turned his attention back towards his boyfriend.

"Why do you keep defending him like that, Will?" he asked, referring to Strife.

"Look, I know that you might not understand, but Sammy's helped me out a lot...through some very difficult times. I don't wanna see two people I care about fighting," Will explained.

The Ghost King nodded.

"I can't fault you for caring. I just hope we can convince them not to fight."

"I'm beginning to think that might be impossible," Will admitted. "Like I said, Sammy sees himself as the alpha, and a new one just showed up. He'll instinctively seek out Sam and challenge him."

Yeah, that's definitely a problem...

"Well...what if we set them on a common enemy?" Nico suggested, though he didn't have a firm grasp on an idea.

"Such as?" Will asked.

The Italian wracked his mind for a solution.

"...Drew?"

Will frowned.

"Any enemies that aren't people? If we set them on Drew, she'll definitely, definitely die."

Yeah, she will.

As much as everyone dislikes her, I think that Will wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"Fair point..." Nico mumbled in agreement, when another idea occurred to him. "What if we could minimize the damage? Both to the Camp and the two of them?"

Will shot him a curious look.

"How so?"

"We know that they're going to fight, but what if we set some ground rules for the match? Do you think they'd agree?" Nico asked, hoping that his idea was a good one.

The blonde looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.

"If the right person tells them, I think it could work," he replied.

That's great!

"Do you think Strife would listen to you?" Nico asked next.

Will smiled.

"I'm the only one Strife listens to. Consider it done."

Nico pulled his Scroll out of his pocket and opened it.

"Then I'll shoot Jason a message and tell him to meet Sam. What should the rules be?"

"No weapons and no magic," Will answered. "Fists only. Now, there's a good chance Strife will cheat if he starts to lose, so we have to prepare for that. And no fatal injuries. First to knock out the other wins."

That works.

Nico looked up from his Scroll.

"Shouldn't that mean that Sam can't use his Aura?"

"Aura makes him practically invulnerable," Will noted. "Last I checked, that would be considered cheating. No Aura means no Semblance either."

True.

Another thing occurred to the Italian.

"Doesn't the same apply to Strife's trench coat?"

Will nodded.

"It does. What do you think? Regular clothes? Classic brawl?"

"I think it'll work," Nico replied.

"Let's set it up!" Will chirped, "Let them get their anger out and move forward!"

"Then I suggest you find Strife before he finds Sam," Nico said.

"Fuck, you're right! He works fast! I'll talk to you later!" Will replied before turning around and running.

Yeah, he should probably hurry.

Suddenly, Will turned around and ran back to Nico before giving him a kiss on the lips.

"I love you!"

Nico smiled.

"Love you, too. Now, hurry up."

The son of Apollo nodded and turned around once more, running as quickly as he could.

Let's hope that this works.

Nico looked back at his Scroll.

I should probably message Percy, too.

---

Percy

The son of Poseidon watched as his boyfriend carefully adjusted the son of Jupiter's glasses. He had popped out the lenses to make the task easier.

"On the bright side, the frame is very durable," Sam commented. "On the other hand, I'm probably the only person who's capable of adjusting them. This is taking longer because it's Imperial Gold."

"I really appreciate you doing this," Jason replied with a smile.

Percy also smiled.

Sparky really does have a nice smile.

Sam studied the glasses, then Jason's face, and nodded.

"That should do it."

"Great!" Jason chirped. "Can I have them back?"

"Before that..." Sam replied, taking out some new lenses and popping them into the frame before handing them back to the son of Jupiter. "There. These should work better than your current ones."

Jason took his glasses back and frowned softly.

"Was there something wrong with them?"

The prince shook his head.

"No, there was nothing wrong with them, but these are scratch-proof, smudge-proof, fog-proof, and a few other things. Just try them on."

Jason nodded before slipping his glasses back on, and he blinked.

Those glasses really suit him.

Percy then mentally shook his head.

What am I even thinking?!

It was just a dream!

A crazy dream at that!

Guilt wracked the son of Poseidon.

Sam is the only one for me.

That's the truth.

I'll have to tell that to dream Jason.

I guess myself technically...

Yeah...

"Whoa..." the blonde breathed, sounding completely blown away.

Sam gave him a playful smirk.

"Welcome to my world, Jason."

Percy frowned slightly.

What does he mean by that?

"You're world is like high definition...but better?" Jason asked.

Sam nodded.

"I can actually see a bit into both the UV and infrared spectrum. Now you can, too."

Jason looked as surprised as Percy felt.

"Damn," they both said.

So, that's what he meant.

Sam then turned his attention towards two armbands, one made from cloth, and another from leather, both black.

"What are those?" Percy asked, feeling rather curious.

"Those are for Will," Sam answered. "I couldn't figure a way to make them conspicuous without resorting to magic, but I was out of ideas."

Wait, he does know magic?

Well...I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

Jason looked at the items rather curiously.

"What do each of them do?"

I wanna know, too.

Sam took the cloth armband and tugged on it, the knot easily coming undone. When it did, the cloth transformed into a silver handgun. It had an overall bulky, brick-like shape and possessed characteristics of both a revolver and a semi-automatic pistol, with both a cylinder and a slide. It also had two triggers and an external hammer. Intricate floral designs were etched onto the slide and grips, and light fluorescent white designs were below the barrel and on the cylinder.

Sweet gun!

I'm sure that even Strife would like it.

"It can fire traditional rounds, but I primarily designed it to use non-lethal Dust rounds, plus it also it also hold a few more powerful rounds for larger targets," Sam explained.

"How do you change it back?" Jason asked.

Sam pressed a small circular extrusion near the chamber, and the gun transformed back into an armband, the knot tied once more.

"Just turn the safety back on."

"And the other one?" Percy inquired.

Sam set down the cloth armband and picked up the leather one. He unclasped it, and it changed into a short dagger with a slotted blade. It was golden, like the sun, and it lacked a pointed tip, instead being flat.

A swordbreaker.

With his thumb, Sam pressed a button on the bottom of the hilt, and the blade sparked with electricity.

"It's not enough to be lethal, but it should stun someone long enough to escape," he said before taking his thumb off the button and folding the back part of the hilt upwards, causing the swordbreaker to change back into its first form. "I'm thinking that I should just give them to Will instead of having him stop by."

"Probably a good idea," Jason agreed before turning his attention to Percy, seemingly asking without asking if he should go ahead with their idea.

Might as well.

The blonde nodded before looking back at Sam.

"There's actually something we wanted to discuss."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"What about?"

"Strife," Percy clarified.

Sam frowned, looking not the least bit amused.

"You're not gonna ask me to apologize, are you?"

"No, we're not," Jason replied. "We actually wanted to know if you two would be willing to settle things with a duel."

The prince blinked, seemingly surprised.

"Color me intrigued. Any rules?"

Wow, it actually worked!

"No weapons, no magic, and no Aura or Semblances," Percy answered. "It'll just be a hand-to-hand fight. First person to land a knockout wins."

Sam tilted his head like he often did, seemingly thinking over it.

Sooo cute.

Wish I had thought of Puppy for a pet name.

Sam then nodded.

"That works for me..."

Percy mentally cheered.

Woohoo!

"...but there's just one problem," Sam continued, bursting Percy's bubble.

Wait, what?!

Jason frowned.

"What's that?" both he and Percy asked.

Oh, are we the ones stuck on the same wavelength now?

"I don't trust Strife," Sam answered. "He doesn't strike me as the type to play fair."

He's right, Strife probably won't play fair.

"You're right, he won't," Jason agreed. "However, I don't think he'll start cheating unless he starts to lose."

Percy felt like smacking his bro upside the head for the remark.

Jason, you idiot!

Sam frowned, clearly displeased with the mere implication that he could even possibly lose.

"Not 'unless', 'when'," he corrected. "And even if he does cheat, I won't need to resort to my weapons to beat him, but if he starts using his powers, I'll start using mine. I usually don't like resorting to magic, but I have a few spells that I'll use, if need be."

Well, if he does know magic, I'm guessing that we have yet to see his full arsenal.

Knowing Sam, the spells are likely combat oriented.

Another thing then occurred to the son of Poseidon.

I wonder, without all his memories, is it possible that even Sam himself isn't aware of everything he can do?

"Just...try and land the knockout," Percy advised. "Do you want me to give you some pointers on Strife's fighting style?"

"He'll try and overpower me, pure and simple," Sam knowingly replied. "What he won't except is that I'm much stronger than I look. Strife doesn't have the same caliber of hand-to-hand training that I do."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know?"

Sam merely rolled his eyes.

"Because no one does. He's not a Venator. Plus, I've dealt with Gargareans in the past. Nothing to write home about."

He's remembering more about his past.

I wonder, what has Jason remembered?

---

Will

Fuck, where is he?!

The son of Apollo frantically searched for Strife, though he had had no luck so far. He was panting and sweating from running around the Camp.

Gods, I don't think I've ever had to run so much!

I'm probably gonna feel this in the morning...

I need to find him before something happens!

The blonde then spotted the son of Eris striding in the direction of Bunker 9.

Found him!

And not a moment too soon!

"Sammy!" Will called, sprinting towards Strife. "Strife...wait up!"

Strife stopped walking and turned.

"Oh, hey, Sunny Boy," he said as Will came to a stop next to him. "You okay? You look like you ran a marathon."

The son of Apollo collapsed onto his rear, panting heavily.

I feel like I did.

Strife gave Will a concerned look.

"Seriously, are you okay?" he asked, taking out a bottle of water from his trench coat and handing it to the blonde. "Catch your breath and drink this."

Will took the bottle and nodded, feeling rather grateful.

Wish Nightlight could see this side of him...

He then took a good minute to catch his breath before unscrewing the cap of the bottle and taking a drink, quickly draining half.

Gods, I needed that.

"Thank you," Will said, then took a deep breath.

Strife smiled.

"No problem, Sunny Boy. Now, did you need somethi-..."

"Where were you going?" Will interrupted.

Strife frowned.

"To Bunker Nine," he replied, confirming Will's suspicions. "I'm sick of hearing about him! Everywhere I go, it's 'Caelum this' and 'Caelum that'! It's pissing me the fuck off! Why in the flying cunt, motherfucking, shit eating hell is everyone so enamored with the guy?! He thinks he's a real hotshot, doesn't he?! Imma knock him down a few pegs! My mother will forgive me, I'm her favorite child!"

I was right, he would seek out Sam.

"You don't have to do that, Sammy," Will said in a pleading tone.

"What are you talking about?" Strife asked. "Drink more water, you need it."

The medic did as told, wishing that a certain someone could see the kinder side of the son of Eris.

"Just answer me this...if you and Sam just had a fight to let all the anger between you guys out...would you leave him alone?"

Strife gave Will a nonplussed expression.

"What are you-..." he started, but Will wasn't having any of it.

"Would you leave him alone?" he repeated more firmly.

"I mean..." Strife replied before shrugging. "Yeah, I guess. What's going on?"

"We arranged a fight between you two, just so you guys can get it over with. Doesn't matter who loses doesn't matter who wins. No bragging rights, no trophy. Just a quick fight to let out some steam," Will explained.

Strife blinked.

"Wow really?" he asked, then smiled. "You guys work fast! Thanks, Sunny Boy! I promise, I won't bruise him too bad."

"There are a few rules, though," the blonde pointed out.

The son of Eris huffed.

"Aw, I hate rules...What are they?"

"Just standard clothing. No armor, no weapons, and no magic or special powers — A pure brawl," Will answered.

Strife raised an eyebrow.

"...And...?"

"And absolutely no killing," Will replied, knowing that he had to make that clear.

He'll use lethal force if given the chance.

"Aw, come on!" Strife complained. "Always a catch!"

"That means no guns, no knives, no using that hidden blade in your boot," Will elaborated.

Strife looked quite surprised.

"Okay, how did you know about the knife?! Mark just gave it back to me!"

Wasn't hard to figure out.

"Because it's you we're talking about," the blonde summed up.

"Fair point," Strife admitted, then sighed. "Okay, I won't use any weapons. Anything else?"

"Are there any enchanted artifacts on you besides your trench coat that I should know about?" Will inquired.

"Uhh...nope," Strife replied in a hardly convincing manner.

He's terrible at lying, at least when it comes to me.

Will frowned as he stood back up.

"Sammy, you're the King of the Gargareans. You seriously expect me to believe that that doesn't come without any perks? Hylla has the Belt of Hippolyta, I just know that you have something similar."

Strife sighed and took off his trench coat to show a cape wrapped around his neck and going down between his shoulder blades.

"The Cape of Leonidas."

"And lemme guess...it increases your strength, as well as your prowess in battle?" Will asked, knowing that the Belt of Hippolyta did the same thing.

The son of Eris blushed a bit.

"Uhhhhhh..."

"I'll take another shot and guess that it could easily take a different form?" Will guessed next.

"...Maybe?" Strife hesitantly replied.

"You were planning on disguising it as a shirt, weren't you?" Will questioned, though it was more of a statement.

Strife threw up his hands.

"What is this, an interrogation?!"

Will shook his head.

"Not at all. I'm just trying to make sure that this is a fair fight."

"Ugh, why are you so...nice?!" Strife complained.

I don't know, I'm just not really a fighter.

"I just am trying to make sure that no one dies," Will replied instead. "If we allowed either of you to use your full arsenals, the collateral damage would be catastrophic."

Strife chuckled.

"Fair point! Come here," he said before pulling Will into a hug. "Just remember who taught you how to be nice."

Oh, please...

Will snorted.

"I taught myself! You taught me how to shoot someone in every spot in the body that will not result in death!"

Strife pulled back and shrugged.

"Eh, tomato, tomahto."

Will then received a message on his Scroll, and he pulled it from his pocket to check.

"Looks like he agreed."

Strife's eyes gleamed wickedly.

"Great! So, when are we doing this?!"

"He's already waiting for you in the sword fighting area," Will answered.

"Oh-ho! He wants to die so early! Let's go!" Strife exclaimed.

"No killing!" Will reminded him.

Strife waved off the reminder.

"Yeah, yeah, you said a bunch of things. I got the rules!"

Which I just know that he'll break.

But...this is the best I can do.

---

Jason

I have to wonder, is this a good idea or a bad idea?

Jason sighed as he waited with Percy and Sam.

Well...when diplomacy fails...

The son of Jupiter then felt Percy wrap an arm around his shoulder.

"Stop brooding, bro, everything's gonna be fine."

Jason shrugged slightly.

"If you say so."

Percy nodded.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Now, can I get a smile?"

Jason blinked.

Wait, what?

He gave a rather weak smile in reply, and Percy pouted.

"Aw, c'mon, you can do better than that. Smile like you mean it."

Jason sighed.

"I'm just...not in the mood right now, Perce."

Percy poked Jason in the cheek.

"C'mon~," he whined, continuing to prod at the blonde.

Jason rolled his eyes, though he was unable to stop a genuine smile from creeping onto his face.

He's just such a cheerful guy.

"Happy now?"

Percy smiled back and nodded.

"Yes, now that you are. You should really hang out with me and Sam more."

Jason chuckled.

"Percy, I see you guys everyday."

The son of Poseidon rolled his eyes.

"So? I'm pretty sure that it'd make Sam happy, too," he replied before looking over at his boyfriend. "Right?"

Sam blushed softly.

"Erm...sure."

The son of Jupiter then felt something unusual in his chest.

Did...Did my heart just skip a beat?

Jason felt his face warming, and Sam's previous words played in his head.

Maybe I should spend more time with them.

I do tend to focus mostly on Nico, and...that's just not gonna go anywhere.

I'll always love him, but...what about my happiness?

Perhaps it's time that I started thinking about myself.

Let's not rush anything, though.

I don't think anyone's ready for that, myself included.

Let's just take things one step at a time, hang out, be friends, and whatever happens, happens.

There's a lot that I need to figure out.

Jason then noticed that his bro suddenly looked like he was feeling guilty.

What's wrong?

The blonde next noticed the object of his affection approached them.

"Hey, guys, what's..." Nico started, then frowned. "Am I...interrupting something?"

Jason quickly composed himself.

"Just Percy being Percy."

"So...a dork?" Nico asked.

"Yep," Percy chirped, popping the p, making Jason roll his eyes.

Anyways...

"He knows the rules?" he asked, clearly referring to Strife.

Nico nodded.

"As much as he's willing to listen to, yeah."

About as much as I expected.

"You know, maybe you should have allowed him something. This isn't really a fair fight otherwise," Sam commented.

Nico raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Even without my Aura or Semblance, I'm not a regular person," Sam explained as Strife and Will approached.

He's right.

"The arm wrestling match proved that," Sam continued. "I don't think it's really fair for Strife."

Strife smirked.

"Oh, I think I'll be fine...trust me."

The prince scoffed.

"Sorry, but I don't think I'll ever trust you."

"Wow, that might just be the smartest thing you've ever said," Strife commented. "Boy, Percy, you sure know how to pick 'em!"

"Are you sure that you don't want me to have a handicap? Make things a bit more even?" the prince taunted.

Strife's smirk turned into a grin.

"Ha! Like what?!"

Sam shrugged.

"I don't know. Fight with one arm? No kicking?"

Strife's grin dropped, and he glared at the prince.

"How about I just beat you until you actually do have a handicap!?"

Sam smirked rather cockily.

"That dream will never become a reality. Though I look forward to the seeing the look on your face when you realize that."

The son of Eris stepped closer to the prince and leaned down.

"And I look forward to killing you," he whispered into the Sam's ear, though Jason didn't hear it.

"Then I'll give you something to think about: If I'm gone, what do you think might happen to Will?" the prince whispered back.

Jason frowned.

What are they saying?

Strife glared daggers at Sam as he walked away, towards the center of the arena, and Will walked up to Strife.

"What did he say?" he asked, a question Jason also wanted to ask.

"Something that really pisses me off," Strife answered.

"From what I've gathered, everything he says pisses you off," Will pointed out, a point with which Jason agreed. "What did he say specifically?"

Strife looked thoughtful for a moment, though he eventually just smiled and ruffled Will's hair.

"Not important right now, Sunny Boy!" he said before joining the prince in the center of the arena.

"Did I just see Strife genuinely smile?" Jason quietly asked.

Will nodded.

"Yeah, like I've been saying, he's not a total bad guy," he replied before walking over to Strife.

Strife took off his trench coat and unlatched the harness holding his various weapons, handing them to the son of Apollo.

"Let's do this!"

Sam took off his hoodie, and his bracelets vanished.

"Geez, how many toys do you carry?"

Strife pulled out two more pistols from behind him and handed them to Will, then a dagger slipped out of his left sleeve, and he gave it over. He then held up his finger to pause. Then he knelt down and took out a Tanto knife and a small pistol from his boots and handed them over.

"Now I'm done," he said as Will joined the group again.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"About damn time."

"Fuck off, shorty!" Strife snapped.

"Last chance to back out. I actually won't hold it against you," the prince offered.

"The same to you, kiddo," Strife replied.

Sam shook his head.

"No can do."

Strife nodded.

"Then this is it. No going back!"

Sam took a fighting stance.

"Then prepare yourself."

Strife grinned as he raised his fists.

"I'd say the same but...you can't!" he shouted, cocking his left arm back.

As he threw a punch, Sam jumped and spun midair before meeting the punch with a kick before the two pushed away from each other.

How in the...?

Strife quickly came in with another left, though Sam leaned back and blocked by raising his right arm to knock the blow off course. He countered with a right jab, but Strife moved his right arm downward to parry the punch. Strife threw a right, and Sam pushed it away with his left arm to deflect it upwards before countering with his own right. Strife used his own left arm to deflect the blow downwards, causing Sam to turn. He managed to finish turning and regain his footing in order to dodge another right, and the exchange had taken place in less than a second.

So far, they're even.

The two then threw a couple of punches at each other simultaneously, though they used the blows to deflect each other.

Sam crouched a bit before leaping towards the son of Eris, who raised both his arms in order to block a series of kicks. The prince then pushed with both his legs before rolling midair and landing on his feet, while Strife rolled backwards and stood, only for Sam to tackle him. The two rolled along the ground a couple times before Strife pushed Sam away with his leg.

The son of Eris quickly stood, rushing towards Sam, who managed to roll to his feet in time in order to dodge a couple punches, quickly moving backwards while blocking a couple more. The prince ducked under a hook while turning before swinging his left heel at Strife's head, who leaned back just enough for it to miss, though this was quickly followed by Sam jumping and sending another kick to the head with the right foot, which Strife was forced to block. However, Sam continued turning midair and managed to graze the son of Eris near the eye with his left foot.

Strife winced before grabbing Sam's leg and throwing him away from himself, though he still managed to land on his feet.

"Krav Maga?" Sam asked.

Strife smirked, wiping a bit of blood away from his eye.

"Oh, so you're not completely clueless. I recognize that you're using Prankration, though you're using a lot more kicks than is traditional."

"I'm not one for tradition," Sam commented before quickly charging at his opponent.

He threw a left, then a right, though Strife was able to dodge them before throwing a right, which Sam narrowly avoided before turning and jumping, swinging his left leg. Strife leaned back to avoid it, and Sam came down with an elbow, which would have struck the solar plexus, though Strife caught it with his left hand.

He flung the prince's arm aside, causing him to turn midair and land on his front, quickly rolling out of the way to avoid Strife's left fist burying itself where his head had been. Sam continued to roll away before standing back up, avoiding a few punches from the taller man before jumping back to gain more distance apart.

Strife paused for a moment.

"Okay, I've had enough warming up. I'm gonna start taking things a bit more seriously."

Sam smirked.

"Be a nice change of pace."

The prince quickly closed the distance between them before jumping and turning midair, kicking with his left ; however, Strife leaped over him to avoid it. The son of Eris came in, trying to hit Sam in the head with the back of his right fist, though he turned, blocking it with his own right arm, then blocked a blow aimed at his kidney, then blocked a left swing from Strife.

Sam countered with a left swing of his own, but Strife ducked under it before pushing him away. The prince quickly charged back and jumped, swinging his right heel down, though Strife blocked with both his arms. He pushed upwards, but Sam used the force to add height to a jump as he leaned back, turning midair while avoiding a kick from Strife's right leg. When he landed, he quickly ducked to avoid a punch before doing a backflip kick, which, though Strife blocked, knocked him upwards, and both of them landed on their feet.

Strife rapidly closed the distance between them, throwing several punches that Sam blocked, one causing Strife to turn. They both spun around, and their legs met as they tried to kick each other. However, Sam then aimed his the foot of the same leg near Strife's knee, kicking it and causing the leg to bend forwards. He then did a front flip and came down with his heel while Strife rolled out of his way.

Sam managed to get up slightly and jump a bit while turning midair to avoid Strife slamming the ground with his left. The prince kicked with his right foot, landing on his right foot and hand, and followed with a left kick, both of which Strife blocked, though Sam used his momentum to put himself into a standing position at the same time as Strife. He threw a kick with his left, but Strife dodged while pushing, following with a kick of his own.

Sam leaned back to avoid it, then pushed against Strife's leg causing him to spin with a bit more force. The prince then swung his right foot at Strife's head, though he avoided, but Sam used the force to continue spinning, aiming another kick with the same leg at the stomach. The son of of Eris narrowly avoided it by hopping back a bit while leaning forward, though Sam continued with the momentum, jumping off his left and kicking, again, with his right, which Strife managed to block with both arms, though it knocked him back a good bit.

Sam's changed his fighting style to rely more on kicks, since Strife has a reach advantage with his arms.

"They seem evenly matched," Will commented, as the two took their stances again.

Jason shook his head.

"No, they're not. Sam...Caelum has the advantage."

Strife looked rather irritated with how things were going.

And Strife knows it.

Strife quickly came in with a right, but Sam pushed it aside and around before a left followed, which was dodged. The son of of Eris quickly ducked under a right while quickly moving around and behind the prince and wrapping his arms around him. Sam aimed an elbow at his face, but Strife caught it before moving his right arm in for a headlock.

Sam pushed the arm over his head, but before he could turn it into an arm lock, Strife pulled away while turning and throwing a low kick, which was avoided. Strife then came in and attempted to grab Sam behind the head, though the prince slipped out of the hold. Strife then tried to to grab him by the shoulder and pull him into a knee, but Sam was able to move to the side to avoid it before placing an arm beneath the leg and tossing Strife through the air.

As he landed, the son of Eris glared daggers at the prince before charging at him, throwing a right punch, but Sam caught it with his left hand before quickly striking Strife in the arm with the index and middle fingers of his right hand.

What was that?

Sam then pulled back Strife's sleeve, revealing that it was covered in small bruises.

"Oh, gods..." Will breathed.

"What?" Percy asked. "It's not like a couple bruises would stop him."

No, they most certainly wouldn't.

"They're not meant to stop him, they're meant to slow him down," Will explained. "All those small injuries add up. Furthermore, Sam's been aiming for pressure points to cause the most damage. In other words...Sammy can't fight at his best anymore."

Strife suddenly grinned, punching Sam in the gut with his left hand, and Sam made no move to avoid or block it. The prince's eyes widened in shock, and he released Strife as he dropped to a knee.

How?

Strife then grabbed Sam and lifted him before flipping him over his shoulder, who grunted as he hit the ground. Strife then tried to get atop Sam, but he was pushed away by Sam's legs. He rushed towards the prince, as he got up, and clasped his and together, bringing both of them down, but Sam easily moved out of the way before launching a rapid series of punches to Strife's gut, causing him to have the same reaction the prince had had earlier, collapsing to a knee.

The son of Eris then slammed his left hand to the ground with such force that it cracked, and Sam quickly backed up as Strife stood.

"I get what going on now," Sam commented as he backed up, while dodging a series of punches and kicks. "You're right handed, but you learned how to become ambidextrous. Furthermore..."

He's moving faster than he was previously.

"Shut up!" Strife shouted, throwing a left, though Sam caught it with his right hand.

"...that left hand of yours isn't a natural hand," he continued, starting to push Strife's arm back. "I gave myself a handicap and matched your strength throughout this fight. I thought you would give up when it became clear that I was better at hand-to-hand, but you didn't. So...I'm not gonna hold back anymore."

Strife frowned.

"Hold back?"

Sam then kicked Strife with such force that he flew all the way to the edge of the arena, slamming into it hard enough to crack the wall. Strife collapsed to both knees and coughed up some blood, his hand clasping at the ground before he shakily stood.

Holy shit!

"You wanna play rough, huh?" Strife asked. "Fine!"

The son of Eris dashed at the prince, coming in with a very obvious right. As he threw it, Sam dodged, but Strife opened his hand, flinging dirt into Sam's face.

Dirty (literally), but clever.

The prince grunted, rubbing his eyes, and Strife kicked him in the chest, knocking Sam a good distance backwards and onto his back.

Suddenly, something came out of Strife's right sleeve.

Is that a gun?!

Strife took aim as Sam stood, who quickly seemed to notice the situation. Strife fired, but Sam seemed to duck a moment before the shot, avoiding it. Strife fired again, but the prince had quickly leaped out of the way before it. With his third shot, the prince had moved as a blur, almost seeming like warping because of its speed, to the opposite end of the arena.

I know that he's fast, but I don't think he could achieve that speed without Aura.

Given that Strife has a gun, I think that it's fair.

The son of Eris crouched and placed his left hand on the ground; spirits started rising from the earth: Blood red Phonois, some a fiery orange, others a deep blue, and the rest a dark green.

"Behold, the Spirits of Conflict!" Strife said as he stood, the green and blue spirits raising their shields and spears, forming a phalanx around him. "Murder, Manslaughter, Battle, and Quarrel!"

Sam looked at the spirits with distaste.

"You have a real jacked up notion of fair play."

He's not wrong.

"And I should care what you think...why?!" Strife asked.

"I just thought you were a man of at least some honor, but this? This is just utterly deplorable," the prince answered.

"When I'm not dealing with the Gargareans, honor doesn't mean shit! Especially for someone who is just as deplorable as me!" Strife retorted.

Sam's hands began to crackle with electricity.

"In that case..." he said as darkness formed hilts, and blades of blue light formed from them, holding the left with a reverse grip, "...if you're allowed to use your tricks, I'm allowed to use mine."

"Hold on, I've seen those before!" Nico quietly shouted, surprising Jason.

Wait, what?!

"Where?" Jason asked.

"In my dreams," Nico answered.

Have Nico and Sam met before?

Strife grinned maniacally.

"Ah, there we go! Someone who has been ripped down to my level!"

"When an opponent shows their hand, it's not improper to show mine. I haven't stooped," Sam replied.

Strife shrugged.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

"Like how you keep telling yourself that you can win?" Sam retorted.

Strife laughed.

"At this point, that thought is moot. I just want to see how much damage I can inflict!"

"Then let's even the numbers a bit, shall we?" the prince asked, taking his stance. "Incantare...Umbra Viventem (To Enchant, Living Shadow)."

Sam's form rippled before five duplicates of himself formed around him.

"The fuck!?" Strife asked, echoing Jason's own thoughts. "Oh, whatever! The longer the fight, the more spirits I can summon. The more you kill, the more spirits I can summon. The longer we talk, the more spirits I can summon!"

The main Sam shrugged.

"Then I'll just cut them down faster than you can summon them, and I doubt you can summon them endlessly. No one can use an ability without limit. Who'll hit their limit first, you or I?"

Strife glared, his expression saying that he wouldn't be the first.

"SPIRITS OF CONFLICT! ATTACK!"

The Spirits and the prince and his duplicates engaged each other, each of the Sams dashing around with such speed that their form blurred, and Jason quickly lost track of the original. The Sams started to cut down the Spirits, flowing seamlessly with the way they attacked, though, as Strife said, more Spirits started to rise from the ground.

This is gonna be close...

One of the Sams got overwhelmed by a crowd of Spirits, who stabbed him from multiple sides with spears, but he immediately faded. Another Sam summoned three pillars of fire around him and started zipping around the arena, burning any Spirits he came into contact with. The moment the flames faded, multiple Phonois rose from the ground and grabbed his legs, holding him in place before he was cut down and faded.

For a moment, the remaining Sams and Spirits of Conflict seemed to be at a stalemate, but more Spirits kept rising. Eventually, the remaining duplicates were felled, fading away.

"Incantare, Tempus Propero (To Enchant, Time Speed Up)!" Sam shouted, an ethereal clock face forming behind him, the hands rapidly moving before it faded.

The prince then started moving with even greater speed, rapidly cutting down the Spirits while dodging their attacks.

He can combine magic with his Semblance!

"Incantare, Domus ab Hastae (To Enchant, House of Spears)!" the prince yelled, dozens of orbs of light floating out of his body.

The orbs floated around the arena before shooting out spears of light at each of the Spirits, causing them to fade and drastically reducing their numbers.

Sam then jumped high into the air, combining his blades into a single one and throwing it at Strife, the blade seemingly at the end of a rope of light. Several Spirits intercepted it, raising their shields, but the blade pierced through them. Sam drew them back to himself before the blade separated again, and he sliced through them. As he landed on the ground, his body began to crackle with electricity, and he dashed around quickly while cutting down more Spirits that had risen.

A rising Spirit managed to trip up the prince, causing him to stumble and crash into a wall with great force, completely decimating it, along with a chunk of the stadium, causing some campers to quickly scramble away. The Spirits of Conflict quickly crowded around the area, only for a burst of black flames to explode, taking them, and even more of the stadium out.

Sam emerged from the flames, no longer wielding his blades, and Strife let out an enraged bellow, the remaining Spirits seemingly dissolving into nothing, though Jason noticed that as the black flames faded, a blue aura crackled around the prince.

His Aura is low.

The two combatants then charged at each other, Strife firing several shots that seemingly missed before tossing his gun aside. When they met, Strife stomped his foot on the ground and threw an uppercut, though Sam leaned back, narrowly avoiding it and leaving the son of Eris completely open. Sam quickly planted a foot before slamming his left fist into Strife's jaw.

Did...Did he get him?

Strife stumbled for a moment before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.

"He did it..." Percy breathed, only for Sam to cough up blood.

Oh, shit...

I don't think all those shots missed!

The prince then collapsed to the ground and didn't move.

"Nico, is he-..." Percy started.

"He's alive!" Nico interrupted, much to everyone's relief. "Get him some medical attention now!"

"On it!" Will and Percy shouted, quickly running over to the prince, Jason and Nico joining them.

Percy's shirt began to glow with a blue trident on both sides before water formed in both his hands. He knelt down and enveloped part of Sam's body with it.

"Will, I could use some help!" Percy pleaded.

The son of Apollo knelt beside the son of Poseidon.

"I...I don't know what to do! All my hymns to my father won't work right now, and I don't know any others!"

"Try something!" Percy encouraged.

"I...I'll try," Will replied, placing his hands on Sam. "Fuck...his Aura is low. If only I could restore it."

As he closed his eyes, Jason noticed that ripples of golden light started traveling down Will's hands and over Sam.

"I think you're doing it," the son of Jupiter commented.

Will opened his eyes.

"Really? Holy shit, I think you're right."

I think we just found Will's Semblance.

The prince suddenly gasped, and both Jason and Percy breathed a deep sigh.

"Thank the...Will," Percy said.

My thoughts exactly.

"He's still out, but we should be able to move him to the infirmary," Will commented.

"What about Strife?" Nico asked.

Jason looked to see Amos lifting the unconscious son of Eris and putting him into a fireman's carry.

"I'll check on him as soon as we move Sam," the medic replied.

Good.

...

That fight was fucking crazy!

---

Percy

Along with Jason, Nico, and Jason, the son of Poseidon practically held his breath while he waited for his boyfriend to wake up, while Will went looking for Strife.

He looked so pale...

I haven't seen him like that since we first met.

Sam's eyes then fluttered open.

"Where am I?"

Oh, thank the gods.

"The infirmary," Jason answered.

The prince sighed.

"Damn it, did I pass out again?"

"Yeah, but this one was pretty scary," Percy replied.

Sam sat up, wincing as he did so.

"...Why?"

"You were coughing up blood and turning really pale..." Jason mumbled softly.

Sam nodded.

"So...it was my loss."

Nico shrugged.

"I mean...we're saying you won, but everyone else is saying it's a tie."

The prince shook his head.

"I screwed up and tripped, and I made a poor judgment call by relying on the Flames of Night. Darkness is very draining to use, and that, along with the impact, drained me of my Aura. In fact, it left even more vulnerable than if I had simply ran out."

Percy nodded.

"And Strife used that to his advantage, but still...you knocked him out."

"But in an actual fight, what do you think would have happened afterwards, when he woke up?" Sam asked.

"To be perfectly honest? Strife knows when he's beat. He'd most likely concede albeit very reluctantly," the son of Poseidon voiced his thoughts.

Sam huffed.

"Okay, now you're just trying to make me feel better."

"No, I'm serious!" Percy vehemently disagreed. "The dude may be horrible and cruel and dishonest when fighting, but when push comes to shove, he knows who he's better than and who he'll lose to."

"Whatever..." Sam mumbled in a monotone voice.

"Even when Strife was out for blood, you still only went for the knockout," Jason added, a point with which Percy agreed.

Sam sighed and nodded.

"I suppose you're right."

The son of Poseidon gave his boyfriend a more serious look.

"Sam...he'll show you as much respect as he can muster. You have to not insult him as much now."

Sam rolled his eyes, as if saying that that would never happen.

"I think you're better off just keeping us separate so that I won't have to talk with him."

"I think Strife will actively avoid you anyway, but Sam? He has proven at least some sort of worth being able to last longer than anyone against you and being able to land a hit on you more than once," Percy pointed out, only for Jason to shoot him a look that basically screamed that he shouldn't have said that.

What?

What's wrong with what I said?

Sam also shot Percy a look, though it was one of incredulity.

"Hit me? He fucking shot me! Thrice, might I add! Not once! Not twice! THRICE!"

"Better than anyone else...except Peter maybe," Percy continued.

This time, Jason put a hand on his shoulder, shooting him a look that told him to shut up.

"Peter was different. He might have lost it, but at least he didn't fucking shoot me," Sam bitterly spat.

"I doubt Strife would have made an exception for you. He shoots everyone," Percy pointed out.

This time, Jason sighed a sigh of frustration.

"Okay, I think that we need to stop. We're just making it worse," he said, though Percy detected that it wasn't really 'we' the son of Jupiter was referring to.

Oops...

Percy nodded.

"Fair point, no sense talking about it."

"There's actually something that I do want to talk about," Nico added.

"What?" Jason asked.

The son of Hades turned his attention towards his bro.

"Sam...I think that we've met before."

Percy was taken aback by the revelation.

Wait, wait, wait...

What?!

Sam frowned.

"When?"

"Around the time I went looking for the Doors of Death," Nico answered.

Sam seemed to think over it for a moment, winced, and then sighed.

"Really?...I...I don't recall."

Nico then looked at Percy.

"Apparently, you and Sam have also met because he came looking for me because of you."

Percy felt even more surprised.

Really?

Sam and I have met before?

Also...I sent him to look out for Nico?

Percy mentally nodded.

It seems like something I'd ask.

After all, I care for Nico a great deal.

More than he probably thinks.

Still...

"Seriously, how do none of us remember?" Percy asked no one in particular.

"Hera...or rather Juno, took away your memories from our time together, Percy..." Sam mumbled.

Though he didn't think it was possible, Percy felt even more surprised.

WHAT?!

"I just remembered this," Sam added.

Percy sighed in frustration.

"As if I needed another reason to hate her."

"Still, that doesn't explain Nico," Jason pointed out.

He's right.

Percy nodded.

"True," he agreed. "How do we figure this out?"

Peter suddenly entered the room.

"Oh! Oh! I know!"

Does he really?

Nico blinked.

"...Were you eavesdropping?"

"Was I eavesdropping? Me?" Peter asked, then starting shaking his head. "No, no, no...yes."

Jason shook his head with a sigh.

"Do you actually know, or did you just wanna be included in the conversation?"

The son of Aeolus put his hands in his pockets and kicked at the floor.

"Looked like a fun conversation..."

Uhh...how?

"Well, you were right," Sam said to Peter. "Juno didn't want me interfering with the prophecy."

"Ahhh, the Goddess of Bitchery at her finest!" Peter commented, something with which Percy wholeheartedly agreed.

"But why not?" Percy asked his boyfriend. "Why couldn't you have at least helped out even a little?"

Peter then raised a hand.

"I can answer this one! Remember when Sam and I first met? We were arguing about what could have happened if Sam had shown up? With the whole Annabeth not being able to fulfill her duty with the Mark of Athena thing? That's probably why."

Percy blinked, not saying anything because he was just too shocked.

Holy shit.

Does that mean...?

"Wait...are you saying that I..." he breathed, unable to finish.

Sam blushed ever so slightly and nodded.

"Yeah...you did."

...

We actually kissed?!

Jason and Peter looked at the two of them rather intensely, while Nico looked at the floor.

Peter suddenly grinned.

"It's like a soap opera!"

Well...he's not wrong.

"I know that Percy was dating Annabeth at the time, but what about Prince Charming?" Peter asked.

Sam's eyes drifted downward, and he didn't reply.

Well, I already knew that Sam had someone in the past.

"Damn, I should have had a camera to record what happened! This is some good shit!" the son of Aeolus exclaimed.

"Peter?" Percy gently asked.

"Yeah?" Peter asked back.

"Shut up, please," this son of Poseidon requested.

Peter huffed.

"Hey, at least you two found each other again," he replied...then started sniffing, drawing everyone's attention.

"Dude...are you crying?" Jason asked.

"Shut up! This is a beautiful love story, man!" Peter retorted.

Percy just smiled, feeling rather giddy and happy inside.

I suppose that it is.

"Are...Are you okay?" Jason asked next.

"I don't know..." Peter mumbled.

Nico frowned.

"Well, are you happy or sad?"

"HAPPY!" Peter exclaimed.

Me, too.

"I need to tell someone about this! Maybe Piper? We can make it into a novel," Peter rambled, then gasped. "Or better yet, a play! I'm brilliant!"

That's a terrible idea!

Sam rolled his eyes.

"That's great Peter. Why don't you get on that?"

"Maybe it'll become so popular that they'll make a movie! But who could play Percy?" Peter asked, seemingly thinking about it for a moment. "Logan Lerman? Nah, he's a terrible choice."

Agreed.

I'm way better looking than Logan Lerman.

Besides, I don't trust anyone to be able to get me right, much less Sam.

Peter laughed.

"If Logan Lerman is Percy, then Annabeth is a brunette!"

That's probably what would happen.

"And then Annabeth will complain, and they'll dye the actress' hair blonde in the second movie, and it'll all go to hell," Peter continued to ramble, then threw his hands up in frustration. "Damn it, I thought I had something!"

Sam merely rolled his eyes again.

"Yeah, a box office flop! Can we please get back to something relevant?"

Right.

Percy turned to the Ghost King.

"Nico, how do you know it was Sam?"

"Those blades he used against Strife, I've seen them before," Nico answered.

Jason frowned, looking slightly lost.

"Did he not talk?"

Nico shook his head.

"No, he was so traumatized that he could barely speak an actual word. Furthermore, he hid his face, but I now know it was Sam."

"Damn, dude. I don't wanna even imagine what could have happened to cause that," Percy commented, something with which Percy agreed.

He shuddered.

"The most terrifying of that? I went through Tartarus, and even I wasn't that traumatized!"

Sam remained silent, Percy figuring that he had no memories on the matter.

Nico nodded.

"Yeah, I had the same thought. Thing is that Sam being there would explain how I managed to survive the fall."

"True, you didn't land in the river like Annabeth and I," Percy pointed out.

Nico then sighed.

"To be honest, my recollection of the whole thing is rather fuzzy. I think that the Mist filled in the gaps, but it's very...unclear."

Peter laughed.

"Am I literally the only one here without a fucked memory?!"

That seems to be the case...

Jason turned to Peter.

"About that, I actually need to talk to you later."

Peter let out a guttural sigh.

"Are you..fucking kidding me?! Me too?!"

"Well...maybe because of your previous condition, you just naturally don't have all your memories?" Jason answered, though it sounded more like a guess.

"I figured that..." Peter mumbled. "At least no one is fucking with me, it's just my own insanity fucking me up the ass."

"We'll talk later, see what you can remember," Jason replied.

Peter shrugged.

"Yeah, whatever."

"That aside, where's Will?" Sam asked.

Well...

"Looking for Strife," Percy answered.

I wonder, how's that going?

---

Will

After treating the prince, the son of Apollo, along with the Eris kids (minus the twins), Mark, Harley, and Jake, went searching for the King of the Gargareans. They had had no luck in their search so far, though they had winded up near the stables.

This guy...

How can he always be so difficult to find?

"Okay, any ideas on where he'd go?" Will asked the Eris kids.

Aaron looked at the stables.

"I...I think he might be here. Big bro likes spending time with Rival when he's upset."

Will smacked his forehead for not realizing it sooner.

Of course.

The son of Apollo and the rest then walked around the stables and found a bored looking Amos waiting near the entrance.

"How is he?" Will inquired.

Amos shrugged.

"I thought it best not to ask. Helps dodge a bullet to the leg."

Will sighed.

"So...not great."

"Exactly," Amos replied.

The blonde looked over his shoulders at the Eris kids and the rest.

"Wait here. I'll talk to him."

They all nodded, and the medic entered the stables to find the King of the Gargareans stroking Rival's main, a frown plastered on his face.

Yep, not great.

"Hey Sammy...how you holding up?" Will asked, even though he had a fair idea.

Strife unlatched Rival before turning his head, revealing a large, slightly swollen bruise near his jaw.

"Dude has a punch."

"I did try to warn you," Will noted as Rival left the stables, likely to graze.

"Shut up..." Strife mumbled.

The blonde sighed.

"I thought I told you, no weapons."

"Well, you forgot to mention that he had the strength of a god," Strife retorted.

Oh, yeah, I did.

Oops.

"...Didn't he tell you that he's superhuman?" Will asked, knowing that the prince often referred to himself as such.

Strife rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you do realize that if someone says they are a superhuman, people tend to wave that off as bravado, right?"

So, he did tell him.

Still, he's got a point.

Will could only shrug.

"He's a pretty straightforward person."

Strife snorted, then winced.

"So I've gathered."

Yeah, he must be in a fair bit of pain.

"Why won't you let someone treat you?" Will asked, concerned for his friend.

"Why does it matter?!" Strife snapped.

"I'm just trying to look out for you," Will explained.

The son of Eris averted his gaze.

"Yeah, well, you're the only one," he said rather bitterly.

The blonde sighed.

"Let me guess...you're here because he's at the infirmary?" he questioned, referring to Sam.

Strife huffed.

"No...I'm here because everyone else is."

He thinks that everyone is worried about Sam instead of him...

"Just...stop by the infirmary. You're wounds need to be treated," Will tried.

"No!" Strife refused.

Will sighed deeply.

"Sammy...why are you upset? I thought that this would help, not make things worse."

"I'm upset upset because...because...no one cares," Strife answered in a dejected tone.

"That's because you didn't give anyone the chance. You left as soon as you regained consciousness," Will pointed out.

"And how many people tried to find me?" Strife asked. "Just you. I guess I'm just old news, huh? Everyone has moved on to liking Caelum."

"It's just Percy, Jason, and Nico, actually. Mark, Jake, and the rest are right outside, and everyone else is doing their own thing," Will explained.

Strife looked quite surprised.

"What?"

He started to walk outside, and Will followed, only to find Strife getting tackled by his siblings and Harley.

"There you are! You left so fast we couldn't find you!" Aaron exclaimed.

Will stood next to Strife.

"See? It was just a little wounded pride. Now will you let me treat your wounds?"

Strife gave a genuine smile.

"Sure thing, Sunny Boy."

---

Sam

Despite not having fully recovered, the prince left the infirmary (having to deal with the protests of Will's siblings because of it) in order to avoid having to be within the same vicinity as Strife. He spent the majority of his day helping his guys with their schoolwork, having a relatively mundane lunch (Will and Nico having had lunch with Strife), making sure that his equipment was in working order (which it was), and not much else (though he noted Percy and Will wandering off together). Now, he was having dinner with Jason and Percy (with Will and Nico once more joining Strife, much to Sam's chagrin), and the prince found himself rather irked with the day overall.

That asshole used Celestial Bronze bullets!

Because of that, my Aura hasn't been able to fully recover because Celestial Bronze attacks the soul, too.

...

Fucking prick.

Sam touched his bandaged torso and winced, drawing his boyfriend's attention.

"You okay?" Percy asked, his voice full of concern.

"...Mostly," Sam answered.

If they had been regular bullets, I would probably be fully recovered by now.

Well...I should be able to get a good night's rest tonight.

"You wanna watch a movie afterwards?" Jason asked.

Sam though about it briefly, then shrugged.

"Sure, why not? Did you get to talk with Peter?"

Jason shook his head.

"No, he wanted to spend his time with Connor, so I let it slide."

Can't really blame either of them.

I wonder, how long will it take before they get together?

Sam then noticed Chiron walk into the center of the Dining Pavilion before stomping a hoof on the marble floor.

"Heroes!" the Centaur announced. "We have a Monster Hunt tonight! Over fifty skeletal soldiers have been summoned courtesy of Mr. di Angelo! Each has a wrapped package with them, although only one holds the winning laurel. Pair up! Be safe!"

I'm not really in the mood...

"You wanna pair up?" Sam's boyfriend asked him.

"Yeah, sound goo-..." Sam started.

"Though before that, we have asked the Counselors to put it to a vote, and it's been decided that Samuel Lucis Caelum will be paired with Samuel Strife!" Chiron interrupted, and silence fell over everyone.

...

Sam took a moment to process what he had just heard.

...The fuck?!

"WHAT?!" both Sams bellowed at the top of their lungs as they stood.

The prince looked at Percy and Jason while Strife looked at Nico and Will, all who held their hands up, as if saying that they had had no part in the vote.

Considering that Percy wanted to pair up with me, I'm guessing that it was only some of the Counselors.

Fuck!

"The skeletal soldiers are spread throughout the Labyrinth!" Chiron continued. "Tread with caution!"

Sam glared at Strife, who glared back.

After all the trouble I went through to avoid him, why do I have to work with that cheating fuck?!

"Do you wanna pair up?" Percy asked Jason.

Jason shrugged.

"Might as well, considering that-..."

"Don't. Say it," Sam said pointedly, unable to hide his irritation with the situation.

The blonde nodded.

Chiron...how dare you?!

But if he really did put it to a vote, my hands are tied.

The prince then noticed Strife walking towards him, accompanied by Nico and Will.

Fuck, now I have to talk to him?!

The son of Eris came to a stop near the Poseidon table.

"Caelum," he said.

"Strife," Sam replied.

"Be nice," Will told Strife before shooting the prince a look that told him to do the same.

Damn it, Will...

"How are your wounds treating you?" Strife asked.

"They're fine," Sam replied, even though he hadn't fully healed. "How are yours?"

Strife shrugged.

"They don't really hurt anymore, so they won't slow me down. I'm just worried that you will."

Fucking...

Sam clenched his hands into fists at the thinly veiled insult.

"I told you, they're fine."

Strife nodded.

"Then are you finished here? I'm gonna head over to the entrance of the Labyrinth."

Like I wanna spend any more time with this guy than necessary.

"I'll meet you there," Sam replied.

Shortly after the exchange, the various campers gathered outside of the entrance to the Labyrinth. Peter was busy helping Connor adjust his armor while also demonstrating various defensive techniques, while Cecil was chatting with Malcom. Sam glared at the various Counselors in turn, all of whom mouthed 'Wasn't me' before pointing to someone else.

Figures...

He then noticed Strife, with his back to him, appearing to be staring at something. The prince walked closer before peering to Strife's side, seeing a photo of a young boy standing next to a middle aged man, both smiling.

Odd...

"What's that?" Sam asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Strife quickly put the photo away before glaring harshly at the prince.

"It's a picture from the catalog, none of your gods' damned business!"

Prick...

Sam shrugged, taking off his hoodie before letting it vanish.

"What's with those stupid bracelets?" Strife asked.

Sam gave the son of Eris a nonplussed expression.

"They're not just bracelets, they're weapons. I made them myself."

Strife rolled his eyes.

"You seem to be more skilled at making jewelry than weapons."

Sam smirked.

"I actually made jewelry not too long ago, but these aren't simple trinkets," he said as he activated the bracelets, causing them to transform into gauntlets, before cocking both of them. "They're also guns."

"Wow, that's some Terminator shit right there," Strife commented.

Sam shrugged as his gauntlets collapsed back into bracelets.

"Not really a fan of the Terminator."

"I'd kill for a T-1000," Strife replied.

What wouldn't you kill for?

Sam raised a scrupulous eyebrow.

"Why would you want a piece of junk like a T-1000?"

"How is a machine made of liquid metal that can take any form a piece of junk?" Strife asked.

Because it's actually impossible.

One, no energy source could be small enough to power it, and two, without a central operating system, machinery that small wouldn't know what to do.

Even Iron Man's suit from Avengers: Infinity Wars is more plausible, but it's still impossible for machines that small to be that variable in capabilities.

Nico and Will then approached them.

"Don't mind him, he just really dislikes automatons of any kind. I suppose that a Terminator could be considered one," the son of Apollo explained.

He's not wrong.

Strife shrugged.

"Whatever, Hylla's are way better."

"Hylla is building automatons?" Nico asked.

Strife nodded.

"Yep, mass production."

Of course she is...

Sam sighed.

"Fantastic..."

Strife scowled.

"Something you gotta say now?!"

"I just don't like automatons, okay?" Sam replied.

Strife snorted.

"Whatever, let's go!"

"Oh, before that..." Sam said before summoning the weapons he had finished for Will and handing them over to the blonde, "...these are for you."

Strife started breathing unevenly as Will carefully took them, looking at Strife apologetically.

I'm not apologizing for keeping Will safe.

"They won't kill anything...unless you wanted to get creative, but they're perfect for defense," Sam explained to Will.

"You mean, like a dagger?" Strife pointed out in an annoyed tone.

"A dagger, specifically a parrying dagger, is good when accompanied by a sword, but a swordbreaker is even better," Sam countered.

"Whatever, let's just do this!" Strife snapped.

"Fine..." Sam replied before focusing on Will. "Stay safe."

Will nodded.

"Will do. You two better play nice."

Oh, c'mon!

---

Cecil

As Cecil ventured the Labyrinth with Malcolm, he couldn't help but smile, spending time with someone he genuinely admired (and found really hot). He looked at him, and noticed something.

"You're glasses are smudged," Cecil pointed out.

Malcolm frowned.

"Wait, what?"

"Here, let me get them," Cecil replied, taking them off Malcolm's face and cleaning the lenses with his shirt.

This guy is as bad as Jason about his glasses.

Cecil then handed the glasses back, and Malcolm took them before slipping them back onto his face.

"Oh...thank you."

Cecil smiled.

"No problem. Gotta have each other's backs, right?"

Malcolm nodded.

"Naturally. It's part of any good strategy."

"Or friendship," Cecil pointed out.

Malcolm raised a curious eyebrow.

"We really don't hang out much...Not that I don't want to, mind you, it's just...what changed your mind?"

Because you're fucking hot!

"Just...wanted to get to know you," Cecil answered instead, though he was being truthful.

Malcolm shrugged.

"Sure. What do you wanna know?"

"I don't know...Erm...What do you think of Sam?" Cecil asked.

"Caelum or Strife?" Malcolm asked back.

"...Both?" Cecil clarified.

"Well...I think that Chiron didn't put it to a vote to pair the two of them together, but I also don't think it was his idea either. I do think that it was a bad idea since Strife is a lot more volatile than Caelum. Caelum's got a lot of pride in himself based entirely on his abilities. In fact, I think that's the main difference between Caelum and most others. Most people, including Strife, take pride in their accomplishments. Caelum...simply doesn't. It's more a matter of what he can accomplish," Malcolm elaborately answered.

Cecil felt a sense of awe for the son of Athena.

"Wow...You're really smart," he praised.

Malcolm gave an appreciative smile.

"Thanks for noticing. People's tend to overlook me because Annabeth is Mom's favorite..."

Cecil felt taken aback by the answer.

Wait, what?!

"That's crazy!" Cecil exclaimed. "You're a child of Athena, you're just as smart as her. If I recall, you were the one that helped Strife build the rail gun."

"Yeah," Malcolm replied. "Whatever happened to that thing?"

"Strife got attacked by a Hydra during Manhattan," Cecil answered. "Its acid overloaded the gun, so he threw it and tricked the Hydra into eating it. It blew up and killed it, but that was when Strife and Harley were trapped behind enemy lines."

Malcolm nodded.

"Probably for the best. About the rail gun, I mean. A weapon like that shouldn't be handled lightly."

"Oh, definitely," Cecil agreed. "Strife and Beckendorf were the only ones that knew how to use it properly."

"Though Strife does want another one..." Malcolm pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, he has been trying to get his engineers to reconstruct one, but...no one is Beckendorf," Cecil replied.

"I know someone who might be able to make him one, but I doubt he'd do it," Malcolm commented.

Really?

"Who?" Cecil asked. "It took two children of Hephaestus, a child of Athena, and a child of Hecate to create it."

"Caelum."

Well...yeah, he could probably make one.

"That guy is the solution to everything isn't he?" Cecil said, more statement than question.

Malcolm chuckled.

"I doubt Strife sees it that way."

Cecil smirked playfully.

"The solution to brandishing his dagger, maybe."

"Probably," Malcolm agreed. "What about you? What can you tell me about yourself...other than being Camp Half-Blood's 'Most Fabulous' person?"

"Well, aside from being one of the best thiefs, I'm pretty good at archery," Cecil answered.

Malcolm nodded.

"I've actually seen you practice archery, and you are pretty good. Much better than Percy...though just about everyone is better than Percy at archery."

Cecil couldn't help but laugh at that particular fact.

"Ha! I don't think I've ever seen him hit the target."

"Though he did manage to hit one target, but I'm not talking about archery," Malcolm commented.

Cecil raised an eyebrow.

"That three bodied dude?"

What was his name?

"You mean Geryon?" Malcolm asked.

Cecil nodded.

"Yeah, that's the one."

Malcolm smiled.

"What else can you tell me about yourself?"

Wow...he's actually interested!

Cecil smirked.

"I don't know if you know this, but...I'm gay," he pointed out the obvious.

Malcolm smirked as he rolled his eyes in a playful manner.

"I don't know many straight guys who call themselves 'fabulous'."

"Very true," Cecil replied. "Hey, speaking of which...are you?"

Malcolm frowned slightly.

"You're asking about my sexuality, right?"

Cecil grinned.

"Exactly! Are you straight or...FABULOUS!"

"Took me awhile to figure it out actually," Malcolm admitted. "I went to Piper to see if she could help me, and she directed me to Jason."

Cecil shot the blonde a confused look.

"What are you saying? You're bi?"

"Well...kinda," Malcolm replied. "I can like guys and girls, but I need to feel close to them. Jason called it demisexual."

Cecil nodded.

"Ah, yes, of course."

Well...this is gonna take awhile.

Still...worth it!

"But I do want to find someone. I'm getting sick of hanging out with my siblings. Being Annaneth's second in command is a real pain sometimes," Malcolm stated with a sigh at the end.

"Same here," Cecil sympathized. "Being next to Connor is really frustrating sometimes."

"Yeah..." Malcolm mumbled. "You'd think that he and Travis were a perfect brotherly duo, but I know that Travis was actually pretty hard on him behind closed doors."

I know all about it.

Cecil sighed.

"He was. He loved Connor, but...I don't think he did a good job of expressing it."

"Then you know about the whole incident with Strife?" Malcolm asked.

"It's rumored that because of what Strife did to Travis, that's the reason he was so rough on Connor," Cecil replied.

"Because apparently Strife caught Connor watching him shower," Malcolm added.

He knows more than I thought.

"Yeaaahhhh, that wasn't pretty when Travis found out," Cecil commented, not denying anything. "And I don't blame Connor for peeping. Strife is quite the looker."

Malcolm rolled his eyes.

"That guy has more pride in both his looks and his scars than children of Aphrodite and Ares respectively."

Cecil shrugged.

"Well, what are you gonna do? The dude's insane."

Malcolm scoffed.

"This entire place is insane. I'm just glad that my sister isn't dating Percy anymore. Gods, I got sick of her whining when they started drifting apart."

Cecil gave a frown.

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that it was awful."

Malcolm huffed.

"It's worse. She got really...explicit about what she wanted."

Cecil raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Malcolm started, then seemed hesitant, "...at first, it started with how she wanted to make love with Percy and wanted it to be special, since it'd be his first time. But when Percy started 'conveniently' coming up with excuses, she wanted to...let's just say that she wanted to fuck and leave it at that."

Given what I saw at the party, that's understandable.

"Oh, wow, poor Percy," Cecil answered.

No wonder they broke up if he had to go through that.

Malcolm then let out a dry chuckle.

"Oh, no, Percy was spared all that talk. Annabeth was very sweet about wanting to, like I said, fuck. I got to suffer in his place. It was a definitely a case of TMI."

Cecil was definitely surprised by the revelation and also felt really bad for the blonde.

"Awww, you poor sweetie. Come here," he said before pulling Malcolm into a hug.

The son of Athena blinked before hugging Cecil back.

Mmh, this is nice.

"Thanks, I actually needed that."

Cecil pulled away (despite really, really not wanting to).

"Anytime, sweetie! Now, come on, let's go hunting!"

Malcolm nodded.

"Sure, but before that...do you know why Annabeth and Piper got together so quickly after she broke up with Percy?"

Something else to get off his chest, huh?

"I really don't," Cecil admitted.

Malcolm smirked.

"Who do you think decided to help Annabeth out with her frustration?"

"Oh..." Cecil replied before it dawned on him. "Ohhhhhhh."

Holy hell!

"Yeah..." Malcolm mumbled. "By the way, don't tell anyone about that. Piper likes to portray it as more romantic. She also threatened to castrate me if word got out."

I wouldn't put it passed her...

"I won't say I word, I promise," Cecil assured the blonde.

Malcolm smiled.

"Thanks," he said before both he and Cecil noticed a pair of skeletons walking by. "Shall we?"

Cecil drew a pair of daggers while Malcolm drew a sword.

"Geniuses first!" he shouted, and they both charged.

---

Connor

What was that this morning?

Cecil saying it isn't a choice?!

That's what Travis always said!

The son of Hermes was lost in thought as he ventured the Labyrinth, accompanied by both the son of Aeolus and the Chocobo known as George. He then felt something bump into him.

"George, quit it!" Peter quietly hissed, briefly giving Connor an apologetic look before turning his head away. "Sorry..."

Why is he apologizing?

"It's okay...I can see why you think he's cute," Connor commented about George.

"Kweh!" the Chocobo called, nuzzling Peter with his head.

Peter smiled and petted George.

"So...you nervous?"

A little...

Connor frowned softly.

"About what?"

"Being in the Labyrinth, hunting down creepy undead warriors?" Peter clarified.

Well...when you put it like that...

Connor then felt a unpleasant chill run up his spine.

"Well, shit, now I am!"

"Oh...sorry about that," the son of Aeolus apologized. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

He's such a sweet guy, but...

I'm...not gay.

I can't be.

I can't allow myself to be.

I just wanna be straight.

"I...I just..." Connor tried to explain.

"You okay?" Peter asked.

"I...I..."...Connor mumbled, then sighed. "...Yeah."

"Did you want to tell me something?" Peter asked next.

Well...I'm...straight.

Connor tried to say, but he couldn't.

"...No," he answered instead as the two came upon an intersection.

"Okay, well..." Peter started, then seemingly perked up. "Wait...hear that?"

The son of Hermes focused on his hearing.

Are those...voices?

"Get down!" Peter quietly shouted.

Connor followed the order, getting behind the taller demigod before both of them crouched near a wall, as footsteps were heard. They waited for a moment, weapons at the ready, only for Malcolm and Cecil to emerge.

"Oh...it's just Cecil and Malcolm," Connor said, quite thankful that it hadn't been a monster.

"Hey, guys!" Peter called as they both stood, Connor stepping beside him.

Both demigods' heads snapped towards them, and their eyes widened in alarm.

"Holy fuck!" Malcolm exclaimed.

Must have startled them.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Peter apologized.

"No! PETER, DUCK!" Cecil commanded, drawing a thowring knife.

Peter quickly did so before Cecil threw the knife, and Connor turned to see it strike a skeletal warrior in the head. It immediately collapsed onto the floor.

Damn, that was close!

"Damn, you duck really fast for a tall guy," Cecil commented.

Peter just shrugged.

"Gotta have quick reflexes being a Praetorian," he replied as Malcolm picked a wrapped package off the skeleton before unwrapping it.

The son of Athena then frowned.

"...I sincerely doubt that Nico wrote this."

Connor and the others walked closer and looked at the message inside.

"What's it...'Suck a dick, fuck-face'...I'm guessing Strife wrote some of these," Connor said.

Cecil smirked.

"Well, I mean...I wouldn't mind."

Malcolm sighed.

"He's straight."

Peter grinned.

"Down, boy."

Connor didn't say anything, and Cecil gave him a look.

"Gods, you need to lighten up."

"And you need to not be gay!" Connor snapped.

Cecil looked like he had just been slapped, and Malcolm and Peter slowly inched away as Cecil glared daggers at his sibling.

"Connor...you'd better apologize for that statement, right now."

I have nothing to apologize for!

"Why should I?!" Connor asked, feeling like he was being vindicated.

Cecil gave Connor a look of anger and disappointment.

"You know what? You're really lucky that I'm not Caelum and that you're my brother. He would kick your ass for saying such a thing."

Connor snorted.

"Why are you so angry over a choice?" he questioned, only to notice Malcolm and Peter gesturing for him to stop.

Why?

"You know what?" Cecil asked, drawing Connor's attention. "Don't talk to me!"

Cecil then turned around and started to walk away, and Malcolm quickly followed after him.

Connor looked to Peter.

"What's his problem?!"

Peter sighed.

"Man, you really have to think about things," he said as he started to follow after them.

What's that supposed to mean?

A skeleton popped around the corner, and Peter punched its head off without breaking stride.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Connor called.

"To make sure Cecil is okay!" Peter called back. "George, take Connor back!"

"Kweh!" George replied before nudging the son of Hermes towards the direction from which he and Peter had come.l

"I'm going, I'm going," Connor said, then sighed. "What did I say that was wrong?"

"Kweh!" George answered.

Why do I feel like I'm being scolded?

---

Sam

...

How did it come to this?

With his hands in his pockets, the prince casually strolled through the Labyrinth while the King of the Gargareans carefully proceeded, gun at the ready, his grip tight on the weapon. The manner in which Strife moved struck Sam as hyper-aware, almost paranoid.

...

"What's with you?" Sam asked, genuinely curious.

"I just...I don't like this place," Strife answered.

Sam frowned slightly.

"Why?"

"Just shut up and keep walking," Strife hissed.

I'm just gonna ignore that.

"Do you think that Chiron really put this whole pairing up thing to a vote?" Sam decided to ask, ignoring the part about shutting up.

Strife snorted.

"Oh hell no, he's just crafty, knowing that all of the counselors would blame each other, and no one could figure it out."

True, but I still sincerely doubt that Chiron would do this.

"What if Will did it?" Sam wondered aloud.

Strife shrugged.

"Sunny Boy putting us together in a confined space for an extended period of time? Yeah, sounds like him. Always trying to help any way he can."

Yeah, that's Will.

Sam sighed.

"I think I've just met Michael Mc-Doesn't-Exist..."

Strife momentarily lowered his gun and shot the prince a confused look, his fear seemingly forgotten.

"The fuck you talking about, kid?"

There he goes again.

"If you must know, earlier today, I asked who in this Camp could possibly stop me. I didn't think that such a person existed," Sam replied.

"Stop you? You mean from being a disrespectful dick?" Strife asked in a mocking manner.

"In case you haven't noticed, I have been very tolerant with you," Sam pointed out.

Strife chuckled rather drily.

"You call that tolerant?! Wow, you need to work on your social skills, dude."

Hypocrisy at its finest.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I need to work on my social skills. This coming from the guy who pointed a gun at me within the first twenty seconds of meeting me?"

"Because you were blatantly disrespectful!" Strife snapped.

You did it first.

Body language, idiot.

Sam scoffed at the son of Eris.

"Oh, please, you're the type who would have pointed a gun at me regardless of how I went about it."

"While that is almost totally true, it doesn't change the fact that you were disrespectful," Strife retorted.

You can't have it both ways, you walking contradiction.

"I'm not apologizing," Sam stated without any venom.

Strife sneered.

"Even though you're in the wrong?"

Actually, it's because I'm in the right.

You're not a good person, and everyone knows it, including yourself, and it baffles me that you think you have any grounds to argue.

"And how am I in the wrong?" Sam asked, wanting to understand the man's thought process. "Because I don't immediately give respect to someone who demands it? You're not the only person who has accomplishments, but you are the only one who expects everyone to respect you for them."

"Oh, please, I don't give a shit about that! You're in the wrong because you were acting like a loud noise waking you up was a personal offence to you! You act like this is your Camp! You act like because you're here, you can treat the previous protectors like they're garbage!"

Sam sighed in frustration.

There is just...so much wrong with that.

"My sleep is important because I need to be at my best to protect this place," Sam explained. "Because I have to make sure that the guys are alright. And as far as I'm concerned, you've proven that you're word is garbage when you pulled a fucking gun on me in the middle of our match."

"Oh, my god are you still harping about that gun?!" Strife asked, sounding like Sam was somehow being petty.

It's the first I've even mentioned it...

"Let it gooooo! And my word is only garbage to people I hate! I have never broken a promise to my friends and comrades!" Strife continued.

Yeah, those people who are 'lucky' to be your friends.

"And I don't make promises that I can't keep to anyone. Also, you're not worth hating," Sam retorted.

Strife laughed.

"Ha! Still acting all high and mighty!"

Coming from Mr. Low-And-Mighty?

"Y'know, when I came here, I was unchallenged, even by the children of the Big Three, and yet, I don't look down on them," Sam pointed out.

Because they are worthy of respect.

Especially Will.

"You're an exception because you're no different from all the people I've met who have underestimated me," the prince continued.

Strife rolled his eyes.

"Oh, I'm not underestimating you, kid...I just don't like you!"

"Yeah?" Sam asked, then shrugged. "Well then, you're not the first."

"Gee, I wonder, who could ever hate you?!" Strife snarked.

"I actually think that you're the first person I've met who legitimately hates me. Congratulations," Sam deadpanned.

"I'll take that credit with pride then!" Strife declared as they rounded a corner, only to find a dead end.

I'm bored.

"...This place is surprisingly dull," Sam decided.

"I can guarantee you, it's anything but that," Strife replied.

Sam looked at the son of Eris.

"You've been here before?"

Strife nodded.

"Yeah...long time ago."

Sam turned around, only to find their previous path blocked by another wall, and he chuckled.

"I stand corrected."

"This maze is systematically trying to kill us...It's like a living nightmare," Strife explained as Sam turned towards the other dead end.

"Well, it's doing a piss poor job," Sam commented as he strode up to the wall. "If there isn't an exit, why not just make one?"

"Ever since Daedalus died, it hasn't been viciously trying to kill...just more like murder in its sleep. It's more relaxed," Strife explained. "Also, what do you mean, just make one?!"

Sam made a fist before punching the wall while channeling his Aura into the blow, causing it to explode. The corridor then continued onward.

"Like that."

"Does anything fucking stop you?!" Strife exclaimed.

"Two things: Will, apparently, and Percy," Sam answered honestly. "Y'know, when he makes that sad baby seal face?"

Strife sighed.

"I've fallen victim many times," he admitted.

"Perhaps he has the most dangerous weapon of all," Sam noted, mostly to himself. "Also, can't you do the same thing, destroy these walls?"

Strife snorted.

"Easily, but I just haven't tried before."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Need that fake hand of yours to do it?"

Strife slammed his left hand into the wall next to him, cracking it.

"Shut up! You don't know anything!"

More than you...

"I'm asking a legitimate question," Sam pointed out. "For instance, I don't doubt that a seawater or electricity enhanced Percy could break these walls, but to do it in one shot? Now that's a different matter entirely."

"My hand is infused with strength and I have an enchanted cape," Strife replied. "I could punch a hole through titanium with a flick of my finger."

And any demigod with a half decent sword could cut it, not impressive.

"Perhaps I'm not being clear enough," Sam noted as he walked up to another wall and punched a hole through it. "This is what one would normally expect. Simple physics. However..."

Sam punched the wall again while channeling his Aura into the blow; this time, the wall crumbled, though it only led to another dead end.

Figures...

"...I don't think Percy has the precision to pull this off," the prince continued.

"You mean, total annihilation of the wall?" Strife asked.

Sam nodded.

"Precisely. It's not physically possible to pull it off, regardless of strength. There are only two ways around it: Magic or Aura."

They heard an explosion in the distance, and Strife rolled his eyes before quickly moving passed Sam.

"Why the fuck are we talking about physics in the middle of a deathtrap?! Let's go!"

Sam fell into stride next to Strife.

"I'm just explaining how certain people are able to violate the laws of physics. Most people are bound by the Laws of Physics, but certain people, such as demigods, follow the Laws of Mystery instead. This is how a demigod can deflect a bullet without causing a sonic boom."

Not that the two don't sometimes mix for...unusual results.

"Or go all Deadpool on a bunch of people..." Strife said under his breath.

"You speak from experience?" Sam asked.

"Having two Pythons with a total of twelve bullets and fifteen guys trying to cut me to pieces? Yeah, I speak from experience," Strife answered.

"Hmm...impressive," Sam admitted.

Strife shot Sam an incredulous expression.

"Did...you just compliment me?"

Sam nodded.

"Considering that the people you were facing were likely demigods, it's an admirable feat. You should have tried out for Beacon Academy."

"Beacon? The fuck is that?" Strife asked.

"It's where I went to school," Sam replied.

Strife snorted.

"I don't do well with school."

"It isn't an ordinary school. They train people to become Venator and Venatrix, the most elite warriors the world has ever seen," Sam said, his tone more succinct than boastful.

"I mean, I don't take to authority very well. I had a tendency to beat up the teachers and principal," Strife explained.

"The teachers and Headmaster of Beacon can handle themselves," Sam noted. "If you punched them, they'd punch back."

Strife grinned.

"Ohhh, punching back? That sounds like my kind of place!"

"Plus detention," Sam added.

Strife simply laughed.

"Detention is my home room!"

...

Of course it is.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"I fucking hated detention."

"I usually just didn't show up or did something extreme so the teacher had to leave, and I could leave, too," Strife replied.

Both tactics wouldn't work at Beacon.

"Blowing up the room doesn't work there...I've tried," Sam said.

Strife shrugged.

"Then shoot someone or something, whatever works."

Again, neither would work.

"Aura or even a quick student would easily be able to block it," Sam pointed out. "Plus, I don't usually use traditional bullets, nor do I shoot people at random."

"Then you are missing out on a lot of fun!" Strife claimed.

"I think we have different ideas of 'fun'," Sam decided.

Again, Strife shrugged.

"Eh, mine's more enjoyable. No holding back any impulse, just shooting as I see fit!"

"Then your impulses are also different than mine," Sam also decided.

"Don't care in the slightest," Strife replied.

Yeah, I figured.

"And what's keeping you from shooting me right now?" Sam asked.

Strife waved off the question.

"The fact that you can kick my ass."

"You don't think you're artifacts can close that gap?" Sam asked next.

Strife snorted.

"Hell no."

Interesting.

"You're self-taught, right?" Sam inquired.

The son of Eris nodded.

"Learned every shot, angle, move, and perception myself."

The prince nodded to himself.

"And where did you learn Krav Maga?"

"My wife," Strife answered.

Sam shot the king an incredulous look, then rolled his eyes.

"Now that, I really can't understand."

"Understand what?" Strife asked.

"Why she would start teaching Krav Maga to the Amazons," Sam clarified.

Strife shook his head.

"She didn't. She taught just me."

"Because that's all she knows?" Sam probed for an answer.

"No, because she suggested it!" Strife snapped, clearly agitated. "Why are you shitting on my wife now?! Literally no instigation!"

I'm not shitting on anyone.

"I'm just curious about what she knows. Why not use Prankration? It's the original mixed martial art, invented by none other than Hercules and Theseus. Prankration doesn't teach one how to take down people, but also monsters. Theseus used Prankration to defeat the Minotaur of this very Labyrinth, and Hercules used it to defeat the Nemean Lion," Sam explained.

"Because she wanted to teach me an aggressive form of fighting. She didn't stop at Krav Maga! She's teaching me Aikido now and Taekwando after!" Strife elaborated.

Aikido?

Why not one of the various forms of Jiu Jitsu?

Aikido is worthless in the real world, even more so in a demigod's.

That's not even my opinion, it's a fact to most people trained in multiple martial arts.

"...And you don't think learning to kill monsters is aggressive enough?" Sam asked instead of pointing that out.

"You don't think shooting a monster with a personal cannon is effective enough?" Strife retorted.

"And what about when you don't have any weapons and are confronted by a monster? What then?" Sam questioned.

"Use my powers? Or any of the moves she taught me?!" Strife answered.

Geez...demigods have fallen in skill considerably.

A demigod from ancient times wouldn't need powers to defeat a monster, even a stronger one.

Also...

"What traditional martial arts move would you possibly use?" Sam asked.

"A feint? Using my metal hand to make sure each hit delivers maximum damage?" Strife asked back, both disappointing the prince considerably. "You're talking to the guy who literally killed a fire breathing hydra with a single sword and then lost the sword halfway through the fight!"

Now that actually is impressive.

"Then how did you finish it off?" Sam then asked.

"Just because it breathes fire, doesn't mean it is immune. I cut the flame head until their were two and then had them set each other on fire. It did momentarily eat me though and that wasn't pleasant."

Sam couldn't help but cringe.

"Gross."

"Sliced it's head off while it was trying to swallow me," Strife added.

Sam blinked, feeling surprised.

"Wait...you mean like Disney's Hercules?"

Strife nodded.

"Yep, exactly like that, except it burned because it was the flame head."

"Still, I'll admit that it's impressive. Absolutely disgusting, but impressive," Sam replied.

"That was my second to last trial..." Strife mumbled.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"And you're final trial?"

The king's expression darkened.

"...The Nemean Lion."

Oh, what irony.

Sam couldn't help but laugh a little.

"That fucker doesn't stay down for long, does he?"

"I strangled him to death," Strife continued.

"Yeah? Well then, it looks like I'll be getting a turn at that because a bounty has been placed on the Nemean Lion. It's back," Sam replied.

Strife shook his head.

"I don't want to be anywhere near that thing. I was lucky! Athena was looking out for me during the Trials."

Okay, that's surprising.

"Athena?" Sam asked. "Didn't think she'd help you out, considering what your mom did to her."

Strife shrugged.

"Athena knows not to cross Eris. Plus, I was already in her good graces for my strategies against Lord Kronos."

'Lord' Kronos?

Eh, never mind.

"Athena seems to be among the more responsible goddesses. I wonder, what does she think of me?" Sam asked, mostly himself.

"I don't know," Strife answered. "Right now, she's just relieved that Annabeth is no longer with Percy."

Same, though for very different reasons.

"I'm...surprised that you know that," Sam commented, then shrugged. "Anyways, turns out that I'm a descendant of her champion from the Trojan War, the only person said to be Achilles' equal."

"Yeah, her and Eris are total BFFs. My mother and I are in contact a lot," Strife explained. "And who are you talking about?"

"Diomedes," Sam answered. "He's often overlooked because he wasn't a demigod, and his status as a legacy is debatable, and yet, he sent both Ares and and Aphrodite fleeing in terror."

Strife blinked.

"Oh, that dude? Yeah, he's revered in the Gargareans."

"I'm curious as to how he obtained his prowess. Information about him is rather scarce. I know that he was exiled from Greece after the Trojan War and founded several cities in Italy. Afterwards, it's rather unclear. Some say that he was raised to godhood, but that's debatable," Sam comment at length.

Strife rolled his eyes.

"Does it even matter? He's dead."

Sam shrugged.

"I'm just curious because I wanna know how I compare to both him and Achilles."

Strife sneered.

"Seeing as how Achilles was invincible and Diomedes matched him, you really shouldn't."

Again, he's underestimating me.

I'm not saying that I could beat them either.

"I don't know," Sam simply replied. "I'm pretty invincible myself, so long as I have my Aura, and both Percy and Nico think that I could have still won against Percy when he had the Curse of Achilles."

"Whatever, man," Strife said rather dismissively. "I'm not invincible, I just choose not to die."

Yeah, that's what everyone says.

"So I've heard," Sam commented.

"And what exactly have you heard?" Strife asked.

Isn't it obvious?

"That you refuse to die," Sam answered, as it was what he had heard.

Strife snorted.

"I literally just said that, dipshit. I mean, do you know the details behind it?"

Shouldn't he know what people say about him?

Sam shook his head.

"No. All I've heard was that you're an asshole whom shouldn't be crossed and, again, refuses to die."

Not even Will could defend you.

"Wow, right on all accounts," Strife said without any resentment.

"But you're telling me that there's more to it than that," Sam noted.

"Of course!" Strife chirped.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"And that would be?"

Strife smirked.

"Oh, I'm not going to tell you...because I don't like you!"

Sam scoffed.

"Tell me something new."

"I like puppies," Strife answered, despite the fact that Sam had been sarcastic.

...

Roll with it.

"To be clear, you like them while they're still puppies, not grown?" Sam asked.

"I like dogs too, but puppies reign supreme," Strife clarified.

"I'm assuming that you're not a cat person," Sam stated.

Strife shook his head.

"Not in the slightest."

"Because cats are bigger assholes than you?" Sam quipped.

"No because dogs are loyal," Strife answered, sounding completely serious.

The answer left Sam feeling completely lost.

...Wait, what?

"How do you function?" Sam asked, though he was mostly asking himself.

"With a lot of alcohol to cope," Strife unabashedly admitted.

Sam sighed and shook his head.

"Oh, great, another alcoholic."

Strife grinned widely.

"Full blown!"

"Does Will know?" Sam asked seriously.

Strife shook his head.

"Hell no!"

Sam frowned.

"Tell me, why should I trust his life with an alcoholic?"

Strife glared at the prince.

"Because you're not the one that decides that!"

"I beg to differ," Sam retorted.

"Don't think that you know what's best for Will! Don't you dare insult me! You have no idea what I went through! It was either drink, use hardcore drugs, or kill myself!" Strife shouted.

He doesn't see anything wrong about anything he just said...

But that isn't the point in this case.

"I think that Will's entitled to the truth!" Sam stated.

Strife sighed.

"I'm gonna tell him...just not now," Strife mumbled.

"I won't hold you to that because that wouldn't mean Jack-shit to you, but...it's yours to tell," Sam replied.

"Just shut up!" Strife yelled.

Sam shook his head.

"I was be nice, idiot. I was saying that I wouldn't rat you out."

"Yeah, whatever..." Strife muttered.

Sam scoffed.

"You're entirely pointless in everything."

"Shut. Your fucking. Mouth!" Strife shouted, punching a symbol of Daedalus on the last word.

The symbol then sank into the wall before it slid down into the ground, revealing a ramp that lead outside.

The two Sams shared a look before walking up the ramp and into a forest.

"We must be outside the Camp borders," Sam commented as they wandered further into the woods.

"So listen, kid...we need to talk about my boy Will," Strife replied instead of commenting about the forest.

"What about him?" Sam asked.

"I don't like how you make him so conflicted. I want you to stay away from him," Strife all but ordered.

Sam gave Strife a nonplussed look.

"Conflicted? I'm just looking out for him. As for staying away from him, that's not happening."

"You and I hate each other, that's a fact! He doesn't know who to side with, and I will not have Sunny Boy be in the middle of this!" Strife claimed.

"I already told you that you're not worth hating," Sam calmly replied. "Why should I hate a barbarian king?"

Why should I hate someone who's obviously weaker than myself?

"Don't. Call me. A barbarian!" Strife angrily shouted.

"Fine, you're not a barbarian," Sam relented. "But your men are."

"They aren't either!" Strife defended them. "We are a strong group a fighters! We are civil! We are protective!"

Civil?

"You conquer and plunder. That's hardly civil," Sam pointed out.

"Name one time we have 'conquered' during our existence! Within the last fifty years, give me one example," Strife demanded.

"During the past decade, a good number of Gargareans have caused trouble throughout the world. I know because I've had to deal with them," Sam replied.

"Those were splinter groups! Gargareans that were traitors! That's not my fault!" Strife said.

"But the environment fostered their ideologies," Sam noted.

"Shut up! This was before my rule! The Gargareans were at war with each other!" Strife countered.

"...Good for them," Sam commented on Strife's rule. "Maybe things will be better in a couple generations."

"Why are you such an asshole?!"

"Because, like I said, I don't trust you," Sam answered rather simply.

"That's already been established, dumb fuck!" Strife pointed out. "That's not a reason to be an asshole! Try again!"

Sam sighed.

"Fine...You're rude, you're crass, you're brash, you're dishonest, you lie, you cheat, you threaten people at the drop of a hat, you kill for less than that, need I go on?"

Strife grinned somewhat maniacally.

"And that gives you the right to insult my men?"

Considering that they follow you?

Yes.

"Oh, so your men are better than you?" Sam taunted.

"Always have been and always will be! Everyone is better than me!" Strife admitted without any shame.

"Then why do they follow you?" Sam asked, genuinely wanting to know.

"Because I'm the only one allowed to lead! You know, you insult the Gargareans constantly, and yet, you know nothing of our traditions? That's fucking pathetic," Strife replied.

'Pathetic'?

Sam mentally shrugged.

Fine, I'll humor him a bit.

"And what traditions are those?" Sam asked.

"Only those of royal Gargarean blood or those that have the favor of a war god are allowed to become or challenge the king! My grandfather was king, and I earned the favor of Eris! I usurped the last king, and no one has complained since!" Strife explained very loudly.

Yeah, because they can't complain.

"How many generations?" Sam asked instead of pointing out the flaws in the argument.

Strife blinked.

"What?"

"You're family," the prince clarified. "How many generations have they ruled?"

"I'm the eighth generation to rule," Strife answered, something that left Sam feeling completely unimpressed.

"Hmm...cute."

"Oh, my gods, and now you're going to insult my family?!" Strife asked, sounding furious.

"You usurped your own grandfather, so I sincerely hope that you're better than he is. Also, it's genuinely cute because you're line is so young when it comes to ruling," Sam replied, being completely forthright.

"I didn't usurp my grandfather! I usurped the man who took the mantle from my family! He killed my grandfather!" Strife clarified.

"Yeah...context helps, y'know?" Sam quipped.

"Shut up!"

"I'm not one of your subjects, 'Your Majesty'."

"I'm not that self absorbed! I prefer being called by my name! 'Your Highness!'" Strife countered.

Sam smirked.

"Really? Same. I have a name, and I suggest that you use it."

"Then a modicum of respect is going to have to be evident between us."

"And how do we establish that?"

"I don't know you're the smart one!"

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"According to whom?"

"Everyone!"

"Well then, if you want my respect, for me to acknowledge both you and your men, don't get in between me and Will."

"That's impossible! Will is basically my little brother!" Strife objected.

"Then you have his best interest in mind?"

"Always!"

Must he always shout?

"I suggest that you two talk. Maybe he'll tell you why separating the two of us is a bad idea," Sam explained.

"Fine! But don't you ever tell me to stay away from him!"

Sam gave Strife a bored look.

"In case you haven't noticed, I haven't."

"Well, whatever!"

"And what do I need to do to earn your respect?" Sam asked.

"Hmm...no idea! I'll let you know!"

Again, why yell?

"That's..." Sam started, then decided he'd get nowhere. "Never mind."

"Damn right, never mind! Now, let's find some skeletons!" Strife declared.

"I think that we might have wandered too far," Sam pointed out.

Strife nodded.

"Yeah, judging by the ripped up bark on the trees, we are way out of Camp now..." he said, trailing off towards the end.

The prince looked at each of the trees in turn.

"Bears are near extinct around here, and wolves actually are. Plus, whatever made these has opposable thumbs."

"But clawed...Oh, no," Strife said.

"You know what caused these?"

Strife gave a shuddering breath before a howl cut through the air.

"Ah, werewolves," Sam said, not really impressed. "You have silver, right?"

Strife drew the twin cutlasses at his sides, but he was visibly terrified.

So, it isn't just Lycaon.

"Hmm...what should I use? So many options..." Sam said, trying to decide on a weapon.

"Shut up and get ready!" Strife urged.

"Fine..." Sam relented, summoning Praenuntius into his hand. "This is Praenuntius, though you can call it Harbinger if that's easier."

"I don't care!"

Sam frowned, now feeling a bit angry.

"This is my ancestor's glaive, a Royal Arm, linked to his very soul. I'd appreciate respect, not for me, but for him."

"Whatever, as long as it can kill werewolves, I love it!"

Sam nodded.

"It can. Ceres actually gave it to me to do just that."

"Great, fantastic!"

The prince then noted quite number of eyes on him.

"Hmm...there's quite a few of them."

"Oh, gods..." Strife breathed, looking like he was about to break down crying.

"Even more than I faced the last time..." Sam continued.

"I DON'T CARE! STOP TALKING AND KILL THEM!"

"I'll get to it," Sam replied calmly, though in truth, he felt a bit nervous.

Especially in my condition, I can't guarantee Strife's safety.

"Jesus fuck! I'm not ready for this!" Strife lamented.

"Do not allow yourself to be shaken. Do not weaken your stance. Open up your senses. And do not let your guard down for an instant," Sam advised.

"I...I..."

Werewolves then emerged from behind various tress; one of them stepped out from the pack and gave Strife a feral grin.

"Alpha. We've been looking for you ever since we learned of Lycaon's defeat at your hands...but you're human again. Let's fix that," it said.

Strife dropped his swords and fell onto his rear.

"N-No! Stay back!"

Are you fucking kidding me?!

"Get up, Strife! Help me deal with these mutts!" Sam commanded.

"STAY AWAY! OH, GODS, HE'S GONNA KILL ME!" the son of Eris screamed, clearly unable to think rationally.

He then curled into a fetal position, clutching his hair and shivering.

"Fucking..." Sam cursed in frustration before focusing on the talking werewolf. "He's not the only one. He defeated Lycaon, yes, but I killed him."

"How dare you speak to us?!" the werewolf snarled. "Alpha, your orders?"

How dare I?

"GET AWAY!" Strife wailed.

Sam grinned at the werewolf.

"Not just him," he said as he pulled on the lever, causing the blade to expand into sections before curving upwards. "I killed another group of werewolves that wandered into the peach grove not too long ago. I killed more earlier while I was trying out for Beacon. I've killed so many that I can't even remember...literally."

By the time he had finished talking, the handle had elongated, changing the sword into a scythe.

"Enough!" the werewolf growled. "PROTECT THE ALPHA! ATTACK!"

"Strife, summon those spirits!" Sam ordered.

"I...I can't!" Strife answered, much to the prince's disappointment.

Sam raised a hand into the air, summoning the winds to protect the son of Eris.

"Fine!" he shouted, taking a stance. "I'll do it myself!"

---

Strife

The son of Eris peeked out from his feral position to watch his hated companion take on the horde of werewolves, much as he had taken on the Spirits of Conflict. The scythe that the other Sam wielded would occasionally fire a shot, adding speed to his movements, his movements a graceful dance of death.

As some werewolves surrounded the prince, he spun the scythe around rapidly, cleaving several behind him into pieces without looking. He ducked under another's swipe before leaping onto its back, hooking the blade beneath its neck before firing. The force of the shot propelled Sam into the air while decapitating the werewolf. Several of the beasts leaped into the air, but as they neared Sam, he spun around rapidly while firing, cleaving them into pieces.

Other werewolves started crowding around Strife, and he let out a panicked scream. They tried to get at him but were held back by the wall of air.

The scream had alerted Sam, who quickly dashed towards the son of Eris before cutting the surrounding werewolves into pieces.

"Strife, I know you're going through an emotional crisis at the moment, but I can't keep this up for very long!" Sam shouted. "I'm gonna need you to do me a favor: Get up and fight or at least run!"

I'm gonna die...

"I c-can't," Strife stammered as Sam cut down several more werewolves that approached.

"Strife!" Sam yelled. "Stand up!"

"NO!"

The werewolves growled menacingly, and the prince let out a war-cry in return, a wave of pressure laced with murderous intent emanating from him. It made the monsters pause their advance for a moment and back up.

"Do not be afraid my brethren!" the talking werewolf growled. "Kill him! Do not let our alpha escape!"

"SILENCE, YOU CUR!" the prince ordered before shooting several of the beasts with his gun-scythe. "Strife, get up!"

I'm gonna die!

The prince charged at the horde and rapidly cut down multiple werewolves. Slowly, the beasts started crowd around him, and he was overwhelmed by a literal dog-pile.

Oh, shit!

Strife actually uncurled from his position and stood.

"Darkness! Drink of anguish!" the prince cried out before black flames exploded out from the pile of werewolves.

Those within the radius of the blast were burned to ash, and the prince stood at the epicenter of it, his eyes glowing a bright red. The flames quickly extinguished themselves, and, to Strife's surprise, the prince's hair lost its punkish style, a blue aura rippling over him with a sound akin to static electricity.

Just like last time.

Why do I get the feeling that that's not a good thing?

The wall of air that had protected the son of Eris disappeared.

Oh...fuck...

Sam continued to fight, though Strife noticed something golden jump at him, but it was gone a moment later.

What was that?

The prince's movements then started to seem slightly sluggish compared to earlier.

"Strife!...GET UP!" he shouted before a werewolf tackled him to the ground.

Sam moved the snath of his scythe in between himself and the beast, trying to prevent it from getting any closer, and for a brief moment, the son of Eris detected fear in the prince's eyes.

He's going to die...

"PLEASE!" Sam begged, the moment reminding Strife of when Hylla had been terrified by his own infection.

Strife picked up his cutlasses and dashed towards the werewolf atop the prince before decapitating it, its blood getting all over the prince before it dissolved. He then planted the tip of one of the cutlasses in the ground and held out a hand.

"Mind your head," Strife said with a smirk.

Sam took his hand, and Strife pulled him up, though he noted the prince bleeding from his shoulder.

Oh, shit...

Sorry, Percy.

Strife pulled his cutlass from the ground, and the two went back-to-back.

"Got a plan?" Sam asked.

Strife nodded.

"Yeah...you take the hundred on the right...I take the hundred on the left."

He then felt Sam shrug.

"That works."

---

Sam

The two had managed to successfully slay all the werewolves, and Sam was certain that he had never felt more exhausted

I can't believe that I survived that.

Sam looked at Strife.

"Took you long enough."

Wait...that's not what I meant to say.

Sam opened his mouth, only to find a gun pointed his head; he raised an eyebrow.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?"

"I saw you get bit! Asshole or not, no one deserves that curse!" Strife answered.

Are you fucking kidding me?!

Sam scowled.

"I'm not infected!"

"You got bit!" Strife countered.

"Yeah, and hasn't been the first time! Lycaon himself bit me, and it's been nearly a month since then!" Sam countered back.

Strife lowered his gun, a look of bewilderment upon his face.

"But..." he mumbled before looking at the sky. "...Full moon...What?"

"I have a natural resistance to magic. That includes curses," Sam explained, though his head started feeling somewhat heavy.

What's going on with me?

It's not from being bitten.

"Oh-ho, just fucking perfect!" Strife replied, pulling Sam from his thoughts. "You get bit and don't even get infected! Another point for you, asshole!"

"At least you know what you are! I don't know what I fucking am!" Sam snapped, though he didn't really mean to.

Why am I like this?

My head...feels fuzzy.

"And yet you constantly talk down to me!" Strife snapped back.

This guy...is a fucking hypocrite!

"As I recall, you did it first, and you haven't stopped!" Sam pointed out.

"Because I'm an asshole! However, unlike you, I actually know that I am!" Strife replied. "And as I recall...you started it."

Did I?

Sam mentally shook his head.

No, I didn't.

It's a matter of body language.

Sam nodded.

"Verbally, yes. Though nonverbally, you started it."

"I started it because you got woken up?" Strife asked.

No, it's because...

"Oh, I'm so sorry you didn't get your eight hours!" Strife deadpanned. "And yet, even when that person is having a severe panic attack due to a horrific trauma...you are still an asshole!"

"Did you hear me calling you pathetic?! I didn't! I didn't call you a wuss or a pussy, I told you to fight!" Sam argued.

"And when I finally did, you made a fucking joke! That shit is not okay and you know it!" Strife argued back.

How is what I said a joke?!

Sam clenched his fists.

"I wasn't making a joke, I was being serious! It did take you long enough!"

"And how can that misconstrued as an asshole...ACTING LIKE AN ASSHOLE?!" Strife retorted.

Sam took a deep breath.

"An asshole? In case you didn't notice, I defended you when you couldn't defend yourself. Not for thanks, not to rub it in your face later, but because you clearly couldn't at the time. I was actually going to thank you for the assistance, but then you pointed a gun at my fucking head. I make it a point not to compliment people who do that, especially since you actually shot me!"

"I pointed the gun because you acted like a dick! I was about to say, 'Thanks for not saying anything', and then you pulled that shit!"

No, you pointed a gun at me because you thought I was infected!

The prince then realized something.

I don't think I'll get anywhere like this, and...it's becoming more difficult to really think.

Sam let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry...I kinda had my life flash before my eyes, well, what little I remember, and was on edge because of it."

Strife softened his glare and then clicked his tongue and holstered the gun.

"Yeah, well...we've all been there."

"You can tell everyone that you saved my life. I don't mind...just don't say that I was a little bitch," Sam replied.

Strife chuckled.

"Nah...we both killed them. But this doesn't mean we're friends, this is a one time thing, man."

Sam shook his head, partly because he agreed with Strife and partly because he was trying to clear his head.

"No, we're definitely not friends...Is the game still going on? I didn't hear the horn."

"I don't know, but...hey, dude, look!" Strife said as he pointed to a couple skeletons walking nearby.

How did they even get here?

"You wanna take the honors? I kinda need to contact the guys, tell them where we are," Sam replied, taking out his Scroll.

Without even looking, Strife lifted his Winchester and fired a bullet; it hit all the skeletons in the head.

"Done."

"Same," Sam added, having sent a message to the guys, as Strife walked over to inspect the skeletons.

"Couple of notes that say, 'Fuck you, loser', but no laurel. Who wrote this?! Oh, wait...I did."

Figures.

"I was really scared for a moment there, y'know?" Sam commented as Strife walked back.

"Scared of what?"

"Not so much of dying, but what would happen afterwards. I was scared of what stupid thing Percy would do...of what would happen to Will. Then what would happen to Nico and Jason..." Sam explained.

"Wait...are you talking about our fight? Dude, they were flesh wounds. I never go for organs," Strife replied, irking the prince quite a good bit.

We wouldn't have been in this position in the first place if you hadn't shot me at all!

There's no such thing as a 'safe' place to shoot someone!

Anywhere can cause someone to bleed out, and you used fucking Celestial Bronze!

"I'm talking about just now, right before I snapped at you for taking too long," Sam said instead.

Strife blinked.

"Oh...Yeah, well...now you know how I felt when I was bit. How everyone else would feel."

Sam nodded.

"I suppose that I do."

My wife was offered to me. I would have eaten her. And my siblings? They would have been devastated," Strife continued.

Sam's mind flashed to Ace.

"I don't want anyone else dying because of me..."

Strife looked rather surprised.

"Holy shit...we actually do have something in common. We put the people we care about before ourselves."

But there's a difference.

"Who have you lost?" Sam asked instead.

"My dad, my brother, countless soldiers during the Giant War," Strife answered.

"I lost my brother and a dear friend...but I hope that I'm wrong," Sam added.

Strife frowned.

"What do you mean? Are they dead, or are they not?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted. "I don't have all my memories, and I wasn't able to check. I think I remember my brother being there in an earlier dream, but...I haven't seen him or my friend since. All that I was able to find was my brother's glaive."

"Amnesia really must suck," Strife noted.

Sam nodded.

"It really does."

"Dealing with Jason when he had no memory was reaaaalllly annoying because I didn't know which gods I would offend by shooting him in the leg," Strife explained, once again irking the prince.

You are such a bastard...

Sam frowned.

"Nothing tipped you off as to who?"

"Oh, I knew he was a son if Zeus," Strife replied.

Jupiter.

"Just didn't know which other gods he had gotten good with. I'm sure my mom would have liked it if I shot him. Same with Ares, Hypnos, Apollo, and maybe Athena," Strife continued.

"Leg or anywhere else, I'm glad you didn't shoot him," Sam replied, being genuine.

Strife shrugged.

"Yeah...he's an alright dude."

"He also has a connection to my past," Sam added.

Strife snorted.

"Why am I not surprised with this?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if we've actually met until now," Sam commented.

Strife smirked.

"Just don't think about that, dude. It'll give you a headache."

Sam sighed.

"Yeah, you're right...I miss Ace."

"Who's Ace?" Strife asked.

"That friend I was talking about earlier," Sam replied. "He's not actually a person, he's a Carbuncle. They're extremely rare."

Strife frowned, looking as if he had just been punched.

"Uh...this Carbuncle? Does it...look sort of like a fox?"

Though he found the expression odd, Sam nodded.

"Yeah, only except that they have kinda greenish fur and a red horn that appears to be made of ruby."

"Oh...my...gods," Strife breathed.

"Have you seen one?" Sam asked, his curiosity piqued. "Like I said, they're extremely rare."

"Um...Sam...I need you to stay calm here for a second, okay?" Strife requested.

Sam frowned softly.

"Erm...okay?"

Strife opened the right side of his trench coat, where a large pocket was present on the inside.

"My wife enchanted these pockets to be way deeper than they appear to be, but that's not the point..." he explained before snapping his fingers and making a small chittering noise.

A Carbuncle then popped its head out of the pocket, and Sam immediately recognized it.

His jaw dropped, and he was flooded with more emotions than he could sort out. For a moment, he was too stunned to speak.

"...Ace?" he finally spoke.

He's alive?

How?

"I found him a little while ago. He was limping badly and very close to death. My medics and I nursed him back, and he seems really attached to me. I let him hang around in my pocket because he likes to snuggle in there," Strife explained.

"Then...it must be him. He liked snuggling beneath my hoodie. When he was smaller, he liked crawling out of my sleeve, hence his name," Sam said, still struggling with the fact that his friend was alive.

"Ace up your sleeve, ha. Yeah, I called him Hoover," Strife replied.

"Hoover?" Sam asked.

Strife nodded.

"Back during the Great Depression, people who had no money blamed President Hoover. They would turn out their pockets so the insides were showing. They were called Hoover Flags. Hence the name...Hoover in my pocket."

I don't need a fucking history lesson!

"I prefer Ace..." Sam mumbled.

Strife shrugged.

"Whatever, I mean, when he's with you, you can call him whatever you want."

Sam blinked.

"I'm sorry...what?"

"If he's with you, then you can call him Ace. I don't care," Strife replied.

"You'd...let him stay with me?" Sam asked.

"I mean...not all the time...Just when you need him or something," Strife answered.

Sam frowned, feeling extremely displeased.

"So, you're basically only letting me borrow him."

"Well, I mean..." Strife gestured to Ace in his pocket, "...he's pretty happy here."

I can't trust this guy!

I won't trust this guy!

"Why bother showing him to me just to say that I could only see him when I need him?!" Sam asked. "That's fucking cruel!"

"Look, I'm not saying he's gone," Strife replied. "He just likes my jacket, dude."

"He likes cozy places! I lost him once, I'm not letting you take him from me!" Sam stated firmly.

"Excuse me, I'm not taking anything!" Strife shouted.

Fucking liar!

I have to protect Ace!

Sam sneered.

"Oh? Then what are you doing?" he asked, though he was definitely afraid for his friend.

"Standing here with an adorable animal that I'm fond of and is fond of me while some whiny kid is throwing a tantrum?" Strife mocked.

'Tantrum'?!

I won't take that from someone who's been bitching all night at me!

I have to protect Ace!

"He's not just some pet, he's...my friend!" Sam shouted, slurring his words slightly at the end.

"I never said he was," Strife replied. "And if he's your friend, then stop acting like he can't have other friends!"

"Just shut up! Shut! UP! Give him...to...me," Sam said, finding the last bit difficult.

Ace jumped out of Strife's pocket and sat on the ground.

Sam took a step forward, but his leg buckled beneath him, and he collapsed onto his knees.

Ace...

"Giveim...to me..." Sam slurred.

"Dude...what's with your hand?" Strife asked. "It's...turning yellow."

My hand?

Why are you fuzzy?

Sam looked at his hand and noticed that it was indeed turning yellow.

"Thefuck?"

"I think that it was a Pit Scorpion! We need a doctor...like now!" Strife shouted.

"I should be fine...I'mresistant to poison..." Sam replied.

"Then why are you sweating and slurring your words?" Strife pointed out.

"I guess...resistant doesn't meanimmune?" Sam answered as he started to fall over. "...Shit."

Ace...

"Well...shit," Strife said as the prince lost consciousness.

---

Strife

After calling the Carbuncle back into his pocket (who seemed rather hesitant), the son of Eris held his gun aimed at the prince, who was somehow still breathing.

"How the fuck are you still alive?" Strife asked, even though he knew he'd get no answer.

Looks like I'm not the only person who refuses to die.

Still, he probably won't survive for much longer.

I need to come up with some sort of excuse for what happened.

Strife then noticed a symbol glowing faintly on the prince's left arm.

"The fuck is that?" Strife asked himself.

Probably doesn't really matter.

Anyways, excuses.

"No, I'm just as surprised as you!" Strife tried, then shook his head. "...Nah, too obvious. Nothing I could do, he was just attacked by the werewolves...Nope...The bullet went through the werewolf and hit him, nothing I could do?...Yeah, that might be good."

The son of Eris then heard footsteps and looked over his shoulder to find Nico and Will approaching.

Fuck, I took too long.

"Strife?" Nico asked, looking at the gun.

Strife quickly put the gun away.

"Heeeyyyyyy, guys!"

Will looked at Sam.

"What happened?!" he exclaimed before glaring at Strife. "What did you do?!"

Strife felt like he had been slapped.

Will?

The son of Eris held up his hands.

"Hey, this one actually wasn't me. It was a Pit Scorpion."

"Oh, no...that's not good," Nico said gravely as Percy and Jason also arrived.

"What's going on?" Jason asked.

"Dip shit is dealing with poison there, happy?" Strife answered.

"What kind of poison?" Percy asked next.

The fuck is this, Twenty Questions?!

"Remember that Pit Scorpion Luke sent after you?" Strife decided to ask back.

The son of Poseidon nodded.

"Oh, yeah..." he replied before his eyes widened in alarm. "Wait, what?!"

Strife simply shrugged.

"Yeaaaahhhh."

The son of Jupiter stepped forward while Will, Nico, and Percy checked on Sam.

"I'll take him," Jason said while it sounded like Percy was having a freak out.

"Percy, calm down," Nico advised.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Percy snapped, his voice cracking towards the end.

Ugh...

Strife looked at Jason and shook his head.

"You aren't fast enough. He'll be dead long before you even exit the forest."

"He should be dead already!" Will pointed out.

"But he's not. Let me take him," Nico added.

Again, Strife shook his head.

"Shadow-traveling is too slow and would most likely kill him being in such a weakened state."

Nico frowned.

"What's faster than nearly instantaneous travel?!"

Strife grinned before letting out a piercingly sharp whistle. The ground shook violently, and less than a second later, Rival appeared next to him.

"There's your answer," the son of Eris stated.

Percy glared at the horse.

"No, we don't need you to trample someone to death!"

Oh, right, Percy speaks horse.

Strife chuckled.

"Boy, does he love doing that!"

Jason carefully lifted the prince from the ground.

"FuckyouStrife..." Sam slurred.

"I'm Jason," the son of Jupiter replied.

"BetterthanStrife," Sam slurred back. "Muchbetter."

Even unconscious, that guy is such an asshole!

Strife took a deep breath.

"Infirmary now...murder later."

"Sammy," Will said, drawing Strife's attention. "I love you as much as any of your siblings, maybe even more so, but I will never forgive you for that."

Is he serious?!

Percy, I'd understand, but Sunny Boy Solace?!

Why is he defending this guy?!

"But-..." Strife started.

"NO!" Will interrupted.

Strife sighed.

"...Yes, Will."

"Shut up and move it!" Percy exclaimed, looking like he might start crying at any moment. "I'm freaking the fuck out!"

Strife rolled his eyes and climbed onto Rival.

"When are you not? Will, climb on."

The son of Eris helped the son of Apollo onto Rival before Jason flew up and handed Sam to Will.

"We'll meet you guys at the infirmary," Will said, and Percy, Jason, and Nico nodded.

"Let's go!" Strife shouted to Rival, and the horse started to gallop nearly as fast as Arion.

---

Percy

"How is he?" the son of Poseidon asked for probably the twentieth time, though he couldn't help it.

Will held his hands over Sam, a golden aura rippling down his arms and over Percy's boyfriend.

"He's fine, Percy," the medic replied. "It's just..."

"Just what?" Jason asked, sounding equally concerned, an emotion everyone present, save Strife, felt.

The son of Jupiter had the strange creature that had crawled out of Strife's coat on his lap.

What is that thing?

According to Will, it saved Sam's life.

Will sighed.

"Holy shit, he has a lot of Aura..." he answered, taking his hands off of the prince. "I've done all that I can."

But how much longer before he wakes up?

As if in response, Sam's eyes fluttered open.

"...Where am I?"

Percy breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank the gods...

"You're in the infirmary," Nico answered.

Sam sat up, though his hair remained in its unstyled state, and Percy couldn't help himself, pulling his boyfriend in for a kiss.

"Must you do that in front of me?" Strife asked, sounding completely exasperated.

"Shut up," Percy said against his boyfriend's lips before kissing him again.

Sam kissed him back, and Percy relished the feeling.

Gods, I'm never going to get tired of this.

But...there are people present.

Reluctantly, Percy pulled away, but not before kissing his boyfriend one more kiss on the cheek.

Sam smiled.

"Thanks, I needed that."

I love him.

He's the only one I need.

Percy smiled back.

"Happy to help."

Strife made a gagging sound.

Rude.

Sam frowned, but it wasn't directed at Strife, it was directed at Percy.

"...Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Have your eyes always been like that?" Sam asked back.

Percy also frowned, feeling confused.

"Like what?"

"Lemme see," Will said, grabbing Percy's head and turning it towards him.

"Hey~," Percy whined.

You could at least ask before doing something.

Will studied the son of Poseidon, and Percy didn't know what to do.

"Uhhh..."

"You're right, they are different than usual," Will commented.

"Is that...bad?" Percy asked, feeling highly uncertain.

Will released Percy's head.

"I don't think so, no. It's just...their a lot like Sam's now."

"No, they're not," Strife commented.

"Not you, him," Will replied, pointing to Percy's boyfriend.

"Lemme see," Nico said, getting next to Will. "Huh...so it wasn't just me. I noticed something different about them earlier, but now it's very apparent."

Is it?

"Percy, mind turning your head?" Jason requested, and Percy complied. "Yeah, it's definitely noticeable. They're like sea emeralds."

"Do they look nice?" Percy asked.

Jason blushed slightly.

"Erm...yes."

Percy smiled.

"Cool."

It's just a compliment.

I'm allowed to feel good about that.

"If I might interrupt, how did I get here?" Sam asked.

"Strife brought you here," Percy replied.

Sam blinked.

"...No, seriously."

Percy shrugged.

"Trust me, I feel the same way about it."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Why would he do that?"

"Because I can't have you dying while I'm here," Strife answered.

Sam sighed.

"...Can someone give me the details on what happened?"

The son of Eris leaned against a wall.

"You got poisoned, you fainted, I brought you here, Will saved your life. Anymore questions?"

Will shook his head.

"You're being way too generous, Sammy. I couldn't save him, he was too far gone."

"But for some reason, it didn't feel like you were gonna die," Nico added.

Sam looked puzzled.

"Then what was it?"

"Well..." Will said, looking over towards the adorable creature in Jason's lap, "...that little guy there saved you."

Sam smiled.

"Ace to the rescue."

Ah, so he has a name.

Strife sighed.

"Still disagree on the whole 'who he belongs to' thing, but whatever."

Sam then looked at the floor.

"Erm...Sam...I didn't mean a lot of what I said. I really couldn't think rationally, not that excuses it."

Percy felt shocked.

Did...Did he just apologize?!

Based on everyone else's expressions, they felt the same way.

Strife shrugged.

"Yeah, well, still couldn't have you dying."

With that, he walked out of the door.

"Wait until I'm finished, damn it!" Sam called.

"Fuck you!" Strife called back.

Percy looked at the door, then his boyfriend.

"I think he's warming up to you."

Sam only scowled towards the door.

"THIS IS IMPORTANT! GET BACK HERE! NOOOW!"

To Percy's amazement, Strife walked back in, glaring daggers at the prince.

Holy shit, he actually listened?!

"I'm not doing this because I want to, but...come closer and give me your hand," Sam requested.

Strife gave the others a confused look before turning back to Sam.

"I don't know if you know this but...I'm not into guys."

"I'm not hitting on you, I'm doing this for Ace!" Sam snapped.

Strife looked at Ace and then steps over and lifted his hand. Sam took it and lowered it, then motioned for Ace to come over with his head. Ace hopped off Jason's lap, then onto the cot and placed a paw atop Strife's hand.

"Now then...Ut sit foedus vestræ concinnant (I forge a pact)," Sam said.

"Uhhhh...the fuck is happening?" Strife asked.

Sam let go of Strife's hand and Ace took his paw off. There was a small glowing mark roughly shaped like Ace with the same color, too.

"It's summoning magic. If you call him, he'll come to you of his own volition," Sam explained.

Strife examined the mark before it faded.

"Well...thanks I guess."

"You'll be able to call him anywhere and anytime," Sam elaborated. "He'll come back to me when he wants to."

Strife shrugged.

"Cool," he replied before turning around and walking back out.

"I gave him a way for Ace to be able to go back and forth, and I don't even get proper thanks?" Sam asked, sounding somewhat slighted.

Percy sighed.

"I still haven't gotten a thanks for not feeding him to a shark. Trust me, don't take it personally. Him not insulting you is a miracle in itself. Anyways, I've actually seen that type of magic before. Carter, a magician I met, did something similar."

Sam nodded.

"Different type of magic, same principle. I never did it between me and Ace because...well, I usually don't use magic, and there was never any need for it. I make exceptions for certain things."

"That was evident, but why did you do that for Strife?" Jason asked, a question Percy also wanted to ask.

"Because...Ace is allowed to have other friends," Sam answered.

Will chuckled.

"Sounds like something Sammy would say."

"Also, Ace isn't an animal. He's fully sentient, and as much as I don't like it...he trusts Strife," Sam commented.

"As shitty as he can be...Strife is a good guy," Will replied.

"I have yet to witness a genuinely nice act from him. Bringing me here doesn't count because he did it for you...and because I wasn't conscious," Sam said.

Will smiled gently.

"You didn't see how he was when he saw his siblings. He hugged them and asked about their lives and cares for them."

Sam frowned.

"And he apparently cares for you."

Yeah, it's hard to believe.

Sun-bug is practically Strife's opposite.

Will nodded.

"As I care for him. I was the only one that was ever nice to him when he first came here. I was his only friend for months before he and Clarisse started hanging out. Ever since then, he has felt it was his obligation to protect me and his siblings because he doesn't want to lose any of us the way he lost his father."

Sam sighed a sigh of frustration.

"Then...I'll try to play nice. He doesn't exactly make it easy, though."

"He never does; however, there is a small trick to him. He is mean, and people usually stop trying. But he's very easy to break. Keep being nice, and soon, he'll realize he has no ground to be an asshole, and he'll stop, too," Will replied, only for Strife to come running back inside before closing the door, several arrows piercing it before he finished.

I doubt that Will's siblings would do that.

"...Were those silver arrows?" Sam asked.

Wait...silver?

That means the Hunters of Artemis are here!

Strife looked like he was trying to say something clever, then decided against it.

"Shut up! It is not my fault! Ever since the whole Atlas incident, she has always had it out for me!"

Thalia's here, too?

"Who are you talking about?" Sam inquired.

"STRIFE!" Thalia's voice called.

"That bitch!" Strife answered Sam.

"Thalia?" Jason asked.

Sam looked more lost than anything.

"I'm sorry, but who's Thalia?"

The door shook violently.

"I'M GOING TO SLIT YOUR THROAT!" Thalia threatened.

"You'd swear she was my sister, Grace!" Strife said to Jason.

Sam looked at the son of Jupiter.

"You have a sister?"

The door broke down atop of Strife, and Thalia walked in with a silver dagger.

"Ah, there you..." she started before noticing the guys. "Jason? Percy? Nico? What is going on?"

"Uh...we're in the infirmary with Percy's boyfriend," Will answered.

Thalia's gawked at them.

"Percy's...what?!"

Everyone, save Percy, pointed at said boyfriend, and Percy just smiled.

"Yeah...a lot has happened since we last saw each other," he explained.

Thalia smiled at Sam.

"Oh, hey, what's up? I'm Thalia, Jason's sister. Mind if I take this prick and beat some sense into him?"

Strife looked scared as he was being crushed under the door.

"Don't let her take me!" he pleaded.

Sam looked at Strife, then Thalia, then sighed.

"Not while I'm around, you won't."

Thalia and Strife both looked shocked, which Percy found quite understandable.

It is pretty shocking.

Thalia grabbed Strife by his hair

"I'll deal with you later," she promised before releasing him and looking back at the guys. "Good seeing you guys! Catch up soon!"

She then left, and Strife groaned as he got out from beneath the door.

"Fuck, she's scary!"

Sam looked to Jason.

"She your little sister?"

"Older," Jason answered.

"How is that..." Sam started before a look of realization came over him. "She's a Hunter of Artemis, isn't she?"

Jason nodded.

"Correct."

Strife stood and dusted off his coat.

"They are not fans of me."

Sam looked at the son of Eris.

"What did you do to them?" he questioned because of course Strife had done something.

"Okay, not my fault, first off! When I worked for Kronos, Atlas had Annabeth kidnapped, right? She is Thalia's best friend. Now Thalia hates me because I did not help with freeing Annabeth. She might also not like me because during that fight, I kind of shot her a bunch of times. I thought we were cool in Puerto Rico, but nope. She still hates me. Also, Hunters who hate men and a guy that leads an all male group? Yeah, not gonna work out," Strife explained at length.

Yeah, sounds about right.

"Have you tried apologizing?" Sam asked.

Strife scowled.

"For what?!"

"For shooting her," Sam answered, as if it was obvious.

Strife rolled his eyes.

"If I apologize for every time I shoot someone, I would get nothing done!"

Percy turned to Sam.

"Pride is Thalia's fatal flaw. She has a bigger ego than both you and Strife put together, it'd never work out."

I don't think I'm even exaggerating.

"...Fair point. Be right back," Strife said before leaving again.

Sam groaned.

"Okay, where is he going this time?"

"My guess is to apologize," Will answered. "I don't know if she will accept it or not."

A bunch of noises then came from outside.

"OW!" Strife cried out.

"She didn't accept it," Nico said as Strife returned, an arrow sticking out of his butt.

"Okay, I stand corrected," Sam commented.

Jason frowned.

"About what?"

"You aren't uncivilized barbarians...they are," Sam said to Strife.

"Big time!" Strife agreed.

Percy looked at the arrow in Strife's backside.

"Who's arrow?"

"Thalia's, of course!" Strife snapped. "She's almost as good a shot as me!"

"Consider yourself lucky she didn't use lightning," Percy replied.

Strife nodded.

"Yeah...good point."

Sam then looked at Jason.

"Who's stronger, you or she?"

Percy smirked.

"My bro, naturally. His lightning bolts are much stronger," he explained, his smirk turning into a grin as Will pulled the arrow from Strife's behind. "Plus, she's afraid of heights."

Sam tilted his head.

"How is that even possible?"

Percy shrugged.

"No idea, we don't ask."

Strife winced at his wound.

"Afraid of heights? The fuck?!"

"I mean, Percy I can understand, but a daughter of..." Sam started, then paused. "Is it Zeus or Jupiter?"

"Zeus," everyone answered.

Sam nodded.

"Thank you for the clarification. Anyways, it doesn't make sense."

"A lot of things in our lives don't make sense," Nico pointed out.

He's right.

"Fair point," Sam agreed. "Anyways, why are they here?"

Strife took a seat, wincing again.

"Maybe to hunt Behemoths?"

The prince blinked.

"...Come again?"

"I'm guessing she is here...to hunt Behemoths," Strife repeated.

I don't think that's what he meant...

"I heard you the first time, I wanna know, what makes them think that they can do anything other than annoy a Behemoth?" the prince questioned.

"No one ever said they were smart..." Strife mumbled.

Sam nodded.

"Clearly. Chiron told me that you also were hunting them."

"They destroyed a few of my encampments guarding Olympus. Yeah, I'm after them," Strife replied.

"Okay. What do you bring to the table?" Sam asked next.

Strife frowned.

"What?"

"What makes you think you can kill one?" Sam clarified

"I don't think I can kill one, dude. I am tracking them, so I can tell my men to clear out when it's approaching them."

"Have you tried?" Sam prodded.

"Killing it? Didn't think it was an option," Strife replied.

Sam nodded.

"Okay...What's your most powerful weapon?"

Strife pulled his Winchester from his trench coat.

"Can fire either Celestial Bronze, Stygian Iron, or Imperial Gold bullets."

Sam looked unimpressed.

"You're gonna need either a bigger gun or a bigger sword."

Strife snorted.

"You see why I said, killing is not an option then."

"But Chiron wants me to work with you in order to kill them," the prince noted, sounding like his reply was partly directed towards himself.

He's actually considering it.

"Then we need to figure something out, huh?" Strife asked.

"Well...do you have anything else? Any bigger guns locked away?" Sam asked back.

Strife nodded.

"We have a few in the armory."

"What kind?" Sam pressed, though Percy was thinking about something else.

The Hunters are here.

That means a game of Capture the Flag.

"A few laser guided RPGs. Some grenades. A bunch of napalm. A bunch of gatling guns. Also a Dragon Breath," the king answered the prince.

Sam frowned.

"They wouldn't do much of anything. Got a rail gun by any chance?"

We can't lose again.

I refuse to lose!

Strife nodded.

"Got one in the works, but we need a child of Hecate to place the final enchantments."

Sam rolled his eyes.

"A rail gun is a feat of technology, not magic. Why would you need a child of Hecate?"

"The technology made by both Athena and Hephaesrus kids? That kind of creation attracts monsters. The scent of the demigod is all over the weapon. The child of Hecate masks it," Strife explained.

"Then you've been making it the wrong way. No offense, but that shouldn't be the case. Technology of any kind shouldn't attract monsters unless you're using magic to make it," Sam stated as a matter of fact, pulling Percy from his thoughts.

Okay, this is kinda interesting.

"It worked in the Titan War, so shut up," Strife retorted.

"And what are you using to power it?" Sam inquired.

"Electricity, that's how a rail gun works. Using electromagnetic charges," Strife replied.

"I'm referring to the power source," Sam specified.

"I don't remember exactly," Strife admitted.

"Then I'll assume that it's magic. No wonder it attracts monsters. If I were you, I'd get rid of the one you're building. It's a cheap knockoff," Sam said in a no nonsense manner.

Strife looked rather irked.

"You really gotta cut with the attitude, kid."

"It's not a matter of opinion, it's a fact. A rail gun may be considered advanced by today's standards, but to me, it's a simple yet effective piece of technology," Sam claimed, not sounding boastful in the least.

I see what he's trying to do.

Strife shrugged.

"Whatever."

"I think that you shouldn't be so dismissive," Will spoke up. "He's pointing all this out because he's trying to figure out if you're interested."

Exactly.

Strife sighed.

"Fine, I'll consider it."

By this point, the son of Poseidon needed to talk.

"That's all good, but there are more important matters," he said.

The son of Eris looked utterly bored.

"Such as...?"

"The Hunters are here. That means that tomorrow night, we'll have a game of Capture the Flag. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I'm personally sick of losing to them," Percy explained.

Strife rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please! I brought five soldiers, not including Amos and myself. That's more than enough to beat the Hunters."

"You're underestimating them. We've never won a game," Percy pointed out.

Strife smirked.

"Yeah, but it's never been direct Gargarean and Hunters against each other. This is gonna be interesting."

"Hunter versus 'Hunter', eh? Color me intrigued," Sam added.

Strife's smirked turned into a grin.

"This is gonna be EPIC!"

"After the last game though, Chiron and the Counselors put it to a vote. You can't use lethal rounds," Will said.

"Are you kidding me?! One guy gets seriously injured, and suddenly, it's not okay!" Strife exclaimed, clearly not happy with the decision.

Sam shrugged.

"That's not a problem for me because I don't use traditional rounds anyways."

"Don't care, I like lethal rounds!" Strife shouted.

Will sighed.

"Sammy...just don't. It makes my job a lot harder."

Very true.

Strife pouted, crossed his arms, and huffed.

"Fine..."

Sam shot the son of Apollo an impressed expression.

"You're like... a secret weapon or something."

Will smiled.

"The joys of being nice to a social outcast."

Sam winced.

"Ouch..."

"It's true, I'm an asshole!" Strife said whilst laughing.

"I think that he was referring to being a social outcast himself...something everyone in this room can relate to, to varying degrees, but especially you and I, Strife," Nico commented.

"Very true, Nicky, my boy!" Strife agreed.

Sam tilted his head.

"...Nicky?"

Strife.

"What? I can call him things that aren't insults!"

Sam shook his head.

"Oh, no, it's just...an unexpectedly cute nickname."

Strife blinked.

"What did you just say?"

"He thinks that Nicky is a cute nickname for Nico, and he's surprised that it came from you...hence the tilted head," Jason explained.

"Which is why I call him Puppy," Nico added with a smirk.

Sam blushed furiously.

"Nico!"

Aww, so cute.

"Nicky," Strife corrected.

"No, it's Neeks," Percy disagreed.

"I like Nicky," Strife retorted.

"I don't care," Nico weighed in.

"Oh, great, it all works out!" Strife happily chirped.

Sam let out a guttural sigh.

"Great, everyone's happy, but I'm not. I'm sick of being here. I spend nearly as much time here as I do at the Poseidon Cabin!"

He's...actually kinda right about that.

Strife laughed.

"I still hold the record!" he boasted.

"For the most time spent here or the most visits?" Sam asked.

"Spent," Strife clarified.

"How long in total?" Sam asked next.

Strife shrugged.

"Like a year, probably more."

"If we add up all the hours, it's three hundred seventy days. So...you're actually right, but Paolo is quickly catching up," Will commented. "Though Nightlight here holds the record for most collateral damage, especially considering that little stunt in the sword fighting area."

He's not wrong.

"I'm sorry, who the hell causes more damage than me?! What did he do?!" Strife demanded to know.

"He's wrecked the inside of several Cabins, the Hades one so much that it had to be completely redecorated," Will answered. "Didn't you notice the windows on the Hades Cabin? They were just holes before. Nightlight did that."

"Well...shit," Strife commented, seemingly conceding the point.

"I'm not exactly proud of it, but the Ares kids completely deserved it," Sam justified. "Who the fuck plants land mines for fun?"

"Me," Strife stated the obvious.

"Well, not anymore. I put a personal ban on them," Sam replied.

Strife raised an eyebrow.

"A personal ban?"

"If someone replants any, he'll 'wreck their shit'," Percy explained.

Strife scowled.

"That's my line, dickbreath!"

"I don't recall that phrase being copyrighted," Sam retorted.

"Are you really going to argue with me? You are seriously going to argue with the son of arguing?" Strife asked.

"Just because..." Sam started, then seemingly decided against it. "Ugh, never mind."

I know where he was going with that: 'Just because you're the son of arguing, doesn't mean that you can do it well'.

Or something like that.

"There we go!" Strife said, while Sam just rolled his eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make sure my men don't kill the Hunters."

An explosion was then heard in the distance.

What was that?

"...I think that those might have been your bikes," Will said.

Strife stood.

"I am going to kill her...I'm...I'm legitimately going to kill her...I am going to rip her intestines out through her nostrils..." he calmly mumbled as he started to walk out.

"Hey, at least I only knocked them down," Sam commented.

The son of Eris drew his gun.

"Truer words have never been spoken, Caelum!" he replied before leaving.

He was so scared of her earlier.

Will sighed.

"We'll let them sort it out. Wanna head back?"

Sam smiled.

"Absolutely."

Yes!

Cuddles!

---

Notes: So, Sam has Ace back, the Hunters of Artemis are in Camp, Percy is feeling conflicted, and Jason is genuinely curious about how things might work out. That should go well.

Also, Cecil, Simon's love interest, seems to be going for Malcolm. What sort of conflict might that bring?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!