Chapter 29 One Step At a Time
As he studied his notebook, Sam realized that it was really quiet in the library. Normally there would be at least one child of Athena lightly sobbing about homework, books and battle strategy. However, that Friday, Sam heard nothing but pages being turned and books being shelved by Dixon, the child of Athena who was also the librarian.
'You are not that easy to find. Never guessed you would be in here,' someone whispered behind him.
Sam turned around as his heart rate spiked. He found her standing there with a broad smile on her face. Her tanned skin perfectly blended in with her brown hair which contained a feather and a different coloured streak of hair. Her eyes shifted colour as the lighting changed around her.
Piper McLean took a seat next to the son of Hecate and stared at the myriad of sheets of paper lying in front of him. Arrows, diagrams and words were mashed together on the paper. Looking at Sam, Piper realized that he looked tired.
'That's why I am here,' replied Sam.
'For two days straight. Lou caught you snacking in the middle of the night at the cabin,' replied Piper. 'Are you hiding?'
'What gives it away?' He tried giving her a look that said "Well duh."
'Don't try to sass me, young one. It doesn't work,' said the twenty five year old daughter of Aphrodite with a smile. 'Sarcasm doesn't suit you.'
'Look, P… P… I cannot remember your name, but you were there in Vegas. And you are in my notebook too.' Sam waved the notebook at her.
'I am hurt,' said Piper jokingly. 'Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite, member of the Seven. We've met before.'
The awkward silence between them was filled the noise of rustling paper and Dixon shelving books.
'Not to be rude, but why are you here, Piper? You probably have better things to do than to babysit me.'
Piper shrugged. 'Actually I don't, so can I help with anything? You seem quite puzzled about things.'
'I have lots of things written down that don't make sense.'
'Such as?'
'Cali and I were lovers of sorts? I have this vivid memory of us breaking up on the beach of this camp, but I was with Jesse before the exile and now, she and George have found each other. Which is great, because I couldn't really remember who Jesse was anyway, but then why do I feel so lost?'
'Maybe because you don't have all the information. Mind if I take a look?'
'Go ahead.' Sam scooted his chair away from his large overview.
Piper stared at it intently and recognized names and people. 'Mind if I write some stuff down?'
'Nope.'
Piper picked up a red pen and added arrows and words. 'This list you have here, these people are all mages from Hecate. Any memories you haven't assigned or placed yet?
'These.' Sam showed her the post-it markings in is notebook.
Piper glanced over them. 'Those two belong there. I have heard about the skills exhibition you Hecate folk have each year. That description seems to be Lou when she's really mad.'
Sam scribbled down a reference for later. 'Anything else?'
'This list are the Seven, if I read: "the chick with the feather" as myself.' Piper grinned at Sam's face turning red. 'And yes, this is Annabeth. The girl who you met when you first arrived at camp, also the second time, she was the Sphinx and she's a mean mythology teacher. But that is wrong, Jason and I are no longer a couple.'
'Oh, sorry about that.'
'Not a problem, we've kept up appearances for a long time,' replied Piper absentmindedly staring at the paper. 'This is your sister.'
Sam read the words. Laughter, Pencils, Hurt, pleading for her safety to gods?
'You pleaded for her safety to her grandfathers, Hermes and Apollo. The pencils are a mystery to me, but obviously they mean something to you.'
'Thanks for the help.'
'No problem. Say, Sam, why are you hiding out in the library? It's not as if you'll find all the answers in here,' said Piper with a wavy gesture at the books.
'I need some place to think on my own for a while. And it's pretty difficult to do that when you have a lot of people watching you like a hawk to make sure you do not lose control.'
'They're just trying to help,' said Piper.
'I know, but then everyone assumes I will become better and go to lead an army to victory. I am not a natural born leader.'
'Best leaders never are.'
'And nobody can truly understand what it is like to live to separate lives in your head every day. I have memories, words and images showing me conflicting things, you know? Everybody expects me to be this amazing warrior, but the truth is I can barely wake up without me thinking if this is all real.'
'I understand quite a bit of that actually. You seem to know that Jason and I are a couple, yet I have told you we are no longer one. And we haven't been for a while now. You know why?'
Sam shook his head.
Piper showed him a sad smile. 'Because every ounce of love I had for him was the result of a Mist manipulation. When he and Percy got swapped by Hera/Juno, I was given memories of knowing him and even being his girlfriend. With the war against Gaea I never truly thought about it. Even when going to college, I remained convinced.'
Piper wiped away a tear. 'It was the year you came to camp, I actually started thinking about it all. How we both couldn't remember how we met before the bus, how everything we thought we knew was a lie concocted by Hera and supported by my mother.'
'That's cold. At least I knew where I was getting into. I whooped Zeus' royal butt and got it back immediately.'
Piper nodded with a muffled laugh. 'You take no prisoners in your rage.'
'I am sorry for making you cry and reveal your stuff with Aphrodite and Juno,' said Sam fiddling with a pen.
'You're not good at apologizing, are you?' said Piper with shiny eyes. She gave him a hug.
'Nah.' He hugged her back.
'Eye contact and touch help,' said the daughter of Aphrodite. 'Now, how are you going to win back Caliope?'
'Wh…What?'
'Don't even think of denying it, Sam. You love her, memories or not. Do not forget I am a daughter of Aphrodite after all.' She shot him a smile.
'I know,' sighed Sam. 'But we did break up and it was mostly her idea.'
'And why was that?'
'Because I felt sorry for me. About this thing, my dad, being a demigod.'
'Do you still feel sorry?'
Sam shook his head. 'I feel stronger because of it. I was never to blame for the death of my father or my parents. Neither was Sarah. It all happened, because shit happens to people.'
'That's true,' replied Piper. 'We've all been through some rough patches.'
'Can I ask you for a favour?'
'Sure.'
'Want to help me with something?'
Half an hour later Piper and Sam stood by the hearth fire at the centre of the cabins. They watched the sheets of paper curling up as they blackened.
'Are you sure about this?'
'It's time to let the past be the past. Let the gods enjoy my misery.' Sam threw in the notebooks. 'I am hungry.'
'Then let's get some dinner.' Piper offered him an arm. Sam linked his through hers and together they strolled towards the dinning pavilion.
Nobody watched the notebooks burn to a crisp.
They sat on the seats above the arena watching at the training going on down below. As leaders of both camps, it was one of the few moments they could talk quietly. Reyna had shadow travelled to Half-Blood with Nico as to be incognito as possible. Annabeth had given the praetor a bite of ambrosia and a glass of water when they appeared in the war room, also known as the ping pong room of the Big House.
'I heard he has changed,' started Reyna. 'He seems calmer.'
Annabeth nodded. 'Piper found him sitting in the library. They eventually burned his notes in the hearth. She won't say much more. Ever since then, he's been training and studying. And his siblings tell me he's getting better with new magic every day.'
'Is he ready for battle? The full moon is on the horizon and the gods have felt Typhon and Kampê rise.'
'He's as ready as the rest of us, Reyna,' sighed Annabeth. 'We've been training the new recruits, but they won't hold up in actual war. We made the decision to keep them at camp with the young ones and a couple of older demigods.'
'It's for the best. Most of the Legion is battle ready, but we have our fair share of inexperienced recruits.'
They watched Sam and his squad face off against one another. He was locked in combat with Caliope who managed to deflect all of his strikes. Cali used her water powers to smite Sam with a torrent of water, yet the mage remained steadfast. He used his staff split the water and threw a fire ball at her head that she barely managed to block with her shield. George called it quits when Cali had steam rising from her shield. The teammates shook hands and strolled over to the shade.
'You think he would like to spar with someone who's better with a sword?' asked Reyna with a grin.
'He'd revel at the opportunity,' replied Annabeth with an equal grin.
They all took a sip of nectar while gearing up for the next part of training. Sam ran his hand through his fresh buzz cut, courtesy of the Aphrodite cabin. Turned out they had been running an entire beauty salon out of their cabin. Ashley, the chief hairdresser, had seemed a little disappointed in his choice, but did tell him that a buzz cut worked very well on him.
'The haircut suits you,' said Cali. 'Reminds me of the time I had to ask for one too.'
'You're never going to let that go are you?' he whined.
'Maybe,' was her reply before she took a bite out of her apple.
The conversations fell silent as the afternoon heat had made them sluggish. Not even the patch of shade was able to cool them off sufficiently. Sam folded up his staff and attached it to the harness on his back. He checked his gauntlet and glove to make sure they still worked accordingly. John had enchanted them for safety.
'I heard you changed. Didn't think you'd go for a new haircut.'
Sam turned his attention to the person standing in front of them. She wore a leather and metal skirt with armoured sandals. Instead of body armour she wore a simple T-shirt and cape that showed her athletic physique. Her black braid only strengthened her regal looking features. Her eyes gave him a playful glare. In her hand she held a golden spear. Her name popped into his mind.
'Reyna,' he muttered. 'Praetor of the Roman Legion. Have you come to gut me again?'
She shrugged. 'Maybe, former legionnaire,' she stressed. 'Heard of your return and changing demeanour. Some speak of progress as a squad leader. I came to see it for myself.'
Sam shook his head. 'I have these demigods to thank for that,' he gestured at his squad members who actively watched something else. 'They tricked me into signing up.'
'Care to give a demonstration of your skills? Maybe I could teach you a thing or two?'
Sam rose to his feet and dusted himself off. 'Name your weapons.'
'Anything goes until one of us surrenders. No maiming. Could we sweeten the deal?' Reyna offered him a grin.
Sam picked up a bronze gladius engraved with magical symbols and inlaid with pure iron. 'Go ahead.' He pulled up the hood of his cloak.
Together they walked to the centre of the arena. Reyna tapped her bracelet and a rectangular shield unfolded itself. She twirled her spear again, making whoosh sounds as Sam made his own Roman styled shield appear from his gauntlet and raised his sword.
'If you win,' said Reyna. 'I'll tell you about Sarah. You must be curious how she's doing, no?'
Sam blinked as he let the remark drift around in his head. Of course he was curious, but she had to be at Jupiter so she had to be safe. The dream had shown him.
'What if you win?' he replied trying to deflect the distraction.
'You have another sparring match at Camp Jupiter with a champion of my choosing. I would love to see you fight at our Colosseum.'
The praetor showed him a grin that reminded him of a wolf. Sam nodded as he tried to decipher the message behind her ferocious smile.
Before another thought could form in his mind, the spear made contact with his shield and Sam skidded across the sand. Pushing down his heavier foot, Sam stopped his momentum. He raised his sword and watched Reyna taking aim with the pointed weapon.
'I never said I'd be fighting fairly,' said Reyna.
'I never expected,' was his shaky reply.
Sam realized that the Roman had the advantage of distance in her favour. Maybe he could close the distance by striking first. He made a move, but Reyna stopped it as soon as he was within reach. After minutes of dancing around, the praetor made a move. She trusted her spear forward in rapid barrage. Sam managed to block a couple of strikes and even deflect one with his sword, but those that landed made him feel bursts of pain.
As Reyna attacked once more, Sam raised his shield. Reyna changed the direction mid thrust and a that moment Sam brought his shield closer. The point grazed his gauntlet, but the shaft got locked between his arm and shield. For moment the air was thick with excitement as both of them realized what happened.
Sam reacted by bringing down his arm and shield, forcing Reyna to do the same or drop the spear. He slammed his sword against the shaft, causing sparks to fly. Reyna pulled on his spear, but only moved closer to Sam. Once she was close enough, Sam redirected a strike from the spear to her, which cause Reyna to raise her shield to block it. Reyna let out a grunt and muttered a word. Suddenly the spear shrank in size and became a golden gladius.
Reyna pushed her shield forward and forced Sam back. They found themselves standing opposite each other with raised shields and covered swords.
'Didn't know you also had a shifting weapon,' said Sam panting. His reinforced shield became heavier by the second.
Reyna shrugged. 'It has its advantages.'
The praetor stabbed at him, yet Sam dodged the strikes and managed to block them. Reyna continued the assault as his movements became slower. Sam muttered an incantation as Reyna retreated for a moment. Shaping the image in his mind, Sam slipped the magic around his legs, praying to Hecate to make it work.
Reyna watched as Sam made his shield vanish and picked a deck of cards from his pouch. He fanned them out in his hand and waved it at her. She spotted the sand moving before the magic slammed against her shield. She gritted her teeth as she stood her ground. Raising her sword she moved towards the mage as he showed her a smirk.
'That's the Sam I remember,' she muttered. She launched an attack. He blocked and deflected. Attacking first, she got pushed back slightly as she watched his movements. He was protecting his legs from attack. As sparks flew and the sound of metal on metal resonated through the air, Reyna spotted an opening. She thrusted her sword to his unprotected human leg for a graze, the right one. As soon as the metal made contact, Reyna felt the shock run down her arm. She clenched the sword handle and tried shaking off the feeling as she backed off. Sam showed her a grin as he waved his cards around. The air shimmered and his right leg shifted into a bronze one while his left turned human again.
'Mist?' she asked him with a raised eyebrow.
Sam nodded still smiling. 'I got better at it after my journey. The shock spell was a nice touch.' He returned the cards into a neat stack in a single motion and clenched the pack into his gloved hand. His gauntlet gained a red aura.
Reyna shook off the tingling sensation in her hand and prepared herself for the next attack. Whilst she had to give him some credit for the neat trick, she could spot him becoming slower and more tired with each passing moment. It was time to finish it. She advanced letting out a bellowing yell as she swung down her sword. Just as she saw Sam raise his fist, she quickly retreated her sword and slammed her shield into his hand. He let out a yelp and dropped the pack onto the arena floor. Channelling her mother's power, Reyna forced her sword back into the spear form. She used Sam's moment of shock to trip him over with the shaft. The next moment she held the point of her weapons an inch from his neck.
Laying sprawled on the sand of the arena, Sam paned heavily as he spotted the shaft running towards his neck. The praetor stood over him, shield lowered.
'I surrender,' he spoke between breaths. Sweat pooled on his brow and under the heavy cloak. His staff poked in his back.
The spear vanished in an instant while her shield returned into the bracelet. A tattooed forearm appeared close by. Sam grabbed it and he was pulled up by the preator.
'Not bad, not bad at all,' said Reyna.
They walked back to the others.
'Some more sword practice and you'll be able to hold off most opponents with it,' said Reyna. 'How was it made? It felt heavy.'
'That's because it is,' said George as he handed them bottles of water. 'We call it Sam's training blade,' he continued as he dodged a punch to the shoulder by the tired mage. 'The top of the blade is slightly broader and denser, making it top-heavy, like an axe.'
Reyna nodded as she drank.
'Seems you're improving,' said Annabeth from the stands. 'I thought she'd pummel you within two minutes. Or did you hold back?' directing the question at Reyna.
'A bit at the beginning, but after that shock thing I was ready to knock your head clean off. That stings,' said Reyna with a slight growl.
'You said anything goes,' said Sam raising his hands defensively. 'That includes magic.'
'I have to admit I wasn't expecting it,' said Cali. 'What happened?'
'He shifted the image of his legs. Made me think his left one was the prosthetic. The magicacly protected prosthetic,' Reyna corrected.
Sam shrugged. 'Misdirection is standard for us mages.'
Reyna only shook her head.
