Hi guys. Thanks for all the reviews in my previous chapter. Nowadays, my chapters are getting shorter and shorter :( well, I'm getting busier and busier, so please forgive me.

Also, i really am not good in describing fight scenes *wince* so please don't expect too much...i'm just trying to add some inside...well, yea...

Once again, thanks for all the reviews :) OH YEA! I just made a one-shot on Annabeth and Percy after Tartarus. I don't know whether it's good, but please read it and feedback to me about it so i can improve :) Just go to my writer's blog or account or whatever you call it. The story is called "i wish"

PLs R&R!

Annabeth's Pov

I stared at the arena in anticipation. The hall had grown quiet. It was as though the hall was empty, and yet there were over fifty people sitting on the benches, and two in the arena.

I've known for quite a while now that Percy was a master, like Thalia, just that he was master in swordsmanship, but I've never seen him fight before. Now when I think about it, the masters never seemed to spar in the classes. It was always them teaching us new moves, correcting out mistakes, walking around observing and grading us…they never sparred before.

What is so secretive about them that they never sparred in front of the others? Is it because they are so good that many of the moves they use will get us injured if we ever try to copy them? Is it because they didn't want to make us feel hopeless and heavily out-classed whenever they sparred? Just a few minutes ago, I had seen one of the best displays of knife-wielding, and said person wasn't even serious when she fought. Just how good are they?

I could see Veigar shaking as he stood at ready in front of Percy. I was a little surprised. Veigar had always been an arrogant person, always criticizing people, bragging about his skills, putting others down…he rarely showed fear in front of anyone except Mr Brunner and the master of his weapon. Other than that, I had thought that he respected no one else.

The very scene that was playing in front of me totally proved me wrong. Not only was 'respecting' him, he was shaking in fear. His knuckles were turning white as he clenched his staff tightly. I could even see the staff quivering. When I looked at Percy, I was a little awed by him.

While Veigar was quivering in fear in front of him, looking like he was about to piss his pants, Percy was standing lazily. His body was slouching, his sword tip was resting on the ground, and his face wore a calm and emotionless expression.

"Ready." Mr Brunner called. The already tense atmosphere seemed to get even tenser. I could practically feel the heaviness of the air weighing down on me. It could have been my imagination, but it was suddenly getting a little harder to breathe. Percy's presence was so cool, and yet there was a hidden ferocity in it, a very intense savagery and fierceness that was exuding from his before.

Veigar slowly go into his ready stance, still looking as fearful as ever. I could already see sweat trickling down his face, even though they hadn't even started yet. Percy, on the other hand, didn't do anything except fix his stare at Veigar. His story green eyes were swirling with some kind of power and strength.

"I bet with you that this match would end in less than ten seconds." Thalia whispered to me. I forced myself to tear my eyes off the arena and looked at her curiously. Certainly that wasn't possible? Veigar is extremely good, in his own right…there's no way someone can beat him in just ten seconds! I've seen him spar before, and it was terrifying. He fought with force equal to a lion, and speed that equaled to a cheetah.

Then I remembered Thalia, and how she fought. She had already been moving as fast, or even faster than I had ever seen Veigar move. I didn't compare her strength, though, as knife-wielders rarely use strength for battle.

"I don't think I want to make the bet…" I replied unsurely. Thalia smirked and nodded.

"Wise choice. Percy isn't like me. He doesn't like to play around with his opponents first. Usually, he would try to end the match as fast as possible. That doesn't mean he isn't strong," She said seriously. "Never think he's weak. If he doesn't manage to finish you off at the start…lets just say you'd wish you let him." I looked at her skeptically. Was he really that good? I've watched swordsmanship contests once or twice before during the very few times I watched television, and they never managed to finish in the first ten seconds.

When I observed Percy more, I noticed that he wasn't holding any shield. Also, he seemed to be perfectly comfortable with Riptide, as though the sword was made for him. When he took two practice swings after Mr Brunner told them to get ready, he wielded it with such ease that even I, a somewhat beginner, could tell that he was an expert swordsman.

"One," Veigar took a deep breath. "Two," Percy slightly lifted his sword, his body still extremely relaxed.

"Three." My eyes widened as Percy immediately darted forward and swung his blade at Veigar's right. Veigar scrambled back, managing to block Percy's first strike. Percy, not daunted by the block, spun and swung his blade at Veigar's right. He had spun so fast that Veigar almost didn't managed to block the sword.

Five seconds…

Veigar took three quick steps back, disengaging, before swinging his staff in a wide arc at Percy. And then, Percy did something totally unexpected. To me, at least.

I don't know how much leg power he actually had, but he actually jumped above the staff. Not only that, he had jumped towards Veigar too. He then kicked Veigar with both his legs, propelling him back and at the same time kicking Veigar back. He did a back somersault, and as soon as the tip of his foot touched the floor, he dashed forward and parrying Veigar's desperate swing at him on the right before smashing the hilt at Veigar's face, much like Thalia, just that Thalia had used her elbow.

"Wow, he's certainly on a roll today…" Thalia muttered. "Usually, he would stop once he does that. That would add up to ten seconds. He's not even stopping." I glanced at her, and then looked back at the arena worriedly.

As Veigar was staggering back, Percy used his free hand and grabbed hold of Veigar's staff. Veigar, who was still trying to recover from the hit on the face, did not let go of the staff, resulting in him being pulled towards Percy.

It seemed like Percy was about to do something when Mr Brunner's frantic voice suddenly rang across the hall. "Stop!" Once Percy heard Mr Brunner's voice, he seemed to break out of some trance and let go of Veigar's staff before catching Veigar before he fully collided into him.

"Percy," Chiron's now angry voice echoed throughout the whole hall. "This is normal class, not master's. I do not want you to make him vomit blood all over the floor."

"Sorry…" Percy muttered quietly, though it could be heard all over the place since the hall was dead silent. Everyone was staring at them, shell-shocked.

When Percy returned to his seat beside Thalia and I, we looked at him worriedly. He saw us staring, and smiled uncomfortably and scratched the back of his neck.

"I got carried away a little," He said, his voice tinted with a little regret. "Sorry for everything, guys, especially you, Veigar!" He called out, looking over to Veigar. A few benches away, a shaken Veigar nursing an injured nose gave a tentative nod. Mutters of "It's all right" and "That's you, anyway" resounded from everywhere. I smiled at the forgiving attitude everyone was giving him.

I then frowned in contemplation. How could Percy be this good, and yet not even inside the country's swordsmanship national team? He might even be better than that guy…

What's more, Thalia had once told me that Percy already knew how to use the sword long before he joined the Weapon art class. Why? How?

Nevertheless, I could not help but envy Percy. His skill was so great, and his speed and strength was so fast. The very fact that he almost didn't manage to stop told me that he was doing the moves somewhat subconsciously, that the moves were so natural he almost didn't need to think whenever he used it.

My thoughts were cut short when the bell rang, signifying the end of class. We all stood up and greeted Mr Brunner goodbye before leaving. It was our last class, hence we decided to go straight to the shopping mall and then bathe and change since the others would take some time get ready and go there. Percy and Nico had started talking about football, whereas Thalia and I just rolled our eyes at them. We girls never understood why boys love football and soccer and all types of ball games so much.

Even though the others had assured me that me working at the restaurant did not matter at all to them, I was still a little worried. Thalia, somehow sensing my worry, smiled at me.

"It's gonna be fine. We really don't care, and so does most people. We're not lie the people in your past who scorned you because of your job." When she said this, my heart skipped a beat and panic seized me for a seconds. How did she know?

When she smiled at me one last time and turned around to talk to the boys, I realized that she had been talking in general. She didn't know about my past yet, and if I can help it, she would never know about it.