Damien

See, this is why I never, ever get involved. One minute, I'm just minding my own business, trying to make it through another day at camp, and the next I'm part of the Superfriends: Misfits Edition, preparing to take on the whole camp in a game of capture the flag after training for a grand total of one day. One freakin day, and the psycho that is Percy Jackson and his equally insane girlfriend are putting us out on the front lines to try and beat about 300 of our super powered peers. After breakfast, we had gone back to training, this time Mary-or Anastasia or whatever she's calling herself- being my sparing partner. Loralai was sitting nearby, flipping through some black notebook and reading page after page, apparently "practicing her magic." JB was busy shooting arrows into the same target he'd been using all day. To be perfectly honest, I knew we had absolutely no chance of even coming close to winning. We all knew it as we strapped on our armor, each of us dealing with the overwhelming nerves in our own way. Anastasia looked like she was somewhere between crying, puking, and passing out, Loralai was pacing back and forth, reading from her journal, and JB wouldn't stop pacing back and forth, plucking the string of his bow every now and again. After a day like the one we were having, we should have been passed out sleeping, but instead we were amped up on enough adrenaline to kill a herd of cows. Percy suddenly emerged from the forest, Annabeth on his heels.

"Oh look. Out great and wise sensei has come to personally watch us get pummeled into the dirt." I snarled. Percy glared at me ever so slightly, before looking between each of us.

"I believe in all of you. I know that you're destined to do great things. I know that this challenge seems insurmountable, and all this seems so sudden, but we've got to prepare you for the worst, and as quickly as possible." He tried to sound optimistic, but I didn't buy it for a second.

"By demoralizing and humiliating you in front of the entire camp." I added. Percy looked over at me, clearly not happy.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" He asked. That was all the incentive I needed.

"Yeah, there is. You're supposed to be this great hero, but so far all you've done is wake us up before sunrise, run us ragged, and make us practice the same, basic maneuvers the rest of the chumps at this camp already know. We haven't had any special training, or any kind of edge we can use against them. We're about to go face an army of pissed off demigods, and you're the one who strung us up like a freakin piñata. And now, you've got the courage to try and stand there and give us a pat on the back speech?!" I raged. Annabeth looked like she wanted to fire back at me, but Percy beat her to the punch, his gaze softening as he looked at me almost sadly.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Damien. And I'm sorry that I really don't know how long I'll be able to train you before your quest." He tried. It was so pathetic it honestly made me laugh as I shoved by him, putting on my helmet as I shook my head.

"Yeah, thanks Satan. Go ahead and finish your 'go team' speech; but don't expect me to sit through it." I finished, marching off towards our designated starting area before he could get a word in edge wise. I felt so confused and angry all at once that I didn't even know what to think; I did feel like at the very least I owed it to JB to try and make this whole "New Heroes" thing work, and I had accepted the fact that like it or not this group of misfits needed me. Still, there's only so much a guy can take before he just looses it. I was desperate to find anything that would take my mind off of how angry I was, glancing down at the blade that was clacking against my leg armor as I walked, briefly recalling Percy's face when he saw it. I still didn't understand what his problem was with it, but something deep down told me that it was personal. Something had happened between him and this blade; and it wasn't a good something. Just then, the rest of the group came over, Percy and Annabeth leading the way. Percy didn't seem too happy with me, refusing to even look over at me. I didn't care; to be honest I wasn't exactly thrilled with him either. But as Annabeth walked by, I couldn't stop the curiosity from getting the best of me as I stepped in her way.

"This blade; what does it mean to him? Why is he so afraid of it?" I asked, gesturing at Percy. After taking a second to regain her composure, she drew in a deep breath.

"That sword... it was wielded by one of our first and greatest enemies; the titan Kronos." She whispered at the end. For some reason, the word cut through me like a knife through butter; Kronos. Before I could dwell on it too long, she continued.

"At the time, he was using one of our friends as a vessel; a way for him I regain a physical form in this world." She explained. All of this was making my heart race, and I didn't know why.

"So what happened?" I asked, genuinely curious; but it looked as if that was quite a sore spot for her as she again composed herself.

"Luke, he... Percy did what had to be done." She finished, clearly not wanting to talk about it any more than that.

"Alright, guys; it's about time for you to start. Best of luck." Percy stated, turning and walking off towards the cabin. Annabeth looked back over at me almost sadly, glancing down at the sword before quickly looking away.

"You know, you are the most powerful member of this team, Damien. They're going to need someone to lean on when things get real. Maybe instead of being angry you could try and put some of that power of yours to work." She suggested before turning and jogging after Percy. Just then, I heard the all too familiar sound of a conch horn sounding in the distance. Anastasia stepped back, panic clearly taking over already.

"They-they're coming." She stuttered. JB notched an arrow nervously, Loralai's hands glowing a deep, sparkling purple color as she whispered a spell under her breath. JB looked over at Anastasia desperately before whipping back to scan the field.

"Um, hey; not trying to rush you or anything, but you wouldn't happen to have a plan?" He asked, his voice about an octave higher than normal. Anastasia looked much akin to a deer in headlights as the enemy could be seen charging in the distance, their cries echoing thought the forest and reverberating through the valley. I could tell she was trying to concentrate, but there was not focusing when that kind of enemy was coming your way. I knew for a fact that we didn't stand a chance against the entire camp, but I also knew that I wasn't going to stand here and go down looking like a total chump. Annabeth's words raced through my mind;

'They're gonna need someone to lean on when things get real.'

As far as I was concerned, this was almost as real as it got. I knew I needed to buy them some time to try and formulate a plan, to try and make something out of nothing.

"Anastasia, try to come up with something!" I insisted, ignoring their cried of protest and taking off into the woods, charging straight at our attackers, who were already pouring over the hill. I shot beam after beam of frozen air at them, cementing the first wave in place; a group of Ares kids. But just as soon as one group was immobilized, another wave surged forwards to take their place. I could vaguely hear JB and Loralai yelling at me in the background, but in that moment, I really didn't care; I whipped my sword out of its sheath, blocking and parrying and freezing as many as I could. The whole time, the only thing that was going through my head was that I needed to be that rock; I needed to be the strength the team needed me to be. The insurmountable odds, the stupid quest we were training for, Percy driving us into the ground; none of that mattered to me in that moment as I was swarmed, flanked on all sides by enemies. It wasn't long before I was completely overtaken, their onslaught proving too much for me to hold back. It wasn't long until I felt the butt end of a sword slam into my forehead, my vision going completely black.

--

When I came back to, I was laying on a bed in a strange, bright room. It took my eyes a second to adjust, and as they did I remembered what had happened. I had been completely overrun in a matter of minutes, knocked out cold before I even got close to their flag. I knew I must have been in the infirmary, my suspicions being confirmed when I tried to roll over, someone stopping me; Loralai.

"Hey now; ya might wanna take it easy there, Frosty; that's quite a nasty bump ya got on your head there." She explained, suddenly sticking a straw in my mouth before I could retort. After drinking some of the nectar, I spit out the straw, refusing to make eye contact with her.

"So, I take it our 'legendary team'-"

"About how you'd expect, yeah. JB fended pretty well for himself; he's quite a shot. I'd like to think I did fairly well myself. I knocked out about 2 dozen before I passed out; too much Magic too quickly. You're the one that got it the worst." She explained. It was only then that I noticed that she was covered in black, blue, and green bruises, the most noticeable of them right under her eye. She turned away when she noticed me looking, brushing her hair behind her ear with a shrug.

"Gotta love them Ares kids." She tried to laugh it off, but I could tell that it hurt both physically and emotionally. I felt a burning rage deep in my chest when I realized that she had most likely gotten trampled for what I had done this morning in the cafeteria. When I was better, they were all dead. I forced myself to stand up, surprised when I not only felt extremely dizzy, but pain shot through my arm. I looked down, instantly seeing why; my arm was wrapped in white bandage, with a sling around my neck.

"Yeah, you broke your arm there; apparently when the hoard of angry campers trampled all over ya." She stated. Just then, the last person I wanted to see stepped into the tent; Percy Jackson.

"Good, you're awake. We're going to-" He started, but I wasn't having it at all.

"Save it, Jackson. Just... don't." I growled, feeling the blood thumping through my skull. I staggered to my feet, marching over as best I could.

"You send us up against the entire camp, and exactly what we all expected happened. I got my skull bashed in and my arm broke; Loralai got beaten when she was already down, and I don't even know how JB and Anastasia look. You sent us into an impossible situation after one day, and you expect us to just up and follow your lead again?! I know the others won't say anything, because they all treat you like some kind of god. But me; I don't know or care what you've done or been through, so I'll say it for them; you may be some great hero, but you're no teacher. And you can send me to get beat the crap out of if you want to, but when they have to go and get hurt too; that's when you start to really piss me off." I said, Percy looking more unhappy than I'd ever seen him before.

"Look, I just got done talking to Anastasia and JB about where they went wrong, and we need to-"

You've gotta be freakin crazy!" I interrupted with a shout. I couldn't believe the audacity of this guy.

"Anastasia and JB were just starting to come into their own, and you had to go and screw it up by pushing us way too far too soon; Anastasia didn't even have time to blink much less come up with a strategy; and how in the heck do you expect JB to hit a target when he doesn't even have time to pull the string?! Both of them were starting to feel confident in themselves, and were starting to find their own way; and you're telling me you've got the guts to 'go over what they did wrong'?!" I demanded. I could tell Percy was about to tell me to calm down, but I was on fire.

"You know what, no! I don't honestly care what you do or say to me; but those two especially have worked themselves to the bone trying to please you; and if you think you can just go in there and put them down like that, you've got another thing coming!" I finished. The second I was done, Percy's face instantly went from angry to smiling brightly, which really freaked me out.

"Damien, look in the mirror." He said calmly. It was such a wacky request that I couldn't help but glance over at a mirror that was hanging on the wall nearby. The guy staring back at me was resolute and determined.

"The point of all this was never to win; it was about you, Damien." He stated, about knocking me on my butt.

"Up until now, you've been distant, detached, and generally uncaring about anything that went on in this group; that's not what it means to be a part of a team. To be a true unit, you have to not only work for one another, but care for each other as well. You have to share not only a common goal, but a mutual respect and care for one another. I needed to cement how you truly felt about these 3; that no matter who or what was trying to put them down or do them harm, you would be that rock Annabeth was telling you that you needed to be. I needed to know for sure that when the chips were down, that you would have their back, no matter the challenge." He finished. If the near-concussion hadn't blown my mind, this revelation finished the job. This whole thing had been a set up from the beginning; all to make sure that I would protect the team. Honestly, I hadn't even realized just how much I'd grown to respect these guys, even after one day. Sure, they had a long way to go, and weren't the most heroic type; but they were driven and dedicated, which is more than I could say for a lot of the campers here. They cared about me enough to have my back, and to even take care of me when I needed it. So of course I'd have their backs, no matter how annoying they may be. And Percy freakin Jackson had somehow found a way to prove it to even me. I couldn't help but smirk at this revelation, glancing up at him with a newfound respect.

"Not bad, Jackson, but let's be honest; this was the blonde's idea." I only half questioned, Percy laughing and shrugging innocently.

"Oh yeah; I'm just playing the part she gave me. And just to let you know, we both knew you had it in you, Damien." He added at the end. I glanced over at Loralai, who was smiling at me brightly, her cheeks glowing slightly as she turned away, busying herself refilling the glass of nectar. I looked back at Percy curiously, trying desperately not to blink to quickly due to my thumping head.

"So, what now?" I asked, Percy turning towards the door.

"Now you guys get some rest; today was a tough first day to say the least, and you guys have earned an early break. I need you healed up for tomorrow. That's when the real training begins."