In Life's Name and for Life's Sake

by GuardianXAngel

Where ever the Lone Power goes, Wizards follow. Their goal is to combat the spread of entropy in all its forms. What happens though when a war amongst the Powers that Be, the Gods, causes so much entropy that it masks the arrival of the Lone Power? Follow Alexander as he interacts with Olympus in an effort to stop the rise of the Titan Lord Kronos, if it is not too late already...

3. What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Chapter 3: What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

Completed: 10/15:17

Edited: 11/6/17

Revised: ?

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A/N: I did it again! Another 20K + chapter! While not as much as the previous chapter it is still impressive to me that I was able to write as much as I have in a short amount of time.

This chapter is about how Alexander is trying and failing (from his perspective) at integrating himself into the life of a demigod. I know there isn't any action. Why would there be? He isn't at war, he is preparing for a war years in the future.

This story is as much a story of his life as it is his fear for the future.

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What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

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It was the afternoon of the first day here at Camp Half-Blood. I had been given the grand tour of the camp by Chiron. Its director since well the beginning was Chiron who loved what he did and loved the demigods like his own children. Which if I remember correctly he didn't have any children of his own….moving on.

Camp Half-Blood had it all, an armory supplied with arms and armor from the Force which was run by demigods from Cabin five. There was a volleyball net, Pegasus stable, lava climbing wall? That was odd even for me, where did they even find lava? What happened if someone fell in? That can't be regulation.

There was the Big House which doubled as the camp infirmary and home to Chiron, Mr. D and I now. There were the twelve cabins for the children of each of the Olympians all situated around the Hearth of Olympus. There was an amphitheater, fighting arena, strawberry fields where the income of the camp came from. Last but not least there were the woods. Stocked with monsters and where the weekly capture the flag game took place.

As I was sent to help Chiron train the demigods I was assigned a schedule. I was to teach the kiddies in archery and survival techniques. I groaned just thinking about that. Tomorrow is my first day of class, and I feel so underprepared like I don't have a clue what to do. Get a grip Alexander; my goal is to prepare the Camp for the upcoming war. I can do this.

Thankfully though I won't have to deal with the lingering injury from the arrow stuck in my side. When I told Chiron about the arrowhead, he handed me a cup of Nectar, the drink of the Gods. I stared at it for a long time before Chiron was forced to ask me what was wrong. I told him that I never had Nectar before. With good reason I was mortal, and I didn't want to become a charred crisp. If I drank this and lived, it meant that I was a demigod that I might just be the son of Artemis; goddess of the Hunt, Moon, Chastity, Maidens and the Wilderness.

I slowly raised the glass to my lips and tilted it. Next thing I knew I tasted the homemade apple pies my Dad used to make. I could feel the apples, cinnamon, and the crust on my tongue. By the Gods! No wonder the Gods jealously guarded it. Nectar would put all the drinks in the world to shame!

Then the reality of the situation hit me like a load of bricks. I had Nectar, I had Nectar and lived. I paled rapidly and felt numb all over. It must have shown because Chiron grabbed my arm with one hand and shoulder with another. "It's alright lad; you'll be alright. Look the arrow has come right out." I looked down, and sure enough, there was the arrow point, silver and all. I leaned down, and Chiron was forced to adjust his grip. I hefted the arrow and then pocketed after a moment. A souvenir of everything that I had done to get to this point.

I looked a Chiron again, "thank you for your help and understanding. I…I never actually believed that I was well, a demigod."

He nodded sympathetically, "I understand; it must be quite a shock for you. You are by far the oldest demigod that I have had in recent centuries to come for training. Normally you would have been found, but Fate had another path for you."

I gave a dry laugh, "I most certainly did. Now I hear that the camp serves a most wonderful breakfast. Might we…."

He laughed, "it certainly does. It has some of everything…." Then he turned serious, "you've had a bit of a shock that is normal. You are among friends though, despite your age, you are amongst friends."

By mutual consent, we turned and walked from the Big House to the Dining Pavilion. We passed the Forge. It looked like someone had combined a factory with multiple smokestacks billowing smoke out with the frame of a Greek Temple, and then the armory. The armory was a large brick building with barred windows and a large doorway that could easily be protected. No doubt it would be filled with weapons and armor of every type found in the western world.

I saw satyr's moving about, Nymphs greeting the dawn, no doubt watching Apollo as he began his daily task of ferrying the sun across the heavens.

We reached the cabins. It was interesting to look at them, they all represented in their way their owners. Lord Zeus was old school Greek Templish showing off his strength and prowess. Mr. D's had vines crawling up his. Lord Apollo's looked like it was made of gold and glistened in the sun. His sisters, on the other hand, was made of silver and glowed in the dark in the same manner the moon is.

"Alexander, you okay?"

I gave a start and wrenched my eyes from her cabin. "Yeah, sorry was just thinking," and I started walking again.

He didn't look convinced but let it go and continued walking all the same.

Eventually, we reached the Dining Pavilion, a raised piece of ground with thirteen tables. Twelve oriented vertically all pointed toward the cabins. With one table horizontal blocking their 'approach.' The pavilion's platform was of granite a fitting design for those that had temples made in their honor. I saw kids of various origins trickle in, one table at a time.

One table was made up of individuals who looked like they would like nothing more than to start a fight and revel in it. Must be Cabin five, Ares children, I saw to their left was a bunch of children engaged in some debate over something. Athena's children I assumed. I kept looking until I saw Demeter's table, full of children discussing well anything. I saw Lord Hermes's table which was the most eclectic of them all. I knew who his child was and who was not based on their sandy blonde hair and mischievous look on their faces. The others were claimed and unclaimed demigods. The Lord of Travelers Hermes's took in all who needed refuge. Thus his table was the dumping ground for Gods and Goddess not important enough to have their own seat on the Council.

Of course, not all tables were full; Table One and Two were empty. Zeus's only child that I knew of was a tree and thus did not need the table. Lady Hera doesn't have any champions that I am aware of. She would never stoop to cheating on her husband no matter how much he cheats on her. Table Three, Lord Poseidon's table, was a table of one with only Percy Jackson sitting at it. Hard to believe that before 1945 or so this table like Lord Zeus's table would have been full of demigods. Such is the power of prophecy.

Once everyone was seated, I was three seats to the left of Chiron, in between two Satyrs; I heard a hoof pounding on the floor. Everyone went quiet. He then raised his glass and stated loudly, "To the Gods!"

There was a loud cacophony of noises as everyone repeated his actions. Immediately afterward Nymphs baring great patters of food entered the pavilion and deposited them on each of the tables. Everyone loaded up their plates with food and then took them to the hearth, myself included. I may not belong in the world, but I knew what needed to be done.

When it was my turn, I put one of the three pancakes into the fire with the granola with vanilla on top and stated, "for Lady Demeter. Hope you are doing well where ever you are." I watched as the fire flared slightly and I noticed a confused look on a brown-haired girl. I smiled at her; I knew who she was. She was Hestia, the First and Last Olympian, and guardian of the Hearth and Home. I ignored her in favor of my second offering. It was a banana, which I peeled before adding to the fire as well. "For Lady Athena, may your wisdom never fail and may you find it in unexpected places." Lady Hestia's look turned contemplative as she tried to figure out what I was up to. Neither were my parents as far as she knew, one had voted to preserve me the other to kill me. I winked at her before tossing a banana nut muffin in. "For Lady Hestia, may the Hearth she tends never go out."

Not waiting for an answer or response I moved on, letting the people behind me have their turn. I knew that I was being watched. I was older than all the other demigods and obviously not a satyr, so they wanted to figure out if I was a demigod returning after many years.

I ate my breakfast in silence, I didn't care to talk to the satyr's on either side, and I could feel their gazes on me, no doubt believing me to be the son of Artemis. I was frankly amused at the deception going on, and the best part was I didn't have anything to do with it. I mean the Fates were the one who made me a 'son of Artemis.'

Once it was clear that breakfast was winding down, Mr. D stood up. "Listen up," and all the demigods turned their gaze on the big table and the Lord of Wine, Parties, Vegetation, etc. "As you can see we have a new camper slash instructor Andrew Gaspard." At Chiron's whispers, he amended himself, Alexander Guliani. By order of my Father, he is going to aid Chiron in teaching you, hurray, don't kill him."

I felt everyone's eyes on me and waved in response. There were some mutterings, no doubt wondering what I would teach. Considering that Chiron had only the barest knowledge of what I could do, he would be forced to test me.

Shortly afterward the meal was over, the Nymphs came and cleaned up. As the children/teenagers stood up, I followed Chiron out of the Pavilion. "I know not your skills though I can plainly see you have had some measure of training. If you are to teach, then I need to know where you stand on your skills."

"Sounds reasonable, I was wondering what I was going to teach."

"What are your skills?"

I sighed, I could mention that I used magic, but I knew that Lady Hecate's magic was different than my own. "I am competent with the sword and shield, spear, and bow. I am skilled my brand of magic, though it is not like Lady Hecate's brand of magic exactly. Unlike Lady Hecate's children, my magic isn't the result of 'fitness' and a pool of energy. My magic is based on spells, and the wording of such spells. It is also based on the fact that the power given for the magic is considered to be a loan and must be paid back through missions. The more magic that I use, the bigger the payment in return is expected."

Chiron gave me a long look; I knew what he was thinking. What business did Lady Hecate have with me? Did she know who my mother was? Would she claim me as her champion?

In the end, though he just nodded and started asking me questions about monster's I had faced.

Yes, I had suffered a hydra, no not Medusa, The Nemean Lion, oh yeah. The Minotaur yes, Hellhounds check, Empousa yes, Dracaena yes as well.

He gave me a sharp look when I said yes to all of his questions, and I realized that I had said the wrong things. It may have been right, but I shouldn't have advertised that. No doubt he thought Lady Hecate sheltered me. Now he knows that is not the case.

"Any other adventures you want to tell me, Alexander?"

I smiled, "No, just your regular mortal going about his day."

He gave a loud laugh that came from his belly, "If only, if only." Then he turned serious, "I have taught many a generation of demigods, but you are the oldest in recent years to come to me. It is clear that you are holding back on what you know." He raised a hand to forestall my protests. "So long as what you know isn't a threat to the camp then you may keep them. Just know that you aren't alone. Now then, it is time for combat practice."

We had arrived at the Combat Arena, and I saw a sizeable amphitheater-style arena. In the center was a large circle where multiple groups of individuals could practice. Already I saw a group of children practicing. They must have arrived a few minutes before we did.

It boggled the mind for me to see children who should be in school or out playing practicing with knives, swords, and spears, it was mind-boggling.

"Liliana," Chiron called out. A young girl, maybe fifteen by the looks of her came over. "Yes, Chiron?"

"I need to test Alexander he, please spar with him using a variety of weapons."

"Yes Chiron," and she turned to me, "right this way."

I followed her to a corner of the arena where we could have some privacy. "It's not often we get a demigod that is so old," she stated after a moments silence.

I gave a wry smile, "I bet. Frankly, I am not enthusiastic about being here."

"Why not, you get to be amongst your family and be safe."

"True, but I had a life, a job that I loved. Right now I am supposed to be giving tours, and instead, I am here. Then there is the fact that I am so much older than everyone else. I have graduated from college with my Master's Degree; I just feel like my life is collapsing in on itself…I don't even believe that I am a demigod in the first place."

She gave me a sympathetic smile, "Truly I am sorry for your loss, I pray that the Fates are kind to you. If you need to talk come find me."

"Thank you, Liliana, I am Alexander."

"Pleasure to meet you, Alexander, now Chiron has decided to test you before he assigns you, class. Let's start off with the sword shall we?"

*Two Hours Later*

"Good, good whoever taught you knew what they were doing."

"They were the best," I said between pants.

"I can tell, listen Alexander normally I would say that you could teach up to the Intermediate level campers. However, you need to work on your stamina. Until then I recommend teaching only the basics."

I grimaced; my body wasn't impressive as it was before. I wasn't so prideful that I wanted to look good all the time. However, being able to eat what I want was nice. I would need to work on that.

"Only the basics, well that will ease me into camp life."

She laughed, "If only, I am going to recommend that you teach the advanced students in archery. Your skills are fantastic. Maybe I will be getting a new brother soon."

I looked at her quizzically, "I am a daughter of Apollo."

I gave a short laugh of my own, "Your blond hair and brilliant white teeth should have clued me in."

She smiled, "Indeed."

My smile vanished, "Well if what I learned was true I don't believe that we will be siblings, you'll just have to put up with a cousin instead."

She looked at me blankly.

"The Council believes that I am the son of….of." I found myself gaging like my throat was being constricted. Assuming that was what was happening, I doubled over from the pain. I could hear Liliana shouting my name from a distance. "Try to tell anyone, and your life will be short and full of agony Boy. Consider this your only warning or suffer my wrath." Came a voice as cold as the night and as sharp as an arrow from within my mind; it was Lady Artemis. She never actually identified herself, but I knew it to be her.

I heard galloping from my right just as the pain vanished and I found that I could breathe. It was Chiron; he was running full tilt towards me. Impressive to be honest, remind me never to try to outrun him. Tartarus I bet he could give a nymph a challenge.

"Are you alright Alexander?" Concern etched on his face.

"I am, I made the…mistake of stating who I believed my Godly parent was. They took offense at that and warned me against discussing that topic again. Under threat of pain, suffering, and death of course."

He sighed, "Let's get you to the Big House for some Ambrosia. Afterwards, we'll discuss your assessment."

"Sure," I turned to Liliana, "Thanks for testing me, hope my curse doesn't spread."

"My pleasure, as for the curse don't worry Alexander it won't spread. "

I smiled and felt the worry slip from me. She caught on quick, "Thanks, be safe."

"You as well," and she waved me off before leaving herself. No doubt heading to the showers to cool off.

Chiron and I began our 'long' walk back to the Big House. I could see the others watching me. Having long since stopped practicing when I was attacked. I gave a loud sigh, and he looked at me. "I know that you're expecting me to be sad. You're right of course, I am sad. On the other hand, I am more anxious than sad. I want to confirm what I am beginning to experience. I had a Mom, and a Dad who loved me cared for me, raised me, and groomed me into the man I am. I don't need her acceptance." I could hear my voice getting louder and louder. "I already have it. I just want to know who I am and she is going to deny me that!

"The Gods are by definition not human. They can feel, but their desires and wants transcend our understanding. Even if we think we can pin them down."

"I understand."

He gave me a dubious look.

I could understand the look, what does a twenty-six-year-old man who just learned that he is a demigod understand beings whose power can make or break the world if applied the right way?

"More than you will ever realize."

He gave me another look but dropped the subject.

The rest of the walk was done in silence, or I was silent and watched Chiron interact with the others. He said hi to some, advised others, and chastised two twin boys for playing a prank. Sons of Hermes apparently and then sent them off to arts and craft.

We walked up the front porch steps; I decided to sit on the swing and well swing.

I was still feeling off, the mental headache from my 'Mothers' dress down had shaken me. Chiron continued inside leaving me alone. I couldn't help but wish that I was back in Virginia. This wasn't what I was supposed to be doing with my life.

I heard the telltale sign of Chiron's return. I ignored him until he was beside me with a cube of ambrosia. I gave him a wane smile and thanked him.

I promptly chunked the small square of golden ambrosia into my mouth like it was vodka and found myself screaming in pain again as my mind stitched together. I could feel the tear heal. It was painful excruciatingly painful yet pleasant as well. When it was done, I felt better. I still felt the after-effects of the injury, but those should fade.

I sat in silence, the hand with ambrosia now resting on the hand rest palm up. Eventually, after staring out into the camp without actually seeing. I refocused on the world around me. I turned to Chiron, "Thanks for the Ambrosia, and my apologies for ignoring you. It is just…my life is gone I am surrounded by children. I don't want to teach those who don't want to learn!"

He gave me another sad smile, seems to be the typical attitude regarding me. "You're right it isn't fair, but that is life isn't it. As for the children, who say they don't want to learn? You are the oldest demigod here; you survived monsters that in the old days would have seen you put in the stars. You are proof that you can live life to an old age…"

"Old Age, I am within the prime of my life, that isn't old," I interrupted him.

"For a demigod it is, it isn't something spoken but understood. They, you, are used, used to the point that they break and then crazy glued back together so that you can be used again."

At my horrified look he clarified. "Not all Gods do that, all the time, I should say. It happens enough though that the life of a demigod can be hard and fraught with peril. Many leave the Greek World to get away, they stop coming to camp, and they move on. They can't escape their fate though. Monster attacks are frequent, more frequent than in the past due to technology and the need to use technology often to live."

"There are others then."

"Yes, but they do not come back to camp often, that opens the door to quests and other nonsense they would rather avoid. The fact that one has come back to teach is to them a godsend."

I felt my heart lurch; I knew what needed to be done. "Still upper lip and all is what you are saying."

"Essentially yes, now once Liliana arrives we can discuss what you could teach."

We sat in silence for a while until Liliana arrived, she looked like she had run a marathon and was breathing hard. On her back was my backpack with my water in it.

I held out my hand for the pack, and after a sec, she handed it to me. I promptly took out the bottle and gave it to her. She twisted it open and swiftly chugged half of it and then dumped the rest on her head. So much for the shower, she had just taken.

I stood up and offered her my seat on the swing. I didn't have to, there was room for two more, but I frankly didn't feel like sharing, so I stood up.

She waved it off, apparently too tired to speak.

A minute or so later she greeted us.

"How did he do Liliana?"

"He is frankly better with the bow, dagger, and sword than the spear. It is clear though that he has had instruction in all mainstream weapons. I would say let him teach the beginner classes first that way he will be eased in instead of having a shock. I would make an exception though to archery his skills are phenomenal."

I couldn't help but smirk a bit.

"Don't get cocky Alexander you still have ways to go, not though we know where to put you and what classes you will take while living here."

I gave a rueful smile, "Sorry, I was thinking about my teachers, they would be upset if I didn't show an aptitude in their weapon of choice."

At their quizzical glance, I elaborated, "Sword and spear. I know I am not the best at the spear it is just too unwieldy, but I learned how to use it and not kill myself or my allies at least."

They nodded in understanding, "Who was your teacher, Alexander?"

"I can't tell you Chiron they requested anonymity."

He gave me another look that suggested he knew that I was lying…which I was. But again I couldn't tell him who had taught me. That would lead to unwanted questions.

"Thank you for your help Liliana; you may go."

"Yes Chiron, nice meeting you Alexander, see you around."

"The pleasure was mine, see you soon."

She walked off leaving us alone again. At least I thought that we were alone who knows if Mr. D was around somewhere.

"Thank you for your help and understanding, while they may not realize it I know you do. You never taught me, nor have you ever seen me. You are willing to help me and give me latitude that the others are denied. I appreciate it, I truly do."

"You quite welcome, though eventually, I expect the truth."

"When the Fates give me leave I will tell you," at his look, I expanded upon what I had told. "The Fates forbad me from telling anyone. When the Moon Goddess demanded answers, and I tried to tell her they prevented me from doing so."

"Ahh, you are touched by the Fates then, a heavy burden no matter the age."

"You are right, though I can tell you that Mr. Jackson's warning shouldn't be ignored."

He gave me a sharp and intense look.

"The Lord of Olympus has declared that topic off limits I would be wise not to test that."

"Must have missed the memo then…I will keep it on the down low. No need to earn his ire. I would suggest we give some of the demigod's specialty training. For example: in stealth, guerrilla warfare, spying, tracking, squad tactics, etc.

"And when the Lord of Olympus inquiries about our shift in policy what would I tell him?"

"That they have volunteered to create a safe area within the city so that the Demigod's feel safe not just within the Camp but in the city as well. Right now the safe area is only guaranteed within the Camp. By extending it to the city, the Demigods can train in safer conditions outside of the normal boundaries giving them more experience. This project would result in having a greater chance of success in combat against the monsters and inquests in general. "

"You have given it some thought," he mused.

"I have, troubled waters approach and I would see as many of them survive as possible… we can contact some of the older demigods that would be useful. They can provide tips on how to survive, who knows they could create an account for demigods to withdraw money from while on quests. They need not come and fight if instead, they are willing to provide auxiliary aid."

"You HAVE given this some thought. Second question who will teach us these skills?"

I hesitated for a moment, "That would be the hardest part. The only group that specializes in what I just said would be the Hunt and they do not like the boys."

He nodded in agreement, "They do not, and it is clear that their Mistress does not like you."

"The other option would be to recruit some of the older demigods or see if the Wise One has some ideas."

"Viable, though still by far the shakiest part of the plan."

"True, but I already talked to her and warned her about what was coming. If she believes that I have spoken true or what I have talked about will come true, she will help. Her children, after all, live here."

"When, before you arrived didn't you."

I nodded my head.

"A calculated gamble Alexander, I would advise you to be more careful about who you tell."

"She is the only other one."

"Still she will of great help," and he began to stroke his beard in thought.

I let him contemplate in silence, and thus all I did was sit back on the swing and well swing.

"You have given me much to think about, let us return to the issue at hand, your position here at the Camp. You will conduct the beginner archery class under my supervision so that I may know the extent of your teaching abilities. Should it go well I will see about bumping you up a level until you reach the advanced class. The beginner class is every Monday from 11 am to 12 am."

I nodded to show that I understood. No doubt he believed me to be a Son of Artemis and that my skills would be of great use and help.

"You will also take over the class on Monster Assault Techniques. Usually, a child of Athena or Ares would teach this class. However, they do not have the experience that you have had. Based on your testimony you have encountered many of the monsters that the rest of the demigods have only heard about in stories. That class is from 12 am to 1 pm Monday thru Friday."

"You like the rest of the camp will have the weekends off. For the moment I would suggest that you do not leave the camp. As the Lord of Olympus has his eye on you, it would be wise not to tempt him."

I grimaced; I wanted to give a tour at COLO.

"Is there any way we can use the Mist so that I won't lose my job at COLO?"

"COLO?"

"Sorry, Colonial National Historical Park. It celebrates the beginning and end of Colonial America as a part of the British Empire. Coincidentally George Washington led the siege of Yorktown."

Chiron nodded, "he is one of the camps more famous demigods of the modern era."

"I'll bet," I nodded with a half-smile. I saw Washington in action planning the upcoming siege talking to his mother. She was giving him advice regarding the siege of Yorktown. How cool was that!

"No promises, more than likely I will have to use the mist to make them believe you never worked there at all…Well, it's a wonderful day; you have the entire weekend to prepare for your classes. My recommendation is to explore the camp and get to know it."

I smiled; though on the inside I was a bit upset that I would not get my final paycheck. I did want to find a lovely sheltered tree to take a nap under though. I know it wasn't that late

I went inside and found a blanket, my journal, and a pen. Today was going to be a good day, well and even better day than it had been an hour ago.

I left the Big House a minute later and then had to double back real quick to go to the bathroom. Once that was complete I left the House to head towards the lake. I knew there had to be some shaded locations that I could take advantage of.

It took me ten minutes or so to reach the lake. It was a beautiful warm day. September was nearing us, and I could see a hive of activity. The Naiads were swimming about, the children of Aphrodite, the ones who off for the moment were sunbathing themselves.

I ignored them all; I just took in the moment. The sun was shining a brilliant yellow and orange glow on the world. The sky was blue with nary a few wisps of white clouds. Not like the blanket of clouds the week earlier.

The water was a deep cerulean blue; the grass was light green and dark green, and the trees a myriad of dark brown, light brown, and the standard fall colors of yellow, orange, red, and light green. All in all, I was happy to be able to relax. No Gods demanding things of me, no Goddess torturing me. Yep, life was good. I threw the blanket under the shade of a large Oak tree and lay down.

I sat there in silence listening to nature, filtering out the excess noises of people moving about, the distant sounds of hammers falling and weapons clashing. Life was good.

I closed my eyes to take a nap. "Lying down on the job I see."

My eyes snapped open, and I sat up looking for the individual who spoke.

It was a woman; she was tall black-haired, green-eyed, with alabaster skin, and a face that looked timeless. As if it hadn't aged a day she reached maturity. She was carrying twin torches, and strangely enough had three faces.

I immediately knew who she was; she was Lady Hecate; Titaness of Magic, Sorcery, Witchcraft, Necromancy, Mist, and the Crossroads.

She also happened to be my patron while operating under Olympian purview.

"That's right, such a smart mortal."

Did I mention that she was incredibly dangerous as well?

Her lips curved into a vicious looking smirk. "Oh I am dangerous," she purred, "and I have a task for you."

I gulped, I was hoping to avoid this, and frankly, I didn't expect her to even know of me yet.

"You lead the bitch halfway across the United States using magic to defend, attack, and retreat and expect me not to know? Think, I know you aren't that dumb."

I flushed slightly, but held my tongue she was right after all. Even if she weren't, I still would have kept my tongue. Back talking Powers that Be, especially the Greco-Roman ones never goes well.

"No, it does not. Now I have a task for you

"How may I be of assistance Elder Cousin?"

"Tomorrow is the weekly Capture the Flag game; I want you to participate as a third party group. I want you to showcase your might, especially your magical might."

"I can do that, and I will tell Chiron what you have demanded of me."

"Good, I want you to show up that infernal Big Three demigod Jackson and that daughter of Athena's need a good ego check."

"As you command Elder Cousin."

She vanished, and I had no choice but to get up, shake my blanket out and then toss it over my shoulder. I picked up the journal and pen and began the walk back to the Big House. Capture the Flag was held once a week every week from 7 pm to 9 pm. It was three pm right now which meant that I had six hours to prepare. This had to be a gross misuse of position. I didn't want to be some errand boy; I did not! What have I gotten myself into, I groaned to myself?

I picked up the pace I needed to find Chiron quickly and then head to the armory to see some armor. If not then I would need to head to the forge which thankfully wasn't too far away.

Chiron wasn't at the Big House which meant that I needed to figure out where he might be. I decided to head to the archery range to see if he was there. Seven minutes later I reached the field and was slightly sweaty for my trouble. He wasn't there. I asked one of the campers where he was, and they didn't know but directed me toward the Arts and Craft Pavilion.

That meant that I had to job to the opposite end of the camp, I felt like groaning. I so needed to work on my stamina.

By the time I made it to the Arts and Craft pavilion I was sweaty and flushed. However, I had found him; I had seen Chiron. I was so happy to have found Chiron, or I would have been if I didn't feel like I needed to sit down and drink some water.

"Alexander, what brings you here? I would have thought that you would be enjoying your weekend?"

"I received an unexpected guest and need your help."

I gestured to the side to avoid having to talk where the others could hear me as they were staring at me instead of working.

Chiron followed me outside, "What's wrong she didn't hurt you again?"

"No, thankfully it appears she is lenient, so long as I avoid certain subjects it appears I will be okay. No this is an entirely different issue. I have been commanded by Lady Hecate, my patron, to form a third party for this week's Capture the Flag game."

He frowned in either irritation or contemplation. "One person versus the camp will not go well."

"I agree at best it would be a slow death. However, this is her command, and I am loath to go against her."

"Agreed, very well you will form your own team for this week's game. I will figure out where your flag should go. You need to go to the armory to find some armor and a weapon."

"I will, thank you for your help and understanding."

"This isn't the first time that I have had to adjust my routine."

I walked away and muttered. "I'll bet," when it was clear that nobody was nearby to hear me.

I headed to the armory which thankfully wasn't too far away. At least compared to the archery range I only had to walk half the distance to the arsenal.

The walk allowed me to cool off and to think of what I needed to prepare myself. I needed a bow and quiver, a sword and at least five daggers. Two would be used to parry and attack while the other three would be hidden in my armor and be capable of throwing. I needed armor that was light but durable. Offered a big more than the minimum protection required, and of good quality that it could be spelled.

The armory was a large metal shed behind Cabin Six, which made sense when you think about it. Cabin Six is all about wisdom and battle strategy. Having to choose the correct type and amount of weaponry and armor would be right up their alley. Only Cabin Five could have as high a claim if not stronger. This assessment is based on their prowess in combat though not on their analytical abilities

I chose a light brown hard leather armor set. Compared to the other armors it was complicated and hard to put on. The first thing that I had to put on was the undershirt which was a thick cloth that went from the neck to mid-thigh. Designed to stop arrows and knives but not swords, it provided the minimum coverage as well as preventing chafing from the leather.

The central chest piece of the armor itself came in three parts. The under portion which protected the entire torso and then had two connecting portions at the hips to protect the thighs from the sides. This set and the connecting pieces were held together by three buckles each. There was a half-moon piece of leather connecting the parts to the main body of armor.

For the main body, the buckles were on the front while the side pieces buckles were on the sides. The pattern on the leather was plain until it reached the border of the bottom. The design was of intricate flowers that emerged from the leather and continued onto the edge of the secondary pieces below the main set.

Then there was a second set of leather that went over the first set on top of the first chest piece. In doing so, it provided the most protection for the most vulnerable part of the body. Like the first part, it had three buckles in front, and the bottoms had intricate floral patterns on them. The eight leather pieces looked like waves with how they went from the inside swooping down to the right, and left respectively, depending on which side you were looking at.

Then there were the shoulder pads. These pads had three components to them. The most extensive parts protected the shoulder and neck and were connected by two buckles that went around the neck. The smallest part provided extra cover for the shoulder beneath the flare of the first part. While the third section began underneath the second part went all the way down to the top of the elbow. This piece was held together by a buckle that went around the arm a few inches below the armpit.

Where the armor connected to the second piece of armor by way of a metal pin, which held the two in place. There was also the strategic use of metal used as well. The sides of the second section of the chest piece had a medium size band of steel running down the side protecting me from being hit from an angle. It didn't protect from being slashed from the front though.

The point of the most exposed part of the shoulder pad had metal running up the spine of the turn, while the third part had a metal cap that just touched the elbow.

I moved about and felt a little stiff, not used to the armor, and the armor not yet being broken in. Necessary protection minimal weight, now I needed to put on the gloves, and leg pieces to round out the set.

The gloves were made up of three sets of leather but when put on was once long glove. From the point just below the elbow, the gloves began with an arrow point capped with metal. An inch later the next leather piece started, also with a metal point and continued the rest of the way, the bulk of the lower arm. It ended just where the hand began. That way I had full mobility of my wrist. The third part was the smallest part and protected the top of my hand and flared slightly upwards to deflect blows. That part of the glove also had a band of leather that went around the palm keeping the piece of leather in place. It also had a thin piece of metal on it for extra protection.

The leggings, connected were one long piece of leather. In fact, it was made up of four pieces of leather attached by way of buckles. The first part and the largest regarding width went from the point where the legs met the hip bone and went downwards in the end. The second part overlapped the first part and continued all the way to the top of the knee to a point. These two components connected to the leg employing two buckles on the back of the leg.

The third piece of leather protected the knee by wrapping around the knee out on all sides like a half circle and moved down half of the lower leg. The fourth piece went over the third portion and curved to cover the boots that would be worn. In fact, it included the entire boot which was great.

The ankle had a narrow band of metal going around it, and the topmost part of the leather had a thin band of metal running up and down all parts of the legging. It only 'branched out' when it reached the knee. There it covered the entire leather piece protecting the knee.

Finally, I found a piece of armor to protect my neck from having my throat slashed. It was a large piece of black leather that had eight small round buttons of metal inserted into it. Just touching the bottom of the buttons was a solid piece of thin metal that went around the entire neck and in the front flared downwards to cover the gap where the chest piece left vulnerable. The vulnerability area is the same as a polo, it's the v-shaped piece of skin exposed by the shirt. The article was held together by a metal buckle on my right side.

I was almost ready, in fact, all I needed was my helmet, and I would have a complete set of armor. Unfortunately, all that was available was the Corinthian style helmet. The stereotypical helmet design was worn by the Greek armies of old. The helmet that I chose was bronze in color and no doubt material. It had no crest and thus made me look like I was bald. However, it provided full protection for my head, bar my ears which were exposed. The face was protected with only the mouth and eyes open to attack. The opening was straight down from the nosepiece and looked like a weird T when connected with the eye holes. The only adornments were a thin line of ridged metal where my eyebrows would have been, and again where my forehead met my hairline in a reverse V shape.

Completely armored I now needed to find a weapon or two.

I chose a wooden bow made of maple and metal. Weird combination I know, but the metal ran the length of the bow and capped each end. If anything the extra addition meant that it would make for a good blocker in a pinch if needed. With it was a quiver full of arrows.

I then chose a Falcata or slashing sword. Essentially halfway down the blade, it curved a few degrees downwards making it an excellent weapon to pierce enemy armor.

I wrapped the sword belt and hilt around my waist. Now to find that dagger, I looked around and saw it. It was small, no longer than a foot in length. Its hilt had grooves that twisted along the length of the hilt that made it easier to grip and a short hilt guard. The blade wasn't thin, but it could hardly be considered medium let alone large. Meant for thrusting, slashing, or parrying instead of throwing I had no choice but to sheathe that plan of mine. I attached the dagger's hilt to my chest, on the left-hand side of my body, making it easier for me to draw in a pinch.

Armed and ready I wore my armor out of the armory and headed back to the Big House to spell the armor and weapons. I didn't have much time, it was already five, and if I were to stack the deck, I would need to hurry. Dinner was in less than an hour.

In the end, I had fifty minutes to spell my equipment, which meant that I would need to pick the spells carefully. Apparently, I would be unwise to overload the number of spells I wanted to add to the armor. I could use no more than two on the chest and one on the gauntlets. I chose to use the Heavier than Air spell which turned the leather armor into medium armor without increasing the weight. If I decided to forgo the extra spell I could turn it into heavy armor. Instead, I chose a shield spell which would reflect all damage up to medium level attacks. It wouldn't stop arrows unless they were glancing blows though.

I spelled the gauntlet so that once activated it would turn my Fulcatta into a flaming Fulcatta. Virtually every time it connected successfully with an opponent it would burst into flames. In the process hopefully igniting the enemy making it easier to kill without having to suffer any retaliation.

The Falcata was given a spell to check the damage, I would have added an armor-piercing spell, but that would be too dangerous to be used against an ally. Even in a training scenario like this.

The dagger was spelled with a blade of wind. Mostly it turned it into a sword with two-thirds of it hidden in plain sight when activated.

The bow, well I was tempted to add another armor piercing mod, but that again was not proper. So I went with a spell that gave each arrow that was nocked an electrical charge. With the intention of immobilizing the enemy in an albeit painful manner. I looked up at the clock; it said 5:45 pm. If I hurried, I could fire a few arrows at the range before dinner.

If I didn't figure out the range of the bow, I would be in a pickle come 7 pm. I made it to the field with four minutes to spare. I found an open range and set up a shot. It went wide, like way over the target wide. I compensated by lowering the bow and saw myself shooting into the ditch. I back up and still found myself firing over the goal. It looks like the spell was meant for long distance shooting, not medium range. I would need to compensate for that in the coming battle. I chewed on my lip in thought. I looked at the clock. Dinner had started, I cursed and collected the arrow in the ditch and followed the stragglers as they made their way to the Dining Pavilion.

I was ten minutes late which meant that everyone stared at me as I walked in with full armor and bow and quiver stored on my back.

Chiron looked at me, "Ready I see."

"Almost, I need to tweak a few things, but I will be ready for the match tomorrow."

He smiled, "Good, I have figured out where your flag is going to be. It will be just north and west of Zeus's Fist, and north and east of the other side. Essentially your flag is going to be near the waters of the river that marks the boundary of each side."

My smile vanished as I thought through how I would be able to protect my flag and still go on the offensive.

"Thanks for telling me Chiron."

"My pleasure."

The two satyrs on either side who had recoiled at first due to my armor again began to close in. My companions thought they were oh so subtle in their actions. They would lean in to sniff the food near me. But all they did was make them little creeps. I know that I smell like the wild but come on! Have some dignity, some pride!

I ate a quick light dinner and got up to head back to the Big House. Before I left the pavilion I steopped where Chiron was eating. "Yes Alexander?"

"Sorry for bothering you, but where will I meet for the capture the flag game tomorrow?"

from the Big House is there anything that I need to know before I leave?"

"Be at the arena by 7 pm to hear the rules, beyond that nothing else."

"Thanks," and I walked off in a hurry. I wanted time to just relax and I knew there were a few hours before sunset.

I made it to the lake and just sat down under the canopy of the closest tree, it was nice to just relax.

I stayed there for over an hour, just staring at the surface of the lake. It was nice to think of nothing, to realize that tomorrow the world was not ending to know that tomorrow I would not have to help comeup with a way to save the west.

When my watch struck eight I got up, stretched and returned to the Big House. It was time to prepare for bed.

I passed by twelve cabins, the armory, the amphitheater, the forge, and arts and craft pavilion. As I neared the Big House I could hear the sounds of chatter coming far off in the distance to my right. I raised an eyebrow, I had noticed that there was no movement from the divine cabins, I guess everyone went elsewhere.

Either way I was going to relax it had been a very stressful week and some rest and relaxation was in order.

I took a bath, the first one in years and I made sure to put some non scented bubble soap in. I know I am a guy, how can I with all my testosterone do such a thing. Well to Tartarus to them, I was going to do what I wanted. I had earned the right and besides if I don't know them then it doesn't matter. If they are my friends then they will give me shit but in the end I will survive.

I was in bed by nine having pruned myself. I just fell into bed, it was my time to just sleep.

My dream was an unusual one, in fact I would say it was a weird one. I was running through the forest, leaping from tree to tree, moonlight radiating off of me and into me. I could feel the song of the wild. I felt rejuvenated in a way that I had not felt in a long time.

When I encountered a deer I took out my bow, despite not having one on me and took aim. I steadied my breath, released it, and then fired.

The dream followed the arrow and as it neared the deer I noticed that the eyes of the deer were purse silver. Before the arrow hit, the deer dodged? After which I was at the receiving end of a silver arrow. Just before it hit I woke up.

It scrambled around for my phone. The phone read 3:41am. I let the phone go and plopped my head back onto my pillow. What did it mean, what did the dream represent? Clearly the doe the deer was Lady Artemis, I was the hunter, then she was the huntress and I was the prey. I didn't understand.

I rolled onto my side to turn on my lamp, I needed to write this dream down. As Lady Demeter said long ago what I experienced was a Demigod Dream. It could be important in the future.

I spent ten minutes writing down everything I could remember. Every last detail, so that I could present this to Chiron and ask for his advice on the matter. Once that was done I went back to sleep.

I woke up at 7:20am. That gave me enough time to clean my room, and to get dressed. Today was the big day, today was the capture the flag game and I wanted to be ready for it.

Once the clock reached 7:45 I made my way to the dining pavilion. I didn't want to be late or last. I remember summer camps, the last cabins got to eat last and had less time to eat.

I ate breakfast, but before I left I talked to Chiron I wanted his advice.

"Of course Alex, lets go talk," and he led me to a secluded area.

I told him about my dream and what I thought it might mean. He was concerned and it showed.

"Clearly your demigod parent is upset with you and may be looking to harm you. It could also refer to you doing something to her and your mother responding in kind. Such dreams are hard to interpret without a prophecy. Even then that doesn't always make them easy to understand. My advice is to not let it worry you but be careful."

"I will Chiron, thank you."

"My pleasure this is what I am here for. Now you do not have a schedule per say so how about for today you follow me around for the day? That way you will know the camp better and what will be expected of you in the coming days."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Excellent, follow me."

For the rest of the day I followed Chiron around. From archery lessons to arts and craft. To the Monster Assualt Class which was interesting say the least. I enjoyed listening to the instructor going over the various ways to kill a monster. But what was really interesting was the Greek Mythology class. I hadn't really received a proper education which meant that the stories of old were not told or only known in passing.

I could tell that Chiron was watching me closely. Watching how I intereacted with the others, how I responded, and probably most importantly of all what I knew and did not know.

I was okay with that, after all I needed help in a great deal many areas. I had received a wartime education, and lacked the slow and steady education that the western nations used for their children.

However, while it may have been fine it was still annoying. He was keeping me on edge and by lunch I was ready to talk to him. I kept feeling like I was under suspicion of wrong doing despite being innocent. Well innocent in that I did not harm any of his campers. I did interfere slightly with the quest. Nothing that wasn't ordained by the Fates but still technically interference.

Once lunch was over I went to talk to Chiron, but before I did I hesitated. I decided not to talk to him, but to let it go. I needed to earn his trust. I was a brand new demigod afterall that had been commanded by Lord Zeus to teach under Chirons guidance. Such an event I am sure has not happened since the camp was founded. Once the camp was founded the demigods were brought to him and he made sure they knew what they needed to know. In essense Chiron was granted a monopoly regarding the education of all Greek Demigods.

Yet I appear out of nowhere trained, dangerous, brimming with knowledge and experiences he has no clue of. That makes me stick out and an individual to solve. Oh he won't treat me wrongly afterall I am a demigod. But until he knows more about me he won't be able to know me and where I will fit in the camp. My age of course is another factor against me. There are no other adult demigods within the camp.

The rest of day went by quickly and by evening I felt tense. This was so much like the eve of a major battle. The final moments. There was still so much more to do. I need to put on my armor, collect my sword and dagger. While also removing the spell from the bow post haste. If there were time, I would replace it with an electrical charge. If not I would just deal with it. To make sure that I had time I ate a hurried dinner sacrificing only to Lady Athena and Demeter. I skipped my mother because lets face it she doesn't like me anyways so why honor her?

It was six forty pm when I arrived at the Big House; it would take me ten minutes to get to the arena. That left me with just enough time to remove the spell and head on out.

At 6:48 I was out the door. It took me less time to remove the spell than usual. Good thing I left a tail to unravel the spell.

I arrived at the arena with two minutes to spare. Everyone else was wearing celestial bronze armor with helmets full of red or blue feathers. Chiron, when he saw me, handed me a Corinthian helmet with Yellow feathers on it. I handed him my helmet and put on the yellow on.

"Demigods! You know the rules, no killing, no maiming! Magical items are allowed. The boundaries have been adjusted though!"

At that murmurs began, "Lady Hecate has demanded that Alexander here form a third part team consisting only of himself. His flag is to the North and East or West of your respective positions. I have set magical torches to show the maximum boundary of his side and illuminated his flag as this is an unusual event."

"This means to win overall you need both of your opponent's flags. The game begins in fifteen! Good Luck!"

At that everyone began to move into the woods. I knew of this area, and it usually was stocked full of monsters.

I trudged off to find my flag; I hadn't a clue where it was any more than they did. In fact, I was still trying to create a plan of action. So far it revolved around an Elastic Defensive Doctrine used in World War II. Essentially instead of having a static defensive line that when breached meant that the entire line was done. Like the Maginot, Line France created post World War I. This defensive doctrine allowed the armies to flex and move in response to the ebbs and flows of combat.

Of course, the hitch in my plan was that I had no allies to call on. Cabin Five and Six would overrun me on my own soil quickly. Any more than two people attacking me at the same time would overcome me unless I played for time. Hence the Elastic Defense Doctrine I was looking into.

I could create a Doppler Ganger, which was risky but would allow me to defend from both sides or go on the offensive if necessary. Frankly, my goal was to incapacitate as many of my opponents as possible.

I bet that I would be the center of a small task force of demigods from both sides. I wasn't strong enough to go on the offensive, and defensively it would be challenging. So it would be easy enough to take my flag they would assume. I planned for a total of no more than twelve demigods in all heading my way, six from either side.

I needed to create the Doppler so that I could create my defenses. I said the word for spell number three and watched as another me was created. "Alex," I greeted myself. "Alexander," he replied.

"You know what needs to be done. I will create the shield around the flag, and you will create some immobilization spells near the border. Make sure it is large enough for at least four people to be caught. Once that is done depending on the time, either use the stealth spell and sow confusion amongst the enemies. Or join me on my side and protect the flag."

"Understood, more than likely I will see if I can sow confusion."

"May the Force be with you."

He rolled his eyes, yet responded with the traditional, "and you as well." Before he vanished from sight and I could hear him moving through the trees silently.

I walked a couple of more minutes and found the flag. It was in the middle of the stream on a very very small island in the middle of the stream. Since the stream was crossable with no danger, it was more Chiron's way of evening the odds. How they would win though was an issue. All they had to do was to take my flag to their side of the river. As my flag was halfway in the river it meant they had half the distance to cross. I decided to pull out a trick to even the odds.

What I planned to do was create a shield, the same style of shield that protected me from Lady Artemis a few days ago. However, in this case, the shield would be powered by a rune. A low powered rune. The rune was powerful enough to prevent anyone from going near the flag, without destroying the shield first. They would need to bring more than four people to bear against the shield to kill it, which would give me a tactical advantage in the coming fight.

The second doctrine I applied was the Delay Doctrine. Doing whatever was necessary to prevent the enemy from winning and preventing me from losing.

The third and final doctrine to apply was the Mobile Doctrine. The idea was not to be static but to move around and move fast. This would be the hardest doctrine to use as I was only one person. It opened me up to events that I would not plan for or foresee. I decided to modify it to apply to my territory just. That way I would be able to delay the enemy and maintain control to an extent over my area. Who was I kidding? That would be true up until the first groups of demigods moved into the field. Four, just four would be enough to force me into overdrive.

I set the emerald gemstone at the base of the flag and held onto the spell. , was spell number five, my Offensive Ward. This ward was the one I wanted to set up while on the run but couldn't. There would be no hiding this spell from anyone or anyone that could feel the energy.

If one were to look at me. They would see a glowing emerald with a white light emanating from it. The beam of light connected to the spell on my watch and you would have seen me pulling the circle that was the shield outwards. It was designed to be a perfect circle no matter how it was drawn. In this case, I had no choice but to protect the flag no closer than two feet away.

It would frustrate them to no end, but now I had a chance to sow confusion amongst the enemy in home territory. I heard the conch shell blow; the game was afoot.

I said the word and watched as the shield blossomed into being. I then stated the word for the stealth spell and went intangible. I had to hurry now I had to set a few traps, and they would be visible ever so slightly, a sheen on the ground.

It had been two minutes, and I was hard at work setting up my four traps. Roughly speaking the pitfalls would cover thirty-two feet each. Once they were set though anyone could set the off, even I could if I wasn't careful. So I had no choice but to vacate the area between the traps and the shield. The traps themselves were fifteen feet from the flag, which meant that there were thirteen feet between the shield and the traps.

I was betting that they would be more concerned about the shield and my absence than looking at the ground itself. When that happened I would strike, I would take one prisoner by giving him a 'fatal injury,' i.e., making it clear that he was my prisoner. Then I would engage the others taking advantage of my magical shield to combat the others. Though that isn't something, I would like to rely upon. It was risky to rely on the magic shield or any for that matter. No shield is impervious and more than likely will be bypassed.

In the end, I got only two of the traps operational; they were pointed towards the south-west which meant that the Blue Team led by Cabin Six would be hampered. I had to stop because I heard the rustle of movement. I went silent, i.e., I activated the stealth spell. It was the Red Team, and they were headed my way. Thankfully there were only four of them. I gave an internal laugh, just four of them. I readied the trap spell and energy blast spell or the sunburst spell as I called it.

My plan was simple, tone the sunburst spell down so that it blinded them only, and then set the trap spell hopefully catching at least two of them. The rest I could take down in close quarters combat.

I tensed, muscles straining as I waited for the right moment. Once they had cleared the majority of the trees and were halfway to me, I struck.

I said the word, and a beam of sunlight hit them square in the face. I listened to them curse and yell at each other. I had to act quickly but not hastily. I would only get one chance at this. I saw two of them bump into each other and promptly said the word for the immobilization trap. They sprung up in a dim flash of light. As they still saw spots they missed it.

I rushed forward ignoring the bumbling duo; they would e incapacitated for the moment. My goal was the two who were not trapped. All that was left was a boy and a girl. The boy was closest to me, and I quickly drew my weapon. "Whose there?"

Crap he heard my draw my weapon. I readied my dagger and prepared myself to move quickly. I took a step closer and watched for any recognition that he had spotted me. It didn't look like he had seen me, so I closed in as quietly as possible. I wasn't quiet enough though. He readied his weapon. He put it in a vertical position directly in front of him. By now I was right in front of him. I coughed and deliberately shifted my feet causing him to swing his sword to my left instinctively. I rushed in, blocked the arm from turning back and put my knife to his throat.

"You're my prisoner, and there is no way out."

"Fine," and he bitterly threw his sword onto the ground.

"Stay there I have to find your companion."

"Like I can see where I am going anyways. Asshole! You blinded me."

"Nothing some ambrosia or nectar won't fix," I replied blithely.

I looked around for the fourth member of his team, the girl. She wasn't in sight, and I cursed silently. Then let out a breath of air. I couldn't stray far from the area. I was best if I let her go. Given the intensity of the light, I estimated she would be out of commission for the rest of the game.

I turned my back on the forest or the denser part of the woods. After all the game was taking place gave a forest, to deal with my prisoner.

He was just standing there, really uncomfortable.

"Here, let me help," and I reached around in my expanded sub-space pocket for a handkerchief or towel. I found a small hand towel and then twisted it into a long rope. I used it to cover his eyes.

The point of doing this was to prevent any excess light from entering his coronas. Once I did that I led him by the arm to my POW camp. It was under a large shaded tree so he wouldn't get heat stroke. The last thing that I did was mark him with one of my shields. That way if he were attacked he would have a chance of escaping/defending himself.

He grumbled all the way but didn't resist beyond what he could get away with being blinded. He was right to worry I could have blinded him. I was confident that I did now, and that Ambrosia and or nectar would help. I couldn't help but feel worried though.

I thought it over and decided that I would risk calling Chiron by was of an Iris-Rainbow. Essentially Face Chat but using water and divine powers, to do this I would need to create a rainbow and then sacrifice a drachma.

"Would you mind forming a rainbow for me?"

Next thing I knew a rainbow had been formed. "Oh, Iris Goddess of Rainbows and Messenger of the Gods please accept my offering." I tossed the drachma into the rainbow and firmly stated, "Chiron."

An image appeared of Chiron helping campers who had. It was organized chaos frankly. Eighty campers all were fighting it out using live weapons, oh yeah. "Chiron!"

He looked up confused, "It's me Alexander, and I'm hiding for the moment. Listen does ambrosia and or nectar restores eyesight if a camper was subject albeit indirectly from a ray of sunshine?"

"Explain to me what happened Alexander."

"I used some magic to focus a ray of sunlight on hitting four campers on the head with a beam of light. None of them were looking up, yet all of them were blinded due to the intensity of the beam. Would ambrosia or nectar work in healing them?"

"It should, and I would ask that you not use that technique again though until we know for sure. If not Lord Apollo should be willing to help. The eyes were they destroyed?"

"No, they were not."

"Then they should be okay."

"Great! Listen I have to go, thanks again!"

The Iris cloud disappeared, and all that was left was the rainbow. "Thanks for the help, you can stop now." The water stopped flowing, and I was left slightly winded. I had used a good chunk of my magic right there. However, knowing that I may not have blinded my allies by accident was a relief and well worth the energy cost.

I looked in front of me; there was nobody in sight yet, though I knew that would change. The beam of light would draw people to me quickly.

There was two people trapped immobilized, blinded…'Crap!' I needed to get them out of there before they hurt themselves even more. I ran over to the trap and pulled the 'string' undoing it. They promptly fell to their knees as their muscles cramped from being immobilized for about five minutes. I hurriedly put a knife to each of their throats and forced a surrender from each of them.

They were just as happy about what I did like the first guy I took to my prisoner of war camp. Like the first, though they were compliant, and soon they were safely under the tree. Unfortunately, Lady Tyche was against me or so it appeared. As I was supporting them into a sitting position, I saw another four campers appear. This time they came from the other side. "Keep your eyes closed," I told the two players, and then hurried forward to meet the new arrivals. Right after I threw them two towels, they could use to wrap their eyes with. Not checking to see if the towels were pitched the right way I left.

These four campers were more cautious due to my actions, let make them jumpy, shall we? After all, can't have them seeing my trap before I want them to.

I approached them cautiously, they were singed in multiple places, and it was clear that they had seen heavy fighting.

I decided it was time to break out my bow and its electrical arrows. I hadn't recovered from my sprint from earlier and was feeling winded already. Without any water, I was in trouble. The creek didn't count I had no idea if I could even drink from it.

I quietly unslung my bow and pulled out an arrow. Shooting a bow is much more complex than firing a gun. Bullets travel many times faster than an arrow, and it takes much longer for a bullet to be affected by the wind.

Arrows, on the other hand, can travel fast but not so quickly that the wind can't blow it off course immediately. As it was December, it was bitingly cold, and since there was a slight breeze, I had to deal with that. Though to be fair the wind shouldn't be an issue, assuming it didn't pick up.

What I needed to do was to relax, take my stance and decide who was going to be my first target. All four were boys. One had storm-grey eyes, the rest…did not. Okay, I knew who I was going to hit first. The Owl Child needed to be dealt with before he could cause me any issues. I knocked an arrow and pulled it back. I took a deep breath and then released it to steady my hands. I centered the arrow on his shoulder, right one. For me, that was, for him it would be his left.

I released the arrow and heard the soft whisper of the arrow as it left the bow. It flew with nary a bobble in its shaft, and next thing he knew he was struck with an arrow and arcs of lightning were coursing through his body immobilizing him. Fun fact the commands that are given from the brain are sent by an electrical current by way of your central nervous system. Overload the nervous system and presto! No more controlled movement from your target only random jerking movement.

Of course, the one downside was that the arrow once pulled out could no longer immobilize the target, and he would be free once more. After resting a bit, his nervous system would be recovering from the unwanted shock of a lifetime.

Of course, I knew this before I shot the arrow and didn't take the time to admire the results, nope no sir E. I immediately nocked another arrow and managed to take a second person out before the other two gathered their wits and dodged the third arrow I sent down range.

They couldn't see me, but they knew roughly where I was. I kept the stealth up, being all machismo would get me know where fast.

I am a hunter, and they were my prey. I would stalk them and take them out on my terms, not theirs.

Wow….where did that come from? I shook my head to shake the errant thoughts out of my head.

"We know you are there, show yourself!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Like that was going to work.

I carefully moved to the left, my goal was to flak them and shoot one more arrow at them.

The problem was though that they were now hyper-vigilant, it came with being a demigod. Our bodies are wired for combat and thus while we can't sit still our reactions are above average by far.

Thus when I tried to flank them, they heard the crunch the grass made as I trampled it and looked in my direction. I gave a small sigh, looks like I would have to shoot them from where I was. The fact that they couldn't see me or my weapon would be to my advantage.

Until they charged me, I had just enough time to nock and fire an arrow, missing by a hairs breath before they were on me.

I dodged and sheathed my bow quickly so that I could draw my dagger out. My goal was to continue avoiding until I could get a lucky strike.

It was difficult for me though. They couldn't see me, but they could look at the footprints that I left behind.

I still planned to keep the stealth up; they couldn't see my weapon or me which meant that I would have the advantage in attacking and defending because they couldn't see me.

We twirled about, I dodging their swords and they swinging their swords randomly trying to hit me. They were quite good; they had worked together before. They covered each other's blind spots well. Which meant that I would need to get within their guard if I was to succeed.

I dodged and waited and dodged some more, after about ten minutes it seemed I found my chance. They were out of sync for two seconds, and I rushed the closest person. I used my left gauntlet to block the sword, carefully hitting the flat of the blade, and then swung the arm to the right so that when I went for the jugular, I would be at an advantage.

I crawled my way to his back by manhandling him. In the end, though I got the blade to his neck and forced him to stop moving. Or I should say when he felt the cold steel v-shaped he froze.

"Your dead, drop your weapon and go the prisoner of war camp behind you. It's to the right of the shield." I didn't need to get into semantics when discussing from what angle it was obvious.

I gave him a shove not giving him the chance to respond. I had other fish to fry. Like his partner who was watching me with the gaze of a hawk. Now that he knew where I was he could, in theory, keep me pinned by just keeping an ear out for the noise that I would make thereby allowing him to keep up the pressure.

However, what he didn't know was that I could use more than the average spells and bow. I decided it was time to pull out my sword.

I sheathed the dagger and watched as he tensed when he heard the sound. I then pulled out the Falcata and readied myself.

The Falcata wasn't the standard European long sword. The Falcata hit like an ax but had the reach of a sword. The source of the power came from the curve at the base of the weapon near the hilt. It was a pre-Roman Iberia weapon used with great effect against Carthage. Its origins came from the Greek Kopis which also had a curve to its blade.

More than likely this would offer an advantage over the fact that my opponent only had a straight sword of Greek design.

I tensed and then an instant later I struck and struck hard. Using surprise, superior height, and hopefully strength I attacked. A minute later it was over. Surprise and not being able to see me or my weapon was what undid my opponent. The match would have gone differently more than likely if I had been visible. But lacking any visual clues made fighting me nearly impossible.

"Cheater, if you had been visible you would have lost!"

"Maybe I conceded, however, in war your opponent will do everything in his power to win. Which means he or she will pull out every trick in the book to kill their opponent and live to see another day. Consider this a lesson if you will. If you expect your opponent to cheat you will be prepared for whatever they throw at you."

"Whatever."

I sighed, "Help me carry your comrades to the POW camp will you?"

"Do it yourself," he said and walked off.

I rolled my eyes, not that he could see it. This was why I didn't want to deal with children.

I turned to his friends he so graciously left to me. I quickly pulled out the arrows thereby stopping the stuttered screams and twitching of nerves.

I could see the relief on their faces as the pain stopped.

I wanted to pull out some of my Ambrosia and Nectar, but I needed that for myself. I analyzed how long it had been since they had been shot. I would estimate no less than three minutes, no longer than six.

A long time to be in constant pain, and thus I needed to heal some of the pain I caused. I reached for my watch and pulled up spell number….ten should do it. A low-level healing spell that would cause the pain the dissipate. After all a goods nights rest and an inactive rest of the evening, they would be good as new.

I said the spell and felt the drain of the magic within me. I wasn't empty far from it, yet I was worried about the sheer amount of magic that I was using. The last time that I had to use that much energy within a short span of time…say no more than a week. I had to venture into Tartarus to free the Lord and Lady of the Underworld from their imprisonment.

I still shivered when I thought about that hellish venture.

I watched as the spell took hold and I could tell that they were beginning to feel better. To be on the safe side, I pulled out a diagnostic spell. The spell had multiple purposes within the overall medical/biological/natural fields. In this case, it was a mixture of medical and biological.

I needed to know what was happening to their central nervous system. The spell, once I tweaked, it showed a 3D image of their body. I focused on the central nervous system. I wasn't a medic, but I knew the basics and bit beyond that. I could tell that the nervous system had been strained due of the voltage employed by the arrow. Note to self-half the energy and test it out before using it in combat against an ally.

In the end, though I decided to stay the course a goods nights rest along with some Nectar and Ambrosia would do the trick.

I picked up the boy closest to me. He was brown haired and brown eyed, a son of Demeter maybe? The issue wasn't just the weight it was the fact that at random times he would spasm. I was hit at least three different times in two different locations by his arms and legs.

The other boy, the child of Athena was just as bad, though concerning physique he was thinner in build than the other child. Though he was lighter, he had up for it with higher muscle and hit me a few times when I least expected it.

It was this act that convinced me that I needed to give them some of my Nectar. Once I sat him down by the tree I propped him up, and then I pulled out the last of my Nectar. Cracked the seal and tilted it down his throat. I was worried for a second that there would be complications, but there were not. He stopped twitching, and I could tell that he was taking control of his bodily functions…Thanks, Lady Tyche he didn't wet himself the smell would have been unbearable!

I repeated this with his companion, and then I handed a small bag of Ambrosia cubes to the disgruntled child with orders to pass them to the two demigods that had been temporarily blinded. He took the bag ungracefully and agreed to help his fellow demigods, finally.

With that front covered I turned my attention back to the battlefield. Or rather the battlefield that was quiet. Nobody was nearby, and I was left alone, again. I looked at my watch; it said 8:00. It had been only forty-five minutes! I had an hour left before the game officially ended. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. I had hit the metaphorical limit on my powers, and frankly, it wasn't worth dying over.

I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to fight the old-fashioned way. Then again why was I feeling so resigned? Magic, unless you have extraordinary reserves at your disposal, will eventually fail. Use your magic but use it wisely. So far I have handled it as tactfully as I could. I needed an extra set of hands, so I created them. I needed to level the playing field, so I trapped it. I needed an advantage over my enemies, so I not only employed underhandedness myself in the way I planned to fight I enchanted my weapons. I did everything right. Under normal circumstances, I would be fine but being chased through the country did me great harm.

UGH! How did I ever survive the last war? I know I ran, hid, and ducked when necessary. However, I couldn't avoid my fate I used up so much energy that I paid the price, Tartarus.

Stop that I scolded myself mentally.

I pulled out my bow and counted the arrows in the quiver. I should have twenty-one shots left. Enough for half of one team if one side rushed me if I was lucky that is, missing one shot would mean that there would be one more person to deal with. I didn't believe that would happen though.

I felt sick to my stomach; I would be lucky if I were given another death-defying quest again. More than likely it would be a quest that would end in my death.

I didn't want to continue to be honest, last time it took a year before it reached this point. This time it took me less than a week.

I looked for a proper hiding spot and found it in an old oak tree. I hid within the crown of the tree, the very top. I had a clear view on all sides which meant that so long as I didn't attract attention, I would be fine.

However, I would have to fight, which meant that when I struck I would have to hit fast and hard. Lacking either would put me in a precarious situation. It was inevitable that I would, but having the high ground would help me tremendously.

I was visualizing all the vectors and angles that I could use to help me disable my enemies. Which to be honest was more than I anticipated. Odd, was this because of my 'heritage' I wondered?

Something to look into later I suppose, I needed to focus.

I continued to scan the horizon and saw nothing, nada, zilch. I was so bored; I hope Alex had a better time than I was having.

I looked at the watch it said 8:10 pm. Ten minutes! By Olympus, it felt longer, I kept looking at my clock and then I heard it and…felt it?

I dodged to the right further out onto the tree branch limb and saw an arrow fly by me. I focused down range and looked for the source. Then I was forced to dodge left back to my original position as a second arrow flew my way. Then a third arrow forced me out of the tree. I needed to close the distance, and thus I charged. Using the trees as cover, I charged, stupid I knew. I was facing an unknown number of enemies, made up of an unknown composition of enemies. I didn't know exactly where they were, how strong they were, or if they had a mastermind behind the attack. I didn't even know if this was a spoiler attack or the first move in a major offensive. I just knew I needed to act.

However, I did know that if they were working together than my chances of success at beating them all would be slim. I gave it a 20% chance from the get-go and then down from there.

I saw a girl, blonde haired, a child of Apollo. That explained the archery abilities. It was Liliana thankfully, that would have been hard to deal with. Her, I could deal with her. I raised my bow and nocked an arrow. I was moving faster than I had ever run before. I fired more quickly than ever. In fact, I could hear a song, a wild song that called to me.

Before she knew it, she had been knocked out, and I was on to enemies two and three. Two more children of Apollo, I closed the distance. It was a one-two grouping. I took out the one who was to my left and was now moving to my right about fifty yards. A fair distance to help if you didn't have a ranged weapon.

However, being that we were in a forest I had the advantage, they couldn't fire quickly, and thus I would be able to close the distance taking the least amount of return fire possible.

I pulled out my knife and sped up the last few feet. Leaping into the air and flattening the one on the left, the one farthest to me by landing on his chest feet first. I then lashed out at his partner and forced her surrender by miming a cutthroat by flanking her. I then disabled her partner by crushing his hand and using my sword to pin him point first.

Then it was like a switch had been thrown and it was all over. Three silent as grave enemies looking wide-eyed at me. It wouldn't be until later that evening that I would realize that I had been glowing silver.

However, all I cared about was the fact that I had been moving so fast, that I could feel the energy and life of those around me. I felt energized rejuvenated even, and it was an eerie feeling. I had never felt that before to be honest.

I didn't have time to contemplate what happened because next thing I knew I was being attacked by a much larger group. Six of them in fact, one archer, three swordsmen, two spearmen. I knew when I was outmatched. However, I needed to even the odds. I ran, I ducked but not fast enough I took an arrow to the leg and felt it bounce off. No doubt that was a nasty surprise for them. I kept running until I was able to run behind a large tree and draw my bow. I nocked an arrow and prepared to fire. However, before I could show myself, I stopped.

I may have given myself cover. However, I didn't know where they were as well. I took off my helmet and using my knife carefully made it look like I was peeking out. The plan was that the minute the archer shot the when he saw me, I would shoot him or one of the other five. Preferably him, I could use the ranged advantage right now.

The plan failed, they didn't take the bait. Which meant that I had few options available for me to use; therefore I quickly put the helmet back on and looked around and then up.

The only way to survive was up, or use magic, and I didn't want to do that. Not here, not now, this wasn't life or death, it was just posturing by this point.

Why am I doing this? Right, Lady Hecate wanted to establish that not only was she powerful but that she had powerful pieces under her command. She also wanted me to defeat the heroes of the most recent quest…crap. I needed to seek them out, didn't I? With no way of knowing how Alex was doing, I would need to help him or do his job. That would show I didn't trust him and I did. He was me after all me.

Let him worry about disrupting the battles enough to defeat Chase, and then beat Jackson in combat.

I climbed the tree halfway up the trunk. The goal wasn't to reach the branches that would cause them to spot me. My goal was to ambush them when they came to investigate my lack of movement.

If there were a child of Athena or Ares, this would be difficult.

I was right, by the end of the third minute, my legs were screaming at me. I was so so exhausted.

I ended up waiting another five minutes before I heard a more significant noise. Finally! I carefully and slowly drew my quiver and prepared to fire an arrow. The plan or instead plans were to both knock one person out of the fight with an arrow and then launch me on top of another if they were close enough. Or I would knock on person out with a well-placed arrow and keep firing until I was forced to jump.

I nearly lost my balance for what seemed like the hundredth time. Wish I could have come up with a better plan.

I readied an arrow and waited.

However, to my shock and horror, I realized that the sound I was hearing was getting closer and higher. They were climbing the tree. Forcing me out of it and into the open, I had seconds. Heart pounding I went through a mess of options none the right fit for the situation. I settled onto the evident and second most dangerous. I would climb the tree as well. I put away the arrow and quiver and slowly turned around. Once I had done so, I took my knife out and put it blade first into my mouth. The sharp end facing outwards, of course, no need to imitate the next Joker.

I felt like a pirate in the movies where they were boarding enemy vessels on the sly.

I climbed as quietly and as quickly as I could. I expected them to encircle the tree soon and then use the archer as suppression.

I reached the top yet didn't move towards it, I knew that someone was up there. I tensed and then made my move real quick. I climbed the last half foot up the tree and gave with a sword to the face. I ducked and pulled out my knife.

When I popped back up, he thrust it towards me, and I slashed at the sword with the knife using its wind ability.

I blocked it and knew he was wondering what was going on. He tried again this time using his superior position to force me to surrender. After all, we were up a tree, and he was standing on it. Instead, I grabbed his leg and threw myself off of the tree dragging him out of it. Being that he was eight, nine and small of stature, it worked. Well, it threw him off balance, and now I was falling out of the tree. Well not before cutting his leg with the knife. Or I tried to cut it, and it bounced off his armor.

I hit the ground on my side and let out a loud breath of air. I quickly got up as fast as I could, sheathed my knife and pulled out my bow again just as I reached a crouched position I saw the first person come around the corner. I shot him in the chest and then dropped the bow in favor my sword which I used to counter the second enemy as they came around the other corner and seeing my back had attacked me.

Honor wise it was a shitty move, practically it was the right thing to do, and I would return the favor.

What he didn't know was that my sword could ignite my enemies. It pays to plan.

We exchanged blows for a few seconds before I disengaged, ducked to avoid his decapitation swing and jumped back and ran back to where I knew the incapacitated enemy was. My goal was to get to the enemy that was attempting to help his fallen comrade.

My instinct was right; one person was attempting to help him, another that was right behind him.

I blindsided the helper by slashing him with my Fulcata igniting him. His partner had a look of horror plastered on his face. I tried to attack him and found myself on the defensive when I had to block an arrow-headed my way.

I retreated to the opposite side of the tree and was immediately confronted by the enemy I had run from. I slashed at him, and he barely blocked it. We exchanged more blows using my sword, and through successful footwork, I maneuvered him. So that I no longer had to worry about being hit in the side or back from the archer.

This time I decided to be reckless, I used my gauntlet to block the flat of his sword and then used my sword to pin him. I could hear the leather groan like metal armor as the blade dug into the armor.

I was thankful that the leather had been turned into medium armor at no cost to my flexibility or weight.

However, praying that my armor would hold wasn't smart, so I pressed offensive and backed him up to the point his back was touching the tree and the point of my sword at his neck.

Checkmate, two maybe three enemies down with four maybe three to go.

I heard footstep and quickly retrieved my bow, time to execute a hasty retreat.

I ran towards home base. It was an open clearing which gave me an advantage and disadvantage. I needed. It was apparent, big wide open space, no cover to speak of. Of course, so long as the archers on their side, to a minimum, I would be fine.

If not, well I'd be fighting in the shade.

I knew that I was in trouble. However, I did have one trick up my sleeve. The two traps I set up were meant for the Blue Team, and here they were. Or at least they would be here. I had been forced to abandon the fight after inflicting casualties after all.

I sheathed my sword and pulled out my bow and an arrow. I didn't nock it; I didn't need the constant stress. However, I did ready the arrow to be fired.

I moved my wrist slightly to the side to see what time it was, 8:17.

Then I heard a loud noise, a group of demigods from the other side of the river, the East side, Team Red were headed my way.

I saw three of them. They sure made a lot of noise for just three people. I was sure there were more of them.

Either way, this was going to hurt. The best option would be a three-way battle between Red, Blue, and Yellow.

Sure enough, it resulted in a three-way battle. When they came in range, I shot arrow after arrow at them. Of the three I hit two, and the third went down to an arrow from the Blue Team. Seeing that their plan failed seven more demigods all in Red charged towards me. Their two archers provided cover from both myself and from the Blue team which was raining arrows down on them just like I was. In the end, only three of the seven fell to our arrows. I was forced to retreat when it became clear that their front rank would overrun me. Not being able to overcome the shields they had raised would do that.

I let them approach the shield which immediately began to glow from the assault. I then started to counter-attack. I needed to push the enemy back while I still could. Blue Team right now was peppering the Red Team archers with arrows. Keeping them from assisting their comrades, however, that could change.

I kept my bow handy after all they were standing on water…for the most part. In the end, though I decided to let the Red Team hammer away at the shield, it wouldn't fall so quickly or easily.

I shot arrow number one at the enemy archer and then again at number two. Both of them fell leaving only two enemies from Red Team left.

I watched as the members of Blue Team advanced with the archer covering them by attacking Red Team and me. One of their numbers fell, and the last remaining Red Team member fell back using his shield as a cover.

I ignored him in favor of shooting at the other members of Blue Team. I needed to keep them distracted so they would not notice my trap until it was too late. Instead of taking out the enemy archer I shot at the charging demigods. A risk, I was risking being hit by an arrow, but a calculated risk.

I needed to not only keep their attention but group them so that the largest group of enemies would be trapped. I shot at their legs to hinder their advancement. Never hitting them but coming close. Well at least after the first hit which delayed two of their numbers by a few seconds. Now it was only two advancing. I quickly took advantage of the opportunity and shot a few more arrows this time at the person on the far left forcing him to the center.

All the while dodging enemy arrows, which was perfect for me. It would explain why I wasn't aiming entirely like I was earlier. At least that was what I was hoping at least. They came within fifteen feet of the flag, and before they could react, they were trapped, immobilized.

I didn't relax; my little trap had set the fox amongst the hens. The two charging demigods in blue came to a halt wondering what had happened. Being that I was directly behind the trap, I couldn't get to them.

I knew that I had to let them make the first move, if I moved incorrectly, they wouldn't hit the second trap, and my defensive strategy would be more limited. I decided to take a step to my left, their right and then draw another arrow. The two traps overlapped ever so slightly, barely kissing each other. Enough so that nobody could thread the needle so to speak, but not so much that there was an apparent overlap preventing the trap from extending to its farthest reach.

One moved towards me the other ran towards the direction of the second trap in what he more than likely believed was a flanking maneuver. That was acceptable; I could deal with that.

I focused on the boy heading my way and put away my quiver. With a thirty-two feet trap blocking the way I would only get one chance to shoot him. If I missed, I was screwed. I drew my sword instead.

It took a few seconds before he rounded the trap, while that was happening his partner discovered the second trap. Now three of his team members were trapped within the barrier which also meant that the lone attacker was unprotected. His teammate playing support, the archer, soon found himself unable to fire through the barrier. He could still shoot; he would just have to fire up. Unless he knew how to calculate the exact trajectory his aim would be haphazard.

I was right; the enemy archer didn't fire on me. He couldn't because his teammate was in range.

His teammate was a son of Hermes, light on his feet, hard to read, twitchy. I received my first injury though. The shield finally fell, and I took a cut to my arm. Nothing serious, yet I would need to clean it soon or risk infection.

I could take some nectar or ambrosia. However, I didn't want to exhaust my supply just yet. Then there was the fact that I didn't have any nectar or ambrosia on me. I had given it to my POW's out of pity for their injuries.

Once I had disarmed him and forced a surrender out of him, I looked around for the sole Red Team member that should be still around. He wasn't. I cursed myself for being inattentive.

I looked at my watch, 8:30 pm. By the looks of it, we would have a three-way stalemate. Hopefully, this would please my patron. I didn't want to get on her wrong side. It would depend upon how well my clone acted I thought. Yes, what I did was flashy and useful; however, I hadn't defeated Jackson yet or stymied Chase. Or had I? Again it was hard not knowing how your counterpart was doing without solid intel; something that I lacked.

Having secured my flag once again all that stood against me was the archer who retreated soon after seeing his teammate fall.

I looked at the clock it said, 8:32, twenty-eight minutes left. I waited to see who would attack, nobody did. In fact, I spent the next half hour wondering what happened.

When the conch shell blew to signal the end of the game, I heard no yells of victory. Which meant that I was either too far away to listen to the shouts. Or that here was no victor and thus no yelling. Either way, I wanted to know, it was burning within me, the curiosity I was feeling. Noticing that the demigods that I had captured were leaving, I quickly finished up where I was.

I deactivated the shield, gathered the emerald, and took down the traps freeing the three demigods who immediately began to speak loudly about cramped muscles. Then I took the flag from its place with me. I walked quickly to the edge of the forest, where the game began.

I didn't see anyone, which was both odd and understandable. It was still strange though, and creepy to an extent.

I exited a dense grove of trees to see Chiron gathered around a large group of demigods. The majority of which had injuries of some state. When I arrived, they all stared at me.

Which made sense after all they had been staring at my Doppler for some time it appeared. "Thanks for the help Alex, have any fun?"

"You know it; while the demigods here are trained they lack real-time experience. Case in point, Ms. Chase, for all her knowledge and wisdom was unable to regain control of the field once I had taken it. Ms. La Rue on the other hand just kept throwing her soldiers' lives away in fruitless attacks. If the match had continued, both would have lost."

Both demigods flushed slightly at the criticism leveled against them.

"And the third thing?"

"Yeah, yeah Jackson was taken care of easily. For all his potential his lack of knowledge and experience was his undoing."

"You really kicked their butts didn't you?"

He, I laughed, "I'd say the same thing about you. Or did I imagine a ray of light hitting the ground a while back?"

I smiled, "You did not, used it against four demigods from the Blue Team."

"I know, I a girl stagger her way back this way. Made it easy taking her out."

"Alexander, mind explaining what is going on?"

"Chiron, sorry I shouldn't have ignored you." I gestured to my 'twin,' "this is Alex, he is my Doppler, not to be confused with a twin. I used my magic to create a clone of myself and then had him sow chaos in the enemy lines. This spell allowed me to not only defend but attack as well."

He looked thoughtful, "Impressive piece of magic, though one I am sure is not without drawbacks."

I nodded but didn't say anything.

"Well for the first time in centuries we have a tie!"

I could hear grumblings and then murmurs as everyone looked at me one group after another as they saw the same thing.

"It is decided! Hail Alexander Guliani! Champion of Hecate! Titaness of Magic, Sorcery, Witchcraft, Mist, Necromancy, and the Crossroads! Hail Alexander Guliani!

I knew what had happened I had been claimed. No doubt twin purple torches were hovering over my head. How Chiron could tell I was her Champion and not her son was a mystery though.

Everyone knelt, even Chiron and I was left standing in the middle of a large group of demigods. Was I supposed to acknowledge their knell?

The answer came a few seconds later when Chiron stood up, and everyone followed. After which seemingly as one, they began to move out. A few headed to their respective cabins, the rest of the Big House for treatment for their injuries, ambrosia and Nectar should solve that issue nicely.

Everyone followed him, and I saw Blue and Red team members supporting each other. In fact, while this was my first Capture the Flag game it seemed as if everyone was heading to the infirmary.

I turned to Alex, "What did you do?"

He smiled, "I messed shit up."

I rolled my eyes, "that is obvious. More specifically what did you do?"

"I set a dozen or so traps, some incendiary, some electrical, some immobilization traps. My favorite trap messed with their perception. Making friends appear as foes and vice versa."

"You started setting them up immediately after we parted ways didn't you?"

"Yup."

"Good job."

"Cheater!"

We looked over and saw a blond haired girl with storm grey eyes scowling at us; she seemed to be about eight. Which meant by right of age and cute factor it would be humorous. However, the glare she gave me sent a few chills down my spine along with the standard cute factor. Must come from her mother, because there was no way she could be that intense without those unique eyes.

"Cheater, that's against the rules!"

I noticed that people were starting to stop and stare. Murmurings were beginning to erupt as her words swept through the nearby demigods.

Alex and I exchanged looks and couldn't help but grin at each other. What an opportunity had been presented to us.

"May I…?"

He bowed to me while gesturing, "Go right ahead Alexander."

"My thanks," and I turned my attention to the girl. "I was there just like you when Chiron gave the rules. At no time did he state that we couldn't stack the deck."

"It was implied."

"In warfare, unless the rules are signed by the signatories of all sides they are never implied. Even if signed the rules aren't always followed. Countries are ALWAYS looking for ways to get ahead."

I took a breath and continued, "As a daughter of Athena," and I pointed at her. "It is your job to maximize enemy casualties while minimizing your own. You do what must be done to ensure victory. The Trojan Horse during the Trojan War is a great example of that. Do I need to explain to you why it was brilliant, or the devious underhandedness of it?"

She scowled and said nothing.

My smile grew even more prominent, "Your Mother isn't Daddy's little girl just because of her sex. It is because she looks at all the angles and comes up with the best possible plan to achieve victory. She knows that casualties are a given but she spends their lives wisely. She does not just toss them away in human wave tactics."

I could tell that I had everyone's attention now. Time to wrap up this up and hopefully hit a grand slam; I needed for everyone to realize what the underlying purpose of the game was.

There will come a time when you might be called to the defense of Olympus. When that happens, remember that in combat the winner uses all tools at his or her disposal and I mean all of them. After all, all is fair in Love and War."

"You didn't win."

"But I didn't lose did I? In fact, I caused such a headache at absolutely no cost to myself that we have a tie for the FIRST time in CENTURIES. If the match had gone on any longer no doubt, I would have won."

"It is still cheating."

"Maybe, I'll concede that this is just a game with NO other purpose than that." My tone of voice was making it clear that I didn't believe a word of what I was saying. "In which case, I did cheat and should be shunned. But I ask you, child of Athena, do you believe that? Knowing what I just told you would you still name me a cheater?"

She said nothing and just glared at me for a bit. Then she whirled on the spot and continued walking.

Victory.

"Well done Alexander," Alex whispered in my ear, "well done."

I nodded my head in the direction of the Big House, and we moved in that direction. "Thanks, Alex."

He nodded his head. "Will you need me?"

"Not at the moment, unless you expect a repeat of last week," and I gave a dry smile.

With an even dryer response, "No, I don't, though I do expect you to cross paths with her again shortly."

"No bet."

"Fare thee well Alexander."

"Fare thee well Alex."

One second he was there, the next there was a rush of energy as he went back to being energy. It was like unraveling a ball of yarn. One sec it was whole and of substance, the next it was a puddle of string in a heap. Expect that this head came back to me.

I could tell that everyone else was staring at me, I didn't care. I received roughly a fourth of the energy that I had invested into Alex back to my reserves. Considering the state of my reserves I was pleased. It meant that I wasn't in as bad a trouble as I thought I was.

Still didn't mean I wasn't worried, I was. Now that I knew that I had more energy than anticipated, it suggested that I while I should abstain from using magic for a while. It didn't mean I needed to worry yet overly. The lack of a present 'danger zone' let me pay back the debt that I owed.

I continued to walk in silence, not looking to talk with anybody. Frankly, I hadn't made any friends. How could I, after all, I was at least a decade older than the oldest demigod here? I didn't take classes with any of them; I ate at the Big Table and slept in the Big House. I was an anomaly a new moon orbiting on the periphery of a planet with moons that had been established long ago.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling to know this. However, I did have a lifeline; I did have my friends back home. Though how much I could tell them was an issue. I couldn't go with, oh yes I am the son of a goddess, my mom wasn't my mom, and I have to teach demigods how to fight.

He'd go WTF? Hold on explain this to me again.

My other friend would laugh for a bit and then go WTF explain that to me again.

Either way, I'd need to contact them again and come up with an excuse as to why I had been out of contact for so long.

Upon seeing the lights within the Big House, I shelved that line of thought. I had other things to do. Once I reached the Big House, I looked at the watch it said 9:25 pm. Almost half an hour I couldn't believe it. I guess the time included the walk from the forest.

I walked in the main door, the door I saw people entering and exiting at a relatively quick pace and decided to follow

The infirmary was full of people, like bursting at the seams full. Did I do that much damage? Or was this normal for a Capture the Flag Game?

I looked around to see if there were any children of Apollo around and saw a few but not many. In fact, it looked like the majority of them were not healers in this instant but the patients.

With so many injured realistically, it would fall to those less uninjured to tend to the more injured. I hope the stocks of ambrosia and Nectar will hold. If not I hope they have a proper triage system in place.

The noise level was a muted roar in my opinion. With that many people in the room, roughly two dozen people lying in beds alone, it was understandable. Then there were the dozen people set up on cots, and the eight or so sitting outside the infirmary relaxing.

All in all, it looked like organized chaos. I heard lots of chatter between individuals and I listened to the telltale clip-clop of Chiron as he neared. He rounded a corner carrying a large bag of ambrosia and lots of bandages.

I hurried over to him and grabbed the bandages from his arms. "Thanks, Alexander, listen I need you to get more ambrosia from the storage closest. Normally we keep it inside the infirmary, but with so many injuries I had to break out the secondary stock."

"Sure thing Chiron."

"Excellent, the closest is around the corner of the hall to your right. Please hurry."

He took back the bandages, and I made room for him to move, and as soon as he did, I was off. In less than a minute I was taking out bags filled with ambrosia. I took three of them. I figured that with so many squares in the three would be enough. I also brought a few more bandage rolls with me as well.

Less than a minute later, without closing the closest door I was headed back to the infirmary where Chiron was. I strode in the door and ignored the chatter. Chiron was at the very back of the room divvying up the bandage rolls to the few demigods not injured or lightly injured.

His back was to me, so I waited until he had a second and then spoke, "Chiron I brought the Ambrosia as you requested as well as a few more bandage rolls."

"Quick work Alexander, good work."

He took a bag and opened it, handing the open bag to me. "Give each demigod a square of ambrosia no more."

He looked at me sternly to make sure his point had been made. I nodded to show that I understood the seriousness of the situation.

"Good, everyone in the beds has already had one, give one to those on the cots and those sitting outside. Once you have done that return to me for further instructions."

"Yes Chiron," I stated crisply.

I turned to face the room and began to hand out squares to all those on the cots. I had to stoop to get their attention and to hand out the square. Each time I did I saw them eat it and a sigh of relief crossed their lips or their face cleared as it relieved of some injury that I could not see.

I kept handing out the squares until I ran out of cots and thus moved out of the room to the eight or so demigods waiting for help. I passed a square to them, and they too ate it post haste.

Once I had made the rounds, I went back to Chiron for further instructions.

"I have done as you requested Chiron, what else can I do?"

"You can write down all the injuries each person sustained for our records."

"I can do that, but isn't it easier just to collect the charts noting what treatment they have been given in response to said injuries?"

"It would be; however, this gives you the chance to think about what you have done and consequences that came of said decisions," he stated with a hard look on his face.

My face twisted for a moment before becoming blank. It was as I feared the majority if not all of the tonight's injuries came as a result of my actions. I wanted to curse Lady Hecate for forcing this type of combat on me. However, I knew that she didn't specify what steps to take just that action had to be made. I was to showcase the might of magic, her magical skills and I had to put two demigods in their place. I knew that I had only done this because it was required of me yet the injuries. I sighed, this was on me, and I would bear the burden. I would need to apologize for the severity of the injuries.

I sighed, "Yes Chiron I will get started right away. Do you have a journal and a pen for me to use?"

"Here," and he thrust at me a 250 page bound notebook, a black pen, and a clipboard.

"Thank you; I will get started right away."

"See that you do," and he turned away from me to talk to another person.

I couldn't help but realize that my time here had gotten even rougher.

I looked to my left and decided to start there. Gertrude Wylat, age nine. Parent: Unclaimed. Injury: severe electrical burns due to an electrical trap. I winced and looked at her. What little I could see of her that wasn't bandaged was fine. But the sheer amount of bandages meant that a good portion of her body was scorched. I knew she would be okay, but I wasn't sure the scaring would fade if the charred clothing were a sign.

If this was the injuries that I had dealt than I was in a lot of trouble. Not only with Chiron but their parents as well, I broke out in a cold sweat after thinking that.

My pen scratched down her information and injuries. I decided to leave an entire page for Annie. If anything it would allow me to add to her information as necessary.

Hector Grey, age 11. Parent: Hermes. Injury: Broken arm due to friendly fire.

Must have been one of the perception distortion traps, handy piece of work, but a real doozy to overcome if at all. Like before I left an entire page for Hector before moving on to the next page and next patient.

Tricia Gunnison, age 7. Parent: Morpheus. Injury: Cramps due to being immobilized for the better part of two hours.

Well at least there won't be any scars; still having one of your muscles seize up is painful. Having them all, ouch!

Thus I got to work recording eighty plus demigods injuries. Some had been caught in a fire trap; others blindly attacked others leaving them with serious injuries. Others had been blinded due to my beam of light. More had severe burns, and some had painful cramping throughout their body.

The more I wrote, the more twisted I felt inside. Yes, I was correct when I told the child of Athena that this wasn't a game. However, I went overboard. I treated them like hardened enemies to be killed and not allies going through a training exercise. I was such shit I would be lucky if all that happened was banishment from the camp. I would be even more fortunate if I weren't cursed by each of their respective parents, and with the sheer number of injuries, they will be discussing this. No doubt within the week they will do it.

Even if the Council shows leniency, I will be in trouble for years if not decades.

It took me a long, long time to record all the information. Names blurred, as did their ages, but the injuries stayed with me.

When I was finally finished, it was near midnight. I had been writing for almost two and a half hours.

When I presented the book, pen, and clipboard back to Chiron, I was ashen-faced. He took one look at me, nodded, in what satisfaction, and then sent me to bed.

I didn't feel like taking a shower, but I forced myself to do so. Maybe I could drown myself in the shower.

By the time I got out and crawled into bed, it was near one. I didn't care I just pulled the cover and sheets down and crawled inside.

When I woke up, it was in cold sweat. I looked around heart pounding. The room was dark out, in fact, I couldn't see anything just grey and black.

My heart was pounding, and so I reached over for the clock. It was an old windup clock, one you'd see in cartoons. It had to be a century old or near about that old. I loved it. However, I could barely look at the numbers. Eventually, I made out hand on the five. Five o'clock! God, I just wanted to go back to sleep.

I flopped my head back down on the pillow. I felt it hit the soft material and sink a few inches. I then did everything I could to go back to sleep.

When I heard the clock go off at seven, I knew it wasn't going to be the best day ever. I felt like I didn't manage to go back to sleep since I woke up at 5 am. However, I had no idea if I even did fall asleep so maybe I did.

Then there was the fact that I would have to face a camp full of children and teenagers who wouldn't see me in a favorable light. Then there was the fact that Chiron was angry with me and even if he did know why I did what I did he would be disappointed in me.

I decided to stay in bed for a bit, however, eventually, I had to get up. I looked at the clock 7:05 am. Five minutes have gone by so fast…

I got dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a red polo, hiking socks, and boots. I wore a black woven belt around my waist and a pair of sunglasses on my head. Wouldn't need them I bet yet it was a habit to have them.

At 7:15 I was ready to leave my room. I touched the doorknob and hesitated for a moment before twisting the knob. Be strong; you knew that this could happen when you entered the Olympian world.

I opened the door harder than necessary and found nobody in sight. Not that I was disappointed, I closed the door and began the long walk to the pavilion.

Nobody was in sight and the end, I reached the dining pavilion by 7:30. Everyone was there, and the minute I stepped in all the sound stopped as they stared at me. I ignored them and focused on the Big Table.

"Morning Chiron, did you sleep well?"

He looked at me with a…well not precisely welcoming expression but not hostile either. "I slept well Alexander, you?"

"I slept well; unfortunately, I overslept it appears."

"So you did, at least you arrived in time to have breakfast."

"Indeed I did," and I nodded to him before reaching my spot next to the two satyrs. I loaded up a plate full of pancakes, strawberries, eggs, bacon, and toast. A lot of food, usually not what I eat during the week, however, this was the weekend.

When I sat up, I could feel everyone watching and as I walked back to my spot I could feel them staring at me.

I gave a portion of the strawberries to Demeter, some of the eggs to Athena, and two of the four pancakes to Apollo. I asked him to help heal the injuries done from the most recent game. I wanted to make sure that everyone was okay.

I ate my food in silence, not attempting to talk to the person to my left or right I just kept my face to my plate. Trying to eat and not look like I was tense, instead of that I was calm and collected.

Not sure how well I succeeded; however, there weren't any issues, so I count that as a success.

When breakfast ended half an hour later, or really twenty-five minutes later everyone left talking. However, I knew that they were looking at me. How could they not? One person, one adult, sent over half the camp into the infirmary with various injuries of seriousness.

I planned on spending a while thinking of ways to counter any argument that might be brought against me. Or the pros and cons of fleeing camp to avoid judgment…

I sighed, the whole point of going back in time was to prevent the war and then aid Olympus in facing the Crooked One. Being away from Camp Half-Blood would be the opposite of what I wanted to do. On the other hand, considering how toxic I have my stay at the Camp, unfortunately, it may be that I would have to leave?

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Journal Entry

June 24, 2006

Not the best weekend I have ever had, in fact I would say it is a continuation of the horrible days of two years ago. Kicking the butts of children at worst and teenagers at best left a sour taste in my mouth.

My patron demanded that I not only show the might of magic but upstage the Finders of the Lightning Bolt, Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena and Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon. I did so quite easily. Chase lacked experience and was easily overcome, Jackson's inability to contribute left him a non-entity.

I know I bragged about my actions while in public, but I feel terrible to be honest. No matter their heritage and purpose they are children. However, if I caudle them they won't be ready for the upcoming war.

I am worried about the amount of energy that I expended for this victory. I definitely owe a hefty chunk of service to the Powers that Be.

I am also worried about how Olympus will take my actions. I may have done a fantastic job however; the casualties are too vast and will catch their attention. Especially if Lord Apollo is called.

If I can survive the next week I will be okay. Seven days that's all I am asking for. Please Lady Tyche, Fates, let me be okay.

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A/N: I can't believe it! I did it again; I managed to write another 20K + chapter in about a month and a half.

Wish I had a cake to present myself. I did well, very well.

As you can see I love this story and want to keep at it. Not to say I don't love my first story. However, lets face it. This may be a new car feeling or it could be a sign that I have messed up my Star Wars story and thus it has lost its luster to me.

I won't give up on it. I have invested too much time and effort. I just need to concentrate and double down so that I do not have to revise it…again.