Chapter 18: Dueling In Arena

Percy

"BEGIN!"

In the blink of an eye, quick dashes prompted with the help of wind magic helped both figures close the ten feet gap. Silent awes mixed perfectly with the whistling wind as spectators watched on from the sideline.

"Woohooo! Go Percy!"

"You too! Don't lose so easily, Clarisse!"

Meanwhile, Thalia sighed in despair, "Don't you think you guys are being a bit too dramatic? No one else is cheering."

"Oh don't worry, I am sure there will be more cheering later on," Piper added with an extra smile.

"Sigh…"

"Anyway… Look at them, they are really doing their best, aren't they?" Piper pointed at the center of the arena where two demigods were trying their hardest to best one another in a bout that's more or less on the spur of the moment rather than a real challenge.

Thalia threw her hands out, "And here I thought he was going to quit at the last minute."

Piper gleamed, "Looks like he's having fun instead…"

Thalia nodded and watched Percy dance across the field like a falling cherry blossom. There was real grace in his movements as he dodged and sidesteps her oncoming attacks. Meanwhile, Clarisse was Clarisse, her hard-pressed assault was relentless like an endless rough storm.

This surely was a spectacle, and that's why Piper said what she said: it was an inevitability that a rush of spectators gathered at the arena from all over Camp Half-Blood.

Although coming from the hearth at the cabin to the arena was only a ten-minute walk, the visible static sparks shooting between Annabeth and Clarisse were enough to draw a commotion from the other campers passing by. It seemed word was now out that a mock battle between Clarisse and Percy was happening at this very moment.

Thalia could tell a lot more people were clouding in the arena as a result. A real lively atmosphere now decorated the hall as the oncoming crowd watched with rapt attention, eager to see the winner of this impromptu duel.

Everyone was holding their breath, some were spurred on by Annabeth and Rachel's loud cheering and went along with them, including a certain daughter of Aphrodite.

"Woohoo! Go Percy!" Piper was uncharacteristically energetic and wearing sunny smiles that could have lasted for eternity. Thalia would surely be rich if she found a way to monopolize that limitless source and sell it on the market, "Hmm, seriously! When had Percy gotten so much better in his fighting instinct? He's even got his own style now!" Piper watched with her lips slightly parted and an amazing look on her face, "I can't believe how good he is already. It really feels like he was just a noob since yesterday."

"I heard that!" Annabeth turned to glare at Piper. The princess was unamused.

Taking advantage, Thalia nudged her with a smirk too, "Ah! Getting a little heated and jealous watching Percy fight now, aren't we?"

Piper turned orange like a goldfish and almost shouted, "Pffssh! Speak of yourself, Thals! You are the one who slept with him last night and started this whole stupid harem thing in the first place."

Illya and Rachel nodded on the sideline, even though they were the ones who actually started this nonsense. Thalia twisted her lips and frowned.

"I- I remember you were trying to sleep with my brother too, Pipes."

Annabeth turned to her and gave a half-confused, half-stunned look as if asking when in the world that happened. Her jaw slacked and mouth wide agape.

"T… T-That has nothing to do with this!"

Beside them, a nervous wreck Jason took a few steps to the side and tried to make himself invisible from the girl talk happening before his eyes. At least they weren't involving him in this mess.

Finally, Annabeth grumbled and stopped this pointless back and forth, "Anyway, will you all shut up? I am trying to watch the fight and make sure Percy wins against stupid Clarisse."

That seemed to have done the trick as her friends stop talking altogether. Annabeth sighed, then her eyes wandered a bit to the side and spotted Silena, Reyna, and Will huddled together in their own group. Despite getting to know each other for a brief day, it seemed there was still quite a distance between them.

Annabeth realized her friends were always going to be there for her, but at the same time, she wanted to do something about this invisible gap between them and the people of Camp Half-Blood. She didn't want to repeat what her mother had failed to do, creating this distrust and never trying to close the many unhealed wounds. She wanted them to trust her fully, enough to become friends with her too.

Separating her gaze, Annabeth turned back to the heated fight taking place.

This time, Percy was going to win with his own hands.

-Line Break-

Clank-kkk! C-Clank-kkk!

I didn't know why, but some innate instinct inside me was rather enjoying myself.

"Not bad, son of Poseidon!"

Ducking from her horizontal slant strike, I leaped and rolled into her blind spot, then with my trusty long sword at the ready, I angled a follow-up with a vertical slice at her right side. It was close. I could almost feel her skin across my blade but alas, she narrowly avoided my attack with a side parry and twist her body to escape the blade's edge.

I smirked back, "Not too bad yourself, Clarisse."

Judging from the half-smirk on her expression, there was no doubt the daughter of Ares was enjoying herself in this mock battle too.

This is kinda fun.

At once, we ready another swing, our swords locked together as we tried to overpower the other. The fierce gaze behind her violet eyes grew a deeper shade, "I'd admit, you've gotten way stronger since I beat you to a bloody pulp."

"Ha! I don't remember that happening, and from the looks of it, I am beating you now."

"Tough chance, prince." Clarisse drew back and held her sword high with both hands, "Huuuaahh!"

Mimicking her stance, I copied her style and attacked with the same overpowering slash from above. Both blades locked immediately, but this time, I was being overpowered just slightly. Her ridiculous strength and brute force were every bit as powerful as it was devastating, owning her title as the daughter of an Olympian God of War.

"Ha! Seems like you are the one losing now!" Clarisse pressed down the intensity, the weight of her sword overwhelmed me and I was losing ground. Forced to kneel on one knee, I could barely hold her back despite all the training I've done. Her blade now neared my neck, the dark purple shade in her eyes was wild and desperate for victory. She wasn't hiding her intention to force me into submission.

"Want to give up yet, you little shrimp?"

With every ounce of my being, I titled my head and grinned, "No, you'll be the one giving up instead."

Then immediately afterward, I executed the genius plan drilled into my head by none other than my wise girl.

"W-Wh-what the—"

But it was too late. A thunderous crack shook the arena and sent out small shockwaves, a fog of yellow dust blew from the field to the stands. In the blink of an eye, Clarisse almost got knocked off her feet when she lost her balance and struck the earth with her sword. Both of them were stuck in place.

"G-Gasp…"

In no time, I now stood behind her, a smirk decorated my lips as I forced her to stay still.

Listen, seaweed brain. Get her riled up and make sure she is confident in winning, then when she's vulnerable, surprise her with a sneak attack and you'd win! It's simple!

In the beginning, I was doubtful, but after trading blows with Clarisse, I eventually understood what Annabeth was saying. Clarisse's pride in her strength and her overwhelming power would ultimately be her downfall, her one weakness that Annabeth saw through after just meeting her for the first time in the consul meeting.

Of course, I had a feeling that wasn't the first time we met, but the way she saw through something so obscure no one would ever think about was impressive. Truly, her sensitivity to perceive the tiniest detail was one of her greatest strengths, and without her guiding me, I would never have even thought of a plan like this.

"Want to give up yet?" I smirked and returned the same phrase with utter amusement.

Holding my sword level at her throat, Clarisse calmly let go of her sword stuck upright and withdrew her hands, then held them high up in the air.

"You win this time, Percy Jackson."

It was her defeat and my victory.

"The winner is Percy! Congratulation!" Chiron announced as he'd been our overseer since the start of this fight, "That was well fought. You deserved that win, Percy."

Just as I let go of Clarisse from the grip of my blade, I was surprised when the entire arena began to cheer like mad. It was difficult not to bite my lips sheepishly and looked at the only person I'd want to see. Of course, she returned my gaze immediately and grinned.

"Nice job, seaweed brain!" Annabeth shouted with both hands over her mouth. There was a big smile on her face, one that I want to embrace right away even though more than a few hundred spectators were watching us.

"You were so cool, Percy!" Piper joined in as well.

I grinned back.

After releasing my sword back into my phantom inventory, I turned to Clarisse who was kneeling in defeat as she hit the ground with her right fist.

"Well, you almost got me, Clarisse. If I waited a few more seconds, you'd probably pin me down by the throat instead." I turned back to my opponent and reached out a hand, "You were great though, no wonder why you are the daughter of Ares."

"Huph! I only lost because you caught me by surprise. Won't happen again, little shrimp."

My shoulders slumped on their own, "Again, can you stop calling me that? What part of me looks like a shrimp to you?"

For the first time since we met, I watched as Clarisse retrieved her sword from the ground and turned back to me, a faint smile plastered over her lips which I found strange from the usual frowns and looks of disapproval I was used to from her.

"You'll always be a shrimp in my eyes, son of Poseidon." Her friendly expression was brief as she turned away and flick her right wrist, the lustrous sapphire-colored long sword turned into polygon streams, returning to her bracelet. In a way, I was happy to see that other side of her, "Plus, you fought well too, I am confident you'll be able to achieve that outraged request Annabeth is asking of you."

Being reminded of what actually happened in the consul meeting, I hung my head and sighed.

She chuckled, "Well, I am sure you'll get it down before we head out and attack their base of operation, and without your abilities, we likely would be decimated. You are the first of the front line group after all."

I could feel the boulder on my chest returning, "Thanks, I guess?"

Clarisse smirked back.

Before long, I could hear the cheering around the arena fading away as Annabeth and everyone else who came to watch the fight slowly ran to the middle. Unexpectedly, Annabeth threw herself in my arms despite me being a sweaty mess. Meanwhile, the others huddled together and started talking about doing some training on their own. Specifically, it was Jason, Thalia, and Clarisse who took the lead, guiding the Half-Bloods who weren't pantheon leaders.

"Partner up, everyone." Thalia gestured, "We're going to get some training done too!"

A collective groan echoed, but no one voiced a complaint probably because they were fired up too after watching our fight for a good half-an-hour. It was good though, the morale was high among the other demigods, and when we take the fight to Amk, we are going to need all that we can get.

Then a certain girl with blonde hair tied into a crown braid grabbed both my cheeks and turned me to face her. She was smiling as she pushed my cheeks together and stared cheerfully.

"Umm, w…why are y-you h-holding-gg me like t-that…?"

Her lively grin blossomed like a small sunflower.

"Let's go, seaweed brain. You are going to help me set up our training dummies."

"Eeahhh? Right after I just fought for half an hour?!"

She pinched my cheeks and smirked, "Fine then, I guess you are fine with doing all the preparation planning, mapping out the locations, and working out a strategic point of attack?"

My body went rigid, "Uhh, on second thought…"

"Hm! Thought you say that…" Annabeth smiled playfully.