By the time Percy arrived at the arena the stands were starting to fill with orange and purple shirted teens. It was still early but the heat of the day had already begun. He could feel himself sweating beneath the plate armor against his back. He had always felt uncomfortable under the weight of the full metal armor, but he wasn't willing to forgo the extra protection, even if his skin was invulnerable that didn't mean he couldn't break a rib or worse. Apparently his opponent didn't have the same worries.
"No armor, Grace? I can't tell if that's brave or stupid." Dakota called as he and Percy approached the designated space for the match. He was right though. This was a fight against two Big Three kids, the battle lust alone would cause damage, not to mention if it devolved past a bit of friendly competition.
But Jason seemed undeterred by the verbal taunt. Barely sparing a glance over his shoulder as he kept talking in hushed tones with the assembled group of demigods. It looked to be most of the Seven of Prophecy, only missing the blonde from the night before and Nico who avoided these exchange weeks.
Just as Percy thought this though Frank and Jason moved aside to reveal Annabeth… in woven leather armor?
She strode forward golden curls pulled into a ponytail that swayed behind her at the movement, flanked by Frank and Jason, the rest hanging back from the official interaction. Annabeth stopped just a few steps in front of Percy. "Frank will call the rounds, he's the best suited for it since I assume we both trust him."
Percy gave a sharp nod, still trying to sort out what exactly was happening in his head. Dakota, however, seemed to think verbal processing was a better route.
"Wait, we challenged Grace to this, not you, and he accepted the challenge, by Legion Law he has to fight his own battles." There was an accusatory edge to his voice that he was not attempting to hide.
"This isn't the Legion, this isn't New Rome. You'd do well to remember that when you're in my camp. You as a collective of Rome challenged the collective of the Greeks. And I believe the words you used were that you were challenging 'the best' which by all measures at this camp is me." Annabeth said curtly. That's when it clicked for Percy. She hadn't arrived to coach Jason through the fight, she had been called in to answer the challenge.
"And who do you think you are to face a child of the Big Three?" Dakota continued, indignantly. That's when he noticed the owl etched onto the shoulder strap of her woven breast plate. "A daughter of Minerva? This is insulting! Once the Senate hears about this-" Percy put his hand on Dakota's shoulder to stop his rant from continuing. He had a feeling the boy was embarrassing himself without even realizing it.
"What are the terms?" said Percy, holding Annabeth's gaze.
"This needs to remain a friendly spar so as to not spark an unnecessary diplomacy issue, so best two of out of three, to yield not blood. Our best medics are standing by but I'd rather we not need them."
"Don't worry I'll go easy on you, princess." He said with a chuckle, it was meant as a joke, but he saw something in her eyes sharpen.
"That would be your first mistake." She answers with a smirk, it felt like a challenge, a separate one to the official terms they were setting, a challenge to a real fight with a worthy opponent. "Are we in agreement?" She asked, maintaining her formal posture.
"Yes." Percy stuck his hand out, and she took it in a solid grip, but strangely it felt like sparks were running across his skin, but not like when Thalia from the Hunters of Arte-Diana or Jason had greeted him, these felt more… important.
They were given some time to stretch as the campers settled in the stands surrounding the arena. Finally when both parties seemed ready they walked to the marked field of combat, a reasonably sized twenty foot by twenty foot square marked with neon red spray paint over the packed dirt floor. Leaving their respective onterages at the edges of the field Percy and Annabeth met at the center.
Percy watched as Annabeth's eyes flicked down over him and back up to meet his. Sharp, icy silver sending a shiver down his spine when hit by the morning sun. He felt like she was already analyzing him, he watched her carefully wondering if he could get any indication of what she saw.
"Fighters Ready." Frank called from the sideline. Percy and Annabeth got into their starting stances. Annabeth always looked tightly wound, but at this moment it wasn't just tension, her body was pulled taut like a rubber band waiting to be sprung.
"Fight!" They began circling on another, waiting for the other to make the first move. Just as they had almost exchanged place she idled just slightly and he pounced, trying to get her on the defensive.
As he was swinging, none of his movements were hitting, she dodged swiftly under his blade, keeping him advancing toward her, if it weren't for the sun in his eyes… She had played him. When they had started the sun was to his back she had idled on purpose to trick him into engaging her while she had the natural advantage.
For the next few minutes Annabeth let Percy push her around the space, spending most of her mental energy observing him, taking note of subtle ways his style had been influenced by Roman training. While he still favored the slashing style of the Greeks there were some stabbing maneuvers mixed in it. His form was stronger, steps more sure, but there were holes. Falters she could use to her advantage. She decided they had been going long enough for her to get an accurate analysis of his movements.
Percy knew she had him working hard for very hit, weaving in and out of his range of motion meeting him just enough before disengaging. He knew she was making the smart play, but Percy realized he had truly underestimated Annabeth when she used Luke's disarming maneuver on him, her sword causing Riptide to clatter out of his grasp. Using his shock to her advanged she landed a quick kick to the chest, knocking him off balance and onto his back, the wind rushed out of his lungs.
Sword at his throat he huffed as he tried to catch his breath, "Yield."
Annabeth waited a beat before removing the sword and offering him a hand up. Clasping hands she hoisted him upright, "good match."
"Thanks," They retreated to their starting marks. Percy waited for Riptide to reappear as a pen in his pocket before drawing it again, making a show of uncapping it and giving it a good few wide swings in an attempt to catch Annabeth of guard with Riptide's return to him, but she was unphased by the display, giving a slight smirk and roll of her eyes.
Frank called them in again, but this time there was no hesitancy. Percy was on her from the jump, and when their blade collided it sent a shock through Annabeth's bones. He was going full force now, abandoning some technique in favor of attempting to overpower her and much to her dismay, it was working.
He was stronger than she remembered, but that made sense. He was almost three years older than when they last sparred. He had nearly been a man then, now there was no denying that fact. At nearly nineteen he towered over her by half a foot, his reach was longer, but his moves still known to her, still predictable.
Annabeth didn't think she could win this round so in a flash she made the decision to put into motion her last ditch effort, a plan she hadn't even wanted to really consider.
She was able to take a swipe at his side, cutting the straps of his plate armor and his purple shirt, causing the breast plate to hang lopsided across his chest. Her hurried attempt left her defense open and he got a shallow cut across her cheek before knocking her sword out of her grasp and holding her at sword point.
"I yield." She says calmly. They were breathing hard, frozen looking at each other from each end of Riptide. His battle-ready demeanor broke as his eyes flicked back and forth between the cut on her cheek and her eyes.
"Sorry," He said softly, lowering his sword. Annaebth reached up and touched the blood on her cheek with her finger tips taking them away to look at the damage.
"Its not so bad. I've definitely had worse. Let's take 5 so Will can patch me up. Wouldn't want to bleed all over you while I kick your ass."
"I've been told I fight like a demon," he bragged a bit.
"Nah… you just fight like a Greek, harnessed chaos. Romans don't know what to do with it." She said, a bit of mocking in her voice, she was having just as much fun with this as he was.
"Hey! I'm Roman."
"Are you?" She said, but this wasn't teasing. A genuine question that struck him. He had never questioned, but something in her gaze, in the way she asked, made him doubt if only for a moment.
"That's all I've ever known." He said with sincerity.
"Is it all you've ever known or just the only thing you remember?" Before Percy could think of a response she turned around and walking to grab the water bottle Piper had for her, Will had his first aid kit already opened on a wooden bench. Percy took the short break to shuck off his lopsided breastplate, relying only on the Curse of Achilles to keep him safe from harm.
He was playing right into Annabeth's plan by discarding the armor and didn't even realize it. She knew she had to use her secret advantage quickly, or he would be able to overpower her again, she had to outmaneuver him.
"Are you okay?" Piper said as Annabeth reached her.
"I'm great! Honestly, best I've felt in ages." Piper could see it on her face that she was telling the truth. Even as Will was putting paper stitches on her cut unitl she could get ambrosia after the match Annabeth was vibrating with energy, something was awake in Annabeth in a way Piper hadn't see in her before, her eyes alight with fire.
Now going into the final round they were tied one to one. The tension in the stands is palpable as the campers cheer on their champions. It had been quite a while since Annabeth had felt this alive, the sound of the crowd drowned out by the roar of the blood in her veins even as she was bouncing her leg while WIll worked.
Fighting with him again felt painful, like stretching muscles that had been fatigued by time. But it also felt… good. Good to see him in his element again. To allow herself to not think that he didn't remember her, to just revel in his presence.
Turning back toward him she unsheathed her dagger not bothering to retrieve her sword from where it was tossed outside of the designated boundaries of the fight.
"A dagger… bold choice. If you want to throw the match you can just yield now and we won't even have to do this little dance."
"My blade suits me just fine, thank you. Frank, count us in." Frank counted in the final match and as soon as permitted their blades met. Annabeth matched Percy strike for strike with her dagger. It was almost nostalgic for her as they parried and dodged each other's attempts, the previous two rounds feeling like warmups as they whirled around the combat zone. But then she saw her opening, her opening indeed, he left his left side unprotected, because it was where she should be without even remembering her he relied on her to have his back. She slipped under the long arch of his blade, knocking his knee out from under him as she dashed behind his back. He went down on his knee as she snaked her arm around his neck, blade against his jugular, but this wouldn't deter him with his impenetrable skin. However, her knee found purchase in the spot she was looking for digging into the small of his back as he gasps. An unearthly jolt of pain shooting up and down his spine at the applied pressure stopped him dead in his tracks from trying to escape the hold. The spectators wouldn't be able to see the cause of his distress. She wanted to win, not expose his weak point to everyone in both camps.
"Yield." She commanded.
"How-how did you know? I- I didn't even…"
"Yield, Percy." She stated, his name slipping from her lips for the first time in years.
"Yield." He said quietly, stunned into only a whisper. He wasn't sure if it was her knee on his Heel or his name on her lips that did it, but for once, Percy didn't have a biting comeback, just shock and awe.
She released her hold and Percy slouched forward catching himself with a hand on the ground, still on one knee.
Frank stepped forward from this spot against the safety of the wall. "Winner with two to one, Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, Hero and Architect of Olympus, General of the Greek Demigods-" Frank was interrupted by the shouts of the Greek campers adding bits and pieces of her titles themselves.
"Survivor of the Labyrinth"
"Bearer of the Sky"
"Retriever of the Athena Parthenos"
"Slayer of Arachne"
"Beloved by the Sea" That one caught Percy's attention. His head shot up when he heard the Aphrodite girl shout it from the stands. His eyes scanned the arena looking for Annabeth, but he barely caught a glimpse of her as she shrugged her gym bag over her shoulder and exited the arena. When he tried to stand to follow her his legs were still weak. So instead he sat on the ground, a slightly dazed expression as he went over the moves of the fight. Had he been hinting at his Heel with his movements? How could she have been so sure as to risk the match on it.
Questions still plagued Percy as Frank and Jason came to give him a hand up. He took their offered grips and was glad that the effects on his balance had faded so he could properly stand.
He turned to Jason, they didn't always see eye to eye, being Children of the Big Three and all, but at this moment he didn't find any frustration or animosity in the blonde's gaze, just… sympathy?
"What just happened?" Percy said, not really to anyone in particular, but he noticed Jason's mouth quirk a lopsided smile, the scar on his lip made more prominent by the expression.
"You just met Annabeth Chase."