Ch. 8

Round 1

Jason caught the ball and stated, "Game to 11. Best out of 3."

One on one is played differently for everyone. But the universal rule is the winner is the first person to get to 11. Some people play with 1s and 2s, others play 2s and 3s, and the rest play by 1s. We were going to play the point system of the first one. With no referee, you basically call your own fouls. And you have to win by two. That is another universal rule. After someone scores, the possession of the ball depends on who you are playing. Some play winners ball and make it take it. Others play like it was a normal game and change possession after the ball is scored.

Jason can fly and dunk easily, but I haven't seen him shoot it yet. So, I sagged off him and challenged him to shoot it. He was two feet behind the arc. He noticed me sagging off and smiled at me. He took a couple of dribbles to the three-point line and rose up to shoot it. I didn't bother to challenge him and let him get an open look.

Swish. 2-0 Jason.

Jason held his follow-through like he was Michael Jordan.

"Winners," Jason stated.

It could have been a lucky shot. So, I defended him on the three-point line, but still gave him room to shoot it from deep. He dribbled to the left and stayed distant from me. He began to drive into the lane until I cut him off. Jason decided to scoot back some more to the left-wing and let the ball fly. I was completely off guard for him to shoot again and challenged his shot a second left.

Banked it in. 4-0 Jason.

I commented, "Luck."

He smirked at me and retorted, "Maybe, but the ball went in. And I'm up 4-0. You haven't even touched the ball yet. You're gonna play some defense or what?"

"Keep talking and you won't score another bucket," I countered.

I checked him up and put some extra pressure. I cut his left side off and forced him right. He took a couple of dribbles and tried to crossover to his left. I saw the ball coming and took a swipe. I picked him off and took it straight to the basket.

I laid it on the right side. 4-1 Jason.

Jason gave me an annoyed look and checked the ball up. He played the exact same defense I did on him and laid off. Challenging me to shoot the three. I looked up at the basket and thought why not. I make this shot, I can close the gap. So, I shot it and took a chance.

Clank. Bricked off the front rim.

Jason got the rebound and dribbled out to the three-point line to clear it. I raced over to put pressure on him so he wouldn't shoot the three. He motioned a pump fake and got me off my feet. He drove into the lane and dunked it.

Slam. 5-1 Jason.

"So when you gonna start playing D, Jackson? Or do you just like watching me score?"

"Try and dunk again, you'll find out," I responded.

I closed off his right side and forced him to go left. He took a couple of dribbles with his left and then exploded to the left side. As soon as he picked up his dribble, I slapped the ball hard and it popped out of his hands. I grabbed the ball and slammed it down.

5-2 Jason.

"Ball security, Grace."

He pushed me off and answered, "Just check-up already."

I got the ball at the top of the key and stared him down. He laid off and was waiting at the free-throw line. I drove into the right and lowered my shoulder to power through him. He saw the whole thing and was bullying me right back. I planted my left between his defensive stance and spun out with my right foot wrapping around him. I used the momentum and finger rolled it with my left.

5-3 Jason.

I just need to close the gap. I saw that Jason was still giving me tons of room to shoot the three. He does not think I'll be able to hit it. I can't just keep hitting ones all game. So, why not? I let it fly.

Swish. 5 all.

Jason checked the ball and said, "Finally it's a ball game. I thought I was gonna sweep you off the court."

I raised my eyebrow. As soon as I caught the ball, I shot it from the bottom of the half-court circle like I was Logo Lillard.

Banked it in. 7-5 Percy.

Jason scoffed at the shot and commented, "Now that was a lucky shot."

I shrugged and quoted him, "Maybe, but the ball went in."

He scowled at me and angrily passed the ball to me. He got up close and was finally playing defense. I got the ball on my left hip and was jabbing with my right foot. After a couple of jab steps, I finally ripped through his arms and exploded to the right. Jason tried to recover quickly and sprinted to stay on my hip. I noticed he wasn't in full control, so I dribbled between my legs and collected my dribble. Jason went flying to the right and I pulled up to shoot.

Swish. 8-5 Percy.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH"

I turned to the bleachers and saw a couple of campers on the bleachers watching us. Some of them were wearing orange and others were wearing purple. But a lot of them were like 13 or younger and they were all shouting at once.

"Did you just see that?"

"He just broke Jason's ankles!"

"Percy got nice handles."

I smirked at the young ones. That can't be good for Jason's ego.

I looked over at Jason and he looked pissed.

"Just check-up, Perce."

I got the ball at the top of the arc and began to drive right. Jason closed me out and forced me to pick up the dribble. I was stuck and tried to jab step him to get some breathing room. He wouldn't bite and kept up the pressure. I pumped fake twice, but Jason still wouldn't leave his feet. On the third pump, I tried to shoot a fade away, but he tipped the ball. So, it was an airball and Jason sprinted to collect the ball. He picked up the ball and banked it in.

8-6 Percy.

He took the ball to the top of the arc and checked it. He jabbed to the right and drove to the right. I closed his right off and he crossed it behind his back. He then floated the ball with his left hand. Swish. 8-7 Percy.

My lungs were on fire and needed some water. I haven't been in the best shape after being thrown into Tartarus. Still trying to catch my breath and I held the ball a bit.

He caught the ball from my pass and automatically shot it.

Three. 9-8 Jason.

I rolled the ball to him and closed out to make sure he had no space to shoot. He took his time with the shot. He kept the ball low and out of reach. I had one hand down low and the other at his face to block his view. He jabbed to the right twice and then rose up. He used all of his 6'1 frame and faded away.

After he released it, he held his follow-through and looked straight into my eyes.

He stated, "Game."

Swish. 11-8 Jason. Winner.

The little campers rushed the court and swarmed him. Some campers were giving him high-fives and others were trying to climb on his back.

I walked off to the bench to get some rest. That took a lot out of me. I looked around to get some water. I felt a tap my shoulder and I turned around to see Annabeth. I smiled at her as she offered me a water bottle.

I commented, "Hey, thanks a lot Annabeth. I need this."

I chugged the whole thing in five seconds.

She laughed at me as I choked on the last gulp. She said, "Careful, Seaweed Brain. You are going to be the first son of Poseidon to drown from drinking water."

I laughed at the comment and retorted, "Come on, girl. You know that will never happen."

She raised her hands up innocently and countered, "Alright, but if you drown, I don't want to be the one to tell Sally that you died because you drank your water too fast."

I smirked and answered, "Whatever you say, Wise Girl. Got any more water?"

"Boi, where's your water? Why do you have to be drinking mine?" Annabeth exclaimed.

I replied back with a smile, "Because I can always count on you to have my back."

She refused to budge and gave me a side-eye with no response. I gave her my best seal puppy eyes and pleaded, "Please, I'm dying of thirst over here.:"

She rolled her eyes and tossed me another water bottle. She sat down next to me and stated, "You know, you lucky you're cute. Just dedicate your next basket to me."

I smiled and replied, "Ya, I got you, babe."

I drank half the bottle and dumped the rest on my head. The cold water dripping down my face gave me a new burst of energy. I felt refreshed and it gave me the same sensation of jumping into the pool. Not the same as the ocean, but still enough to make me feel like I was given sugar rush from blue candy.

Annabeth got splashed by some of the water and jumped out of her seat. She slapped me and exclaimed, "Aye! Watch yourself! Get water on me again and you won't be able to play basketball no more."

I smiled and responded, "My bad, babe. Just got carried away."

I looked over onto the court and saw Jason was still getting showered with love from the young ones.

I asked, "Got any tips."

She saw my eyes on Jason and answered, "Cut off his left. He is most comfortable driving left. He likes to jab right and go left. When he goes right, he likes to pull up. Play tighter D. His best way to score is layups and dunks. Don't let him get in the air. Make him shoot to outscore you. He is gonna get tired and his legs will not be able to support his jump shot. He jumps too high and relies on his legs too heavily. Sooner or later, his legs will get shot and he won't be able to shoot."

I nodded along as she was talking to me and was studying Jason. I noticed his breaths were getting heavier and he wasn't moving as smoothly. The whole commotion, celebration, and the game seemed to take a lot of energy out of him.

I got up and put the water bottle down. I stated, "Thanks for the advice coach. A kiss for good luck?"

She looked at me like I just asked her for a million drachmas. She responded, "Are you serious? That only happens when you are in a battle, and that's if I'm in a good mood. What makes you think you are gonna get one now?"

I shrugged and replied back, "Cuz it is a battle. Plus, it's tradition."

She looked me up and down. Finally, she sighed and answered, "Alright, fine."

I gave her a kiss and I smiled like I was the luckiest guy in the world.

She commented, "Go win for me, baby."

I responded, "Yes, ma'am."

I shouted, "Hey, Jason. Ready for round 2?"

He turned around and shouted back, "For sure. Winner's ball though."

I responded, "Whatever, man. Let's run it back."

Round 2:

Jason stood at the top of the three-point line and checked the ball to me. I passed it back to him and rushed over to guard his left. I gave him the right side to bait him. He took the bait and ripped through to the right. I slid to his right a bit and forced him to pick up his dribble. Afterward, he tried to cross me, but I tipped the ball and it hit off his foot. We raced each other to get the ball, but he got there first. As soon as he picked it up, he shot a three-pointer automatically.

2-0 Jason.

I gave him no room to move after I checked the ball to him. The only place he could hold the ball where it was out of my reach was above his head. Otherwise, I would have snatched it. He jabbed right and exploded to the left. I saw it too late and I was a step behind. He attacked the rim and dunked.

Slam. 3-0 Jason.

So, Annabeth was right. When am I gonna learn to never question her? I walked over to Jason and guarded him closely, watching his right foot jab. I goaded him into going to the right. He took a couple of dribbles with his right and then exploded into the paint. I slid my feet to cut him off and he tried to dribble between his legs from behind to switch directions. Except I was waiting for that and I angled my body to get back in front of him. His eyes got wide and he was shocked by how quickly I recovered. Next, he crossed behind his back and took a step back behind the three-point line like he was James Harden. He let it fly and banked it in.

5-0 Jason.

"Man, I'm still on fire. You ever gonna make this challenge?" Jason asked.

I looked at him dead in the eye and responded, "Wanna find out?"

He had no response. He wasn't talking as much as the last time. I watched his body language and noticed a switch. His feet were dragging and he was breathing much heavier. His moves seemed to be a step slower. I had to turn it up.

I gave a little more room than usual. I wanted to go give him the idea that I was slacking off because I was tired. He saw the change in my position and chose to dribble a crossover. I was waiting for it and held my hand down low. My hand tipped the ball and it got out of his control. I sprinted over to the ball and got in a triple threat position. He chose to cut off my right, so I ripped through to the left and reversed the layup.

5-1 Jason.

I stopped the bleeding. I just need to get some momentum and I can turn this game around. I got the ball and immediately drove to the right. Jason tried to recover and jumped as high as he could when I rose up to lay it in. Except it was a pump fake and I let Jason fly by me. Once Jason started to come down, I rose up to bank it in.

5-2 Jason.

When I got the ball at the top of the arc, Jason looked pissed and wanted payback. He got close and played tight defense. The only downside of playing tight defense is if the person you are guarding gets you beat on the first step, it is really hard to recover. So, I jabbed to my left twice and finally ripped through. Jason stayed on my hip through most of the way as I drove to the left. I decided to power through and lowered my shoulder. Once I collected my dribble, I put my shoulder into his chest and used my left hand to guide the ball into the basket. The ball rolled around the rim twice and finally fell through.

5-3 Jason.

I flexed my biceps and screamed, "And 1! Too strong."

Jason got pissed by my outburst, but I don't care. That just means I'm getting in his head. He tossed the ball to the top and waited for me to start playing again. I dribbled the ball with my right and drove towards the baseline. He let me dribble to the baseline and then decided to close me out. I was stuck and he knew it. He used the baseline as another defender. With my back facing Jason, I half turned to my right and then turned to shoot a fadeaway like I was Kobe.

Swish. 5-4 Jason.

I looked up and noticed it started to get cloudy and the sunshine was going away. I looked over at Jason and saw he was getting frustrated. I wonder if he had anything to do with that. It doesn't matter, I'll deal with it later. I got the ball and immediately started moving to the left. I stutter stopped and made Jason freeze. As soon as I saw Jason lose his defensive stance, I crossed from my left to my right and drove into the middle lane to finger roll it.

5-5 tied.

When I caught the ball, Jason got real close and gave me no breathing room. I ripped through to the right just to create space. He refused to back down and continued to try to steal the ball. I began to drive to the right lane and stopped suddenly by dribbling between my legs behind my back. I was able to lose him a little and rose up to shoot.

Clank.

Hit front rim. Jason got the rebound and raced to the left corner to clear the ball. He quickly turned around to shoot the three-pointer.

Swish. 7-5 Jason.

"Alright, I'm gonna end this just like last time," stated Jason.

He caught my pass and immediately rose up to shoot again. Except, I read him like an open book and I was able to tip the ball. His shot was altered and came up short. I caught the ball after the bounce and jumped up to lay it in.

7-6 Jason.

I checked at the top of the arc. When I caught it, Jason gave me a ton of room and raised his eyebrows.

He taunted, "Shoot it. You won't. No balls."

No balls? Now I gotta shoot. I let it fly.

Swish. 8-7 Percy.

I began nodding my head and countered, "Right back at you."

I dribbled a crossover from right to left and went straight to the basket. Jason saw me cutting to the basket and met me at the post. I decided to try to post him. I began backing him down with my left shoulder and dribbling with my right. I wrapped my left foot around him and tried to power through with a right hook shot. I raised my hand to shoot. Except there was nothing in my head. Next thing I know, Jason has the ball and laid it in.

8-8 all.

Jason held the ball at the top and put it at his left hip. He is gonna do the same thing Annabeth has been telling me. He is gonna jab right and drive left. So, I went over to his right. I want him to go left. He jabbed once, twice. Then, he exploded to the left side of the basket. As he dribbled past me, I tipped the ball from behind and it hit his leg. The ball rolled out of bounds.

I smiled and looked over at Annabeth. She was beaming with one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen. I looked around and saw there were more campers surrounding the court. There wasn't enough room on the bleachers, so a lot of the campers were on the sidelines and baseline. I looked up and saw the sky was even grayer than usual. That can't be right. It's always sunny at camp, sometimes even in the winter. I at Jason and back at the sky. It has to be Jason. It's either him or Zeus is really into basketball. If the latter is true, then that is his fault for betting on the wrong man.

I got the ball and dribbled to the right. I was about to drive when Jason suddenly lunged and hit the ball. He went to go pick it up, but he lost control. I sprinted over to collect it. We grabbed it at the same time. We both struggled to gain control of the ball, but he was too tired and I could still feel the water bottle effect hadn't worn off yet. I ripped it out of his hands and dribbled to the three-point line. I pumped fake and let Jason fly by me as he tried to block. I then shot it and banked it in.

10-8 Percy.

Gamepoint.

I looked at him and stated, "I'm gonna end this. Right here, right now."

I took a couple of dribbles and then crossed it between my legs to my left. I saw him jump out and anticipated me driving left. Except, I crossed again behind my back and drove right. I was a step ahead of him and jumped up with my back facing the basket. I put the ball down at my groin area and then raised it back to dunk it.

SLAM! 11- 8 Percy.

I held onto the rime and screamed as loud as I could. I slapped the backboard before I came down. The campers with orange shirts rushed the court and started chanting my name.

"PERCY, PERCY, PERCY, PERCY!"

I started to point at the ground like I was Dwyane Wade and yelled, "THIS IS MY COURT! MY HOME! NO ONE SHOWS ME UP ON MY COURT!"

After the mob started to die down, I walked over to the bench and saw Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson were waiting for me.

"Water…" I croaked after I collapsed onto the bench.

Tyson propped me up and Grover handed me water.

Tyson started to massage my shoulders and commented, "Big brother, that was amazing."

Grover chipped in, "Ya, way to go, Perce. That was amazing."

I looked up and saw Annabeth was standing in front of me. I looked at her and raised my eyebrows.

She sighed and admitted, "You were right. That was a battle. But you need to control powers."

I was perplexed. I asked, "What are you talking about?"

They all looked at each other and Annabeth responded, "You mean, you don't know?"

I shook my head and said, "I have no idea. I didn't use any of my powers. It was probably Jason."

Grover looked confused and responded, "Jason? You think Jason caused the earthquake?"

I stood up like I was electrocuted. I asked, "Earthquake? What are you talking about?"

Annabeth explained, "When you dunked the ball, everyone felt an earthquake. It wasn't big, but everyone still felt it. That was one of the main reasons why everyone cleared out from the bleachers."

Tyson added, "It may not have been Percy. It could have been Daddy."

I thought about it and it could have been Dad. However, I doubt Poseidon would care much about a pickup game.

I smiled and acknowledged, "It is possible. But it makes more sense than it was me. I did feel a tug when I dunked. I thought I just dunked it really hard and shook the basket. Guessed I slammed it too hard."

I heard some hooves and I turned around. I saw Chiron trotting towards the court. He came over to us and I asked, "Hey, Chiron. I didn't think you were interested in basketball."

He replied, "I enjoy some b-ball from time to time. But no, that's not why I'm here. I came over because I felt an earthquake. Do you know anything about it, Percy?"

I exclaimed, "Aw, Chiron. I didn't know you cared about my opinion. So thoughtful."

He shifted uncomfortably and stammered, "Er… I just thought you might know, since, you know…"

I answered, "It's because I am the leader of the camp. Wow, that is a huge honor. I never would have thought that. I got to tell Jason."

I walked off smirking as I saw Grover holding his laughter. I could tell Chiron was perplexed and I could feel the daggers from Annabeth. But I didn't want to admit to Chiron that I was at fault. I'm still trying to understand how I lost control and didn't even know.

I walked over to Jason who was still sitting on the bench and breathing heavily.

I asked, "You ready to go one last time."

He looked at me and took a swing of his water bottle. He responded, "Let's go. I'm going to get revenge."

Round 3:

I put the ball on my right hip and studied Jason. He put his hands up, waiting for me to make my move. He wasn't sagging off, but he wasn't playing super tight defense. He seemed to respect my shooting. I took a couple of dribbles to the left and then drove. He slid his feet to cut me off, so I crossed to my right and jump stopped at the left elbow. I rose up to shoot and banked it in.

1-0 Percy.

I got the ball and saw Jason was visibly tired. So, I exploded to the right and tried to lay it in. He met me at the right post block. I kept dribbling and started to post him up. I backed him down and then rose up to shoot. I tried to pump fake and get Jason off his feet, but he wouldn't bite. So, I tried to be Hakeem and do the Dream Shake. I went up as if I was going to shoot, and then went under Jason to reverse the ball on the other side.

2-0 Percy.

I dribbled the ball to the right again. This time, I chose to go to the right elbow and shoot.

Clank. Off the rim.

Jason got the rebound and ran towards the three-point line. He stood there for a bit, took a breath, and shot the ball.

Swish. 2-2 all.

He stood at the top of the arc for a little bit. He took this time to get some rest. I decided to put more pressure on him and closed him out. He saw me racing towards him and immediately drove left. I tried to recover and jumped up at the same time as him. Except he got the better of me and was able to get higher. He rose above me and dunked on me hard again.

Slam. 3-2 Jason.

Boom!

At the same time, Jason dunked it, there was lightning that sounded off.

Suddenly, it started to rain.

I asked Jason, "Bro, you responsible for this?"

He answered, "Honestly, maybe. Just as responsible as you are with that earthquake."

I nodded to that and replied, "Alright, you got me there. Yet, you do realize this rain is only gonna help me, right?"

His eyes got wide and responded, "I didn't even realize that."

I smiled and answered, "You better make your shots count. Otherwise, you won't get the ball back."

We squared off at the three-point line. He jabbed to the left a couple of times and then rose up to shoot.

Swish. 5-2 Jason.

He got the ball back and I played tighter defense. I didn't want him to shoot again. He tried going left, but I cut him off. So, he crossed to his right and drove into the middle of the lane. He got the best of me and dunked it.

Slam. 6-2 Jason.

At the top of the arc, Jason jabbed a couple of times to the right. It was the same move he had been doing all day. He drove towards the left. He may have a quick first step, but I was able to recover and get back in position in time. As he rose up to lay the ball in, I swiped the ball from his grip and stole it.

"Foul! That's a foul. I get the ball back."

I exclaimed, "What! Are you serious? That was all ball."

Jason countered, "Nuh-uh. You fouled me. There was a slap. You heard a slap, right Piper?"

"What! You can't just ask your girlfriend back you up. She is gonna defend you no matter what. She is biased," I responded.

Piper chirped, "Hey, I can voice my own opinion. I am my own person."

I retorted, "Yeah, and your ruling is?"

"Foul."

I threw my hands in the air and yelled, "SEE! I told you she was gonna side with you. You can't depend on her for this."

People started yelling at each other and taking sides.

I told Jason, "Okay, there is only one way to solve this. Shoot for it. Ball don't lie. Give me the ball."

Jason shrugged and answered, "Fine by me. You won't make it."

I squared my shoulders and rose up.

Swish.

I looked at him and retorted, "You were saying."

"Whatever, man. Still a foul," Jason responded.

I countered, "Ball don't lie."

I got the ball at the top of the arc and faced up Jason. I crossed the ball between my legs a couple of times and then exploded to the left lane. My first step allowed me to blow past Jason for an open lane. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jason racing towards me. So, I threw the ball up really high lightly and allowed it to kiss off the backboard above the square. Jason just missed it by centimeters and the ball went in.

6-3 Jason.

When I got the ball, I decided to go right and went past the elbow to the right. I rose up to shoot a long two.

Clank. Back rim.

I sprinted over to get the rebound. I got the ball in the right corner. Jason misjudged the bounce of the ball and gave me ten feet of open space. I rose up to shoot the open three.

Swish. 6-5 Jason.

"Getting a little tired, Jason."

He responded, "Never. Besides, I should have the ball. You fouled me."

I retorted, "Ball don't lie."

I faced up Jason while dribbling with my left. Jason was visibly tired and was definitely not himself. I jabbed to the left and drove to the right. He did a complete 360-degree turn and I crossed over to my left. I continued to the left and shot it inside the paint from five out.

6-6 all.

The rain was making everything slippery. The ball, the floor, the rim. It was making it terrible for Jason. Me on the other hand, I was thriving. This was my element.

"You starting to regret the rain, Jason?" I asked.

He stared at me and responded, "Shut up, Perce. Just play already."

I dribbled the ball with my right and it was splashing the court. It seemed like I was always dribbling into a puddle and causing water to splash everywhere. I crossed to my left causing Jason to shift right. I then crossed back to the right. As soon as I did that, I noticed Jason falling down after stepping onto a puddle. I had an open lane and laid it in easily.

7-6 Percy.

I started walking towards the top of the key when Jason got right into my face. He yelled, "Hey, why did you use your powers? Why did you trip me up with water?"

I responded, "Bro, what are you talking about. You fell on your own. Not my fault I broke your ankles because my handles are fire."

He exclaimed, "You wish. You tripped me up with the puddle."

I answered, "I did not. I would not stoop that low. I don't need to use my powers to win. Unlike somebody."

He looked incredulous and yelled back, "What's that supposed to mean?"

I continued to dig, "I'm just saying, I am not trying to fly in order to win."

Chiron came charging in and interfered, "Okay, boys. Maybe we should call it?"

Jason stared at me and stated, "Nah, let's continue. I'm cool."

Chiron narrowed his eyes and looked back at me. I said, "Ya, we're fine."

At the top of the arc, we stared at each other for the longest time. I jabbed to the left a couple of times and then rose up to shoot. Three-pointers may not be my strongest suit, but I just had a good feeling from the rain. Plus, I could extend the lead and get one possession closer to winning. The ball was right on target and about to go in. Suddenly, the ball shifted to the right and completely missed the rim. It hit off the backboard. Jason grabbed the rebound and put it back up.

7-7 all.

This time, I ran up to Jason and yelled at him. I screamed, "Yo, what the Hades! Look who is now using his powers."

He countered, "I'm just trying to even the playing field, bro. You're the one who started it."

I was pissed. I didn't even do anything. It's not my fault he fell. He is the one who put his foot in the puddle.

I shouted back, "I didn't do anything. You slipped on the puddle. Watch your step next time then."

He replied, "If that's true, then the wind wasn't my fault. Your shot just rode the wind."

This guy was pissing me off. I yelled, "Fine, you want to blame the water, Superboy. Let's see if you can handle a little splash."

I felt a tug in my gut and just released it. Suddenly, the water fountain, toilets, and showers exploded and the water crashed into Jason. He was wiped out from his feet and he crashed into the basket. His head was bleeding from crashing into the basket. He flew up and called on the lightning. It struck me down onto the ground. My clothes were steaming and I was fried.

I got up and was smiling. I cupped my hands and yelled, "Your sister hits harder than you."

That pissed him off. He took out his sword and flew down to me. I sprinted towards him and took out Riptide. As soon as it formed, I swung it right at Jason and was met with his sword. I felt another tug in my gut and I just could feel the rain. It took all of my will power, but I was able to control the rain and guide it directly to Jason. Jason called the wind to distract me while he attacked. We fought each other with the elements of water and air. The wind started to bother me less, but at the same time, the rain wasn't bothering Jason as much. We just kept fighting and exchanging blows. In the middle of the fight, I heard a voice in my head.

"Percy, you need to stop this."

I answered in my head, "Grover?"

He responded, "Who else? Look around, you guys are causing a storm and mass chaos for the young ones."

I looked around and noticed that Jason and I created our own hurricane. I looked down and saw campers running around screaming. I caught Jason's eye and motioned him down. He looked down and got a worried look in his eye. He came down and the storm we created slowly dissipated. We ran to the young ones and tried to calm them down. Chiron trotted over and looked at us both.

I stated, "You might have been right, Chiron. We probably should have stopped before all this."

He sighed and replied, "Very true, Percy. But the only way to know for sure is to allow you guys to make your decision upon it. Next time, do not allow it to go as far as it did."

We both answered, "Yes, sir."

He responded, "Now, help me calm down this crowd. We don't need another fight between camps again. Too much blood has been spilled to the ground already."

We both nodded and went to help other campers calm down. As we were helping the young ones, we looked at each other and came to an understanding to put this beef between us in the past.

I saw Annabeth helping a young girl calm down. I walked over towards her and tried to help.

Annabeth saw me and commented, "Nice going, Percy. I told you to keep your powers in check."

I nodded and replied, "Ya, I know. I lost control. I should have known better."

Once the little girl calmed down, Annabeth stood up and stated, "I'm just glad you're okay. You may be powerful, Percy, but you are still my Seaweed Brain."

I smiled. She is no longer mad. I responded, "Thanks, I love you too, Wise Girl."