PJatO || Tram || PJatO || Tram || Chasing Origins: Sam's Story || Tram || PJatO || Tram || PJatO
Title: Chasing Origins: Sam's Story – The Heart of War
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus
PJatO Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, of course. They are all copyright by the old Greeks. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: shounen-ai, fluff, family, explicit intercourse, anal, abuse, rape (mentioned), hetero
Main Pairing: Trend/Sam
Side Pairings: Leroy/Sam, John/Sam, Eric/Sam, Chuck/Sam, Trend/Others, Trend/Derek, Sander/Derek, Herc/Thea, Marshall/Sara, Loki/Blance, Liam/Malene, Nico/Percy, Chris/Clarisse, Ares/Aphrodite
Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Clarisse la Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Malcolm Cage, Will Solace, Jason Grace
Godly Characters: Ares, Aphrodite, Chiron
Own Pegasi: Trickster (Sander), Fighter (Sam), Rush
Own Characters: Samuel Elijah James Raser III (Ares), Trend Ignatius Austin (Athena), Charles Smith (Athena), Marshall Mikaelson (Enyo), Eric Anderson (Enyo), John Meyer (Enyalios), Derek Rhys (Demeter), Rainbow Jordan (Iris), Takara Phenia Thompson (Trivia), Loki Murdock (Mercury), Blance Lamour (Chione), Sara Mers (Mars), Joanna Foxx (Vulcan)
Sam's Family: Samuel Elijah James Raser II, Jolene Raser, Liam O'Riley, Malene O'Riley, Selene O'Riley, Lene O'Riley, Leah O'Riley, Lara O'Riley
Own Characters of the Next Generation:
Nicercy: Bianca Maria 'Bia' di Angelo, Hades Poseidon 'Donny' di Angelo
Chrisse: Calandra 'Cally' Rodriguez, Chrysander 'Sander' Rodriguez, Charisma 'Carry' Rodriguez
Pipabeth: Theadora Tiphane 'Thea' McLean
Matie: Amarilla 'Amy' Cage
Jayna: Hercules 'Herc' Grace
Frazeleo: Nicole Esperanza 'Nico' Zhang
Summary: As it says on the tin. This is Sam's story, his origins that lead up to 'Chasing Fireflies'. From the first time his mom told him that he was a son of Ares, to him moving to New Athens and meeting his biggest hero, Percy di Angelo. His relationship with Leroy and those that followed. How the scrawny boy turned into the biggest hero of their generation. His first quest with Sander and how he got the Heart of War from Aphrodite. How he first met his pegasus fighter and how the four sons of war actually became friends. And, of course, it introduces Sam's family.
Chasing Origins: Sam's Story
The Heart of War
Second Partition: The First Year
/Spring 2025 – New Athens, New York, USA\
Fighter gave a whine and nudged Sam's shoulder. The nine-years old boy flinched slightly. He had dislodged his shoulder two days ago during an attack by some very weird beast-thing with way too many heads. His mom hadn't stopped fussing over him, crying loudly. Mostly mumbling about how sorry she was and how much she regretted that uncle Liam was right. The conversation got more confusing afterward. Greek gods, his suddenly not so dead father and oh, he had to move out. His mom helped him pack and kept talking about how good he would fit in in that new place. Even though Sam tried very hard to be angry at his ma, he just couldn't. Because that was his ma and his ma would never do anything to harm him or to upset him.
"So, Fighter, this is the place we're going to liv in from now on", grunted Sam with a glare.
He had his backpack shouldered, his fingers running through Fighter's mane. Even after his summer of bonding with uncle Liam, Fighter never truly left him. She followed him, checked on him. In a way, she was the only friend he had. The duo looked around the intimidatingly amazing city. Everything was just that edge old-fashioned. Not last-century old-fashioned, but ancient Greece old-fashioned. Which was amazing, but also kind of confusing. And Sam had no idea what would come next. Where was he supposed to go? Would he stay in a foster home? With foster parents?
"Mh. New kid, arriving on his own? That's rare", commented a dark, amused voice.
Sam whirled around to face a tall Italian man. "Uh, hello, sir. I'm Samuel Raser and I guess I'm a son of Ares. My... ma send me here. She said I'd be safe here?"
"Hello, son of Ares", smiled the man amused, shaking his head. "I'm Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. I'm the head of... mh, that is getting too complex now. Let's say I'm an authority figure around here and I will take care of you. Get you settled. Come with me, we'll assign you an apartment."
"But my friend-", started Sam with a frown, pointing at Fighter.
"Friend? Interesting", asked Nico curiously. "Well, the pegasus can feel free to explore the city. The stables are close by and free for every horse-born being to stay at. Now come, boy."
A strong hand clasped down on his shoulder and the adult steered Sam toward a building. Truth be told, the following hour or so was a total blur to Sam. Too much input. Nico di Angelo kept talking about the gods and myths and laws as though it was completely normal – just like his ma had. There were many documents that needed his signature and many questions he had to answer, mostly about his family and how far he was capable of fighting or the likes. Two hours later and with a stack of papers concerning certain laws and guidance lines he'd have to obey if he wanted to stay here and under the protection of the DPS (he hadn't even bothered asking what that was or what it did, it was probably in one of the memos anyway), he found himself alone again. Somehow, he was relieved to get a moment to himself. He stood in a tiny apartment, the kitchen counter to his right and a door to a small bathroom to his left while he was already in the middle of what was the only room of the apartment. Even if he'd include the size of the bathroom, this whole apartment was still smaller than his room back at home in England. At home in Dublin, he had a closet bigger than that bathroom. And how was he supposed to cook in this small not-kitchen? Heaving a sigh, he dumped his backpack on the kitchen counter and collapsed face-first on the bed. The only furniture aside from the fridge, hearth and stove in the kitchen and the table. The bed was small and uncomfortable. He was aware that he was being a spoiled brat at the moment and he sure as anything had already lived under worse conditions. But that had been small 'Don't worry, Sammy, we'll only stay here for a month or so'-assignments from his ma. This here, this was supposed to be his home. As in, he was stuck here until he was eighteen. Which was still nine years away. So he had a right to criticize.
"At least Fighter can stay here too...", mumbled Sam and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "I hope she's alright. If... she's really going to stay with me...? Rush is waiting for her..."
Fighter occasionally came to check in on Sam, but she never came to stay. She had her mate in Ireland, she would always return to him. The feeling of being completely abandoned gripped on Sam's heart tightly. If she would leave, he would have no one. Ma had said she couldn't visit this place. And uncle Liam wasn't returning his calls. He was alone.
/break\
Gulping hard, Sam shouldered his backpack. This time, it wasn't filled with all his belongings, but with a set of school books he had been handed by Mister di Angelo. And he also wasn't standing uselessly around in the middle of the city, instead he was standing in a hall in the Athena Academy. And wasn't it just high and mighty to have the local complex of schools be called Athena Academy, in a city called New Athens? That goddess really had a too big head on her shoulders. Sam may not know her, but he didn't like self-centered people and it didn't get much more self-centered.
"Time to make new friends", muttered Sam flatly as he knocked on the door.
"Yes? Come in", called a voice from the other side of the door.
School. He had just learned that Greek gods were real, that his dad was the freaking god of war, but they expected him to just go to school? It was so ridiculous, it nearly hurt. Opening the door, he slid inside and took a shy look around. There were so many curious eyes on him, making him shudder. Three pretty girls in the first row were already whispering and giggling. One was a little rough, with a red bandana on and a nasty grin as though she was planning on how to humiliate him best – that one was practically screaming 'bully'. Another was really pretty, with long, black curls and pitch-black eyes and olive-skin. She bore a familiar resemblance to Mister di Angelo, come to think of it. And the third was a tomboyish native American. He didn't like gossipy girls. Wiggling his nose, Sam stepped up to the teacher – a tall, blonde and friendly looking man.
"You must be Samuel, yes?", smiled the teacher, urging him to enter. "I'm Mister Cage, son of Athena. But you can call me Malcolm, most of my students do. Why don't you say a thing or two about yourself? Introduce yourself to your new classmates."
"Hi, I'm Sam Raser, I guess I'm a son of Ares. And I hate being here", grunted Sam stubbornly.
"Well, that was cheery", noted Malcolm with one raised eyebrow. "Take a seat."
Sam took a nearly frantic look around, trying to find an empty spot. His eyes caught storm-gray ones as he saw the two boys on the window side of the front road. One was a really bulky and tall dark-skinned boy, making Sam question if that kid was really only nine. But the other was the one who had caught his attention. A scrawny blonde with glasses, staring at Sam so intensely, it made the son of Ares uncomfortable. Shifting some, he looked for another seat. There was a brunette boy whose hair was pointing up in a cool way. The boy grinned at him and waved. Returning the grin, Sam walked over to the last row and sat down on the empty chair next to him.
"Sander Rodriguez, nice to meet you", grinned the boy, holding his hand out.
"Sam", replied the son of Ares, shaking the offered hand, but still feeling the intense gray eyes on his neck. "Say, what's up with blondie? Is he always such a creep...?"
"That's Trend. He's new too, only moved here a week ago", laughed Sander amused. "I guess he's still trying to wrap his head around the whole gods-are-real thing. Don't worry about it."
Five rows in the front sat Trend, his eyes still fixed on Sam, head cocked curiously. The boy with the wavy, shoulder-long brown hair was thin and lanky, but his skin was like bronze and his eyes were the most amazing things Trend had ever seen. They were dark green, for boring people. But to Trend, it was like looking straight into a jungle or forest, a hundred shades of green, matching in such a soft yet dark tone, boring into his own inquisitively. The boy was easily the most beautiful thing Trend had ever seen. Pushing his glasses up, Trend kept staring until his best friend elbowed him. Grunting at the brute force, he turned toward the dark-skinned, amused boy.
"Dude, can you be any more obvious?", chuckled the other boy teasingly.
"Shut up, Marshall", muttered the son of Athena annoyed. "I'm just curious. He's the first kid of Ares I've ever seen. Ares is the god of war, right? Shouldn't he be bulky and strong like you?"
Sam was a good, strong name. Fit for a son of the god of war. But this kid didn't look like a son of war, he looked too cute for that. He looked more like a Sammy than a Sam.
"He's a kid", shrugged Marshall bored. "Still got time to fill out, I guess."
/break\
Rubbing the red paint off his cheek, Sam took a satisfied look around. He had painted the walls, had gotten himself a high shelf to part the room so he got some more privacy in his tiny little bedroom. It started to look more like him and less like just some place where he had to crash. He still hated it though. School too. The three strange girls kept whispering and gossiping. The blonde weirdo kept staring at him. The others mostly steered clear off him because of his dad. And how messed-up was that? He didn't even know his father. But Ares had quite the reputation, most were afraid of the children of Ares. Not that he minded. No one bothered him, no one bullied him. He could just keep ignoring the world. To him, this was just the routine of another school with another set of kids he didn't need or want to befriend. Besides, the school year was nearly over anyway, so who cared?
/Summer 2025 – Camp Half-Blood\
So, school had been horrible for the past month, but this right now? This was worse. So much worse. He was seriously forced to attend a summer camp. The whole concept of this sounded weird to him, but Mister di Angelo had told him it was important for his education. Which, hello, was even more weird. Wasn't school supposed to be for his education?
"Samuel Raser, son of Ares", murmured the half-horse man in front of him curiously.
Another weird thing. There was a half-horse man standing in front of him, looking him up and down, which made him even more uncomfortable than just being here. The tall man smiled kindly at him and clapped him on the shoulder, motioning for Sam to follow him. The cabins looked weird and the campers looked even more weird. Then there were all those half-goats walking around. Satyrs. He was still getting used to terms and all. But they had a few satyrs at school and at his apartment building, who kept checking on the kids.
"The counselor of your cabin is Calandra Rodriguez. If you have questions or problems, you can go to her and she will give you guidance", explained the half-horse man softly. "Here we are."
At least the cabin was very red. Sticking his head into the cabin, he saw only two kids lounging on two beds, most other beds looked used too, but were empty for now. Sam blinked surprised.
"Oh! Sam!", greeted Sander with a broad grin. "Come in. Thanks, Chiron, we'll take it from here."
Arching one eyebrow, the son of Ares slowly entered the cabin. Sander and his twin were looking at him quite intensely and he actually had the urge to leave again right away. But Sander was kind of nice – not that they had talked much in the past month, Sam had stuck with his plan of not befriending anyone. Reluctantly sitting down on the bed next to Sander, he stared.
"So, I'm Cally, your cabin leader. You'll listen to me, you can come to me if you have problems – but just don't have problems, kiddo, yeah?", grunted Sander's twin a little annoyed.
"Okay...", nodded Sam slowly, eying the girl that looked too much like a bully for his liking.
Better not get onto her bad side. Laying down on the bed, he decided that he would handle this just like he had handled school. Ignore everyone, wait until his time was up and hope that ma would come to her senses and let him return home again. Closing his eyes, he thought of Ireland.
/break\
So far, his stubbornness had been unmatched. But that had been before he had met Sander Rodriguez. The boy was like a stalker, he had insisted on showing Sam around camp and explaining to him all the rules he would have to follow. Truth be told, Sam was kind of grateful for that. There were just too many things he had to take into consideration all the time, it made his head hurt. And all the facts about the other demigods, it was all a little much. Whimpering in pain, Sam collapsed on his bed on the fifth day of camp, hiding his head under the pillow.
"For a son of Ares, you're quite the wimp", noted Sander amused as he leisurely sat down on his own bed. "You're the strangest Ares-kid I've ever met. And I've met a lot of them."
"Maybe I'm not a son of Ares after all", sneered Sam and turned his head to look at his new friend.
"I'd say so", snorted Sander and cocked one eyebrow. "You're useless at hand-to-hand combat. You refuse to even touch a weapon. You haven't engaged in any petty fighting and quarreling so far, even though a kid of Ares normally can't go a day without getting involved in a fight. And you're the scrawniest thing I've ever seen. Seriously, I just want to feed you. What's up with that?"
"I don't know", shrugged Sam, groaning as he turned onto his back. "Ouch. I just don't gain weight, regardless of how much I eat. High metabolism or something like that is what my uncle called it."
"And what's wrong with your attitude?", asked Sander, turning onto his side to stare at Sam.
"My ma is a soldier, she fights to protect. What are we fighting for? I did attend the last month of school and caught the gist of Mister Malcolm's history class. There hadn't been a war in fifteen years. Weapons are something to be used if needed. I don't see the point in learning how to fight if there is nothing to fight for", snorted the son of Ares with a glare. "Besides, we're freaking kids. I'm nine. Which sane person hands a sharp weapon to a nine-years-old kid? Seriously? That's sick."
Sam huffed as he got hit square in the face by Sander's pillow, the legacy laughing amused. "You are the weirdest kid of Ares ever. I think I really like you, Sam."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Rodriguez", muttered Sam from beneath the pillow – his arms ached too much to use them to remove the pillow from his face. "Is there anything here that's actually fun?"
"Depends on how you define fun, Raser", mocked Sander. "Normally, fighting is fun for children of Ares. So I'm a little lost here. What do you like? Swimming? Climbing? Running?"
"Will you stop with all those... activities", grunted Sam and shuddered.
"You make a suggestion then", snorted Sander and rolled his eyes. "What do you like?"
"Animals", answered the son of Ares thoughtful. "Especially horses. They're like the most amazing beings on this whole planet. How come the camp leader is a half-horse anyway?"
"A centaur, that's what they're called", laughed Sander loudly and sat up. "Come. I think I know what you're going to enjoy. I'll show you the stables. We even have winged horses here."
"Pegasi?", asked Sam eagerly and forced his sore muscles to sit up. "Where?"
"Come on", grinned Sander, wrapping one arm around Sam's shoulders.
The two boys walked through camp, Sam's eyes sparkling with eager anticipation, which caught the attention of one curious son of Athena. Trend was sitting on the porch of the Athena cabin, his new summer home as he had been told. Next to him sat the cabin head, Theadora Chase, as well as another legacy of Athena, called Amarilla Cage, the daughter of his history teacher. All three had their noses deeply buried in books, but the two brunette boys passing them distracted Trend enough to lift his gaze. He wasn't sure about the new kid yet. But if Trend was one thing, it was observant, so he had kept observing the other newbie. Sam, he reminded himself. No, Sammy. He had thought about approaching Sammy, talking to him, but Sammy hadn't even talked to anyone else and Trend was not the social kind of guy, so he surely wouldn't approach the shy boy himself. There was one thing about him Trend couldn't ignore. And that were those eyes. Seeing Sammy with the other guy and with those amazingly sparkling eyes, it got him curious. Putting his book down and laying his reading glasses on top of it, he stood and followed the two brunettes, not listening to the confused calls of the girls. The inquisitive Athena-part of his brain demanded to know exactly what made Sammy's eyes sparkle in such a blinding way. They reached the stables, the place Trend had deemed to be his most hated in all of camp. Wrinkling his nose, Trend stepped closer to observe them. The sparkling in those dark eyes intensified as the other brunette led Sammy over to a white pegasus.
"That's Trickster. He's my companion", grinned Sander broadly. "Trick, this is Sam. My friend."
"He's amazing", whispered Sam in awe, cautiously reaching out to pet the white mane. "Hello, Trickster. It's a pleasure to meet you. You are one handsome stallion, you know that?"
The suspiciousness in Trick's eyes dissolved as he acknowledged the compliment and pushed his head against Sam's. Sander grinned amused at that, cocking his head curiously. Trend, watching from afar, made a face. Sammy liked horses? How could he? Shuddering, the blonde left.
"He seems to like you", noted Sander curiously. "How about we get you a companion too?"
"A companion? Is that what you call them?", asked Sam interested, looking at Sander.
"Well, yeah. Some of us do, at least", shrugged Sander thoughtful. "Some think that pegasi are just dumb animals. Stable duty, just something Chiron makes us do. But I for my part, and others who have taken to a pegasus, call them our companions because pegasi are very loyal and helpful."
"Well, then I already have a companion", grinned Sam softly. "Her name is Fighter. But, well, she's not always around, I guess. I hope she'll come visit during the summer though."
"Don't worry, while she's not around, I'm sure the other pegasi would be glad to have someone who actually cares", smiled Sander and nudged Sam. "Come on, it's time for dinner anyway."
/break\
Okay, so Sam didn't hate everything about camp. Stable duty was awesome, there were so many beautiful pegasi. And he didn't hate Sander – even though they were not friends, they were barely acquaintances in Sam's books, regardless of what Sander claimed. Something in the back of Sam's mind told him that he was not going to enjoy what was to come next. Today was this year's first Capture the Flag and Sam was still trying to wrap his mind around the rules, because they didn't make any sense to him at all. Why did the teams have only one flag and why should they try to steal the flag of the other team? Made no sense at all. Just like every other sports game. Still, Calandra had quite the arguments for him to give his best. She growled at him and pushed him against the wall, pining him by his shoulders, glaring at him dangerously.
"You listen here, pipsqueak, I am not losing this game", declared Calandra darkly. "You will give your damn best. We're the Ares cabin, we are winners. If you keep being a pouting, whiny brat, then you can just go and look for another cabin for all I care. Are we clear, pipsqueak?"
And oh yes, they were clear. This was his 'don't screw it up'-moment and if he screwed it up, Sam could vividly picture Calandra dunking his head into a toilet. Her speeches were very motivating. So as the Ares cabin met up with their allies to discuss their plans, Sam was nervously fidgeting. Calandra and the head of the Athena cabin, Thea or something, were discussing plans with the other cabin heads, while those who were no cabin heads dutifully stood back. Sander tugged on Sam's hand, pulling him over to two kids from the Athena cabin. One Sam recognized from their classes. The blonde with the cute reading glasses and the weirdly obsessive stalking-behavior.
"Hey, Trend", grinned Sander curiously and sat down. "And Amy. What you working on?"
The blonde looked up and pushed his glasses up, only sparing Sander a short look before staring at Sam with those too intense eyes that made Sam shudder. This guy really was a weirdo. But he looked cute with those black glasses. Sam leaned over to take a look too.
"Trend made a plan", answered the brunette girl as Trend remained silent for too long.
"Cool", nodded Sander impressed. "Care to share? You're a first year, they normally stick to the back-row and keep their heads low. Show me what you got, brainiac boy."
"I just...", started Trend softly, suddenly a little nervous about being asked for his input. "I figured this Capture the Flag is like chess, right? We want to get their flag, their king-"
"Chess?", grunted Sam with a confused frown. "The nerd game? I thought this was serious war-like business or stuff like that. Your sister made it sound serious, Sander."
Trend frowned annoyed. He did not like being interrupted. And why was Sammy making it sound as though nerd games were something bad? Glaring at the cute boy, he cleared his throat.
"Don't be stupid, Sammy", chided Trend annoyed. "Chess is-"
"Don't call me Sammy", growled Sam dangerously. "And don't call me stupid!"
No one called him Sammy, only his ma was allowed to call him that, because she loved him. Who was this boy to think he had any right to call him Sammy? And stupid, to top it all off! Sam was not stupid! Everybody always assumed shit about him without knowing him and he hated it. A sudden rush of anger welled up inside of him, one that was so foreign and yet so natural, as though it was part of him. Gritting his teeth, he held his shaking fist against his side.
"I didn't mean it like that", said Trend, but it didn't sound apologetic, it sounded condescending.
"Oh yeah? You didn't mean it like that?", snorted Sam annoyed. "What's your problem anyway, weirdo? I know you've been following me around school ground and you keep staring at me like a creep. What's your problem? Now you get all high-and-mighty too?"
"I'm the weirdo?", asked Trend and stood, returning the glare. "Says the son of Ares that looks like a son of Aphrodite? No, I take that back. I saw you fight. You're worse than the Aphrodite brats."
Sander's eyes widened as he stood by and watched the scene. He saw exactly what was going on. His mom had warned him and Cally about such a thing. Athena and Ares didn't get along, their children tended to rub each other the wrong way too, like his mom and aunt Annabeth sometimes. The two sons of war were edging each other on, spiking the primal urge to fight each other. The first blow was delivered without anyone having the chance to react. So was the second. By the time the others could interfere, the two boys were already rolling around on the ground.
This fight was what would change Sam's life forever, not that he was aware of that.
An hour later, in the middle of Capture the Flag – or at least Sam guessed the others were in the middle of it by now – Sam and Trend were laying in the infirmary, both not looking at each other. The son of Athena was holding a bag of ice to his swelling eye, while Sam kept tracing his front tooth that was now missing part of it with his tongue. Both were glaring at the opposite wall.
"Boys", sighed an exhausted voice as Chiron walked into the infirmary. "You know this is not acceptable. Campers don't fight. Not outside the arena. You two will be doing dishes for the rest of the summer, maybe that will give you enough bonding-time to get along with each other."
"Yes, sir", pressed both boys out between gritted teeth.
/break\
The following ten days were weird for Sam. The cabin accepted him, because he had finally engaged in a fight. He was still not touching weapons though. His evenings were spend cleaning and drying dishes with the weirdo, neither of them speaking a word. Then there had been the conversation with his mom. Mister di Angelo had even picked him up from camp for it.
"Am I in trouble?", asked Sam worried as Mister di Angelo brought him to the DPS building.
"For the fight with the Athena boy?", asked Mister di Angelo amused. "You're a son of Ares. You would probably be in more trouble if you wouldn't be picking fights. Not at my hands, but at the hands of your cabin mates, I'd say. No, you're not in trouble. But Malcolm and Chiron told me that you're having trouble adjusting. At school, at camp. I think I have a solution."
Sam just nodded and stayed silent until they reached Mister di Angelo's office. What Sam had not expected was the screen with the image of his smiling mother on it. Sam stared surprised.
"M—Ma?", asked the son of Ares and stumbled over to the screen. "Ma! How are you? Are you alright? D—Did Mister di Angelo bring me here because you're hurt? Oh gods, are you-"
"Sammy", laughed Jolene softly. "Calm down, my angel. I'm fine. No, we're here to talk about you. You see, I send you to this place so you can be safe and happy. I've been told you're not happy though. Why? I thought... If you're with your own kind, with others your own age that share your... heritage, that you could be happy. If you won't have to move around all the time."
"Ma! I don't care about moving. I just want to be with you", sobbed Sam, feeling tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. "I don't want to be here! Why can't I stay with grandpa? Or uncle Liam?"
Jolene took a deep breath and for the first time in Sam's life, she looked at him disappointed and with a warning in her eyes. "Samuel, this is not about what you want, but what is best for you. Your blood calls out for monsters. As long as you're in the mortal world, you are a danger to yourself. As long as you stay with our family, you're a danger to them. You can't fight, you can't even protect yourself. You wouldn't be able to protect your grandpa, or your aunt and cousins. And I could not live with that. With either member of my family suffering. I'm on a very important mission, if I have to constantly wonder whether or not you're safe, I can't concentrate. Please, Sammy. Stay there, be safe and try being happy. I promise you, as soon as I'm back from the mission, I'll take you to the mansion and we'll spend time together, just you and me. But this is now your home, Sammy."
/break\
Sam spend days mulling over his mother's words. He didn't want to worry her and he certainly didn't want to distract her while she was on a dangerous mission. And he surely couldn't be at fault for grandpa or Sel or any other member of their family to be hurt. His arms wrapped tightly around his legs, his head resting on his knees, Sam sat in the arena and watched the others train. Sander and Calandra were showing the others what to do and how to do it, but that wasn't the interesting thing. The weirdo was taking on one of the bulkiest kids around – the dark-skinned boy Sam remembered from school who always sat next to the blonde. It was interesting to watch. Seeing the scrawny blonde and his muscular, tall opponent, anyone with half a brain would bet their money on the tall guy. But the weirdo was cunning. Less scrawny, more lean, Sam corrected curiously. Tilting his head, Sam observed them closer. Trend – argh, damn it, the weirdo! The weirdo, not Trend, he did not like the jerk and the jerk did not deserve to be called by his name – was dapper and cunning. He made this whole fighting-stuff look pretty elegant actually.
That evening, as Sam found himself once again in the kitchen, holding a towel and drying the dishes Trend wordlessly handed him, Sam got bored. He didn't like spending all his evenings in icy silent. It wasn't his fault that he was stuck with a weirdo that won't talk. Well, technically it was his fault, he guessed, after all he had hit the guy square in the face.
"Why are you such a dick?", asked Sam with a grunt.
"What?", snorted the blonde and turned to glare at him. "I'm the dick? You're the one who called me a weirdo and went all psycho on my ass for... I have no idea what for, actually."
"You called me stupid!", exclaimed Sam and waved his arms around wildly. "I'm trying to get on my cabin's good side and you come along and call me stupid! I'm not stupid!"
Trend backed off some, staring at the furious brunette a little surprised. "I didn't call you stupid, I told you not to be stupid. There is a difference in that."
"You're doing it again!", growled the son of Ares with a heated glare.
"I seriously did not even imply stupidity this time", huffed the blonde and rolled his eyes.
"Not the calling-me-stupid thing!", exclaimed Sam and put the plate down. "The being a prick part! You're being so condescending! I hate when people act as though they're better than others!"
"It's in my nature. I am smarter than others", snorted Trend with one cocked eyebrow.
"Well, let me give you a piece of advice, buddy", spat Sam furiously. "No one likes jerks."
"Now I'm a jerk. I thought I was a weirdo", snarled Trend with a nasty glare.
"You are a weirdo! Even more so than a jerk!", said Sam and shook his head. "I know you've been watching me the whole time since I arrived here. No one also likes a stalker, you know?"
"You're one to talk", laughed Trend. "Don't think I didn't notice the way you always stare at me during training. I was only observing you because it's in my nature as a son of Athena. I thought that maybe with you being new around and me being new around, we could be... friends. But you didn't seem like you want friends, which is weird, so I kept observing."
"I didn't want friends because I... hoped I'd get to leave this place soon", sighed Sam softly.
"Why?", asked the son of Trend, jumping onto the counter to sit. "It's the only place for our kind."
"I don't care", frowned Sam upset and shrugged. "I want to go home. I want to be back with my family. B—But... ma said it's not safe. Not for me, or the family... or her... She's in the middle East and she doesn't... need the distraction of worrying about me... I don't want her to die on the mission just because I'm being a brat... But that doesn't change that I don't want to be here..."
The son of Athena shifted a little closer, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm sorry for that. Well, I guess I know what it feels like to want to be with family. I... my dad died. It's why they brought me here, because I don't have any family aside from him. And now he's gone."
Forest-green eyes stared surprised up at the blonde. Why would Trend – how could he call the guy a weirdo now that he knew about that, after all – tell him something like that? They didn't even know each other. Then again, it seemed Trend wanted to get to know him. Sighing, Sam hopped up onto the counter too, coming to sit next to the blonde. Propping himself up on his arms, he leaned back.
"Sorry about that", mumbled Sam, because what was one supposed to say to that. "And for your information, I was not being a weirdo when I was watching you. I studied your fight. You're good."
"Thanks", chuckled the son of Athena with a slightly sad grin. "Unlike you, eh? Not meant as an insult, I swear. I just noticed that you haven't even picked up a sword yet."
"I don't like weapons", shrugged Sam with a frown. "But I guess I should learn how to fight. But I don't want to, I mean, in the arena, everybody can see and my cabin is already quite hard on me... I don't want them to make fun of me for sucking at it... I don't want to disappoint anyone..."
Trend copied the frown and looked around for a moment before grinning wickedly and grabbing two long wooden spoons, thrusting one out to Sam. "Here. I'll teach you."
"Teach me? Cooking, or what?", asked Sam confused and stared at the spoon.
"Fighting. Or at least the routine of it", explained Trend and pushed off the counter. "We can use our kitchen-duty for it. I'll teach you everything you need to know with the spoons and once you're good enough at remembering the routines, we can start training in the arena."
"Why are you doing this? I mean, I got you into trouble and embarrassed you in front of your cabin and I got you a shiner and I called you a weirdo and-", questioned the son of Ares.
Trend pressed his wooden spoon against Sam's lips to shut him up, raising one amused eyebrow at the other boy. "And you're interesting. You're different. You're not like the other Ares kids. I'm a son of Athena, I'm curious about everything that differs from the norm, which you surely do. That intrigues me. So... I want to learn more about you."
"So I'm like a lab rat to you?", asked Sam, somewhere between insulted and amused.
"No!", exclaimed Trend and shook his head hastily. "I thought more about... a friend?"
The son of Ares measured him up and down, those eyes truly made him uncomfortable, at least until Sam grinned at him and thrust his hand out. "Okay. But then properly. I'm Samuel Elijah James Raser the Third. It's nice to meet you, I look forward to being your friend-slash-lab-rat."
Trend took a moment to stare at the offered hand and then to stare into those deep, sparkling eyes. "Samuel... Elijah James...? That is one heck of a weird name."
Huffing at the insult, Sam made a move to pull his hand back, but Trend was faster, grabbing it tightly and shaking it. "Everybody has an embarrassing middle name. I have two. No biggie."
Grinning apologetically, Trend held onto Sam's hand. He hadn't meant to insult Sam. But it seemed to be a repeating theme here. Letting his fingers linger on the sun-kissed wrist, Trend shrugged.
"I guess you're right", nodded the son of Athena slowly. "Sorry. I guess I'm not good with this whole... social-thing. I've never really spend much time with others my own age. I have no idea how to... talk, I guess. I always speak my mind, sometimes I don't notice I hurt others with my behavior at all. It's why I only made friends with Marshall so far, I guess. He's really silent, doesn't talk much so with not much talking, I can't say many wrong things."
"Don't worry", grinned the son of Ares amused, also jumping down the counter. "I'll teach you how to be more likable. I mean, well, if we're friends now, I guess."
"Yes", nodded Trend hastily. "Yes, we're friends now. Thank you."
"That's a good start", praised Sam with a broad grin. "If we improve your manners, you won't come off as overly rude anymore and people will like you more. Now, don't be rude. Introductions. Proper. You agreed with me, so you have an embarrassing middle name too, right? Tell me!"
"No way", grunted the son of Athena a with a glare and shook his head. "No. Never."
"See? That's being rude again. Don't be rude", chided Sam before giving him the puppy-eyes, full with quivering lower lip. "Now, please? Come on! Tell me, tell me, tell me! Please!"
Raising both his eyebrows, Trend tried very hard to resist the brunette. But those eyes would one day be his downfall, he knew it in that moment. They weren't just incredibly deep and full of emotions and just downright beautiful, they were also kind of hypnotizing.
"Ignatius", pressed Trend out, more than a little unwilling. "Trend Ignatius Austin."
Sam started to giggle – another thing children (especially so sons) of Ares didn't do. This boy was completely screwing the rules and it fascinated Trend. It was as though Sam took the things that were expected of him and just did the exact opposite. Completely fascinating.
"Well then, Ignatius", grinned Sam teasingly. "We got a deal. You teach me how to fight and I'll teach you how to be a polite, social and nice guy. Let's see who fails first on his impossible task."
/break\
Much to Sam's surprise, the rest of the summer actually turned out to be the most awesome time of his life so far. He spend the evenings getting playfully trained by Trend while teaching the boy how to not always speak his mind and be such a creep. The days were mostly spend at the stables with Sander, because not long after, Fighter had arrived and she hadn't left since then. Sam, Fighter, Sander and Trickster had taken many flights together and it was just amazing. Sander picked up on the fixed relationship between Trend and Sam, so it was soon the four of them against all others – Sander, Sam, Trend and Trend's best friend Marshall. Not that Sam minded. The big, silent guy was really great to be around. The four of them caused mischief, went swimming and trained – once Sam was feeling confident enough with his skills to actually show them. Before the end of the summer, the four of them were known as the Sons of War around camp.
Sam was able to hold a sword now without injuring himself, but it still wasn't something he was interested in. Once summer was over, he dumped the sword in a corner of his apartment and planned on ignoring it until next summer. He however came to terms with having to stay in New Athens, so he dove right into his studies. Because that was something he was comfortable with. Absorbing knowledge. He borrowed every book on Greek mythology – no, now that was actually history to him – in the library and devoured them to be prepared for his new life.
Author's note: There you go! The story of how Trend and Sammy met! Next chapter will have much bonding - adjusting to school now that he has friends, fanboying over Percy Jackson, meeting and befriending Derek, the slow discovery of sexuality and why the fuck does the weirdo look so cute with his glasses and Sam meets his half-sister Sara! ;)