The next morning was not without its issues. Last night at dinner really stirred some stuff up for me and the others; the adamantine sword that was burned onto my hand, my gift from the god of war, which was currently set next to my bed and the slight argument I had with my friends. Don't get me wrong; it wasn't about what was going to happen today, just on what we talked about.
When I had asked them what Clarisse meant about being renegades and what their parents meant when they called them Fallen Heroes, they tried to avoid the subject all together. I pried but we ended up arguing and they left to the Big House without another word.
They know a lot about me but when I ask something about them it's a touchy matter and get the cold shoulder. How the fuck is that fair? I gave up and just retreated back to my cabin to turn in, and thankfully no dreams. Waking up to the sound of knocking made me realize that it was morning and wipe the sleep from eyes.
After almost slipping on the marble floor since I was wearing socks, I made it to the door and saw Annabeth standing there, a blush forming on her face. I had taken off my shirt before going to bed last night and I guess I made the situation awkward for her.
"Sorry about that," I said, going back inside to grab something to cover myself.
"It's alright," she muttered though it still felt like it wasn't.
"Why are you here so early?" I asked, looking at the time to see that it was nine in the morning.
"You didn't come to breakfast so I came here to wake you so that you can start your day."
She handed me a piece of paper that I deduced as my schedule. Now that I think about it, Chiron did say that my activities would be handled by my friends; they'd have no choice but to talk to me.
Then again they might still be pissed at me for trying to get into their business. Getting changed, I walked with Annabeth through camp to Sword Fighting Arena. Bobby was already there practicing and was currently annihilating a straw dummy.
After taking off its head in one swing he finally noticed us and sheathed his weapon.
"Careful, he's pretty good. He isn't exactly like his father," Annabeth whispered.
Trust me, I know. When she left, it was just us in the entire arena and we didn't exactly say anything. It was sort of awkward; what with what happened last night was more than likely still on both our minds.
We don't normally fight, and when we do it's something we work past it and be friends again, but the matter last night was something that seemed to weigh on them heavily.
"Listen, about what I said," I started, but he held out his hand to stop me.
"Come on man, I wouldn't be your friend for this long if we got bent out of shape over little stuff. Let's just forget about it and focus on this," he said, putting his arm over my shoulders.
I have awesome friends. He took me over to one of the other dummies that were set up in the arena and we got to work on my swordplay. Picking up on the technique was actually very simple; the hard part was to put down my sword.
The moment Bobby suggested that we go one on one was when the other side of me took over, the one who took out Zeus. My stance readjusted and my sword was at the ready, when came at me I was able to read his movement and predict his attacks.
In three swift movements, I parried two of his strikes and quickly disarmed him and kept the point of my blade under his chin. I had to mentally hold back the other to keep from killing him. That one played for keeps.
"Wow, where'd that come from; are you doing some sword fighting in secret?" he asked.
"I-I don't know, it's the same thing that happened when I held Ares' sword yesterday. Something took over when I started fighting," I explained.
"Well, it's probably your battle instincts taking over, we're done for today. Next class is with Matt; he's over at the archery range."
Leaving, I headed off to go meet up with Matt. Thankfully I remembered everything from the tour with Tessa. The range was filled with others kids, those who were actually pretty good but Matt was better; the fired much faster than the others and always nailed a bull's-eye. He even managed to split some of the arrows from his previous shots.
He also gained some jealous looks from who I guessed were his brothers and sisters. They held somewhat of a resemblance to each other and to Apollo. It was probably a bad idea to get involved so I just went up to him and we got started with practice. Matt made it look easy, but in truth there was a lot more to it than one might expect.
The form and technique took some getting used to, after I messed up a few times, some resulting in me pissing off a dryad by almost killing her and misfiring in the air making everyone play arrow roulette, I managed to get a shot at the target.
"Maybe archery isn't your forte, and I think I should take this from you before you accidently kill someone," he said, taking the bow from me.
He could have it; I wanted nothing more to do with that damnable thing. Why Apollo and Artemis favor the bow is beyond me.
Next on the stop was specialist training with Tessa.
"I didn't know Camp Half-Blood had this sort of thing," I said.
"We didn't, until two years ago after the Battle of Manhattan. She wanted the campers to be better prepared, after what happened in August with the Greeks and Romans almost going into a death match it brought in more students. Good luck; Tess doesn't go easy on anyone, not even friends."
The class was set at the shore, just a little bit next to the pier. A group of demigods, about ten to thirteen not counting Tessa, were gathered in a straight line and were listing to their instructor.
Joining in, I listened closely and didn't talk.
"Alright cadets, today we have a new recruit joining our fold. Step forward and introduce yourself rook," Tessa said, waving her hand at me.
The others looked at me while I went to stand next to her and I spoke.
"Um, I'm Justin Stryker, son of Hera, but I guess you already know that."
There was only silence I scratched the back of my head, feeling really awkward now so I just went to stand in line again to listen to further instructions.
"We'll begin with our usual warmups; ten laps around camp, twenty push-ups and sit-ups, then we move onto weapons training and hand to hand combat. Let's get to it!" She picked up wooden pole and aimed it to the right, making everyone start running.
Guess that was the signal to go. These kids were fast and left me in the dust, then again they've done this longer than I have.
"Pick up the pace rook," Tessa said as she ran past me and swatted me in the back with the pole.
"Aw fuck, what the hell Tess?" I shouted but she did it again and ran past me.
That just pissed me off and made run faster. We circled camp for the whole ten laps and I was already dripping in sweat and was ready to collapse until we got to work on the push-ups and once we did the sit-ups I couldn't move once I was done.
The others were a bit winded but not as bad as me. This spoke a lot about me actually, maybe I should consider working out more.
"Alright cadets, now that we're done with warm ups, we'll start with the real training," Tess said.
We all sat down and listened while she started to lecture us about something I least expected her to.
"Monsters are the most common things that kill us heroes; our aura, the scent that lures creatures to us is the main reason that they find us. Half the time we aren't prepared for it. But there are moments, rare ones, where our enemy isn't a monster."
Her tone was somewhat somber and the look in the other camper's eyes was that of understanding.
"There are times when the one you have to fight is a mortal and you must be prepared to make a choice to stay alive," she said.
Murmurs of agreement started to sound off. That threw me for a loop; not once had I actually considered that as a possibility that might happen, having to fight another human being in a life or death situation.
Tessa waved over one to the cadets and put a pistol on their hand, one I hope wasn't loaded.
"Since Celestial Bronze considers mortals to be unimportant to inflict damaged, you will need to learn to properly defend yourselves. There will be times when the enemy will be carrying a weapon, what that will be will determine the rate of danger."
Tessa turned around and the one holding the gun pointed it to the back of her head. It made me a little concerned, that is, until Tess whipped around faster than I had anticipated and her hand made the slider of the pistol come off and use a takedown move on them.
"Remember though, there are other ways to overcome a foe and it is to use their weapon against them," she continued, helping the cadet up and giving them back the slider.
This time Tessa was staring down the barrel of the gun until she disarmed them and put a shot into their chest and head. I almost had a heart attack since I thought the damn thing was loaded but thank god it wasn't, or is it 'gods'? I'll have to look into that.
"Alright, that's it for today cadets. Go get some rest, you'll need it for the game later today," she said and they either collapsed or left. Guess it took a lot out of them too.
"Hey rook."
Looking up, I saw Tessa and she handed me a metal canteen and then took a seat next to me like nothing even happened.
"You did a pretty good job considering it was your first day an all," she said casually.
"You hit me with a stick, what the hell was that about anyway?" I asked.
"I train all my recruits in a Spartan like manner; in ancient times this was an effective method that was almost long forgotten. I find that it works to get the job done when teaching my students in the ways of battle and survival, plus I don't show favoritism to anyone," she explained.
Yeah, no kidding, though it seemed that she was swatting me with it mostly.
"By the way, do you need any practice handling that shotgun that Ares gave you?" she asked.
"Nah, I'll manage. If video games have taught me anything is that you shoot first before they shoot you. Wait, I won't have to kill anyone, will I? That thing might be loaded with live rounds," I said.
"Oh, thanks for reminding me. Here, these are for the games, make 'em count." Tessa handed me a box of shotgun shells that were white capped.
"What are these?" I asked.
"Rubber slugs, same thing that crowd control unites use in riots. I asked a favor of the Hephaestus kids. If it means they can make something new then they do it in a heartbeat. Get some rest; you're going to need it in a few hours."
With that, I tried to get up but my body felt as though it was filled with led and I almost collapsed face first if Tess hadn't caught me and helped me get to the Big House and sat me down on the sofa.
"Hang on a sec; I'll go get Lilly to help out. Stay here with Argus, he'll watch over you," she said while leaving.
"Wait, who's Argus?"
Tessa was already out the door before I could get an answer. It was soon answered when a guy dressed in cargos and a t-shirt, had blond hair and…well, had blue eyes all over his body. They all suddenly turned and locked in on me.
I was still stunned by what I was seeing that didn't have time to react to it when it came charging and attacked me a mean ass bear hug that almost broke my back.
"What is happing right now, I'm very confused as to what is happening right now," I said.
"I see you are getting acquainted with our head of camp security."
Looking over the monster's shoulder, I said Chiron coming in in his electric wheelchair. How he changes forms like that will remain a mystery but at the moment I didn't care.
"What is this thing hugging me Chiron, no, why is it hugging me to begin with?" I shouted.
That must've been enough to get the monster to stop and put me down, looking a bit embarrassed for its actions.
"This is no ordinary creature, Justin. This is Argus; he was created by your mother in ancient times and is a loyal servant to her. He serves as our security guard, ever since nothing can get past him and he has done a rather good job for many years. When he found out that his creator had a child he went ecstatic, he couldn't wait to meet you," he explained.
Argus nodded rapidly in agreement. I guess he was eager to meet me when he found out the news about me, then again he might be happy about anything related to Hera.
"By the way Justin, there is something we need to speak of while we have this chance to ourselves."
Looking over at Argus, I thought it kind of defeated the purpose to have a private conversation if he was here. Then he opened his mouth and there on his tongue was a blue eye that blinked, which I guess was his way of winking at me. He didn't seem like much of a talker anyway.
"What do we need to talk about anyway?" I asked.
The mood in the room seemed to shift to a heavier one. Chiron shuffled a bit in his wheelchair and scratched his beard.
"It concerns the matter of the vision you had yesterday and the gift you received from the one visited you in your dream."
I clenched my hand and summoned my sword, the moment Argus saw it he jumped up backed to the wall and the leopard head mounted above the fireplace snared in anger. Now that was weird.
"Let me explain a few things Justin. The weapon you carry is possibly the only one of its kind that is ever going to be wielded by a hero. Long ago, after the Olympians cut up Kronos with his own scythe, they destroyed it, hoping that such a weapon wouldn't be used again, mainly because they feared that it would be used against them. Almost all traces of it were either hidden or lost long ago."
I looked at him quizzically; the way he said that insinuated that there was another source of adamantine somewhere in the world. Chiron seemed to pick up on what I was thinking and answered the question I was going to ask.
"You see, your brother, Hephaestus, forged a throne for your mother made entire of the adamantine once before and it is one of Hera's symbols, so it is only befitting that you wield it. But keep in mind this Justin; the weapon you wield strikes fear into the hearts of gods and monsters. The fact that a hero wields it"
"Means that the others would see me as more of a threat to them, and the fact that prophecy spoke of me being born did more than shake them up. If they see this it'll be like trying to put out a fire with gasoline," I finished, spinning my sword on the floor and it started to drill a hole.
Things are really starting to fall apart faster than I realized they were already. It really made me want to take this thing, find the bastard who melted it onto my hand and shove it where the sun don't shine.
"Try not to be discouraged Justin, anyone who knows about this are instructed to not speak of it until things can calm down. We just ended a war, the last thing we need is another one."
"That doesn't make me feel any better Chiron. Even if they don't catch on about this they're still going to hate me because of who my godly parent is and this whole prophecy thing," I said.
I felt a hand touch my shoulder and saw Argus looking at me sympathetically; almost he was trying to say that he didn't hate me. It was a nice gesture from the ocular monster security guard.
"Things will get better Justin, try to stay optimistic," Chiron said.
Easy for him to say, but I just nodded and watched him turn his wheelchair and leave Argus following in suit. Like clockwork, Lilly and Tessa came in and saw me on the couch.
"How are you holding up with everything?" Lilly asked.
"Better than the bomb Chiron dropped on me but I'll tell you about that later," I said.
She nodded and helped me lie down on the couch. He handed me a her canteen and I drank more of the weird golden liquid from before that now tasted like Tang. Then she pulled out her panpipes and started to play a type of eerie melody.
My vision started to blur for a moment and my body started to relax. Fear started work its way in and I tried to sit back up, but Tessa kept me down.
"W-What's happening to m-me?" I asked.
"Don't fight it Justin, just let it take you. We'll see you when you wake up," she said before everything went dark.
For a while, I just seem to float in darkness and felt at peace. This wasn't so bad, that is until I felt someone else was here with me at this very moment. Turing, I saw Hera standing there with a type of worried look on her face.
Guess she must have been watching what happened yesterday, though something else seemed to be bothering her as well. That didn't seem to matter at this second as she came close and hugged me. I was getting used to it really.
"Something up, you look a little distressed," I said.
"Just a bit stressed with everything happening on Olympus, the constant complaints from the some of the other gods and requests that you be killed. Even Zeus is backing them up on this matter, had to deal with that headache."
She rubbed her temples like she was trying to rid herself of one. I never thought I'd see a god having stress. Their gods for crying out loud, they can do anything.
"Never thought my aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters were complete dicks," I said.
"Olympians are not without their faults Justin, but do not worry, I meant what I said that you are under my protection. None will be able to touch you," she said, cupping my cheek.
It was strange. I've already gotten used to the fact that Stephanie was the mother in my life, but actually having my real mom comfort me was…different, and regretfully better. I shook off the feeling and realized I had a chance to ask her something important.
"Mom, listen, can you look at this for me and tell me if you know who might've given it to me?" I asked.
"What is it?" she asked.
Clenching my hand, my sword appeared and she looked a little baffled. When explaining my dream to her, a shadow seemed to pass over her eyes. I felt an immense power suddenly spike, and Hera's body started to glow faintly gold.
"Listen to me Justin; I have to go speak with someone. For the time being, just continue to go about your time at camp," she said.
"Wait, what's wrong, do you know something about this?" I asked.
See looked at me for a moment before smiling and saying something before everything went dark. "Good luck with your game; trust in the gifts that I have blessed you with."
When she vanished, I woke with a start on the same couch that I fell asleep on. Getting up, I actually felt pretty good and my aches were gone. I owe Lilly big time for this.
"Hey, Justin." Looking over by the door, I saw my friends wearing breastplates, helmets.
Bobby had his sword hanging at his side and satchel on his left, Matt had his bow slung across his back with a bundle of arrows that were marked differently. Tessa had her spear and shield hanging from her back and my shotgun in her hand.
Lilly was surprisingly wearing armor as well, with a Celestial Bronze knife hanging on her belt and her panpipes around her neck. They looked as if they were ready to go to war right about now.
"How do you feel?" Lilly asked.
"Great actually, thanks to you. What did you do to me anyway?" I said.
"Nature Magic, it was an older remedy than modern methods today but I personally like it better," she said.
"Now that you're ready to go, get suited up," Tessa said, bringing in a breastplate, Celestial Bronze sword, a helmet and helped me put it on.
We headed out and saw a group of kids already gathered around while Chiron explained the rules and the teams. We were the red team; the one leading it was Clarisse who also had Hephaestus kids, Hermes and Hades. Not to mention me and the others.
After the rules were given, we all scattered and set up our flag by this giant pile of rocks that they call Zeus's Fist. Not sure why since it doesn't look like a fist but more like a pile of – you know what, I'm not going to question it. Tessa pulled out a map and spread it out on the ground for us to see and went to work.
"Alright, here's where we are," she said, point to the spot near the Sound. "The blue team has more than likely hidden in the forest. They have Percy on their side and since there are tons of streams in the woods they're at an advantage, plus children of Apollo so more than likely they can sneak attack."
"So what do you suppose we do then Carter?" Clarisse asked.
Tessa thought for a moment looking over at Nico and a grin grew on her face.
"This is what we do. Nico, you can reanimate skeletons right?" she asked.
"Yeah, but I don't know what good that would…oh, now I know where you're going with this," he said.
Nico proceeded to kneel down and put his hand on the ground and a mist started to coil outward and sink into the dirt. Soon, a mini legion of skeleton rats rose up, taking form and the mist seemed to give them form but if you look at them directly you could see through the mist and right at the bone.
They ran off into the forest, leaving everyone a bit confused as to what just happened or what exactly the point of that was.
"Why did you have Nico do that anyway?" Clarisse asked.
"The rats will act as our search team, that way we don't get caught in traps or ambushes. They find the flag while we weed out the blue team. If the rats find the flag they'll contact the closest member and lead them to it," she said.
"Carter, you're damn genius. But can Nico maintain the connection to the rats for that long?"
Now that she mentioned it, the son of Hades did look slightly winded already. There were beads of sweat forming on his face and his pale skin somehow got paler.
"I'll be fine, the rats are working fast. The odds of them finding the flag are pretty high, and are in our favor. All we have to do is take care of the ones hiding in the forest and keep guard of our flag," he said.
I wasn't all that convinced he was completely fine, but I didn't pry and left it alone for now.
"So what's our offensive then?" Clarisse continued.
"The Hephaestus kids are at work setting up defenses around the area. We were lucky that we have a few archers on our side, not to mention that Lilly and Bobby managed to some dryads as well. Here's what I think we should do, the archers will be led by Matt who will give us covering fire, and we'll have two teams here setting up a defensive line guarding the flag incase some get bold and try a frontal assault."
The Hephaestus kids were already at work building some traps and even going as far as to build a wall made of bronze. I looked similar to the kind you see a Roman fort. Some Ares kids were sharpening weapons or keeping watch, though they looked ready for anything.
"We need some volunteers to lead some groups into the woods, any takers?" she asked.
There was Clarisse, obviously. Lilly raised her hand, which certainly caught me off guard. Tessa did and had Nico take command of the group protecting the flag. I didn't feel like waiting around for someone to attack so I raised my hand as well.
"Are you sure you want to do this Justin, this isn't exactly your standard capture the flag game," Tessa said.
"No sweat, I've got this," I said, though she still looked worried.
She handed me my gun and I loaded it with the rubber slugs but she handed me a bronze shell. "What's this for?" I asked.
"It's an emergency flare, just in case you might need some help. Good luck Stryker."
Our teams broke off and headed into the forest. Each team had four members, not counting the leaders. We were on edge, just waiting to for something to happen. Keeping in single file, we treaded through.
I kept gripping my hilt and my muscles tensed every time I heard the slightest noise. This was ridiculous, then again that changed when we got ambushed. They outnumbered us, that was clear to me, yet at the same time, I didn't seem to care.
Drawing my Celestial Bronze sword, the other side of me took over. An unknown serge of power rushed through me; taking another look at the enemy I only could smile with anticipation. They thought they could ambush my team and get away with it.
"Soldiers, these lowly children think they can out due us, show them what it means to do battle!" I commanded.
Oddly enough they followed my instructions and with the same enthusiasm as I was filled with at the moment. Where ever a member of the blue team came within the reach of my sword, they were quickly overpowered and knocked out.
It took most of my restraint to not kill them. For some reason it seemed to think that killing the other team members was the only way. Quickly incapacitating them, the others were ready to leave until an idea started to form; what better way to take down the enemy then to use their own men against them.
"You could prove useful to us, instead of groveling in your own defeat, fight for me and I'll assure you victory!" I said.
The other team seemed to be persuaded by my offer; something in their eyes seemed to change and they soon kneed down in respect. This was something new. Using my sword, I cut a piece of my red shirt and tied it around one of the other's arm.
"Mark them; let it be known to others that they are our brothers now, and that they fight with a true Prince!"
The others did the same, cutting off a piece of their shirts and tying it to the other team's arm to show that they now fight with us. Continuing through the woods, we ran into a few more ambushes and the process was the same; fighting them off and having them side with us.
It was a bit of a challenge when fighting some of the bigger kids, like Butch, son of Iris, goddess of rainbows. The guy brandished a bronze claymore that he used to slice my sword in two. I had to resort to using my shotgun. Timing it right, while he charged me, I unslung it from my shoulder and held it at the hip.
The stopping power was enough to knock a bear back on its ass; Butch had the same experience and was out cold. Damn this thing is awesome; thanks Ares.
Pretty soon we had a small army with red fabric tied on their arm. While we took a moment to recover from the ambush, something came over and crawled onto my foot. Low and behold, it was one of Nico's undead rats. The thing ran in little circles before it hightailed in another direction.
We followed it for a short bit until we reached a hillside that was close to Half-Blood Hill. From the look of it, the other team had the same idea as we did and had at least two thirds of their team to guard the flag, the standing next it was Percy and the guy didn't even look into it at all.
"Goddamn it, that guy is the definition of a slacker." I muttered to myself and turned onto my back to think.
"How do we go about this sir," asked one of the turned members.
Okay, here was the issue: We're outnumbered; they have more supplies and, more than likely, they have traps waiting to be sprung incase we managed to get this far. We couldn't go in charging like maniacs, our numbers would be picked off completely.
I only have four slugs left, plus the emergency flare Tessa gave me. My team wasn't in top shape since we had to fight them not too long ago; making them fight like this would just be stupid, we needed to be smart about this.
In that moment, a plan started to form. It was risky, and the odds were stacked against us at this moment, but every leader takes risks from time to time. After explaining it to the others, they seemed a little unsure of it.
"What if we get caught?"
"Then we go out with a fight, right to the last man," I said.
My plan was simple; we send in a man from their side telling them that they caught us and that they were going to bring us in. Doing so would throw down their guard, if not, for a brief moment. We surprise them when their teammates, now turned, let us go and we attack and I fire the flare to call in reinforcements.
This probably won't work but it was the only chance we had at this point. Sending out the runner, we set up to do our part and we started to walk in, making it look as if our hands were bound. A few came our way with their weapons at the ready and brought us over to the others.
While walking over, I made sure to look around to see what was in store for us. They kept infantry at the front to stop who anyone who got the traps. Archers were set up by the flag to pick us off. Percy came up to us; a neutral look was what he gave us but a type of smugness reflected in eyes.
"This is weird, didn't really expect this to happen," he said.
"Which part, us getting caught or that it took this many of your guys to capture us?" I asked.
"I guess both really," he said, scratching his head.
"Then again this is your normal Capture the Flag when you think about it," I said.
"That's true; my first game, I got attack by a Hellhound. Not one of my best memories."
Must've been an interesting experience, looks like he was going to have another; giving the guy who was behind me the signal, the others took the blue team by surprise by taking the offensive. They weren't expecting their own teammates to attack them.
Pulling out the flare, I loaded it and fired into the air, sending a golden fireball that soon exploded into the shape of two crossed swords. Not bad Tess, not bad. Even though I couldn't use my sword, I had to us my gun as an alternative.
Hitting both switches of the, the ax blade and bayonet sprang out. It was a bit awkward to handle but somehow I kept anyone who came at me at bay. Coming up from my right, swing their sword rapidly, was Percy. Stopping the sword with the bayonet, we were locked and face to face.
"Sup man?" he said.
"Not much, just trying to win is all."
"What was that thing you shot into the air anyway?" he asked.
"A flare, my teammates should be here soon to help out."
We break away from each other for a moment to exchange a few strikes that we manage to counter from the other and reestablish our lock.
"Honestly, I don't know who I didn't see that plan coming. Sort of like that Trojan Horse thing," he said. "But don't get ahead of yourself Justin; I've done quests harder than this."
"What makes you think I'll lose to you Jackson? I'll win, not because I'm Hera's son, but because I've got friends who I can rely on."
Before he could say anything else, the sound of the earth rumbling caught most of everyone's attention, though some looked terrified of the sound and tried to climb a tree to get away from it for some reason.
From the dirt exploded tree roots. The sound of an eerie melody filled the air and the root seemed to interact with it like they were being commanded. The other team started to get tangled up; some even tried to fight back but to no avail.
Not only that; from above, in the trees, arrows rained down and knocked out kids who tried to run. As if things couldn't escalate from there, Tessa's and Clarisse's teams came charging in with full force.
Man this camp is awesome.
"Are we late for the party?" Clarisse asked.
"Just in time, thought you might want in on this," I said, getting a high five from her as she passed by.
The others started to knock out the enemy until their number started to go down, I saw that as my chance to go for the flag. Dodging swords and spears, I ran full speed with only one objective keeping me going.
'Almost there,' I thought.
I was almost within reach of the flag, but something happened. My instincts went into overdrive and the world seemed to slow down. There was a sudden flicker of light the caught my attention; Percy tried to flank me from the right with his sword at the ready.
"I've got you!" he said.
He was close and I didn't have time to counter him. Shit, I didn't have a plan for this; I thought he would be dealt with in the chaos with the others. In mid strike, an arrow flew by and struck his head.
Not a pointed tip mind you, there was a ball of metal at the end; the worst it would do is give him a mild headache.
"Hurry up man!" Following the voice, I say that it came from Matt.
He was giving me a sly grin and notched another arrow and fired it my way and it flew past my head. Its target, another camper who tried to do a sneak attack but it didn't seem to work on this sharp shooter.
I did what he wanted and ran. Once it was within my reach, I grabbed it as hard as I could and raised it above my head. It caught the attention of the other campers and the battle stopped suddenly.
"Red team wins!" Clarisse shouted, everyone joining her in a thunderous cheer.
In the midst of the cheering, Lilly rushed me with a hug and the others soon came after. They looked a little worse for wear but nothing too serious, then again I couldn't really talk.
"Dude, you did it, you actually it. You've only been here for three day and you've already done some crazy stuff," Matt said.
"You get claimed by Hera, fight Zeus into submission, get a gift from Ares and won Capture the Flag. We should've brought you to camp sooner," Tessa said.
They were ecstatic. So was I; I honestly didn't think I'd last the game considering how crazy this place, and that's what I loved about it. A group of kids came over, children of Ares, and they hoisted me up into the air and started to chat.
Stryker, Stryker, Stryker.
All the others, as well as the ones who I turned over to my side joined in as well. I couldn't help but feel great about the victory and raised the flag higher.
Time Skip: Celebration
Everyone from both sides was having a good time; food was served by dryads and everyone dogged it down faster than they could serve. The kids of Ares wouldn't let me go since they wanted me to tell them about what happened.
Truth be told, I'm not exactly sure how I did what I did, getting the others side to work for me without question so easily.
"All I know is that it's probably a gift from my mom," I said.
"Whatever the case it worked and you have earned the loyalty of our Cabin, Stryker," Clarisse said. "Cabin Five, raise your cups to our comrade and our uncle. Hail Justin Stryker!"
They all did as instructed and cheered, some even patted me on the back or rough housed with me a bit. As fun as it was, I managed to break away and find my friends. They were talking Percy, Annabeth and some other kids have yet to meet here at Camp.
One was a red head with freckles. Her jeans were covered in paint and marker stains and red t-shirt that read Urban Artists and had a blue plastic hair brush at her side.
The other was a blond kid with gold framed glasses, wore a purple t-shirt, faded jeans and had a similar SPQR brand like Percy did but his had an eagle instead of a trident and had more lines.
The last was a girl who, in all honesty, was actually really beautiful. She had a tanned complexion, black hair with a few braids, wore an orange camp shirt with jeans cut mid shin and had some sort of jagged sword that didn't look like it would be really affective in combat.
"Hey guy, what's up?" I asked.
"Sup Justin, these are some campers who helped in the war against Gaia. If it wasn't for them we might not have made it," Bobby said.
Guess they were heroes, well, heroes of the war not heroes as in Demigod heroes. You know what I mean.
"Hey, I'm Justin Stryker, son of Hera," I said, making them look slightly concerned.
For a moment, I saw a flash of anger coming from their eyes, the anger being triggered at the mention of the goddesses' name. Well, we're off to a great start.
"Good to meet you, I'm Jason Grace, son of Jupiter," said the blond. His name was familiar to me; I think I remember it from my mom when she was talking about the prophecy.
"I'm Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite," she said, that being it though and she just stayed close to Jason.
"Name's Rachel Elizabeth Dare, but you can just call me Rachel. I was once the camp Oracle but they still let me hang around here. I think I saw you before actually; have we met before?"
"No, but you might have heard of my dad. Wilson Stryker," I said.
She seemed to know the name, as did the others. At least that seemed to lighten the mood slightly, though the glare that Piper was still giving was still none the kinder. I don't what her deal was but it was a sign to stay away.
"Heard you won the game tonight, not bad, if you a Roman Demigod you'd more than likely impress the Legion," Jason said.
"It wasn't that impressive; just got lucky is all. If anything Nico and Tessa deserve most of the credit deserves, it was there help and planning that won us the game," I said.
In truth that's exactly what happened. If Nico hadn't used his dead rats like Tessa had instructed as well as plan everything out then we might have lost. I was only following instructions.
"They said that you managed to get the other team's members to fight for you, how'd you managed that?" Rachel asked.
I shrugged; there was no way to actually explain how I did what I did. All that can be assumed at the moment was that it was some sort of talent.
"Perhaps I can shed some light on the situation." Trotting over was Chiron, who had saddle bags with red crosses on them. Recalling, he acted as a medic to injured members during the games.
"Do you know something about what happened," Piper asked.
"I believe that Justin was using one of the gifts blessed to him by his godly parent. I never thought I would see it again since the fall of Rome," he said.
"It's that rare?" Tessa asked.
"Very much so, it is a sort of speech gift."
"You mean he knows how to Charm Speak?" Piper asked.
The look she had was some sort mix confusion and uncertainty.
"Not quite, though it was often confused with it. No, Justin has the gift Voice of Authority; an old power that gods bestow upon heroes or mortals who they deem fit to wield it. Many Kings and Emperors had this gift; they used it lead armies or command the people they ruled."
"Great, just what I fucking need. Thanks universe, you really know how to screw people over!" I said, shouting the last part in the air.
This hero thing was really stressing me out. Tessa put me in a headlock and started to mess up my hair.
"Try not to be so down about it Stryker, try and look on the bright side of the situation," she said.
"Yeah, this way we use as a secret weapon if things get hairy," Bobby added.
"Sort of sounds like you're going to use him as bait really," Matt said.
We managed to laugh, the tension being broken by usual antics. It was nice that we atleast managed to do this still and not everything about us didn't change. We were still friends and close as we were before.
Then again nothing could really change that about us.
Our good time was cut short though, the sudden flash of a golden light freaked everyone out and jump at the ready. Standing there was the last person I'd expect but didn't really want to see right now.
"Hello Camp Half-Blood," said the sun god, Apollo.
The was still dressed like before and was still fiddling with that damn machine that made a cluster of noise that was too hard to describe or put into words.
Matt tensed up; it was the same as before back on the hill when he last saw him. It was there that his true feelings toward his own son were displayed. I put my hand on Matt's shoulder and gave him a reassuring look.
"Sorry to interrupt the party, just here on business is all and I'll try to wrap it up quick," he said.
He looked up and spotted me and his look switched over to one of malice. Guess he was still mad that I scared him shitless when I kicked Zeus' ass in front of them.
"You're quite the talk on Olympus right now; Ares won't shut up about the games and what happened to dad. You're actually the reason why I'm here, your mother strong armed into coming here and to give something back to Rachel."
He turned to her and held his hand open. In that instant, green mist started to crack to life. Voices echoed loudly and images of multiple scenes from different points in time. The mist shot upward and took the form of a giant snake.
The snake's eyes blazed yellow and seemed to hold you in place. It hissed loudly before spiraling toward Rachel and bolted down her throat. That's gotta taste bad.
Rachel inhaled sharply and arched her back. Her eyes went colorless before turning green. She started to speak in multiple voices, some sort of warning.
"Five must travel west,
The Hunter of the fallen they must best,
Allies they will rally, ones who were wronged by the Sea,
Into the depths they embark,
A sacrifice to be made, One to be left in the Dark."
When it was over, Rachel fell to her knees and looked out of breath. Whatever just happened seemed to take a lot out of her. The others seem to get what she did, or what Apollo did her, I'm exactly sure myself.
"I thought it was for the better that Prophecies shouldn't be heard by heroes, you know, to help avoid any further conflict, but thanks to a certain Queen of Olympus, I need to give it back to the Oracle," he said.
"So that you can enact a prophecy for a quest," Annabeth said.
Everyone started to get riled up. This seemed to be big; at the mention of the word 'quest', it's like someone pulled the pin off a live grenade.
"Chiron, we need to get a team together and not waste any time on this. If this has something to do with what was deciphered from the Sibylline Books then we need to act fast," Annabeth said.
"Wow, what makes you think you can take charge of the quest?" Tessa asked.
"One, because I have years of experience on quests. Two, I've dealt with Titans and Giants, I'm qualified for this."
The two started to bump heads and they soon drew their weapons. Matt, Bobby, and me had to hold Tess back while Percy and Piper did so for Annabeth.
"Tessa now is not the time to be doing this," Bobby said.
"I know that, but just let me knock this bitches' teeth in to prove a point!" she shouted.
"Bring it on you slacker, I've been through Tartarus, you should be no problem," Annabeth retorted.
So how we managed to keep them apart long enough for them to calm down, though it felt like the slightest agitation would set them off again. Annabeth pulled me over toward her group and looked serious.
"Justin, please don't go on this quest. Let us go, we know what to do, if you don't get involved then you don't have to get hurt. You can stay at camp and be safe," she said.
Listen carefully boys and girls; you can almost hear the last of my tolerance snap and my control get thrown out the window.
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Annabeth and the others backed away in surprise, unsure of what to do or what to say really. That was fine with me; I needed to say what was on my mind.
"I've had it up to here, with people telling me what to do and deciding things for me. The Fantastic Flamer here brought had this prophecy for this reason, to bring it to us, to the five who need to go," I said.
"HEY!" Apollo snapped.
"If you still want to go than atleast let us go with you; you'll have a better chance going with seasoned heroes," Percy said.
"Sorry Jackson, but when push comes to shove, I'd doubt I'll take a bullet for you since I barely know you. Don't take it the wrong way, but I'd rather have those who I know and trust by my side," I said, looking over at my friends.
"That is if they want to go with me."
They looked amongst themselves for a moment. This was a big thing to ask of them, but somehow I got the feeling that they tended to do this sort of things often.
"This is sudden, but what the hell. The quest requires five heroes and there's five of us; we're meant to go so count me in," Tessa said.
"I'm interested to see who this hunter is; maybe they'll be a top shot and put up a better fight than most of the others here. So you know my answer," Matt said.
"I've got nothing better to do with my time at camp anyway; my brother is applying for college so my cabin is going to be empty for a while," Bobby said.
I looked over at Lilly and she fidgeted a little, she didn't like to be put on the spot like this and I honestly couldn't see her accepting this without having a nervous breakdown. Her smile made me rethink that notion.
"Where ever Justin goes, I'll go too. I'm your protector," she said.
I could feel some of the jealous glares from the guys the moment she said that, but I didn't care, only pat her head in appreciation.
"Usually, it is only three people a quest, but is this prophecy demands that five. If you wish to take this task on, then so be it. Justin will lead the group west, as is stated; whether they succeed is up to them and their skills," Chiron said.
"What makes you think we'll fail Chiron?" I asked. "Whatever comes our way, we'll kill 'em dead." The five said the last part together.
For a brief moment, I felt like I didn't anything to worry about. With a team like mine, it was the monsters and the gods who should worried.
Please Review if not that's cool too.
