Since the night of hearing the rest of the Prophecy of Seven, Percy's head swirled with thoughts of the new amended parts. Who was this seventh half-blood? Could this child of Eris really be that dangerous?
The question he kept on asking himself though was where was Nico? Nico never really had crossed his mind in the past week because there was so much on his plate as it was. He was more than a little occupied with getting the Romans and Greeks to get a long and then the training for hours every day. The current event in his life were leaving him exhausted, physically and mentally. Percy's apathy to his cousins whereabouts and well being made him feel extremely guilty. He only thought about Nico when Hazel mentioned him the night before. Nico had saved Percy too many times to count and Percy was repaying him by not even giving him a single thought. That was going to change. Percy was going to find Nico and save him, where ever he was. Percy made a silent promise to the Fates insuring them that Nico Di Angelo will be found and saved. Percy's thoughts where interrupted when Clarisse brought him back to reality.
"Hey, Kelp Head, are you even listening?" Clarisse snapped at him.
"Uh, yeah, what ever," he fumbled.
Clarisse rolled her eyes and continued speaking.
Annabeth nudged him gently, "Where did you go off to?"
"Hmm, oh, I was thinking about Nico."
"Don't worry, we'll find him," Annabeth reassured Percy.
"Yeah, I know but will he be in one piece when we do?"
"HEY!" Clarisse yelled at them as she chucked a book in their direction.
Percy and Annabeth ducked out of the way. "Geez, sorry!"
Annabeth squeezed his hand supportingly and nodded her head in Clarisse's direction telling him it was time to pay attention.
They were twenty-one demigods in all, sitting around a map of the Forest. These people where the twenty-one Grunts that Achilles promoted to office positions. It was Piper McLean, Percy Jackson, Thalia Grace, Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Frank Zhang, Butch, Annabeth Chase, Clarisse, Grover, Tyson, Octavian, Hazel Levesque, Reyna, the Stoll Brothers, Will Solace, Phoebe, Dakota, and Hylla. There was also Jimmy and Tommy McDonald, two twins who were sons of Minerva.
They were setting up the plans of attack for the capture the flag game that was being held that day between the Grunts and the Heroes of Old. The difference of this particular game compared to others was that there was only one flag and it was in possession of The Heroes of Old. The flag was located at Zeus's fist and the Grunts mission was to retrieve and secure on their side of the forest. The Grunts' plan was to split their forces into groups and each sect would assault from various directions.
"Like I was saying before we got rudely interrupted: Annabeth who is in charge of Leonidas's Grunts and me, who is in charge of Achilles's group will lead the assault on the right flank. Grace who is in command of the original Jason's group and they will go through the center with Zhang in command of Hercules's Grunts. Butch and Reyna will take Bellerophon's Pegasi Riders and will give us aerial support, Solace and Phoebe in charge of Odysseus's archers will provide covering fire. The Grunts who were under the command of Perseus and were training in stealth combat will be lead by the Stoll brothers. Their job will be to slip by enemy lines undetected and strike if an opportunity presents itself.
"That leaves Percy Jackson who is in charge of Theseus's Grunts. Your assignment will be to hold the Creek. If one of us grabs the flag we will fallback to your position. The Creek is the boarder-line and once we cross that with the flag, we win. Percy, you and your Grunt's job will be to protect the flag bearer and get them across the boarder safely."
Percy nodded, the job he was given was meant to be a punishment for his previous interruption. It was a relatively simple job, meant for the weakest members, and there wasn't really any action. If Percy was assigned this job a few years back, he would have been irritated. He didn't complain though because he enjoyed to think of himself as mature. The assignment wasn't the most luxurious or exciting job but it was job nonetheless and the Grunts were a team. Each player had a part and if they didn't perform it, they would all fail. Besides, the Creek was water, water he could control, and that's where he would be the strongest. He also knew that things were going to be pretty hectic once the flag was in Grunt control. He and his Grunts would be needed there. Clarisse's intentions worked both ways, a punishment for Percy but a strategic advantage.
"The rest of you who were not made group leads will join any of your choosing and will act as second in command."
"I don't understand why were getting so worried," said Octavian. "There are seven-hundred of us and forty of them."
"You weren't the guy who almost got stretched in two," Frank told him.
"Nor did you get knocked out by taking an arrow to the face," Will Solace added.
Several other voices joined in as well. They all came from some of the contenders who participated in the Moderns vs Originals Contests that took place at Camp Jupiter. They all had the scars to prove it.
"Okay, I get it," Octavian said in exasperated understanding.
Clarisse nodded her head in readiness. "Valdez how are we on armor and weapons?"
Leo held two thumbs up meaning, "Ready as they would ever be."
"All right then, gather your warriors, tell them their assignments, and let's win this thing!"
"AHOO! AHOO!"
"If the Grunts cannot retrieve the flag within an hour or if all their warriors are eliminated, they lose! If the flag is recovered before time runs out, they win!" Yelled Chiron explaining the rules.
"Lupa, her wolves, and I will serve as official referees and medics. The flag must be kept in plain sight on top of Zeus's Fist. There will be no killing of any kind. If you are severely wounded, Lupa's wolves or an eagle will pull you off the battlefield and take you to the medical tent. You are eliminated if you are disarmed, knocked unconscious, or your injuries are so severe that you cannot continue fighting. If you are caught breaking the rules you are eliminated! Any questions?"
No questions.
"The game will begin at the sound of my horn! Warriors to your positions!"
The Heroes of Old walked into the woods and headed to where they placed their flag on top of Zeus's fist. The Grunts walked in the opposite direction to their starting point on the other side of the forest. The creek served as the boundary line, where if the Grunts managed to bring the flag over it, they win.
The Grunts organized their soldiers into their respective positions and they anticipated the sound of Chiron's horn. The final moments before the start of the game were oddly peaceful. The woods were unmoving and only the sound of the birds chirping and the wind rustling the leaves of the trees could be heard. The exterior may have been quite but the interior was the opposite. Inside the mind of the Grunts, a riot was brewing. Their heart rates increased and echoed deep within their chest, pounding like drums. Their minds raced as they remembered their assignments and the butterflies fluttered inside their stomachs.
Chiron's horn blasted through the entire camp signifying the start of the game.
"AHOO! AHOO!" Clarisse screamed.
"AHOO! AHOO!" The Grunts echoed back shaking the very sky to rumble.
They charged forward causing the ground to shake. Each group went their separate directions to carry out the task they were given.
The Pegasi riders exploded from the ground and rocketed up to the clouds. Annabeth and Clarisse took their soldiers right. Jason and Frank's troops went straight. The Stoll brothers rallied their Grunts and took off into the woods seeming to melt into the shrubbery. Will Solace and Phoebes archers hung back and began firing random arrows into woods laying down covering fire. They first fired a few volleys before eventually running in to their forest behind their fellow Grunts. If they got lucky they might have even hit something.
"What's your order sir?" asked one of the McDonald brothers.
"Follow me to the creek," Percy ordered glumly.
Inside the forest, the Grunts did not know what to expect from their opponents but they only assumed for the worse. As soon as the first lines of the Grunts stepped over the boarder, crushing leaves and branches under foot, they came under a hail of arrows. Fifteen of them were eliminated in that instant. Immediately after, another volley of arrows came crash landing down on them taking out another ten. The Grunts raised their shields in time for the third volley. They may have avoided losing more of their numbers but stopping to protect themselves from overhead arrows paused the forward assault altogether.
"It's Odysseus!" Someone yelled.
"Bellerophon!" Another said pointing into the air.
Bellerophon swooped down into their ranks, a blur, while ramming into a whole line. He arched upward and stopped above the trees tops while he picked off Grunts with his bow. The Pegasi Riders spotted him from the clouds and dived toward him. Bellerophon flew to a safe distance and the Riders pursued him.
"No, stop! Its trap!" Jason yelled to the Pegasi Riders.
The Grunts on the ground watched as the Riders chased after him. Bellerophon led them up, down, left, right, did some loops, and pulled off corkscrews. He led them on a wild goose chase for a few moments but suddenly stopped above Zeus's Fist. Before the Riders were upon him he zoomed away. When the Riders passed over Zeus's Fist, a volley of spears and javelins flew up at them. The Riders expected the trap and they dodged out of the way. However they didn't account Bellerophon to double back and flank them. He fired five arrows in rapid succession and all of them hit their mark.
Jason Grace and Thalia looked at each other and nodded. They outstretched their hands toward Bellerophon. Lightning bolts exploded out of the sky, Bellerophon managed to deflect most of the bolts with his spear but one streak of lightning managed to get through and shocked him. This gave the Riders enough time to correct themselves and pursue him again.
"Bellerophon is distracted! The sky is clear! This is our chance. Shield Canopy, forward!" Clarisse ordered.
The Grunts raised their shield above their heads like umbrellas and marched forward. Any arrows fired by Odysseus merely bounced off of them. In order to soften up the canopy Odysseus fired special arrows such as sonic boomers, gas arrows, and stink bombs. However his attempt were futile and merely eliminated a few Grunts at a time and had no real affect on the overall pace of their assault.
The Grunts were making good progress for a time, but suddenly, without warning the whole left flank exploded. Shouts and screams broke out, the sound of clanging metal rang, and shields flew into the air.
Perseus was using his Helm of Invisibility to sneak past the Grunt lines and then attacked from the inside. He eliminated five Grunt's with the first swing of his sword and then two more with a second one. Before they could retaliate, he would disappear, and then attack from a different spot. When the Grunts caught on to his pattern, he used his Hermes Boots to fly into the air to get out of harms way. He would go invisible again and reappear somewhere else dealing massive amounts of damage. He whirled with his sword and bashed with his shield. If he was about to be overwhelmed he waved his concealed Medusa's head in the air causing the Grunts to reel back in fear. By the time they realized it was just a trick, he had already disappeared.
Perseus had a cumulative of at least forty eliminations and he would have had more if it wasn't for Frank Zhang who came to the rescue. He turned into a flying squirrel and pounced onto Perseus's head and ripped off his Helm. Frank crawled down to Perseus's legs and managed to pull off one of his boots. This threw off his flight pattern causing him to hang upside down in midair while zooming in random directions. The Grunts brought him to the ground, swarmed him, and eventually forced him to surrender by inflicting blows upon his body.
They couldn't celebrate just yet because another volley from Odysseus fell from the sky taking out a dozen more Grunts followed by Bellerophon who swooped down on them again. He crashed into the whole right flank and eliminated ten in the process. Behind him was the pursuing Riders. They couldn't slow themselves due to their momentum and they crashed into the right flank and took out some of their fellow Grunts.
The volleys continued and the Grunts went back to their shield canopy. Bellerophon and Odysseus's arrow volleys had slowed their progression speed in half. Advancing with the shield canopy was like walking in quick sand.
"Forget this, we have greater numbers, to Zeus's Fist, CHARGE!" Thalia shouted.
The Grunts disregarded their own safety and ran forward. They crashed through the vegetation as arrows rained from the sky. They made it surprisingly far without taking many losses with Zeus's Fist nearly in sight. It wasn't going to be that easy though. They were intercepted by the original Jason and Theseus. They cut through the first twenty Grunts and then began combat with the next wave. Behind them exploded Hercules who was hidden behind some boulders. He crashed through a dozen Grunts and felled another dozen with a single punch. Theseus, Jason, and Hercules had the element of surprise, however they lost it quickly, and they were pushed back. The original Jason, Theseus, and Hercules were forced to retreat to Zeus's Fist.
Zeus's Fist was surrounded by the Spartans and Achilles who had their shields locked together with their spears pointing out, it resembled a porcupine. On top of Zeus's Fist was Odysseus firing arrow after arrow into the Grunts' ranks. Next to him was the flag.
"LOCK SHIELDS!" Clarisse ordered.
The front line locked shields making an impenetrable wall. The ranks behind them held their shields overhead in order to defend from overhead attacks. Odysseus fired arrows but they bounced off their shields harmlessly.
"ARCHERS!" Clarisse called.
Will Solace came crashing through the woods with his archers behind him. They were now in range to fire accurately. All one-hundred archers fired their bows directly at Odysseus. Odysseus jumped off of Zeus's Fist, out of harms away. The arrows zoomed inches over his head. They either harmlessly soared through the air, crashed into the stone of Zeus's Fist, skidded in the dirt, or bounced off of the Spartans shield wall.
With Odysseus pinned down by the archers, the Grunts were able to move freely.
"CHARGE!" Screamed Clarisse, the Grunt shield line broke and they ran forward.
The Grunts rushed toward the Spartan shield wall and with every stride they got closer and closer. The Spartans readied their spears and braced for impact. They were used to fighting numbers greater than their own. They were made famous for the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans held off 300,000 Persians for three days without reinforcements. They weren't fighting amateur Persians this time. They were fighting highly trained warriors that they had trained themselves. As the Grunts approached, the Spartans dug in their heels and prepared combat.
The two opposing forces collided together. Shields rammed into each other, spears dented shields, and shouting was drowned out by the sound of metal contacting with metal. The two sides pushed against each other, forcing each other back and forth. The Spartans gave one final push and broke their shield line. The back ranks threw their spears taking out a few Grunts, then they drew their swords and began close-quarters combat. Theseus, Jason, Leonidas, and Hercules joined the fray. The Grunts drew their short range weapons also and struck back.
Before the archers could open fire upon the exposed Heroes of Old, Bellerophon dived down from them from the sky. He jumped off Pegasus, hit the ground rolling, and pulled the spear off his back, all in one motion. He came to his feet swinging and took out a couple archers. He spun his spear like a staff and whacked away at his unsuspecting victims. They turned to fire on him at close range but he was to fast. The Riders chasing him tried to shoot at him from the air. Odysseus noticed the archers were busy fighting Bellerophon which allowed Odysseus to shoot at the Riders which he began picking off.
The Grunts and the Originals seemed to be at a stalemate. Neither sides were taking losses and neither side was gaining ground. Spartans fought five Grunts at a time. The Grunts couldn't eliminate the Spartan and the Spartan couldn't bring down a single Grunt.
The battle could have lasted ages with neither side being the victor but the Grunts didn't have ages, they only had an hour, even less now that the game had been going on for a while.
Chiron's horn blasted two times letting them know that there was only twenty minutes left. The Grunts were going to have to do something quick in order to get that flag and the Heroes of Old were going to have to just hold out for a little longer and they would be the victors.
"Twenty minutes left and still no sign of them," Piper told Percy.
"Yeah, I know." Percy said frowning.
Percy and his a hundred plus Grunts were at the Creek, standing around the past forty minutes doing nothing. He was stuck with the Grunts who really weren't comfortable with any sort of weapon or skill to begin with. This was the group that trained with Theseus. Theseus was an all around fighter meaning he most likely taught them everything. Theseus must have taught them a few of his dirty tricks and that had to count for something.
Percy made a split decision. "Piper you lead all of our Grunts. Leo and I will stay back."
"Me?" Piper asked surprised. "Why?"
"You have the ability to make men do what ever you ask. You have what we call, 'charisma'. Your charisma could even make cyclops swoon."
Piper raised an eyebrow.
"The thing is, all the Originals are men," Percy said with a wink.
Back at Zeus's fist the fight waged on and now there was only Ten minutes left. Hercules fought off twenty Grunts at once and Jason had his hands tied dueling several different swordsman. Odysseus was in standoff with the archers. They were firing arrows back and forth at each other and it had got to the point where they had to pick up arrows of the ground for ammunition. Theseus ducked and weaved through the waves of enemies dropping them as he went by with his cudgel and defended with his sword. Bellerophon had been eliminated but not before he took the Riders with him. Achilles and Leonidas were protecting the flag, fighting back to back surrounded by a ring of enemies.
Five minutes passed and still the Grunts were making no progress and the Heroes of Old were holding their ground. It seemed as if the Originals were going to hold their ground and pull off the win. Suddenly there was a shift in the battle. Grunt reinforcements had arrived. More soldiers had entered the fight and the Originals found themselves with their hands more than full. They were backed up into Zeus's Fist with only Achilles, Hercules, Odysseus, and fifteen Spartans left. The fought viscously and seemed to care no longer about fighting within the rules. They fought to win.
Hercules picked up a Grunt with one hand and threw him into another five and with the other hand Hercules swung his club and took out six more Grunts. Achilles threw his sword like a throwing knife at Jason Grace's shield causing him to fall over. With the butt of his spear, Achilles whacked him on the head, spun the spear, and whacked Thalia in her stomach. Odysseus was firing the non-lethal arrows point blank into Grunts' faces. Minutes were only left in the game and the Grunts were so close to the flag but yet so far.
From far off Piper screamed, "STOP!" Amazingly, the fighting ceased.
The Grunt ranks parted as she walked through them. The Heroes of Old stood in their fighting stances with their weapons at ready and their eyes darting back and forth between Grunts.
"Put down you weapons," Piper told them.
That sounded like a terrible idea but the Originals did as they were told.
"Odysseus, hand Frank Zhang the flag." She ordered.
Odysseus climbed on top of Zeus's Fist, grabbed the flag, and placed it into Frank's hands.
"Thanks..." Frank said dumbfounded with the banner in his hands.
"Frank turn into a bird and win this game for us." Piper wasn't charm speaking this time.
"Oh, right!" Frank transformed into a massive eagle and took off into the air with the banner in his talons.
Achilles groaned and began slapping himself in the face. "SNAP OUT OF IT!" Achilles yelled. "She's using her Aphrodite powers."
When Achilles mentioned it, Piper started to loose her control. It took a lot of energy influencing this many people at one time. Eventually she would lose concentration and the charm would break.
Piper forced her self to hold on just a few moments more. She watched Frank soar through the air and when it looked like he was far enough she released her hold on the Heroes of Old. She fell to her knees gasping for air.
Odysseus shook his head breaking free of his trance. He realized what was happening, picked up his bow, strung an arrow, and fired. He didn't have time to watch the results of his shot because he was attacked by five Grunts.
Hercules slapped himself in the face to knock himself out of the spell and then took off in Frank's direction, crashing through Grunt shields.
To prevent any more Heroes of Old from pursuing the flag bearer, the Grunts circled around the Heroes of Old and the fighting began again.
Percy spotted the giant eagle with the flag in it's claws.
"Its Frank!" Percy said with a smile while looking up.
Percy also noticed a black speck chasing Frank. At first Percy thought it was another bird but he was wrong. It was actually an arrow! It was too late for anyone to do anything. It hit its mark smacking into Frank's wing. This caused him to shift back into a human. Frank would've fell to his death if wasn't for Percy's quick thinking. Percy lifted the water out of the creek and before Frank impacted with the ground, Percy placed a floating pool of water under him. Frank splashed into the giant floating puddle. Percy let Frank down gently.
Frank transformed into a dog and shook himself dry. He turned back into a human and picked up the flag.
"Hurry up dude," Percy said urgently. "We're kind of on a tight schedule and people could be follow-"
Hercules was a lightning bolt when he struck Frank. Frank noticed him just in time to turn into an elephant. He was still thrown a good twenty feet and slammed into a pine tree, breaking it out of it's roots and knocking it over. The flag flew up into the air and Hercules moved under it to catch it. However, people felt like being lightning bolts that day. Before Hercules could wrap his hands around it, a streak of brown rammed into him. Hercules flew across the forest like a punted football. He stopped when he hit a tree a three-hundred yards away, and bounced off it onto the ground. He laid on the ground groaning in pain and eventually one of Lupa's wolves' pulled him to safety.
The brown streak turned out to Hazel riding Arion. She smiled proudly but before she could celebrate she was knocked off her horse when an arrow slammed into her shoulder. Odysseus scored a lucky hit all the way from Zeus's Fist.
"Damn he's good!" Frank said in awe now back in human form.
Percy ignored him and scrambled for the flag. The ten-second warning horn blasted across the forest. Percy's fingers were almost around it but someone else had beat him to it. It was Jordan! Jordan was a small girl from the Hebe cabin. She had always been one of the smaller demigods and was never good at fighting. Their eyes met and they smiled. Percy let her take it. She picked it up and carried the flag across the border line. They had done it, the Grunts had won!
The time limit horn sounded and then Lupa her wolves began to howl.
Eventually all the Grunts, the Heroes of Old, the eliminated players, the nymphs, and even the wounded — who limped over to them-gathered around Jordan who held the Flag high in the air.
The Grunts started cheering and chanting, "JORDAN, AHOO, JORDAN, AHOO!"
Chiron held up his hands for silence. "A close finish with only a couple seconds on the clock! The victors of this game are THE GRUNTS!"
Hearty cheering echoed throughout the Forest. It came from Grunts, Originals, nymphs, satyrs, and campers a like.
"I beg to disagree Chiron." Achilles protested firmly when the cheering died down.
A hush hit the crowd like a wall. Were they hearing things right? The Grunts had won fair and square and it was not of Achilles to be...well, a sore loser.
"The Grunts did not win today because these half-bloods, mortals, and satyrs are not Grunts." Achilles said slowly spinning in a circle pointing at the seven-hundred demigods, hunters, Amazons, and Satyrs that stood around him. "NO, THESE WARRIORS ARE NOT GRUNTS!" Achilles repeated, he was roaring now.
"THEY ARE BUT ARGONAUTS!"
Leonidas took on his usual role cheerleader. "ARGONAUTS! AHOO! AHOO!"
"AHOO! AHOO!" The Argonauts chanted back proudly with wide smiles on their faces.
The cheering exploded back to life, the Stoll brothers hoisted Jordan up onto their shoulders, and paraded her around the creek with everyone gathering around and whooping. The cheering lasted on for minutes, people went around patting each other on the back, hugging each other in congratulations, and shaking each other's hands.
Inevitably the cheering to died down again. Even when everyone else was silent, there was still one person who continued to clap. This was not an applaud of joy or of congratulations. It was two hands smacking together creating an almost sarcastic tone.
"The New Argonauts, it has a ring to it," said a female voice.
All heads whipped in the speaker direction, causing a few to suffer severe whiplash.
"HERA!" Hercules, Annabeth, and all of the Heroes of Old sneered.
"YOU WILL PAY!" Hercules screamed and charged at the Goddess.
Review please and if you haven't already hit that favorite button, you can do so bellow, and it's much appreciated. Constructive criticism is welcomed and questions and comments will be answered. If you add the story or review you also get a high-five. Note that I just gave you one for incentive.