A/N
This oneshot is for Creshinibon, who owns Nicole Elizabeth Morrison:) I hope you enjoy!
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Nicole hit the ground, breathing hard. She gasped as a sword swung in front of her and the tip came to rest on her throat. She frowned up at her green-eyed competitor and sighed.
"You win again," she grumbled, rolling out from underneath the blade. "That makes, what? Eight times this month?"
"Yeah, but you've gotten better each match," Percy said good-naturedly, holding out a hand to pull the 16 year old up.
Nicole took it and got to her feet. "If you say so," she said, walking across the arena to retrieve her fallen sword. It had been specially made for her by her friend James, a son of Hephaestus. She hadn't yet decided on a name for it, though. She picked up the weapon and pressed the stone set into the hilt, and the blade retracted. She tucked the hilt into her jacket and turned back to Percy.
"Think I'm ready for the tournament?" she asked brightly.
Percy grinned. "I hope Camp Jupiter's ready for the tournament."
Nicole had been training with Percy for the past six months for the first ever Demigod Olympics, which would be held a month from today, in the center of North America in Denver, Colorado. It would be a competition between Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. There would be chariot races, power showdowns, monster-slaying, and archery, among other things, and the whole event was starting to shape up nicely. Nicole was planning on entering the girl's sword fighting competition, and she wanted nothing more than to represent Camp Half-Blood in the final match.
Nicole glanced down at her watch, strapped to her wrist next to the charm bracelet she received from her mother, Hecate.
"I've gotta go, I have a meeting with Annabeth in 15 minutes," she announced to Percy, who nodded.
"Alright, work on your stance and meet me back here tomorrow at three."
"I'll be there," Nicole promised, shouldering her backpack and exiting the arena.
She headed for her second-favorite cabin at camp: Cabin 6, the Athena cabin.
Nicole Elizabeth Morrison was a daughter of Hecate. She had been at Camp Half-Blood year round for seven years, since she was nine, and in that time she had made good friends with lots of the campers. Namely, Annabeth Chase and the other children of Athena, who shared her love of knowledge.
She knocked lightly on the door of Cabin 6.
"Come in!" someone called from the inside, probably Malcolm.
Nicole turned the knob and stepped through the door.
"Ready to go?" she asked Annabeth, who was bent over a pile of papers on a desk.
"Yeah, come on," Annabeth smiled, grabbing an armful of the papers and stuffing them into a messenger bag.
The two girls walked down to the deserted pavilion and sat at an empty chair.
"Have you sketched out the final design?" Annabeth asked, pulling pencils and graphs out of her bag.
"Right here," Nicole grinned, pulling an oversized sketch pad out of her backpack. She laid it on the table and flipped through it until she came to the right page.
"It looks perfect!" Annabeth gushed, tracing her finger over the neat lines. "Now, we have to add in the details."
Months ago, when the Demigod Olympics had first been announced, Chiron had approached Annabeth to design the Torch and arena the Olympics would be held in. Annabeth had readily agreed.
Nicole had always been interested in architecture, and she and Annabeth frequently said that Nicole should have been a daughter of Athena. Nicole was excellent at magic, but she had a love of learning that seemed out of place with the rest of the children of Hecate.
Once Annabeth had realized the enormity of the responsibility, she had recruited a few other demigods to help her with the process. She and Nicole had gotten together to brainstorm ideas for the arena, and had finally decided on a classic layout, with a few modern twists.
The sketch they were looking at was a classic colosseum, with Greek and Roman style columns interspersed, and sections of the arena separated off for different events. The logo for the Demigod Olympics would be painted on the floor of the stadium; a Greek temple with a lightning bolt through it, surrounded by twelve orange and purple stars to represent the gods.
The Torch would be placed in the center, and Nicole had left a place for that. The exact design of the Torch was known only to Annabeth, since she wanted to keep it a surprise for everyone.
"You saved a place for the marble statues, right?" Annabeth asked.
"Right here," Nicole pointed to an alcove. For some reason, Annabeth insisted on having three statues of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hephaestus in the arena. Nicole found the request odd, but didn't question it.
"Great. Now, I think we should make the jumbo screen a few feet wider," Annabeth said, tapping her lip with her pencil. "It'd seem more impressive."
Nicole erased a few lines and brought out a ruler to widen the screen.
"How's that?"
"Better," Annabeth grinned. "And how's the obstacle course coming along?"
"Swimmingly," Nicole smiled, flipping to another page.
The main responsibility Annabeth had given her was to design the Extreme Obstacle Course, which was to be an event in the Olympics. Nicole was very proud of how it had turned out. She had designed a river that flowed across the entire length of it, swinging maces that needed to be dodged, an underground tunnel with trap doors and lava, and her favorite; The Pit.
It was a rectangular, metal pit, which the demigods would need to zip line across (while dodging arrows). The pit had a floor that could be raised up, so demigods had the choice of zip-lining and facing the arrows, or simply walking across. The trick was, no one knew how long the floor would be raised for. You could be halfway across, and it could suddenly drop you down to the bottom of the pit, and you were disqualified.
Most of the elements, such as the lava, the arrows, and the floor of the entire pit, would be controlled using a control panel, which Nicole had also designed. She was in charge of running the obstacle course event, so she would be behind the controls. She had designed it so that only she could operate it, to make sure there was no chance of cheating. Only her touch would start the control box, and anyone else who tried to mess with it received a nasty shock.
"This looks incredible," Annabeth gushed. "You've really got a nice layout. I wish you had been a child of Athena, too. This design is almost exactly how I would've planned it!"
"I'm sure you could have done a better job, but thanks," Nicole grinned. "How's the Torch design coming?"
"That's classified information," Annabeth reminded her. "But it's coming along great. I can't wait for everyone to see it!"
"I know it'll be spectacular," Nicole smiled. "Now, how are we going to lay out the chariot-racing track?"
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Once the two girls had finished most of their plans, Nicole headed off to Archery class.
"Nicole, come quick!" someone suddenly exclaimed, grabbing her arm.
She quickly whirled around to face Travis Stoll.
"Where's the fire?" she asked, as usual. Ever since the Stoll brothers had tried to prank her the first year she arrived at camp and she had turned the prank on them, they had been trying to get her back. She learned to ignore them, (most of the time), and learned not to trust them as far as she could throw them, (all the time).
"Connor just fell into the river, you've gotta help me get him out!" Travis said desperately, pulling her towards the woods, and Nicole snorted.
"Really? That's the best you've got?" she giggled, turning away. "I've heard that from you six times this year."
Travis's worried expression was replaced with confusion. "Really? I thought it was Lou Ellen we tried this on."
"Ha! So it is a trap!" Nicole exclaimed triumphantly, smirking at him. Then she turned to the forest and called, "Connor, come out come out wherever you are! You can put the whipped cream down, or the water, or whatever you were planning to throw on me!"
"Aw, Travis, you ruined it!" Connor complained, dropping down from a tree, carrying a five-gallon bucket of glitter.
"You know, I'm almost sad I didn't get the glitter shower," Nicole laughed. "It would've been pretty!"
"Not when it comes after the glue shower," Connor said, pointing his thumb towards another bucket still up in the tree.
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Better luck next time, boys!" she called over her shoulder as she walked away.
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It was the opening night of the Demigod Olympics.
Both camps had set up tents around the huge arena in the Rocky Mountains of Denver, Colorado, and had gathered together inside the massive building.
Chiron had appeared to say a few words.
"Young demigods," he began, his face appearing on the jumbo screen. Nicole thought to herself that Annabeth was right, and was glad they had made it bigger. "We are all gathered today for one reason. We are competing together in the spirit of friendship, and I wish each and every one of you the best in these coming days. Without further ado, Ms. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, Head Counselor at Camp Half-Blood, will now light the ceremonial Torch!"
Chiron stepped away from the microphone, and Annabeth stood up and walked to the center of the arena, where there were three holes in the ground.
She nodded at a few people sitting in the front row, and Leo, Percy, and Jason joined Annabeth in the center. The three boys each stood in front of one of the holes in the floor of the arena.
Annabeth nodded to the nymph orchestra, and they started playing the Demigod Olympics theme.
Percy, Jason, and Leo, all raised their arms, and all at once, steady streams of fire, lightning, and water shot up, intertwining with one another until the incredible pillar was 100 feet tall.
Then, the three elements started swirling at the top, to create a massive bowl. Blue flames collected in the bowl, and the three demigods stepped back. The torch stayed that way, even when the boys took their seats again.
Nicole couldn't remember ever seeing something so amazing.
"Let the Games begin!" Annabeth proudly announced into the microphone, the blaze of colors swirling behind her and looking fantastic on the jumbo screen.
Once the ceremony had concluded, Nicole made her way through the sea of demigods to catch up with Annabeth.
"Annabeth, I'm speechless!" she exclaimed, rushing up to her friend. "How is the torch staying up like that?"
Annabeth laughed. "I actually had to go up to Olympus and ask Zeus, Poseidon, and Hephaestus is they would sustain the torch throughout the Games. They actually agreed to!"
"Just like that?" Nicole asked in amazement.
"Actually, no," Annabeth made a face. "My mom had to step in. There was a shouting match, and things were about to turn ugly, but Ares finally yelled at them to shut up, and told them they had to represent their kids, and they agreed to. Oh, and I had to promise them each a statue," she rolled her eyes.
"Ah, I was wondering about those," Nicole grinned, glancing at the three statues off to the side of the arena.
"There you go," Annabeth nodded. "Well, good luck with the first round of sword fighting! I know you'll do great."
"Thanks," Nicole smiled. "Good luck with the war games!"
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The first round of sword fighting in the girls 15-16 year old division was first thing the next morning. Nicole went several rounds without losing, making it past the first sudden death elimination. The next matches would be held the following afternoon.
Her friends, Annabeth, Lou Ellen, Malcom, Percy, and Leo had all been there to cheer her on from the sidelines.
Nicole was tired from her last round, and was going back to her tent to catch up on her sleep when she was suddenly stopped by Travis Stoll calling her name.
"Nicole!" he shouted, nearly tripping over himself in order to catch up with her.
"Where's the fire?" she asked him, frowning.
"Annabeth wants to see you, right away," Travis said, his eyes as innocent as he could make them.
"What for?" Nicole asked, already suspicious.
"I dunno, to discuss stuff, I guess," Travis shrugged. "She said to come quickly. She's at the pegasi stables."
"Oh, really?" Nicole asked. "Then how did I just say goodbye to her at the arena?"
Travis's face paled.
"And, is that shaving cream on your shirt?" she pointed out, and Travis immediately wiped it away. "Better luck next time," she winked, walking away as Travis pouted.
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The whole week, the competitions went on, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter winning an almost equal amount of competitions.
The first event, the Extreme Obstacle Course, went to Camp Half-Blood. The next event, the foot races, were won by a member of the First Cohort, from Camp Jupiter. Camp Half-Blood won the chariot race and the tug-of-war, while Camp Jupiter won the archery competition and the basketball tournament.
The Torch burned brightly the entire time.
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Nicole easily passed the next few rounds of sword fighting, but the semi-final match was difficult for her. She only won it because the other girl, a daughter of Ceres, was disqualified for using her powers and growing thorns around Nicole's feet to try to gain an advantage. No powers or magic items were allowed in the sword competitions; contestants had to win on their own merit, without other help.
Nicole had been a little disappointed when she had found out about that rule, since she had practiced a few good shielding charms, but no matter. She felt confident enough that she could win without using her daughter-of-Hecate powers, which would be put to the test during the championship match the following evening.
Others from Camp Half-Blood moving on in other divisions of sword fighting were Percy Jackson, Shaw Henderson, Jacob Miles, and Charlotte Davis.
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It was the final night of the Games, and the final round of championship matches.
Nicole was in the back room of the arena, waiting for her name to be announced. Whoever won this would be the gold medalist.
She was taking deep breaths, trying to focus on what she needed to do, when her concentration was suddenly interrupted.
"Nicole, come quick!" Travis appeared out of nowhere, and he grabbed her arm.
"Where's the fire?" she sighed.
"No, I'm serious," Travis said desperately, and Nicole heard an unfamiliar edge. "It's Travis- he's hurt and he needs help!"
Nicole stared closely at the boy she thought was Travis. Suddenly, she noticed the subtle difference, the small birthmark on his forehead, that was usually covered by his curly hair. The boy before her was definitely Connor.
Nicole found it strange that Connor would be the one trying to trick her. He was usually a terrible actor, which was why Travis had always been the one to rush up to her and set up the prank.
"Connor, I'm about to go to the final match!" Nicole snapped. "Bad timing. Try it later," she said, turning away from him.
"Nicole, I'm serious. You have to help me! You're the only one who can work The Pit! He's stuck down there," Connor pleaded.
"You mean the obstacle course pit?" Nicole asked. The pit had onlt been used for one event, the Extreme Obstacle Course, but now that that was over, the pit held...
Suddenly, Nicole noticed the fresh blisters on Connor's hands.
"Did you burn yourself?" she asked worriedly, gently grabbing his wrist to examine the wounds.
"Yes, your control machine zapped me! This is for real, we're not trying to prank you," Connor exclaimed. "Travis fell into the pit and landed on all the junk down there. He's hurt, and I need you to help get him out of there!"
"Connor, I swear to Zeus, if you're lying to me," she threatened, but he cut her off.
"I'm serious," he insisted again. "Come on!"
Connor grabbed her by the arm, and they raced to the obstacle course. As the ran, Nicole heard her name being announced over the loudspeaker, and she was tempted to go back and fight the match. Not showing up would mean forfeiting, and she would lose the tournament.
All the disappointment and regret melted away, however, when she saw Travis Stoll lying unconscious at the bottom of the obstacle course pit. Since it was no longer in use, the maintenance crew had decided to dump all the hazardous items in it, such as extra barbed wire, maces, bricks, and broken glass. They had figured that once the games were over, they could simply fill in the pit and dispose of everything, but they hadn't counted on this.
"Sorry to drag you away from the tournament, but I didn't know what else to do!" Connor apologized, but Nicole scoffed and shook her head.
"You think the stupid tournament is more important than my friends?" she asked, and Connor gave her a small smile.
"Travis!" Nicole called down the pit, but he didn't respond.
"He's unconscious, you need to raise the floor up," Connor said, and Nicole went over to the control panel she had designed. It whirred to life the moment she touched it, and she quickly raised the lever. She used a bit of magic to raise the floor quicker, and within seconds Travis was at ground level.
"Be careful!" Nicole stopped Connor before he could rush to his brother's side. "I'll go, that stuff is dangerous."
Nicole rushed out from behind the control panel and carefully climbed onto the mountain of junk. Travis was almost directly in the center of it all, and she slowly made her way towards him.
She could see now that he had hit his head on a brick, hence the passing out. He had gotten tangled up in a length of barbed wire, so Nicole quickly drew her sword.
She whispered a spell for fire, and immediately the blade of her sword grew white-hot. She used it to melt through the wire and safely pulled it all away from Travis.
Then, she used more magic to levitate Travis a few feet off the ground. She clambered down from the pile and floated Travis down, and set him by his brother's feet.
"I'll go get help," Nicole said, running back to the arena.
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"I'm really sorry you missed your final match," Travis said a few hours later, when he finally came to and was lying on a cot in the infirmary.
"It's fine," Nicole waved him off. "I'm just glad you're alright."
The two of them were sitting alone in the infirmary. Connor had rushed off about an hour ago, taking Nicole's sword with him.
While Travis was still unconscious, Connor had explained what had happened to him. Apparently, the two of then were going to play a prank on Nicole, one involving blue hair dye and a herd of pegasi, but when Travis passed the zip line, he couldn't pass up the chance to try it.
His hands slipped, and the next thing Connor knew, his brother was lying at the bottom of the pit.
Suddenly, the flap of the infirmary tent opened.
"Hey, so you're a hero," Annabeth said with a laugh, stepping into the room. She's followed by Percy, Connor, and James, Nicole's friend, a son of Hephaestus.
Nicole smiled. "I wouldn't say that. Technically, I'm a loser, since Camp Jupiter won the sword-fighting match."
"That's not what I'd say," Percy smiled. "Because I won the guy's division against Camp Jupiter, and this is for you."
Percy took the gleaming gold medal from around his neck and placed it over Nicole.
"I can't take this-" she protested, but Percy cut her off.
"You've earned it," he said. "All those months of training? Your opponent would've have stood a chance, anyway. After all, you learned from the best."
Nicole looked down at the medal and smiled. "Thanks, Percy. It really means a lot."
"I got you something, too," Connor spoke up. "Well, James and I did. Since you've done a great deed with your sword, cutting Travis out and all, it gets a name," he grinned. "I picked it out, and James engraved it real quick."
James held out Nicole's sword, and she took it incredulously.
"We all agreed it was appropriate," Annabeth nodded, still smiling.
The inscription was lettered in Ancient Greek along the hilt. The gold lettering clearly stood out, reading "Αφοσίωση."
Loyalty.
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A/N
Wow, you guys must be pretty special- back to back updates! ;)
Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, I really appreciate them!:) Submissions are still accepted, the form is on Chapter 1, but keep in mind I already have a bunch, so make sure yours stand out!
Thanks for reading, please review, since I wrote this just for you all:)
Xoxoxo,
EmMarie