"So, did you hear about the new rumors spreading across camp?" Lynna questioned casually as she half heartedly hit her sword to my own.
We were brought to the Arena by our cabin, taking the time for the necessary fighting lessons. Or, at least, for the chance for the Stolls to show their ever growing urge to teach young ones. If, by teaching, you mean pickpocketing and pranking.
"I don't listen to rumors." I replied to Lynna, dropping my sword's point into the loose dirt. "Fate decides when secrets are revealed, remember? Not little kids."
"Well," She began, ignoring me. "That son of Himeros that was recently claimed? Collan? I heard he was crushing on an Aphrodite girl. So everyone began talking about how she's his aunt, even though they're not in the same cabin. But Malcolm from the Athena cabin won't have any of it, so he and the new claimie are all buddy-buddy now."
I rolled my eyes at her quick growing excitement as she was clearly not close to finished. "And I care, why?"
"Because I, as well as the rest of the Aphrodite cabin, think Malcolm and Collan are together." Her voice dropped to a hushed tone, as if this was going to be kept secret for much longer. "I mean, a child of Athena with a child of Himeros! It's a match made in Olympus, like Annabeth and Percy!"
My eye twitched at the mention of that pompous kid. "You don't even know them."
The sudden seriousness that popped into my voice that hadn't been there before seemed to take the daughter of Tyche by surprise. "What do you mean? Malcolm is a cool guy, I was talking to him earlier about your theory on- wait, do you mean Percy?"
Raising my sword to my shoulder, I gave her a look that conveyed my unspoken words. Don't.
Lynna dug the point of her rented sword into the ground. She leaned her all her weight into her arms as she balanced them on the hilt. "Are you still upset, I mean, it's a dumb reason to hate a guy you've never met-"
Her sentence was cut off with a swift swing of my gold tinted weapon. It collided with her's, knocking her entire frame off balance as it flew from her hands. The flat edge of my sword then greeted her armored chest, successfully landing her back on the ground. I stood over her, grinning a bit as Travis called out a congrats for the quickly executed action.
"You're too easily distracted." I changed the subject, allowing her to think the entire talk was simply for this.
It worked, tricking my oblivious friend into believing she was not correct in her assumptions about me and a certain son of Poseidon.
...Hopefully.
"I could have gotten you easily if I had my bow." She chuckled and coughed when she pulled herself up into a sitting position.
Reaching out, I helped her to her feet. "You can't rely on solely a long range weapon. What if a monster within a three feet distance?"
"Then I'll ask Trent to make me a little mini bow, I'll shoot them from up close." She then mimed the ridiculous idea with as much playful enthusiasm as she could muster. The entire package of red headed silliness, tongue sticking out and cross eyed. When a laugh escaped my lips, she herself grinned brightly, lowering her hands. "I knew that would work, you serious butt."
"Nice insult"
"Thank you." She gave a small, mock curtsy, looking to the entry of the Arena.
I followed her eyes, seeing the Athena cabin as the filed in, a wave of honey hair. Lynna's usual grin widen as she reached into one of the pockets of her armor.
"Don't think I'm not taking your advice though, Serious Butt."
She revealed two sheaths, which each held a small dagger. The handles were endorned with the designs of a mural crown, similar to the upper and lower limbs of her bow.
"I found these under my pillow this morning, I think my mother has the same ideas you did."
Looking at the daggers, I frowned. "I don't know of anyone who can teach you how to use those- not many people use dual daggers, ádi̱s, not many people use daggers period-"
Lynna was obviously not paying attention to my rant, grinning wide at the dissipating Athena group. At the front was that kataraménos girl, Annabeth. Lynna then turned to me again, breaking what was surely a thought that was going to turn sour.
"I had hoped she was going to be here at the same time as us. Guess I got lucky."
I snorted, finding the joke unfunny. "Haha."
"I'll be back in a bit, bro!" She patted my shoulder before running off to the younger blonde.
With a soft growl I scooped up Lynna's discarded sword, throwing them into the pile of weapons. Sheathing my personal sword, I selected a worn javelin, heading for a training dummy.
I halfheartedly hit the head of a dummy with the javelin. This went on as my mind went off with thoughts.
'Lynna said something about talking to Malcolm about one of my theories. Which was it, I have many of those. Maybe about Theresa?'
My half hearted hits sped up as the girl based by my vision.
She wore her bleached hair down low, shades covering her eyes. Most likely to hide their true color. As dumb as she is, she's not dumb enough to show the hint as to her godly parentage.
This smartass likes to talk about her godly parentage as if it is the strongest of them all. She brags of her mother's strength, her mother's plans for the future, all the secrets her mother tells her.
Most people blow her off as being an unclaimed child of Eris causing problems, but I can't believe that. After the secret of the unclaimed child of Hades, I can't simply blow off Theresa as just a troublemaker.
She speaks with such surety, taking such a pleasure at the fear it causes to some of the campers who believe her.
There has to be something here, I can just feel that there is something wrong with this entire thing.
Her shaded eyes finally met my glaring blue ones, and her smirk grew in smugness. "Hey Ryann! How's life?"
"Just peachy." I spoke through my teeth, planting the javelin into the ground with force. Theresa just continued to smirk at my actions. "Who's your mother, Hall?"
The shaded girl tsked, wiggling her finger to show her complaceny with my frustration. "Last names? I thought we were friends Ryann."
Eyebrows furrowing with distaste, I opened my mouth to argue, only to have my mouth covered by her pale hand.
"Sh, I have a message for you if you're so curious." Leaning over, Theresa made a production of whispering into my uncovered ear.
"Don't follow me into the forest, Ryann Hall."
With that, the "unclaimed" camper waltzed away from me as if the world was within her palm.
I stood silent for a second, until I heard a pair of foot steps walking up to me. Turning, I met with the shorter Trenton, who held a gauntlet in his hands.
"Hey," He greeted me, smiling gently for a moment before he studied my expression. "You okay? You look spooked- or like you're formulating a crazy plan."
Waving my hand after a short moment, I waved off his correct guesses. "I'll tell you tonight after the campfire."
He nodded. "Yeah okay. Want to see what I built?"
"Yeah." I'm glad Trenton understand me, even if just a little. If Lynna had found me after the incident with Theresa, she would have pressed until I told her. Thankfully, Trenton understands when I need time to think. Theresa has told me that little sentence before, but I'm finally starting to consider it as a real idea to follow.
I broke my thoughts to pay attention to my friend. Trenton slipped the gauntlet onto his left hand, opening and closing the hand testingly. The gauntlet showed the working gears, turning with each movement of his hand. The base of the gauntlet seemed to be leather, pieces of metal wrapped around stationary parts of the hand, most likely either for more protection or to make it to Trenton's hand size.
"That looks really cool," I complimented honestly. "Aesthetic?"
He showed me a mischievous grin, rarely seen on his shy face. "That's not all it's useful for."
Motioning me to move away from the dummy I had abused, which I quickly obliged with a confused expression, Trenton raised the gauntlet. Taking aim, he pressed a button hidden on the bronze lining of his goggles.
For a split second the world felt hot, my eyes blinded. Rubbing my eyes to clear away the spots that invaded my vision, I squinted as I looked around. Finally my vision cleared and what I saw made me gasp in surprise and pride.
The dummy had been reduced to ashes, as well as the javelin I had stuck into the nearby ground. Campers were crowding the area, staring at awe as the last of the dummy's stick burned pitifully.
Trenton had been thrown backwards, on his back about ten feet away. Running over, I knelt next to the boy.
For a quick moment I thought he was dead, but he began laughing before I could dramatically listen for a heartbeat.
"I knew the heat protection would work!" He proclaimed, wiping the grime and ash from his goggles. He watched the campers gather around him, and he quickly shrank into my side.
"Heh, sorry."
It wasn't long before his fellow cabin mates came by, congratulating him on his great work on the gauntlet.
Walking from the scene, allowing the siblings to celebrate and talk, I watched Lynna slicing up a dummy to the instructions of the Athena cabin leader.
'Yes, I think we're set to battle whatever is waiting for us in the woods tonight.'
'Hard to believe this all happened in one day though.' I shrugged.