Chapter 16
"So how did you become a knight?" The princess questioned the young knight as they walked side-by-side back to the center of the courtyard.
"Well I'm not a knight yet." He replied. "Well, sort-of. I still have a lot of training to do." The princess raised her eyebrow at him. "You still haven't told me."
"Well," He started. "You see, when we came back to the kingdom yesterday, Nico, Jason and I saw a group of knights by the Den. The head Knight... Clarisse, I think her name was, was also there. I think there were tryouts for new recruits. And um, basically, we were recruited."
Annabeth stared at Percy, with those calculating grey orbs of hers. "That isn't the whole story." She concluded, coming to a halt right as they reached the pond. She stood at the base of the stone bridge that went right across it. "Tell me the full story." She demanded. "Now."
Percy blushed, if only a faint tint of pink on his cheeks, yet Annabeth still noticed. "How about no." He said.
"How about say it or I'll kill you."
"Seriously?"
"Very."
Percy sighed in defeat. "Fine." Then his eyes lit up, leaving Annabeth suspicious. She narrowed her eyes at him, a confused look on her face. "What are you-?"
Before she could finish her question, Percy had pushed her into the rather clean pond, causing a school if fish to rapidly swim to the other side of the pond and water splash around everywhere.
Percy was laughing his head off at her, he laughed so much his stomach hurt. Annabeth gave her his death glare, and Percy was sure his very soul would melt if he weren't laughing so hard.
Annabeth quickly swept her feet right under Percy's legs causing him to fall into the pond as well. Now it was her turn to laugh. Percy let out a small grumble, but later on he laughed as well.
"Just like old times." He mused.
"Yeah." Annabeth smiled. "Except the water's cleaner now and there's no mud on our faces." Percy laughed lightly at the memory.
"But," Annabeth said. "You haven't told me entirely what happened."
The small tint of pink crept back to Percy's cheeks. "But it's kind of... embarassing." He muttered, just loud enough for the both of them to hear.
"Spill it."
"Fine." Percy sighed. "So Nico and I had just gotten of the galeon after mom and dad...
~Yesterday~
"Percy! Nico!" Two voices called,somewhere in the buisy crowd of port royal.
Percy looked up just in time to see two figures crash onto him, almost knocking him over. He smiled, taking a step back to get a better look at the two who just tackled him.
Thalia was already nineteen years old , but she barely looked older than Percy. Her electric blue eyes still intimidating as ever, but was currently twinkling with joy.
Percy's other cousin, Jason, had grown taller, almost even taller than him, even if he was a year and a half younger. His blond hair had grown a tad longer, but still had the same cut as before. His sky blue eyes definetly did not match his sister's. And Percy immediately noticed the small scar on his upper lip.
"Hey Jason," he asked after a few greetings and hugs. "Where did you get that scar? A fight? A battle? A dangerous adventure of sorts?"
"Uh-"
"He chewed on a letter opener a few days after you guys left." Thalia cut in, smirking, causing her little brother to pout, and Percy and Nico to laugh.
"Haha, very funny." Jason interjected. "But enough about that. I heard there was a tryout for new knight recruits just by the Den!"
Percy's eyes lit up. It had always been his dream to becom a knight serving under the king. "What are we waiting for, then?" He grinned. "You're coming, right Nico?" He asked his cousin.
Nico squirmed a bit. "Um, well... " Then Nico gave an expharated sigh. "I never really wanted to be a knight. But I can watch you guys, though."
Percy had a dissapointed look on his face, wich he quickly tried to disguise as a small smile, but the expression lingered in his eyes. "Alright. But you can still join if you change your mind." He said as Jason nodded.
"Woah." Percy exclaimed, watching the two knights in armour cross swords, showing off to the crowd surrounding them.
Percy, Nico and Jason watched as one of the knights twisted his sword upward around his opponent's and flung it upward, dissarming the other knight. He then kicked him backward causing him to stumble and pointed his sword at his throat. Then, the knight seathed his sword and took off his helmet... or her helmet.
Percy honestly thought the knight was a guy, because of the build under the armour.
She had long, and wavy brown hair that flowed down her shoulders, reddish-brown eyes that glared like an angry bull, and quite unfeminin features. "And that," the female knight said. "Is how you win. I am Clarisse! The current captain, or maybe cheif, of the army of this kingdom! Anyone who dares spar with me and not die...well," she smirked. " If anyone does live, they are welcome to be new recruits."
"Go easy on them, Clarisse." A girl Percy hadn't noticed was standing at the side. She had dark hair braided down her back, and dark, steely eyes. She wore armour as well, her helmet she held under her arm. And by her side were two dogs, one had golden fur, and the other had grayish, balck fur that shined silver in the sunlight.
"Oh whatever, Reyna." Clarisse smirrked. "Let me give 'em the full blow. If they beat that, then-"
"Clarisse." Reyna said sternly. "This is a recruiting, not the actual battle. Remember, if Ares hears about anything fishy he will have your head." Clarisse's smirk faded off her face at that remark. "Fine." She grumbled, turning to the crowd. "So, does anyone dare challenge me for a chance to be in the army? I'm sure Reyna's earlier recruits were wimps... so would anyone dare challenge me?"
"Reyna's earlier recruits?" Percy muttered to himself.
"Oh, yeah." A girl next to him replied, startling him a bit. "Earlier, people battled with the other captain, Reyna. Half of them got in, half didn't. Though many came very close to beating her, none did completely. Clarisse... no one, and I mean no one, had ever beaten her. Thirty men had tried, but no avail for them."
Percy turned to look at the woman who spoke to her, and saw that she had fiery red har, and apple green eyes. She wore a brown cloak underneath a paint splattered woolen dress.
"Uh, thanks." Percy replied. "I'm Percy, by the way."
"Rachel." The girl shook his hand. "Rachel Dare."
Percy's eyes widened. "Wait, aren't you like... aren't you the girl who lives on top of the hill? The witch?"
Rachel laughed. "I prefer the term "see-er of time"."
"You mean oracle?"
"Yeah. Don't be so hard on me though. I only see the future, not cast horrible curses." She laghed again. "Plus, I'm here to see the hero."
"Hero?" Percy questioned.
"Hero. " Rachel reassured, turning back to Clarisse who was still yelling at the crowd for a challenger. "The one who will defeat Clarisse LaRue for the first time. I had a vision that says the one who defeats her will be the greatest hero of all." She mused, almost to herself. "Though many don't beleive my prophecies..."
"Well luckily for you,"Jason, who had been listening, cut in. "Your little vision's gonna come true."
"Jason-" Nico tried to stop his cousin, but he had already cherged forward through the crowd. Nico face-palmed.
"Well, I'd like to see his butt kicked. "Percy muttered, grinning with amusement.
"Bring me a sword!" Jason called to the crowd.
Clarisse smirked, grabbing a sword from a nearby soldier, tossing it to Jason. "What's your name, challenger?"
"Jason Grace." He grinned, taking the sword. "Let's see if you can beat me. "
Clarisse unseathed her own sword. "Let's see if you don't die. "
"Well isn't he feeling confdent today." Percy mused. "He usually isn't like this. Overconfident, I mean."
Nico nodded in agreement. "Man, he really wants to be a knight."
"He's overconfident." Rachel agreed. "He'll probably die..."
"Wait, WHAT?!" Percy and Nico exclaimed together, staring at the oracle. She laughed, her green eyes twinkling. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I have no idea about the outcome of this battle." She reaussured.
"Seriously." Percy said, turning back to the battle.
Needless to say, after about twenty minutes or so, Jason was dissarmed, laying flat in his back, sword pointed to his neck.
"Next challenger, please." Clarisse smirked.
"I hate everything." Jason mumbled, coming to stand next to Percy who was laughing hysterically.
"Dude, you totally got your butt kicked!" Percy laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. "I mean she literally kicked your but halfway through the fight!"
"Yeah, I know." Jason muttered grumpily. "And you never stopped laughing after that."
Nico chuckled lightly. "You needed a confidence drain, Ego Boy. "
"Shur up."
"I wanna try though..." Percy stopped laughing, and had stared in the direction on Clarisse, who was once again screaming "ANYMORE CHALLENGERS? YOU WIMPS!" to the crowd.
Oh well, Percy thought to himself.
"WHO ELSE DARES?!" Clarisse belowed, her hunger for blood clearly unsatisfied.
"Um, I dares." Percy spoke up, shoving his way through the crowd.
The cheif of the soldiers examined him with her brown eyes. "Ha! A flimsy fisherman like you? I'll beat you easily!" She teased. "But nevertheless, I'll see if you can get anywhere close to being a challenge." Clarisse grabbed another sword and tossed it to Percy, who fumbled a little before getting a grip on it.
Hey, he's sparred with Nico, Jason, and his father before. He's even crossed swords with a pirate once, and won. He can do this. He can become a knight. A great one. The hero Rachel was talking about.
He held the sword firmly in his hands, a confident expression on his face. Clarisse eyed him carefully, examining his every move.
Then, she charged, with the raging force of a bull.
Percy's sword met with her's, clashing together with shear force. The two blades swung at each other, striking at any opening and blocking every attack. Parry, strike, duck, swing, the battle went on for what seemed like forever. At one point, Clarisse had kicked him, knocking him backwards, falling to the floor.
"Had enough, fisher boy?" Clarisse smirked, then swung her sword. Percy blocked it with his own, and jumped upward, feet first, this time knocking Clarisse backwards.
He stood up shakily to find Clarisse sitting on her butt, a murderous expression directed at him.
"OHH!" The crowd roard. Percy glanced sideward to find the other cheif, Reyna, with a surprised expression on he face, wich quickly turned into amusement.
"Maybe you've had enough. " Percy smirked.
"Yeah, right!" Clarisse growled, stood up and swung her sword with the force of a wild, charging horse, wich knocked Percy back a tad.
Their swords clashed together a couple of times, then, with one strike, Percy locked the hilts of their swords together.
"Think I'm...worthy...enough?" Percy grunted, smirk still intact.
Clarisse quickly glanced sidewards for a breif second, then grinned looking back at Percy. "I honestly think... your worthy enough..." Clarisse grunted. "To get wet!"
"Wha-" Before Percy could finish his question, she swung him sidewards using her sword to his, causing him to stumble into a row of barrels filled with water.
Percy was soaking wet from the water, hearing the crowd roar with laughter. He glanced to his left and found one more untipped barrel. He lifted that up and threw the contents at Clarisse, who was drenched in -not water- but mud. Icky, yucky, mud. Or... oh, good gods, that was not mud either. Horse dung. Very smelly horse dung. Percy knew what comes out of horses butts all too well.
Clarisse charged, but slipped on the mixture of water and dung.
The entire crowd was laughing even Reyna.
Percy pointed his sword under her chin. "Give up?"
"I hate you." Clarisse muttered.
"That's what I thought." Percy grinned, satisfied. And as he took his first step away, he slipped as well, and face-planted on the floor, and got a mouthful of horse dung.
"OH GROSS!" Percy screamed, trying not to swallow anything.
"Congratulations." Reyna, who had managed to stand next to Percy without slipping, said, holding her hand out.
Percy took it and stood up, still spitting out all the nasty stuff in his mouth.
"Now, you're ready to train as a knight." Reyna smiled. "You can start tomorrow, after your meeting with the king and the royal family."
"Thanks." Percy smiled. "Also, would it be okay if my cousin Jason could also join in?"
Reyna glanced at the other boy breifly. "I suppose so... but he's not having a meeting with the royal family." She marched over to him. Jason's cheeks were flushed, but he remained calm. "Consider yourself under probation, soldier." She said and walked away.
"C'mon, let's wrap it up for the day." Reyna called to her fellow soldiers, but before leaving, she turned back to Percy. "What's your name?"
"Percy Jackson, captain." Percy replied.
"I expect to see you tomorrow at noon for training, ." With that she left, her metalic-colored dogs at her heels.
"I know you will be a great hero." Rachel told him. "And you will also have great odor for about a week or so."
"Oh, shut up!" Percy blushed. "This isn't the first time I accidentally fell into horse poop."
"Oh, yeah." Nico chuckled. "I remember."
"SHUT UP!"
~back to the present~
"HAHAHA!" Annabeth laughed hysterically. "Horse poop?! Hahaha!"
"Shut up!" Percy grumbled.
"Okay, okay..." Annabeth breathed, wiping a tear from her eye. "So you're a knight now?"
"Yep." Percy answered.
"Hey, didn't you say you were training at noon?"
"Oh, gods, yeah, I almost forgot." Percy muttered, standing up from his seat on the stone bridge's railing, opposite from Annabeth.
"Alright," Annabeths smiled. "See you later, Dung Breath."
"Hey! I said-" Annabeth had kissed Percy's cheek, cutting him off and causing him to blush madly.
"Good luck, and don't die." She told him before walking away, leaving him standing there like an idiot. Cheeks red and mouth agape. But it only took him about six seconds to recall he was late for his first dah of training.
So how was it? I'm using a new writer app on my phone, so tell me how this went! I would really love to hear from you guys! :)
Till the next chapter,
~Apollo'sPirateDaughter✌