-P-
Percy was really beginning to wonder why he had such bad luck. It wasn't even funny anymore. Poseidon knows what Athena was inevitably going to do to Percy if she saw the position he was in with her daughter, for Gods sakes he was not a dog.
See, upon entering the Athena cabin (Percy was honestly surprised that he had been able to), he had released Akakius' elbow, he himself not really wanting to continue on into another God's domain. She tripped though, her knee must have been acting up after that hard hit from Heracles, and since Percy was a klutz himself, he had tripped over her foot, and landed on top of her.
Except, Percy had been able to save himself from completely falling onto the blonde girl, which was a feat in itself, and now they were in a rather... compromising position. She was on her hands and knees, still sweating from the game earlier, and her breathing was heavy. Percy, well, he was on all fours, too. Hovering only inches above the Athena kid.
Akakius' siblings chose then to step into the cabin, and Percy felt everything inside of him just freeze. To them, it probably looked like Percy was, well, you know... taking advantage of Akakius, when he wasn't. Twelve sets of wicked, stormy, hateful gray eyes locked onto him; nobody moved, nobody talked, it was as if the whole world was taking a deep breath.
"What in the actual fuck are you doing with my sister?" the boy from earlier, the one that had yelled and squared off with Neleus, yelled, and Percy flinched.
"It's not what it looks like!" Percy exclaimed, and looked down at Akakius, quickly realizing that maybe he should get off of her. "Look, guys, she fell, I fell, and we ended up in a bad position. I don't even like doing it doggy-style!"
Oh good Gods Percy, just shut up, Percy thought, and mentally smacked himself, if they weren't thinking it before, they definitely are now.
Okay, so maybe Percy's social skills weren't the best, he was a God, and he never really had to care about that stuff. With Artemis it was always easy to talk, they shared a domain, and they were best friends. Plus, Artemis wasn't a klutz (she only fell if Percy tripped her), and they had never ended up in this position...
"Get out," the boy growled, and Percy looked down at Akakius, probably making him look even more guilty.
"I-okay, yeah, I'm getting out now." he said, and carefully slid past the kids.
Being honest, he was totally afraid that if he touched one of them, they would flip, and decapitate him or something. He had made the mistake of making Athena made once, three broadswords, two fires, and a lot of laughing from Artemis made Percy especially weary of Athena's children.
After carefully stepping from the cabin, Percy turned and began towards his own cabin. Began being the key word, because a certain love goddess stepped in his way.
"Hey, Percy." Aphrodite said, and all but threw herself at the young god in front of her. "How are you, honey?"
"We've been over this, Aphrodite." Percy said, and stepped around the goddess in front of him.
"Right, right, not in public." she said, and looped her arm through Percy's as they began to walk together.
"And not at all." Percy said, and looked down at their intertwined arms with distaste.
Percy was more then used to Aphrodite's taste in touch. She loved to touch him. Every time Percy saw her, they ended up touching, it was flat out annoying, and Aphrodite wouldn't leave him alone. No matter what he said. One time he had told her he was gay, he wasn't, and she saw right through his ploy.
"Oh, you love it when I touch you, Perseus. Don't lie to me." Aphrodite gushed, a big smile crossing her features.
"Why are you here?" Percy asked, ignoring her usual flirtations.
"Just wanted to visit you while Artemis wasn't around." she said, and Percy's eyebrows rose. "It's been a long time since we've gotten to sit down and just talk, don't you think?"
"What do you want?" Percy asked, his teeth clenching right along with his hands.
"You." she said, but upon Percy's look changed her mind. "Okay, fine. I came to give you some news." she reiterated, and Percy nodded. "Artemis found another Giant, she didn't confront him, but she found him. Scared the poor thing half to death, too. Apparently his eyes are just horrible."
"Okay?" Percy said slowly, not really sure why this information really mattered to him.
"C'mon Percy, think. If a goddess gets scared, then what's going to happen to a demigod?" Aphrodite wondered, and Percy looked down at her.
"They're going to mess their togas." Percy said, and Aphrodite nodded. "So get Phobos and Deimos on it, send the kids some bad dreams, and prepare them."
"That's not going to prepare them."
"What do you want me to do? Teach them to fight blind?" Percy asked, and knit his eyebrows in confusion.
"Do you think you can do that?" Aphrodite asked, causing Percy to glare. "Right."
"I suppose I could teach them to fight and react looking at an opponents feet." Percy said, and scratched his head tiredly.
"What a great idea!" Aphrodite exclaimed, and pumped her fist in the air. "Do that. Now, I must be going," she leaned up, and pecked Percy on the cheek, "See ya later, Alligator."
"Alright," Percy said, and surveyed the group of kids in front of him.
For his first class, he was teaching a group of Apollo kids. It would be fine if Percy knew what the Hades he was doing, but he didn't so it wasn't. If his brothers were here, it would be a million times easier for him. Percy knew them, and a starter class with them just sounded better, but there weren't and it wasn't easier.
"So, uh, the Giants are scary." Percy went on, nodding slightly to himself.
"Scarier then the Aphrodite kids in the morning?" one of them asked, and Percy shrugged.
"Yeah, I would guess so." Gods the kids were looking at him like he was the biggest doof in the world. Percy couldn't blame them, he felt like a doof, but the biggest doof in the world was definitely pushing it. "Okay-"
"Scarier then Peleus?" Callidora asked, and Percy frowned.
Peleus wasn't scary, at least not in the way that the Giants were. Sure he was quiet and sort of a loner, but nobody really talked to him so it was unfair to judge. Just because he wore all black with a hood covering his-
"Oh, you mean the dragon?" Percy said, and smiled with a nod.
"Yeah," Callidora said slowly, her dark blue eyes narrowing, "Who'd you think I meant?"
"Yeah, Giants are way scarier. The one I fought actually froze me for a few seconds just because of the sheer amount of power." saying that made Percy remember, and he realized that he also had to help them understand how to break out of someone else's power-grip. "But I've been informed that a new giant was able to scare one of the Olympians. We're not sure what he'll do to you guys, so we're not going to chance it."
"So what, you want us to fight blind?" one of them asked, and Percy met the sky blue eyes of the raven-haired boy in front of him.
"Can you?" he asked, and the boy shrugged.
"Never tried it."
"And I don't have time to teach you. No, today we'll be learning how to fight an opponent without looking at its face." Percy said, and raised Riptide. "Callidora, fight me."
The Apollo girl hauled a Celestial Bronze sword up to her shoulder, and walked away from her siblings so she was standing ten feet to Percy's right.
"Okay," Percy said, and turned to the girl, "We'll start off normal, fight me like you would normally, no holding back."
Immediately, Callidora charged, her eyes watched Percy's face as she did so. Percy blocked her first strike, and rolled his wrist, pushing her sword to the side, giving time for Percy to step back. Callidora spun forward, going to slash at his neck, her eyes were watching his face again. Percy bent back, and watched the sword glide right over his nose.
That was all Percy needed though, and when Callidora's sword was back at her side, he back-peddled away from her.
"I've seen enough." Percy said, and gestured for Callidora to go back with her siblings. "When we fight, we watch our opponent's face, testing, tasting, feeling their reactions. When you fight these giants, chances are, you'll look in their eyes, and you'll freeze."
Percy looked at the children in front of him, happy when most of them at least seemed to understand what he was trying to say.
"They are the very opposite of what your parents are. We can use me as an example. My dad is Poseidon, God of the seas. Polybotes, the Giant meant to destroy him, was exactly what I hate about the ocean. The dirtier, greener, grosser parts, and he was powerful, dare I say even more powerful then my dad. Which is why we need your help." Percy explained, and nervously twirled Riptide in his hand.
"So we have to watch their chests?" a girl standing next to Callidora asked, and Percy nodded.
"Yes." Percy said, and then nodded.
"This is easy, I don't see why you think we need a teacher." the raven-haired boy from earlier said, and Percy raised an eyebrow.
"I'm here to catch you when you look at you opponent's face, because you will look." Percy said, and frowned at the boy. "What's your name, kid?"
"Phaidon." he said, and Percy nodded.
"Alright, if you think you're so great, then every time you look up at your partner's face, I'll hit you." Percy said, and the boy's mouth opened.
"What?"
"Well, if it's so easy, then you should never look up, right?" Percy questioned, and the boy glared for a second, before setting his jaw and nodding.
"Alright, Aāron, you spar with me." Phaidon said, and then stomped off with his blonde haired brother in tow.
"The rest of you, split into two, watch anything that isn't their eyes." Percy said, and watched as they split up into groups of two.
Percy kept his eyes on Phaidon, though he did it conspiciously, and he didn't have to wait long for the Son of Apollo to mess up. Within minutes, Percy was able to walk over, and lightly smack him on the head.
"Ow!" Phaidon yelled, and looked back at Percy with a glare. "What the Hades? I was clearly looking at his chest!"
"You looked up, I saw you. Now get back to it." Percy said, and snapped towards Aāron.
Phaidon's nose wrinkled, and he glared up at Percy, before turning back to his brother.
Percy got to hit him six more times in the hour, he started to get better towards the end, and the rest of his day continued on basically the same. That is, until a horn sounded through the camp in three, long blows, signaling an attack.
-A-
There were times in Apollo's long life where he wondered just exactly why they were there. It wasn't in him to be all contemplative, even though he was the God of Prophecy and all that, but the Gods lived these long lives that never ended, and sometimes he just got tired. Especially with the sister he had.
Apollo honestly didn't mind taking care of her, Artemis was the only family (besides Zeus, but he was always busy) that he had. She was his little sister, his best friend, and his biggest enemy all packed into one, lithe, small body. But she always got herself in trouble.
All the freaking time!
So that's why Apollo was in his golden chariot, high up in the sky, shrouded so heavily in Mist that he doubted Zeus would even see him. Apollo's usually effervescent blue eyes searched the land below him, searching for the silver glow that his sister gave off.
He couldn't see her, as in he couldn't find her through visions, but he could feel her. A hunter's presence was close by, and he just knew that it was Artemis'.
The two golden horses in front of Apollo shuddered suddenly, and the chariot shook, before it suddenly disappeared from below his feet, and the God was falling. Apollo focused on the remaining rays of the setting sun, and held his hand out just in time to catch one. Pulling himself up so he was balancing on the ray of light, Apollo looked around. He tried to call his chariot back to him, but it didn't respond, and before Apollo knew it he was being dropped to the ground again.
The sun! It had disappeared, but how?
Apollo hit the ground with a grunt, and rolled around as he waited for his bones to pop back into place.
A deep, daunting laugh came from the forest around him, and Apollo looked around as he pushed himself up.
"Who's there?" he called, though there was no answer. "Don't make me blast this place with light!"
Apollo willed his golden bow and arrows to appear, and felt himself relax as the familiar weapon settled in his hand, the quiver dropping into his back. Apollo heard footsteps behind him, and immediately turned, throwing his hand out to hit whatever it was with his bow... Except nothing was there.
"I know you're here, come out, or I swear I'll-" but Apollo was cut off by a big, sweaty hand covering his mouth, and pulling him back.
"Or you'll what, little Sun God?"
Hey, y'all!
I wanna thank you all for the reviews and the love and all that. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry this took so long, and I hope you're all having a happy Fourth!
Also, do you guys prefer it in third or first person?
Loved it, hated it, your choice, just tell me in a review!
Yours in Awesomeness,
theProduca