"NO!" I yelled as I sprung up in my bed, cold sweat dampening my forehead and body, badly shaking as I realized I had awoken-and woke everyone else in the process.
Grunts and groans sounded throughout the Hermes cabin, as people were rudely awakened by my sudden yelling. "Cut it the fuck out!" Someone yelled directly at me. "Yeah, shut up, newbie!" Another chimed in. "Sorry…" I muttered apologetically, head hanging down.
The person lying next to me gave me a death glare, before threatening to force me onto the light fixtures to sleep. Anothe rgrabbed me and shook me angrily, demanding why I'd yelled out loud- "For fucks sake, it's not even 7 and you're screaming at everyone!" Tears welled in my eyes as more and more people came over or sat up, annoyed or even angry. Some drew weapons and for a split second, it seemed like the whole cabin was ready to hack me to bits.
"Calm down! CALM DOWN EVERYBODY!" I heard a commanding male voice yell, and everyone turned and parted for Luke as he came rushing over. "Everyone, everyone," he spoke in a comforting tone, "something must've happened in her sleep or she must've had some unpleasant dreams. Calm down, it's not like we've never had them before." Angry campers grumbled, annoyed campers shot me looks, and some even muttered apologies under their breath.
As the rush of campers left to begin their day early thanks to me, Luke stuck his hand out to me, and I took it. He pulled me up, before gesturing to me to follow him. I gladly did so, not wishing for the Hermes cabin to murder me as soon as Luke was gone.
Once outside, Luke walked me over to the beach, before spinning around and grabbing my shoulders tightly. "Percy, what happened?" He asked, his tone hard yet caring. "I…uh, nightmare." "Speak it out. What nightmare specifically? All demigod dreams often mean something."
And so I recounted my nightmare to him, but my memory was foggy and I could not remember details correctly. Still, I think I got most of it out, before my brain started giving up on me. Luke, after hearing my whole story, seemed intrigued and concerned at the same time. "Percy…you better follow me to the big house. This may be…related to some recent…events."
-time skip
So, after 6 days, the nightmares hadn't stopped. Chiron did come to me everyday, asking about my dreams- it changed every time, but two things wouldn't- the cold, harsh presence and the pit. It was honestly sapping my rest, being forced to endure virtually the same nightmare every night, and my cabin mates have been steadily annoyed by their untimely wakings. Chiron said it could be related to the situation upstairs, but when pressed, he'd refused to elaborate further, and only recommended me to get some dreamless sleep solutions from him if things got worse.
But even though these 6 days had been tiring, I was still looking forward to the most exciting event in one week.
"Campers, gather around!" Chiron called out to the mass of campers putting on armor and grabbing weapons. The loud cleaning and clashing and smattering of voices died down, as all eyes focused on Chiron. He pulled out a scroll and read loudly to the mass of campers present.
"Alright! Welcome to today's Capture the Flag game!" He was met with cheering and applause. Raising a hand to calm everybody down, he continued reading. "Today's game will be the Athena and Hermes cabins, versus the Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo and Hephaestus cabins!" he was met with yet more cheering and applause. "A reminder to all of you today, as we have some, ah, new campers within the play," he looked around before his gaze landed squarely on me, "the game shall be played fairly. No cheating, no seriously maiming others. You must yield if you are disarmed, and if we catch you sneaking off during the play or not manning your posts, you will be punished." He then let his gaze scan the crowd of campers, before finally clapping his hands. "To your posts! When you hear the whistle, the game begins!…"
I was still unclaimed, 6 days later, and hope was beginning to drain from me. And since I was still unclaimed, I was put on the Hermes cabin team to defend the creek area.
"Remember Percy, don't deviate from your post. No matter what, do not fall back from the creek. Of course, only if you yield and are forced to 'respawn'." Luke repeated to me as we set off towards the respective starting points of both sides, Annabeth in tow. Luke wore light armor and had a small round shield, while I was wearing essentially nothing (except for leg breeches) as no armor fit me comfortably, or gave enough flexibility for me to fight effectively. I had picked out a sword, and though it wasn't the best fit for me-a bit heavy overall for me to swing, and tip-heavy which caused it to feel unbalanced-I still ha dto. stick with it. Mr. Brunner's -rather, Chiron's sword was still in my pocket, but I didn't dare disrespect the Hephaestus kids by pulling out my own sword and ignoring them. It didn't feel polite.
Reaching the starting point, Annabeth joined her siblings, who were already discussing battle plans and tactics. Luke would lead a diversionary attack to the right, while Annabeth would go stealthy and attempt to capture the flag without having too much attention drawn(rather, she'd put on her invisibility cap and try to make a run for it). Me and a few newbies would be stuck in defence, holding the creek to prevent any members of the opposite team from crossing. Which was a highly likely change, given we weren't really good at combat, so Luke and Annabeth would try and use speed as their advantage.
The flags were then presented to us- the ares-apollo-Aphrodite-Hephaestus flag red, with an ugly wild boar head slapped onto it, while the Athena-Hermes flag was silver, with an elegant owl and Hermes' staff embroidered at the center. Flag guards took the flags, and paraded it in front of their teams as everyone cheered the flag on. I couldn't help but be immersed in the high spirits and cheer along as the flag passed.
"Ready up!" Yelled Annabeth, her Yankees cap in hand. Evidently, she was already prepared to go full stealth mode the second the games began. Luke moved to the right side of the field, ready to launch the massive diversionary attack on the opposing cabins. Us newbies were told to rush to the creek as soon as the game started, and then hang back as the veterans took all the glory. Not that fun, really.
Through the dense forests, the loud war chants the ares cabin had brewed up were…not exactly clear as day, but not muffled to the point where we couldn't make out words. Occasionally, we heard some insulting statements such as "nerds" or "thieves", but it seemed like our side was gonna make them regret it as soon as possible, judging by the fact they gripped their swords tightly and had murderous stares in their eyes.
A shrill whistle sounded, piercing through the thick and humid forest air, and both groups took off. Annabeth's group moved more slowly, with her invisible body waving a napkin around to show her team where she was. Luke's diversionary group ran yelling into the woods to attract attention. Us newbies? Well, we sauntered to the creek border and began to chat.
There were 3 of us stationed at the creek- me, a nemesis kid called Ethan, and a newly claimed Athena kid. I knew Ethan- he arrived at camo not long ago before I did, and slept opposite of me. He didn't seem to practically care about anything in camp, and always looked hateful. The newly claimed Athena kid apparently was called Daniel, and seemed to be a book nerd more than anything else- he gripped his sword wrongly, and his stance was really, really poor. Still, I couldn't blame him- Athena kids weren't famous for fighting anyway.
Soon, the two heard a commotion on the far side of the creek, and rushed to investigate. I heard sounds of combat and clashing of metal, but stayed for good measure to prevent anyone from coming through the newly opened gaps in the line. My decision was proven correct moments later, as a band of 5 ares campers burst through the foliage, menacing looking spears and shields in hand.
Even better-the leading attacker was Clarassie.
"Oh, look! What do we have here!" She snickered, dropping her defensive stance as she stared me down- in her eyes, I was probably a newbie who didn't know anything about combat. And it showed, as she casually sauntered over to me, raising her spear threateningly. My nerves were frayed, and I Spaß deathly scared. Glancing to my right for a bit as she flanked me to my left, I noticed the other four hand's moved-probably because they were here to watch Clarassie wipe the ground with my arse.
But I also noticed that the river had gone deadly calm, not even a ripple or wave on the surface. It was smooth and flat like a mirror-which was very, very abnormal.
As if the water reflected my feelings-suppressed fear to act calm and natural.
I was shorter than most people here- around 5'2, which was 2 inches shorter than the average height in this country- and certainly shorter than the 6 foot beasts these ares kids were. Clarassie towered over me as she pointed her spear at me, sneering as she gloated, "Oh, puny unclaimed girl, I'm so gonna kick your ass with my spear!" I grasped my sword tightly- the sword the Hephaestus cabin gifted me. It didn't resonate with me- my movements were sluggish and off balance, but it would have to serve its purpose until they were able to craft one for me.
"Bring it on then, you big oaf. Let's see what you got." I rebuked, and her expression became angry-very angry. Her veins bulged and her eyes drilling into mine, before she let out a yell and charged me. I readied myself, but for her size, she moved quite fast. I could only rely on instinct as her spear flew at me, and was blocked by my shield. The resulting clang sent vibrations up my arm, and I winced in pain as my arm shook. She wasn't going to stop anytime soon though, as she repeatedly jabbed and twirled around me, her spear clanging off my shield or narrowly missing me. I couldn't even get an attack in as she attacked me without a pause, nearly knocking me off my feet as her spear tried to stab my ankles. She thrusted, swiped and slashed, while I sidestepped, blocked and dodged. It seemed to be frustrating her, as this newbie-me-dodged her every attack and made her look like a fool. And while she was string and bulky, I was light and nimble, and dodged her brute force with ease.
That was until she decided it was time to get serious, and out more brute force into play.
Her shield, previously a bronze band around her forearm, suddenly morphed into existence as she welded her spear with one hand. I was confused-why did she get her shield out when I couldn't even get a window of attack on her? Well, the answer was revealed mere moments later as she thrusted her spear at me, one that I sidestepped easily-and one that she predicted. I could only yelp in horror as I watched the bronze metal plate that was her shield come screaming in at full force. I couldn't even righten myself and dodge again, and could only hopelessly raise my shield to defend whatever she planned to do. A split second later, her shield came slamming into mine with full force, sending me into the air and knocking my shield out of my grip. I smashed into a tree and groaned, while my shield landed some distance away, out of my reach.
Without my best defensive weapon, I was virtually a moving punching bag. Clarassie and her gang noticed this, as all of them advanced towards me, menacingly grinning like maniacs, before they all pounced.
I attempted to dodge and run, but they were too big and too quick for me. A shield smashed int9 my guts, sent me flying back, and I was almost instantly disarmed when I tried to go on the offensive, only to have my sword arm smashed down painfully with a spear butt, causing my grip on my blade to loosen. My sword fell to the ground with a clang, and I realized it was all over for me. They could either beat me to death, or toy with me till I was barely conscious.
And then I realized I still had…something to counter them. Mr. Bru-no, Chiron's sword. Anaklusmos, Riptide.He'd gifted it to me, saying it "only appeared to the worthy", and that "I should keep it in case of emergency". Guess this qualifies as one.
Rolling under a sword that was coming towards me, I reached into my pocket-and there it was, the cold, hard bronze that made up the casing of the fountain pen form that Riptide was in. Pulling it out, I could hear Clarassie snicker. "Oh look, newbie punk's got a pen! What's she gonna do, write curses on us?"
Their smugness faded a moment later as I uncalled Riptide- the beautifully curved celestial bronze blade catching the sunlight and casting a light bronze glow. "The fuck-the punk stole Chiron's pen!" Clarassie yelled, and her siblings agreed. "Clarassie, you dumb fat cow. Chiron gifted it to me. Am I so dumb you considered me stealing a sword from the fucking camp director as a possiblility?" Clarassie stammered, nervousness showing on her face for the first time in this fight. "What-you dare? GET HER!" A yell sounded amongst the five Ares campers, before they collectively rushed me at once.
Oh boy.
Clarassie was the first to try and disarm me. I dodged her jab and swipe before smashing the flat face of the sword into the back of her head. I wasn't gonna try and kill anyone this was a war game after all-but they deserved to learn a lesson.
The next four were slightly harder to deal with, as they paired up and attacked me. Though riptide was a balanced weapon for me, and I welded it comfortably, it still took some time to get used to the sword. During this time period, I was nicked by dozens of near misses, drawing blood on most of them. The worst sound was a gash to my left side, as I attempted to sidestep and got slashed by the tip of a sword. Finally, when I got my rhythm, Clarassie had gotten back up and was furiously attacking me with her siblings. I couldn't keep up playing defence anymore- I was tiring, and I had to end this. Quick.
Spotting a window of opportunity, I rolled and slammed into one of the ares kids who'd swiped at me too high. It felt like slamming into a log, but luckily I unbalanced I'm and made him topple backwards, and he crashed into the ground, and I used him to spring back up, forcing him to the ground harder- and he didn't get back up. Probably knocked out by the force.
Whirling around, I narrowly dodged a jab from Clarassie's spear, before booting her into two of her siblings. Tangled in a heap, they went down, toppling on one another. That left one guy standing.
And then of course, a jubilant cheer went up from behind me and took my attention away, as I watched Luke dash towards us, the ugly red flag in tow, as Annabeth ran behind him, invisibility had in her hand and dagger in another, with half the enemy team hit in their heels.
That was when the last guys struck.
I did it even notice him until it was too late. His sword hilt slammed into the back of my head as he barrelled forwards, shoving me out of the way and charging towards Luke. As I fell forwards, I saw Luke speed up and rush past me, across the creek.
Silver dust exploded from the flag, as the flag colour changed from that ugly blood red colour to a shimmering silver.
We'd won the game of Capture the flag.
A collective cheer went up all around the woods as the shrill whistle blew again. The ares kid, unable to halt his momentum, crashed into Luke and they both toppled over some distance away from me. Luke got up quickly, helping the ares camper up, as laughter and chuckles filled the air, as well as congratulating cheers and whoops of joy. I noticed Chiron trotting over to Luke, while Annabeth ran over to me in the creek, and was about to extend a hand to help me up when a shrill cry of dread rang clear in the forest.
Everyone froze, and I felt my hackles rise as a wave of dread swept the area.
Loud crushing and pounding could be heard in front of me, and everyone begun to back away from the dense foliage. There was a small hill on the far bank of the creek, which would lead to Zeus's fist further away, and the loud crashing and pounding originated in that direction, getting closer and closer. Fear and dread swept through me, and as I glanced around, everyone seemed affected. Some, further away, turned on their heels and rushed to warn the cabins who hand's participated in the game, and some drew their weapons.
A second later, the trees in front of us exploded forwards, felled by a massive black creature that resembled a dog. A large dog. If dogs had glowing eyes and lava claws, and could kill you in a single bite, this one matched it perfectly.
The best thing out of all of this? It had leapt off the small cliff and was soaring straight at me, eyes locked on target as I saw it!s maw open, exposing molten fangs and a maw dripping with lava.
And Annabeth, whom I considered a friend, was sandwiched in between me and the hellhound.
Judging by its trajectory, I had a feeling it would squash Annabeth and kill her before it reached me.
I had lost my mother 14 days ago, in front of my eyes. I was not about to let someone that I had built a bond with over the last 6 days suffer the same fate. I was going to protect them, whatever the cost.
The fear and dread in my system was swept away with anger. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chiron draw his bow, and though I trusted his marksmanship, I knew he wouldn't be fast enough.
And so, with range filling my senses and adrenaline coursing through my veins, I kept forwards, faster and higher than humanly possible, Riptide poised over my left shoulder, my body tilted, ready to deliver the killing blow to this being from hell.
As the distance closed, I saw its eyes widen and its maw turn into an ugly snarl. I wasn't about to let it eat me up though, and so, as I flew close enough to feel the heat radiating from its body, I swung Riptide in a beautiful arc, cutting it's god forsaken maw and face in half.
It exploded into dust, but not before its claws raked me across my torso and drew blood.
I crashed onto the far bank of the creek, chest first, with a sharp pain emanating from my wounds. I rolled over to see Annabeth- who seemingly teleported onto dry land- rush towards me and helped me up. The creek was unusually turbulent, with larger than normal waves washing up on the banks, and I could see shock on everyone's faces, as well as green glow emanating from somewhere that illuminated the area.
It was only when Chiron knelt did I snap out of my stupor, and look around to find the source of the glow. I found it soon enough-a glowing sea green trident, slowly spinning above my head. As I looked back down, I noticed everyone was kneeling. Even Luke and Annabeth were. Was I supposed to follow suit? Or was I supposed to give a grand speech to everyone? And what did the trident mean?
Deep down, I felt like I already knew the answer, especially after so many incidents where bodies of water reflected my emotions.
As the green glow faded, Chiron rose to his feet-no, hooves, and every camper in front of me followed suit. His expression was grave, and he trotted over to me.
"Hail, Perseas Amphitrite Jackson, daughter of Poseidon."