BENJAMIN K.
"I've got bets on Percy," Someone said.
"Yea, Percy's got my vote too." Someone else replied. Ben bristled, but he said nothing as he walked passed the small group of campers, back toward the arena with the newly fitted armor in his arms. New had spread fast about the fight, and now it was all that anyone was talking about.
"I dunno about that," Another voice, one that Ben recognized, said next. "The new girl looks promising. Spears beat Swords naturally, there's more reach."
Ben glanced over to see Clarisse, daughter of Ares, leaning on the shoulder of one of her younger siblings. Her hair was held back under a bandana and she was dressed in full, blood red, armor; as if she herself would be the one fighting against Percy. Chances are, she'd probably like to. Ben had never seen it himself, but apparently Percy had humiliated her a number of times already.
Since she was his sister, Ben didn't see her in the same light that Percy did. She was way more aggressive than most Ares kids, sure, but Ben understood that. That said, he did still steer clear of her when he could. This time he couldn't, though.
Clarisse spotted him and half-jogged to catch up. Once she did, she slung an arm around his neck and pulled him close to her. Ben was slightly taller than her, but Clarisse pulled him down to her height.
"Hey, Benny," Clarisse greeted him, falling into step alongside him as he walked back to the Arena. He slowed, though by just a bit. "Who're you placing bets on in the fight, hm? Jackson or the new girl? Personally, I'd like to see Jackson get his tail whipped."
Ben rolled his eyes and, in his head, said Of course you would, Clarisse, anything to humiliate him. What Ben didn't know, however, is that Clarisse and Percy had become friends, a large step-up from their uneasy relationship before.
Instead, he simply shrugged. "I don't know, Clarisse. I'd prefer it if they didn't fight at all, if you want me to be honest." He replied. Without looking at her, he could feel the sneer on Clarisse's face. She was the main one that he disagreed with over his pacifism, the main reason he stayed in the Big House instead of Cabin 5. She retched her arm away from his neck, rather violently, and stepped away.
"Maybe you should get over that," She said, as she always did. It was never 'maybe you should fight', it was always 'get over it'. "You can't live as a demigod without fighting at some point."
Ben rolled his shoulders, handling the weight of the armor better in his arms. Luckily Leah was small, so her armor didn't weight much, but carrying it for too long did get uncomfortable. He looked over at Clarisse, his brow furrowed.
"And when it comes to fighting monsters, I'm not worried," He replied, some anger tinting his voice. "Fighting other people is where I draw the line."
Clarisse snarled at him, clearly prepared to say something in response. Instead, she clenched her teeth and turned away, walking back down to the small group of campers amassed just next to the bathroom hall. Ben watched her, shaking his head before he resumed his walk back to the arena.
Leah was still sitting where she was when he'd left earlier. At the lowest level of the stands, her arms still crossed angrily against her chest, she whipped her head over to look at him as she heard his footsteps enter the arena. Ben had come back once after leaving with Chiron earlier; specifically to ask for her size in armor and if she wanted anything else. After giving him her sizes, which she'd already had memorized Ben noted, she'd asked for a tank-top variant of the Camp shirt and a roll of gauze. Ben wasn't sure if they'd had them, but he promised he'd look.
Now, coming back into the arena, he stopped and knelt next to Leah to hand her the armor, the shirt, and the roll of gauze. Annabeth had had one shirt, and while she was skeptical over sharing with the girl, she decided to give the shirt to her as a gift in the end.
"Annabeth said you could keep the shirt," Ben told her as he handed it to her. Leah sneered at hearing the girl's name, but took it without a word. "There are bathrooms where you can change if you want."
Leah waved him off and stood up. "It's whatever. I'll just change shirts before I put the armor on here." She said. Ben stayed silent and turned away from her without a word. After a good minute, she tapped him on the back and he turned back around. Wearing the new tank-top, Ben could see the muscles in her arms, clearly from wielding her spear.
Between his visit earlier and now, she'd let her hair down out of it's braid. Her hair, streaked with brown strands, was long, reaching just above her butt. Most of her hair was smoothed back, over her head, though there were just a few loose strands extending just over her forehead and above her eyes.
She knelt down to gather up the armor, and Ben knelt alongside her.
"I could help you, if you want." Ben offered, but Leah waved him off again. Taking the chest plate first, she quickly pulled it on and secured it to herself.
"No need," She said, though there was no malice in her voice. "I can do it on my own."
Ben stood back up, crossing his arms over his chest. Even if he didn't fight, looking imposing and like a threat was a talent of his.
"So you can," he noted, nodding. This girl was a mystery, he thought, one that he needed to unravel. "I wasn't expecting you to be so adept at everything we do here."
Leah whipped her head over to him, her brow furrowed. She was just finishing pulling on her arm guards before moving to leg armor.
"You people don't know anything about me." She spat out, her tone clearly ending the conversation. Ben held his palms up in submission and took a few steps back. Despite how nice she'd been to him when they first spoke, she was clearly still angry about Camp in general. Ben figured he would try not to upset her any further, and they sat in silence as Leah pulled the rest of her armor on.
Just as she secured the last strap on her leg guard, Percy, Chiron, and Annabeth walked back into the arena. Percy was wearing full armor, his hands in his pockets, and looking like he'd just stepped out of a shower. His hair was wet and stuck to his forehead and he had a goofy smile on his face. Annabeth was talking quietly to him, and he was responding slowly but surely. Chiron had his bow over his back once more, but he seemed even less inclined to use it now than he did earlier.
Ben watched as they came in and barred off the entrance. Chiron was adamant about no one being able to watch the fight, sans himself, Ben, and Annabeth. As they settled down now, on the opposite end of the stands, Ben turned back to Leah. While he was looking away, she'd wrapped the gauze around her hands and had thrown her hair back over her shoulder and had re-braided just about all of it. She was tying off the end with a black hair tie when Ben turned around. He must've looked surprised because she laughed, though it was quiet and contained.
"I've got a lot of practice braiding my own hair. It's like a science now." She said, mirth finding it's way through to her voice. Ben smiled, deciding he liked it a lot better when she was happier around him and nodded. He turned around once again and walked over to meet Chiron in the middle of the arena. The old Centaur looked worried and his tail was constantly swishing around in the air. He was anxious.
"Chiron, are you sure this is alright?" Ben asked. He himself hadn't been sure about the fight since Chiron agreed to it, but the Centaur nodded.
"It is the only chance we have of keeping her here. I fear for Leah's safety, but I cannot argue with her any further." Chiron responded. Something about his tone sent chills down Ben's back, but he was sure not to question it. Chiron was hiding something, but he often did that to keep his campers safe from what they didn't know. Ben could appreciate and respect it, so he didn't dig into it.
"Ben!" Leah called out to him. Startled to hear his own name, he turned around slowly, an eyebrow raised in question. Leah waved at him, issuing him to come back, and he walked over to her, his hands in his pockets. Once he got there, Leah had turned and was watching Percy intently. Ben could only assume she was eyeing him up, looking for anything she could take advantage of during their fight. He cleared his throat and she turned back to look up at him.
"Hey, could you get me a bottle of water, please?" She asked him. Ben nodded, a little taken aback, but deemed that it wasn't that strange of a request.
"Oh, sure. Gimme a second." He replied, and Leah nodded in response, a smile on her face. Ben walked away from her, passing Percy and Annabeth as he did, and stopped at the cooler up against the wall of the arena. Kneeling and reaching into it, he pulled out a bottle of water and hurried back to Leah. Chiron was pacing in the center of the arena, which Ben took as the start of the battle looming closer.
"Here you go," He said, coming up and handing the bottle back to Leah. She took it graciously and muttered thanks before twisting the cap off and taking a long drink from it. Ben glanced back toward Percy, who was stretching out his arms with Annabeth drilling him from a few feet away, and sighed. He turned back to Leah just as she emptied the rest of the bottle over the top of her head. It looked sort of uncomfortable to Ben, but Leah jumped up to her feet, suddenly full of energy and began to stretch. Ben took a few steps back to be out of her way and crossed his arms once again.
In all honesty, he was still nervous about the fight. Percy was the best fighter he knew, and he'd seen the Son of Poseidon handle himself better than just about anyone in a multitude of situations. Leah was a mystery. He barely knew anything about her, but both her spear and the dream he'd had the night before made him anxious about what she could do.
Chiron began clapping, and both parties, including Ben, turned to face him. His face was grim set, and he spoke just loud enough for them to hear him, but not too loud. Even though none of them could see, they all knew there was a crowd outside the arena, peaking through every little hole they could find.
"Leah, Percy. Step forward, if you will." Chiron said. Percy turned and, after a short word with Annabeth, walked forward, pulling Riptide out and uncapping it as he did. Leah ceased her stretches and pulled the blue pearl from her pocket. With one strong clench, she broke the pearl and, now wielding her spear, stepped up to face Chiron.
The old Centaur's gaze swapped quickly between the two of them.
"This is to be a standard duel. First blood does not end the match, first fall does not end it either," Chiron spoke, low and rehearsed. Annabeth had walked over and stood next to Ben in the stands, her gaze focused as she watch both Leah and Percy's body language. "The match will end when one of you can no longer fight, be that as it may. Death is prohibited, though if you must inflict heavy injury, you are free to do so."
Both Ben and Annabeth flinched at his words. Aside that, Ben could see both Percy and Leah tense up. Chiron watched the both of them with interest before backtracking to the end of the arena. Leah and Percy were left standing in the middle, and the both of them quickly stepped away from each other to prepare for the duel.
Percy held Riptide in his right hand, the other with the wristwatch shield that Tyson had made and constantly fixed for him. Nothing too special about what he was doing, though Ben could see a faint trail of water across the ground around him. The now empty water bottle that he'd had was thrown across onto the ground. Ben could almost see what his plan was, but he wasn't sure. The shield was held close to his chest, pointing out towards Leah. Percy was looking at her over the rim of the shield, inspecting her movements. Ben had never seen him look so intense.
Leah had her feet spread out wide, right in the front and left in the back. Her spear was held on her left side, one hand near the end and the other closer to the middle. She was slowly turning the point in circles, seemingly aiming toward Percy's chest. Ben couldn't tell what was going through her head. Water from the bottle he'd given her was still dripping down her forehead and face. She'd done the same thing as Percy, though it didn't seem intentional for her. A trail of water had traced it's way from the tip of the bottle and across the ground in a straight line beneath her feet. The empty bottle was thrown a few feet away.
Chiron had his hand raised up in the air. Once he was sure the two were ready, he dropped his hand, signaling the start of the duel. Both Annabeth and Ben tensed up and sat down. This would judge the future.
There was a moment where neither of them moved. Percy watched Leah and clenched his fist around Riptide's handle. Leah watched Percy through the thin strands of hair that fell over her eye and slowed the spinning of her spear point. Ben and Annabeth watched on, waiting for the first move that was sure to come.
Leah struck first. She took a quick step forward, much faster than any of them were expecting, and sent a flurry of thrusts into Percy's shield. They weren't meant to hit, only to test the defenses. Percy held through it easily and countered with his own thrust, though he couldn't reach her. The spear was longer by two whole feet, and those two feet made a serious difference.
Ben could see Percy grimace as he stepped back, one foot stepping over his circle of water on the ground. He held his shield up across his chest and face once again and held his sword at the ready. Leah held him back with the tip of her spear, slowly turning it in circles once again. Ben had never fought with a spear in training, always swords because he had the brute strength to make it work, but it looked like a defensive measure; making sure the spear was always moving so she'd be prepared no matter what.
Another moment passed where neither of them attacked. Leah was a few feet ahead of her line of water, though there was no telling if it was intentional. Percy was held just against the rim of his own circle, and Ben could practically see the gears turning in his head as he came up with a plan.
Percy attacked next, a feint to the left followed by a jumping overhead strike around the right side. Using a bit of the water he'd left on the ground, he jumped much faster than one would expect, coming down on top of Leah like a rocket.
Unfortunately for him, she didn't fall for the feint. She took a large step back, her foot crossing over the line of water behind her, and brought her spear, horizontally, up to block the strike from Riptide. Celestial bronze striking against celestial bronze sent a loud CLANG out into the air. Ben heard gasps from outside of the arena behind him, but he didn't dare take his eyes off of the fight.
After the block, Leah spun her spear around in a wide circle and behind her back, slashing out across Percy's shield multiple times. She ended it off with a strong, wide slash across with her left hand on the shaft of the spear. It was fast, much faster than one would think capable of such a large weapon. Percy's shield took a beating, but he managed to jump back just in time to dodge the last slash. He quickly got back into stance, circling around Leah's right side. Leah pulled her spear around to face him, still tracing circles in the air, and grasped the shaft with both hands once again.
Sweat was beginning to bead down Percy's forehead, but Leah looked comfortable, like she hadn't been worried at all. Ben was beginning to worry, but he wasn't sure for who at this point.
Percy stepped forward, pushing Leah's spear out to the side with his shield and swinging out to the right with Riptide. Ben tensed up, fearing the worst. Leah, however, ducked under the strike and rolled backwards, bringing her spear out with her and holding it up again to block the next overhead strike from Percy. He'd gotten in close, where he had the advantage over her spear, but Leah was fast. After blocking, she ducked lower and ran the spear across the ground, sweeping Percy's legs out from under him. He fell onto his back, groaning as he did, and quickly rolled to the side as the broad side of Leah's spear point crashed into the ground where he was just laying.
Just as Percy got to his feet, Leah lunged forward with a strong thrust aimed right at his chest. Her foot crashed into the ground, just on top of the line of water she'd left there, and Ben swore he saw that same water, now crusted and mixed with dirt, pull up and secure her foot to the ground.
Percy caught the spearhead between the rim of his shield and the flat of Riptide's blade. He gasped aloud, however, showing that Leah had hit her mark. Victory wasn't won just off of that, though, as Percy tilted his left arm out and used his free hand to grab the shaft of Leah's spear, just below the spearhead, and hold it strong. Where Leah was fast, Percy was strong. Leah tried to wretch her spear from his grasp, but to no avail.
With one strong pull, Percy threw her off balance and she flew toward him. Using his shield, he bashed her in the chest, tossing her backward into the ground. Leah groaned in pain but wasted no time getting back to her feet, just in time to block a sideways strike sent toward her from Percy.
Using his second wind, Percy took advantage of the fight, sending out a flurry of strikes, both sideways and overhead, to keep Leah on her toes and from counter-attacking. A few strikes hit home, cutting across Leah's arms and staggering her. Blood dripped into the dirt as the two kept fighting.
Against the far wall, Chiron grimaced heavily but said nothing as he watched the fight continue.
A slight mistake, Percy lunged into Leah's right side when she held her spear on her left. She dodged and countered, lunging out and stabbing through the right side of Percy's armor and his shirt. He gasped aloud but spun back with a wide swing to distance himself. Leah had the advantage again as she dodged the swing, jumping in and using her spear's length to keep Percy at bay and to keep the attack going. Most of her thrusts met his shield, metal clanging against metal, but a few of them managed to get through, scraping against Percy's armor and keeping him on his toes.
Jumping back gave Leah the advantage with the length of her spear, and she was clearly stronger on offense than on defense.
Leah feinted to the right with her spear, a hard move Ben would assume, and Percy fell for it. He brought his shield up to block, but he only blocked air. Leah pulled her spear back around, spinning, and slammed the flat of the spearhead into Percy's left side, throwing him off of his feet. He landed on his right arm, Riptide falling from his grasp. Leah stepped forward and held her spear, the point half a foot from Percy's face.
"Yield." she said through heavy breaths. She'd taken quite a few hits, and since she was smaller, Ben could only assume she couldn't take as many hits. Percy looked up at her, a crooked grin on his face.
"Chiron said it lasts until I can't fight," He steadied himself up on his left arm, using his right to reach and grab Riptide's handle. Leah saw, but didn't stop him. She was hesitating, to an extent. Maybe she didn't want to hurt him too badly. "I'm sure I can still fight."
With a yell, Percy rolled to the side and threw his arm up into the air. The entire cooler burst open, mixed in was the water he'd spilled on the ground, and it rushed toward Leah like a tsunami. A look of surprise ran across her face, but no fear, Ben noticed.
The wave crashed into her, but Leah held up and refused to fall. Percy found his way to his feet, only to see that Leah was still standing as well. She was drenched from head to toe, and a bit of her braid had come un-done. The water pooled around her, mixing into the dirt of the arena floor, her spear was still held at her side with one hand, her right clenching onto it hard. The gauze wrapped around her hands was soaked, and bits of it were beginning to peel off of her arms.
Despite that, she had a crooked grin on her face; the same one Percy had had just a moment ago.
"Cute trick," she said, taking a step forward. The ground shook, and Ben thought it was his imagination at first until he saw the looks on both Annabeth and Percy's faces. Leah took another step forward and the ground shook again. Percy's legs began to shake, and he fell to one knee. "My turn."
Leah yelled, and the mixture of dirt and water sprung up behind her, just as tall as Percy's. Ben saw his eyes go wide before the wall of murky water crashed into him. Usually, water revitalized him, but the mixture of water and dirt was more like mud than it was water. It threw Percy backwards and to the ground, sending him flying and rolling across the arena floor. Once it all cleared, he was left coughing and sputtering up water. His arms and legs shook, and when he tried to get to his feet, he shuddered and fell again.
Ben looked down at Annabeth, who had a look of sheer horror on her face. She looked up at Chiron, who nodded, and she ran to Percy's side. Ben looked to Chiron too, a look of amazement on his face. The Centaur nodded to him as well, and in his best stadium voice he said: "Our winner: Leah Vasquez, daughter of the Earthshaker, and the Stormbringer, Neptune, Roman God of the Sea."
There were gasps and muttered words outside the arena, but Leah's reaction is what caught Ben off guard.
Her legs slightly weak from the fight, she marched up to Chiron and, with malice in her eyes, sneered: "You knew."
Chiron looked at her, his eyes half-lidded. "I did, my child," He said, melancholy tinging his voice. He turned to face her. "I know a lot of things."
Leah smashed the butt of her spear against the ground, reverting it back to a pearl, and stuffed it into her pocket.
"Why didn't you just let me leave? You know who I am, you must know why I'm here, right?" She asked, quiet though still angry. Chiron nodded.
"I do. I knew your mother, though not as well as I would have wished." Chiron responded. Leah flinched at the mention of her mom, but she threw her arms out.
"Then why didn't you let me leave?!" She asked again, louder this time. Chiron sighed.
"We will talk of this soon, but not here and not now. Our audience outside of this arena is not permitted to hear this." Chiron said. Leah immediately shut her mouth, though Ben could tell she wanted to say more. A lot more. Instead, she shook the water off of herself as best she could before storming to the entrance of the arena. It was still boarded up, but with a movement of her arm, Leah used the rest of the murky water to smash through the barricade. There was a horde of campers sitting outside in the grass, all staring at her with a mixture of amazement and fear alike. Leah glanced at all of them before turning down her head and jogging down to the Big House.
Ben finally stood up and ran over to Percy's side, where Annabeth had helped him to his feet. He had a cold bottle of water in his hand, which he was slowly drinking out of. The cuts across his body were starting to heal, and Percy took a deep breath.
"Percy, are you...," Ben couldn't continue. What was he supposed to ask, was he alright? Luckily, Percy laughed shakily.
"I'm good, Ben, I'm good," He turned to look back at the crowd of campers outside, who had all turned away from Leah and were looking into the arena, talking in hushed whispers. "As much as it pains me to say it though..."
Percy broke away from Annabeth, who wasn't eager to let him go, and he walked up to the entrance of the arena. Picking up Riptide, capping it, and sliding it into his pocket, he announced: "I lost! Everyone go back to your cabins!"
A section of the campers broke off, and Ben saw money exchange hands way more than he would've thought. A small group, mainly Head counselors were left. Ian and Vanessa sprinted up to Ben, both housing looks of disbelief.
"Is it true?" Ian asked. "Did he really?" Vanessa asked at the same time. Ben could only nod, to both and send them on their way. He looked up to find Clarisse glaring at him with a smirk on her face. His brow furrowed in anger, but he did nothing as she hiked up and walked away.
After that, All those that were left were Leo, Calypso, Piper, Nico, Will Solace, and Jason. They all approached together.
Leo was the first to say something, whistling out as she shoved his hands deep into his pockets.
"Dang, Percy. The first time you lose a straight on fight and I'm not even allowed to see it." He said jokingly. Piper punched him, but there was no strength behind it. Percy actually laughed too, rubbing the back of his neck as he leaned on Annabeth for support again.
"Well, maybe next time, Leo," Percy replied, groaning as his hand went to his side again where Leah and stabbed through his shirt and armor. The cut itself had mostly healed over, but it was still sore. "She really did a number on me."
Jason looked him over, his glasses tilting across his nose. "I'll say. We could hear almost everything from out here. Pipes and I watched," He said, jabbing a thumb up at the top of the arena. "We flew up and saw the whole thing. She's good with that spear."
Piper nodded her agreement. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone that good with a spear. You went in at a disadvantage, Percy." She commented. Percy nodded.
"Yea, I knew that. I figured having the shield would give me something to work with," He pressed the button on the shield, popping it out for all to see. There were dents where Leah's thrusts and stabs had hit it, and several places where her spear and sliced straight through the metal. "It helped me a lot, but it didn't save me completely."
Nico stayed silent, but he looked over at Ben, his dark eyes sending shivers down Ben's spine. No matter how much bigger or physically stronger he was than Nico, the kid still scared him.
"Did you notice anything in that fight, Ben?" Nico asked him. All eyes turned on him, including Chiron who had stepped up next to the group. Ben rubbed his chin, where the start of a goatee had begun. Thinking over the fight and all the moves she made...
"She doesn't fight like a Greek or a Roman," Ben ventured. He looked around the group, though his vision was impaired by his shades. "All of her moves were way more ninja-like, you know?" He'd meant it seriously, but it sounded a bit like a joke. Fortunately, Annabeth nodded, agreeing with him.
"You're not wrong. I've seen movements like that, but never in real life," She looked up at Ben, her gray eyes scaring him as much as Nico did with his presence alone. "Only in like old fighting movies."
Leo cracked up. "What, you mean like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee and stuff?" He imitated a few karate moves, chops punches and kicks, almost falling over at the end of it. Calypso laughed at him, while both Annabeth and Piper rolled their eyes, but Annabeth nodded.
"Yea, kinda like that. I could see where she uses more Roman and Greek related stuff, like the way that she stands and the simpler moves like thrusts and stabs, but everything else felt way off." The others nodded their agreement, even the ones who hadn't seen.
Chiron sighed and began to usher everyone out of the arena.
"There will be time for conversation soon. For now, I must ask you all to go on your way." the old Centaur said. Talking hushed up, and the group began to disperse. Leo and Calypso began their trek back to the forest, where the both of them practically lived in Bunker 9. Jason, Piper, Nico, and Will left together on their way back to whatever it was they were doing before, probably cabin inspection, and then Ben, Annabeth, and Percy all began to leave too. That is, until Chiron stopped Ben.
"Not you, Ben," Chiron said, and Ben turned around to face him. He adjusted his shades, looking up at him, and raised an eyebrow. "I think I'll need your skill at defusing anger to speak with Leah. If you will, follow me, Ben."
Chiron began to trot back toward the Big House, and Ben had only a moment to think before he had to jog to catch up with him. Together, they walked down to the Big House, whereas whispers of Percy and Leah's fight was already spreading around them. The main thing being: Percy lost.
Ben thought they'd find Leah in the commons room of the Big House, but they had no such luck. A camper who'd been around had said they'd seen her run off to the beach. Chiron hoisted Ben up onto his back and the two of them ran out to the beach.
When they got there, Ben didn't see Leah immediately. Chiron looked around, and after a short moment, pointed out toward the water. Sitting close to the shore in knee-deep water, Leah looked out across Long Island Sound, her arms wrapped around the tops of her knees and her chin set against her arms. Ben dropped to the ground and began to walk toward her across the sand. Leah's head whipped over, and Ben froze up as her eyes fell upon him. She rolled her eyes, though, and looked back toward the sea. Ben looked back at Chiron, who hadn't moved, and the old Centaur nodded. Sighing, Ben continued to walk over until he stood up behind her.
Leah didn't turn to look at him again, but she clearly knew he was there. She'd let her hair out of it's braid again and her hair flowed out in the water behind her. Her brow was furrowed still in anger, but sitting alone for a bit had clearly defused some of it on it's own. Ben noticed that her clothes weren't exactly wet. He could see that they were darker under the water, but if she shifted slightly, he could see that her clothes were still dry.
"So...," Ben began, but Leah cut him off almost immediately.
"I need to leave, Ben. Chiron and I made a deal," She said. Immediately pulling herself to her feet and swinging her hair around over her shoulder, she began to run her hands through it. "I don't care what he thinks, or what his reasons were for trying to keep me here. I'm leaving, and he isn't stopping me this time."
Ben crossed his arms. Through his shades, he couldn't see color too well. He was used to it, though.
"Look, Leah, just slow down for a moment, alright?" Ben said, holding his hands up passively as she turned to look at him. "I'm not going to pretend to understand what Chiron does all the time. He has his reasons, and I can understand why he does the things he does. That said, maybe you can hear him out before you leave."
Leah narrowed her eyes at him, but Ben continued.
"Chiron has always been a man-er, a centaur- of his word. He promised to issue you a quest if you won, and you did," Ben turned to face her, adjusting his shades as he did. "Hear him out, and I'll make sure things work out for you, okay?"
Leah furrowed her eyebrows, clearly thinking about this offer. After a moment, she sighed and stepped out of the water. Immediately, the water drained off of her and back into the sea.
"Fine." She muttered. Beginning to tie the braid in her hair once more, she began to walk back up to where Chiron was waiting. The centaur nodded at Ben and gestured for him to follow. Shaking the sand from his shoes, he jogged across the beach and met with the two of them as they began to walk back toward the Big House.
They walked on in silence, Leah braiding her hair, Chiron with both hands clasped behind her back, and Ben with his arms crossed. Campers who were walking by cast incredulous glances at them, though they received nothing in return. Ben caught sight of Nico and Will on the porch of the Big House as they neared it, though when Nico saw them he grabbed Will's arm and pulled him away.
Chiron ducked under the doorway to enter the Big House, and Leah followed with Ben at the back, shutting the door behind them. The three of them gathered in the games room, where meetings were usually held.
"Now," Chiron said, easing himself backwards into his magic wheelchair. Soon, he was reclined back into his chair. He sighed and wheeled himself around to the head of the table. Ben sat on his right side, and Leah sat on the left, facing him. "We should discuss this."
Leah, after tying her braid off at the end with another hair tie, looked to Chiron. "We had a deal. I'd like to be issued this quest so that I can leave now." She sounded much more calm than before, something Ben was grateful of.
Chiron held a hand up. "I am aware. Quests, however, are difficult as it is right now." He replied. Leah's eyes flare with anger, though she held it in.
"What do you mean?" She asked, glancing between Chiron and Ben. Ben rubbed the back of his neck.
"Our Oracle, Rachel, is off at school right now. Technically, Percy and the others shouldn't be here either, but they're on leave for the month," Ben explained. "Rachel is the one who issues out prophecies and stuff for quests. Without her here, we can't really issue a proper quest."
Leah stood from the table, slamming her palms on the pool table. The stray balls across it were thrown to the ground.
"Then how? How am I supposed to leave?" Leah looked to Chiron for answers, whose eyes were downcast. "We had a deal. Issue me a quest without the prophecy and I'll be on my way."
Ben held a hand up in Chiron's place, who sighed once again. "Okay, keep it calm, Leah. Fortunately for us, Rachel isn't really the only oracle we have."
Leah's eyes flashed over to Ben. "What do you mean?"
Ben stood up and tried to easily soothe Leah back into her seat. It took a moment, but she did eventually slip back into her seat, crossing her arms.
"The Grove of Dodona. It's far out into the woods, and a couple months back it did issue out a prophecy to the god Apollo," Ben explained. Leah's eyebrows rose in surprise, but Ben shook his head. "That part is hard to explain, I wasn't here for that. The Grove should be able to issue you a prophecy, though."
Ben looked to Chiron for reassurance, and it seemed a bit of life had gotten into the old Centaur. "Theoretically, yes, it should work. It never hurts to try, I suppose."
Leah perked up, looking between the two of them. She was wary, though, Ben could see that.
"Is there any way I could get hurt by doing this?" She asked. Ben shrugged, which didn't exactly do much for her confidence.
"Lord Apollo went through it and came out fine." Chiron commented.
"But he's a god." Leah responded.
"Well, at the time he wasn't. He was just a mortal, technically not even a demigod. You'll be fine, my dear." Chiron told her. Leah didn't look convinced, but she sighed.
"Fine, I guess it's what I have for now," She said, pushing herself to her feet again. "Lead me to the Grove and I'll be out of your hair in the morning, Chiron."
Chiron rolled his chair back and nodded to Leah. They seemed to be getting along now, for the most part. "Very well. I'll have Miranda Gardiner escort you. She was tasked with watching after the Grove by Lord Apollo himself. Next to him and Rachel, she is the most knowledgeable about it."
Leah nodded, her braid bobbing as she did. "Very well then. Lead the way, if you will."
Fifteen minutes later, Miranda Gardiner was leading both Leah and Ben through the woods, toward the Grove of Dodona. She had red hair and piercing green eyes. Not sea green like Percy's or murky green like Leah's, but spring green, like fresh leaves.
"The way we got to the grove before was way more dangerous," She was telling them. They'd carved out a new path to the grove after Apollo had first used it. "We used to have to go through the Myrmekes lair just to get to the entrance of the grove. Ever since then, though, Katie and I carved this path out to make it easier to get to it."
Ben nodded. He'd put on new bronze breastplate, just in case, and had a standard issue Celestial bronze sword hanging at his side. He didn't like carrying the sword, but Chiron was adamant about him having a weapon just in case.
"That's smart. At least this way, all you have to worry about are the few stray monsters you might encounter on the path," Ben tilted his head, looking up at the trees. Through the dark lenses of his shades, it was difficult to piece anything together, especially with the sky growing as dark as it was. "You guys did a good job on the path, Miranda."
Miranda looked back at him, a pleased smile on her face, and kept leading them on. Leah rolled her eyes and kept walking. She'd gotten her armor fixed and was wearing it once again, her arms crossed across her chest. Her braid swished through the air behind her as she walked, and her eyes were constantly drifting around the forest.
Ben glanced at her, concerned. She was unsure about Camp, that was fair. He was hoping, though, that after talking with Chiron she'd be a little more open with it. No such luck, as now she looked just as she did before: Distant and angry.
Finally, they stepped through the trees to where the Grove of Dodona lied just before them. Ben had never seen it, and his breath was taken away when he did. The entrance itself was flanked by tall, wide trees that extended high up into the sky. Through the entrance, Ben could see a ton of trees in the same way making a sort of path into the grove.
It was dark now, and fireflies had found their way just before the entrance. They flew around, buzzing quietly and lighting up the air wherever they went.
Miranda crouched low next to the entrance, though Ben couldn't see what she was doing. After a second, she stood up and motioned Leah forward.
"It's still stable, so you should be able to walk right on through. The trees will begin to speak to you, as Lord Apollo said, issuing you your prophecy." She explained. Leah tilted her head to the side.
"That sounds confusing." She sighed, un-folding her arms. Ben frowned a little and walked around until he found a log to sit on.
"Sounds like it, but it's not," He commented. Leah turned her head to face him, raising an eyebrow. "The prophecies themselves are fairly simple, though the wording will probably be confusing."
"You've heard a prophecy before?" Leah asked, almost incredulously. Ben ginned and shook his head.
"Ah, no. I've only gotten info like that from people who have heard prophecies before, like Annabeth or Percy," He said bashfully. Leah rolled her eyes at him, but a small smile did find it's way to her face. "I suppose you'll just have to experience it then."
She shrugged, stretching out her arms. "I suppose so. Well, I'll be back then." With that, she walked into the grove slowly. Ben could hear the voices pick up, but he couldn't tell what they were saying. Soon, she disappeared behind the trees and Ben was left outside with Miranda.
It was, to say the least, awkward. Ben and Miranda never talked that much, though they had shared some words or conversations whenever Ben decided to help out in the strawberry fields. After a moment, Miranda cleared her throat.
"She seems...angry, to be honest." Miranda said, turning to look at Ben as she did. He sighed and nodded his agreement.
"Yea, I've been trying to work on that," He admitted, laying his arms across his knees. "Maybe she's just pent-up. I like to think that no one is inherently angry all the time."
Miranda shrugged and walked over to sit on the log next to him. "I envy you for that. You always have so much faith in people. After going through the last two wars...," Miranda shook her head depressingly. "I lost that mind set a while ago."
Ben frowned, crossing his arms. He shrugged and elbowed her, though there was no force behind it. "Well, that's partly why I practice pacifism. When you don't hold fighting as an option, it really widens your horizons to what else you could say or do when it comes to confrontation."
Miranda looked up at him, searching his face for...something, Ben couldn't tell. After a moment, though, she smiled. Unexpectedly, though, she leaned forward to peck him on the cheek before standing up. Ben's eyes followed her as she stood, and he was quietly thanking the gods for his darker skin, masking the blood that rose to his face.
"That makes a lot of sense. Maybe you should teach me some time. It sounds fun," Miranda told him. her eyes then flashed back to the grove entrance, where Leah was beginning to walk back out. "And it looks like she's back. How was it, Leah?"
Leah turned to look at them, but her movements were sluggish. A few strands in her braid had come undone, so her hair looked a bit frizzy. Her eyes were unfocused, and she had her arms wrapped around herself protectively.
"That..that was...," Leah sighed, shaking her head. "An experience. I didn't like that at all," She commented. She looked a little unsteady on her feet, and Miranda offered to help support her. Leah thanked her but declined.
"No, no, I'm fine. It's just...disorienting is all." Leah said as they began to walk back. Miranda lead the way once again, Leah behind her, and Ben at the back as they began to walk back to camp. Ben glanced around the forest, suddenly aware of how many monsters really did inhabit the woods. He got a little nervous and cautiously dropped a hand onto the handle of his sword. He glanced ahead at Leah, who looked like she wasn't going to be much help in a fight as she was now. Miranda wasn't too good a fighter herself, so Ben was practically the defender of the group at the time.
When they were about what Ben assumed to be half-way back to camp, he heard a low hiss start out somewhere behind him. Miranda and Leah heard it as well and stopped, looking around. As uncomfortable as it made him, Ben drew his sword from it's scabbard and looked around the forest. The dark of his shades would hinder him so, after muttering a few short words and casting his hand over his eyes, he took them off.
The sudden color was startling, and he quickly stuffed his shades into his pocket and blinked a few times before looking around again. Miranda looked back at him, worry crossing her eyes.
"You've got us, Ben?" She asked. Ben nodded and gestured with his hand for her to keep going. She started walking again, and Leah began to follow. Leah was holding her pearl in her hand, but she didn't look like she had the strength of mind to fight.
'No worries' Ben thought, clutching his sword in hand as they steadily moved forward. 'I've got this.'
Disaster struck about five minutes later.
They'd made decent ground, though the entire time they'd kept hearing more and more growls from the shadows around them. Ben thought they sounded like hellhound growls, but he couldn't be sure. Leah had since completely pulled her spear out, but she still looked in no shape to fight. Miranda seemed downright terrified. Ben knew she wasn't that good a fighter, and that she didn't like it anyway. He'd tried to keep moral up, but he wasn't so sure of himself.
There were close to Camp down. Ben could see the lights on the cabins. Unfortunately, that was when all Hades broke loose.
Myrmekes, that had seemingly been following them from the grove, lept from the shadows. There were only two of them, but that was still more than Ben wanted to deal with since they were like the size of tigers. Since he held the sword, the only shiny thing in their group that stood out, both ants jumped at him.
His instincts kicked in and he backtracked a step before rolling backwards into the forest, away from Miranda and Leah.
"Ben!" Miranda called out, though he couldn't do much to get back to them. Leah turned around and hefted her spear up, but neither ant was facing her.
One lashed out at Ben. He sidestepped easily and went in for a lunge, but the other ant came in, forcing him to feint and jump back instead. Maybe fighting one would be easy, but two was harder.
Ben rolled to the left under a set of pincers and then jumped up and away to dodge a ball of...something flying from the second myrmeke. Ben landed on his feet in ankle deep water. He instantly looked up to where Leah held her spear aloft, defending Miranda if need be. One of the myrmekes glanced over, catching her spear, and began toward them. The other kept it's eyes on Ben.
"Leah!" Ben called out, blocking an attack from the ant as he did. She looked up at him, her eyes still cloudy and unfocused. "The water!"
She seemed to understand, but the myrmeke had gotten onto them. Fortunately, she could still take up a defensive position. The Grove of Dodona had clearly altered her mind, though, as she was still moving way slower than when she fought Percy.
She stamped her foot, and a wave of water washed over both the myrmekes. It was weak, though, and both ants got back to their 'feet' after a mere second. Ben cursed under his breath and decided to take the offensive.
He feinted to the right of the ant and then swung back around with a well-placed strike to it's head. The myrmeke dodged though and spit poison toward him. Ben stepped to the side and shoved his sword into the dirt beneath the ant. Before it could react, he mustered all the strength he could and pulled his sword upwards, flipping the myrmeke through the air. It landed on it's back, writhing, and Ben dropped his foot on it's chin before it could get up and spit poison at him again. Taking a breath, he took his sword and shoved it into the softer bits underneath the ants much harder back armor. It melted into sand beneath him and was blown away in the wind before his eyes.
Ben wasn't allowed to rest though, as he heard Miranda cry out behind him. He jerked back around to see Leah lunging out at the ant that was after them. She had gained some of her gusto back and was keeping it at bay, but a lucky poison shot had grazed Miranda's arm. She was on the ground, clutching her arm just below where the poison had touched her. The skin had turned green and the wound itself was red and steaming. That didn't look good.
Making a last, split-second, decision, Ben called out: "Hey!"
The myrmeke turned to face him, only for Ben's sword to bounce off the top of it's head. It recoiled in pain, just long enough for Leah to dash around and pierce through a chink in the myrmekes back armor. It trembled before turning to dust and blowing out in the wind.
Ben took just the right amount of time to grab his sword and sheath it in it's scabbard before running over to Miranda's side. He hadn't brought any medical supplies with him, and he was surely chiding himself over his decision now. Leah had reverted her spear back to pearl form and she was issuing towards camp.
"Ben," She said, her voice hazy. "We can get her back to the infirmary. The faster the better."
Sighing, he nodded his agreement. Gathering Miranda up in his arms, bridal style, Ben and Leah ran for camp, promptly ignoring the further growls and hisses from the forest around them.
If it was up to Ben, he'd never go back in those woods again. As long as he could help it, he wouldn't go back.
Okay! I realize that I left some things that I'd meant to explain out of this when I published the first chapter!
When it comes to the entire series, I've read all of the books except for the newest one in the Trials of Apollo; the Dark Prophecy. I plan on getting it and reading it soon so that I could make this story as accurate as possible. I have read the Hidden Oracle, which is how come I have some good major details about the Grove of Dodona and Apollo as a mortal in there.
I have no clue what major things happen in The Dark Prophecy, but I'm going to try my best to improvise where I can. When it comes to characters in those books, like Meg, Lester(Apollo), and Leo and Calypso kind of, I'm going to wing it as hard as possible. I'm sorry if it comes out strange or inaccurate, but it's the best that I can do for now.
All that said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This is a real passion project of mine, so I'm way more inclined to write this out as much as I can. If you liked it, leave me a review and tell me what I can do better! If you really liked it, stay tuned for the next chapter.
Stay tuned, Dantikat out.
