Percy grinned with confidence and gripped his sword-Riptide-tighter. He slashed it through the air, and it met his opponent's sword with a clang. Three years had worked wonders on Percy, he was no longer the small child he was. Rather, he towered over most of the kids his age, lean muscle packed his body. His arms and legs were no longer uncontrollable, and every move was exactly what he wanted. Percy's rededication to his on land activities wasn't the only thing that helped his growth. Annabeth's assistance with his aquatic powers-being a child of the water herself-helped battle his fear of losing control and causing an accident. It greatly helped Percy's concentration; turns out he was an excellent swordsman.
Recently, he'd been spending so much time training that he hadn't visited Annabeth in awhile. She understood, a prince had his duties, but it didn't stop them from missing each other. It was nice to have a friend that understood you, as mermaids were rare and elementalists even rarer.
At fifteen, Percy was responsible for learning how to run a kingdom. He'd always known that it was difficult, but there was a lot more to it than he'd been aware.
Percy whipped his sword up to block his opponent's, Luke. His blonde hair swept back from his icy blue eyes and his scar bulging like it did whenever he was strained, Luke was slightly terrifying. He was the only swordsman around that was as good as Percy, and they spent hours training together. It was the only way to improve. They were so evenly matched though, their sessions usually ended with them both flopped on the ground, a sweaty, panting mess. They were usually revived by one of the servants.
"Think you can beat me by daydreaming?" Luke sneered good naturedly.
"I can beat you left handed." Percy shot back, promptly switching his sword to his left hand. He was an even swordsman-a broken wrist two years ago did not prevent him from training. He quickly went on attack, showing off. A collective gasp rose from the side of the training area.
Percy was well aware that his every move was watched by his suitors. They had been following the dark haired son of Poseidon with religious zeal. Each had seemed more desperate than the last, seeing as Percy had no interest in marrying anyone.
Luke countered his attack with his somewhat clumsy defense, he was more used to attack. This didn't make him any less of an opponent, however. He easily kept up with Percy, blow for blow.
Then Luke made a minute mistake. His blade slipped a quarter of an inch. Taking advantage of this, Percy swung Riptide as hard as he could, directly at Luke's sword. The blonde boy's grip didn't stand a chance, and the weapon shook violently out of his hand. Almost as surprised at his victory as Luke was, Percy lowered his blade from Luke's neck.
"Well Perce, looks like you've improved." Was all Luke said. He walked off, but Percy could tell he was disappointed. The older boy had always been better than Percy...at everything. He used to torment Percy, it was only recently the two of them had gotten along.
Percy sighed and decided that there was nothing he could do to pacify Luke. Besides, King Zeus from Olympia was visiting today. Percy had a responsibility to his father to assist him handle the rival king.
King Zeus and King Poseidon went back a long way. They were brothers, but were as opposite as night and day and could not agree on anything. Except that their rivalry had to be put aside for the sake of peace. However, they were not humble enough to set aside their own differences, so they forced their children to.
Thalia and Jason were Zeus's two children and were forced to associate with Percy on a regular basis. At first, Percy and Thalia had hated each other. Jason was slightly more laid back. He was more willing to succomb to his father's will. Thalia was not happy about it, but she followed her younger brother's example and gained a somewhat friendly demeanor. Eventually, the three of them warmed up to each other and became rather good friends. Thus, visits were more frequent between them. The last one had been too long ago, and Percy was missing his hot headed friends.
Percy walked past the various rooms in the palace on his way to his room. Once there, Percy found a large bowl of water, a wash cloth, and fresh clothes. The clothes were fit for a king, a deep purple silk shirt and sturdy breeches. He manipulated the water to clean him. Afterwards, he dressed in the shirt and breeches. Absently, he wandered to the throne room, where Poseidon would greet his brother, then likely send Percy, Thalia and Jason off to do whatever they pleased.
Percy walked up to the throne where his father was sitting and bowed. Poseidon greeted him with a nod of his head.
"Ah, Percy. How are you son?" Poseidon asked.
"Fine. Luke seemed upset after our training session. You haven't heard where he went, have you?" Percy inquired. Little went on around the palace that Poseidon was unaware of, he seemed like the best person to ask.
"Hmm, Luke? No, I haven't seen or heard from him. He's probably just sulking. He did that a lot as a boy." Poseidon seemed not to care for the other boy, so Percy let the issue drop. They stayed in pleasurable silence for a short while, until they heard the sound of a trumpet. A few minutes later, one of the guards walked in.
"The King of Olympia. The Prince and Princess of Olympia." He announced. Zeus strode in followed by Jason and Thalia. The teens seemed small next to the king.
Zeus's thundery salt and pepper beard was wild and untamed and his hair was a little thin in places. A long blue cape flowed behind him and his thunderbolt crest was displayed across his broad chest. Behind him, Jason was dressed similarly in blue. When Thalia came into view, Percy almost burst into laughter. She was scowling deeply, one of the maids had forced her into a silver dress. Actually, it was probably several maids. Thalia was a fighter. Both Jason and Zeus had golden crowns on their heads, Jason's no more than a thin strip and Zeus's and impressive band. Thalia's circlet was silver.
"Zeus! I hope your trip was well." Poseidon greeted, not exactly warmly but not unfriendly.
"Hello Poseidon." Zeus boomed. "How are things in Pacificantas?"
"Good. Good…" They exchanged small talk for a few minutes. "Ah, but you must be tired from your journey. Allow Prince Perseus to show you to your chamber." Percy squinted at his father, unhappy to be made tour guide. Poseidon shot him a look that clearly said better you than me, and waved him off.
"This way." Percy smiled at his uncle and cousins.
"You're growing into a fine young man, Perseus." Zeus complimented him.
"Thank you, your majesty." Percy dipped his head, acknowledging the compliment.
"Ah, formalities. Please Perseus, call me Uncle."
"Only if you call me Percy, Uncle."
"Thatta boy!" Zeus clapped him on his shoulder. They arrived at three neighboring rooms.
"Uncle, the first door leads to your chambers. Jason, you're in the middle. I'll leave you to get settled in. Would you like me to send a servant up?" Percy asked politely.
"No no, don't trouble yourself." Zeus said lightly.
"Alright. As always, I will be directly above you if you need anything." He shot a look to Jason, who nodded in understanding. After one last bow, Percy walked off. As soon as he turned the corner, he sprinted towards the stairs.
When Percy burst into his room, Jason was helping Thalia in through the window. She was shaking badly, and Percy couldn't help but laugh.
"Shut up Kelp Head. It's not easy to climb in a dress." Thalia said, though without her usual zip. Percy smirked.
"Sure Pinecone Face. It's the dress."
So, chapter two, huh? This was a fun one to type (NOT). I already had it written out, and I didn't realize how long it got. There really wasn't a good place to divide it anyway, and I'm feeling too lazy to write it into separate chapters. We'll see more of Percy and Annabeth's friendship in the next chapter. Please review, thoughts and constructive criticisms are always nice!