"I don't want to hurt you; I just want this to be over. You can lead the quest if you want. So I'm going to let you go—"

"No! No, that isn't good enough. I will not lead a quest if Chiron doesn't deem me worthy. And he'll only deem me worthy if I defeat you. Harm me now or set me free so we can battle."

Eirene swallowed, taking only a second to decide. She stepped back several feet and allowed Clarisse to stand up, tossing the sword back into her hands. Hesitating for a second, an idea sprung unto her mind and she also tossed Clarisse her sword, leaving her weaponless. She would force Andrew to look up, to watch her fight. Clarisse smiled and lunged at her with two swords in her hands, twisting them with intend to strike. Eirene waited until she was close enough, then back flipped away, kicking Clarisse's chin with the heel of her shoe.

Clarisse was taken aback for a second, which gave Eirene another opportunity to lunge and attempt to plant an uppercut on her, but Clarisse saw her shadowing and was able to avoid her attack. She directly turned Eirene's sword in another attempt to stab her, but the sword seemed to forcefully diverge itself from attacking its owner. Clarisse tried again, and once again there was a strong gravitational force that swerved the sword in a different direction.

Realizing that she couldn't fight with her enemy's sword, she threw it to the ground and kicked it away. Eirene bent down to pick it up, automatically reduced itself to its ring shape, and slipped it on. She charged at Clarisse who was attempting to slay her, and blocked the attack with her hand. She grabbed Clarisse's sword and tried to pull it from her grip, but the child of Ares had an equally strong grip. They were stuck struggling for one sword for a bit until Clarisse gave up and decided using her fists would be better, and most likely make her look naturally tougher.

"Don't want to fight with your own sword eh? Getting a bit selfish?"

Eirene didn't say anything, but just swung the sword at Clarisse, who dodged and threw a punch Eirene's way. Her eyes narrowed, and she seized the opportunity. When Clarisse's punch came her way, she grabbed her closed fist and used the side of the sword to slash at her arm, creating a cut that quickly bled.

There was silence. Everyone seemed to have stopped breathing. Both girls were locked in a freeze frame, the sword still just inches from where it cut Clarisse. Eirene was mildly in shock; she didn't expect the winning strike to play out exactly like how she imagined. The cut wasn't exactly deep, it was the size and width of a paper cut; but it was a very important cut. It was the cut that said Eirene was the winner of this challenge, and that she was to lead the quest. Her eyes unconsciously flashed to Andrew, who had his eyes locked with hers.

"Let go of me!" Clarisse's shoved Eirene and punched her down, breathing deeply. How could this have happened? How could've she fought so immaturely? A Newbie had beaten her. What would her father say?

Eirene struggled to sit up, frightened by the look in Clarisse's eyes. It wasn't anger or fury, but pure sadness. Had leading this quest really meant that much to her? From the corner of her eyes she saw Chiron galloping towards them and stopping short at Eirene's feet.

"Stand, child." She did as she was told.

He griped her hand and raised it high. "Eirene of the Hermes cabin is victorious. The leadership of the quest is rightfully awarded to her." He looked at her. "Today, a new hero is born."

The crowd cheered and roared with fits of encouragement and some of outrage, though those were primarily the Ares cabin. She looked around the arena, and the faces and smiles of the campers she would soon be calling her family, and despite herself laughed. She smiled and laughed and held up her sword victorious.

-Timeskip-

"You have no idea what you've just done."

"What?" Eirene was torn away from her conversation with Sam by Andrew, who had spun her around by the shoulders and pulled her to the side. Her mind flashed to the sight of him finally looking at her in the arena, and she stifled a smile.

"You're laughing? This isn't funny. You've awoken the wrath of Ares."

This time she was really listening. "Wait, what? What've I done?"

"You defeated a child of Ares. You not only beat Ares but you got into a fight with Clarisse and came out with nothing more than dirt on your shirt."

Eirene was lost for words, especially when Clarisse was glaring at her just a few feet away. "I…I'm sorry? Was I not supposed to fight her? I offered her the role of leader multiple times but she refused. And she isn't battered up either, only for that tiny scratch I gave her."

He looked irritated; his eyebrows furrowed. He pulled Eirene's hair from her face and held her cheek. "You were punched several times and even head butted her, but I see no bruise or indication of violence on your face." He took both her arms next, showcasing the front and back. "You were stabbed in the arm with enough force to leave a scar, and you fell several times. But your skin is still smooth." For a second she feared he'd grab her legs too, but instead he just pointed. "And your legs; as exposed as they are, there are unscarred. Clarisse on the other hand, has a welt growing on her forehead, and her jaw was lightly fractured."

Again, she was lost for words. Andrew…Andrew was very observant. Someone she could tell would cause a lot of problems for her in the future. "Okay, even so, what's your point? What's your motif?"

He glanced around and lowered his voice to a whisper; crouching his head to her level. "Did you swim in the river of the Styx?"

Her heart dropped. "What?"

He elaborated. "Because if you have, I want to go on the quest with you,"

"What?"

"You've said what about four times now."

"That's because I'm confused and disoriented. You're…you're throwing too much at me at once." She took a breather, trying to process what he was asking of her. He had asked if she had encountered the river of invincibility, and then said that if it was true he'd volunteer to accompany her on the quest. "Okay, one question: Why?"

He seemed taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"Yesterday I tried to talk to you. I tried to make small talk or—or become friends. But you shot me down to the point where it was obvious you didn't want anything to do with me, so why now? Why are you talking to me now? Why are you interested in me now?"

He paused, taken aback from her direct question. "Because you have something I want."

"Which is?"

A conch horn rang out throughout the camp, cutting off their conversation. "Attention campers: Please gather around the bonfire, for Chiron wishes to waste your time." It was Dionysus, speaking with his usual drool and bored tone. Andrew looked confused, and looked around for clarification.

"What's going on? Why is there a bonfire now?" Eirene, despite her anger towards him, looked to Andrew for answers. He looked around to all the campers walking to the pavilion and turned back to Eirene.

"Sometimes if Chiron has an urgent announcement he'll call a camp-wide meeting at the bonfire." He jabbed a finger towards her. "It probably has to do with you,"

Somehow she knew he was right and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the bonfire. "Come on,"

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