I wasn't sure how the whole "claiming" thing worked but I was pretty sure I was four years overdue. Nico even said that most demigods were claimed when they were twelve and I was practically sixteen. It was already over half way through my first day at camp and Dad hadn't done anything special. Lunch was over and Nico, Oliver, me, and half of the Hermes cabin were in the sparring pit. Nico was preparing for his class and was handing swords and daggers out to everyone who didn't already have a weapon. When he got to me he placed a large, thick sword in my hands. It was so heavy that I couldn't even hold the tip of it up. When Nico saw that I was struggling to heft the chunky sword, he suppressed a laugh and handed me a long dagger. It felt like it didn't fit in my hand, but at least I could hold it up.
"Alright." Nico began, clapping his hands together. "Let's get started. I'm going to teach you a basic disarming move." Nico called one of the Hermes campers up so that he could show us the move. Then he told us to find partners. I instinctively turned towards Oliver, but I saw he was already paired with someone. My heart sank and he gave me an apologetic look. I looked around for another person, but everyone was taken.
Just my luck, I thought to myself. Nico saw that I had no partner so he offered to be mine.
"Aren't you supposed to be teaching people?" I asked.
"I am." He replied, leading me to the edge of the pit. "I'm teaching you." Once we had gotten to a spot away from the other groups of people, Nico raised his sword. I raised my dagger as well, but it looked puny compared to his glowing black blade. Nico seemed to read my thoughts because he said, "Don't worry. Just because it's small doesn't mean it's not powerful. I know someone who can accomplish more with a dagger than most can do with a sword."My spirits lifted. "It just means you have to move closer towards your opponent."I took a step towards him and with a swipe of my dagger I…
…was disarmed by Nico. He moved so quickly I didn't even see his hand move. One second he was preparing for my attack and the next thing I knew my dagger was lying in the grass, Nico's sword pointed at my throat.
"Woah." I gasped. "That was… amazing!" Nico smiled shyly. He lowered his sword.
"Thanks. Now, pick up your dagger and this time don't look away from me, not even for a second." We practiced for what felt like hours. I tried to parry his attacks but the dagger kept slipping out of my grip. I was so frustrated with myself and anger started clouding my vision. Nico realized that I sucked and he started going easy on me, but this just made me angrier. When my dagger fell to the ground for the hundredth time I yelled in frustration.
"Why can't I do this!" I screamed. Nico lowered his sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"This is your first day and you've had no experience with weapons." He reasoned. "Don't be so hard on yourself." I wasn't convinced.
"Everyone else can do it!" I yelled, gesturing to the other campers who were fighting each other with ease.
"They've been here for four years." Nico replied coolly. "And anyways this is a basic move for them." That made me feel worse. I couldn't even do a basic move. I was tired, I was hot, I hadn't been claimed yet, and I wanted to go home. I sighed and picked up my dagger. Suddenly Nico gasped. "Hey! I have an idea!" I raised my eyebrows.
"About what?" I asked.
"Something that will hopefully make you better at fighting. Follow me." Nico suddenly turned and led me across the camp. Nico was walking super fast and I was struggling to keep up with him.
"Hey," I said to him. "Slow down!" But Nico had already stopped and was standing in front of a shack. He swing open the door and held it open for me. I stepped inside and gasped. Weapons of every size and shape were covering the walls. Boxes of armor were piled on the floor.
"What is this place?" I asked, my mouth still gaping at the wide arrangement of weapons.
"The armory." Nico replied. "I forgot to show this to you during the tour." I was mesmerized, but also frightened by the vast amount of weaponry.
Why would a bunch of teenagers need this many weapons? I thought. Is demigod life really this dangerous? I was snapped out of my thoughts when Nico suddenly shoved a dagger into my hand.
"Try it out." he said. I felt like an idiot, but I swiped it through the air a couple of times. To my extreme embarrassment, the knife actually flew out of my hand and crashed into a box of armor. I winced and muttered, "Oops."
"Okay," Nico said leading me away from the daggers. "Knives are obviously not your thing." He picked up a thin sword. "Try this." It was heavier than the dagger, but I could still lift it. I tightened my grip on the handle and sliced through the air. It wasn't bad, but it felt unbalanced and I had trouble controlling my strikes.
"Not bad." Nico said, nodding his head. "But I still think we can find something better. Just look around and see if you can find anything. I should probably go check on my class. Leaving a group of teenagers alone with pointy objects probably wasn't a good idea." I laughed and nodded. Once Nico left I felt overwhelmed by the amount of swords, knives, bows and arrows, and other weapons.
How am I supposed to find one that works for me? I thought. I was starting to panic. What if I was the only one at camp who didn't have a weapon? I forced myself to take a couple deep breathes and began my search for the perfect weapon. I didn't even go near the bow and arrows. I had no idea how to use them and I would probably end up killing myself, rather than kill the monster. I tried a couple more swords, but they were just as bad as the first one. I found a slingshot while I was digging through a bin of armor and I tried it out. I opened the door, picked up a rock, and pulled the string back as far as it could go. When I released it, the string snapped my fingers and the rock made a puny arch and hit the ground three feet away.
Wow. I can't even shoot a sling shot. That is pathetic. I searched for a twenty more minutes, but I couldn't find anything. I was about to give up hope when I saw a box labeled "Medieval".
Wait a second, I thought to myself. Medieval? As in knights and King Arthur? How long has this camp been around? I pulled the box towards me and opened it. Everything inside was covered in a layer of dust and grime. It was filled to the brim with weapons, but they were old. There were heavy axes, jewel encrusted swords, and intricate throwing knives. They looked like they belonged in a museum. I unloaded the box to see all the weapons. When I reached the bottom, I saw something that really caught my eye. I lifted it out of the box. It was a lot lighter than I thought it was going to be.
Now this is a weapon. I hefted the bronze, medieval weapon. I had never seen a mace in real life, but now I realized how wicked they were. Unlike most maces that I've seen, this one didn't have a chain connecting the spiky ball to the handle. It was about two feet long with a metal ball a bit larger than my fist on the end. The ball was covered in sharp one inch spikes. I touched the tip of one of them and I was surprised to see that it cut my finger. You would think that after sitting in a box for who knows how long it would get dull or rusty. Underneath a layer of dirt and dust, it was a shiny bronze color. The handle was wrapped in smooth leather that felt was worn down in the shape of fingers. I was surprised when my hand fit perfectly in the spot of the previous owner's. There was a braided leather wrist strap attached to the handle and I slipped my wrist through it. I imagined a huge invisible monster lunging out from behind a pile of armor. I slashed its chest with the mace and watched as the imaginary monster crumpled to the floor and vanished. It was perfect! It felt more balanced and secure in my hand than any of the swords or daggers. I was so relieved that I actually laughed out loud.
"What's so funny?" asked a voice behind me. I jumped in surprise and whipped around, pointing my weapon at the source of the voice. I saw Nico leaning casually in the doorframe.
"Oh, it's you." I said, lowering my weapon. Nico raised his eyebrows.
"You don't sound very excited to see me."
"Oh, on the contrary." I said smoothly, swaggering towards him and swinging my new weapon around. "I just wanted to show you… This bad boy!" I lifted my mace and held it in both of my hands. His eyes widened.
"Where did you get this?" He asked. I could tell that he was impressed with my choice of weapon.
"The 'Medieval' box." I replied. Nico took the mace from me and rotated it in his hands. He examined the spikes, tested the weight, and felt the grip on the handle.
"Not bad," He said, nodding in approval. "Not bad at all." I grinned at his compliment, even if it was only a small one. "I can take this over to the Hephaestus cabin if you want. They can clean it up and sharpen the spikes."
"Really? That would be awesome!" Nico and I left the armory and headed towards the cabins. I waited outside as Nico took the mace inside. I was kind of sad to be leaving it so soon, but I was even more excited to see it at its best. When Nico emerged from the building we started wandering towards the dining hall.
"Wait," I said suddenly. "Don't you have a class?" Nico shook his head.
"It ended early because of the canoe race." I looked back at the lake and saw that a small crowd was gathering. I looked back at Nico with a curious expression on my face.
"You aren't in the race?" I asked. He shook his head again, but didn't tell me why. I had never ridden in a canoe before, but it looked like fun. An idea started to form in my head. "So…" I began casually. "You have to have a team of three for the race right?"
"Yeah." Nico replied. He hadn't caught on to my idea.
"Well," I continued. "I happen to know three people who have a very good chance at winning." Nico turned to me.
"And who would that be?"
"You, me, and Oliver!" Nico stepped away from me and shook his head.
"No, no, no, no, no."
"Oh come on," I persisted. "It'll be fun! Plus, if we win we don't have to so chores for a week!" Nico did not look convinced.
"If we win, which we won't." He grumbled. I folded my arms.
"Not with that attitude." Nico rolled his eyes and started walking. I jogged a couple steps to catch up with him. "Please, Nico? It's only a short race!" I grabbed his arm so that he would stop walking, but he wrenched it away and whipped around to face me. His eyes were full of dark fury.
"I said, no!" I was so surprised by his sudden outburst that all I could do was stare wide eyed at him. He was breathing heavily and the fire in his eyes was quickly replaced with shame. His face flushed and he quickly turned away from me.
"Nico?" I asked cautiously. "Is there something bothering you?" There had to be a reason for his sudden anger.
"No… It's just…" He stumbled over his words. "I… uh… can't swim." I knew there was more to his story, but I didn't want to press him for details.
"Well then we'd better not tip our boat over." Nico turned back towards me and I was surprised to see a small smile on his lips. He still looked embarrassed for yelling at me, but now his eyes were lighter and he looked scared. My mom always said facing your fears was the best way to get over them. I hoped this worked for Nico. "I'll go get Oliver." I told Nico. "I'll meet you at the lake." Nico nodded and we both headed in different directions. I wasn't that far away from the cabins so I got there quickly. I was relieved to see that Oliver was sitting on his bed, typing on his laptop. He looked up when he saw me coming.
"Oh, hey Juliet!" He stood up and greeted me. Well, he tried to stand up, but he tripped on his laptop cord and fell face first onto the floor.
"Oliver!" I ran over to help him up. I was relieved to see that he was fine, but he was rubbing his nose painfully. "Are you okay?" I asked.
"Me? Oh, yeah I'm fine." He waved his hand to show that it was no big deal. "This happens all the time." Oliver did look like a clumsy guy. "Were you looking for me, or something?"
"Oh, yeah!" I said, remembering why I had come here in the first place. "I wanted to see if you wanted to be in the canoe race with me and Nico."
"Nico?" Oliver asked in surprise. "Nico di Angelo?" I realized that this was the first time I had heard his last name.
"Yes." I replied. Oliver still looked confused and shocked.
"Are we talking about the same Nico?" I laughed.
"Yes, but he doesn't really want to do it. Are you gonna join the team, or what?" Oliver nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course! It sounds like fun. And I have some ideas about how we can increase the rate of the canoe. You see, if we can find the rate of the lake's current and divide it by the wind speed and then multiply that by the weight of the passengers we can…" Oliver droned on about all the mathematical equations that we could use to enhance out speed. I was pretty sure the race was going to start soon, so I interrupted him.
"Those sound great," I lied. "But we should probably get going."
"Oh, yes. That's right." Oliver and I walked back to the lake just as people were getting into their teams. I searched the crowd for Nico and saw him standing at least twenty feet away from the lake. Oliver and I jogged over to him. He was eyeing the water warily and his face was a sickly shade of green. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I was about to voice my thoughts and let Nico off the hook when Chiron started talking.
Well, it's too late now.
The rules for the race were pretty simple; first one to the 'WARNING: MONSTER' sign and back wins. I squinted through the glare of the sun on the lake and saw that the sign was about half way across the lake. The other rules were the usual no maiming, no killing, magical items aloud, etc. I wished I had my mace with me, but even if I had it I wasn't sure what I would do with it.
"Everyone mount your boats!" Chiron shouted. On his cue, the canoes were shoved out onto the lake and the campers climbed into them. Oliver helped me push the boat out onto the lake, but Nico was still stuck the same spot.
"Come on, Nico!" I called out to him. Oliver and I were already seated, me in the front and Oliver in the back. Nico looked like he was going to pass out, but he edge his way towards the water and climbed into the canoe. He sat in between Oliver and me and gripped the edges of the boat tightly. I felt guilty for putting Nico through this, but I knew he would thank me later.
Or not… I thought as Nico glared at me. I wasn't worried about the fact that he couldn't swim. Last summer I worked as a lifeguard and I was a strong swimmer. I was more worried that Nico was going to hate my guts for the rest of eternity.
Once we were at the starting point, I looked around at the other teams. There were a few that consisted of campers who weren't cabin mates, but most of them were grouped based on their godly parent. There was at least one canoe per god (except for the ones who didn't have children). The Ares cabin had two boats and the Hermes cabin had five. I smirked when I saw that there was no Aphrodite team. I glanced back at Nico, but he was still holding on to the sides of the boat.
"On your mark," Chiron shouted. I raised my oar and got ready to pull it through the water. "Get set, go!" Oliver and I began paddling. We didn't turn in circles, which was good, but we were going at a snail's pace. All the other boats, except Demeter's, were ahead of us.
"Nico!" I shouted, still paddling with all my might. "You have to help us!" I couldn't see him, but I was sure Nico was shaking his head.
"You said I had to be part of the team." He yelled back. "You never said anything about participating!" I groaned in frustration.
"Well it wouldn't hurt!" My shoulders were starting to burn and I could hear Oliver's heavy breathing. We were slowing down and even the Demeter cabin was ahead of us. I was about to give up completely, when suddenly there was a burst of speed and we surged forward. I shot a glance at Nico and saw that he was rowing with us. He still looked sick, but at least he was helping.
Now that all of us were working, we began to pick up speed. We left the Demeter cabin in the dust and quickly passed the Ares team, all of the Hermes canoes, and the Dionysus cabin. Now there were only three canoes in front of us. We had finally reached the halfway point and my arms felt like jelly. I knew we wouldn't be able to pass the other boats with just our rowing skills. I smiled as I began to form a plan.
"Guys," I yelled over the sound of the oar slapping the water. "We need to get close to the Hephaestus cabin!" They were only a few feet away from us.
"Why?" I heard Oliver yell back.
"We're going to tip their boat!" Oliver laughed in response, but Nico had a meltdown.
"What? Are you crazy?" He yelled. "It's too risky! What if they tip us over?"
"Don't worry; I know what I'm doing." I really didn't, but I thought it was worth a try. We steered towards the opponents' canoe. When we were neck and neck, I yelled, "Now!" With a powerful push form our oars, we crashed into the other boat. It was forceful enough to rock both our boats, but not enough to capsize them. I reached out to grab their boat and tried to pull it down into the water. My arm was too weak and tired to pull it down far enough, but then I saw Nico and Oliver grab the boat as well. I grinned and we all pushed down. I watched as the boat filled with water and flipped over. The campers yelled at us as the floundered and tried to grab hold of their boat. I laughed, but it quickly died down as I saw how far ahead the other boats were.
"Come on!" I shouted. We rowed as fast and hard as we could, but there was no way we could cover enough distance to pass them. I kept rowing anyways.
"I have an idea!" Oliver said. "We have to turn 14 degrees to the east! That way the current will push us further and we might be able to catch up!" Well, we've got nothing to lose.
"Um, how much is 14 degrees east?" I asked.
"I'll show you." Oliver replied. I waited and, sure enough, the boat turned to the right just a little. "Now row!" I ignored the stiffness in my neck and shoulders and paddled like there was no tomorrow. Oliver was right. We began to pick up much more speed until we were practically cruising over the water. Soon we were only five feet away from the Ares cabin.
"Keep going!" Oliver shouted. We were slowly gaining on the other canoe. After a minute we were right next to each other, I didn't risk tipping over their boat, I just kept paddling. I could see the finish line about twenty feet away. I knew we wouldn't be able to pass the other two boats, but I was determined to beat the Ares cabin. The shoreline grew larger and larger, but we were still neck and neck. Wait, no! We were pulling ahead! Just as we pulled ahead of the Ares cabin, we passed the finish line. I could hear Oliver laughing and I couldn't help but smile. I heard Chiron announce the winners, Apollo in first place, Athena in second, and us in third. We pulled up onto the shore and Nico immediately jumped out. I almost expected him to started kissing the ground, but he only stormed away from the lake and into the forest. I was about to go after him when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and my heart stopped. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
There, standing in front of me, was Prince Charming. The boy from my dream, complete with blue eyes, tan skin, and blonde hair, was standing right in front of me.
"I'm Will." He said warmly. "Son of Apollo." I was almost too shocked to respond, but I managed to introduce myself. Well, kind of.
"I'm, uh… I'm…" Oh, no. I was freezing up.
What is my name? What is my name?!
"Juliet!" I yelled suddenly. Will jumped in surprise. I blushed and cleared my throat. "Juliet… that's my name." I tried to laugh, but it came out as a nervous chuckle. Will had recovered from my sudden outburst and smiled. It took all of my strength not to melt on the spot.
"It's nice to meet you, Juliet." He held out his hand and I shook it. Will's eyes suddenly widened. "Juliet, you're hot!" I felt my face turn tomato red. I hated it when guys talked about my appearance.
"Uh, thanks, I guess." I mumbled. Will shook his head and pulled his hand away.
"No! You're skin! It's burning!" He looked down at my hands and, sure enough, they were glowing and radiating heat. I looked up at Will and tried not to panic.
"What's happening?" I asked as calm as I could. "What's going on?" But Will wasn't paying attention to me. He was squinting at the air above my head. I looked up and immediately put my hand over my face. The sun was shining directly above me and was bathing me in a ray of scorching light. I didn't feel any different, but the campers around me were backing away from the heat. I looked around for someone to explain this and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Chiron. I expected him to freak out and dowse me in water, but he only smiled.
"Everyone give a warm welcome to Juliet Barnes," he announced loudly. "Daughter of Apollo."
Wow. That was long. I hope you guys like it! Review and let me know what you think. Everyone who guessed Apollo was right (and by everyone I mean Guest :) ). I just want to give a shout out to The Gummy Bears Are Coming for reviewing on a lot of my chapters and always having something good to say :).