Swoosh
I stepped back quickly and watched the bronze sword pass by inches from my chest. My right hand shot forward, catching the blade between two of my claws and with a twist of my wrist sending it clattering to the floor.
Before I could even think of celebrating, a kick to the chest sent me stumbling back a few steps. By the time I regained my bearings a dagger was pressed against my throat.
"Dead." I sighed and stepped back away from the dagger, looking up at my only sparring partner, Luke. He was a few years older than myself but still the only camper to say a word to me the few days I had been there. All I received from the others were fear filled looks of hate and disgust.
Personally I think Luke just liked having a sparring partner he could beat the shit out of without worrying but I could care less. Anything besides being alone all the time.
I smiled joyously despite the loss and stuck my hand out for him to shake, "What's the record now? 2-0? 3-0?" He laughed at me heartily while shaking his head.
"You wish! That's at least my fifth win." He was being generous even with that number.
We both began to gather our gear and made our way out of the arena, saying our goodbyes before heading our separate ways.
The sound of hooves feet quietly approaching behind me made me stop and let out a sigh. I already knew what this conversation would be about. "Another loss?"
I laughed softly and shrugged my shoulders, "If it was a fight to the death I bet I'd win."
Chiron chuckled and looked ready to respond when a disheveled huntress approached us... a disheveled huntress who seemed to hate me even more than everyone else in this place.
"Chiron we need to talk... now." I hadn't been here long and I'd seen very little of Zoë, but I wouldn't have imagined her ever looking so panicked.
"What is it Zoë?" Chiron asked worriedly. She glanced over at me like she didn't want to tell him about it in front of me. Apparently the news was too urgent to wait.
"It's Lady Artemis. She went on a hunt a few days ago, but I had a dream and... she's been captured." Chiron let out a small neigh in shock, something I hadn't heard him do before.
"Are you certain child? She is a very powerful goddess, one that would not be easily defeated." Zoë nodded her head sorrowfully to confirm her story.
Against my better judgment I stepped up and joined the conversation, "Hold on, how would you know if she'd been captured?"
Zoë glared at me harshly and I raised my hands in mock surrender. "If you were a normal camper you wouldn't need to ask that. Halfbloods have dreams, and I had one of milady being captured. Apollo also appeared in it and said something about... a... prophecy." She trailed off at the end and stared wide-eyed over my shoulder. Chiron didn't look any less surprised so I turned around as well and saw... "A mummy?"
The odd looking hag was walking towards us, or more specifically towards me. Just the fact that it was walking was miracle enough considering it was nothing more than rotten skin and bone wrapped in worn out bandages.
The green mist pouring out of her eyes and mouth swirled around her giving her an even more eerie look. Then to make things better she froze and lifted her arm; pointing a bony finger straight at me. I tried to move to the side and see if she was pointing at something behind me but her finger stayed locked onto my body.
"You shall go west to the goddess in chains
Be weary of those in the land without rain
Huntress, Mutant, and Camper succeed
But the cost shall be great indeed
When all hope seems lost you will find the way
Or a lost life will be the price to pay"
As soon as the last word left her mouth she dropped to the ground, but I stood there still as a rock.
Finally, I slowly looked away from the mummy; not completely convinced she wouldn't stand back up again. Chiron and Zoë were both staring at me with pale faces.
After a few moments of unbearable silence, Chiron finally spoke up, "Perseus," Oh shit not my full name, he knew I hated that, "the oracle hasn't tracked someone down to deliver a prophecy in... well... not in a long time to say the least." Zoë was looking at me with a look I couldn't quite decipher. Anger? Disgust? Both?
"That's cool. So, uhm, I guess I'm going to save Lady Artemis now?" Zoë's looked changed from questionable to angry in a heartbeat.
"I'd rather go with Apollo alone than go with you." I wasn't quite sure what was so bad about Apollo but I figured she must've hated him to use him as an example like that.
"Ok that's fine. The creepy mummy just said something about a huntress, not you specifically. I'll go with one who's not such a bitch." Zoë growled and inched her hands towards her dagger.
Quicker than a flash she had a knife out and was lunging at me, but I figured she would do as much and stepped to the side. This didn't deter her in the slightest as she kept up the pressure hacking left and right at me even managing to cut into my flesh a time or two before Chiron intervened.
"ENOUGH CHILDREN!" I froze at Chiron's angry tone. Zoë, however, did not, and getting impaled in the stomach was my price to pay for that.
"Fuck" I yelled as I keeled over. I knew it would be gone in a minute but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt like a bitch, "yea, I'm definitely not taking you crazy bitch." Zoë growled and I prepared myself for another fight but it didn't happen.
"I said enough Percy. Now Zoë is obviously going on the quest since she was the one who dreamed of Lady Artemis' capture, and you are too since the Oracle delivered the prophecy specifically to you." I looked at Zoë and grudgingly nodded my head.
"I'll go find a female camper to come with," Zoë said while spinning on her heel and walking away, "one male, especially one like you, is bad enough." I opened my mouth to retort, but she was already too far gone.
A low growl rumbled in my throat as I watched her retreating figure. Why the fuck did I have to get stuck going on a quest with such a bitch?
"Peace, Percy. Let me ask you something." I took a deep breath to calm myself and turned to Chiron. "What do you believe your greatest weakness is?"
The question was certainly not one I was expecting, and honestly something I had never thought about before.
"Uhm... nothing?" He gave me a look that said he obviously wasn't satisfied with the answer, so I tried again, "That I just heal faster than a god instead of having unbreakable skin?" He let out a little chuckle and shook his head.
"Let's see, how do I put this..." He looked up at the sky and rubbed his beard in thought, "There's an almost animalistic side to you, my boy, which is more than likely due to your... unique DNA. You're quicker to anger than most and once you're angry you're consumed with rage. You throw caution out the window and let the rage control you."
I furrowed my eyebrows knowing deep down he was right but not understanding how he knew. "And how would you know that? Yeah, I was acting pretty pissed at Zoë but you've never seen me truly angry. Hell I can't remember ever being truly angry probably thanks to my lack of memories in general." He nodded his head in agreement and stared straight into my eyes.
"You're eyes... I've seen the look before... I have high hopes for you Perseus, but the last hero I saw with that look... you must learn to control it, or it will only get worse and cost you greatly." A flash of the mummy standing there saying the similar words ran through my head, and an odd feeling welled up in me.
"I need to go get some rest, let Zoë and the other girl know we're leaving at sunrise tomorrow."
I took the scenic route back to my cabin, letting Chiron's words run through my head over and over.
Ever since my first night here I knew the Hermes cabin wasn't where I belonged, but none of the other cabins felt right and I assumed I wasn't getting claimed any time soon... or ever, so I had to deal with it. However, there was one thing I couldn't deal with, and that was the stench. Dozens of kids crammed in on top of each other trying to sleep through the night together was hell on my sensitive nose.
That's why most nights I did what I was doing now; walked through the woods. The harpies were a pain in the ass sometimes but when you can hear and smell them long before they know you're there it isn't that big of a deal.
I walked through the woods thinking about the quest, about my life, and strangely I thought about the infuriating huntress I was going to be traveling with. Luckily she picked one of the few campers here besides Luke who didn't detest me. A blonde child of Athena named Annabeth. The only reason I knew her at all was because she had a not-so-secret crush on Luke, so we had spoke here and there when I was with him.
A sigh escaped my lips as I thought more and more about the quest. Why did I have to go? Out of all the campers and hunters why did the damned Fates have to choose me? Sitting around getting ignored at camp may not have been my favorite way to pass time, but at least the people here feared me and left me alone. This huntress, though, was not like that. She didn't seem to fear me at all, just openly hate my guts.
I shook of the angry feelings and mentally berated myself. A goddess was captured somewhere and needed help, the last thing I would want to be doing is sitting on my ass at camp while some other camper was out risking their lives, even if they did fear me and treat me as an outcast.
"You know we leave at sunrise, right?" I nearly jumped out of skin when a girl spoke behind me. A groan slipped out when I recognized the voice and scent of her and realized this wasn't just any girl. My vibrant green eyes locked onto her volcanic black ones and we both froze. I could see her finger gently grazing the hilt of her knife in anticipation for what she assumed was to come.
I didn't want to antagonize her too much, "You know I'm the one who said we leave at sunrise, right?" but I couldn't help doing it at least a little.
"You know you're a cocky bastard, right?"
"You know you're a hateful bitch, right?"
"Only towards creatures like you." A dark look appeared in her eyes and I tried to ignore the sting of being reminded of my... situation.
I sighed and looked away from her, hoping she'd just go away, but I had no such luck.
"We can't be fighting like this on the quest," It looked like the words pained here to say them, "my lady is in danger and I won't risk her life arguing with some mindless brute." I laughed humorlessly when she finished.
"You were doing so well... until you weren't." She glared at me in obvious frustration, so I decided to compromise some, "Look, I don't like you very much and it's obvious you hate me so let's just agree to interact as little as possible on this quest and then afterwards we'll be on our separate ways." Zoë nodded, spun on her heel, and marched off in a way that was, in my opinion, much too dramatic.
"Gods help me on this damn quest."
A/N: Aaaaaaanndddd I'm back. Next chapter the quest will start and questions may or may not start getting answered. Who is Percy? What is he? Why can't he remember anything? All things that you'll have to keep reading to find out