Chapter Three (Never A Day Off)

The curse of true ambition is that rest will only tease you until death.

Eager to leave my breakdown in the past, I chose to immerse myself in the work set out for me.

It was easy to get lost in a comfortable rhythm as I adapted to my newfound schedule. It was simple enough. I spent the mornings with Chiron and the afternoons with Pelagios. At first, I wasn't sure if I truly desired to wash away all of my bubbling emotions or if it was genuine, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying my classes. With the amount of effort that I put into letting time flow past me, the days quickly slipped into two weeks.

Now, I couldn't deny my fascination with each lesson I was being taught.

Chiron had decided that the best way for me to learn would be through the experiences of many of the leaders and heroes from the demigod world before me. However, unlike with Pelagios, the only way I would get that information was through reading. Fortunately, there was a treasure trove of ancient texts detailing the lives and events of demigods of the past in Chiron's possession… rather, in the possession of the Camp which was mainly monopolized by the Athena cabin.

The scope of the scrolls and books Chiron offered me was always baffling. I had known that the camp was old, but to see how closely the records rivalled that of Atlantis was a lot to take in. I often found myself comparing the two worlds and wondering what it would have been like in these distant eras of the past.

There was another thing that I wondered about. How to keep the discovery of, possibly, my dirtiest secret… well a secret.

Without the constant pressure of quests and war and the threat of imminent death, as well as without the impudence of my dyslexia, I found out that I was quite fond of reading.

At first, it was simply fascination. Of course, there were a few things that I read in passing in ancient Greek. It was the ability to complete a book that truly enticed me fully. The longer I spent pondering the worlds hidden behind the words on the pages, the more they seemed to come alive. More than the ease of reading the words was the way that they resonated with me.

Despite being surrounded by nearly hundreds of demigods, I hadn't realized just how vast our history truly ran. The records went even further beyond the stories of Hercules and Achilles and touched on the 'ordinary' demigods. The ones who built the camp and those who integrated with the mortal world to establish the strawberry farm and the other companies from the past. Learning about these seemingly mundane demigods made me so much more invested whenever I read about their involvement with the wars and the battles they fought. In a weird way, it was my attachment to these long-forgotten heroes that inspired me to consider the tactical world of the battlefield.

This sudden intrigue didn't slip past the old eyes of Chiron. Of course, it was hard for him to miss when I started to take books back to my cabin. The old centaur had the audacity to laugh at me when he finally decided to confront me for my extra reading. He was pleasantly surprised that he wouldn't have to 'lock me up and force the words into my skull' or something along those lines.

Though he was the number one supporter of my guilty pleasure, which he called a 'positive habit', he would often reaffirm his pride in my work ethic and push me gently to continue by offering me more and more material.

Before long, our sessions shifted from me simply being required to read the various texts being offered into lengthy discussions. Many mornings were spent on the veranda overlooking the camp while I recounted the most intriguing stories with my opinions of them. Chiron would let me speak openly and only interjected to tell me the truth that was lost to the text but not to his memory.

His personal insight caused a shift in my interpretation of the texts. In my earlier excitement at the prospect of being able to read, I had slipped past a lot of key information and had often drawn skewed conclusions on both the battles and the lives of the demigods before me. Through our conversations, I adopted a much more critical overview of the material I read, allowing me to link the similarities between multiple heroes and situations as well as identify their differences.

With the plethora of information which I held at my disposal; I slowly came to realize how these could be linked to almost every child in camp. It was no wonder why Chiron was so patient and seemed to understand how to approach each camper with the right tact.

My mind focused not only on the other demigods at the camp but also on myself. The time spent with the material allowed me time to revisit my blunders and mistakes, helping me to reassess them. The constant hindsight of my endeavours slowly shifted to foresight as I began placing myself in similar situations to many of the other heroes to determine how I would handle myself in the scenarios. I would often bring up areas where I was stumped to the immortal trainer, and he would help me formulate a solution.

The only thing that I disliked about my sudden interest in information was the fact that it had drawn the attention of the Athena cabin. Chiron had been kind enough to obtain and return the ancient texts on my behalf to avoid any unwanted encounters, but it didn't help that I had begun to sneak them to my cabin to read. There were many children of Athena searching for the same material that I had and would often return to Chiron to ask for them back, only for me to have whisked them away back to my cabin. It didn't take long for me to be ratted out by a Hermes camper who had seen me as I was walking back to my cabin with some of the scrolls and other texts in my hands.

I had managed to avoid any direct conversations with most of the campers, especially those from the Athena cabin. Honestly, this was mainly due to a lack of clashing between activities and the fact that I spent most of my time underwater now. Yet it seemed to spur on their intense curiosity. At every meal, I was subject to constant stares from the children of Athena. They studied me intensely, almost begging for me to look at them long enough to invite them to ask their questions. With each passing day, it seemed as though I had become an unsolvable puzzle rather than a person, so I had grown quite adept at slipping away quickly from the dining pavilion.

It was a legitimate concern of mine that they might start camping outside my door for answers soon.

I sighed to myself as I stretched, my gaze staring beyond the veranda.

I had just finished one of my classes with Chiron and was scheduled to visit my nephew soon.

I shook my arms, shifting to let multiple pops and cracks ring out before beginning to make my way to the ocean.

The lessons with Pelagios were completely different. With most of the books he had wanted me to read already imprinted on my mind, he instead focused on more practical lessons to allow me to learn and master the plethora of abilities within my brain.

I felt dirt shift to sand beneath my feet and a smile stained my face. I closed my eyes and inhaled, basking in the smell of the ocean for a moment.

Given the amount my powers had grown over the years, I had thought that his teaching would be redundant. It turned out that he wasn't simply training me with my abilities. The whole purpose of his lessons was to instil control.

According to Pelagios, I had always relied on pure bursts of strength to muscle my way through things as I had only learned how to use my power in war or stressful situations. As such, they had been directly tied to negative emotions. He sought to teach me of the power of the sea when it is calm and to show me how much it rivalled a raging ocean.

Like a swift current beneath the calm surface, I had delved into the depths of my powers.

The first lesson he had created for me was to attempt to call water to me. Of course, it wasn't that simple. He used his abilities to create a bubble of air to separate the water of the ocean from me. Within the bubble, I was tasked with commanding the water to me. It had been an eye-opening experience as the water seemed to be ignorant to my calls until frustration overwhelmed me. Fortunately, I wasn't asked to sit and meditate or anything like that. Instead, I was worked to the bone.

Eventually, after two long days of trial and error, I got the hang of it. This led to the next lesson in control, which I was certain I had finally figured out and would move on from today.

I walked into the ocean, swimming a few knots out and sitting on the bottom where Pelagios waited patiently.

He simply nodded at me, waiting for me to begin.

I smiled softly at him before floating to the bottom, in a meditation position... Okay, it wasn't exactly meditation so… I pushed the thought to the back of my mind as I calmed myself. Slowly, I parted the sea around me, creating a small bubble of air around me before the bubble grew until it was just below the surface, such that I was sitting in a column of air. It was enough to not draw any unwanted attention that might come from a mortal who happened to be in the vicinity.

I held the water away easily, before letting small streams break past the barrier I had erected. A few streams provided passage for some curious fish who came to investigate. Elated to be a part of my training, they eagerly swam through, no doubt in their mind despite the few who had fallen when I first began this exercise.

I smiled to myself, my eyes still closed, as I felt the fish swim easily through the stream. Once I was confident in my construct, I created more streams, beginning to shape them to mimic other sea creatures, before even having them take human shapes. I smiled to myself as I created a small group of monsters and forced them to run into their fake demise at the hands of my watery demigod army.

I smiled to myself once more, this had been the second day that I had been able to keep this level of concentration.

At first, I had been a bit sceptical, not of the idea in and of itself, but at the applications of my powers in battle. I had grown extremely reliant on Riptide, opting to use my powers as a last resort in most cases. The idea of having my powers as an interchangeable weapon alongside my blade had always been terrifying, especially without any guidance as to how far I could go and how to go about reaching there.

Yet, as I sat on the ocean floor watching and feeling the way the water followed my every command, there was no fear. The training with Pelagios really made his message resonate with me.

The art of control.

More than just of my abilities, but also my fear of them. Seeing the way my powers were gentle made me realize that they weren't destructive by nature. I just could use them in a destructive manner.

'Just as I needed to prepare my arms to wield a sword, but also to write on a piece of paper.'

I couldn't help but chuckle as Pelagios' words played in my head and I couldn't help but marvel at Pelagios' teachings as they came to life. Here I was, watching fish swim through watery tunnels through an air chamber of my creation and watching a battle play out between watery monsters and demigods. My personal aquarium, with a built-in cinema. I had created it all.

For the first time in my life, I didn't feel shackled by my powers. I was confident that I could use my abilities freely. I knew that all of its destruction could be quelled with a simple thought.

Suddenly, I felt the fish dart out of the construct.

Without a second to ask what had drawn them away from me, I felt my air bubble pop. Water began to crash down onto me. At first, I opened my eyes, snapping towards Pelagios curiously, until I saw his cruel gaze on me. I quickly began to panic, losing focus as the water collapsed heavily onto me.

Disorientated for a moment, I found myself being swept up in an abrupt current as the water viciously reclaimed its position.

I quickly called out to the water around me, and I felt as though I was wrestling for control. Grimacing, I ripped some water from my immortal nephew's control. It was barely enough to coat my head thinly with water under my control, but just enough for the disorienting pounding to ease on my head, allowing me time to catch myself, even as I was dragged and flipped relentlessly.

With a great deal of effort, I forced more of my power into my command. More water broke free from Pelagios' control and clung to me, forming a tight spandex-like suit around my entire body. The relief was short-lived as I was finally allowed to open my eyes. My crafty trainer had masked my surroundings with the thrashing currents filled with power. The immaculate glow and oppressive power constricted against me, dragging me further into the unknown.

I cursed under my breath as I racked my brain for a solution. However, the moment my mind wandered, I lost control of what little water I had managed to call to me. I closed my eyes tightly, forcing the water back into place as I growled my frustration into the waves.

I hated not having control of what was supposed to be my domain.

"All right! I give up!" I yelled out as I fought to keep even the thin coating of water around me under my control.

Pelagios suddenly appeared before me as the raging current suddenly vanished and quelled.

He nodded to me, a sly grin on his face.

"Knowing when to quit was never a trait you knew."

I ignored his smug grin as I called more water to me, relishing in the feeling of the water caressing me softly, soothing and apologizing for rebelling against its prince.

The nausea which had built up, instantly dissipated as did my grimace.

"Even I know facing a deity in their domain is a lost cause."

He let out a booming laugh.

"I am no God, boy!"

"That's uncle to you." I retorted quickly, grinning triumphantly as he immediately ceased laughing, his features marred by a frown. "Besides, with the centuries you have over me, you might as well be."

He nodded absentmindedly. "That may be true, but your claim to the seas is much greater as it is your birthright. Mixed with your obscene essence, and my teachings, you will reach and surpass me without even needing to become immortal."

I could hear the bitterness in his tone as he stared off to the side. I couldn't help but feel for him. Centuries of hard work and dedication for someone to surpass you in a few decades must not be an easy thing to witness. His eyes turned back to me, and a small smile stretched his lips.

"Admittedly, I'm surprisingly fond of the idea that it is you over the other sons of Poseidon with such potential. Though I fear the day you surpass me and claim your vengeance for my… less than ethical training methods."

I smiled fiercely back at him, watching him shift uncomfortably before laughing.

"I will only do that if you refuse to call me uncle when that day comes!" I beamed at his shocked expression. But before he could speak, I turned serious.

"I appreciate all the help you're giving me. I can't say I'm fully convinced that I'll need to use all this power…" I paused, staring at my hands with a bit of trepidation, "But I know that you believe this to be the best course of action for the limited amount of time we have. Besides, you said it yourself, your goal is to help me learn the basics of control so that I can train without you when I leave camp."

Pelagios smiled softly before approaching me, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Perseus," I winced but held his gaze. He only called me that name when he was about to impart some elderly wisdom, or he was being utterly serious.

"You have undeniably faced a lot in your short life and the powers you have, have seen you through it all." I nodded patiently, "But you have yet to step into the true world of the gods. Not into their wars and battles, but their world. If it were all peaceful, do you think Artemis would recruit as constantly as she did? She has immortal hunters, yet she recruits new girls whenever she can. You may not have noticed with all the battles you have been called to face, but beyond the borders of your camp, and the shores of the seas, danger is ever-present..."

I stared at him, nodding again, this one shakier as I stared into his sorrowful ancient eyes.

"There is so much danger to this world. I appreciate Lord Poseidon for his blessing because it keeps me confined to the seas under his protection. There are…" He paused, closing his eyes for a moment.

"There are many things you will have to learn for yourself, training you still risks so much… but there is so much more, much worse to be faced. If you believe the political upheaval of the mortals is bad, you have yet to see the truth."

He looked as though he wished to say more, but the sea suddenly grew cold around us. I suddenly felt my body being dragged away and I was spat out onto the beach of Camp Half-Blood not even a second later. Over the horizon, I could see a massive thunderbolt crash into the ocean where I had just been with Pelagios. Goosebumps tingled all over my body, leaving me struggling to control my erratic breathing at how close that had been.

I took deep, shaky breaths as a message began imprinting itself onto the sand at my feet.

'Take tomorrow off,

-Pelagios.'

"Yeah…" my whispered voice wavered as I spoke. "I think that's a good idea."

I trudged out of the big house, my eyes burning as the high sun beamed into my squinting eyes.

I hadn't even realized that I had been kept back through lunch! I felt myself relax as I released a deep breath. Taking the time to revel in the moment, my eyes wandered around the camp before me. I felt an odd sense of nostalgia flow through me as I saw the campers bustling around, engrossed in getting to their next lesson or activity. In all the moving bodies, I still managed to notice the familiar faces of Clarisse and the Stolls as they broke away from their cabins and moved towards the forest.

I felt a frown form on my face.

As much as I craved simplicity, there were so many complexities that plagued my decisions. I felt my gaze turn longingly as I saw them slip past the tree line one by one.

Last week, I made my first official attempt at recruiting. After my breakdown, Chiron recommended that I begin gathering members so that I would have a more tangible objective, and to create bonds to help alleviate the existing loneliness which had begun to dwell within me. It was a risky endeavour that had unnerved me to no end, as I was worried that I would be met with more doubt, causing my resolve to wane even further.

The last of the elder campers slipped past the treeline as I finally urged myself onwards. I began to walk towards the dining hall as I vaguely recalled when I had brought up my idea to some of them.

I had managed to gather most of the camp councillors. We sat in our respective seats in the war room, now dubbed the council room, of the Big House. I stared around at their faces, their eyes staring back at me expectantly, as their emotions ranged from curious to annoyed at my summons.

Over the past few months since my breakup with Annabeth, there had been a growing distance between us. They had established more frequent meetings, yet I had rarely gone until completely abstaining from them once I began training. It wasn't a shock that my sudden desire for a meeting would pique their interest.

"Thanks for coming." I started, the nerves bundling in my stomach as I knew that the nature of my request would be met with at least some objection. I pushed it aside as I looked across the table at the faces before me. We had been through war together. Below Hell and back together. I had to have faith in our undeniable bond.

I took a deep breath and continued.

"I know that there has been a lot of speculation about me over the past few months…" I earned a sheepish grin from Annabeth as a few chuckles rang out in the room. I gave a small smile of my own as I forged on, "But I have been considering my options for the future and as it slowly becomes more of a reality, I decided to take things to the next level."

"Oh, get on with it!" Clarisse called out, annoyed with my nervous dancing around the topic. I heard a snort and turned to Jason, sharing a smile as he gently urged me to continue.

"As much as I love annoying Clarisse, I have to agree. We have a lot of planning to do." Annabeth chimed in.

"Yeah, so when will you start pulling your weight?" Travis added, mockingly.

I gave a nervous chuckle, silencing everyone as they began to realise that our plans weren't aligned.

"Actually, I'm thinking of leaving camp with a group of demigods."

"Huh?"

"What!"

"Which demigods?"

A barrage of questions ensued. I patiently waited for the chatter to die down, pointedly ignoring all questions until they did so.

"I don't have any other demigods who are with me. I'm still going through the logistics and making sure that everything is properly prepared."

"So, you're rushing out beyond the borders, without a quest, all by yourself?"

I turned my gaze to Annabeth. Beneath the wave of fury, I could see the small dots of worry and curiosity. I smiled softly, though I wasn't given a chance to respond.

"And what about us? New Greece was your idea!" Katie's voice called out.

I turned to Katie to respond, "Well actually…"

"Are you seriously going to leave us with the task of building an entire city?"

I turned to Piper.

"You're our leader man, you can't just leave!"

My eyes flickered to the Stolls. In a daze from the rapid stream of reprimanding comments and questions, the voices began to meld together. I shifted my eyes to the table instead as I couldn't keep up anymore.

Suddenly, there was a slight reprieve. I slowly raised my head, meeting their expectant gazes.

"I guess you're here to recruit from us first then…" Jason muttered more to himself, but in the silence, it was loud.

Their eyes flickered between Jason and me repeatedly.

"Is that true?!"

I winced slightly at the heat in Katie's words.

I couldn't form an answer as the fire in her eyes forced me to look away from her.

"Of course, I wasn't going to force you guys, but it's just I've known you all the longest, I have the most trust in you all to have my back..."

"And what about you having ours?" Piper piped in.

I caught Jason staring at me apologetically from the corner of my eye. I turned slightly and offered him a small smile, appreciating the gesture, before I turned back to the other demigods. There was no way to hide from it now, but the words were failing me.

I opened my mouth to try again, "I…"

"Percy, I know that things haven't been the same between us, but you don't have to throw away everything and everyone at camp because of it."

My eyes snapped to Annabeth. The pain which had reared its ugly head before I started my training with Pelagios began clawing its way up my chest once again.

"Look, guys…"

"That really isn't cool, man."

I paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"First you ask us to build a secure location so that you can have your happily ever after and now that you get your heart broken you want us to run off into some suicide mission with you?"

I flinched and I heard a few others take a shallow breath at that remark.

I felt tired as I let my eyes turn to Will. He seemed a bit taken aback by the bite in his own words, or maybe I was projecting that. I stared blankly at him for a few moments as I contemplated what to do next. After a few moments, I bit my lip and decided.

I said nothing.

I knew it wasn't fair to expect them to drop everything and rush after me; after all, only I was afflicted with loyalty as a fatal flaw. I wasn't necessarily upset with them for rejecting my idea, but it still stung me to be verbally put down like a dog.

"I'm sorry Percy, but I can't just uproot and leave when we have the first taste of some form of peace staring us in our face. Thank you for everything, but I won't be following you this time." Piper stated, rising to her feet, and moving out the door.

A chorus of similar statements, chairs dragging and shuffling of feet muddled together as I stared at the table.

"I'm really sorry it all came together like this, man." I raised my head and tried to force my lips up into a half smile. However, I could only manage a nod at the son of Jupiter.

He placed his hand on my shoulder as he slipped past.

I was grateful for his gesture; his silent denial of my silent request stung the least.

For a moment, there were only three of us left.

The dragging of the penultimate chair caught my attention once more.

Annabeth stared at me; her eyes wide for a moment at the harsh sound of the chair which garnered the attention of the rest of the room. She stared at me for a moment, before she quickly closed her mouth, instead opting to shake her head as though she didn't trust her words. She gave a small placating smile, though I quickly dropped my eyes from her, only listening as her hurried footsteps slipped past me.

Somehow her silent refusal stung the most.

"Ignore them, Prissy."

I turned to see that Clarisse was the only one who had remained.

"I know hunger for a fight, I could feel it from a mile away. I can see that you aren't shrouded by battle lust or a death wish, so I can respect your decision."

My eyes snapped to her, hopeful that I could have someone, even Clarisse, with me on my new crazy adventure.

She smiled sadly, recognizing the glint in my eyes.

"I can't leave, and neither can they. They aren't upset because of the dangers; they're upset because they're all invested in the idea of building New Greece here; and they all had the idea that you would be the one to lead us."

"I led them into war… wars, and they're assuming I can lead a city?" I snorted, causing Clarisse to give a short bark of laughter.

"Only when your battle lust rages around you would the Ares cabin follow you, your battle aura is much too potent to ignore."

I rubbed my neck sheepishly at that.

"Right now, as soft and emotional as you are, you aren't ready to lead anyone within these borders, let alone outside of them." I sucked in a breath at those words.

"But if there is anyone that I would have faith in to make it out there, despite the odds, it's you and your crazy ass." My eyes quickly flickered back to her.

"Everyone's doing their best to put what happened behind them, this city is their attempt to drown out the past with the future. Even I can see that Annabeth is the most shaken up, even with all the work she's taking up to drown herself in; I can only imagine what it must be like for you."

The daughter of Ares rose to her feet, the chair clattering behind her as she did so. I chuckled at the brazen nature of the war god's daughter as she just shot me a nonchalant grin.

"I hope you're doing more than just lounging around lazily recruiting people for this. I have faith in your words that you're working hard at whatever you think will help, but I just needed to say that. As one old comrade to the other."

A small smile formed on my face as I nodded up at her.

I slowly rose to my own feet before we made our way out of the council room and to the veranda.

"Thanks, Clarisse. For everything."

She nodded back at me, shifting with uncertainty for a moment before she turned to face me.

"Don't worry about us, we will be fine. If this is what you're going after, then chase it. It isn't fair that we get to chase our dreams with this city, and you don't and are forced to stick around."

She stared at me for a couple of seconds, uncertainty still evident in her eyes. She sighed resignedly.

"In case you leave suddenly and die a violent horrible death that's so gruesome I won't be able to look at your cold mangled face and say it then…"

I winced at her horrifically graphic words.

"Thanks for being the one to pull us all together after Luke left, and for being so strong for us all even when you felt weak. I barely managed as the head of Ares, and yet you did it through two wars while everyone else was being brats and not showing up until too late or whatever."

She began to trail off as she looked up and saw the large, crooked grin on my face. She scowled at me and hit me in the shoulder.

"Who'd have thought you'd be the one staying behind to give me a pep talk?"

"Shut the fuck up, Jackson!" She growled as she turned on her heels and began storming down the stairs.

"Thank you though! This place will always be my home so if you all need me, just call!"

She flipped both birds up into the air before turning and giving me a small smile.

As I snapped out of my thoughts, I found myself at the Poseidon table.

From trying to dunk my head in a toilet to raising my spirits when I was at one of my lowest points.

What a development!

I chuckled to myself as I sat at the table and waited for my food to appear before me.

As much as I longed to be a part of that group again, I had a new burning resolve to see this through. Sure, it wouldn't be the ideal lifestyle, but at least it would be something new. I wouldn't be stuck building walls and manning gates; I wouldn't be restrained.

But I would miss them all.

I shook my head, a sad smile crossing on my face. After a few moments, and with a mouthful of food in my mouth, a sudden realization flashed through my mind. Outside of the emotional rollercoaster that was my first attempt, I still needed to recruit demigods.

At least most of the other campers looked up to me, respected me or feared my powers enough that they wouldn't be so callous with their words.

I grumbled to myself about my old friends for a moment, begrudging the fact that they didn't even give me a chance to sneak in a snarky reply.

After an unpleasantly moody lunch, I decided to go to the arena to blow off some steam.

As I neared the arena, I heard the familiar grunts and clashes of weapons to know that there were demigods training already. It had slightly confused me as I had checked the schedule and this slot was supposed to be free. I could only guess that some cabins had free time and the demigods chose to come here.

Probably Ares campers, I dismissed.

As I entered the arena, I quickly took note of the two individuals sparring. There seemed to be a lull in the fight as the two stared at each other, breathing heavily as they calculated their next move.

I quickly moved to the stands, deciding to watch the spectacle as I let the food settle a bit longer.

I couldn't see much of the camper closer to me with his back towards me. All I could make out was that he had blonde hair and wielded a sword in his right hand and a dagger in his left.

His opponent, with a massive war axe, seemed to catch his breath first as he twirled the massive weapon as though it were a feather, indicating that his toned physique was for a lot more than just show. He was massive, clearing 6'5 easily, maybe even 6'6, with his curly brown hair matted with sweat against his forehead. His light brown eyes glared harshly at his opponent as he rushed at him once more.

The axe swung through the air, and the blonde made the wise decision to dodge the weapon, but by the grimace on his face when the mighty axe bit into the earth where he just stood, it seemed like it was a hard-taught lesson.

The blonde skipped towards the embedded axe, using his downward momentum to drive the axe further into the ground with his sword. The brown-haired, probably an Ares camper, grunted at the added weight as he stumbled forward a little. The blonde gave a sharkish grin as he shifted his momentum to bounce towards the unbalanced son of Ares with the dagger in his left hand aiming for the throat of his opponent.

The probable son of Ares gave the blonde a wicked grin of his own and he released the axe. His grin stretched further across his face as the blonde flew towards him, presumably with a look of panic on his face at the situation he had caught himself in.

With the axe no longer in his hand, the Ares camper slipped under the thrust of the dagger. The blade flew over his left shoulder and before the blonde could retrieve his arm, the bigger boy planted his left foot into the ground before shooting his weight upwards. As his shoulder slammed into the blonde's chest, a loud 'oof' was heard. He didn't let his opportunity go to waste as he engulfed the blonde in a bear hug before launching him over his shoulder.

"You are way out of your depth." The larger boy growled smugly, turning to face his opponent as he once again grasped the hilt of his axe, easily ripping it free from the earth.

The camper on the ground was breathing heavily, his dagger had fallen from his grasp in his tumble, but he had held onto his sword tightly. He rose to a knee and for the first time since I entered the arena, I had a clear view of his face. With his now free hand, he pushed his frizzy blonde hair from his eyes, giving me a view of the harsh glare, his grey eyes sent towards the son of Ares.

"Compared to our spar last week, I'm sure I can beat a big oaf like you in a few weeks. You only have the upper hand because I'm still a new camper!" The blonde, who I assumed was a child of Athena, rose to his feet, showing off his impressive height at around 6'0. I chuckled at how small he seemed compared to the other boy. It wasn't only height where he was disadvantaged though, he was also far leaner than the boy before him.

The axe wielder suddenly lurched forward, swinging his weapon with blinding speed. The war axe arched and sailed through the air until it stopped mere centimetres from the throat of the child of Athena.

"But today is not that day!" He roared.

I couldn't help the laugh that broke free from my throat, catching the two demigods off guard.

"That was so corny, are you guys actually training or just roleplaying!" I managed to squeeze out in between laughs and gasps for air.

The larger boy sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck while the blonde just glared at me.

The brown-haired camper quickly stepped forward as he saw the heated expression on his sparring partner's face.

"We just have an ongoing rivalry that goes back a few years."

I managed to calm down a little bit, finally recognizing him by his voice.

"You're Marc. Son of Ares, right?"

His sheepish grin turned to a full smile as he realized I recognized him.

"Yeah, I've been here a while…"

"Since Manhattan, right?"

He just nodded and we shared a moment of silence, recognizing that each other had both been through a lot.

"Well, I'm Adrian, a new son of Athena and you are?"

The curiosity finally got the better of him, I thought as I chuckled lightly.

"Well, he just happens to be Percy Jackson," Marc answered before I had a chance.

"Holy Hera…"

I chuckled as I shook my head, but the pair got caught up in their conversation.

"You mean the Percy Jackson from the Titan War?"

"And the Giant War… actually the list of things this guy has been through is a lot."

Adrian turned and stared at me, causing me to sigh.

"So, what's this rivalry of yours about?"

Marc, having been around for a while, was well aware of the fact that I wasn't the biggest fan of being in the spotlight. He shot me a small smile as he went along with my change of topic.

"Adrian may be a new camper, but I knew him from the school I went to in the mortal world. We always had a kind of grudge against each other since he would always beat me in academics, and I would beat him in wrestling since that was the biggest sport in our school. I guess you could say we were both at the opposite ends of popularity at our school but there was only one space for a scholarship, and they were looking for an all-rounded student. So, our rivalry started as we competed for the scholarship."

"Yes, but since he knew he was a demigod for all these years, of course, he had the advantage in sports. He's been here summer after summer training and even fighting literal monsters. That's an unfair advantage if there ever was one, so now that I'm here I'm going to settle this and show him that I'm the overall best between us."

"Need I remind you that you still haven't beaten me even after a month?"

"A month?" I questioned, drawing their attention. "Isn't that a bit long to be considered a new camper?"

Marc snickered as Adrian shot me a look of betrayal.

"Why does everyone say that!"

"He's insistent that he's a new camper because he hasn't beaten me yet." Marc continued to chuckle at the expense of his friend.

I nodded in understanding as Adrian sighed in defeat.

"If you want, I don't mind having a few spars with you." At his shocked demeanour, I pressed a little more, "See if that helps with your little competition."

Adrian raised his head as his eyes glimmered with hope.

"That'll be giving you an unfair advantage, Adrian."

The light in the son of Athena's eyes dimmed again.

"Not if I spar with you too."

The light returned and Adrian darted towards his previously discarded dagger.

"How about right now?" The son of Athena asked eagerly.

I chuckled, pulling Riptide out of my pocket, causing him to stare in confusion.

"Only if it's the two of you versus me," I replied as I uncapped the pen, taking my stance as the blade grew.

Adrian stared in shock for a moment, before being brought out of his stupor by the growls from Marc as the taller boy charged at me.

I smiled to myself as I braced for the weight of the axe.

Third Person POV

For the next week, Percy fell into a rhythm. He woke up even earlier in the mornings to spar with Marc and Adrian or trained by himself before eating and beginning his classes with Chiron followed by Pelagios.

After the first week, Percy had grown closer to the two boys. He found that he had a deeper connection with Marc which stemmed from their time in the wars. A different kind of bond developed when you fought side by side with someone.

Adrian was still new to the world and didn't have the same unspoken respect for him as many others did. Sure, the son of Athena was awed by what Percy had done, but there was always an element of doubt about Percy actually managing to do everything that had been spoken about.

Of course, it didn't help that Percy was so modest. He noticed that after he told him that technically Luke had defeated Kronos, Adrian had started trying to pick holes in more and more of his adventures; only for him to become infuriated when all his theories were shot down by cold hard facts.

Despite this, however, Percy had actually enjoyed their relationship. The child of Athena had a very analytical mind, common with the children of Athena, and Percy had begun bouncing battle strategies and plans off of him as they trained in the mornings.

Marc was also very much a part of the schemes and was honestly very intrigued to hear the pair talk, often pitching in his own, sometimes brutal, other times surprisingly cunning, plans from time to time.

It was after another three days that they asked Percy for his advice on a dangerous plan that they were developing.

They wanted to sneak out past the borders of the camp and explore the world.

To say the son of Poseidon was shocked would've been an understatement.

While they were clearly capable combatants and weren't too young, Adrian was still green to the Greek world and though being sceptical was a good trait, doubting the capabilities and danger of the world beyond the border was a recipe for disaster.

Percy was even further shocked to learn that this wasn't their idea. Marc had a friend from the Hermes cabin who gathered a few demigods and had left with the same goal of refusing to be trapped within the building borders of New Greece.

That had left Percy stumped.

He knew that Chiron had spoken of demigods leaving in these groups, but he hadn't known it was a constant and current occurrence.

Percy instantly told them of his plans, preaching the true dangers of the world beyond the border and asked them to be patient until he had talked to Artemis.

Initially, they weren't fond of the idea of waiting. They believed that, with the strength of the son of Poseidon, they would be invincible outside camp. It was the mention of the goddess of the hunt that was enough to quell their arguments.

The fact that Percy was even able to get a meeting with the goddess no doubt left them shocked and in awe, but it also made them nervous. If the Percy Jackson felt that he needed to consult a goddess about it, it was sure to instil enough fear into them to remove any lingering doubts they had about his qualms with their sudden departure.

After that little meeting, Percy felt a bit perturbed at the thought of eager demigods like Marc and Adrian running out into the world assuming things were going to be all right. Truthfully, the camp had never really been under attack since he was here, but he knew that this was because there was always a major deity raising armies of monsters. Without a reason to unify into a structured unit…

Well, Percy had heard of the stories from some of the older campers between quests.

There was even a month-long siege on Camp Half-Blood, with the monsters having wriggled their way through the border when the fleece was not there. While the Fleece would surely make it nigh impossible for monsters to break through the barriers, it did nothing to stop them from lurking around the edge, waiting for new campers or unsuspecting campers leaving.

That's why New Greece would be so important.

To send structured patrols to make safe pathways into camp and, he assumed, they were going to expand the strawberry trade they had set up to raise further income. He hadn't been with the group or been to the councillor's meetings in some time. He wasn't sure what exactly the plans were, but he had a rough idea.

Now he felt as if he had a duty to form this group. There would always be the outliers who didn't want to settle, and maybe Percy could create a space for them too.

While Annabeth and the rest of the experienced campers built New Greece to increase the demigod's safety, life expectancy and even standard of living, he could create a space for those who didn't want to stay, and either couldn't join Artemis because they were male or didn't want to give up on love.

He sighed as his idealist side came out.

But he was honestly grateful that he had met Marc and Adrian.

The more he thought about demigods dying in the woods with no one knowing, the stronger his urge to create this group became. He couldn't deny that his desire to get away from all the memories was still there, but for the first time, he felt like he wasn't running, but doing his part.

He hadn't gotten over all of his emotions towards Annabeth, but he felt a purpose growing within him.

So, the next time he met up with Marc and Adrian, he told them to gather as many demigods as they could who wanted to run away from camp, and they would meet after he talked to Artemis.

With a plan in mind, he went back to training with a renewed vigour, catching both of his trainers by surprise. Though they too were eager to teach, warmed by the strength of his motivation and the fact that he had even greater conviction now. He earnestly desired to create this group, and they could tell that he was willing to work himself to death before letting a demigod die under his watch.

For the first time in centuries, Chiron felt hope for the group that would be leaving his care.

A/N: We're getting closer to Percy leaving the camp and we've seen him begin trying to recruit for his departure. A lot still to come before that though. I'm also going to begin settling into a word range more similar to this chapter moving forward. The only real limit is that I want to try and cross five thousand words a chapter, so we'll see how that goes.

Thank you all for reading and as always, I hope everything is going great for you whenever you read this, and I'll see you all next week for the next update.
-ZedricSOZ