Remember (A Percy Jackson Fanfic)

21. It has started

What Jason most dreaded was how much he was going to be embarrassed in front of everyone. He would never admit it but he knew Percy was the better swordfighter. He was proud that way and being the son of the King of the Gods didn't help either. 

Jason almost didn't see Percy move. Jason raised his blade just in time to block Percy's overhead strike. Jason pulled his sword away just before Percy could start the disarming manoeuvre.

Percy stepped back and decided to be the one circling Jason this time. Percy knew he could disarm Jason easily. He didn't tell the demigods but a Greek xiphos is easier to use to disarm someone than the gladius. The leaf-shaped blade of the xiphos gives it the ideal shape to perform any disarming manoeuvre compared to the straight blade the gladius has.

Percy watched curiously as Jason's eyes turned to the crowd of demigods for a brief second before turning back to face him. It dawned on Percy that Jason would feel really bad about losing in front of everyone. Jason had told him that he had taken care of the sword fighting class when Percy was in Alaska and he knew that Jason wouldn't want to get embarrassed in front of his past students.

This time it was Jason who made the first move, sending a sideways slash in Percy's direction. Percy stepped back, avoiding the tip of the blade by an inch, and sent his own strike in the form of a stab. As Percy expected, Jason sidestepped and locked their sword hilts together. Jason started the disarming manoeuvre and Percy decided not to stop him. A second later, Percy's sword clattered onto the ground. 

The crowd of demigods erupted into cheers and clapping, congratulating Jason on his small victory. Jason smiled uneasily at the group and looked at Percy questioningly. Percy met his gaze and sent a silent message with his eyes, later.

'So that is how the disarming manoeuvre looks in real-time,' Percy said as he picked up Riptide and uncapped it before putting it back in his pocket 'Go back with your partner and practice it. We will go around again and help you if you're struggling.'

The demigods went back to their spots in the arena, excited to learn or improve the disarming manoeuvre that Jason so expertly performed in the short spar. When Percy was about to start going around to correct some incorrect form when an arm stopped him. Percy turned back to see a curious Jason looking at him. 

'Wh-' Jason started but Percy interrupted him.

'You know why I did it,' Percy said smiling 'Come on. I don't want anyone to accidentally slice someone's hand off.'

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Nobody got their hands chopped off, thankfully, but it got really close. Percy had to put that guy on a timeout.

Percy trained the sword fighters for the whole day, making them undoubtedly exhausted. Other than the disarming move, Percy had taught them how to block any possible attack that an enemy can execute. The demigods had more or less mastered the viper-beheading strike Percy had learned so long ago. Percy had instructed his comrades on how to use their sword like it was a part of them, like they were controlling another arm. Percy had also taught them one or two new moves he had learnt during his time in Alaska

All in all, Percy felt that his 'class' (he still didn't like it being called a class) had done really well for a first session. The people that weren't that confident in their skill had drastically improved over the course of the lesson, mainly because they had gotten more comfortable with their weapon. 

It was just in time for dinner when Percy returned from cleaning up the arena. The campers were great fighter but they could be really careless sometimes. Where did they even get Coke cans? More importantly, when did they even drink them?

Percy walked back to the dining pavilion, talking and laughing with Jason and Nico. Nico had just told a joke and it was mainly the fact that he seemed to be loosening up that Percy was ecstatic about. Nico hadn't been this cheerful before Percy left and it was good to see a nice change.

The trio walked up to the Poseidon table and set down next to a bunch of other demigods. The no-sitting-on-other-tables rule had been lifted shortly after the Giant War. The gods and Chiron had decided that there was no point in separating the demigods when they needed each other for support after the war.

Sitting on Percy's table was an assortment of campers, both Roman and Greek. They were the senior demigods that were tasked to train the other campers. Percy, Jason and Nico took care of sword fighting class. Thalia was helping Clarisse teach demigods how to use the spear expertly. Will Solace was teaching some campers how to perform first aid while some of his siblings taught archery. Some of the veterans from the past two wars, campers and Hunters, were teaching demigods how to use other various weapons like the dagger, hunting knives and even a shotgun.

Percy watched amused as Thalia went on and on about 'stupid boys' in her 'amazing spear lessons' not wanting to learn 'how to stab someone properly'. Some Hunters that were teaching hunting knives agreed with their lieutenant and that seemed entertaining for the campers sitting on the table.

Dinner came and went. The campers and Hunters talked and laughed like one big family, relaxing as much as they could before the war officially began. The heroes watched as the sun set on the horizon as they prepared themselves for the infamous campfire singalong and the irresistible smores.

Group by group, everyone filed into the amphitheatre, ready for the Apollo kids to lead the singalong and for someone, anyone, to pass around the marshmallows to roast.

Even with the war on, the general morale of the camp was high. Percy, who was sitting in the back row with a couple of his old friends, looked below him wistfully. This was the first time he had seen the Hunters participate in the singalong they always had at Camp Half-Blood. It was even amazing to see the Romans there as well, since the Greeks and Romans had had a long-standing feud since forever. 

The amphitheatre wasn't really built to fit everyone from both camps plus the Hunters so everyone was really crowded against each other. Even though there was literally no room to do anything without hitting two people, everyone was comfortable enough and didn't mind the close company.

The demigods were about to start their third song. The Apollo kids preparing to play their instruments and sing to get everyone else going. Just as the first chord was played, a loud howl pierced the night air, freezing every single person in the amphitheatre.

Percy immediately water travelled out of the amphitheatre and ran, ran to see what the source of the commotion was. He could hear his friends running out of the amphitheatre to join him but he was already close to the border of the camp. 

Percy sprinted up Half-Blood Hill, ignoring the protests behind him. When he reached the top, he was met with a sight that made him turn as pale as a ghost.

Even though it was dark and there was barely any light, Percy could still see what had made the sound, but just barely. Just outside the border amassed a huge army of monsters, most of them being hellhounds. The hellhounds came in all sizes, some being even bigger than Percy's pet hellhound Mrs. O'Leary. That was slightly worrying since Mrs. O'Leary was larger than a tank.

There were plenty other monsters for Percy to look at but he was focused on one thing. Right in the middle of the monster horde was a chariot that looked like it was made out of shadows, occasional black tendrils lashed out but retracted back into the chariot just as fast. Pulling the chariot was two horses that were the darkest shade of black, so black that they looked like two-dimensional shapes. Even from where Percy stood, he could see the white fangs in their mouths.

But what Percy most feared was the person riding the chariot. Back when he had first seen her, she had been forty feet tall and power seemed to flow out of her. Now, she still held the same power and air of superiority but she was now a quarter of her normal height. 

Standing in her chariot in the middle of her army was a ten-feet Nyx, grinning maniacally at Percy.

The war has started.