Martyr {A Percy Jackson/Merlin Crossover}

The Moment of Truth

Chapter Ten

"The winter are harsh in Eeldor, and there are many children, some of them just won't be strong enough to survive. We barely have enough food as it is, and is Kanen takes our harvest, our children won't live to see another summer."

I stand on the left of Arthur, listening as Merlin's mother beg Uther for help. She has brown hair like his, and a huge bruise on her eye. If it was up to me, we'd be heading out already to help her.

"Please, we need your help."

"Eeldor is in Cendring's kingdom, your safety is his responsibility," Uther says to her.

"We've appealed to our king, but he cares little for the outlying regions, you're are only hope."

Help me Obi-one-Kenobi, you're my only hope.

Yes, that was completely necessary.

"I have the deepest sympathy for you, and would have this barbarian wiped off the face of this earth."

"You'll help us?"

"I wish I could."

"I'm sure we can spare a few men," Arthur tells Uther.

"Resources are not the problem."

"Then what is?" I ask.

"Eeldor lies beyond the ridge of Esteer. For an army of Camelot to enter it would be an act of war."

She drops to her knees in front of Uther.

"I know you're a good king, a caring man, I'm begging you, help us please."

Uther sighs. "The accord we struck with Cendrig was years in the making. I cannot risk hundreds of lives for the sake of one village. I'm afraid Camelot cannot help."

Camelot may not be abel to help, but Sparta can.

~~**~~

"Morgana where are you going? And what are you wearing?" I call to her as I follow her down through the village.

"Gwen and I are going with Merlin back to Eeldor."

I smile. "Good, then I'm coming with you."

She shakes her head. "You can't Kat..."

"You'll need my experience," I interrupt her. "And my skills. You fight?"

She nods.

"Good."

She pushes open the door to Gwen's house.

"How will I be able to carry all this?" I hear Merlin ask.

"You won't have to," I tell him. "We're coming with you."

"What'd you mean?"

"You're going to need all the help you can get," Gwen tells him. "I can mend armor and sharpen swords."

"I know how to fight," Morgana says.

"And of course I'm one of the best warriors in the land, and I just so happen to be a master will strategy," I tell him.

"But, you can't," he counters. "Why would you?"

I crave battle.

"If it was the other way around, you'd help us, you already have." Gwen says. "You saved my life."

"You helped me get the Drudid boy out of Camelot," Morgana says to him.

"And you helped me defeat the dragon my first day in Camelot."

A knowing look passes between us.

"We owe it to you, all of us."

He nods. "Fine then, you can come."

I smile, good. I planned on going wether or not he said yes.

~~**~~

"They shouldn't be here, especailly the Lady Morgana and Kat. Isn't one the king's ward and the other a princess from a far away land?" I hear Merlin's mother ask him.

I roll over in my bed and let out a sigh. Does it matter what my titel is and where I'm from?

They both sit at the fire, talking, while Morgana, Gwen, and I sleep.

Well, "sleep".

"Not that you'd know it. There the only people I know who aren't frightened."

"It won't make any diffrence to Kanen that their woman."

"I know, but I couldn't talk them out of coming. I want to make him pay for what he did to you."

"Promise me you'llbe careful. No one can find out about you."

I did, it was quite easy actually.

"They won't. They never do."

"Get some rest."

She stands up and walks over to the blankets we've laid out to sleep on. I wait 'till she's asleep, before I get up and walk over to Merlin.

"Go to sleep, I'll keep watch."

"Don't you need sleep too?"

I chuckle. "No, I work best at midnight. I guess that comes from my constant training sessions at midnight. Plus, I make a much better guard than you. Go to sleep."

He sighs, "Fine then."

He gets up from the log, goes over and lays down in one of the blankets.

I sit down on the logs, and pull out my sword. I grab a rock from beside the fire, and quietly run the rock over the blade. Not my preferred method of sharpening it, but it'll have to do.

I hear someone draw a sword behind me, and turn to see Merlin standing up.

"What?" I hiss at him.

"Nothing, stay here."

I shake my head. "I'm coming with you."

He sighs as I get up and follow him away from our campsite.

"You look pathetic with that sword," I hiss at him.

He roll his eyes at me, but doesn't reply.

I stop in my tracks as I detect something. My eyes widen, and we both look around the clearing.

I feel the point of a sword on my back, and I stop moving. Merlin looks at me, its on him too.

"I'd ask you for money, but I know you don't have any."

"Arthur!" Merlin exclaims, turning around and swinging his sword.

I chuckle as Arthur ducks under Merlin's sword.

"Put the sword down Merlin, you look ridiculous."

I smirk at him, "Told you."

"And you let him have that?" Arthur asks me.

I shake my head. "No, Gwen did. If it was up to me he would only have a piece of wood."

Arthur nods, and heads back down toward our campsite.

All three of us sit around the fire, and I commence sharpening my sword.

"How much father is it?" Arthur asks.

"Maybe a few hours," Merlin tells him.

"How many men does Kanen have?"

"I'm not sure. I think from what my mother said maybe as many as forty."

"You should get some rest, both of you, its going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Thank you," Merlin says. "I know you didn't have to come."

"Get some sleep."

They both go over to sleep, but I stay up, moving onto to sharpening all four of my knives. I've added two silver ones to my collection.

"Go to sleep Kat," Arthur says to me, coming over and sitting next to me.

I shake my head. "I'll keep watch, you go to bed. You know I'm at my best at midnight."

Athena's sacred bird is the owl. I'm like an owl, nocturnal.

"I don't care. I need you rested, you can fight."

"So can Morgana."

He pauses and looks at me. "Not as well as you can. No one can fight like you can."

I smile at him. "Thanks. Now go to bed, I'm perfectly fine."

He sighs, but gets up and goes over to the sleeping bag thing he brought.

"Night Kat," he calls to me.

"Night Arthur."

I sigh and turn back to my sharpening.

He's just my friend, I don't love him, I could never love him.

Right?

~~**~~

I throw my knife right at the wooden pole by Kanen's head. Arthur and I jump off our horses, and attack the bandits.

One of the charges at me with an axe, I duck under his slow swing and elbow him in the back. He topples to the ground, and I charge at the next one.

"Kill them!" I hear Kanen say.

Not today buddy, not today.

I meet the next attacker's weapon with my sword, and push back. He stumbles back a few paces, and I knock his head with the hilt of my sword.

I turn and see Arthur defeat the guy with a black mask on, but he doesn't notice another guy coming up behind me.

I manage to run over and meet the guy's blade with mine, forcing my sword around his and flicking it out of his hand. I kick him in the stomach, and he slumps to the ground.

I smirk at him. "Bring back memories of when I used to beat you? Oh wait, I still can."

He glares at me, then turns his attention back to Kanen on a horse.

"You'll pay for this, with your lives! All of you!" Kanen screams as he rides off.

"Merlin, gather the villagers I need to talk to them," Arthur commands him.

"Yeah, in a minute, I'm just talking," Merlin replies.

"Now Merlin, there isn't much time."

"Yes sire."

I stand next to Arthur in front of all the villagers that have gathered.

"I know Kanen's kind, he'll be back. And when he is, we must be ready for him," Arthur says to the people.

"First of all, we have to..." I start.

"Am I the only one wondering who the hell this is?" One of the village boys asks.

"I'm Prince Arthur of Camelot," Arthur tells him.

"And I'm Princess Katrina of Sparta," I tell him.

"Yeah, and I'm Prince William of Eeldor," the boy taunts.

"Keep quite, their here to help us," Merlin's mother shushes him.

"They're making things worse. Kanen will be back, and when he is he'll be looking for revenge. You've just signed our death warrant."

"They saved Matthew's life!"

"Alright enough," Arthur interrupts. "This is his village. What would you have us do?"

"We can't fight against Kanen, he has too many men."

"So what's the alternative?" I ask.

"Give him what he wants."

"Then what?" Arthur says. "Those of you who don't starve to death face him again next harvest. And the harvest after that."

"We manage, we'll survive."

"The only way it can be stopped, is if you stand up to him," I explain.

"No, you just want the honor and glory of battle. That's what drives people like you. Look, if you wanna fight, then go home and risk the lives of your own people, not us."

The boy marches off.

"Will," Merlin calls, going after him.

Arthur and I exchange glances.

"I'll follow you," Merlin's mother says. "If I'm going to die, then I want to go out fighting."

"That goes for me too," the man I saved from Kanen earlier says.

They ignite a spark, and the entire rest of the village shouts out a chorus of count me ins, and me too.

I smile, this might go better than I thought.

~~**~~

"Still haven't learned how to dress your self?" I ask Arthur as I make the final adjustments to my armor.

"You don't have a dog finish the steak himself, no offense Merlin," he replies.

"None taken."

"Prince Arthur you haven't finished your breakfast," Merlin's mother tells him, coming over.

"Didn't I?" He asks in a fake voice. You need to learn how to act, it actually comes in handy.

"Come on, eat up," I taunt him.

He picks up the spoon, then puts it back in the bowl and hands it to Gwen. "Alright, lets get going, we need wood, and lots of it."

"Of course," Merlin says as we head out into the town.

~~**~~

"We won't be able to teacher you every thing there is to know about fighting with a sword, but you can learn the basics," Arthur says to the townspeople.

"For starts, how to parry a blow, how to land your own," I tell them.

We hand out sticks to them, and have them line up in a line, and teach them the basics.

"On my count," Arthur calls out. "One," they strike eachother's wood. "Two," they strike again. "Three," again. "Four."

"Now you may have to watch for that fate, so keep your feet moving, and only stay in range long enough to land your blow," I explain to them.

They all look at me funny, I'm a girl who can fight and win. Yeah, I know.

"Again," Arthur calls out. "One, two, three, four."

I walk over to Gwen and Morgana, who are making swords.

Morgana shakes her head at me. "There's no way they're going to be able to hold Kanen off."

I nod, "I know..."

"Men aren't the only ones who can fight," Gwen says.

I smile and nod, obviously. I go back over to Arthur, and make rounds around the men as they practice, giving little tips and pointers.

"Alright, lets go for a break," Arthur calls. I join him at the water pump just as Gwen and Morgana come over.

"Looks like the battle's already fought and lost," Morgana says.

"They'll toughen up."

"They need to," Gwen says.

"How are we doing for weapons?" Arthur asks.

"There isn't much, but we should be able to scrape together what you need," Morgana tells him.

"Its not the weapons that worry us, its having enough people to use them," Gwen says. "We think the women should be allowed to fight."

"You haven't enough men," Morgana explains. "If they were trained soliders maybe you'd stand a chance, but they're not."

"Its too dangerous," he tells them, walking away. I follow after him.

"That doesn't include me, right?"

He ignores me and continues to walk.

"Don't think your making me stay out of this. I've made up my mind that I'm fighting, and there's nothing you can do about it. You need me for this."

"Yes, I do. But I also need you. I can't risk losing you over something that's not even in my own kingdom."

I stop and stare up at him. He has a nervous look on his face, as if he thinks he really shouldn't have said that.

"I'll be perfectly fine, not even a scratch."

"Promise? Not a scratch?"

I smile, "As long as you promise the same thing."

He smiles back. "Fine then." He turns back to the men. "Right, back on your feet, come on lets go."

~~**~~

"We're not going to be able to defend Eeldor with sword and sinweed alone, we're going to need a plan," Arthur explains to the men. I stand next to him, smirking.

"We need to find some way of limiting their mobility, and drawing them into a trap. If we fight them on their terms then..."

He's interrupted by a scream from outside. We all go running outside, toward a man laying on a horse.

"Get him down from there," Arthur commands them.

They pull the man down off his horse, the man I saved the first day we came, with an arrow stuck in his back. And stuck under that arrow, a note.

Arthur leans over and pulls off the note.

"What does it say?" Merlin asks.

"Make the most of this day, it will be your last," Arthur reads.

I stand over his shoulder and read it. Damn you Kanen, damn you.

"Matthew!" A woman screams. "No! No!" She runs over to the dead body, crying.

How would I feel if that was Arthur or Merlin?

Oh gods.

"You did this!" That boy Will accuses us. "For all you've done you've killed him!"

I stand next to Arthur in a defensive stance, ready to defend if need be.

"It wasn't their fault," Merlin defends us.

"If they hadn't been strutting around, treating us like their own personal army, this would never have happened," Will retorts.

"These men are brave enough to fight for what they believe in, even if you may not be," Arthur counters.

"You're sending them to their graves! You killed one man, how many more need to die before you realize that this is a battle that can't be won? When Kanen comes you haven't got a chance, you're gonna be slaughtered."

He looks at Merlin, as if pleading him to do something. He must know.

The townspeople disperse and I look up at Arthur.

"You ok?"

He shakes his head and walks off. I go back into the house we've been staying in, and pull out my bow. I run my hand over it, and pull out my sheath and arrows. Both silver and celestial bronze.

Arthur's been calling me old school for using an old long bow instead of a cross bow.

And I've been returning the compliment by calling him a nitwit.

I sigh as Merlin comes in.

I turn to him. "He knows doesn't he? He knows that you and I both could end all of this quite easily."

Merlin nods.

I shake my head. "But we can't..."

"But we have to! Those men don't stand a chance, you know it. I see you cringing at their fighting."

"I could take one of them down in zero seconds flat without trying..." I mutter.

"Exactly! We're going to have to use magic if we want to save the village."

"But if Arthur sees..."

"Its a risk I'm willing to take."

I nod to him. "Fine then, count me in. I think I might have a little trick up my sleeve that'll send Kanen crying for mama."

He smiles at me. "Thanks Kat, for everything."

I nod to him. "It's been my pleasure."

"There is one thing you still haven't explained to me."

He's finally grasped and understands the whole thing with the gods, and monsters.

"What?"

"Who are you?"

I draw in a deep breath. "I'm a demigod daughter of Athena."

"So you're not a god?"

I laugh, "Nope, no way. Just a daughter of one."

~~**~~

"Tomorrow morning, women and children should gather what belongings they can carry, and go to the woods," Arthur says to the women as everyone in the village gathers in one of the houses to discuss the battle tomorrow.

We've already discussed this Arthur, I'm not going anywhere.

"We're not going anywhere," Gwen cuts in.

"I know you want to help, but its too dangerous."

"The women have as much right to fight for their lives as men do."

"None of you know how to fight."

"The more of us there are, the better chance we stand."

Arthur sighs, realizing she's brought up a good point.

"This is your home, if you want to fight to defend it that's your choice. I'd be honored to stand along side you." He looks over at me, and I nod to him.

"Kanen attacks tomorrow. Kanen's brutal, fights only to kill. Which is why he will never defeat us. Look around, in this circle, we're all equals. You're not fighting because someone's ordering you to, you're fighting for so much more than that.You fight for your homes, you fight for you family, you fight for your friends, you fight for the right to grow crops in peace. And if you fall, you fall fighting for the noblest of causes, you're fighting for your very right to survive.

"And when you're old and grey, you'll look back on this day and you'll know you earned the right to live every day in between. So you fight, for your family, for your friends, for Eeldor!"

"For Eelador!" Everyone chants standing up. I stand up with them, and smile at Arthur. He catches my eye, and smiles back.

Eventually, the people disperse for the night, but I hang back.

"Go to sleep Kat, I need you well rested for tomorrow. Not a scratch, remember?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you. I never knew you had it in you to give such a rousing and heartfelt speech. We might actually have a chance now."

He turns to face me. "We always have." I give him a puzzled look. "I just realized it now, but I could take on an entire army with just you by my side. And thanks for trusting in my abilities so much."

He really thinks that? I think I'll chose to ignore it because I really don't want to test it.

I laugh, "Oh please, you know I'd trust you with my life."

He looks at me, his eyes suddenly going all serious. "And I you."

I smile at him, "Don't pity me."

He lets out a breath. "Why do you think like this Kat? Why do you think that you're nothing more than just a waste of space? Because you're not, you're so much more than that."

I turn away from him. "I said don't pity me."

He grabs my arm and pulls me around to face him.

He's close... So close...

"I'm not pitying you, I mean it with all my heart. You truly do mean a lot to me, and I don't know what I'd do without you."

I look up at him. Damn his eyes. They're bluer than the sea its self.

"You really don't know what you'd do without me?"

He nods, "Who would I have to make fun of me every five seconds? Or just completely ignore the fact that I'm the Prince and could have her killed for most of the things she says to me?"

I smile at him. "No one's every told me that I actually mean something. No one."

He gives me a sympathetic look, and slides his hand into mine.

"Here I am, telling you that you mean so much to me Katrina Martir."

"And you mean so much to me Arthur Pendragon."

He slowly moves in closer, and my heart starts beating out of my chest.

"Arthur!" Someone calls. "Where are you? Time to go to bed."

He jumps back, alarmed by the person looking for him. He looks angrily out the door, the turns back to me.

"Go to sleep Kat. Now."

I sigh, "Fine then."

I follow him out of the house and down to the place we've been staying. I slide into the sleeping bag thing, and slowly let sleep claim me.

~~**~~

"Kat, you ready?" Arthur calls to me as I fasten on the last piece of my full body armor. I touch my necklace, and activate my shield. I draw my sword, and walk over to him.

"Oh hell yeah, bring it on!"

He rolls his eyes at me. "What did we say about swearing Kat?"

I sigh, "I need to stop my stupid swearing habit because I'll end up getting myself killed because I'll somehow accidentally swear at Uther because I apparently can't control my temper or my swearing."

He nods, "Good, now come on."

We walk down the line of men, wishing them luck. We stop at Gwen.

"You frightened?" I ask her.

"Not in the slightest," she replies.

I nod to her, and she runs off to help Morgana. Arthur taps Merlin on the shoulder, and the three of us move to the fence.

I watch as Kanen's men come riding toward us, screaming and being all barbaric.

We run back to the line of men, waiting behind a house.

"Hold," Arthur orders. "No one move until I give the signal."

The ride closer and closer, baffled by what looks to be a deserted town.

"Come out, come out where ever you are," I hear Kanen say.

I want to be the one to kill him.

They pull up the gate, and the horse whinny and run back.

"Now, Morgana, what are you waiting for?" Arthur hisses.

"Somethings gone wrong."

Merlin turns and runs off to aid Morgana.

"Merlin," Arthur calls after him. He grabs my shoulder and pulls me down. "You're staying here. Don't even think about it."

The whole towns gets encircled by a ring of fire, my design of course.

"Now!" Arthur commands. The villagers cry out, and I run out right next to Arthur, keeping pace with him the whole way.

I dive at the first barbarian I see, cutting his stomach, then moving onto the next one. I duck under his swing, and cut right then left. He falls over, and I go in search of more.

Someone lunges at me from behind, and I turn to meet his blade. I push him back, knee him in the stomach, then grab his head and smash in onto my shield.

One of Kanen's men jumps right in front of me, and slashes at my right. I side step to the left and meet his blade. I smile at I twist my sword around his, and flick my wrist, sending his sword flying. I kick him hard in the stomach, and turn to face another one.

I notice one of the villagers running around without any type of weapon. I toss him my shield. "Not a scratch!"

He nods thankfully, and runs off.

"Kat!" Someone screams. I turn as Arthur jumps behind me, knocking one of the barbarians behind me to the ground.

"Thanks," I call to him.

"You promised me not a scratch," he says, dodging another person's blow.

I chuckle, "I know."

He finishes off the person he was fighting and turns to me.

"Kat."

"What?"

He leans in closer to me, and his mouth finds mine. A chill goes down my spine, and he pulls away just as fast as he came in.

I stare at him, my eyes wide, and he shakes something off his shoulder. He turns around, and goes back to fighting.

Wait, what just happened?

Did he just kiss me?

And did I just like it?

Oh gods what's happening to me?

"There's too many of them," I hear someone say. I snap out of my trance, and notice that I'm standing next to Merlin and his friend Will.

"Not for me there isn't," Merlin says. He looks to me, and nods.

I draw in a deep breath, and look to Arthur.

Maybe a love him, maybe I don't, but after this its not going to matter either way.

But I'm still going to do it, because I can't let these people die knowing I could have done something.

Merlin starts muttering a spell to affect the wind, and I conjure up a nice little ball of water. I mix the water with Merlin's wind, and it sweeps across the village, drenching and scaring away all the barbarians. I mix the water with the wind, making sure it stays in the cyclone.

It's a mini-tornado-with-a-hurricane-inside-it-of-certain-death.

Ok, maybe not death, but you get my point.

The wind disperses, and I let the water go with it. I whirl around and bring my sword down on the man that was sneaking up behind me.

Nothing gets past me.

The raiders that haven't already been killed, run for the forest, with some of the townspeople chasing after them.

I smile, we won.

Of course we won, I was directly involved.

"Pendragon!" Someone yells. I turn, and see Kanen approaching Arthur. I run up to help him but he pushes me away.

"This is my fight Kat," he hisses at me.

I open my mouth to protest, but he dives in and attacks Kanen.

They go at it, striking and parrying. Arthur knocks Kanen's sword out of his hand, but he just pulls one out of a dead body.

Kanen attempts to wrap his sword around Arthur's, the way I always do.

"That's my move bastard," I growl, going in to attack him. Merlin grabs my arm and pulls me back, away from the fight.

Arthur manages to drive his sword right through Kanen's chest, and he sinks to the ground, wailing.

Arthur walks over to us. "Who did that?"

"What?" Merlin asks.

"Wind like that doesn't just appear from nowhere, I know magic when I see it. One of you made it happen."

He didn't notice the water. Maybe I can get away with this.

"Arthur..." Merlin starts.

"Look out!" Will cries, pushing Arthur out of the way. An arrow from a cross bow fires, and hits right where Arthur was just standing, and where Will is standing.

"Will!" Merlin cries, rushing to his aid. Arthur helps him, his eyes wide.

"You saved my life," he says to Will.

"Yeah, don't know what I was thinking."

"Come on, get him inside!" Arthur commands. I help him and Merlin lift will up and carry him into one of the houses.

I back off once we lay him down on a bench in one of the houses, and go stand with Merlin's mother, Gwen, and Morgana.

"That's twice I've saved you," Will tells Arthur.

"Twice?" Arthur asks.

"It was me, I'm the one that used the magic."

My eyes widen. "Will, don't," Merlin says to him.

"Its alright. I mean, I won't be alive long enough for anyone to do anything to me. I did it. I saw how desperate things were becoming and I had to do something."

"You're a sorcerer?" Arthur asks him.

Will nods, "Yeah, what are you gonna do? Kill me?"

Merlin and I exchange a glance. He just saved our skins, and I don't even know him.

"No," Arthur tells him. "Of course not. Do what you can for him."

Arthur turns and motions for us to leave.

I follow him out, and go in search of my shield. I kinda need that thing back...

"Kat," Arthur calls to me. I turn to face him. "You alright? Not a scratch?"

I smile, "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"Yeah, thanks to him."

I nod. "We all owe our lives to him."

"You fought well Kat, worthy of a knight."

I laugh at him. "I am technically a knight you nitwit!"

"Good. Then I can expect to see you bright and early tomorrow for training?"

I shake my head at him, smiling. "Fine then, as long as I don't have to play dog."

He smiles at me. "Fine then Kitty Kat, no more dog games for you."

I roll my eyes at him, and continue my search for my shield.

I defiantly have strong feelings for him, I just haven't decided how strong yet.

~~**~~

A/N: And the tensions are building, leading up to the next chapter and omggggg. I'm sorry, i just really really really ship Kat and Arthur cause I'm cool like that XD Next chapter will be episode 13, which is the season one finaly! I watched this episode for the first time thinking about where Kat would fit in. Basically all the stuff Gwen says to Arthur while he's dying, Kat's gonna say. ahhh I can't wait!

Love,

Kateeeeee