DEAD RISING

Call Sign

"Come show me what you got, young man." Thalia smiles pulling me onto the sparing mat. "Take your shoes off you animal!"

"You pulled me on here before saying that!" I complain and slide my shoes off, the smell is not a good smell. Annabeth takes them and holds them away from her.

"So, what kind of training have you had, where did you serve?" Thalia smiles getting into a fighting stance.

"Zero training and Yancy Academy." I say getting into a nervous fighting stance.

"Ooh is that some special operative academy?" she smiles.

"No, it's a high school." I say.

"What?" she looks at me puzzled.

"Yeah, I'm a senior in high school." I say looking at her confused face.

"So... your 18, right?" she says, and I nod, "No combat experience?" she says.

"A little bit I guess." I say, she nods her head telling me to explain. "I've killed a handful of freaks, and shot 2 guys."

"You kill them?" she says and I nod. "Well shit... you have more combat experience than almost everyone, besides the Admiral I'd wager."

Her eyes lock onto my leg, time seems to slow down as she bends down quickly sweeping her leg out trying to knock me down. I lift my leg over hers and she spins back to her feet. Her left arm cock's back and I try to block, but I'm the corner of my eye I see her right fist coming straight to my face. Swaying my head back quickly, as her arm glides past my face. I grab her arm and put my back to her, pulling her arm down sending her flipping over me and crashing into the mat. Her eyes flutter as she looks up at me from the ground. The rest of the soldiers murmur around us, a crowd now growing.

She stands back up and starts to bounce on the balls of her feet, her face now serious. She runs and does a flying judo kick right at my face, I step to the side and she flies right past me. She lands and sends a kick back kick and I let her stick me right in the chest with her foot so I can catch it, and I do. Sweeping my leg behind her planted foot and I push her back to the ground.

"Well... damn kid..." she laughs from the ground sticking her hand up. I take it and pull her to her feet. "How'd you do that?"

"I have no clue." I say, amazed by myself. "Everything just slowed down, and I could react faster."

She looks at me impressed, "With some training, you can be one of the most insane soldiers...like ever." She laughs and pats my back. "Here follow me, I'll take you to your gear." She hops off the mat and walks though a door. Annabeth shrugs and follows her still holding my shoes.

"Ah, the gunsmith." Thalia takes a deep breath. "All that gunpowder and brass." She smiles wide and leans on the counter. A fenced counter with a small hole allowing the guns to slide though it, like at a DMV but for guns. "Hey how's my favorite Gunsmith?" she smiles at the worker.

He sighs, "Man it is so stuffy in here... don't get me wrong, I like it in here and it for sure beats going out there with you guys." He says pressing his face against the fence. "Who's this tall drink of handsome?"

"This is Percy Jackson, the new Demigods team lead." She smiles proudly.

"Demigods?" I ask.

"It's the name of our squad, the admiral gave us. She's big in the Greek stuff... who would even like that old crap." She stares right into my eyes, almost past them and looking directly into my brain. "Any how Percy, this is Leo. The finest smith in the US Navy."

"Here to get your gear?" he asks.

"I guess so." I nod.

He quickly plops down a black vest on the counter, and slides a upside down patch beside it. "A tactical light weight plate carrier vest, and Level 3 ceramic plates capable of stopping up to 7.62." he slides over a few body armor plates. Thalia shows me how to put the plates in the vest and how to put the vest on.

"What's that?" I ask and Thalia smiles.

"This is your patch." She pics it up and slaps it on the front top part of my vest, I try looking down at it but can't make it out. Annabeth looks at it.

"It's a trident patch." She says.

"Team leader, call sign Poseidon." Thalia smiles.

Leo clunks down more gear, "Black tactical helmet, complete with NVG's." Another trident patch on the back of the helmet. "And the pièce de résistance!" He lays down a, "AR 15 black tactical, with hybrid red dot and holographic sights, and a dirty...dirty silencer to top it off." he does the chefs French kiss. "Chambered in 5.56 NATO of course." He slides the rifle through the window slot. "Welcome to the Navy."