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( Chapter Three ━━━ Over Canopy Dabble Long Ago ! )
Over the last couple of days, Luke and I had been training with Percy. We were the best swordsmen at camp, but I wouldn't be surprised if Percy took one of our places soon. Sure, it took him a bit to get the hang of fighting with the sword, that's normal. He disarmed Luke and I with an unbalanced sword. If he could do that, he would to great things with a balanced one.
Friday came sooner than expected. Annabeth and a few of her siblings ran to the pavilion carrying a gray, silk banner. An olive tree and a barn owl had been painted on it. They were followed by Clarisse and her siblings holding a banner of a loud red. On it, a bloody spear and a boar's head had been painted. The flags.
Teams were announced. Athena, Apollo, and Hermes had had an alliance for years. I was also on their team as the Ares kids didn't want a "forbidden kid" on their team. I didn't mind, I much rather would have followed Annabeth's plan than any of Colton's or Clarisse's.
Normally, any alliance between Athena and Poseidon would never happen. Since our parents do not get along, it usually would translate to us demigods hating each other too. It was different with Annabeth though. After she learned about the rivalry between Athena and Poseidon, she told me, "I could never hate you the way they hate each other." It pretty much solidified our friendship.
Ares aligned with everyone else. There were only two of Dionysus's kids and four—big and burly—Hephaestus kids. Demeter's children were not too aggressive, at all, but they could whip someone's butt with their edge on nature skills. Not all of the Aphrodite kids participated. A few of them could be found in the pavilion as they waited for the game to finish. Then there was the dozen Ares kids, they led the pack.
The tables had been filled with weapons, helmets (ones with blue plumes, for the Athena team, and ones with red plumes, for Ares), and shields. I grabbed a helmet and reluctantly put it on. I was no Aphrodite kid, but I knew when something was ugly. Who would actually wear one of these helmets in battle? They barely fit and fell off easily. I had my own sword, one Chiron had given me a year or two ago. Lastly, I grabbed a shield for good measure.
"Blue team, forward!" Annabeth yelled. Everyone cheered, following her to the south woods. The red team headed north.
Percy and I fell in line with the girl, one of us on each side. He asked for any magic items from either of us. I didn't have any and I knew Annabeth would never give him anything.
"Watch Clarisse's spear," she told him. "Has Luke given you your job?"
