Storm Chaser || Jason Grace x OC

5. I sort of cheat in a sword fight

It had been a week since my arrival at Camp Jupiter and my 16th birthday was fast approaching. I didn't have much time to sit and savor it though because I was constantly moving. I was either eating, sleeping, or training. Leila kept me busy and while I was quickly getting use to the routine, my skills were still seriously lacking in most departments.

"Heads up Cotho!" I heard someone call out moments before I was slammed to the ground.

Ow.

My head was pounding as I quickly recovered from the shield that had been slammed in my face. I grabbed my sword just in time to block a someone from the 1st cohort's blade from connecting with my arm.

"Looks like someone learned how to swing a sword" she teased before swinging again.

I was able to block again but I knew trying to switch to an offensive position was not going to turn out well for me. My swordsmanship was better than it had been a week ago when Jason first started giving me lessons but I still had a long way to go before I had a chance of actually winning a fight.

The whole field was filled with others from the whole legion battling, trying to charge the castle. We were in the middle of a war game. The first I'd been actively involved in here but I had sat through so much logistics training this past week that I felt I was already a pro. 

Little did I know practicing fighting and actually having other people actively trying to hurt you are two very different things. 

"Kayla, finish her and move on"

I looked behind her to see Octavian calling out from his own sword fight.

His alliance was clearly a one-time transactional deal. Which I had figured from the lack of any conversation or follow up in the past week. He had found me interesting at the beginning and I understood why after my conversation with Reyna and Jason. They genuinely thought I was some powerful being capable of horrible destruction. 

After my performance this past week no one thought that. 

I was getting my ass kicked in everything, not just sword fighting but archery, Roman history, literature, fitness tests, and basically anything that didn't involve me lying down with my eyes closed. Everyone had lost interest in me and either didn't think about me or viewed me as an annoying member of their cohort they needed to keep track of.

Everyone except for Jason.

"COTHO! Keep it sharp!" Porcia yelled in my face as she blocked a blow from Kayla.

I spent way too much time folding into my own thoughts and not nearly enough time aware of the world around me. Something Kayla had noticed and taken full advantage of.

"Sorry!" I offered snapping my focus back on to the fight in front of me.

Kayla was obviously much better at this then me and instead of just finishing this and putting me out of my misery she was insistent on keeping this going to humiliate me. 

"Daydreaming about a certain praetor?" She smirked swinging her sword around.

I felt my face turn red and I narrowed my eyes at her. I had worried the separate training with Jason would lead to rumors and it was clear they had. My reputation here was already bad enough without being seen as a boy obsessed loser trying to gain special privilege.

This time I attacked first but she was quick to block. A smile started spreading across her face.

"Did I hit a nerve?"

I gritted my teeth and quickly stepped back preparing to swing again. I didn't have enough time to attack first though as she was quick to hit me with a parry. I was able to keep a grip on my sword but my balance was shot and I had to stumble backwards to avoid her second attack.