The Son Of Asclepius, Demi-god Doctor

Chariots, Birds and Marshmallows

The next few days were a little awkward. Every few hours there was a knock on (Y/N)s cabin door, and upon opening it there would always be a group of apologetic demi-gods. The son of Asclepius enjoyed seeing all the half-bloods humbled a little, brought down from the superiority complexes. Even Clarisse showed up on his door step with two other Ares kids, much to his surprise. Both Percy and Annabeth questioned what happened to him during his rant, but he dismissed their concerns since he himself had no idea what it was. Chiron would have the answer. 

(Y/N) had a feeling it was related to the metal Aphrodite gave to him, which he still hadn't found much use for. It wouldn't mix with celestial bronze and there wasn't enough of it to make a weapon, so for now it sat on his office as a paper weight. Tantalus was a real annoyance though, making everyone's time a real misery. 

He seemed to torture Percy with an endless list of chores, ranging from daily stable cleaning to even cleaning his office. The son of Poseidon also seemed to be struggling with his new brother. It was a huge contrast to their relations before camp, going from real close friends to Percy avoiding Tyson at all costs. 

"He's not my real brother!" he protested whenever Tyson wasn't around. "He's more like a half brother on the monstrous side of the family. Like ... a half-brother twice removed, or something."

Nobody bought his whining. Annabeth tried to get his mind off the cyclops by suggesting to team up for the chariot race, a request gladly accepted. Elara however seemed to warm up to the cyclops, the two hanging out whenever they could. They would talk about their lives before camp, nothing (Y/N) hadn't heard before, but it was still nice to see his girlfriend be so accepting and kind to an outcast. Oh yeah, (Y/N) and Elara had a conversation one night and finally decided to take their relationship forwards, so at least there was some good news. Back into the negatives, Percy and Annabeth broke their little union in a matter of hours after teaming up. Some disagreement over Tyson and monsters put the cyclops and Percy on a team with Annabeth choosing to go with someone from her own cabin. Maybe Athena wouldn't kill him? 

The morning of the race was hot and humid. Fog lay low on the ground like sauna steam. Thousands of birds were roosting in the trees, fat grey and white pigeons, except they didn't coo like regular pigeons. They made this annoying metallic screeching sound that reminded (Y/N) of a radar from a military submarine that washed up on the beach once.The racetrack had been built in a grassy field between the archery range and the woods.Hephaestus's cabin had used the bronze bulls, which were completely tame since they'd had their heads smashed in, to plow an oval track in a matter of minutes.

There were rows of stone steps for the spectators- Tantalus, the satyrs, a few dryads, (Y/N), Elara and all of the campers who weren't participating. Dionysus didn't show. He hadn't got up before ten o'clock since he first began to direct camp.

"Right!" Tantalus announced as the teams began to assemble. 

A naiad had brought him a big platter of pastries, and as Tantalus spoke, his right hand chased a chocolate eclair across the judge'stable. (Y/N) scooped up the treat and put it in his mouth much to the annoyance of Tantalus. 

"You all know the rules. A quarter-mile track. Twice around to win. Two horses per chariot.Each team will consist of a driver and a fighter. Weapons are allowed. Dirty tricks are expected. But try not to kill anybody!" 

Tantalus smiled at the racers like they were all naughty children ready for the cooking pot. "Any killing will result in harsh punishment. No s'mores at the campfire for a week! Now ready your chariots!" 

There was a chariot for Hephaestus, Ares, Apollo, Hermes, Poseidon and Athena, all varying in design and methods for winning. Before the race began, Percy tried to talk to Annabeth, but she ignored him. (Y/N) had no idea what Percy was trying to say, but he would catch up with him later. Soon enough, the conch horn sounded.