The Trials of Will

Demigods are Possessed and Quests are Served

Relations between Greek and Roman demigods have never been better after the war with Gaea. They resolved the prophecy of the seven, they fought together, and Percy made friends with the Roman demigods. The brand on his arm was proof of their acceptance, of making amends and finally connecting two camps. Nothing like life-threatening danger to bring two sides together, it worked wonders. They better be friends because he won't give up his dream of living in New Rome with Annabeth.

One might wonder why Percy pondered their new friendship with the Roman demigods. Well, the whole situation turned upside down as soon as Percy thought everything was peachy.

Percy decided to visit Camp Half-blood for two weeks, as he sometimes did. What better way to spend spring break than at camp? School had him in the ringer; papers piled upon papers and Percy stressing over high school credits. To graduate or not to graduate, his future lay in the hands of his counselor and teachers. Annabeth suffered a similar fate, however she could handle school better than he ever could. But she's not free from the clutches of homework, no amount of good work ethic and smarts could outdo the wrath of a teacher.

He got lucky and left school early, work done and his strings cut. Annabeth on the other hand... Percy shook his head. She suffered at the hands of her literature teacher.

He perked up once he saw Camp Half-blood, a smile etching its way into his face. His personal airplane, Blackjack, shook his head.

"Finally," the horse said.

"Don't lie, you love flying with me," Percy said and patted his mane. Blackjack snorted. The strawberry fields were a welcome sight after weeks of stuffy classrooms and busy work. Camp Half-blood was akin to a half-home, in a way. He liked living with his mom, but seeing his friends and fellow demigods made him giddy.

He descended to the ground and as he did, the not-so-welcome sound of utter destruction met his ears. It was peaceful above, with swaying trees and an ever-shining sun. Up close told a different story. Campers screaming and shouting, weapons drawn, and a faint sound of... growling? Yeah, Percy confirmed, growling.

What did he expect? A bunch of ADHD demigod teens in one place was a recipe for disaster. However, this was a different chaos, the 'we're in danger right now, Percy, please swoop in and swing your sword' kind of danger. His least favorite kind. He landed and slipped off Blackjack, a hand in his pocket and his smile gone.

The pegasus nudged him, 'Boss, can we get some donuts later?'

"We'll see." Blackjack huffed and walked away. Unfortunately, Blackjack focused more on donuts than the chaos at hand. Speaking of chaos, Percy sighed and pulled out his pen, he should help.

He walked into camp with kids running around in a general panic, or to find the nearest weapon, Percy could never tell. Demigods brandished shields and swords, they fought what appeared to be three Roman demigods. Driven into the middle of the camp and surrounded by yelling Greeks, all jabbing their sharp objects.

"What the hell is your problem?" one shouted.

"Hey- don't bite me!" another yelped as they flinched away from snapping teeth.

Percy raised his brows at the words. The three Romans were staying in Camp Half-blood as exchange students, in a way. They had set up an exchange program to familiarize the two camps with one another so they wouldn't grow apart again. Except now, they're trying to kill each other. Percy frowned and uncapped Riptide, he walked toward the small skirmish with a tight grip on the handle. This wasn't part of the exchange program unless they're doing a realistic reenactment of demigod history.

"Oh, hey Percy!" He paused and saw Leo, who grinned and waved a hand his way. "Glad to see you could make it, the party is just getting started." The party looked like a bunch of Greek demigods ganging up on three Romans. It would be concerning if the Roman demigods weren't snarling like rabid dogs. Their teeth bared and their eyes glassy, no life within them. Creepy.