A Game of Promises

Chapter 20: Enemy

Just so you don't get confused, this is happening before and during Michael's death. I didn't bring him back from the dead, don't worry.

Jason's POV

I wake up with the light from the sun burning my face. I groggily sit up and see that nothing interesting has happened during the course of the night. Claire is on top of Mitchell. I look away from them. I see that Michael is already awake and preparing  to head out.

"What are you doing," I call out to him.

Claire and Mitchell wake up at the sound of my voice. Clarisse and Taylor sleep on, oblivious to any commotion.

"Yeah, Michael. Where are you going?" Claire asks.

"Scouting around the are. I want to make sure no one is near here. And I want to check on my nets, see if any idiots got caught in them," Michael looks nervous. His sweat glistens in the morning sun, giving him a really weird glow.

"Allow someone who knows how to fight assist you, dear Michael," Mitchell says. "Like, Jason, for example. And Claire, they are both highly capable warriors."

Michael grimaces, but nods his head slowly. I grab my sword and walk over. Claire gathers a dozen throwing knives and we leave the Cornucopia.

I try to walk as silently as I can, but it's mostly impossible to in the dry leaves. We all are crunching, and not on potato chips.

"I'm going to go this way, check out a net. I'll meet you up in the clearing,"
Michael says, already walking away.

Once he's out of an earshot, Claire mutters to me. "Wimp."

I laugh uneasily with her. We approach the clearing that Michael was talking about. But it's already occupied.

In the clearing, I see a boy and girl. The girl has curly blonde hair and the boy has black hair. They're standing back to back, turned towards the opposite direction. We're too far away to hear what they're saying.

I see Michael standing there. He looks over toward us, his eyes wide.

Claire curses under her breathe before throwing a knife at the couple. The boy hits the ground before the knife hits him. It soars harmlessly over his head.

Claire runs in front of me, charging them with a knife twirling on her fingers. I stay behind in case they later need back up.

Michael runs off and the blonde chases him. I inch closer to Claire and the boy. I can hear what they're saying.

"What do you want?" The boy asks.

"Oh, you know. I'd like a large iced tea, half sweet. Low ice, please. What do you think I want?" Claire says, sarcasm heavy.

"I'd rather have a coke, but whatever," Percy replies.

Claire narrows her eyes at the boy. Before she can kill him, he moves first. The boy easily disarms her, flicking the knife out of her hand with his sword.

Claire grabs another one, but before she can throw it, I charge in.

"Great, another one of you careers. You keep popping up everywhere, like daises," he says, eying me.

"More like poison ivy," says Claire. "Deadly."

"Technically, it isn't deadly. I didn't die from it, I won't die from you," the boy replies.

"Or maybe you will," I say, holding out my sword a little bit out from my body.

He gives me a look that says 'Really?' I ignore it as best as I can. Claire throws another knife. He easily deflects it.

"I would love to stay and play tag with you, but got to go. And you look a little dehydrated. Have some water."

The boy summons a wave out of nowhere. It hits Claire and I away from the boy, who runs in the direction the girl and Michael went earlier.

Claire and I trudge back to the Cornucopia, drenched. I'm sort of worried about Michael, but it doesn't appear that the girl would hurt him.

Claire and I lay in the sun in hopes that we will dry off. Michael doesn't return.

"Weasel probably joined the others," Mitchell sneers. "We're better off without him."

But he left his supplies here. He only has one weapon. Somehow, I don't believe that he joined the others. Somehow, I believe that something happened to him.