A Crown of Golden Leaves: A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Caput LXIII: Anaklusmos

"If ever you feel like an animal among men, be a lion." ― Criss Jami 

Caput LXIII: Anaklusmos

As Percy was getting ready to leave, he started to brood about Octavius again, and he accidentally stumbled across something sharp. Well, more like, he smacked his foot against it and he nearly cut his toe off.

He swore under his breath as he leaned over to grab his toe. Well, that was a smart move. Of course his pater would make him lose his train of thought. Of course.

For a moment, he stared at the sword - the bronze blade shimmered in the light. Its grip was wrapped in leather and the hilt was riveted in gold studs. Then he shook his head; forget it. This was probably somebody's sword. And besides, it had almost taken his toe off.

He tried to walk away but... but something about the way it gleamed kept calling him in. The weapon was beautiful.

He touched the edge of the blade with his finger and drew blood. It was a double-edged blade then even though it was so flat. Odd. He'd never seen craftsmanship quite like it before...

Almost like his arm was being controlled by something other than himself, he reached out and gripped the hilt. It felt ... right in his palm, like it had been forged for him, and more accurately than the rest of the swords that his pater had forged for him in the blacksmiths of Roma. But that was ridiculous. No blade was perfect. And even if it was, it would be arrogance to think it had been forged specifically for him.

He shifted his leg back as he sank forward, pulling the sword up into a resting position. He pulled it back behind his right shoulder, and then he swung it to his left shoulder. It was odd how ... how right it felt, but that was ridiculous. Wasn't it? It had to be. He was just...

A gasp, and he pivoted, bending his elbows so that his right hand was next to his cheek and held level while his left hand steadied the sword, the elbow by his ribcage.

Zoe stepped out of the shadows, eyes wide, and he relaxed. Then he realized that this was probably her sword - so he lowered it and held it out to her hilt first.

"Err," he began, "sorry. I just saw it. It wasn't my intention to-"

"It doesn't burn you?"

He frowned. He flicked his wrist and twirled the sword around so that he held it the proper way since she wasn't taking it from him like he had expected her to. "Pardon?"

She looked at his sword. "Anaklusmos, the sword you are wielding. It doesn't burn you?"

He bobbed his head slowly, and looked down at the sword in his grip. "Is there something special about this?"

She was staring at him when he looked back up at her. He hid his nose behind his elbow as he sneezed. Someone must be talking about me somewhere.

"You must be a rare soul then," she replied eventually. She looked like she was pulling her teeth out with that admission and Percy took no pleasure from it. "Anaklusmos does not tame itself for any mere mortal, king or not."

Percy chucked the sword far, far away from him and backed away from it, not caring it wasn't proper etiquette. There was no way he was any different. He didn't want it. Hera had tricked him before, this was probably one of Artemis' tricks-

"Why did you do that?" Zoe crossed over to the sword and gingerly picked it up between her two fingers. He shook his head.

"I don't want it." He didn't want anything remotely magical in nature. Ever. It usually became a curse to the person who wielded it and he already had enough curses in his life.