Hey again, just acknowledging NurfiqahZid for doing, then re-doing my cover. I owe her.
READ ON!!!
*****
Three hours later I was standing in the centre of a target range with my pistols in hand.
I had been instructed not to shoot people in any way, shape or form. And I was slightly disappointed when Annabeth agreed with Chiron about not shooting Ares in the toe if he appeared again. Percy agreed with me though, he stage-whispered to me about stabbing Ares in the foot in his first year.
I had a new-found respect for Percy.
Percy, Annabeth and Chiron were standing behind me with some kind of shield in front of them.
“Okay Cassie, go for it!” Percy yelled.
Some wooden targets appeared in the shooting range. Some were moving and others were really far away.
I aimed my guns at the ones that were far away. They weren’t moving, so I figured that they would be easier to shoot.
I was right.
I fired seven times at the seven all the way over at the other end of the range, (I wasn’t planning on wasting any of my celestial bronze bullets so I was using some normal ones) and almost instantly the bullets passed clean through the wood.
I heard a cheer and a surprised shout behind me as I quickly aimed at the moving targets and fired.
Again the wood splintered and cracked under the pressure.
I holstered my guns and turned to Chiron, Percy and Annabeth.
Chiron and Annabeth both had shocked expressions on their faces. Percy was grinning and shouting, “Yeah! You got this!” I walked over to them and stretched.
“Sorry about the targets Chiron. I’ll help make some new ones.” I smiled sheepishly at all three of them.
Percy clapped me on the shoulder. “No worries. That’s what they were made for.” He said, shrugging.
I pulled the elaborate armband off my left arm. As soon as I gripped it firmly in my hand it turned back into the sword I got from the shed.
As soon as the sword was back in my left hand the glove Ares gave me spiralled into a small round shield. My eyebrows creased as I looked at the carvings on its surface.
They were beautiful.
The elaborate swirls and jewel encrusted surface depicted a very scenic cliff face. The water swirled and the picture was so detailed and elaborate that it was hypnotic.
I forced my eyes away from it.
Chiron was forcing his eyes shut as he looked away from it. But Percy and Annabeth were still hypnotised by the shield.
I turned it away from their transfixed gaze.
They shook their heads to clear them of the magic.
Annabeth assumed a guarded stance, and Percy just looked confused.
“What was that?!” Annabeth snapped,
I put my hands up in an ‘I surrender!’ gesture. Surprisingly the shield was not as heavy as I expected it to be. It was lighter than the sword and even the sword wasn’t that heavy either.
Chiron put his hand on her shoulder. “Annabeth, the shield must have some form of magic on it, to hypnotise enemies, so that the user can destroy them without them fighting back. It is a very clever tactic.”
I lowered my hands, “I just wanted to see if I was as good with a sword as I was with the guns. It may only be that I just have good aim.” I shrugged.
Percy grinned and pulled a pen out of his pocket. When he uncapped it, it grew to a sword just a bit longer than mine.
I laughed. It seemed that all dangerous weapons turned into everyday objects. “Okay, can we do this now or do we have to move places?” I asked; I was getting over exited and jumping up and down.
He laughed too. “Let’s go now.”
We moved to the area outside of the targets just a few metres away.
He readied his sword and I hoisted up my shield.
I waited for Percy to make the first move.
He lunged for my stomach, but I raised my shield and then aimed for his knees. He jumped up and swung for my head; again I raised the shield and countered by aiming for his neck. When he blocked it, I grinned, because that’s what I was expecting him to do. I pushed the sword forward and twisted so that my sword caught his. Again I twisted it up and it sailed through the air, Percy’s mouth was wide with shock as he reached for it, but I jumped, then flipped and caught his sword with my shield hand. I landed behind him in the next two seconds, then I used my shield to wack him in the back to send him sprawling forward.
He turned just as my shield turned back into the glove it was before.
I was now carrying Percy’s sword and my own.
I grinned and threw Percy’s sword down.
Then I returned my sword to an armband.
I walked over to him and helped him stand.
He was shocked, “man, you have some mad skills.” He held his hand up.
I gave him a fist bump.
Chiron and Annabeth were standing there talking really seriously; I was really concerned, because I caught the tail end of their conversation.
“Chiron did you see that?” Annabeth asked,
“How could I not?”
“But Percy defeated Kronos! How could she-”
“She is more god than he is remember? Now hush, they are coming.”
I was starting to get hungry.
“If I’m gonna keep going than I’m gonna need some sort of food. I missed breaky and I haven’t eaten since last night before Ares showed up.” I said, nervously looking away from Annabeth’s probing expression as she looked at me.
“I have some food at the Big House. This way.” He was purposely trotting slowly, knowing that I only had only half the number of legs he did.
I could tell he wanted to talk to me about something.
“Chiron, please just say it. Whatever you’re thinking, just tell me.” I always hated it when people didn’t tell me things. Must have gotten that from Dad.
Thanks a lot Dad.
“I am just surprised, Cassie. Did you know that Percy actually fought the Titan Kronos, and won? Did you know that he fought Gaia and most of the evil monsters that can be summoned from hell?”
I stopped walking for a second, then begun walking again. “I . . . I had no idea but . . . then how did I beat him?” I knew Percy was good at sword play, but I had absolutely no clue that he was one of the heroes that fights and beats everything while trying to save the world.
We sat out front of the big house; Chiron was back in his wheel-chair.
Somehow a whole heap of sandwiches had appeared on the cards table. I dug in, they looked really yummy.
Chiron explained first about the Titan War, about Percy’s contribution to it, about how it was he the great prophecy was talking about. Then he explained how he was also a part of the Prophecy of Seven. How he, Piper, Leo, Annabeth, Jason, Hazel and Frank all stopped the rise of the giants and Gaia by closing the doors of death from the side in Greece and the side in Tartarus, this was a feat that no hero had ever accomplished.
I was speechless for about ten minutes after he finished. I just stared at Chiron with my mouth hanging open. I was sure I was going to catch a fly.
When I recovered, I put my sandwich down. “How did I beat such an accomplished fighter? How did I beat the Percy Jackson?” I put my head in my hands. What I was sure was just idle sword practice, turned out to mean so much more.
It added to the pile of questions that was already as big as the empire state building.
“Chiron . . . I have to tell you about something . . .” then I launched into an explanation about my dream.
After I was finished I looked at Chiron, hopeful that he could provide some answers.
He was deep in thought. “Hephaestus does not usually meddle in mortal affairs . . . but then you are not fully mortal are you?” He smiled at me, but it was a sad smile, it didn’t reach his eyes.
I looked up, “yeah, I guess I am. Wow, three quarters god. Has this ever happened before?”
Chiron again assumed a deep in thought expression. “Yes I believe it has happened once; or something relatively close.”
I jumped, “yeah? What happened?”
Chiron looked sad, “His name was Emmanuel. His father was Apollo, and his mother was a huntress of Artemis. I know; that is not what has happened in this instance but that is the only thing close enough.”
I was still stuck on the huntress of Artemis thing. “What do you mean by ‘huntress of Artemis?’ what does that mean?”
He grinned, “I keep forgetting that you only got here yesterday. The Hunters of Artemis are a group of girls, they have the blessing of Artemis, and travel with her guidance as immortals unless they break their oath of maiden-ship or fall in battle. They have all the powers that demigods have; some of them are actually demigods. One of the daughters of Zeus is the leader –next to Artemis herself of course.”
I felt my eyebrows crease, “so, this guy –what was his name? - Emmanuel, he was the child of a son of Apollo . . . but I thought that Apollo and Artemis were twins? Don’t they fight about everything? How could she let one of her huntresses show weakness like that? How did she let it happen? It shouldn’t have . . . oh.”
A tiny Cassie was dancing in the back of my head, singing ‘hypocrite’.
I couldn’t bring myself to look at Chiron’s sad and knowing look, “forget it.” I said. I stood up, I felt like bashing in the heads of some practice dummies.
Chiron caught my wrist.
I glared at it, “your hand is on my wrist. Either it’s a threatening gesture or something else. Either way I don’t like it.” I turned my glare on him.
He let go, “just be at either the Ares table or Aphrodite table at dinner. I will be announcing capture the flag.”
I stormed off the porch.