"Luke, you teach your own Cabin, for god's sake!" I said frantically.
Annabeth spun her sword and threw it into the air, trying to copy Luke's style. The sword was too fast for her, and just as it reached for her head, I caught it. "You know, for a daughter of Athena, sometimes you're pretty stupid."
Luke had the gall to smirk. "Sorry, co-partner," he said.
I rolled my eyes. "I will kill Chiron for assigning Hermes and Athena Cabin's sword fighting lessons on the same day," I cursed. "I don't care if he's immortal, I'll kill him."
A few months ago, Luke had done me the favor of taking a little burden of my shoulders. He started to teach sword fighting for Hermes, Demeter and Hephaestus Cabins. And in the one year that had passed ever since that first time I had kissed him, Luke and I had grown closer.
I snarled at Luke and turned back to Malcolm and Ruby, who were the only ones yet to begin a fight. "Now, get into defensive stance and remember-"
"Wanna try it with me?" Luke asked.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. "Watch and learn, kids."
I turned to Luke. "Okay." I took a defensive stance and stared him down.
Luke scanned me up and down and took a step back. He smiled, "What a pity. You're holding your sword too loosely," he said, walking over to me. "I'll help with that, shall I?"
He came behind me and snaked an arm around my waist, holding my sword. I could feel his breath against my neck. "New shampoo?" Luke whispered, smiling playfully. "I love it."
"See?" he said loudly. He squeezed his palm and mine around the hilt tightly. "Hold it tight, like this-"
But Luke wasn't able to say anything else. I slapped his arm away, turned around, spun the sword and hit him on the forehead with the hilt.
Luke backed away at once, his hand glued to his head. I raised an eyebrow at him, smirking. "You were saying?"
Luke frowned at me. "What was that for?"
I bit my lip, smirking. "For underestimating the skills of the greatest strategist and the student of the greatest swordsman ever."
I turned around. "And that's called flawless execution," I nodded at Ruby.
Ruby stuck out her tongue at the Hermes Cabin, and the opposite side began to boo at me.
I laughed. "Cowards," I said. "If they can't do it, they boo it. Now chop chop, practice."
"BOO!"
"ARIANA!" a satyr shouted through the class, waving at me. His horns were short for his age.
"GROVER!" I smiled. "What happened?"
"They want you," Grover panted, looking like he'd just run a thirty mile marathon.
"What?!" I frowned.
"Mr. D- Chiron- they asked for you," Grover bent and held his knees for support. "Now."
I frowned. Mr. D and Chiron? That made no sense. Maybe Chiron heard that threat...
"Alright, I'm coming," I said. "Lead the way."
"I'll come too," Luke supplied.
"Uh... I don't know, Luke-" I started.
"No," Luke said stubbornly. "I'm coming too."
I sighed. "Fine. Let's go."
The sky was filled with white clouds under a blue sky as we passed through the strawberry fields drying up in the heat. A sweet fragrance seemed to go all around the Camp, especially near the Big House. I waved at the Pollux twins as we passed by them on the fields.
Chiron and Mr. D were playing a game pinochle, as always. Typical.
The only new intrusion was the other two players who had joined the game- two very famous people in the Greek industry- two women with dark brown hair and eyes as fierce as storms. Alexandra and Athena sat opposite one another, each surveying the opponent like eagles waiting to take down a prey.
"You sent for me?" I asked, bowing to the table.
"Ariana," Chiron said, smiling. "Unfortunately, I heard that curse, my child."
"Which one?" I smiled.
"The one about killing an immortal centaur," Alexandra smiled. "I liked it."
Mr. D rolled his eyes. "Let's get to the point. I don't want to waste time on this-"
"No worries, Dionysus," Alexandra retorted, "I win anyways." She threw down the deck of cards and stood up as Mr. D pounced down on them and started to examine it.
"Oh, come on!" Mr. D cursed and mumbled in Greek.
Athena smirked. "Anyway," she said, "my child, my cousins and I have come to a decision keeping your best interests in mind-"
Now it Luke who spoke, "You mean, your interests in mind."
Alexandra raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sure you're not wrong. But I don't put my interests first. You see, I'm the goddess of heroes for a reason. My first priority is the safety and personal development of all my demigods."
"Where are we getting with this?" I asked.
"Well, as you know," Alexandra said, "your mother is the goddess of wisdom... master of war."
"And the goddess Athena has one mission in life," Chiron added. "She intends to create the greatest warrior."
"It's a bet she has with me," Alexandra smiled. "So far your mom's been losing, cause I see a lot of potential left behind. The best warrior is just coming up."
Athena sighed. "Well," she said, "my thoughts are that the new warrior could be you."
"Okay..." I said, narrowing my eyes at my mother. "So... what do I interpret form those lines, again?"
A moment of silence passed as Mr. D rolled his eyes continuously.
"Well," Alexandra said, trying to look innocent although the plan was literally hers, "if you're looking for a mentor... I'm sure there's no one better than your mom."
"And, the thing is," Chiron said, "you'll leave camp and stay with your mother until such a time as she thinks you're ready to come back."
"WHAT?!" Luke asked. His arms immediately flew to my palms and he gripped them tight. "SHE'LL LEAVE?!"
"Temporarily, Luis Carol," Mr. D said.
I rolled my eyes. "Wait, no one overreact on this. I'm the one leaving, and I'm not overreacting, am I?"
"Well you're not reacting enough!" Luke said.
"Shut up for a moment please," I said. I turned to my mother. "Do I just train with you or.."
"You'll train with me as well," Alexandra said. "Your mother's way of teaching is very different... she won't train you at her mansion. She'll train you in the real world."
My mother nodded. "It will difficult," she said. "More difficult, more advanced than just your camp."
"And this is not an order," Mr. D said. "It's an offer. Take it or leave it."
I didn't know what to say. A part of me wanted to shout 'yes!' and take it- but the other part of me- it wanted to be home- at Camp Half Blood. I looked at Luke. His face was red with anger, his palm still clutching mine tight.
"And if it's an incentive," Chiron said, realizing what secret I had been hiding from the Camp and him, "you get to come back home on weekends if you want to."
The words had great effect. Luke's grip on me weakened and I turned my head to the goddesses. "I'll take it."
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