¹On This Spring Day.

Interlude(?)

ON THIS SPRING DAY
━━━━━ interlude(?)

━━━━━ IN ALL HONESTY, I didn't get the concept of "forbidden"—like forbidden love, that Forbidden Forest thing from those Harry Potter books ( that's what it's called, right? I only half-listen to Annabeth when she starts going on tangents regarding books ), forbidden fruit ( you know, that pomegranate Persephone ate ages ago? )—

               Wait ... was "forbidden fruit" used for that apple Eve ate in the Garden of Eden? Look, I really don't pay attention unless it piqued my interest. It was something my mother, Dahlia, had always fussed at me for. Granted, however, she was always fussing—saying I was "too curious" and "extremely nosey" ( as if! I'm just ... trying to understand why things are forbidden ), or fussing that I was too "hot-headed" and needed to "cool down" ( she has a point, not that I would ever tell her that ). Besides, it's not like it mattered, at least—if God, like, the God was real, I didn't have time to give him any mind. I'm too busy with the Greek gods and Greek monsters to give any attention to God and the Bible. Mainly, what I was trying to do was stay alive; you wouldn't believe the number of Greek monsters out there wanting to use my bones for toothpicks. ( Truth be told, I don't know if there are monsters out there who would use my bones for toothpicks, that sounded like a good, monster-esque threat. And ... I also hadn't encountered many monsters besides Ms. Aarden—I'm not complaining! I love a monster-free life! )

               Compared to most other campers at Camp Half-Blood, I was a newbie ( and Clarisse La Rue loves to remind me of that every time she sees me ), and I was considered "a baby" or an "amateur" when it came to monsters, too. Sure, maybe they're right, but I didn't understand the obsession with comparing your monster fights with another camper's first monster fight. It was like comparing your deck of cards against another's—

               Nevermind. That analogy isn't good, and it doesn't even make sense either. But an odd thing I noticed over my few weeks here was that all the campers who did willingly give their story—the fights against the Greek monsters that hunted them—were children of the Olympians. The twelve Olympians. To me, in a twisted way, the reason those campers were much more comfortable sharing that information is that they knew their ... "status" as a demigod would never be questioned. Not the way my status would be, as Eros's daughter. Or the way AJ Mortimer's status would be, or the way Ethan Nakamura's would be—both of whom are unclaimed campers who stay with me in Cabin Eleven.

               It was a hard pill for me to swallow—the realization that people would look down on me or scoff at me simply because I was Eros's daughter. It shouldn't matter, but it does to some. Luke, my head counselor for Cabin Eleven, tried to make the best of the situation—helping me, AJ, Ethan, and other unclaimed or children of minor gods get situated. But there was only so much he could do also have to watch over and counsel all his other siblings ( and as far as I've counted, excluding Luke, there are around six or seven other of Hermes's children in Cabin Eleven—that's a lot, mind you ), and there were a lot of unclaimed half-bloods and children of minor gods shoved into Cabin Eleven, too. He was stretched thin, and I could see why he was. I tried to make it easier for him the best I could—stay away from the troublemakers at Camp, do my own thing during archery practice ( as Eros's daughter, I guess I had a pretty strong advantage with bows—I tried not to shove that in other's faces, but ... I have to sometimes ), and I do my best to play peacemaker in Cabin Eleven when Luke was trying to make peace on the other side of the cabin.

               It sounded a lot worse than it truly was, and I love Camp Half-Blood regardless. I've only been here since April ( technically May, but I don't count the weeks I spent in New York City with my mother ), but it's felt like a lifetime. There were bumps in the road, but I wasn't sure if I had ever melted into a place as comfortably as I have here—that's saying something considering I moved all across France before the age of five, then moved to America at five and moved from Florida up to New York state across seven years. I've lived in many, many places in my life, and I always felt like I was on the outside—it was more like I was inside the clear box, watching everyone else live fun, exciting lives. But I was always waiting for the next moment until I moved again. It was isolating, but here—despite everyone technically being family ( though we tend to ignore the godly family tree because ... well, a lot of reasons ), it felt like family. Even with the annoying cousins you wanted to avoid at all costs.

               Here, at Camp Half-Blood, the oddest thing about me wasn't the ADHD and dyslexia, it wasn't the odd encounters I had with what had to be monsters when I was a child—if anything, it was the fact I was Eros's daughter. There were a bunch of minor gods, but there were only a few who had kids ( and even fewer of those kids ever made it to Camp ). Like Hecate, Hypnos, Iris, Hebe, Nike—they had kids, and I've met them in Cabin Eleven over the weeks. But people always raised eyebrows when my dad was brought up; I figured he didn't have kids often. If I looked at it one way: I was put at an advantage—people didn't know what to expect from the only Eros kid at Camp. If I looked at it any other way: people would share glances and ask my opinion on crushes and couples. Don't get me wrong—I like talking about crushes and couples as much as a child of Aphrodite, but I also liked ... people looking at me like I was more than just another kid who was "obsessed with love".

               That's probably why I was so competitive when it came to Capture the Flag. It was one of the few ways I could prove I was a good archer. And I wasn't the only one excited—Capture the Flag was a favorite among every camper at Camp Half-Blood. It was a good chance to prove your fighting skills ( and, of course, to destroy the opposing team )​​​​​.

               Tonight, it was the Athena Cabin that was leading the blue team—and like every other time it was the Athena Cabin leading, Annabeth Chase had come up with the strategy that would let the blue team win with ease. And I've heard all about the plan, and I had my sympathy for the new kid, Percy Jackson. Annabeth, my best friend ( besides AJ ), was the head counselor for Cabin Six, and was one of the longest attending campers, arriving at Camp at only seven years old. I didn't know the full story—not from Annabeth or Luke, who had arrived at Camp together—but I could tell it was bad from all the whispers I heard around Camp. I wanted to ask, but I could also tell Annabeth and Luke didn't want me to know. It irked me. What was wrong with me knowing? The most I knew was that Annabeth and Luke ( and this girl named Thalia, a "forbidden" daughter ) met when Annabeth was seven on the street, and the two worked together to survive and make it to Camp.

               And no matter what else I tried to find out, I was shut down quicker than light.

               Capture the Flag games always happen on Friday nights. And this Friday night, Annabeth was in charge of the blue team. I didn't think it was possible, but Annabeth seemed more determined than ever before—that could be a wonderful thing ( if our team won ), or something completely horrible ( if our team lost ). But I had faith in Annabeth; she and her strategies always worked out. The blue team—my team—would be the Ares Cabin and their stupid red team.

               This night, when the plates cleared away, the conch horn sounded—the sound rippled across the valley, and campers' heads perked up—and campers stood at the tables. Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings—Malcolm and Sophia—ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening grey, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her siblings—Sherman and Ellis—ran in with another banner, of identical size, but this one was gaudy red and painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head ( it looked tacky, in my opinion ).

               Percy Jackson, the new camper who defeated the Minotaur ( I still couldn't believe it ... ), turned to our shared head counselor and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?" Percy was cute—in a scrawny way, at least. And to be fair to him, he looked a lot better than he had those first few days at Camp—instead of pale and battered like he was from that fight with the Minotaur, he had gained color back to his face and was striking with a Mediterranean tan. His green eyes were furrowed as he watched Luke; his unruly black hair swept into his eyes, and the hair didn't listen when he brushed it out of his face.

               Luke Castellan, my cabin counselor, nodded. "Yeah."

               Like most of his siblings, he had the Hermes traits—the mischievous eyes, and the crooked smile. He had sandy blond hair cut close to his scalp, and his blue eyes glinted with ideas of pranks. That was one of the reasons he was able to catch Connor and Travis, his younger brothers, in the midst of their pranks—Luke knew the pranks because he would've come up with the ideas himself. He was a tall and muscular nineteen-year-old, and I understood why Annabeth liked him ( though, I never said that; Annabeth always wants to deny the crush ). The only thing that ... off-putting was the thick white scar that ran just beneath his right eye to his jaw. He got it from a dragon, and a failed quest ( so I've heard, at least ).

               Percy glanced back to the two banners. "Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"

               "Not always." Luke shook his head. "But ... often."

               "They basically do," I broke in, leaning in front of Luke to let Percy hear me. "They're the two cabins with our best fighters—and they're both overly competitive. 'Course they're gonna take the banners."

               "Hey, hey." Luke grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me upright. "This cabin's got some good fighters, too!"

               "Oh, sure." I rolled my eyes. "But we don't have the stragesist that Cabin Six have, or the sheer amount of anger issues that Cabin Five has."

               Luke rolled his eyes, but with the way his scar twitched, he was starting to smile. "Okay—you have a point," he admitted begrudgingly.

               Percy looked between me and Luke with a confused expression. "So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do—repaint the flags? That seems tedious just for one game."

               Luke's face twitched, his scar curling around his smile. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight. "You'll see, Percy. First, we have to get one."

               "Whose side are we on?" asked Percy.

               I grinned, leaning around Luke once again. "Temporary alliance with the Athena Cabin," I told him. "So we're the blue team. And" —I shot my arm out, pointing to Clarisse and her siblings— "the Ares Cabin and their red team are our enemies. Only thing we've got to do is get the flag from them—and you'll be the key to that."

               Percy frowned at me. "What do you mean?"

               I shrugged. "Nothing."

               "Violet," he eyed me closer, "it means something."

               "Well, obviously." I rolled my eyes. "Everything means something, even nothing -"

               Luke grabbed my face and pushed my head back. "No need to get all philosophical on us, Violet. You're Violet, not Sokrates."

               "And that's a good thing," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "I've seen those busts of Sokrates."

🌷

I had some sympathy for Percy. When I said he was the key, I meant it.

               The teams were announced after that—Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins here. The red team consisted of Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus, along with Ares of course. It was a pretty typical team setup—the Ares Cabin aimed for intimidation by the sheer number of cabins, while the Athena Cabin created alliances through trades ( see in: the trade of chores ). To get Hermes and Apollo cabins to fight with them, Annabeth ( the head counselor of the Athena Cabin ) offered shower times, chore schedules, and the best slots for Camp activities like archery practice or strawberry picking. It made sense the Athena Cabin wanted to side with Apollo and Hermes cabins—as insufferable as Cabin Seven could be, they rarely missed their marks. I hated that I had to admit that, but their father was Apollo, and the Sun God was just as much as good a marksman as my dad, Eros. They were frustratingly good at anything that had to do with art, healing, and marksmanship. Plus, their trick arrows ( of Lee Fletcher and Michael Yew's doing ) were good at causing distraction and mayhem.

               And my cabin was—despite being a hodgepodge of all sorts of minor gods' children—not very strong, despite what Luke said. We were pretty fractured with so many inhabitants, and so many newbies on top of that ( even if I'm considered a newbie by my couple of months living at Camp ). But Luke was one of the greatest swordsmen in a long, long time. And he was good at rallying this cabin together, which would be one of the few times Cabin Eleven might just be united in a common goal—pummeling the Ares Cabin into the ground. ( Cabin Five made a lot of enemies; that helped with the rallying and unifying, too, of course. )

               But I knew Luke well enough—he didn't agree to anything without a bribe, and a bribe that helped him in some way, not just his cabin. He liked glory as much as the next nineteen-year-old demigod. He wanted to be the one to win the flag, he wanted to be the one to take the Ares flag over the boundary line, and Annabeth had promised him that—and if I knew Luke and Annabeth any, that was the reason why he agreed so easily to fight with Cabin Six. I also knew Annabeth was pretty willing to agree to give Luke pretty much whatever he wanted—with the crush that Annabeth denies with her whole being and all.

               I was only pulled in on the plan because of a passing suggestion made by Luke—or so that's what Annabeth has told me, at least. Part of me wonders if Luke actually made the suggestion, or if Annabeth was only saying it was Luke because she looked at the son of Hermes like he hung the sun itself. But it was an ego boost—having my cabin counselor offer my support ( even without me knowing ) because of my archery skills. And apparently, the offer was good enough that Annabeth included it in her oh-so-wise plan—offer up Percy as bait for Clarisse ( who had her ego bruised by him after being doused with bathroom water; long story, don't ask ) as Luke and the rest of the blue team storm Clarisse's undefended red team. Amongst the rest of the red team, it was easy to say that Clarisse—and her siblings—were the best fighters, and if they were busy ...

               I saw the plan, I understood where Annabeth was going when she explained it to me, and I knew it would work—both knowing Annabeth was an amazing strategist and that Clarisse couldn't handle a bruised ego. But I also knew there was more in it for Annabeth than just her cabin and the blue team winning. Annabeth wanted glory for her and her cabin too, and if she let Luke take the flag, then only Cabin Eleven—Luke, really—would get the glory for the win. If this plan worked—and I had faith it would—then Annabeth could claim she was the one who made it work; she would get the glory for such a foolproof, perfect plan.

               But where did I come into play? Well, I was a babysitter. I had to watch Percy during the game, make sure he didn't get too pummeled, and make sure to keep Clarisse and her siblings busy long enough for Luke to grab the red team's banner ( and for Annabeth's plan to work ). And if everything worked perfectly, then Luke would get the flag, take it to the blue team's side, and they would be able to get to Percy before Clarisse could truly pulverize him. ( And if things didn't go to Annabeth's liking, I only hoped that I wasn't around. )

               Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. "Heroes!" he called, his voice ringing through the dining pavilion. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

               He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal. At the same moment, both I and AJ reached for the same helmet, but before he could take it, I ripped the bronze helmet out of his hands.

               "Hey!" he protested. AJ was a sandy-blond boy with hair that hung in his dark eyes. If I didn't know any better, I would've assumed he belonged in Cabin Seven with all the other sunny and blond boys. But AJ was unclaimed, and if he was somehow a son of Apollo just unclaimed, he sure didn't act like Lee or Michael or Will or anyone else from Cabin Seven.

               I grinned at him. "Snooze you lose, AJ."

               AJ scowled at her, but she knew it wasn't too malicious. He grabbed another helmet and tucked it under his arms. "Next time, that" —he pointed at the one I held— "helmet is mine, Beaumont."

               "Oh, you're real threatening, Blondie."

               Luke walked up beside the two, Percy in tow like a lost puppy. "You two do this every game," he told him, holding onto a bronze shield. He scanned the table of weapons and armor for something as AJ gave him an offended look.

               "It's because Violet's a thief," AJ sniffed haughtily. "She does it every time—no matter what I go to grab first, she takes it."

               "Because it's fun getting under your skin," I admitted unabashedly.

               Percy was eyeing the table full of Celestial bronze. "We're really supposed to use these ...?"

               I tucked my well-deserved helmet under my arm. "Yeah," I answered, giving him a look of disbelief. He really didn't get the whole training-to-survive-against-monsters-and-other-campers thing. "Unless you want to be skewered, Percy. And trust me—Cabin Five will try and skewer you."

               AJ snorted. "Yeah, after you doused Clarisse with toilet water ..."

               Luke sighed and gave AJ and me warning looks. "They try to skewer everyone, Percy," he told the boy. "Violet's just being dramatic."

               I gave the son of Hermes an annoyed look. "That's not true!"

               Cabin Eleven's head counselor ignored my outcries, scooting past me to give Percy a shield and a helmet he plucked from the table. "Here, Percy, Chiron thought these would be a fit. You'll be on border patrol."

               Percy took the shield and helmet gingerly, and Luke shot me another warning look. No comments, this specific look read. Don't say anything to Percy. I rolled my eyes to myself, shouldering my Camp-given ( borrowed? ) bow over my shoulder. I pulled my helmet—a Celestial bronze helmet with a plume made out of blue horsehair—over my head.

               Before I could say anything at all, Annabeth shouted; "Blue team, forward!"

               I fixed my helmet and ran to be ahead of the crowd. I trailed behind Annabeth as her cabin and the Apollo Cabin followed behind, shaking their swords and shields very loudly. They were all cheering, trying to drown out the red team's taunts as Clarisse and the red team headed north into the woods. The blue team—my team—marched south, with our cheers and shouts echoing through the trees.

               Percy caught up with Annabeth and me quickly enough. He looked awkward—struggling to hold up his shield and his armor was slightly crooked. He pushed his helmet out of his eyes to see us better. "Hey," he greeted.

               Annabeth glanced back, but she didn't say anything. She kept marching forward, and I gave him a tight-lipped smile. The smile was trying to tell Percy not to take it to heart. There was no getting through to Annabeth when she was like this—going over and over a plan in her head, replanning every move like a game of chess.

               But Percy didn't get the memo, motioning his shield toward Annabeth. "So ... what's the plan?" he asked. "Got any magic items you can loan me?"

               Annabeth's hand drifted towards her pocket, where her navy blue Yankees cap was placed. The cap was a gift of Athena's and made her invisible whenever she wore it. ( The only reason I knew about it was because Luke let it slip my very first Capture the Flag game, when Annabeth was watching how I played on her team when the Hermes Cabin and Athena Cabin made temporary alliances that game. ) But she stopped herself before she placed her hand inside the pocket. Instead, she pursed her lips. "Just watch Clarisse's spear," she advised. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?"

               "Border patrol. Whatever that means."

               Annabeth glanced my way. I pursed my lips. I was really starting to feel bad for Percy now—he was fish bait, a worm on a hook for Annabeth's plan. "Border patrol's easy," I told him. "You just stand by the creek, and ..." I shrugged, "patrol."

               "And keep the reds away," added Annabeth. "Just leave the rest to me, Percy. Athena always has a plan." And the girl surged ahead with a determined expression, and she left Percy in the dust—literally.

               His expression dropped and he sighed. He looked at me. "She hates me." He stated it like a well-known fact rather than a question.

               "No!" I shook my head adamantly. "Annabeth doesn't hate you, she's just ... not a fan."

               "So hate," he decided.

               "Look," I laid a hand on his upper arm, "if she hated you, she would've skewered you with that knife of hers."

               "She threatened to knock me upside the head with a book in Ancient Greek."

               "... Right." My hand dropped from his arm. "Well ... let's just call it disdain for now, alright?"

               "How are you two such good friends?" he demanded, frowning at me. "You only came here a month before me, Violet."

               I pursed my lips. Truth be told, it was because I wasn't that so-called "one" Annabeth had been waiting for since she was seven. And not the "one" like true love, but "one" as in the key that would be to giving her a quest. I wasn't a child of the Big Three ( which she was sure was part of what it took to be "the one" ), and I wasn't the camper who had arrived unconscious after fighting and defeating the Minotaur.

               It stung, but the reason Annabeth and I were such good friends was because I wasn't important. Not that I was to be thrown aside like I was nothing, but compared to other demigods, I was just another demigod that would probably die before the age of eighteen. If I was nicer to myself, Annabeth and I were friends because she could relax. We demigods don't really get chances to relax, even at Camp. And at Camp, it was hard to come across people your age, too. Especially when you're younger. I was a typical age—just turned thirteen—when I arrived at Camp, but I think Annabeth thought it was. novelty to have another girl her age at Camp.

               "It's ... my stunning personality." I grinned at Percy, but he didn't smile back. My grin dropped. He didn't believe me, even if it was totally part of the reason. "So ... you want the truth, truth?"

               "Yes."

               I looked aside. "Annabeth and I are friends because Camp is a small place. There's not many thirteen-year-old girls here, especially ones that stay year-round."

               Percy's brows furrowed together. "You stay year-round? But—but you just arrived!"

               I tried not to scoff and roll my eyes. There was no way I was giving him the truth as to why I was staying year-round at Camp. "Doesn't matter when I arrived, Percy. I'm going to stay year-round." I slung my bow off my back, and started to pluck at the bowstring. "Just listen to me—Annabeth doesn't hate you. She just ... doesn't know what to think."

               He frowned. "What is there to think?"

               I stared at him. "You defeated the Minotaur, Percy. What do you mean by 'what is there to think'? Have you ever met anyone who's killed the Minotaur?"

               He shuffled nervously. "Well, no."

               "Neither have I—except for you," I agreed. "But ... everyone's struggling to understand why you were able to. Especially when you had no sword. Or even if you had a bow, you completely suck at archery—"

               "Oh, thanks, Violet." Percy rolled his eyes.

               "I don't mean it as a bad thing, Percy," I insisted. "It's just ... A lot of kids would kill to say they defeated the Minotaur."

               "That's a weird thing to want," he decided, crossing his arms. But with the ill-fitting armor on, he looked like he was jabbing himself with the arm guards.

               I sighed. He didn't really get it, but it's not like I expected him to. He was basically a celebrity here, even if he was an unclaimed demigod. "Forget it, Percy. I take you to where you'll be stationed for border patrol."

🌷

What got my attention was a low growl. Sure, the forest was full of monsters—often to see how good our fighting skills were—but this growl. It was much darker than any monster I had ever encountered in the forest before. It was a low canine-like growl, and it sent a chill up my spine. Even with my heavy armor on, I shivered with goosebumps crawling up my arms and legs.

               I sat up, my calves burning from my sitting position. I had pulled myself into the branches of a tree that was nearby Percy, having been tasked with watching over him. I grabbed the branch, and leaned forward, hoping to any gods listening that I kept my footing and didn't fall what had to be twenty feet. But by the time I had a good look from where the growl was coming from—from the dark looming trees—it had stopped. But I could still feel the presence close by. It was sitting, waiting in the darkness for mine and Percy's guards to go back down.

               "Violet?!"

               I looked down and saw Percy gaping at me, his helmet getting ready to slide off the back of his head.

               "Oh." I licked my lips. "What's up?"

               "Don't 'what's up' me," he snapped. "What are you doing in a" —he gestured widely to the tree I had sitting in with his shield— "in a tree?"

               "Uh ..." I shifted, dropping one foot and sitting down on the branch. "Watching. Not, like, that kind of watching. But watching to make sure you're, like, okay during the game."

               He frowned up at me. "Nothing's happened since the game started, Violet."

               "Yeah ..." I nodded slowly. "About that -"

               But a rustling of leaves cut me off, and I tensed, grabbing for my bow and an arrow. On the other side of the creek, I watched as the underbrush erupted—from the underbrush, five of Ares' kids raced out, and all of them were yelling and screaming. And they were all running straight for Percy.

               The five were led by Clarisse, who raised her spear at Percy and screamed: "Cream the punk!"

               I cursed loudly, struggling to aim at five different moving targets. It didn't help that the tree I had holed up in was right above Percy. Percy suddenly dropped his sword as the five of Ares's kids charged across the river, yelling insults at the boy. Unfortunately for Percy, there was nowhere to run, and even if he could, his clunky armor would have slowed him down tremendously. Even worse all five were charging to attack him—five campers that were big, mean, and strong. They had large and sharp swords, shields, and Clarisse's six-foot spear. That would be bad enough, but the spear was barbed at the tip and it flickered with a red light.

               I dropped down from the branch I sat on, clinging to the branch below to try and regain my footing. I dropped the arrow I had picked out of my quiver, and it fell arrow tip-first into the mushy earth, and it quivered from the force. From what I could see, I saw Percy manage to sidestep the first kid's swing—but not like that mattered. In seconds he was surrounded; Clarisse grinned at him from underneath her helmet painted to look like a boar, a grin full of anger and malice. I realized just how happy Clarisse was to have an opportunity to pummel and make a fool of Percy.

               I grabbed my footing and slipped down to the branch below that one with much more grace than before. It wasn't this hard climbing the tree before, so what gives?! The branch quivered under my weight, but I managed to pull my bow out in front of me and pulled an arrow taut. Clarisse moved in so she could jab at Percy with her electric spear, but by some miracle that didn't involve me shooting someone, Percy managed to deflect the spear with a wild block. But he yelled out in pain, and I winced; he was feeling the electric part of the spear without feeling the spear part.

               Percy stumbled back, shaking his shield arm wildly. I moved my aim between the five of Ares's kids, trying to decide which one would make the first move to draw blood. But I decided wrong—while I was pointing at Ellis, Sherman slammed Percy in the chest with the butt of his sword. And Percy went down hard. He fell so hard, that he scooted back into the mushy ground.

               I grimaced to myself as half of Cabin Five started laughing uncontrollably. Percy glared up at Clarisse, but the daughter of Ares only grinned wickedly and laughed loudly. "Give him a haircut," she told her siblings, gesturing to him. "Grab his hair."

               I yelped loudly at the thought of getting a haircut from Cabin Five. I moved to draw back my arrow again, but realized I was directly above them—if you didn't know, trying to shoot someone directly below you wasn't the most ideal for an archer. I gritted my teeth and dropped down one more branch, what was below me now was the ground. I decided to jump down from the tree entirely, the landing sent jolts of pain up from my feet to my ankles and to my legs.

               By the time I made it down the whole way, Percy had climbed back to his feet. Clearly, the prospects of his haircut from Cabin Five were as horrifying to him as it was to me. He raised his sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear. I winced as sparks flew right in front of Pecy's face.

               "Clarisse," I said, pointing an arrow at her. "Are you that pathetic?"

               "Shut it, Beaumont."

               "No, really," I insisted. "It's not Percy's fault your ego's easy to bruise."

Clarisse sneered at me. "My ego isn't bruised—"

               "—Could've fooled me." I rolled my eyes.

               The daughter of Ares's jaw tensed as she looked at her siblings. "That's why Little Miss Love over here's watching over Prissy," she decided. "Everyone knows Percy's just a little bitch." She looked down at Percy, who was practically snarling now. "You know, I'm really scared of this guy." Her tone was laced with sarcasm. "Really scared."

               "The flag is that way," Percy croaked. His face was flushed red, from anger and embarrassment I'm sure. He tried to point, but his hand was shaking too badly.

               "Yeah." One of Clarisse's siblings shrugged. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid."

               "You do that without my help," Percy bit back. Which was the worst thing to say out of all the options.

               Two of them came at Percy. He backed up towards the creek and forced his shield arm up despite the shaking, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear stuck Percy right in the ribs, and he yelped loudly. If he hadn't been wearing an armored breastplate, he would've been a lot worse off than just a spark—he would've been toasted like one of his badly cooked smores. My fingers tightened around my bowstring as Percy's feet stumbled beneath him. Before I could shoot Clarisse, Ellis slashed his sword across Percy's arm.

               Percy stopped dead when he saw his own blood. He stopped and watched as blood pooled around the open gash and it dropped toward the earth. "No—no maiming," he croaked.

               "Oops." Ellis chuckled and grinned back at his siblings. "Guess I lost my dessert privilege. Such a loss."

               I gritted my teeth and let the arrow fly. Ellis gasped as it sprouted from his shoulder; he grasped the arrow by the end. "Yeah," I hissed. "I lost mine, too."

               I soon realized that wasn't the right thing to do. Clarisse glared resentfully at me, but still stormed Percy, forcing him back further into the creek. Percy's feet flew into the air as he was pushed back into the creek. He landed with a splash, and soon scooted himself further away from the five from Cabin Five. I rushed forward, already pulling out another arrow, but Percy determinedly grabbed his sword and his shield and stood up. From the corner of my eye, I watched him anxiously. He didn't look so stunned anymore.

               Clarisse and her siblings attacked, and Percy moved with them. As the first kid, Sherman, stepped forward, Percy slammed the flat of his sword blade against his head and knocked the boy's helmet clean off. Ellis backed away, still holding at the arrow sprouting from his shoulder. Mark still surged forward, but when Percy sheared off the top of his horsehair plume, he quickly backed away. Myla didn't look anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept surging forward, the point of her spear crackling with energy. I stared in shock, unsure of where the sudden change came from. It was like a light switch had been flicked, and now Percy was some ... warrior. He managed to meet Clarisse's strike in seconds. He caught her jab between his shield and his sword—he forced the weapons sideways, and like that, Clarisse's electric spear snapped as if it were nothing but just a twig.

               The daughter of Ares stumbled back, her eyes wide with shock. It took a moment for her to do anything, but when she did, she wasn't anything but livid. She screamed, shocking Percy into scrambling back and away from her and into me. "You idiot!" she screamed at him. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!"

               She definitely would have said worse, but Percy frowned and stepped forward to smack her between the eyes with the but of his sword. The move sent Clarisse flying backward, and she stumbled out of the creek.

               I stared at him. "What ...?"

               But Percy never answered. I looked behind me when I heard all the yells—elated and excited screams, as if someone had just won the lottery. Then I saw it—Luke racing towards the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high above his head. The son of Hermes held it up high, cheering as he—flanked by Connor and Travis, his younger brothers—came closer to the boundary, and closer to winning. Behind the three, a group of Apollo kids were fighting the Hephaestus Cabin back. The Apollo kids were giving Luke free rein to run across the boundary line; free rein for Luke to win for the blue team.

               Clarisse got to her feet. Her expression was livid when she realized—but she still realized it too late. "A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick."

               She tried to stumble after Luke, but it was no use. The blond leaped through the water to the other side, and the blue team around him exploded into cheers of victory. The red banner shimmered and turned to a blue-silver, the boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of Cabin Eleven. I glanced at Percy, and I watched as the realization dawned on him. I watched as he realized he was the bait for the blue team's victory.

               As Luke was lifted up onto the blue team's shoulder and paraded around friendly territory, Percy snapped his head toward me. I sucked in my bottom lip, chewing on it furiously. I knew this would happen.

               Before he could say anything, Annabeth's voice came from behind the two of us; "Not bad, hero."

               Percy whirled around, and the air shimmered and the daughter of Athena materialized in front of him. Annabeth was lean from years of training, her dark skin gleamed from the moon and the stars, and her curly dark hair was styled into blonde braids. Her grey eyes were like storm clouds as she surveyed Percy and me. She held a Yankees baseball cap in her hand. Her braids were pulled out of her face, and they hung down her back. She smirked at him, her expression almost impressed.

               I looked at Percy, hoping Annabeth had shocked him enough I could ask the question that I was dying to ask. "Where did you learn to fight like that, Percy?"

               He glared at me. "You two set me!" he snapped, his expression furious.

               "That's not true!" I stomped my foot at the accusation. "It was Annabeth's idea, not mine."

               Annabeth shot me a look. "Thanks for that, Vi."

               "But you went along with it, Violet!" Percy hissed at me. "I don't care whose idea it was—you both knowingly let me be ambushed. You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

               Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."

               "A plan to get my ass beat." Percy rolled his eyes.

               She shrugged. "You had it covered."

               "That's why I posted Violet nearby," Annabeth told him. "She's one of the best archers here. I mean, look at Ellis." She gestured toward the son of Ares, who was being treated by Lee Fletcher.

               Percy glared at me again. "You couldn't have stepped in sooner?"

               "I was climbing out of a tree!" I snapped, glaring back. "Besides, you held your own well enough. You're still breathing!"

               "Barely," he snapped back. "Clarisse had an electric spear, and you didn't even warn me. She was going to beat me to a pulp, but you were climbing out of a tree, right?" His tone was laced with anger. "You didn't care about Clarisse trying to beat my ass. You were just like" —he put on a voice, trying to imitate what could only be Annabeth— "'let Percy think he's going to play a part, but he's only going to get his ass kicked'."

               The daughter of Athena furrowed her brows. "That is not what I sound like! And that's not what I said, either!"

               Before Percy had the chance to reply, I leaned forward and pointed at his arm. "How'd you do that?"

               Percy stared at her. "Do what?" But he glanced down when I pointed at his arm. "Sword cut," he answered with an angry tone. "You know, because you did such a good job watching over me, right?"

               My expression flickered. "Percy, I did—" My voice wavered, my feelings hurt. I pursed my lips and said instead; "Percy, that was a sword cut. It's not now. Look at it."

               He frowned, but looked down. His eyes widened when he realized what I was talking about—it wasn't a sword cut anymore. The blood was gone, washed away by the water surely. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scar. But even that scar was fading away ... until it was as though Percy had never been cut in the first place.

               Even Percy didn't seem to understand. He glanced up at both Annabeth and me. "I—I don't get it."

               Annabeth was thinking hard. Her brows were knitted together. And her eyes were glinting like steel. She looked down at Percy's feet, then Clarisse's broken spear. "Step out of the water, Percy."

               "What—"

               "Just do it."

               He did as told. Percy stepped out of the creek, and just like that, he stumbled, his knees buckling. He would've fallen flat on his face if it wasn't for me grabbing his arms to steady him.

               Annabeth got an answer clearly, but it wasn't the answer she seemingly wanted. She stepped back, horrified. "Oh, Styx," she cursed under her breath. "This is not good. I didn't want ... I assumed it would be Zeus ..."

               I looked at my friend. "Annabeth, what do you mean?"

               Before Annabeth could answer, a low and vicious growl echoed out from the dark trees again. Following it, a howl ripped through the darkness. The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted in Ancient Greek: "Stand ready! My bow!"

               Annabeth drew her sword. And I dropped one of Percy's arms to pull out my bow. There, on the rocks just above us, was a creature only from nightmares—a black hound the size of a rhino, with blood-red eyes and fangs like daggers. It's eyes locked right on us—right onto Percy.

               I pushed Percy behind me, notching an arrow. Annabeth yelled, "Percy, go! Run!" and she tried to push him away, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over me and Annabeth, the monster nothing more than an enormous black shadow with glinting teeth and talons. It arched right over our heads, and dove right on top of Percy. He stumbled backward, falling to the ground with the monster right above him.

               A cascade of arrows flung across the creek store; the sound of dozens of paper ripping at once. And there were clusters of arrow shafts springing from the hound's neck. It fell to the ground, at Percy's feet, and dead.

               I dropped my bow, quickly looking to Chiron. The centaur trotted up to us, an archer's bow in his hand. His expression was grim.

               "Di immortales," Annabeth swore, looking where the hound had once been. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... they're not supposed to ..."

               "Someone summoned it," Chiron announced, his voice stern like a teacher chiding a student. "Someone inside the camp."

               Luke came over. He was still holding the banner—but his moment of glory was long forgotten, now. Clarisse glanced around at everyone. Then, she yelled; "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"

               "Clarisse, shut up," I bit back, scowling at her.

               "Don't tell me what to do, Beaumont—"

               Chiron raised his hand to the two. "Be quiet, children," he told them both.

               The body of the hellhound melted into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared. It was like it was made of nothing but shadows. My stomach churned as I watched. I quickly turned to Percy. "Percy, you're wounded." I glanced at the water, my mind starting to catch up with Annabeth's. "Get in the water."

               "What? No, I'm okay."

               I eyed him. "No, you're not." And I used both hands to shove him into the creek. Percy stumbled back, gasping with shock. Campers looked at me in shock, whispering quietly to one another. The whole camp gathered around, curious and anxious to understand why I would shove Percy into the creek.

               He stared up at her in shock. "What the hell?" he demanded.

               "You're not okay," I insisted. "You're chest is cut!" I turned to the centaur behind me. "Chiron, you have to see this."

               Chiron cantered closer. And I watched as the cuts on Percy's chest slowly closed up. Through his armor and ripped shirt, I saw the cuts turning into scratches, and the scratches disappearing into nothing. Some of the campers gasped, noticing the same thing.

               Percy realized everyone was seeing it too, looking at them all wildly. "Look, I—I don't know why," he tried to apologize. He started to stand up. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's ..."

               But no one was watching the wounds heal anymore. No, we were all starting at the symbol above his head.

               "Percy." Annabeth swallowed hard. She pointed up. "You should ... You should see this."

               I watched the symbol, a clear sign of claiming. Only this time, it was a symbol of a god I would've never expected. The holographic sign was surrounded by mist and green light. It spun around like a disc: a three-tripped spear. A trident. The symbol of Poseidon.

               "Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good."

               "It is determined," Chiron announced.

               A nasty taste in my mouth appeared as campers started to kneel. A son of Poseidon? I swallowed hard and kneeled, too. He was never supposed to have kids.

               Soon enough, Percy was the only one left standing. "My father?" he asked, sounding completely bewildered.

               "Poseidon," agreed Chiron. He didn't sound happy; instead, he sounded as though he was delivering Percy's sermon. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

🌷  MAR. 18TH, 2024 / i bet y'all didn't expect this, huh? well, neither did i LMAOO

i wrote this for shits and giggles, like just to see how it would go trying to write one; in first person, and two; trying to write scenes that happen "pre" this book (because it starts in titan's curse) i also was on the fence about whether to write it in percy's first person or violet's first person, but i went with violet because less chance of me getting sued because i had to change more of the writing 💀

beyond me just trying my hand at first-person pov after years of not writing in first person anymore, it's also to see if that violet/aj au is in the cards. i would really like to write an alternative to their stories with ideas i had originally just never used in what is in on this spring day currently and its following fics - but i just need to connect all those ideas together if i actually do want to write the au LMAO

if the au of violet and aj ever does come out, it will be a LONG time before it does because i made myself, like, swear to not post "alternative fics" to any of my ocs until their ORIGINAL fic(s) were finished so i wouldn't get confused because i definitely would get confused 😭

after writing this drabble, au, whatever the fuck it is, i still don't LIKE first-person pov, but ... it's not as bad as i made it out to be years ago. BUT i did have fun!! i kinda struggled and flipped-flopped between writing past or present tense, so if you notice that, don't! <3 i think next time i try to write first person, i'll write in the present tense to see how that goes