"Scared, Prissy?" Clarisse spat. Even though they had begun to consider themselves on friendlier terms, she refused to abandon her number-one-perfect-for-every-occasion nickname.
Percy smirked, flashing a sly, crooked grin as he eyed her spear. In between subtle crackles of electricity, he raised his sword and leveled it in a slightly too comfortable fighting stance. "You wish."
Some of the new campers wisely took a few steps back. Some of them just stood there, petrified with the two wickedly glaring at one another. While the rest of the few began muttering '5 drachmas on the one with the spear' or vice versa.
That's when the two weapons clashed. Vigorously 'clanging' together. A blur of pure precision (which is what you would expect from senior campers who were still alive after two wars). At least until Clarisse had gotten bored, and decided to use brute force. And by brute force, meaning punching Percy in the gut. A few cackles and grumbling occurred as the subtle 'clinking' of the godly coins were heard through the crowd.
He raised an eyebrow, "Really, Clarisse?" he rubbed his stomach, then grumbled, "This is suppose to be a sword demonstration! But if you really want a fight..."
Clarisse lunged again, with a familiar look of triumph in her eyes. "Give it your best shot," she seemed to say. After two.. three... four... great strides towards him, she slipped and landed face first in a puddle of water.
"You know, someday I'll gut you like a fish," she now rested her elbows on the cold, stone floors of the amphitheater. Even though she did not rise from her position immediately, she continued glaring daggers in his direction. Her face only faltered when he began to raise both hands.
"Jackson don't you dare-," the water cut her off. The pool of water, now seeping through the soles of the new campers' shoes, rose into a 3 foot tall wave. The wave soared towards Clarisse, who just then jumped off of the floor. Standing up only to be shoved down again, and stumbled / rolled straight into the crowd of campers.
"At least I didn't break your spear." Percy chuckled lightly, then offered his hand as he walked towards Clarisse, still drenching wet and sitting on the floor.
"Is it always like this between you two?" barked Melody, one of the new campers. Her grey, tenacious eyes spectating the sword-fighting. By that time, the kids who stumbled onto the floor regained their balance. Only Melody swerved off to the side quick enough with a couple of her newly-founded friends, and then scowled while muttering 'idiots.' Percy always thought she was taking the "I'm smarter than all of you" Athena trait a little to seriously, but would never admit it aloud.
Before he could respond, he caught sight of Annabeth's blonde hair on top of the amphitheater stairs. He immediately and subconsciously grinned, just the sight of her caused his heart to flutter. She jogged towards them, not even stopping to a halt before shouting, "Percy! Chiron wants us in the Big House!"
"Should I round up the rest of the counselors?" Percy shouted back, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice throughout the camp. Much to Clarisse's dismay, because she stood literally right next to him. She covered her ears a little too slowly, and just glared at Percy deviously. Luckily she did not pulverize him with her spear, which was now crackling dangerously. She only glanced at him quickly and then started rounding up the campers to continue the lesson.
Annabeth bit her lip, obviously troubled, "No. He only wanted the two of us... I'm not sure what that's about. But I bet it's trouble." She glanced down, meeting his gaze, as if having a mini mental conversation.
Do we have to go? Please let it not be another quest... Percy's sea-green eyes pleaded silently.
I know, I hate it too... Annabeth rested her arm against one of the Doric columns lining the amphitheater. But you have to get up here.
What is it even about?
I don't know seaweed brain! But get you're butt up here before I drag you up here myself! Annabeth now tapped her foot impatiently, still waiting against the column.
Annabeth not knowing something? The world must be ending! He shut his mouth tightly, preventing himself from thinking aloud. Yes, it's hard to do that after having a 30-second mental conversation. Last time he teased his girlfriend about not knowing an answer, he fell upon the wrong side of her celestial bronze blade. Well, it'll probably be her drakon bone sword now but that's not the point...
Something definitely was going on.
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Annabeth's day actually started out pretty normal. Most people are probably thinking Yeah right! A demigod's life normal? and Annabeth would probably reply, well I only had ONE rogue hellhound try to bite my face off, so that's as good as it can get for me!
Because of the recent wars, most of her progress on rebuilding Olympus was put on hold. And of course, the gods being the self-centered *cue thunder* and ignorant *cue more thunder* gods they were, asked for her to immediately resume her work on remodeling Olympus. And to be honest? Annabeth actually enjoyed it, in an almost therapeutic way. The art and creativity poured into her work was actually... fun. It seems impossible at first, a god's request being fun? But it was. Annabeth's dream was to become an architect, and what better practice is there to remodel the gods' home?
So that's where Annabeth was all morning. And throughout the all-nighter from yesterday. After 6 cups of coffee (and maybe a couple small doses of nectar), an endless lecture on makeup from Aphrodite, and having to listen to Poseidon and Zeus' bickering, Annabeth finally returned back to Camp. Looking back on it, Annabeth took back her previous thoughts. The work may be fun, but the clients were not.
Yep! And then in 6 hours she can come back and go through it all over again.
Annabeth drooped her head backward, trying to rest against the seat of the taxi. Emphasis on the word tried. With a subtly 'bang' she bumped her head against the hard back of her seat.
"Oi! Careful back there!" yapped the taxi-driver. His head patterned with very thin strands of grey hair that just managed to hide beneath his brimmed cap. Which she had to say, was an interesting fashion statement for the middle-aged man. It made him look even weirder, especially with his torn tweed jacket. What type of taxi driver wears a tweed jacket? Especially because his hat had the same pattern as the taxi's car seats...
Snap out of it Annabeth! She chided herself. Stupid ADHD!
She massaged the sides of her temples, trying to remember key details from her work. What was it Demeter wanted again? And there was absolutely NO WAY she was going to put a bloody boar's head in the middle of Zeus' temple, no matter how hard Aries persuaded it was going to be a 'funny joke.' And what was the inscription for Artemis' temple? Agh! Right on the tip of her tongue...
The taxi stopped with a piercing sharp 'screeech' as it pulled up along the roughly paved road. She could tell the driver stomped on the brake pedal too forcefully, because he just then shifted his footing to shut off the engine.
"You sure you wanna stop 'ere, missy? The middle of the woods is quite an odd place to be..." he turned back around to face Annabeth. Much to the opposition of his annoying character, he seemed quite troubled to "ditch" her in the middle of nowhere.
"Yep!" Annabeth piped a little too cheerfully for the taxi driver's taste, as she unbuckled her seat belt. But he nodded anyways, muttering something about 'troublesome teenagers' and counted the cash she handed to him before driving away.
With a few abrupt clouds of smoke spewing from the car's engine, it drove off.
Annabeth walked straight towards the Big House. Well, at least in that direction. Chiron has made it his newly utmost concern to make sure all campers were accounted for after... erm... Hera's incident. So all she had to do was poke her head through the door and give him the heads up she arrived safely. Simple as that, right?
On her way she greeted Peleus by giving him a good scratch beneath his scaly chin (Which ended up with him 'purring.' Who knew dragons purred?). And being the sensible counselor she was, stopped Leo, Conner, and Travis' plan to set fire to the Demeter Cabin's garden. "It's the third time this week! I'm doing you a favor. Katie will bury you alive, LITERALLY..." or at least something along those lines.
She eventually made it there, and climbed up the few stairs of the Big House's deck. When she swung open the door, she did NOT expect what she saw.
A mortal.
Startled, she froze for a moment as the two stared at her. Chiron... or uh, Mr. Brunner as the mortal might know him as, sipped a cup of tea and only turned his head once he caught sight of Annabeth.
The mortal held a cup of tea too. Along with a polished wooden stick in his other hand, which was no longer than his forearm. Odd, she thought. He seemed to look as somewhat of a businessman. He was clad in all black, and practically blinded Annabeth with his polished shoes. He too, wore a brimmed hat. But unlike the taxi driver's it wasn't matching the interior of the taxi, but his all-black-scary-businessman theme. Only when he turned his head, she noticed his "toothbrush" mustache and slightly wrinkled face. Not the, 'I'm really old' wrinkles, but the 'I am a very busy man, and have undertaken quite a lot of stress' sort of wrinkles.
"Ah, are these one of your students?" he gestured towards her with his cup, then wore a forceful grin, "I've heard great things from Dumbledore..."
Chiron merely nodded, "Yes," then turned towards her with a grim smile, "Annabeth, would you mind bringing Percy here? I believe he is teaching with Clarisse in the amphitheater."
She nodded in reply, taking one last glance at the mortal, and Chiron's wheelchair form.
What was going on?
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Word Count: 1,732