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Chapter Text

It had been days since my death and rise to Elysium. I am a man known as Odysseus, a renown Greek Hero who had lived through the Trojan War, and the perilous odyssey back to my kingdom of Ithaca. After a peaceful death on my bed, I managed to enter Elysium and was faced with 2 options. One, I could stay in the paradise of Elysium and live for all eternity. Or two, I can rebirth twice and achieve Elysium in both the rebirths, thus granting me access into the Isle of the Blest.

Me and Penelope had looked into the gated community once before. It was an ABSOLUTE paradise. The wildlife and plants were all peaceful and lush green. The streets were clean, the people were all very happy. I mean, who wouldn't be? The houses were all as big and luxurious as it could be, there were balconies that overlook beautiful sceneries, the architecture also had a large palette of variety, I could see houses that screams Greek architecture, there were also a few houses which resembled architecture from other kingdoms and time periods.

I could imagine a beautiful life with Penelope for all eternity here. Of course, we first needed to enjoy and experience Elysium. For all I know, it could be our last time being here. On top of that, there is also the abundance of work that we needed to do. Like, what on Zeus's name is a paperwork? Why do people subject themselves to this? I have no idea what gone through these people's mind!

That by itself took days to read through the large pile of texts. Luckily though, it was in Ancient Greek. So it was much easier for me to read and understand it. The paperwork had consisted of mostly terms and conditions which comes with rebirth, such as some details about the Isle of the Blest, the memory wipe details, and many other factors to consider. Once I was done with it, we were one step closer to rebirth.

Before we continue, there are some matters that I must settle in order to rebirth with Penelope. Which is to actually rebirth WITH her. For that, I must call an audience with Hades, King of the Underworld.

I walked into a large chamber in the palace, the throne room of Hades. The chamber was in a circular dome shape and about 50 meters tall. There was a golden chandelier that hung in the centre of the chamber and had lighten up the room really well. The chandelier had a large assortments of jewelery around it as decoration. The floor patterns depicted a beautiful mural of Hades, Cerberus and his many different domains in both Roman and Greek.

At the very end of the room, sat the King of the Underworld himself, Hades. He was dressed in a buttoned up white shirt with a red bowtie and crimson waistcoat. He was also wearing a dark red overcoat which dropped below his knee level. He had sunken eyes with black pupils, long black hair, and skin which were pale in colour. He also emanated an aura which makes people tremble unto their knees.

The silence in the room was loud. I could feel his eyes glaring down on me. At last, I spoke. "I've come to plea for a special case for my rebirth." I tried to be as calm as I could, but deep down I was terrified. This man is one of the three elder gods, all of them having so much power that it terrifies me. I've already had a terrible experience with the god Poseidon in my time alive and I could proudly say that it is not a fun one. Hades stared at me, cold and calculating. "Speak the case, king of Ithaca."

"I want to rebirth with Penelope, my wife. However, being rebirthed also means that our memories would be washed away, and that we would be assigned to different places and different parts of time. Therefore, I want to plea for a special case. I would like to be intertwined with Penelope. We can be born and live close together in the same town. I want to remarry to her and live my life with her again." For a short moment, my heart stopped. I was unintentionally holding my breath, whilst waiting for his response.

Hades sat on his throne, still quiet but now thinking. He was stroking his chin. Still considering about it. "I shall grant the plea. However, I must warn you, king of Ithaca. Your next life will not be as easy as you would think it is. It WILL be  harder than your previous life. Do you accept this term, Odysseus?"

Upon hearing his term, I let out a huge sigh. What could possibly be worse than the life I had lived through? I've fought cyclops, witches, gods. I am ready for whatever challenges that cross my path. I took a breath and confidently spoke. "I accept these terms, lord Hades."

"Then you shall proceed with your rebirth, king of Ithaca. Go to the River Lethe, the 2 skeletons here will guide you there." He waved his hand in the air, and 2 skeletons climbed out of the ground and stood at attention beside his throne.

"Penelope will be waiting outside of the palace. Safe journeys, Odysseus." He then waved me away, as if shooing me from his chamber. However, I sense no rude motives, just tiredness. I was king once, I can sort of relate to his tiredness. But, his case is tenfold in comparison to mine.

Once I exited the palace, I saw Penelope standing by the garden. Gazing upon the beautiful flowers that were planted there. She had dark, long and flowy hair. She wore a beautiful white chiton. Her face had dimples and freckles. Everytime I see her, I feel complete and utter joy. This time around, I had good news to share and she looked absolutely stunning. I can just melt right here and there due to how happy I am. My heart started to pump with excitement.

"Penelope! Good news!" I ran towards her and tackled her into a hug and twirled around whilst she was in my arms. She smelled amazing as I sniffed her hair in the hug, the best I could describe it is that she smelled like fruits. Penelope was laughing giddily as I continued hugging and twirling her around. Then I finally set her down.

"Are you ready?" She asked me, whilst looking into my eyes. Her eyes had a sense of warmth and gentleness that I could not describe.

"Always." we then share a kiss. Her breath smelled like flowers. My insides were starting to get all warm and fuzzy. Once I pulled away, we held hands and followed the skeletons to the River Lethe.

It felt like hours, we were walking for quite a long time. Walking down hills, then going uphill. There was even a part where we had to climb a mountain. I took this opportunity to spend some more quality time with Penelope before forgetting her. I helped her get through some tough ledges which were hard to climb. All the while chatting and enjoying our time. Once I've reached the top, I extended my hand towards her and pulled her up and continued walking. The skeletons leading us said that we still had a long way to go. So, we had long talks and chats about many funny stories that had occured in our life while we were walking.

There was one time that Telemachus had accidentally tripped over a root of a tree whilst trying to replicate my exercise routine of running through a forest. I didn't get to see it first hand but Penelope did. From what she said, it was absolutely adorable and hilarious. He had huge puppy eyes afterwards as he looked at her and pointed at the scrape on his knee. She'd also shared a time when Antinous had made a fool of himself in front of the townsfolk by trying to propose to her upfront, as to which she declined and even insulted his brutish appearance and personality. Apparently this had left the townsfolk snickering and gossiping about it for a week. We shared a good laugh when she finished talking about it.

Before we knew it, we were already standing at the riverbank of the River Lethe. It's white flowing waters were mesmerising. It was even glowing. In fact, it lighten up the area nearby.

"This will be the end of the line for you two. After bathing in the river, you will be unconscious. We will then transport your cleansed soul into a new-born fetus where you will start living your life. Any questions?" One of the skeletons said flatly, it seems that he had done it many times till the point where he doesn't really care about it anymore.

Penelope and I exchanged looks, then looked back at the skeletons. "No questions."

"Alright, please take this time to do any farewells, as you will forget them forever." The skeleton continued speaking in a flat tone.

Penelope and I shared one more kiss with each other and embrace in a hug. I felt scared and nervous at the same time. It was almost as if my stomach is twisting. This will be the last time I would see her.

No! this will not be the last time.

She then pulled away from the kiss.

"Promise me that we'll meet each other again."

"I promise."

She took the first turn to bathe in the river. The 2 skeletons were already standing in the river. I hadn't noticed it until now, but they were wearing specialised suits. The best way I could describe it is as if they are in a hazmat suit. It seemed to help as they aren't forgetting and thar they aren't afraid being in the river. They held Penelope by her waist and shoulder, then dunked her into the river, as if baptising her. Five seconds had passed, they then pulled her away from the river and laid her on the riverbank, just beside my feet. She was already unconscious.

I took one last look at her face, she had beautiful facial features when she's asleep. The cute dimples, her freckles, her slightly opened mouth. She looked so cute and at peace. I could spend all day looking at her, but deep down I know that she'd already forgotten me. I then focused back on the skeletons. I took a step into the river. It's was very cold, I was already starting to forget things. First came my birthplace, then my birth date, my mother's face and name, then the friends that I have met throughout my life. The skeletons grabbed onto my shoulder and waist. Without further notice, they then dunked me into the river. It felt like -10 degrees but I wasn't suffering from hypothermia. My memory had faded at this point. Everything from my name, all the way to my accomplishments, and also my muscle memory. I can't even remember how to string or shoot a bow. However, one piece of memory still lingered ever so slightly, Penelope..

Soon enough, I completely forgot about her too. I closed my eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

It was 1859, the bustling city of New York was as busy as ever, especially in the afternoon. The merchants were selling fresh produce, the noise of chattering, wheels turning, horse feet clattering through the road rushed in and out of my ear. There I was, walking along the street of New York, nothing to do except tossing newspaper to people. I am what you called a 'paperboy'. Some people may think: "Oh, what a poor thing! What have your parents subjected you too?". My response to that: Nothing!

You see, my parents are either gone or dead. My father had left when I was born. My Olivia Dexter, recently passed away due to.. unknown causes. Here, let me explain.

It all started a few days back. My mum had just come back our small apartment in time to celebrate my 15th birthday.

She had a fair complexion, but as of recently, she started getting sun tan from all the work she did under the sun. I could tell that it wasn't an easy job, so I made a silent vow to myself to not get in her way and tick her off. She also had long dark hair which she'd tie into a bun. She was wearing a white dress and had a warm and gentle expression. Her pupils were dark in colour as well.

I can say that we were quite a modest family. She'd brought back a small cake and some writing materials as a present. Not that I could read the English words or anything. I've always had trouble reading and writing. As a matter of fact, I absolutely HATED English because of that. However, I still appreciated the gift.

My mum and I gathered around a small dining table which was about a meter and a half wide. She was preparing the cake and dinner while I tried my best to help her out. Out of nowhere, a rang came from the door. My mom told me to stay put while she goes and check who it is.

I then took a sit at the table and waited.

Moments had passed. I was finger drumming on the table when my mum came rushing into the dining room again. She had a worrisome expression on her face. This came as odd to me. My mom is always the happy, calm and composed kind of person. Rarely would she show expressions of worry. Seeing this made my stomach drop and do spins.

"Orson, we got to go, we are out of time." My mum said in a really serious tone.

"What? Where are we going-"

"No time to explain! Pack your bags, bring enough to last for days!" My mum said harshly.

I knew she didn't meant, but it is really out of character for her to act like this. Without further questioning, I quickly grabbed some essentials from my room. I packed a water bottle, some extra clothes, a pocket watch, sleeping bag and other things that I would usually pack if I were to go to a camp. 

As I left the room, I saw my mom holding a kitchen knife, staring at the front door. She turned to face me. "Leave through the window." She said sternly. "What!? What is happening mum? I can't leave you here!" I retorted back. 

"There's no time to argue! In short, someone is coming after you! I will hold them off!" She sounded desperate.

"But-" Before I could say anything, something rammed at the door. The sound was loud and frightening.

"GO!" My mom shouted at me. Without further question, I jumped out of the window.

I'd never heard from her again. After that incident, I've been living on the streets ever since. I survived off stealing food from merchants and living under bridges. Not the best living conditions-but I'm still alive so.. all is good.

One afternoon, I was laying down under a bridge. I relaxed by listening to the river rushing beside me. I'm not sure why, but hearing the rushing river and breathing in it's salty smell always soothes my nerves. Especially in a time like this, I needed it the most. My mind started drifting off to figuring out which merchants to terrorise for their food. After a while of being at it, I heard footsteps approaching. I looked down from my laying position and saw.. a regular man? "What do you want?" I asked cautiously.

The man wore a particularly odd attire. He wore clothing pieces that only a dapper gentlemen would wear: Overcoat, long dress pants, and dress shoes. The most noticeable part was that he wore a weird orange shirt which has the words 'Camp Half-Blood' (Woah, how did I read that?) under his overcoat. 

"To save you, of course!" The man said very cheerfully and made it seem as if I should know what he was talking about and be happy about it.

"What on Earth's name are you talking about?" He then took a step closer to me. "I do not need saving!" I stood up immediately and grab the nearest stick I could find and pointed it at him. "Come one more step closer and I WILL whack you with this." "Woah! Calm down stick boy!" The man raised his hands above his chest, acting like he's surrendering. "IF you haven't realised yet, your life is in trouble. Why do you think Olivia sacrificed her own life for you?" Upon hearing my mum's name, I shuddered.

This however struck a question in my mind. "How do you know my mum's name?" My stick still pointed towards the man. "She'd recently been a 'partner' with us. You see, your mum has already known for awhile that your life is in danger." The man then pointed at the words from his shirt. "She had thought of sending you here for a long time, but never got around to it. It's normal, parents don't want to leave their child. THAT, however is a big mistake. Do you know, most half-blood kids die before they reach the age of 13? Your mum did a pretty good job keeping you safe. It's actually impressive." 

Half-blood, what does that mean? I kept this term in my mind for later usage. "You're telling me, that going to this 'camp' will ultimately give me protection-"

"That is exactly what I'm telling you!" The man snapped his fingers, he's clearly proud that he managed to get his information across. "Anyways, come along now-"

"How about my mom? Is she alive?" I knew he'd already mentioned her death, but I needed reassurance. She was one of the kindest and hardworking person that I had ever known. The man managed a sad face. "Look kid, she's dead. She's probably somewhere in Elysium by now. She'd lived a good life. Do live in peace for that."

"Elysium? What's that?" I've never heard this name before. Judging from how he used it, he is hinting towards the fact that Elysium is a resting place for dead souls. Though, it sounds weird being called that. Throughout my 15 years alive, I was raised into believing 'Heaven' and 'Hell' existing. This Elysium thing struck me as odd.

The man scratched his chin, trying to come up with a good response. But he seems to be having trouble coming up with one. "Kid, I think it's better if you follow to the camp. It will be much better for me to explain there than.. here." The man was now looking at his surroundings, making sure no one was eavesdropping or coming towards us. He sure seems paranoid. Wonder what he's worried about.

"And why should I do that?"

"There's really good food, shelter, nice bed, showers-"

"Deal."

"Then let's get going then!"

The man had brought me through a forest outside of New York. Not sure the exact name of it, but I've heard from the locals that they called this part of the land 'Long Island'. We trekked through the forest for what felt like hours. My legs were starting to buckle and give out. I've not been an athletic kid, but I don't think even athletic kids could last THIS long. It's really exhausting. What struck me as weird is that the man leading me had not even broken a sweat while I'm here drenched in sweat as if I took a shower. "Mr.. whatever your name is? Can we catch a break? My legs are starting to give out!"

The man looked over his shoulder and over to me. He had  expression as if saying: Oops I didn't notice. "I'm so sorry, sure we can take a 5 minute break." With a sigh of relief, I collapsed onto the floor and laid my back up against a boulder, sipping on a canister of water. The man sat opposite of me. He then took out his bag, and ate something. Upon closer inspection, he was eating what seemed to be.. silverware?

"What the heck!? How are you eating that?!" I screamed in shock. The man then looked up towards me, giving me a look which basically said: It's natural, deal with it. He then looked back down and continued munching on his 'snack'.

Weirdo.

5 minutes had passed by in a blink of an eye. Before I knew it, we were back on our feet and  continued walking. The sun already setting in front of us. 

I felt another 3 hours or so had passed by. I could already see the sun as a mere dot on the horizon. On top of that, I was also starting to get exhausted and needed a good shut eye. And with that, we continued walking. The trees had a beautiful glint of orange, and there were butterflies still flying about. Up above, there were a lot birds of many different species zipping through the sky. There also a large assortment of caws. In my mind, I imagined the birds chatting amongst themselves.

Have a good one Dave.

You too!

I wonder what that kid tastes like.

Mmm, dead carcasses!

And with that, the wildlife from the birds all the way to the butterflies started die down, as moon crept up to the sky. I couldn't see much except for the orange shirt of the man in front of me. It seemed that he had kept his overcoat. I saw silhouettes of owls zipping through from tree to tree, there were also the occasional cricket chirping, and the large assortment of bugs that came and made noises.

Luckily for us (Me especially), we finally entered into a clearing in the forest. The man then took off his backpack and took out 2 square, origami-like thing. He then placed it on the floor, and suddenly the 2 square things suddenly expanded into 2 large dome tents.

"Woah." I said, jaw dropped onto the floor. 

"I know, pretty cool huh?" The man then snapped a finger, and up came a fireplace and a fire. He then took out some canned food, and a container full of strawberries then sat by the fireplace. "Dig in! Enjoy yourself, you have another long trek tomorrow." The man still seemed awfully positive about it. He didn't seem to get tired from the long walk that we had just now. 

Without complaint, I plopped down across the fireplace from the man, looking at him face to face. The lighting from the fire had highlighted some rather interesting features on the man's face. First off, he had some crazy facial hair. I could tell that his beard grows so quickly, and that he is always trying to keep it clean and shaven. Other than that, he also had.. horns??

Man, the past few hours have been ROUGH. I must've been hallucinating or whatever, because NO ONE in their right mind can see a man have horns. 

Out of instinct, I asked the man straight up. "Are those horns?" The man then patted his head, feeling the horns. He then muttered a curse. "Knew I was forgetting something! I'm surprised how the mortals had not seen through my disguise yet." The way the man said the word 'Mortal' almost made him seem inhuman. It's a weird feeling. Then, another question came into light. I've been following this 'man' for hours. But I still did not know his name. "Hey, I know that we've met for quite awhile already, but I didn't really catch your name.."

"Ah silly me!" The man face palmed. "My name is Rowan, Rowan Bramblehoof." 

"What sort of surname is Bramblehoof-"

"It's a satyr name-"

"Hold up, what's a.. satyr?"

"Gods, I keep on forgetting that he don't know anything."

The mentioned of 'gods' peaked my interest. It was almost as if he was intentionally saying it. I had to dig deeper.

"So.." I ventured.

"What's the deal with you?" I pointed at the horns on his head. "Why are there horns on your head?"

The satyr sighed. "What do you know about Greece?" 

"What's that?"

"Nevermind, so.. Greece  is this country. Far away from New York. We originated from Greece. However, the mythology of Greece, otherwise known as people like me. Move together with the heart of the western civilisation. Since America had recently became the new heart of the western civilisation. The Greek gods, and all the creatures moved with it. How does that work? Well, nobody knows! One working theory is that Greece was the first heart of the western civilisation, thus we get special privileges to move together with wherever the western civilisation goes." Rowan continued rambling on and on about Greek mythology. He talked about all the details such as Greek heroes and culture all the way to the supernatural creatures. 

Many thoughts raced through my mind as I heard this. There are real gods? How do they move? What happens to their homeland? So much had been going on in the past few days. I'd lost the motivation to even react to this news. You could even tell me that the world would end tomorrow and I would just say 'Meh' and lay down in a fetal position whilst waiting for my impending doom.

It was pretty nice to have a chat with someone for once. I hadn't talked to anyone ever since running away from home. Soon enough, the night passed by—the moon was already high up in the sky and the fire started to dim slightly.

"Then, what makes me so special?" I ventured.

"Ah, looks like you haven't realised yet." Rowan said. "Think back to when you were younger. What do you remember of your dad?" I dug back to the youngest memory that I had. I kept digging, then eventually I came to the realisation that I had no recollection of my dad AT ALL.

"Exactly." It was as if Rowan read my mind. "Another one, do you have any trouble keeping still, or reading, or both?" I was dumbfounded by this. Did he have like a profile on me or something? "Yes, I do."

Rowan then snapped his finger in a way that said: There you have it! "Your daddy's a god." 

I felt as if my mind had just farted. It actually took me a few seconds to process whatever was said. "So you're saying.. that I am a-"

"Yup! You—my friend, is a Demigod!" Rowan said cheerily. 

Everything suddenly snapped into place. I finally understood what happened back at home. "Alright, this is a wild guess—as a Demigod I am more prone to supernatural creatures coming my way. Is that correct?" 

"Ding Ding! You are correct." Rowan replied.

I started to feel guilt. My mom had died for my sake. No, that is in the pass now. I must persist for her sake. I'm not going to let her die in vain. Suddenly, another question started to form in my mind.

"What is Camp Half-Blood?"

"Well—" Rowan took a deep breath. "It is this camp—a safe haven you could say—for demigods to train and be safe from the monsters. Trust me, it's better than your current living conditions. There's actual beds, food, and all the other necessities that you may need. There's also a lot of campers who are living there—all the same as you. Parents died, one was a god, recruited to camp. You get the gist. I think it's better for you too see it for now."

Rowan took a look at the sky, now noticing that it's already midnight, judging from where the moon is now. He then looked down at the fireplace, it's flames dying down now. "Any more things you'd like to ask?"

"Nope, all good." I said, now getting sleepy.

"Here, eat some food." Rowan then passed a can of hot beans. I took a whiff of the food in the can, my stomach started to groan as it remembered that it was hungry. Immediately, I felt as if my stomach had stabbed itself. Without a moment to waste, I wolfed down on the can of beans.

Rowan took out a can of sardines and started eating it too. From the corner of my eyes while I was eating, I noticed that he was eating the can itself as well. Since he is this satyr creature, I didn't really pay any mind to it. I was too tired to do so either ways.

Soon enough, the fire was mere embers, the surroundings were now darker, and the temperature was now freezing cold. "Get some shut eye kid, tomorrow will be a long day." Rowan said, whilst sitting in the dark.

"Good night, Rowan."

We both got into our respective tents and went to sleep.

I had a hard time going to sleep. I've been used to sleeping to the sound of the city at night. Carts rolling by, horses neighing, chattering from the citizens. It's a very unsettling feeling—like trying a different way to approach daily tasks. Imagine writing but with a different hand. Yea, it's that kind of unsettling.

After what felt like hours, I managed to drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

I've had my fair share of weird dreams from my 15 years alive on this world. One time, I had a dream where I was being swallowed by a whale. Another time I felt like I was being hunted by a serial killer.

THIS is the first time I felt a dream so vivid.

I was in a forest. The trees were tall and covered the sky. It was dark, cold and the only sounds that you could hear were the crickets. The trees were of a lush green colour. Despite it being dark, I could tell that it was spring judging by how the tree looked. I was leading a group of people through this forest. It was clear that we were in a hostile area. My eyes kept to the trees, as if there were people who were going to come out and attack my group.

I turned back to look at my group. I did not recognise any of them. There was about 6 people in the group including me. They were all wearing a dark green shirt with the words 'Camp Half-Blood' labelled on it. Most of them were wearing grass accessories which serves as a camouflage. I took a good look at their faces. There was one thing that I noticed based on their facial expression though, which is all of them were absolutely horrified. What could have happened to get them to look this bad? I thought to myself. I then heard rustling in the leaves.

"AMBUSH!" One of the voices cried out in a guttural manner. Before I could react, an arrow was fired towards my face.

The dream changed. I was now invisible. I looked around and realised that I was still in the same forest. Just in a different place and different time, judging by the skylight that shined through the leaves of the towering trees and it's colour.

The trees were still in a green colour. This time—I had a better view of the trees. Yep, it is definitely spring whenever this dream happen.

In front of me stood an particularly enormous tree. There were also people there. Most of them being around my age. Definitely ranging from 13 - 17 years old. I did not recognise anybody here from the previous dream. There was easily at least 15 people there. They were wearing the same shirt that Rowan wore—An orange shirt with the 'Camp Half-Blood' wordings on it. They were all working together to construct something. They've dug out parts of the tree and had made a small hole there. I walked closer to the tree to see what they were working on. It looked like a bunker of sorts.

It was not fully completed, but I could see the structure of what they were planning to do. The bunker was in a cuboid shape. About 10 metres long and 8 metres wide. Along the walls of the bunker, there were weapon stands on the left wall and mannequins on the right wall to hold on to armour.

At the centre of the room was a huge hole on the floor, it was also in a cuboid shape, spanning around 8 meters long and 5 meters wide. There were shelves upon shelves of food, water, medical kits, and other important survival supplies.

The people had the looks of concern on their face, as if they're anticipating that something bad is going to happen.

After what felt like ages of watching them work, I woke up to a nice and cold morning.

The sunbeams shined down on my face through the crack of the tent flap. I woke up groggily and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Surprisingly, I could remember most details of the dream. Well, only the important points. I had already forgotten the faces of the people that I had seen.

I got out from the tent and sat beside coal which had been left overnight from the campfire. I took in the fresh air and waited for Rowan to come out from his tent. Out of boredom, I starting thinking through whatever just happened in my dream. Gods, it felt so real. I had this gut feeling as if the dream was trying to tell me something or showing me a vision of either the past or the future. It's very mysterious in that way. I hated it.

Based from the two dreams that I had experienced, I came up with a working theory as to what had happened: There is/was a sort of ambush that is happening/had happened in a forest. Judging from how the trees looked—the fight had happened/is happening during the spring. I could also tell that people were preparing/had prepared bases of operations and hideouts in preparation for this fight. Man, my mind is flying about thinking this through.

Why does it feel so real? It was almost as if it was a vision. Not only that, what is the deal with those people? The shirt that they wore are the exact same as what Rowan wore. It seems like this Camp Half-Blood thing has lots of people staying there. My guess was that there is about 15 campers. Damn, either my dream was false, or the Greek gods had been really busy. Based on what Rowan told me yesterday night, there were twelve Olympians and twelve cabins, each dedicated to an Olympian for the children of the respective Olympians to stay in. In my dreams, I'd seen about 20, and my gut tells me that there are way more than 20. I started to zone out as I thought this through.

It felt like 5 minutes. I got pulled back into reality when Rowan came out from his tent. He looked fresher compared to yesterday. He wore a new and clean orange shirt with a pair of shorts.

"AHH! WHY ARE YOUR LEGS-" I screamed, toppling backwards.

"Calm down—I'm a satyr. Remember?"

I'd completely forgotten about that fact. But still, it was my first seeing it. He had goat-like legs with hooves—like actual goat hooves. It took me awhile, but I managed to calm myself down. Still uneasy from the sight.

Rowan seemed really calm about this fact. He then took out a loaf of bread and tore it in half. He then tossed me one piece as he munched down on the other. As I grabbed the bread, I noticed that it was hot—like there-is-steam-coming-out-of-it type of hot. How did that work? I have no idea. It also had a nice tinge of golden brown. I started chomping down on it. You got to appreciate food man. Especially when you are on the streets for a few days, feeling totally famished—you'll start growing appreciation for food.

Once I finished the food and started packing up my supplies and gear. Rowan started breaking camp. He tapped on the tent poles and it shrunk into a square origami again. He also cleared the fireplace in an instant, from a rocky and ashy terrain, it turned back into lush green grass in a matter of seconds.

It all happened in a matter of minutes, from a campsite—it turned back into a regular forest. It's rather impressive actually. Before I knew it, we were back on the road—walking for another probably 5 hours. The morning sun was pretty soothing. I felt as if I was on a morning jog. The birds were chirping brightly, the butterflies are out and about, I could see frogs in small rivers, hopping about. It's rather therapeutic.

It's all perfect. Until I felt a gaze on me. I tried to look around, but to no avail. I could tell that Rowan is aware of this too. Every now and then, he looked around him before facing forward at the main path. I could tell that we're being watch, whether it's intentions are hostile—only time will tell.

Judging by our state, I made a conscious decision to not mention anything about it. For all I know, if I were to expose this 'thing' here, it would come out and attack us.

We walked for what felt like ages, the thing's gaze were still on us. The silence was loud, only having the sound of wind rushing by, leaves rustling, and the sounds of birds chirping and frog croaking.

Finally, Rowan broke the silence. "We're close now, just keep walking." He kept his calm demeanour—not trying to provoke whatever was watching us. He pointed towards a tall hill in the distance, about 100 meters away.

This provoked the creature. From the shadows of the trees, it lashed out.

It was tall—like really tall. It stood at 10 foot tall and looked masculine like a man. He had a long and scruffy brown beard and messy long hair. It wore a stained yellow tunic which I guessed had used to be white. It's sleeve were torn off. He also wore stained yellow shorts and was barefooted. He had maniacal grin with his some of his teeth missing and was holding on to a large club. It's club was stained with blood—most likely from other people or creatures that had met it.

"LAISTRYGONIAN GIANT!" Rowan screamed.

The giant swung his club towards the both of us. "SCATTER!" Rowan shouted. We both dodged the swing and the giant followed the club's inertia—spinning clumsily. "Here!" Rowan shouted as he tossed me a bow and quiver.

"How do I use these?!" I shouted back.

"You'll need to!"

"Very useful." I muttered.

The giant had finally recovered from his spin, glaring at us with bloodlust—still grinning maniacally. Rowan unsheathe a bronze sabre. It had a slight glow. Odd for a bronze metal, but the adrenaline had made me not think about it too much. Rowan then charged towards the giant with a battle cry and attack it with a flurry of senseless slashes. The giant took it like a champ, then tried to hit with a slam towards the ground. Trying to crush Rowan. He dodged the attack and tried to kick the back of his knee, trying to get him to kneel . Which ended in failure as not only did the giant not kneel, he had managed to land a back kick so strong that it sent Rowan flying backwards—tumbling unto the ground.

As this was happening, I nocked an arrow. I'm not sure why, but it seemed as easy as walking to me. In a matter of milliseconds, I was ready to fire and aimed for the giant's shoulder. He turned towards a Rowan who had fell back-first towards the ground, unconscious from the kick. The giant was already walking towards him with his club raised. No time to lose, I released the arrow. It landed exactly on his shoulder. The giant howled in pain. Clearly it hadn't feel pain often.

The turned towards me with a look of anger in his eyes, he still had that grin on him. It was an unsettling sight. He then charged towards me with his club still raised. Imagine a bullfight and the bull charging towards a bullfighter—that's exactly what the giant had looked like. If it weren't for the fact that it was trying to kill me, I would have already been bawling from laughter. I quickly rolled to the side as the giant rushed pass me and slammed into the wall. My senses had peaked at this point from adrenaline but I still had a strategy in mind. It was really easy actually, the goal was to get to camp safely, the laistrygonian giant is none of my concern. I knew what to do. I quickly nocked another arrow and aimed it at the giant's elbow. In a matter of moments, I released the arrow and it struck exactly where I needed it to be. The giant wailed in pain again as it held on to it's elbow.

He suppressed the pain quickly and glared at me. He then charged towards me once again with more control. He landed the first swing which I had dodged swiftly and returned it with a shot to his forehead.

Just as I thought everything was well and dandy, the arrow bounced off. "What the-" The giant swung his club at me again. I rolled back, narrowly dodging the attack. My instincts are screaming at me to not get it by the club. For starters, it looked like it was heavy. Like REALLY heavy. I don't want to be whacked by that. Before I could recover from the swing, the giant landed a punch on me.

I flew backwards by a few feet. It felt as if I got hit a brick wall. I got back on my feet—albeit slowly. The giant could sense my pain. With pride, he marched towards me—smiling smugly. Another idea started to form in my mind.

I nocked another arrow and took aim. If I couldn't kill him, I can incapacitate him. At least I can get me and Rowan to camp safely. For that, I need to play my cards right. I looked over to Rowan, who is still unconscious. His sabre laid beside him, still glowing dimly. A strategy had formed in my mind. Without a moment to waste, I taunted the giant to charge at me once more.

"OI FATHEAD! COME AND GET ME IF YOU CAN!" Not my best insult—but it should get the job done.

Apparently it did, the giant now charged at me recklessly at full speed. In the last second, I rolled aside and let the giant ram into a tree. I hurried over to Rowan's unconscious body. I slung the bow over my body and took Rowan's sabre and sheathe. I attached the sheathe unto my belt and raised my sabre. I did not have any training using a sword like this, but I have to try.

The giant was now looked at me with murderous intent. "IF YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY FROM THIS ALIVE DEMIGOD, THINK AGAIN!"

"Fatheaded imbecile! You chase me as if you're a big fat boar!" I taunted.

The giant roar and charged towards me. Time seemed to slow down around me. My reflexes had seemed to heightened from this charge. As the giant was mere inches away from me, I sidestepped away from his charge and landed a slash on it's knee. After the slash, time felt as if it had went back to normal. The giant ran passed me and into another tree, this time slamming into it head first.

Gods grace, how does this man not get a migraine?

I took out my bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at the giant's knee. As he recovered from the headbutt into the tree, I released the arrow and shot his knee. Not enough—need more damage. The giant ran towards me again. In mere milliseconds, I managed to nock another arrow and shot it at the same knee again. How am I doing this? I have no idea. To any outsiders, it would seem like I'm a experienced archer—but in reality, I don't even know when AND how I manage to fare this far against a beast this big without fighting experience.

Sure I did got into some street fights after being homeless, but even those fights seem like kindergarten feuds in comparison to whatever I got myself into.

The giant now looked more in pain. It seemed like my constant attacks had finally weakened it. I nocked another arrow quickly and shot his knee again. This time, it finally did the trick. The giant wailed in pain and knelt down on one knee.

I felt very good at this point. I'd just incapacitated a giant without prior experience. I could feel that pride building up. It came to a halt as the giant stood up, this time really looking pissed off. For a moment, he just stood there—menacingly. In a skip of a heartbeat, his maniacal grin came back as he threw his club towards me. I didn't have the time to react—the club slammed into my chest. It was as if a carriage was thrown at me. My body followed it's inertia and was sent flying. As I landed, the club weighed on top of me. It was REALLY heavy, and I did not have the strength to lift it. I'd coughed out blood in the process as well.

The giant finally let out a thundering laugh as he walked towards me slowly. "This is it. I muttered to myself. "Dying to some crazy giant, so close to this promised safe haven." I stared at the sky, accepting my fate. The giant was still laughing as he walked closer towards me. "MY LUNCH!" The giant bellowed as he now stood over me. He raised his fist, as if going to pommel me to death. Before he could, 2 arrows struck his right shoulder. The giant screamed in pain as he looked over his shoulder.

I followed his gaze, looking behind him. Over the hill, there were a group of people. There were about 3 boys and 2 girls judging from their appearance. All of them were wearing armour. More specifically, Greek armour. Under the armour, they were all wearing the signature orange shirt which Rowan wore. Two of the boys were holding a bow of their own, they'd already nocked their arrows and aimed at the giant again. The remaining 3 people ran down from the hill and charged towards the giant. He screamed in anger as he picked up the club—releasing the weight that was put on to my body. I inhaled sharply as the weight was removed.

I sat up and gazed at the people fighting the giant. The trio spread out and had surrounded the giant in a matter of second. Facing the giant was a boy and surrounding him were the 2 girls. The boy unsheathe a sword, swiftly dodged the giant's attack and countered with a flurry of pre-emptive strike towards his torso. Meanwhile, one of the girl jumped up on the giant's back and tried to stab his neck which didn't work. He grabbed the girl by her shirt and threw her across the field. She'd slam into a tree back first. The other tried to distract the giant as the boy stabbed the giant's gut—hoping to kill him. This time, the giant took the stab like a champ and kicked the girl down.

The archers up at the hill had also tried to stall for time by raining down arrows consistently at the giant, trying to annoy the living daylights out of him. They'd not hit it's head, it seems that they had experience against these type of monsters and know very well—the giant was hard headed, he can't be shot in the head.

"I CAN TAKE ALL 6 OF YOU! I DON'T FEAR PUNY DEMIGODS!" The laistrygonian giant bellowed as he pulled out the sword and threw it away. You know it's bad when even the reinforcement can't even hold off this beast. He then stood tall and let out a roar.

"COME AT ME YOU-" An arrow had lodged into his forehead. It hit him with so much force that he lurched backwards, groaning. Then came another arrow—it landed on his forehead again. This time, he had been killed for real. The giant then fell towards the ground, disintegrating in the process. I looked up at the hill where the arrow came from.

There stood a man, or at least that's what I thought I saw—until I saw his 'legs'. It was that of a horse. This man was half horse and half man. Am I probably delirious from the slam with the club? Maybe? Does that stop me from believing whatever I saw? No.

My mind suddenly clicked, Rowan had described a creature like this before—half man and half horse—a centaur. The centaur had neat long brown hair. It was slightly above his neck. He also had a neat brown beard. His facial expression was that of warm and fatherly. He galloped down the hill and towards us.

Once he reached the summit of the hill, he scanned the surroundings—analysing the damage that had been done. He first went towards Rowan who was still unconscious. He used the front parts of his horse legs and knelt down, carrying Rowan bridal style and muttered "You've done a great service, Rowan." Before setting him unto his horseback. He then trotted towards the girl who had slammed towards a tree. He grabbed her and slung her unto his horseback as well.

The boy who had fought the giant helped the girl get back on her feet and helped her get back up unto the hill.

The centaur now faced me. He trotted over casually and looked at me. After all that happened, he still had that warm and fatherly expression. At the same time, he'd also had a look. As if he had seen me before. I didn't noticed it yet, but I was still on the ground sitting up. My weight was at the back, with my arms supporting it.

"You must be tired." The centaur said, before extending his arm. "My name is Chiron. Come with us, I'll see to it that you'll be safe and protected." I gladly accepted his extended hand. I pulled his hand and got back unto my feet. "My name's Orson, pleasure to meet you."

I looked around the battlefield, there were small dents on the ground from all the giant stomping and falling.

"Are you able to walk?" Chiron asked. "Yes, I'll be fine." I replied.

"Alright, come—we've no time to waste." The both of us walked up the hill and into the campsite of Camp Half-Blood.

Chapter Text

Two casualties and a new demigod who isn't dead. This is considered successful by my standard. Especially when more monsters has been brewing around Camp Half-Blood recently. It must've smelled the demigod odour and have been collectively coming closer and closer to the camp site. For now, the guard duty and walls around the campsite had been suffice to protect the little demigods. It shouldn't be a problem for now, but something must be done in the near future if the camp were to survive.

However, I need to focus on the current matter. We have a new demigod who has joined the ranks. That's a good thing. On top of that though, the diplomatic relations between Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood has been growing thin. The Athena Parthenos is still gone, and the Romans still aren't keen on being in friendly terms with the Greeks. 

Most diplomatic missions had been unsuccessful, always ending with either the Greek Demigods injured, or the Roman Demigods in a fury of rage. I hoped that Lupa could intervene with the Roman Demigods to knock some sense into them—help them see that there is no point in having conflicts with the Greeks. Based on what I'm seeing, no actions are taken and the relations are in the worst conditions that it had ever been.

I pushed aside those thoughts, I still had a new Demigod to welcome into the camp. Though, he looked awfully familiar. I swore I had seen him somewhere. I skimmed through my memories throughout my thousands of years being alive. One name stuck with me as I thought back—Odysseus. 

Could he be him? I've heard from Hades that Odysseus had rebirthed together with his wife Penelope. Though, that was a couple of millennia ago. Why would they appear now? It's fine. I thought to myself. I'll take the opportunity to raise this man into a great hero. As a matter of fact, he already has the base of one. Great archery skills, intelligence, agility, trickery, and among many other things—based on what Chiron had read and heard about Odysseus. In theory, Orson should inherit these skills from his previous life as it is more engraved into his nature than muscle memory—that is if he's actually a reincarnate of Odysseus. I highly doubt that's the case though, based on what I heard from the two archers who had witnessed the fight earlier, Orson fought strategically and wielded a bow and arrow with proficiency. All these points pointed to Orson being the reincarnate of Odysseus. Alright, enough pondering—it's best not to pass this opportunity and to train and nurture him into a great hero once more.

Soon enough, I had arrived at the Big House with Orson in tow. "This is the Big House. Our healing centre, headquarters, etc. Essentially, it is one of the most important building in the camp." Orson looked at the building, mouth gaped open. Clearly he had never seen anything like this before. I mean, it's not everyday you'd fight a laistrigonian giant—lived to tell the tale and also get introduced to a magical camp that can't be seen by the mortal eye. I'm surprised how he managed to hold on until now and still not go nuts. 

On the deck of the house, I spotted a boy. He had stormy grey eyes—noticeable features of a child of Athena, Damian Everett. He had disheveled blond hair, wore the signature camp Half-Blood shirt and a pair of black shorts. As a child of Athena, he is a smart fellow—taking part in most strategic meetings and also tend to be part of the diplomatic team that visits Camp Jupiter, the Roman camp. That's not the only merit about him, he is also a very sociable person and likes being around people and making friends with them. The perfect tour guide for anyone.

He leaned towards the deck's fence, smiling and waving at me and Orson who was still following from behind. "This is the new kid?" Damian vaulted over the fence and down unto the porch then walked towards Orson. Damian walked closer and started to examine him. He walked around Orson, looking at him from every angle as if he was a new species. Orson, clearly uncomfortable by this backed away. "Woah—hey! Slow down, I don't even know you." 

Damian chuckled with a playful tone. "Please, call me Damian. I'm a son of Athena—probably the nicer ones," He said with another chuckle then whispered. "Please don't tell the others I said that."

"Okay.." Orson dragged out the word, not knowing what to make of his new friend. "It's settled then! Chiron, I'm going to give him a tour around the camp." Damian said enthusiastically as he put his arm over Orson's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Sure, please give him a rundown of the rules and some other basics of the camp while you're at it-"

"Will do!" Damian said with so much energy. He then pulled Orson along with him to tour the camp. "Bye Chiron!" He shouted, already walking over to the cabins.

I took a deep breath in—reminding my self of what I need to do next-

"Wait, I have archery lessons in 5 mins." I realised mid-breath and started gallop over to the Archery Field, with the bow behind my shoulder and the quiver below my waistline.

Chapter Text

Seeing Orson resonated a lot in me. I'm not sure why, he seems like a really cool guy to hang out with. That was just one reason why I was so eager to bring him around to tour the camp. Other than that, I just like being around people. I'm on friendly terms with basically everyone in camp at this point. Like—everyone knows my name (We were only about 50 campers but still.) and I would usually be the main person that everyone finds to help with a thing. Hey Damian! Mind if you help me with tying this knot? Hey Damian, what do you use to make this? Hey Damian! What's your take on this?

I mean—I don't really mind it whatsoever. Sure, it can get irritating at times but I like helping people out. I'm just that type of a person. I'm also considered like really really smart—being a child of Athena and all that. But that's besides the point.

I first brought Orson over to the Cabins. Passing by the volleyball court and Arts & Craft station. Man, you all should see the look on his face—mouths hung open and all that. I can't guess what is going on in his mind, but if were to—he'll most likely say This is way above it's time. Which is actually true! Bring any sane mortal here and they will leave with a new prescription of insanity. There's a reason why the Mist plays a role in shielding the mortal world from the mythological world. One reason is that they could literally go insane upon seeing it as their minds are build to comprehend things like this. The other reason is that they won't be in the way of our affairs—they will not be hurt or used as bargaining chips against other parties.

Anyways, while we were walking over to the cabins. I gave Orson a quick run down of what Camp Half-Blood is about. I started from the very beginning, which are the camp rules and such. Then went to the concept of godly parents and their children (Yes, I even explained the concept of how the gods do not have DNA thus making it not weird for a Aphrodite kid to date a Apollo kid.) 

Pushing that though aside, I'd also shared a chat with Orson and managed to learn quite a few things from him.

One, he didn't know that he could use a bow and arrow prior to the fight with the laistrygonian giant. Two, he's a really smart and resourceful person as he was able to survive on his own for a few days on the streets. And three, he loves hot bread—the type that steams out after tearing it apart.

I'm really getting mixed directions about Orson's godly parent at this point. I know that he's not claimed yet—but his godly parents could be anyone at this point. Some main guesses that I had placed my bet on based on the info that I had is that he is will either be an Apollo or Athena kid. Though, I still can't be so sure. Next thing I know, he could be claimed by Zeus out of nowhere and start raining lightning strikes across camp. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

Finally, we reached the cabins. I snatched a look at Orson's face while I showed him the cabin layout. I bet that he'd never seen anything like it before. The garden's were lush green, the houses all had their own beautiful design, there were people around our age fooling around outside the cabins—playing around and all that. I could see that he looked happy. His eyes looked as if they were shining.

I took him around the cabins, introducing it one by one to him. I started from the quieter cabins such as the Hera ones, then to the slightly louder ones which are the big three cabins, then to the slightly bigger ones like the Athena and Hephaestus cabins, then at last the biggest and loudest ones—the Hermes cabin.

I brought Orson into the cabin where he'd stay until he got claimed. I briefly explained to him how the claiming works which also means the dozens of kids who were left unclaimed in the Hermes cabin. Judging from his expression, he looked nervous as to when he'll get claimed.

The cabin counsellor, Theo—introduced himself to Orson. He had tied his dark grey hair in a manbun today. His eyes were warm in a older brother way. Which he is! Theo is about 17 years old—one of the older campers in Camp Half-Blood. Theo was wearing shorts with tights underneath along with his Camp Half-Blood shirt. His physique was on  the agile side—being built to be a fast runner more than a fighter. He gave Orson some time to remember his face, and to also break the ice between them via small chats to know each other better. After a couple minutes of chatting, Theo waved Orson goodbye as he followed be back out of the cabin to continue the tour. 

As we were walking along the campsite, I saw a rather important figure in the distance. The newly appointed Oracle of Delphi, Sophia. She had long silky auburn hair, wore a chiton, and had a beautiful smile on her face at all time. I'd known her before she became the Oracle. She had an ability which not all mortal had—which is the ability to see through the Mist. As we approached her, I gave a big wave.

Sophia looked over in our direction. Her eyes widened at the sight of Orson. "You! I recognise you from my dreams!" Sophia pointed at Orson—with genuine shock. He'd looked at her with confusion on his face. "Do I. . . know you?" 

"No, you don't." Sophia managed to calm down and heaved a sigh.

"I see. . . why are you seeing me in my dreams?" Orson asked, still a bit shaken up by the awkward first encounter with the renown 'Oracle of Delphi'.

I then pulled Orson aside before he asked anymore ridiculous question. "Orson, she's the Oracle of Delphi."  He looked pretty blanked out at the moment. Must've been thinking: Oracle, I see, who's that?  From his facial expression, I felt that he wasn't understanding what I was saying. I then inhaled. "She can see the weird stuff."

"Oh."

"Hi Sophia, meet Orson. He's the newest camper that had just arrived today." I tried to break the awkwardness between them. She extended her hand out to Orson in a handshake. "Sorry about that, I tend to see weird things in my dreams. I think it's cause I'm the oracle." She shrugged. "Oh, no worries." Orson tried to force an awkward smile. 

"I'm needed somewhere. I'll take my leave no, farewell!" Sophia walked towards the Big House in the distance. 

Orson looked at me, slightly weirded out and confused. "Uh. . . does she always do that-"

"No she doesn't, even though she's the Oracle—she doesn't usually act this weird. Anyways, let's just keep moving." I then beckoned Orson to follow me as we continued walking through the campsite.

Finally, after all the touring. I brought him over to the Archery Field as the last and final stop for the tour. As we walked over there, I saw how excited he'd looked. Since he had a taste for a bow and arrow, he was more excited and keen to be there. We walked briskly towards the Archery Field.

Chapter Text

The tour around Camp Half-Blood was so cool. Who knew that there were such things as actual unlimited refill drinks, or the cabins—all of it looked so cool in their own way. The Poseidon cabin radiated a sea type of feeling, the Hephaestus cabin had cool gadgets and stuff at their front door which says a lot about their technology. Other than that, there was a volleyball court, a theatre—on top of that, a lot of new faces to meet. I may not have been a people type of person a few days back, but now I feel as if I'm more in my element—talking with people and doing things that I'm actually good at, IE: Archery. I've felt this at home only once—which is back at home with my mum. It's been only a few days, but I felt that it was so long since I felt more at home than this. Especially Damian, that guy is so talkative and positive that I couldn't resist but feel the same. I felt sad, but Damian walked towards it straight up and said no which made the feeling ran away.

We were approaching the Archery Field. I felt excited, I had also felt powerful when I held a bow whilst fighting the laestrygonian giant. It seemed like I had a knack for it. As we entered the fields, I saw a familiar figure. Chiron, the centaur.

"Orson! You're back!" Chiron said with a bright smile. His long hair were flowing with the wind as it breezed pass us. The archers practicing there took the time to rest and drink some water while the winds passed by. "How was the tour?" Chiron asked.

"It was great!" I replied. It felt weird saying the word 'great' again. It's been awhile since any aspect of my life was 'great'. But hey! It's an improvement. "Good, good to hear that." Chiron sounded really sincere about it. It was really rare to see anyone be that kind hearted and sincere. "You've come for archer practice?" Chiron asked.

I nodded. Chiron then trotted over to a box by the side of the shooting range, and took out a bow. He then looked at it and over to me, as if comparing the bow to my size and trying to get the perfect size for my body. After a few minutes, he'd finally settle on a bow and called for my attention before tossing the bow to me. 

I caught it by it's limb before adjusting my hands over the grip. The bow's design wasn't really anything special. It'd been whittled to meet the standard criteria of a bow. It didn't felt normal in my hand, but I put the complain aside. 

Chiron went up to the archers at got their attention. "Archers! Please welcome a new friend who would like to try being an archer. You know the difficulties of being one—especially when starting out. Do give some support and welcome him with open arms." The archers were now looking at me silently.

Chiron then looked at me and nodded as if saying give it a try. I went over to one of stations and drew an arrow in a matter of milliseconds. From the look of Chiron's face, he was rather impressed. The other camper's there were in shock and surprised at how fast I was able to nock and arrow. I then inhaled and took aim at the target. Once I felt that I was ready, I released the arrow and. . .

Swish.. Thump!

The arrow landed in it's mark.

"Bravo!" Chiron clapped. The other campers clapped together as well. "I didn't know that you were very gifted as an archer." The other campers then came up to me and clapped my back as a sign of respect. "Welcome to the archer gang!" one of them said. 

I was in a state of euphoria for the next few hours of the day. Chiron had disappeared off to do his own tasks while I found myself socialising and having fun with the other campers. We first messed around at the archery range, practicing a lot while joking around and messing up a few times. Afterwards they'd introduced me to the rest of the other archers who are mainly from the Apollo cabin. I sort of clicked with them. Being interested in archery and all of that.

Afterwards I joined in on a plethora of other activities that were held. First was the sword-fighting lesson. The instructor was the Ares counsellor, his name was Calvin. He had a skinny built. Very much unlike the other Ares kids but you could tell he was an Ares kid from his warlike nature, skill in combat and among many other things that the god Ares specialises in. He explained a technique which would be used in breaking opponent's blocking stances. After he was done, he got his assistant, Clara (Also an Ares kid, red hair, fiery personality, muscular build, you get the idea.) to help out in overlooking the lesson as he pulled me aside to teach me the basics.

First came the stance, he taught me the standard stance that everyone used when starting out. It was really well-rounded, thus making it the standard one. It had a good defence, provided a good position for the blade to be in to attack as well, the footwork keeps the fighter balanced after a strike. Sword fighting isn't my cup of tea, but I still enjoyed it. (At least better than sitting down in a classroom for hours on end.) Then he went on with the proper striking method. (Apparently there's a proper way to strike with a sword instead of just flailing it around wildly as if I was a toddler.) Afterwards came blocking, and a bit of reflex exercising (How are you going to block when you're not able to react to it in time.) Then following that is parrying practice. After I'd managed to cover the basics, he went for a quick spar between me and him to revise back on the basics.

"You're pretty good at this!" Calvin commented as he deflected a strike from me. I took a step forward, still stuck in my stance. He tried to hit me from the side but I managed to block it and follow up with another swing down unto to his head. Compared to mine, his movements are way more fluid and fast. I felt very stiff and awkward with my movements. Calvin sidestepped from the attack and landed a hit with the pommel of his wooden sword. That'd done the final blow. I flew back and landed on my rear end. Calvin clapped. "Well done!" he walked towards me still applauding. He then raised his hands toward me as a gesture of helping me get up. I grasped his hand and got myself up. "You're pretty good at this. Ever considered being a swordsman?" I winced upon hearing that. "No, I don't think I plan to be a swordsman in the future. I'm more of an archer guy. But I prefer knowing sword fight as a 'just in case' sort of thing. Get what I mean?" I said in response. Calvin, slightly saddened by that then hide it with a smile and a laugh. "Very well Orson. You'd make a pretty good warrior."

The day passed in a flash. I was having Ancient Greek lessons from Damian, then some other fun activities, more archery practice over at the range. Soon enough, it was the evening and a horn blew in the distance. I followed two of archers that I'd met at the Archery Field in the morning. One of them—Jasper, had messy brown hair, freckles across his face, and a tall and slender body. The other one—Fletcher, has short messy black hair, a scar on forehead, (He told me that it was from a fight with a harpy during one of his quests)  and a short muscular built. Both of them being sons of Apollo. These two are like my close friends at this point. They'd been really nice to me and showed me the ropes to survive at camp. I followed them down towards the dining pavilion.

"Hey Orson,  you'll need to join the Hermes Cabin. Since you are. . . y'know not sired and all that. It's the rules. We'll regroup after dinner." Fletcher promised me as we approached the pavilion. He walked over to the Apollo table and joined them.

The pavilion is rather big. There were tables set around it in an orderly arrangement with a fire at the very middle of it. A lot of people were already there when we had arrived.

I looked over the crowd of people, trying to find Theo. He radiated an aura which sets him apart from other people. He's like an elder brother to me. I know, I don't have a brother. Especially an elder brother. But I think if I were to have one, he'd have the same energy as Theo. 

I must say, he and a lot of other kids from the other cabins has some crazy physique. I saw one of the kids having a really lean build, kids Fletcher had a muscular build, then there's some who were skinny, or people like Theo who are built more for agile movements and running. I walked over to the Hermes cabin and sat down with them.

Theo offered a seat beside him. I gladly took the offer and sat down among the Hermes cabin. After a couple of minutes, the pavilion was filled with chatter, laughter, among many other positive vibes. I looked over at some of the tables. One of the tables only had 3 people there. They all looked like the type of guys that would love the sea. All of them had a surfer build. 2 guys and 1 girl. They were all wearing shorts, and looked really relaxed among each other. I then looked over at another table. There was quite a handful of people there. All of them sharing the grey eyes that they were known for, the Athena cabin. Damian sat there, when he saw me. He had a wide grin and waved at me. I couldn't help but wave back. The pavilion was really lively. Even the campers at the Hermes table where I sat also chatted among themselves, pulled off pranks among each other. More arguing, and playful banters filled the pavilion with an overall fun environment.

I looked over to the lake and realised that even the naiads, satyrs and dryads came out of the blue to join us for dinner. Soon, Chiron stood at an end of the pavilion and pounded his hoof against the floor. The entire camp silenced immediately. He raised his goblet up and shouted "To the gods!" 

I then realised that there was a glass in front of me. Everyone shouted in unison "To the gods!" I followed quickly. I then looked around. Everyone already had drinks in their cups. I manage to catch on to the person who sat a table away from me. She'd spoken a certain drink into the cup and it magically filled up. Naturally I was shocked, then came back to my senses when I realised that I was in a camp based on actually real mythological beings. As if I'd done it before, I tried and speak a drink that I would want. "Lemonade." The cup the filled up with a yellow substance. I took a sip of it. It had it's signature sour flavour, but coming along with it was also a taste of sweetness. Not too much, but also not too little. It was just nice.

Wood nymphs started coming out with platters of food. It seemed like a luxury to have so much of food. There were pastries, pies, rice, soup, pudding. Essentially anything that you'd imagine will most likely be served here. Theo helped get a slice of the lamb pie that they'd served and passed it to me. It was steaming hot. Before I started to take a big, everyone stood up from their tables and head towards the fire in the middle.

"Follow me." Theo said in a casual manner as he stood up to follow campers as well. I followed suit. "What are we doing?" I asked. "Offerings to the gods." Theo replied. We walked through the crowd until we reached the fireplace. 

He murmured into my ear. "We're burning the food as an offering to the gods." 
"No questions here." I replied.

Theo was first. "Hermes." He said as he pushed down part of his rice into the fireplace. Then it was my turn. I didn't know what to say so I just said "The gods." as in general. Hoping that everyone would get to have a piece. I cut a piece of my pie and let it slide down into the fire, burning it.

I followed Theo back to the Hermes cabin's table and we started eating dinner.

About an hour flew by. The sounds of chatter and laughter echoed through the pavilion. Chiron then stomped his hoof once again to get the camp's attention. "Greeting's campers! Some announcements that I would like to make. First off, we have a new camper who had joined our midst. His name is Orson Dexter! Please give him a round of applause." Everyone clapped for my arrival and soon the applause died down. "Next up, reminder that we'll be having a Capture the Flag this Friday. Anyways, let's move on to the campfire."

Everyone happily got up from their seats and walked to the amphitheater. I regrouped with Fletcher and Jasper and sat together when we arrived. Coincidentally, Damian had also sat beside me after following a friend and chatting with them. I said my hello's and Damian replied with his hey's. 

The Apollo kids led the sing-along. Fletcher and Jasper stood and went over to the front of the amphitheater along with the other Apollo kids and started the sing-along. I tried to follow with whatever they were saying but didn't really get to catch what they were singing. Damian let out a small laugh as he put his arms around me, singing his lungs out along with the rest of the campers. Soon enough, I managed to catch the lyrics and started singing along too.

The night passed, we ate some sweet crackers and had a genuinely good time. I remembered Chiron mentioning about Capture The Flag. I leaned over to Damian and whispered into his ear. "What's capture the flag about?" Damian replied back in a whisper, "Two teams, fight each other, take opponent flag, bring back to base, win." He said in the most simplified way, but I still managed to understand.

"Are we in the same team?" I asked, still in a whisper. "Yes, the Hermes, Athena, Apollo, and some other cabin's are in our team this round." Damian replied. I let out a relieved sigh. At least I won't be put up against my 'day 1' friends so early. Damian eyes widened, as if an idea popped up in his mind. He faced me. "Are you interested in joining the strategic meeting?"

I've not done something like this before, but I thought it'd be great opportunity. "Yea sure." I said in almost immediate response.

Chapter Text

Days had passed since Orson joined the camp. Happy to see that he's getting along really well most of the campers. He'd messed around with the Apollo cabin, pulled off ridiculous pranks with the Hermes cabin, chilled with the Poseidon cabin in their regular surfing sessions. I could see that he was having the time of his life. Of course, he'd also started warming up to me as the days passes. Soon enough, it was Thursday. The day when we're going to hold the strategic meeting for capture the flag. The morning and afternoon went as usual, there's the Ancient Greek lessons with Orson, then I went to pick up strawberries, then the monster assaults tactics class, and finally free time.

I walked towards the Hermes cabin, judging from his schedule, he should have his Greek Mythology lessons with Rowan and by now should be in his cabin. I came up to the front door and gave it a couple of knocks. Gods, I should have predicted it. A bucket of water tipped from the frame of the roof and splashed over me. To add more insult to the wound, the water splashing was also accompanied with colourful feathers sprinkling over me. It seems like the Hermes and Hephaestus cabin had joined forces again to pull another prank out of their five hundred thousand pranks that they've worked on in the entire year. I could hear a couple of people laughing from inside the cabin for a few moments before the door opened.

 Theo answered with a joyful grin and a tear that streaked down his face. "Yea?" 

"Hi, is Orson here?" I asked with a frown on my face whilst dripping wet—and still covered in feathers. "Mhm totally," Theo then turned his head away from the door. "Orson! Damian's lookin' ya!" Shouted Theo in a nonchalant way. "Coming in a second!" another voice replied from somewhere in the back of the cabin.

Theo turned back to face me, still grinning. "You plan to bring him to the meeting later?"

"Yea, I'm intending to do so," I replied. "He's sort of a smart fellow, I'm thinking that he could be an Athena kid in the future." 

"Mhm, I'm also placing my bets on that." Theo replied. Soon enough, Orson appeared at the doorway beside Theo. Gosh, I didn't really made the comparison before but Orson is way shorter compared to him. He's like a head shorter than him. I didn't really feel the need to say it out loud so I decided to keep it to myself.

"Come, Orson. We've a meeting to attend to." I said with a gesture to get him to follow. I then turned to Theo. "You want to come with?" I asked. "Nah, I'll come later. Besides, quite early no?" I looked at my pocket watch 5.15pm. The meeting is at 5.20pm. "Suit yourself.." I said, with a hint of doubt in my voice.

We marched across the campsite. Waving at friends who walked by, taking in the sights and the fresh air, see as the naiads try and flirt with some of the campers. The usual Camp Half-Blood shenanigans. Soon enough, we'd arrived at the agreed meeting spot—the Big House's deck. Some of you may be wondering, why this place? You see, the Big House's deck is a really nice place to meetup. There's strong and pleasant winds blowing towards your face, it's far enough from the rest of the facilities that it doesn't get too noisy when we're having discussions,  and on top of that—the smell of strawberry waft in the air. Chiron doesn't usually shoo us from the roundtable on the deck. Mainly because he doesn't use it often, so he'd usually let anyone else use it.

We were the first to arrive. The roundtable was made of a sort of walnut coloured wood.  There were about 6 stools around the table. Sufficient for the meeting later on. The table had some rubbish and leftover canned food on top of it. We figured that it's best if we could do our best to clean things up as we wait for the rest of the team to arrive.

I checked my pocket watch again, 5.21pm. Dam, where's everyone? I looked around, hoping to see the rest of the team arrive. Over the horizon, I saw a dot. Growing bigger and bigger. There's Theo! Hypocritical of him, said he'll come early but still came late. Couldn't blame him though, everyone else is running late too. I let out a slight chuckle as he scrambled over to the Big House at top speeds. Soon enough, everyone started arriving to the roundtable.

First came the Ares cabin's Counsellor—William Hawthorne. He had a buff build, really big guy, skilled with a sword and shield, he had a short brown militaristic haircut. As a son of Ares, he'd also started looking into implementing flintlocks into our arsenal as the conflicts between Rome and Greek gets even more strained. He's been expecting a war for a couple of months. Especially after our previous diplomatic mission where one of ours came back with a broken arm. Didn't really work with him that much. He's more on the brute force quests while I was sent to the more brain-powered quests. 

Following behind him was the daughter of Apollo, Eleanor Goldenfield. She has a slim body type and her hair is a beautiful golden brown which had been tied into a pony tail. Her eyes are also brown in colour. In my opinion, she's a really nice person, loved hanging out with her in a friendly sort of manner,  and she rocks great humour. She's a master at the bow, and could also heal people. She'd recently learned that she could heal people by shooting an arrow at them. (How does it work? I honestly don't know, I've been trying to pester her about it for the past few days but she kept on insisting that she doesn't know.) Eleanor is also a really great leader, due to how she always cares for her team.

There was still two more that I was expecting, who is a daughter Dionysus. Honestly speaking, it's a far cry for us to win this round of capture the flag. The opposite team has two of the biggest powerhouse of the camp in terms of powers—which are the Zeus and Poseidon cabins. They will be working together for this Capture the Flag. Now you may be wondering: This is too unbalanced! Who agreed to this? Well, honestly speaking.. I sort of understand Chiron's mindset behind this. If you have not noticed, the majority of the cabins involved in the opposing teams I would say are the most 'peaceful' people that I know. The Demeter cabin won't be doing too much except restraining us from moving using the power of growing forest's flora. Then there's the Aphrodite cabin—must I really explain? They're more into fashion, love, and all that sort of aesthetic. 

The only dangerous cabins—besides Zeus and Poseidon's—will be the Hephaestus cabin. They're really crafty people, being able to construct traps on the spot or being able to help repair weapons on the battlefield. The ultimate support.

Now with our team, we have the more warlike cabins. Our team consists of the Hermes, Ares, Athena, Apollo, and Dionysus cabins. The Hermes kids are really fast people. From what I heard, some were able to teleport around—albeit not so effectively yet. The Ares kids are really destructive in nature. Some are able to conjure up an 'avatar' of sorts, emitting a red aura around them and start going ballistic in the battlefield. Then there's the rarer abilities like how some of the Ares kids are able to emit an aura which make people throw away all sense of logic and start being violent, even towards their own team.

Then there's the Athena kids (like me! :D), we're pretty much the brains of the operations in every battle. There's this saying that goes around camp every time. "Athena always have a plan."  Which is true (most of the time). 

There's the Apollo and Dionysus kids as well. The Apollo kids specialises in the bow and healing department whereas the Dionysus kids mainly use the standard sword and shield. Their real secret lies in their ability to grow plants (to restrain people) and their ability to temporarily make people go mad. (Real scary thing, I know.) 

I looked up from the table which I was staring at. (whilst making my extremely long internal monologue.) There she was, Julian Wilderose. She had an athletic build and ginger bold pixie hair.

"Get over here wine girl," Theo shouted in a friendly type of mocking manner. Everyone around the table snickered. "Everyone's waiting for ya!" 

Julian waved at us as she got closer to the deck. "Sorry sorry! Was tending to the strawberry fields until I lost track of time." She smiled in a I'm sorry way and scratched the back of her head as she took a step into the deck. Theo pulled out a stool from under a table and offered her a seat. She'd slowly shuffled into her seat and pulled the stool closer to the round table.

"Let's get this started." I said immediately.

I first bring up our main attackers—who would usually be the Ares cabin. Then our other assets like the Hermes cabin who are the fast runners, the Apollo cabin who can provide support from a distance with their arrows and also healing, the Dionysus cabin who could control the nature around them, and the Athena cabin who would be the problem solvers of the fight.

After a couple minutes of discussion, we'd come up with a logically strong strategy.

In summary, the plan would be to send out three attacking teams towards the flag. Throw them off with one squad, only to surprise them with another one the other side. If they're still able to manage the 2 squads, we will send a final squad to overwhelm them. Each squad will consists of an 2 Ares kids, 3 Hermes kids, 1 Athena kid, and 1 Apollo kid. The Dionysus kids and the remainders will stay back and defend base.

Everyone seemed to be in agreement with this plan. All was going well until Eleanor brought up a problem. "One archer in each team isn't enough." Eleanor pointed out. In fact, I had also forgotten a big factor which could jeopardize this plan. "There's also the Zeus and Poseidon cabins to worry about." I brought up, with a hint of worry in my voice. Everyone looked discouraged upon hearing that. We'd hit a wall, which we couldn't avoid.

There were silence, for just a few seconds.

"I have an idea." Orson spoke up.

Chapter Text

I have a plan. Orson's words echoed through my mind. I didn't know he could come up with something as convoluted as that. Especially being a really young individual and technically a newcomer to camp. He's really adaptable to situations—I give you that. He'd already have a grasped on what each cabin could do from his really short time here. I've been so excited for the game till the point that the day passed in a blur. All that I could remember was polishing armour, riding a pegasus around the campsite, more classes, volleyball, then finally dinner. My senses came back to full-pilot mode after offering my portion of my meal to the gods. 

Today's menu—a falafel! No idea what it is, but boy is it really delicious! 

Back to the main topic. Ahem.

Everyone was having a good time during dinner today. The dining pavilion was filled with chatter. I sat with the rest of the Athena cabin and gave them a full run down of our plan. All of them gave me a grim look as I spoke. No doubt, Orson's plan is rather risky but an might actually work. Especially dealing with foes like Morgan—daughter of Poseidon, or Avery—son of Zeus. Two of a few really formidable people to go up against in the camp. Usually I'd say that brain can usually outsmart brawn—but this really beats my case.

Time passed, and we were geared up for Capture The Flag. The entire camp gathered in a  woods clearing, separated by their teams. One side had a large blue flag, while the other had a large red flag.(FYI, our team is blue) Chiron stood in the middle. "Campers! It is time for Capture the Flag!" He shouted, echoing throughout the forest. The camp erupted into cheers. As the crowd dies down, Chiron continued. "Rules are as before: The creek is the boundary line, the forest is fair game. Magic items are allowed. The flag must be displayed where it's easy to see, and have no more than two guards for your flag. No bounding or gagging. No killing or maiming. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic." Chiron said sternly. "Now campers, off to your respective sites!"

Our team and I marched through the forest until we reached a small rock hill. We placed our flag at the peak of it and started splitting into teams. "Let's remove the Apollo kids from each team" Orson's words rang in my mind. Each team will now consist of 2 Hermes kids, and 2 Ares kids and a Athena kid. There'll be no Apollo kid. 

As we set up the teams, I looked over my shoulder to see Orson bringing the Archers to somewhere else in the woods. Of course, as a team we have to know every detail. My mind traverse back to yesterday, when Orson gave his idea.

"Let's remove the Apollo kids from each team, I'll lead them to the trees. We'll provide attack and support to where the eyes can't see us." Orson then shifted in his seat, to get into a more comfortable sitting position. "We have about 3 powerhouses—1 Zeus kid and 2 Poseidon kids. Avery—a son of Zeus, is still in recovery as he'd just got injured from his latest pegasus riding" I could see from his expression, that he's thinking at rapid speeds. Like imagine thinking of 10 different things in a matter of about 5 seconds. Orson then put both his hands on the table. 

"Let's get 2 Athena and a Hermes kid to be a bait. Why? Well, the only way we could win this fight—if we wanted to win, is not by brute force—but by trickery and stalling. The Athena kids could try and do some convincing to keep Avery Bolt and Morgan Harbor busy. Then the Hermes kid, well.. being a Hermes kid, can infuriate Edward Thatch, (yes, that's his name. Not the pirate though.) With the right cards played, the Hermes kid would be able to outrun Edward and we would be able to scatter the powerhouses of the team. Thus, opening the opportunity to strike." Orson had a facial expression of proudness. 

I've got to say. It's really impressive how he'd already socialised with the campers in such a short period of time. Avery and Morgan are rather laid back. Which could be used to our advantage with the gentle distractions from my siblings. Then there's Edward—inheriting the more.. wrathful side of the Poseidon. A son of Hermes could be able to tick him off and run away before any damage could be done.

"Then the archers?" Eleanor asked. Orson stared at the table for a moment. Before looking back up, matching Eleanor's eyes. "Stealth attack, support, scouting, and many more things. There's the Hephaestus cabin to worry about. We have 3 more Hermes cabin members left to our usage. We do not know much about their powers—being unclaimed and all that. But it would be great to have them scout around to detect and undo traps." Orson then adjusted in his seat again, now tapping his foot against the floorboard. Thinking through his plan.

"The Apollo cabin will also help in detecting traps, but there is more trivial matters to oversee. For instance, the opposing enemies will still try their best to attack us. If we do not have our defences up, the enemies would still have a chance to win. On top of that, I doubt trickery is enough to last against the powerhouses. I'm thinking of getting some of the better archers in the cabin to distract and annoy the main foes." 

I was pulled back to reality when Edgar, son of Ares called me. "We're ready to attack." Edgar looked at me with a tone of seriousness as if we were going to war. Seriously, the Ares kids are always competitive in Capture the Flag. 

I looked towards the forest. It was dark out now. I started into the black abyss in between the trees, wondering when someone is going to come out and shout "DIE!! " and try to stab with a sword. I turned back to Edgar. "Let's go then." I said. 

Chapter Text

Orson had forgotten to account for one thing. To be fair, I did to. We'd unfortunately encountered Morgan in the first 5 minutes of us marching through the forest. It was really dark. The only things that I could hear were the sounds of our heavy footsteps and the sound of the river gushing by. Nobody talked, as to not try and attract any attention towards us.

We trudged through the forest of awhile, following the riverbank. However, our team came to a halt when James, a Hermes kid tapped on my shoulder and pointed at a woman who stood just about 5 meters away from us. She was about my height, had curly hair, sea green eyes, and held a blue celestial bronze trident on her left hand. Her eyes gleamed under the moonlight, which somehow gave her an intimidating look. I mean, she's really in tune with the ocean, and can even do wonders with a river. We should be intimidated.

She stared at us, and we stared back at her awkwardly. One second passed, then two, then two, then she charged at us with a war cry.

"Scatter!" I shouted as Morgan jumped up to about 6 feet. She swirled her trident in a circular motion. The water from the river came and surrounded her like a whirlpool. I grasped my spear and began running around the whirlpool, eyeing at her for an opening. She stayed there, levitating for about 10 seconds before releasing it. It was dark out, meaning that it'll be hard to shoot most people. However one who would be the easiest to detect would be the bigger people. Morgan shot it towards Edgar.

"Watch out!" I shouted as she released some of the water from the whirlpool. It barrelled towards him. Edgar barely rolled out of the attack, except for his mace which was knocked out of his hand. It clattered against a rocky surface.

Me shouting was also a dangerous move. Next thing I new, Morgan heard my voice and had already pinpointed my position. She released her water and it shot towards my direction. I did not have the time to react to it. Next thing I knew, the water struck my at my chest. It was a impaling sensation. But not deadly enough to kill someone. Imagine taking the blunt side of your pencil, and stab your chest with it. It hurts, but you wouldn't get injured..

The impact of the attack, sent me flying far back. I could have went for another 50 meters if it weren't for a conveniently placed tree. I was only across the shallow river. As I slowly recovered, I looked at the fight that was going on. Everyone was disorganised. Edgar went toe to toe against the water whirlwind—which I think did not do as much damage as he had intended. As her attention was locked on to him, I quietly trudged over the shallow river. Slowly sneaking up on her.

I don't know much about water whirlpool, but I bet that I shouldn't touch it. I don't intend on losing my spear in it as well. I grabbed the nearest pebble on the ground and threw it into the floating whirlpool. I estimated where her head would be, and threw with all my strength.

It actually worked. The magical floating whirlpool ceased to exist and Morgan fell out of it. I gripped by spear tightly and charged at her, trying to land a hit. As I was mere inches away, she willed the water to push her. She slid aside, now knelt down on one knee. We are now facing each other. She used her trident to get her back on to her feet, still glaring at me.

It's safe to assume that she would be exhausted after the whirlpool move that she had pulled off. I don't think she'll be pulling anymore moves like that for the rest of the game. Thus, I did a logical move. I charged towards her, spear in hand. Morgan did the same thing. Our weapons clashed in the middle. Both of our weapons aren't made for slicing and dicing but for more stabbing. I was the first to pull back and attempted a strike to her abdomen. Morgan spun aside and tried to stab me in the arm. I reacted to her attack on time and raised my arm up, barely missing it by a hair.

I made some distance by landing a Spartan kick towards her chest. It seemed to do the trick. She stumbled backwards, but only by a few step. I raised my spear in a defensive position, anticipating her next attack. Morgan recovered from stumbling and adjusted her posture, trident still standing proud in her hand. She stamped the ground using the back of her trident. As she'd done that, a blob of water came out of the river and came to her side.

She made the first move. Morgan lifted her trident and ran towards me, the blob of water following her. She tried to give me a flurry of stabs which I'd narrowly dodged except for a part in my arm, but it wasn't a big deal. As I felt that I was in the clear, the blob of water formed into a blade and sliced me at the chest area. I let out a groan and knelt down on one knee. The pain throbbed terribly. I looked up to Morgan, smiling. "No big deal buddy, just want to win a game."

Morgan lifted up her trident and aimed the prongs towards me. "Good game-" as she prepared to thrust the sharp prongs into my shoulder, Theodore—son of Ares went for a flying kick towards her face. He slammed into her face and fell onto the ground. Morgan fell sideways towards the ground—faceplanting it in the process. With this opportunity, I quickly picked up my spear and move myself away from her. The team had her surrounded. The other two Hermes kids, Adam and Felicia, had their standard issued blades at hand. Edgar held his mace, and Theodore had a spear as well. Morgan stood up and maintained a nonchalant face.

Morgan proceeded to take us all at once.

A series of grunts, punches, and blades clashing echoed through the forest. Morgan was a really tough opponent to go up against. As we all charged towards her at once, she ducked a swipe from a blade to her head, then proceeded to sweep the Adam's legs off the ground. She then blocked an attack from Felicia's blade while kicking Theodore's spear up into the air to avoid it from stabbing her. Edgar proceeded to swing his mace towards her head. In that matter of milliseconds, Morgan kicked Felicia away while pulling Theodore towards her—forming a meat shield from the attack.

Edgar did not have time react. He struck him by the shoulder, causing him to fly towards the ground. Morgan then elegantly kicked Edgar away, taking this opportunity to make an escape—seeing as this is a waste of time for her.

I, however don't want to let her go. She'd just insulted me and my team, and I'm going to repay the favour twofold. I ran towards her despite the protest from Adam—who was still on the ground.

I chased after her through the rocky terrain of the forest. Morgan came to a halt as we reached a small clearing. She slowly turned around to face me. She looked pretty confident now. To be fair, this was a really stupid idea on my side. There's no turning back now. I readied my spear and charged towards her.