WINGED ₁

24

"ONE ON ONE," Percy challenged Luke. "What are you afraid of?"

Luke curled his lip. The soldiers who were about to kill Madeleine and her friends waited for his order.

Before he could say anything, Agrius, the bear-man, burst onto the deck leading a flying horse. It was the first pure black pegasus Madeleine had ever seen, with wings like a giant raven. It bucked and whinnied, clearly unhappy in its position.

"Sir!" Agrius called, dodging a pegasus hoof. "Your steed is ready!"

Luke kept his eyes on Percy.

"I told you last summer, Percy," he said. "You can't bait me into a fight."

"And you keep avoiding one," Percy noticed. "Scared your warriors will see you get whipped?"

Luke glanced at his men, and Madeleine saw that Percy had trapped him. If Luke backed down, he would look weak. If he fought Percy, he'd lose valuable time chasing after Clarisse.

Unfortunately, Madeleine knew that Luke was much better at swordfighting than Percy was.

"I'll kill you quickly," Luke decided, and raised his weapon. Backbiter was a foot longer than Percy's own sword. Its blade glinted with an evil gray-and-gold light where the human steel had been melded with celestial bronze. Madeleine could almost feel the blade fighting against itself, like two opposing magnets bound together. She didn't know how the blade had been made, but she sensed a tragedy. Someone had died in the process. Luke whistled to one of his men, who threw him a round leather-and-bronze shield.

He grinned at Percy wickedly.

"Luke," Annabeth said, "at least give him a shield."

"Sorry, Annabeth," he said. "You bring your own equipment to this party."

Madeleine struggled to her feet. "Fight us both. At least make it fair."

Luke turned his grin on her. "This is a swordfight, sister. Dad's blessed weapons won't help you here. Stay down."

Madeleine knew the shield was going to be a problem for Percy. Fighting two-handed with just a sword gave a person more power, but fighting one-handed with a shield gave a person better defense and versatility. There were more moves, more options, more ways to kill. 

Luke lunged and almost killed Percy on the first try. His sword went under his arm, slashing through Percy's shirt and probably grazing his ribs.

Percy jumped back, then counterattacked with Riptide, but Luke slammed the blade away with his shield.

"My, Percy," Luke chided. "You're out of practice."

He came at Percy again with a swipe to the head. Percy parried, returned with a thrust. Luke sidestepped easily.

Madeleine could practically feel Percy's panic. When Luke lunged again, Percy jumped backward into the swimming pool. He spun underwater, a flurry of bubbles shooting from the spot he had plunged as a funnel cloud formed. After a few seconds, Percy blasted out of the deep end, straight at Luke's face.

The force of the water knocked him down, spluttering and blinded. But before Percy could strike, Luke rolled aside and was on his feet again.

Percy attacked and sliced off the edge of Luke's shield, but that didn't even faze him. He dropped to a crouch and jabbed at Percy's legs, cutting through cloth and impaling the boy's thigh. Percy collapsed, his face contorted in pain. Luke hacked downward and Percy rolled behind a deck chair. He tried to stand, but his leg wouldn't take the weight.

"Perrrrrcy!" Grover bleated. 

Percy rolled again as Luke's sword slashed the deck chair in half, metal pipes and all.