Titans Wrath

Percy: Chapter 7

     Shortly after my show, training continued as planned. I had to work with each person individually to figure out where their strengths and weaknesses were, where their prowess with their chosen weapons laid, etc. Jason was fast, and powerful, but lacked tact and subtlety. Frank was strong and fluid in his transformations, both physically and from spear to bow, but was predictable and a little slow. Hazel was explosively fast and strong with her cavalry sword and was good at using the mist, but tired quickly. None of the one on one sessions lasted more than 20 minutes, but between all the people there and the heat of the Olympus sun, I was tiring through the day. By the time I had finished with the last person, Annabeth, I collapsed on the bleachers in front of her. 

     I couldn't help but smile  as her laugh filled the air and I felt water be poured on my head. I drank what i could and used the rest to cool me off and clean some of the dust and grime off my skin before pushing the water into the dirt. The ground crunched next to me as Annabeth nimbly dropped from the bleachers and in one fluid motion was sitting next to me with her head on my shoulder as we watched our friends shake hands and talk, some going through motions with their various weapons either trying to learn something new or commit something to instinct or in Jason's case, trying to figure out the disarming technique I used on him before knocking him out, the same one Luke taught me on my second day at camp. Annabeth hummed and closed her eyes. "Maybe this wont be so bad Seaweed Brain..." she trailed off, her eyes set on something in the arena entrance. Standing by the front doors, a few gods had gathered, assumedly to collect their respective boons, like parents at a child care center. We watched all our friends funnel out and disappear until before long, Ares and Artemis were the only two left. Annabeth and I stood and walked towards them. Before I could even say a goodbye or speak to Artemis, Annabeth and Ares were already launched in a full on discussion, him putting a hand on her shoulder before they flashed out. 

     Artemis held out her hand, allowing me to clasp her forearm and her mine as we flashed out and appeared in a tent. The tent was spacious but not overly so. Pelts and various hunting trophies littered the walls and various tables and stands. Off in one corner was a large queen sized bed covered with a thick fur blanket and most probably Pegasus down pillows. Hung over the headboard was a gleaming silver bow, and on the rightmost bedpost was a similar gleaming quiver, packed full of arrows, the fletchings of which were sticking out of the top. I was brought out of my observations by Artemis clearing her throat. "That was quite the show you put on at the arena. You had Aphrodite drooling and slobbering all over herself."

     Though the words sounded like a joke, her piercing silver eyes were glaring straight into mine and there was no mirth on her face, like she was waiting for something. I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. "I didn't know anyone but my friends were watching. Sorry, if I'd known I would have turned it down a notch." My answer seemed to satisfy her, because she turned and sat on her bed before raising her right hand and snapping her fingers. 

     Some unspoken message must have passed between her and Phoebe because in she strode not but a minute later, refusing to even acknowledge my presence. "Yes m'lady?"

     "Take Perseus here and show him where he can acquire a tent. He will not be sleeping in camp, only near it. Show him where the essential things are. The mess tent, the training area, the range, etc. Oh, and return to me once you are done, please?" Artemis's words held an authority to them not even Zeus could match, and Phoebe nodded before turning and striding out of the room.

     "Come boy." Is all she said, her voice flat and uncaring. I looked to Artemis but she was already gone, leaving the smell of fresh pine trees in the air. I followed Phoebe out of the tent and had to jog to catch up to her.

     I spent the next 10 minutes being wordlessly showed around the camp, catching glares the entire time. The few times the huntress did speak, she would simply point to a tent, say its name, and continue. We picked up a tent from the storage area and she lead me to a place a good 50 yards from the main camp and sighed. "You can set up camp here. Don't come too close to camp without good reason, else you'll catch an arrow to the groin. We break camp and move in 3 days."

      Id like to say it took me but a moment to set up the tent, but in reality it took me almost half an hour. When I stepped inside the tent, however, I was left speechless. The space was around the size of a studio apartment, and with a similar layout. The bed was stashed in the left corner of the room, a full sized bed just big enough for me to sleep in. Above it was 3 weapon racks, one of which held a basic bow with a quiver slung on my top left bedpost similar to Artemis.

     "This is where you'll be staying, the shower," she motioned towards a glass box in another corner, "has a constant supply of hot water. The Lady will summon you if you are needed." She turned and started to walk out but paused in the doorway to the tent. I looked up at her and she turned her head to face me once more, and for the first time in a while I saw a glimmer of human emotion on her face. "Welcome to the Hunters of Artemis."