Celestial Flames (Percy Jackson Universe)

The Ability

The conch shell blew in the distance. I lowered my bow with the arrow still in it. The other arrows in the target were all close to the center, if not in the center. It scared me a little how good I had gotten. 

"Parrish, can you help me with this stuff?" Will asked. 

"You got it Solace," I replied. I slung my bow over my shoulder, returned to a comfortable place. I turned to Malcolm. "Go ahead, I'll meet you at art and Crafts." He nodded and left with the group. I grabbed the stray arrows from the ground as Will replaced the arrows. His own station had arrows in the ground and around the edge of the target. He wasn't so good with a bow as he was with a bandage in the infirmary. 

I took the arrows to the shed at the edge of the archery range and slid them into the practice quivers. 

"Elizabeth," Will said. 

I hummed to let him know I was listening. 

"I, um... I need a favour," he told me. 

I turned around. "What is it?" 

He scratched his neck and a few blonde curls fell into his eyes. 

"I, um.... I was hoping that you could help me with my..." He looked around, like he was expecting to find snoopers in the arcehry shed. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper. "Ability." 

I licked my lips. I remembered the golden light that seemed to come from the boy as he healed his brother. It was beautiful, but I was also almost blinded from it. I nodded. "I'll help you." 

He blinked in shock. "Really?" 

I chuckled. "Yes, you idiot. You're my friend. Of course I'll help you."

He relaxed, like he was expecting a harsh let down. "Thank you. Really, thank you. Um, climbing wall, tomorrow morning." 

"Sunrise?" I asked. 

He rolled his eyes but there was a smile on his face. "Sounds good." 

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"Can I ask you a question?" 

"Go ahead," Shane told me. He speared his marshmallow onto his stick and held it out to the flames. 

"Why do you only make axes?" I asked. 

He stared at the fire as the sound of the other campers continued on around us. He liked his marshmallows burnt so he kept it close to the flames. "It's a big weapon," he began. "Only the strongest and most determined warriors learn to fight with one. Anyone can wield a sword or a lightweight knife. But an axe is heavy and hard to train with. I want to know that my weapons are going to real warriors, serious ones who intend to train as much as they can." 

I smiled. "That sounds like a good reason." 

"It didn't help you went and made that bow," he teased. "Really screwed me up." 

I shoved him slightly and his marshmallow came off the stick. It fell onto the head of Billie Ng from Cabin Four. She looked back and glared at us. Shane looked like he wanted to shrink into the shadows. 

I couldn't help it as I started laughing. 

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Will had chosen a good place to practice. No one was here this early in the morning, so it was secluded and far enough from the cabins that no one would see us. 

"Ready?" Will asked. 

I slid on the sunglasses and gave him a thumbs up. He took a breath and started to glow. It was a golden light the same kind of light that had enveloped him all those months ago.  It covered his entire body, his skin and hair. It shone through his clothes.