𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐄𝐋. pj & ac

II.

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖊𝖋

THE NEXT WEEK PHOENIX NOTICED IN PASSING THAT THE NEW KID SETTLED INTO A ROUTINE.

She didn't know how to feel about that. For years she had watched new campers arrive and become used to life at camp. Finding their weapons, their friends, their home. Yet here she was fourteen years in, and some people still didn't even care to remember her name.

No sensation hit her. But she noticed her stares lingering a little bit longer whenever she watched Cabin Eleven line up without her.

It was one of the reasons she didn't mind Luke. She understood Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his father, Hermes.

Maybe gods had important things to do. But Phoenix knew if they cared enough they'd do anything. Even reach out. The point was that they didn't care. Because if they did they'd do something. Demeter halted spring just to search for her daughter Persephone across the earth. If Eris cared at all about her. She'd show it.

Lucky for Phoenix. She cared even less about her Mother. At least that's what she convinced herself into believing.

Days after Percy arrived at Camp Half-Blood, he had his first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be their instructor.

Phoenix tried to sneak away to do more sketching. But Luke asked her to go with them. And for some reason, he was one of the only people who could influence her into listening.

They started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. Percy did okay. At least, He understood what he was supposed to do and his reflexes were good. The problem was that none of the practice blades seemed to work for him.

They moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be Percy's partner, since this was his first time.

"He set you up," She muffled next to him, chewing on a piece of black licorice that Bella gave her. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."

"Maybe he'll go easy on me," He said.

She snorted, "Zeus keeping it in his pants is more likely."

"You shouldn't say things like that Nix!"  Bella frowned, "You know he simply can not control his desires. And Hera may hear you!"

Phoenix groaned, she turned to her partner who happened to be Bella.

She rolled her eyes, watching the girl wrinkle her nose and dangle the sword by her fingertips.

"I don't like...swords."

Phoenix shrugged, "Good. Me neither." She leaned on the wall and grabbed something else from the weapons rack.

"Luke!" Bella squealed, "She's got the Poleaxe!"

Luke was in the middle of showing Percy thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. "Phoenix!" Luke scolded, "Stop scaring Bella, You have to use a sword."

"Snitch." She hissed, before putting the weapon back in place. She turned back to Bella with a stoic glare.

The girl smiled sheepishly. "Sooo?"

By the time he called for a break, Phoenix got not a single bit of fighting in. Which was super annoying. So she made the room extremely hostile. Which made everyone else fight twice as hard.

Everybody swarmed to the drinks cooler at the start of the break. Luke poured ice water on his head, and Percy did the same.

"Oh wow!" Bella blushed,