Changing the End - Origins Of Olympus Au - Pt 1

Chapter 5 : Trial of Aries

Kaykrae POV:

After yesterday's events, I was able to get a good night's rest, and as far as I knew. Everyone else seemed like they slept well, at least, I think. I stood in the stands for counselors and gods with the oracle flying next to me. She decided to watch this trial, which I did find odd. But I decided to ignore it for now. This is a new camp, the oracle most likely wanted to come out to see the new campers fully and supervise the year. Especially after what she said last night, tensions were high. The only people I could see who had any level of contentment was, of course, the son of Apollo, Xylo, and Mario, the son of Zeus, which had recently arrived this morning. And the Aphrodite twins, which I still needed to speak with in private. Their reactions to the Oracle were odd, I didn't think they should have any interaction with her, but even with my concerns, the Oracle believed she had a right to speak with everyone. I held a loudspeaker up to my face and yelled into it. "HELLO EVERYONE! WELCOME TO THE TRIAL OF ARES! THESE FIRST FEW ROUNDS WILL BE A FREE FOR ALL BETWEEN FOUR PEOPLE! AND THEN WE WILL DO TEAMS OF TWO! THE FINAL ROUNDS FOR BOTH VERSIONS OF THE TRIAL WILL BE A TWO V. TWO AND ONE V. ONE! ANY QUESTIONS?!" A hand was raised from one of the stands. It belonged to Bryan. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "CAN WE CHOOSE PARTNERS?!" It wasn't against the rules, but I didn't like the idea of them choosing partners to be with. It felt like a disadvantage, then again. The campers already interacted quite a bit yesterday, the only one nobody knew much of was Mario. But because I couldn't change or disobey specific rules like the campers. I couldn't choose or randomize partners. Meaning the team matches would be interesting...or not. Depends on how much I'll be able to predict the pairs. I took a deep breath before yelling into the speaker again, "YES! PARTNERS MAY BE DECIDED BY THE COMPETITORS! JUST NO CHEATING! DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE QUESTIONS?!" The stands were quiet, it seemed like Bryan asked the only question anyone may have had. I smiled, excited and ready to start the matches, "GREAT! LET THE TRIAL OF ARES.........BEGIN!" Some were shuffling around and after about 20 minutes, we had four people in the arena. Mario, Bri, Xylo, and Marshie all stood in different areas. Bri had her sword, Mario had a sword, Xylo had a bow and arrow, and Marshie had a large battle ax. This was going to be very, very, interesting. Xylo seemed to be doing good at first before Marshie practically ripped him apart with the ax and sent him back into the stands first. Bri fought Mario, and she fought with a vengeance, it seemed like she had something against Mario with how she fought him. The only problem was it seemed like Bri was backing herself against something that wasn't there. It seemed as though she was lost sometimes, looking for something and silently cursing herself when she figured out it wasn't there. But each time she looked up in the stands in worry and despair, her eyes glowed red until they changed back to blue when she looked away. It wasn't until Mario was pushing his sword against her's I realized who she was looking at. Bri was looking at Bryan. Bryan gripped the railing tightly, you could see the desperation to be with Bri in his eyes as they glowed green. He mumbled something and his left foot constantly tried getting into a pivot position each time Bri tried to back herself against something......or someone. It was then I realized why Bryan asked if they could choose partners. (They can't be separated from each other for long, can they?) Marshie ran up behind Bri, but by the looks of it, she heard and lunged to a side while Marshie chopped Mario in half instead of her. Bryan froze immediately after that happened, and I saw why. So did everyone else. Bri dropped her sword, it was sticking out of the ground a few feet away from her. Meanwhile, we had Marshie, who seemed like she would win the first round by chopping everyone with her ax. Bri got up and ran to grab her sword with Marshie quick behind her. Bri grabbed the sword and just as Marshie raised her ax, Bri spun around and slashed Marshie's stomach, sending her back into the stands. And making Bri the winner. I looked over at the Oracle and saw instead of relaxed, her eye was wide. "Oracle?" She turned over to look at me and said, "I found this to be quite intriguing. I am curious about the fate of the other twin and the sword." (And the sword? What does she mean by that?) I shook off the strange feeling I got from what the Oracle said and saw Bri with Bryan. The two seemed to be comforting each other after what just happened. Because we had five people left instead of four, one of the five would be fighting against the final two from the other rounds. And it was the Oracle's choice. The Oracle flew over Bryan, Brick, Brandeen, Mitch, and Jakey. Until she stopped over Bryan and said, "I wonder how the twins will fare in a fight against each other." Bryan looked over at Bri, they both seemed afraid and worried. The other four chosen for the second round walked out of the stands and into the arena. Bryan and Bri stood together, they held each other's hands and watched the four demigods reach their standing positions. The Oracle and I stood together again, I noticed Bri's constant glares of anger. As the fight started, it was slower than the other one, I whispered to the Oracle, "Are you sure what you're doing is wise? It's like you're putting a dagger in front of the twins and waiting to see if they wish to strike. Bri's getting closer to grabbing it." The Oracle turned to face me and flew close to my ear. She whispered, "I am currently refraining from any behavior that may provoke the wrath of Aphrodite's daughter. Instead, I am patiently waiting for someone else. So far, it appears that my waiting has been successful. Kaykrae, this is a game that requires patience. The outcome will depend on how long you are willing to wait." "What do you mean? Who are you waiting for? Who's to say you're correct in this?" I asked question after question, hoping she would say something to help my confusion disperse. Unfortunately, I didn't get that, "My advice to you, Kaykrae, is to practice being observant and compassionate towards others, even if you may not think they deserve it. It is important to treat everyone with kindness and understanding." My puzzlement increased. I needed an answer for her strange behavior, it felt like she was taking risks that would let her get killed. I became lost in my thoughts, and before I knew it, the battle had ended with Mitch as the victor. (Okay, so we have the twins and Mitch. How is this going to go?) I had a hunch that the twins might gang up on Mitch, but I couldn't tell. The three stood at three of the four corners and stood in their positions. I raised my right hand in the air, and it came down as I yelled, "LET THE FINAL ROUND............BEGIN!" Mitch spun the trident like a baton and once he stopped, he ran towards Bri with the trident at his side. (Interesting, going toward Bri. Probably because he's already seen her fight.) Bryan stayed in his area. His sword wasn't drawn, he only waited and watched patiently. And watched Bri fight and soonly beat Mitch after five minutes. Once she was done, Mitch was standing in the stands, confused and looking slightly nauseous. Bri ran literal circles around Mitch until he couldn't focus or keep his eyes straight. Once she knew Mitch was in the stands, Bri walked to the spot across from Bryan. It was then I figured out what was going on. (Bryan knew Bri would beat Mitch. He wasn't going to intervene until they were done.) I remembered Bri's sword and how it was positioned on her belt, (Right. Left-handed. She's almost impossible to beat then. Is Bryan able to beat her?) The two Aphrodite children bowed and nodded their heads to each other. Their eyes had the same glow I saw the night before. They drew their swords, and after a moment of staring each other down, they ran. "The real battle has commenced." Said the Oracle. And she was right, other than Mario and Marshie having the weapon size difference, Bri hadn't had any hard time. Bryan was giving a challenge, a challenge that was both interesting for spectators, and competitors. But versus the other fights, the two seemed to be having fun, the way they fought was almost like a dance. It put us all in a daze, some seemed nervous, some were annoyed or jealous, and I think someone was stunned. And the Oracle seemed to enjoy herself. "Oh, how fun. I wonder how they'll do during the team matches. Two friends and twins fighting are quite fun to watch." "Two friends and twins?" I said, confused. The only ones there were Bryan and Bri. The Oracle quickly responded in a contented tone, "Please excuse me, as I am simply observing at the moment." I turned my glance away from the Oracle and back to the twins. (What does she mean by that? The Oracle's been vague, but never like this.) After a bit. The two ended with swords pointed at each other's throats. If one cuts, the other goes with. The final ended with a tie. Clapping was heard first from Mitch, then the rest followed. I clapped softly and silently. Bryan and Bri had looks of pride on their faces, and the ruby and emerald glow from before was gone. They bowed to the crowd and exited the arena. I had to admit, that was one of the best fights I've ever seen in a lifetime. A left and right, similar, yet so different. Twins were interesting pairs, and maybe though they seemed odd at first, perhaps Bryan and Bri weren't so bad.  

Author Note:  To those reading that noticed this isn't anything like season one.  I did this for specific reasons, one, I don't remember much of season one and am personally afraid to rewatch it, and two, because this is an au.  I have the ability to go off the rails as long as it's not miles away from the track.  So imagine this as an event order/script rewrite.  Either way, I hoped you all liked this chapter, and to those who don't read my Hide-and-Seek book or Chaos Prophecy, you most likely do.  I'm beginning to add art.  So please, don't steal, I hope you like it and have a magical time in this library of ours.