Flower Food || [P. Jackson] ||

Chapter 7: I Think I'm About to Get the Stuffing Beat Out of Me

Percy woke up to a bang and someone screaming about dung bombs. He rolled onto his side and watched as various Hermes children ran around hitting each other or shouting curses, the only calm being Luke as he strode over to Percy's bed and ruffled his hair.

"You ready for today, champ?" Luke smiled charmingly. He was annoyingly handsome and Percy wished he didn't admire him as much as he did. "Go ahead and get ready. We're going to head to breakfast and I want you to eat a good amount so we can cream Ares. I saw how you didn't eat much last night."

"I don't have a big appetite," Percy said, trying not to blurt out that he actually did manage to eat more than Luke thought after sneaking into Demeter's cabin.

Slipping back into Cabin Eleven at four in the morning had been a pain, but Calli had helped by smothering him in lavendar first to mask his demigod smell, which was probably the only reason he hadn't been pecked to death by harpies.

"Gather up, Cabin Eleven!" Luke called after giving Percy a friendly clap to the shoulder. "Today's game day and we don't have time to waste. Let's all go eat and show Ares who the better god is!"

Most of the demigods cheered while others gave each other looks of doubt. There was no denying that this game would be a tricky one, especially since it felt like two sides of war itself were battling against each other.

Athena might have been the wisdom of war, but Ares was war itself, and Percy tried not to appear as stiff with nerves as he felt as he followed the others to the door.

The rest of camp was starting to trail out of their cabins, all following their head counselors in a single line, and it wasn't until they marched past Cabin One did Percy suddenly feel a hand yank at his elbow and tug him from the rest of the Hermes children.

"Hey, what the - Grover?" Percy said, cutting his angry exclamation off as he startled at the sight of his best friend.

Grover had always been a little nervous, a little shaky around the edges, but the satyr was practically trembling as he clutched at Percy's arm and tugged him deeper into the woods, until a line of trees was behind them and the only people near were a few nymphs who looked at them curiously.

"I haven't seen you since I got here," Percy said, holding Grover's hand close and hugging him when the satyr bleated nervously. "You had to go see your Council or something, right?"

"Council of the Cloven Elders," Grover said miserably as he hugged Percy back and then started nipping at strands of his hair. He always did like to eat when he was nervous, so Percy sighed and decided to let him continue to nibble as he said, "they were mad at me. Told me I failed again at being a guide and protector."

"You didn't fail!" Percy said, pushing away a little to look at him incredulously. "I thought I told Chiron to vouch for you!"

"Bah-ah-ah! He did, but it's not as easy as you think," Grover said. His hooves beat restlessly on the folliage of the forest. "Mr. D didn't think the same, and his opinion is just as important as Chiron's."