𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀, luke castellan

ꜱɪx

The Art of War.
 
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   BEFORE LONG IT WAS THURSDAY AND PERCY HAD OFFICIALLY BEEN AT CAMP FOR THREE DAYS. Luke's pursuit of trying to figure out Percy's godly parent had waned and he had instead shifted his attention to the next day's capture the flag game. That meant spending at least four hours that day in the combat arena, an activity that would most likely leave all of the Hermes cabin sore, sweaty, and in a perpetual irritated mood for the rest of the day, but Luke was hellbent.

    Rory was far from being in the mood to spend hours getting whacked with a sword, but she knew that it was necessary so as to get closer with Percy.

    It didn't help that neither she nor Luke had been getting much sleep. That was, after all, the real reason behind Luke's intense training regimen, making the entirety of his cabin suffer along with him. It was his way of blowing off steam. Luke knew that he couldn't fail again. So he trained and he trained and he trained. Capture the flag was child's play next to what was to come and they had to be prepared for it when it did.

    They warmed up with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies clad in Greek armor. Percy seemed to be doing alright but his sword was far from being balanced, leaving his strikes clumsy and sluggish. None of the practice blades seemed to be working so he stuck with the least terrible option, with Luke promising to find him a better sword later.

    Then, pairs were formed, with Luke opting to partner with Percy for his first time

    "Good luck," Chris told him.

    "Maybe he'll go easy on me," Percy replied hesitantly but Chris just snorted at that. After all, Luke was not the type of person to go easy.

    Then, Chris made his way towards Rory, effectively pairing up with her.

    Although sword-fighting had never been Rory's forte, years of relentless training had elevated her abilities and she would even go as far as to say that she was probably better than most. The Ares cabin could probably best her and obviously Luke, especially with the flimsy practice blades, but she was certainly much better than Chris and disarmed him over and over again almost lazily, a display of her controlled precision.

    She could tell that he was growing increasingly upset and yet he kept picking up the sword, wanting nothing more than to get the advantage over her just once. Rory decided an actual fight wouldn't hurt and might even help hone her reflexes and deliberately refrained from swift strikes. He tried a sweeping attack, attempting to overpower her with sheer force before she had time to react. But Rory was too fast, a blur of controlled energy, dancing around his every move. She evaded blow after blow effortlessly, purposely not directly slashing at him so as not to end the fight too quickly. Finally however, it was just too easy not to. He had left his guard down for just a fraction of a second leaving her with the opportune moment for a swift spin and a deft maneuver, efficiently disarming him and sending his sword spiraling through the air before landing with a metallic thud.

    "You're a jerk," He muttered, retrieving his sword as Rory effortlessly spun her own weapon in her hand.

    "And you need to keep your guard up," Rory advised, a smile playing on her lips.

    By the time Luke called a break, Rory found herself working up a satisfying sweat. In an attempt to cool herself, she had decided to strip herself of the orange Camp Half-Blood shirt that clung to her skin, as many of the others had. With a swift motion, she discarded the shirt, revealing a gray tank top that allowed for better ventilation. The move didn't go unnoticed, as Luke shot a quick, albeit fleeting, glance in her direction, although he seemed determined not to be distracted. Setting her sword down beside the growing pile of practice blades, Rory made her way to the drinks cooler, joining the throng of fellow campers seeking refreshment. Luke poured ice water on himself, and Percy, taking example, followed suit.

    "Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind I want to give you a little demo."

    Percy, caught off guard, didn't seem to have the courage to refuse him, resigning himself to the role of Luke's punching bag in the impending display.

    The rest of the cabin gathered around, suppressing smiles as they anticipated the spectacle. Many of the seasoned campers had once been in Percy's very shoes, and were now relishing the opportunity to witness Luke's expertise from the audience and not through the eyes of the new kid being bludgeoned.

    He told everybody that he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique, explaining how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he would have no choice but to drop his weapon. Rory remembered training with Luke on that very same move during the occasional one on one sessions they had.

    "This is difficult," Luke stressed, his tone serious. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique." Percy just wore a look of pure misery as he listened on to Luke's explanations.

    In slow motion, Luke executed the move on Percy, resulting in the expected clattering of the sword hitting the ground.

    "Now in real time," Luke declared, after letting Percy retrieve his weapon. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?"

    Percy nodded and Luke lunged at him. Rory thought that that would be the end of it, an easy victory for Luke as it usually was, especially against a newcomer. But to her surprise, Percy kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of his sword, avoiding giving Luke the opportunity to demonstrate the disarming technique. Luke tried again. Percy countered. Then he tried a thrust of his own. Luke easily deflected the blade but Rory noticed the change in his face, the shift in the dynamic as his eyes narrowed and he started pushing at Percy with more force, intensifying his efforts. As soon as he had switched, becoming more focused, Percy's blows slowed and he struggled to parry Luke's endless and violent strikes.

    Then, in a last ditch effort, Percy went for the disarming maneuver, hitting the base of Luke's blade and twisting downwards. Luke's sword rattled against the stones, and Percy's blade hovered just inches from Luke's undefended chest.

    A stunned silence enveloped the arena. What had just happened? Had Luke really been bested by the newest arrival who had close to no proper training of his own?

    Percy, lowering his sword, seemed almost as surprised as the others. "Um, sorry."

    For a moment, Luke was rendered speechless, his expression transitioning from shock to a wide grin. "Sorry? By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"

    Percy seemed hesitant but at Luke's enthusiasm he complied.

    This time, there was no contest. The moment their swords connected, Luke hit his hilt and sent Percy's weapon skidding across the floor.

    After a long pause, somebody said, "Beginner's luck?"

    Luke wiped the sweat off his brow, regarding Percy with newfound interest. "Maybe," He mused. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword..."

    Intrigued, Luke insisted that Percy give it another shot, eager to witness the fighting instincts he had displayed earlier. Percy, however, seemed visibly exhausted, wearied by the relentless sparring.

    "Come on Luke," Rory intervened, drawing his attention. "Leave the poor kid alone."

    Luke paused, considering, before nodding towards the crowd, granting Percy a well-deserved break. Percy breathed a sigh of relief as he went to join the others, giving Rory a thankful look for intervening, grateful to be out of the direct line of Luke's sword. But Luke wasn't done yet.

    "You wanna take his spot, Sunshine?" Luke's tone was light as he threw the question Rory's way.

    Now she would be the one to embarrass herself horribly. She also hadn't failed to notice his use of the insufferable nickname, one that he had persistently settled on calling her to rile her up.

    Before she could stop herself, Rory found herself stepping away from the crowd, towards Luke. "Oh, you're on, Castellan."

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Sword fighting sword fighting sword fighting!! I've never written fights before so bear with me lol, I tried...
Anyways hope you enjoyed anyways!

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