A web of fates | Percy Jackson and the Olympians

XVI| party ponies invade

"One on one," Percy challenged Luke. "What are you afraid of?"

"Percy." Daphne warned.

Luke curled his lip. The soldiers who were about to kill them hesitated, waiting for his order.
Before he could say anything, Agrius, the bear-man, burst onto the deck leading a flying horse.

It was the first pure-black pegasus Daphne has ever seen, with wings like a giant raven. The pegasus mare bucked and whinnied.

"Sir!" Agrius called, dodging a pegasus hoof. "Your steed is ready!"

Luke kept his eyes on Percy.

"I told you last summer, Percy," he said. "You can't bait me into a fight."

"And you keep avoiding one," Percy noticed. "Scared your warriors will see you get whipped?"

Luke glanced at his men, and he saw Percy has trapped him. If he backed down now, he would look weak.

If he fought Percy, he'd lose valuable time chasing after Clarisse. For Percy's part, the best he could hope for was to distract him, giving his friends a chance to escape.

If anybody could think of a plan to get them out of there, Annabeth could. On the downside, Daphne knew how good Luke was at sword-fighting.

"I'll kill you quickly," he decided, and raised his weapon.

Backbiter was a foot longer than Percy's own sword. Its blade glinted with an evil gray-and-gold light where the human steel had been melded with celestial bronze.

Daphne could almost feel the blade fighting against itself, like two opposing magnets bound together.

Daphne didn't know how the blade had been made, but she sensed a tragedy. Someone had died in the process. Luke whistled to one of his men, who threw him a round leather-and-bronze shield.

He grinned at Percy wickedly.

"Luke," Annabeth said, "at least give him a shield."

"Sorry, Annabeth," he said. "You bring your own equipment to this party."

The shield was a problem. Fighting two-handed with just a sword gives you more power, but fighting one-handed with a shield gives you better defense and versatility.

There are more moves, more options, more ways to kill.

Luke lunged and almost killed him on the first try. His sword went under Percy's arm, slashing through his shirt and grazing his ribs.

Percy jumped back, then counterattacked with Riptide, but Luke slammed his blade away with his shield.

"My, Percy," Luke chided. "You're out of practice."

He came at Percy again with a swipe to the head. Percy parried, returned with a thrust. He sidestepped easily.

When Luke lunged again, Percy jumped backward into the swimming pool and felt a surge of strength.

He spun underwater, creating a funnel cloud, and blasted out of the deep end, straight at Luke's face.

The force of the water knocked him down, spluttering and blinded. But before Percy could strike, he rolled aside and was on his feet again.

Percy attacked and sliced off the edge of his shield, but that didn't even faze him. He dropped to a crouch and jabbed at his legs.

Suddenly, Percy collapsed. His jeans were ripped above the knee. Percy was hurt; Daphne didn't know how badly.

Luke hacked downward and the sea gods son rolled behind a deck chair. Percy tried to stand, but his leg wouldn't take the weight.

"Perrrrrcy!" Grover bleated.