Percy gulped. Seraphinas eyes narrowed as she retracted her blade and placed each sword in a holster on her back. She marched over to him and stared up at him, not breaking eye contact.
"Uhm, why me?" He asked.
"I've heard you're very powerful, and a very good fighter. I'd like to see for myself." He scratched his neck and felt his ears heat up.
"Do you have a blade?" She asked, backing up towards the sparring ring.
Percy reached for his pocket and held up a pen. Seph raised an eyebrow, until Percy popped off the cap and the pen transformed into Riptide.
"I don't have any armor." Percy said. Seraphina smiled and motioned to herself, neither did she.
"Don't worry Perseus. I'll be careful, I won't hurt you." She purred and Percy looked worried.
Grover looked even more worried.
"Would you excuse us one moment!" Grover said and laughed nervously, grabbing Percy and turning around.
"This is bad, Percy." Grover grimaced. Percy looked at Grover with a confused look.
"I am a very good fighter, and I do think I am quite powerful. I'll be fine, right?" Percy asked with an unconfident smile. Grover just stared, and patted him on the back.
"Hopefully she'll be nice. You forget that she's older. Shes more experienced in fighting and using her abilities than you. I'd give it five minutes before you're on your butt." Grover said frankly. Percy rolled his eyes.
"I'll be fine. She should be worried, Riptide and I have many victories under my belt. She's been gone for three years on one mission." Percy said, confidently and Grover cringed.
"See those blades on her back? Those are her crystal twin rapiers, d'état and de grâce, they have won many victories with her as well." Grover pointed.
"Thats a terrible pronunciation." Annabeth walked up beside the two boys. "Its French, d'état and de grâce. Its a play on Coup d'état and Coup de grâce." Annabeth explained, crossing her arms.
Grover and Percy looked like they lost a few brain cells trying to comprehend what she just said. "And what do those mean?" Percy asked. She rolled her eyes.
"Rebellion and The Final Blow. To simplify it for you, Perce, it means you're fucked." She bumped his shoulder. He looked up at Seph, who was looking at her nails, seemingly unbothered and waiting patiently. Percy took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, then walked towards the ring.
"Finally." She grabbed her blades, circled them in each wrist, and straightened them out. They were long and thin, adding more length to her stretched and lean arms.
He held Riptide and took his stance.
Rose had fluttered down from a tree she was most likely perched on, and Clarisse joined the group to watch. Clarisse snickered but Rose hit her arm.
One of the Stoll brothers was reffing the challenge, and stood between the two.
"Abilities are allowed, but play fair and play nice." Connor said and backed out of the circle.
A smirk appeared on Sephs face. She backed up to the edge of the ring, struck her swords together in a sliding motion, until sparks flickered at the ends and a flame exploded before encapsulating them in a circle of white fire. There was nowhere to run to or escape, and the flickering flames pushed them closer together.
Percy struck first, being matched with the rapiers blocking his blow. The fight had begun.
She shoved him back with her swords and swung them low to cut his heels, but he jumped to avoid them. She turned 360 and circled her blade, meeting his with a clang, then kicked him in the stomach.
"Come on Percy!" Grover yelled.
Percy huffed and threw his body weight and his sword into the strike. She dodged but it managed to throw off her balance and knock her to the ground. She gracefully rolled to her knee and stood up quickly, her steel gray eyes turned dark and stormy.
"Youre just making her mad! Land some real blows, Kelp Head!" Thalia yelled as she appeared next to the group.
Seph took both swords and crossed them before her, aiming to trap his neck between them, but he ducked and went for her exposed ankle.
She roared in pain as blood trickled from the side of her leg. As he was down she kicked him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him temporarily.
"Play nice!" Rose yelled, looking worried. "Are you sure he's the one? What if she kills him?" Clarisse whispered to Grover and Annabeth. They both glared at her.
He rolled over and stood up. She wasn't done, she was just getting started, and that worried Percy.
She circled the blades in her hands and took a slash at his abdomen, landing a small scrape and ripping his shirt as blood trickled from the small wound. She kicked him backwards towards and fire, grabbed his shirt and kicked his feet out from under him. She held him directly above the white hot flames, he began to sweat and his back was burning.
Suddenly, a blast of water from the nearby lake shot at Seraphina, pushing her backwards and letting him go from her grasp. Before he fell straight into the fire, it was put out with a small trickle of droplets. The ground steamed around them, but the fire was out and he was alright.
He stood up, chest heaving and stood over Seph laying on the ground. He held Riptide under her chin as she looked up at him through her eyelashes.
"Its over." He said before retracting his blade and began walking away.
"No." She stood up and pointed her blades at him. "I'm not done with you yet."
"You've shown me your tricks, but I haven't shown you mine." Her eyes glowed white before wings of light materialized on her back. Percy turned around and his eyes went wide. Her eyes, wings, and body glowed. Percy couldn't comprehend how beautiful she looked, like an angel. He stood in awe before she glided over to him, knocked him flat on the ground, and crossed both blades over his neck, sticking them into the dirt beside each of his ears.
"I got you, water boy." She heaved. He looked up at her, and nodded. "Yes." He said. "But you would've joined me in death."
She looked down to see Riptide aimed straight at her ribcage, a perfect final blow. She growled and before she had a chance to make another move, he knocked her over to the ground and climbed over her, one knee between her legs and a hand on the dirt beside her head.
She looked up at him and breathed heavily. Riptide pointing at her neck, and Percy glaring into her.
"Its. Over." He said. He stood up and reached his hand down for her to take.
She looked at his offered hand and took it hesitantly. He helped her up and pulled her close, chest to chest.
She sighed through her nose, backed up and shot up into the air, flying away. He glanced up and up and up, until it appeared she had flown into the sun.
She was out of sight before Rose yelled after her. "My lady! Come back!" Her wings fluttered as she flew after her.
Grover, Annabeth and Clarisse looked at Percy in horror.
"What? No congratulations?" He asked, Clarisse shook her head. "You humiliated her, on today of all days, I should kill you for what you did. No one treats my Lady like that." She took her spear out and pointed it at his throat.
"Calm, Clarisse." Chiron approached slowly. "She challenged him, he won fair and square." He place a hand on his shoulder, as Percy looked up at the centaur.
"Percy, I assume it's time we finally talk." Chiron suggested, and held his hand to guide Percy forward. "Let's take a walk, you must speak to the Oracle." Percy glanced at his friends, backed to the sky, and then pressed forward.
What did I get myself into?
YOU ARE READING
DEUS EX MACHINA | PERCY JACKSON
Teen Fiction"Thank you, Perseus." "Just Percy is fine." "Absolutely not." ---------------------------- Percy jackson faces a whole new adventure when Seraphina Gold returns to camp half blood after a nearly 3 year long quest. Set between the Titans Curse an...
