Welcome to My Life

Chapter 13

Percy

The battle was quick, but even the quickest ones could have casualties. A count of four campers, Roman, of course, had died in the beginning of the battle when they were taken by surprise. Sucks even more now that the Greeks are here.

"I'm sorry," I had told everyone. After all, it was one of our warriors that led the attack, even if Jasper was under control. "My suspicions were confirmed tonight that there is an even more powerful deity than what we've seen. I don't really know who it is, but I have my suspicions. No need to worry, I will set as many traps and barriers I can to ward off his evil magic. Now, thanks to all the ruckus, we didn't notice the Greeks were here!" I adopted a level of fake happiness that oozed sarcasm and I think all the Romans noticed.

"Um, okay. That was actually kind of rude," a girl, wearing the signature orange camp shirt came up. She wasn't Annawhore, so I had no idea who this was. "I'm Sara without an H," she flipped her platinum blonde hair.

Oh great, another snot-nosed brat.

"Well, Sara Without an H, what can I do for you?" I deflated in annoyment. Sara scowled before her eyes flicked up and down my body, then her whole composure changed. The twirling of her hair, the slight smile, and the hungry eyes. She was flirting. Great.

"Well, I'm here to tell the leader that we'll be staying here for a while because all the action is over here and Camp Half-Blood is not targeted," Sara Without an H stated like it was normal.

"So, you just left ... Camp Half-Blood ... unguarded," I honestly wanted to smack the stupid out of her, but that would be an insult to my hand, as I would use it on something so dumb. "Okay. Tell the others that they'll have to set up camp somewhere because the cohorts are already full with my forces while I find a place to build a cabin for Chaos."

"Whatever," Sara snapped and flipped her hair once more before walking off. I swear, if she gum, she would've popped it.

"Bitch," I murmured.

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Jason

"You can't just do that. The Greeks are allies, you can't insult the second in command for the army!" I shouted as Reyna and Frank followed us into the Principia.

"Well, I'm sorry! She really shouldn't have come up and been a rude bi- uh, jerk," Strike answered, but I wasn't really buying it.

"You're supposed to be the most powerful person on the planet, how is a peppy blonde supposed to rile you up?"

"Um, I'm actually the second most powerful person in the world, get it right."

"Um," Reyna intervened. "Maybe you guys should take this somewhere else. The Greeks are here."

Strike and I twirled to look at the silhouette of two figures, one curvy and one slightly stocky, more flubber, though.

"Yes, we're here," the girl's voice purred. She twirled a dagger at her side and I saw Strike shiver.

It was her.

Annabeth.

The girl who chased away the one I was chasing.

"Rude," Strike snapped. "All of them! We were talking and you just butt in like you own the place!" Strike trailed off, fuming and mumbling, occasionally cursing in some weird language that I've never heard before.

"If you'd like to keep all your limbs, you better speak louder so we can all hear you," the stockier Greek said.

"And who might you be?" Strike shouted indignantly. He threw up his arms in annoyance and stopped his pacing to glare at the Greek.

"Call me Lucas; Lucas McFarlan."

"Well, McFarlan, I have you know that I don't see your threats as a danger. You have no way of hurting me, but ... " A frustrated laugh bubbled out of Strike's throat as he bit on the underside of his thumbnail. "Falbh 's tarraing. A h-uile agaibh! Ah!" Strike yelled in frustration before storming out of the Principia, all but throwing the two Greeks across the room in a rage.

"Jason," Reyna called. I didn't even have to turn to know what she was thinking. "Go after him. Make sure he doesn't blow up my camp."

"Yes, ma'am."

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"Greugaich. Bastard Greugaich," I didn't need a translator to know that Strike had called the Greeks "bastards". I walked into the arena, finding all of the dummies beheaded or charred to beyond recognition.

"Strike?" I called as I rounded the corner to see a sight I never thought I would.

Strike was surrounded by a ring of bright white flames, but that didn't catch all of my attention. On his back, there were pitch black wings that almost reached the far walls of the arena and they were outlined with the same white flame that was by his feet. He beheaded the last dummy with a bronze sword and twirled on Jason, his face filled with fury. Jason saw his eyes clearly even though his hood was still up.

"Dè, Ròmanach? (What, Roman?)" Jason's eyes were fearfully torn from the black eyes surrounded by pulsing red veins that trailed down his cheeks. It kind of sounded like he said, "Die, Roman" but he wasn't coming at me in any threatening way, so I think I'm safe.

"Um, are you alright? Not feeling like you're going to go on a destruction route?" I tried. He was like a wild animal, had to be careful or you would easily provoke it, then all hell would break loose.

"Greugais scum. Die! Tha iad uile! (Greek scum. Die! All of them!)" Strike yelled, swinging his sword that glinted in the light dangerously. "Cha leig thu leas dragh a chur air, Ròmanach. Tha thu sàbhailte. (You do not disturb me, Roman. You're safe.)" He twirled his sword once before planting the tip in the soft dust of the arena floor. "Sorry. Native tongue. I said you're not in danger because you're Roman. You're not the source of my hate. The Greek scum, though, needs to die!"

Strike whipped his sword into the air so fast that he cut straight through the dummy next to him; from bottom to top. Really, he just scared the wits out of me. I don't want to get any closer, or that dummy would soon be me.

"No one needs to die, especially not the Greeks. If you hadn't noticed this already, they're the only ones we would have if you had not taken the time to actually care about the people on earth. If you killed the Greeks and had not assisted us in this war, we would be fighting alone! No one needs to die! Conjure some more dummies and take out your anger on them, not people!"

"But people are the one's who caused this! They're the one's that caused my rage!" Strike yelled back at me, slicing the air for whatever reason. "It's their fault I'm like this! It's their fault you don't recognize me right now! IT'S THEIR FAULT THAT I'M KNOWN AS STRIKE AND NOT - uh ..."

Strike cut himself off and I only now noticed that I was leaning forward in anticipation, maybe? He was about to say who he was but caught himself. As soon as he blew off that steam, his eyes lessened into something more calming, like the neon purple of his regular color to the sea-green of the ocean.

"Who are you ... really?" I asked. Pushing the subject further even though it could risk my life.

"You knew me. I was a - dare I say - friend. We were close, almost related in some way," Strike pushed on, unlocking thousands of questions in my head that I needed to be answered.

"You don't know me. I don't know you. How can you say that we now each other when I can't even see your face?" I growled, letting my pride get the best of me. I'm not Athena's child! What am I doing? I guess it's because he's "questioning" my power?

"I do know you, Jason Grace. I knew you better than anyone," Strike spread his massive black wings, now not tipped with white fire, and shot up and out of the arena.

"Fuck," I whispered, cursing the person who thought it was ever a good idea to make an arena roofless. "I'll figure you out, Strike. I don't care if it kills me or not. I need to know who you are."

Then, I left.

DONE! Holy J. Christ! THAT TOOK FOREVER! I'm really super uper duper sorry about that! I'll try my best to make it better! For now, PenPoint signing off! Au revoir!