Ten Ways To Say I Love You

The Sword Fighting Arena

A/N: This is set BEFORE The Lost Hero, and after The Last Olympian.

Brooke Collins

I step out of Cabin 7, shutting the door behind me. I shoulder my quiver of arrows and my bow as I walk towards the targets.

Unfortunately, I don't get too far before Chiron clops up to me.

I bow respectfully. "Hi Chiron."

"Brooke, you don't need to bow to me. Come on, I want to show you something."

I follow Chiron, and realize he's taking me to the sword fighting arena. When I get there, there's not a huge mass of kids, just about twenty.

Chiron clops to the middle of the arena and we all form a circle round him. "Ladies and gentleman, I've called those of you here who don't seen as proficient in swordplay as you do other forms of weapons. Our goal here at Camp Half-Blood is to make every camper the best possible demigod they can be."

I know I'm not great with a sword or dagger. My dad being Apollo, I prefer to use a bow and arrow to fight.

"Great swordplay is not always about being the best fighter on the field. It's often about working with someone who can make you the best. Often, great swordsmen or women have fought with someone by their side, and not alone. I've brought two people here today to show you guys what that is."

Percy and Annabeth enter the arena at that moment, almost in their own little world. "I never told you to soak us!"

"I'm a son of Poseidon! I can't get wet!"

"Uh yeah, well obviously I can!" She lightly shoves him.

Chiron clears his throat and Percy and Annabeth whips their heads around, their faces tinging a light red as they realize we were all watching them.

"Oh. Uh, sorry Chiron." Annabeth says, shuffling her feet. I hear her whisper to Percy, "Your fault."

"Percy, Annabeth, I called you guys here to show these campers what it means like to fight as a team. I want you two to fight one another."

Percy grins. "That's it? No problem." He pulls out a pen, and I'm confused, until he uncaps it and it springs into a sword.

Annabeth takes out her dagger. "You're going down, Seaweed Brain."

They step into the arena, and the entire crowd backs up to give them space. They circle each other, both like cats and light on their feet. Percy strikes first, feiting to the left and swingin at the right. Annabeth smoothly odges the move and aims for his head, but he ducks easily, her blade passing through thin air.

I watch the two in completely and utter speechlessness. I didn't think it was so possible for two people to work in such harmony. It's like they know what the other is going to do before it even happens.

As the fight, Chiron calls, "You see how they watch how each other moves, and they think three, five, seven steps ahead? You need to be quick on your feet. Anticipate. You need to find someone like these two to fight alongside. Once you do, your chance of success will be greatly increased. They often end up saving your life."

Chiron stops and looks on the two with admiration. They're getting a bit tired, I see, but Percy has the Curse of Achilles, an unfair advantage, but Annabeth's doing just fine on her own.

Annabeth and Percy finally take one last slash at one another, and Percy's sword point comes up and touches Annabeth's shoulder just as her dagger point touches his.

"A tie, ladies and gentlemen. Quite impressive, Percy and Annabeth. Thank you for that."

"I won." Percy says. Annabeth rolls her eyes. "Have you ever beaten me in swordplay before?"

"Well, we're usually fighting with each other, not against one another."

"Fair point." Annabeth shrugs.

"Thank you. You guys may leave." Chiron says, gesturing to all of us. As we exit, I see Percy and Annabeth pushing and shoving each other playfully, as Percy grabs Annabeth's arm and pulls her toward him, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She playfully bats at him with her hands, and it's quite apparent how they are more best friends than anything else.

Chiron clops up to me. "Like the lesson, Brooke?"

"It was amazing!" I gush. "How did they learn to fight like that?" I ask.

"They've had a lot of experience fighting alongside each other. You just need to find that with someone else." He says, offering me a kind smile before he canters away, heading to the armory.

I look at Percy and Annabeth and how their relationship is based on trust. I need to find that, and to do that, I have to let myself up to being hurt.

But if I can ever have something like what those two have, it'll be worth it.

Bleach. I hate this but I wrote it and I don't want all of this effort to go down the drain so I'm uploading it anyway. I experimented with the whole, 'People Meet Percabeth' thing, and it turns out I hate writing them, so those kinds of oneshots will now only be uploaded if I can turn them into something more creative. I only want to give the best I can for you guys. Next one should be out day after tomorrow!

*cue Connor Franta style exit*

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Love from however many miles away!

~Vi