The Legend of Elodie Grant (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chapter Nine

Zeus's Fist looked more like a pile of fertilizer.

I wanted to point this little fact out to everyone else, but by the looks on their faces, they already knew.

Arsen saw the look on my face and laughed. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me over to a different spot before turning me around to face the pile of rocks again. When I saw it, I made a comprehensive sound.

From that angle, it actually looked like a fist coming out of the ground. I couldn't help but giggle at the ridiculousness of the rock pile.

Arsen rolled his eyes and moved to climb the boulders. When he was at the top, he firmly placed the flag in between two rocks. I couldn't help but smile when the wind picked up, causing the crimson flag to snap in the wind.

Arsen hopped down from the pile and moved to my side, not even fazed.

"Alright, Elodie, you're up." He said, nudging me.

I began to feel nervous. I knew I had the ability to do so, but I have never actually tried to use my powers. I just didn't want to fail my team.

I stepped towards the rock pile and made everyone move far away from me, just in case something went wrong. I doubt accidently impaling someone with a thorny vine would go down well with everyone.

I closed my eyes and held my hand out in front of me. It took a couple seconds of concentration, but soon, I felt that pull in my gut that came with my powers.

I snapped my eyes open and thrust my other hand out in front of me, before raising them both. Vines burst out of the ground, interlocking with each other and creating a wall around the rocks. I raised it until it was just above my head and then stepped back, bending over.

Since I was untrained, that had taken a lot out of me and I needed a moment to catch my breath. I could hear my teammates cheering around me, pleased at the thorny wall I made.

It was just over our heads and thorny, which made it hard to climb, but the flag was fully visible and it was twenty feet away from the pile, so it broke no rules.

Arsen ran to my side and wrapped his arm around me. He shook me in his excitement, his laughter ringing through the clearing.

"We're going to win this!" He exclaimed, "There's no doubt about it! You're fantastic."

I blushed, looking away slightly. I was still panting a little bit and I couldn't help but feel a little embarassed. I straightened and looked over at my work, a little proud myself.

"I'm serious, Elodie." He told me, "You are one of a kind."

I realized his arm was still around me and blushed harder. My nerves got the best of me and I stepped away in the pretense of checking out the wall, making his arm drop from my shoulders.

"It's weak." I announced, "It wouldn't ever hold against them."

"It will throw them off, though, and that's all we need." Arsen replied.

"If I practice more, I could make it strong." I murmured thoughtfully, almost to myself, "Maybe even strong enough hold back a monster."

Arsen heard me though and said, "There would be no need for that. You're new, so you won't get a quest, and the camp is safe. The gods keep any animals out. If anything ever gets through, then everything will get through, but that day won't come."

He sounded so confident that I couldn't help but trust him. I let my hand fall to my side and turned away to face the others in the clearing. There hadn't been many to witness my abilities, but those who did were gaping in amazement.

I looked away, uncomfortable with their staring. I opened my mouth to say something to Arsen, but suddenly a big, bulky boy crashed into the clearing, his face red.

"They're coming!" He exclaimed, warning us of the other team's arrival.

Arsen immediately began barking out orders, sending everyone into a flurry. Somehow, even though he was yelling out what to do, everyone seemed to know what he was going to say before he said it. They all moved into an organized attack position, holding out their weapons, ready to battle.

"What should I do?!" I called over to Arsen as he moved to join the line of people.

"You've done enough for today!" He responded, "Go and find a tree to hide behind. You'll be better off out of the way."

I bristled at his words, rage pounding in my ears. I backed up, but kept my eyes on the trees. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay out of this fight, no matter what Arsen thought.

He had said it himelf; I am not docile like my cabin mates.

"Cocky bastard." I muttered angrily under my breath as I watched Arsen pull a battle axe out of seemingly no where. "I'll show him."

I crouched down low, digging my toes into the earth. Power surged through my body, rejuvenating me. I was determined to prove Arsen wrong, even if it ended up with me hurting myself.

Suddenly, a dozen kids of all ages burst from the trees. I hadn't seen them coming and was mildly shocked. Arsen and his little group, however, didn't seem fazed and immediately launched themselves forward, ready to battle.

Before any of them could get close, I leaped to my feet and stomped my foot down into the earth. The thud that ensued seemed to echo.

Vines launched from the earth, causing the ground to shake slightly. My teammates fell back in shock and I was grateful, because I wasn't sure I wouldn't have caught them up in my attack as well.

My vines wrapped around the legs and torsos of our opponents, slowing down their attack. When they were secure in the plants, I flicked my hand up, raising the kids into the air. Their screams of surprise almost made me lose my focus, but I managed to ignore them.

When I was done, all twelve kids were hanging in midair, held up by vines and struggling to be freed. Arsen and my teammates turned to look at me in shock as I bent over, again, to catch my breath.

"What the hell happened?!" A kid on the blue team demanded.

"It was the flower girl!"

I groaned, glaring over at the speaker. The kid stared back defiantly.

That was going to get old really fast.

*
For those of you who haven't seen, Of Meals and Memories (my new book in my Merlin series) is now published!