Perseus the Conqueror

Chapter 11

Ten years later

Percy POV

I crept through the swamp, crouched low to the ground in a stealth-like manner. I scanned my surrounding searching for my opponents. I sniffed the air, kept my ears trained, and scanned for anything that would give them away; but there was nothing.

I held 'Conqueror in my right hand, it was in it's water form. I held the sword at the ready, knowing that my opponents could strike at any moment.

I heard a twig snap to my right. I whipped around to face the one who caused it, but there was no one there. I then felt a presence right behind me, so I turned with my sword up to block the incoming strike to my back.

I grinned at my opponent as held there strike in the air with ease, "You almost got me that time Zoe."

She smiled oh so insincerely and stuck her tongue out at me. She then broke away from the strike, knowing that she wouldn't beat me in a test of strength. She brandished her weapons, which were a pair of Manticore spikes I had conjured out of my wrists for her, she used them like dual hunting knives. She began to attack.

She came at me from every angle with both of her spikes, I had to use every bit of my enhanced reflexes to parry each one. I had to shorten 'Conqueror' to the length of a knife so I could protect my self in the tight space. She spun and slashed with the spikes, while I used my shortened blade to block the continuous stream of blows from all sides.

She grimaced at my continuous defense, so she pressed even harder. Her makeshift knives became black blurs. I continued to block, but I knew she would find an opening soon, so I evened the odds and grew a spike out of my left wrist and started using it as another blade to defend myself with. I began to break out of the defensive and go on the offensive. I started pressing Zoe back, and I saw a small glimmer of fear in her eye, but it was quickly replaced with contempt. Which confused me.

I reached understanding however, when I felt a paw hit bat me to the right full force. I went flying, breaking a couple trees during my journey, before I hit he ground and tumbled and rolled to a stop. Both weapons were nocked from my hands.

Now if that had happened when I was a regular demigod, I probably would have died, or at least broken every bone that could be broken, but lucky for me I had the dexterity of several Cyclopes, so I walked away with nothing more than a few bruises.

"That was a cheap shot Jackie!" I told the contemptuous canine.

"Oh go cry me a river, you can take it. Stop being such a baby." She called back.

I growled, a deep rumbling in the back of my throat. I smirked as her tail tucked between her legs at the sound.

I picked up my sword, which had fallen out of my hand during my unscheduled flight. I returned it to its normal red tinted form, and sheathed it on my back. "Why don't we make this a bit more challenging for me?" I said with a cocky grin on my face. I got in a fighting stance, held out my hand and gestured to them with the 'bring it' motion.

They rolled their eyes at my antics, and they charged me. I smirked and charged them as well. Jackie reached me much faster than Zoe, and leaped at me, I caught her with outstretched arms and fell onto my back in a backwards somersault, ending with launching her off of me with my legs. I completed the roll and stood up just in time to grab Zoe's wrists as she thrust both spikes toward me. I twisted her arms around, not enough to do any damage, but just enough that she had no choice but to drop the spikes. I did a sweeping kick to knock her to the ground and I held my forearm to her throat. I got close and said: "Say it."

She sighed in disappointment and said: "I yield."

I got up and helped her up. "One down, now for the other one. Who is... somewhere." I said to myself as I looked for the now disappeared Jackie.