Cabin 13

43| Fight! Fight! Fight!

"They're not gonna fight, are they?" Will frowned.

Both Percy and Jason stood in the arena, looking around bewildered. Neither exactly sure what was going on. 

Which was understandable, Percy had woken up like this with no previous knowledge. While Jason, on the other hand, had some  knowledge, even if it wasn't really helping him now.

"They better fight, there are gods  watching!" Leo said, sitting on the edge of his seat.

Will turned to Piper. "They're not gonna fight," he said, looking for someone to agree.

But Piper really didn't know. The pair appeared to having some sort of curt conversation, nothing of which could be heard from the stands. Jason looked out, searching, before making eye contact with her. She gave him a nod, he hesitated before steeling himself and returning the gesture. 

Looking back to Percy, his mouth moved once again before he charged forward. Oddly enough, Percy seemed suddenly in favor of this fight. He cracked his knuckles, taking his time before uncapping Riptide. Not that Jason gave him more than a moment, but when he did reach him, Percy was ready. Their blades clashed and more words exchanged. 

"And there we go ladies and gentlemen, the first charge of the night! " Eros' voice boomed overhead. 

Leo frowned, turning back to him. "Hey, what're they saying down there? Surely you could hook this fight up to some surround sound!"

The god raised a brow and Piper seriously considered that he might have a death wish. But Eros raised his hand and like a radio channel, the sound came through fuzzy at first before sharpening.

"—expecting more from a trained soldier, aren't you supposed to be the best New Rome has to offer?"

Jason scoffed, driving his sword in a wide arc down for his legs. Percy turned, slamming his hilt into Jason's shoulder, throwing him off course. 

"You may have power, but you lack skill." In practices steps, he recovered, blocking Percy's next strike and resetting his stance. 

Percy raised a taunting brow. "Oh?" The waters began to churn, waves tossing themselves against the shore. "Then let's see how they measure up, shall we?"

Jason glanced at the surrounding moat. He rolled his shoulders and the winds began to pick up, whipping and roaring around them. A grin ripped across Percy's face. The brief pause ended there, the fighting continuing in full force. 

Bronze against gold, the blades crashed together at speeds Piper could hardly follow. Jason's movements, on the offense, were rigid and showcased his strength, each with purpose. Percy looked as if he were dancing around him, his motions fluid yet unpredictable. He dodged and ducked each blow, only striking when the moment was right. 

At one exasperated swing, Percy sidestepped, throwing the flat side of his blade against Jason's cheek. On impact his head snapped to the side, cutting himself on the edge. Jason slowly lifted his gaze, electric blue eyes glowering. 

The crowd went silent, the insult of such a blow apparent. 

Percy cocked his head. "Come on Grace, you're boring me."

Raising his head, Jason's grip on his sword tightened. "Fine," he said, his voice now holding a quiet quality of pure rage. The sky darkened, clouds rolling in. Piper felt the hair on her arms stand straight. 

Glancing up, Percy licked his lips. 

Holding eye contact, Jason thrust his sword into the air. Before she could gasp, a bolt of lightning struck down connecting with the gladius, immediately ricocheting off and throwing itself at Percy.

There was a scream. "Move!"

The bolt hit him straight on. Piper could only blink, eyes attempting to recover from the blinding light. Before she could see, there was only the reverberating sound. Thunder, she had thought, but the piercing realization knocked her back a step as her eyes refocused. Percy was on his knees, a singed hole through his shirt and an angry red web burnt across his chest. His jaw, unhinged, is what let loose that bone-chilling roar. 

She swallowed.