cacoethes |PERCY JACKSON| [book 2]

XXVIII

"ONE ON ONE," Percy challenged Luke. "What are you afraid of?"

Luke curled his lip. The soldiers who were about to kill them hesitated, waiting for his order.

Before he could say anything, Agrius, the bear-man, burst onto the deck leading a flying horse. It was the first pure-black pegasus Selena had ever seen, with wings like a giant raven. The pegasus mare bucked and whinnied.

"Sir!" Agrius called, dodging a pegasus hoof. "Your steed is ready!"

Luke kept his eyes on Percy, "I told you last summer, Percy," he said. "You can't bait me into a fight."

"And you keep avoiding one," Percy noticed. "Scared your warriors will see you get whipped?"

Luke glanced at his men, and he saw that Percy had trapped him. If he backed down now, he would look weak. If he fought Percy, he'd lose valuable time chasing after Clarisse. 

Percy was trying to distract him. Giving them time to think of a way to escape. If anybody could think of a plan to get them out of there, Annabeth could. On the downside, Selena knew how good Luke was at sword-fighting. She didn't know if Percy stood a chance.

"I'll kill you quickly," he decided, and raised his weapon. Backbiter, Luke's sword, was a foot longer than Percy's Riptide. Its blade glinted with an evil gray-and-gold light where the human steel had been melded with celestial bronze. Selena could almost feel the blade fighting against itself, like two opposing magnets bound together. She didn't know how the blade had been made, but she sensed a tragedy. Someone had died in the process. 

Luke whistled to one of his men, who threw him a round leather-and-bronze shield. He grinned at Percy wickedly.

"Luke," Selena glared, "at least give him a shield."

"Sorry, Selena," he said, "You bring your own equipment to this party."

"Where was he gonna carry a shield this whole quest? Up his butt?"

Percy needed a shield. Fighting two-handed with just a sword gives you more power, but 87 fighting one-handed with a shield gives you better defense and versatility. There are more moves, 87 more options, more ways to kill.

If only Percy had stayed behind to learn how to fight.

Luke lunged and almost killed Percy on the first try. His sword went under Percy's arm, slashing through his shirt and grazing his ribs. Percy jumped back, then counterattacked with Riptide, but Luke slammed his blade away with his shield.

"My, Percy," Luke chided. "You're out of practice."

He went at Percy again with a swipe to the head. Percy parried, returned with a thrust. He sidestepped easily. When Luke lunged again, Percy jumped backward into the swimming pool and Selena knew he was at an advantage now. Percy spun underwater, creating a funnel cloud, and blasted out of the deep end, straight at Luke's face.