Authors notes: Hey, this is my first Percy Jackson fic, so if you have any OC's, then PM me.
It's in the Point of View of the Demigod.
Disclaimer: Little to zero Percy Jackson appearances. Set a month before the Battle of Labyrinth...
This is mainly about the OC's… you may still submit some, but it's up to you…
Some appearances from PJ characters such as Thalia, Nico etc.
If you haven't read Percy Jackson, then you won't know most of the story…
If you haven't played Devil Summoner, then you won't know who Gouto/Raidou is…
If you haven't played Onimusha, then you won't know who Tenkai or Ako is…
If you haven't played or read all of these (^) you've been living under a rock.
Okay, now on with the story.
Son of Apollo
My name is Peter Strongbow… I'm from Rochester in the great NYC…
I'm 13 years old and since the day I was born, it seems like everything's been set out for me…
Well, I guess you can say that I look quite dashing, fairly tall, and quite handsome, if I may toot my own horn…
I have golden brown hair which I leave in an EMO style…
Due to my training in archery, I have very tough and muscular arms that look weird hanging from my semi-muscular body…
My mom is a teacher at the local preschool and my dad left us when I was about five years old…
We live in a suburban house in the… suburbs.
I never was the most popular guy at school, but was well liked and the superior/ leader of the band club…
Everyone was amazed by my brilliant purple eyes that gleamed sometimes in the sun…
I had a cool gift of healing people… like this one time, at band camp, my friend Ralf fell off a tree and while I was holding his broken arm, it mysteriously healed…
That or he wasn't injured in the first place…
I'm good in music… I can sing very well too… I like playing the lyre, which i played at my uncle's house…
Well, I was also gifted at aiming, since I had a case of farsightedness… which is a bad thing since I can't see things that are too close…
I am very good at throwing stuff.
And I'm skilled using bows.
Okay, enough chit-chat, the story began when I was twelve years old…
I never really told anyone, but I always get, like, visions of things that are about to happen… like when I'd fail for an exam and whatnot…
This particular dream scared me…
A giant man came up to my house looking for me and I tried running away, and all I had in hand was a bent stick, a string and some sharpened branches…
He came closer and that's when my alarm woke me up…
I was working on making a homemade lyre, which already had one string on…
I was very much nervous and then, like clockwork, a tall man came looking for me.
He kept calling me the son of Phoebus or whoever that was…
"Is you the boy of Phoebus?" he said.
Either he was illiterate or really dumb…
"My father's name was Larry… He went away…" I said.
"Lies… Youse the boy of the sun… Phoebus…"
I stood there, trying to be brave.
"My dad isn't Phoebus." I said the guy.
Who's Phoebus? I wouldn't name my dog Phoebus.
He smiled.
"Just who are you?" I said.
He laughed cruelly and grew.
No, he REALLY grew like, to twenty feet tall…
He had sharpened fangs and claws and had a wild look.
"I am Harra the bone napper… one of the greatest of the Laistrygonian Giants!" he bellowed.
I ran away, like in my dream.
I didn't want him napping on my bones… doesn't he have a bed or something…?
I mean he can just go to the nearest Mattress King for a fluffy bed… My bones would be all sharp and crunchy …
He managed to swat me and I hit a tree so hard, I felt a rib crack.
As I sat there, moaning in pain, he came closer, licking his lips.
"Demigod… delicious!" he said, with a hungry gleam in his foul eyes.
Demigod…? Is this guy for real?
He tried to grab me, but I slipped away.
I quickly limped to my house, ignoring the pain in my side.
I barred the door with a bunch of chairs and surprisingly, my ribs didn't hurt as much… i must have an amazing healing factor, like the Wolverine!
But they didn't set properly, so it seemed like my side was full of bumps…
Mom wasn't home, so I took the things I saw from my dream…
I hastily fashioned a bow from my lyre and eight arrows before the giant came and tried to break my door down.
Instead of an arrowhead, I sharpened the stick, added a leaf on the back instead of a feather and on the arrowhead, I tied pieces on an oily rag that mom used to clean windows with.
Mom might not be happy if she saw me charring the tip, but I was desperate…
It turned out to be a pretty decent fire arrow…
I was a pretty fair shot at archery, nah, I'm the greatest archer in New York, if that's possible…
I nock my arrow and took aim…
Since I was farsighted, it was easier to aim but my arm kept wobbling so horribly, I couldn't get it to aim straight.
When he looked through the door, I immediately released the arrow, hitting him in his left eye.
One.
He bellowed in pain as he managed to grab my leg and pull me out of the house.
I felt blood trickling down my left wrist from the whiplash.
"Ichor!" he yelled as he licked his lips.
I shot another flaming arrow on his arm, which stuck to him like a wisp.
Two.
I shot him with three more, but one missed, the other skinned him and the last one clung to his shirt.
He caught me right at my waist as he prepared to eat me.
"Any last words?" he said.
"Two." I said.
"Say it." he said.
"One, buy a toothbrush." I said.
"And…?" he seemed bemused.
"Two? Open wide."
I aimed an arrow at his throat and it lit up his mouth.
Either his spit is flammable or he'd been drinking too much martini's…
He bellowed in pain as his grip tightened.
I struggled to release myself as I aimed another arrow right at his 'family jewels'.
He bellowed in unimaginable agony.
Well, you can consider it a good idea or a stupid one, but he released me and I crashed into the dirt, causing unimaginable pain.
Not as unimaginable as an arrow at the nuts…
It was too much for me to handle as I cried out in absolute pain.
For some strange reason, I cried out to my father, wherever he was, to come rescue me.
"Dad… ugh… if you can…ugh… hear me… please help me!" I said asmy vision began to blacken.
"Hahaha… Son of Phoebus not so strong now!" he laughed as he covered his wounded eye.
I nock my final arrow and fired on the giant who, to my surprise, became engulfed in flames.
He bellowed in agony as he tried to come closer to deliver the final blow.
I began to lose consciousness as a man with shoulder length light brown hair, dressed in red armor came in and stood between me and the giant.
"Don't…" I whispered.
Next thing I knew, I was in my room.
It was fairly blurry and it seemed like an out of bed experience as I could walk…
I saw my mum talking with a rather good looking man, who was tanned and wore a cool pair of Ray Bans, trendy beach clothes and, weirdly enough, a doctor's coat…
Beside him, was the red armored man, with his cool swords hanging by his side.
How he got in with that katana, I might not know.
"…I'm telling you, Apollo, you don't know how much I've sacrificed for Peter! I am not shipping him out to Camp Half Blood…" my mom began.
"It's Camp Demigod." The man beside the doctor quietly said.
"I don't care! I am not sending him there so you can brainwash him into being your soldier!" mom said.
The doctor sighed.
"Shirley, just chillax yo… it's basically the safest place for my little boy. And you'll be safer without him, trust me, I need to claim him soon… because if I claim him and he stays with you, there's going to be much worse attacks than this little encounter, believe me." He said.
Little boy?!
"I know that Apollo! I…I'll miss him so much…" mom cried.
The doctor bit his lip.
"Look, Shirley… just relax okay? He's going to be fine… Tenkai here will keep him safe…" the doctor said.
The man nodded.
"With all the strength I can muster." He nodded.
"Yep. The Camp has almost two hundred twenty members… the biggest of the three camps…" the doctor mused.
"I…I guess…" mom said.
"Now then!" the doctor rubbed his hands.
He came to my body and to my shock and awe, he held out two hands and light emerged from it and my side was fixed.
The doctor sighed.
"He looks just like me…" he said.
Then his face brightened up.
The bright sun goes down,
We all see it brightly burn,
He and I are so hot.
That was the worst haiku I've ever heard…
The man next to him shook his head.
"My lord… the last part has one extra syllable…" he pointed out.
"Well, are you the God of poetry?" he said.
The man remained stoically quiet as if he knew better than to argue with someone so childish.
"That's what I thought. Now time to wake the boy up…" he declared.
"Are you insane, Apollo? He was just horribly injured!" my mom said.
"Arguing with the god of doctors?" he said smartly.
"Why you-" my mom growled.
I opened my eyes.
"Mom…" I said.
They looked at me.
Then, a wild, yet elegant looking lady arrived.
She was garbed in silver and seemed to have been hunting.
She wore a circlet of silver, gold and laurels.
Her wild look didn't surprise me as much as her… weapons.
She looked like a traditional frontier trapper.
She had a naked silver blade on her side and two sharp keen knives sheathed on her hunting belt.
She also had another hunting belt which was diagonally belted across her chest which showed several darts and javelins…
On her back was a quiver of magnificent arrows each etched with a moon symbol and a silvery feather and a beautiful golden bow, which I can only dream of owning.
To top it all off, she was really pretty with her purple eyes.
Just like me…
"I came as soon as I heard. How is he?" she asked as if she knew me well enough to worry about me.
"He's fine now, Artemis…" my mom said.
"Damn… I've been hunting for that giant since spring… did Peter really take him down?" she asked.
"Yes, but ol' Tenkai here finished him off…" the doctor said.
"Amazing… I guess he was born with most of my genes…" she said.
The man shrugs.
"We ARE twins…" he mused.
"Um… can anyone explain things to me?" I said.
Mom then went to me, kissed me in my cheeks.
"Thank the gods you're all right!" she sobbed.
"Mom! I'm fine!" I said, trying to make her stop fussing.
"Well, that out of the way, I think I should introduce myself now…" the doctor said.
"Yes, who are you?" I asked.
He did a grand pose.
"I am Apollo. The god of the sun, poetry, music, oracles and truth. Also, I am your father." He said.
"Ha! You're not my dad! My dad's name was Larry!" I said as I looked at my mom for her support.
"He's your daddy." She said.
I opened my mouth.
"So… I'm… a demigod?" I said.
"Yes." My father said.
"But… that giant said my father was Phoebus…" I said.
"That's me. Phoebus Apollo." He said.
"And… why was that giant after me?" I asked.
"That's because you're the son of the sun god." The man, Tenkai, said.
"And since we are related, he came after you. They like to eat anything that smells like ichor, which is basically our blood…" the lady said.
That didn't make me feel better…
"We're related?" I said.
She smiled gently.
"Yes. I am Artemis, your aunt."
I stared in disbelief.
"I don't know what to say…" I said.
"Come with us." She said.
I looked at mom and she nodded as she cried.
"I will."
I spent the week with mom before my father, aunt and Tenkai would pick me up…
When they did, they had some gifts for me.
"My son, this is my gift to you…" Apollo gave me a gold iPod.
Or at least it was gold colored…
"Um… thanks dad…" I said.
"That's no ordinary iPod, son… it was made so it won't attract those monsters, and will play any music you want and much better… look at it closely." He said.
I looked closely and there was a curious little button on the side.
"Stay back…" he warned Artemis and Tenkai.
"Brother, that won't wound, let alone hurt me." she said.
"It's made of Imperial Gold…" my father pointed out.
My aunt's eyes went wide as she stepped back.
Tenkai silently stepped back too.
"Click it son, but be forewarned; it has quite a kick…" he said.
I clicked it and in a blink, it turned into a Golden long sword, about almost four feet long from hilt to blade…
"Whoa!" I said as I admired my new blade.
"Awesome… it's so light…" I said as I swung it around.
"Amazing, eh? It was made by Hephaestus you see…" dad said.
It was amazingly lightweight…
"You need to name it though… it's kind of tradition." Father said.
I thought for a while.
"I name you Moonlight..."
Artemis smiled.
"And this too, Peter…"
She gave me a magnificently ornate ivory bow, etched in gold and silver…
The leathern handle had a moon and sun symbol, with the sun in gold while the moon in silver.
The string was long and very strong… it also shimmered in the light.
Along with it came a blue velvet quiver, filled with beautifully ornate arrows, which should be displayed, not used.
"Try it out…" she said.
I carefully took out one arrow and I nock it with one of the divine arrows and I shot it and it hit the tree, then, I nock another one and it hit the arrow, splitting it with pinpoint accuracy.
I'm getting the one that wasn't split later… a shame to waste it…
"Well, what do you think?" she asked, like an aunt asking if she'd bought the right shoes for her nephew.
"Auntie… this is the best bow I'll ever hold in my entire lifetime… I thank you, Lady Artemis..." I bowed.
She laughed.
"What are you bowing for?" she asked.
"Well, this is a kind gift… and I have to ask what type of string is this… it seems so… heavenly…" I said.
"It's made with three locks of my hair." She said.
"Truly a rare gift… I name it 'Selene'." I bowed.
"That's it. You are now my favorite nephew!" she declared.
"We shouldn't tarry…" Tenkai said.
"Yes, I agree… say your goodbye's kid…" Apollo said.
I turned to my mom.
"Mom… goodbye… I'll write to you anytime I could…" I said.
"Keep a diary, Peeps…" she said, using her nickname for me.
"Yes mom…" I said as she kissed my forehead.
"Be safe. Love you!" she said.
"Love you too, mum, good bye!" I said as I went to my dad's sports car, which was basically a Mustang...
The thing about being the invisible kid?
You never have to worry about saying goodbye…
To my surprise, it soared into the sky.
I waved to my mom until she was out of sight.
"Camp Demigod, here we come…" dad said.
I fell asleep.
Then, Tenkai woke me up.
"Welcome to Boston, Massachusetts…" he said.
We landed into a clearing in the middle of nowhere, with two giant rocks formed a kind of passageway…
"Here we are: Demigod pass." Tenkai said.
After we crossed the pass, I saw two trees.
As my eyes adjusted into the two biggest trees which turned into Shinto styled gates and then, after looking at a mirage. It began looking like a camp.
There were two rivers encircling the big camp.
From the looks of the place, I'd say we were fairly close to the Singing beach…
There was a big, Japanese styled mansion surrounded by cherry groves right in the middle of the big lake with three bridges in the east, west and south...
There were about 23 lodges with a big campfire at the north east, adjacent to the mansion that looked like an upside down letter L with a campfire in the centre...
On the south east of the lodges was a mess hall that was a covered area for eating.
In the side of the mansion was a flagpole that held the banner of the camp, which was a Corinthian helmet, crossed by two swords…
On the North West area of the camp were several fields, which I later found out to be apple, orange, grape, strawberry and fig fields…
On the side of that was an archery range which several campers were practicing their skill with the bow…
On the west was the training ground, which seemed so impressive, I felt like an extra from Full metal jacket, Hamburger hill, We were soldiers and Jarhead…
On the south west was a huge stable and area for jousting and riding…
The rivers and lake were being used as a practice area for boat fights…
There was also one big house, on the side of the dining pavilion which was a common room, from what I'll hear…
On the western area, there's an armory, right next to the stables.
And on the north of the mansion, was an arena.
On the south, next to the entrance was a building labeled 'Arts and TLE building'.
There was a multipurpose field east of the strawberry/apple/orange/grape/fig field where people can play soccer, tennis, javelin throwing etc.
There was also a large rock monument where one can climb up to get a good view of the bay area.
And lastly, there was a beach on the very western point of camp, if you cross the fields, fen and wood.
There's a pass to a nearby town where we can go during our break…
There was also a temple for the Greek gods in the far north, from the borders of camp…
That's where father and auntie left me.
"You… guys aren't going?" I asked.
"Afraid so… we have really important business to attend to… with the war brewing and all…" Apollo said, and then Artemis slapped his arm.
"Ow!" he said.
"Don't tell him that! Peter, pay no attention to your father…" she said.
"Gimme a break, Artemis…" Apollo said as he and Artemis disappeared in a flash of gold and silver.
I was left with Tenkai.
"We really mustn't tarry… follow me, child." he said kindly.
I followed him with my big pack and quiver et al.
He points to the Lodge in the far left, the sixth.
"Go there and get settled. Your bunk is all ready. If you have further questions, just go to that building (points to the Oni Mansion), that's my home. I'll be on my way now…" he said as he walked there.
There were some people around the camp looking at me, but I just walked there without molestation, until, four guys wearing armor came up to me.
"Fresh meat…" one of them said.
"Hehehehe…" the second one laughed.
"Man, Alicia is gonna eat him for lunch!" the third said.
"Here she comes now." The fourth said.
I looked to where they were looking and I saw a very tall, muscular and scary looking girl with a red colored shirt that read:
Camp Demigod
Lodge 4
Daughter of Ares
On her back read:
A. Warrington
She was a pretty English girl, with freckles and a rustic look, with unusual blue hair.
She had a nametag that, with a bit of difficulty due to our close proximity and my farsightedness, read:
Hello, my name is:
BigMommaWarPig
She was smiling wickedly.
"Well, well! Fresh meat! You need to pay tribute!" she said and the guys took my stuff and threw it on the ground.
"Carry it with your mouth!" she declared.
I stood defiantly.
"No." I said.
She laughed.
"Then I guess you'll have to go on without a bow!" she said as she took my bow.
"Hey! That's my bow!" I said.
"I know, right?" she said.
"Give it back!"
"I don't think so… this is a pretty sweet bow!" she said as she scratched it.
"That was a gift from Artemis!" I screamed as I activated my sword.
They stepped back.
Alicia stood her ground.
"Imperial Gold, eh?" she said with contempt as she opened a Zippo and flicked it and in an instant, it became a halberd.
She then whistled and her lodge mates handed her a shield.
"Let's dance." She said as she charged me.
I've always had been very… hyperactive, and it seemed to help that she was bullish in her moves…
I was like a robot: slash, duck, slash, stab, block and deflect over and over again.
She fought with her halberd and I managed to disarm her and I cut a wound in the bridge of her nose.
I then kicked her to the dirt.
She stood up and charged me.
I side stepped and stole my bow back and I nock a few arrows and managed to pin her to a tree.
I did the same to those who tried to charge me.
She broke free, snapping the arrows.
She brushed the blood away as I did something I saw from the Lord of the Rings…
I slowly licked my bloodied sword tip, careful not to cut my tongue…
"Deeelicious." I taunted.
"Bastard!" she bellowed and her Lodge mates went to her aid.
She managed to bonk me on the nose, drawing blood and causing hellish amount of pain. (I had a tall nose.)
I was immediately surrounded by around 25-30 (including Alicia) children of Ares…
It didn't look good…
Then… a warning arrow buzzed across, hitting the logo of the Lodge of Ares…
It was a large group of archers, taking aim.
All of the girls wore silver and the men wore yellow shirts with the camp emblem that read:
Camp Demigod
Lodge 6
Son of Apollo
The women had white shirts that read:
Camp Demigod
Lodge 9
Hunter of Artemis
And in the back were probably their names…
The one who fired the warning arrow had a shirt that read:
L. Fletcher
Alicia prepared herself, while her lodge mates seemed ill-at-ease trying to challenge 50 something archers.
"Go on, Alicia, you know better than to fight us…" the one who shot the warning arrow said.
He was a smart looking fellow with brown hair and matching brown eyes.
He looked English, but his Chicago accent proves otherwise.
She opened her mouth.
Then, a punk-goth chick came by.
"Get out of here, Alicia…" She said.
Alicia glared at the lady.
"Curse you Thalia… Damn you, Fletch…" she muttered as she left.
They helped me get my things to the lodge.
"Thanks ummm…"
"Fletcher. Lawrence Fletcher. Fletch would do." Fletch said.
The goth went to us.
"My name is Thalia, daughter of Zeus… I am the leader of the hunters of Artemis." She said.
I shook hands with the both of them.
"This is a pretty sweet bow!" Fletcher said.
"Thanks… a gift from Lady Artemis…"
Thalia's electric blue eyes fluttered.
"Interesting…" she said, fingering my bow.
Thalia and Fletcher walked with me to the lodge.
"So… you were attacked by a Laistrygonian giant? And you managed to blind it? With a makeshift bow?" Thalia asked.
"Yes… before Tenkai helped me…" I said.
Thalia whistled.
"If you were a girl, I'd let you in the hunters right away!" she said.
"Um… thanks?"
Fletcher nodded.
"Tenkai is a good man… no one really knows how old he is, but I bet he's immortal!" Fletch said.
Thalia nodded.
"I heard he's the son of a titan…" she said.
"Yeah, but he's no spring chicken, that's for sure…" Fletcher said.
Thalia stopped.
"I'm heading back to the Artemis Lodge… Peter, it was nice meeting you…" she said.
"Likewise Thalia…" I said.
She smiled as she left.
Fletcher and I talked as we entered the Lodge.
It was a slick, modern lodge; it had walls like a log cabin, giving it a traditional look, about as big as a flat…
There was a big couch facing an LCD TV mounted on a wall on the right and on the left was a fireplace with several La-Z boy chairs where one could read a good book.
On the side of the stairs were two were two work benches where a musician may fix his/her lyre or musical equipment.
On the side was a vending machine and a refrigerator.
On top of the short stairs were two book shelves and to top it all off, it had WIFI.
On the hall, were several jars of pine resin, which was used for bows (I think) and a jar full of quality bow strings.
At the end of the hall, was an altar of Apollo and Artemis, our father and aunt.
Then, separated by wooden rails were the bunks, which had enough beds that we have 8 extra beds…
Then, on a set of ladders on the right lead to the game room, which had everything from the Xbox 360 to the Ps2 to the Atari.
On a ladder to the left was our dressing room, which we kept our clothes locked in our cabinets. You can go down via fireman pole.
"This is a sweet pad!"
"You'd want to avoid Androg Ford… he's a jerk who thinks he's better than all of us just because he can shoot an arrow through a hoop…" Fletcher said.
"Is he?" I said.
Then, after I packed everything with Fletcher, a proud, muscular and tall guy with jet black hair came up to us.
"Meeting. Lake of Orpheus tomorrow midnight, after dinner. Don't be late." He said as he left.
"Who was that?" I asked Fletcher.
"That dude? That… was Androg Ford..." Fletcher said.
"I see…"
Later that night, Fletcher and I ate at the Apollo table and I was surprised because along with the Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Artemis and Athena lodge, we were the largest lodge in the whole camp.
I met several of my half brothers and sisters…
I became fast friends with Allan and Dale, both twins, Robinson, Faram, Nobutada and my half sister, Arah.
"This is Arah, the only bow woman in our Lodge…and our sister!" Fletcher said.
"She's not a bow woman…" I muttered.
"Yes she is, I've seen her bra…" Dale whispered.
"I mean that it has nothing to do with gender… she's an archer." I said.
"You're a charming one… pity you're my half-brother… you're pretty cute." She flirted.
It suddenly became awkward.
"Is there a way for half siblings to marry?" Robinson asked.
"It is normal in Israel back in the times of Abraham. But now I am not sure." Faram said.
"Now I wish I was from Israel… or at least a son of Ares… no matter how repulsive it sounds…" Dale muttered.
Another moment of silence.
"A damn shame she's our sister…" Allan said ruefully.
"She's pretty comfortable with us boys…" Fletcher said.
"Hey, don't get us wrong, we ain't into incest, believe us." Allan said.
Arah just smiled.
They had pretty sick minds…
We ate the delicious deer venison which was provided by the Artemis lodge, then, since I was one of the 'new kids' I had to sing a song...
I think I made Orpheus proud by singing a decent version of Total eclipse of the heart.
Then, to my surprise, a girl from the Hecate Lodge went up and the lights became dark.
She conjured up demons and waterforms which creeped us all out.
Then, it was time for sing along…
We sung so many stupid songs that it was actually beginning to hurt my throat.
Finally, it was time for bed.
I slept well, considering my anxiety.
Fletcher gave me a tour of camp the next day.
It was beautiful and I especially like hanging by the lake and rivers, which had several types of fishes and some hot naiads underwater, and at the campfire, where it is fun to read and sing...
Still… sad to go about without a lyre…
When we passed Alicia and her brothers, she smiled and walked casually to me.
She whispered in my ear:
"It's you and I, three o clock sharp, this afternoon you die." She whispered, and then left.
Three o clock?
The girls from the Aphrodite lodge gave me the rest of the tour, while the one which Fletcher had a crush on, named Donna, talked to him.
After that, I saw two very beautiful girls… from different lodges.
One, from a lodge which was made from rocks and boulders, I assumed to be the Heracles Lodge, was boxing a punching bag, hitting it with a combo of punches until she hit it with a final punch which sent it flying.
With a sigh, she picked up another bag with one hand as if it was a pillow and boxed it again...
The other one, from a lodge which had several unintelligible inscriptions as if it was a first grade art project, which I think was the Hecate lodge, a quiet girl reading a big tome and was conjuring a wisp of white flame in her fingertips.
"Peteeer! Don't look at them while we're here!" the lodge counselor, Kyla, said.
Then, a bugle sounded.
It was 3:00…
Tenkai then spoke:
"All right, time for a game of capture the flag! You all know the rules, capture the flag and you win. Apollo lodge versus the Ares lodge. Hurry and get into positions…" He said.
I saw Alicia and her lodge mates smile wickedly.
Alicia had a big band-aid on her cheek.
She looked at me and did a cutthroat sign.
I gulped as I shouldered my bow.
"Tenkai, are bows allowed?" Alicia said.
"Yes." He said.
"Why? Isn't that unfair?" she said.
"Well I suppose it is a bit unfair, but does it really matter in the battlefield?" he said.
Alicia frowned.
After I was garbed in bronze armor, I immediately activated Moonlight.
I was given a round shield.
"All right, you pukes follow me and you won't die." Androg said.
"GO!" Tenkai said.
We ran ahead as Androg did a foolish charge at the Ares lodge.
I stopped Fletcher, Allan, Dale, Arah, Faram, Nobutada, Robinson.
We watched as Androg and the rest of the lodge struggled against the phalanx of the Ares lodge.
"When will Androg realize we're archers, not footmen?" Fletcher said.
"The day he gets his head off his ass…" Fletcher said.
Luckily, I was president of the band club and we had annual paintball matches against the typical brainless jocks, which we won two years in a row.
"Alright, Fletcher, Dale, Faram and I will advance while you (Arah), Robinson and Nobutada will cover us and we'll do the same until we reach the flag. Got it?" I said.
Nobutada nodded.
"Let us go." He said.
We did so and we managed to get into a foxhole while we covered them.
Then, we sniped them from the position, saving many Apollo lodgers from a beating.
I managed to hit several in the head with my arrows. (The points didn't have sharp arrowheads mind you.)
Alicia was shouting my name and looking for me.
We kept on sniping it until she saw me.
She charged into me and I told them to hurry on while I took her on.
"Round two, pretty boy." She said.
"Bring it." I said.
She liked going too near, bad since I can't see her well in close range.
I side stepped her attacks and used my instincts to fend her off.
She slashed me on my foot and I fell down.
She raised her hand to strike me.
I heard a voice, as she slowed down.
Use your powers. Show her the wonders of light.
Light…
I raised my hand and focused my power to melt her halberd.
It exploded in a fiery burst, knocking her down.
I used the point to pin her to the ground.
"Thanks for playing." I said as I ran away.
After I went to Fletcher, he looked at me funny.
"W-what?"
"How did you do that?" he asked.
"Do what?"
"That flaming light explosion thing! That was amazing!" he said.
"I don't really know…"I said as I boosted Arah so she can get the banner of Ares.
We won, so the Ares lodge had to do something embarrassing for a week.
We opted that they wear chicken suits with signs that read: APOLLO LODGE RULZ and act like chickens from three o clock to four while painting their lodge yellow.
They hated us after that...
I was immediately the most popular guy in camp after that…
Then, after we ate dinner, we played some super Mario.
After Tenkai and his aide, a man named Raidou, did roll call, we were sent to sleep.
We snuck out, not before Fletcher left a gold coin, a Greek drachma for the Tengus so they wouldn't rat us out.
I related what happened today before the game.
"I could've given you the tour! I've been around camp a few times…"Arah said.
We were behind a wall of trees, next to the Lake of Orpheus.
We were talking about who was going to be our new leader, as most of us at the lodge were new to the camp, the oldest members of our lodge being Fletcher, Androg and Arah…
"We have to choose now!" Androg said.
"Why now?" Fletcher asked, almost in contempt, "Excited?"
Androg banged his fist on the trunk table.
"Is that a challenge?!" he said.
Fletcher smirked.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"We need to choose! War is coming!" he said.
"Pssst! You sure you're a son of Apollo? You're even worse than the Ares kids…" Fletch said.
"Why you…!" Androg said.
"Look, point here is we need to choose a leader!" he said, "And I nominate myself!" Androg said.
A bunch of wounded campers looked at him.
"What?"
"After leading them to that battle? We wouldn't let you lead a toy car."
"I still nominate myself!" he said adamantly.
"Well, I nominate Peter!" Fletcher said.
"What?!" Androg and I said at the same time.
"Yes, he's a smart leader. Strong too. Anyone who can dish out a can of whoop ass to Alice is my leader." Fletcher said.
"C'mon man…" I said.
"This wimp? Hell no." Androg said.
"Hey, he saved us all from a week of painting our lodge red!" one of them said.
"Much thanks to the finest archer in Camp Demigod!" one of them said.
"Alright, brothers! And sisters (gestures to Arah) we talked of the need to choose a leader among us so we may have order in our humble lodge… we have met our future leader! I vote for Peter Strongbow to lead us!" Fletcher said.
"Seconded!" Arah said.
Androg shook his head and complained, "I thought we agreed that the best archer should be the leader?"
"We did," Fletcher said, "but we have the best archer in the camp right here." Fletcher said.
They began bickering until I decided to interrupt.
"All right! If that's the way, then all of us will shoot our arrows tomorrow, may the best man win!" I said.
We all nodded.
"Agreed!" they chorused.
We settled for the night.
The next morning, we all woke up.
This was the day when we'd choose the leader.
I wanted to be the leader so badly…
A target was set up and they all called me to show my shooting skills.
I shook my head because it seemed so easy, that any idiot with eyes and arms could shoot that target…
"Nah, make it farther, any idiot can hit that mark…" I said.
"Well, then set it up yourself, Petey!" Androg cried.
He was known as the best shot among the Apollo lodge.
"I will… but you all need to agree first…" I said.
"We do." They said.
"Nice…" I grinned.
I gathered a bunch of laurel leaves and some branches and wildflowers and weaved it into a wreath, like mom used to teach me to make.
I hung it to a branch at the farthest end of the forest.
That was when the hunters of Artemis arrived to look at our tom-foolery.
"The rules are fairly simple… shoot the arrow right through the ring of the wreath WITHOUT hitting any of the leaves or flowers." I said.
The hunters seemed impressed.
"Quite far off…" Thalia said.
She was very cute in the morning…
The challengers began to complain.
"That's a freaking mile away!" one said.
"You'd need to be a giant to shoot an arrow that far!"
"I'm out! I can't even see the target from here!" the third said.
I can see it clearly.
In the end, only Androg and I were left.
We did a coin toss and he got heads, making him go first.
He had three arrows for the test.
He positioned himself.
He shot the first arrow.
It fell five yards too short.
He drew it higher and further, but also fell short of two yards.
The third one fell just right outside the wreath.
It was now my turn…
Apollo… Artemis… O twin archers… help me.
I raised my Artemisian bow and drew the string tight.
I closed my eyes, took a very deep breath and prayed again and let the string loose.
The arrow hummed as it sang right through the field and straight into the center of the tree.
Everyone, even Thalia, stared in absolute disbelief.
"Lucky shot! Do it again! Use all the arrows!" Androg cried.
I smiled at him and implored the help of father and auntie.
I bent my mighty bow and sent my second arrow singing a melodious tune as it found its mark in the tree trunk. It was the same for the third, which avoided the leaves and flowers.
"Three cheers for our new leader!" Fletcher shouted, and even the hunters joined the cheer, impressed at my skill.
"Peter forever!"
"Yehey for our leader!"
"We are Marshal!"
I thanked Apollo and Artemis.
And so, I became the de facto leader of the Apollo Lodge… not bad for my third day here at Camp Demigod…
I decided to make a ballad from a dream I had and sent it to Tenkai as requested by Fletcher because we needed a new head counselor…
Fletcher, Arah and Androg were my co-counselors.
The poetry was sort of protocol…
I wrote the weirdest sonnet ever…
Kósmos échei alláxei…
The world is changing…
Vlépoume sto neró…
We see it in the waters…
Aisthanómaste sti gi…
We feel it in the earth…
Emeís tha myrízei ston ouranó
We smell it in the sky…
All that once was, is to be razed…
And we Half Bloods shall remain unfazed…
The man in the crimson armor read the passages of a sonnet made by a son of Apollo who wants to be the head counselor sent this morning…
This wasn't Camp Half Blood, where the heroes of Olympus are from, nor is it Camp Jupiter, but Camp Demigod, which was another sect of the Demigod training facilities and it also acts as a school and a home for some Demigods…
It is situated in the forests of Boston due to its spiritual background, more gods claim their children and as a result, it has more campers than Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter combined that live in houses called 'Lodges'.
It even accepts children of minor gods, which is the reason of the inflation campers…
War was brewing and they had heard of the impending battle…
So far, they had chosen several leaders of the Lodges…
"Tenkai, have you chosen the counselor of the Apollo Lodge already?" a girly voice said.
The battle hardened warrior turned around to look at the Tengu, Ako. (Pronounced Ah-ko)
Ako was a miniature girl with wings, who was like Tinkerbell, but don't expect her to throw around some pixie dust…
"Ako… yes, actually, I have… this specific child of Apollo seems to be the most suitable…" Tenkai said.
Tenkai Nankobo was a samurai warrior from Japan, who wore red armor. He was an Oni warrior.
Then, a black cat came in the room.
"Gouto-douji…a great honor…" Tenkai said as he bowed.
"Likewise…" Gouto said.
Then, Tenkai became aware of him looking quite mystical…
Ako huffed.
"What a cute cat!" she said as she chased Gouto.
"I'll have you know I'm a world renowned devil summone- ack!" Gouto screamed as Ako caught him and embraced him.
"Ako… that's enough… we need to announce the counselor now…"
"Awwww!" she complained.
"For the Apollo cabin… Peter Strongbow."
He said as he began bathing his strange sword in ritual wine.
"Doing the ritual again?" Ako asked.
Tenkai smiled.
Camp Demigod had one specific metal, rare among all…
Camp Half Blood had Celestial Bronze…
Camp Jupiter had Imperial Gold…
The Underworld had Stygian Iron…
Camp Demigod… had Cosmic Silver.