Chapter 02

"Hey there, sleepy head!", I heard a blurred voice coming through to me in my sleep.

"Wha-"

"Come on, Malcolm is already waiting for you!"

Half falling, half climbing, I got out of my bed, managed to put some clothes on – someone brought the ones from my drying rack back overnight – and followed Connor outside. By the looks of it, it wasn't too long until noon, the sun had almost reached its highest point. Another young adult, probably in his early 20s was waiting for me outside the Hermes cabin. Blonde hair, storm-gray eyes, athletic built. You really can spot a child of Athena from miles away.

"Finally", Malcolm Pace smiled. "Took you long enough to get up. But given what you went through, it's surprising that I didn't have to pick you up in the infirmary."

"Sorry for being late", I hurried to say but the head of cabin 6 didn't seem to be bothered at all.

"No problem at all, the bit of free time in the morning isn't all that bad. Were you already told what is waiting for you?"

"Nothing, no. Am I allowed to stay?"

"Well... Maybe", Malcolm replied. "Chiron and Mr D eventually settled on a test for you. Fencing with the weapon of choice and spear, as well as archery and parkouring. Depending on how it goes, you will be treated as one of us."

"That- That is more than I could've hoped for." A cheesy line, but I meant what I said. I half expected Camp Half Blood to be not real at all, not to speak of actually getting in. But tests, even hard ones... A smile crept up on my face. "I'm ready for everything you got for me."

A broad smile widened on the Athena kid. "That's what I wanted to hear. You certainly got the bravery of one of us. Oh, right. Forgot about that. I'm here to show you the armory today. You have to select a weapon if you want to fight after all."

Will led me to the west of the camp, past the Arena, a circular building with rows over rows for the spectators and a sand pit for the fighters. I wondered why you would build the fighting place in between the cabins and the armory, given that it would mean cycling back every time. Then again, most heroes probably had their own weapons like Percy's Riptide so it might not be a problem. The armory itself was a rather small building, smaller than even the tiniest cabins of the minor gods.

Will must've noticed a disappointed look on my face and said with a grin: "Don't worry, you'll find more than enough in there. Never saw a hero entering who didn't leave with sparks in their eyes."

With these words, he pushed open the door to the building, and I suddenly understood why he said that. Entering the armory, we stepped into a room that was much bigger than the outer walls of the structure should have allowed for. Inside were dozens of rows of shelves and weapon stands, filled with every weapon you could think of from Ancient Greek, to Roman and even something that looked like a lightsaber, entirely made of celestial bronze.

"Feel free to try them out a bit, there's something here for everybody.", Malcolm commented, gesturing towards the shelves.

That was all he needed to say. There was something about being surrounded by deadly, monster-slaying weaponry that brought the child inside of me back to the surface full force. The next half hour felt like a daze, going from one weapon to the other, swinging them around. They were all expertly crafted, it felt natural to wield them, regardless of size and type. Using a short xiphos together with a round shield felt just as effortless as swinging the celestial bronze lightsaber around with two hands. I stood mostly clear of the ranged weapons, partially because I had more experience with sword fighting, partially because there was no room in the shed to effectively try them out. After putting down two sickle-shaped weapons - I believed I had seen them in ninja movies once or twice - my gaze finally fell upon the thing I didn't know I was looking for.

It was a beautifully forged European longsword, slender enough for deadly thrusts but with enough of a blade to make the cuts just as deadly. From the second I picked it up, I knew I had made the right choice. The blade swirled around me as if the thing was entirely weightless. It didn't cost me any effort whatsoever to go into the familiar stances with the weapon, swinging it felt like dancing, regardless of whether I used one hand or both.

"More of a Medieval fan, huh?", Malcolm commented on my choice. "Certainly gives you more reach than our standard blades, but don't get caught in close quarters with it."

I felt the wide smile on my face as I answered: "I'll try my best. Is it really okay if I keep this?"

"If you make it through the challenges, consider it your graduation gift", the Athena kid laughed, "I already cleared everything up with Chiron, he gave us green lights for it."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Now, let's go over to the Arena. Percy is probably already waiting for us."

"Wait, I'll be fighting Percy?" But Malcolm already left the shed, and I didn't get an answer to my question until we arrived at the Arena.

"Good morning, Jacob!", Percy exclaimed through the Arena when I was entering with the vice captain of the Athena cabin. The son of Poseidon was wearing light sports clothing and his sword was already drawn, hanging down from his side as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him, just about not touching the sandy ground of the fighting pit. THe spectator rows were empty. At least I wouldn't be watched by too many while being thoroughly beaten.

"Do you feel refreshed enough for your first test?", Chiron asked.

"Now I'm not sure anymore, but I'll try my best."

A smile reached me from the Centaur. "That's all I wanted to hear. And don't worry too much, Percy's Riptide will be unable to harm you, you are mortal after all. And if you manage to cut Percy... Well, that would certainly make you worthier than most demigods who ever held a sword."

Chiron did not hide that he didn't believe for a second that I could hurt Percy and I couldn't blame him. He was the Hero of Manhattan after all. He both fought and triumphed over multiple aeons old deities with that sword at his side.

"So", the son of Poseidon said, "Ready to begin?".

I nodded. This wasn't the first practice match I had fought in, yet I was even more nervous than my first time I had entered a tournament. The lightness of the sword was seemingly gone as I drew it out of its scabbard. Riptide was quite a bit shorter than my blade, I needed to keep my distance. Just when I finished that thought, Percy already stormed at me, covering the distance between us with suicidal speed I had never seen before. Our blades met, my opponent smiled. Still, I had only managed a botched parry, just the same with the quick follow-up strikes. Some I dodged, against some I raised my sword. Percy fought according to no technique I had been taught at my fencing school, and I was too busy keeping his blade away from me to go on the offensive. Finally, he stepped back. I was already breathing heavily while he didn't even seem a little out of breath. I knew he was waiting for me to attack. I felt that he was merely toying with me. I swallowed hard. Both my pride and my anxiety, then I did exactly what he wanted. A feint diagonally from above, changing into a vertical strike at the last moment. Percy blocked them effortlessly. Another strike, this time coming from below, met by a relaxed parry. I felt how the last bits of my strength were leaving me. The summer sun was hammering down on me harder than I was used to, the sword felt heavier and heavier. At that moment, I saw the opening. My strike from below had Percy dodging back, opening his guard just enough to get a strike in. I raised my sword without hesitation, aiming for the weak point at his waist.

Too late did I see the grin on his face. With a clinging sound, our swords met, and with a turn of his wrist, Percy twisted the weapon out of my hands and pointed the tip of Riptide at my throat. All I could think of is that it was the exact same maneuver he used on Luke in his first year.

"That was a good fight!", interrupted Chiron our duel. "Honestly, you did better than we expected, Jacob. Are you experienced with the blade?"

"Y-yes, I took fencing lessons for a couple of years", I answered after taking a deep breath. Suddenly, I felt my limbs even heavier after the adrenaline had left my blood.

"You surprised me as well", Percy grinned. "Normally, the kids arriving here aren't as experienced. You might even be able to take on the Dionysus kids."

"Does that mean I passed?" I could hear the excitement in my own voice, and I felt the glow on my face despite the exhaustion.

"We'll decide once you went through all the trials", Chiron answered. "After all, a hero needs more than just his skills with a sword."

"Speaking of which", a voice called our attention from the Arena entrance. "Ready for the next round?"

Clarisse La Rue had entered the Arena. Opposite to Percy, she was covered in bronze from head to toe. shin guards, harness, arm protection and even the helmet closing around most of her face. A blood-red horsehair plume was standing off the top like a mohawk. Her weapon, a spear that was a bit longer than I was tall, rested against her shoulder, just as natural as Percy carried his sword. I couldn't quite make it out, but the engravings on her weapon looked like a drakon wrapping itself up from the shaft to the celestial bronze tip. The second spear she was holding was much simpler. And probably for me.

"Clarisse, he just fought me. Don't you want to give him a bit of a rest, he-"

"I don't think a monster would give him a rest. Since when do we let weaklings in?"

"Let Jacob decide", interrupted Chiron the two demigods' argument. He didn't need to raise his voice to silence either of them, the authority radiating off of him was more than enough for that. "If he thinks he can take it, then why not."

"I-" My screaming muscles told me to wait a couple of minutes. But Clarisse's words had stung deep. Wouldn't it detract from my final rating if I was a coward now? "I'll do it."

"That's what I wanted to hear. Nullblood, catch!" And without any warning, Clarisse's second spear came flying towards me,at least not tip first. Somehow, I managed to catch it. The polished wood beneath my hands felt calmingly cool for a summer day like this but I didn't have time to enjoy the sensation. Without anyone giving a signal, the Ares daughter rushed me. Where Percy was playing with me, Clarisse went all out. I barely managed to grip the spear correctly, before the first strike came. Parry, another parry. I was just barely able to dodge her stabs and swings, and she had driven me back against the Arena wall in seconds. Dodging became harder, parrying even more so. My arms grew tired again quickly. My spear clacked against the stone behind me every other time. Then I had an idea. I waited to the last second, Clarisse's spear aimed for my throat, then I jumped to the side. With a loud clacking noise, the spear tip hit the bricks where I was just standing a moment ago. My chance! Clarisse seemed to be a bit surprised, I put everything in this one stab towards her chest. Almost faster than I could see it, her hand snatched my spear out of mid air, while the other whirled her spear around. I didn't see it coming, but felt the blunt impact against my head. My vision turned black immediately, as if someone had turned the world's lights off.