𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬'𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 • 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯

Party Ponies

Y/n Pov:

"One on one," Percy challenged Luke. "What are you afraid of ?" 

Luke curled his lip. The soldiers who were about to kill us 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 I'd 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 Percy'd trapped him. If he backed down now, he would look weak. If he fought Percy, he'd lose valuable time chasing after Clarisse. 

Nice work, Jackson.

"I'll kill you quickly," Luke decided and raised his weapon. 

Backbiter was a foot longer than Riptide. Its blade glinted with an evil grey-and-gold light where the human steel had been melded with celestial bronze. I could almost feel the blade fighting against itself, like two opposing magnets bound together. I didn't know how the blade had been made, but I sensed a tragedy. Someone had died in the process. Luke whistled to one of his men, who threw him around a leather-and-bronze shield. 

He grinned at Percy wickedly. 

"Luke," I said, "at least give him a shield." 

"Sorry, Y/n," he said. "You bring your own equipment to this party." 

Luke lunged and almost killed Percy on the first try. His sword went under Percy's arm, slashing through his shirt. 

Percy jumped back, then counterattacked with Riptide, but Luke slammed Riptide away with his shield. 

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

He came at Percy again with a swipe to the head. Percy parried, returned with a thrust. He sidestepped easily.

When Luke lunged again, Percy jumped backwards into the swimming pool. He spun underwater, creating a funnel cloud, and blasted out of the deep end, straight at Luke's face. 

The force of the water knocked him down, spluttering and blinded. But before Percy could strike, Luke rolled aside and was on his feet again. 

Percy attacked and sliced off the edge of Luke's shield, but that didn't even faze him. Luke dropped to a crouch and jabbed at Percy's legs. Percy's jeans ripped above the knee. He was hurt. Luke hacked downward, and Percy rolled behind a deck chair, struggling to stand. 

"Perrrrrcy!" Grover bleated. 

Percy rolled again as Luke's sword slashed the deck chair in half, metal pipes and all. 

Percy clawed toward the swimming pool. He'd never make it. Luke knew it, too. Luke advanced slowly, smiling. The edge of his sword was tinged with red. 

"One thing I want you to watch before you die, Percy." He looked at the bear-man Oreius, who was still holding Annabeth, Grover and me by our necks. "You can eat your dinner now, Oreius. Bon appétit." 

"No!" I shouted.

"He-he! He-he!" The bear-man lifted us and bared his teeth. I kicked and screamed. That's when all Hades broke loose.