σɾɳιƚԋαʂ (ρʝσ x ɱαʅҽ σƈ)

I Play Capture the Flag

Theo's POV

The next few days, Percy and I settled into an almost normal routine. I mean "almost" because we were taught by satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.

Each morning, Annabeth taught us ancient Greek (which for some reason, I felt like I already knew), and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense.

The rest of the day we rotated through outdoor activities, trying to find something we were good at.

Chiron tried teaching us archery. Percy was so bad that he somehow managed to shoot an arrow backwards. How the hell does that even work?

I, on the other hand, felt like I was in my element. Every time I nooked an arrow into my bow, It felt like time slowed down and all of my senses got dialed up to 11. The first arrow I shot hit the very center of the bullseye, the second arrow split the first arrow in half, and the third arrow did the same with the second.

A lot of the campers who were there said that I'm a child of Apollo, but I shut that theory down quickly when I told them that my dad was a half-blood, and his dad was a god.

Foot racing? Percy was left in the wood nymphs' dust, while I managed to keep up. Apparently, they'd had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods.

Wrestling? Percy got wiped the fuck out by Clarisse every time he got on the mat, while I managed to beat her a couple of times. When they're bigger, you gotta be quicker.

Javelin throwing? I was alright at it. We called it quits after Percy almost impaled a passing satyr.

The only thing that Percy seemed to be good at was canoeing, while I was just ass at it. But canoeing isn't really heroic, so it doesn't count.

Metalwork? Percy was not good at all, while I was just meh. I met a Hephaestus kid called Charles Beckondorf, who was basically the best forger besides Hephaestus himself, and a genuinely nice guy. I did give him an idea for a weapon based on what I saw in a video game trailer that came out last month plus an extra mod, and he said he'll get it done in a few days.

Percy and I were not as strong as the Ares kids, and we didn't have the gossipy flowery nature of Aphrodite. Luke told Percy that he might be a child of Hermes, a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none, which did not help Percy.

Luke said that Hermes may be my granddad, since I was good at a lot of things, which did sound plausible, but I wasn't so sure about that.

Despite this, Percy and I enjoyed camp. But as time went on, Percy started to get frustrated because he was not getting any signs as to who his father. Honestly, I don't blame him.

Then came Thursday afternoon, 8 days after I arrived, and Percy and I had our firsat sword-fighting lessons. Everybody from cabin 11 was gathered in the big circular arena where Luke would be our instructor.

Everyone apart from me and Percy had their own swords. Percy had burrowed a sword from the armory, while I decided to use Eric's sword. It just felt right to me.

We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. I was doing pretty good, and so was Percy. It's just that he couldn't find a sword that fits him.

We moved on to dueling in pairs. I wanted to have Percy as my partner so that I could help him out, but Luke announced that he would be his partner.

???: Good luck. Luke's the best swordsman in the last 300 years

Percy: Maybe he'll go easy on me.

The camper snorted, so I elbowed him in the ribs.

Theo: (to Percy) You're gonna do great, Percy.