Outlaws △ Luke Castellan

06.

Chapter Six;

Summer arrived, and Camp Half-Blood turned more vibrant along with the weather.

Kaia wished it would go back to winter. There was less time to spend with Luke, and she couldn't have whispered conversations at night with Annabeth. She had to be more careful with her belongings, since she couldn't just throw them on the floor now. But she saw Silena and Beckendorf again, who both greeted her warmly. Luke joined them when they caught up with what had been going on in the mortal world, while Kaia and Luke had been 'practising kicking butt as camp.'

Along with old campers, new ones were constantly being introduced, too. Meals became rowdy affairs once again, about one hundred campers clustered under one space. Kaia hardly knew any of them apart from the recognisable ones. She had her own group of friends, and she was sticking to them. Those were the people who accepted her as Kaia Wolfhart. The others still weren't certain of her. Fine. Let them treat her like an outsider – she had friends who cared, and didn't care for anyone else.

The increased numbers did mean that capture-the-flag was more interesting, now there were more people involved. Kaia was thrilled that for the first match, Athena had made an alliance with Hermes. She much preferred fighting with Luke than against him.

"You're decoy for this match," the Athena head counsellor told Kaia, while the red team was preparing.

The brown-skinned girl shrugged. She knew she was getting shoved to the side a little, and wouldn't be a part in partaking the glory. She didn't mind. She was itching for a fight.

When Chiron signalled the start of the competition, Kaia charged right in along with the others. She veered to the side and crashed through the woods, grinning the entire way. This was what she loved about camp.

Kaia ran into her first competitor about three minutes in: an eleven-year-old girl, who was one of the new arrivals.

Kaia recognised the girl: Clarisse La Rue, an eleven-year-old who had been claimed by Ares. For such a young girl, she was already buff and powerful, and skilled with weapons. She was a natural athlete. Kaia could tell that soon, Clarisse was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Clarisse lifted her sword in challenge. Kaia lifted her chin, readying herself.

The battle went on for quite some time, considering Clarisse hadn't been at camp long. Her father was the god of war, so it was no surprise she was a strong fighter. She was strong, too. No doubt she had been a big sportsperson in the mortal world.

Their swords flashed through the air. Kaia ducked, sidestepped, and parried, and Clarisse was able to keep up with her movements easily.

Interesting. Kaia laughed in the middle of battle.

But Clarisse was still an amateur, and made mistakes. After one blow, she left herself completely open. Kaia took advantage, diving straight in with several quick movements. Clarisse staggered back, trying to keep up. While she was unbalanced, Kaia took the opportunity to disarm her, and push her back with a kick to the chest.

The daughter of Ares tumbled to the ground. Kaia stepped on Clarisse's chest and rested her sword against her throat.

"You punk!" Clarisse growled.

Kaia raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? I am older than you. And I'm Athena's daughter to boot. If anyone's a match for you children of Ares, it's me. Or Luke."

She added the last part with a touch of pride in her voice.

Clarisse scowled. Kaia wasn't surprised. The children of Ares and Athena had a natural rivalry, thanks to their parents.