Beating Hearts

Be Prepared

The title of this chapter isn't really related to the chapter itself, but my family was going to see one of those drive-in movies- The Lion King, to be precise- and it started raining, so we had to go home and I spent a few hours trapped in a hot, cramped car for no reason. I still haven't seen it, so I decided to dedicate this chapter to it by naming the title after one of the songs in the animated version. Also, I really like the Kiara and Kovu pairing in Lion King 2: Simba's Pride. On with the story!

Steve was a good leader. 

He was, really. Even Tony admitted it.

He was always considered the most responsible out of the group, aside from maybe Bruce or Natasha. But he still made mistakes. There was no such thing as a perfect leader, but Steve was about as close as anyone was going to get. At least, that's what he thought.

Until he saw the way Percy took hold of the demigods, instantly capturing their attention with his voice. His skills with battle tactics and strategies were undeniable. Steve sincerely doubted that anyone else could do what he did; but still, he worried. Worried for what was to come, for the sacrifices people would have to make, and as selfish as it sounded, Steve was scared to make the sacrifices and decisions that he would have to make. In all the time that he had known Percy Jackson, Steve had never seen him act like this. 

He was usually so happy, and was hostile only to enemies or when people tried too hard to pry into his life, and from what Steve had heard about Percy's past, even summoning a smile had to be difficult. He kept sending uncomfortable, concerned glances in Percy's direction, and he was sure that the lad had noticed, but they both ignored that fact for the time being. Steve shook his head to clear the fuzzy feeling and the buzzing noise sharpened into voices, more specifically, Percy. "...build defences. Reyna and the rest of Camp Jupiter's representatives were needed back at their own camp. Monster activity is picking up drastically, before all signs just drop off the map, so everyone is busy building walls and such. Many are hesitant to build onagers again so soon after we formed a fragile peace between our two cultures, but we need to use every advantage we have," he was saying.

"Nyssa, Jake, do you have an update on the weapon production? Do you have the Avengers' blades and arrows complete?" The frustrated looking girl nodded her head hesitantly. "We have at least enough to restock our camp, and we're currently working on backups for Camp Jupiter. We have several quivers full of special arrows, a belt containing half a dozen throwing daggers, along with a separate hilt for a normal blade. Banner could just help in the infirmary most of the time, and we don't have enough time to train him properly with a sword anyway, and Stark's suit has updates being installed as we speak. As for the others, we will just grab daggers and swords from the weapons' shed and coat previous ones in Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold." 

The boy next to her adjusted his crutches. A guilty expression overtook his features and he reached behind his back to bring out a ratty old tool belt with large pockets. "We needed to use his belt for resources," he added apprehensively. Percy clenched his jaw. "Right. Of course. Use whatever you need. In fact, while you're at it, there should be a Yankees cap in Cabin 6; how about you tell the rest of your cabin how to use it, okay, Michael?" Sympathetic looks came from everyone at the table, though a few of them only looked down in shame as his smile grew a bit insane and his laughter pained. 

Percy took a deep breath and a mask swept over his face. "We'll inform the Romans of our plans when we get the chance, and can make adjustments if needed. For now, do the tasks I assigned you- except for Hermes and Apollo. I want Hermes to split up and send a group to go steal supplies from local convenience stores. Apollo- make bandages, find supplies, and train younger campers in archery. I've asked Reyna if she can contact the Hunt and the Amazons, but if they decide to assist us, they might ask for permission to withdraw from the field whenever necessary to lower their fatality rate.