First Lie || Deception Book I ||

Swords and Ice Cream

I shielded my face from the burning heat of the sun as I stepped into line beside Percy and the other campers from the Hermes cabin.

Finally, today was sword fighting practice for the Hermes cabin.

"Alright guys," Luke said. "We'll start with basics and the straw dummies." He clapped his hands, and the campers drifted off to different stations. Percy stood there, looking lost.

"Here, come with me," I said. leading him to the shed where the training blades were.

I stopped before the rack of swords. I looked Percy up and down. "Have you ever held a sword before?"

Percy hesitated. "Well, there was that time when. . ."

"Oh, yeah," I nodded. "How was it?"

Percy gaped at me. "Do you honestly expect me to remember how the sword felt when I was facing a Kindly One?"

My lips twitched. "I guess that's a no. In that case, you'll just have to try them yourself."

It soon became very apparent that none of the swords in the shed fit him. They were all too light, too heavy, or too long. In the end, Percy just took the sword that fit him best, and we headed back out. Or, well, he did. I crashed right into Luke when I emerged.

Waving Percy to continue, I glanced up at him. "What's up?" I asked.

Luke regarded me with a sparkle in his eyes that showed he was up to something. "I want you to help me with the campers. Then, we're going to spar. Here. In front of everyone."

"What?" I asked.

"What?" Luke smirked. "Afraid to lose?"

"No," I countered. "I just don't want everyone to see me wipe the floor with your ass."

Luke snorted. "Whatever."

We headed out towards the rest of the campers, and I helped Luke monitor everyone. Everyone was doing alright, especially Percy, who, for his first time, was good. After a while, we moved on to duelling.

"Do you guys want an example first?" Luke asked, grinning.

The campers murmured to each other. "Who are you using as the punch bag?" Travis yelled out.

I stepped forward. "Me. And he's not using me as the punch bag, I'm using him as the punch bag."

The whispers started up again.

"What, her?"

"Isn't she new?"

"A girl?"

"Don't underestimate girls," Percy warned. "They're scary."

Luke laughed. "You got that right."

I stepped into the centre of the right and flicked my wrists, my bracelets transforming into knives.

Luke clicked his tongue. "Sword."

I sighed but sheathed them, tapping the ring that Artemis gave me.

A razor-sharp sword with a three and a half foot blade and a leather handle with gold engravings and a double torch emerged in my hand.

Luke paused. "That's not celestial bronze."

I smirked. "No, it's not. It's seraphim silver."

The circle of campers became so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop.

"Mined from Olympus on the full moon, tempered in Moonfire, and cooled in the Styx under the moonlight," I said shrugging. "Sacred to Artemis, Hecate, and other gods and goddess of night, along with Stygian iron."