We do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or any works of Rick Riordan. All rights go to their original owners. We only own OCs and concepts we're introducing to the canon.
Writing credits go to Uzumaki Ricky, Monsterhuntergod, Sharad the hedgehog, and Traines.
Masters of Defying Destiny
Book 1: The Frozen Trails
Chapter 7: It Can't Get Any Worse…
"Mike. Proceed when ready." Luke ordered as he made sure his ear protection fit snuggly.
Mike merely saluted the Hermes Cabin counselor. "Aye, aye, sir!" He replied before lifting his bugle as Lupe made sure her ear protection was secure.
Licking his lips, Mike made sure his own ear protection was secure before he took as deep of a breath as he could. Placing the bugle to his lips, he blew into it hard. He then played the Reveille tune on his bugle, the sound ringing throughout the cabin. Hermes Cabin all let out a collective groan as Luke called out.
"Rise and shine, Hermes Cabin! It's time to start the day!" Luke called over the sound of Mike's bugle.
"Do you have to do it like that!?" One camper groaned from a distant corner of the cabin.
"Mike." Luke said before Mike blew even harder into the bugle, making the sound even louder.
"All right, all right! We're up! Sheesh!!" Another camper growled out.
As the campers began to fill out, Lupe checked them off an extensive list she had on a clipboard. Luke surveyed the exodus of campers from the cabin and noticed that Argos wasn't one of them. Passing Alastair and Corvo at the end of the line, he found the newbie still asleep in his bunk. Shaking off the surprise of him sleeping through the musical equivalent of a bomb going off, he turned around to call down the stairs.
"Mike! Get up here! We got a straggler!" Luke called out.
"On it, Luke!" Mike called out in reply before rushing up the stairs, pushing past the massing campers.
As Mike made his way to the second floor, Luke gave him a small smile. "This time, Mike, make sure he hears it." He ordered with a wry smile.
Nodding, Mike got up close to Argos, leaning downright next to him. Taking a deep breath, Mike put his bugle to his lips and blew. He then began playing the Reveille tune with all his might as he blew into his bugle as hard as he could. Argos leapt in fright, smacking his head straight into the bunk above him. As he crumpled into a heap on his own bunk, he rubbed his head in annoyance.
"What is this, a summer camp or boot camp?!" Argos scowled.
"Yes." Mike simply said as he stopped playing his bugle.
"I should have let the damn bear kill me…" Argos grumbled under his breath as he made his way down the stairs as Mike blew the bugle again upon hearing him say that. "I am up!!"
Mike stopped blowing on his bugle and chuckled as he and Luke high-fived each other. With that, Argos filed out of the cabin behind Corvo and Alastair to the showers. Mercifully, the showers and the march to the mess hall were uneventful. After waiting for what felt like forever in the food line, the brothers and Argos then sat down next to Mike and Lupe. Luke was about to join them with his own food but was pulled away by Chiron for a matter.
"Is he always that busy?" Argos asked curiously, looking at Mike and Lupe.
"Yes." The twins told him before Mike began digging into his bacon.
"Makes sense. He is our boss." Corvo said bluntly.
Lupe nodded in reply. "It's not easy being the head counselor of a cabin. Especially not Hermes Cabin." She added before starting on her pancakes.
"Not sure if I'm all for the whole nice guy act." Argos said under his breath as he began to eat some scrambled eggs.
Mike swallowed a bite and looked at Argos. "What was that, Argos?" He asked, sure he heard him say something.
"Nothing." Argos replied, looking down at his food as he ate.
Mike shrugged in response. "Fair enough. Hope you guys are ready. Today, we'll be working on figuring out what you guys are good at to find out who your godly parents might be." He replied before going back to his bacon and eggs.
Hearing this, the brothers perked up a bit, causing Corvo to speak up. "We get to know who our parent is?" Corvo asked curiously.
"You might. Bare minimum, you'll get a good idea of who it might be until you're claimed." Lupe replied with a smile.
"How exactly do camp activities do that?" Argos asked.
"Easy. The camp activities are also training for hunting, fighting, and killing monsters. And, on top of being able to see monsters and getting buffed stats compared to mortals, demigods get unique abilities depending on who their godly parent is. If you're lucky enough to be a Big Three kid, you might get abilities like controlling the earth or undead, controlling water and being able to heal by touching it, or even calling down, shooting, and controlling lightning." Lupe explained further.
"Hang on, I'll go ask Chiron for the chalkboard." Mike replied, getting up to go talk to Chiron.
"Big Three?" Alastair asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement in recognition, catching Mike and Lupe off guard.
"Yeah." Mike replied before leaving to go talk to Chiron.
"Why are they a big deal? Zeus and Poseidon have loads of kids in the myths." Argos asked, confusion painted on his face.
"Oh, after World War 2, the Big Three swore on the River Styx to stop having demigod kids because them fathering heroes was affecting the natural order of things and the mortal world too much." Lupe explained further while Mike went to get the chalkboard from Chiron.
"... Of course they did." Argos sighed, continuing to eat after hearing that.
"Yeah. World War 2 was basically one big brawl with the children of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades all on different sides." Lupe continued explaining.
"So have any of them fallen off the wagon?" Corvo asked, before eating a forkful of hashbrowns.
Lupe flinched at that. "A few times. But there's one in particular that's… kind of a sore spot here at camp…" She told him.
It was at this point that Mike came back with the chalkboard. "I'm back. All right, so any questions before I start?" He asked, picking up a piece of chalk.
"Can we eat first?" Argos annoyedly asked, with the brothers nodding in agreement.
"Sure. That'll give me time to set up the presentation by writing on the board." Mike shrugged before starting to write.
"By the way, don't eat everything. Every meal, we offer some of the food up to the gods. Usually, it's done at the start of a meal, but, since you guys and some others are newbies, we're making an exception this morning." Lupe explained as Mike drew up a diagram on the chalkboard and wrote.
They all heard a sigh as Luke came back and sat down next to Lupe. This caused the two older campers to smile, while the newbies grew more apprehensive.
"Sorry I'm late." Luke sighed before beginning to wolf down his breakfast.
"It's fine, Luke. What did Chiron need to talk to you about?" Mike asked as he kept drawing and writing on the chalkboard.
"We apparently got a noise complaint from Aphrodite Cabin." Luke replied with a sigh before taking a sip of orange juice.
"Again? Let the prissy princes and princesses complain. It's not like they actually do anything in camp activities." Lupe snorted, rolling her eyes.
"And yet somehow they are winning the Baseball League…" Mike chipped in under his breath.
"I know, right? It's frustrating!" Lupe replied in exasperation.
"How is this place big enough for a Baseball League?" Argos asked.
"Different Cabins with enough members for one each have their own teams. Complete with cabin colors and their godly parent's sacred animal on their shirts." Luke explained.
"That reminds me. Mike, you still have to serve that game ban because of last week." Luke chipped in before munching on an apple.
Mike rolled his eyes as he worked on finishing the diagram. "I swear, you hit a ball through the wall of a cabin one time, and you never hear the end of it…" He grumbled.
"And now we are down our best slugger going into the game with Aphrodite cabin. Nice going, thunder klutz." Lupe sneered at her brother.
"Hey, it's not my fault! Ares Cabin's pitcher threw it too hard!" Mike replied before putting down the piece of chalk.
"All right, that's enough, you two." Luke growled. "Mike, explain the board for me."
"Goodie…" Argos and Corvo muttered in unison.
Mike then stepped aside next to the board. Spread across it in shockingly big lettering was a list of the various cabins with a basic doodle to represent them. Underneath the doodle was a list of their most common traits and skills. Argos rolled his eyes at the board, while the brothers leaned in a bit, paying close attention. Seeing this, Mike began his explanation.
"New campers typically stay with us in Hermes Cabin, due to him being the god of anyone who uses the roads." Mike replied, tapping on the Hermes Cabin doodle. "Then, when a god claims a camper, that camper is moved from Hermes Cabin to whichever Cabin belongs to their godly parent. Say, for example, Aphrodite claims a camper. That camper would then be moved into Aphrodite Cabin." He continued before drawing a line from Hermes Cabin to Aphrodite Cabin.
"A fate worse than the Styx." Lupe said, shuddering at the mere idea.
"I have a question." Corvo asked, raising his hand up.
"Go ahead, Corvo." Luke told him, giving him a nod.
"What if Al and I have two different fathers?" Corvo asked.
"Good question. Unfortunately, that means that you two would be sorted into two separate Cabins. Say one of you is a Hermes kid and the other is a kid of, say, Ares or Apollo. The Hermes kid would stay in Hermes Cabin while the other kid would be moved to their father's cabin." Mike explained as he drew two stick figures under Hermes Cabin before drawing a line from one of them to Ares Cabin and drawing another stick figure at the end of that line.
Alastair flinched a bit at hearing that and scooted closer to his brother. Seeing this, Corvo put a hand on his brother's shoulder, which caused him to relax slightly. The older campers noticed this but didn't press the brothers on it. Then Argos raised his hand up for a question of his own.
"So, what exactly are these activities?" Argos asked bluntly.
"Mike. The board." Lupe answered bluntly.
"We have set up a lot of different activities, each of them being part of at least one of the gods' skillsets and powers. After the initial set of them, we then home in on the areas you do the best at to further home in on what god might be your parent. It somewhat speeds up the process of getting demigods claimed." Mike explained, pointing to the board as he went.
"Goodie." Argos grumbled.
Later: Archery Range
Mike and Lupe led the massive group of new campers into the bull pens behind the firing line. Before them stood a blonde boy of medium height and build, with the tanned skin of a surfer. He leaned back on his sandaled heels in a laid-back manner as he surveyed the horde before him. Giving a small smile, he stepped forward to speak to them.
"Morning everyone. Name's Lee Fletcher, Head Counselor of Apollo cabin." He said in a smooth, relaxed voice.
Lupe observed the bows and arrows arrayed at a table before them, and frowned. "Lee, are you sure there's enough bows for everyone?" She asked.
"Unfortunately, not, but we can have them rotate through in shifts. Once you're done testing, one of you two can lead them to the next test." Lee replied, which caused Lupe to let out a sigh of relief. "No rush. Do I have any first volunteers?"
Soon a full dozen demigods stepped forward, one of which being Corvo. They each grabbed a bow and a small quiver of blunted arrows from the table before them. Soon, Lee led them up to a white chalk line and began to show them how to properly perform archery. He showed them how to string the bow, followed by proper technique to pull back the string. Then, as he readied his own bow, showed how to knock the arrow and then fire it. The resulting shot screamed down the range at blinding speed, hitting his target perfectly in the bullseye.
"Even if you aren't good at it now, enough practice and you can do that too." Lee said with a smile.
"Unfortunately, not everyone has the cheat code of being an Apollo kid." Lupe replied playfully.
This, however, got a chuckle out of Lee. "Even Apollo kids need practice to be good archers, Lupe." He playfully retorted.
"All right, rookies! Line up and get ready to shoot!" Mike called out, clipboard in hand.
Everyone at the firing line then began the archery trial. Corvo planted his feet, nocked his first arrow, and pulled back the draw string with ease. Taking a deep breath, he then let loose the arrow as he breathed out. It felt natural to him, as if he had done it so many times before. His arrow flew towards the target, hitting the outer ring of the bullseye. Lee, upon noticing this, walked behind Corvo as he made his next shot.
Arrow after arrow came from Corvo's bow with shocking speed and accuracy. Each one hitting the innermost part of the target, inching closer to the bullseye. However, right when he felt he could make that shot, he reached back into his quiver and soon realized he had run out of arrows. Right before he was about to turn around and give back his bow, he saw a hand holding an arrow out to him. Turning to look, he saw it came from Lee with a smile on his face.
"Here you go. Let's see if you can get that bullseye." Lee said.
"Thank you." Corvo answered with a nod, before readying his next shot.
He took a deep breath as he pulled back the string. Time almost seemed to slow down for him as he aimed it just a bit lower than the last shot. Then, as soon as he let go of his breath, he let the arrow loose. It rocketed towards the target like a missile and struck the bullseye in the same spot Lee made on his target. Seeing it, Corvo stood there stunned. He made the shot. The other newbies stood there in shock at what they saw, but Alastair had the biggest smile on his face at what his brother just did.
Soon, the other campers began to clap and cheer as Mike smiled and wrote something down on his clipboard under Corvo's name.
"Nice job, Corvo." Lupe said with a smile as Corvo, and the others went to retrieve their arrows.
As Corvo came back, he attempted to turn the bow in, but Lee stopped him. "Keep it, Corvo. It's the least I can do for you getting your first bullseye." He replied with a smile.
Corvo smiled at that. "Thank you, sir." He said as he then walked off and set his quiver down on the table. As this happened, another Apollo cabin camper had to rush off to find another bow.
"We'll get you hooked up with your own quiver of arrows later, Corvo. All right, next group up! Grab your bows and get ready to fire!" Mike called out, clipboard in hand as he flipped to the next page.
As Corvo and his group left, the next set stepped up to the firing line after grabbing their bows and quivers. Alastair followed the instructions as best he could, but try as he might, he couldn't shoot the bow as well as his brother could. He put most of the arrows into the target, but none of them were remarkably close to getting a bullseye. The rest of his group didn't fare much better, with none of them standing out in any meaningful way.
Mike nodded and wrote down on his clipboard as the campers went to collect their arrows. "Nicely done, everyone. Next group, get ready!" He called out.
As the final group stepped up to the firing line, Mike noticed Argos stepping up with them. The boy followed the instructions to the letter, but something went wrong. When he fired, the arrow went into a high, lobbing arc, and went over the wall behind. Before anyone could go check on the arrow, they heard a great cry from Chiron.
"Great galloping glue sticks!!" He cried out in shock.
"Uh oh…" Lee said fearfully.
"Sorry, Chiron! Bad shot!" Argos called out nervously.
"Worry not, my boy! It was still a better shot than Heracles!" Chiron called out, sounding like he was trying to calm down.
"Okay. Mike, I think it's safe to say this isn't his best skill…" Lee said.
Mike nodded. "Got that right, Lee…" He replied before jotting something down on his clipboard.
Argos sighed and walked over to put his bow back. "Well, it can't get worse from here…" He muttered.
Later: The Athletics Field
"How can you put a positive spin on that?" Argos asked Mike as they walked away from the spear fighting ring. "I nearly got turned into a kebab."
"Hey, you did good for your first time. You kept your shield up right, your thrusting form was decent, and you managed to block and maintain your footwork." Mike told him reassuringly.
"I was trying not to die from your sister." Argos dryly answered.
"Hey, take that as a good thing. Lupe's one of the best spear women in camp." Mike told him with a smile.
"I'm not that good, Mike!" Lupe's voice called out from ahead.
"Yes, you are!" Mike replied with a smile.
"Well, it can't get any worse…" Argos sighed.
"What was that, turd!?" Came a booming, shrill scream from the athletics field.
"Me and my fat mouth." Argos grumbled.
The athletics field was truly massive, with multiple cordoned off areas in white chalk in a large dusty arena. At its center was a boy that genuinely gave Mike a run for his money in size and bulging muscles. His blocky jawed head was most notable for a large, red, zigzagging scar that went from his forehead down the side of his face. Mike and Lupe noticeably got tense around him.
"Which one of these newbie turds spoke out of turn!?" He snapped, pointing his large sausage finger at the group accusingly.
"Easy, Sherman. They're new. Don't break 'em just yet." Mike told the now identified Sherman, trying to get the boy to relax.
"I'd behave if I were you, Mike. You're in my domain now." The now named Sherman scowled, as the two giant muscular hulks stared at each other.
"Sherman, can we move this along? We've got a timetable to keep." Lupe asked. "And Mike, please behave."
Mike grumbled as he backed up, and Sherman turned to look at the group. "All right, newbies! I am Sherman Yang!! Second in command of Ares Cabin, and right now, your god! I'm here to evaluate just how good you miserable louts are at athletics! The most important thing any demigod can be trained in!" He explained, his voice never softening or getting any quieter through the speech.
"Question?" Argos asked, raising his hand.
"Speak up, turd!" Sherman called out, pointing at Argos.
"Do you have a volume button, or do you always want to blow your voice box out?" Argos asked sarcastically.
Sherman simply grabbed Argos by the head with one of his catcher's mitt sized hands and squeezed, causing the boy to cry out in pain as he tried to pry the son of the War God off. However, he found that incredibly difficult, as Sherman's grip was like a vice. Sherman then easily lifted him up to eye level.
"For your information, turd, I'm not yelling! My voice just has a tremendous presence!" Sherman bellowed in his face before dropping him to the ground.
"Noted…" Argos grumbled.
"If nobody else has any more dumbass questions, let's get started on putting you turds through your paces!" Sherman called out, lifting a whistle from a loop around his neck and blowing hard into it.
"Um…" Argos said in a confused tone, unsure what to do.
"He means it's time to get started." Mike explained.
"With what?" Argos asked.
"Line up at the line for the dash, turd!" Sherman bellowed out at Argos.
Argos sighed as he, along with the rest of the newbies, soon lined up at a big sprinting course. Everyone then got into a running position as Sherman pulled out a starting pistol. He then raised it high in the air.
"Ready? GO!" Sherman called out before shooting off the pistol, resulting in a bird crying out being heard as it plummeted to the ground and landed next to Sherman.
"Birdie no!" One of the newbie campers called out in concern.
"Get moving, turds!!" Sherman roared.
Soon the group was off. To the surprise of everyone, Argos shot to the head of the pack, with Alastair and a couple of others close behind. Corvo couldn't really make much headway as he was soon stuck in the center of the pack. However, despite the odds, Argos panted and puffed hard as he ran and kept his lead. This caught Sherman, Lupe, and Mike off guard.
However, right before the finish line, Argos lost his footing as he stepped on a rock. His leg wobbled, bent, and finally gave out. Due to the speed he was going at, he didn't merely hit the ground. He tumbled and rolled as he went, causing chaos for those behind him. Alastair, however, simply jumped over the wild flailing mass of Argos and, as soon as he landed, rocketed off into the lead. Winning by several lengths ahead of the rest. Argos, however, soon screeched to a halt, face first in the dirt.
"On your feet, turd! You almost got upgraded to maggot with that performance!" Sherman called out before blowing on his whistle.
"Joy." Argos groaned into the dirt.
The rest of Athletics went mostly well. Argos didn't stand out much in anything else other than the shotput, javelin, discus, and sling events. In those, he was heads and shoulders above everyone other than Alastair. Mike, Lupe, and even Sherman looked on in confusion as Mike jotted notes on these down on his clipboard. By the time Athletics was over, the three more experienced campers were left with more questions than answers on the rich kid.
Much Later: Swordsmanship
"Argos? Are you sure you don't need to go to the Apollo Cabin for treatment?" Lupe asked, a bit concerned.
"I'm fine… why?" Argos groaned, rubbing the back of his head. Visibly he had steadily gained more bruises and cuts as the activities went on.
"Because you got bodied by Clarisse in Wrestling, you barely survived Swimming and Canoeing, and, while you did decently for your first time, you almost died on the climbing wall." Mike noted, patting off a still flaming part of Argos' shirt from the climbing wall.
"Still somehow better than getting hit by the bear monster." Argos replied as they walked to the sword fighting ring.
"Having a rough first day, Argos?" Luke's voice asked him.
Argos sighed, hiding his gritted teeth at hearing Luke's voice. "Could be better." He replied.
Everyone turned to look to see that Luke was going to be overseeing Swordsmanship today. His usual smile was on his face as he held his blade at his side. Next to him was a rack of blunted celestial bronze swords, just enough for everyone.
"Everyone, grab a sword and we'll pair you off." Luke explained, looking to Mike and Lupe to give the silent order to do the pairing.
As they went down the list, everyone but Argos ended up with a partner for this activity. Which, unfortunately for the rich boy, left him to be paired up with Luke. As if his day couldn't get any worse.
"Be careful, Argos. Luke's the best swordsman at camp in the last three hundred years. He taught me everything I know, and I've never beaten him once." Mike told him, pulling up his clipboard.
"What is with me getting put up against the instructors today? Do the gods hate me or something!?" Argos asked into the void.
"Well, at least one of them, surely." Lupe answered, crossing her arms.
"Okay, now remember. Grip your sword tight but not too tight. Keep your guard, watch your non-sword arm, and watch Luke's parry." Mike told him, offering him a few tips as Argos picked up his sword and gave it a few test swings.
Argos swung the short sword a bit to check its weight and balance. "Never swung a sword like this before. I've only used fencing swords up to this point. How does anyone fight with this little blade?" He asked in confusion.
"You get used to it. How's the weight and balance feel in your hand?" Mike asked as he pulled out his clipboard.
"Front heavy. Lacking Pommel. No crossguard." Argos frustratedly said.
"We can talk to Hephaestus Cabin later about getting something more your style made." Lupe told him.
"All right, fine… let's get this over with…" Argos sighed, resigning himself to a clear defeat.
"All right, Argos. You ready to put on a show?" Luke asked with a slightly cocky smile as he readied his blade.
"If it's a show we have to put on, this is about to be a comedy." Argos replied mirthfully before readying his own blade in a fencing stance. To Mike, Lupe, and Luke, it was clear the blade was awkward for him to hold.
With that, Luke dashed in and struck. Argos barely got his blade up to block in time. Like a storm of thunderbolts, Luke struck hard and fast, forcing Argos on the defensive. Argos did his best to dodge, block, parry, and retaliate, only to be easily deflected and forced back. Argos started sweating as he tried his best to break Luke's defenses, but Luke was too fast.
However, he gave as good as he got, blocking and parrying Luke's thrusts and slashes. To the surprise of all present, Argos began slowly improving the more he got used to the xiphos in his hand. He adjusted his stance and grip more as he fought, got closer to landing hits on Luke, and managed to dodge more easily, block, and parry as the match went on. Seeing this, Luke gave a smile as he backed off, leaving Argos panting a bit and trying to catch his breath.
"Not bad, Argos. You're pretty good with a blade. Looks like I'll have to take this a little more seriously." Luke noted with a grin.
"Wait, what…?" Was all Argos got to say before Luke struck.
Rushing in, Luke struck like a bolt from the heavens. Argos barely avoided getting his fingers around the hilt of his blade smacked by the flat of Luke's blade as he pulled back. Raising his sword on pure instinct, Argos blocked an overhead slash from Luke before finding himself smacked in the side by the flat of Luke's blade as it struck again. Gasping out in pain, he jumped back to gain some distance only for Luke to follow him. Luke struck for the guard of Argos's blade in an attempt to disarm him, forcing Argos to retaliate by twisting his blade to block the thunderbolt-like strike. Luke seemed caught off guard for a moment as Mike and Lupe looked on in shock.
"Di… did you see that…?" Lupe asked in disbelief.
"No newbie ever has managed to counter that move from Luke…" Mike noted as Luke quickly recovered to go back on the offensive.
"You're better than I thought, Argos. Good. Let's kick things up another notch." Luke told him, a more serious tone to his voice now.
"Oh boy…" Argos muttered as he readied himself.
Luke then struck with even greater speed, smacking Argos in the arm with the flat of his blade. Flinching in pain, Argos tried to go for an overhead slash only for Luke to easily block and parry the blow. This forced Argos to overextend, allowing him to smack Argos' guard with the flat of his blade and, with a flourish, disarm him. Luke caught Argos' blade out of the air and pointed the tip of his own blade at Argos, signaling the end of the match.
"You did great, Argos. Get yourself a blade that suits you better and give it a few years. You might get almost as good as me." Luke told him with a grin.
"Um… thanks?" Argos replied, unsure exactly how to take it.
"Think fast." Luke told him, tossing Argos' blade back to him as the rich boy caught it out of the air.
"Oh god!" Argos shrieked as he panted heavily in a panic.
"Which one?" Mike asked playfully.
"Not now…" Argos replied sheepishly.
"You've got a lot of talent with a blade, Argos. I've never seen a new camper push Luke that much." Lupe noted, a smile on her face.
"And now the board makes even less sense…" Mike grumbled after making notes on Argos.
Later: At Dinner
Argos kept quiet as he ate his brisket and cornbread at the Hermes Table. Sure, he had to give up an oatmeal cookie and a chunk of the brisket to the gods, but it wasn't that bad. However, he would get no respite as Mike talked their ears off about the board. Not the normal chalkboard for the day, but a far larger one about which Cabin he might be in.
"Okay, recap. Argos was crap in Archery, so Apollo's out…" Mike said, crossing Apollo Cabin off the list.
"Do we really have to do this at dinner, bro?" Lupe groaned.
"I won't be able to sleep until I figure it out!" Mike replied in frustration.
"Um… is it really that bad?" Luke asked.
"Is it? He only did decently in Athletics, but shined when it came to the shotput, javelin, discus, and slings! That immediately rules Hermes out of the equation!" Mike called out, crossing Hermes out.
"He also is a mixed bag with weapons and thin as a bean pole, so we can cross off Ares." Lupe chipped in.
"Thanks, sis!" Mike replied, crossing off Ares from the list. "And he sucked at Swimming and Canoeing, so that means Poseidon didn't fall off the wagon." He added, crossing Poseidon off the list.
"Does all this really matter?" Argos asked, finally speaking up.
"Yes." The three more experienced campers replied.
"Why any god would want to claim me is beyond me." He grumbled.
"I mean… you're not completely terrible." Alastair said.
"You're good at throwing and at using a sword. Also, after that wipe out on the track and get swatted by the bear, you are pretty durable." Corvo chipped in.
"And he did well in weapon maintenance, so that keeps Hephaestus on the board." Mike noted, putting two checks next to Hephaestus.
"I can explain the weapon maintenance away. I collect antiques and artifacts and restore them. It's… a hobby." Argos explained sheepishly.
"That's a pretty cool hobby, but it helps us none…" Mike noted, writing down on the board.
"It's almost like you guys haven't had this issue before…" Argos started to say, before getting cut off.
"We haven't. Usually, demigod kids are pretty easy to place." Luke noted, looking at the board with a contemplative look.
"And the remaining ones are no bueno. We are down to Hades, Athena because she has literal brain children, and Zeus of all people." Lupe groaned in frustration. "Oh, Mr. D. would have a cow with two of those."
"And a goat and a horse alongside the cow with one of those two…" Mike groaned in frustration.
"Brain Children?" Corvo asked.
"Tale for another day." Mike replied, waving it off.
Argos sighed as he finished eating his food. Leaving the table, he put his tray in the dirty dishes section and left the mess hall before anyone could stop him. After the day he had, he needed time alone. At least tomorrow couldn't get any worse…
To Be Continued…