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 8: It Got Worse
The sun slowly began to cast its orange glow over the north shores of Long Island. Birds began to wake up and begin their beautiful, playful songs. Dryads and Nature spirits made the flowers bloom as the sun's bountiful rays touched them. Camp Half-Blood was wreathed in peace and serenity only a divine presence could provide. All except for one cabin.
In the bowels of Hermes Cabin, Luke and Mike were already wide awake and soon arrived at the heart of the Cabin. Luke raised his hand and gave a sharp snap of his fingers. On cue, Mike raised his bugle to his lips and began to play a thunderous rendition of the Reveille army song. The song began to rattle the rickety cabin as many campers began waking up in a start. However, it did get an unusual reaction from outside.
"Keep it down over there!! Some people are trying to get some beauty sleep!!" A hoarse voice cried out from Ares Cabin.
Mike temporarily stopped playing and took the bugle away from his lips. "Hey, give me a break!! I only know two songs on this thing!!" He called back.
"Another round, Mike. Double time." Luke ordered, looking at his watch impatiently.
Mike saluted his Head Counselor. "On it, Luke!" He replied, taking a deep breath before starting up again.
As Mike continued, the residents upstairs finally began to stir. Alastair and Corvo calmly climbed out of bed and stretched a bit, before joining the growing line of campers heading down the stairs. Argos, however, didn't get up so easily or gracefully. With a groan, he rolled too far onto his bed and fell flat back onto the floor.
"Another great start to the day." He groaned as he slowly got up, before turning to look at the brothers. "How do you two get up so easily?"
"Mama had us get up this early every day, nothin' new," Corvo said with a shrug, patting his younger brother's shoulder and offering a small smile.
Argos sighed before following the brothers down the stairs. As they joined the great throng of campers leaving for the morning, they passed by Luke and Mike. Both of whom had big smiles on their faces.
"How can you two be this chipper this early?" Argos asked.
"Army man stepdad." Mike replied simply.
"You'll get used to it." Luke answered.
"I doubt it." Argos groaned as he continued on his way.
"Would you prefer 'Play That Funky Music' by Wild Cherry instead?" Mike asked, raising an eyebrow.
Argos stood there silently for a moment, before finally speaking. "…Yes." He replied earnestly.
Mike just looked at Luke for a moment, who shrugged in response. "Then I guess I know our new wakeup call song." Mike said in reply as he looked back at Argos.
"I didn't think that would work." Argos said, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"It's either that, or you join me for my morning workouts so that you can be wide awake and have your ears covered when I play." Mike offered as a potential alternative.
"Corvo, Alastair! Wait for me!" Argos called out as he rushed after the brothers.
Mike looked disappointed at that. "Nobody ever wants to join me for my morning workouts…" He grumbled, pouting.
"Someday Mike. Someday." Luke replied, patting his shoulder.
"Maybe more people will join you if you'd learn that not everyone's got our crazy stamina." Lupe replied as she passed by her twin brother.
"They're just not believing in themselves enough, sis! Working out is a mental battle first before a physical one!" Mike insisted stubbornly.
With that, Hermes Cabin began the march to breakfast. Being up so early, they naturally got there before the others. As soon as they sat down, Argos found Mike sitting next to him with Corvo and Alastair on his other side. Mike himself was already ready to dig into his plate of wheat cakes doused in maple syrup with a side of eggs and bacon, the plate piled surprisingly high with food.
"So… what are the activities today?" Argos asked, sitting down across the table from the group.
Mike swallowed a bite of food before speaking. "Similar stuff to yesterday. We've got swimming and canoeing today though." He replied before looking at Corvo and Alastair, who had their plates piled high with every option on the menu and were shoveling food into their mouths like they hadn't had a decent meal in years.
"Are you guys okay?" Argos asked.
A satisfied sigh left Corvo's lips as he finished a muffin, "Sorry 'bout that, life on the road doesn't give much of a chance for stuff like this."
"Well, at least slow down a little so you don't choke. I flunked CPR." Mike replied before starting to eat.
Things began to settle into a rhythm as everyone ate. This was until everyone heard a commotion coming from one of the tables. Everyone looked to see that Ares cabin had an arm-wrestling match going on. With two halves of the cabin cheering on one of the contestants.
"Does that always happen?" Argos asked.
Mike shrugged. "More or less. I usually get in on it after I'm done eating, but not today because I gotta stick with you guys." He replied before going back to his food.
Argos looked around at the rest of the group before blinking. "Am I the only one concerned about how insane this place is?" He asked.
"Just roll with it, makes things easier," Corvo said with a shrug, digging into a stack of pancakes.
"Besides, being normal and sane are overrated when you're like us." Mike pointed out before eating some bacon.
Argos sighed and began to eat his breakfast. The rest of the meal went off without a hitch, save Mike, Corvo, and Alastair going to get a second plate of food. They were all then herded off to the first activity of the day. However, as they made their way down the trail to the beach, Argos spoke up.
"I thought Archery was the first activity of the day?" Argos asked.
"Change of schedule. Today it's swimming." Lupe replied, tapping a pencil on the clipboard.
"Um… I don't know how to swim…" Argos sheepishly admitted.
"No worries, amigo. I can teach ya." Mike told him with a smile.
Everyone then was ushered into a small set of changing rooms. Once the group had changed into some swim gear, they stood on the beach awaiting instruction. In front of them was a section of the lake cordoned off by a line of red buoys and nets. Lupe then stepped in front of them and began to speak.
"Welcome to swim class. As Demigods, you will face many challenges in a quest, and water will be one of them. Those who can't swim will work with Mike today. The rest will follow me. Any questions so far?" Lupe explained.
"What happens if we drown?" Argos asked.
"Mike will make sure you don't drown." Lupe answered.
"But he just said he failed CPR." Argos said.
"He wouldn't let you drown, newbie." Lupe sternly replied.
With a sigh, Argos followed the group that needed to learn to swim. To his surprise, most of the people in their group knew how to swim, including Corvo and Alastair. Lupe then put her clipboard on the beach and led her group out into the water. In no time, they began to work on various swimming techniques.
"Hey! Focus, Argos!" Mike snapped.
Argos swiftly turned his head to look at him. "Yes sir." He replied.
"Alright, land lubbers. We'll start with learning how to float, then work on strokes and kicking." Mike explained.
"Do you guys have floaties? Every time I get in the water, I sink." Argos asked.
"That's what learning to float is. Learning how to not sink." Mike sternly told him.
The rest of the group giggled at that, causing Argos to blush in embarrassment. Soon Mike led everyone into the water and began to instruct them how to float. The results were mixed. Some took to it rather quickly, while others quickly struggled. Argos tried to simply lay on his back to let himself float. Yet as soon as he laid flat on the water's surface, he sank rapidly to the sandy bottom.
Mike stood there in shock at what he witnessed. "... That was weird." He said before walking over and lifting Argos out of the water.
Argos spat some water out of his mouth before turning to look at Mike. "Told you I sink." He grumbled.
"Don't worry. You'll get better with time." Mike assured him.
The floating practice went on for another ten minutes before Mike switched over to teach them to swim. He swiftly dove into the deeper water and urged everyone to follow him. One by one everyone joined him, and soon he began teaching them basic strokes and kicking.
"Alright. Now for a basic stroke. In rapid motions, reach your arm over your shoulder, followed by the same motion with your other arm. Do that while kicking like I taught you with the floating course. And don't get discouraged." Mike explained, before beginning to demonstrate.
"Easy for you to say." Argos muttered.
"You're just jealous." A camper said as he passed by with a canoe.
"Shut up, Steve!" Argos snapped.
"I'm sure this one won't be as bad, Argos. Just try to stay positive." Mike assured him.
Argos sighed, before diving into the water. He began to reach over his shoulder with his right arm, then his left, then his right again. Repeating the motion repeatedly, alongside repeated kicking, he began to move. Yet just as he began to swim, one of the lifeguards called out.
"Rogue wave! Look out, everyone!" They yelled, pointing off into the lake.
Everyone turned to see a large wave heading straight for the swim class area. Most of the swimmers, with some help from Lupe and Mike, were able to get out of the way. Argos wasn't so lucky. The wave slammed into him, swiftly sinking him into its watery grasp. Then the next thing he knew, he was spinning. His world was consumed by water, spinning, and constant noise. This continued until the wave crashed onto the beach, before subsiding as soon as it had begun. Leaving Argos awash on the beach, face first in the wet sand. The lifeguard rushed over to check on him, swiftly turning him over and making him cough up the water.
"Are you okay, kid?" The lifeguard asked.
Argos couched as he slowly sat up. "I'll be fine…" He muttered.
Mike and Lupe quickly ran over to check on him. "What happened, Argos?" Mike asked, concerned.
"Did you not see the giant wave that hit me!?" Argos shrieked.
"Sorry, sorry…" Mike replied in shame.
"Maybe you should stick to canoeing from now on…" Lupe suggested worriedly.
"Don't tell me that's next." Argos demanded.
"Okay, then I won't." Mike simply replied.
Argos blinked, before letting out a groan. "Oh, come on!!" He cried.
Soon Mike and Lupe rounded up their group and led them to the far side of the beach. They arrived at a small pier with a decent sized shack with a small sign that said Canoes. As soon as they arrived, a satyr wearing a life vest walked out to greet them.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Cypress. I'll be handing out your paddles and canoes for you today. Just please bring the paddles back with you. It's a pain to have to go out and get them." The satyr explained in a dry, monotone voice.
"Why are you wearing a life vest?" Argos asked.
"Because I can't swim." Cypress bluntly replied.
"... Then why are you working the canoe shack?" Argos asked, confused.
"Because I drew the short straw." Cypress cryptically replied before heading back into the shack.
"Wait… don't we get life vests?" Argos asked.
"No. It's to teach balance, coordination, and teamwork. The point is you don't fall in the water to need them." Lupe explained.
"Okay. So, who am I paired up with?" Argos then asked, looking around to see everyone else had already paired up.
"You'll be pairing up with me, Argos." Lupe told him, a smile on her face.
"I don't know if I should feel relieved or worried." Argos muttered as Cypress came back with paddles for everyone.
"Relax, Argos. Lupe will watch your back on this. Just follow her lead." Mike told him from a bit of a ways away, having been paired up with Steve.
Cypress then swiftly put enough canoes in the water for everyone. He then just as swiftly showed everyone into their canoes, before walking up to the end of the pier.
"Alright. First person, have your paddle out the left side. Second person, have your paddle out the right side. To turn, just paddle on the same side. Any questions?" Cypress explained blankly.
"What? That's it?" A camper asked.
"Eh, you'll figure it out eventually." Cypress replied before heading back to his shack.
"What about slowing down?" Another camper asked.
"Put the paddles in the water or something. That should do it." Cypress answered, before closing the shack door behind him. A sign that said, "Gone Fishin'" soon appeared on the door.
"Alright, everyone. Let's get paddling!" Lupe cried out.
Soon everyone put their paddles in the water and began to make it out into the water. Quickly chaos ensued. Several canoes collided with each other, causing the occupants to panic and flip over. Some turned towards the beach and ran to ground. Corvo and Alastair made some progress out into the lake, until Alastair noticed something wasn't quite right.
"Uh, bro, I think we're going in a circle," the younger of the brothers said with a frown.
"Huh, well at least we're working somethin' out. Getting some arm exercise." Corvo said with a smile, the canoe continued to spin in the water.
Out of all the pairings, only Mike and Lupe's make it out to the open water. Steve sat nervously in front of Mike as the front of their canoe was somewhat lifted out of the water due to Mike's weight. Lupe's canoe had a much better time after she coached Argos on how to properly paddle. Yet right as they got a good rhythm going, they noticed something off in the distance.
Lupe squinted her eyes a bit. "What's that out there?" She pondered.
Argos squinted his eyes as well, till they widened in horror. "Turn this boat around! It's a wave!" He cried, frantically trying to paddle away.
Soon the wave came into view and was far larger than the previous one. Before Lupe could calm Argos enough to start paddling away from it, the wave slammed into them. Swiftly they were engulfed and disappeared into their swirling, tumbling mass. A minute passed before they were similarly laid out on the beach, with their canoe laying on its side near them.
"Where are all these waves coming from?" Alastair questioned, tilting his head in confusion.
"Least they ain't hittin' us." Corvo answered gratefully.
Argos groaned and coughed up water before he sat up. He then stared out into the distance as Lupe slowly got herself out of the sand.
"Okay. We'll keep you on dry land from now on." She said with a sigh.
"Sounds good." Argos replied blankly, continuing to stare off into the distance.
Lupe sighed and grabbed Argos by the shoulder, before dragging him away. "Let's go dry off before Boxing class." She said.
"But I was comfy there." Argos said blankly as he was dragged off.
Later: Boxing Arena
"Hello everyone. My name is Austin Lake, and I will be your instructor for Boxing Class." A tall African American boy said as the group walked into the arena.
Argos looked at his surroundings. The arena was quite compact, sitting in a natural hole in the ground with a few stone bleachers rising into the earth. A small fence made an enclosed space with a thin layer of sand on the ground. Unlike some of the other arenas, there wasn't any chalk on the ground for the activity.
"Mike, Lupe. Step off to the side for me. We don't need anyone getting knocked out too hard today." Austin said, pointing to a corner of the arena.
"Aw, but I like boxing." Mike said, sounding genuinely disappointed.
"And I don't need to clean up blood today." Austin sternly replied.
"Fine…" Lupe grumbled as she and Mike walked over to the side.
Soon a satyr rushed out with a cart full of boxing gloves. Austin swiftly stepped in front of them to force the satyr to stop. Several boxing gloves spilling out and falling to the floor.
"Easy, man, easy. I know you're late, but you don't have to come in so hot." Austin said before patting the satyr on the shoulder.
"Sorry. Just got them out of the dryer." The satyr panted frantically.
"Go sit over there with Mike and Lupe, okay?" Austin said kindly.
"Thank you…" The satyr panted, before hobbling off to sit down.
Austin then turned around to face the group. "All right. Once you grab a pair of boxing gloves, you all will pair off. I don't want anyone to hit below the belt. I don't want any knee knockers. I don't even want to see any nip twisters. I want you all to keep this classy. Understood?" Austin explained.
"Yes sir!" The group replied.
"Alright, good. Have fun punching each other in the face." Austin said with a smile.
"Why is that what you're okay with?" Argos asked in surprise.
"Cause you're supposed to punch each other in the face." Austin answered snidely.
Once everyone grabbed their boxing gloves, everyone began to pair off with each other. Corvo soon squared up with one of the larger boys in the group and entered a basic stance. He then took a step forward and threw out a right hook. Before his opponent could react, it connected with shocking force. As soon as the fist connected with his jaw, the boy hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, knocked out cold. Everyone stopped and looked at Corvo stunned, a sentiment shared by the boy as he glanced at his own fist in shock.
"Wow. Nice shot, kid." Austin said with shock, the pride evident in his voice.
"... Dibs on Corvo when me and Lupe get to box! Called it!" Mike quickly called out in joy.
"No way! I get him first!" Lupe snapped.
"Nope! Remember, sis! You need to follow international dibbing laws!" Mike snapped back.
"Girls, girls, y'all are both pretty," Corvo said placatingly.
"Well, at least I'm not up against him." Argos muttered, before being punched in the face. "OW!"
"Guard your grill, Argos!" Lupe called out encouragingly.
"Everyone was looking at Corvo!" Argos yelled back defensively, before being punched in the face again. "I'm busy here!"
"Stay focused! Keep your guard up!" Mike called out, trying to be helpful.
"What does it look like I'm trying to-" Argos began to say only to be punched in the face again. "OKAY, THAT IS IT!"
Argos glared at his opponent and clenched his boxing glove-covered fists as tightly as he could. He then felt a strange tingling in his right fist as he ducked under a right cross and put all his strength into one hard right hook to his opponent's jaw. Dazed from the hit, his opponent spun as he fell and hit the ground face first without getting back up, much to the shock of everyone watching.
"And stay down!" Argos growled before storming off.
"Wow… nice hit, Argos! That was one hell of a right hook!" Lupe called out as he stormed off to the side and angrily pulled off his boxing gloves.
"He had it coming." Argos growled.
Later: At the Rock Wall
Several groups of campers stared up at the tall, craggy cliff before them. Years of wind and rain, alongside years of modifications, made for an imposing climb. Several rough and sheer fractures left scars of previous failed climbs. One of the groups, mostly consisting of Ares cabin campers, were scrambling to get ready for the climb. Argos meanwhile looked over to Mike.
"I don't climb." Argos said firmly.
"Everyone's gotta do it at some point, Argos. Now let's get started." Mike told him, putting on some fingerless gloves.
"Don't we get any ropes or anything?" Argos asked, looking around.
"No. Just your own demigod durability, endurance, and dexterity." Mike told him, cracking his knuckles as he walked up to the rock wall.
Argos turned to look at Corvo and Alastair. "You guys know how to climb, right?" He asked.
Both brothers nodded, Corvo offering a thumbs-up. Argos smiled a bit as he then grabbed some gloves. However, his moment of peace didn't last.
"Careful not to fall, newbies!" An Ares kid called out.
"Yeah! We ran out of chalk to make outlines!" Another laughed out.
"Ignore them." Lupe said.
"All right, you idiots! Listen up!" Clarisse's voice cried out as she marched onto the scene with clipboard in hand.
"Clarisse? I thought you oversaw the track events?" Mike asked confusedly.
"Chiron put me here after I accidentally caused someone to break their leg." Clarisse said.
"I was wondering where Steve went…" Mike muttered.
"Anyways. Make sure to wear gloves, go at your own pace… look, I don't care. Just don't fall and die. That's all I ask." Clarisse said exasperatedly.
"Real inspiring, Clarisse." Lupe replied sarcastically.
"I am trying to muster up the energy to pretend to care." Clarisse sighed.
"So do we…" One Ares kid began before getting cut off by Clarisse.
"Get climbing, you idiots!" Clarisse snapped.
"Yes, ma'am!" The Ares campers cried out before scrambling to the rock wall.
Once the Ares kids began the climb, the rest of the assembled campers followed behind them. It quickly became apparent to those who knew what they were doing and who didn't. Mike and Lupe led the pack, with most of the campers following behind. Corvo and Alastair made substantial progress by helping each other up along the way. Yet of all of them, Argos had the most trouble. Without fail, he found the worst routes, the worst handholds, and was constantly on the verge of falling off the wall. Soon, after grabbing a loose rock, he was left hanging by one hand.
"Little help!" Argos cried as he dangled by a thread.
"With what? You'll be fine." Clarisse replied without looking up from her clipboard.
Looking down, Mike let go to drop down from the rock wall. Doing a backflip as he did, he planted his feet against the wall, pushed off into another backflip, and grabbed back onto the rock wall right above Argos. Looking down, Mike held his hand out for Argos to take it.
"Need some help?" Mike asked with a smile.
"Yes!" Argos screamed.
"Then grab hold!" Mike told Argos, keeping his hand out.
Argos quickly grabbed hold of Mike's hand and gripped it tightly. Mike then pulled Argos up with one hand, helping him back onto the rock wall. Giving Argos a smile, he patted him gently on the back.
"You're doing great, Argos. Just keep at it." Mike assured him.
"You and I both know that's not true." Argos replied as he clung to the rock wall.
"You're doing great for your first time. Just don't give up and don't look down." Mike told him.
"Can you hurry up!? I don't have all day!" Clarisse yelled.
"How far have I gone?" Argos asked.
"Like ten feet. You barely started." Clarisse replied annoyedly.
"This is gonna be a long day…" Argos muttered as he resumed climbing
That Evening: Hermes Cabin
"Seriously. How many flips did you do on that rock wall." Argos asked annoyedly as he opened the door to Hermes Cabin.
Mike chuckled as he followed behind him. "I wasn't counting." He replied with a chuckle.
"Well, you don't have to show off. I was lucky I didn't die. Or break a leg in the track events. No wonder Steve broke his leg." Argos said as he started to head upstairs.
"Try to not be too hard on yourself, Argos. Everyone has a tough time at camp at first. We just need to find out what you're good at." Mike told him.
"And how's that working out so far?" Argos asked as he climbed the stairs.
"Well, we've eliminated anything related to water. And we know you're decent at athletics and good at throwing stuff." Mike answered, trying to look on the bright side.
Argos rolled his eyes as he made it to the second floor. "Oh yes. That's so helpful." He replied, before seeing Corvo and Alastair already in their bunks. "How did you two get here already?"
"We have our ways," Corvo said with a shrug.
"When are you two gonna drop the whole mysterious act?" Argos asked as he walked towards his bunk.
"Never." The brothers replied.
Soon everyone heard someone begin climbing the stairs. To their surprise, it was Luke. He swiftly surveyed the room before walking up to the bunks.
"There you all are. I was looking for you three." Luke said, turning to look at Argos, Corvo and Alastair.
"Why?" Argos asked.
"Just checking in to see how you three are adjusting. I do that for all the newbies." Luke explained.
"Uh huh." Argos replied, his body tensing up a bit.
"Corvo. Alastair. How is everything going with you two?" Luke asked the brothers.
"We're getting settled in, I think," Corvo answered vaguely, Alastair giving a small nod, eyes quickly dropping to the floor as he ducked his head.
"That's good. If there's anything wrong or you need anything, just let me or the other councilors know." Luke said with a small smile, before turning to look at Argos.
"Do I really need to say?" Argos asked sarcastically.
"Is everything alright Argos?" Luke asked.
"I'm fine." Argos quickly replied.
"I see. Well, if you need anything, or anything is wrong, let one of us know. It's what we are here for." Luke said with a smile before turning to leave. "Keep up the good work Mike."
Mike smiled. "You got it, Luke. Night, guys!" He told them before heading down to his own bunk.
Argos looked out one of the windows to see the orange glow of the setting sun. Corvo and Alastair joined many of the other Hermes Cabin kids in settling down for the evening. Yet Argos sat there for a while, thinking not just about his day, but about Luke.
"No one is that nice." He muttered to himself, before flopping down onto his bed. He had a long day, and he was glad to be done with it…
To Be Continued…