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 9: Dust and Tumble
The sun began to slowly rise into the sky, its soft orange glows bathing the mortal realm in its divine warmth. Argos slept soundly in his bed for the first time all summer. Tucked under his blankets perfectly, curled up in just the right position. Everything was perfect. Until he, faintly through his sleepy haze, heard the sound of heavy footfalls coming up the creaky old stairs.
'I'm just imagining things again…' Argos thought sleepily.
Suddenly, the sound of "Play That Funky Music" being played on twin bugles blared loudly throughout the room and echoed throughout the cabin. Argos jolted up violently as the sound echoed across the room, making him bump his head on the bunk above him. Groans quickly filtered through the upper floor of Hermes Cabin, with Argos being loudest of all.
"Why do they do that?" Argos groaned.
"You're still surprised? They've done this every morning." Corvo said as he brushed himself off after getting out of bed.
"At least it wasn't that blasted army tune…" Argos grumbled, beginning to shift out of bed.
"The only reason we didn't do it today is 'cause Lupe can't play that one." Mike explained.
"... And yet she can play 'Play That Funky Music…'" Someone grumbled in disbelief.
"My fingers don't like it." Lupe replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Steve groaned.
"Shut up, Steve." Lupe snapped.
As the campers began to file out of the upper floor, an arrow rocketed through one of the open windows. Deeply embedding itself into one of the wooden beams, and forcing Alastair to duck in fright, everyone noticed the arrow had a letter strapped to it. Lupe reached over to grab it as Corvo rushed over to check on his brother.
"Al! You okay?" Corvo asked, checking over his brother.
"I-I'm fine. Just… a bit shaken up." Alastair replied, helped up slowly by his brother.
Lupe opened the letter and read off the first part. "'Dear Hermes assholes.' They forgot to capitalize assholes." She said aloud.
"Oh, so that means it's from Ares Cabin." Mike commented, rolling his eyes.
"Who shoots an arrow through the window!? They nearly killed someone!" Argos yelled.
"Oh, I'll make 'em pay…" Corvo muttered.
"You say something?" Argos asked.
"None of ya' business." Corvo sternly said.
"... I'm gonna… go." Argos muttered before heading down the stairs.
"What does the rest of it say?" Mike asked.
"You don't want to know. It does have a shockingly good drawing of a middle finger." Lupe explained before showing her brother the bottom part of the letter.
Mike looked over his sister's shoulder. "Huh. That is really good. It's so lifelike." He admitted.
"You want to put in a complaint with the horseman?" Lupe asked as she rolled up the letter and put it in her pocket.
"Let's do that after breakfast. I need food in me ASAP." Mike replied as the two began heading downstairs.
After a trip to the showers and a quick change of clothes, the great throng of Hermes Cabin made their way into the mess hall. Argos impatiently waited in the food line right behind Corvo and Alastair, with Mike and Lupe behind him. The pavilion was abuzz with activity as always. Cabins full of people mingling at their tables, chatting, or playing games as they ate. He even saw one member of Ares Cabin get launched into the air at one point. Yet when the time came to get his food, he blinked. Before him it looked like the same food they had yesterday. Or was it a few days ago?
"Does anyone else feel like we got this food already?" Argos asked as he began plating up the food.
"Be glad we are getting regular meals." Corvo said annoyedly. "All you do is complain."
"Because it feels like the same things happen day in and day out. It's like Groundhog Day or something." Argos replied.
"Trust me, rookie. When you go on your first quest, you'll learn to enjoy the monotony of everyday life here at Camp Half-Blood in between quests. Well, if you survive your first quest, that is…" Mike told Argos ominously from behind him.
"Why do I even bother speaking?" Argos grumbled before finishing up plating his food and leaving the food line early.
Making his way hastily to the Hermes Cabin table, Argos was not keeping focused on his surroundings. Just as he rounded the corner on one row of tables, he took a step forward. He felt resistance from something firm and quickly lost his balance. Then in the blink of an eye, he fell forward onto the floor. His tray full of food went flying everywhere on the floor in front of him, as Argos' face lay in the molten juices of a fried egg.
"Hey, Half-Pint! Ya' have a nice trip?" A boarish, rough female voice called out as the entire nearby table broke out in laughter.
"Good one, Clarisse!" Another voice cackled.
"You got him good, boss!" A third voice chuckled.
Argos slowly got up from the floor. Half his face was covered in hot egg yolk, leaving it red and burned. His camp shirt was stained with gravy, and bits of fruit stuck out in his hair. The boy winced as he stood up fully, as his knees were scraped up by the hard floor. Mike and Lupe rushed over to check up on him, as Argos leaned against a nearby table.
"Not funny, Blood-for-Brains!" Mike snarled, marching over to put the beat down on Clarisse.
"It's all right, chief. I should have been watching where I was going." Argos replied.
"You can't let bullies like the Ares kids push you around, Argos. You've gotta stand up for yourself or they'll never leave you alone." Mike explained.
"Doesn't matter to me. Just another day in my life." Argos replied through a sigh.
The twins looked at him in concern as Lupe walked up to him. "Come on, Argos. Let's get you cleaned up…" She told him.
"I got it. Not the first time I've had to clean myself up. Enjoy breakfast." Argos answered before walking off to get cleaned up.
The twins looked at each other in concern at that. If that were not the first time he had needed to clean himself up after an incident… then what had he been through before coming to Camp Half-Blood? How much did they truly know about Argos and his past…?
Later that Morning: Rock Wall Course
"Are you sure you're okay, Argos? Do you need some aloe vera?" Lupe asked him in concern.
Argos sighed before wincing, bandages now covering where his face got burned. "I'll be fine." He replied.
"Fine? Dude, you look like Gerard Butler in that crappy 'Phantom of the Opera' movie." Mike told him in concern.
"It is an underrated classic!!" Cried out a voice from the Apollo Cabin group.
"You would say that ya' fucking theater group reject!" Mike called out.
"Alright! Pipe down, you castawish rejects!!" Clarisse yelled as she stormed up to the group, mug of coffee in one hand and a clipboard in the other.
"Wow. 'Castawish?' You're really on a roll with the jokes today, Clarisse." Lupe sarcastically commented.
"Thank you. Been working on those zingers all week." Clarisse replied with a smile.
"That explains a lot…" Mike sarcastically muttered.
"Pipe down, thunderguts. This is my rodeo, and you do as I say!" Clarisse snapped at Mike.
"You think you scare me, Clarisse? I've ridden bulls in Hawaii bigger than you." Mike replied boredly.
"I thought you were…" Argos began to speak, before getting cut off.
"We have cowboy family in Hawaii." Mike interrupted him to explain.
"Where don't you two have family?" Corvo asked, raising his eyebrow at the twins.
"Jersey." Lupe replied nonchalantly.
"Alright, you lazy louts! Get climbing like lemmings already! I ain't got all day!" Clarisse barked.
"Aye aye, Commander Blood 'n Guts!" Mike sarcastically saluted before beginning to climb.
"And don't you forget it!" Clarisse replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
With that, the horde of campers made their break for the cliff. Corvo and Alastair, having patiently waited for the initial mad dash to subside, swiftly clambered up the rock wall on a manageable route. Argos was not so fortunate. Forced into the initial rush, he had to go off on a bad route to avoid backing up the crowd behind him. Leaving him in a very awkward position, with little on that part of the cliff to grab hold of.
"Great. How does this keep happening?" Argos muttered.
"Hey rich boy! The aim is to climb the wall, not hug it! Get moving!" Clarisse yelled from the bottom.
"I'm working on it!!" Argos snapped back.
Taking a deep breath, Argos frantically began to look for a way up. As he looked for his route, he had the painful reminder of how slow he was going. All the other campers made their way up swiftly and decisively, leaving him alone as the straggler. Gritting his teeth, he dug deep and decided upon a risky move. To everyone else's shock who watched him, he pulled himself up with both arms, attempting to leap to a better position. For a moment as he was in the air, many looked away, fearing for the worst. Yet, when they thought they would hear screams, they did not come. Turning back to look, to the sheer disbelief of the others, the rich boy had made it and was clinging to the wall in a spot where he was not as crowded by other campers. It was as if the wind had carried him to the spot with his leap.
"Nice one, Argos!" Mike cheered from above, waving down at him.
"Bold move, but I'm glad it paid off!" Lupe called out from nearby her twin brother.
Argos smiled a bit before beginning to climb again. He was still slow and was the last one climbing by the time he finished. Panting heavily, the boy flopped onto his back as soon as he reached the top.
"Looks like there's hope for you yet, rookie." Mike replied playfully as he offered Argos a hand up.
"A-and the board?" Argos asked through heavy pants.
"Still to be determined, but I have my theories now." Mike replied with a smile.
Later That Day: Swordsmanship Arena
"Oh, my back…" Argos groaned as he rubbed his back, limping along at the back of the group.
"Told you that's not how you ride a horse." Corvo said, rolling his eyes.
"That thing was a wild beast!" Argos snapped back.
"I have never seen Cinnamon act like that with a rider. Normally, that mare is the sweetest mare in camp." Lupe commented in disbelief.
"Maybe… no, I must be crazy…" Mike muttered thoughtfully.
"What's going on? Is Argos okay?" A familiar voice asked them. The small group turned to see Luke standing before them, his face painted in concern.
"It's nothing, Luke. Argos just had a… very bad incident with Cinnamon during Horsemanship training." Mike explained, a thoughtful look on his face.
"That is odd. We've never had an incident with her." Luke replied, confusion leaking into his tone.
"I know, right? Cinnamon wouldn't hurt a fly. Literally…" Lupe replied, visibly confused.
"Well, if Argos needs to sit this out for medical reasons…" Luke began to say, before Argos cut him off.
"I'll be fine. This is the one course I'm actually decent at. And I'm not missing it." Argos growled, trying his best to stand up straight. And failing.
"I'd say a lot better than 'decent.' You're the best rookie I've had to face in a while." Luke told him with a smile.
"I appreciate the compliment." Argos grunted as he walked slowly into the arena and began looking for a sword.
"Is he doing all right?" Luke asked Mike and Lupe, raising his eyebrow at them as well.
"Probably still sore from his encounter with Cinnamon." Mike waved him off.
"I mean overall." Luke corrected.
"Well, he completed the Rock Wall Climb this time and didn't get hurt. So, he's at least making progress." Lupe explained with a smile.
"And his mental health?" Luke asked.
"Could be worse. He seems to be getting a little more confident." Mike said with a smile.
"Just keep your eyes on him." Luke ordered.
"Aye, aye, sir!" The twins cried out, saluting him.
As the small group walked in, they found Argos swinging around a broadsword. He sighed and put it back on the rack, before testing another blade.
"Is everything alright Argos?" Luke asked.
"Just finding a sword." Argos answered hastily.
"Trying to pick out one that fits you?" Luke questioned him with a smile.
"I'm used to dueling swords." Argos replied with a sigh.
"Well, I have an idea of one that might suit you…" Luke said, thinking about it.
Argos raised a questioning eyebrow as Luke went to a different rack. He rummaged around it for about a minute, being shockingly particular about his search. Until, finally, he pulled out an odd-looking sword, far different from any in the rack.
"This should be close enough to what you're used to. Give it a try." Luke said as he handed it to him.
Argos looked down at the blade in Luke's hands. Unlike most of the swords campers used, it had a short handle with a thick pommel at the end, with only enough space for a single hand to grip it. The blade itself was longer than most of the other swords, with only a single cutting edge. A slight curve was noticeable in its back and a tapered edge, giving Argos the impression of it almost being like a saber. Yet its most striking feature was a large red stain on the blade, as if smeared with dried blood.
"When was it last cleaned?" Argos asked.
"We've tried, but the stain never comes off. Most people don't want to use it. They think its cursed," Luke explained.
"And its name?" Argos asked.
"The Red Cutter," Luke grimly replied.
Argos grabbed hold of the hilt and began to practice swings. The blade came down fast and sharply, helped by the added weight put into the flowing blade. It also fought him hard when he tried to thrust. But after inspecting it, Argos simply clenched it tighter.
"I'll give it a try. Who's my sparring partner today?" Argos asked.
Luke smiled at hearing that. "Mike volunteered. He wanted to get you used to fighting a larger and stronger opponent." He answered.
Argos sighed at hearing that, before walking over to his sparring partner. Mike had taken up one of the smaller sparring circles, which further made Argos feel worse about his chances. Fewer places to dodge, and nowhere to maneuver.
Mike raised an eyebrow at the sight of Argos' new blade. "Luke gave you Red Cutter?" He asked.
"I chose it," Argos corrected.
"Odd choice. That thing's super cursed," Mike replied with a shrug.
"Can't be any worse than what I already got," Argos muttered, before getting into a fencing posture.
Mike got into his own stance with his xiphos in hand as the two began slowly circling each other, looking for an opening. Finally, Mike struck first, thrusting and slashing. However, to his surprise, Argos easily slashed and chopped in response, deflecting his strikes. Mike gave a small smile at that.
"Alright, looks like this won't be as easy as I thought," Mike commented, dropping back into his stance.
"We had the same swordsman teaching us, remember?" Argos replied.
"True. But I've been doing this a lot longer," Mike reminded him with a grin.
"Then stop talking about it and use it," Argos growled, his brow furrowing in annoyance.
With that, Mike struck much faster and with much greater force. He probed at Argos' defenses, looking for an opening with Argos barely able to deflect his hits. Finally, Mike went for a strong and swift overhead slash, forcing Argos to slash to deflect it. However, when he did, he felt the weight behind the blow and swore he felt his hand nearly go numb for a second from the force. Backpedaling, he switched hands, dropped back into his stance, and shook his sword hand to get feeling back into it.
Mike raised an eyebrow at that. "You're ambidextrous?" He asked, surprised.
"Yeah. Why?" Argos asked, confused.
"Nothing. It's just… kind of rare amongst demigods. Most are usually right or left-handed, usually right-handed," Mike replied, shrugging.
"I don't like talking about myself," Argos said simply, getting back into his stance.
"Fair enough. I won't pry. Honestly, it's just nice to meet another ambi swordfighter in this camp for once," Mike replied with a smile.
"You do know yacking when in combat gets you killed, right?" Argos asked, readying his stance.
"It does. If your opponent can take you," Mike replied before striking with the speed of a viper.
Argos barely slashed his blade out to block the hit. As he did, he found himself nearly brought to his knees by the force of the blow. With one hand, Mike pressed down against Argos with seemingly no effort, forcing Argos to grip his own wrist with his other hand to try to hold the insanely strong demigod back. Finally, Mike pushed off and began unloading a barrage of extremely heavy, lightning-fast blows. Trying to crush Argos' defenses as the smaller boy tried desperately to hold out. Brought to his knee, Argos did his best to endure as he searched for any kind of opening. Not seeing any, he got an idea.
'If I can't find an opening. I'll make one.' He thought to himself, before springing to action.
Feigning an opening on his side, Argos dodged as the taller boy went for the big finish, Argos dodged the slash as he aimed a slash at the bottom of Mike's blade, down near his hand. Caught off guard, Mike eased up his assault just enough to give Argos the opening he needed. Going for an underhand slash, Argos knocked Mike's sword from his hand, knocking the larger boy off his feet as he then caught the blade out of the air and held both blades at the downed Mike's throat in an x-shaped cross. This caused everyone present to stare in surprise at the pair as Mike gave a stunned look to Argos before smiling.
"You faked me out to make me believe it was over so you could create an opening. Clever," Mike told him, giving a nod as he stepped back.
"First rule of dueling. Be clever," Argos replied as he stood up straight.
Mike smiled. "Luke did always tell me not to rely too much on raw speed and power. Looks like you've proved why he was right." He replied as he got up and dusted himself off.
"Is it dinner time yet? I'm hungry," Argos asked.
"Almost," Mike replied as Argos tossed him back his blade, allowing Mike to catch it out of the air and resheath it.
"Up for another round?" Argos asked curiously.
Mike gave a grin in response. "I was hoping you'd ask." He replied as the two dropped back into their respective stances.
Later: Mess Hall
"How come Coach Pine didn't teach us any of that fancy stuff?" Lupe grumbled as Mike and Argos followed close behind.
"I'm on a fencing team. It's not like it's some mystery how he taught me that," Argos answered.
"Makes sense. You gotta show us those moves some time, Argos," Mike replied with a smile.
"Sure, now everyone cares what I can do," Argos grumbled, getting ahead of Lupe and swiftly started walking in front of them.
Mike raised an eyebrow and looked at his sister in confusion. However, she only shrugged in response, as she was as confused as her brother. Yet despite further prompting in the food line, all it did was make Argos grow colder and more distant, until he shut up completely. Seeing such a shift, the twins finally took a different course of action at the table. Starting with Lupe slamming her open hand down, causing the table to rattle.
"All right, what's your problem? All Mike said was that he wanted to spar with you more!" Lupe snapped, glaring at Argos.
"That's what they all want," Argos grumbled, turning his gaze away.
"Look, Argos. I dunno what kind of people you've been with in the past, but we're not like that. We're all demigods here. We've gotta look out for each other because, in a world of monsters and rogue spirits, we've all only got each other to rely on." Mike told him firmly, trying not to sound offended.
"And the real world's not much better," Argos replied quietly.
Lupe took a deep breath to calm herself. "No. This is the real world, which makes it worse. Trying to be a lone wolf and not trusting anyone will get you killed really quickly out there with what we are, Argos. You can't just shut people out." She told him.
"And maybe it would be better if the world just made it really quick," Argo snapped. As he turned back to look at them, one of his sleeves shifted a bit. He hastily adjusted it before looking at the twins.
"Argos… do you honestly think any of us want that for you? We've seen plenty of other demigods die on even simple fetch quests since we got to this place. We've lost enough friends as is. We don't wanna have to keep losing more," Mike firmly told Argos.
"... Guess I've never had anyone that has cared about me. So, I wouldn't know what it looks like for people to care about me," Argos replied, his tone saddening as he looked away again.
Mike and Lupe each gently took one of his hands. "Well, you do now. And we're gonna do everything we can to train you up enough to make sure you can live a good, long, happy life." Lupe told him with a smile.
"Didn't you say that most demigods die before then?" Argos asked.
"Even if most do, that doesn't mean we don't keep trying. Fighting for what you want, what you believe in. To find your place in the world. That's part of what it means to live. At least, that's what Coach Pine and Chiron always tell us," Mike told him.
Argos sighed deeply before turning again to look at them. "And what can you do to help me?" He asked.
Mike smiled. "My offer to join me and my sis on our morning workouts is still open. In case you're interested." He offered.
"How early are we talking?" Argos asked.
"Crack of dawn. We're usually up before the roosters, even when we're not visiting our grandpa's ranch in Hawaii," Lupe told him with a smile of her own.
Argos sat there in a contemplative stance, as if weighing his options. "On the condition of not being woken up by the bugle." He replied.
"Deal," The twins told him with big smiles.
"Alright. We can figure out the routine after dinner. I'm too hungry to think." Argos said, turning to look at his plate, "And I might have to go back for seconds."
With that, the three began to eat together as they were soon joined by Alastair and Corvo. With that, the five ate in peace as Argos felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. Hope. Hope for the future… that maybe things could finally be better for him…
To Be Continued…