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 12: Double Tahlequah Trouble
Alastair sighed contently as he wandered about Camp Half-Blood. The sun shined bright, the birds sang, and a gentle breeze tugged at his camp clothes. For the first time, things felt… normal. That was until he saw a familiar wall of muscles walk his way.
"Hey, shortie. What are you doing?" Clarisse asked with a snarled grin.
Alastair blinked at the daughter of Ares, this wasn't right, they were all gods, even being from different parents, they should have that, should work together to fight the monsters that threatened to tear them all apart, instead, this girl felt content to punch down. What was wrong with her?
"…." the only sound leaving him was a sharp exhale of air through his nose, feeling his legs tense, he had to run. No, he thought, if he ran, they would just chase him, and they would be even more mad, so even more reason to come after him for making them exert themselves.
Before Alastair could do anything else, he saw two other Ares boys flanking Clarisse. "Hey Clarisse? Did you break him already?" One of them asked.
"No. I just asked him something, you idiot. All he's done is exhale and stand there." Clarisse snarled.
"Maybe we can make him talk? Be good to hear what the little troublemaker sounds like." The other growled, before punching their fists together.
"Yeah! Let's see if the brat likes a knuckle sandwich for breakfast!" The other one snarled in delight, cracking his knuckles.
His leg moved, sliding in the dirt, he was fast, he knew that, but he wasn't sure if he could outrun three of them, they may not have been as big as the Tupilaq, but they were as ugly, and looked just as mean. With a resigned sigh, he stopped his leg from moving any further, Clarisse's brow arching mockingly, she had seen the movement, so even if he ran it would not do any good. His hands shot up placatingly, he was not afraid, but he was unnerved, not for anything they would do, but rather what his brother would do if they did anything to him. His lips formed into a thin line as he recalled a time where Corvo had sung a song that caused everyone to break out in hives, they had managed to steal everyone's wallet and sneak away, but it was still a gross sight to see. Shaking his head to banish the memory of the red bumps and sound of loud scratching, he gulped, apparently that was the wrong thing to do, Clarisse seemed to take it as some sort of insult, her eyes fixating on him like a lion eying a baby zebra.
"You got something funny to say, little man? Think you can just wave your arms and head around and get me to go away? Like I'm stupid or something?" She growled, taking several threatening steps towards him.
"…No…" he said quietly.
"No, what? Speak up shortie. I can't hear yah all the way down there." Clarisse demanded.
"…. I don't want…" he struggled to say.
"'Don't want to what?' What could you possibly want?" Clarisse asked dismissively.
"I don't want you to get hurt!" he said, the words coming out louder than intended, biting his lip immediately after they left his mouth. Wrong thing to say. Nice going, Al. he thought with an internal sigh.
The three Ares kids stood blankly. Blinking once, then twice, then a third time. Silence hung over them for a brief moment before they started laughing. Clarisse was barely able to pull herself together to speak.
"Is that supposed to be some kind of threat?! What could a half-pint like you possibly do to us?!" Clarisse roared in laughter.
"Not me, him." A small, relieved smile tugged at his lips as he noticed a familiar head of sandy-blonde hair standing a few feet away, a bow-and-arrow in his hand, the arrow aimed at the ground right behind the larger kid's feet.
One of Ares' kids stopped laughing long enough to notice the small smile on his face and slowly tracked where he was looking. Their eyes only just barely noticed a glint of metal before they heard the subtle whistle of an arrow flying through the air. Within mere moments, everyone heard the arrow bite into the dirt.
"What the…" Was all the Ares boy could say before a sick gurgling echoed through the air.
The still laughing Ares boy began to hack and cough through his laughter. "Hey boss? I don't feel soo… Blarrrgghh!!" He said before hurling up his guts violently onto Clarisse's hair and backside.
"EW! What the fu-BLUUUUUUUUURGH!!" Clarisse roared before vomiting violently onto the ground for about ten seconds, dropping to her knees in the middle of the puddle of vomit.
"I'm sorry, but I warned you," Alastair said, shaking his head and stepping back quickly so as to not get hit by the projectile vomit.
"Hey, Bro, what was that?" he asked, stepping around the hunched over and groaning taller kids.
Corvo shrugged, "Salmonella," he said dismissively, ruffling his younger brother's hair as he met him halfway, completely ignoring the pained moans. "Hungry?"
Alastair nodded slightly. "I could eat." He answered softly.
Later: Dining Pavillion
"And so, you did what?" Argos asked, raising his eyebrows at the two brothers.
Alastair smiled a bit as he poked his fork into some scrambled eggs on his plate. "Shot an arrow at them." He replied.
"An arrow? What kind of arrow?" Argos asked.
"Salmonella. I tried to warn them. Didn't work. But it was cool though." Alastair replied with a sigh, a small, proud smile forming on his lips.
Mike tried desperately not to laugh. "Good one, Corvo!" He snickered before bursting out laughing.
"Okay. Just don't do that on us, okay?" Lupe said a bit nervously.
"Hey y'all. I think I figured out who my dad is." Corvo said with a smile.
"Probably Apollo. Archery skills plus musical skills and disease control? Classic Apollo kid skill set." Mike replied with a shrug.
"You know how to ruin a moment, dont'cha," Corvo said, his voice deflating a bit.
"At least you know who yours is. Me and Lupe still haven't figured it out and mom won't tell us." Mike replied, sounding a bit irritated with that fact.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Alastair said
Mike smiled a bit. "Thanks. But, considering our skill set, there aren't a whole lot of options. Athleticism, crazy strength, and durability. Knowing our luck, it's probably Nike or Ares." He sighed, obviously hoping for something cooler.
Before anyone else could speak, the whole Dining Pavilion was hit with a cacophony. Everyone in the room reflexively looked towards the noise. Stumbling in with heavy footfalls came Clarisse and her flunkies. Their faces were deathly pale, breathing heavy, and barely able to walk. With a loud thud, Clarisse leaned against one of the pillars to steady herself to catch her breath. As she did, her eyes scanned the room and homed in on Corvo and Alastair.
"You two! You're! Dead! Meat!" She yelled hoarsely, before having to stop to catch her breath.
"What's wrong, Clarisse? Need some Pepto-Bismol?" Mike asked teasingly.
"Oh no, Clarisse, you look like you're dead meat!!" Alastair called back, causing the entire pavilion to burst into laughter: the Aphrodite children all hid their laughter behind their lips, one of them not being able to hold it and raised her hand to her mouth to muffle the bell-like sound. The rest of the cabins were a mix of roaring laughter, polite chuckling, and even some doubling over and falling off the benches of their respective tables.
"You suck!" Steven yelled.
"You're! Gonna pay! During wrestling! Arrow-Brain!" Clarisse groaned, holding her stomach.
"I'd like to see you try!!" Corvo called back, a smirk slitting his face challengingly.
Later: At the Wrestling Arena
Alastair sighed as he stood in the crowd next to Corvo. Wrestling was fun to watch; he was just dreading the fact he would have to participate. He was up next, and he knew the current match was not going to last long. In a match between Argos and Steve, it was a race to the bottom.
"It's not fair! He tried to stab my eye!" Argos yelled as Steve tried to attempt a chin lock.
"I did not! He just squirms a lot!" Steve yelled back.
"What were you aiming for then!?" Argos screamed.
Alastair looked away from the match, even though he could only handle so much of it and noticed Mike outside the ring. Normally he was highly active and attentive during these matches. But, with his hand over his face and his eyes glancing at the side, he just looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. And honestly, Alastair could not blame him.
"You want to play dirty, huh? Two can play at that game!" Argos snapped.
Rolling his eyes at hearing that, Alastair turned to look again at the 'athletic contest' before him. Argos swiftly and sharply elbowed Steve in the chest, forcing Steve to break his grip. The blow sent Steve bowling over onto his back, laying there like a flipped turtle. Snarling, Argos leapt on him and pinched his fingers into the other boy's nipples, causing Steve to shriek in pain.
"I quit! I quit!" Steve shrieked, tapping his hand into the dirt.
"By the gods… all right, Argos wins. Now get out of the pit and dust yourselves off. That was the most embarrassing match I've ever seen…" Mike groaned in frustration. "Alastair. Clarisse. You're up next."
A pit formed in Alastair's stomach upon hearing that. Of all people, why did it have to be her? He turned to look at his brother, trying to nudge him to try and get him out of this. Corvo, however, simply shook his head and put his hand on Alastair's shoulder.
"You got this. Just finish it quick." Corvo said, patting Alastair's shoulder comfortingly.
With a heavy sigh, Alastair walked through the crowd towards the pit. Before he even saw her, he knew Clarisse was thrilled with the outcome. All day he saw her glaring at him and Corvo. Whether he wanted this or not, she did and that made her dangerous. However, before he could reach the pit, a large hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking up, Alastair saw Mike.
"Little tip on taking Clarisse, Alastair. She may have the size and strength advantage, but that's all she's got. You've got speed, agility, and I'm assuming intelligence. Stay on the move, wear her down, and, if she gets a hold of you, use your head." Mike told the younger boy before patting him on the back.
Alastair nodded, sending the larger boy an appreciative smile, it was good advice, but he already had a plan. Walking into the pit, he felt the soft sand beneath his feet and made a note of it. He took a deep breath to steady himself as Clarisse walked in from the other side of the pit. A big, wicked grin stretching across her face. The two walked up to the center of the pit and waited for the signal to start the match.
"I've been waiting for this all day, you little punk." Clarisse growled, puffing her chest out a bit to try and intimidate him.
"I'm sorry." Alastair replied with sympathy in his voice.
"Sorry for earlier?" Clarisse asked, raising her eyebrow.
"No. I'm sorry for what I'm going to do." Alastair answered.
Alastair watched as the grin on Clarisse's face evaporated into a vengeful snarl. Before either of them could say another word, Mike got into position between them, raising his hand up like a flag.
"Begin!" He proclaimed, waving his hand down.
As soon as Mike gave the signal to start, Clarisse barreled down the pit at Alastair like a runaway locomotive. Seeing this, Alastair waited until she got close, then turned on the ball of his foot to dodge around her before leaping out of Clarisse's reach. Snarling furiously, Clarisse ran at him to try to grab him only for Alastair to dodge again. This repeated several times as the smaller, younger camper dodged around the daughter of Ares like a matador evading a bull. Every time she missed him, Clarisse only got angrier.
"Stay still, runt!" Clarisse bellowed in fury.
Not replying, Alastair continued dodging and evading Clarisse's attempts to grab him. Bit by bit, it started to take its toll. The amount of energy Clarisse was burning through, combined with the fact that she was still sick from what Corvo did earlier in the day, left her panting and sweating. Seeing this, Alastair could not help but smile. He could do it. He could win.
However, as soon as the thought entered his head, he made a crucial mistake. He leapt aside a bit too late to evade her charge, just late enough for her to reach out and grab him by the collar of his shirt. Sneering viciously, Clarisse glared at him.
"Got you now, brat! Any last words?" Clarisse growled, the look in her furious eyes letting him know she was ready to put him in a world of pain.
Wordlessly, Alastair tried to think of a way out. It was then that Mike's words echoed in his head. She only had strength and size, but he had speed and agility. Use his head. Use his head…
The idea flashed in his head for a second, Alastair headbutted Clarisse in the nose as hard as he could. Clarisse cried out in pain and loosened her grip, which allowed Alastair to make his next move. Wrapping his legs around her arm, he crossed his ankles against her throat and used the full weight of his body on her arm to take her to the ground. Grabbing her forearm, Alastair used his hands to pull her arm into as tight of an arm bar as he could while applying pressure to her upper arm with his legs and squeezing his feet together around her throat.
"You should give up." Alastair said firmly, straining from the exertion.
Clarisse blinked a bit as she struggled against him. "I… give up." She choked out.
Gasps slipped from the crowd, before everyone began to chatter amongst themselves in confusion.
"What did she say?" An Ares kid asked.
"I think she said she gave up." Another Ares kid said.
"That can't be right." A third said dismissively.
Mike blinked in surprise before letting out a smile. "Well then. The winner is Alastair!" He called out before raising his hand in the younger boy's direction.
As soon as the call was made, Alastair let go of Clarisse. Getting himself to his feet, he quickly began to brush the sand off himself. He did it. He did it. He beat her and this all could be over with. At least, until he heard a deep, bitter growl. Slowly looking back at Clarisse, he saw her get off the ground, fists clenched.
"How the hell did you do that, you little runt?!" Clarisse roared as she lashed out with a punch.
However, before the blow could reach Alastair, Mike caught her fist with a furious look in his eyes. Glaring at Clarisse, Mike applied pressure to her hand to drive the point home.
"Clarisse. You lost. Accept it and move on." He growled dangerously, leaving the unspoken 'or else' hanging in the air as he dared her to try something.
Alastair looked at Mike, then at Clarisse, then back at Mike. For a moment, neither of them said or did anything. Then, without another word, Clarisse pulled her fist from Mike's grip and stormed off. She was muttering something fiercely to herself, but Alastair did not care to try and figure it out. He was only glad it was over.
Mike took a deep breath to calm himself down, then turned to look at Alastair with a smile on his face. "Not bad, Alastair. Not exactly what I had in mind when I said, 'use your head,' but not bad." He told the younger boy, patting him on the shoulder with congratulations.
With a small smile and a nod, Alastair left the wrestling pit. Walking back to his brother's side, he saw Corvo sporting a proud smile.
"Toldja you could do it." Corvo said.
"This is going to make things worse, isn't it?" Alastair asked, closing his eyes with a sigh.
"Probably. But I'd take this over the bear monster." Corvo replied, patting his brother on the shoulders. "Tell yah what. How about we go get ice cream after activities are done?"
"Argos is paying," he said with a mischievous smile, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the black credit card.
To Be Continued…