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 10: To the Thin Ice
"Argos. Wake up." Mike whispered, leaning close to Argos' ear.
"Five… more… minutes… mommy…" Argos snored, snuggling into his pillow.
"Argos. Don't make me get the ice water bucket." Mike told him with a smirk on his face.
Argos groaned before finally beginning to stir from his bunk. "You're a sick, twisted man." He grumbled.
Sitting up, Argos stretched out before going to get his exercise clothes. The room was still dark, with only faint moonlight seeming in from the cracks in the curtains. Then, once he had changed, he followed Mike out of Hermes Cabin as quietly as he could. As they opened the door, they only saw the faintest of orange coming up from the horizon.
"I don't think I've ever been up this early before." Argos said as they closed the door behind them.
"Usually, I get up earlier than this, but I wanted to go a bit easy on you. You've been going through enough lately." Mike replied. "Now come along. It's this way."
Argos sighed before following Mike into the nearby forest. Dew still clung to the grass and trees, making the journey rough and uncomfortable. After what felt like forever, Mike moved aside a large branch for Argos, allowing him to step out into a large clearing in the forest. The grass was short and filled with large dirt patches with not a single sapling or branch sticking out into it.
"This is it?" Argos asked skeptically.
Mike nods. "This is it. I found this spot a couple of months after Lupe and I started here and we've kept it a secret as a workout area. The nearby nymphs even help hide our workout equipment after we're done." He explained.
"... Okay. So… what do we do now?" Argos asked.
"First, we need to start with some conditioning to see where you're at. Now drop and gimme twenty," Mike told him.
"Really? At the start?" Argos asked in a deadpan.
"Don't make me go drill sergeant on you. It's too early for that," Mike replied.
With a groan, Argos dropped to the ground and began to do the pushups. After only eight pushups, Argos dropped, unable to keep going. Shaking his head, Mike had him move onto twenty jumping jacks. After only eleven, Argos had to stop, disappointing Mike yet again, forcing them to move onto sit-ups. Once again, Argos did not even make it to the full twenty, managing to pull off only eight.
"Wow… you're in really bad shape," Mike told him, shaking his head.
"I know…" Argos groaned as he lay on his back.
"Lemme show you how it's done," Mike replied, dropping down into a pushup stance. "Boulder!!"
A loud rustling and commotion soon came from the nearby forest. Soon, half-a-dozen green skinned women in dresses made of leaves conducted a near spherical boulder as tall as Mike. As they carried it out, they said a little chant.
"Hup, two-three-four. Hup, two-three-four," The girls repeated, before finally setting the boulder down on his back.
"My thanks, ladies," Mike told them with a smile.
"... Do you want to kill me?" Argos asked, his eyes widening in shock.
"Relax. We'll start you on a much smaller one once you can do the twenty," Mike explained before starting his pushups. "One! Two! Three! Four!"
Argos watched in sheer disbelief as Mike went through the exercises with shocking ease, even when weighed down by boulders. Sixty pushups, sixty jumping jacks, sixty sit-ups. He went through a large variety of physical conditioning exercises while weighed down by heavy boulders and weights with shocking ease. It was when Mike started doing handstand pushups with a boulder balanced on his feet that Argos finally got the picture of how strong they are.
"So… this is what you're gonna try to build me up to?" Argos asked.
"Eventually. Right now, we need to focus on starting you out small." Mike told him as he kept doing the handstand pushups. "43! 44! 45!"
"Shouldn't we be keeping track of time?" Argo asked.
"Ladies! Bring out the egg timer please!" Mike called out.
"Mike. It's about time to wake up the cabin." One of the Dryads said from the forest edge.
Mike let out a sigh and stopped his handstand pushups. He then pushed up, launching the boulder into the air as he backflipped onto his feet. Raising his hands, he caught the boulder as the ground cratered a bit beneath him as Argos looked on in disbelief. "Of course. All right. Let's head back, Argos." He said as he brushed himself off.
"At least, with this, I don't get woken up by the bugle. That thing's gonna give me tinnitus." Argos said with a sigh.
The two made a swift exit from the forest. When they arrived, there was an annoyed Lupe waiting for them. Tapping her feet furiously like a jackrabbit.
"What took you two?" Lupe sternly asked.
"Morning workouts ran late. Sorry, sis," Mike replied, toweling off.
"Grab your bugle. We are already behind schedule," Lupe growled, as she readied her bugle.
"Right," Mike replied as he went to grab his bugle as Luke came downstairs.
"Morning, you two. Wake everyone up quickly. We got a busy one today," Luke said as he looked down at a clipboard.
"On it, Luke!" Mike replied as he came back down with his bugle in hand.
Taking deep breaths, the two held their bugles up to their lips as Argos swiftly covered his ears. Mike and Lupe then blew into their bugles with all their might, playing the usual tune. The entire cabin groaned as the sound of the bugles echoed through it, rousing them all from their slumber. Soon, everyone began filing out like an unending horde and swiftly made their way to the showers. Then, like clockwork, everyone headed to the mess hall. With Argos happy that for once, he got to be at the front of the line.
"Is this what it's like being in front of everyone at breakfast?" Argos asked as Mike piled food onto his plate in front of him.
Mike smiles. "Yup. First pick of breakfast." He replied as the two grabbed their food.
"Maybe today will actually be good?" Argos asked aloud.
"Can you idiots quit holding up the line!?" The shrill voice of Clarisse called out.
"Shut it, Clarisse!" Mike replied as he and Argos moved on.
Soon they sat down and the line began to move at a more reasonable pace. Soon they were joined at the table by Lupe, Corvo, and Alastair. Once they did, Mike began to tell them about the morning conditioning.
"No way," Lupe said in disbelief.
"Yes way," Mike replied.
"Didn't you fence at school?" Alastair asked Argos.
"I don't want to talk about it," Argos grumbled through his hash browns.
"Oh, relax. You're just starting out," Mike told him, trying to make him feel better.
"I don't wanna hear it, Mr. Beeftastic," Argos snipped.
Mike rolled his eyes. "Like I said, don't get so bent out of shape. Outside of me, Lupe, and the Ares, Apollo, and Hermes Cabins, no one here starts out super athletic. And, even then, Lupe and I are kind of outliers in that regard." He explained.
"Don't fret, Argos. Mike was a string bean back in the day," Lupe said with a chuckle.
Mike glared at his sister. "I thought we agreed never to talk about that." He reminded her.
"What? I was too. We both looked like Hercules when he first started out in that Disney animated movie," Lupe said with a grin.
"You have betrayed my trust. You will pay for that," Mike cryptically said.
"I'm not touching this family drama with a barge pole…" Argos muttered before drinking his orange juice.
Mike sighed. "My point is that you'll improve as time goes on. Hell, despite our crazy strength, that's pretty much all me and Lupe have." He replied.
"Yeah. Honestly, we kinda envy the other kids, since they get all the cool stuff," Lupe sighed.
However, the peace was short-lived as Clarisse and Sherman walked up with trays of food in hand before stopping behind Argos. With smiles that spoke of nothing good on the way.
"Sup, Argos? Having a good morning?" Sherman asked, showing a toothy grin.
"So, you do know my name. I thought I was maggot to you?" Argos sarcastically replied.
Clarisse chuckled. "Looks like one of the newbies has some bite to his bark. This is gonna be a fun afternoon." She said with a feral grin.
"Oh no, I'm so scared of getting drowned, shot, or lit ablaze," Argos replied with a roll of his eyes. "Last time I checked, you guys have the creativity of a box of rocks. Or is that giving you guys too much credit?"
Clarisse and Sherman glared at him for that crack. "You should be scared, punk. Today's combat practice day, which includes a round of Capture-the-Flag." Clarisse told him with a snarl.
"Girls, girls, you're all pretty. Now, can ya' please leave, people are tryin' to eat," Corvo said as he munched on a piece of toast.
Before Clarisse and Sherman could make a move to start a fight, Mike and Lupe stood up and got up in their faces with glares on their faces. "Stand down and walk away. Now." Mike told them threateningly.
"Trust us. You do not want any of this," Lupe added just as threateningly.
"You better be careful, rookies. They can't save you forever," Sherman growled. "Let's get out of here, Clarisse,"
As soon as the two muscle-bound bullies started to walk away, the two fell forward. Tripping over their own feet, they fell flat onto their faces, their trays of food flying everywhere. As the two clutched their faces while everyone laughed at them, Alastair snickered triumphantly.
Corvo reached discreetly under the table, the sound clap of flesh echoing, indicating a low-five.
"Oh, you little street rats will pay for that," Clarisse growled out.
"If you don't move it, a sore face will be the last of your troubles," Lupe sternly replied.
The two Ares kids slunk off, now having to clean up their mess and get more food.
"I mean… it's not like they can make things worse today?" Argos said.
Later That Day: In the Forest
"I can't believe Ares Cabin made things worse…" Argos grumbled, nursing various bruises and scrapes he had acquired over the course of the day.
"You'll get used to it. They may talk tough, but they're nothing but cowards. Show them you're not intimidated in the slightest and they'll back off… Eventually," Mike replied with a shrug as they got ready for Capture-The-Flag.
Argos turned his head sharply to look at Mike. "'Get used to it'? Weren't you paying attention to all the things they did today?" He asked.
"Honestly, it was pretty normal behavior for them," Lupe replied, not seeing his point.
"They drilled a hole in my canoe. Put itching powder in my track suit. Loosened the rock on the rockwall so I fell into a sand pit. And their pitcher was throwing one hundred plus mile an hour fastballs at me the whole game!!" Argos snapped.
"Don't be dramatic. It was only about ninety at most," Mike replied, waving him off.
"They have tried to kill me all day! At least pretend to care!!" Argos snapped.
"I care," Steve said from behind him.
"Thank you, Steve," Argos replied earnestly.
"Well. You got your chance to get revenge," Lupe said with a smile.
"Revenge for what? Pride I don't have?" Argos asked sarcastically.
"No. For them trying to kill you. It's Capture-The-Flag. And, while killing isn't allowed, maiming goes… relatively unpunished," Steve piped up.
"How do you know that?" Argos asked, turning around to fac
"I read the pamphlet," Steven replied with a shrug.
"There's a pamphlet?!" Argos yelled.
"Yes," Everyone said at the same time.
"They give it out on your first day now because of how many new campers we keep getting. It was Mr. D's idea," Mike explained.
"... Let's just get this over this…" Argos grumbled as he followed behind the rest of the crowd.
They soon arrived at a large new looking warehouse with the Hephaestus symbol over the gaping doorway. Each of them was given a duffel bag with the basic equipment all demigod warriors should have and then sent off to changing rooms to put them on. Mike and Lupe watched as Corvo and Alastair came out with gleaming Celestial Bronze breastplates, helmets, and shields, with an equally well forged spear in hand and a sword at their side. Argos, however, walk out with far less well-forged armor. Ill-fitting and substituting the back part of the armor with a fur cape. He frantically looked around as the helmet did not quite fit right.
"I can't see shit out of this thing!" Argos yelled, trying to fit the helmet better onto his head.
"As Captain Stepdad would say, language," Lupe told him sternly.
Argos turned and gave her a deadpan look. "We are training to fight monsters until our dying days, and you draw the line at language?" He asked.
"Our stepdad always said that just because you're fighting and dying doesn't mean you have to be rude while doing it," Mike told him.
"Well did your stepdad say anything about getting good equipment? The tag called this stuff 'Thracian' quality gear. The heck does that mean?" Argos asked.
"The Ancient Greeks considered Thracians to be barbarians, so 'Thracian' quality means low, barbarian level quality gear," Lupe explained.
"And how did you two get decent gear?" Argos asked Corvo and Alastair.
"We don't complain," Alastair replied.
"Hephaestus Cabin has a massive backlog on gear, Argos. They have to make cuts somewhere until they can finally get through it. Sorry," Mike replied, motioning to the rest of the cabin.
"I can't see shit outta this thing…!" Steve uttered, wearing a helm like Argos' own.
"Thank you!" Argos told Steve.
"Language!" Lupe and Mike told Steve.
Argos grumbled under his breath but made his way out with the rest of the fitted demigods. It made him feel a bit better seeing almost half of Hermes Cabin fitted with the same level of gear. Soon they all made their way to a massive preset battlefield in the forest, easily the size of a football field. As everyone assembled into groups by their cabins, helped by a flag with each other their symbols, Chiron stepped in front of the amassed camp.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you are all ready for the first Capture-The-Flag of the year?" Chiron asked loudly.
"YEAH!!" The majority of the campers cried out in kind.
"All right. Today's team captains will be Ares and Athena Cabin. They have already made their alliances for today," Chiron said as he readied a sheet of paper. "On Ares Cabin's side, we have Apollo, Demeter, and Aphrodite Cabins. Please make way to your left."
Soon the four cabins formed up on their left as Chiron then looked down at his sheet. "For Athena Cabin's side, we have Hephaestus, Dionysus, and Hermes Cabins! Please make your way to the right!" He yelled out.
The remaining Cabins walked over to the right with the two sides now facing each other in a rough battle line. Chiron then trotted out between the two forces to explain the rules.
"Now then. Each team has a flag that has already been placed on each team's side of the forest. The only way to win is to capture the opposing team's flag and the flag may only have two guards. Every camper who is not grievously injured must play, though you are not required to fight. Zephyros Creek will be the boundary line as is tradition," Chiron began to explain.
"So far not so bad…" Argos muttered to himself.
"All magic items are allowed, and the entirety of the forest is fair game for use. Captured prisoners may be disarmed but cannot be bound or gagged. The two guards must stand at least ten yards, or thirty feet for those that do not know, away. And lastly, there is no killing or maiming during this contest. Any violation of the final rule will lose dessert privileges for a week," Chiron said. "When you hear the horn be blown, the contest may begin. And remember to have fun!"
Chiron then trotted away out of the way of the massive battlelines as they quickly began to move and take up positions in various parts of the forest. However, Argos stood there as he saw Corvo and Alastair run off in all the commotion. Before he could move, however, he felt a powerful hand grip his shoulder. He turned to see Mike smiling down at him.
"Relax, Argos. With us on Athena Cabin's side, we're almost guaranteed to win. After all, she is the Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Tactics," Mike told him reassuringly.
"Okay… but what are we supposed to do?" Argos asked.
"You and I have been assigned guard duty. We get to make sure the flag doesn't get captured by Team Ares," Mike told him, cracking his neck and knuckles.
The two then heard the blaring sound of a war horn rippling through the forest and Mike rushed deeper into the forest. Argos frantically tried to keep up as the match had started.
Later: At the Athena Alliance Flag
Argos groaned as he leaned against a tree. The sun beat down on them as the flag flapped in the breeze, tied to an old, gnarled pine tree. The surrounding woods were quiet, extremely quiet. With only the whistling breeze and chirping crickets to break up the deafening silence.
"So, is our enemy's plan to bore us to death? 'Cause that plan is working," Argos groaned.
"Knowing Ares Cabin, they probably plan to go the direct approach and bulldoze their way over here while the rest of their team hold off the other Cabins on our team. But don't worry. Like Annabeth always says, Athena always has a strategy," Mike explained.
"Are we sure they didn't get lost then?" Argos asked with a chuckle.
Mike chuckled before punching his fists together, causing his fingerless gloves to transform into a flash of light. Gone were the black fingerless gloves and, in their place, were a pair of wrapped cestus gauntlets. The wrappings, made of woven Celestial Bronze fibers, gleamed in the sunlight as a set of spiked knuckledusters made from Celestial Bronze jutted out of the wrappings.
"... Do you really need further help in punching people?" Argos asked.
Mike flexed his covered hands as he smirked wickedly. "Maybe not. But, against Ares Cabin, every little bit helps." He replied before pulling out a ruler that quickly transformed into a long-bladed, Celestial Bronze Xiphos sword.
Argos was about to reply, before he heard something. From the forest before him, he heard branches snap, trees fall, and the ground begin to tremble. That trembling quickly turned into an actual quake, making Argos fumble at grabbing his sword and shield. Soon the bushes were crushed under the weight of a screaming horde of Bronze clad brutes. Flying high in the air was the Ares Cabin Banner, held aloft proudly by Sherman. Clarisse smirked evilly as she led the screaming tide forward.
"Drown the big one in bodies, boys!! And crush the little punk under foot!!" Clarisse roared, raising her spear like a signal banner.
Turning, Mike pulled out a frisbee and spun it, turning it into a Celestial Bronze shield in a flash of light. Taking up his shield, Mike got into his stance with his sword at the ready above his shield and prepared for battle. Meanwhile, Argos panicked as he frantically stanced up.
With a roar, Mike rushed in to charge the crowd. As soon as one got in close, Mike slashed him in the breastplate, knocking him down before slamming the edge of his shield into another, knocking them into a tree. Throwing his shield in Captain America style, his shield bounced off multiple different Ares Cabin campers, knocking them to the ground and leaving them groaning in pain as Mike caught his shield out of the air. Slashing with his sword and slamming the edge of his shield into others, Mike fought his way through to try to get to Clarisse while trying to stick close to Argos and the flag.
On the other end, Argos got one cut in on an Ares kid. This scarred his breastplate and knocked him to the ground. Smiling a bit at downing an opponent, Argos did not notice someone kicking him from behind, knocking him to the ground. As soon as he hit the ground, two Ares kids began stomping and kicking him.
"Come on, fresh meat! Get up!" One of the Ares boys yelled down at Argos.
"Yeah! Get on your feet and die with dignity!" The other said as the other helped stomp on him.
"Grab him and twist him!!" One yelled from the back of the mob.
Soon a third boy walked and began kicking Argos in the side as the other two stomped on him followed by three more. The group of six continued stomping and kicking Argos as the other half of Ares Cabin joined in on the fray. Looking back at the commotion, Mike barely avoided getting slashed as he called out.
"Hold on, Argos! I'll be there soon!" Mike called out before getting dogpiled by Ares kids.
"Worry about yourself big man! You're next!!" An Ares boy yelled as he wrapped his arm around Mike's neck.
"Hold him down and beat his ass!!" One of the Ares kids yelled as they began stomping, slashing, and stabbing at Mike.
Growling, Mike forced himself to his feet and threw them off with a roar. "GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY WAY!!" He bellowed as he began fighting his way through the crowd.
Meanwhile, Argos kept trying to get back up only to get stomped and kicked. Feeling a spark of rage, he glared as he kept trying to get up. That spark soon turned into a raging inferno of fury as someone kicked him in the face. Catching the boy's foot as he went for a second kick, Argos glared at them as something that felt like liquid-hot magma flowed through his veins. Roaring, a massive blast of wind burst out from Argos as the Category 1 hurricane-force winds slammed into them. Multiple bodies went flying as the Ares kids were blown off their feet, leaving Argos panting as he got up while the liquid fire flowing through his veins burned out.
"Yes! Freedom!" Argos groaned out in pain.
"You're dead meat now, boy!!" An Ares kid yelled.
"Uh-oh," Argos said in fearful realization, his body being sore from the previous beating and refusing to move.
The Ares kids then charged in at Argos, turning the battlefield into a mosh pit. One of them punched him in the face only for another kicking him from the other side. Multiple Ares kids kicked, punched, and shield bashed Argos, knocking him around between them. When one of them knocked him to the ground, one of the Ares boys accidentally hit him hard enough to knock him to the ground.
"Let him get up! Let him get up! Let him get up!" One of the Ares kids said as the Cabin backed up to let Argos get up.
However, as soon as Argos got back on his feet, the beatdown continued. "Fight back, punk! Fight back! Fight back!" Several of them yelled in unison as they beat him up.
"Back up, boys! This one's mine!" Clarisse bellowed to her siblings as she made her way through the crowd, cracking her knuckles with a wide grin.
Argos panted as the Ares kids backed up, letting Clarisse get to him. When he tried to grab Clarisse to use her to climb to his feet, Clarisse kicked him in the stomach to knock the breath out of him, denting his armor into his gut. Gasping in pain, Argos felt himself be kicked onto his back as Clarisse straddled his chest, raining blows down on his face as he put his arms up to try to protect himself. Blood splattered the ground as Argos felt the inside of his cheek get cut and his nose get broken.
Smirking down at Argos, Clarisse grabbed him by his throat. "Had enough yet, punk?!" She sneered.
Glaring at her, Argos spat a bit of blood in her face. Glaring, Clarisse lifted him up by his neck and slammed him back into the ground back of the head first. Snarling viciously, Clarisse wound back a big punch for the finishing blow.
"And the winner is the Athena Alliance!!" The loud, echoing voice of Chiron proclaimed over the loudspeakers.
"What?!" Clarisse roared in shock.
The entire Ares horde turned and looked back the way they came. In the tallest limbs of an old oak tree, Alastair hung upside down as he waved the captured flag triumphantly. Corvo stood above his brother on the tree limb and pounded his chest twice before pointing his fingers out like a gun at the opposing team. This break allowed Mike to break free from the suffocating mass of Ares Cabin members and reach Argos. As Clarisse got off, and spat on the boy, before turning to leave.
"Stupid little punk," She growled as she started to walk away. "Come on, boys! We'll get them next time!"
"You got lucky, punks!" One of the Ares boys called out as the entire Cabin walked away.
Mike panted a bit as he made his way over to Argos and offered him a hand up. "You okay, Argos?" He asked.
Argos groaned as he shakily grabbed Mike's hand. "Define okay," He said as Mike pulled him to his feet.
"Well, at least you're in one piece. We'll see if Apollo Cabin can help patch you up," Mike sighed as he put away his weapons.
"I got lucky. That's it," Argos groaned as Mike let him lean on his shoulder.
"Well, luck always does have a part to play. Sometimes it's getting lucky or dying," Mike replied as the two slowly started to walk.
"That's one hell of a choice," Argos muttered to himself.
"By the way, how'd you do that wind blast thing that got them off you?" Mike asked, still surprised.
"... I don't know," Argos replied.
"... Adding that to the board when we're done…" Mike muttered as the two walked off to get Argos treated.
To Be Continued…