Chapter 5

–FIST FIGHTS-

***

“Why did you just stand there?”

After the entire Horn Ordeal, Dionysus had snickered at the face
Malcolm and Kayla pulled when Chiron had announced that. It was like a live action Greek frowning theatre mask.

The two had turned and started doing the walk of shame down to their cabins, while the rest of the camp had laughed it off and soon flooded back to what they were last doing.

“Because I didn’t want to get in any more trouble, like you.“

“You could have backed me!”

“Dionysus doesn’t change his mind, he was already set on it being us.”

“Still could have backed me.”

Malcolm rolled his eyes,nodding and agreeing just to make Kayla happy, which he did often. “Could have, didn’t. Too late now.”

She huffed and turned to him as Malcolm guided them towards the Athena cabin.

“When do we start cleaning duty?”
She asked, and he said they should probably start after dinner- which Kayla pieced together was when Capture The Flag would start.

“Uh, I’ll think about it.”

“It wasn’t an option, let’s just do it, Mickey.”

“How much trouble do you think you could get in? I don’t know… just, logicspeak them or something.”

“I don’t have logicspeak.”

“Whatever.”

Kayla walked back to Hermes after saying bye to Malcolm, huffing.

What could I do now?

Head start on cleaning?

There wouldn’t be any dishes.

Or would there?

Am I even allowed to do that?

Come on, Mickey, think.

Ah, we’ll see.

There were, infact, few dishes in the sinks, and Kayla figured it would help do the job faster for later.

So she got to work, but each time she cleaned one, two more would take its place. See, if she wasn’t staring out the window trying to catch some random kids attention just to death stare him, Kayla would have noticed this straight away. But ADHD and all that, right?

Ten minutes went past before she noticed.

And although not being good at maths, but if you think how many dishes someone washes per minute, and there were around a dozen in the first place, that’s quite alot of dishes.

She gave up. Because it seemed Dionysus was taking all this quite serious, he’d obviously cursed the girl -or the dishes- for what she said.

“This is why you’re no one’s favourite.” She told the air above her. To which a dish and a few smashed in the distance.

Yeah, you heard me Mr D.

Kayla walked back out from the cleaning area, and down to the woods, where a few people seemed to be setting up flags or simply talking to the ones who were doing so. It seemed to be a few Aphrodite kids who were organising where the flags were going.

“Back, more! No- Baker! I told you it needs to be centered.”

“Yes, Baker. Make sure it’s centered, will you.” The kid gave Kayla a glare in response. Fair, they didn’t know one another.

“You’re the other side of the woods, Mickey.”

“I know, Silena- actually, I didn’t know, so thanks.”

Silena, Head Councillor of Aphrodite, not very fond of her. Feeling was mutual, Kayla was pretty sure she’s heard a few of the conversations Kayla’s had with Malcolm in the past.

“Most aphrodite girls are like that, don’t let them get to you.”

Kayla didn’t know Silena was an Aphrodite kid at the time, she was pretty new. Just walking out of the sword grounds and talking to her newfound friend.

Though Kayla wasn’t talking about Silena, even when she didn’t know her she seemed pretty chill, and decently good at sword fighting, too. But she seemed to stick onto the fact Kayla dissed her sisters.

“I’ll tell Dionysus.” She said, while positioning the Ares flag to stand upright, a messily painted, bright red sheet of some sort with a boars head that looked.. nothing like a boar. That was definitely the Ares kids flag painting.

“I’ll tell Clarisse you said she shouldn’t have even bothered to try and paint the flag. I’ll put emphasis on ‘try’, too.”

“I’m sure she’ll punch you six feet under.”

“Me and you both, I’ll still do it.”

Silena cleared her throat, and glared at Kayla. Having someone like Silena glare death directly at you didn’t feel good, Kayla couldn’t explain why.

“No, thanks to you, we probably won’t even have an actual leader to order all the Ares kids around, or us- for that matter.”

“Thanks to me?”

“Word gets around, Mickey. You’ve put her in the medical wing for the past day.”

Hang on.

“Past day?” She asked, “I. Me? put her in the medical wing? Why am I only just finding out now?”

“You’ve known ever since it happened, Chiron says if she’s lucky she’ll be up in time for the game,” Silena replied, and Kayla nodded slowly. “She woke up about an hour ago, in the meantime we’ve been setting up this flag for her.”

“As if you actually want to do that?”

“As if I actually want to be on her bad side?”

Good point, She tilted her head forward, nodding. Act kind to her upfront. It’s like a game.

Silena continued, “Anyway, do you want to go to your side now? It’s no fun you already know where it is.”

“I won’t be here, you know that.”

“I know, but still. Also, word of advice,” She said, turning her attention to Kayla after fixing up the flag. “I’d steer clear of any of the Ares kids for a while, they’re not too happy.”

Kayla figured Sherman- who Clarisse had put in the medical wing for lying- would say otherwise, as he was probably dreading the moment Clarisse would be back, but she stayed quiet about that.
Kayla just gave her finger guns and nodded, walking closer towards the flag, as if she was examining the area around it. “Already on it, don’t worry!”

“Really? They’re gonna be here any minute,” Silena replied, chuckling sarcastically. “Look, I’m trying to save you here, you’ve got yourself in enough trouble.”

Kaylas eyes widened, as she stopped pretending to examine the art work of the flag infront of me. “Got it, noted. Yeah, I think I’m gonna go- over there.” She pointed infront, to where the rest of the woods remained, where her team would be.

Before she could answer, she said a quiet good bye and left her to finish perfecting the already centered flag.

Walking over to the other side of the woods, everything was peaceful, there seemed to be traps set up the closer she got to her side, courtesy of the Athena kids ideas, although Kayla knew that around about now Ares would be doing the exact same, if not worse. She saw Athena’s cabin who had just finished setting up the flag, the majority dusting their hands off or sorting out positions.

“-Luke gave you your position?” Kayla overheard Annabeth ask that new kid, Percy Jackson.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted Annabeth to see her, as it was only Athena cabin present, and Annabeth definitely wasn’t too pleased about her cleaning duties later on. Kayla decided to stay behind a tree.

“Border Patrol, whatever that means.” He replied.

“Great, we’ll be coming back here in around half an hour when the game starts, leave the rest to me.”

She watched the two walked off together, back to the main area of camp and catching up to everyone else, She crept from behind a tree she had gone behind, running down the small hill to where the flag was and checking the traps close to it. Not bad.

Too bad I have to clean dishes.

***

“Come on! Dionysus said he’d put a curse on the dishes if we were late, Malcolm!”

“I’m coming!”

He rushed out of his cabin doors rapidly, leaving it open hehind him, running to catch up to Kayla.

“Did he really say that?”

“What would you do if I said he already did it?”

“You’re joking?”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

He shook his head disapprovingly as they made their way up to the cleaning area. As she walked in, they both grimaced at how many dishes were piled up in all the sinks combined.

Everyone had just finished dinner and Capture The Flag was set to start in five minutes top, the odd few campers just making their way to the woods now.

As it turns out, Sherman Yang was leading the Ares cabin for the game, as you could see him walking down to the woods with the majority of his siblings now.

Kayla was beginning to feel… unsure, that what had happened down at the training ground had been the same as when it had happened when she first came to Camp Half Blood and decided to defend Malcolm, this time it had been stronger, last time they passed out, it was for a few hours- tops.

Had I really put someone- not only someone- the strongest kid in Camp Half Blood- in that much pain?

“-Hello, kayla?”

“Huh? Yeah, Hi.”

“I said we should start with the bigger ones first, then do the cutlery last.”

She nodded, telling him that was a good idea, as they started doing just that and made conversation, too.

“Got any ideas on who actually blew the battle horn?” She asked, huffing.

“Ofcourse I have, I’ve already thinned it down to two cabins, actually.”

“Well as if that isn’t easy, brain smoothie.”

He nodded, and agreed. “Yeah, it is. But- who?” He asked, answering his own question. “I was going to say an Ares kid was trying to get you back, y’know, just my luck I was with you at the time. Or could have been an Apollo kid, simply trying to annoy Ares cabin even more, until we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Oh,” I said, furrowing my brows. “I was going to say someone from Hermes, since they’re… you know how it is.”

“They wouldn’t do that to someone from their own cabin.” He said, shaking his head.

“No, actually, they wouldn’t set me up, your right. Unless-” I said, pausing dramatically. “It was a prank.”

“Okay, but like… Ares kids, did you see Clarisse? Me either. It would make sense.”

Her eyes went wide with guilt, not that she felt guilty. But she simply was guilty.
“About that,” she said, clearing my throat. “She may or may not have been knocked out for a while. She… might have woke up like two hours ago.”

He stopped washing a plate, turning towards Kayla.

“How…?”

A loud, indescribable sound was heard from down in the woods- the game had begun. She looked out the window, sighing, and coming back to reality.

“Ask my dad.” She said, shrugging. It was obviously to do with that- her dad. Malcolm knew Kayla’s mortal parent had been her mother. He had only been around to Kayla’s place once in the years she’s currently known him, he’s met her Aunt, but he didn’t stay for long.

Kayla’s Aunt- or as Kayla called her step mother- a kind yet closed minded woman who loves animals. She probably should have told him she kept tarantulas as pets. And Kayla didn’t exactly know Athena kids didn’t like spiders and what not. But… they all learnt that the hard way.

“Gee, thanks. Let me just go round and ask him,” He nodded, smirking.
“So it wasn’t Ares?”

“I suppose it could have been. Apollo is less likely though.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

She nodded, humming, and started cleaning the next dish. Around ten minutes past, and it was silence- the door being left slightly ajar left nothing but birds tweeting and the faint sound of kids shouting or laughing in the distance.

This was really not fair!

“…Malcolm?”

“Yes…?”

How would I phrase this? Cover me? Look out for me? I’ve gone to the toilet? Come with me?

“What would you do of I was to go right now?”

He huffed, already knowing what she was talking about. “Go where?”

Kayla wouldn’t like it if he lied to her, so- “Out. And down. To the woods?”

“You’re not leaving me.”

“Wait, you’d come?”

“No. I said you’re not leaving me. If I were coming I’d say I’m not leaving you.”

“Okay, so don’t leave me.”

She said, placing the sponge and her gloves down on the drying rack, walking away slowly.

“You’ll get caught!”

“Logicspeak them or something!”
She told him, as he continued washing the dishes. Don’t make me feel bad.

I don’t have logic speak, Kay!”

She groaned, bashing her feet on the floor in two different directions- exit or dishes- while he just shook his head frantically.

“I swear to the River Styx I will personally jab you right between the eyes if you blame any –any– of this on me, kayla Graves-“

She chuckled, realising no matter what she couldn’t blame him at all, even though she wasn’t planning to in the first place.

“I’m not going to get caught, or I wouldn’t be doing it.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”

And without another word, she was gone. She promised herself she would make up for it later, since it wasn’t fair he had to wash the rest alone now, or for however long the game would go on for.

All the adults were at the entrance of the woods, so she planned in her head if she went behind the woods, popping out behind Athena’s flag- the only person there would be Jackson, on Border Patrol.

The entrance she took into the woods was anything but clear, full of all sorts of poisonous plants and insects that looked far too brightly coloured to be deemed safe. She kept her distance. Thankfully, she could hear the stream from near by.

“Come on, Kay, don’t get caught, don’t get consequences.”

Kayla came to a clearing in the woods, and in the far distance could also see a blue-plumed helmet; Percy Jackson.

No one else seemed to be near him, although she knew Annabeth had to be nearby from earlier conversation.

She would walk further up, then cross the stream, then walk further up again, to be in enemy territory- even though everywhere could be considered that, really. That was her plan.

A snap of a twig was all it took, and she had to bob down. From the gaps in the bushes, Percy seemed to have shrugged it of rather quickly, going back to tapping his foot and groaning as his sword slipped out of his hand clumsily.

Other than the faint tapping of Jackson’s foot on the forest ground and the light breeze between the trees, it was fairly silent, there were no sounds of arrows soaring across the air or swords parrying. That was probably due to the game starting recently.

Another snap of a twig had her turning her neck- because it wasn’t Kayla. Then she heard something that made the hairs on her arms freeze off.

A loud canine growl seemed to come from behind her. Far away, yes, but it was definitely behind. She cleared her throat and decided to continue walking, crouching the entire time since Percy seemed to be completely alert now.

Although she didn’t get too far in the other side of the woods when she heard a full tree branch snap, or that’s what it sounded like, anyway. She decided to edge away from where Jackson was, going back the way she came.

“RAGH!”

What was happening? Kayla wishes she could’ve known herself at that moment in time. But all she can say is her head was being ragged backwards with her hair, far away enough so that Percy could focus on his given task of keeping watch.

“YOU!”

Ah, now she can see- literally, now she could see. She couldn’t at first- A fellow camper seemed to be very angry with her. Wonder who.

“You. Psycho!”

Kayla stumbled back as she let go of her hair, giving her a strong enough push away from her so that she was backed up against a tree.

“Okay! Let’s talk?”

That approach didn’t seem to work.

Bash!

Like a high-school bully, grabbing your T-shirt and bashing you straight into a locker- except it was a tree.
Needless to say her spine seemed to be non-existent.

Her blonde hair bobbed up and down as she moved, it was untamed and choppy, as always.

“Wait, wait wait!”

To Kayla’s surprise, she stopped: to take a breath. Another bash against the tree was received.

“Wait for what? Tell me, loser!”

What do I say? I didn’t mean to? Yeah, because that would work.

“Firstly, I didn’t mean to,” She rambled, as Clarisse reached up her hand, fist clenched, she didn’t seem to have her spear on her, or… armour? “Second- I understand why your mad, if I could tell you what I did, I’d have spit it out already, I don’t know what it was!”

“I’ve missed the game because of you! Sherman Yang is leading my team- because of you!”

“Missed the game? But the game’s- oh.” Put two and two together, Clarisse never goes anywhere without her spear and armour. Seeing Clarisse without those two listed things is like seeing a polar bear in Australia.

She let go of Kayla, not before giving Kayla a harsh blow in the stomach which she was completely unprepared for. Kayla doubled over with a groan, trying to regain an upright position quickly, heaving for breath. Damn, that girl punched just as she thought.

“Don’t act so surprised! Come on! Give me another concussion! Make me pass out!” She shouted with gritted teeth to make herself more quiet, which Kayla supposed was smart, really. “Where’s you’re sword? Come on, you’ve got your hand fixed, finally!”

Kayla grabbed the dagger from out of her jean pocket, stumbling away and clearing her throat, attempting to straighten her posture, which didn’t go without a few cracks.

“Listen, you got your fun, alright? Blowing your own horn was good, okay?” Kayla said, no pun intended. “Everyone thought you were still in the infirmary, obviously. Asleep.”

She rolled her eyes, a snarky look on her face as she turned her nose upwards. “I have been asleep idiot, because of you!”

“What?”

She trampled towards Kayla, aiming for a punch right to the jaw. Kayla ducked, barely, before scurrying behind her and regaining herself. They were pratically circling one another.

“So you didn’t try to get me back for what I did?”

She scoffed, “what do you think I’m doing now, dummy?” Another attempted blow to the diaphragm, this time. Kayla sidestepped and kicked her in the ribs, both of them stumbling.

“Well then who did?”

“Why does that matter? I don’t care if you got into trouble for a stupid trumpet, Gods!”

Kayla huffed, rolling her eyes, she wouldn’t be very happy if she knew it was her battle horn, would she?

“Well I shouldn’t have, and it was your horn, why would I want to touch anything of yours?”

She shook her head, disagreeing, yet not putting down the fight she had already picked up.

“Stop acting as if you didn’t do it.” I told her, rolling my eyes.

“I didn’t do anything, it’s all your fault!”

“Yes you did!”

“Did not!” She countered, pouncing for Kayla to grab her by the scuff of her T-shirt.

“Agh! Your annoying!” Before Kayla could pass back an annoying comment, she had her pinned on the floor, and Kayla didn’t back down without fighting back. She shuffled while on her back, using her arms to grab her on the scuff of her own shirt. They were all in all, taking turns to see who could hold down one another the longest.

“Get- off me- now!” Kayla grumbled with gritted teeth, trying to push her off- once again, she was bigger, stronger, and taller.

So Kayla went with what seemed best. Kicking her in the pelvis seemed to do a good job. She doubled over this time, hands trying not to go inbetween her legs. Kayla grimaced at her own actions. That must have felt horrible.

“Agh- you little-“

Focus, Kayla.

“Ah- I swear to Tartarus!” There Clarisse went again, holding her hands up to her head now. She stumbled back, squeezing her eyes closed.

Control it.

She regained herself after ten seconds or so, becoming more balanced, although Kayla tried to gain control once more- it didn’t work.

Clarisse simply stared at her, blank faced, her anger was prominent at first, quickly it became more and more wide- eyed and shocked instead. “What…”

“What are you waiting for, Grumpy?” Kayla asked, although she didn’t comment anything back. It seemed forever in which was only a few seconds of silence. She stared at Kayla, her eyes traveling up towards Kayla’s head smoothly. And then she herself saw what Clarisse had paled at: Purple butterflies; around twenty of them. Swarming her, torso upwards. They were gentle when flying, and slightly holographic- they faded once they reached her head into little specs of glitter, which dropped down onto the ground once more and sunk into the earth.

“What’s going on?” Kayla asked, as Clarisse simply came closer, then backed up instantaneously, her hand going for the spear that wasn’t with her. “Ah! Ow! What-“

To say Kayla had a rather high pain tolerance- this was the worst, most horrid pain she had had ever felt. Ever.

First, it was like a small pain that shot up her spine, and then parted ways to both of her shoulders. It felt like her shoulder blades had just miraculously started growing out of her back- and something had. If an open fracture felt as bad as it looked, this was way worse. There were ripping sounds, like flesh, something about the sound being oddly gooey and crunchy. She wailed in pain. Holy fuck, Kayla thought. It was like giving birth… but from your back?

Clarisse stood there, dumbfounded and shocked, she hadn’t ever seen something like this before. There would be surprise if anyone would have.

“Graves?”

“What!”

The pain was… to sum it up, like death itself. Kayla dug her hands into the dirt below her as she opted to fall onto her knees. She’d sort her fingernails out later.

From what she could see when turning her head (as far as she was able to) black avian wings had sprouted through her back. She could see the tips of them behind her while looking straight forward. They made her hunch over while sat down on the ground with her legs tucked under her, and the tips of the wings were slightly floppy where the largest feathers were on each side.

Clarisse was for once quiet and still, perhaps a little traumatised. Her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, and she stepped back once again.

“I’m… I’m gonna guess you’ve just been claimed.”