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-Loth's P.O.V-
When I opened my eyes, dawn was breaking over Camp Half-Blood.
"It's the next day..."
My words came out more of a statement than a question.
The morning air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of pine, and everything around me felt more vivid—alive in ways I couldn't describe.
A blanket rested above my shoulders, covered in a sheet of dew.
Shrugging it off, I leaned back on Thalia's tree, the rough bark pressing against me and inducing some funny sensations, as I stretched out my limbs. An accompanying satisfied groan/yawn escaped me,
"Pulled an all-nighter meditating, sheesh, it's college all over again."
Only with test-cramming instead of spell crafting. No wonder I dropped out. The latter is more interesting than Law.
In spite of this, my muscles felt like they'd been through a marathon, both fatigued and weirdly enough, humming with energy.
I didn't even feel sleepy.
Then something shifted in my mind. Not a memory, but knowledge, clear and undeniable.
A spell. A gift.
'Reinforcement.'
The Spell's name hung in my thoughts like a whisper, giving off a familiar divine aura. Hecate's aura.
Her touch was accompanied by an understanding of how to use the spell; channelling the magical energy in my chest throughout my body to enhance its attributes.
Strength, Speed, Durability...all would see an upgrade.
'Just like I'd hoped for,' I couldn't help but smile in thought.
My internal magic vessel within my chest had also expanded and more pink energy roiled within it in a swirling maelstrom.
Such a jump in reserves would normally throw off my control and necessitate Luna's help to train it back up.
However, my own Magic Control had miraculously increased overnight to meet the demand. The magic was so easy to move around now. Another gift from Hecate maybe?
I flexed my fingers, intending to test the new spell.
A series of pink colored magic circuits lit up beneath the surface of my skin in preparation.
"Reinfor-"
Before I could fully activate it, Annabeth's sharp voice cut through the quiet.
"Loth! Get up, you lazy idiot!" She stomped toward me, dragging a tired-looking Percy along. "Capture the Flag starts in an hour, and we need to prepare."
"Morning to you too," I muttered releasing the spell and pulling myself to my feet.
I threw the blanket that subtly carried a floral at Annabeth.
"Oh and thanks for the blanket Annabelle. It kept me from freezing to death."
Annabeth caught it with narrowed eyes.
"Call me that again, and I'll rectify the mistake by killing you. Very very Violently. Mpmh!"
She stomped away, leaving me a little frightened. Just a little.
Percy raised an eye brow as we followed after her.
"So...you overheard us talking to Mr.D?"
"Just bits. Here and there. You guys came to check on me, I appreciate it."
"No sweat."
Percy grinned despite his groggy state. "Looks like the glow is gone. No more Divine Enlightenment huh?"
I blinked at that. "Divine enlightenment?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You were stupidly sitting there, shining purple like a lantern. Mr.D said not to bother you. Figured it had something to do with Hecate."
I gave a grunt as they confirmed my suspicions. A spell like reinforcement, so perfectly attuned to my needs and inspiration—it had to be 'Her' doing.
In that case, Divine Enlightenment was a fitting name indeed. "Well, thanks for not disturbing me."
"You're very welcome...Idiot."
Annabeth shrugged.
"Would you stop calling me that. I'm sorry about earlier."
I groaned, almost regretting my earlier comment.
"Nope...Idiot."
Annabeth smirked, unfazed by my glare. This little...
Percy nudged me. "So, what's the enlightenment? Anything good?"
I gave him a knowing smirk. "You'll see soon enough."
---
The large field outside the Arena buzzed with energy as campers from every cabin gathered around.
The forest encompassing the playing area stretched out like a maze of shadowy trees behind us, the morning sunlight filtering through the dense green.
We faced the stage with Chiron and Mr.D.
"Listen up, you little delinquents!" Mr. D barked, perched lazily on his chair. His bored tone made his words all the more ridiculous.
"Here are the rules: No maiming, no killing, no setting the forest on fire—yes, I'm looking at you, Hephaestus cabin—and no whining when you lose."
He gave the gathered campers a once-over, his gaze pausing only to take a sip of what was definitely not Coke but looked like Coke. Aura sense was going crazy in regards to the bottle in his hand. It felt like he was drinking the Mist. Weird.
"The teams are Athena, Apollo, and Hermes cabins led by Annalise, versus Ares, Hephaestus, and Demeter cabins led by Clarence. The flag is hidden in the forest. Call on Chiron in case of emergencies, he's both the referee, the judge, the medical expert...in fact he's in charge of this sordid affair."
The Centaur on his side, nodded as if he'd been expecting it. I had a feeling it wasn't the first time Dionysus pawned off his responsibilities to the Camp Coordinator.
"Lastly, try not to die or I won't hear the end of it. That's all. Mr. D out, peace."
The God of Wine concluded and left.
"You heard the Camp Leader. May the competition begin!"
Chiron gave the go-ahead and the campers responded with a deafening battle cry.
Across the field, Clarrise and I locked gazes. She slid a finger across her neck in a threatening gesture. In response, I flipped her the bird and promptly ignored her. No more words were needed, we'd meet on the battlefield.
Annabeth quickly gathered our team for a quick strategy session.
Everyone was in gear, with armor and a variety of weapons like swords, shields, spears and bows. We looked like a rag tag band of mercenaries more than an army.
I wore a brown leather coat that reached my knees and had a high collar that was enchanted to reduce piercing damage, 2 pairs of durable forearm and shin guards, that according to Luke could 'supposedly' enhance my fighting skills from amateur to basic proficiency.
In contrast, Luke had almost no armor save for a metal vest and studded boots. Yet, he looked more of a warrior than I ever could.
"Loth, Percy," she said, pointing at us like a general assigning troops, "you're guarding the perimeter. Keep an eye out for ambushes, and if anything unusual happens, report back immediately."
"Unusual like what?" I asked, voice muffled by the collar of my coat. To me it sounded like she was keeping us away from the main action.
"Anything that feels like it wants to kill you idiots." she replied, not missing a beat.
"Fantastic," Percy sarcastically muttered, not happy with our placement either.
---
The game began with a sharp blast of the conch horn, sending the campers scattering into the forest.
Percy and I took up our assigned positions near a stream that bordered our side of the playing field.
The rushing water provided a soothing contrast to the distant battle cries echoing through the trees. A battle I was thoroughly missing.
"Think anyone's actually going to try to sneak past us?" Percy asked, twirling his sword idly.
Ideally, that would be the best outcome as I would get to finally test Reinforcement. Realistically?
"Probably not," I replied, scanning the treeline. "But you never know. This is Capture the Flag. People get—"
A war cry cut me off, and I turned to see Clarisse barreling out of the trees, her electric spear crackling in her hands.
"—petty," I finished in notable disbelief.
Behind her, a handful of Ares campers fanned out, grinning like they already had us beaten.
"Time to pay you back for last time, losers!" Clarisse shouted, her eyes fixed on Percy and me with a mix of fury and glee.
Percy groaned. "Of course she's here."
She didn't waste time, lunging at Percy with a feral grin. He dodged her first strike, countering with a slash of his sword that forced her back.
"What are you waiting for?! Get him!"
Clarrise yelled.
The other Ares campers closed in on Percy, forcing me to face Clarisse alone.
"It's just you and me...Loth."
She ran at me, spear poised to run me through.
"Reinforcement," I whispered, focusing on the warmth in my chest.
Pink magic circuits lit up all over me, and the magic surged through my entire system, spreading to my limbs like liquid fire.
My muscles instantly became stronger, my reflexes sharper, and when I conjured my spear construct to block her next attack, I didn't falter.
Our weapons met with a deafening 'crack', sparks flying as the enchanted spear clashed with my glowing construct, resulting in red and pink streaks of energy.
"What? How?!"
Clarrise's face was the picture of shock.
"Magic."
I smirked, exerting my new strength to push her back more than 10 feet away.
Catching her balance, Clarisse sneered. "It doesn't matter! Let's see how long you can keep it up."
The fight became a blur of strikes and counters.
Clarisse was relentless, her spear cutting arcs of electricity through the air.
But with Reinforcement, I held my own, matching her skill and excellent battle instincts with enhanced strength, speed and constructs.
And God did it frustrate her while I enjoyed.
"Stay still!"
She would yell as I laughed and sidestepped her thrusts, countered with multiple spear constructs quickly jabbing out, and even managed to disarm her once—though she reclaimed her weapon almost immediately. But not before spanking her a little. Maybe it would teach her some manners. You're welcome Ares.
The power flowing within me was exhilarating. It made me daring, confident. It also came with a cost.
Each second the reinforcement spell remained active drained my magic reserves, and I could feel the fatigue creeping in.
'Shit.'
My movements became slightly slower, my attacks less forceful and the number of constructs fell down to 1. Clarisse noticed.
"Getting tired, huh?" she taunted, her confidence returning and lunging forward. "Don't worry—I'll end this quick!"
Teeth gritted, I parried, twisting my body to avoid her strike, and used her momentum against her.
My leg swept out, knocking her to the ground. Her spear flew from her hands, landing several feet away.
I pressed the tip of my spear construct to her throat. " Learned that from Luke. Now Yield."
Clarisse glared up at me, her face red with frustration. After a tense moment, she raised her hands in surrender. "Fine. You win this round."
Muttering curses under her breath, she scrambled to her feet and retreated into the forest, followed by her cronies, who Percy had handled easily.
"Seeing Clarrise knocked on her butt was so satisfying."
Percy laughed. I found myself joining in.
--
Letting go of Reinforcement, I was instantly hit with exhaustion.
"Oh man...so tired."
I stumbled towards the tree Percy was leaning on.
"So what was that? Pink lines appear all over your skin and then suddenly you are pushing back Clarrise? Not the Loth I know."
Percy questioned as I propped down beside him.
I barely had time to my catch breath let alone respond, before a deep, guttural growl echoed through the clearing.
"Did you hear that?" Percy stiffened, his voice low and tense.
The growl came again, louder, and from the shadows cloaking the trees, emerged a monstrous dog with red eyes. It came to a stop on the other side of the stream.
The Dog's massive frame oozed darkness, matted black fur glistening with wetness, and its glowing red eyes locked onto us like a predator to its prey. A low growl rumbled up Its throat.
"Percy..."
I gulped.
"Yeah...It's a Monster." Percy muttered, tightening the group on his sword.
The beast lunged over the stream, its jaws snapping inches from Percy's face, only to be stopped by my magic barrier.
The son of Poseidon sprung to action as the Monster shattered the barrier and slashed at it with his sword, driving it back from us, but the creature was unrelenting.
I scrambled to my feet, activating Reinforcement again, ignoring the strain as I charged at the Hellhound with my spear.
We worked in tandem, Percy striking from one side while I attacked from the other while guarding us with my barrier constructs, if only for a moment.
The Beast's claws ripped through my them like they were paper, forcing me to rely on quick, desperate maneuvers to stay alive.
Percy managed to slice its flank, and the beast howled in pain, but it retaliated with a swipe that sent him sprawling.
"Percy!" I shouted, throwing my spear construct to distract the Hellhound. It turned on me, its jaws snapping shut just as I leapt back. An action that saw me cornered against a tree.
Panicking, I used up all my magic on a series of barriers layered on top of each other. The monster destroyed them all, and it's jaws wete about to rip me apart.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Percy crawling toward the stream. He plunged his hand into the water, and a surge of liquid energy erupted around him.
The stream formed into a spear of water, which he hurled with incredible force.
The spear struck the beast from behind and out through the chest, piercing its heart.
It let out a final, blood-curdling roar before collapsing onto the ground in dying throes.
The forest fell silent again, save for our ragged breathing.
"You okay?" Percy asked, pulling me to my feet.
"Yeah," I panted still staring at the Monster. "Thanks for the save."
"Anytime," he replied with a forced grin.
Before we could fully recover, Annabeth, Luke, and our team emerged from the trees, their faces full of triumph, switching to concern.
"What happened?" Luke demanded, his eyes scanning the clearing.
"Was that a Hellhound?" Annabeth asked, her gaze fixed on it's dissipating corpse.
I raised my brows. "Hellhound? Guess we were lucky. It just came out of nowhere and attacked us."
"That sounds unfortunate. Good news though..."
Luke held up the captured flag, a victorious grin on his face. "Looks like we won."
"Great," I muttered, collapsing onto a nearby rock. "Next time, let's make it a little less exciting."
Third monster attack in a row. Something told me it wasn't a coincidence anymore.