First Day part 2
Liam stood bow in hand staring at a line of teenagers wearing orange as they drew back their own bows before a loud series of thumps rang out in the clearing. At the end of the line, Chiron stalked about critiquing the different camper's form and overall accuracy.
"Too high and you veered towards the left. Try again Chris." chided the Centaur who stopped his walk next to one of the other Hermes campers.
The boy next to the Activities Director didn't make any comments but he complied. Taking the long wooden bow and knocking an arrow on its side. Chris drew in a deep breath as he pulled back the bow's string and as his lungs reached capacity the boy fired.
The primitive-looking arrow whistled towards the targets just downrange before another familiar thump was heard. Liam looked over to the target seeing it much closer to the middle but still off from the center.
Chiron's eyes narrowed as he stared towards the target before he quietly said, "Passable. Keep practicing."
Liam looked downrange at the empty target before thinking, Dammit Luke why'd you leave me here?
After lunch in the Mess Hall, Luke rounded up all of the Hermes cabin members before rushing them down towards the North of the strawberry fields. After getting there most of the cabin members lined up along what looked like a line of racks that each carried a singular longbow and a mix of sharpened bronze arrows.
The only two that didn't join the line were the twins.
They both searched the range when the cabin first arrived noticing Chiron's absence before giving each other a look then running off. It only took Luke a few seconds to notice their missing presence before he ran off after them cursing, "I let you two out of my sight for one minute!"
Shortly after which Chiron trotted up to the range carrying a bow in hand to begin his 'lesson.'
Awkwardly gripping the bow in his hand Liam continued to fumble around trying to figure out how to use the damned thing. At first, he tried copying the others but after almost stabbing himself with his own arrow he decided to wait for Chiron to reach him.
Slowly time ticked by as the Teacher of Heroes gave each of the members of the Hermes cabin their own personal few minutes of guidance. Thinking back to a certain child who used to be in the cabin Chiron muttered, "Some more than others..."
The next student was the last one in the line; he looked over to the last camper on the far right of the archery range. Out in front of him, the Centaur saw Liam fumbling about with his bow.
Walking over to the camp's newest resident Chiron asked, "I take it that you've never used a longbow?"
Liam in all of his bow-wielding glory was currently trying to turn the thing sideways to make the arrow stay knocked in place. To make a long, and painful, story short it wasn't working out well for him. The fledglings arm had long red welts dotted along his forearm; the things were easily noticeable on his pale skin.
Pulling out of his most recent attempt to fire the weapon Liam answered, "Try never used a bow at all. I've lived in the city for almost my whole life."
"Never been hunting then?" inquired Chiron looking at Liam's grip on the longbow's handle.
Liam flashed him an incredulous look as he corrected, "No my Dad used to take me. We always used guns though."
Giving Liam a curt nod the Activities Director stuck both of his hands out, one went to Liam's wrist while the other gripped his bow. Pushing the boy's hand down just below the weapon's middle Chiron lectured, "That explains your grip then. Always try to keep your dominant hand just below the middle."
Liam let the Centaur readjust his grip then asked, "Like that?"
The centuries-old teacher looked down at where Liam's hands were placed then gave him a short nod. Chiron leaned his torso down grabbing one of the many hand-feathered arrows below before handing it to the boy.
"Take the same position you just had and knock the arrow by leaning it off the crook of your pointer finger." taught Chiron while critiquing Liam's footwork in his head.
Liam followed his directions to the letter sticking the string of the bow between the small notch on the backside of the arrow. After that, he positioned the shaft so it was riding along with the bow and his pointer finger's knuckle. To his side, Chiron commented, "Good!"
"Now as you draw take a deep breath; when your lungs fill let the arrow fly and breathe out." continued Chiron with a smile.
Alright, I got this. Thought Liam as he slowly pulled back the arrow.
A whistling sound chirped in front of him as Liam let go of the string of the bow. Excited he stared out in front of him waiting for it to land. Less than a second later the whistling stopped as a low thud echoed in the clearing followed by flying dirt.
Chuckling Chiron said, "Well at least you got it downrange. Next time let's try to hit the target, ya?" looking down at Liam's arrow embedded in the dirt a few feet in front of his mark. (1)
The rest of Liam's archery block went fairly well. Slowly after taking more and more shots, Liam started to be able to get more on target until he began to actually hit his mark for once, not that it was anything more than near the outer edge.
Chiron continued on with his rotations going through and spending time with each different Hermes Cabin member as he saw they needed help. The Centaur looked up at the afternoon sun before thinking let's finish my last roundabout.
Meanwhile, just outside the range, another group of mixed individuals was approaching for the last activity they had to do for the day. That cabin would be known to most as the Apollo cabin lead by their Head Counselor, Lee Fletcher, who was mostly known as a brave ray of sunshine when compared with the other Fletcher in the cabin.
Unlike the rest of the campers currently in the range, most if not all of these ones were approaching with their own personal equipment. Their supplies ranged from personal bows and arrows all the way to their own arm guards.
Pushing forward at a brisk pace from the rest of them was the less liked Fletcher. The teenager, Fletcher Yew, was already rather irritated from his day after a run-in with his least liked, no hated individual in the camp.
Percy Jackson.
Fletcher could honestly say that he hated the stuck up prick. Fletcher didn't always think like that though. No, when he first met Percy Fletcher thought the kid was pretty okay. However, it only went downhill from there.
When Percy first arrived a few weeks ago that was all anyone in the camp bothered to talk about. Fletcher couldn't really understand it until he heard the story. As it turns out the kid somehow had gotten into a fight with not only a Fury but the Minotaur as well. Oh, he won the battle all right but did he deserve it?
No! growled Fletcher in his head.
Percy didn't have the honor nor the prestige to be a hero in Fletcher's mind. It was more likely the kid was just lying to get special treatment, but then last Friday during capture the flag he got claimed.
Grinding his teeth together Fletcher replayed the moment in his head.
The fight in the water with the hell-hound beating him to a pulp. Chiron running in to save Percy as almost everyone surrounded him. Then there was the blasted symbol that appeared over his head. After all that Chiron had the audacity to ask the campers to kneel.
To kneel to him!
The twelve-year-old kid who's balls haven't even dropped yet!
Behind Apollo's most angry son, Michael Yew gave a worried glance at his brother who kept on with his furious march towards the archery range. The murderous look on his face was starting to worry Michael. Fletcher had gone out after lunch only to came back pissed all to Hades. Earlier Michael had tried to talk him out of his rut too, but his brother wouldn't budge.
Then came along what to Fletcher might as well have been Percy Jackson V2.
Another fucking celebrity. bitterly thought Fletcher as his he finally came upon the archery range.
Liam who in the middle of the night popped up out of nowhere and suddenly was the talk of the camp because he got into a fight with an Empousa. An impressive feat for a male demi-god that's for sure, but he had the same attitude as the other little prick.
Remembering the lazy and lackluster first meeting with the kid only set him off more. Fletcher had no idea why Chiron seemed to like them so much; it was maddening.
"They're just a bunch of lazy, lying bastards," grumbled Fletcher still angrily stomping forwards leaving his cabin mates behind.
Slowly Fletcher's eyes came to see Chiron doing his usual walk back and forth down the line helping each wannabe archer in his own little way. The Centaur seemed almost happy to do so with each question asked only making him seem more and more cheerful.
It was the Teacher of Heroes' greatest dream after all.
Fletcher shoved his slow-burning anger down deep into his gullet before approaching. From the look of things, Chiron seemed to be heading towards the far right end. Unlike before a small happy grin came onto his face as Fletcher walked up to the line.
This was always what he did best; there was no one better. Nothing but me, my bow, and the wind. thought Fletcher as he claimed one of the empty targets as his own.
Some might think his way of thinking cocky but Fletcher would just say, "It's not cocky if it's true."
Pulling three arrows out of his leather quiver and into his free hand the teenager took his normal stance. His back was squared off while his right foot was stuck forward. The Archer's left foot was diagonal to his right while sitting in the palm of his dominant hand was his gold-painted bow. He had to match his father after all. Preparing for his shot, Fletcher stared down the target fifty feet away.
He had three shots to hit the red dot painted in the middle of the target's circle, not that Fletcher thought that he would miss a single one.
Explosively he drew back his bow and released the first shot. It thrummed through the air letting out the telltale whistling sound of most of the camp's arrows. The second shot followed soon after chasing after the first. The final arrow brought up the rear heading dead center towards the middle of the target.
Looking over at the target Fletcher let out a low, "Tch!"
Fletcher's second shot was slightly off-center landing in the first ring instead of where he originally aimed. Down the range Fletcher could hear Chiron yell, "Block's over, move along!"
Looking to the right towards Chiron's voice Fletcher noticed a face that immediately unearthed his buried frustrations.
Standing right next to the Activities Director with a sheepish smile on his face and a trainee bow in his hand was Liam Davis. The boy looked downrange at his pitiful shots before saying, "I guess, archery just isn't my thing..."
Chiron's tail swished before he quickly replied, "Nonsense! Everyone has to start somewhere. Just keep practicing and you'll do fine."
The boy's look slowly faded before he gave a quick nod.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Hermes Cabin started to clear out with one giving a curious peek behind before they yelled out, "Newbie next up is our free block!"
Fletcher gave Liam one last burning glare as he walked away before an idea came to Fletcher's mind.
"Little bastard's gonna get what's coming to him," growled Fletcher under his breath staring at the forest a small distance behind Cabin Eleven.
-Near the Camp's Forest-
It turned out the free block that Liam was told about was just that, a free block. The cabin could spend their time doing basically whatever they wanted until dinner. Liam's cabin mates had urged him to follow them back to Hermes Cabin which ended up being the most normal out of any of the others there.
It looked like a completely normal wooden cabin except that it had a staff over the door with two twining snakes running up its length. The cabin's dull brown paint was chipped from years in the sunlight with little curls of brown falling down to the ground near the cabin's edge. The inside wasn't so great either with the furniture being worn or even broken all throughout the place. It looked like the place had been used and abused for years.
Liam spent a grand total of twenty minutes in the boring building before deciding to go out a bit and look around. Surprising Liam, none of his cabin-mates really cared and without Luke there to stop him the boy took off looking around the place.
However, Liam's little adventure was cut short when he stumbled across the camp's forest just a short distance away from the Hermes Cabin. The place was filled with huge trees much like the pine where he came in that seemed to tower overhead filling; they seemed to fill the forest floor below with dark shadows that screamed "Beware of monsters!" at the top of their lungs. Just as he was about to pass it by Liam swore he heard someone's voice. Curiously the boy stared into its depths.
Giving a glance up at the fading sun Liam took one apprehensive step backward. Underneath Liam's foot, brown-colored leaves crunched as he slowly turned back.
"What are you scared?" jeered a male voice hidden from Liam's view.
Liam flinched at the voice before reeling towards it. Now in front of him stood the same boy Liam met that morning. Fletcher Yew.
Standing in a sun-bleached orange t-shirt Fletcher lightly gripped his bow with a smirk on his face. His golden-blonde hair was sticking up in long curls while the blue orbs in his head were giving Liam a hateful glare.
Fletcher casually pulled an arrow out of the leather quiver strapped to his back before saying, "Why don't you go out and look a bit? There's nothing there that'll hurt you."
The other boy could tell something was wrong just from the way Fletcher was talking. It was in the same vein of multiple people from his school life, who Liam would rather just forget. His voice had a certain hateful tone to it that sent a warning sign directly to Liam's head. Well all that, and the weapon he was brandishing.
He lies. commented the voice from Liam's mind.
Liam once again flinched at the unwelcome noise before looking back towards his other 'companion.' Fletcher was staring at him with an almost wicked look in his eye. Suddenly the Archer marched to the left blocking Liam's path back towards the cabin, standing threateningly with his bow still in hand.
"Why would I want to go out there? Besides, it's getting dark anyway." prodded Liam attentively watching the other boy's hands waiting for so much as a twitch.
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Fletcher's disingenuous smile stretched a little further as he dared, "Just go out there for a bit you pussy. Call it camp initiation."
Liam silently thought Great... as his eyes started to look for a way out of this.
Tentatively Liam brought one foot forward making a slight imprint on the dirt below.
A sharp whistling noise cut through the air as a single arrow was drawn and fired faster than any normal human would think possible. A singular bronze-tipped arrowhead embedded itself in the dirt less than an inch away from Liam's foot. If Liam's heart could beat, it would be pounding.
"What the hell's your problem?" growled Liam scrunching up his nose and lip into a snarl.
The other boy, still with the same subtle smile, answered: "You wanna know what my problem is? My fucking problem is that people like you don't know their godsdamned place!"
Fletcher's hand shot itself back up towards his back pulling out another arrow before notching it in place with practiced swagger. Still keeping up the same stance the boy gave Liam another scalding look before raging, "When your senior tells you to do something, you do it!"
Coward. denounced the voice as Liam continued to stare at him in silence.
Slowly the fledgling began to feel heat build-up in his chest as he thought back Shut up!
The grueling voice ignored his plea before spitting out, He's weak. Pathetic. Kill him!
More pressure started to build up as Liam brought one of his hands up to his head. As Liam's fingers met cool skin he voraciously shook his head. The boy could feel an almost intangible pressure yelling at him, no screaming at him to do what the voice said. In a way it was tantalizing, yet it felt all too similar to how he reacted the Empousa and Lamae from before. However, it didn't feel alarming at all; it was almost like the voice was encouraging him in its own psychotic way.
It never seemed to mean Liam harm at least.
Liam felt the burning sensation head towards the back of his throat before it quickly settled as he stared at the boy across from him. Fletcher was still standing there with a mocking smile on his face, bow in hand ready to shoot.
Snap his puny mortal body over your knee! Seethed the voice with expectant blood-lust.
"I said shut up!" yelled the fledgling as he began to see red.
Meanwhile, Fletcher had no idea of what to think. A small part of him thought Did I go too far? before he ruthlessly quashed it down. A single look at the kid's face was enough to tell otherwise.
What is he crazy? pondered Fletcher as the boy in front of him looked more and more bothered by the second.
Slowly Liam's hands dropped away from his head before one softly rubbed his throat. A low growl echoed through the forest's edge as the boy finally let his arms go limp. Fletcher's jaw dropped as he stared on in horror.
"W-What the hell are you?" asked the Archer taking a step back
The boy's seemingly normal brown eyes started to take on a shade of glowing crimson as the growl came to an end. Around them, the sounds of birds stopped as the red started to spread out to the rest of Liam's face. His veins glowed red with thinly veiled irritation. Liam's fingers curled as explosive power flexed within his limbs. A pregnant silence opened on the camp's edge as the two Liam's upper lip curled into a snarl revealing two large fangs primed to kill.
Fletcher felt something in him that all Greek demi-gods would, something most would refer to as their 'Battle Reflexes' or as the rest of the world called it ADHD. The Archer's nerves were twitchy ready to be quickly fired at any sign of movement. Swallowing down his nervous fit the demi-god stood his ground.
The vampire attacked first.
Shooting across the short distance between them at a record time, Liam rushed forward with his defense left behind where he started. Thunderous feet impacted cold dirt as Apollo's son nervously fired off a shot.
A whistling noise ran through the air to Liam's left as he reached his target. Fletcher pulled back as quickly as he could but the Archer just wasn't fast enough.
Liam's fist impacted the boy's chest with a mighty "Umph!" pushing Fletcher backward as spittle flew from his mouth. The demi-god instinctively jumped backward with the hit putting more distance between him and Liam.
An arrow laid on a bow's string.
Fletcher's second arrow flew, this time with the practiced discipline of one of the best archers at camp. Liam's entire left side stumbled as a celestial bronze arrow impacted itself deep into his rib cage. Through his rage, the vampire could feel a blazing heat come from the wound that quickly dulled to aching pains. Ultimately, the weapon blew a hole all the way through Liam bringing a spindle of flesh out his back.
Liam's eyes seemed to lose their overzealous fury as he slowly looked down to see an arrow shaft embedded into his ribs. Almost as soon as the rage was lost intelligence came back to the boy's eyes as he muttered, "W-What?"
Fletcher's fearful look faded as Liam stumbled around the arrow still embedded below his chest. Slowly an idea came to Fletcher's mind.
I could be just like them...a monster hunter. Only this time, I deserve it. Thought Fletcher while pulling out another arrow from the wooden quiver on his back.
Liam's mind hurriedly tracked back the events of the last few minutes. The voice, his thirst, a blank spot, then finally the searing pain. His still flaming maroon eyes looked back up from the arrow in his side to see another one aimed straight at his head.
Out in front of him, Fletcher stood with a vindictive smile on his face bowstring drawn. Liam felt a small semblance of fear shoot through him as he put strength into his legs attempting to leap behind a tree inside the darkened forest. Exploding forward the boy took his jump.
Another projectile flung itself from Fletcher's bow only to miss its mark. A long winding whistle went deep into the forest trailing just behind the arrow that caused it. Fletcher angrily stomped one of his feet before cursing, "Shit!"
Liam ended up landing just behind a nearby decaying cedar; trying his best not to agitate his wound, the fledgling took a curious peek from his place in the dark.
Just outside the forest's edge prowled Fletcher with his bow still in hand nervously looking into the tree-line's shadows that only seemed to lengthen further as the sun continued its descent. The Archer's eyes nervously darted around in the darkness before he said, "Shit, Shit, Shit!" while randomly firing arrows off into the inky black forest in front of him.
Each of the arrows unceremoniously plunked into the sides of unfortunate trees or into the loose, leaf litter piled all over the forest ground. Liam gave a shallow sigh of relief; it seemed like Fletcher didn't know where he was at.
"Come out already you pansy!" provoked the archer with a sneer.
Liam didn't say anything as he laid his right side up against the old cedar before taking a look at the new hole in his torso.
Thanks to the boy's vampiric abilities the wound wasn't bleeding, but that didn't stop the aching pain. It came from all over his left side, within his body and from without. Tentatively, Liam tapped the arrow's feathered backside sticking out of his wound.
All it took was a slight touch and the aching instantly turned into a mind-boggling fire. Searing heat came from the wound as rough wood pushed against his soft insides. The boy let out a soft hiss of distress.
A bit of his earlier rage came back as he growled, Why in the hell do you always have to do that crap? You're gonna get me killed! to the voice in his head.
Still watching along the perimeter of the forest Fletcher yelled out, "Get out here already, little monster!"
Liam didn't pay him any mind as he lightly touched the arrow once more. Thinking back to a few of his favorite T.V. shows an idea came to the boy's mind. Biting his lip Liam thought I should just be able to pull it out, right? (2)
Liam bit his lip while thinking Just gotta break off the end first...
In the forest's silent ambiance the sound of what could be thought of as a twig snapping hit Fletcher's ears. Narrowing his eyes the boy took a pot shot at where it came from. Celestial Bronze met wood as his arrow disappeared into the darkness then let out a loud "Thwack!"
As soon as the projectile struck, Liam recoiled feeling the tree behind him shake slightly. Trying his best to keep quiet, the fledgling gripped the now featherless arrow near its head before taking a deep breath.
"One...two...three," whispered Liam before yanking the rest of the shaft from his side.
Another wave of blinding pain hit Liam's mind as he doubled over with his vision blurring. If one were to be close enough they could hear labored breathes and grunts as Liam trembled on the ground with tears in his eyes. The wound itself already began to slowly close, gradually making a giant scab on either side of the pole-shaped injury.
Slowly Liam pulled himself back up as the sun sunk further down letting outs its final rays of light over the horizon. Liam's gaze shifted back over to where the archer stood, now in darkened grays or as Fletcher saw it no light at all.
Use the night like a cloak. Hunt where the morsel cannot see. suggested the voice as Liam continued to watch Fletcher like a hawk.
-Within the Camp's Forest-
Just out of view of the ongoing fight stood a man no one at the camp or otherwise would be able to recall. Wearing what looked like blue-hooded robes finely stitched together with a large yellow stripe running down the front was a man named Falion. (3)
His darkened red skin seemed to blend in well with the night; while beneath the man's blue robe black hair just barely poked out. Strapped to his belt were also two peculiar things to match his outfit with his unusual outfit.
The first was a small dagger with a wooden handle and leather sheath running along his left thigh. The man would claim the weapon was for self-defense but the armament had never been used as so. Not against the living at least.
The second was a rather large book daintily holding onto the leather belt that intertwined in and out of his blue clothes. It had no distinguishing markings but it looked rather well used. If one were to somehow get away from the grubby man's palms they would find Falion's handwritten research notes, not that many would be able to do so a feat let alone understand the writing in the first place.
The man let out a small, "Hmmm..." before raising one of his hands.
As it came up from his side Falion curled his fingers in a somewhat stiff manner before something otherworldly occurred.
Between his fingers, an azure glow appeared that seemed to match his robes. The latent blue glow turned clear before Falion flexed his fingers. A soft crackling noise crinkled through the air as the white glow traveled up his arm all the way to his eyes.
The man's blue eyes started to glow a soft white as he whispered, "There, that's better."
Putting his left hand back down at his side Falion gazed at what was making all the ruckus near his hovel with the magic fading as he did so. What was in front of him was almost completely nonsensical to the man.
Now how in Oblivion did you get in here? Questioned the Mage as he saw what most would assume to be a young boy in front of him.
Not that the thing truly was. He could see through the creature's thinly veiled facade. A mockery of Arkay's work lain to ruin by the Father of Coldharbour. The child was a vampire. A walking corpse possessed by its own soul cursed to hunt the living.
Slowly walking further away from his humble abode Falion thought An invitation perhaps?
The Mage quickly shook his head then corrected himself by thinking, No, no. None of the Greeks would let him within the borders let alone- Falion stopped his train of thought to give a pointed look at the cut orange shirt the child had on his upper body before continuing -give him that.
The Vampire kept giving worried glances out towards the camp from behind the tree from where he hid before pulling himself back. Falion's eyes drifted out further from the forest to see just who it was that had the little vampire hiding.
Around ten feet out from where the true forest began was one of the many campers that stalked the woods with a gold-painted bow in hand. A child of the sun god by the looks of it. commented Falion as he silently approached the fledgling in front of him.
The archer wildly screamed, "That's it you freak!" before walking forward into the darkness in front of him.
A bad mistake, especially for anyone seeking to best one of that prince's creations. Falion watched on with great interest as the archer continued to ramble in the dark.
"Did you think you tricked everybody? Did you think a little liar like you could do anything to me? Show yourself! Stop hiding like the meager coward you are and come out so I can be a hero." ranted Apollo's child all the while exposing himself in the dark.
With a grimace, Falion thought Wonder what's up his ass?
The Mage watched as the instincts of what all vampires were came into a play. Those creatures were the apex predators of the night. Above all, they were designed to dominate in it. Whether it be their superior vision, instincts, or even just their overall strength, vampires ruled the dark. The term night-stalkers didn't just pop up from nowhere.
The fledglings footsteps quietly harrowed out as he pushed from his cover and out into the open. Instinctively, the vampire's back curved as he ducked down further letting the night cloak his approach. His red eyes burned as he came upon the camper's back without so much as a single sound. Fangs bared the fledgling followed behind waiting for the archer to stop.
Falion once again brought up one of his hands before saying, "I think this has gone far enough."
The Mage's hand seemed to shift upwards in another practiced motion before pure blue energy accumulated in it once again. With a subtle twitch of his fingers, the magicka turned a sickly green. Falion could feel sweat build on his brow as he thought I never was much for Alteration.
The Mage shoved his hand forward and from a brightly lit green ball of magicka shot forth hitting Apollo's child square in the chest. As soon as the verdant sphere collided with the child's chest all of his limbs straightened out before he crumpled to the forest floor.
The vampire's red eyes widened as Falion came into his view.
"Tell me little monster, how did you break through this camp's borders?" quietly asked the Mage.