Rescue Part 3
Percy stared at Luke for several seconds in complete silence.
Then he straightened and reached into his bag, pulling out his other sword, the one he had not seemed to use until now. Maybe he had been holding back so he would not end up killing everyone on the ship. Or maybe he simply had not needed it. After all, Riptide had been enough.
But Luke was different.
For years he had been the best swordsman at camp. He had everyone's respect. After all, most of the swordsmen there had been trained by him. He was one of the few who carried that kind of recognition.
During their last fight Percy had almost managed to beat him, forcing him to retreat. But back then Luke had been blinded by his arrogance.
Now it was different.
The Luke standing in front of him looked at him like an equal. Like someone he had no intention of holding back against.
And, above all, he looked completely ready to kill him.
The bloodlust in his eyes made that clear, even with that fake smile so typical of a son of Hermes.
Percy raised both of his swords while watching him carefully. Luke kept looking at him calmly, rolling his neck slightly as if stretching.
Then he moved again.
He attacked.
In a sudden motion he lunged toward Percy and his sword cut straight toward his neck.
Percy reacted instantly. He blocked with one sword while, at the same time, thrusting forward with the other. Luke twisted his body to the side and slipped away.
But Percy did not stop.
The black sword in his hand slashed upward toward Luke, the blade leaving behind sparks of fire and ice mixed together as it cut through the air.
Luke ducked quickly to avoid it.
The strike missed him and carved a deep slash into the wall behind him, leaving the marks of the weapon's three enchanted elements burned into the metal.
Suddenly a kick came from below.
Percy stepped back to avoid it.
Luke took advantage of the moment and launched a quick stab.
Percy raised both swords in an X, blocking the attack.
Then he pushed upward with both blades, forcing Luke's sword up. Percy used the opening and launched a direct kick toward his chest.
But before the blow landed, Luke jumped backward, absorbing much of the force. He rolled across the floor, twisted his body, and sprang back to his feet in one smooth motion.
Then he brushed lightly at his clothes, as if wiping away something dirty from the place Percy had struck him.
"You know… you're not the only one who's been pushing himself to train all this time," Luke said, staring at him. "Maybe I should thank you. You pushed me to train until my hands bled. You made me realize I could become much stronger if I tried harder."
His gaze turned colder.
"I'm not the same person I was before."
Percy watched him for a moment. Then he brought a hand to his throat and cleared it slightly, feeling that it had healed enough.
"Then… you're welcome," he said, his voice still a little hoarse and rough.
Luke raised an eyebrow with a faint smile.
Then he ran toward Percy.
In his other hand he held Annabeth's cap, which he placed on his head while advancing.
He vanished.
Percy did not panic.
He remained still, listening carefully to Luke's footsteps approaching.
Suddenly Percy moved both swords. One pointed downward, the other upward.
Sparks burst out when the invisible attack struck right between the edges of both blades, slowly pushing against him.
Percy pivoted on his feet and slashed downward quickly, right where he believed Luke was.
But he hit nothing.
His instincts screamed a warning.
He raised both arms above his head, crossing the swords to protect the back of his neck.
A metallic clash rang out right there.
Luke's sword had come down behind him.
Percy reacted immediately. He drove an elbow backward that seemed to hit something.
Then he spun and kicked in the same spot.
The blow knocked the cap off Luke's head.
Luke reappeared several steps back, his sword raised in front of him after blocking the kick with both hands, gripping it by the hilt and the flat of the blade.
That half smile was still there.
A smile that, at that moment, was starting to seriously irritate Percy.
"Good," Luke said calmly. "How about we stop playing?"
His expression turned more serious.
Percy did not look away.
"Works for me."
His voice was still slightly hoarse.
Percy bent down and picked up Annabeth's cap from the floor. He carefully placed it inside his bag.
Then he raised his swords again.
And settled into his fighting stance.
…
Swish.
A dagger flew through the air straight toward Annabeth. The moment she saw it coming, she ducked quickly and avoided it. At the same time, Clarisse rushed toward Alison and struck another dagger out of the air with her spear.
Then she launched several quick thrusts aimed at Alison's face.
Alison leaned her body back and then ducked. With another dagger in hand, she stabbed toward Clarisse's leg, forcing her to step back to avoid the strike.
Taking advantage of that instant, Alison leapt to Clarisse's side. In a swift movement she climbed up onto her shoulders, trapping her neck with her legs and spinning in the air as they fell, trying to bring her down.
But Clarisse reacted fast. During the fall she shifted her body, braced with her shoulder to absorb the impact, and rolled across the floor.
The moment Alison touched the ground, the daggers returned to her hands.
She threw two of them toward Annabeth.
The third went straight for Clarisse's neck.
But Clarisse rolled again and avoided the attack. From the ground she thrust her spear toward Alison's wrist.
Alison pulled her hand away quickly to avoid the cut, but a thin slash still appeared across her wrist.
A faint numbness ran through her arm.
The tip of Clarisse's spear crackled with electricity.
Alison glanced at her wrist for a second, and that brief distraction gave Clarisse time to get back to her feet and launch several electrified strikes toward her chest.
Alison reacted by jumping backward. She flipped with her hands against the floor, trying to send a kick toward Clarisse's face.
Clarisse tilted her head and avoided it.
Alison used the movement to gain some distance.
But at that moment a dagger flew toward her.
Alison reacted instantly, pulling out another dagger to block it. The impact almost pierced through.
Then she lifted her gaze toward Annabeth.
Her expression was full of hatred.
"I can see the trajectory of your daggers," Annabeth said while staring straight at her.
In her hands she held several daggers she had picked up from the floor. They were somewhat burned, but still usable.
Her eyes were shining in a strange way.
They seemed slightly different.
For a moment Alison felt a chill.
She shook her head, as if trying to get rid of an uncomfortable feeling. But when she looked into Annabeth's eyes again, something felt wrong.
Annabeth's eyes looked like a reptile's.
Looking at them was unsettling.
As if she could see through everything.
Clarisse seemed to notice it too.
She glanced at her for a moment.
"What's wrong with your eyes?" she asked.
"Hm?" Annabeth lightly touched her face. "Oh. Percy said it was an apology gift. Though he didn't say who it was from."
She said it calmly, never taking her eyes off Alison.
"I see. They're kind of cool," Clarisse said before turning her attention back to Alison.
The sparks around her spear began to glow even brighter.
Meanwhile, Alison's expression had clearly grown irritated as she realized she could not defeat the two of them easily.
…
Meanwhile, Percy and Luke were having a far more violent confrontation.
Every clash of their swords made the corridors of the ship tremble.
The walls were already filled with deep cuts.
Percy swung.
Luke ducked.
Percy's sword buried itself into the metal wall.
But that did not stop him.
Percy kept pushing the blade downward, cutting through the metal as if it were butter.
The screech of tearing steel filled the hallway while sparks burst in every direction.
The sword finally struck the floor, leaving behind a carved line of ice, fire, and lightning.
Luke raised his sword with both hands and unleashed a deadly strike toward Percy's neck.
Percy ducked and drove forward with his shoulder.
Both of them rolled across the floor and crashed into a nearby office.
Luke got up first.
He jumped toward Percy, aiming his sword straight at his chest.
Percy rolled to the side and avoided the killing blow. Then he launched a kick to Luke's stomach that sent him flying into a table.
Luke rolled across it before crashing to the floor.
When he got up, he shoved the table toward Percy.
Percy released Riptide for a moment and gripped the black sword with both hands.
With a single slash he split the table in half.
And at that exact moment Luke attacked again.
Percy raised the blade quickly and blocked the strike.
The two of them ended up face to face.
Looking directly into each other's eyes.
One with an almost excited smile.
The other with a cold and serious gaze.
"You really are very good, Percy," Luke said with a smile. "That only makes me want to destroy you even more. Because someone like you could ruin all my plans."
Percy did not look away.
"I'm right here," he replied in a serious tone. "Why don't you try?"
The two of them stepped apart.
And their swords collided once again.
The metallic clash echoed through the corridor as new sparks flew in every direction.