★彡[ ᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ]彡★

A couple of days had passed since Ameris had arrived at camp, and Percy still hadn't woken up from his slumber. During that time, she had grown accustomed to the camp routine, helping lead the combat classes alongside Luke.

In just those few days, Katie and Silena had found themselves intrigued by the older demigod who was so much more than she let on. They also introduced Ameris to all their friends, making acquaintances with them.

Katie and Silena now waited in the arena for their first training session. A couple of campers there shot them weird glances, not used to seeing any children of Aphrodite or Demeter in the arena, especially the Aphrodite children, who avoided the place like a plague.

That only further angered both of them but they kept their calm, with Silena leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and Katie seated on the steps next to her, as they waited there patiently.

A blonde teenager around a year older than her which they recognised instantly as Archie, a son of Ares, advanced towards them.

"No offence, but what are you two doing here?" Archie asked, quite rudely. "This isn't a place for you guys or your siblings."

Katie glared at him while Silena gritted her teeth, flashing him a forced smile. "We're here to learn how to defend ourselves. And what about you? You seem to be just standing around aimlessly, gossiping and mucking around most of the time."

Archie's expression turned to one of shock at the insult before glaring at her in hatred. He clenched his fist before launching a punch at the daughter of Aphrodite, who shut her eyes and braced herself for the pain but it never came.

A tan hand grabbed onto the boy's arm tightly, halting his punch mid-air. The blonde teenager turned his head towards the person who stopped him, his fearful brown eyes meeting dangerous golden ones.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ameris asked him calmly, her eyebrows raised in a questionable manner.

The son of Ares stuttered nervously. "S-she was insulting me-"

"So you thought it was alright to hit her?" Ameris questioned coldly.

"Y-yes ...?" He answered dumbly.

A low growl emitted from Ameris' lips at his answer, her hold on his arm tightening before throwing him roughly across the floor in a blink of an eye. Archie let out a painful groan as he rubbed the back of his head.

Before he had the chance to comprehend what had happened, Ameris was in front of him, grabbing him violently by the collar and yanking him forward, their faces inches apart from one another.

"If you think you're a much better fighter than the children of Aphrodite or Demeter, then fight back," Ameris taunted, her eyes glowing fiercely.

A tint of anger entered his brown eyes as he glared back at her. His hand grabbed onto Ameris' arm that was pulling him up while the other clenched into a fist before launching it forward at her face.

Ameris anticipated his attack, tilting her head to the side just in time to dodge his fist before driving a punch of her own into his abdomen, causing the son of Ares to double over, momentarily knocking the air out of his lungs as he landed on his knees.

The hybrid took advantage of that, striking him faster than he could blink with her foot across his face in a roundhouse kick, sending him to the ground. Archie let out another painful groan as he wheezed for air, blooding seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Ameris crouched down in front of him, glaring darkly at him. "Don't you dare come near them or any of the Demeter or Aphrodite children again, understand? And I advise you to heed my warning or else it won't end well for you."

Archie nodded hastily, his body trembling in pure terror. Ameris smirked in satisfaction, finding herself being pulled back by Silena and Katie while the two of Archie's friends who had watched it all happen silently, hauled the son of Ares up and dragged him away towards the infirmary.

Katie's eyes glowed with admiration and respect. "That was so badass!"

Silena ran a hand through her hair, still trying to comprehend what had just happened as she took a seat on one of the steps. "Oh my gods. He would've punched me if you hadn't stopped him. And you almost killed him?!"

"He deserved it." Ameris leaned against the pillar with her arms crossed, staring at her impassively. "I'm surprised I actually held back and didn't get rid of him right then and there."

Silena turned to her incredulously, surprised by how calm the older demigod was right now despite how scarily she fought the son of Ares for her moments ago. No one had ever stood up for her or her siblings, and she had now developed a new profound respect for Ameris.

"Thank you though," Silena said softly, glancing down.

Ameris smiled sincerely with a small nod. "Anytime."

It was silent for a moment.

"So, do you two still want to train?" The older demigod asked, breaking the silence.

Silena and Katie both found themselves smiling. "Of course."

After another hour, their training session ended with the two constantly thanking her before they parted ways.

Ameris made her way towards the big house only to come across Percy himself, who had apparently woken up a few hours ago and had halted in front of her after noticing her, staring at her wide-eyed.

"Wait, I know you. You were there when I killed the minotaur," Percy stated while the blonde next to him stared at her.

Ameris nodded. "Yes, I was there. I'm sorry I couldn't be there in time to help you."

The blonde glanced between Ameris and Percy, beginning to notice a bit of similarities between their appearances; mainly the prominent messy dark hair.

Ameris turned her attention to the blonde. "Hey, you were at training a few days ago. I couldn't catch your name."

"Annabeth Chase," the blonde informed her before walking away, leaving Ameris alone with Percy.

Ameris sighed to herself, noticing the tension between Poseidon and Athena also being passed down to their children. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the twelve year old boy.

"So, how have you been finding your demigod life so far?" Ameris asked, trying to get rid of the awkwardness between the two.

"A bit overwhelming, I guess. The Hermes cabin have been nice so far so that's good," Percy replied, shrugging.

Ameris sent him a small smile. "Well, don't worry. You're going to be claimed soon so you don't have to stay in that cabin for long."

"How do you know that? They told me that the claiming might take months, if not years," he replied in a dejected tone.

Ameris placed a warm hand on his shoulder in reassurance. "Trust me. Father's going to claim you soon."

She sent him a wink and walked away before Percy had the chance to comprehend what she had just said.