I 022. I

𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔

❝ pigeons ❞

ARIADNE AIDAN PHOENIX WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO BE A BOY. Her name was going to be Aidan Alexander Phoenix. But it was surprise when the doctors made a mistake and told her mother she was female, so she quickly changed the name to Ariadne.

Spite ran in the family. Between Dionysus and a lot of the things he did, to her mother. Her mother had names her Ariadne to spite her father. Dionysus lies to her saying her wasn't married when he was in fact... to a goddess. So you could say, Ariadne was only her because of spite. And spiteful was what she was feeling right now.

Annabeth has dropped Percy as well after Ariadne and his argument. Which she didn't have to do, but she did anyways. The blonde had told her she wasn't doing it out of spite, more wanting to stick with her knowing her brothers would be doing their own thing. But Ariadne was definitely doing it out of spite.

Percy has pissed her off, and she would let him know that he had.

Both girls had started building their chariot, it was a race against time because they had fought with Percy while everyone else was building. They had decided they would make the sides of the chariot grey with the wheels, braces and other sidings purple. Ariadne would paint some purple vines along the sides as well.

Annabeth had told her everything she knew about the Chiron situation. "The poison was from Tartarus."

Ariadne frowned, "We all know Luke did it to help... him. But why aren't we on a quest of Chiron knows how to save Thalia?"

The blonde looked close to tears, "Chiron said no... he isn't training heroes anymore— he's..."

Ariadne felt bike ride in her throat. Chiron's soul purpose was to train heroes. And since he isn't needed anymore, he's rotting away without a purpose. Although she had her father, Chiron was the like the supportive uncle, always training her and teaching her to be the best her she could be.

But what hurt her the most, was that Percy and Annabeth could say goodbye to him. They told her that the Centaur had visited her before he left. Chiron was crying once he saw her. But she wasn't able to be there because she was knocked out, and that made her angry.

"Chiron made me swear to protect Percy," Annabeth told her.

Ariadne's eyes went wide, "On the River Styx?"

She nodded, "On the River Styx. To remember the Prophecy... when the time is right."

The brunette placed down her paintbrush, standing tall with a confident look. "I'll do it too."

"Aria—"

"I'll protect Percy Jackson. I swear on the River of Styx."

A rumble flowed over the sky and the deal was set. If she broke it... well, she wouldn't break it.

Ariadne said goodbye to Annabeth after lunch to join her brothers in the sword arena. They had asked for her to teach them a few things and to just train, she agreed.

Castor and Pollux held their swords while they watched her hold Lunacy, giving them a smirk. "Alright, who wants to go first?"

"I will."

She spun around to see Percy holding Riptide in hand, a smile over his lips. The girl raised an eyebrow before rolling her eyes. "Fine," she looked back towards her brothers, "it'll only be five seconds."

Percy narrowed his eyes while setting into a stance, Ariadne following him. "I'm better than you think, Ariadne." She tried not to flinch when he used her given name rather than her middle like he usually did. It hurt her, but she ignored it.

"I doubt it, Perseus."

Riptide swing at her head which she easily dodged. Her right hand brought out Lunacy and let it clash against his own blade. Percy used as much strength as he could to push against the blades but it was no match for her who had dug her feet into the ground.

She let her foot knock against his legs, he quickly stumbled and growled slightly. Riptide was closer to her arm and he made a move to swipe along her arm but she parried the blow, scratching him easily. "Not looking so good, are you, Kelp Head?"

Percy made a quick move and swiped her legs. She slipped to the ground as he pointed his sword at her throat. His foot rested against her own leg, "You've got something in your face, Curly Fry? Do you need something to wash it off." He was teasing her dirt covered face. Water splashed against her face before she growled, angry.

Castor and Pollux grinned knowing their sister would beat his ass.

Ariadne realized he forgot about her other foot and kicked him in the knee; hard. He let out a yelp before falling onto his butt, thinking against the dirt. She launched at him and tackled the boy, snatching Riptide from his hand and holding it in her own.

The girl dusted off her hands before stabbing the boy's sword into his shirt to keep him there. She looked at her brothers, "Lesson one: Never, underestimate your opponent.

Percy let out a growl before pulling Riptide from his shirt, standing up and giving her a glare. The boy waved a hand before a bucket of water splashed over her head.

Ariadne shouted at him, "SCREW YOU, KELP FACE!"

The boy just smirked until he landed flat on his face, vines tripping his feet continuously while he walked back to his cabin. He was petty and frustrated and he would destroy her at the race tomorrow.

***

SHE WAS TAUNTED WITH MEMORIES THAT NIGHT. Her first expectation was going to be the haunting dreams of Grover in danger and she couldn't do anything about it. But instead, she received memories that her brain stored form her childhood.

Yes, most kids shouldn't remember things from the age of three or four, but she did.

Her eyes followed the images of her eight year old self chasing after Luke:

"Lukey! That's cheating!"

Luke let out a laugh as he hid in a tree, "It's called being smart, Aria!"

The young brunette stamped her foot against the ground, pouting with her arms crossed. She planted her butt against the grass while waiting a t the base of the tree for him to come down. "You can't stay up there all day."

"You don't know that."

She nodded, "Yes, I do. Because I know you, Lukey."

He chuckled before climbing down, his arms swiftly picking her up and giving her a piggyback ride. She giggled at him, "No, you don't. You may think you know all my moves, Aria, but I'm a son of Hermes, I have more tricks up my sleeve."

The brunette pointed her finger, "Forward, my noble steed!"

Luke ran away with her on his back whirl heading towards the Athena cabin where Annabeth was. They had planned a picnic that day and the two girls wanted him there, Grover too.

Ariadne's has wiped the flashback away, not wanting to see it anymore. Her fingers clenched into fists like they usually did before the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

She looked around and noticed she was on an island, beautiful buildings and people everywhere. The girl gasped when the ground split, sinking the town under water.

A hand grew from it and pointed at her, "Daughter of the Vines. Kill."

Monsters appeared form the water, running and slithering towards her while she held Lunacy in hand. She slammed the sword against the ground sending vines out to crush them all, but she missed one.

A Cyclops snatched her up, one eye peering into her soul. It threw her aside and she smacked against a stone wall. Her body laid there while she watched the creature walk away.

A squeaky voice was saying some but she had no clue what it was saying. But her eyes widened once she saw the familiar-looking face of Grover before hands erupted from the wall, dragging her through.

She awoke to New York on fire. Blinking multiple times before seeing a Pegasus flying through the air with someone on its back.

Vines attacked monsters and other fighters with power, pulling them under ground. A girl with a gold sword stood tall alongside a boy, holding his hand.

Water and vines destroyed the army heading towards them. People watching in amazement and fear as their swords glowed together.

That was all she saw before she woke up.

***

ARIADNE WALKED WITH ANNABETH TOWARDS THE RACE TRACK. They were excited and knew for a fact they would win. With Annabeth's design and Ariadne's powers, they would definitely beat the other teams.

It was hot and humid that morning and she hated it. When she got to hit or sweaty, she got frustrated. Fog seemed to coat the ground and make it hard for them to walk.

Annabeth noticed her friend's angry look, "Why didn't you team up with your brothers?"

Ariadne snorted, "Because those two wanted to do something stupid and I wasn't going to be apart of it. And because I wanted to team up with you and—" She stopped herself and glared at the ground, fists clenched.

"Percy?" Annabeth guesses. The brunette nodded her head before the blonde scoffed, "I thought you two were close, why are you arguing all of a sudden?"

The girl ran a hand through her hair, "Because he's just frustrating! I tried helping him and he blames me. Me!" She grit her teeth, "I can't seem to do anything right in his opinion."

"Not true," the blonde argued. "Trust me. He looks for your approval and for your ideas before mine. And that's saying something. Anyways, you're only doing this to spite him."

"Yes I am. And I'm doing it because I want to win."

Annabeth gave her a deadpanned look, "You're using me?" Ariadne nodded before the blonde smiled, "Good. Because I've been using you for the past six." She walked on, leaving her friend with a flabbergasted expression.

"What?! No. You can't just walk away from this conversation."

"Yes I can."

The racetrack was in between the forest and the archery range. Hephaestus cabin used the now tame Colchis Bulls to plough through the grass and create an oval track in the grassy meadow.

Ariadne eyes the birds in the trees as they squared annoyingly. They were fat, grey-and-white pigeons. She was ready to rip her hair out.

Teams assembled at the start line. "Right!" Tantalus announces. A Naiad had brought a platter of pastries and he chased a chocolate eclair with his hand across the judge said table. Her father wasn't up yet ( he never got up before ten o'clock ). "You all know the rules. A quarter-mile track. Twice around to win. Two horses per chariot. Each team will consist of a driver and one of two fighters. Weapons are allowed. Dirty tricks are expected. But try not to kill anybody!" She knew he didn't care if one of them died. He probably slept peacefully while hoping they would. "Any killing will result in harsh punishment. No s'mores at the campfire for a week! Now ready your chariots!"

Charles Beckendorf led the Hephaestus cabin towards the track. Their chariot was made of bronze and iron, horses too. She see arched for any hidden compartments or contraptions. The girl wasn't stupid or naive, Hephaestus campers always had something.

Ares had a blood-red chariot being pulled by two horse skeletons. Clarisse stood on it with javelins, spiked balls, and dozens of other weapons aboard. The brunette and blonde share da glance before nodding, they wouldn't be afraid of hurting anyone.

Two beautiful palominos pulled the completely gold chariot of Apollo cabin. They obviously went for looks— like usual. Jay was driving, Lee was in the back with a bow and arrows. She hadn't talked to them all that much but she knew he was a good shot, and Kylie was standing with a javelin. She knew they're weren't much of a challenge.

Travis and Connor Stoll were manning the Hermes chariot. It looked like it was pulled right out of a garage or junkyard. They had something planned— she could tell by their mischievous grins.

Athen cabin was a force they needed to watch out for. Their mother had created the chariot, so they were at an advantage, but so was her and Annabeth because the blonde was apart of that cabin. Two of Annabeth's siblings, Billie and Malcom were responsible for it. Billie driving it and Malcom standing in the back with a large pole. Annabeth waves but sent a rude gesture right afterwards.

Ariadne and Annabeth was simple compared to everyone else's. Grey sides and purple wheels and vines along it. They had placed spikes in the wheels incase people bashed against them. Two chestnut horses pulled the chariot and she grinned at them ( Percy originally wanted them but she got to them first ). Annabeth would be driving while Ariadne used her powers and sword to fight, she could easily grow vines out of the ground to wrap around the other chariots but Tantalus forbid her from using too many.

Dionysus cabin was all purple with black mustangs pulling them. Castor was driving and Pollux has a spear in hand. She rolled her eyes once they sent her a grin, seeing the paint balloons in their chariot. She knew she could easily take them out but the other teams may have a hard time.

Her eyes rolled once she saw Percy and Tyson's chariot. Surprise, surprise, it was blue. Terribly painted waves were on the sides. Regular horses were pulling them and she grinned knowing it was a second choice. Percy was diving and Tyson was in the back, she guessed it was because Cyclops weren't great with horses despite Poseidon creating them.

Percy was walking towards them and she groaned loudly, hoping he heard. Annabeth jumped off the chariot and raised an eyebrow with crossed arms. Ariadne narrowed her eyes and wondered what he would say. She knew what she say, not very nice things.

He ignored the tension and told them about his dream. About Grover which she peeled up at. Ariadne focused on on the mention of Polyphemus and almost fell over, she saw him as well.

But she wouldn't tell him that. "Go back to your chariot."

Percy's eyes widened, "Are you serious?!"

"Deadly. You're trying to distract us."

"No, I'm not!"

She scoffed, "Sure. Like Grover could find the one thing that could save Thalia." But she knew the Satyr could. She would confess after the race, after they beat him.

Annabeth stepped forward, "Ariadne, shut up." The brunette glowered at the boy before huffing, listening to her blonde friend.

Grover was in trouble. She knew that for sure. And it meant he had found the very thing that could save camp. But an empathy link? That's where she thought he was lying, they were incredibly hard to do.

"Empathy links are really hard to do, Percy." Annabeth told him. "I mean, it's more likely you really were dreaming."

Percy was insistent. "The Oracle. We could consult the Oracle."

This meant real danger, and she knew she needed to tell him quickly. But before she could, the conch horn sounded.

"Charioteers!" Tantalus called. "To your mark!"

Ariadne looked at Percy, "We'll discuss this later. Good luck, Kelp Head— you'll need it. Since we're going to destroy you."

"Whatever, Curly Fry," Percy gave her a sarcastic grin. "Hope your hair doesn't get caught in the wheels. What a shame that would be."

He ran back to his chariot, "Loser!" She called.

"Jerk!"

She pulled herself into the chariot with a shake of her head. Annabeth tightened the harnesses the horses wore before sitting in the seat, leading them towards the track. Ariadne twisted her ring into Lunacy, gold glinting as brightly as the Apollo chariot.

More pigeons rested in the trees. They're screeching grew louder but no one seemed to pay attention. The hairs on her body stood upright every time she looked towards them.

"Charioteers!" Tantalus shouted. "Attend your mark!" With a have of his hand, the signal dropped.

And they were off.

Gloves pounded against the ground with the cheers of the crowd following behind. She soon got into a good position where she didn't feel as if every tiny movement wound throw her off the chariot.

A loud crack followed almost immediately. The Apollo chariot flipped over and throwing the riders free in the process. Hermes cabin rammed into them, the Stolls laughing. But the Apollo horses crashed against the green chariot and the Hermes chariot was flipped and broken on the track.

Ariadne noticed they were passing the Poseidon chariot and with a wave of her hand, a vine caused them to shake harshly. Percy gave her a hard glare which she grinned at. "Sucker!" She shouted.

Athena cabin was on their heels. Billie hit the reins harder and the horses picked up speed and they were head to head. Annabeth tried getting close to hit them with their spiked wheels but Malcom pushed the two girls away with his pole.

Annabeth pushes harder and was successful. Once she got closer, she gave Ariadne the signal. And before Malcom could get them away, Ariadne threw her hand out and a vine and whacked the pile out of his hands. She let it punch him in the stomach, sending him to the floor. Annabeth dug their sporks into the side of the Athena chariot and Billie lost control. Both Athena members were forced to jump before they were crushed.

"Sorry!" Annabeth yelled while they passed around the corner.

Percy and Tyson shoved the Hephaestus chariot sideways with Tyson's pile, they skittered along the track. The blue chariot was eyeing them as their next target, and she was ready.

Annabeth glanced up. "That's weird," she whispered.

"What?" Ariadne asked while holding her hand out.

"The birds."

She looked up and saw the pigeons rising from the trees and swirling in the air, heading towards the track. "Yeah, weird." She muttered.

Ariadne let her hand swipe and vines slashed against Tyson's shoulder. He let out a cry of pin and Percy gave her a hard glare, not even risking a glance back as he pushed the horses farther. As she raised her hand once more... screams sounded an alarm in her brain.

The pigeons were diving down quickly towards the crowd and attacking everyone in the chariots. Charles was attacked by the load. The fighter tried swatting them away but the chariot rode into the strawberry fields.

Ares cabin threw camouflaged netting over them under Clarisse's orders. But the birds pecked and scratched at the fighter's hands, Clarisse kept driving. The skeletal horses were not affected, birds pecking and poking at empty spaces where flesh should be.

Everyone in the crowd screamed and ducked down as the birds slashed at any flesh they could see. She saw Will Solace trying to help people getting scratched at and her anger spiked up. Will was a friend of hers and she didn't like that he was being attacked.

"Stymphalian birds!" Annabeth yelled. She pulled the chariot alongside Percy's. "They'll strip everyone to bones if we don't drive them away!"

"Tyson," Percy shouted to his brother, "we're turning around!"

"Going the wrong way?" Tyson asked.

"Always," Percy grumbled before steering the chariot towards the stands.

Annabeth steered them as well, "Heroes, to arms!" But no one heard her over the screams and screeching.

Percy held Riptide in one hand and the reigns in the other. He looked towards the brunette. "Aidan!" he yelled. "You got this?"

"Hell yeah!" She lifted her hands up and vines spring form the ground, swatting birds out of the sky. Many dropped down and were punctured along the plants like a kabab.

But there were so many once they neared the stands that they came from all directions. Many were heading towards her, slicing at her legs with their razor-sharp beaks. The vines and to fall back down because she couldn't hide herself anymore, her friends tried to help shield her but it was no use.

Some campers were fighting back. Athena campers were calling out orders and held shields. Archers from Apollo tried shooting down the birds, but with campers in the mix, it wasn't safe.

Percy looked to Annabeth, "How do you get rid of them?!"

Annabeth stabbed a pigeon with her knife. "Heracles used noise! Brass's bells! He scared them away with the most terrible sound he could—" her eyes went wide. "Guys... Chiron's collection!"

Ariadne nodded. "Do you think it'll work?" Percy asked.

"It better!" She shouted back. "These vines can't kill them all!"

Annabeth turned to her, "Get ready to jump!" She and let go of the reins and leapt into Percy's chariot.

"What?!" Ariadne yelled back. She hugged before shouting to her friend, "This better work!" Her hands swiped at the birds one last time before letting go of the chariot, jumping through the air and hanging off the side of the Poseidon chariot.

Annabeth hauled her into it before letting the girl not with her sword. "I hate these things."
Her hands flew out and cut down birds but they were still coming back.

"Now— to the Big House! It's our only chance!" Annabeth told Percy.

Clarisse pulled across the finish line with no competitors. She then only realized how bad everything was. And when she saw them driving towards the Big House, she screamed, "You're running? The fight is here, cowards!" She unsheathed her sword before charging at the stands.

Percy pushed the horses faster and pulled before the house. Ariadne quickly jumped down and used the vines to send out a large mass of vines. Percy and Annabeth's arches but she shook her head, "Go! Get the CD's!"

They nodded before running inside with Tyson. Her hands kept creating a wrapping around birds as she suffocated them, letting them hit the ground in a pile of feathers.

The track was chaotic. Chariots in fire, wounded campers in every direction. Birds picking at people's clothes and pulling their hair. Tantalus chased the pastries around and yelled, "Everything's under control! Not to worry!"

Once they drove back over to the finish line, Annabeth set up the box. She put the disk in as Ariadne tried keeping the vines going. Chiron's favorite started playing: All-Time Greatest Hits of Dean Martin.

Birds tore at each other. Flying in circles and they circled madly. You would think Dionysus had used his madness powers on them. But that's the power of violins and men singing in Italian.

A dark wave of birds flicked over the track. Someone yelled out, "Now! Archers!" But even as they knocked five or six arrows, the birds weren't all dead.

So, despite the archers shooting arrows, Ariadne ran forward. She stabbed Lunacy into the ground as it rumbled. Vines erupted form the ground and grew taller and taller as they made a tornado around the pigeons.

Pigeons screeched put as they flew in a circle of grapevines whirl they were growing closer and closer with one another. They suffocated quickly as arrows pierced them through. In seconds, most of the birds coated the ground, dead. Any survivors were in the distance.

Ariadne gasped for breath once it was over. The vines flowed back into the ground as campers watched them, even the vines in the forest fell back into the ground. She felt faint and her sword turned back into its ring, she placed it onto her finger.

The girl glanced around at the wounded campers which were already started to be checked on by the Apollo cabin ( bless them ). Her body stumbled and felt weak before she fell back and into the arms of Percy who helped her stand up, reminding him of last summer after his first capture the flag game.

Tantalus seemed to not care. "Bravo!" But he wasn't looking at the quartet who had saved them. "We have our first winner!" He awarded the golden laurels to Clarisse who was stunned.

He looked at Ariadne, Percy, Annabeth and Tyson with a twisted smile. "And now to punish the troublemakers who disrupted this race."