Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
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melded with celestial bronze. I could almost feel the blade fighting against itself, like two opposing
magnets bound together. I didn't know how the blade had been made, but I sensed a tragedy.
Someone had died in the process. Luke whistled to one of his men, who threw him a round leather-
and-bronze shield.
He grinned at me wickedly.
"Luke," Annabeth said, "at least give him a shield."
"Sorry, Annabeth," he said. "You bring your own equipment to this party."
The shield was a problem. Fighting two-handed with just a sword gives you more power, but
fighting one-handed with a shield gives you better defense and versatility. There are more moves,
more options, more ways to kill. I thought back to Chiron, who'd told me to stay at camp no matter
what, and learn to fight. Now I was going to pay for not listening to him.
Luke lunged and almost killed me on the first try. His sword went under my arm, slashing
through my shirt and grazing my ribs.
I jumped back, then counterattacked with Riptide, but Luke slammed my blade away with his
shield.
"My, Percy," Luke chided. "You're out of practice."
He came at me again with a swipe to the head. I parried, returned with a thrust. He
sidestepped easily.
The cut on my ribs stung. My heart was racing. When Luke lunged again, I jumped backward
into the swimming pool and felt a surge of strength. I spun underwater, creating a funnel cloud, and
blasted out of the deep end, straight at Luke's face.
The force of the water knocked him down, spluttering and blinded. But before I could strike,
he rolled aside and was on his feet again.
I attacked and sliced off the edge of his shield, but that didn't even faze him. He dropped to a
crouch and jabbed at my legs. Suddenly my thigh was on fire, with a pain so intense I collapsed. My
jeans were ripped above the knee. I was hurt. I didn't know how badly. Luke hacked downward and
I rolled behind a deck chair. I tried to stand, but my leg wouldn't take the weight.
"Perrrrrcy!" Grover bleated.
I rolled again as Luke's sword slashed the deck chair in half, metal pipes and all.
I cl