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There seemed to have been a name written on the page at one point, but it has long since faded.
I gently fold the paper and slide it into my pocket, planning to read it again later.
Sadly, I examine the break in the staff again. There is a tiny notch in one half, and a prong on the other. I slide the prong into the notch, and hear a click. then I turn it 180 degrees. "Hey Nyssa, look." She comes back out of the shed, and seeing the staff whole again she gasps. "How'd you do that?" I grin. "Magic." She laughs and scoffs then says, "No, but seriously, how?" "It was made to turn into two. You just twist it and..." I twist the staff again and show her the mechanism. She face-palms herself and goes "Duhhh, that's like the most basic of locks. Why didn't I think of that?" She glances at her watch, and her face becomes one of shock. "C'mon Haley, we're late for training!"


We met in an arena, dressed in full Greek armor. "This is always fun," Nyssa whispers in my ear. "Clarisse La Rue: camp bully, head of Ares cabin, and best fighter Camp Half-Blood has ever known. Just two years a go she slayed a full-grown Drakon by herself." "A dragon?" "No, a Drakon. Basically it's a snake with a ton or armor and can petrify you if you look in it's eyes." "Oh."
"Alright! Newbies over here, everyone else over there." Yep, I'm definitely a noob. Also, the oldest noob. Clarisse marches over to my group, as she directs someone named Sherman to lead the other. "Okay, everybody grab a sword and shield." I grab a 3-foot broadsword and a large shield so heavy I nearly drop it on my foot. "Sword fighting is the main style of the Greeks," she bellows at us. "I know many of you use bows and stuff, but this is my class; and we use swords. Anybody got a problem with that?" No one says anything. "Okay then. I need a volunteer. You!" She points at the boy next to me. "Me?" "Yeah you. Come over here." He shuffles over and stands a little ways away from her. "I'm going to fight you and try to knock you down. You fight me for as long as you can, got it?" "Yeah." "What's your name, by the way?" "Desmond." Clarisse yells so loud I jump. Desmond's face turns pale as a sheet and doesn't move. Clarisse shoves him down with her shield easily. "Were you even trying? That was awful! Someone else, come on! Take me down!" A few of the other campers with me look scared. I heft up my shield and step forward. "Ha! Little Miss Hera wants to challenge me?" "Yes," I say forcefully, trying to cover up my nervousness. I position myself in front of her, lowering my point of gravity. I watch her eyes as she thinks of a plan to take me down.
"AHHHHHH!!!!!!" She yells and charges. I don't move. I deftly sidestep her, and she swivels around immediately. "Not bad," she mutters. I back up a few paces and wait again. I know she expects another dodge, so this time I take her head on. I count her steps: 5, 4, 3, 2, now.
I bash my shield against hers, using her momentum against her. I push as hard as I can, around and down, but she just somersaults on the ground and pops right back up. A gleam of hatred shimmers in her eyes, along with a tinge of red. Uh oh. I glance behind her for a moment, and see that the older campers are watching the fight. I feel a sudden urge to take her down. This time, I charge. I focus my energy on the dirt behind her, and *WHOOSH,* I'm behind her. I slam her in the back of the head with the center of my shield, I hear a "Wha-?" and she stumbles forward, landing face-first in the dirt.

Notes