𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎
𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔

❛ why was she feeling this way,
why was her heartbeat thumping ❜

                         𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐒, 𝕱rustrating. That would be the word Aurora Stark would use towards the loving ( hating ) world around her. It seemed as if it were taunting her every waking moment by growing the shroud of mystery that tormented her life. And it only seemed to happen when she was heading in the right direction, when the shroud felt smaller than usual.

                         But the moment a light hit it, it only worsened.

                         It didn't help that her popularity soared the minute word spread across Camp about her altercation with the Colchis Bull. It also didn't help that the new Activities Director proclaimed her a 'self-hazard' due to the previous altercation and assigned her a so called security unit which consisted of two satyrs to follow her around and see what she was up to.

                         As you can practically see, Frustrating, was the only word to describe her predicament oh so well.

                         But nonetheless, Aurora Stark was determined. And if a Stark was determined . . . The world would watch as they made their possibilities mold from thin air.

                         Yet, despite her chaotic life. She couldn't help but pity Percy— the boy who was just informed that he had a sibling: something he'd always wanted, but that said sibling was an unfortunate Cyclops with Campers bullying the young creature every waking moment.

                         The Son of Poseidon and Daughter of Aphrodite hardly had any time to talk like how they'd used to, but not one blamed the other, instead they made a mutual understanding that when they'd have the time, they'd talk like how'd they used to.

                         But it didn't take a genius to realize how they longed for the others presence. I mean, they were best friends after all.

                         So, when the opportunity presented itself. Aurora Stark did not hesitate to grab an armful of her blueprints and speed walk towards the Poseidon Cabin with her Stark mind running rampant.

                         She only needed to rap her knuckles twice before the familiar ocean eyed boy opened the door. His eyebrows furrowed together as she merely side stepped inside without so much as sparing him a glance.

                         "Hello to you too, pretty girl."

                         Aurora sent a cheeky grin over her shoulder ignoring the weird fluttering in her stomach from the nickname, "Hey."

                         She dropped her blueprints on the bed with a huff and singled one out in particular, "Come look at this," she straightened it out as he approached. "What does it look like?"

                         Percy took a minute to scan it with unfamiliarity.

                         "A horse?"

                         Smack!

                         "Ow!" He winced and rubbed the back of his neck.

                         "It's a chariot," The girl said while rolling her eyes. "The chariot we'll be using to win the race. I've designed one of a kind thrusters like the ones my dad uses for his iron man suit to give us a modernesque edge in the race—"

                         "Auror—"

                         Aurora merely continued, too excited to hear him, "I also included my new and improved version of nanotechnology! I'm quite proud of it, if I do say so myself. Not to mention—"

"Aurora!"

The pretty girl turned, her eyes bright with excitement accompanied by a blinding smile, "Yeah?"

Percy sighed and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. His ocean eyes in turmoil, "I can't pair up with you."

The Daughter of Aphrodite's eyes faltered, "What?"

"Annabeth and I are sort of . . . teaming up for a change."

Aurora tried to bite back the frown trying to pry on her face, "Oh! Well," Suddenly her stomach fell with disappointment. "Good luck to you, guys!" She gathered her things with haste before rushing out of the cabin wondering why the frown on her face wouldn't disappear.

So, she embarked towards the Ares Cabin with one objective in mind: Win. And If she wanted to win, she'd have to play dirty and playing dirty was one of Clarisse La Rue's specialties.

                         The large boar's head stared back at her as she tried her ( utmost ) hardest not to clamp her hands over her ears due to the loud music emitting from the other side of the red painted door.

Soon, the door opened revealing the face of Noah, a son of Ares that Aurora could actually stand.

They've had conversations on occasion, but were merely acquaintances at best.

His eyebrows raised as he took in the pretty girl before him, "Aurora," he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "What brings Camp Half-bloods resident glamour girl, to our cabin?"

Aurora rolled her eyes and clutched her notebook and blueprints closer to her chest, "I'm looking for Clarisse."

Noah's brown eyes filled with amusement as he smirked, "Now that is definitely something," He turned and yelled over the loud music. "Hey, Clarisse! It's for you!"

Clarisse appeared in view as the music was turned down a notch, probably so her siblings could listen in on the conversation.

"What do you want, Stark?"

Aurora bit her lip. Her pride hardly got her into messy situations, so it was easy for her to work up the nerve to venture to the Ares cabin (the same cabin that she had gotten into so many fights with) and look for an alliance. Especially, if she wanted to win something, hell, she'd set anything aside to win. Even petty disputes.

"The chariot race," She began. "Have you chosen another cabin, yet?"

Clarisse's eyes narrowed as if trying to dissect the girl in front of her, "Is that why you're here? Trying to team up with me?"

This time Aurora's eyes narrowed, "I'd be a fool to not admit that your cabin and mine would be unstoppable."

Clarisse didn't say anything, just kept looking at her for a moment before giving her a small nod, "Are you sure we'll win?"

                         Aurora turned on her heel and began making her way to the Aphrodite cabin, "As long as you behave, I'm certain we'll win"

                         And surprisingly, they worked well together, all things considered.

                         The morning of the race was hot and humid. Fog lay low on the ground like sauna steam. Millions of birds were roosting in the trees-fat gray-and-white pigeons, except they didn't coo like regular pigeons. They made this annoying metallic screeching sound that confused Aurora, making her tilt her neck in curiosity and annoyance as the loud screeching felt like it would rip her eardrum out.

                         The racetrack had been built in a grassy field between the archery range and the woods. Hephaestus's cabin had used the bronze bulls, which were completely tame since they'd had their heads smashed in, to plow an oval track in a matter of minutes.

                         There were rows of stone steps for the spectators- Tantalus, the satyrs, a few dryads, and all of the campers who weren't participating. Mr. D didn't show. He never got up before ten o'clock.

                         "Right!" Tantalus announced as the teams began to assemble. A naiad had brought him a big platter of pastries, and as Tantalus spoke, his right hand chased a chocolate eclair across the judges table. "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 a fighter. Weapons are allowed. Dirty tricks are expected. But try not to kill anybody!" Tantalus smiled at them like they were all naughty children. "Any killing will result in harsh punishment. No s'mores at the campfire for a week! Now ready your chariots!"

                         Aurora scoffed as she never glanced up from her spot examining her and Clarisse's chariot, wanting to ensure that everything was right. Their chariot was red with pink on the wheels and horses. A large boar was next to a beautiful dove on the right side of the chariot, signifying the alliance The Ares and Aphrodite cabins had made.

                         Beckendorf led the Hephaestus team onto the track. They had a sweet ride made of bronze and iron-even the horses, which were magical automatons like the Colchis bulls.

                         Apollo's chariot was trim and graceful and completely gold, pulled by two beautiful palominos. Their fighter was armed with a bow, though he had promised not to shoot regular pointed arrows at the opposing drivers. Hermes's chariot was green and kind of old-looking as if it hadn't been out of the garage in years. It didn't look like anything special, but it was manned by the Stoll brothers, and Aurora knew they had many different schemes planned. That left two chariots: one driven by Annabeth, another driven by Aurora.

                         Aurora crouched down next to a tire, "Hey, Clarisse. Hand me a wrench?"

                         Clarisse handed it to her.

                         "Thanks."

                         If anyone saw this, they wouldn't be able to tell that these two girls have had a rivalry for years now.

                         "Hey," A voice called from behind Aurora.

                         She turned and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and locked eyes with that of waves, "Ocean eyes, hey."

                         Percy gestured towards the chariot, "It Looks . . . Nice."

                         Aurora rose her eyebrows, "Thanks."

                         A moment of Awkward silence.

                         Percy sighed, "I had a dream . . . about Grover."

                         This made Aurora stand up straight, "Well, what was it? Is he okay?"

                         "He was crying for help. I-I think he's in danger."

                         "It sure sounds like it," she bit her bottom lip. "Did you notice anything else? Any clues about where he is?"

"No-"

                         Clarisse appeared from behind Aurora and glared at Percy. "Leave loser. Stop trying to distract my driver."

                         Aurora gave Percy a kind smile. "We'll talk later, ocean eyes. Good luck," her kind smile turned into a smirk. "You'll need it."

                         Percy gave her a grin something she hardly saw anymore, "Watch your back, pretty girl. We have a few surprises of our own."

                         He turned and walked away.

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

Aurora climbed into the chariot and took the reigns. Clarisse followed along just as Aurora moved the chariot to the finish line.

"Clarisse, if you're overrun press that button," She pointed at a button behind her. "It'll release a net and entrap the nearest moving thing which will be a chariot."

Clarisse scoffed. "I'll be fine, Stark. Focus on your driving."

Now, if you've never seen a Greek chariot, it's built for speed, not safety or comfort. It's basically a wooden basket, open at the back, mounted on an axle between two wheels. The driver stands up the whole time, and you can feel every bump in the road. The carriage is made of such lightwood that if you wipe out making the hairpin turns at either end of the track, you'll probably tip over and crush both the chariot and yourself.

As the chariots lined up, more shiny-eyed pigeons gathered in the woods. They were screeching so loudly the campers in the stands were starting to take notice, glancing nervously at the trees, which shivered under the weight of the birds. Tantalus didn't look concerned, but he did have to speak up to be heard over the noise.

"Charioteers!" he shouted. "Attend your mark!"

He waved his hand and the starting signal dropped.

The chariots roared to life. Hooves thundered against the dirt. The crowd cheered. Almost immediately there was a loud nasty crack! Aurora looked back in time to see the Apollo chariot flip over. The Hermes chariot had rammed into it-maybe by mistake . . . maybe not. The riders were thrown free, but their panicked horses dragged the golden chariot diagonally across the track. The Hermes team, Travis and Connor Stoll, were laughing at their good luck, but not for long. The Apollo horses crashed into theirs, and the Hermes chariot flipped too, leaving a pile of broken wood and four rearing horses in the dust.

Two chariots down in the first twenty feet.

Aurora groaned as she noticed they were in third place. She was right behind Percy and Annabeth. Aurora was not planning on losing. Especially when it had something to do with building things.

Aurora gripped the reigns tightly and shouted over her shoulder. "Clarisse! Hold on tight!"

Aurora pressed the button on the roof that she added. It would focus on the thrusters in the back and add a lot more juice. Apparently, Aurora made it too powerful because they blasted past Percy and Annabeth in less than ten seconds.

The pressure from the wind knocked the air out of her lungs as she desperately struggled to keep a good grip on the reigns. Clarisse wasn't doing so good . . . instead of holding on —like aurora told her too— she made it her mission to aim towards Annabeth's and Percy's chariot right as Aurora pushed the button resulting in the Daughter of Ares almost tumbling out of the chariot. She was hanging on and dangling off the side of the chariot.

The boost slowed leaving Aurora and Clarisse breathless. The Daughter of Aphrodite grabbed Clarisse's hand and helped her back on the chariot.

Clarisse groaned, "What the hell was that, Stark?"

Aurora tried to hide the smile on her face, "Sorry," she batted her eyelashes innocently. "I did not mean for that to happen, honest."

Clarisse just rose her eyebrows but turned Aurora around and pointed in front of her, "Whatever, just focus on winning."

"Always."

Suddenly birds began to swarm Aurora's chariot nipping at her skin. She cried out in pain and tried to swat them away.

"Keep your hands on the reigns, Stark!"

Aurora scoffed, "It's a little hard when you're getting eaten by Stymphalian birds!"

Luckily, The skeletal horses that Clarisse desperately wanted on the chariot seemed immune to the distraction. The pigeons pecked uselessly at their empty eyesockets and flew through their rib cages, but the stallions kept right on running.

The spectators weren't so lucky. The birds were slashing at any bit of exposed flesh, driving everyone into a panic. Now that the birds were closer, it was clear they weren't normal pigeons. Their eyes were beady and evil-looking. Their beaks were made of bronze, and judging from the yelps of the campers, they must've been razor-sharp.

Aurora heard Annabeth shouted, "Heroes, to arms!" She turned her head to see Percy and Annabeth running straight to the stands, probably to help the spectators.

"We have to help them!"

"They'll be fine!"

They finally crossed the finish line and Aurora halted the Chariot. Clarisse seemed to notice for the first time how serious the bird problem was. When she saw Percy and Annabeth driving away, she yelled, "You're running? The fight is here, cowards!"

Aurora yelled. "Thruster!" she turned to Clarisse. "Do you remember what I said about the net?"

Clarisse nodded.

"On my mark press the button! I'll try to lure as many as I can over here!"

She ran out of the chariot and towards the heard, just as she wanted some of them peeled off of the massive heard and followed her back to the Chariot. She did her best to ignore the nips and bites on her skin as much as necessary. Finally, she yelled, "Press it!"

Clarisse pressed the button sending a twenty-foot wide net over Aurora's body and around the birds, trapping almost all of them. Aurora pointed her thruster towards the net and blasted all of the bird's insight.

Wounded campers ran in every direction, with birds shredding their clothes and pulling out their hair, while Tantalus chased breakfast pastries around the stands, every once in a while yelling, "Everything's under control! Not to worry.'"

Percy and Annabeth pulled up to the finish line right next to Aurora and Clarisse.

Annabeth pulled out a boom box. Percy pressed PLAY and started up Chiron's favorite-the All-Time Greatest Hits of Dean Martin. Suddenly the air was filled with violins and a bunch of guys moaning in Italian.

The remaining demon pigeons went nuts. They started flying in circles, running into each other like they wanted to bash their own brains out. Then they abandoned the track altogether and flew skyward in a huge dark wave.

"Now!" shouted Annabeth. "Archers!"

With clear targets, Apollo's archers had flawless aim. Most of them could nock five or six arrows at once. Within minutes, the ground was littered with dead bronze-beaked pigeons, and the survivors were a distant trail of smoke on the horizon. The camp was saved, but the wreckage wasn't pretty.

Most of the chariots had been completely destroyed. Almost everyone was wounded, bleeding from multiple bird pecks.

Percy ran up to Aurora as he saw the multiple streaks of blood running down her face. A piece of his shirt in his hands. "You're bleeding out more than the others" He gingerly wiped off the blood from her face.

Aurora sighed, completely exhausted. "Yeah, it's what I get for playing hero," he gently waved him off to no avail. "I'm fine, ocean eyes. Nice job with the boom box."

Percy's crooked smile overtook his face. "Nice net, pretty girl."

"Bravo!" Tantalus said, but he wasn't looking at Percy or Annabeth. "We have our first winner!" He walked to the finish line and awarded the golden laurels for the race to a stunned-looking Clarisse. Then he turned and smiled at Percy. "And now to punish the troublemakers who disrupted this race."

Guys, I don't know what Aurora and Percy's ship name should be. You guys can come up with some and I'll for sure announce it sometime soon (: