We then walked outside and joined the throng of people waiting by the sword arena. Hermes clambered into the ring and shouted o First up, Chase Mitchell and Josh Lucas. o I am not fighting my best friendo I thought. When we both got on the ring the crowd started cheering and booing. I attacked first with a weak swipe at the shoulder, from which Josh just ducked, looking bored. Then Josh surprised me with a blow to the leg that I just had time to deflect. Then I started to notice my surroundings as easily as if I was in the audience not fighting for my life. Josh was concentrating on knocking my legs from out underneath me. So he didno t notice it when I bashed him on the back of the head with the flat of my sword. He fell over knocked out by my tremendously brilliant blow. o Athena is a possibility.o Hermes muttered. Then I faced another challenger who looked and acted like no threat so I hit him face on with the flat of my sword. The night went so fast with me knocking challenger after challenger off theyo re feet or bashing them over the head. No one stood a chance until I was facing the last challenger. A big muscled boy from Areso cabin, this guy was holding a sword at least two metres long. For some reason I had an instinct to get in close, and hit him in the chin with the sword hilt he realised what I was doing just as I did it. The next moment I was holding the champion belt, which had never been obtained in a campero s first week. When the celebrations had ended Josh came up and congratulated me on my win. He still looked puzzled at how I beat him. Suddenly a big, black hellhound the size of a wolf, jumped out of the Armoury where it had smashed weapons in half and chewed others. I ran up to fend it off but it just swiped me away. Josh ran to my aid but was, called to help fend off the hellhound. I got a fantastic idea. Getting up off the ground, I found a piece of rope cut off from the pile and used it and the champion belt to form a leash and collar. I sneaked up behind the hellhound and put on the collar and leash. Someone from Hades cabin yelled o Sit!o . Being a hellhound it obeyed, then Hermes dragged it off while telling everyone to go to bed. I ran up to Hermes and the hellhound and asked him about the shower of golden dust. o Monsters disappear like thato he said. I


o Dono t they dieo I asked.


o Unfortunately, no they just come back years or centuries latero Hermes replied


o Thanks for the informationo I said. I then went to bed. In cabin thirteen it was all people talked about, the hellhound. I couldno t get to sleep for ages. And when I did it was very short sleep. I was awoken by another trumpet call completely different to the competition call. This I guessed by the way everyone was acting was wake up call. I followed everyone else to the Mess Hall. Where we were given breakfast, scrambled eggs and bacon. Then someone came around with a plate of fire, that everyone was chucking the best bit of theyo re food in. I found a big bit of bacon and threw that in. Instead of smelling burning food I smelt eggs and bacon. After breakfast, I was singled out by Hermes. o You are one tough nut to cracko he remarked. I followed him as he walked to the craft centre and showed my some tools. In ten minutes I had done nothing and gone no where. o Not Athenao Hermes murmured. Next we tried canoeing, my canoe capsized pretty fast. I was so shocked that I made no effort to put the canoe the right way up, until I realised that I wasno t wet and I was breathing normally underwater. I wanted to see how long I could keep this up, so I left it for five minutes. Then I got bored and started to make an effort to get up right. When I finally got the canoe up right and surfaced Hermes had a look of surprise and awe. o Poseidono Hermes whispered.