Chapter 5

The sword swiped downwards and sliced the haysack in half. Mila turned her attention to the last bundle, which the mentors had enchatnted as a special challenge. It hovered in midair. She threw her sword at it, and it changed inot a hammer midair, smashing the hay apart. Boots clamped behind her, and she turned to see the clenaing crew gather up the reamaining hay. Mila walked outside.

As she leaned against the oak tree in the courtyard, a broad male figure detached itself from the main group and swaggered torwards her. Mila raised her eyebrows. It was Frederick, son of one of the (many) minor warrior gods. What did he want with her? She hefted her hammer.

He shoved his nose into her face. "Saw how you were showing off back there!" He sneered. She opened her mouth to object but he carried on. "Just becuase you're the dughter of some major war goddess doesnt mean you have to boss the rest of us around." His dark skin shone in the sun. "Go back to your libary girl." Mila stuck the point of her weapon in the ground. "Hey, thats not fair!" In the square, the godlings watched the exchange with unease, mutteving nervously. frederick jeeved at her. Ill prove you're not as good as you think!" He drew his weapon, a heavy golden axe, and stepped onto the battlegrounds. "But-" Mila protested. He yelled at her again. "scared?" she reluctantly stepped forward and the demigods cleared out of the square and remassed on the sidelines. Fredrick twirled his weapon, a huge gilded axe, confidentally in his palms. As Mila stepped forward, he gripped the hilt and swung at he confidentally. Inmmediatelly, battle maps and diagrams and analyzations spun through her head. HEr weapon glowed blue, and changed into a slightly bent spear. She coalculateed her aim and threw. Frederick dodged , lughing her spun around and faced her. "Not so!" HE was cut off as the spear having changed into a metal -tipped deadly boomerand midflight cought him upside the head. A gasp rose from the crowd. Fredrick crumpled to the ground and the boomerang returned to Mila's hand. Suddenly, a deep voice bellowed out. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

The mentors had arrived.

As Fredrick was transported to the healing wing, Mila stood around awkwardly. What's going to happen ti ne? She hadnt really meant to hurt him- it had just happened. Arex, one of the trainers, came up to her. "Someone has just told us what happened." the big man told her gruffly. "You're not in any trouble." As an after thought, he added "Can't say the same for the boy though." At an instent questton from a small pale girl he yelled to the crowd "YES, BATTLE PRACTICE IS STILL ON!" Turning back to Mila , he added, "you won't be in it, though. one win is enough."

The demigods assembled in the bleachers. The mentors huddled together to discuss the opponents. After some discussion, Arex turned and boomed "FIRST BATTLE: THOR AND JORO! SECOND BATTLE: UNDETERMINED AND NJOROR!" This set off some muttering. IT meant that Alexis, daughter of Thor, was going up against Aki, son of the earth goddes Joro. And Isabel, whose parents were still not known, was going up agaist Skai, son of the sea god, one of the most powerful of all. The four chosen looked anxious. Alexis tapped her mini hammer, made of gold, against the ground. Isabel twirled her staff, out of which green smoke puffed out the top. Skai looked confident, trident in hand, and Aki just seemed, petrifed.

Go, Alexis! thought Mila as the opponents lined upon the battlefeild. Alexis twirled her hammer and held it ready in battle stance. Aki tapped his quater staff against the ground. A horn sounded.

The battle had officially begun.

Mila noticed that Aki was glowing a faint brown color. Alexis had noticed it too, and jumped just in time to avoid a spire of rock which burst from the ground underneath her feet. She hurled her hammer at the boy, who ducked. The mini-hammer returned to Alexis's hand, just in time tward off a jab from Aki's quater staff. She jumped onto the rock and crouched threre for a few seconds. Aki adjusted his grip and attacked the tower of rock. Alexis jumped from the spire and landed square on top of him, hammer ready to cush his throat. Aki lasid down his weapon. A roar of applause rose from the crowd. Mila caught Alexis's eye and smiled. The warriors picked themselves up and returned to the bleachers.

The chatting faded away as Arex yelled, "BE QUEIT! NOW, WHERE'S L- OUR NEXT PAIR?" A ripple spread through the bleachers in two directions as heads turned torwards the two. Skai and Isabel emerged on the battle field. Isabel rubbed her hands nervously. Skai grinned. whoops rose from the section of the bleachers that his friends sat in. Alexis and Mila glanced at each other skeptically. This is going to be....different. thought Mila. The two circled each other on the battlefield, wary and they have good reason to be. Mila leaned forward, weapon now stowed safely away. Skai didnt know what powers Isabel had. and Isabel was on edge becuase her opponent, the well-known and popular son of the sea god, could wash her away with a flick of his finger. MIla saw her finger her staff nervously as if planning to jab at him. a tendril of green smoke flickered weakly at the top of her staff. Skai eyed it nervously. He stopped pacing and finally tried an experimental poke with his trident. Isabel, attention on her staff, (now glowing faintly at the top) was caught off gaurd. She tumbled to the ground. Mila and Alexis looked at each other. What's she doing? The staff clattered to the ground beside her, twined with green.

Skai smiled. He couldnt believe his luck. Mila couldnt belive it either. "Why doesnt Isabel DO something?" she muttered, only half to herself. "Look!" Alexis whispered urgently, pointing. Isabel was on her knees, shielding herself form the force Skai was drawing up. Her glowing staff paled in compaison to the power he was displaying. A steady chanting rose from the crowd. Skai's smile grew bigger. A tremendous wave was being formed. Water particles drawn up from the soil, buffeting Isabel with tiny droplets of water. Finally, Skai pointed at a hysterical Isabel, who held out her staff as if it would protect her. Skai shouted and the wave crashed over the field. suddenly, Isabel screamed, and her staff flashed green. A horrible gust of wind tore through the clearing. It collided with the wave, and turned its course abck. worward its conjureer. Isabel scrambled up. She pointed her staff at Skai, (now terrified) and another burst of green light sped worwards the boy, and another burst of green light sped torwards the boy, now engulfed in his own wave.

One last flash met the wave. Where it touched, ice shot through the wave. A gasp ran through the crowd. The ice turned green and black. Suddely, Isabel disappeared. It has to be an illusion! Mila thought, shocked. The staff WAS real, though. Isabel suddenly appeared behind the frozen wave. Electric green and black lighnting tangled around her, and she stared, shocked at the frozen boy. The crowd suddenly stood up angrily, weapons unsheathed. Mila nudged Alexis. "Go!" she hissed. Alexis nodded. she raced worward the clearing, leaping over stands torward Isabel. But it was too late, Isabel ran, scooping up her staff and dashing torwards the clearing. The mentors stood up. Alexis raced after Isabel. And every face in the bleachers turned torwards the two figures racing into the distance.