Hereโs a long snippet from my first @bottomlouisficfest fic, which is coming out tomorrow!
Ficโs main theme: mythology, Camp-Halfblood (Percy Jackson verse), hate to love
The dayโs a beautiful one, with the sun shining in all its glory. There isn't a single cloud in the blue sky, and the grass of the meadows is turning golden. Nymphs are taking care of the woods, children are playing here and there, the strawberry fields have allowed their fragrance to waltz in the air, and Harry manages to accomplish eight flawless inside-out shots with his bow. William pats him on the back, congratulating him, and Hamlet tosses him an apple that he grabs willingly, biting into the fruit and moaning slightly when the sweet juice of the apple explodes against his taste buds.ย
โNot bad,โ a voice says behind him, and Harry turns around to face Louis. โFor a rookie.โ
Harry swallows and gives Louis a look. โIโve been here for a month, I reckon Iโve made it past the status of rookie.โย
Louisโ cold eyes never leave him. โNo, not quite.โ
โWoah, guys,โ Hamlet steps in, laughing nervously. โThe climbing wall is waiting for us, right?โ
โIโm coming with you,โ Louis says, before walking out of the arena. Harry gapes after the demigod, but doesnโt say anything otherwise. He still canโt quite shake the feeling of Louisโ angry eyes as they undress him, and he harshly puts the bow down on the table. What exactly is Louisโ problem, Harry has no idea, but heโs going to figure it out, sooner or later. He takes off the leather gloves heโs put on before training, and flexes his hands to bring blood back to his fingers. He gestures for Hamlet to lead the way, which the demigod does, shaking his head in exasperation.
โWhat have you done to anger Louis so much?โ is what Hamlet asks as they walk to the bridge that crosses the river, and Harry shrugs. On the deck of the Big House, Chironโs playing a game of chess with someone he has never seen before, and the centaur greets them with a bow of the head. They walk past the volleyball courts, the arts and crafts station, the amphitheatre, and finally he sees the climbing wall. He stops short when he beholds it, and almost chuckles. Of course itโs no ordinary climbing wall.
It is shaped into a circle. At the bottom, thereโs a spinning platform and the only way to climb up is to jump on one of the loose wooden ladders while theyโre rotating at a speed that makes his head ache. Then there are moving giant steps that seem to appear and disappear randomly, and he juts down in a corner of his brain that he needs to jump on three different ones to reach the climbing part, which seems to be the easiest one. There are two climbing walls, separated from one another, except he watches, jaw-dropped, as the walls clash together and steaming hot lava bubbles from the top, dripping down the bronze surfaces. He takes it back. Thatโs not the easiest part at all. It doesnโt help that black beams of wood appear when he least expect it, threatening to send anyone flying to the ground.
โWhat if,โ he gulps. โWhat if you get seriously burnt?โ
โAmbrosia,โ Hamlet informs him. โCโmon.โ
Louisโ waiting next to the climbing wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Heโs dressed in tight leather pants and a thin white tank top. He has got his brown boots on, and there are fingerless leather gloves on his hands. Heโs sporting a smug smile, as if knowing already that heโs going to beat Harry into the mud.
Heโs simultaneously the scariest and most beautiful person Harry has ever encountered.
โOkay, lad, youโll be playing against Louis and a few other demigods. Do you see the red glowing glass at the very top of the climbing wall? Thatโs what you must get in order to win. I believe in you,โ Hamlet tells him while giving him a one-armed hug. Over Hamletโs shoulder, he sees Louis glaring daggers at him.
Harry sighs and does a few exercises to help his muscles going, and tries not to grimace when more and more demigods arrive to watch the competition, a competition that he hasnโt signed up for. His stress-level reaches its peak when Chiron walks in, peering curiously at him. Heโs sure the centaur wants to see whether he is a worthy demigod, or not, which makes him regret ever getting out of his bed this morning. He turns to face the climbing wall, and mentally draws the path he will have to take so as to make it to the top.ย
โScared?โ Louis asks from next to him, condescending, and it takes everything in Harry not to snap.
โNo,โ he says through gritted teeth. He knows Louisโ looking at him, but he refuses to look back. Heโs much too focused on figuring out how he will have to play his cards to beat Louis to this competition, even though he knows itโs an unrealistic wish seeing as Louis has probably climbed this wall a thousand times before. But hell, he still wants to defeat Louis. This whole ordeal is not just about a game, but it's actually about asserting himself in the eyes of the other demigods, and maybe getting to figure out whatโs going on with Louis.
His fingers clench in anticipation. He can do it, he can.ย He knows it. It will be difficult, but it's not impossible.
Then why is he so anxious?
