Chapter Text
One time Mei had killed 51 assassins in 1 hour using only her bare hands. Of course, it was quite likely that she had killed more, but it wasn’t like she had anyone to keep count for her, so her estimate would have to do.
Unfortunately, to idiots, (namely Jason Grace), this statistic did nothing to save her from the horrors of the dreaded team bonding activities. Mei was currently participating in a heated game of hide and seek - a glorified version of sparring. One person seeks whilst the other two hide. Whoever is found first must engage in battle, and depending on if they lose or not, the game either continues or the person who was found loses. Usually, the whole legion would participate in these games, with each group being randomised and the last group to finish winning, however, today was a rare day where each cohort had completed their daily training early and had been given time off to spend how they pleased. Usually this would mean the centurions had guard duty - boring, in Mei’s opinion, but better than this - but all the posts had been filled and it was Mei’s turn on the rota to have time off. Therefore, the praetors saw fit to do ‘team bonding exercises’ with her. Such fun.
Normally, the game would’ve been finished by now, with the seeker overpowering one of the hiders, however, unfortunately, Reyna was the other person hiding from the (surprisingly quiet) seeker - Jason - meaning that the game had gone on for hours and Mei was very much bored. She was contemplating showing herself, just so she could do something other than hide, when she heard muted footsteps approaching her hiding place and she made the decision that her decade of training would not lead her to give in to boredom. Therefore, Mei decided to run.
She was in a dim guest room, a bed in the corner and a desk to the side. The wooden floor was splintered and thick mahogany beams ran across the ceiling and through to other rooms. It was quite clear that the legion neglected to use this room for anything other than storage and its existence was merely for the purpose of having proper rooms in the unlikely chance that Camp Jupiter had visitors. Either way, it would serve its purpose.
With a running start, Mei launched herself onto a wooden beam, gripping the rough and squared material whilst using her momentum to swing herself forward and flip onto the beam. The rules dictated that no one was to use their powers, and Mei hadn’t waited that long just to be disqualified for cheating. Not giving herself a moment to catch her breath, Mei leaped from beam to beam eventually nestling herself directly above the door and getting out her weapon.
Unlike most demigods, Mei didn’t have a particular weapon of choice. For years, she had been taught the importance of versatility, and being an assassin had meant her she also needed ones that required stealth and precision. Therefore, she always had at least 4 different types of weapons.
The first was her Ji, akin to a halberd or spear. Although it wasn’t the subtlest, for sparring and war games it was useful for its long reach and its ability to channel power behind each strike. Next was Mei’s Jian, a double edged sword that shrunk down to a simple keychain when needed. She often took it on missions since it was light weight and could be used by anyone if needed. For general sparring, Mei liked to use her meteor hammer (sometimes known as a rope dart), something that could ensnare her opponent’s weapon of choice and precisely strike them where it hurts. Hers came with a detachable head, making it useful for distractions if it ever came to it. It could also be disguised as a clock watch, making it perfect for stealth missions. Her most frequented weapon (other than that) was her deer horned knives, which shrunk down to become two keys which she always kept on her. Mei found its shape caught most opponents off guard and the blades meant she could both stab and slash at whoever she needed to, whilst also being able to use it as a last resort when people closed in on her, when her ji and meteor hammer became useless.
For this game, Mei saw fit to use her meteor hammer. Whilst she didn’t intend to fight Jason, she figured a distraction was all she would need for him to go running in search for the source of the noise. Detaching the dart from her meteor hammer, she threw it along the attic-like room, watching as it fell through another room’s ceiling and landed with a dull thud. Jason, having just stepped into her room, immediately turned around, and, sending a cursory glance behind him, ran to see what happened.
Mei smiled to herself. By the time Jason realised that it was her who threw the meteor hammer and returned, she would be gone. Slipping out the room, Mei crept along the corridor in the shadows. Making sure that she missed all the creaky floorboards and gave each door a wide berth. As she approached the room where she dropped her dart, she heard the faint sounds of fighting. Nearing the door, Mei peered in to see Reyna and Jason locked in a battle, her dart forgotten in the corner of the room. Mei figured she must’ve gotten lucky with which room Reyna was hiding in.
As Reyna ducked under Jason’s sword, Jason kicked forward, catching Reyna’s arm. Reyna, stumbling back, caught his sword on the hilt of her dagger, and knocked it to the side, giving her enough time to readjust her grip and regain her balance before Jason attacked again. Both of them seemed to be tired, and, judging from their sharp breaths, they’d been fatigued even before their fight began. They probably had been sparring on and off for the duration of the game, with Reyna winning against Jason each time. Not this time though. As skilled and determined as Reyna was, Mei could see the edges of frustration creeping its way into her eyes. Apparently even Reyna got bored of these games. Jason was still attacking ferociously, a competitive gleam in his eyes, stabbing and kicking, analysing Reyna’s next move. As Reyna moved to defend, he slashed towards her right side, bypassing her dagger and moving the tip of the sword to her neck. Reyna nodded, and he lowered his sword.
Catching their breath, Jason stepped back from Reyna, tiredly making sure she was ok. Sweeping up her dagger, Reyna was reminded of Mei’s dart sitting beside it.
“I don’t suppose you know where Mei is.” Reyna asked, “She’s probably losing her mind from boredom.”
“I never ended up finding her. You know how she is, annoyingly good at hiding.” Jason replied.
Mei, choosing to make her presence known, stepped into the room. “Wow Grace. Didn’t know you had it in you.”
Reyna and Jason both turned their heads in surprise.
”I mean really, the great and noble Jason Grace calling a centurion annoying. What has the world come to.”
“Hello to you too Mei,” Jason responded dryly, “how long were you standing there?”
“Long enough to see you get your podex kicked by Reyna, before she got bored.” Mei smiled at Reyna.
Laughing, Reyna handed Mei’s dart back to her, watching as she touched its base to the chain and shrunk back down to a clock watch.
“Come. Now that we’ve finally finished we should get back to the principia. You can make the tea, Mei.” Reyna walked ahead.
Taking that as their cues, Jason and Mei followed.