Chapter4
"We will be having our sword fighting class. I know that this is a first time for all of you new campers. I will be showing you some basic moves, stance and other related stuff. Do you have any questions?" Nico asked. No questions were asked and Nico started the training. Each one of them had grabbed a practice sword except for Zoë who already had her own. Nico watched each one of his students closely, especially Zoë. She was natural at the art of sword fighting, what can you expect from the daughter of the god of swordsmen? After that Nico divided them into pairs and had them spar. He showed them ways to move their sword. How to block and many other things.
"Ok, now I want a volunteer to show you some of the moves. Who is willing? Come on, don't make me point out." Zoë raised her hand.
"I will do the volunteer." She stepped into the middle and got into stance.
"Ok, now watch carefully and no laughing. I had this move used on me and trust me it takes a lot to get this right." Before Nico could say anything else one of them asked
"Who used it against you?"
Nico smiled "the very person who taught me how to do it. Zoë's father." then he turned his attention back to Zoë who was a bit surprised that her father a god had taught someone directly. May be he would come and teach her himself and she could see and be with him. She was brought back from her taught by Nico "so this is how it works." Nico showed them the move in slow motion and Zoë found her sword on the ground.
"Now in real time," he said, after Zoë retrieved her weapon. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Zoë?" Zoë nodded and they began.
The daughter of tides held her own ground and did not give her instructor a chance at the hilt of her sword. Nico started to push harder. He felt like he was fighting someone with years of experience and not a newbie. Zoë was reading Nico's every move and countered them with ease and accuracy. But soon she was losing her energy. She was weakening. So she tried the disarming move, she hit the base of Nico's sword and twisted. She put her weight in the thrust. Nico's sword flew out of his hand and it hit the floor. Zoë's own blade was inches from Nico's throat. The campers were silent but the silence was broken with Nico clapping his hands.
"Amazing work Zoë, you truly are your father's daughter. It is a know factor that your father had got hold of the move the very first time he had done it. The only difference was that he was using an unbalanced sword". The move was practiced again and again with Zoë emerging victorious every single time.
Then Zoë had cannon racing and she did it convincingly. The next activity for her was the archery. The class was handled by Chiron, the moment Zoë put her hands on the bow she knew exactly what she had to do. Chiron observed this; he understood that the stance which Zoë was using was more like that of the hunters than that of the campers and other fighters. When Chiron gave the basic lessons he avoided telling Zoë too many things, he just asked her to shoot. Zoë was exemplary when it came to shooting. She hit every bull's eye with accuracy and she didn't even had to concentrate too much to do it and she enjoyed every part of it. Before she was to leave the archery range Chiron stopped her.
"Zoë, can I have a minute with you." She was startle by the old centaur; she still couldn't believe that it was the same centaur that trained great heroes like Heracles and Achilles and that he was still alive but more importantly he trained her father and now he's training her.
She have been told that the old centaur was very proud of her father and happy that one of his best and famous student achieved godhood but there was still sadness in his eyes as if he had seen too much death in his long lifetime but still wasn't used to it, who would? She was sure that her father must have seen some of his friends death especially after his godhood, but it was different for the centaur because he raised them, watched them grow up and then die when still kids. There was one thing that Zoë never understood is that even during her childhood and before knowing her lineage, she never had like Heracles, no matter how great things he did, or no matter what good things people kept on saying she never appreciated the guy thought she never knew why. Even her mother avoided anything related to the name being it animes, movies, TV shows, or whatever.
"Of course Chiron, what do you want to talk to me about?" Zoë asked.
"Well child, as it happens you have been claimed, which means that you get to stay in the cabin for your godly parent. But in your case you have been claimed by two gods. So you have a choice and you can stay in any one of the cabins. It can be your mother's or you can go for your father's. Where do you want to stay?" Zoë was now a bit confused. She did not know what she wanted to do. Where should she go? She did not know her parents at all. For a mother she always had her momma. Also her momma said that her father is a great man. From what the campers said especially Nico, Connor and other older campers said, Zoë's father was a great man.
"I will stay at my father's cabin." Chiron nodded.
"Well, so be it. I will have the satyr to fix the cabin fifteen for you. I presume you have a free hour and your friend Edward is waiting for you. Go join him and have fun."
