If you thought training kids was tough, try teaching a group of arrogant immortal adults who won't listen to your instructions.
It hadn't even been five minutes and I wanted to die already.
Just thinking about all the work that has to be done makes me want to put a 9mm in my mouth and pull the gods damned trigger.
Not the bolt Zeus. Mother fu-. I thought as Zeus launched his bolt at a couple targets like a child on crack.
We were all on the island of Delos. Well. Technically, an extra stretch of land I created there.
"Enough! Form a gods damned line like the good gods and goddesses y'all are. You are being worse than your kids!" I said in a deadly calm voice, the air temperature around me dropping about forty degrees.
The Olympians gulped before forming a line, shoulder to shoulder with each other.
"Now, your training will be tougher than you expect, rougher than you want, and harder than you need. Each and every one of you will wanna tie a plugged in toaster around your neck, take a swim in a swimming pool while it is, then slice your head off with your own master weapon. I need you all at your tip top shape if we are to win this war! If any of you have a problem with this, step aside and give up your throne as you will be dead weight for us." I commanded them. They shuffled nervously before they all stood up straighter.
"That's more like it. Now, your master weapons are your main weapons, but you are still trained in other weaponry right?" I asked.
Athena spoke up, "That is correct Perseus. But those of us who don't have war or weapon domains are outdated in style and training. We all fought with regular swords, spears, bows, and daggers when we killed our father." I nodded. I had assumed as much.
(Forgive me if I get some of the weapons-heroes incorrect. I'm basing this off my knowledge of Greek mythology and the main beliefs. Also, Aphrodite will be a dual wielder and not a girdle-wearer lol.)
"Okay then. I would like you all to separate into the following groups." I said, before pulling out a list of trainers that I could use. "The groups are: Spear and staff users, Two-handed weapons such as swords, axes, and maces. Dual-wielders, such as daggers, hatchets, and dual swords. Archers and throwing weapons. Shieldbearers will join a separate group after their weapon training. If I didn't call your weapon of choice, form a group together and inform me of your weapon."
When they split up into their groups, I'm not surprised at all. Athena, my father, Hermes, and Dionysus are in the (I'm listing them in order of which ones he said first.) first group. Hephaestus, Demeter, and Ares in the second group. Aphrodite and Hades were in the third group. Artemis and Apollo were obviously in the archer group. Hera and Hestia were in the last group. But what really surprised me was that Zeus wasn't in any of the groups. I walk up to him and ask him what his weapon is. (This is made up because I didn't want him to just rely on his lightning bolt)
"I usually use a mix of weapons. While I may not look like it, I am always prepared with the weaponry I need. I keep two lightweight swords, about a half dozen throwing knives, my master bolt which can transform into a throwing javelin, and I sometimes use a double-sided blade(it's like a large spear that has two razor sharp blades tied to each end with twine. Very effective to be completely honest.)" I turned to Hestia and Hera, who told me they used a shield but also dual-wielded axes. What really surprised me was that Hestia used two bo staffs and a large square shield strapped to her upper right arm.
"Interesting. I too like to prepare for every situation. I'll be training you specifically because I don't think I have anyone who can teach you those weapon combinations." He nodded his head.
I then see the telltale violet portal open up and out come the greatest fighters in Greek mythology.
Achilles, Orion, Theseus, Jason, Atlanta, Cadmus, Perseus, and Odysseus. I turn to them as they salute me.
"It is truly an honor to meet you all. Each and everyone of you has achieved the best form of immortality. Being remembered and talked about millennia later. I call upon you now to help train the Olympians for the war against our enemy." I told them, unknowingly slipping into my "commander" persona. The one that rallied my allies and gives them hope.
They all roared out their approval and split up. I stopped Orion, Perseus, and Achilles before they left though.
"Three things. One: Orion. Don't do anything to the hunters, Artemis, or Apollo or I will send you to Heracles in Tartarus. Two: Achilles. I need your help with understanding something about the Styx. Perseus, I know you aren't a pro at dual wielding, but I need you to help Atlanta teaching it." They all nodded their heads in understanding. Perseus and Orion headed off to their groups.
"Walk with me Achilles." I said, turning around and walking away from the area. He fell in step with me and when we were a good fifty yards from the group, I sat down by a tall oak tree. He followed my lead and propped himself up on a nearby rock.
"I wanted to know if there is a way to get the Curse a second time. Before I came back in time, I had bathed in the Styx during the Second Titan War. I lost the curse when I crossed the Little Tiber River in New Rome. I need to know if I am still able to get it."
He nodded his head and tilted his head in thought.
"I believe you are able to get the curse still. You will have to choose a different anchor and anchor point though. I also think the curse will be less effective. Not in a deadly way but the pain you receive from hits will hurt even more. In all honesty, I believe the final decision is up to Lady Styx." I sighed in frustration. He grinned at this. "Let me guess, you pissed her off before?"
I nodded my head sheepishly. "It's kind of my talent and job to piss off immortal beings."
He laughed at this before shaking his head. "Talk to Lady Styx about your concerns. She is much more reliable than I am in this case." I thanked him and we walked back to the main group. Achilles walked over to the spear users group to join up with Odysseus who had begun to run them through the basics of the spear and shield combination. He may have used blades but he was a natural in many weapons. I glanced around at the other groups to see how they were doing. Theseus and Atlanta has their dual swords and daggers out and were demonstrating swipes, slashes, and feints to the dual wielders, hammering the basics back into the Olympians. Perseus and Jason were drilling proper stances and quick attacks into the swordsman and axemen. Orion was showing Artemis and Apollo how to use compound bows and throwing knives. I turned around to check on the last group and was surprised at what I saw. Cadmus was standing with Hestia and Hera, watching the two Goddesses spat each other, both of whom looked to be experts at their weapons. Every so often he would point out a flaw in their stance or call out whenever they overextended or blocked poorly.
I turned to Zeus and motioned him to pull out his first weapons. Two short, yet sleek, silver swords appeared in his hands. Two oddly shaped shields also appeared on his shoulders. They covered his back and neck just enough to keep him safe, but still allow him to move freely. I pulled out my newest two swords, Timoría(Retribution) and Ntíler tis moíras(Dealer of Fate).
I nodded at him to begin and he struck. His first two swipes were quick but avoidable. He was light on his feet for sure, but I noticed he put too much strength in his attacks. I sidestepped a couple more slashes and rolled out of a feint. I slammed the flat of Retribution on his hands and swipes Dealer of Fate upwards, knocking the blades out of his hand. I quickly held my swords to his throat.
"You need to grip your blades slightly looser and calm your nerves. Dual wielding those swords will be difficult against powerful enemies. The only way to defeat them is to wear them down and frustrate them. Dodge their swipes, backpedal out of their feints, use your blades to cause their slashes to glance off of them. Make sure to keep your grip tight but make sure to not tense up when blocking or they'll injure your arm. Watch their bodies for mistakes and openings." I instructed before helping him up. He nodded and we continue to spar. I showed him some of my own techniques and tricks. Mainly rolling under the first attack and swiping at the enemy's ankles and knees. A couple hours later, we realized we had drawn a crowd. They all started cheering at our sparring. I flashed a genuine smile at Zeus who returned it. I raised an eyebrow at him and we both nodded at each other...then bowed at the same time. The other immortals started laughing at our antics and soon enough everyone was back to training. When the sun began to set, we called it a day and I went back to check on the camp. I asked Zeus to accompany me, to which he agreed.
When I arrived at the Big House, Chiron was just entering the building. He bowed to Zeus, who just waved it off.
"Hey Chiron. May Zeus and I borrow you for a couple minutes?" I asked. He looked at Zeus and nodded before motioning us inside. We followed behind him and took a seat around the fireplace.
"How is the camp doing Chiron?" I asked, curious about their progress.
"Surprisingly well, considering the circumstances. The campers are pushing themselves harder than usual and are excelling in their training. Lee and the Stolls couldn't get in touch with their fathers about the giants concern. The Hephaestus cabin has created almost a thousand traps. Greek Fire mines, motion-sensor turrets, and even puts filled with Styx water. Don't ask me how they did that because I don't know. They also have several prototype armor sets that they want you to try out. The Romans arrived earlier this morning and they began to train. The switch from their Roman fighting style to our Greek fighting style is slowly, but surely, happening. The Demeter cabin is slightly struggling with their task because of their small numbers. Grover is about a day and a half away with both the Party Ponies and about one thousand satyrs, nymphs, and dryads. All in all, it's going very well."
"That is excellent. Zeus and I were worried about the Greeks and Romans but it seems that is going great. Any news on how our new three monster allies are doing?" I asked. He nodded and chuckled.
"They scared the Styx out of the campers when they arrived but they were quickly calmed down by Thalia, Zoe, and Chaos. Clarisse has to be held back by two whole cabins." He grinned at the memory. Zeus and I chuckled with the centaur.
I turned to Zeus. "I assume you would like me to step out for a bit?" I asked, knowing he wanted to talk about Thalia. He nodded and I bid them good night, taking off to my cabin to get some sleep.
Zeus's POV
Chiron looked me in the eyes for a couple seconds before sighing. "She is very in love with both Perseus and Zoë. While I don't exactly understand how they got together, I know Perseus is a very good man. He won't let them down Lord Zeus."
I sighed, rubbing my forehead, "I know he is. That is why I'm worried." Chiron nodded, "you are referring to his fatal flaw?" I simply nodded before resting my elbows on my knees, bending forward and putting my head in my hands. "I am worried he will become much too attached and will put the war effort in danger. I'm not saying I want him to not protect my daughter, but, as much as it hurts to say this, if he has to choose between everyone else and Thalia, I want and need him to choose everyone else."
Chiron was silent for a couple minutes before he responded. "I understand completely Lord Zeus," "Just Zeus, Chiron. We aren't in public." I said. I snapped my fingers to summon some wine and poured us both a glass. We clink our glasses together before taking a couple sips.
"I believe Percy also knows this Zeus, and I'm sure Thalia and Zoë will help him understand this. It will be hard for him, but he has a knack for doing the impossible." I chuckled at that. His nephew was the king of completing the impossible.
"On that, we can agree." We sat back in our chairs, the comfortable silence and the crackling fireplace relaxing us as we took a moment to relax.