Chapter 11: Hard truths
Now, something that I have discovered in my journey is the existence of several 'schools' of Hunters. For you see, The Olympians are just one branch of the great mystery, a branch that has passed down their philosophy ever since the Great War through the halls of Olympus.
Poseidon's Notes, Page 4.
Percy awaited with the rest of the hunters for Luke to begin his lesson. For once he was looking forward to it, as although Nico's lessons were good and fast paced, he had heard that Luke was several times better than Nico and learning from him was a rare privilege as he was too preoccupied with missions to give class.
"Alright listen up." Luke said as he stood in front of the crowd. It had been several days since Percy had arrived in Olympus, and he could link name and faces as he looked around him. He saw Grover, standing next to a pretty girl from the House of Harvests. He saw several kids from the House of War, and he could even see the Stoll Twins standing to the side.
He questioned why Bianca wasn't there, or Nico, or even Annabeth. Thinking about Annabeth made his heart ache, and although he knew he shouldn't have expected anything from her aside from being simple friends, it still hurt to imagine her with someone else.
"Now, I can see that you are all excited." Luke continued the lesson, the boy Ethan Nakamura from the House of Vengeance stood next to him. "However, I will be teaching you today some dangerous things and I need everyone to be on their best behaviour. I will teach you three things today, a feint, a counter, and a way to disarm your opponent. Alright? Everyone pair up!"
Percy began to look around for a pair, however Luke himself decided to stop him.
"Hey Percy, was it?" Luke said as he approached him.
"Um, yeah." Percy said.
"Come pair up with me." Luke said, "I heard you're the heir to the House of Seas eh? Man I don't envy you at all. Nasty reputation you got there, oh and I also heard you kicked Clarisse's ass. Nice man."
"Thanks...?." Percy said hesitantly.
"Hey don't thank me. Anyone who brings Clarisse down a peg or two deserves to be worshiped." Luke smiled, and Percy smiled in return.
"Alright big boy, show me what you got." Luke said, raising his training sword. "Everyone, pay attention!"
Percy returned the gesture with his own sword stance, and he lunged at Luke just like Nico had taught him. He felt comfortable wielding a blade, yet for some reason the sword he held was not…perfect.
Luke blocked his strike with his own training sword.
"Not a bad form, not a bad lunge. You've been practicing with Nico I take it?" Luke asked as he sidestepped Percy's attack. He made it look almost easy.
Percy merely grunted and kept pressing the attack.
"Lesson one!" Luke yelled as he blocked Percy's strike. "A faint must be done not only from your sword, but from your entire body!"
Luke shifted his weight towards one leg, and Percy prepared to block. He knew it was a faint, Luke had announced it. What Percy had not expected was for him to not faint at all and instead attack with full force.
Percy was forced on the defensive.
"The most powerful aspect of a feint is that your opponent knows it's a faint! Use that, surprise them!" Luke yelled as he heard the rest of the class grunt in recognition.
"Do you know my favourite activity? Watching magicians do their shows." Luke spoke to Percy only as they sparred. "I have always appreciated the art of misdirection. Making everyone think that the magic is happening on one side of the stage, when in reality its happening on the complete opposite. Use that when you spar, make your opponent believe that you are doing magic on one side, and then surprise them!"
Luke fainted again, and Percy expected the false feint, however this time Luke really did feint his attack, and Percy was wacked in the arm by his sword.
"Always do the opposite of what your opponent expects Percy." Luke winked, and Percy's determination to get a hit in grew.
"Lesson Two!" Luke said, "There are two things certain in a duel. You will attack, and you will defend. Attacking is a skill, defending is an art."
Percy raised his sword, and Luke met his strike above the head. Luke then twisted beneath his arm, bringing the sword with him. He lowered it and made the movement of the sword cutting horizontally through his chest.
"A perfect counter, almost artistic in nature. Perform it well and it will save you." Luke raised his sword again, yet Percy was still surprised at the swiftness of his attack. It hadn't been powerful, or showy. Luke had simply flowed with the sword.
"Don't give up on me yet, Percy." Luke smiled.
Percy returned the smile and raised his sword.
"That was nice." Percy acknowledged.
"Always remember, you control the sword, don't let it control you. It's a part of you, flow with it not through it. That is the best lesson I can give."
They returned to the sparring, Percy trying and failing to hit Luke. At every turn, at every spin, Luke's blade was there to block his. Percy decided to try his luck with a feint, and he shifted his weight to one side.
He saw Luke's eyes register the movement, and he could feel the slight shift in his posture. Percy lunged, yet something flashed in Luke's eyes as Percy performed the feint. He moved left, then right, the blade was quickly falling towards Luke's exposed side. Yet in an incredibly quick movement, he felt a pain in his hand and the next thing he knew his sword flew out of his hand and Luke's blade was at his neck.
Percy stopped, eyes wide.
"Lesson three." Luke said, eyeing him curiously. "Disarming is perhaps the most dangerous and hardest technique someone can do. You only disarm someone whom you wish to take prisoner, never an enemy who can stab you in the back."
"H-how?" Percy asked, still staring at his empty hand.
"Three conditions must be met for that particular disarm technique. One, the blade must come straight so you can sidestep, two, you must swallow your fear as you need to step into the other person's guard to push the blade away from his hand. And finally," Luke now looked at Percy with a smile, "You must be at a disadvantage, as your opponent must overwhelm you and feel confident that he has.
"You did well, Percy, better than I expected. I must say that last feint was beautifully executed, for a single moment you had me doubting, and doubt can get you killed."
"Thanks Luke." Percy rubbed his neck.
"Now that you all have seen the three things that you will be working on for the next month, begin practicing with your partners. Go!"
Luke approached Percy as the class began to spar.
"You did really well there, say, are you interested in some extra lessons? I don't wish to intrude on your lessons with Nico, but man I really am seeing potential here. With a little fine tuning you could match Jason, or even me one day. What do you say?"
"Um, that sounds great." Percy said honestly. He enjoyed his lessons with Nico, however they had become more repetitive since Nico couldn't teach him most of his techniques as they used his personal powers. Perhaps Luke could help him.
"Great!" Luke said, "Meet me here every Wednesday and Friday after your last class. I know it sounds like a lot, but I promise I won't drill you too hard. Now, shall we continue?"
The rest of the class went smoothly. Luke provided valuable corrections to both his stances and his attacks, and the way he taught him Percy felt like Luke really enjoyed teaching. The two boys had begun to form a bond, as Percy realized when he left the arena. It was in diapers still, Percy's careful nature not allowing him to get close to Luke, however he felt that Luke was someone he could trust, as he truly cared for what he did.
"How was it?" Percy jumped as Bianca appeared next to him. She was dressed in her uniform, and her hair was tied into two braids.
"Luke's a great teacher. No offense to Nico, but Luke really knows what he's doing."
"That's Luke for you." Bianca said, "He's Olympus' golden boy. Many call him 'The Strongest Hunter', and with reason. I heard Chiron saying that Luke could take on a member of the Pantheon."
"I don't doubt it." Percy said, "The way he moves…"
"He's some of the few who have unlocked the full powers of the House of Thieves. Aside from making them incredibly good liars and quick with their hands, some develop swiftness, a power that lets them move faster than normal. Hermes, the current leader of the house, broke the record for the fastest man alive."
"Wow, well that sounds like a good thing to have in combat."
"Surely does." Bianca said. They walked in silence to an empty classroom, as they often hanged around with Nico as she taught him the politics of the Hunters.
So far he had memorized the names and leaders of all the houses, and even some of their powers. He also had managed to learn the different political opinions of the Pantheon, and Percy could easily see the two way division that was formed.
On one side was Zeus' side. He easily controlled half of the Pantheon and smaller houses. Houses like the House of War followed him due to his strength while others like the House of Love merely followed him for reputation.
The houses that followed Zeus blindly and would take his side at all turns were the House of Skies of course, the House of Traditions, the House of War, The House of Wisdom, The House of the Moon, The House of Love, The house of Rainbows, The House of Dreams, The House of Victory, and the House of Youth, and regrettably the House of Seas, even if only Triton had pledged allegiance in the absence of his Father.
And although only seven of those houses held seats in the Pantheon, he had some of the most numerous and powerful houses on his pocket.
On the other hand, was Zeus' opposition. Houses that believed that Zeus although a powerful man, was not a great leader. These were led by the House of Dead, and with them stood the House of Harvests, The house of Sun, The house of Fires, The House of Thieves, The House of Madness, The House of Fortune, The house of Magic and the House of Vengeance.
It was almost a fifty-fifty split, however Zeus' controlled both the larger numbers and larger favour, and even if they managed to win back the House of Seas, it would be a tie six votes to six for either the House of the Hearth to break or for the House of Dead to be brought back into the voting square.
All in all, what Percy needed to do was win back the House of Seas and another house with voting power, and that was exactly what Bianca, Nico and Percy were plotting in one of the several rooms of Olympus. With that behind him, he would be safe even outside Olympus.
"Alright." Bianca said, "I've thought it over, and I believe that the only house that we have a chance of turning is the House of the Moon. House of Traditions is out of the question, and there has been some talk of Hera marrying Zeus.
"Ares hates your guts, so the house of War is out. Same with the House of Wisdom, Athena really dislikes your father for some reason. The House of Love was an option, but I gather you do not wish to involve yourself with them?"
"No thanks." Percy said, and Nico grunted from his corner.
Bianca sighed.
"That leaves the House of the Moon. I think we have a chance, but there is one slight problem." Bianca said.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
"Well, um…" Bianca hesitated for a moment, but she finally made up her mind, "You're a guy."
"Oh shit, yeah. He has the slight problem of having a cock." Nico said from his corner.
"Uh, is that bad?"
"Well, the House of the Moon is special, as it takes in girls who have been abused and…you know…" Bianca's eyes narrowed, "Anyway, it is a sort of Hunter Academy onto itself, as the girls live together in camps and are constantly on the move. Artemis, their current leader, only stands behind Zeus because he avenged their previous leader Leto after a rather ugly disaster a few years back."
"So they don't like guys?"
"They hate us." Nico said, "Not that I blame them. Some of those girls have had it rough. I knew this girl, Amber? Yeah well I rescued her from a basement. Six guys…visited her every day. I do not wish to go into details, but I managed to contact Artemis to pick her up after I disposed of the Monsters. The only reason Artemis even talked to me face to face was because according to her I did 'good' and deserved to be treated as a bit more than a dog."
"That's terrible." Percy said, "How can someone do that?"
"Not all monsters are Enlightened Percy, some of the worst monsters…" Bianca sighed. "Anyway, Artemis was not happy when Zeus sent her looking for Poseidon. She knew it would be a bust, but she went anyway. I sense an opportunity there, if we play our cards right she will help us, and with her we can reclaim the house of Seas."
"So that's our priority then? Gaining Artemis' trust and reclaiming the House of seas?" Percy asked.
"Well yeah, so long as the House of Seas remains in Zeus' pocket, you aren't safe outside of Olympus. I guarantee that the moment you step a foot out Zeus will try his best to capture you. If you become the Head of house, or at least are recognized by it, Zeus can no longer treat you like a traitor and drag you to the Pantheon."
Percy nodded.
"So what's our plan?" Percy asked.
"Well, it seems that Artemis is supposed to come sometimes soon. That will be your chance to talk to her. Be respectful but not too much, and just mention that you wish to fix relations as your father and her predecessor were good friends once. Do not let her suspect anything, if she goes to Zeus and tells him of our little meetings we will be in trouble."
"That sounds easy." Percy smiled.
"Oh, don't get cocky." Bianca smirked back, "Artemis is a tough nut to crack. She's fierce and values honesty and strength, but she despises those who look down upon women."
"What will we be doing?" Nico asked.
"We will need to convince our allies to meet with us and Percy, and we must ensure that they have a good opinion of him so they can back him up when he reveals himself to Zeus."
"have you ever wondered why we're doing this?" Nico asked, looking out the window to the green strawberry fields.
"What do you mean?" Bianca asked.
"I mean, getting Percy's title back is all well and good, but what then?" Nico asked, "The House of Seas currently has nothing but a few fishing boats in the west coast. While the House of Skies controls most of the air traffic in the country, plus the military. The opposition controls even more money, with Apollo being in charge of several hospitals, Hermes funding the package delivery corporations, Demeter feeding the country through her farms and Hephaestus providing for the hard industry. Do you think those houses will back up your plan to put Percy, a—no offense- newbie in a position where he offers nothing in exchange? Do you even know how much it will cost them to go to war with Zeus?"
Bianca stared at her brother for a few moments.
"I know its important, By, I really do." Nico said, "but I hate to be realistic about it. Right now, it doesn't matter if Percy's the best guy that ever blessed this good earth, he offers nothing to them, he has no value. There's no way that they will back him, not without a legitimate reason to go after Zeus. And even if we manage to make a reason appear out of thin air, what's stopping them from making Percy a puppet to control in the Pantheon? I'm sorry sis, but it's a bad idea."
The three shared a moment of silence between them, and Bianca seemed to deflate in her seat.
"Nico, can I talk to Percy for a moment?" Bianca asked in a quiet voice.
"Sure." Nico said as he stood and walked towards the door. He stopped however at the entrance, "I'm sorry sis."
Nico left, and Percy approached Bianca.
"Bianca?" Percy asked.
"Its just…" Bianca dropped her head onto her hands, "I finally thought I could be useful, you know? Out of the four, now five of us, heirs, I'm always the least useful. Jason is incredibly skilled with the sword and all, and he's the de-facto ambassador of the Hunters. Thalia trains the new hunters when she has time, and when not she's considered one of the largest heavy hitters we have. Nico is in charge of the stealth and spy network, and you…you're the Heir to the House of Seas! You're powerful, skilled…you have the potential to become a leader. But me? I'm just the heiress to a house that's doomed to disappear. My father cannot fight anymore, my Mother works abroad…and I am only useful to marry someone and pump out children for the survival of our house. I thought that I could do something you know? Anything…I was happy. But Nico's right, it makes horrible sense, you know? It was a bad idea…"
Percy didn't know what to think. Bianca had been one of the first people to accept him for who he was, and not for his father's reputation. She had been a true friend, and a beacon of strength. When he wondered if he belonged, Bianca was there with a smile. When he looked at Annabeth with Luke, happy and in love, Bianca was there cheering him up. She didn't deserve this.
"You're wrong, Bianca." Percy said as he sat next to her. "You're not useless. It was you who made me feel at home, and it was you who has kept pushing me to keep trying and training. When I came I was lost, and you helped me. So don't think you are useless, you're anything but."
Bianca stared at Percy, hidden tears in her eyes.
"Thank you, I can see that you were really trying to help." Percy said. For a moment he thought of his mother, someone who was always trying to help even if it cost her. Oh, how he missed her. "It was a good plan, and I'm surprised you came up with it. I wouldn't have, and I know Nico would be lost too."
Percy reached into his pocket, where he found the book his father had written. Ever since reading the first page, he hadn't touched the thing, too worried about things going on around him. However looking at it now, he doubted he would find the time to study it.
"Here." Percy said, handing her the book. "I'm not really good at reading in general, and I have a feeling that it will be better in your hands rather than mine. Maybe you can try and decipher all that is written there…"
Bianca stared at the book, and she took it between her hands like receiving something holy.
"Percy…" Bianca said, but she hesitated for a moment. Then she turned to look at Percy in the eyes, and he felt a…something run down his spine. "Thank you." She said, and he could see the gratitude behind her intense stare. She closed the distance and gave him a peck on the cheek, and hugged him.
Percy awkwardly hugged her back, and when she regained herself she seemed to be much happier than she was earlier.
"So, uh," Percy rubbed his neck, "What do you say we get on studying some politics, huh?"
Bianca smiled, and for a moment Percy thought it was the most beautiful smile she had given him.
