Percy POV

I tried to dodge the strikes of the dracaenas but every single one of their strikes seemed to hit me straight in the chest.

"Die you stupid child!" One of them screamed.

The dracaena lunged for me one last time but when her small dagger failed to penetrate my chest once again she slapped me across the face out of pure frustration.

I was truly shocked, so shocked I lowered my arms and stood there with my mouth open like an idiot. I looked straight in her eyes and gave her my most confused look. Never have I ever been slapped by a monster, the way the dracaena acted, it was almost human.

Her sisters turned to look at her as well and then shared glances with each other. It was a pretty akward moment for all of us, all our desire to fight was apparently gone.

The three sisters also lowered their weapons and we all just stood there, doing nothing. I was not sure if I should speak up or anything since I needed to time to recover. I had taken a beating and was kind of tired, the only reason I was still alive was because the reftate protected me from any external damage. Damage of muscle deterioration and the soreness it gave me was a different story though.

I then recalled that the point of wearing the needlessly heavy armor and made it weight to the minimum possible. In an instant I felt like I was floating on water. I felt weightless and extremely powerful. It felt like I was flexing all my body at once and fortunately for me the dracaena were none the wiser of what just happened.

I then rushed to dracaena number two and swung my kali straight into her left temple. The power I emitted was simple skull shattering. The dracaena instantly burst into dust and I made my way towards the other sister. Using my right hand I swung my escrima from a downwards position to hit her right under her chin. The dracaena burst in dust as well and I turned to look at the last one.

I could see the fear in her eyes and I could not help but to grin. The essence of the recently killed dracaena slithered their way to me and I felt their power merge with the power boost of activation Nemesis' domain into my own. My body wanted to transform into once as well but I had learned how to control it when I killed the laestrygonian giant from just yesterday.

I did like the look of fear in her eyes though, maybe turning into a dracaena will make her fear me even more. It might not be such a bad idea… right? Nah, it's a horrible idea. If I turned into a dracaena I might be attracted towards her or something, Zeus smite me if I ever have sex with a monster.

I walked towards the dracaena and while staring deep into her snake green eyes I found myself wanting to spare her life. Nemesis' blessing would not let me do it though, it showed the the blood on her hands and it was plenty. With another swift motion I smashed her skull and watched as the dracaena that slapped me turned into dust. I made my armor go back to weighing seventy five pounds and almost collapsed as it felt even heavier than before.

"For a moment there I thought you were going to have some disgusting sex with her." The unmistakable and mildly raspy voice of the god of war made its way to my ears.

It had been a few weeks since I had last seen his face and wondered why he would be here to talk to me. I was not aware he was there and if he wanted to he could have struck me from behind. Obviously it would not work but still, he could have tried.

"I can see you've recovered most of your strength. If anything you have gotten stronger since..." He shifted his weight uncomfortably and walked towards me.

"As long as we live in a world without peace, I will always be strong." I let his words of wisdom sink in and got straight to the point.

"Why are you here? I doubt it's because you want to share war stories."

"I have come to train you. You need some adequate training and frankly I haven't had a good spar in a while." At first I thought he was joking but his face told me otherwise.

"Why would you ever want to spar with me? Clarisse told us to get along but…"

"Your method of training is a pitiful imitation of mine and has only made you soft. If you did not have that glorified material protecting you, the blows of the dracaena would have finished you." I had trouble believing what he said. I'm stronger than ever before and the only reason they even had a chance at the beginning was because I willingly increased the weight of my armor.

"Take it off and I'll show you." That did not sound good. The only way he could show me that I've gone soft is by hitting me…

"Relax kid, I will start off easy." I took my armor off and immediately felt stronger. There was no way he could ever land a hit on me now that I am much faster than before. I stretched a bit and gave him a smug smile.

"I'll have you know that I've gotten much-" I could not finish my sentence when Ares gave me a sucker punch and I fell to the floor in pain. He punched my air out and watched as I curled into a ball

"You could not even take a single punch." Ares chuckled and then kicked me in the face. I should have known better than to trust him. He then reached into my backpack and pulled out the ambrosia squares I had stored in there.

"Take this, you're no good to me in that condition." He put the square in my mouth and I struggled to eat it but once I did I felt an immediate relief. I stood up and faced the god of war defiantly.

"That was a cheap shot Ares. I got distracted for just a fraction of a secon-"

"That's all it takes for a hell-hound to dig his teeth into your body, but I guess you already knew that didn't you?" I stood there and did nothing. Only a few seconds had passed but it felt like an eternity. The glare Ares gave me never faltered until he just frowned.

"We're going to Milwaukee." The state of Wisconsin? Ares put his hand in my shoulder and I then found myself in a small cabin. It looked like those that typical hunters that live in mountains wooden cabins own except for the fact it was not cozy at all.

"Cozy," I said trying to lighten up the mood and hoping he lighted a fire or something but Ares did not budge.

"While you strip down to your underwear and get rid of your armor I'll be waiting for you outside. Don't you dare come outside in that little boy's body. Go back to your regular age and then come outside." Ares then flashed outside the cabin.

I was curious as to what training Ares wanted me to do but I did not want to take off my clothes, the place was freezing and I could only guess it would be even colder outside. I reluctantly willed my clothing and armor to disappear. I turned back into my seventeen-ish year old body and slowly stepped out the door.

As soon as I opened the door the ice cold wind slapped me in the face like the dracaena and noticed the cabin was in the literal middle of nowhere. There was nothing nearby for what I assumed were miles. The wind kept pushing against my body but I kept walking towards the shirtless figure who also seemed to be in underwear. I looked around and could only see about 20 buckets of water nearby and a small semi frozen lake.

"This is where we will train for the next two weeks. That's all the time I will be able to stay here with you and I intend to make the most of it. Are you ready?" I was not looking forward to his training in this kind of climate but I was a bit curious.

"I guess but-" was all I managed to say when I felt him kick me straight in the stomach. I fell onto the ground again and cursed him under my breath. Stupid curiosity.

No POV

Ares watched as Percy dropped the floor again and could only smile at him. That surprise kick would have taken anyone down and he knew from experience that they hurt a lot.

Ares then grabbed the bucket of water nearby and splashed the kid with the face. Percy instantly bolted up and shivered. The water only made the temperature colder for him but that was Ares' intention all along.

"Ugh! Why do we have to train in the cold. Couldn't we go train in the Bahamas or something?"

"Shut up kid, I know what I'm doing." Ares said but Percy was not convinced. He thought Ares was just trying to torture him and passing it off as training. Ares then summoned a two identical swords and passed one off to Percy.

"We will spar a bit so no killing blows but injuries are perfectly legal." So he is trying to torture me and passing it off as training… thought Percy. He then realized the sword was very unbalanced and had something off about it.

"The sword is hard to use and shakes a lot so you need to hold it with an iron grip or be disarmed. If you don't have it I get to inflict a free injury on you." Percy grabbed the sword firmly and hit the tip on the ground only to find the sword shaking way too much for the force he applied, he could barely keep a grip. What the fuck, this is torture after all. There is no way I'll be able to keep a grip on this word in a sparring session.

Ares just smiled as he noticed the face of realization on Percy's face. He had all the intention to train him but that did not mean he could not have a little fun with him. The harsh training he was going to make Percy go through will harden him to the point he could rival Ares on his godly form. Maybe then he will not have to settle for mediocre sparring partners like Kratos or Hercules.

Ares then lunged at Percy but only used regular attacks, he wanted Percy to get used to the blade so he could put up a challenge later and if he went all out the boy would not stand a chance. Percy did his best to block and dodge the strikes and slowly got the hang of the annoying sword. With every strike that he blocked the sword shook and injured his hand. Percy was about to give up and accept the injury from letting the sword fall when Ares spared him.

"Now the other hand. You need to use both hands properly because an injured punk is a useless one." Percy gladly switched the sword to his left hand and continued with the exercise. Using the heavy escrimas on both hands had made his left hand almost as good as his right one and he was grateful since he would have been disarmed by Ares in the first minute had that not been the case.

"I thought you'd be weaker with your left hand. That's good, only a true warrior can use both hands effectively. Athena likes to say ambidexterity is the key to winning a fight when injured." Percy could not help but to smile at his compliment, sure he never really liked Ares but he was a god of war. When the god of war, one that has seen three thousand years worth of warriors compliments you it is a really good feeling.

They sparred for a few more minutes and just when he was about to drop the sword because his left hand could no longer take it Ares stopped the session.

"I'm kind of sweaty. Let's dip into the water a bit and wash this sweat off no?" Percy turned to look at the small lake and winced. He did not want to go into the freezing water, it was going to be torture but from the looks of it Ares intended to do it too so he built up his courage.

"Don't you need my father's permission to enter his domain?" Ares just smirked and faced Percy.

"I have his consent, he agrees with my training methods by the way. He says it is nothing you can't handle. Don't disappoint him." Percy just sighed and wished his dad had never praised him like that.

Without hesitation Ares took a dip in the freezing cold water leaving behind an astounded Percy. He was really inclined to mist traveling away and ditching Ares but if Ares could do it so could he, besides he could not disappoint his father.

Percy slowly walked towards the edge of the small lake and jumped in. He knew that entering it slowly will only make it worse so he splashed in. The water tried to empower him but it did very little to help with the cold.

"I… I take it..." Percy gulped and tried to talk but the shivering was too intense. He looked over at Ares and saw he was perfectly calm. "I take it you've done this before." He said as fast as possible. Ares who had his eyes closed at the time just opened them and looked at Percy.

"I have been doing this for centuries, but then again I am a god. I would not expect a mortal to remain as I am without shivering." Percy looked at the god of war with newfound respect. The water was freezing and he stood there like nothing. He wondered if he would be able to do the same thing once they were done with their training.

"The water is really deep Ares. It looks like…" Percy tried to talk but it was very difficult. Talking was getting easier as his body adjusted but it was still pretty hard on his lungs and the short breaths his body made it hard to breath properly.

"It looks like it is very deep, like a mile deep." Ares raised and eyebrow and grinned.

"It is for your future training. When you adjust to this temperature we will train underwater, your father will arrange it. Something about underwater pressure helping us train." Percy knew what that meant. The lower you went below the surface the harder it became to move. His lungs will compress and his heart beat will theoretically lower, but that could not happen to him since he could easily breath underwater.

After a few minutes both of them just floated there. Not a single word was said but soon Percy asked Ares the question he was itching to ask.

"Why do you want to help me?" Ares ignored Percy's question and dived underneath, Percy decided to follows and dived with the god of war. They reached the bottom of the small pond and realized it was man made or in this case god made. The pond was the shape of a cylinder all the way down. After about five hundred meters into the body of water Percy saw the floor and it was a literal floor, it looked like the bottom of a pool and it was very clean.

Ares created the training swords and gave one to Percy. We will do this every day, you will follow my lead in everything and never question my methods. Are we clear? Percy nodded and took the sword.

Ares just smiled and unleashed his fury of attacks. Percy was caught by surprise but he was ready and started to fight against Ares. Percy was in his father's domain and any injury Ares inflicted on him will be instantly healed. Ares was really looking forwards to the next two weeks with the young demigod.

No POV

"How old are you Sharon?" Sharon knew that Chiron was not a bad person or in this case centaur so she figured she'd be truthful. I won't break my promise though, I promised him and my mom I would keep him a secret.

"I'm fourteen Mr. Chiron." Chiron was really confused by this. When he encountered Sharon for the first time he could smell the sea but made nothing out of it. Now that Artemis had said she was daughter of Percy he wondered if Percy was reincarnated as this girl or if that was really his daughter and had aged rapidly like the gods.

"Do you know who Percy Jackson is Sharon?" The daughter of Aphrodite knew this question was coming but she was prepared.

"Yes, my siblings told me he was the leader of the camp until he was banished."

"So you don't know anything about him besides that?" Sharon shook her head but Chiron could sense her deceit. He knew something was up, Dionysus no longer spent time outside his room and Olympus was quiet on the subject. The only thing he knew was that the Olympians did not deny the rumors and that Dionysus claimed Percy's mind was that of a madman when he was attacking Karen.

"Can I ask where did you get that sword Sharon? Why did you not wish to part with it?" Sharon had been practicing her answers in advance and already had a kind of convincing story to feed the centaur.

"I woke up with it one morning and when I questioned my mom she told me to keep it and be responsible with it because it was made of something very special." Chiron seemed satisfied with the answer but in reality it only brought forth more questions, most of them concerning Aphrodite.

"Do you have any idea as to why you were claimed as his daughter?" Sharon shook her head at the centaur and Chiron just sighed in defeat. He wanted to see if she knew anything about Percy or the Olympians but she was either really good at lying or knew nothing at all.

"Why are you so curious about him Mr. Chiron? Why is he so special?" Chiron relaxed in his seat and sighed. He did not want to discuss the topic with the new camper but she was kind of involved and she had to know what was going on.

"My brothers say that he was the leader of the camp until he tried to kill a camper and threatened the camp." So she was hiding something after all. She said she knew nothing about him besides the fact he was the leader and got banished. She could be lying about other things too...This brought some hope towards the centaur and he indulged the girl.

"Percy Jackson was a good boy when he came running to Camp Half Blood a few years ago. He was twelve years old and already over his head with the gods when he first arrived." The centaur let out a chuckle and Sharon could not but to notice sadness in his eyes.

"Quest after quest he slowly became the leader of the camp and soon led the campers against my very own father Kronos. I saw the boy grow up before my very eyes and saw him turn into the fearless leader the whole camp respected." Chiron took a pause and tried to continue and Sharon knew it must be hard for him. He probably thinks he is dead and somehow thinks it is fault…

"He was probably the best student I ever had. He was easily one of the kindest demigods that ever lived and in strength rivaled by only a few. He would do anything for his friends and the camp, that's why it is so hard to believe that-" Chiron took another pause and inhaled deeply.

"What happened?" Sharon already knew what happened by she wanted to hear what the centaur had to say. She was curious as to what Chiron thought of Percy.

"I failed him." The words echoed through Sharon's head. Why does he feel responsible? He had nothing to do in the death of his girlfriend.

"What do you mean? How did you fail him?" Chiron gulped and closed his eyes.

"I did not notice he was troubled until it was too late, I should have been there for him when he lost his loved ones. I thought he was fine and never crossed a word with him until it was too late. When I did he only had hate in his eyes, he wanted to kill us all and he said it was because no one understood him, that nobody understood what he was going through." Chiron now had watery eyes and so did Sharon. Chiron felt responsible because he had not paid attention to Percy all this time, all of his focus was on New Athens and it had costed him the life of Percy.

"I can't help but to wonder what would have been of him if I had been there for him, if I had tried to understand and grieved with him. If I had not been so focused on my work then maybe he would still be alive."

"Oh," was all that Sharon managed to say. She wanted to tell Chiron that Percy was fine and that he should not beat himself up but she couldn't. She promised Percy to keep her mouth shut about him and she could only watch as the saddened centaur stood up and opened the door of the big house.

"Before you go Sharon, try to be careful with the gift your mother gave you. Keep that blade safe and don't let anyone else get a hold of it, that material is capable of much good and much evil." Sharon nodded and stepped out the big house only to find the whole camp was back to normal, like nothing ever happened.