"Alexia! Alexia!" Hercules repeatedly shouted her name, but got no answer. He had ventured into the forest just outside of the academy in search of her, and was having no luck. He wandered around some more, still calling out for her, when he heard a noise coming from a few feet away.

He walked in the direction that the noise was coming from, and there he found Alexia sitting under a tree. Her face was buried in her hands, and she was crying like a baby.

"Alexia?" he said softly, not wanting to further upset her.

She lifted up her tear-stained face. "Go away!" she sobbed.

Ignoring her request, Hercules walked over and sat down beside her. "Listen, I'm sorry about what happened. I lost my temper. But why did you run off like that?"

Alexia sniffed. "Because, I... you," she stuttered. "You looked me in the eyes," she finally answered, her voice scarcely above a whisper.

"What?"

"It's just..." she started to explain, but then stopped herself. She wasn't sure that he'd understand. "Never mind."

"Alexia, I want to know why you treat people the way you do. Why do you push everyone away for? We're not trying to hurt you. In fact, if you'd give us a chance, we'd like to be your friends. So why are you so nasty to us?"

He sounded genuinely concerned about her. As much as she fought it, Alexia felt that it was time to open up to someone, and Hercules would have to do.

She sighed. "All right. I'll tell you, but I'll have to start from the beginning, and it's a long story."

Hercules nodded. "I'm all ears."

Alexia began explaining herself. "My father Nikolaos was a great warrior. When I was little, I thought he was the strongest and bravest man in the world. Everybody he knew admired and respected him. Despite having to be away often to fight, he was still a loyal, caring husband and father.

"I never knew my mother, for she died soon after I was born. Even though my father loved my sisters and I dearly, in his heart he had always longed for a son. He wanted a boy that would follow in his footsteps and become a soldier. But after my mother's death, he knew that his wish would never come true. So I blame myself for not being the son he had always wanted.

"My two sisters are quite older than me and were raised by my mother. Their main goal in life was to get married and have a family, like most women. I was different. While other girls played with dolls, I played in the mud with the boys. They disapproved of this, but no matter how hard they tried, they could never make me be like them. Apart from having to take care of me while father was away, they wanted nothing to do with my antics.

"Then our lives got turned upside down. My father became paralyzed from the waist down in battle. This caused me to grow up much faster, for now I had to care for both him and myself. My sisters soon married and started families of their own, so that left me alone with all of the household responsibilities.

"I worked hard at several jobs to support us. What my father didn't know was that little by little, I put away small amounts of money to pay for my tuition at Cheiron's Academy. I had heard of it and was told it was great training for future warriors. I realized that this was my chance to make my father proud of me. I wasn't a boy, but I could still follow in his footsteps. Nobody had confidence in me—not my father, my sisters, or the people in the village. This was a chance to prove to everyone what I could do.

"When I had gathered enough to pay the tuition, I told my father about my plans. He didn't think it wise to let me go and felt that I couldn't handle it. Not just because I was a girl, but also because he didn't have much faith in my abilities. I told him that I had to go, and that I wanted to be a warrior more than anything. He eventually gave in, and went to stay with my eldest sister Demetria and her family so I could go to the academy.

"As much as I want to show everyone that I can be a warrior, the truth is, I'm not sure if I can do it myself. I've never been good at anything my entire life, and I was constantly getting in the way or messing things up when I was young. I was laughed at by other kids and told that I was a failure. Even adults whispered it to each other when they thought I couldn't hear. I mean, when you are told that you are something day after day, you begin to believe it.

"The reason I acted the way I did when I first arrived was so people wouldn't see the real me. I believe that when you look into someone's eyes, you see their true selves. So in the training hall this afternoon, I felt that you saw through me, that you saw how weak and cowardly I really am. That's why I ran away, and now I can't show my face at the academy again."

Hercules took a moment to digest her words. He had been right all along; her cruelty had been a cover. Because he had seen past that, she thought he would use it to torment her. What she didn't know was that if she'd been honest about herself from the beginning, her insecurities wouldn't have mattered to him and the other cadets. They had all experienced uncertainties somewhat when they first arrived.

He also sympathized with her plight. He, too, yearned for his father's approval. He, too, did things against the will of others to be noticed by him. He, too, had been teased because he was different. However, he had dealt with those problems thanks to his inner strength. Alexia didn't have that, which is why it was so difficult for her.

"You have to come back sometime. Running away from your problem isn't going to solve anything," Hercules told her.

"How can I face everyone now that they know how fake I am?" Alexia asked. She sighed as she lay her head against the tree trunk, looking up at the clear blue sky above her. "Maybe I'm kidding myself. Maybe I can't do this. Maybe I should go back home."

"No, you can do it, Alexia. You just have to work on a few things."

She turned to face him, with an incredulous look on her face. "A few things? More like everything."

Hercules took a deep breath, trying not to let his frustrations get the best of him again. "No, not just training, I meant your attitude. First of all, you need to trust others. From what I've heard, you've had bad experiences in the past, and yes, there are people in life who'll look down on you. But if that makes you too afraid to let anyone in, then you'll never find the people who will accept you."

"Secondly, you must be willing to listen, whether it's from a mentor or a fellow cadet. A warrior can't always rely on their own instincts to get them through the obstacles they encounter. If you listen closely to others' advice and practice hard, then you'll see improvement.

"Most importantly, you need to believe in yourself. A warrior without faith is like a bow without an arrow—it's useless. I know you want to prove the people that doubt you wrong, but if you doubt yourself, you're letting them win. I had similar worries until a very wise friend told me those things. If you'll just try to work on them, then I'll do anything I can to help you."

Alexia shook her head in disbelief. "I don't understand, Hercules. How can you be willing to forgive me after the horrible way I've treated you?"

"Because I believe that people deserve second chances," he replied, "and I think if you'll be honest to yourself from now on, things will get better for you."

Alexia then understood that her act wouldn't get her anywhere. If she really wanted to be a warrior, she'd have to push her petty fears aside and work hard at correcting her faults.

"Come on, we'd better head back to the academy." Hercules insisted.

He held out his hand to help Alexia off the ground. She stood up and just as he turned around, Alexia stalled. "Hercules, wait!" He stopped and turned to face her.

"Look, I know we've pretty much put what happened behind us," she explained, "but I'd feel better if we started over."

"All right," he agreed.

Alexia stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Alexia."

"Hi, I'm Hercules," he said as he returned the gesture. The two cadets walked back to the academy side by side, having a new found respect for one another.

"So Hercules, how do you think I can improve my sword play?"

Hercules sighed. "Hmm, this may take awhile..."

Alexia gave him a playful shove. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" he exclaimed. "Well, let's see..."