Alexia worked harder than she ever had before in her life. Along with studying in the classroom and training to be a warrior, she put forth a special effort to work on the things Hercules had told her. She listened attentively when she was given advice or tips, and tried her best to put them to use as she practiced. At times it was frustrating, but she kept reminding herself of her goals and proceeded.

She also began to open up to others. After her apology, she became more acquainted with Hercules, Iolaus, Jason, and Lilith. For the first time in her life she was making friends who saw past her many personality flaws and accepted her for who she was, just like Hercules had said. Alexia finally felt like she was beginning to belong somewhere.

Caught up in the whirlwind of everything that was happening, there was one thing that Alexia had yet to work on—she still had no self-confidence. Whenever she looked at her reflection, she saw the shy, clumsy little girl she used to be, instead of the strong, independent young woman she was becoming. As hard as she tried, she couldn't forget all the negative comments people had said about her in the past. She felt useless and doubted that she would ever accomplish her goal. The only things that kept her going were the encouragement she got from her comrades, and her determination to make her father proud.

Cheiron noticed and was pleased with her improvement. Yet he knew that she should have been doing better by that point in time. Alexia had a lot of potential, but Cheiron wasn't sure if she really had what it took. Although she had been working extremely hard lately, it still wasn't enough. He strongly disliked having to make the decision, but the headmaster knew that something had to be done.

---

Cheiron heard a knock on his office door one afternoon while he was looking over a scroll. "Come in," he said as he rolled up the parchment.

Alexia slowly made her way in and closed the door behind her. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, Alexia. Have a seat," he told her. She hesitantly walked over and sat in one of the chairs that stood before his desk. She was nervous because she was afraid she had gotten into trouble and feared being punished—or even worse, being sent home.

Cheiron cleared his throat and began speaking. "Foremost, I would like to say that you have made a significant improvement in your training."

"Thank you, sir," said Alexia politely, though she had a sinking feeling that bad news was up ahead.

"I know you haven't been here as long as the other students, so I don't expect you to be up to par with them yet. But you've been at the academy for a while now, and I'm afraid you are not meeting the required standards of an average cadet."

I knew there was going to be bad news, she thought to herself grimly.

"Under other circumstances, I don't give students second chances," he continued, "but I've given a lot of thought to the situation at hand."

"What are you trying to say?" a confused Alexia asked.

"Normally, I would fail a cadet in your position. Yet I care about my students and do my best to encourage them to keep trying. That's why I've decided to give you an examination."

"Examination? What kind of examination?"

"A physical examination, to test you on your skill and technique. You will have five rises and sets of the sun to prepare. If you pass, you are welcome to stay at the academy, but if not, I'm sorry to say that I'll have to ask you to leave."

Alexia fought back the urge to cry as her eyes began to water. She thought she had been doing better, but apparently her efforts weren't good enough. Still, she was fortunate to have been given a second chance with this exam. The question was whether or not she had the strength and talent to pass.

"You are dismissed." Cheiron said, after a long moment of silence. Alexia managed to rise out of her seat, although she was a little shaky.

"Thank you, sir," she mumbled before turning to leave. The headmaster sighed after he heard the door close. He had done what he had to, but that didn't make it any easier. And if it wasn't settling well with him, he could imagine how awful Alexia must have felt at that moment.