Disclaimer: I no own. No sue.

A/N: All I have to say at this point to for you to have fun. I try to write with the historical/myth facts in mind, so I hope I haven't butchered it too much. Again, thanks for the reviews!

They made their way back to the academy at Cheiron's insistence that Nadya should stay a few days to gather her strength. He also spoke a stern word to Hercules not to get out of bed until he deemed that he could. By the time that they had reached the academy gates, Hercules was pale once more and his breathing came in laboured gasps. He had no complaints on the matter.

Life went on as usual the next day even with Hercules absent from the daily routine. The cadets were all edgy though, especially when they saw Nadya stroll out throughout the building, taking a self-directed tour of the grounds. By the end of the day, she was exhausted by how many apologies she had made. Walking by the door to the infirmary, she thought about stopping in to see how Hercules was doing, but reminded herself that she had already done enough damage. Instead, she then confined herself to the girl's quarters, partly because she was still weak and needed to recuperate, and partly because of the guilt she felt in her heart.

By lights out, she heard Lilith come in through the door. Pretending to be asleep, she heard Lilith change into her night clothes, then pause as she passed by Nadya's bed. "Stop pretending, nobody sleeps that motionless." Nadya slowly rolled over on her side, glaring up at Lilith. "I didn't see you at dinner. We missed you there.…" When Lilith got no response from the girl on the bed, she went on, "You know, Cheiron said that you can come to classes anytime, not that they're eventful or anything, but it will give you something to do in the meantime. Everyone's talking about you though. Especially the guys that you beat up the other day," Lilith added with a smirk. She had never seen so many hurt prides. Noting the girl's lack of enthusiasm, she sat on her bed and placed a comforting hand on Nadya's shoulder. "I don't pretend to know what is bugging you, but just know that this place is a safe haven. At least it has been for me. Everybody here encourages one another. It was tough for me at first, being the only girl, but then I met Hercules, Iolaus and Jason. They showed me the ropes around here." She paused, realizing that she was rambling on. "Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is that we're here for you. If you ever need to talk or-."

"Stop." Lilith looked down at her in surprise. "Just stop. I don't deserve your sympathy." She paused, drawing in a shaky breath. "I would have killed you, you know?" Lilith nodded. "That's what my purpose was supposed to be. You were supposed to die back there. At the tavern. I shouldn't have interfered…."

"Thank you." Nadya looked up at Lilith in surprise. "I don't think I ever had the chance to tell you that. I would have died…. It doesn't matter what happened the other night. All that matters is knowing that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. And neither would Hercules. What's wrong?" She asked, noticing the stricken look that passed across the other's face at the mention of Hercules.

"It was my fault that that happened to him. I… I didn't mean for it to happen, but because of what I did…."

"What do you mean?" Lilith asked hesitantly.

Not thinking, Nadya stated, "You were supposed to die." Lilith gave her a shocked look. "This is not how it was supposed to happen."

"What is supposed to happen?"

"Hercules. He shouldn't be at the academy anymore. He should be out there, in the world, with Iolaus, becoming the legendary hero…. He shouldn't be here anymore!" The outburst brought forth all of Nadya's frustration in torrents as she pulled the covers up to her chin, weeping unrestrainedly. She was angry at herself for crying. She hadn't done that in so long. All she could think about, though, was her failure. It was supposed to be easy. Enter the contest, get the pendent, then leave. How did she change fate so much?

Lilith pulled the girl into a hug, whispering words of comfort to her, all the while shuddering inside at what the other had said. Hercules was supposed to leave and I…I should have died back there? Is she an oracle? They remained like that until Nadya eventually calmed down and finally fell asleep, leaving Lilith with her disturbed thoughts.

In the morning before classes, Lilith relayed everything that had happened to Theseus, Iolaus, and Jason, leaving nothing out. They just stood there, dumbfounded by the turn of events. Perhaps she was an oracle. Maybe one from the famous island Delphi where many oracles resided, worshipping Apollo. They doubted it though. Her garments were too strange. She was wearing clothes that looked like they were a man's. Her pale blue pants legs were made of a type of very thin fleece they guessed as well with her sleeveless top v-neck. Her shoes were leather, but dyed white with blue streaks running along the sides. Her sword was the only thing that they could recognize, though the designs was unlike any they had seen. Instead of the iron broadswords that they were accustomed to, it was thin and made of a metal that known knew of, though it was just as strong, if not stronger. It was curved slightly, lending a lethal look to it that made them wish that they would never meet the end of, though Lilith had already experienced that. They really had no country in which any of them could place her. Her mannerisms were strange, too. She carried herself with pride, not meek like many women that they knew, excluding Lilith and the Amazons. That was Iolaus' next guess, but he was shot down immediately. No one else had a better guess, so they left it a mystery until they could question Nadya again, which wouldn't be for a while at Lilith's insisting that the girl fighter might need some time to herself for a while. Ending it at that, they headed off to breakfast, then to Fidicius' class.

Nadya stayed in bed for the remainder of the morning, beating herself up about her outburst last night. She hadn't been thinking clearly. She hadn't meant to reveal that much to Lilith. It had just come pouring out of her before she could stop herself.

A knock on the door broke her thoughts. She sat up on her bed, then yelled, "Come in!" The door opened to reveal Cheiron.

"Here you are. I thought that you'd be outside on a day like this." Nadya shrugged, bored by the subject and went back to staring up at the ceiling. "I don't suppose Lilith told you of my proposal, did she?"

"Yeah, she did."

"And…?"

"It's not for me."

Cheiron just stared at her a moment, stroking his chin thoughtfully. She certainly wasn't one to open up. "I thought so…. I notice that you have a slight accent. Where do you come from?"

"Not here, that's for sure. Is there a point to this conversation?" she asked bluntly.

Unfazed, Cheiron went on calmly, "I was hoping to strike a deal with you." Nadya rose up slightly, resting on her elbow. "You're fighting style is quite different than ours. Mostly in the detail. I was wondering if you'd be interested in a job here. At the academy. You would be one of our fighting instructors, and in turn, I would teach you about the cities and the way of life here. You would be in classes here with the other students where you would learn our literature and writings. It may come in handy if you are going to travel in this area for a while." He paused, studying Nadya's confused reaction. "I'll let you think about it. Let me know when-."

"I'll do it."

Cheiron did a double take. "You've made your decision so quickly?"

"Yeah, well, there's nothing better to do." That and I can make everything right again if I stay. How can things get any worse than they already are?

"Very well. We'll start as soon as you feel up to it."

"Tomorrow's fine with me. Warn the cadets, though. I like to begin training just after dawn. They might want to get something to eat before that. I can guarantee they'll need the energy." Smirking, Cheiron left Nadya with a comforting thought. There's still time.

"Morning guys!" A grumble was heard from the boys' dormitories.

"What…?" one cadet asked stupidly.

"What? Don't you know?" Nadya chirped happily. "Your day starts now." More groans ensued followed by one cadet falling off his bed. Chuckling, Nadya left to join Lilith, who was already in the dining hall. As she passed the infirmary's door, Hercules stepped out, nearly colliding into Nadya. Surprised, she asked, "What are you doing up?"

"I heard that you're teaching classes this morning," Hercules answered as if she had just asked a question with an obvious answer.

"Yes, but you're supposed to be resting. There's no way you'll be able to keep up with the class. I'm not saying this to discourage you. It's a fact."

Hercules looked slightly hurt, then said, "Well, then I'll just watch. I'm up anyway." He turned sharply and stalked angrily outside, trying to not let on to the other that he struggled to do even the simple task of walking.

I should be better by now! Hercules thought, frustrated. He walked to an area that was set up for the training that morning. He looked curiously around at the strange obstacle course that was set up and knew that the cadets would have soar muscles the next day. His thoughts then turned back to Nadya. How dare she think that she knew what was best for him? He was old enough to make his own decisions. Besides, she was roughly his own age, so she had no seniority over him. Everything about her infuriated him. He could not quite come to trust her. She had been willing to leave all those people at Kora's that night, and then she had come in and tried to kill Lilith. He had no idea what stopped her. She had every capability of doing so, there was no doubt in his mind about that. Then why did she stop herself. To him, she seemed to not be human. She showed no real compassion and was rude to everyone in the academy. Even Cheiron, which he could not forgive her for. Yet, when Lilith had told him about her breaking down that night…. It must have been an act! She was probably working with Ares! But then why did she save his life? He believed that everyone was good deep down, but she was keeping something from all of them, that was for certain. He settled his thoughts by promising himself to keep a wary eye on her.

The cadets soon staggered out of the academy, yawning widely and dragging their feet. Many grumbled about being up so early. Many perked up as Nadya and Cheiron walked out of the doorway.

"I would like you to all meet our newest teacher here at the academy. I gather that many of you have already met her from the other night." A few cadets shifted their gaze nervously. "She is going to be conducting the early fighting lessons. Rest assured that she is more than qualified to be your instructor. You may also notice her in some classes of yours, so she will also be here as a student. With that over, I turn you over to Nadya." Cheiron bowed slightly and departed to the edge of the clearing to watch.

"Alright ladies! First off, line up in front of me!" Slowly, the cadets complied and eventually were in a straight line. "What was that? When I say line up, I mean now. Not in the next century! Fifty pushups. Now!"

Hercules, who was watching close to Cheiron, raised his eyebrows slightly. "Are you sure she's the one for the job?" he asked his mentor.

"She's perfect for it. I thought you, of all people, would enjoy a bit of a challenge. You do certainly seem to not be when we do anything to do with physical strength, anyway," Cheirong answered, still staring at the training session. "I've talked to her about your background and how you're not pushed to the limit with normal training. It seems to that she has a special plan for you when you're feeling better." Hercules gulped in spite of himself.

The cadets were put through the ringer. By the end of the session, only a few of them could walk away steadily enough that they weren't staggering over their own feet. Jason was one of those few, but Lilith and Iolaus were unfortunately one of the many that could barely stand, let alone walk.

"And you saying that this isn't a bit overkill?" Hercules asked the silent centaur. He was surprised to see a smile on Cheiron's face.

"Well done, cadets!" the centaur praised, walking over to where a few were still on the ground, catching their breath. Bending down, he helped a few to their feet as Nadya did the same.

Nadya surveyed the fruits of her labour, satisfied with the cadets' efforts. They were willing, that was for sure. "Before anyone goes to class, I want everyone to spend a few more minutes stretching!" A grumble was heard. "If you don't want to that's fine with me. Just don't expect your muscles to cooperate with you tomorrow morning. We'll be going through this routine for a couple more weeks at the least." Another round of groans was heard, but they all complied with Nadya's advice. Smiling in spite of herself, the new instructor walked over to where Cheiron now was, beside Hercules once more.

"Nice work, Nadya. I expect there will be a few complaints for a few days, but your training is very productive. I don't think I've seen any cadets get such a workout in the span of only two hours." Hercules stared at Cheiron in awe. This was high praise, coming from the centaur. The two then walked down the hallway, talking about battle techniques, completely engrossed in the subject.

After hobbling into their next class, albeit disdainful glares aimed at Nadya, Fidicius started in on a mathematics lesson. As the rest of the class wrote with their feathers and ink, Nadya struggled to simply write a sentence without creating large ink blots. She further had problems with simply writing a simple word. A couple guys around the class looked over her shoulders, snickering at her frustrations. Eventually, she simply gave up and instead just started listening to Fidicius.

Halfway through the class and in the middle of a complicated problem, of which Fidicius had to answer, Fidicius noticed the lack of scribbling coming from the girl's desk. "Problems, Nadya," he asked, almost too sweetly.

"Umm, no, my hand's just a bit cramped. And I remember things a lot better when I don't write them down."

"Really? So how will you study for tests? Or, for that matter, learn mathematics without practicing? Or am I to assume that you are beyond the rest of the class's level and feel that you could teach?"

A slight flush rose up on Nadya's cheeks, not of embarrassment, but of suppressed anger. "I believe that how I learn is none of your business, sir." The rest of the class held in their breaths at this statement, clearly fearing the outcome of their most feared teacher.

"I will see you after class. I do hope you like cleaning the stalls."

Nadya stood up rather abruptly, chair scrapping hostiley against the floor. "Fidicius, you may be my instructor for the time being, but I am certainly not to be mistaken as a mere pupil that you can kick around at a whim. If you haven't grasped this yet, I am also an instructor and therefore your equal in respect to this academy. I advise that you learn to accept this fact if we are to work together." Fidicius' face flushed to the degree of Nadya's, his rage at being talked back to in front of the rest of the class. He was further infuriated when the girl stalked towards the doorway. Before walking out, she turned purposefully to face Fidicius. "The actual answer to that question is 356. You forgot to subtract the total of the square root from the subtotal. Have a nice day," she ended, a smirk plastered on her face as she left the room.

Fidicius, totally speechless at the lecturing he had just received, quietly hissed, "Class dismissed." Nobody dared to question the man as chairs scrapped as quickly and quietly as possible. Within seconds, the room was emptied, leaving a shocked teacher staring at the open door.

"That has got to be the most amazing thing I have ever seen!" exclaimed Iolaus. "I mean, she really let Fidicius have it! I wish that to my dying day I never forget that," he added, wiping away an imaginary tear.

"Well, I must say that you have a point there," Jason chipped in, "though I doubt he's going to be lenient with her test marks."

"I still say it was worth it."

"Hey, Herc? Where are you going?" Lillith called after the demi-god as he was walking towards the tree-line surrounding the academy.

"Uh, nothing really… just thought I'd take a walk a bit. To exercise," Hercules answered, nervously pushing his hand through his hair.

Iolaus looked at his tall friend as though he had just grown another head. "But aren't you coming to Kora's with us?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you guys there in a bit, okay?" he answered, his eyes darting to the forest a couple times.

Catching on quickly, Theseus interjected, "Sounds like a plan. See you there." With that, he took Iolaus by the shoulders and steered him in the opposite direction towards Kora's.

Iolaus just looked up, a dumbfounded expression crossing over his face. "What was all that about?" Lilith and Jason leaned in closer, obviously curious as well.

Theseus looked behind his back, making sure Hercules wasn't within earshot. "Nadya was heading in that direction after her little lecture to Fidicius. I saw her enter the forest through the forest through the classroom window."

There were a series of "oh"s of understanding and a whistle of pride from Iolaus and the subject was dropped without further need of explanation.

A/N: Okay, so I'm slightly evil for this little cliffhanger, but the next part is slightly long, so I have to cut them in half somewhere. :)