Disclaimer: Naw, Percy Jackson don't belong to meh.
Author's Note: I was stupid to update chapter 11 so quick because it didn't refresh to the top of the updated list, and nobody got the notification. I should've waited a day. XD
Either way, I'm still thankful to those who reviewed. It's good that apparently no one is flaming the story, so I guess it is pretty decent in terms of quality. =P
Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 12:
Nico was not usually excited to wake up at eight in the morning, but today was an exception.
Today, Nico was going to train with Percy and Perry, the two mysterious and powerful warriors! He was going to learn all sorts of fancy moves! Soon he would be a hero and go on quests and become famous...
That was when Nico's mind began to wander. He daydreamed of an adult version of himself slaying monsters and taking names. The mind of a young, naïve child.
With no real grip on reality.
Nico was supposed to meet them by the lake. He assumed the twins had some super secret training technique that only sons of Poseidon could create.
Many people were shocked about their heritage, but Nico just thought, well duh.
Who else could control snow (a state of water) like an arm? In fact, did anyone else notice that Percy was completely dry after the fight? Even his boots were as dry as bones and he was walking around in melting snow for the love of the gods.
"It's not that hard people..." Nico thought. Granted only a few people saw Percy fight, but those few individuals were the most shocked.
What? Nico might be young and inexperienced, but not stupid.
These thoughts soon faded as Nico approached the Lake.
As soon as he saw two figures, Nico took off running. He was so excited!
The distant look on Percy's face slowed him down. The older teen looked hundreds of miles away. Yet the only thing he was looking at was something small attached to a long necklace chain.
Nico did not see what it was, but Percy was holding it between his thumb and his index finger. In Percy's other hand, a small white handkerchief was held. It was held like Percy was polishing the necklace in his hand when he got distracted.
Nico could not see what it was that Percy was holding, but by Percy's faraway look, it was probably important to the child of the King of the Sea.
This sight quickly vanished when Perry caught sight of Nico, nudging his brother. Percy immediately put the necklace on and hid the chain under his collar before zipping up his jacket. He then put his handkerchief into his pocket.
While Nico was insensitive to a lot of things, he knew that bringing up the necklace would put an end to this lesson. So, Nico kept his mouth shut about it.
"Good morning, Nico." Percy and Perry greeted the young demigod in unison.
"Good morning!" Nico nearly shouted. He was close to bouncing. This was going to be so awesome!
Percy and Perry then sat down on the ground and gestured for Nico to do the same. After the three were seated, the twins closed their eyes for a moment. They did not say anything as they just sat there.
Nico was confused. What was he doing? Were they going to train or not?
Nico decided to be tactful in his question. "What the heck are you guys doing?" He failed.
"We are meditating. It helps build control. This is your first lesson." Percy then opened his sea-green eyes while Perry's stayed closed.
"To be a true swordsman, you will need control. Without control your blade will fail you. Without control you will lose all confrontations. And without control you will die."
"Wha-?" Nico suddenly got paler than his already pale skin.
"Not many heroes have control. That's why most of them die painfully or tragically. Now, we are probably scaring you, but guess what? That's good. That is your second lesson. Fear is not bad. It produces caution, and caution will keep you alive. Don't, however, let fear control you. You should always be in control." It was Perry's turn to speak as his cold dual colored eyes also opened and stared deep into Nico's dark ones.
For once, Nico had nothing to say. This is not what he was expecting.
"Your third lesson is this. Death happens. Now that you know that you are a demigod, monsters will always attack you. They will try to kill you. They will succeed too, if you let them." Percy spoke solemnly.
"You might think that we're being harsh and brutal. And yes, yes we are. But we do not have time to hold your hand. Like it or not, you are now part of this world. So you need to get used to it." Perry continued.
"Let me tell you now. If you decide to learn under us, we will not let you quit. As our student you will learn and you will survive. But the training will not be fun. At some points, you will even come to hate us." Percy added.
"Right now is your only chance to leave. You can get up and go back with the other campers. You can take everything slow. You can enjoy your childhood for a little longer. Or you can stay here and be our student. Doing this will end your childhood. Doing this will change you into a new person. Doing this will cause this current Nico to die, and in his place a new evolved Nico will rise." Perry finished.
"So what is your choice Nico?" The twins asked in unison.
This was a turning point in the young demigod's life. He now had two paths ahead of him. He did not know how either path will end.
The beginning was now, though.
Normal children would have run away from these psychopaths who were telling a child about death and pain. But Nico couldn't bring himself to do it. Leaving now was the safer choice. Chiron and the other demigods could help him...
But not as much as Percy and Perry could help, though. Chiron had others to teach and the other campers had their own problems to deal with.
Nico knew what Bianca would do in this situation. She would go back to camp. She would take the safer path. She would forget all about Percy and Perry.
...Just like she did to Nico.
Nico loved his sister. She used to be everything to him. Now, she was a Hunter. She left him weak and defenseless.
He couldn't stay like this. He knew what he needed to choose.
"Please mentors, teach me how to survive."
"...Okay, let's get started." Perry said, slightly more upbeat from his usual monotonous expression. "Meditation will be your first exercise."
Nico still wore a skeptical look on his face.
"Meditation clears the mind and body of unwanted stress. It gives you a new view on yourself. Now, do what we do. Cross your legs. Put your hands on your knees. Straighten your back. Good, now close your eyes and take deep, steady breaths." Percy explained stoically.
Nico did as he was told. He had troubles on not fidgeting. He could never sit still due to the ADHD taking over. So, he focused on not moving.
"Demigods are fidgety. It is our instincts in battle taking over. That is why you need control. If you rely on you instincts completely, then you will be in trouble when they are to slow to save you." Perry commented.
They continued to meditate for a few more minutes, but Nico couldn't force himself to stay still. He needed to move around, but he couldn't be weak in front of the twins. If they could do this, quite easily in fact, then why couldn't he?
"Good, Nico." Nico snapped open his eyes. When did they stand up?
"You did well in fighting your battle instincts. Remember, you control them, not the other way around. Everyday you should meditate for at least fifteen minutes. It will be difficult and slow process, but the results will be worth it." Percy spoke to Nico as he helped the young demigod up.
Nico's legs were a little stiff now. He hoped he could meditate in a more comfortable spot next time.
Perry looked out at the water for a moment and then turned back. "When fighting, whether with weapons or not, what are the most important aspects?"
"Umm... Ahh... Power?" Nico guessed.
"Power is important, but no, power is actually secondary. The most important things are your base and your guard." Percy corrected him.
"Your base is the positions of your legs and feet. Every move you make, whether offensive, defensive, or evasive, essentially comes down to where your base is or was. If your feet are in the wrong positions, none of your moves will be effective." Perry performed a series of complex footwork changes as he spoke. "Without support, your attacks are meaningless. Without your base, blocking is nearly impossible. Without the proper position, you can do nothing."
"And next is your guard." Percy took over once his brother finished. "Your guard is the position of your arms. A guard is necessary for two reasons. One: A guard is a sign of readiness. If your guard is down, you are not ready for a conflict. Keeping your guard down is the ultimate sign of trust, confidence, or arrogance. And two: A guard allows your blocks and strikes to move faster. Those nanoseconds can mean the difference between life and death."
"Do you understand what we are talking about, Nico?" Percy finished his explanation with a question.
"This is a lot to take in..." Nico thought. "Umm... So you're saying that where you position your limbs is very important?" He guessed.
"Yes, very good, Nico." Percy complimented as Perry gave a nod. Nico beamed at the praise.
"During a fight, though, you cannot think about where your arms and legs should be. That's why this next drill is necessary. To move without consciously thinking about it, you need to build muscle memory. Which means that we will build a habit of positioning by repetition." Percy told Nico.
"Umm… What do you mean?" Now Nico was very confused.
"What does every athlete do to get better?" Perry sighed.
"They practice, of course... Oh!" Nico exclaimed, realizing what they were implying.
"Yes, they practice the same drills hundreds of thousands of times. Athletes and warriors are similar in this and many other aspects as well. To be the best, one must practice until the movements are instinctual. You have to move without thinking or you will fail." Perry explained. "Musicians, scholars... All follow the same formula. Practice makes perfect."
"So how do I do that?" Nico asked.
"You are going to practice getting into the same fighting position over and over again. This will be extremely boring, but it is necessary." Perry said as he reached into his jeans pocket, pulling out two Staedler Mars Plastic switchblade erasers, making Nico raise an eyebrow at the older demigod.
However, flicking them open with his thumbs, the erasers suddenly transformed into twin bronze swords that glinted wickedly in the sunlight. Nico felt like he was ready to explode with happiness and excitement when Perry gave him a blade.
"I had these here earlier. I hid them away because I wanted you to stay focused." Percy took a step back as Perry then took a stance with his own sword. His legs were shoulder length apart.
Perry's right leg was in front, but his feet were still parallel to each other. The teen held the sword in front of him with both hands. "This is one of the most basic defensive stances. Now, try it for yourself."
Nico did so, but it did not feel right. The sword was heavy and he felt off balance.
Perry stabbed his sword into the ground while Percy walked over to Nico. He corrected Nico's stance and stepped back.
"I feel more balanced now at least," Nico thought.
"Release your stance... Alright Nico, to build your muscle memory, you will continue to practice your stance. I will help make any corrections if it need be." Percy spoke.
At the beginning, Percy corrected Nico's stance in multiple ways. "Shoulders more relaxed. Deeper stance. Hold your sword higher." Percy said as Perry sat down lazily on the grass.
Later, though, Percy started correcting less and less. And eventually...
"There. That stance is perfect, Nico. Let's stop on that good note, shall we?" Percy said as he retrieved Nico's sword.
Nico was a bit disappointed. This was important, he understood that. But he expected more from this. And of course, he voiced his opinion.
"Nico, do you really think you are done training today? Tha t wasn't even the warm up. In fact, that wasn't even the pre-warm up. That was to make sure you know enough to stay alive in the real training. After breakfast, the real training will begin. And trust me, by the end of the day you will wish you could go back to this." Percy's voice was still neutral in tone, but for some reason, Nico felt scared.
Perry gave him the ghost of a sly smirk as he used his thumb to push the opposite side of the hilts of the swords, turning them back into switchblade erasers. If the warrior wasn't so expressionless, Perry would've had the same feel of a 90's thug with a pocketknife due to his appearance. Minus the heterochromia of course.
"Is he serious?" Nico thought as they walked back to camp.
Their training can't be that bad, right?
…Right?
Thalia Grace was nursing her growing headache. Her winter break was not supposed to be this stressful. She was supposed to help Grover and then spend the rest of her vacation trying not to worry about Luke, Kronos, or war.
Instead, her best friend was avoiding her. The Hunters were causing trouble. Grover was acting like a stupid lost puppy. And finally, she has a stupid crush on the two hot and immortal warriors that stepped into camp.
"Really Dad? First getting turned into a tree and now this." Thalia complained in her mind.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
In foresight, it was obvious with the snow and unbelievable fighting abilities that they had more experience than the average demigod. Thalia knew that average sons of Poseidon could not dream of controlling water in another state within their lifetime.
So, for a individual like Percy, who apparently had some form of immortality and at least over 60 years of practice (at least, according to Thalia's math), this ability could be used to move at superhuman levels.
That explained why the fight was so one sided. It was like a lion without teeth or claws trying to fight a shark 50 feet below water. The monster never stood a chance against Percy Jackson.
The fight might have been less one sided if the snow wasn't there, but Thalia quickly dismissed these thoughts. Ifs did not matter in a fight. The only thing that mattered was how the fight ended. In the end, Jackson won. It doesn't matter how. All's fair in love and war.
But that just gave Thalia a whole new reason to be afraid.
It was a primal fear, really. Thalia had always been at the top, due to being the only child born of the big three with a good control of her element, which was lightning.
She was naturally strong, thanks to her parentage. Now someone(s) have come along who were faster, stronger, had more control over their element, and was definitely more experienced.
Both twins could easily kill her individually. That Thalia was certain of.
"I need to train more," Thalia thought. "More and more dangerous enemies keep appearing."
So that was what she did. The daughter of Zeus had trained all day and was getting ready to go eat lunch when a large commotion caught her attention.
There was a large crowd around the sparing area. Most of the crowd was from the Ares cabin, but many other campers were there too.
As he neared, Thalia recognized a familiar face in the crowd.
"Hey Beckendorf, what's happening?" She asked the head of the Hephaestus cabin.
"That guy Percy and his brother were bringing their nice bikes over to the shop, where those came from, I don't know, but he was asking me if I could check maintenance on it ("The answer was definitely yes, knowing you," Thalia thought.) when Clarisse came over and started challenging Percy to a fight. As you can see, this is where it led to." Beckendorf answered.
"Thanks." Thalia said to Beckendorf as she pushed through the crowd.
"I have to get closer!"
Author's Note: Sorry for making this chapter somewhat filler.
The swords that Perry has are celestial bronze ones that can transform into swords as well as another weapon that I will reveal later. It has the same function as Riptide, except it works as a switchblade eraser rather than a pen, and are more expendable since they contain no magical properties other than being celestial bronze. I couldn't find the name of the steadier switchblade eraser, so I had to try and describe it the best way I could. If anyone knows the real name, please tell me.
However, thanks to all those who dropped me a review. If you haven't, well, please do so I can know how well I did. I like hearing opinions so I can make this fic better.
See you all next chapter!