Chapter 4.

I learn how to swing a sword

The last two weeks had been the worst weeks of my life.

Days began at the crack of dawn, with a wolf pouncing on me. If I didn't roll out in time, it would start to attack me, which hurt. A lot.

Lupa would then feed me some kind of ambrosia, which healed my wounds if I had any. It also tasted like the best things I had ever eaten, somehow. It always was whatever I felt like eating the most. Some days it was lamb chops, other days it tasted like blueberry muffins and still sometimes like the blue pancakes mom used to make.

I know blue pancakes aren't a thing. It was just an inside joke mom and I had, because Gabe had once told her blue pancakes didn't exist, and from then on, everything she made was blue. It was our way of rebelling against him.

I hope mom didn't stay with him for longer. He was horrible.

The nectar and Ambrosia I ate filled me up. Lupa told me it was the food of the gods, and I could see why they liked it.

That was only for breakfast though. I had to catch, clean and roast my own lunch and dinner. That was the rule Lupa had enforced from day one. Initially, I survived mostly on half-eaten cereal packets I found in the woods, but I had gotten better with time. Yesterday, I even managed to catch a rabbit and cook it. It was the best meat I had ever tasted in my life, simply because I caught it.

After that, I spent the day training physically, as well as mentally. First, Lupa made me stretch and warm up my muscles properly, so none of them would get caught. Then I ran a couple laps around the forest, after which I had to carry several heavy stones up and down a cliff, with wolves chasing me the whole time. After that, I headed into the woods to find lunch, and that took me till evening because I had to avoid getting eaten by any of the resident wolves, bears and monsters as well.

The evenings were more laid back. Lupa came by to the Wolf House and taught me Roman history. About great Roman wars, the strategies used by those who commanded in them, and how I could use them in my time at Camp Jupiter.

Camp Jupiter was where the demigods Lupa trained went to live out the rest of their lives. I'd heard about it multiple times now, but never seen it in person. It was apparently a very well concealed secret. In fact, where Lupa spoke about Rome, she meant New Rome, a large city in the centre of Camp Jupiter. It was where the Roman demigods lived out their lives, and the spirit of Rome now rested on that city. It was where every demigod trained by Lupa aspired to go, but she told me I wasn't ready…yet.

Today, I was just relaxing after a particularly tough battle with a wolf, wondering what to catch for lunch when Lupa barked, and I snapped to attention.

She grinned, feral and lupine. "Good, you are starting to act like a Roman. How are you finding your lessons?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. Lupa's questions were always trick questions with a hidden meaning. "I mean, they're not bad. I've gotten a lot better at them. I used to be barely able to wake up, because I was so tired, but my body has begun to adapt. I have more energy now."

Lupa nodded. "Your body will always adapt to whatever you throw at it. It is strong- more so because you are a demigod. Which is why I have decided to begin you on sword training."

I nodded eagerly. "Great! I've always wanted to use riptide again!"

Lupa shook her head. "No. Anaklusmos is a Greek weapon. When in Rome, you will fight like a Roman. But that is for later, when you can handle a real sword. For now, you will use a rudis, unless Neptune has gifted you a Roman weapon?" she raised a brow.

I sighed.

Neptune. The Roman equivalent of Poseidon.

I was supposed to talk to him, and consult him instead of my father. Technically he still was my father, but it still was different. I had tried talking to him, but hadn't received any response at all. Unless you counted the local fish population telling you to buzz off as a response.

"Neptune has not replied to my pleas."

Lupa's face softened for an instant- but it was quickly masked.

"Do NOT give up, young Perseus. A Roman never gives up, no matter what. Besides, I feel that Neptune is simply waiting for a chance to claim you. When the opportune time arises, he will do so. And once you are claimed, talking with your father will be much easier."

I nodded, my will resolute. Mom had always told me I wouldn't get things easy in life, but the fact that some things were difficult to attain was what made attaining them a worthy task.

Lupa pointed with her snout, and I followed her line of sight to a pile of wooden weapons. Wooden swords, shields, spears, pistols, microphones and even dental floss. I wasn't sure about the last one, but I grabbed a sword and swung it around experimentally, even though my hands itched for the comfortable leather grip of riptide.

The rudis felt heavy in my hand. Much heavier than riptide, and more than that, it was unbalanced. It favored the left by quite a lot, which was annoying. The wood was lopsided, meaning I had to work extra hard on my swordmanship to not end up dead. Unlike the smooth wrapped hilt of riptide, the rudis was made of splintered wood. The pommel dug into my skin, leaving several small chunks of wood in my palm every time I used the sword. I could tell the extra weight would leave my wrists hurting for quite a while.

Lupa nodded. "With this, I will teach you to fight like a Roman."

She began to use her godly powers to project a hologram of a warrior going through various sword forms. I watched, entranced. I could feel my mind absorbing all that I saw, and remembered what Hermes had told me. As a demigod, I would find advanced swordplay easier than pre-algebra, and it made sense now.

What I found most interesting was that Lupa preferred to project her mind in the form of a series of forms instead of actually assuming her human form instead and teaching me. It showed me that she really preferred being a wolf over being a human. I know I didn't have the ability to turn into animals, but I sure was curious as to why she never assumed a human form even though she had one.

"FOCUS!" Lupa snarled, and I turned red. I forgot she could read my thoughts.

I looked intently at the swordplay in front of me, before gripping the rudis in my hand, and repeating the same motions as I had seen.

The training went well for the first five minutes.

"Pah! Stop!"

I stopped the series of fighting forms I was practicing and looked inquiringly at Lupa. "Yes, Lady Lupa?"

"You fight with no order. You fight like a Graceus."

I frowned. "You mean like a Greek? But weren't some of the world's best fighters Greek? Like Achilles and Theseus?"

Lupa nodded. "The Greeks fight well, but they fight alone. That is why they lost to the Romans. Romans are more powerful together. When you fight now, you fight alone, but bear in mind that I am training you to fight as part of a legion- at its head."

"A legion? With me as its head?"

Lupa sighed. "Child, why do you think I take you through the history of Rome every evening? I do not teach that to every demigod. Only children of the Big Three, and those that I deem leaders."

I nodded, blushing. "You-you think I can lead the legions of Camp Jupiter?"

"Not at your current state. You lack the skill and knowledge. But you have the power- I can sense the pull of the sea in you. You have a level of power that I have not seen in demigods for quite a while."

"Even- even more than a child of Jupiter?"

Lupa smiled. "It is hard to compare. A child of Jupiter would be someone I would proud to train. A child of Jupiter has immense power, but it is well honed. It is very precise and controlled, hence something all Romans respect. Children of Neptune on the other hand, while they possess great power, lack control. A child of Jupiter's biggest power flaw is holding back. That of a child of Neptune is control. Try raising a drop of water from the lake."

I looked at the lake to my right, with the Wolf House on my left. I saw it in my mind as a large, blue entity. I could detect life in it- several fish, a few nymphs and a couple larger sharks and crustaceans near the bottom of the lake. I closed my eyes and focused, imagining as small a sphere of water as I could.

I could feel the lake ripple in response. I closed my eyes and raised my right hand up, feeling a familiar tugging sensation in my gut as the water obeyed my commands.

I forced the water into as small a drop as I could imagine, leaving as much as I could back in the lake.

I opened my eyes.

Half the lake had risen.

"Shit."

I let my hands collapse down, and the water fell back with a deafening roar, creating a spray that reached me, leaving several fish out on land, flopping about and complaining.

It was like a bunch of whiny toddlers had suddenly arrived at the training camp, because my mind was bombarded with constant messages of What the heck and Why am I on land?

Lupa thumped a paw on the ground, and the fish disappeared. Whether back into the lake or for her wolves to feed on, I didn't ask. I was pretty sure she was mad at me already.

I looked down, expecting punishment, but Lupa didn't say a word.

When I finally looked up, she was smiling. "Impressive. Half the lake, when you were holding back. You have power, demigod, but no control. As you can see, every child of the elder gods works differently. A child of Jupiter is easy to train- they work with the legion. They show control and direct the course of battle, like true Romans. Children of Pluto, also embrace another aspect of being a Roman- the manipulate everything that goes on, from the safety of the shadows. I have trained several of them. But you are the first child of Neptune I have trained. They are always more Greek and Roman, because their powers are literal shock tactics."

I shook my head. "I'll never be as good as a child of Jupiter."

Lupa snarled, baring her teeth. "Are you Roman?"

I nodded. I was Roman, no matter how bad a Roman I may be.

"A true Roman never accepts defeat! A true Roman always believes he can be better. Do you?"

"A child of Zeus? Never. But I can be the best I can. I will make you proud, Lady Lupa. I will make Rome proud," I replied, steely determination crossing my heart. No matter what, I was going to. I had given up far too much not to.

Lupa nodded. "You have power, just like the others. Your contemporaries will fear you for it. Use it- do not hold back."

I nodded, grabbing my rudis and stepping back in motion.

The second half of the training session went a lot better than the first. I was more controlled in my movements, but that meant I had to focus on control the whole time. Every step I took, every slash, every parry and every jab was controlled and calculated. I had to be in the moment at all times, letting my guard down meant my fighting style changed because my natural reflexes would take over. I would start to move wildly, taking more risking and exposing myself to more attacks, as Lupa said. Instead, I focused on centering myself in the present, making sure I was aware of each slash, parry and jab I used, making sure I was balanced and controlled.

Lupa nodded, pleased. "You are getting better, Perseus. You do not swing the sword wildly like a child anymore."

I grinned. "I'll take it."

Lupa chortled, before turning back towards the forest, facing the setting Sun.

"Your training for today ends, but you can continue to work on controlling your powers, if you wish."

I nodded, walking towards the lake even though my arms felt like they were about to fall off. My calves threatened to cramp with every step I took, and I had to keep stretching them to prevent muscle pulls.

As soon as I stepped into the water, the pain reduced.

I could feel my sore muscles recover, and I allowed myself to sink to the bottom of the lake, next to a surprised nurse shark that was sleeping on the floor.

I could barely see anything in the murky water, but it didn't matter. I closed my eyes and concentrated, working on controlling my powers.

I summoned a small whip of water, and compressed it in my mind, feeling my gut clench as I pulled to water to my command.

I could last longer every day, because my endurance kept increasing, and my body could take more of a beating as I kept training.

I forced my frustrations on the whip of water, squeezing it so hard it felt like I was wringing water out of the water.

When I opened my eyes, I froze.

Literally.

I had turned the water around me into ice.

Damn I could create ice too?

It made sense, seeing as I was a child of Posei-Neptune. I don't think Lupa knew about this- but I wouldn't tell her till I could use it well.

Ice was easier to control. It was solid, and didn't flow away all the time. Perhaps if I got better at ice manipulation, I would gain better control of the water.

I had a lot of work ahead of me, that was for sure.