Chapter 3- Training Part 2 of 2

"And now!" ordered Lupa, and immediately, Percy struck his sword forward. Finally, after constant pleading, Lupa allowed Percy to learn the basics of using a blade in combat. For the past 3 hours, he had been trying out basic techniques outlined by the Lupa as the beginning of his training in swordsmanship. 2 months ago, she also began teaching him how to use a dagger for close combat, and he was doing reasonably decent in it. Lupa also said that after he started progressing in using a sword, she'd teach him archery. Apparently, no pupil of hers should lack in archery, so Percy agreed, not wanting to disappoint Lupa.

"Do it again," cut Lupa's voice in the middle of his musings as Percy formed back into his stance and began his rep again. He was starting to get the hang of using the sword and learning to control it properly. One of the first things the Mother of Rome had drilled into his head was that a sword was an extension of yourself. If you use it correctly with the proper techniques, it will not fail you, but you have to learn to guide it properly for the weapon to work for you.

They were interrupted by a flash of light beside Lupa, and an extremely beautiful woman appeared. Her face looked like royalty, and she had long black hair that flowed downwards to her shoulders. She was carrying a staff in her hands with a white lotus flower on top, and she was wearing a dark blue cloak made of goat skin and had an aura of discipline and power around her. Percy looked at her for one moment before realising who it was.

"Queen Juno," Percy bowed immediately. Lupa had taught him the honorifics when being greeted by a God or Goddess.

"What brings you here, my lady?" Percy asked

Juno looked at Percy for a few moments.

"Rise, son of Neptune. I am here to speak to Lupa for a few moments," replied Juno, studying her nephew closely, more curiosity than malice in her eyes. Percy looked at Lupa, and she nodded.

"Go downhill. Continue your reps for another 20 minutes, then review the history lessons I taught you today morning. I'll be testing you on those later," confirmed Lupa.

"Yes, Mother Lupa," Percy nodded, bowed to the Queen of the Heavens again, and then sprinted off.

"Quite a polite child," mused Juno, "Surprising, considering his father is known for his abrupt nature. But then again, I guess he is as much of Neptune as he is of yours,"

Lupa raised an eyebrow at this.

"Mother Lupa? I've never heard another demigod refer to you as such," inquired Juno.

"Well, he's had quite the effect on me. But, as riveting as this conversation is, I assume you're here for a different reason Juno?" questioned Lupa.

"I received your message. My champion is ready to join the legion?" Juno spoke after a moment. Lupa nodded.

"I taught Jason what he needed to learn. He's quite the warrior, learning from age two and still thriving. I see not much more I could have taught him for the time being, so I thought it best decided the son of Jupiter be inducted into the legion and start familiarising himself with the life of New Rome. We both know Jason will grow up to be a leader, so the longer he is in the legion, the more he can learn about it and the more respect he can build over time," replied Lupa.

"And what of Perseus Jackson?"

Lupa was silent for a few minutes before speaking.

"Perseus is a special case. He is built differently, and his mind works in a different manner. He is easily changeable and can adapt to any situation. Also, being Neptune's son makes him different. We both know how powerful his children are and, if guided properly, how much they can impact the course of history. That makes him different to other Romans. I need more time to train and prepare him for what may be coming," Lupa stated. Juno thought for a moment before nodding to Lupa.

"I can see how your training has begun to change him. He has even attracted my husband's attention. Jupiter may not admit it, but even he is interested in Perseus's arrival and what it means for Rome. I presume you are training him to be more than just a legionnaire?" asked Juno.

"Rome needs someone more than just a soldier or a leader commanding an army. It needs someone capable of doing tasks alone. To be sent on solo missions to hunt down enemies or monsters, retrieve objects or turn the tide of war all by himself by infiltrating and disengaging the enemy. I believe our young Perseus could be that person. But it'll take a bit more time before he is ready," said Lupa. To her, this felt like déjà vu, repeating the thoughts of when she took in Perseus. Juno looked at her for a few moments before nodding.

"An admirable plan, if not a bit ambitious. I wish you luck on this, Lupa," Juno said before disappearing in a divine flash of light.

Nine-year-old Perseus wrestled with a water spirit, courtesy of Salacia at Lupa's request, and he wasn't faring too well. His divine abilities wouldn't do him well here, as water wouldn't do much against a water spirit, so he had to rely entirely on his combat skills. He used a basic rudii provided by Lupa as he deflected a side attack from the water spirit before rolling underneath the spirit, swerving his blade back with full power, and pushing the spirit back. This surprised the water spirit for a moment before he ducked at the last second, rolled to the side and attacked his left, but Percy saw it coming and sidestepped, grabbing his wrist and hitting him on the head with the hilt of his sword. Immediately, the spirit fell onto the floor and was met face first with Percy's blade, a few centimetres from his eyes and for the first time, Percy emerged victorious. However, he let his guard down when the spirit surrendered, which was his mistake. Percy felt his sixth sense buzz crazy, and he reached into his defensive stance, but it was too late as another water spirit attacked him from the back, pushing him a few feet back.

Lupa smiled as she observed the fight. She wanted to see how well Percy would manage if there were a surprise attack. Percy immediately regained his bearings and saw he was up against two opponents. He knew this would be a brutal fight as both had weapons, but he refused to give up. Lupa had taught him never to back down, never show fear, and always find another loophole to win. He wouldn't fail. He analysed both of his opponents. The first one was still a little dazed from the attack to the head, and the second one seemed to be a bit overconfident after taking Percy by surprise. If he played his cards right, he could just win this match. He immediately went on the defence as the second water spirit attacked him, and he tried to look as though he was dazed from that earlier assault. It worked. The second water spirit got arrogant and thought Percy was starting to weaken and opened his left guard, and immediately Percy went on the offence, taking both spirits by surprise. He weaved past the first spirit, using the side of his blade to cut through the ribs of the second spirit, before dodging to the side to avoid the first spirit's blade. It turns out he wasn't as dazed as Percy believed. Percy's senses buzzed sharply, and he immediately turned around in time to deflect the blade heading for him, attacking him back in his ankles and making the spirit grunt.

He kicked the spirit in the chest with all his strength, giving himself a few seconds of opportunity and attacking the second spirit. However, he saw it coming and sidestepped and pressed on Percy's wrist, making him drop his weapon and wallop him, causing Percy to fall to the ground.

Percy looked around everywhere to see if there was anything he could use to his advantage, but he had nothing. He was going to fail. No. Percy wouldn't fail. He couldn't fail. Failure was unacceptable. There was always something. Then he felt a warm feeling in his gut, as though something or someone was nudging him. He immediately let his instincts take over, and this time, there was a different sensation, as opposed to him controlling the sea. He felt a metallic scent on the tip of his tongue and electricity crossing from the tips of his skin. On top of him, the sky darkened dangerously, the clouds coming to serve the bidding of the child of the Stormbringer. Lightning brewing up, crackling with energy, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Percy felt a familiar tug in his gut, his ears popping. Almost immediately, thunder roared across the woods, and a blue arc of lightning followed through at Percy's command striking down the water spirit that dared to challenge the Stormbringer's son, blowing him across the woods.

Lupa immediately jumped off the rock she was sitting on and ran towards Percy. She nodded at both water spirits, and they disappeared back into the sea. Lupa waited patiently as Percy regained his senses. That was the first time he summoned lightning, which was even more challenging than using his water powers. His ears were slightly ringing, and he felt a bit nauseous. But it worked, and he emerged victorious, even if it took all his strength.

Once he felt like he could talk without feeling like he was going to hurl, he faced Lupa, who was observing him.

"What just happened?" he asked in between breaths.

"You called upon one of your father's other domains. Your father is also the bringer of Storms and the earthshaker. As his son, you also have the ability to summon large storms or create massive earthquakes to your will," answered Lupa

"But isn't the sky Jupiter's domain?" Percy asked confused

"Jupiter controls the sky and has a higher amount of control over it, but Neptune also has control over the storm aspects in the sky. This is why he is feared by many. He has control over the majority of the planet. He commands the seas and ocean but also has domain over the sky and the earth. This is why children of Neptune, such as you, are extremely powerful," Lupa explained.

Percy nodded as he took in what Lupa said.

"Mother Lupa, why hasn't my father visited me yet? I've seen Lady Salacia a few times, but never have I been able to meet Dad?" asked Percy. His face was unreadable to Lupa, which was quite surprising as usually, she'd be able to guess his emotions.

"Percy, don't judge your father too harshly. There is something called the ancient laws that all immortals have to abide by. One of those laws is that a God, especially one of the Olympians, can't interact or meddle in their children's lives. They have to stand by and watch their children progress on their own. But that doesn't mean your father doesn't care about you. On the contrary, your father will always watch over you, even when you don't realise it. He is always looking over you and will guide you when you need assistance. In retrospect, Neptune cares more about his children than some of the other gods. He is more attentive to his demigod children than many of the other gods," Lupa spoke to Percy. Percy thought about what she had told him for a few moments. Then he remembered when he first used his divine powers to use the sea in his first fight against a wolf. A voice had told him, and he suspected it was his father.

"Ancient laws?" asked Percy.

Lupa sighed before continuing.

"This might be hard to understand, especially for a non-immortal, but I'll try my best. When Lord Chaos first created the universe, the universe was in complete, well, chaos essentially. The flow of energy that ties the universe was in complete shambles, and everything was in havoc. The only thing that could bring order to the universe was the ancient laws; thus, Chaos willed it so. The ancient laws aren't real physical things, but the essence of what ties the universe together and keeps things from falling back to the imbalance they once were. If one of the ancient laws is broken, there are consequences to them, depending on how severe it is, in order to bring things back to balance," Lupa explained to Perseus, who nodded as he listened.

"Well, that's a lot to take in," Percy said after a few moments of silence.

"Now for your duel. You did well. You held your own against two water spirits. You managed to defeat one by your combat skill alone, and you defeated the other by harnessing new powers for the first time. Not bad young destroyer," Lupa smiled. Percy grinned. It was hard to gain praise from Lupa, and any compliments by here were always his highlights.

"But you also learned a lesson here. Never let your guard down, not even when an enemy is defeated, for a larger deception may be in place. You have to keep yourself ready for threats until you are completely sure the area is safe," Lupa instructed Percy, who nodded in response.

"You were right. My sixth sense managed to save me in time," Percy remembered when Lupa trained him to unlock his sixth sense. All demigods had one due to the divine blood that gave them a danger sense that alerts them in life-or-death situations. Lupa had blindfolded Percy and had magical wolves attack him from all sides till he learnt to control it. It was painful, yet it clearly paid off for him.

"Take some time to rest. You have some time off for now, but I'll test you on the Art of War," Lupa said.

"Yes, Mother Lupa, I have learnt them," Percy groaned as he got up. Lupa smacked him gently on his legs for whining before letting him go to enjoy some free time.

Percy sprinted across the woods. One of Lupa's wolves had informed him that Lupa had called for him, and he gracefully ran through the woods. He practically knew this place in the back of his mind, having spent most of his training time here.

He saw the clearing at the end and sprinted there, where he saw Lupa sitting on a rock, looking at the sky.

"Mother Lupa, you called for me?" Percy asked.

Lupa faced him before jumping off the rock. She motioned for him to move back and glowed, transforming into her human form. Percy smiled at seeing her. He didn't often see her human form, but it felt more comforting to him.

"The time for you to join the legion draws closer. Soon you'll be going to camp and join along with other people. Therefore, I would like to prepare you before you join the legion," Lupa said, pride evident in her voice. Suddenly the scent of the sea filled the wind, and Salacia, Percy's stepmother, materialised from thin air. He had seen Salacia a few times, and she had been friendlier than he expected. She had a slight smile on her face as she looked at Percy.

"We have a few things for you, Percy," Lupa said as she summoned a table and chairs for them. Percy sat on one side while the two goddesses sat on the other.

"I'll go first," Lupa spoke as she snapped her fingers, and two things appeared on the table. The first was a dark bracelet with a menacing aura to it, with the symbol of two wolves pouncing at each other. It looked similar to what Lupa wore in her human form. The second was a small necklace in the shape of a trident with the face of a wolf in the middle underneath the middle prong.

"Put them on," Lupa said as he did so. "Now, tug the bracelet at the bottom," Lupa instructed. He did so, and suddenly a dark black dagger appeared in his hands. It felt cold, yet it felt perfectly weighted in his hands. It seemed to absorb all the light in the area and had a dark shine.

"That is a dagger made for you by the cyclopes of your father. It is made of mortal steel so that it can interact with the mortal world," Lupa told him as he studied the dagger. He knew the properties of the metals in the godly world and what they were capable of.

"Now, just twist the dagger's hilt firmly, and it'll return to its hidden form. Now for your necklace, pull on the trident," Lupa said with a smile. Percy did so. Immediately, a bow materialised in his hands, and a quiver strapped to his back. He examined the bow; it appeared to be made of Imperial Gold and also linings of Mortal Steel to keep it intact. He gave it an experimental draw before turning to his quiver. There were different types of arrows, a few Imperial Gold arrows, regular metal arrows, and some explosive arrows that would be useful when needed. Percy had progressed well in archery, he was not a complete expert, but he had much skill in the area and could mark shots for a good distance, thanks to Lupa.

"The quiver has been blessed by your father and a few enchantment runes, as you can see on the side, so it never truly runs out of arrows. Take good care of it; it is hard to make weapons like these," Salacia told Percy. "To dismiss it, just turn the middle part of the bow, and it'll disappear back into your necklace. It was named Ferociam."

"Turbulence," Percy said as Lupa nodded.

"Now for my two gifts," Salacia said. Again two things materialised on the table. One of them was a simple yet beautiful ring. It looked to be carved out of metal, most possibly Atlantean pearl. On the ring, there were different phases of the night sky in motion. The other thing was a watch, but it read SPQR on it. Percy knew that to be the motto of Rome. He placed both items on him as Salacia spoke.

"The watch is a shield for you. It should serve you well. Click the top button. Vulcan mined it at your father's request so that it would last you a very long time. Made of Imperial Gold again and some obsidian, so you can use it for offence when needed," Salacia explained.

Percy grinned as he examined the shield. It wasn't anything fancy which he liked, and it seemed well-balanced. And lastly, the most important of all, his ring.

"Tap the ring and will it to transform," Salacia instructed, and immediately the most beautiful weapon Percy had ever seen lay in his hands. It didn't look like any of the regular metals he had seen, and it hummed with energy. The sword responded to Percy, and he could feel raw power coursing through it. He could feel the sea inside the blade.

"That sword was one of the most difficult weapons to build, yet it is extremely powerful. It has Adamantine inside it, so you know its worth," Salacia said, stifling a laugh at the look on Percy's face. "It took the cyclopes quite a while to build this and even longer to obtain the metals needed. It contains Imperial Gold, Adamantine and Obsidian, so it can harm both divine beings and mortals should the need arise. But what's special about this gladius is that it is imbued with your father's powers. This should make it easier for you to channel your abilities if needed or wield the weapon as it is a weapon of the sea. It is named Interitum."

"Destruction." Percy nodded. He could feel his father's domains in the sword, ready to be unleashed. This weapon felt more balanced than any other weapon he had wielded, and he was thankful for it.

"Simply will the weapon to disappear, and it'll return to the ring. Likewise, all of your weapons are enchanted to return to you at your will should you lose them," Salacia told him. She stood up, turning to walk towards the sea.

"Thank you, both of you, for these weapons. They'll serve me well," Percy spoke, a smile spread on his face.

"Of course. Now the time arises, Perseus. The legion awaits. However, your patron wishes to speak to you before we leave." Lupa told him.

"Patron?" Percy asked, confused.

"Yes, Percy. Before you were given to me, Salacia claimed herself to be your patron and for you to be her champion. But, fear not," Lupa added at seeing Percy's face. "Having a patron has more benefits than drawbacks. And she may not show it, but Salacia does care for you. As her champion, you may have to do a few tasks for her, but in return, she will guide you in situations you need, and she is your link to the divine world and your father. So she'll prove useful to you, Percy," Lupa explained before continuing.

"I have deemed you worthy and believe you can join the legion, but Salacia has a few things she wants to talk to you about," Lupa told him.

Percy nodded, getting up from his seat with a stoic face. But before he turned around, he debated for a moment before deciding to take the risk and hugged Lupa. The Mother of Rome was taken aback by this and felt slightly out of place before composing herself and returning it. Percy knew Lupa would have his hide for this, but for once, he wanted to show his gratitude to Lupa for everything. He pulled back after a few seconds.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly as Lupa rolled her eyes at him.

"I'll allow it just this once. Now go on. It isn't wise to keep the Queen of the Seas waiting," Lupa said, her face returning to neutral.

Percy nodded, his face returning to emotionless as he bowed to Lupa before running off to meet his patron.

"Lupa has told me that she believes you are ready to join the legion after six and half years of training. I have no qualms with that decision. As you are aware, I have designated myself to be your patron. In return, there will come certain times when I shall need you to carry out tasks for me. Not today. You have enough to get through. But in due time. Should you have any problem with this, speak now." Salacia ordered. Percy shook his head, not seeing any problem with it. It was just a chance for him to gain more experience. He was okay with that.

"Just a few things before you go off. One is to be prepared. Some won't take kindly to a son of Neptune in their midst and be wary of you, while others may try to discredit you. As you know, one of your father's descendants was blamed for the destruction of their earlier camp, and as such, people may not treat you fairly. But don't let that bother you. Instead, focus on your task and earn the respect of others," Salacia explained to Percy, who nodded in understanding.

"The other is that while you may be done training with Lupa for now, your father and I believe you can be taught more. Therefore, as your patron, once you have settled in, I will be conducting lessons for you to learn from. I will teach you other forms of combat, how to fight immortals and also give you a hand in controlling your divine abilities better. Unless you have any objections, Percy?" she asked.

"Um, not really."

"Well, then go off, my champion. I will be watching over you. So will your father," she said with a smile as she disappeared.

Percy immediately sprinted back to where he last saw Lupa and found her waiting for him, back in her wolf form.

"Well then, pup. Get your weapons ready. The legion awaits, and it's time for you to present yourself to Rome."

Author's Note: Well like I said, I'm now rewriting this story. I was unhappy with how this first panned out so this is my second attempt. Been writing this story behind the scenes for the last one year and it looks somewhat more presentable. There's still a lot of edits and changes but it's a start. Please feel free to review if you have a moment, I love reading them, criticisms and other thoughts. They are helpful and make me a better writer. Enjoy your weekend people and happy reading.

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