Chapter Nine - A True Friend Stabs You in the Front

Five months had passed, and Ari had helped me refine the power of my Sight so that I could activate it in the span of a singly blink. As an added bonus, I no longer suffered nose bleeds and only got a small headache after having it active for days at a time. Even after all this time, it was still a surreal experience to have my perception of the world around me change so drastically in the blink of an eye. One of the things she had initially been curious about was how long I could keep it active before I blacked out. Of course, the air head (as I had taken to affectionately calling her) had completely neglected to inform me of this particular goal.

She had just instructed me to keep the Sight on at all times. I had lasted nearly twelve hours straight the first day before my nose began to bleed and my vision went black. The resulting migraine afterward had been beyond bad. Luckily, it was an off day with Hunter's training and I was able to get through the worst of it in bed with the lights off and the curtains drawn tight.

In addition to activating the power and improving the duration I could keep it active for, she also started helping me identify what the different colors meant. It was still a work in progress, though, since no two people perceived colors the same way, Aura sight also presented itself differently between users. Unfortunately, that was as far as she had been able to help me as far as powers training went. As a Wind Nymph, Ari was more suited to Elemental powers related to air such as flight or storm manipulation. While she could feed my flames, for example, she couldn't help me control them if they got out of hand.

According to Elena's detailed notes, demigod powers usually fell into one of three categories. Physical, Elemental, and Ethereal. Physical powers were things like Heracles' strength or Atalanta's speed. Elemental covered things like my pyrokinesis, obviously, but also even light and shadow. Ethereal powers were harder to categorize, being closer to actual magic and manipulation of the Mist.

Certain Ethereal powers could also mimic Physical or Elemental powers to a lesser or greater degree. Also, unlike Physical and Elemental powers which were inborn, Elena theorized that anyone could learn to control Ethereal powers with enough practice. There were exceptions, of course. If someone had an affinity for a particular Elemental power, like my pyrokinesis, then learning to manipulate water would be next to impossible.

In complete contrast to Ari's laid back training, if I had to summarize Hunter's training style in one word, that word would be intense. Our evenings began with a six mile round trip run to Central Park and back to the restaurant. After that, she had me do various stretches to "cool down" before making me do fifty sit-ups, fifty push-ups, and fifty squats. Once my body got used to that abuse, she doubled everything. Eventually she moved my training to five nights a week instead of three.

From there, she began teaching me self defense tactics. Things like how to escape from various holds and grapples, how to redirect a physical attack if someone was punching, kicking or even had a weapon in hand, and how to disarm someone of their own weapon. She also taught me to use my smaller size to my advantage, using my lower center of gravity to throw an attacker. Even then, it was still almost a full three months before she had deemed me competent enough to actually hold a weapon.

However, before I was allowed to use it, I had to learn how to care for it first. One couldn't just give the blade a quick wipe-off and stick it back in the sheathe, for example, as that would lead to tarnishing and rusting, even with a magical metal like the celestial bronze knife. In addition to cleaning, I also learned how to properly maintain the sharp edge. Surprising Hunter, and even myself, it turned out I had a natural knack for weapon maintenance. With that out of the way, I was finally allowed to learn how to actually use a weapon.

The first thing she tried teaching me on was a bow and arrow. To say my archery skills were terrible would be generous. After I had managed to puncture the front tire of a car parked halfway down the block, and behind me, it was decided to be in everyone's best interest if I put the bow down and never picked it back up. I was inclined to agree with her.

Unfortunately neither Hunter or uncle Joe had a sword for me to train with. Even though he'd been on a handful of quests in his youth, uncle Joe had apparently never been much of a fighter. Apparently most children of Aphrodite never bothered with combat training to begin with. He had only done so at the time as a way to impress Elena, but she had favored the spear and so that too became his weapon of choice. He still had his old spear, but years of serving as a mere display piece had left it in no fit shape for use. The blade was blunted and unbalanced from the shaft. In fact, it seemed the only upkeep he had done with it was to dust it off periodically.

The Hunters of Artemis, on the other hand, generally stuck with either a bow and arrows for long range attacks, only swapping to their knives if it became necessary. Their shorter blades made it easier to fight in confined spaces like cave tunnels and dense woods where there otherwise wasn't a clear line of sight for archers. Not to mention, they usually packed light when traveling, and their knives also served multiple purposes like cutting up small branches for firewood, skinning and cleaning fresh caught game, or even just doubling as a steak knife.

Training with the hunting knife went much better for me than the bow, though that was hardly saying much. After walking me through a couple basic forms, Hunter told me to attack her without holding back. I was initially reluctant at first. I mean, who wouldn't be? Finally, after getting irritated with my holding back, Hunter started provoking me. Imagine my shock when she had buried her own knife in my shoulder. Luckily for me, being a demigod meant wounds like that could be treated and healed in almost no time at all.

After her practical demonstration that minor things like training injuries could be easily fixed, I stopped holding back. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I never managed to land more than a glancing blow to her shirt, but I also managed to keep from having to patch myself up with nectar soaked bandages after training. The stuff stung worse than rubbing alcohol. I had of course collected more than a few new scars from Hunter's training tactics, but I didn't mind too much. I thought they looked cool.

Now, looking in the mirror five months later, I marveled at the changes less than half a year had made. Sure, I was short. Barely topping four foot nothing. A side effect of my powers affecting my metabolism if Elena's notes and suppositions were accurate. Calories were fuel for the body, and fire burned fuel. Thanks to my pyrokinesis, I would always be a scrawny, underdeveloped shrimp. At least, that was what I had thought. Now, I was shocked to see I had actual, honest-to-Olympus muscle tone. I even had defined abs! My musings were cut short by the door to my room opening only to almost immediately slam shut again.

"Gods, damn it, Penny," Hunter yelled through the door. "Put on some clothes, you heathen!"

I blushed bright red, a few wisps of smoke curling up from my smoldering hair as I realized she had absolutely just caught me flexing in front of the mirror wearing only a pair of panties. I rushed to pull on my jeans that I had set out for the day, only for my foot to get caught in the leg sending me toppling to the floor with a solid THUD.

"I'm okay," I shouted, freeing my foot and pulling the offending article of clothing on properly. "And decent."

"I sincerely doubt that," Hunter said, poking her head in the room as I pulled my tank top on over my head.

"Says the girl who somehow always manages to find herself sleeping in my bed each morning," I retorted, sticking my tongue out at her. "Pot meet kett- ACK/" I was cut off mid sentence by one of my decorative pillows thrown with deadly precision - the corner of which struck me right between the eyes. "Rude."

It was still true, though. Every night, we would go to sleep - me in my bed, and Hunter in her cot on the floor. Every morning I would wake up with the white-haired girl curled up next to me using my body heat as her own personal space heater. I swear, she had to be part cat. It was the only explanation.

"Get a move on," Hunter said. "You're only barely dressed, and you still have to eat something."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, slipping on my sneakers before standing up and strapping my knife to my belt.

Today officially marked the end of my training with Hunter. She'd done what she could to teach me the basics, and now she had to go back to her sisters in the Hunt. Before she left, though, Zoë Nightshade wanted a demonstration of my progress. My training was, after all, still just a part of Hunter's own training as well.

A few minutes later found the two of us walking into the restaurant downstairs. Uncle Joe had seen fit to close up for the day, a sign on the window noting there was a private party. Inside, I was shocked to see a group of maybe twenty other girls ranging in age between ten and fifteen years old crowded in at the tables. I guess there really was a private party going on.

"Hey, they're here!" One girl called out, drawing attention to our arrival.

"About time!" Another girl said.

Moving as a single unit, a group of about seven girls split off from the larger group, coming over to swarm around Hunter, clapping her on the back and shoulders or offering hugs in greeting. I realized with a start that this group must be the full hunt.

"Oh, poor uncle Joe must be having a heart attack in the kitchen right now," I mused to myself.

Scanning the crowd of faces, I noticed Zoë Nightshade sitting with another girl separate from the larger gathering. She was leaning backward in the chair, balancing the front legs in the air, eyes closed as she laughed at something the other girl had said. My heart skipped two beats when I finally took in the other girl. Hair dark as night, skin as pale as the moonlight. It was Herman's little sister Artie! She seemed to be in a better mood than the last time I'd seen her. Gone was the semi-permanent scowl, replaced with an easy - if somewhat mischievous grin.

I froze, unsure of what to do. Should I go and apologize to her for before? That might upset her, though, and I didn't want to bring down the mood in the room. Maybe I should go hide in the kitchen? She hadn't seen me, yet. Of course, I was expected to show the results of Hunter's training to Zoë, who was sitting right next to her. Why was she sitting there right next to her?!

"...hing," uncle Joe's voice broke me out of my spiraling thoughts.

I looked up at him, a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck, and mouthed, "What?"

"I said, have a seat and eat something, nipote. I know you're probably nervous, but you have no reason to be. Not even with Lady Artemis here."

"L-Lady Artemis?" I asked, glancing around wide-eyed. "A goddess...? An actual, literal goddess here? In your restaurant?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," he chuckled. "You met her already, remember?"

I gave him a blank look, and he simply gestured toward Zoë's table. I looked over, then back at him to see him raise an eyebrow at me as if to ask if I was really this dumb. My eyes widened and I looked back. At Artie. Herman's little sister, Artie. Artemis. Oh, I really was this dumb, wasn't I? Of course she was a goddess, how else could she be so achingly beautiful? Wait, did that mean Herman was a god too?

"Come on, nipote," uncle Joe said, guiding me away to the kitchen. "Sit. Eat. I don't need to tell you you're too skinny, do I?"

"Not at all, you talking cliche," I said, grateful for his intervention. I really did not want to make a bigger fool of myself in front of her.

"Good. I made a whole large frittata just for you, so eat up. You'll need the energy for today, after all."

Food is truly a magic all it's own. After devouring the frittata, which must have contained a dozen eggs all on its own, I felt energized and ready for whatever test Zoë wanted to throw at me. I didn't even remember why I had been so anxious in the first place.

"The girls have all gone ahead," Hunter said, walking into the kitchen. She was flanked by Zoë Nightshade to her right and Artie... Artemis on her left. Oh, right. I felt my throat suddenly go dry and reached for the glass of Coke, downing it quickly. "If you're done in here, we can get started."

"I'll just get out of your way," uncle Joe said, taking my empty plate with him to the sink before stepping out the back door.

"I.. Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm done," I said, feeling three sets of eyes on me.

Zoë exchanged a look with Artemis, then said; "Thou hast spent the better part this past half year training with Hunter. Now, you will show the results of thine hard work. The city hath become a nesting ground for monsters that, if left alone, would threaten the local populace with deadly miasma. Your task is to slay one such creature."

I ran through a quick list in my head of the various monster types that dwelt in urban environments. Hellhounds and cyclopes came immediately to mind. While a cyclope may be a little outside my experience bar, with my Sight, killing a hellhound shouldn't be too hard. At least this time I would be armed. I briefly wondered how Pinkerbelle was doing, but realized Zoë was talking again.

"Sorry, I missed that last part," I admitted.

"I said, thou shalt face a hydra."