Act II Chapter XXXII: "Do you tend to hold grudges?"
"The gifts that your father has given you are the difference between life and death," Lupa lectured as she walked back and forth in front of Percy. The two were in a secluded part of the forest, where the trees were still destroyed. No grass grew here, leaving the ground a barren wasteland.
"Every demigod is faster and stronger than your average mortal, both physically and mentally. You will be able to perform feats of strength most mortals cannot dream of, and your mind will not break as quickly," Lupa continued. Percy's face contorted in confusion despite his best efforts. "The Mist is a powerful thing, Perseus."
"It keeps mortals shielded from the truth of the world. Of gods and monsters. Demigods live with these facts every day, but to know the truth would break the minds of most mortals," Lupa growled. There was a fire in her eyes that burned there ever since Thalia's accusations. Lupa hadn't been seen much since then, either. She just appeared to tell Percy they were to train.
"But, this gift of your blood should not be taken for granted. You may be the son of one of the oldest and most powerful gods, but it means nothing if you do not train. You can shake the earth, but do you know how to?" Lupa questioned.
"Not really," Percy began. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't mind training, Lupa. That's not a problem at all."
"I do not want you to just train, Percy. I want you to push yourself to the limit and beyond. To master a new power and continue to push yourself further. Some demigods are given incredible power at birth but do nothing to improve upon it. That is something you cannot afford to do."
"We started with water training. On how to breathe in it and become one with it. How to let it strengthen you," Lupa lectured. Percy nodded. "You have even begun to control it, if only slightly. Tell me, Perseus: if we were to have you spar with Annabeth, Reyna, or Luke in the water and could use your powers, who do you think would win each bout?"
"Well, they all have been training longer than me," Percy began. Lupa nodded, and something akin to a grin crossed her lips. "But in the water, I would use it to keep them down. Keep them away. And I wouldn't get worn out if I stayed in the water."
"Annabeth would try to cut you off from your element. How do you respond to that?"
"But she doesn't know?"
Oh gods. Did Lupa know that Annabeth knew?
"In this scenario, she does. How would you respond?"
"Not let her push me out of the water," Percy guessed. A growl told him he was wrong. Percy frowned and thought about it. "I guess we would be at a stalemate. Annabeth wouldn't cross the water, and I wouldn't leave."
"But what if you needed to get past her to complete your objective?" Lupa pressed. Percy tried to think about it but felt his shoulders moving up in a shrug. "You must be prepared for any scenario."
"I haven't seen all of the scenarios," Percy protested.
"And you never will. That is why you must be prepared for anything. You cannot stay rooted in one idea for too long. If something does not work, change tactics. That is another reason you can never stop training. With enough training, you can master anything, but there will always be someone trying to surpass you."
"Children of Lord Jupiter and Lord Neptune are some of the most powerful demigods in the world, but at Camp Jupiter, children of those namesakes rested on their laurels. They relied on their gods given gifts, but they never mastered them."
"It does not matter who your godly parent is if you do not master the powers you were given. A child of Venus can be just as dangerous as a child of Mars," Lupa continued. Percy found his mind wandering to the hypothetical fight of Drew against Clarisse. It wouldn't last more than two seconds.
"You're not paying attention," Lupa accused. Percy's eyes snapped into focus, and he looked at the goddess. Lupa scowled. "Do I bore you, Perseus?"
"Kind of," Percy blurted out. Lupa growled. "Not like that! It's just... you're lecturing me about training when I want to train. I want to get better at fighting and using my powers."
"I know you do, but I do not want you to grow into your powers and become too confident that you stunt your potential. I see great things in you, Perseus. Many great things. You have the ability to save or destroy this world, and I want to help you harness it," Lupa said.
"You and Dion-"
"Lord."
"Lord Dionysus keep acting like I am going to destroy the world. Why? I want to save the gods," Percy declared. "I know the whole thing too with good intentions leading to hell or whatever, but I don't believe in that. I want to restore the gods and save the world. Not destroy it."
"If you are truly the child of the prophecy, there will come a time when you have to make a choice. My job is not to choose for you. It is not to lead you one way or another. Leave that to the old centaur. My only job is to make sure you are strong enough to get to that moment," Lupa stated.
"What if I make the wrong choice?" Percy asked suddenly. "What if I get to that moment and want to save the world, but I make the wrong choice?"
Lupa studied him for a few moments as the question seemed to weigh on her mind. She spoke again, this time in a much gentler voice, "The decision that you make will be the one you think is correct. Whether or not it is will only be something that can be found out in hindsight."
"So, I'll make this choice and not know if it's the right until like a year later?"
"Or minutes after," Lupa added. "There is no need to stress upon this position, Perseus. You must only focus on getting strong enough to get there. That is why you must continue to train. I will push you as far as I can, but it is up to you to refine and hone your techniques. To take the gifts of your father and wield them like a fist. Only then can you begin to reach your true potential."
"Do you really think the child of Aphrodite could beat a child of Mars? I don't see Drew beating Clarisse in anything," Percy began. Lupa's shoulders shook as she chuckled. "You were the ones who said they could be just as powerful."
"Because they can be. The strength in a Venus spawn does not come from their muscles but rather their words. Tell me: what is more terrifying? A woman who could cut down dozens of men without batting an eyelash, or a woman who could use her words to turn a hostile army into her protectors. Mars spawn are given many gifts of war, but Venus spawn are given another tool of war: charm.
"Have you ever heard of charmspeak?" Lupa questioned. Percy shook his head.
"It is a rare gift of Venus spawn, but they can speak to someone and use charmspeak to make them do many things. Attack allies. Give the speaker of charm whatever they desire. Or even bring a knife to their neck because honeyed words told them to. Could Clarisse lay a hand on Drew if Drew could simply speak to her to repel her?"
"Minerva had no place in Rome, but her Greek self is well respected in the root of the gods. Skilled in war, her children can hold their own in a battle against a child of Mars. Clarisse may be able to tear through many men, but Annabeth would use her brains to outwit them. She would hone the gifts she had."
"Any demigod can be the most powerful in the world if they hone their talents and sharpen their strengths. Never stop training," Lupa repeated, drilling the mantra into Percy's head. "Do you understand?"
"I do."
"There is another thing we must talk about. Do you know many stories of the gods?"
"Not really," Percy admitted. "I know about Perseus because of my name. And I know like the Disney movie stuff. Plus what Annabeth told me."
"Many stories that mortals call myths have a very common theme," Lupa replied sagely. "Can you guess?"
"Uh, someone angering the gods. Because they didn't respect them? I already promised to be nicer to Dio- Lord Dionysus," Percy said. "Can't I just call him Mr. D? Chiron said I could?"
"Do I look like Chiron?"
Percy knew better than to answer that, so he kept his lips sealed.
"Many stories speak of how mortals are punished because they either challenge the gods through arrogance or offend them through ignorance. The gods can hold a grudge, Perseus. Many slights are seen as insults that cannot be forgiven. The gods did not take these transgressions lightly, and many never forgot. Grudges are something that Thalia Grace knows well, and they will be her downfall."
Percy shifted slightly as he studied the wolf goddess. As Lupa spoke, her tone held no emotion. Her body betrayed her, though. She seemed to rise back slightly on her haunch, and her lip curled in anger. Fire, literal fire, burned in her eyes.
"Thalia hates Romans for what they did," Percy began. The fire burned brighter.
"Thalia was not there. She just assumes that she knows what happened," Lupa growled. "Unless you were there, you do not know what happened."
"Were you there?"
The silence was enough of an answer.
"Just, there's a chance that the Romans may have..." Percy trailed off as a growl escaped Lupa's throat. He looked away. "Do you tend to hold grudges?"
"Grudges are nothing but a hindrance," Lupa answered after a few moments. She relaxed her hind legs. "If I held a grudge, I would not be here teaching those of Greek blood."
"So, you don't blame the Greeks for what happened?" Percy questioned.
"A war needs two sides. Otherwise, it is a slaughter."
Silence passed between the two. Percy knew he had slammed open the door on a touchy subject. He looked down for a few moments and then grabbed his pen, rolling it between his fingers. Percy slowly spoke, "What do you think happened back then?"
"I don't know," Lupa admitted. "I kept out of the affairs of Camp Jupiter, and Chiron was supposed to keep the Greeks from them."
"Well, Annabeth had those war flashes, and she was telling me about some of them. Like in one, there was this oracle dude who talked with a Greek. And that Greek told him a lot about Camp Jupiter. Like patrol routes and supplies. Then, the augur killed him.
"And she had another one with those necklaces. It just... it seems like the Romans are at fault," Percy slowly said. Lupa stared at him for a long moment but said nothing. She finally blinked. Percy blinked as well and then shifted. He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Dwelling on the past will not help you in the future," Lupa growled. She lowered her head.
"I know," Percy said, and he knew better than to comment on anything else. Lupa dipped her head down to look at the ground.
"Show me your sword skills," Lupa ordered as she looked up. "When you can't walk anymore, we'll take a five minute break and then keep going. And don't fret about the words of others; it is just a distraction from training, of reaching your full potential."
Which Percy interpreted as Lupa telling him to drop the subject and never bring it back up. Percy could do that because he didn't want to anger the goddess anymore. He just needed to focus on his training. Because gods knew what the future held.
