Act I Chapter VIII: Percy Plays With Swords

"Everything fit okay, Percy? Nothing too tight?" Luke asked as he paced back and forth. He was holding onto a bronze sword. Strapped to his thigh was another weapon: a dagger. Luke wore a full set of Greek armor. Percy did as well. The biggest difference was that Luke didn't look ready to collapse any second.

The armor felt like it weighed fifty pounds. They had done a few exercises in it, and Percy was already exhausted. He couldn't imagine sword fighting in this clunky mess. Luke spoke, "You'll get used to it with practice."

Percy nodded and studied the armor. The bronze breastplate covered his chest, back, and sides. His helmet kept his face covered, but it also kept slipping down his head, obscuring his vision. Percy shoved his helmet up again. Armor pads covered his forearms and legs.

"Everything fits. I think," Percy answered. "Just a little heavy."

Percy slowly looked around. Chiron and Drew had gone for a walk in the forest. Percy spoke, "Where did Drew and Chiron go? For training?"

"Yes," Luke answered as he started to stretch. "Follow my lead."

Percy did his best to match Luke's stretches. "What kind of training are they doing?"

"I'm not sure," Luke answered. He stretched his arm over his head. "The first training session with Chiron is more of a conversation or lecture than actual training. It can vary all the way from you asking him a million questions to him just asking you about his life. During my session, the two of us talked about the gods and the history of the camps."

"Is that what Chiron is going to talk to me about?" Percy questioned. They finished their stretches.

"Probably not. Annabeth usually covers that topic now," Luke replied. Percy nodded and looked over at the girl in question. Annabeth was sitting next to Will and talking to him. They were both holding onto a cup of something that he could smell across the camp. "That is what Annabeth and Will are going to talk about today."

Percy nodded. His eyes moved to the side. Lupa, the wolf goddess, was curled up and staring right at them. Right at Percy, actually. He hadn't talked to the wolf goddess yet. It didn't seem like she talked to anyone. It scared him a little.

Percy moved his eyes to the treeline and saw a flash of one of the other guards: Clarisse. If Percy had to use one word to describe her, it would be brash. Or rude. Maybe mean. A jerk?

Clarisse didn't seem to like any of them. She would leave her tent, eat food, guard the perimeter, come back for dinner, talk to Reyna for two seconds, and then go back into the tent. As for Reyna, she had spoken to Percy a few times in passing, but she usually went to bed about the time all of them got up for the day.

"Before we start, can I ask you something?" Percy began. Luke nodded and lowered his sword slightly. "After these few months are up, do we really just leave and never come back? Is it really just the four of you? Others cycle in and out every few months?"

"It is," Luke confirmed. "Annabeth and I have been doing this for years now. Clarisse about two or three years. Reyna recently joined a few months ago. Lupa insisted that she stay around, and I can't blame her. Reyna might be a better fighter than me. From what she said, she's been surviving on her own for years."

"I'll be the same way, won't I? Along with Will and Drew? After we're done here, we'll have just ourselves to rely on. Why does it have to be like that?" Percy asked.

"Because there are no camps," Luke said with a sad sigh. "I know that Camp Jupiter had a god of some sort. He helped protect their barriers, and they even had a whole army. One that protected a small city. Camp Half-Blood had border guards with a very defensible location."

"Why can't we just bring the camps back?" Percy asked.

"I wonder that every day," Luke said softly. He sighed again and looked down at the ground. "With the gods scattered and maybe out of commission, monsters and other enemies of the gods have grown bolder. If we were to gather the demigods in one place without proper protection, it would be like fish in a barrel."

"But, I do wonder if we could," Luke continued in a whisper. He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. We should begin your training."

Percy nodded, and Luke started to show him basic movements: how to properly swing his sword, stab forward, and jab. They went through the drills a few times, and as they did, Percy saw Reyna walk towards Lupa and sit by her. Together, the two watched them run through their drills.

Percy felt himself becoming more nervous. He felt like he was struggling already, and having an audience made things even worse. If he didn't do a good enough job, would they send him back home? Would he be pushed to the side for a more promising prospect?

"Hey," Luke said. Percy slowly looked at him, tearing his gaze from their audience. "Calm down. Everyone is nervous during their first few sessions. It's not like you practiced sword fighting as a kid."

"I did use branches as a lightsaber," Percy joked. Luke smiled at that. Percy took a deep breath and turned his back to their audience. He focused on Luke and waited for the next bit of instructions.

"With having your own blade, you need to use it like an extension of your own body," Luke instructed. He rested his sword on the ground. "I want you to understand this, Percy: my lessons are important. You must learn how to properly wield a sword. It will save your life, but there is another weapon that you must master."

Luke lifted his sword and held it up near his temple. Percy tensed as he expected his teacher to either stab or cut himself. Instead, the tip just rested gently against Luke's head, and he continued, "Your brain. There will come a time when you face an opponent that is smarter than you, faster than you, or more skilled than you. That's why you gotta learn to outsmart them."

"My lessons will help you master the basics, so that you don't have to worry about them in a pinch. From there, you will have to take what you know and add to it with experience. Annabeth will teach you everything you need to know about monsters, and you'll have to rely on yourself to make new tactics and plans for survival," Luke finished.

"What if I'm fighting another demigod?" Percy asked. A small frown came to Luke's face.

"You should never be in a position where you fight another demigod," Luke answered. He lowered his sword and studied Percy. "We're all just trying to survive, but I suppose that I can show you techniques for fighting other demigods. It will blend into fighting more human-like enemies. Now, raise your sword."

Two hours of training later and Percy was exhausted. He collapsed to his knees as he was disarmed once again. The first hour had been spent learning how to properly swing a sword at another person, jab forward, and defend himself from attacks using both his sword and shield.

Percy was a bruised and battered mess. Luke didn't seem like he was trying to hurt him, but he also wasn't gentle. He kept pushing Percy further and further until he collapsed. Then, there was a resting period of two minutes before they were back at it.

"One more time, Percy. Then, we'll take a longer break," Luke said. Percy nodded and slowly stood. He grabbed the bronze sword that he had been given. It was heavy in his hands when they first started, and it now felt like a weight that he could barely lift.

Luke offered a bottle of water, and Percy took it. He drained half of the bottle in a split second and even started choking on it. Luke hit this back, and Percy slowly managed to level his breathing. He sighed and drooped his head. This was going great. Trying to make a good first impression ended in him making a fool of himself.

"Percy, you still got that pen?" Luke asked as he poured the rest of his water bottle over his head. Percy nodded and followed Luke's example. As the water hit his skin, his exhaustion seemed to roll off of him. He felt stronger. "The one that becomes a sword? Try using that one."

Percy set the sword off to the side and grabbed his pen. He uncapped it and watched the bronze blade spring to life in his hands. It felt just right in his hands, much more balanced. Percy turned to face Luke and nodded.

Luke swung first, and Percy felt like the world was moving in slow motion. He would normally try to avoid the blow all together or catch it on his blade, only to be either disarmed or have his weapon knocked away. This time, he used the same technique Luke had used against him for the past hour.

Percy caught Luke's blade on the flat of his own and twisted. Luke's sword hit the grass, and Percy pressed the tip of his sword into his teacher's chest.

Luke was surprised for a moment there before he finally spoke, "That was amazing, Percy! I should have had you use your sword from the beginning."

Percy stared down at the fallen sword. Luke picked his blade back up, "Let's do that one more time."

"Okay," Percy said. He steeled himself and looked at his opponent. Luke swung again, and Percy caught the attack on his blade. He went to twist his wrist, but Luke was much quicker than him this time, and Percy's blade fell to the ground. Sharp bronze rested against his chest.

Percy stared down again at his fallen blade, and he blinked in surprise as it disappeared from sight. Luke looked down as well. A heaviness settled in Percy's pocket. He reached into his pocket and felt the pen had returned there.

Percy pulled his pen out and stared at it. Luke spoke, "I need to get me a sword like that."

"How?" Percy asked. He studied the pen and then tossed it a few feet away. As it hit the ground, it rolled for a few moments before disappearing, and he felt the weight back in his pocket. Luke studied him in interest. "Is that normal?"

"Some weapons have powers of their own," Luke replied. "I know that Reyna can turn her sword into a spear and vice versa. Clarisse's spear can shock someone with its electrifying tip, and it looks like your sword can reappear back in your pocket."

"Now, come on. We should rest, and after that, we can practice that technique again. I know what you did wasn't a fluke," Luke continued. Percy nodded, but he sure felt like that was a fluke. He didn't know how he managed to do it, but there had just been a sudden burst of strength coupled with everything seeming clearer.

All he had done was drink water, which he had done for the last two hours. Although, he also poured water over his head. Did that have something to do with it? Percy was the son of Poseidon, and Poseidon was the god of the sea. Did being near water give Percy some kind of power-up?

Percy wished he could ask someone for advice, but he had been told to keep his mouth shut. A sigh left him as he turned around, and he realized they had drawn the attention of everyone during their last two sparring sessions. Annabeth was watching him, not just in curious interest, but with sharp, narrowed eyes. Will was gawking at him.

Lupa had her full attention on Percy, and Reyna watched them with a small smile. Near the treeline, Percy could see that Drew was looking in between him and Luke, but her attention seemed to be more focused on their swords. Chiron looked at Percy directly.

"Come on. Let's sit down," Luke said as he led Percy towards a few blankets that had been set out. Percy practically collapsed onto the blanket. Luke sat next to him and turned his head. "What are you doing awake, Reyna? Were we being too loud?"

"No," Reyna answered. She studied Percy before looking back at Luke. "I just can't sleep."

"If you need to sleep in today, I can take some of the guard duty," Luke offered. Reyna shook her head in a dismissive gesture. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Reyna replied. Her gaze focused on Percy. "After a month or so, I do want to spar with Percy. Test his skills."

"Try not to squash him," Luke joked. Percy looked in between the two. He felt like he had only disarmed Luke by luck or something that was boosted by the water. Which was just crazy to him. How could water make him better?

Percy slowly looked at the ground and let out an exhausted breath. Honestly, he already missed his mom. He missed Paul. This whole world was crazy, but he also had months until he could be back home. Even then, he still had to worry about the fact that apparently monsters might just attack him. Percy had to learn to defend himself, not just for his safety, but for the protection of his mother and stepfather.

Percy was going to dive into all of the training that he could get and do the best that he could. Months didn't feel like enough time, and he did wish that there was a safe place for demigods like him. Percy sighed and grabbed his pen. He studied it and promised that he would put everything into all of his training. Percy would be the best demigod that he could be.

A reviewer asked about the ages of the characters, so here is a quick list.

Percy and Annabeth: 14

Clarisse: 16

Reyna: 14

Luke: 20

Drew and Will: 13

It's definitely divergent from canon, but there is one age that remains very important...