The Other Castellan

Is Having A Hellhound Show Up Bad? Probably

Chapter 31: Is Having A Hellhound Show Up Bad? Probably

"Okay," Lucas said. "C'mere."

Percy walked over to him. Lucas noted that he looked slightly nervous, and a bit awkward. He kept shifting his weight on his feet.

Lucas handed him his gun. "This," he said, "is a SIG Sauer P226. Very accurate, with minimal recoil. It's a great starter pistol. Expensive as Tartarus, though, so try not to break it. I ended up having to steal this one."

"Okay?" Percy held the gun gingerly. "What am I supposed to be doing with this?"

"It's a gun," Lucas said. He guided Percy's hands around the grip. "Put your hands like this. When you're not shooting, don't keep your finger on the trigger. Rule number one of gun safety: always treat a gun as a loaded one, even if it isn't. Got it?"

Percy managed a shaky nod.

"Good. Now, turn towards the range. See it?"

"Yeah," Percy said.

"Great!" Lucas exclaimed. "Now, I'm aware that your archery lesson didn't go so well, but it's different with a gun. We'll try the isosceles stance. There's a line drawn in front of you. Have the tip of your feet touch them."

Percy followed suit.

"Wonderful," he said. "Now, widen your stance. Just a little wider than your shoulders. Bend your knees a bit and lean forward a bit. And then, I want you to aim for the target and pull the trigger."

"What?" Percy asked. "You want me to shoot this thing?"

"Yes, I do," Lucas said, rolling his eyes. "It's not hard. Relax, you're not going to shoot me by accident. Besides." Lucas held up a clip. "Silver bullets. No one will die. Dig out the bullet and have some nectar and whoever's shot will be good as new. You don't even have to hit the bullseye. Just hit the target. Come on! Do you need me to help you?"

When Percy didn't answer, Lucas sighed, walking over and guiding his hands around the pistol. He pushed Percy's finger on the trigger and pulled it. The gun let out a loud bang, and Lucas let go.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked. "We'll try the other stance. This one is called a fighting stance. Personally, I prefer this one. I'm not teaching you the weaver stance, it leaves too much of your body unprotected. Your feet are shoulder-width apart. You're right handed, right?"

Percy nodded.

"Okay," Lucas said. "Put your right foot slightly behind your left foot. Bend your knees, and lean forward. Then, shoot."

This time, Percy actually listened to him and shot the gun. The bullet hit the outer circles of the target.

"Good." Lucas took the gun and placed it on the table. It would be best to wait for the muzzle to cool down before putting it away. "See?" he asked. "That wasn't so hard. You just need a little more practice to shoot bullseyes."

"I think I'll pass," Percy said weakly.

"That's fair," Lucas said, humming. "No demigod uses it as their main weapon except for me. And the occasional kid from Cabin Five. The rest prefer more archaic weapons. Swords. Spears. Knives. Now, I think we have a sword-fighting lesson next?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"C'mon, Castellan!" Ethan yelled, parrying Lucas's blow. "Harder!"

"Who are you, my drill sergeant?" Lucas retorted. Nevertheless, he struck harder. Ethan liked balance. This, according to him, was not balanced.

"How will I improve if my opponents always take it easy on me?" he had asked. "Monsters won't, so why should you?"