Son of Hades: A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

The Point of No Return

Chapter 17: The Point of No Return

Logan swung his sword quickly and I barely missed getting hit. This has been going on for hours now. I know I need training, a lot of it, but if Galene and Hades didn't get me first Logan definitely would. He wasn't holding back and he wasn't his normal smug and smirking self. He was in kill mode and making me work for every second in the arena. Before kick boxing and before becoming a half blood I was never a really athletic person. Sure I'd run after I'd eaten a monster piece of cake from Portillo's but that was mostly out of guilt. This was something totally different. Almost primal. I'd heard from everyone here at camp that Logan was a fighting machine and I've seen a lot of it myself but never on this level. If I'm being totally honest, it scares me a little bit.

Logan shifts left suddenly onto his left leg finding an opening on my side. Before I can move to block him I feel the sharp slap of the flat of his blade striking me. I take a step back and feel my anger rise. Deep breathes don't kill your boyfriend. Another big part of my training was anger management. Dealing with a hit and not going totally ape shit and killing someone. There'd been a lot of debate about this little training choice too. I tend to think of it as more of a Logan V.S. Clarisse thing but almost everyone I know is involved. Logan is all about trying to get me to control my anger. Not necessarily go completely calm but know how to manage myself (Everyone else, Annabeth, Rachel..., are for the Zen stuff). Clarisse (And the rest of the freaking Cabin) are for the embracing the anger technique. Which basically means go ape shit but still manage control. Not to hold back, but to embrace that very scary possibly psychotic part of me. At first I didn't really know what I wanted to do. After all Logan kind of did the 'embrace the evil within thing' and he turned out fine. But he doesn't want that for me. But he's been avoiding the why of it all.

When Cleo was came back to camp I asked her. If I can trust anyone's judgement it's Cleo's. In short, she told me to go with my gut. It took a while for me sort it out but I got it eventually. Both techniques were fine but I didn't trust myself enough to go with Clarisse's way. I saw what damage I could do and I don't think I could handle it if someone got hurt because of me. So here I am getting my ass handed to me by Logan. Which is embarrassing to say the least. There was that temptation to just let lose, let my hair down. I could be strong and take Logan in a few seconds but that's not what this is about. Control and technique is key.

I will my swords to separate and lengthen than quickly cross them in front of me to take the blunt of Logan's strike. He pulls back quickly taking another slash but I jump out of the way quickly. We dance around a few minuets more. Logan attacking and me jumping and leaping out of the way trying to keep myself from getting killed. I knew people were watching us but as far as I was concerned Logan and I were in a world of our own. Not in a cutesy romantic way either. Suddenly Annabeth's timer goes off but I don't turn my back on Logan. Fight mode doesn't turn off as easily as one might think. Annabeth, Percy, Connor, Rachel, Clarisse, Dom and Cleo jump off the bleachers and poor out into the arena. "Not bad, your way better than when you started." Percy smiles and I smile back. Percy always tried to play good cop.

"But you were too jumpy and you avoided combat way too much-" Annabeth starts glancing at her clip board just to get interrupted by Clarisse

"You need to work on your offence more. The more time you wait for your opponent to come to you is less time you'll be alive. Fight more jump less. Think like Ares."

"Thanks for that Clarisse," I mutter sarcastically and she smirks at me.

"Honesty sucks; get used to it." I sigh mentally shortening my swords into their more manageable knife size and holster each on either side of my hip.