There are no strings on me, Ariadnê thought as she tied a blindfold around her eyes. She felt more relaxed than she had in months. Having Hermês around was like a breath of fresh air, but she also felt a little stressed because she could not tell him the truth.
All of them relaxed so easily in his presence.
She did a few light stretches, sensing more than seeing divine energy around her. She wished that she would be able to have a little privacy.
Hermês was always there whenever he was free. He smothered his children in love and twisted words until they were giving him information whether they knew it or not.
(Thank the Moirai that Chris could sense the manipulation. He couldn't fight against it. Not truly. But he could redirect it or vaguely answer.)
Though the way Hermês and Ariadnê effortlessly befriended each other had captured everyone's attention. The gods that lived above them and the ones that lived below them and the ones that lived around them alongside the mortals that lived with them.
Some people thought she would be his next lover, but after she flipped a man over her shoulder... they were having doubts.
No one really knew that it was not like that. Sure, intellectually, her family knew it could happen. It was Ancient Ellada and rights for women was not even a concept. (The twelve of them had fun when people began to realize that it was very much a concept in Castellan.)
But in reality, Ariadnê was just having fun. She and Hermês danced around each other, never giving the other an inch. She knew him. She would never assume that she knew everything about him— (He was a god and she a mere mortal.) — but she knew enough to keep him on his toes.
She unsheathed the sword that Hermês brought her. It was made from adamantine; the real metal of the gods. It was one of a pair. Percy had the other. They were gifts from their Father. Real twin swords. She had promised Percy that they would practice with them together.
And they did. But she also wanted to do a little work with them by herself. He had agreed when he told her. (He then asked her if she thought that these would have sentience to them like Riptide and Stormsurge.)
Ariadnê sighed, pushing all other thoughts away. She and Clarisse were going to do some hand-to-hand combat training once the older one finished her morning jog. Though they may just skip it because it smelled like Katie was baking Sherman's Pie. Ariadnê had nearly proposed to the boy's mom the first time he brought some back to camp in the first timeline. (Of course the boy had to ruin the pie when he made the recipe from scratch, placed poison in it, and then delivered it to one of Luke's catches.)
Sensory training would be better if she had someone to actually train against, but beggars cannot be choosers. She focused on getting used to the sword before doing the small training routine that Artemis created for her when she was learning how to fight with Hermês' kerykeion (or caduceus as it would come to be called),
She felt barely the smallest whisper of the air around her before she felt another weapon block her sword. She let the block sit before the smell of strawberries invaded her nose. She stepped back before descending into a bow, "Greetings, Lord Hermês."
There was the small sound of him snapping his fingers before the blindfold fell from her face. She almost jerked back from how close he was to her. The hue of his eyes made her weak in the knees as he traced along her facial features. "Hello, Ariadnê."
She resisted the urge to step away from him as her newest sword hung awkward in her hand. "I see that you are enjoying your gift," the god states. She could feel his leg knock into the sword. She nodded her head jerkily, unable to stop looking into his eyes. "It is a work of beauty and fine craftsmanship. I have nothing but compliments to the forger."
