Chapter 6: Sword time baby!

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*I woke up coated in a cold sweat, gasping for air and very confused. The dream was the same, but different. I wasn't a part of the battle, merely a spectator watching over the duel as if I was a member of the Capitol, watching children battle to death for entertainment. The thought made me shudder. But I shook off my concern and worry, instead jumping up and getting ready at speeds probably only possible due to my flush of adrenaline. Today I was training with Chiron for the first time ever, it was gonna be great.*

I arrived at the cove, the sun had only just started to pull itself up from below the ocean's horizon. Chiron once more sat in his wheelchair, blanket draped over his legs, waiting for me. But one thing was different. Slung over his shoulder was a long duffle bag with what seemed to be an array of weapons sticking out the end.

"Hello Percy."

"Hey Chiron! What's up first?"

"Well, I believe your brother has already taught you how to fight with knives, fists and tridents and your survival skills should be fine so I think we'll try a few new weapons."

"Awesome! What first?" In response, the mentor pulled out a bow and arrow along with a fold up target. He handed me the target and told me to set it up on the other side of the cave. While I did that, he wheeled himself to the opposite side.

"First thing's first, this is how you hold a bow." He guided my arms, first letting me place the arrow against the bowstring, then hold it. The string was hard to pull back at first, but the drills that Finnick used to make me do meant that I was able to pull the bow string back far.

"Now, breathe in, and when you release the string, breathe out." I sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled as I released the arrow.

It didn't go well.

Somehow the arrow shot backwards and Chiron ducked his head just in time to escape its sharp head. It continued its course and fell into the ocean behind us, disappearing into its depth.

"Sorry..."

"No problem my boy, we can just try again. Practice makes perfect after all."

I nodded in response, this time Chiron did a demonstration. I wasn't sure how well he'd do, the wheelchair will probably get in the way. He hit the centre. A straight shot. He turned to me when he was done, smiling while he handed me the bow back to me. Like last time, he guided my hands, letting them fall into the perfect technique. This time when I pulled the bow string, he made me double check my aim, and take a few breaths before. When I realised so did my breath, and the arrow flew straight into the roof.

We continued with the bow and arrow for about two more hours, but no matter how hard we tried, the closest I could get to a bullseye was 2 feet from the target. When we eventually moved on to a javelin, though it was more like a practice for the dory, an ancient yet effective type of spear. I enjoyed the weapon and found it extremely effective however I didn't like how open it made you when attacking.

"Now Percy, we will move onto the sword. To start off with, we will be using a xiphos. They are light swords and are effective when used correctly. They also provide more room for agility and movement than a longsword, which is heavy but durable."

Out of his bag, Chiron pulled a leaf shaped sword, a trident engraved in the bronze and leather wrapped around the handle. When he handed it to me, I felt around with the weight, tossing it between each hand. It was perfect.

"Riptide." I read, the greek engraving standing out to me,

"You speak the ancient tongue of the greeks?"

"Oh yeah, my mom taught me when I was younger. My friend Grover and I are both fluent."

"Interesting." his voice was faraway, as if he was in another world, maybe one where the gods existed. After his thoughts were done wondering, and he had returned to the moment we were in now, he pulled out another sword.

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