Demigod Days: Hogwarts is Real!

Chapter 4 - I have a chat with a winged horse

"Before I can teach you how to fight you have to choose what you want your main weapon." Percy stands casually in front of me with his arms crossed. "You could use a dagger like Annabeth does. It's great for those who are quick and clever," he suggests. I saw some of the other demigods practicing yesterday during my tour and most of the people using daggers were girls. I don't want to just be slotted into a category. "What do you use?" I ask. "A celestial bronze sword given to me by our dad," he pulls a ballpoint pen out of his pocket and uncaps it. It transforms into a large gleaming blade with a sturdy hilt. "It's called Riptide, or Anaklusmos in Greek." Now that's cool. I look him in the eye. "I want to learn to fight with a sword," I say determinedly. To my surprise he just nods. I thought I would have to convince him. "How good with a blade are you?" I wonder aloud. "The best in three hundred years," he replies with a slightly cocky smile. I flash a grin back at him. "Then I'll become the second best."

We head to the weapons store and I try out a vast array of swords but none of them are quite right. Some are too big and unwieldy, others too long and most are just unbalanced in my hand. I can't help thinking of Harry in Ollivander's wand shop. Eventually there was just one sword left to try. "I hope this one is even close to right," Percy groaned, obviously itching to get on with the lesson. I pick it up and check out the feel of it in my hand, giving it a few practice slashes. It is almost perfect. It's the right size and length but is just weighted a little too heavily on the hilt for me. "It's the best so far but it's not quite balanced," I tell Percy. "Oh well it'll have to do until I can get the Hephaestus cabin to make you a better one," he says.

Back in the training area Percy uncaps Riptide and I grip my sword in my left hand. I feel my hand start to sweat in nervous anticipation and wipe the palm on my trousers. "First I want to know how good your reflexes are so defend yourself!" His voice rises with the last two words and my brain clicks into gear. I bring up my sword and step back with one foot. I think this is meant to make it easier to balance, the other demigods seemed to start like that yesterday. Percy swings Riptide, slashing at me from the left quite slowly and controlled. Automatically I intercept his blade with my own and the clang of clashing metal rings through the arena. He nods, clearly pleased, and slashes again but faster and to the right. Again I block it without thinking, allowing my instincts to do the work. With this we start our dangerous dance getting faster and faster. Percy feints right and stabs forward. I sidestep and deflect his sword to my right. His blade flicks up towards my head and I am only just able to defend myself. He steps back and caps his sword.

My heart is thumping in my chest and I'm almost gasping for breath but I never even noticed. Percy grins at me. "If that's what you're like with an unbalanced sword then I can't wait to fight you with one that is." I try to smile back and follow him to the edge of the arena where there is a water fountain. Percy pours two cups of water and passes me one, he chucks the other over his head. Instantly his eyes shine like green marbles and he starts to shuffle from foot to foot as if he has too much energy to keep still. "Try it, it'll make you feel better," he urges, "It's a Poseidon kid thing." Without thinking too much into it I copy him. It's cold but I have never felt more awake. Laughter tumbles out of my mouth and I bound back to the middle of the arena. "Come on, let's get going again," I call. "Alright sister, now try to focus," Percy replies.

Riptide slashes at my side and I block it, following up with an attack of my own. We are much faster and stronger than before - that water really helped. My focus narrows to the movement of my sword and his. I wish it was balanced properly, it just seems slightly stilted. Block, block, slash. Block, stab. Block, feint right, slash left. Defend, attack, defend. The rhythm continues, blades clashing in synch. I know he is holding back and could stop this whenever he wants but that doesn't matter. Percy steps backwards and pushes the tip of my sword to the ground. "We're done now. I need to show you something else." I nod and he motions for me to bring my sword back up.

"I'm going to teach you one of the first moves I was taught which is how to disarm your opponent." A glimmer of pain flashes in his eyes. "First you slide the blade of your sword down the opponent's to their hilt and then it is a flick of the wrist." My sword clatters to the ground so fast I hardly saw his hand move. "Now it's your turn," Percy says with a nod towards me. We practice until I can disarm him in one fluid motion. "That's all the fighting for today," he tells me, "Would you like to meet a good friend of mine?" "Sure." That sounds fun, I thought I had met everyone yesterday.

"You keep horses here?" I didn't notice this stable on the tour. "This stable's not for horses, it's where the pegasi live," Percy replies pushing the door open. I head inside behind him and I see the creatures. They are truly beautiful with pure white feathered wings and stormy grey eyes. Percy continues past several stalls before stopping in front of a pegasus that is as black as night. "Yo Boss have you got any doughnuts?" It lowers its head to nuzzle Percy's pockets. "Sorry Blackjack none today," he replies. "Blackjack meet my little sister Natalie, Nat this is Blackjack," Percy introduces. "Hey Boss's little sister, do you have any doughnuts?" I shake my head at the pegasus and smile. "I didn't know pegasi can speak English," I comment to Percy. "They can't," he replies, "We're the only demigods who can understand them, it's a .. " "Poseidon kid thing." We finish together and burst out laughing. Percy starts chatting to Blackjack about how the wind is too strong for flight acrobatics so I wander to the last stall in the stable.

"Hello gorgeous what's your name?" I say. In front of me is clearly the prettiest pegasus of all. I hold out my hand to her and she nuzzles my palm. "Fleet," she says, "My name is Fleet." "I'm Natalie," I reply, "But everyone calls me Nat." Fleet is slightly smaller than Blackjack and is a pale blue colour. She is unique amongst the the other pegasi but there is nothing wrong with standing out. I gave up fitting in years ago. "Hey Nat I see you've met our youngest pegasus," Percy says, walking over to join me, "And by the look of things you're going to get on like a house on fire."

Soon we head back to our cabin and I actually have time to unpack my bag from yesterday. I line up my Harry Potter books in order on the shelf next to my bunk under the window. I love this cabin. The way it smells like a sea breeze, is just the perfect temperature and I don't have to worry about what my stepdad will do next. No, I can't think of Victor, I can't break the peace. "You brought books with you when you ran away," Percy says sounding completely surprised. "Of course I couldn't leave them behind," I reply. "So I guess you're not dyslexic then." No, why would he think I was dyslexic? "It's just that most demigods are," he explained, "Our brains are hard wired for Greek." I wonder why I'm not then if it's the norm. Then it clicks. "It might be because I've always been good at speaking languages and understanding them." Percy nods in agreement, "Annabeth is the only demigod I know who reads but she likes architecture books in Greek. She'll be teaching you Greek and I'm sure she'll lend you some books if you want." "Sure," I say turning back to my bag. I reach into it and pull out two cans of coke, "Want one?" His eyes light up. "I haven't had a proper can of coke in ages. The coke at camp is not the same." I pass one over and we sit on the cabin steps popping the tags. "You know sister," Percy says, "You're alright."