Betrayal

4

"Get in closer. You have powers, use them. Electrify your spear, your shield. But don't waste your energy. Just electrify it when you go in for an attack. Even a small shock could be enough to throw off your opponent and give you an edge in battle," Percy berated Thalia.

The latter huffed in frustration. "It takes a lot of concentration to keep up with you as it is, Percy. How am I supposed to do all that at the same time?"

"Do you want to go back to basic reps and start from there? I know you well enough that you'd get frustrated with that. I'm not even going full tilt here. I'm giving you enough time to retaliate and we both know I don't do that in a real fight."

Thalia growled, but she knew he was right. "Then how am I supposed to concentrate on both things?"

"You're concentrating on the wrong thing. Your body has been doing this for two weeks, every day for hours. It knows what to do. You're focusing on trying to attack, but your body already can do that without thinking. Change your focus. Your body will compensate, I promise. You don't think I focus on fighting when I go into battle do you? I hardly focus on the enemy I'm facing. I'm looking for the next enemy with the best opening."

'This is why he's the strongest swordsman since Achilles,' Thalia thought. He fights by instinct rather than focusing. He's so accomplished he could be on autopilot through an entire fight. 'How am I supposed to fight him then?' she questioned herself.

"Don't think, just react. Focus on using your powers in a way that will save energy and eliminate your target with haste and efficiency. Come on Thalia. Go full out on me, you aren't going to kill me. We can't die in this arena, and even if we could, you have no hope of actually succeeding."

Thalia's anger flared. He was calling her weak. She quickly jumped from defense to offense and actually started pushing him back, sparks arcing off her spear and the edges of her shield. For Percy's part though, he was dodging, weaving, and swatting her attacks away with what seemed like ease. "How?" she growled. "How is my electricity not shocking you?"

Her concentration had broken just enough that Percy spun past her lunge and planted a boot firmly in her back and sent her sprawling. "Because, I'm just a water clone. My real body isn't even here."

Thalia was confused. "What do you mean?" At her question, Percy pulled out a knife and sliced his hand off. "HEY-what the Hades?"

Instead of a hand falling off, it fell and turned into water, which quickly reformed and returned to the body as a hand again. "I'm currently in New Rome, getting reacquainted with the legion. They are backing me. I'm making plans for all demigods for when the camps are no longer safe. While the Greeks may no longer care for me, I won't abandon them like they abandoned me. I won't stoop to their level. I'll leave convincing them of my plan to you, when I actually have a location.

"The idea is that with the border god Terminus and the Golden Fleece in the same place, it would make a completely impenetrable and unlocatable safe haven for people. That's the idea at least. I just have to find somewhere that can house that many demigods, and still take in mortals if needs be."

Thalia was floored. She knew her cousin was powerful. Unimaginably so, but to be able to be in two places at once, and focus on doing two completely different things at the same time. It was unbelievable. She just didn't know what to do with this knowledge. "How?"

"Well, maybe I'll teach you here soon. You have Artemis' blessing, so your energy should be larger. If we focus on training your stamina, then eventually you'll be able to do the same with your own element. I'm assuming you don't want to fly like Jason?" Thalia quickly shook her head. "Hmm, maybe we can figure out how to make you transport like your dad? I can mist travel like mine. Lightning travel would undoubtedly be faster than water travel. You really just got to experiment with your powers. I can do a lot with mine, then again, I was constantly at war for twelve lifetimes. I can make blades out of water and use them, Athena and Hephaestus are making me guns that I can channel my powers through based on some really crude designs that I had in my third and fourth lives. I don't know, I just think you should come up with something and then figure out how to make your powers do it for you."

Thalia smirked. "Even after what happened, she still rubbed off on you enough, didn't she?"

A scowl adorning the clone's face told her all she needed to know. "I was never that dumb. But standing next to her all the time made it seem so, so why change everyone's opinions? Plus, I loved her. Why hurt her ego if it wasn't necessary? Now I could care less. Any ways, it's about time to call it for the day. I need my full focus here, as I've got to start training the legion, hopefully with Nico's help."

She rolled her eyes, "Don't count on him to stay the night. He's been spending an awful lot of time at camp, an Apollo camper."

"Oh, I know. He just won't admit it to anyone else yet."