The Demon Wars

First Swordsman Class

At Camp the Next Day:

Perseus stood in the arena waiting on his first class. It was still fifteen minutes early, but there were a few campers already there waiting, namely Thalia, Luke, Annabeth, and a few Ares campers. Eventually the rest of the class files in and stands around Perseus. In all, there are fifteen campers there in front of him.

"Alright, listen up. This will likely be different than the training sessions you've had so far. I intend to go over the basics for everyone. Even if you know them, it won't hurt to brush up and even perfect the minor details so that your overall form becomes more fluid. Now, I'll show you all some entry level stances and movements. Then I will walk around the group to correct you. Take this seriously.

"I'm not like other instructors. I want to ensure by the end of the summer, you all can leave for home if you choose to, and be able to come back next year. The goal is to get you to the point where you don't have to run away if you see more than one monster. We'll focus on individual tactics this summer. Next summer we will be split into two styles of training. The beginner and the intermediate. Those that train with me this summer will all be in the intermediate unless I feel they need more practice. I hope you all get something out of this...because if you don't try your hardest, well let's just say I know how to be very, very persuasive." The tone in his voice dropped and created an almost chilly atmosphere and a few of the campers even shivered at the gleam in his eyes. 

Perseus proceeded to show off the stances and movements he wanted to class to practice and then spread them out so they could practice. As they proceeded to train over and over, doing countless repetitions of the movements, he walked around, correcting their stances. He mainly focused on their feet placement and arms, as an issue with their feet could not only throw off their balance, it could affect their whole movement and even weaken the attack or block they were attempting. Their arms needed a bit of tweaking in placement here and there to ensure proper control and balance as well.

The campers caught on quickly and Perseus pushed them hard, making them do a hundred repetitions of each movement and back to a corresponding stance. They were all sweating profusely by lunch, even the Ares campers and year-rounders that were somewhat familiar with sword lessons. "Alright that's enough for today. Tomorrow, when you come in, start with a hundred repetitions again of each movement, and then I'll show you how to move from one form to another without a pause."

A chorus of groans comes from the group, excluding the three closest to Perseus and one solitary Ares camper, who looks at Perseus like a god. Soon after, the group disperses and the same Ares camper approaches Perseus as Annabeth moves to stand at his side. "Um, you're the new swordsman trainer right? Why did you choose to go over the basics again?"

Perseus appraises the girl in front of him. She's about Annabeth's age, or at least her physical body's current age. "No matter how good a swordsman is, if they are rusty or unpolished, their blade will dull. More than likely most of you have had either poor training or not enough training. Not to mention, the ones that get to leave the camp for school and to go home, probably don't practice sword-play while away. This makes the training even more important. Not to mention, as I said, it is never a bad thing to re-hone your skills and brush up on small details that you may not be able to notice yourself unless someone points out your flaws."

The girl looked up at him in awe. "So, do you have any advice for me? I've been using a spear, but this is swordsmanship, which is a bit harder for me to grasp."

Perseus looked at her contemplatively before speaking. "I'll train you personally in a spear, but I expect you to still come to my regular classes. It's always a good idea to be proficient in more than one weapon, in case yours breaks and you have to switch. What's your name kid?"

"It's Clarrise, daughter of Ares."

Perseus chuckled. "You'll soon learn I don't care about your parentage. I've always believed that parents don't make or break the kids. What I look for is your own accomplishments. Strive to be the best you can be for those that are here and around you, not those that aren't. They can get their panties in a bunch, but the gods don't come down to help you fight. But the rest of the campers on the other hand, would. Learn from that. I'm not entirely blaming the gods, but you have to understand that you can't rely on them too much."

Thunder rumbled overhead but Perseus pointedly ignored it. Clarrise was now fully enraptured by him, believing him to be the foremost expert to see on anything, and he'd barely given her much advice at all.

Through all of this, Annabeth had grasped Perseus' hand and listened closely. A flash of light came from behind them and Perseus turned to see Athena standing there. "Off ya go now, hun. You wanted to meet your mom, and I made her promise to see you regularly. She's come here just to see you," he encouraged, gently pushing her in the direction of her mother.

Annabeth hesitated, looking worriedly back at him, unsure of what to do. He nodded at her, understanding her worry and she looked back at her mother. Athena nods at her and says, "Come, I have much to make up for and I truly wish to get to know you, my daughter."

While her formal way of speaking did little to reassure Annabeth, she still agreed and they disappeared to spend some mother-daughter bonding time. Perseus was pleased to see Athena take the initiative to meet up, and so soon after he made his demand.

He turned back to Clarrise and he continued to give her advice before sending her off to lunch.