Vines and Thorns

𝟘𝟘𝟛-ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕠𝕥𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℚ𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕤

For the next week, I throw myself into my classes. I force myself to attend archery lessons and arts/crafts and sit through the boring lectures about the history of each god, and the Heroes that are associated with their names.

I scale the lava tower twice with ease—having the right steps and movements memorized. I put an effort into cabin inspections, and I even make a short appearance at the campfire (until my brothers ruin the night with a skunk that they had 'misplaced' in the Aphrodite cabin).

Everyone was so preoccupied with preparing for the chariot races that the arena was empty, allowing me private time to practice on my own. I spend over 2 hours a day meticulously going over my technique and my movements until they are near perfect.

Some might call it an over-obsession, but I would prefer the term 'minor perfectionism'. I'm still unsure on which one is better. No one bothers me, and I enjoy the moment of solitary peace during the bustling summer.

I don't bother to use the training blades considering I wasn't going against anyone and take out my built-up stress and frusterations on the steel dummies that the Hephaestus cabin had made for practice.

The dummy has multiple settings, and I set it onto its highest one before taking a step back. The dummy acts like an automaton and is programmed to go through a series of randomized drills and movements that vary depending on what setting it is set to.

Since it was a machine and not an actual person, the automaton was harder to prepare for—thus making it the best opponent for me in camp. It stayed rooted to the same spot in the ground, but its arms swung and stabbed at a quick rate that kept me busy.

I have broken the thing one time, and after getting a very long scolding from Beckendorf, I promised to never do it again. Most of the time, I practice with Castor, but he has chosen to focus on the strawberry fields rather than fighting.

Both Pollux and Castor were much better in the plant aspect than I ever would be, and they both spent a lot of their time in the fields helping the crops grow and flourish (the work got us out of having to do KP duty, so I didn't complain).

I still had some kind of control over plants, but it took a lot more focus and energy than it did from them, and I have always been secretly jealous. Their affinity towards plants earned them brownie points for the Demeter cabin, and a lot of their closest friends were from that cabin.

I step back as the dummy begins to click and whir—signaling that it was about to start its rotation. I shift my feet into the ground, raising my bronze blade in preparation. The mechanic dummy spurs into action almost instantly—the blade in its hand zipping through the air at an incredible speed.

My instincts from years of fighting instantly shift into effect, and I raise my sword to block the blow before quickly darting out of the way. The upper half of the machine follows my movement, twisting around so that is always facing me.

I dodge and swipe and block the animatronics attacks, my body quickly gaining a layer of sweat as I continue to work through the sequences, my body narrowly dodging the dummy's blade.

"Percy was right—gods you're good." The voice makes me jump, breaking my concentration and causing the animatron to hit me with the dull practice blade in the gut. The air is effectively knocked from my lungs as I step back, out of the animatron's range as I cough.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I peer up at the surprise spectator, surprised to see Annabeth standing a few feet away.

I have never had a bad interaction with Annabeth, considering she was raised right alongside me at camp. She arrived three years after me, and she had Chiron's favor from the minute she arrived.